31 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Odd Laws" Colossians 2:18-23

31 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “Odd Laws”  Colossians 2:18-23

 

            From the book, Odd Laws Still on the Books, [Citation: Robert W. Pelton in The Door. Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 5.] Young girls are never allowed to walk a tightrope in Wheeler, Mississippi, unless it’s in a church.  In Blackwater, Kentucky, tickling a woman under her chin with a feather duster while she’s in church service carries a penalty of $10.00 and one day in jail.  No one can eat unshelled, roasted peanuts while attending church in Idanha, Oregon. In Honey Creek, Iowa, no one is permitted to carry a slingshot to church except police. No citizen in Leecreek, Arkansas, is allowed to attend church in any red-colored garment. Swinging a yo-yo in church or anywhere in public on the Sabbath is prohibited in Studley, Virginia. Turtle races are not permitted within 100 yards of a local church at any time in Slaughter, Louisiana.
            Those are humorous until you stop to think about the fact that all of those had something to do with church. The sad thing about all of this is that there probably were some fierce arguments about such ridiculous things (with church people involved) before these laws passed. So the question is, Why do people who call themselves believers get so tied down in rules and regulations? Why do believers in Christ insist upon living by some set of man-made rules and regulations and then imposing those rules on other people?  Why would the non-Christian community even care if someone wore red to church? It had to be church-goers who decided there needed to be a law against wearing red to church. It wasn’t non-Christians who decided people should wear suits and ties to church. It wasn’t non-Christians who decided that rock-n-roll music is of the devil. It wasn’t non-Christians who decided that playing cards was a sin.
            Why do believers in Christ insist upon living by some set of man-made rules and regulations and then imposing those rules on other people? So today let’s look at what the apostle Paul had to say about all of this at the end of Colossians 2:18-23] ¹⁸ Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. ²⁰ Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— ²¹ “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” ²² which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? ²³ These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”

            Man-made rules and regulations will disqualify you for the prize. Paul says man-made rules and regulations will disqualify you from the prize. The prize that Paul is referring to here is heaven. Paul is saying that human rules and regulations will disqualify you from heaven. Following merely human rules and regulations will keep us out of heaven- literally the original means “cheat us out of it.”
            So let’s look at the rules and regulations that he’s talking about. The first one he says is false humility.  These are people who appear to have all the answers and appear to be humble can lead you to hell. How is that possible? Because even though they appear to be humble, they’re not giving the glory to Jesus and Paul says they are really puffed up and falsely humble.  They are “proud of their humility.” People draw attention to their supposed humility are not humble, but proud.
            People who tell you how to run your life are not humble but proud. Unless they are teaching what Jesus said and unless they are giving all the credit to Jesus, they are not humble, but proud.
            The second one is the worship of angels or I would paraphrase this as false spirituality. Folks who are proud of the things they have experienced are not godly. Folks who talk about themselves and the things they experience are not godly. Why? Because they are drawing the attention to themselves and not Jesus. You can tell by the way they talk what is in their heart. If they are telling of their experiences to tell how great Jesus is, then listen. But if they are just telling you about spiritual experiences and encounters with angels and the experience itself, then don’t listen to them. These people can cheat you from going to heaven by getting you to focus upon their experience or mystical wonder rather than Christ who is above all such things.  If they are telling you that you need to experience these things and you need to tell others about your experiences, Paul is saying they can disqualify you from the prize.

            How do they disqualify you? They disqualify because they don’t focus on Jesus and Jesus is the only one who can get us to heaven.Angels can’t get anyone to heaven.
Spiritual experiences cannot get anyone to heaven. False humility can’t get anyone to heaven. When people try to tell you that you need to have experiences with angels or you need to have some type of spiritual experience or you need to put on some kind of humility in order to be truly saved—don’t listen to them.  Overturn those odd laws that can disqualify you.  If you keep your eyes on Jesus, however, you will have your eyes on the prize.

            Have a blessed day!

 

 

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

29 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Canceling the Code" Colossians 2:13-15

29 August 2005   Devotion for Today  “Canceling the Code”  Colossians 2:13-15

 

            Today I want to continue the thoughts made last week concerning Dan Brown’s bestseller, The DaVinci Code which has won a great amount of critical acclaim in the past year.   Someone asked me why I am so upset about the ridiculous notion that Jesus Christ would be married to Mary Magalene and that their offspring would become the leaders of the true church.  “Have you read the book?” one asked, challenging my concerns.  I admit that I have not read this blasphemous book for the same reason that I do not have to read Playboy magazines to know that they contain pornography.  What is the big deal?  Isn’t the novel just a piece of fiction, a story?   True, it is a piece of fiction and it would not draw such concern if those reading it would be more discerning of reality.  If there were any basis of truth to Brown’s story, God would have surfaced and protected the offspring to present them alive and well to the world at a time not long after Christ’s resurrection.  God certainly protected the Christ child and enabled Mary and Joseph to flee from Herod and steal into the night toward Egypt.  God protected His Son many times before His hour had come.  What happened to the child of Mary Magdalene?  Why hasn’t God protected her?  Why has she not surfaced?  Why only has this matter only reached our attention in recent times? 

            While Dan Brown asserts that his book is fiction, he asserts that it is based on fact.  Perhaps he misleads people in order to get them to buy the book and quite cynically, it makes book financial sense to present the book in the false documentary form that he does.  We ought really to see it as it truly is:  The DaVinci Code is an antichristian diatribe seeking to promote a new form of Christianity more in line with neo-pagan thinking, capitializing on the collective ignorance of the history of Christian theology and thought.   It has long been accepted that if someone has an agenda to present to the world (and  the author certainly has the right to do this) he or she will present those ideas in a novel, poem, a movie, or some other form of creative genre.   Brown asserts however that the so-called “facts” which he presents in many of his chapter subtitles are true when in fact they are speculative at best.

            I dispute the DaVinci Code not because it is a scholarly attack on Christianity, but because it is a popular attack upon our faith.   And the buying public seems to want to demand this book because it is popular, not because of its truth.  The Apostle Paul continually battled this problem in the first century.  Accurate scholarship was not generally available to most people because of their inability to read and write.  But on top of that, many stories and myths circulated, giving a much distorted view of the world to explain ideas and concepts that they did not understand.  Most of these myths were popular because they expressed hedonistic desires that most people had anyway.  For example, ritual prostitution was often practiced in pagan temples- it is not difficult to understand why this would be popular.  But this did not make it right nor did it express the truth that Ashtoreth would favor good fertility of livestock if those who worshipped her would engage in ritual orgies.  These were ideas based on mythological ideas of how the  world operated, but it had no basis in truth.

            The Apostle Paul also battled notions found even among the strictly conservative Jews who believed that circumcision would mark one off as bound for heaven and in favor of God when he wrote in Colossians 2:13-15:

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”  (NIV).  Jesus Christ, Paul says, cancelled the code- the code of the law, the code of human ideas, even the DaVinci Code and makes a public spectacle of it by exposing their insufficiencies and inaccuracies, nailing them to the cross.

            What ideas do you have that you feel bring meaning to your life?  Have you thoroughly examined them?  You have, of course, the right to believe them if you want.  But does having the right to believe them make them true?  Have the popularity of your ideas ever been tested in the light of real Biblical scholarship?  Have you considered the Cross as the only way to triumph over your sins and to transform your life?  I realize that this is a heavy way to begin on a Monday, but then perhaps that might just be the problem.  When we flee what we don’t want to face the price for eventually facing it will be much harder later than sooner.

          The Code has been cancelled.   Have a blessed day.

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

25 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Threat Level Charlie" Colossians 2:6-10

25 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “Threat Level Charlie”  Colossians 2:6-10

 

            August, 1998.  The aftermath of the Al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania left hundreds dead and scores wounded.  It is almost a faint memory now but I remember how it impacted me and my family when we were living in Germany.  Robin had only recently gotten hired at the PX on one of the Hanau Kasernes- hallelujah! We thought, no more paying $5.00 a gallon for gas and we can finally get gas-ration coupons as one of the benefits of her employment.  We could also shop for food at the commissary and not pay the exorbitant prices on the local economy.  Our main reasons for the ID card, however, was so that we could visit church members who lived in the American housing areas in case the MPs stopped us and wanted to know who we were.  Before the embassy bombings, one could stroll right into the American community and housing compounds.  I don’t even remember there being gate guards or security checkpoints.  That all changed that same month we got our ID cards.  After the bombings, everything went to what the military called “Threat Level Charlie.”  Army troops with M-16s donned the military checkpoints with cavlar helmets and flack-jackets, searching each vehicle and rolling mirrors underneath looking for bombs or weapons.  It soon became a frustrating and painstaking process, especially after we would leave the base and then remember that we had forgotten to buy something we needed.  Then we would have to turn around and get back into the long line of cars waiting to get onto the post.

The Scripture text in Colossians 2:6-10 reads: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, ⁷ rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. ⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

Paul tells us first of all that we needed to be rooted and built up in faith in Jesus Christ.  When we are, we will know to be aware of counterfeits that try to slip in and terrorize our faith.  This year our faith has been assaulted by false doctrines and bogus philosophies designed by the devil to cast doubt on the security of our faith in Christ.  Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code is one such example; claiming that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and that the succession of church leadership was passed through their offspring instead of through the apostles- and how secret societies were formed to promulgate this false gospel.  I was amazed to read recently how gullible people have been in reaction to this work of fiction.  Its almost as if they are looking ways that they can accept this lie- which ultimately takes more faith- than to accept the simple truths of who Jesus claimed to be in the Gospels.  We may be incredulous to accept the fantastic claims of Brown’s book, but its like one said one time, “If you lie a lie long enough and loudly enough, eventually many will come to accept it.”

We need to be on guard and raise the threat level of our spiritual awareness.  Gone are the good-old days when we didn’t have to live looking over our spiritual shoulders.  May we receive God’s grace and discernment so that we may continue to be and live strong as the assaults of the enemy increases.

Have a blessed day.

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today Persecution Matthew 16:16-19

 Devotion for Today Persecution Matthew 16:16-19

“16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:16-19

The story is told that back during the Korean war, a band of North Korean soldiers burst into the worship service of a small Baptist church. They raised their rifles threateningly, and the captain said. If you will renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you may go. The rest of you will die. In a moment, a few frightened individuals got up. A deacon or two, a Sunday school teacher and several others filed out. In fact, about half the church left under the pointed bayonets of the soldiers. After the last one went out the door, the rest sat there frightened and prepared themselves for the worst. Some even prayed. The glaring and scorning face of the captain broke into a smile. You people please relax. We mean you no harm. You see, we are Christians, and we love the Lord. We thought it would be good to get rid of the all the uncommitted so we can enjoy some real fellowship with you!” Talk about persecution. In fact the kind of persecution we deal with is the pressure against it in the form of lack of commitment and indifference. In fact I will say that I have never seen the churches who have been attacked on the outside fail or flounder. But I have seen churches in the latter category close their doors more than once. But didn’t Christ say that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church? Yes, but they have got to be His church first before they can have any surety that Christ is going to protect them from the onslaught of Satan.

We can’t say the gates of Hell will not prevail against His church unless we give Him the full title and ownership of not just all that we have, but all that we are. For Him to have complete ownership of it means we have got to relinquish our control of it just like we do our own individual lives. And my friends, if we want Christ to do a great work in this body of believers, we are going to need to stop acting like we own it and let get out of His way and let Christ do a greater work than anything we could ever do.
Remember that Christ is giving you the keys to His kingdom. But they are not yours. A deposit has been paid by Christ with His own blood. They are yours inasmuch as He has entrusted to you.

Have a blessed day!

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

23 August 2005 Devotion for Today "The Image of God" Colossians 1:15-18

23 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “The Image of God”  Colossians 1:15-18

           

     Colossians 1:15-18  says  “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

           

        When one of my children was about six years old, he made a stunning observation one day when we were browsing some old photos in a shoebox.  He said, “Dad, when you were little, why was everything black and white?”  “Huh?” I asked.   He said again,  “What was it like, just seeing everything in black and white and when did God make everything in color?”  .  I stared at him for a moment, uncertain about what he was asking.  Earlier in the day we had been watching old re-runs of “The Andy Griffith Show” on television.  It too, was in black and white.  I told him at the time when I was a boy I enjoyed watching that show with my dad and now here I am watching it with my little boy.  He also said at that time, though I didn’t pick up on it, that when I was a little boy everything was black and white.  I thought he meant that the TV show was in black and white.  Then I realized, no, he thought all of creation was also black and white and that somehow, around the year 1969 or so- everything turned color.  

           

     No, I said, everything was in color back then, back as far as I could remember.  Its just that it was very expensive to make color photos and TV programs.  But I don’t think he still understood what I meant.  The images may have been in black and white, but we were really in color. 

           

    In the Scripture text in Colossians Paul says that Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation.”   Of course, we don’t even have a black and white photo of Jesus, but what we read about Him in Scripture vividly portrays Him as God- even creator.  If we want to know what God looks like, all we have to do is to imagine Christ and we have a mirror-image of the Father; living out in character through His Son.  In turn we also live out the character of Jesus Christ, not as a snap shot, but as a vivid, living portrait of His person residing within us. 

 

May you see His image in your life today.  Have a blessed day!

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today "Look Right before Left" 2 Corinthians 10:8-18

 Devotion for Today  "Look Right before Left" 2 Corinthians 10:8-18

The first of the week I paid a visit to Spurgeon's College in the south of London with
two American ministry collegues.  Perhaps these men had fully examined their faith, got their
house in order, and knew where they stood with the Lord because they had elected me to drive
on that venture.  True, I lived in that country for over four years- but that did not mean
I knew how to drive there.  Actually I must admit I did not do all that badly with a right-
hand-drive vehicle, shifting the gears with my left hand and trying my best to remember to
stay to the left.  Actually I only made one mistake- a mistake that could have been fatal
had not the Lord intervened miraculously on our behalf.  As we were looking for the
entrance to Spurgeon's College, I passed the entrance and realized that I needed to go back.
As there was no place to turn around in the street, I made a left turn off the main road to
make a block around.  Someone suggested that I should just turn around in a drive way.  I
didn't want to tell him that I had trouble getting the car in reverse, so I made another
left and then another until I came to the top of the hill to turn right and recover the
error which I had made.  On this steep hill I was riding the clutch and after I stopped at
the stop sign, the car stalled. The excitement of the thought of rolling backwards down the
hill behind me threw me into a momentary lapse once I got the car started again.  I looked
left for oncoming traffic.  Not seeing any I turned right when suddenly an older model
Vauxhall station wagon containing an elderly gent and his wife was barreling down the hill.
When I turned into their path my passengers went pale.  Fortunately the other driver
managed to stop, but not without a severe blast on the horn and flailing his hands in the
air.  His wife scowled at me, and shook her finger at me as if to say, "No, no, no, no, no!"
My fear turned to embarrassment and I instantly apologized to my crew who had dived under
their seats. 

"I'm so sorry!" I said, "I looked left when I should have been looking right!  I know I
must have scared that poor old couple to death!"

"That's all right," said Bob Bade, European Baptist Convention's Education Director, "You
got their blood pumping!  That's probably the only exercize they will have gotten all day
long!"

We had a good laugh about that and drove on and parked safely at the College.  I was very
glad to have learned a good lesson- when driving in Britain, look right before left.

In our devotional text today we read in 2 Corinthians 10:8-18
8.  For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us
for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:
9.  That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
10.  For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak,
and his speech contemptible.
11.  Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent
, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
12.  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that
commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves
among themselves, are not wise.
13.  But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of
the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
14.  For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you:
for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:
15.  Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but
having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
16.  To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line
of things made ready to our hand.
17.  But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
18.  For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

When God tells us something in His Word, it is not for our destruction; it is for our
edification- if not for our survival.  To ignore what He says can be as deadly as my forgetting
to look right before left.  Those who represent God, like Paul, are often received and
treated with disdain because man's pride does not like another telling him what he ought to
do.  That was the attitude of the Corinthian believers.  Perhaps they understood already
that they were in error, but they didn't like Paul telling them about it so they chafed at
what he had to say with a passion.  They didn't like this little man preaching at them and
it "got their blood pumping," too.  But Paul reminded them that he represented God when he
wrote and when he spoke and not himself.  He came in the preaching of the gospel of Christ.

When others speak to us whom we know are representing God we ought not to tune out what they
say.  They know they are not perfect just as we know we are not perfect.  They do not
compare themselves to you or think they are better than you are in their stature, wisdom,
or in faith.  Receiving God's Word with humility might be embarrassing for the moment, but
we will recover and learn from the lessons that God wants to teach us so that we wont make
the same mistake again because the next time our failure might well be fatal.

What about you today?  Are you pleased to receive the instruction that God purposes to tell
you?  Open your heart and you will have a blessed day.

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

19 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Great Conflict" Colossians 2:1-4

19 August 2005   Devotion for Today  “Great Conflict”  Colossians 2:1-4

 

“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ² that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. ⁵ For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.”

            In the fall of 1918 through the spring of 1919 an influenza pandemic killed hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and millions throughout the world.  Even in the small cemetery located just a few yards from our parsonage door, a disportionate number graves record 1918 or 1919 as the date of those buried there.  It is sad to see how families lost family members- especially children and older people- during that time.

            But another pandemic that has had us in its “grippe” in recent years has been that of conflict- especially conflict in the churches.  This type of conflict is defined as the inability of people to be able to get along.  Like an epidemic of influenza, however, it is not just confined to those we know.  It doesn’t just affect the churches, however.  It is wiping out institutions and organizations that were stalwart cornerstones of society in the last century.   It is a result of the pressures and destabilization brought about by a huge cultural shift which has abandoned the basic values of twentieth-century morality and ethics.  Other organizations are plagued with it as they cope with dwindling memberships brought about by lack of commitment, disinterest, dissonance, and even untrustworthiness.  No matter how noble and worthy the cause, no organization seems to be immune. 

            However, in Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, he inoculates the church with a conflict that results in good will, peace, harmony, and contentment in its membership.  He says, “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea.”  The difference is found in the preposition that Paul uses.  Instead of conflict with them, he states a conflict for them. This is what makes all the difference between a killing and a cure.  If more people would have conflict (or struggle) for others instead of with others, one can’t imagine the vision of love and peace we could have for our world. 

We could do with more of this kind of conflict.  If we made our conflict more about others instead of what we want for ourselves God would be glorified and we would be more satisfied.

Have a blessed day!

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

17 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Epaphras- A Man of Prayer" Colossians 1:7

17 August 2005 Devotion for Today  “Epaphras- A Man of Prayer”  Colossians 1:7

 

            Once and a while I have a memory  of an aged, godly man on his knees that comes to my mind.  Uncle Copeland “Copie” Palmer  was the deaf-mute brother of my great-grandmother.  Both were born back in the 1880’s.  Grandma Palmer cared for him until she died.  I can only remember visiting their home twice as a young child.  Both times I wandered around the house and peered into Uncle Copie’s room.  The door was open.  There was Uncle Copie kneeling beside his neatly-made bed, his hands folded in prayer, his eyes closed.  Once he became aware that someone was at the entrance of his room and his eyes opened.  He smiled and motioned for me to come over and kneel beside him.  He made unintelligible noises and babbled when he talked, and then went right back to praying.  I knelt there for a while until my knees hurt, and then got up and went off to play somewhere.  But I will never forget the example that he gave me- just a brief moment was all that was needed to stick into my mind.  He was probably my first impression of a man that close to God.

            It has surprised me that as we look over the great Christian leaders of the late 20^th and 21^st centuries how few come out on top as men as prayer.  We hear and read about women of prayer, we hear about men as great preachers and great church builders, gathering purpose-driven and seeker-sensitive congregations by the thousands but I don’t often hear about the prayer efforts which went behind these efforts except perhaps as a footnote; relegating prayer to the margins and to the fringes of Christian life in this new century.  In the modern-day church it seems we spend more time learning keying up power-point presentations and putting together web pages than we do in prayer.  Prayer meetings are being done-away-with as churches shuffle their programs and add choir practices and cell-group meetings instead.

            In Colossinas Paul used two phrases to describe Epaphras. In Colossians 1:7 he was Paul's "dear fellow-servant," and in Colossians 4:12, he is described as “one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”  

            We can learn a lot about the necessity of prayer from men like Epaphras. We know he was faithful and while Paul had never been to Colossae, he knew all about the church from Epaphras.  But most of all this man was passionate about prayer.  We read about men like Hudson Taylor of China and George Mueller, the faith-based orphanage director.  Both were men of prayer from the 19^th century who loved God and depended on Him to supply every need in prayer.  Epaphras was likely their example.

       What would happen if we would all pray for our church as this man prayed for his?  Perhaps we would no longer be living in the post-christian age.  May the Lord help you to be a person of prayer today. 

 

            Have a blessed day.

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

16 August 2005 Devotion for Today "Proactive Love" Colossians 1:1-8

16 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “Proactive Love”  Colossians 1:1-8

            Lee Strobel tells of an 8 year old girl who got caught stealing form the church bookstore. He told her that her punishment was to pay the church $20, which she of course did not have. However teaching her a lesson on grace he wrote the church a check for the amount and paid her debt for her. What is the good of a lesson like that?  The lesson is one of love and grace.  It is also one of good news, and the good news is that God has paid the debt.

In Paul’s epistle to the Colossians the apostle discusses many examples of love, grace, and faith in the example this church set. 

¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
² To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
³ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

            The Colossian church must have been known for its love.  Paul mentions it here twice.  It is included with the other teachings of Christian gifts, but singled out and mentioned specifically.  The kind of love mentioned here is the unconditional agapae love, the same love that Jesus declares will set apart his disciples The world has a flawed view of love.  It’s a love that says, “If you love me, I will love you.”  It says “As long as you love me, I will love you;” “As long as you do not act unloving to me, I will love you;” and especially: “If you love me, you will…”
            However the agapae love says, “I will love you, because God loved me.”  Love is not a feeling, it is an attitude and action.”  Love is not a feeling- it is a choice, a deliberate decision. Agapae love is not reactive, but proactive. It is not based on what others do to you, but what God has done for you.  Allow the love of God to be evident in your life today, and effectual in the lives of others. Do not be reactive in your love, but be proactive. Allow your love to be an expression of who and whose you are.   

            Have a blessed day!

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

15 August 2005 Devotion for Today "The Watchman" Ezekiel 33:2-10

15 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “The Watchman”  Ezekiel 33:2-10

 

In 1969, in Pass Christian, Mississippi, a group of people was preparing to have a "hurricane party" in the face of a storm named Camille. Were they ignorant of the dangers? Could they have been overconfident? Did they let their egos and pride influence their decision? We will never know. What we do know is that the wind was howling outside the posh Richelieu Apartments when Police Chief Jerry Peralta pulled up sometime after dark. Facing the Beach less than 250 feet from the surf, the apartments were directly in the line of danger. A man with a drink in his hand came out to the second-floor balcony and waved. Peralta yelled up, "You all need to clear out of here as quickly as you can. The storm is getting worse." But as other joined the man on the balcony, they just laughed at Peralta’s order to leave. "This is my land," one of them yelled back. "If you want me off, you’ll have to arrest me." Peralta didn’t arrest anyone, but he wasn’t able to persuade them to leave either. He wrote down the names of the next of kin of the twenty or so people who gathered there to party through the storm. They laughed as he took their names. They had been warned, but they had no intention of leaving. It was 10:15 p.m. when the front wall of the storm came ashore. Scientists clocked Camille’s wind speed at more than 205 miles-per-hour, the strongest on record. Raindrops hit with the force of bullets, and waves off the Gulf Coast crested between twenty-two and twenty-eight feet high.  News reports later showed that the worst damage came at the little settlement of motels, go-go bars, and gambling houses known as Pass Christian, Mississippi, where some twenty people were killed at a hurricane party in the Richelieu Apartments. Nothing was left of that three-story structure but the foundation; the only survivor was a five-year-old boy found clinging to a mattress the following day.
Those people died because they failed to heed the words of the watchman!

 

In Ezekiel 33:2-10, the prophet tells of his role as a watchman "Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

The watchman is not always popular.  Many times he is thought of as a “party-pooper,” even if he is thought of at all.  I wonder how many of us were mindful or even aware of those like the policeman or those in the military who keep watch all night last night just so we could have a restful night’s sleep.  Yet when calamity comes or something fearful happens and it overtakes us, we demand to know why the watchman didn’t let us know.  More often than not, he is doing his job but we are the ones who just do not want to listen.

           

     Be thankful for the watchmen over your souls.  What about the ones who are praying for you.  Don’t brush off those who are warning you of the danger of hell or self-destruction.  They are not being nosy, nor do they try to keep you from having a good time.  They are appointed by God so that you may live.  Heed the watchman and pray that he will be ever vigilant.

           

     Have a blessed day!

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

11 August 2005 Devotion for Today "It's Not About Me" John 4:23

11 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “It’s Not About Me”   John 4:23

            Two weeks ago when I accompanied the youth on their mission trip we encountered a theme for the entire week’s which I felt appropriate to share with you- “It’s Not About Me.”  It was a good theme because many times we had to confront ourselves with the issue of what we were doing and why we were there.  We were reminded of the theme, “It’s not About Me,” when we were inconvenienced- because there were inconvenient moments.  We were reminded “Its not About Me” when we were frustrated about something and remember who we were serving and why we were serving.  Or if we didn’t like what the program directors or the staff were doing in the program we had to remind ourselves again, “Its Not About Me.”  If it’s not about you and its not about me, then who is it all about?  The answer should be obvious- its about God and what He wants and what pleases Him. 

            When we gave our lives to Jesus Christ, we should have been aware of the fact that God doesn't want just a part of your life -- he wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. God  desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.  In our text today, the Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. She was basically saying, “Its all about us- the way we do it is best.   Right here, up on this mountain- that’s the best way to worship God.”  Jesus said that the Jews worshipped in the Temple in Jerusalem, but that in the final analysis, these external issues are irrelevant. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship.

        When I attended Spurgeon’s College we performed an exercise in one of our classes where the professor had us go around the room and discuss the following sentence, filling in the blank: “I like to think of God as ..." and then they share their idea of the kind of God they'd like to worship.   One said, “I like to think of God as a dandelion.”  A large, burly-looking woman with a short hair cut said, “I like to think of God as a woman.”  But we cannot just create our own comfortable or politically correct image of God and worship it. That is idolatry.  Understand that it’s not about us- because God made us in His own image.  We don’t make God in our image.  I’ve also heard people say, “I can worship God when I am out here on my boat fishing,” and at the risk of being impolite I hold back from saying, “Yes, but do you?”  When that fisherman misses that fish, I doubt very seriously he is worshipping God.  He might mention the name of God, but worshipping God is not the closest thing to his heart at that moment.   The way that we approach worship today is indicative of the shallow me-oriented way that we approach all of life- including our fast food.  Go to any Burger King and what is their slogan, “Have it Your Way.”  We think we can approach the worship of the living God in the same way.

            Worship must not be based on our opinions about God but on the truth of Scripture. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him John 4:23,. To "worship in truth" means to worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible.

            May you worship the God of truth today- not the god of your own mind, but the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture.  Have a blessed day.

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today "Getting Hands Dirty" John 8:1-11

Devotion for Today  “Getting Hands Dirty”   John 8:1-11

 

Last evening I was in a meeting with a number of people from my church when I started writing with a pencil to take some notes.  Before I realized what was happening, my hand and fingers started turning blue.  Apparently some jokester had taken a magic marker and painted the entire pencil with blue ink.  When I picked it up, it rubbed all over my hands.  I was quite embarrassed but then noticed another gentleman sitting at our table who was writing with a pen.  The ink exploded and got all over his hands as well.   As I got up to wash my hands, I promptly threw the errant writing implement away- not wishing for anyone else to have the same thing happen.  Of course, there is no way that incident could have been done discreetly- for it did not escape the notice of everyone at the meeting.   The moral of the story- when you get your hands dirty, everybody sees it!

 

Jesus encountered an even messier situation in John 8 as certain scribes and Pharisees brought a woman to Him who had been caught committing adultery.  As they sat the woman before Jesus they suggested that the law of Moses commanded that such should be stoned (and in those days, that meant throwing rocks at someone!).   Then they demanded that Jesus show where He stood on the matter- tricking Him into a battle of wits and hoping they could accuse Him of something wrong.

 

“But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.”  Verse 6.

 

Some have suggested that this implied that Jesus was writing out the names of all those who had previously engaged in adulterous relations with the accused woman.   I don’t see the text suggesting this however.  I see it simply as Jesus was taking a moment to collect His thoughts in response to this accusation of the woman and challenge to His ministry.   I also see it as a demonstration of Jesus’ concern and love for mankind to stoop down to the level of our sordid lives and involve Himself in them.  His writing in the dirt is symbolic of His willingness to get His own hands dirty with us- something He does not have to do, but something that He did to demonstrate His love and concern for us.   Jesus does not distance Himself from us just because our lives become messy.   You will note how quickly people distanced themselves from the situation after Jesus challenged the accusers, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.” 

 

Jesus did not condone the sinful actions of this woman.  Quite the contrary, He said to her, “Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more.” (v. 11).   But He shows us that in order to give grace and mercy one must be willing to become involved with the intense problems that people have.  Our sinfulness is not, if ever, easy to sort out.  And when we help others to sort out their messes, we get our hands dirty in the process.  That is not to say we must become involved in their sinful actions.  But we should not distance ourselves from them.   The sinner still needs a friend who will love them, as well as challenge them and not condemn them.  Indeed their own hearts have condemned them enough already.

 

Is there someone around you who is in a messy situation?  Be careful how you help, but don’t be ashamed to help them in their situation.   Jesus did that for you as well.

 

Have a blessed day.

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today "My Zeal Has Consumed Me" Psalm 119:137-140

 Devotion for Today "My Zeal Has Consumed Me" Psalm 119:137-140

A new missionary recruit went to Venezuela for the first time. He was
struggling with the language and didn't understand a whole lot of
what was going on. Intending to visit one of the local churches, he
got lost, but eventually got back on track and found the place.
Having arrived late, the church was already packed. The only pew left
was the one on the front row. So as not to make a fool of himself, he
decided to pick someone out of the crowd to imitate. He chose to follow the man sitting next to
him on the front pew. As they sang, the man clapped his hands, so the
missionary recruit clapped too. When the man stood up to pray, the
missionary recruit stood up too. When the man sat down, he sat down.
When the man held the cup and bread for the Lord's Supper, he held
the cup and bread. During the preaching, the recruit didn't
understand a thing. He just sat there and tried to look just like
that man in the front pew. Then he perceived that the preacher was
giving announcements. People clapped, so he looked to see if the man
was clapping. He was, and so the recruit clapped too. Then the preacher said some words that he
didn't understand and he saw the man next to him stand up. So he
stood up too.  Suddenly a hush fell over the entire congregation. A
few people gasped. He looked around and saw that nobody else was
standing. So he sat down.

After the service ended, the preacher stood at the door shaking the
hands of those who were leaving. When the missionary recruit
stretched out his hand to greet the preacher, the preacher said, in
English: "I take it you don't speak Spanish." The missionary recruit
replied: "No I don't. It's that obvious?"

"Well yes," said the preacher, "I announced that the Acosta family
had a newborn baby boy and would the proud father please stand up."

You have to admit that while the missionary didn't know what he was
doing, it didn't keep him from doing God's work and going about it
the best way he could, trying to understand what was going on around
him even though he risked looking foolish.  I can certainly understand
this, living in a land where I don't always know what is going on.  It
is good to know all that you can, and not just "jump in blindly" so
to speak.  But there are times that the passion from God causes us to
have to do just that when we may not know all we feel we should know,
and then trust God for the results.  That is where we find the greatest
blessings God could ever bring.

In our Scripture passage today we continue with Psalm 119.  The psalmist
says in verse 139 "My zeal has consumed me, because my adversaries have
forgotten Thy words."  Jesus actually quoted this passage to justify
His cleansing of the Temple and turning over the tables of the money-
changers.  This is not "zeal with knowledge."  This is clearly zeal-
passion, that is not only informed, but decisive.  There are times
when people who are informed who refuse to do the right thing or
ignore the right thing because they don't want to "make waves." So,
they allow themselves to be intimidated into going along just so that
they can make everyone happy.  In that sense, they-like the psalmist's
adversaries, forget what God has said just so that they can go with
the flow of popular thinking.  Knowledge is good, but if a person who
possesses it is not strong enough to practice it or act upon it, he
may just as well be ignorant.  Being bold enough, and passionate
about the knowledge that we possess to follow through with its demands
is what counts.  That is what Jesus demonstrated to us- zeal with
knowledge that was passionate about it to do something about it and to
take a stand.  I find it interesting that noone opposed Jesus when he
did such a daring, brazen act.

As I look back over my life there have been many times where I only
wish that I had dared to take stands that I was afraid to take. Those
feelings of regret are worse are worse now than the fear of consequences
I dreaded then for taking the right course of action.  Has the zeal and
passion of God consumed you today?  That is as clear a sign that you
will ever have that God is leading you to do something He has already
revealed to You in His Word.  Better to act on it now, than to regret
that you didn't do it later.

Have a blessed day.

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today "Looking Good" Matthew 6:1-5

Devotion for Today “Looking Good” Matthew 6:1-5

I read this story from a pastor’s sermon recently: “At the department store where I worked during seminary, we had a policy of "Free Shipping" for our customers. There were, however, a couple of restrictions on that policy. First, the item must be within certain weight limits. It can't weigh more than 5 pounds. Second, the order must be shipped within the Continental US; it can't go to Alaska, Hawaii, or a foreign country.On one occasion, a salesperson deliberately broke that rule in order to "look good" to a customer. He sold about 3 dozen sets of mini-blinds to a customer, and gave the customer "Free Shipping," despite the fact that the total order weighed in at nearly 70 pounds . . . and was being shipped to Alaska!”

The pastor went on to report that the total cost of shipping for which the store was responsible came to nearly $200 - more than the cost of the order itself! The store lost a lot of money on that sale . . . all because one salesperson was more concerned with PLEASING someone than with doing the right thing. The moral of the story? It's not profitable to only be concerned with pleasing others or looking good, or even trying to impress others.

Christ addressed this issue in Matthew 6:1-4 as it concerned “charitable contributions”:
1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Jesus openly repudiated the motives of those who are more concerned about looking good and impressing others even while they were “doing good.” Not in the world; and certainly not in the kingdom of God not when Jesus made it patently clear to us that his message would not be a crowd-pleaser; not when Jesus demonstrated with his own trial and execution that the gospel message, when presented in its fullest, purest form, is an out-and-out offense to others. Being profitable for Christ is not about personal success. It's not about everyone being comfortable with me; it's about everyone being confronted with Him.

Prayerfully examine what you do today. Is it for the glory of God, and if so, would you do it if nobody saw you to give you the praise or credit? Ask the Lord to help you become less impressed with yourself, and more impressed with Him. Then you will really be “looking good.”

Have a blessed day!

 

 

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

Devotion for Today "Don't Grow Weary" 2 Thess. 3:14

Devotion for Today  "Don't Grow Weary"  2 Thess. 3:14

The story is told of a minister who was full of energy and enthusiasm
for the Lord. One day he went to the hospital to visit one of his
parishioners who was critically ill. The minister entered the room and
saw the man lying in bed with a whole host of tubes and wires attached
to his body. Without any delay the minister strode to his bedside and
began to exhort him to be of good cheer. Soon the man became agitated
and started to wave his arms. This encouraged the minister, and so he
exhorted him more and more enthusiastically. Finally the minister ended
with a rather lengthy prayer. At the final "Amen" the minister opened
his eyes just in time to see the man reach for a pad of paper and a
pencil. Quickly he wrote something and handed it to the minister. Then
the man turned his head and died. The minister was deeply moved to
think that his visit to this man had occurred in the nick of time. Then
he looked at the pad and read these words: "You are standing on my
oxygen tube!!!"

It could be that someone or something has been standing on your "oxygen
tube" lately and while you are still faithful to the Lord and doing
what you can to serve Him, it might seem as though all of the "life"
or enthusiasm has gone out of you, too.  Perhaps you feel like you are
"going through the motions" just now- doing what you can to get by, but
you sure don't feel like doing it.  This is a common symptom of what
some would call "burn-out."  Others will have other terms for it:
depression, fatigue, "mid-life" crisis, laziess, boredom, and many
others.  I call it just good, old-fashioned discouragement (except that
there is nothing really good that can be said about it).  Discouragement
is a constant, spiritual battle among Christians who desire to follow
their Lord and yet the life to which He calls us is not easy.  The life
of service we give to Him we think ought to be appreciated.  It is
certainly appreciated by the Lord, but people do not understand it,
or value it, much less appreciate it.  This, combined with the human
tendency to always look for meaningful results in "nickles and noses"
can be the perfect equation for discouragement. 

I thought about this one evening after my children begged me to spend
time with them- but felt duty bound to call upon a family whom I sensed
needed Christ and with whom I had made a previous appointment.  When
I arrived, I found that they were not at home.  The thought of the
gasoline that I burned, the time wasted, and the relationship with my
own family chiseled away at tempted to fuel the fires of discouragement.

However, the Apostle Paul exhorts us in 2 Thessalonians 3:13: "But as
for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good."  The weariness that
we encounter is a result of the spiritual battle that we face, and we
must accept that.  But we must continue on in the Lord's strength and
in the Lord's power.  The thought that keeps me going when things are
not going well is the thought (however vain others might suppose this
to be) that someone, somewhere is depending on me today not to get
weary.  May this thought be yours today as you face your day.

 

(from 23 May 2001)

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/

02 August 2005 Devotion for Today "What A Change!" Ezekiel 36:25-29

02 August 2005  Devotion for Today  “What A Change!”  Ezekiel 36:25-29

 

How many of us this morning would like to change something about ourselves if we could? Most people know something about themselves that they don’t like even if no one else knows that about them. We desire change but change is so hard to come by. We try to change and it lasts a little while and then we go right back to our old ways. And we just reason to ourselves that I just will not be able to change that about myself that I don’t like.  In Ezekiel 36, God tells us that He is in the changing business. Today, He will tell us how He changes us and how we can know that He has changed us.
            “I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.  Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be my people, and I will be your God.  I will deliver you from all your uncleanesses.  I will call fro the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.”  Ezekiel 36:25-29
            The first principle of this passage teaches that I can not change what is wrong on the outside of me until I first change what is wrong on the inside.
            This is the Lord speaking through Ezekiel, the prophet, and I want you to notice the order that gave for change. Before He was going to remove the idols, God was going to clean their heart. God knew the heart must be changed before the idols are removed otherwise the idols would just return.
            Our problem is that when we attempt to change something we generally start with the wrong thing first. If I having a drinking problem I want to quit, I start with trying to drink less. But for me to be successful, I need to start with my heart because if I don’t change my heart I will never change my drinking.
            Think in your life when you try to change something, you generally start with the external. But the change will never last if you don’t change your heart first. Change must be from the inside outward.
            How many times have you confronted your spouse with a problem they have that is destroying your relationship and they plead for another chance and promised they will change. But yet they never change. It is on the outside that they try to change but do nothing on the inside.
            As preachers, we see people all the time to desiring to change their church attendance. They come for several weeks in a row and then they drop off. What happened? They attempted to change the external without first changing their heart. So the change will not last.
              The second principle is I can’t change what is wrong on the inside without God changing me.Vs. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
            Real change in my life can only come about through God. Notice in the Scripture what part God has and what part I have.
God is the one that needs to do the work. He is the one who gives a new heart and He is the one who gives a new spirit. I don’t believe that change I make will be lasting if I don’t allow God to do his work. When God changes my heart, I become more sensitive as to how expects me to live. Vs 27- And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Whenever I go to the dentist and have work done on my teeth, for several days my teeth are sensitive to hot or cold beverages. Something has been done to my teeth and as result I am much more sensitive.Whenever God works on my heart, I become much more sensitive as to how God wants me to live my life. I become more aware of God as I live each day.  When I become dull as to how I am to live my live, it is evident that I have not allowed God to work on my heart in a while.
             When God changes my heart; God shifts my attention from dealing with the problem to building relationship with the Father.Vs 28- You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God. The problem that God addressed through the prophet was that the people were worshiping idols . God did not focus on the negative thing: worshiping idols. Instead, he focused on the positive thing: building relationship with the Father. When we want to overcome the problem, we focus our energy on the problem. God tells us that we need to focus our attention on building relationship with Him. When we get ourselves in relationship with God things will fall into place.
            Suppose you have a drug problem; the answer to your problem is building relationship with the Father. If you are having a martial problem the answer is mutually building a relationship with the Father. When you build a relationship with the Father, all the mess in your life seems to fall in line.
   When God changes my heart, I become aware that I am not the only one with needs and problems. Vs 26- I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  When God changes my heart, I am aware that there are other people with problems equal to or greater than mine. And now, because I have a heart of flesh, I focus on trying to help them rather than focus on my problem. When I try to help other people with their problems then my problem looks a whole lot smaller. Sometimes our problems get big because all we do is focus on our problems. God shifts our attention to the needs of others by giving us a heart of flesh.
            When God changes my heart, I believe that my success to dealing with my problem lies in God’s hands and not mine.Vs 29- I will save you from all your uncleanness .You may be here today, knowing that you need to change but not willing to allow God to change you. Then I am here to tell you that you will not get lasting change.
But if you are here today thinking I got problems and I need God to help me that then you will be successful. The verse says He will save us. It makes it quite clear that change in my life is more dependent upon God than it is dependent upon me.
We all have things we would like to change about ourselves. Any real change has to occur on the inside and that is where God gets involved. And when God does get involved, you will easily recognize the signs that your heart has been changed. 

Have a blessed day!

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

 

website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com
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