Intimacy

Jesus continued, "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild (prodigal) living.  (Luke 15: 11-13)

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I wonder if I'm the only one who sees himself in this passage! I'm amazed at how much and how often I'm like the prodigal son. Too often, I view God as my heavenly blessing machine. I treat Him like a fast food drive-through, picking up my blessings "to go." Even though I know my spiritual fast food diet will catch up with me one day, I presume the grace and mercy of God will cover me anyway. Sad.

The blessings we seek from God can distance us from Him, if we're not very careful to pursue an intimate relationship with Him. In spite of so much preaching today about our breakthrough, our destiny, and our shining moment, the Bible is more focused on our character. So, our Father prepares and presents a feast for us everyday, and we must be careful to turn aside from all other concerns and sup with Him through worship, prayer, and the Word. Our schedules tell us we don't have time for this, but our souls long for the moments of sitting at the table with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - laughing, sharing, and talking. 

The prodigal son goes to his father to get a blessing; but to the children of God, being with the Father is our blessing.

Love you all,

Pastor Eric

On Love

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Love is the quintessential characteristic of the Kingdom of God. The Bible teaches us God is love, that God loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us, that the love we show is the proof we are His, and that love never fails to accomplish His will. 

It's a fantastic thing that God doesn't leave us alone to struggle with the challenge to love in our own strength, but the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Who is given to us by God (Romans 5:5)! We are commanded to love as Christ loves, and to forgive because Christ loves and forgives us, and we the power to do those things dwells in us.

To be sure, there will be many offenses, slights, hurts, and attacks that are sent our way by the enemy of our souls. These are meant to plant a seed of bitterness and mistrust in our hearts which makes us withhold love, and we can become cold to others without even realizing it. But God trusts us with these trials to give us the opportunity to forgive and love, just as He has done for us. When we pass the test of loving those who hurt us, we are perfected in His love, and we are light of the world we're called to be.

So be encouraged. Go back to that person or situation which the Spirit has already brought to your mind.  Confess the sin of cold love, and be cleansed and strengthened to love again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  The joy of the Lord will flood your soul, and you will be set free once again to do the perfect will of your Father and to love your neighbor as yourself!

Love and perfect peace,

Eric

Choosing to Fight the Good Fight

Spiritual warfare is a reality silently raging all around us, though we don’t always   recognize it. Once we acknowledge and embrace this fact, we are eligible to become soldiers in the most powerful and successful army ever assembled. Imagine being enlisted in a fighting force that’s been given the assurance of ultimate victory, an infallible battle plan, a Supreme Commander, and mighty weapons 100% guaranteed to defeat and vanquish your enemies!

The only uncertainty is whether those enlisted will actually show up for battle. Truly, there seems to be a multitude of legitimate reasons for dodging the draft. “My family needs me . . . I have important business to tend to . . . My hands are full already . . . Isn’t spiritual warfare for pastors and ministers anyway?” All too often, it’s all about us!  How sad that we spend so much energy considering the price we pay to serve God, while forgetting the price Jesus paid to save us.

“Go into all the world . . .” The call to “go” will be answered by the chosen few willing to strap on the full armor of God and fight the good fight of faith, knowing the battle is the Lord’s and the victory is nigh. The armor is only for those who will fight – it is cumbersome and useless for who refuse to go to war.

So let me encourage you today. Ignite the flame within you with the Word of God, and serve with the saints like never before. Lift your hands through the clouds and darkness all around you, and be the conqueror God says you are. Get in the fight, take back all Satan and sin have stolen from you, and glorify God in all you do. Most importantly, know this -- we have the victory in Christ Jesus. And remember, the only spiritual battle you can lose is the one you refuse to fight!

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric

The Trap of Good Ideas

2 Samuel 24:10

And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man,

But its end is the way of death.

David is a man after God's own heart. He knows God and loves God, and he has experienced the favor and power of God no king had ever known. Yet even this great leader fell hard into the trap of good ideas - that is, a tone-deafness, and a life out of harmony with God's Word and counsel. David thought he knew God's voice and His heart, but he failed to heed the deceitfulness of his riches and his own heart. Therefore, he could not distinguish God's will from his own, and he made the costly mistake of numbering that which belonged to God - and those numbers threatened to become His god. 

A dull conscience is the inevitable result of pride that goes undetected and unabated. Pride is undetectable because it is blind to itself, and David erred greatly by ignoring Joab's pleas to reconsider his folly. David was too proud to be corrected, or even to stop long enough to pray, so his conscience did not kick in until it was too late.

David's decision to count God's people would cost Him a great number of those same people.

1 Timothy 6:6 says, 

Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Even in his great prosperity, David was not content, and his enterprising spirit was an affront to God's miraculous provision and plan for Israel. Even today, we are often intrigued by numerical success and financial wherewithal at the expense of true riches. Perhaps we should spend less time counting what God has given and more time thanking Him for it. Perhaps it would be wise to be sure our good ideas are God ideas. Perhaps . . .

Love and peace,

Pastor Eric