NewDayvotional

From the pastor for the people

Archives for April 2015

The Obedience Test

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We learn of three tests in Genesis 22 that God gave to Abraham. In this post we’ll examine the second test. The second test God gave to Abraham and gives to us is: The Obedience Test (Genesis 22:3) 

In Genesis 22:3 we read “Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of the servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” In response to God’s command to offer Isaac as a burnt offering Abraham “got up” and “set out.” In other words, Abraham obeyed God. God tested Abraham’s obedience and He does the same with us.

As with Abraham, God tests our trust in Him through our obedience to Him. And the real test here is in response time. God’s looking to see if we obey right away. God wants us to be like Abraham by obeying without delaying, for delayed obedience is disobedience. I often hear Kristin telling our children “Listen and obey right away.” Well this is what God wants from his children too.

  • The Bible tells us that our very first step after salvation is to be water baptized. Have you obeyed or delayed? God is testing your obedience. Have you passed or failed?
  • The Bible tells us that saved people serve people. Have you obeyed? Are you serving somewhere here at our church? Or have you delayed? God is testing your obedience. Have you passed or failed?
  • The Bible tells us that we’re to give of our tithes and offerings. Some people delay obedience in this area of their lives by spending everything they make and then some on themselves (The average American now spends $1.36 for every $1 they earn). This is why our nation and its inhabitants are riddled with debt. When you give you break the power of materialism and your life which is why God instructs us to give in the first place but many people don’t obey God in this area of their lives – and are reaping the consequences as their greed grows in power and they go deeper and deeper into debt. God is testing your obedience. Have you passed or failed?
  • The Bible tells us we were created for community. Have you joined a growth group? God is testing your obedience. Have you passed or failed?

Maybe you are wondering: What’s the danger of delaying obedience? What’s the big deal? Well the Bible is very clear: If you won’t obey God in the current step he’s told you to take he won’t reveal to you the next step in his plan for your life. If you don’t care about filling your God-given destiny on this earth then don’t worry about obedience. But if you want to see God’s plan for your life come to fruition you need to obey. It’s the only way you will end up where God wants you to be.

We see this clearly in the life of Abraham. God told him in Genesis 22:2 to go to the region of Moriah and that once he was there he would be shown the mountain on which to sacrifice the burnt offering. God didn’t tell him right away. He waited to see if Abraham would obey step one before revealing to him step two. It’s only because Abraham got up and set out without delay in v3 that God then revealed to him where exactly he was to make the sacrifice in v9. Once Abraham obeyed step one God gave him step two. It’s only once you obey that God will give you the next step in his plan for your life.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that your disobedience is without effect – without consequence. Whether you realize it or not you are holding back the fulfillment of your God-given destiny through your disobedience. You are also eliminating the possibility that God will be Jehovah Jireh your Provider. His provision is available to those who love him more than anyone or anything else AND for those who obey, like Abraham did.

Answer this question in your heart: Are you passing the obedience test? What area of your life are you disobeying God in (in your relationships, in your finances, by refusing to serve God through your church or whatever it might be) and will you surrender that area of your life to God today?

The Love Test

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We learn of three tests in Genesis 22 that God gave to Abraham. In this post we’ll examine the first test. The first test God gave to Abraham and gives to us is: The Love Test (Genesis 22:1-2)

In our story God told Abraham: Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on the mountain I will show you.”

After 25 years of waiting, God blessed Abraham with a son (Isaac) and Abraham loved Isaac very, very much. But God wanted to make sure that Abraham loved the Blesser more than the blessing. So he commanded Abraham to give up Isaac in order to prove that he loved the Giver more than the gift itself. God tested Abraham’s love. And God does the same with us.

God will test the genuineness of your love for Him by watching to see if you place Him first in your life. It’s only when we put God first that He knows that we love him. It’s not by what we say or sing on Sunday in worship – it’s only by placing him first, like Abraham did, that God knows that we love him. So let me ask you: Is God first in your life? I’m going to ask you three questions to help you determine the answer to this question.

  1. Is God first in your schedule? Do you prioritize spending time with him as the first thing you do each day? When you put meeting with God before meeting with others you show him that you love him more than anyone else. I am up between 4:30 AM and 5 AM each morning. My alarm is set so that the very first appointment I have each day is with God. This is how I show God that he is first in my schedule. And this time is on my calendar. Every meeting I have with a staff member or with someone in our church or with a doctor or dentist is on my calendar, so my time with God is also scheduled on my calendar. This is one way I show God that I love him more than anyone else because I meet with him before I do anyone else.
  2. Is God first in your finances? Do you prioritize the giving of tithes and offerings as the first thing you do with your paycheck? When you give of your tithes and offerings before you pay the mortgage, the car payment, the utilities, or pay the credit card company, you are showing God you love him more than anything else. I am paid on the 1st and the 16th of each month. Through bill pay my tithe (10% of my gross income) is automatically sent out on the 1st and the 16th. I say gross and not net because if you tithe off the gross, you’ve let the government get the first portion of what you’ve earned. That puts God in second place. Since God wants to be first place, even in our finances, I pay him off the gross – He’s the first to receive anything from me. The second check that gets cut, that also goes out on the 1st and 16th is my offering. On top of our tithe Kristin and I give another 5% from each paycheck as an offering to our building fund. By giving to God before I pay anyone else I show God that he is first in my finances. Now technically, the tithe is not giving, rather returning, for the Bible says that the tithe belongs to the Lord. But you get my point. I show God I love him more than anyONE else by meeting with him first and I show God I love him more than anyTHING else by giving to him first. For Kristin and I – God is first in both our meetings and our money.
  3. Is God first in your relationships? If God told you to break up with someone you were dating, would you do it? Some of you who are Christians are dating non-Christians. That needs to stop. Who do you love more? God who says it’s wrong or the person you’re dating? If God told you to stop spending so much time at work with someone of the opposite sex that you aren’t married to, would you do it? If God told you to end a friendship, would you end it? I remember as a teenager God testing my love for him by asking me to give up a friendship…with my best friend at the time. This person began having more of a negative influence on me then I had positive on him and I felt in my heart that God was asking me to give up the friendship. So that’s exactly what I did. And it wasn’t easy. But I knew God was testing my love for him. Would I show God that I loved him more by prioritizing my relationship with him over and above any human relationship or would I prioritize a human relationship over and above my relationship with him? It was a test – the love test!

When we put God in second or third place in our lives instead of first place, we should have no expectation that He will be Jehovah Jireh: God Our Provider. God provides for those who love him above everyONE else and everyTHING else. Jesus says it this way in Matthew 6:33, ”Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” You see, God doesn’t commit to provide for your needs unless you commit to make him first in your life.

Answer this question in your heart: Are you passing or failing the love test?

Saving Faith

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There are at least five major lessons we learn from the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8. Here’s the fifth one:

Saving faith is the kind that appoints God as Adonai. 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who calls Me Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my father in heaven.” In other words: It’s not a matter of someone saying Jesus is Lord, it’s a matter of acting as if Jesus is Lord – by letting Jesus call the shots and have the final say in all the decisions in your life.

So many people want God to get them into heaven but they don’t want God to own them on earth. Such people should have no expectation of going to Heaven for their faith is no different than that of demons. Demons believe in God’s existence but they do not submit themselves to God’s leadership over their lives. As James 3:19 puts it: Do you still think it’s enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this…” And surely no demon will be in heaven!!

Romans 10:9-10 explains what saving faith looks like: “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” These verses are clear: We are saved by faith, but only by the kind of faith that results in appointing Jesus as Lord (Adonai) of our lives. That is saving faith.

Friends – God created you – we talked about that last week. That makes God the rightful Ruler of your life. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “… You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” You are not your own. That means that you don’t own you. God owns you for not only did He create you, He purchased you at the cost of His shed blood on the cross. Therefore, we’re to honor God with our bodies. In other words – God has a right to tell every body what they should and should not do because God paid the price for our life and salvation. Ephesians 1:7 says: “God is so rich and kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his son Jesus…” He purchased us with His blood. We are His. He has the right to lead us and direct us. He is the Master. We are the servant.

Paul begins his letter to the church in Rome with “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…” How will you classify yourself today? You’re either a servant of Christ or the captain of your own ship, the master of your own fate. Which will it be for you?

When We’re Surrendered

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There are at least five major lessons we learn from the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8. Here’s the fourth one:

God can do more with one surrendered person than with a whole nation that isn’t. 

The entire nation (un-surrendered to God) was unable to do what Gideon (who was surrendered) did by himself when the Spirit of the Lord clothed Him with power. Empowered by God – all on his own, Gideon called an army together to fight against the Midianites. Here’s the lesson: When we’re surrendered to God, He supernaturally clothes us with His power, enabling us to do what we could never do on our own. Put another way: When we surrender to God as Adonai, we get to experience God as Elohim (the Strong One). This is how I explain New Day Church to people. We started this church with 8 people and last Sunday we had 1,116 people in attendance. All I can say is that this is what happens when a group of people surrender the leadership of their lives to Adonai…When God finds some people who are surrendered, He clothes them with His power so they can accomplish things they never could’ve done on their own! When you surrender to God’s will, instead of just reading about the awesome things God has done in the Bible, you’ll start living out the awesome things God wants to do in your life! Reading about God’s mighty activity is fun – but living it is funner!

Unlocking God’s Activity In Your Life

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There are at least five major lessons we learn from the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8. Here’s the third one:

The passcode to unlocking God’s activity in your life is surrender. 

Before my wife can use her smartphone, she first has to enter a passcode. Everything begins with entering that passcode. Then and only then can the phone be used. In the same way, without surrender God can’t use us. Everything begins with surrender. Then and only then can God use us. We’ve got to be willing to surrender our will and obey God if we want to be used of God. Notice how it worked with Gideon…

  • God told Gideon to go and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Gideon’s response was: Yes Adonai.
  • Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and replace it with an altar to the one true God. We read in Judges 6:7 “So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him.”
  • Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told Gideon to weed out soldiers from his army by testing how they drank from the stream. We read in Judges 7:5 “So Gideon took the men down to the water.”
  • Since Gideon obeyed, God revealed to Gideon the next step in His plan for his life. God told Gideon to go to the Midianite camp with his servant to listen to what the Midianites were saying. We read in Judges 7:11, “So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.”

God was at work in Gideon’s life because Gideon surrendered his will to God’s – When God told Gideon to do something Gideon obeyed. Some of you want God to give you the next step in His plan for your life – but you’re unwilling to give God the honor that’s due Him by obeying Him. If that’s you, let me remind you of something – God’s activity in our lives, as it was in Gideon’s, is totally dependent upon our obedience. As we learn from Gideon’s example – when we’ve obeyed the last thing God has told us to do, He speaks to us again, giving us the next step in His plan for our lives. Some of you aren’t hearing anything about His plan for you life because He’s been speaking to you for months (or years maybe) about something and you’re answer has been “no.” Well the good news is that God is just waiting for you to surrender this area of your life to Him – and when you do – God’s activity in your life will pick right back up. Because again – The passcode to unlocking God’s activity in your life is surrender.