Doorkeepers Wanted

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 84:10

I’ve been thinking a lot about change the last several weeks and pinpointing where and how God wants me to change. One thing I’ve noticed is just how much I’ve ignored the voice of God when He has instructed me or sought to offer guidance. If I am honest I can only call it what it is, a root of rebellion and pride. Oh, I’ve tried to justify it by noting some disappointing circumstances that God has allowed to unfold in my life, but it’s pride sure and simple.

As I look back, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, this little thought when allowed to run unchecked, took me away from my single focus of listening to and heeding God’s voice. Whatever things I think I might have accomplished by rushing around and doing things my way were ultimately empty compared to the ongoing peace that I have when I listen to His voice. What can compare to the peace that overwhelms my heart when I am thrilled to hear God’s voice and respond in humility?

These thoughts were triggered as I was reading Psalm 84:10 and I began to realize that fellowship with God is much sweeter than anything else and I would rather be a doorkeeper, if that is what God wants, than have everything that I thought I desired.

Psalm 84 is attributed to the Sons of Korah, the same Korah mentioned in Numbers 16 who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. What’s amazing is that Korah was a Levite who already had an important job in regards to the tabernacle, but that job wasn’t enough from his perspective. Korah wanted to be a priest, up there with Moses and Aaron. He wanted something more, something different than what God desired for him. So he instigated a rebellion dragging many others into it with him and the result was God’s judgment and the death of those who joined him.

How ironic, years later, “the Sons of Korah” would write this Psalm which reflects a heart content with what God has determined for them. Even being a doorkeeper is better than something “greater” if that something “greater” is outside of God’s will. It is more satisfying to be in the place that God ordains than it is to be anywhere else outside of His will. What a change from their father’s attitude.

Have you been broken by God to the point that you can say, “If I am outside of God’s will, it doesn’t matter what accolades I receive from people. It is all so truly empty.” How much more I would rather know in my heart of hearts that I am walking in obedience, joy, peace, and in fellowship with the Lord, heeding His sweet voice…than running on the hamster wheel of this world trying to obtain satisfaction.

In Psalm 84:2 the Sons of Korah write: My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. This is my heart today. I know that God has promised in His Word that those who hunger and thirst for Him will be satisfied. I choose to nurture this yearning today, to allow the Lord to feed it.

Lord, help me to tune my heart to hear Your voice and be my satisfaction this day, I pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

Get Back to Where You Belong

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Revelation 2:5

We’ve been talking about life transformation in our services and I’ve noticed that when it comes to getting honest about the things in our life that need to change we blame our sloppy Christian walk on some difficult person, an area of conflict, or some boulder that seems to have been dropped on our home or our marriage. In reality, God is coming to us through that hardship to advance our spiritual life. Notice He says in our text, Remember from where you have fallen, we don’t like where we are, but we don’t want to talk specifics when it comes to change, it’s easier to talk in generalities. I hear people tell me all the time, “I know I need to change”, but all the while dodging the specifics. Really what we are doing is just short-circuiting the whole life transformation process.

When we avoid pinpointing those areas that need to change through repentance it only goes in a steep, downward spiral. We need to see God’s desire to bring about the change in our lives that advances the agenda of Christ not our own. If you’re going to enjoy life and live it to its fullest for Christ you have to come face to face with the specifics He’s revealing to you and take your licks. This is the only way you learn and grow in Christ-likeness. There is always room for change and we never find ourselves in a place where we don’t need to grow anymore. That’s why we need to claim the promise found in Philippians 1:6 which says, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God is always working in your life to make you more like His Son, to cause the characteristics of Christ to come to the surface. But that’s not going to happen until we humble ourselves under His mighty hand and allow Him to point out both specific sins, that have to go, and the specific good things that need to be added to our life. I think we miss that perspective a lot. Just think of that difficult situation that you’re in right now, so often we think, “Yeah, God—change them!” It doesn’t occur to us to think that God is trying to change us. I remind you that God’s process for change is not limited by a difficult person or circumstance. It’s limited by your own willingness to receive what God would teach you through the difficult trials we face.

Even after 26 years of preaching and ministering to people I’m reminded everyday that the challenges are not about some difficult person or painful circumstance. It is about the fact that as a Christian, everyone is watching you to see how you handle things. You are to be a light on a lamp stand in this dark world. You are surrounded everyday by people who are also going through painful situations, challenging situations and they want to know if change can really take place. They want to know if living a sold-out, abandoned faith in Christ really works.

So what about you? Are you ready to get specific and face the challenges that really bring about change in your life? There can be no true commitment to life change without humbling yourself under God’s mighty hand and getting specific. Not someday, something or somehow, but today what specific thing does God want to work on in you right now?

 

Living For The One to Whom I Belong

For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,” says the Lord Almighty.     2 Corinthians 6:16-18

2012 is off and running, but in what direction? We began a new series dealing with change because I believe that is one thing that is heavy on people’s minds as a new year begins. We desire to be different in our attitudes and actions hoping that as a result life will be better. As we talked about this weekend at Hill View, without a partnership with God there can be no lasting change. Without the power of God at work in our lives we are doomed to lapse back into the same old behaviors, attitude and patterns.

Our text describes God’s plan for transformation with this phrase, be separate or set apart as holy. The word separate actually means “to mark off a boundary.” When God calls us to separate ourselves He is saying that as His temple we are to live lives of holiness. Separation is holiness in action. It’s setting some Biblical boundaries in my life and saying, “I’m not going there and it won’t be tolerated in my life.  I belong to God and as a tool in His hand and by His power I’m not going back.”

Before you make a choice you can’t reverse and reap a whirlwind of consequences, heed the Word of the Lord, “Come out from that and be separate.” It really couldn’t be any clearer, God’s Word says to separate from the world’s lifestyle. Don’t touch what is unclean; don’t sit on the fence, don’t straddle the line, don’t be double minded. God’s says: “Be holy as I am holy.” There’s joy and blessing waiting for you in 2012 when you live in the protective boundaries of God’s holy call on your life.

Now is the perfect time for you to ask yourself, “Have I set some boundaries in my life? Am I building into my life convictions based on God’s Word?” Without those boundaries and convictions you are doomed to make 2012 a carbon copy of 2011. You might do alright for a time, but without a partnership with God, without His power you’ll drift right back into that old pattern of defeat. If you’re ready for transformation start by praying, “Father, I resolve once and for all that with the Spirit’s help and power, I’m going to do things your way because I belong to you.”

 

I’MPERFECT

“You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. . . . But that is not the way you learned Christ!” Ephesians 4:17, 20

Are you sensing the need for some change in your life?  Some people sense the need for change but somehow convince themselves that they are alright and no change is necessary, “Nobody’s perfect” is their attitude.  Others simply shut down, frustrated by the apparent impossibility of change.  I guess the real question to answer is, do you believe that God changes people?

For the most part we believe in an all powerful God and say, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  I mean in principle it’s easy to say that God can change anyone, but when it comes to people we are close to that’s kind of a risky thing to say.  However, I know from personal experience that God can change people in your family and in your church. If you’ve ever run across someone that you haven’t seen in a while and they seem totally different, I’m talking about for the better – that’s the power of God changing them.

We know that God is in the life transformation business, but as we tighten the focus here we must look in the mirror and answer the question, “Is God changing me?”  Do you still struggle with the same habits or character issues or are you seeing victory over them?  Is your life any different than it was 2 or 5 or 10 years ago or is just an instant replay stuck in a loop?  Only by the power of God at work in our lives can we say, “That used to be a problem for me, but it’s not anymore.  Praise God! He’s changing me!”

In order to shake ourselves from the self-delusion that we’re okay and nobody’s perfect, then we need to listen in on what the apostle Paul said to the Ephesian Christians as he challenged them to stop acting like those who are not in Christ.  In our text he said, “You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do. . . . That is not the way you learned Christ!” Our life story should be that before we met Christ we were on a very dark road where we seemed to have no choice but to do sinful things, but now in Christ our lives aren’t like that anymore because we are walking a different road.

To get to this point we had to admit that we needed to change and then lay those areas out before the Lord in a very specific way saying, “And this is where I need to change.”  The beautiful thing about being in Christ is the hunger He gives us for His Word and the desire to fellowship with Him in prayer, for these are the tools He uses to reveal to us where we need to change.  Could you name something specific today the Lord is revealing to you that needs to change?

To just kind of skirt past the question, “Where has the Lord been revealing to me I need to change” really says you’re not very serious about allowing Him to make you godlier.  Becoming more Christ-like is not easy and it only happens as we take our sinful tendencies seriously and acknowledge that God needs to have His way in our lives.  Only when we come to this place in our journey of change yielding to the Holy Spirit can we make the right decisions at those forks in the road where our old nature and inclinations want to take over.  You can choose the right path and to act differently.

I personally am thankful for God’s longsuffering as he continues to point out the things that need to be different in my life.  I’ve learned that the only way to experience His joy and fulfillment in life is to as it says in Ephesians 4:22-24, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life . . . and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Yes, change is possible and it’s good!

 

Everlasting Father

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Isaiah 9:6

No season can magnify the absence of a parent more than Christmas. As families gather for special celebrations of the birth of our Savior we feel the absence of our loved ones more profoundly, recalling the part they played in our lives. For others the memories may not be all that positive because their reflections are of absence, neglect or perhaps mistreatment. Nevertheless we all have a hunger for the role of a father to be fulfilled.

Our text is a traditional Christmas reflection but have we ever really stopped and thought about how puzzling these four Messianic titles are at first glance. C.H. Spurgeon said, “How complex is the person of our Lord Jesus Christ! Almost in the same breath the prophet calls Him ‘a Child,’ ‘a Son,’ ‘a Counselor,’ and ‘a Father.’” And yet Jesus Himself makes His role as the Everlasting Father clear in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

As we think about that title, “Everlasting Father” we must realize that no one experiences, understands or relates to the Father apart from Jesus Christ. John tells us in John 1:18 that, “no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” So in order to relate to an Everlasting Father it is going to require everlasting life.

John reminds us in John 1:1, 4 that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…In Him was the life.” He tells us again in John 3:16, “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus continually spoke of eternal life throughout His ministry. He announced in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” So as the Everlasting Father, the Messiah makes everlasting life, a relationship with God, a possibility to all who believe.

All that we hunger and yearn for in a father is satisfied by Jesus Christ. Yes, we miss our loved ones, but have you ever stopped and thanked God for that capacity to love someone in such a way that you do miss them? That comes from God and who has loved you like the Lord? Hebrews 9:12 says, “With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” No wonder John can say in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.”

I believe we not only hunger for the love of a Father but also for the security of their authority over us. Remember that the title “Everlasting Father” is given to Jesus as the Messianic King. We may not think of a king as a father, yet the image of fatherhood expresses the idea that He will not rule over His subjects to oppress them, tyrannize them, or exploit them. Just as a father rules over the house, displaying the love of God, the administration of God, the care and nurture of God, so King Jesus will rule.

I find security in knowing that King Jesus, ruling as the Everlasting Father will not be a politician concerned about His own prosperity, but He is a King who will be a Father to His people. And this Father will never leave because He is everlasting and His kingdom will not decay or fall away and He will reign forever and ever.

 

A Demonstration of Power

“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith may not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

At Hill View we’ve been focusing on the names of Jesus prophesied by Isaiah. One of the names for Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 is the Mighty God, a characteristic that hits home when we struggle with our own bankruptcy of power and apparent lack of results. I believe that in our times of weakness God is at work drawing our attention to the fact that He alone is omnipotent, all powerful.

We live in a society where man likes to boast of his strength and accomplishments. We’re taught at a very early age that if we work hard enough we can accomplish anything, but failing to pass on the stories of those who worked hard and according to this world didn’t accomplish anything significant. Perhaps we should apologize to people like Noah who preached for 120 years with only seven others beside himself responding. Yet 2 Peter 2:5 tells us that Noah performed the job given to him with complete obedience and calls him a “preacher of righteousness”. We have even allowed this mindset to pollute the thinking of the church as we hear of all the accomplishments attributed to someone’s “strong leadership”. While I believe in a Biblical work ethic where hard work is rewarded with greater responsibility and privilege, we must also remember that our strength to do anything comes from the Mighty God, therefore results are dependent upon Him.

I’ve been thinking a lot about God’s might and strength lately and how each week that I stand to speak at Hill View I have no reason to expect anything to happen because of me. If anything occurs in someone’s life because of what I’ve said, what they’ve experienced was an explanation and not a demonstration as it says in our text. Two thousand years ago Jesus chose twelve ordinary people: fishermen, tax collectors, etc. and they literally had nothing going for them in the world’s eyes. They were not Pharisees or Sadducees, just twelve ordinary people through whom some extraordinary things happened when Jesus’ power, the power of the Mighty God, came in and worked through them.

Notice again the word demonstration in our text, in Greek it means a showing off, or proof. This is a courtroom term used to speak of legal proof. Paul said it was the Holy Spirit who used his preaching to change lives. God wants us to study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim. 2:15), He wants us to demonstrate that undefiled religion in the sight of God by visiting orphans and widows in their distress, and keeping oneself unstained by the world (James 1:26), and He certainly wants us to prepare and use every gift that He has given us, but we must never put our confidence in ourselves. We put our faith in the Mighty God and that faith is induced by a demonstration of the Spirit’s power and not the product of human ingenuity.

Are you hungry for a demonstration of God’s power in your life? If so, then tune the chattering wisdom of man out and listen to the Word of the Mighty God. Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

 

He Is

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

As the Christmas season approaches I am reminded of the constant struggle to keep “Christ” in Christmas.  As a post Christian mindset seems to prevail many have become politically correct saying, “Happy Holidays”;  I also know that stores which struggle to say Merry Christmas end up on our naughty list.  While “Keep Christ in Christmas” stickers, magnets and pins abound I am still left with a nagging feeling that simply inserting the name of Christ back into our Christmas greetings is not the answer to this dilemma.

In our text Isaiah’s prophecy was received by a people who were especially devastated when the Assyrian army moved in.  It was in this climate that Isaiah foretold of a coming redeemer.  We know that this prophecy refers to Christ because of the way it’s quoted in Matthew 4:13-15 as Jesus begins His earthly ministry. It says, “And leaving Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-” It was clear that the Messiah would come from this obscure and looked down upon region.

In considering Isaiah’s prophecy, the answer to our Christmas dilemma is to truly recognize who this prophesied Redeemer and King is.  This world can have all its beliefs, but in the end only Jesus Christ can fulfill this role and that is the meaning and message of Christmas.

In the coming of Jesus Christ we have been given the One who fully meets the characteristics of God’s promised Deliverer.  The wisdom, power, concern, and peace of Christ have been demonstrated to all through His life, death and resurrection.  No wonder the Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said in Acts 4:12 to the leaders of his day, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The issue at stake isn’t the robbing of our Christian heritage by using politically correct labels, but the very salvation of mankind.  If there was ever was a dark time it is now and if there ever was a time for the light of the Christ of Christmas to shine in the hearts of man it is now.  If His name is Wonderful then there is nothing ordinary or even dull about His reign.  As Counselor He has the wisdom to rule justly; and as the Mighty God He definitely doesn’t lack the power to follow through with His wise plans.  As the Everlasting Father or better translated the Father of Eternity He is the source of all eternal things.  If we want eternal life we must obtain it from Him.

In John 1 when Philip tried to convince Nathanael that the one who Isaiah prophesied had come he replied in v.46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael failed to recognize who Jesus Christ was at first, but upon meeting Him, he was convinced.  The testimony of our lives in Christ must be as the Psalmist said in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Keeping Christ in Christmas is recognizing who He is.  The Psalmist declared in Psalm 24:10, “Who is this king of glory?  The LORD of hosts, he is the king of glory!”  “…His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

Grateful for God’s Grace

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

When I consider some of the things I am thankful for I have to start with God’s grace, all that He does for me even though I don’t deserve it. I’ve heard grace described this way: God giving you what you need, not what you deserve.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 103:2-5; 8-10, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your disease, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD is merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” When you consider all that God has done for us because of His grace and your heart doesn’t just explode with thankfulness then I doubt you understand the grace of God.

But what are some ways that we can show our thanks to God? One great way is by singing. Psalm 147:7 says, “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!” You may not have the best voice, but singing your thanksgiving to God is always the right thing to do. Praise brings healing and rejuvenation. Praise is a great depression lifter.

A second way we can express our thanksgiving is through serving. God doesn’t just want you to sing with your lips, but also to serve with your life. Hebrews 12:28 says, “Since we have a kingdom that nothing can destroy, let us please God by serving Him with thankful hearts.” I hope that you never see serving God as a chore or a duty to endure, but rather a privilege to enjoy. I believe that if God never did another thing in my life I would still owe Him everything. Remember that Thanksgiving is more than football and food, it is singing and serving.

A third way we can demonstrate our gratefulness is through stewardship, by giving. Psalm 50:14 says, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High.” I am absolutely convinced that “thanks” and “giving” go together. So I guess you could tie your level of giving to your level of gratitude, not giving…not grateful.

The last way I want to mention that you can give God thanks is by sharing, telling others about Him. I never really thought about this before, but every time you share the Good News you are being thankful. Isaiah 12:4 says, “Thank the Lord, praise His name. Tell the world of His wonderful love and how mighty He is.” We have the greatest news to share and as the world just seems to be getting worse the Good News keeps getting better.

Everybody needs Jesus and if you aren’t thankfully sharing that Good News of the night and day difference He has made in your life, who will? Thanksgiving is a powerful thing and the power of God is released when we demonstrate our thanksgiving with our singing, serving, giving and going into all this world proclaiming that “…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

 

What’s Going on in the Womb

“For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” Luke 1:44

Here in Mississippi Proposition 26 is being voted on to decide whether a person is a person at the moment of conception or not. Needless to say there has been a lot of talk but I fear that very little of it finds its roots in the Scriptures.

The church has always held a firm conviction that killing a baby before it is born is wrong. The Scriptures teach us that when a human life comes into existence something magnificent has begun and that person created in the image of God is to live forever. Out text today gives us a glimpse into the womb as Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist and Mary the mother of our Savior Jesus Christ compare notes on their miraculous experiences. I say miraculous because we know that Elizabeth was too old to conceive and Mary was a virgin.

With two of the most important and impossible pregnancies in the world we learn where the church get’s it’s convictions about what’s going on in the womb and how we should treat the unborn. Notice the word baby in out text, “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby…” The Greek word for baby is brefos and what’s interesting about this word is that it is also used in Luke 2:16 speaking of Jesus, “And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby (brefos) lying in a manger.” No different word for embryo or fetus, it’s the same whether in the womb or out of the womb. When the Holy Spirit caused Mary to be pregnant, she was not pregnant with anything less that the Son of God.

Beyond what the Scriptures teach us, which should be sufficient, we also are able to see with our own eyes through ultrasounds, a child in the womb at eight weeks sucking their thumb, recoiling from pricking and responding to sound. Yet, almost all abortions happen later than eight weeks.

Notice in Luke 1:41 how the baby in Elizabeth’s womb responded, “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” I believe that it was the Holy Spirit that prompted her to say in v.44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

This leap became even more awesome when we recall what the angel said to Zechariah in Luke 1:14-15 “And you will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” If john the Baptist was not a person from the moment of conception then why would God bother filling him with the Holy Spirit?

Now I realize that those who do not respect the Bible as the sole source for authoritative direction in their lives won’t respect what’s been written here. However, those that are truly born again, those that are in Christ must form their convictions from the Holy Scriptures and stand for them no matter how politically incorrect they might be. The child in the womb is a person and we must treat them as such. Stand for life and become a voice for those who cannot cry out for themselves yet.

 

God Is Most Glorified When…

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.” Colossians 1:17-18

I’m writing on my way back from a very special weekend in Florida where I took part in my uncle’s ordination service. For as long as I can remember, he has always had an insatiable hunger to serve the Lord, but in the last several years he has wrestled with how God could be most glorified through his life.

I guess the sticking point for him came down to his age and health issues. He’s in his 70′s now and has had many struggles with a heart damaged by heart attacks and such. Matter of fact, just a few days before his ordination service he had a pace maker put in. However, I believe his testimony during the service summed it all up when he said, “Lord, whatever, wherever, and for however long you want to use me, with all that I am I will do what you lead me to do.”

I’ve had several people ask me about my uncle’s decision as I made preparations for this trip, “Why such a drastic commitment as this stage in life?” My response is simple, “Is there ever a wrong time to make a drastic commitment to glorify God through complete surrender?” Someone once said, “God doesn’t retire His children, He simply retreads them and puts them back on the road.”

Since Jesus Christ is the agent of creation we know that creation exists for Him and not vice versa. Our ultimate purpose is to glorify our creator. If you notice the phrase from our text in Him all things hold together, it reminds us that a life outside of His will is chaotic and flying apart at the seams, just like this universe He created would be apart from His sustaining and restraining power.

Notice v.18 of our text says, “And he is the head of the body, the church.” As the head of the church Jesus gave us a great commission, to make disciples. This of course has been inferred to mean adding numbers, but I believe God is most glorified when we realize it’s not just more disciples, but better disciples. Disciples who will say, “Whatever, wherever and however long, with all my strength.”

Lastly, our text says, “He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.” There is nothing we can add to Him to make Him a ‘better’ or ‘greater’ Savior because the preeminence is already His. In Him all the fullness dwells, the Scripture tells us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” If you are a follower of Jesus, you belong to Him and when you live aligned with His purpose for your life He is most glorified. “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:21