WISDOM FROM ABOVE

If we have been crucified with Christ and we are a new creation, what is that supposed to look like? If we are in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, what is that supposed to look like? I'm not sure we are looking into that spiritual mirror of our lives, and asking the right questions. There is so much more that happened on that day of our salvation than our names being written in the Book of Life! God didn't save us so that He may create a better version of ourselves. He is in the process of transforming us and preparing us for our entry into His glorious Kingdom. He is transforming us from one stage of glory to another! This is not an idle or casual process that we are involved in with our Heavenly Father! But when we gravitate to the comfortable and convenient, we will see very little transformation and miss out on what the Lord is desiring to do in us, and through us! Open up the gospel and join me in discovering the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

2023 Is coming to a close, and as we look back on where we have come from this past year, what have we experienced of God's purpose and activity in our lives? Have we been too busy just managing our everyday lives to have noticed what God had planned and prepared for us? One of the major questions Christians ask themselves over and over again, is what is God's will for my life? As the new year approaches, and we make our New Year's Resolution, is God's will for our lives even a consideration? Are we willing to pay the price and make the necessary sacrifices to discover His will for our lives? We can only experience God's glory as we live within the middle of God's will! Jesus said, "I can only do what I see the Father doing." This coming New Year, make it your resolution, your conviction, and your commitment to be in the middle of God's will! God's will for your lives is your sanctification! To be set apart for His glory! To humble yourself that He might through the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit transform you into a vessel of honor, useful for what He has already prepared for you!

rel·e·vant

/ˈreləv(ə)nt/

closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered.

appropriate to the current time, period, or circumstances; of contemporary interest.

"critics may find themselves unable to stay relevant in a changing world"

This is how the world defines "relevant". It gives the appearance of being very open-ended and up for interpretation.

But for those who are followers of Jesus Christ, what is relevant? Is Jesus relevant? Is God's love relevant? Is the gospel relevant? Is God's grace relevant? 

You see, if there is no absolute truth then nothing is relevant. If truth is what you want it to be then you determine what is relevant in your life. But tomorrow when that all changes so does your relevancy!

If the truth sets us free and there is no absolute truth, then freedom is not relevant! If God's grace is no longer sufficient, then God's salvation is no longer relevant!

So, how can we as followers of Jesus Christ remain relevant in a non-relevant world? Let's open up the relevant gospel and find out!

There seems to be even among many Christians the idea that happiness and joy are the same or at least similar. Not!

Happiness is a worldly pursuit that depends upon something happening to make us happy. It requires our circumstances and expectations to be met. How much could go wrong there?! Happiness requires us to be able to control our circumstances and the people around us. Again, not happening! (Pun intended)

Happiness requires our feelings to be the determining factor. The heart is deceitful above all else, right?

Joy on the other hand is based upon our relationship with Jesus Christ! The fruit of the Spirit is love and one of the by-products of that love is Joy! When we rest in His love for us and our love for Him there is Joy! And, the joy of the Lord is our strength! When we lose our joy we are left with the strength and abilities of our own flesh! The mind set on the flesh and our dependence upon that flesh is death! Our flesh cannot save us and our flesh cannot produce Joy!

Join me in this journey through the gospel and discover the abundant life of Joy!

The days we live in seem to be getting darker with each passing day. We attempt to ignore it in order that we might not be overwhelmed by it. In John 3:19 God's word tells us that this is the judgment, that light is come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. Men fear exposure!

But there is a darkness that we find that belongs to us, and we must not allow it to rule our lives. We don't have to fear exposure, for our God sees all and has provided the grace and freedom for us to deal with our darkness. We must come into the light of His presence. 

Shame, guilt, and fear were never meant for us to carry very long. Sometimes our shame, guilt, and fear have been brought on by those who have hurt us deeply. We've attempted to deal with those painful sins on our own, only to create a deeper darkness with our weak substitutions. 

Sometimes our darkness is of our own making. We've allowed our own sinful choices to become a growing cancer that permeates our body, soul, and spirit. 

Jesus calls us to, Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest, I am gentle and humble in heart!

How would you define faith? Hebrews defines it as the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.

But Jesus described people's faith as little faith, no faith, and great faith. None of us can remain on the mountaintop of faith every day, so how would you rate your faith right at this moment? How would you rate it over the last 3 months or year? 

How is our faith impacting our lives, our family's lives, our neighborhoods, where we work and play, and the church we attend? 

There are some Scriptures I would like to share with you today that I hope will take you from where you are in your walk of faith to a place that will allow you to see the glory of God in a way that you have never seen it before!

In Ezekiel 22 God tells us that he was looking for a man to stand in the gap and build up a wall to stop the oppression and the wrong that was being done to the most vulnerable of their time, but Scripture tells us that He found no one!

When good men do nothing evil prevails! When good men do nothing our children who are among the most vulnerable in our society are allowed to be swallowed up in the darkest of evils!

We know these things are going on, but we choose not to think about it. We close our eyes to it and it continues to become even darker day by day!

In Ezekiel 16 we are told that God destroyed Sodom, not because of sexual immorality but because they lived in arrogance, abundance, and careless ease, and did not help the poor and needy!  

This problem of human trafficking is a huge monstrous problem, and it will not go away overnight! But we as followers of Jesus Christ can do something! We can find the most vulnerable in our community and begin to build walls and stand in the gap, being faithful to what Jesus died for and gave to us: FREEDOM!

Even as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we struggle with who we are as a new creation in Christ. We are constantly wrestling with who people think we are and what we attempt to tell ourselves that we are that the reality of who Christ says we are gets lost in the noise.

Being in the world but not of the world can many times confuse how we see ourselves. For all believers, no matter how long you have been a believer, this battle is real. Our desire to fit in and be accepted messes with our identity. We want to be successful in this world and success distorts our view of who we are in Christ.

Scripture tells us that we have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives within us, but most of us still remain living under our old identity. 

It was for freedom that Christ died, but we find ourselves living under the bondage of our old nature and identity. 

Paul describes his new identity this way; I am who am I by the grace of God! God's grace was what defined his new identity. Let's look at some other Scriptures and discover an identity that allows us to live as new creations and walk in the freedom of the Sons of God!

Over the past couple of years, I've had numerous casual conversations that ended up gravitating toward church and faith. I didn't guide them that way, that's just where they went to. 

In those conversations I've heard the same story told with differing circumstances, but the same end result. People leaving the church or giving up on God. The pain, disappointment, and frustrations are real. The wounds and scars are visible. 

I believe the church as a whole has chosen to focus on the low-lying fruit. The Ministry of Reconciliation for the above folks will cost too much for most churches to commit themselves to over the long haul. 

I'm looking for people who like me find this disconnection heart-breaking and desire to see how God could use them for His glory and Kingdom. 

I'm finishing up a website called Vagabondfaith.com. A place to share their testimonies, find encouragement and find resources to start afresh in their journey of faith.

My hope and prayer is that we can help people find their "Oikos". The Hebrew word for family. Family in this sense meant anyone within the household and those outside the household that we did business with or lived life with. 

These "Oikos" were small enough (20-50) to know one another, yet not so small we didn't have the resources to serve one another or serve our communities in a loving way.

We should only be doing what we see the Father doing, and this is what God is showing me right now!

Any questions or comments contact me at myvagabondfaith@gmail.com

Where is our faith if we do not trust in the sovereignty of God? 

Romans 8:28 is shared with numerous people when they are going through difficult times as words of encouragement. But the verse begins with the words, "And we know". What do we know? We know that God causes all things to work together for good! Do they? Well, that depends on whether you believe God is in control and is working through your difficult circumstances for His glory and eventually for your good! 

Is God sovereign if you do not see the good in things until you enter His glory? Is God sovereign if your circumstances get worse before they get any better? 

Can you say with Joseph, what others meant for evil, God meant for good? When we quote Romans 8:28, we must keep it in context with the Scriptures that surround it, in order to understand the promise He is making to us. 

Let's open up that Scripture once more together and let the promise become fresh and new to us once again for the days that lie ahead!