by David Scott Robertson
(John 14:6 NIV) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
* * *
Jesus is the Way.
The way to life. The way to heaven. The way to peace. The way to fulfillment. The way to contentment. The way to abundance.
I want to be in the Way--that is, in Christ.
I don't want to be in the way of Christ, preventing Him from accomplishing what He desires for my life or in the lives of others. No, I want to be in the Way.
I desire for the Lord to show me the way. To show me His ways. To enable me to walk out His ways. I want to stay in the Way and make sure I stay out of His way. I want to help others find the Way.
I myself have walked the wrong way before I discovered that Jesus is the only way to God. Now I want to help others find their way off the one-way street of sin that leads away from God.
One way that I can do this is to read God's Word--to study God's ways and make them my ways. If I do that, then there's no way the devil can knock me out of the Way. With authority, I can order him to "go away"!
Since God's ways are higher than our ways, adopt His and abandon yours.
Any way you weigh it, to be in the Way is the way to go and to stay out of the way of God's movement in your life is the right way to live. Yahweh knows best.
* * *
(Psa 25:12 NIV) Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.
(Psa 32:8 NIV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
(Psa 139:24 NIV) See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Prov 4:11 NIV) I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
(Prov 8:20 NIV) I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
(Prov 9:6 NIV) Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
(Prov 12:28 NIV) In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.
(Prov 22:6 NIV) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
(Isa 26:8 NIV) Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.
(Isa 48:17 NIV) This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
(Jer 2:17 NIV) Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?
(Acts 18:25 NIV) He [Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
(Col 4:5 NIV) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
(Titus 2:3 NIV) Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.
DSR
4/25/05
Monday, April 25, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
More Important
by David Scott Robertson
Knowing God is more important than anything.
Knowing God is more important than knowing my wife in every biblical sense of the word "knowing." Knowing Jesus is more important than knowing my daughter, Abbey, my very own offspring. Knowing God is more important than serving God, or "doing ministry" as a pastor.
It's not enough to know about God philosophically, intellectually, or theologically; it's more important that we know God experientially, personally, and intimately.
Having my name found in the Lamb's Book of Life is more important than finding my name on a paycheck.
What God thinks about me is more important than what the world thinks about me.
Doing what God wants me to do is more important than my doing what others think I ought to do.
Growing into what God desires me to become is more important than fulfilling the dreams of others for me.
Knowing and doing the will of God is more important than having my own way.
Becoming familiar with God's Word, the Bible, through disciplined study and life application is more important than earning any degree in any institution of higher learning.
Lining up with God's standard and boundaries is more important than conforming to social mores and cultural norms.
Being "approved unto God, a workman [laborer in God's harvest field] who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) is more important than receiving the approval of fickle men.
To know God is the highest thing. There is no one and nothing greater than knowing and experiencing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The words that you are reading right now are alien to any culture or people group presently found on earth. Society and governments and institutions and businesses and educational systems and law enforcement agencies and the entertainment industry do not buy into what I am saying. The mission statements of such organizations may embrace noble ideals, but for most, not all but most, knowing God is not the prime directive.
One day in eternity what was more important concerning our life choices will become abundantly clear.
DSR
4/18/05
Knowing God is more important than anything.
Knowing God is more important than knowing my wife in every biblical sense of the word "knowing." Knowing Jesus is more important than knowing my daughter, Abbey, my very own offspring. Knowing God is more important than serving God, or "doing ministry" as a pastor.
It's not enough to know about God philosophically, intellectually, or theologically; it's more important that we know God experientially, personally, and intimately.
Having my name found in the Lamb's Book of Life is more important than finding my name on a paycheck.
What God thinks about me is more important than what the world thinks about me.
Doing what God wants me to do is more important than my doing what others think I ought to do.
Growing into what God desires me to become is more important than fulfilling the dreams of others for me.
Knowing and doing the will of God is more important than having my own way.
Becoming familiar with God's Word, the Bible, through disciplined study and life application is more important than earning any degree in any institution of higher learning.
Lining up with God's standard and boundaries is more important than conforming to social mores and cultural norms.
Being "approved unto God, a workman [laborer in God's harvest field] who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) is more important than receiving the approval of fickle men.
To know God is the highest thing. There is no one and nothing greater than knowing and experiencing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The words that you are reading right now are alien to any culture or people group presently found on earth. Society and governments and institutions and businesses and educational systems and law enforcement agencies and the entertainment industry do not buy into what I am saying. The mission statements of such organizations may embrace noble ideals, but for most, not all but most, knowing God is not the prime directive.
One day in eternity what was more important concerning our life choices will become abundantly clear.
DSR
4/18/05
Monday, April 11, 2005
How to Get Fired
by David Scott Robertson
No, not that kind of fired! I made up the title of this thought to make readers think I was going to talk about how to lose their job. No, I think we would all do well to keep our jobs and pay our bills.
The kind of "fired" I'm talking about that I think you and I need desperately to know is how do we get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for our Lord"?
How do you get fired when the "wet blanket" of life's problems, offenses, disillusionment of the church, and/or confusing situations in the world you live in have tried to snuff out your flame?
Well, let's take a quick look at the basics of how to build a fire. First, you need some raw materials to get started. Some dry kindling like broken twigs or sticks, a crumpled up piece of newspaper, or something similar that will burn. Then, or course, you need a match or lighter to provide the heat to jump start combustion, right?
Well, getting on fire for God is not much different. Maybe your spiritual life has been dry lately. It's been quite a while since you've heard God's voice. You haven't had a dream or vision or revelation that related to the things of God in a long time. Your Bible study has become boring but you'd never describe it that way. You go to church but in reality you are going through the motions as you enter yet another work week without much joy in your heart and pep in your step.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the broken twigs or sticks. At one time you were alive in Christ, green and lush, closely attached to the Vine Christ Jesus Himself (John 15:5), and bearing much fruit. Nowadays, though, you've discovered that somewhere along the line you just "snapped" and you've been separated from that close intimacy with your First Love.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the crumpled up newspaper. At one time you had something to say. Nobody ever had to wonder what the headlines of your life were. Everybody could read loud and clear that "[your name here] Surrenders Life to Jesus Christ." Witnessing was easy. Sharing the good news was thrilling, but now somehow the thrill is gone.
If you feel your spiritual condition corresponds to any of the dry imagery that I'm using here, may I suggest that conditions are perfect for you to be set aflame?
I remember visiting my grandparents in rural Illinois on summer vacations where the forest service used to post signs at the local preserve that conditions were "high" for a forest fire because of the extended dryness. Campers were encouraged to take extra care not to let their fires get out of control. You see, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. One match can literally consume thousands of acres of prime habitat.
As you read this, you may admit: "OK, so I'm dry and broken and wadded up like an old newspaper, how then do I come in contact with the spark? How do I connect with the flame? How do I get fired?" I think the answer might be found buried in the songbook of the Old Testament:
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:12).
I think God has made the answer more simple than complex. I think the answer is found in the first three words of this verse: "Kiss the Son." To make the point more effectively, say it rather than read it. Close your eyes and say "kiss the Son" a few times out loud.
I know it's a play on words, but in our case, if we say "kiss the sun" then our metaphor of fire makes perfect sense. We may not be scientists but this one thing we know - anything that touches the sun burns up! As a matter of fact, there's a reason why God put the sun 92,900,000 miles (in January) away from earth. A few thousand miles closer and all life would be annihilated, a few thousand miles further away and Earth would freeze solid.
Your distance from the sun, or more appropriately the Son of God, Jesus Christ, makes all the difference in the world! How close do you have to be to a person to kiss them? Pretty close, I'd say. What kind of relationship do you have to have with a person before you kiss them? Again, a pretty close one (kiss the wrong person and you could get beat up!). There are only four women I generally kiss in my life - my wife, my daughter, my mom, and my grandma. That's because I am closely related to all of these women.
In the same way, if you want to get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for your Lord," then you need to make the first move to kiss the Son.
What leads up to a kiss in the natural? Warm words, a tender gaze, a loving embrace. In spiritual terms those translate to me as worship.
As you and I take the initiative to worship God, however shy and awkward we may feel, God will respond and meet us more than halfway. He will embrace us and our fears will begin to melt away. He's just waiting for us to make the first move…
DSR
4/11/05
No, not that kind of fired! I made up the title of this thought to make readers think I was going to talk about how to lose their job. No, I think we would all do well to keep our jobs and pay our bills.
The kind of "fired" I'm talking about that I think you and I need desperately to know is how do we get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for our Lord"?
How do you get fired when the "wet blanket" of life's problems, offenses, disillusionment of the church, and/or confusing situations in the world you live in have tried to snuff out your flame?
Well, let's take a quick look at the basics of how to build a fire. First, you need some raw materials to get started. Some dry kindling like broken twigs or sticks, a crumpled up piece of newspaper, or something similar that will burn. Then, or course, you need a match or lighter to provide the heat to jump start combustion, right?
Well, getting on fire for God is not much different. Maybe your spiritual life has been dry lately. It's been quite a while since you've heard God's voice. You haven't had a dream or vision or revelation that related to the things of God in a long time. Your Bible study has become boring but you'd never describe it that way. You go to church but in reality you are going through the motions as you enter yet another work week without much joy in your heart and pep in your step.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the broken twigs or sticks. At one time you were alive in Christ, green and lush, closely attached to the Vine Christ Jesus Himself (John 15:5), and bearing much fruit. Nowadays, though, you've discovered that somewhere along the line you just "snapped" and you've been separated from that close intimacy with your First Love.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the crumpled up newspaper. At one time you had something to say. Nobody ever had to wonder what the headlines of your life were. Everybody could read loud and clear that "[your name here] Surrenders Life to Jesus Christ." Witnessing was easy. Sharing the good news was thrilling, but now somehow the thrill is gone.
If you feel your spiritual condition corresponds to any of the dry imagery that I'm using here, may I suggest that conditions are perfect for you to be set aflame?
I remember visiting my grandparents in rural Illinois on summer vacations where the forest service used to post signs at the local preserve that conditions were "high" for a forest fire because of the extended dryness. Campers were encouraged to take extra care not to let their fires get out of control. You see, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. One match can literally consume thousands of acres of prime habitat.
As you read this, you may admit: "OK, so I'm dry and broken and wadded up like an old newspaper, how then do I come in contact with the spark? How do I connect with the flame? How do I get fired?" I think the answer might be found buried in the songbook of the Old Testament:
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:12).
I think God has made the answer more simple than complex. I think the answer is found in the first three words of this verse: "Kiss the Son." To make the point more effectively, say it rather than read it. Close your eyes and say "kiss the Son" a few times out loud.
I know it's a play on words, but in our case, if we say "kiss the sun" then our metaphor of fire makes perfect sense. We may not be scientists but this one thing we know - anything that touches the sun burns up! As a matter of fact, there's a reason why God put the sun 92,900,000 miles (in January) away from earth. A few thousand miles closer and all life would be annihilated, a few thousand miles further away and Earth would freeze solid.
Your distance from the sun, or more appropriately the Son of God, Jesus Christ, makes all the difference in the world! How close do you have to be to a person to kiss them? Pretty close, I'd say. What kind of relationship do you have to have with a person before you kiss them? Again, a pretty close one (kiss the wrong person and you could get beat up!). There are only four women I generally kiss in my life - my wife, my daughter, my mom, and my grandma. That's because I am closely related to all of these women.
In the same way, if you want to get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for your Lord," then you need to make the first move to kiss the Son.
What leads up to a kiss in the natural? Warm words, a tender gaze, a loving embrace. In spiritual terms those translate to me as worship.
As you and I take the initiative to worship God, however shy and awkward we may feel, God will respond and meet us more than halfway. He will embrace us and our fears will begin to melt away. He's just waiting for us to make the first move…
DSR
4/11/05
Monday, April 4, 2005
Who Are You?
by David Scott Robertson
"One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
The Bible is full of endlessly fascinating truths. One such truth is embedded in the book of Acts and has to do with the communication network of the demonic underworld.
The following brief passage summarizes the situation:
"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.' Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, BUT WHO ARE YOU?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding" (Acts 19:13-16, emphasis mine).
I'm reasonably sure that this unique passage has been the text of countless sermons by preachers throughout the ages. Perhaps ministers in their messages have touched on the fact that the devil and his demonic administrative assistants keep tabs on human kind. That is to say, the devil knows who the authorized (and deputized) servants of God are and who are the imposters.
I think the evil spirit's question through the man in the Acts passage is insightful: "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
Of course the demonic realm knew who Jesus was. Once upon a time they had worshipped Him in the ageless past and had seen Him face-to-face in His preincarnate state. They knew full well that Jesus was the Creator of heaven and earth and of them. And they knew that this same Jesus, whom the Most High had sent to earth at just the right time had a mission: "…for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
Interestingly (to me anyway) they also knew Paul, the servant of God. It was probably an embarrassing admission because there was a time when Saul worked in cooperation with this demon's workgroup. It seems they had harnessed Saul's religious zeal and twisted his understanding of the Scriptures to bring about the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Some were glad and some were sad (and mad) the day Saul converted to Christ and eventually morphed into the great Apostle Paul. So the demons were very correct in saying that they knew about Paul.
But to the offspring of a Jewish priest named Sceva, the demon challenged: "Who are you?" The imp could also have said: "Who are you boys to order me out?" You are unauthorized authorities and have no power at all to tell me what to do!"
It could be that this demon has some rank and position in the hierarchy of the demonic governmental structure because it seems evident that lesser demons had been cast out by these same sons of Sceva in their past "ministry of exorcism."
Now, let's turn our attention back to us. I ask you the same question: "Who are you?" Or perhaps more appropriately, "Whose are you?"
Do you have a reputation in the demonic underworld as a threat to their cause? Do you think a principality in another region of the world has heard about you through "the grapevine"? Are you committed enough to the lordship of Jesus Christ that you can confidently cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17)? Is your life in good working order or is your spiritual life like a broken soft drink machine with an "out of order" sign hanging on it? Think about it. It makes a difference when you are confronting demonic entities.
The Bible gives us plenty of responses to say to an evil spirit that may confront us (usually through another human being) with the question of "who are you?" Some biblically verifiable replies to the deliberately belligerent question of "who are you?" might be…
WHO AM I?
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have! (Authority! See Luke 10:19)
WHO AM I?
- I am a child of God!
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
- I am not broken beyond repair but God has made me to be more than a conqueror!
- I am covered by the blood of Jesus and His blood forms a barrier between you and me!
- I am my Beloved's and He is mine and His banner over me is love!
- I am a victor, not a victim!
- I am an over-comer, not overcome!
- I am the head, and not the tail!
- I am the joy of my Heavenly Father created for His pleasure!
- I am altogether lovely in His eyes!
- I am not a mistake; I am the apple of God's eye!
- I am not damaged goods; I am the righteousness of God in Christ!
- I am forgiven of my sins and free to wreak havoc on you in Jesus' name!
WHO AM I?
- I'm the one that can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!
- I'm that one that God pours supernatural power through so that nothing shall be impossible to me because I believe!
- I'm the one that through Jesus has eternal life! I'm headed for a throne and you're destined for the lake of fire!
- I have a place in the family of God!
- I have the mind of Christ on earth and a glorified body in heaven!
- I am presently wearing the full armor of God!
- My authority over you is legal because I am in submission to my spiritual leaders!
- I have the Holy Spirit as my Comforter and Teacher to lead and guide me into all truth!
- I am one who speaks for God as His ambassador to cast you out!
- I have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, humility, and self-control - the fruit of the Spirit - in ever-increasing measure!
- I have access into the throne of grace to obtain grace and help in time of need - like now!
- I have the promises of God that are "yes" and "amen" for all my needs!
- To sum it up - as the Bible says: I have everything I need pertaining to life and godliness!
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have!
That, my Christian friend, is who you are in Christ Jesus. God knows it, the angels know it, the twenty-four elders and the four living beings in heaven know it, the great cloud of witnesses know it, the devil knows it, and the demons knows it. The real question is do you?
DSR
4/4/05
"One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
The Bible is full of endlessly fascinating truths. One such truth is embedded in the book of Acts and has to do with the communication network of the demonic underworld.
The following brief passage summarizes the situation:
"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.' Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, BUT WHO ARE YOU?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding" (Acts 19:13-16, emphasis mine).
I'm reasonably sure that this unique passage has been the text of countless sermons by preachers throughout the ages. Perhaps ministers in their messages have touched on the fact that the devil and his demonic administrative assistants keep tabs on human kind. That is to say, the devil knows who the authorized (and deputized) servants of God are and who are the imposters.
I think the evil spirit's question through the man in the Acts passage is insightful: "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
Of course the demonic realm knew who Jesus was. Once upon a time they had worshipped Him in the ageless past and had seen Him face-to-face in His preincarnate state. They knew full well that Jesus was the Creator of heaven and earth and of them. And they knew that this same Jesus, whom the Most High had sent to earth at just the right time had a mission: "…for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
Interestingly (to me anyway) they also knew Paul, the servant of God. It was probably an embarrassing admission because there was a time when Saul worked in cooperation with this demon's workgroup. It seems they had harnessed Saul's religious zeal and twisted his understanding of the Scriptures to bring about the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Some were glad and some were sad (and mad) the day Saul converted to Christ and eventually morphed into the great Apostle Paul. So the demons were very correct in saying that they knew about Paul.
But to the offspring of a Jewish priest named Sceva, the demon challenged: "Who are you?" The imp could also have said: "Who are you boys to order me out?" You are unauthorized authorities and have no power at all to tell me what to do!"
It could be that this demon has some rank and position in the hierarchy of the demonic governmental structure because it seems evident that lesser demons had been cast out by these same sons of Sceva in their past "ministry of exorcism."
Now, let's turn our attention back to us. I ask you the same question: "Who are you?" Or perhaps more appropriately, "Whose are you?"
Do you have a reputation in the demonic underworld as a threat to their cause? Do you think a principality in another region of the world has heard about you through "the grapevine"? Are you committed enough to the lordship of Jesus Christ that you can confidently cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17)? Is your life in good working order or is your spiritual life like a broken soft drink machine with an "out of order" sign hanging on it? Think about it. It makes a difference when you are confronting demonic entities.
The Bible gives us plenty of responses to say to an evil spirit that may confront us (usually through another human being) with the question of "who are you?" Some biblically verifiable replies to the deliberately belligerent question of "who are you?" might be…
WHO AM I?
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have! (Authority! See Luke 10:19)
WHO AM I?
- I am a child of God!
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
- I am not broken beyond repair but God has made me to be more than a conqueror!
- I am covered by the blood of Jesus and His blood forms a barrier between you and me!
- I am my Beloved's and He is mine and His banner over me is love!
- I am a victor, not a victim!
- I am an over-comer, not overcome!
- I am the head, and not the tail!
- I am the joy of my Heavenly Father created for His pleasure!
- I am altogether lovely in His eyes!
- I am not a mistake; I am the apple of God's eye!
- I am not damaged goods; I am the righteousness of God in Christ!
- I am forgiven of my sins and free to wreak havoc on you in Jesus' name!
WHO AM I?
- I'm the one that can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!
- I'm that one that God pours supernatural power through so that nothing shall be impossible to me because I believe!
- I'm the one that through Jesus has eternal life! I'm headed for a throne and you're destined for the lake of fire!
- I have a place in the family of God!
- I have the mind of Christ on earth and a glorified body in heaven!
- I am presently wearing the full armor of God!
- My authority over you is legal because I am in submission to my spiritual leaders!
- I have the Holy Spirit as my Comforter and Teacher to lead and guide me into all truth!
- I am one who speaks for God as His ambassador to cast you out!
- I have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, humility, and self-control - the fruit of the Spirit - in ever-increasing measure!
- I have access into the throne of grace to obtain grace and help in time of need - like now!
- I have the promises of God that are "yes" and "amen" for all my needs!
- To sum it up - as the Bible says: I have everything I need pertaining to life and godliness!
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have!
That, my Christian friend, is who you are in Christ Jesus. God knows it, the angels know it, the twenty-four elders and the four living beings in heaven know it, the great cloud of witnesses know it, the devil knows it, and the demons knows it. The real question is do you?
DSR
4/4/05
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