November 20, 2024 -- James 1:19 to 25 -- Where practice really does make perfect

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:19-25 ESV
 
Let me ask you a question. Do you read the Bible, delight in God’s promises for you, and then, having read it, go and do whatever you want to do defying what you’ve just been instructed to do? You might be a bit offended by the very question. It is the same issue James is pressing against you today. He is commanding people not just to hear the word, but to do what it says.

Notice that believers are supposed to hire dumpster bins and toss out filthiness and wickedness. Pause here for a second. Ask yourself, “What are the things which interfere with my walk with God and keep me from enjoying to the full the righteousness that is mine in Christ?” It might be your anger. It could be the fact you gossip (what you say is true, but it is not helpful, or you speak it with the intention of ruining the reputation of others, or you want to make yourself look good at the expense of others). Filthiness and wickedness are shorthand to describe the “a” to “z” of all sinfulness. No doubt there is a lot of heart-cleaning that needs to happen so that your life is open to the implanted word.
 
What happens when the word of God is planted in you? The word is a life-filled, tenacious seed that will grow if given the least little bit of space in your heart and mind. If you find your bible reading times dull and the commands of God too demanding, it could very well be you are glancing at the bible like some people look in the mirror. Quick check before going out the door, and then never giving your appearance a thought again until you get home. But those who have the word implanted in them, who read and expect the Spirit of God to bring germination to the word so that it accomplishes the purpose for which it is sent out will

• be prepared for the word to convict them of wrong doing.

• The word will encourage the broken-hearted.

• The word will direct holy living.

• The word will guide the steps of a man so that he will be compelled to act as Jesus, His Master and Teacher, teaches him.

• The word will put steel in the spine of the man who suffers so that he can face all that the world can throw at him because God, Who loves him and lives in him, is greater.

• The word will show you the beauty of Jesus Christ so that old sins and patterns of behavior are revealed as rotting garbage that needs to be carried out.

 
Some of you know I really enjoy dad jokes. One of them goes something like this, “I’m not going back to my doctor because all he does is practice medicine.” Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, intentionally submit themselves to Jesus and practice what He teaches. His words bring blessedness into the life of the believer. We practice what He teaches to so that we will become perfect in Him. Believers hear and put into practice what He says and by doing that spread the blessedness of Jesus to all whom we meet.
 
Father in heaven, I need all the help Your Spirit can give me to remove all the garbage that has accumulated in my heart and mind. Bless me, my Savior, so that cleared and constantly being cleansed, my heart and mind will practice the word You implanted in me. Bring me to the place where the more I practice Your perfect law the greater will be fragrance of blessed freedom that You bring into my life and through me into the life the people You intend to bless. Amen.
 
 
https://youtu.be/DV-V4xZMQx0?si=oKyxcKZh7UPV9mK- “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 19, 2024 -- Amos 5:7 -- The forgiveness of Jesus lived out loud in believers

O you who turn justice to wormwood
    and cast down righteousness to the earth!
Amos 5:7 ESV
 
Perhaps it is important to start with an explanation of wormwood. The simplest way to approach it is to know that is can also be translated as “bitter fruit”. In his teaching on victim culture and how to overcome it, Michael Ramsey notes that many people pursue justice with bitterness. The result is when justice is achieved, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of all who see it. He accurately notes how many vengeance movies end with the victim rising and winning the day, the opponent is dead, and the now victorious victim says, “I thought I’d feel better”. When you pursue justice with bitterness, and justice is achieved, that justice is bitter to you and the people all around you.
 
Followers of Jesus Christ, when a man or a woman chooses to yield all of life to the care of God as He guides that person that person will be prepared to forgive as deeply and truly as Jesus taught believers to forgive. Consider this example. Two men, formerly the best of friends, have a falling out. One is so angry; his anger becomes resentment and rage. He rehearses and retells the story of all that was done to him until his soul is a hardened wall nearly impenetrable. By a wonderful act of grace, a friend of both the men convinces them to be reconciled. He helps break down the dividing wall of hostility and the men become civil towards one another. The man who’d rehearsed his resentment and rage may be reconciled, but he is still raging. Justice has become wormwood.
 
When believers forgive, as Jesus commanded His followers to forgive, there are a few things that happen.
 

• First of all, forgiveness means that the love of Jesus and His work at the cross is in view. Believers in Jesus Christ know forgiveness came at the cost of the great treasure of heaven, the Person of Jesus. Forgiveness is never cheap or easy. All real, deep, true forgiveness is only possible because of Jesus’s sacrifice at the cross.

• Second, as much as a sinner is forgiven by Jesus’s reconciling work, so much does that believer then long to express forgiveness to others. Love, the Father’s love expressed in Jesus, is ultimately the only motivation of reconciliation.

• Third, if the love of Christ and His mercy is in view when pursuing justice, then when justice is achieved, what is left is the love of the Father, mediated through the work of Jesus, and such lovingkindness descending from above is kept in place by the Holy Spirit Who resides in believers. Believers do not, after reconciliation, fall back into old, bitterness and wormwood, because the justice of God has been achieved through the love of Jesus and the Spirit of God keeps that deep and profound love ever in view. That is why believers sing Psalms and hymns of praise, to be reminded forgiveness is never cheap.

• Finally, forgiveness does not mean the consequences of sin are forgotten. When King David sinned against Uriah by sleeping with his wife and then killing Uriah, the LORD forgave David. But the child of David and Bathsheba’s illicit union died. Furthermore, as a direct consequence of his action, David introduced rebellion into his household and for the next part of his reign had to deal with sons who followed in the steps of his waywardness.

 
Ah, fellow believers who seek to walk in Jesus’s way of self-denial and cross-bearing, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ Who is the Pioneer and Perfector of all true believing. His Spirit will lead you deeper and farther into the immeasurable love of the reconciling love of Jesus so that all your desire is to be more fully known by and more fully know Him. In that quest, justice will never be bitter fruit, but in justice the fruit of the Spirit (which as Galatians 5:22-23a teaches is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).
 
Living so fully in the way of Jesus Christ will draw others to you, who wonder, how can you be so happy in Jesus when there is injustice all around you, or even when poisonous injustice is aimed at you? What a glorious opportunity for evangelism the Spirit presents to you. It is deep, true and authentic answering of genuine questions so that hearts which had been filled with wormwood now seek a cleansing which no earthly cure except Jesus could ever provide.
 
Father in heaven thank You for the riches of heaven given in Jesus so that wicked rebellious people are by Him brought reconciled and forgiveness to You. Father, I know the rebellious raging boiling of bitter fruit of wicked unforgiveness that wants to take control of my heart. I confess only Your Spirit can take that overheating pot off the stove and in its place bring the soothing fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Even as I pray this, it is impossible for me to achieve it. I submit myself to You, completely, unreservedly, so that the healing which the Spirit brings in Jesus is what I can receive as the real costly gift of the Father’s forgiveness. Then, as one forgiven, I will be strengthened to forgive and walk in the fullness of life God has ordained for me, so that what is flowing from me and overflowing from the life of others who believe will be the peace of Christ reaching to the four corners of the earth. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/Tu2uA6U4Fxg?si=xmTzHEp369ciOXX1 And Can It Be?
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 18, 2024 -- Matthew 5:43-35 -- Loving your enemies. Seriously?!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:43-45 ESV
 
No way. Impossible you say. This is too hard. It is hard enough to love people who are like us how can we possibly love someone who is cruel, relentlessly mean or is trying to publicly humiliate us? Dear fellow Christian, begin with the fact that you once were hostile to God, enemies to Him in your mind, your heart and constantly proved this by your actions. What did God do? He proved Himself greater than your rebellion, hostility and venomous heart. He reconciled you to Himself through the work of Jesus Christ at the cross.
 
When you realize you were an enemy to God and in His great love and persistent patience He did not leave you in your vile hatred of Himself, but in Jesus overcame your hostility and your sin and your guilt, so that by the Spirit’s power you rise to new life and you can in Jesus overcome that human desire to return evil for evil. Ah, but now you are a new creation. God has taken hold of you. In love He calls you His beloved son and dearest daughter. As such, you have the greatest power in the universe to help you overcome evil with good.
 
As many of you will recognize, I am following the 90 days of the “Overcomers” material. Overcomers is a Bible-based 12-step recovery program. Today’s devotion tracks with Day 24, Loving my enemies. I often think Christians who fill the pews week after week would do well to have a hard look at themselves and put into practice the Biblical principles that are contained in this material. It is too easy to say we are Christians, but not to live out our Christian faith in a tangible, obvious and real way. Loving our enemies is a clear sign that a believer is submitting his life to the care of God has He guides him (Step 3).
 
Notice what today’s text adds. Not only are you to love your enemies, but you are also to pray for those who persecute you. Praying for someone is a clear sign that you are trusting God to work His mighty power in the life of that other person. Praying for someone is an act of love; it shows you are matching your helplessness to His All-Powerfulness. He can work in you that very thing you couldn’t accomplish on your own: loving your enemies.
 
Finally, the text notes “so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”. First off, in Jesus’s day, sons inherited property, the eldest received a double portion of the inheritance. Second, as believers we are adopted by the Father through Jesus Christ, and that means we are co-inheritors with Him. What Jesus has received as the Perfect One, Who loved His enemies and prayed for them, that is the inheritance and blessedness to be given to all who walk in His ways. Finally, when we love in such a radical way, we prove ourselves by our actions to be the children of God. The expression of such holy living confirms to us and confirms to the people around us that it is true, by God’s power in us, we are completely new. The old, bitter, sinful self is done away with, and we are so confident in God’s love toward us and His power in us, we are able to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the great privilege of calling You Father. As one adopted through the work of Jesus Christ, I freely confess I love to be called Your child, but I am struggling to see how I could possibly love the people who are mean, consistently ignorant, or worse, those who are persecuting me. By Your Spirit’s power, let the words of Jesus sink deep into my soul. Change my attitude and reform my behavior so that, in conformity with Jesus, through Whom I have this new life, I will like Him love my enemies and become a prayer warrior towards those who persecute me. I need Your help for this, now, and through-out the day. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/__voVCEZo3w?si=wQQwS4VSqeCCJnZt “Teach Me Thy Way O Lord”
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 16, 2024 -- Matthew 22:36-38 -- Loved enough to love others

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:36-38 ESV

No doubt you know these verses quite well. Which one of these two commandments is easier? Is it easier to love God Whom you haven’t seen except by the eyes of faith, or is it easier to love your neighbour? There is a deeper issue that this text points to as well. Your love for the Lord your God requires the realisation that your heart is supposed to be a polished mirror, reflecting back to Him His great, ceaseless love for you. As you know you are loved, made strong enough by the Spirit’s presence in your heart to know you are deeply loved, so much then will you be able to reflect love from your heart to your Father in heaven.
 
Do you truly love yourself? Do you love your neighbour? Here’s an easy test. Imagine you have a dark secret hidden away in your heart, one that embarrasses you. What are the chances that you’d post your own secret about yourself on social media? What are the chances you’d spread it around your social circle? Nil. Nada. No way! You don’t spread gossip about yourself because you love yourself and you want to protect your reputation. Ah, now you see what it means to love your neighbour. You guard her reputation. You care for his feelings. You put a stop to the rumours going on about them.
 
That aboundingly rich love of God which has changed your heart towards Him also changes your heart towards others so that embraced by His love, you will see others with new eyes. You would not harm your own reputation nor gossip about yourself. Your neighbour’s good and his reputation is now as dear to you as your own good and reputation therefore, in view of Who God Is and His love for you and His love for your neighbour you carefully guard him as much as you guard yourself.
 
Step Three in the life of the Overcomer is this: “I decide to submit my life to the care of God as He guides me”. One side of that submission to His care is the daily renewing of oneself in God’s great love. Day 23 of the Overcomers Workbook has this title “Accepting God’s Love” (Overcomers Workbook, Canadian Bible Society, 2022 page 56). You can measure the extent to which a man or a woman or a child knows himself to be loved by God by the confidence he has in God and the kindness with which he treats others. One loved by God, aware that his life is drenched in the love of God, will lead a life that overflows in love and kindness to others.
 
Former addicts, and all those who were in the stranglehold of life-controlling sins, know the sweet power of God’s rescue and release. It is His love which broke the stranglehold of the Devil’s power and blew up and did away with our own warped devotion to the very things that were killing us. As those self-aware enough to realize these things, we are patient, kind, loving towards those who know God’s love and equally important we are patient, kind, and loving to those who are still struggling in the ways in which we used to struggle. Seeing their helplessness, and remembering our own, we long to bless them in exactly the same way in which we ourselves have been blessed. That is what it looks like to accept God’s love and in turn reflect it to others. We are just shining His love, the riches of it which we have received and to whomever we look the radiance of Jesus’s love for us spills out.
 
Father in heaven, I confess I am greedy for Your love to be poured out on me. More of it, gracious God, pour out more. At the same time, ashamed, I have to admit I’d rather horde Your love than pour it out generously to others in my life. Sure, maybe people who already love me or are in my close circle of friends, but to liberally cascade Your love over the life of others who are still bound in the enemy’s power, I admit it is too hard for me. Spirit of God, break down the dividing walls of hostility that deaden my heart; open me up to receive the healing downpour of God’s love so that from the vast reservoir of Jesus’s love which You have opened up in me, I will then easily, freely, and generously love others. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/4-GM9w6IA2M?si=OR836shpRRIV4MeJ How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 15, 2024 -- Ephesians 3:13-19 -- Can God really, I mean truly, love me?

So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:13-19 ESV
 
Look at what is being balanced here. At verse 13 Paul asks the Ephesians, the people receiving this letter of encouragement, not to be discouraged or lose hope because of what he is suffering for them. On the other side of the balance  he is pointing out to them the weight of God’s incredible, unstoppable love.
 
 It is easy to lose heart, that is, to give up, when we’re following Jesus. One reason is when we suffer, and we begin to think of all our sins, how bad they are, and the how bad we are. Then the next step is so easy, we ask the question why would God ever love me? There is nothing worthy in me for His love to latch onto. I graphically and painfully know all my own failures, and there are lots of them I’ve even forgotten. Now more loudly and persistently the nagging question rages how could God ever love me?
 
Paul’s prayer found here in today’s text is quoted lots of times in the Christian community because believers realize he modeled in this prayer the need struggling Christians have for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is stronger than fears, stronger than guilt, stronger than doubts, stronger than any power which would cause the believer to fall away from the love of God. Paul modeled a prayer which asked that believers be strengthened by the Holy Spirit so they can understand a spiritual truth which is not available to human reason alone.
 
God’s love is anchored in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. I don’t have to try and hang on to God’s love like a man who’s fallen and is holding onto the edge of a cliff with fingers that are losing their grip and slipping. God’s love for you and for me is rock-solid, firm in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Your faith may be stronger some days but weak and weaker many more days, but dearly loved children of the Father it is not the strength of your faith that wins the day. It is Him in Whom you have placed your faith Who wins the day.  Jesus is All-Mighty in power. His Spirit is the Person living in You Who is the conduit of Jesus power. God’s love is yours in Christ and it is deep, true and real.
 
The fact is, the Father in heaven knows the absolute worst there is to know about you and knew unless His love was set on you in Christ, you’d be lost to the darkness of the Devil’s clutches and headed for hell. The fact is the Father provided the universe’s ultimate power to bring you to Himself: that accomplished work of Jesus. He sealed Jesus’s power in you by the Holy Spirit. You are loved.
 
Now, on dark days and times when you wonder can God love me? Look to this text and preach it to your soul by reading it over and over again. You are God’s and there is no power in heaven, on earth, in the oceans or out there in the furthest reaches of the unknown cosmos that can snatch you away from there. Be assured of His love. And so assured, pray to Him with thanks. Sing hymns and songs and psalms to God, not because He needs it, but because these are the means by which God will drive the assurance of His love deeper into your heart, farther into your mind and thus warm your soul which easily grows cold with unwarranted fears.
 
Prayer
 
Father in heaven, You already know the rebellious sinfulness of my heart and the traumas that resulted from the waves of sin and louder than these is the testimony of Your word is that You love me. It is almost too hard to take hold on and really believe. In the roller coaster ride of my faith, lead me in the Truth that Your love is not based on me, but on the accomplished work of Jesus. As You’ve promised, seal that love in me by Your Spirit. On my strongest days, let me sing praises to You and bless You. On my weakest days, hold me in the embrace of Your love until the storms of doubt and the waves of shame lose their power. Every day, add to my faith, my hope and my love, bit by bit, so that I will respond to Your love with greater assurance and confidence. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/a91_3VYRiZo?si=-4EgrvYcub6gPx-S Fill Thou My Life
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 14, 2024 -- Psalm 23:4 -- What does God think of you?

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 ESV
 
Believers willingly, intentionally submit their lives to God and look to Him to direct them in His loving care. No doubt you know Psalm 23 very well. The soaring, opening statements of being led to still waters and invited to bed down in the abundance represented by green pastures are soothing to the soul. Interesting, the Good Shepherd does not leave His sheep in the place of ease. He will lead them.
 
The valley of the shadow of death is the place where the follower of Jesus Christ denies his old sins and temptations and addictions. It is death to self. It is death to the tyranny of heart and mind and yielded obedience to the wisdom of the Shepherd Who has already provided so many good, soul-restoring things. Walking with Him through the valley of the shadow of death promises He has still more in store for you. Follow where He leads.
 
The valley of the shadow of death is the place of instruction. When someone is lost, or in crisis, or experiencing confusion and there is a reliable leader nearby, he will gladly cling to that experienced leader for instruction and rescue.
 
The valley of the shadow of death is the place where the light of the Shepherd shines most brightly. He Who is the Light of the World pierces the darkness of failure and brokenness and leads His people in victory. It is like the forty years in the wilderness when Israel was going through the wilderness in their Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. You read of the many, oh so many, times when they sinned. Murmured. Complained. If they’d have only looked up they’d have seen His fiery pillar of cloud at night leading them.
 
The valley of the shadow of death is where believers find deepest community. Rich communion with the Good Shepherd and deep, true blessedness in the company of others who cling to Him as well. Prayers become sweeter when shared with fellow pilgrims who know their urgent need for the Living God.
 
What does God think of you? He loves you so perfectly, so truly that He sent His Son from heaven to rescue you from the Egypt of your sins. He provided the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for you. He directs you, by day and by night. His Spirit makes the beauty of the Word so vibrantly real that self-doubt and the pressures of the world and the wiles of the devil are exposed as mere shadows before His mighty, tender, power.
 
Father in heaven, thank You for the Good Shepherd, Whose presence is life and peace. Thank You for the Holy Spirit Who lifts our eyes from circumstances and troubles so that we can instead see Him Who is the Light of Life. Thank You, Father, for the people You have placed in our lives who, in Jesus’ Name, walk with us through the storms of life, assuring us of Your goodness and love. Amen.

https://youtu.be/OoojA0cLPWY?si=Z5XvstW0er_jO24Z Psalm 23 Shane and Shane
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 12, 2024 -- Psalm 34:14 -- What are you chasing after?

Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14 ESV
 
Funny, how when you are flying you can peek over the shoulder of the man in the seat in front of you and catch a glimpse of his little TV screen. I went from Moncton to Kansas City yesterday, lots of flying time and lots of fragmented TV from the screens around me. There is one guy, glued to his set. Whatever movie the guy was watching was an action flick. I could just see bits and pieces of it, but whenever I happened to glance over, and of course have no sound, it is jarring and disconnected, there were car chases etc. The dramatic ending was something big blowing up and the hero of the movie stoically walking away from the inferno and blasts while debris falling all around him. I thought of that as I read this text this morning.
 
For many of us our entertainment is violent. There is a celebration of evil. Murder mysteries. Video games. Horror flicks. Music that is inappropriate and the words, whoa now, if you really stopped and considered them, you’d be embarrassed by them in polite company. Even around not so polite company you’d realize how vile they are.
 
David, the psalm-writer, had put himself into a right, proper mess. He’d gone to a foreign king for help and realized he’d put himself into the hands of a wicked man. He’d blown up his life and he’d inappropriately trusted in people rather than in God. Isn’t that like so many people in our world who blow up their lives?  Adultery. Children by different dads. The necessary intervention of Child Protective Services. Abuse. Gossip. Abusers. Malice. Addictions. Inwardly cheering over the failures of others. The list is endless.
 
The point of this Psalm is that God brings order out of chaos. When David realized his wrongdoing and escaped, he turned to God Who is his boast and help. As Christians, it is our duty and our purpose to walk with people who have blown up their lives. (I mean, what other result could there be but destruction and chaos and infernos when we think we are in charge of our lives and then act on our impulses and feelings and wobbly moral codes?)
 
Believers meet with those who are standing in the post-destruction ruin of their lives and bring the good word and work of Jesus. Believers help such folks find peace. Peace with God the Compassionate One. This peace comes through the reconciling work of Jesus. Peace within their own hearts, conquering the realization that their mess is of their own making and the only rescue possible will have to be divine—the All-Mighty Power of the LORD—so that true healing and reconstruction can begin. Peace with other people. Where sin reigned, there will be a trail of brokenness and malice and twisted, smoldering lives. The peace of Christ will rule on the heart of believers and that peace is meant to be extended, shared, so that the reign of Christ overturns the works of the Devil. It is possible. It is why believers preach the Gospel.
 
Pursue it. I don’t know about you, but I easily, all too easily, give up. I am easily overwhelmed by the messes I can make in my life—let alone be confronted with the epic disasters of the people around me. But isn’t that why Jesus came to this earth? We were utterly, are completely, will be astoundingly unable to fix our lives. We don’t even know where to begin. But God, rich in mercy, gave His Son Jesus to destroy the work of the Devil and the wickedness of the world, and the warped nature in us that always led us astray.
 
Jesus is the Rescue Story. His Spirit draws us away from evil, so that we confess it, know what it is and learn to hate it. The Spirit plants the Word deep in us so that we can recognize the traps of the Deceiver and the wiles of the world. The Spirit applies the reconciling peace of Jesus into the most tender, ruined, destroyed places of our lives and out of the wreckage forges a new life beyond our present ability to understand.
 
Ah, fellow believer, do not give up. Today, seek the peace of Jesus Christ, pursue it in your own life and the Father in heaven will bring to you others who can identify with you, are drawn to you and your circumstances and will wonder, “Can I have that sort of transformation in my life?” Oh yes you can! It is the free gift of God.
 
Prayer
 
The Bible proves You are the LORD Who delivers people out of all their afflictions and troubles. You redeem the life of Your servants. In fact, Jesus taught that You no longer call us servants, but friends, and then sons and daughters, adopted by God! Precious Jesus rescue me from all my fears, sins, and failures. Spirit of God as the peace of Christ takes hold of me and I am strengthened to do good and pursue God, then make me aware of those You bring into my life who are themselves in need of Jesus’s rescue. I pray that last bit with some fear, knowing how small and weak I really am—for this to happen You really have to be all my strength and hope all day and every day. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/6WtV1XtqsW0?si=pD-PY-i6TqVmExIS Chain Breaker — Zach Williams
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 11, 2024 -- Matthew 5:2-12 -- Guided by God

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:2-12 ESV
 
Does your life really matter? How you answer that question is huge. It has implications for every area of your life. There are radical secularists, the prophets of today, who teach you are merely evolved pond scum. You are here by chance. You are the result of random evolution. When you die there is nothing. Those who follow Jesus know this to be a hideous lie, straight from hell, meant to keep you from fulfilling your purpose. Jesus declared those who know Him to be blessed. It is not something they earned. This blessed condition springs from knowing Him and results in the believer fulfilling the purposes for which he or she was created.
 
The humble, or poor in spirit, are blessed because their ego and pride do not get in the way of fully receiving the Kingdom of God.
 
The ones who mourn over their sinful condition and hate the many ways in which their every intention of doing good keeps getting thwarted and they find themselves in so many messes. They’ll be comforted because in the confession of their sinful condition the help of heaven is wedded to their weakness. Their sins are forgiven. They rise to follow Jesus.
 
The meek are the ones who though they have strength to do so, do not use their words or their abilities to manipulate others or try to get their own way. The meek submit their will to the care of God and willingly offer the use all their talents, gifts and abilities to bring glory to Him Who rescued them from the power of darkness and brought them into the Kingdom of Christ our Lord.
 
When you belong to Jesus, you’ll find your desires change. Your interests are purified. Your hobbies are used to bless others. You are hungering to live a way radically different from how you lived before. Your desires can only be fulfilled in knowing Jesus more fully and more perfectly and well, just knowing Him more.
 
As you read through these beatitudes (that is just a fancy way of saying the lists of blessed’s) you’ll realize you have been made into a new creation in Christ—the old desires and sinful lusts and hidden agendas are being exposed as fraudulent ways of living which hijacked any chance you had at a fulfilled life. The more you empty yourself of old lusts, old desires, addictions and life-controlling issues, the more of you is available to walk in the blessedness which Christ has in store for you. The Holy Spirit, living in you, is bringing you more fully into faith-filled obedience to Jesus.
 
It is hard work, actively, daily subduing the impulses of your past life. The fact that you recognize lingering disobedience in yourself, and impulses that are out-of-alignment with God’s design for you are signs that the Holy Spirit is taking charge of your life. What is exposed to the light of Christ can be disposed by the Spirit’s work in you. The Spirit’s goal is to work cooperatively with you to bring every area of your heart, your mind, your actions and your attitudes into submission to Jesus so that, with the Psalmist, you can declare, the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places (Psalm 16:5-6). Staying within the bounds of God’s plan and design for me is the place of greatest blessedness. There will be trials and hardships, but all of this will be used like hammer blows in a forge to shape more perfectly for the purposes God has for you.
 
Prayer
 
In the back of my mind there is the niggling question “do I really matter”? It is crowded out by the thought that perhaps God is busy with other people, but I am not a high priority to Him. Thank You, Father in heaven, for the words of this passage which show me the many ways in which You bless Your people in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Spirit Who is working in me and aiding me to expose the places where the deeds of darkness linger so that these words, attitudes, and actions can be disposed of. Thank You for this new life which is mind in Christ. Thank You that my life matters to You and I am precious in Your sight. Thank You for the people who will be influenced by my life, exposed to the work of the Redeemer in my life, someone who they know. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/z-yJ3xMVUDI?si=nVFWDOrLr1ga8sd_ Whate’er My God Ordains
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 10., 2024 -- Ephesians 2:1-6 -- Raised to new life, not zombie life, but real life in Christ

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
Ephesians 2:1-6 ESV
 
One of the strange quirks of ministry is how often I am exposed to dead bodies. Family have requested me to be present as a much-loved member of the family was dying. For about fifteen years I was a police chaplain and I’d be privileged to go on ride-alongs. There were a couple of times when a 911 call came in and the officer I was accompanying was required to go to a place where a body was found.
 
There is something so strange that happens when a living, breathing person becomes a corpse. When the animation of life is suddenly gone, there are so many changes that take place. It is obvious one who is dead can not be revived. Why focus on this? Because before God took hold of us, we were dead in the putrefying work of sin. We were utterly unable to do anything for ourselves. I love that disjunctive word “but”. As you read along the description of death, but God (Who is infinitely strong, merciful and great in love) would not leave His child in the grip of death. It is the love of the Father for His chosen people which raises them from death to life.
 
Can God love me? This passage answers with a resounding YES! God has shown you His immeasurable love in Christ, raising you from death—not like in zombie movies or like a Frankenstein monster kind of life. When the Father raised you from death to life He broke the stranglehold of sin. Though sin may remain, it doesn’t reign anymore. He Who raised you up in Christ will also continually vivify you by His Spirit. He made you alive, so that you can fulfill the holy purposes for which He created you.
 
Why mention this? You are loved. That is the reason believers go to church as well. In exuberant thanksgiving to God, it is our ardent desire to praise God and bless Him for bringing us from death to life in Christ. When a saint sins, it is powerful to confess that sin and know, from the tip of your toes to the very top of your head know, that God is not done with you yet. He is making you holy, all of you, holy. You can state it this way, He is working in you so that you will one day be wholly holy. It won’t happen in this lifetime, but when Jesus returns, or when you lay down your mortal remains at death you will immediately, in the twinkling of an eye, find yourself with the saints around the throne worshiping Jesus. Confirming the love of God, which is greater than your doubts, greater than your past, greater than the sinfulness which still lingers and occasionally leads you astray (but only as far as the restraining grace will allow).
 
Saints sings hymns and sing Psalms (putting to music the 150 Psalms of the Bible) and spiritual songs because the Truth of the Father’s love given to us in Christ and guarded in us by the Holy Spirit must work itself deep into our soul, crowding out the lies of the Devil. You want to sing. You want to express such love divine. Since He raised you from death to life, you desire to use your life to bless Him and thank Him and as you contemplate Him in song, grow in love toward Him, the soul’s reward and the heart’s joy.
 
Father in heaven Who is like You? There is none and nothing in all the universe comparable to You. You are compassionate, rich in mercy and steadfast in Your great love. Thank You for the life You give us in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Spirit Who is leading us in all Truth. When I falter in my confidence, lead me to confess my sins and turn from them. Let Your Spirit’s voice drown out my fears and insecurities and remind me that I am deeply loved, in Your love that is steady, true and never-ending. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/EMvfX-ajxA4?si=tKcNG3Vxm0zSQaFz My Soul Finds Rest (Psalm 62)
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 9, 2024 -- II Thessalonians 2:13-17 -- Drawn to Jesus, like iron to a magnet

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
II Thessalonians 2:13-17 ESV
 
Secrets. Think about all the secrets you had to keep while you were welded to sin and chained to life-controlling behaviors. You’d lie about how you spent money. You’d lie about how you spent your time. You’d lie about liking people to manipulate them into giving you what you wanted. You’d lie to yourself. All the while your own selfish desires, directed by the Devil and the world were crushing the life out of you. How do you break this pattern?
 
Paul, Sylvanus and Timothy were together as Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians. First, when you submit your life to the care of God, you find yourself in true, deep, honest community. That is modeled by the fact these three men were together. It is exemplified in the fact that they know the Thessalonians so well they can write directly, addressing their strengths and failures. They write to strengthen what is good and to expose what is yet sinful.
 
The lies that once ruled you must be exposed. What is exposed can be deposed. Christian friends, who themselves know the power of old sins and wayward lusts, will not let you fall back into old patterns and habits. They know the power of sin…thanks be to God, they know the greatest power Who is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
 
Second, believers are “firstfruit”. The Thessalonians were among the first believers. Their example inspired others to believe. As you note in the blessing at the end of today’s passage, the grace of God established them in every good work and word. When you believe, your life becomes a powerful influence for good in the life of others.
 
The late theologian John Gerstner noted that being a Christian is like being a magnet for Jesus. Those who God the Father appointed for eternal life in Jesus Christ are like iron. When you, who know Jesus, pass by those who do not yet believe, you’ll see that by Spirit’s power in you, you pull them to Jesus, just like a magnet pulls up iron. God has appointed such persons for life, and God has appointed you to be the means through which He saves them. It is privilege and joy for all involved and brings glory to God. Be prepared for the fact there will be people in your life as well who are not pulled up from worldliness toward Jesus. They are hardened against God and refuse the Gospel.
 
Finally, look for opportunities to serve God. In your addictions and guided by the stranglehold of former sins, you looked for opportunities to indulge yourself. Now, as a new creation in Jesus Christ, look for opportunities to express your new life in Christ by blessing, helping and serving the people He has placed in your life. Interestingly, the more you serve, the more God uses you to build up the body of Christ. The more you serve, the more you’ll be confirmed as His beloved daughter or son. What a glorious, magnificent God we serve. Blessed be His Name, now and forevermore.
 
Father in heaven, it is hard to really see myself as I am, a person attracted as iron to a magnet, drawn to Jesus. I confess even as I am drawn to Him, I still look behind me to old paths and wicked ways. By Your Spirit working in me, open my eyes to see the ways in which I can bless the people You have placed in my life, thereby drawing them to Jesus and simultaneously confirming the good work of salvation which You are bringing into full effect in every area of my life. Father in heaven, send Your Spirit in ever greater measure to increase my love for Jesus, so that I see Him as the Rock of my salvation and the anchor of my soul. Thank You, gracious God, for the people You’ve placed in my life who have by their actions and care towards me, made Jesus real to me Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/a91_3VYRiZo?si=QLtV9aSULaLWXPtV “Fill Thou My Life”
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 7, 2024 -- I Timothy 1:18-20 -- What do you really believe about yourself? Now who are you in Jesus?

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
I Timothy 1:18-20 ESV
 
Dear family in the Lord Jesus Christ, off and on through these regular devotions we have been walking the path of the Overcomer’s 12 steps. This is material I teach in one Federal Prison and one Provincial Jail. The 12-Step material is the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous, and the original material was Bible-based. Overcomers has adapted the steps so that they do, once again, reflect a Christian-based recovery. Those who do not have problems with alcohol, or drugs, things usually linked with 12-step programs do, still, have life-controlling issues, or sins. It can be gluttony. Or anger. Gossip. Sexually motivated sins. The fact is, Christians must, daily, struggle against their sin nature. 
 
Step One
I admit I am powerless over the issue controlling my life.
 
Step Two
I acknowledge my belief that God, the source of all power, restores me on my journey to freedom from addictions and life-controlling issues.
 
Step Three
I decide to submit my life to the care of God as he guides me.
 
That third step is today’s focus. On Day 20 of the Overcomer’s Workbook, the student reads
     What we do is always rooted in what we believe. When we are
     stuck in a pattern of doing things that harm us, it is because of
     how we think about ourselves, our actions, and our worth. If
     you believe you are not worthy of safety or that you deserve the
     pain you are experiencing, you will not be as motivated to find
     a way out of your circumstances.
Overcomers Workbook, Day 20, page 49
 
Look at the dynamite of Scripture. It explodes all your false beliefs about yourself and then reveals who you are in Christ. Timothy had prophesies spoken over him. You have the eternal decree of God—from before the creation of the world, God chose you in the Beloved, Jesus. You are precious, chosen of God.
 
God has given you the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of this new life. You do not have to go back to the old sins, the former patterns of wickedness. You are not captive in Satan’s prison, you are now alive in Christ and have a freedom that is new to you, wonderful, and kept for you in heaven. This fact is sure because Jesus, the Captain of your Salvation, is seated at the Father’s right hand, praying for you. He is guarding your new life in the throne-room of power, where the Devil can never snatch you from the embrace of the Father.
 
On the basis, not of your success or failure in walking with God, but on the basis of Jesus’s perfect life, His sinlessness, so that He is the accepted sacrifice before God, the One that atones for all your sins—past, present, and future—you have confidence to rethink who you are. You are not defeated. You are no longer in the domain of darkness, the Father has through Jesus, brought you out of the darkness and placed you in the Kingdom of the Son He loves. He Who is mighty has the power, the will and the love necessary to guard you in your new life.
 
You fight your battles by praising God. Sounds weird, right? The weapons of our warfare are not ordinary, human tools. But as we sing to God, blessing and praising Him, our minds are conformed to the newness of life that is ours in Christ. As we pray to God, the Spirit, Who guards this deposit of new-life-in-Christ within us, engages our attention, our mind, our action and our soul so that we turn away from sin and towards Jesus. By the way, that is why I almost always link a Christian hymn or song to these devotions. To encourage you to explore your walk with God through music. Learning these hymns and spiritual songs displaces the all-too-influential blather of the worldly music that is currently infesting your mind and the more you listen the more it is corrupting your soul.
 
Holding faith means you examine your words, your thoughts, the actions you are about to undertake and ask yourself, is this what a soldier of Jesus would do? I am a soldier in Jesus’s army. If what I am doing is wrong, ask yourself “Why would I fight for the Devil, who hates me and seeks to destroy my life?” The wily old Devil holds up shiny charms to distract you and hisses out lying promises to get you to collude with him. Every single time he speaks, he lies. According to Jesus, lies are his native language. So, holding onto your faith, you expose the lies of Satan that have long deceived you so that you are heart, soul, mind, and body serving Jesus.
 
Be warned. There are many all around you, people who seemed to be faithful and true, who make a shipwreck of their faith. In Timothy’s day there was the example of Hymenaeus and Alexander. No doubt you can think of people who seemed to be doing fine, acted like those who are members of the family of God, and then one day went rogue and started firing against their own side. How do you know you are not, like them, about to go rogue? Well, you hate your sin. You feel convicted when you commit them. You experience shame before God and want to be cleansed.
 
Today, tear down the lies that would hold you captive. You have decided to submit your life to the care of God as He guides you. Then let Him guide you. Ask the Holy Spirit for help. Stay close to Christian friends who keep you accountable. Change the music you are listening to and get connected with some good, Christian music that burrows deep into your soul so that you are motivated to find a way out of your circumstances through the overcoming victory that is already yours through Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of your faith.
 
God, all too often I can’t seem to lift my eyes to You. I know I’ve failed. Again. I confess to You, I have failed too many times to count. Jesus, You promised You are a doctor for those in need. Like a doctor You have been sent by the compassion of the Father to minister His healing to those who are sick of heart, mind and soul. Jesus, heal me. Spirit, lead me from the ruins of my past and the smoldering wreck I make of my life and bring me to the fortress of Jesus’s redeeming grace. Lead me my whole life through. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/QPX5tt480Q8?si=5zqCKtgtrBhxKI1D “Lead Me, Guide Me”
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 6, 2024 -- Psalm 37:3-5 -- All In for Jesus!

 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LOD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
trust in him and he will act.
Psalm 37:3-5 ESV
 
There are three commands piled up one after another here. The first is to trust in the LORD. When sinners turn from their sins and find Jesus to be their Rescue and Salvation, there is such relief. Inevitably, it is short lived because they are familiar with wicked habits and dishonest thinking to be renewed in this glorious salvation requires the believer to disentangle himself from old ways of thinking. It is a daily decision, responding to the imperative here as you preach to your heart and declare: “today, I will trust You, the Living God, Who saves me”.
 
The second command is that odd, hard to explain phrase, delight yourself in the LORD. In the past your addictions and sins led you down sinful paths where you’d secretly indulge in something you knew was destructive, but like a moth to a porchlight, you threw yourself against that light, damaging yourself more and more with each clash against the glass casing. Now, knowing the LORD is wholesome, the source of all good, in fact He alone is what your heart truly desires. How often have you stood in front of the open door of the fridge, having overindulged in sweets and snacks, feeling full, but still needing something. Protein. Nourishment. The foods didn’t satisfy, and your body is telling you ‘you need something different’. When the believer delights himself in the LORD, all his past overindulgences are proven to be empty calories, useless treks towards emptiness and shame. Ah, but God, Who is infinite, Who is greater than all your imaginings, He Who made you knows you were made to know Him, love Him, and in worship find all your satisfaction in Him alone. Delighting in Him brings you in line with the purpose of your creation.
 
Speaking your delight to God, praising Him and singing to Him, doesn’t stroke God’s ego or like some puny, Greek god, maintain his existence. Or, like all those silly Santa stories, there is something like a “believe-o-meter” out there which when tipping higher gives him greater power. What stuff and nonsense. No. God the Glorious, Compassionate One, is always, perfectly in community as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He needs nothing. However, people made in His image, are complete when salvation joy of the heart is expressed to Him. Delighting in God, confirms Him to your souls as the Deliverer from the strongholds of death, the Resurrection and the Life, Who alone is can satiate your heart, mind and soul.

As you trust in Him and daily decide to make Him all your delight you will find it easier and easier to recommit your way to Him. It is a decision you make at every temptation, “I have decided to follow Jesus, I will not engage this temptation but will now again recommit my way to Him”. What a glorious promised is appended to that, “He will act”. The hook in the temptations will be exposed. The ugly conclusion of your sins will be evident. God will act so that you can not help but walk in purity and joy—the result of obeying commands to trust in Him, to delight yourself in Him and continually recommit your way to Him means He will act in ways that are obvious to you. (For He is always acting for your good, His hand of mercy and kindness have always been drawing you closer to Himself).
 
Trust leads to delight. Delight leads to commitment. Seeing God act as you commit yourself to Him leads to deeper trust. He is healing you. He is teaching you a whole new way of living. Ah, submit your life to the care of God and know He will guide you in all truth, all delight and make committing yourself to Him all the more reasonable and evermore intensely desirable.
 
Oh God, salvation and righteousness are found in You alone! You are the stronghold of Your people in bad times, and You are the resort of eternal pleasures here and now and forevermore. Triune God, help us so that what we are in Christ will blossom and our trust in You will fill every decision. Spirit, clarify our vision so that it is obvious it is only in full, willing obedience to God, and in Him only, one finds the fountain of life and the river of delights. Jesus, You poured Yourself out, unstintingly, Your whole life, suffering, and death bringing glorify to God and You opened the way for believers to be called sons and daughters of God. Help us to start fresh every day, every time it is necessary, to commit ourselves to You alone, by the Power of Your Spirit living in us, and this to the glory of the Father. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/mtUVJiDsFvQ?si=biK31qWOZqVfU_-k Sing Hallelujah to the LORD
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 5, 2024 -- II Timothy 2:1-7 -- Three powerful illustrations to encourage believers

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
II Timothy 2:1-7 ESV

The Apostle Paul writes to encourage Timothy. Timothy, he states at the start of this letter, is “my beloved child”. Timothy is a man whom Paul mentors in the Christian faith. For believers to grow in the freedom Christ gives, so that you do not fall back into addictions and life-controlling sins, means you continually submit your life to Jesus. This is an intentional commitment made and renewed constantly. There are so many forces and pressures seeking to pull you away from obedience to God.

Consider the three illustrations Paul gives in the short passage. Soldiers do not question their commanders. Where the captain commands them to go, they obey. The well-being of the unit and the outcome of the war depends on each soldier acting upon their leader’s every command. So it with believers following Jesus. He sees the complete battle. He knows the tactics of the enemy. You know what Jesus commands you must do, for your own welfare, for the good of the unit and for the whole battle. How can you possibly do your part? It is by His Spirit in you, by the Word and through the instruction of fellow Christians. That is how you submit your life to Jesus in the chaos of life’s battles.

An athlete has a coach who demands his athlete eat right, sleep enough and train hard. The coach can seem harsh and unyielding, but he knows the only way to get the best performance out of the athlete is to push where the athlete is lazy and to go easy where the athlete might be hurt. The coach knows the power of restorative rest after a hard work-out. Jesus is such a coach. He knows what it takes so that those who follow Him do not give up, burn out, or for lack of training miss out on the prize, which is the crown of life.

Think of the illustration of the farmer. There is a huge amount of patience needed in the life of a farmer. He plants the crops, and it takes months of weeding, months of scaring off the animals that would eat the tender plants before there is the benefit of harvesting the crop. It can seem so long, but the patient farmer knows the cycle of the seasons and has a history with the faithfulness of God. He persists in doing all that is necessary so that the fields bring forth their produce.
The believer who ponders these illustrations, gains better insight into the work of Jesus Who leads His people in triumphal procession, presenting believers unblemished before the Father. It is hard work. There is nothing like it in all the world—submitting oneself to Jesus, daily yielding yourself to Him, with the full expectation He will guide you to overcome in the battle, He will coach you and at he proper time award you the crown of life, He will give you the produce of the rich harvest at the banquet of life in eternity.

Beloved in the Lord, do not give up. Press on and know God our Father has appointed Jesus to direct you and gives you the Holy Spirit so that in all things you can overcome.

Father in heaven, thank You for Jesus Christ—the Captain of Salvation, the Coach extraordinaire and Crop-blesser. I confess how often I want to run from the battle or make excuses to get out of hard-training and I have oh-so-little patience to do the work necessary over the long-haul so that a harvest of blessing will be reaped. Spirit of God, bless me so that today I will turn from wrong and make every effort to please Him Who enlisted me in His holy service. Father, the promise of the Bible is when you start a good work in us, You will see it to completion—how I need that assurance today. Amen.

https://youtu.be/tstRfOGGgpQ?si=iUZ6gQylw8W-v2AZ Lead On, O King Eternal
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 4, 2024 -- Psalm 119:66-67 -- To what or whom are you submitting your life?

Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
for I believe in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
Psalm 119:66-67 ESV
 
After a sinner has admitted he is powerless against sin and then acknowledged God alone is the source of all power Who restores him on his journey to freedom from addiction and life-controlling sin, the next, critical step, is submitting one’s life to the care of God. Ah, this step is a doozie.
 
Consider the way in which worldly people talk today. When you say something that expresses your belief, the response might be, “I respect you for following your truth”. What a load of hooey! There is Truth. Capital “T” Truth because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Prior to submitting myself to Jesus, the Truth, I was tossed this way and that way, by all the competing claims of the world. So were you. Or perhaps so are you right now. Tossed and turning like a ragdoll in the undertow of the world’s waves and endless parade of new fashions overtaking old ones.
 
Whatever the world, or your peer group, or even your own misguided, undirected mind tells you is important, you want to rush out to buy, or do, or say, or wear. If you do not submit your life to the care of God and constantly seeking His guidance, you are a ping-pong ball batted back and forth by every whim of what the world calls important today, or tells you is good (even though common sense says it is completely idiotic) or what the world is trying to parade as true for today. It is exhausting. It was what got you into the hot messes of sin that you always go back to.
 
If you think about it, really pause and go deep, notice how often you have impulses to do something. You are about to buy something; you realize it is based on a commercial you saw. You want the latest phone, which you can’t afford, because you’re still paying for last year’s latest phone, but, sigh, people around you have it. You see friends casually making out and know they are doing things you shouldn’t speak of, and they shrug it all off and say they’ve done nothing wrong. You wonder, maybe this making out thing isn’t as bad as the preacher, or the Bible, or your parents say it is…But then, your parents may have told you the importance to telling the truth, when to the added confusion of your mind, they lie about your age to get you cheap seats on the amusement ride. You begin to realize that so much of what guides your decision-making comes from flawed sources, compromised experiences, and out-right lies.
 
The Psalmist knew the intentions of his heart and the seemingly-out-of-nowhere impulses of his mind were topsy-turvy. He didn’t trust himself to know the truth. In his prayer he asks God, “teach me good judgment and knowledge”. Whatever the world offers is tainted by the Devil, who is the father of lies, who constantly teaching worldly people to speak his language. If you want to become a native speaker of all that is good and right and honourable—so breaking the pattern of self-governance and selfish addictive behavior—you must submit your mind, your core beliefs and your actions to God.
 
Why is this bit about “affliction” included in today’s passage? To be perfectly honest, most of you (and if I am perfectly honest, I have to include myself in this) will stubbornly try doing things your own way. Even if that way has been unsuccessful 100 times out of 100. Any miniscule, fleeing sign of half-success, you’ll latch onto and launch yourself headlong back into ruin. The LORD uses the consequences of your bad actions, He uses disciplines, He uses suffering to grab hold of your attention and then teach you wisdom in the secret heart. The Father in heaven is endlessly patient. Loving beyond measure. Committed to your growth in holiness in the way of Truth, because He has drawn you to Himself through Jesus Christ, Who is your Rescue-Story, Your Redeemer, and in Him you bring glory to the Father.
 
Father in heaven, there are competing messages, all kinds of conflicting versions of what is true and important, but today, teach me wisdom in the secret heart. By Your Spirit, apply the Word and plant it deep in me so that I will daily, become more fully submitted to You through its guidance. What I am praying is teach me to know Him Who is Truth, and humble me to submit myself to Him, and from that place of submission live out the Truth of Jesus in every area of my life. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/aH1Wn4fTiBs?si=askVaIJy_O1CIm7u “Speak O Lord”
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 2, 2024 -- Ephesians 5:15-18 -- Be filled with the Holy Spirit

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…
Ephesians 5:15-18 ESV
 
My time. Free time. Down time. You know all the expressions. The point of the passage is that all time is God’s time. He oversees it all and those who know Him, choose to follow Him every moment of the day. I don’t know about you, but that is one tall order. I am not sure how to accomplish that! Look how the passage helps steer your life.
 
First, on your own, you are unwise. Every time there is a choice between doing good in service to God, for fulfilling your own desires, guess what, you are likely to put God in the back seat of your life. We are, by nature, unwise, sin-filled and without God’s restraining hand, we are plotting a course towards evil.
 
Second, the days are evil. Think about something like Halloween. It is just kids play, right? Hmm. Probably not. You are playfully introducing your children to the world of witches and demons and play-acting. It is an invitation to make evil and all that is demonic seem inviting and fun. Basically harmless? No way! Then look at how evil is celebrated in the world in other, obvious ways. Infants are killed in the womb, and it is celebrated as a mother’s choice. Her body. her choice as the incoherent logic of our world. It completely ignores that fact that men and women are made in the image of God, therefore, their body and their children belong to Him!
 
Third, believers can be filled so full of the things of the world, that they are oblivious to the commandments of God. Such bloatedness makes them too lazy to do what God commands. They welcome the opportunities to ingest the things of the world, but then are too full to drink deeply from the well of salvation. The will of the Lord, as it is clearly expressed in the Bible. It is the pathway of life. It is life and salvation and ultimately true joy. However, many believers compromise it, so that the clear commands of God are softened, changed, in places ignored, exchanged so that believers can live a more comfortable Christian life in the world which hates God. Christians seek to live sort of in obedience to God, a manufactured obedience that suits them, rather than conforming themselves the will of our God.
 
The passage is clear, believers are not to be intoxicated by wine or beer. Nor are their lives to be filled with other things that will crowd God out. Binge watching TV. Shopping to excess. Gambling. Video gaming. Board gaming. Partying. Endless eating out. Notice that there are a few things in that list which are okay in moderation, in appropriate small doses, but clearly are wrong when they take over one’s life. Sin does that. The Devil is always trying to hook you in and take more and more of your time, your thought life, your attention and if possible, draw you away from God.
 
Fourth, excess of anything is debauchery. That is a loaded word. Simply, when you are getting tanked up with anything other than God, you are acting in “unsavedness”. That is what debauchery means, unsavedness, excess, wastefulness. Debauchery is taking the precious gifts that are yours in Jesus Christ—forgiveness, the demonstration of the Father’s love, walking in newness of life, joy, and stomping on these. Saying, God, you’re not good enough for me.
Finally, be filled with the Spirit. Ah, dear brother and sister in Christ, the Spirit’s role is to lead you back to Jesus. Jesus, Who is praying for you by presenting His wounds to the Father and saying, Father, as You decreed from before the beginning of time, so now act in mercy and love, apply My righteousness to this sinner seeking You so that he knows himself to be Your son. Father, draw this wayward daughter back to yourself, based on Your decree of love which is founded on My life poured out for her.
 
Being filled with the Spirit is prayerfully asking for help when confronted with hard choices or temptations. Being filled with the Spirit is leaning on Christian friends to help you when times are tough. Being filled with the Spirit taking time to read the Bible and meditate on it. What does it mean for me? For the people of God collectively? Being filled with the Spirit is an invitation to deeper, richer life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
 
God You are the source of all Power in my life. I confess how much I just want to do what I want to do, with no reference to You or Your plans and purposes for my life. Time after time I see the mess I make of my life, and I still wind up in the same, dumb and broken places I was before. Thank You that You are patient. You are near. You are the Faithful Father Who delights to forgive His people to the great glory of Jesus Christ, and You, Almighty God are the restorer of the broken hearted, who, by Your Spirit, are led onward on the great journey of salvation. Blessed be Your Name.
 
https://youtu.be/2CJT-6nsl8c?si=0n_5NQzriPTRxEg_ Fill Thou My Life, O Lord My God
 

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

November 1, 2024 -- Psalm 16:1-2 -- Who is your truest friend?

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
   in whom is all my delight.
Psalm 16:1-2 ESV

One of the strangest, most disorienting experiences of having moved from Ingersoll, ON to Moncton NB is the loss of deep friendship. While Carolyn and I lived in Ontario, we had a ready supply of good friends, church friends and deep friends. Deep friends are the ones on whom we could call at any hour of day or night and know they’d answer and care for us. Or, whenever they called us, we were ready to help in any way that was needed. Now, when a church service is done, many people speak with us, and are nice to us, but rarely, very rarely, do we ever receive a post-church dinner invitation. There are no “spontaneous friends” here, who will call and say, “I’m coming over”. Or who are ringing the doorbell, unannounced. To be fair, God has preserved some wonderful friendships in Ontario. Whenever we visit, we know we have an open invitation. Blessed be the Name of God, our strength and song!

Why mention this? Consider this Psalm. King David noted that first and foremost God is his refuge and his LORD. A refuge is a place you run to when troubles surround you. A safe place when enemies are attacking. You feel surrounded and hope is at a low ebb a refuge is a place where you can be restored and refreshed. God is the LORD—a tower of strength and the sole source of salvation. He coordinates all things so that His people will be built up in this precious faith.

Now, notice what he writes about fellow believers. They are the saints in the land, in whom is all his delight. Fellow believers experience God as the strength of their lives, the Captain of Salvation Who guards the soul and equips His people with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Fellow believers prop one another up in the way of God. Fellow believers are part of God's salvation plan. They interfere with your plans when you are bent on evil. They celebrate victories. They cry in the dust with you when it seems everything has crumbled to the ground.

When we have admitted our belief that God is the source of all power and that He is restoring me on my journey away from the chains of sin and the siren songs of temptation, it is important to know who He has placed in your life. Fellow Christians are the people who stand with you when your strength has failed. Fellow Christians help pick you up when you all others would mock. Deep Christian friends are those whose love for God is an inspiration. The saints, in whom is all your delight, will not abandon when you are in the mud of former sins. They are the iron sharpening iron, calling you back to faithfulness. They are the ones, crying with you, holding on to the hem of Jesus’s robe, asking Him for mercy and the much-needed fortitude to get up and start traveling forward again on the journey of salvation.

Over the last number of months Carolyn and I realize that God has broken our circle of close friends and disrupted our readily available supply of invitations so that our hearts and home can be open to the people He is placing in our life. Since moving to Moncton, and starting all over finding friends, we have found we have time for people who are new Christians. We have a hunger for socializing and there are post-incarcerated Christians who are starved for true friendships, with whom they can walk knowing they have also been and are being restored on their journey to freedom in Jesus. Our lives have been immeasurably enriched. Thanks be to God for the faithful friends who stay in touch. Thanks be to God for the new friends He has gifted to us.

God, my Father, Who is kind and patient like You? There is no one and nothing else in all creation that is like You! Thank You for the new life You give me in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Spirit You have sent to live with me, guaranteeing the salvation of Jesus Christ will be perfected in me. Blessed God, thank You for the deep friends You have given who stand with me even when every one else runs away. Thank You for new friends whose friendship is delight as together we walk in the light of Your salvation, journeying to freedom from sin and life-controlling issues. Amen.

https://youtu.be/R8mLTdQQXg4?si=Tu6YHmkHCGKn9jU6 Shane and Shane Psalm 16 (Fullness of Joy)

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

October 29, 2024 -- Matthew 6:7 -- Power to change your life

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,
for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Matthew 6:7 ESV

All the power Christians need for their walk with God is supplied by God Himself. Jesus invites His followers “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 ESV). So, how should we ask God for the help we need so that we will be restored on our journey to freedom from addiction and life-controlling issues?

• Ask, knowing He can help you. Remember the first step of the twelve, we admit we are powerless and the second step is to confess God is the source of all power.

• The passage today reminds us that we don’t need a certain formula, no exact phrasing of words as if by the precision of our words we manipulate God to doing our bidding. He is willing, loving, and able to change us from the inside out. Ask with simple words, naming your need.

• Ask Him persistently. In Luke 18 Jesus taught His followers to pray persistently and not to lose hope as they pray. Even in the asking His Spirit refines people so that they are conformed more and more to the will of God.

• Ask trusting Him that He will more willing to give than we are even willing to ask. Jesus noted that if earthly fathers and mothers know how to give their children good gifts, how much more, infinitely more, does their Father in heaven know how to give good gifts to His children!

The text today speaks of Gentiles, that is, people who are not Jewish. In the Old Testament, before Jesus walked this earth, God primarily worked through the Jewish people. They were to be a light to the nations shining the love of God. Now, through Jesus, people from all over the world are light-bearers shining the love of God to all who walk in darkness. Pray for opportunities to tell others about the recovery God is giving you. You'll be amazed to discover as you share God's healing power in your life, others will be drawn to Jesus, and Jesus's healing work in your own life will be confirmed.

God thank You for the new life You are giving me. Life in Jesus's power that proves to me there is freedom from the addictions and sinful patterns of my past. I admit how strong temptations are in my life. Be stronger still so that I won’t fall into old sins and bad patterns of behavior. Spirit lead me to greater freedom through the rising-from-the-dead power of Jesus, the Captain of Salvation. Amen.

https://youtu.be/PLpB-dE2DHM?si=ThZtcfyZxSCR_OJ1 Lead Me, Guide Me

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

October 28, 2024 -- Galatians 6:1 -- Staying on course and helping others to do so

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Galatians 6:1 ESV

Our life in Christ is one of growing sanctification. When the Spirit of God gets our attention, drawing us out of the cyclone of temptation, indulgence and sinful activity which characterized our former way of life, our whole life’s direction is changed. We are taken from the highway to hell (as one of the world’s songs so aptly states it) and set on the path of eternal life. Our spiritual GPS is tuned by the Spirit and informed by the Word of God. Fellow Christians assist us in letting us know what hazards might be blocking the road. With wisdom gained by experience and persistence  learned from their own trial and errors they will also urge us against taking detours into old habits.

When you are caught in sin your conscience is already seared by the Spirit and your God-directed sense of shame will be on high alert. You will need to be approached as a wounded animal, one who is hurt but still ready to strike out. That is why Paul tells the Galatians, who received this letter, to restore the wandering brother or sister in a spirit of gentleness. Not proud. Not harshly. Not show-boating your own spirituality and progress. No. But keenly aware of your own inclination to sin and waywardness, tenderly seek to win your brother back to the way of truth and obedience to Jesus. Remembering that Jesus Himself described Himself this way, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). What a powerful description. No wonder Christians, filled with shame and angry at themselves for taking a detour back into old sins, are able to turn to Jesus. For He welcomes them. Tenderly corrects them. Gently restores them. Helps them in their path of reconciliation with the Father and the people of God.

The wily old Devil has been in the business of deceiving believers for a long, long time. It will be just a short, slight adjustment in your own journey with Jesus to walk a little ways with a brother or sister caught in sin. Soon you will find yourself getting caught up in the very sins from which you are trying to help your fellow believer extricate himself. You'll be on an unfamiliar road that looks suspiciously like your old ways.

Yet God is merciful. He directed His servant Paul to write this warning to the Galatians, and to all subsequent generations of believers, so that warned they would be better sensitized to the enemy's wiles and temptations disguised as harmless sidetracks. Dear fellow believers, stay alert so that you and your family, and your brothers and sisters in Christ, will faithfully travel on the road of salvation, keeping true to Jesus, follow Him, Who is the Captain of Salvation.

“Father, what we do not know, teach us;
What we have not; give us,
What we are not, kindly make us
For Your Son's sake. Amen.”
~Old Anglican Prayer

https://youtu.be/eXp6XXBPiCg?si=W_wXYGqvXXHpFqQf Soldiers of Christ, Arise

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

October 26, 2024 -- Psalm 18:1-3 -- Testify!

I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in Whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, Who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3 ESV

Last night Redemption Prison Ministry held its Annual Fall Banquet in Jordon, Ontario. One of the men, Wade, who now hails from Moncton, gave his testimony. How the Lord took him from addiction and life-controlling issues and brought him to fullness of life in Christ. When believers share their testimony with other believers, the family of God is built up and encouraged. Certainly, that happened last night. On the way home from the dinner, my son, Adrian called me, to say how the testimony he heard from Wade, and the conversation with Travis, and the report Pastor Mitch gave had a huge impact. He said it reinvigorated his enthusiasm in his walk with God.

That is the blessing of sharing our faith journey. In this Psalm David speaks to God telling Him of all the Lord has done for him. Such a testimony confirms the goodness of God’s work in his life. Speaking of God’s goodness guards our hearts and minds from evil temptations. Declaring what God has done encourages other believers in our precious faith so that together we are strengthened to stand against former sins and the onslaught of unwelcome, renewed temptations. Psalm 18, as with all the Psalms, is a prayer to God. Such a prayer recounting what God has done, leads His people to praise Him and declare His goodness.

If you keep on reading this Psalm, you’ll see the variety of ways which David declares the salvation of God. It is personal. It is creation-wide. It is His salvation, taking Israel out of Egypt. The salvation of God is communal. Strange how many modern day Christians are so self-focused that their interactions with other Christians is neglected. When I was in High School, okay, about forty years ago, a common expression was “faith is personal, not private”. The point being, one’s deep faith is meant to be expressed and shared. Folks who have never considered God or His saving work in Jesus, are drawn to Him by the testimony of other believers.

Sometimes Christians grow stale in their walk with God. Reading the Bible is okay. Going to church is a common habit. When believers specifically share what God is doing in their lives, others are sparked again in our precious faith. Be prepared, wherever you are, to tell others about what God is doing in your life. You’ll notice the praises start and your heart is warmed with renewed joy in the Lord.

For these things I praise You, O LORD. In my heart and among your people I will sing to Your Name. Your great salvation has been revealed through Jesus, Your beloved Son, our King. You show Your steadfast love to Your people forever and ever. Spirit of the Living God, make us so brimmingly aware of God’s salvation story in our lives such that we are readily prepared to tell others of Your great love and salvation. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9sE5kEnitqE?si=MrDjAlH3yGoLk3lA “Goodness of God”

Copyright © 2024 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

October 25, 2024 -- John 1:29 -- Truly taking a second, penetrating, look toword Jesus

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 ESV

What a statement for Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptist, to make. John was the forerunner of Jesus. He was preparing the people for the message Jesus brings. Notice the weight of what John told them, and by way of the Spirit’s preservation of Scripture, what his words continue to teach today.

Look to Jesus. That is what behold means. That words calls on the listener to focus his or her attention on what is coming next. It is important, significant. John called on people then and now to look to Jesus—really consider Who He Is. Look away from your sin. Look away from your practices of evil. Look away from what is not-sinful, turn from what is merely okay, and truly consider Jesus, in Whom is all perfection. In view of Who He is, our need for Him becomes so clear. 

He is the Lamb of God. All the Old Testament is now drawn together into the focal point of Jesus. All the rivers of blood, sacrifices of lambs and goats, bulls and oxen, are now ended. There is one, final, perfect sacrifice, the One upon Whom all sins are punished. The wrath of God is turned aside. That is powerfully comforting, that is the Good News of the Bible. No other sacrifice will do. No other power can erase your sins.

He takes away your sin. This is a comforting sentiment, but it is mere mushy emotionalism if you do not realize that Jesus’s atoning work heals people who are in community with Him as well. You can not claim Christ as my-chain-breaker, Who has carried away my sins, and then turn around and have an unforgiving heart towards others. Jesus works in and through and among community. If you are harboring unforgiveness in your heart, then you have not beheld Him, Who takes away the sin of the world. You are instead beholding your own interests and your own selfishness. You have made yourself a small, puny, tyrannical god.

The evidence of Jesus’s soul saving work is the fruit it brings in your life. When you know, in the very bowels of your being know, that you are forgiven, then you have such a light-heartedness, such exuberance that you are compelled to share His goodness with your best friend and your worst enemy. It is costly forgiveness. Jesus shed His blood on the cross, it was only by His nail pierced hands and feet, and sword-wounded body, taking away the sin of the world, that is your confident basis for faith that you are forgiven in Him.

When you forgiven, you are digging deep into the wounds of Christ. Forgiveness you offer to another comes from the inexhaustible storehouse of Jesus’s treasures of mercy, love, forgiveness, keeping no record of wrongs against you. You, who expect to be forgiven, forgive. It is the evidence that you have truly been forgiven. And you will find a peace that passes understanding as you have canceled the record of wrongs others have committed against you, you realize at a deeper, more intimate level of your own life, the debts of wrong and the graphic sins which in Christ have been forgiven you.

Father in heaven, by Your Spirit’s life-bringing work within us, empower us so that I lift our eyes from our selfishness and haughty-self-focused inclinations and truly with the eyes of faith behold Jesus. As Your people we ask You to help us to forgive as fully as we ourselves have been fully forgiven in Jesus’s Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/OqG_iQwqEOE?si=MgTfegTkk4kPeyH5 Forgive our Sing As We Forgive

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