WALKING THROUGH WALLS

1 Corinthians 15:48-49
Every human being has an
earthly body just like Adam's,
but our heavenly bodies
will be just like Christ's.
Just as we are now like Adam,
the man of the earth,
so we will someday be like Christ,
the man from heaven.



When Jesus rose from the dead, He became "new and improved" in many significant ways. One of those ways is written about in the Bible when Jesus first visited the disciples after His resurrection. In John 20:19 we learn that, "On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'" Now how exactly did He get in when the door was locked? The exact answer is unknown. Did He walk through the walls? Did He teleport Himself into the room? It's nearly impossible to know the answer to those questions, but we do know this for sure: Jesus no longer had a frail human body, He was walking around with a new heavenly body. In the same way, faithful believers that have a relationship with Christ will someday also have "new and improved" heavenly bodies capable of the unimaginable and the supernatural.

RIGHT THROUGH YOUR FINGERS

Ecclesiastes 5:11
So what is the advantage of wealth —
except perhaps to watch it
run through your fingers!



There's a Chinese allegory about an immortal man who had the power to make anything turn to gold by just pointing his finger. This powerful immortal was saddened to find that an old friend had become impoverished. As a helpful gift, he pointed at a pile of bricks turned them to gold, and then gave the precious rocks to his poor friend. Surprisingly, his old friend was unsatisfied with the gift and asked for more gold. The surprised immortal reluctantly granted the request, and to no surprise his now wealthy friend was still unsatisfied. The immortal asked his old friend, "What more do you want?" The greedy man replied, "I would like to have your finger." Our desire for excess wealth can be blinding. The greed that fuels this desire is so powerful that we sometimes don't realize that we've become unhappy with what we already have, and have begun to desire what other people have. Stake your life on something more sound than wealth. Stake it on Christ and your salvation through His grace. Unlike the wealth that will pass through your fingers, your relationship with God is built on the sturdiest of rocks, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

HOW TO GIVE

Mark 12:17
"Well, then," Jesus said,
"give to Caesar what belongs to him.
But everything that belongs to God
must be given to God."



Have you every really put some serious thought into what actually belongs to God? Those that are religious ought to know the answer to this question, but even believers have a tendency to forget the answer. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan once wrote that when his father visited his home, his father told him that, “this is very nice house, but nobody will know walking through these rooms whether you belong to God or the devil.” Do you truly declare God's ownership of your life? Is He reflected in your words and deeds? Never forget to give credit where credit is due. After all, the Creator of the heavens and earth already owns everything.

YEAR ROUND SALE

Ecclesiastes 5:11
The more you have,
the more people come
to help you spend it.



It's fair to say that at a shopping mall, there are sales, discounts and bargains being pushed upon consumers from every possible angle. Discount coupons are almost guaranteed to arrive in your mail every week. Credit card companies will even send you an application for services with your monthly statements. Television, radio, magazines, newspapers and websites will likely never cease to try to entice you into purchasing something. More often than not, we purchase things that aren't necessary, but we make the purchase anyway because: 1. you have the money to make the purchase; 2. you have a credit card that you're ready to use unwisely; or 3. you actually believe that the product is going to make you happier, smarter, better looking, more attractive, maybe even more spiritual, and so on, and so on. The hard reality for all of us is that people will "help" you and entice you to spend your money in every possible way. Be shrewd with your money and start by first being obedient to the Word.

DON'T BACKSLIDE

1 Peter 1:14
Obey God because
you are his children.
Don't slip back into
your old ways of doing evil;
you didn't know any better then.



During our moments of pain and suffering, we need to concentrate our efforts on behaving the way our Lord behaved during His moments of pain and suffering. Despite the torture at the hands of unfair prosecution, Christ remained obedient to His Father's will and to the teachings of the scriptures. Life might seem unfair at times, but life isn't about all things being fair. Life is about knowing and doing what's right and fulfilling the purpose that God has set for us. After all, God already knows what's best and right for us. As believers in Christ, we have an obligation to this because the Word teaches us in James 4:17, “that knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin.” It's interesting that backsliding comes in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes you wouldn't even realize that you had begun to knowingly not do what is right to do.

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU

Proverbs 25:17
Don't visit your neighbors too often,
or you will wear out your welcome.



Visiting our Christian brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors can be such a sweet experience of fellowship, but when that privilege is abused, the privilege is likely lost. Sometimes, we visit too often; sometimes, we stay for too long; sometimes, we bring along people that weren't invited; sometimes, we just very plainly expect too much of our hosts and even go as far as to question their mindset. There's an old adage that says, "Power leads to abuse of power, and abuse of power leads to loss of power." Using the same thought process we can postulate that, "Privilege leads to abuse of privilege, and abuse of privilege leads to a loss of privilege." Abusing this privilege may lead to our hosts thinking, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out," upon our departure. To avoid this, we need to understand what the unwritten and unspoken limitations are with our neighbors. If you do this with everything, you'll maintain better relationships and leave the door open for deeper and more meaningful fellowships.

IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your children,
and they will give you
happiness and peace of mind.



A society's behavior is dependent upon it's previous generation's ability to properly extend discipline upon itself and it's youngsters. There's an old saying that goes, "You can't change your past, but you can do something about your future." In the same vein of thought, complaining about and blaming previous generations for our woes and problems don't provide many improvements. Our energy would be much better spent trying to impact the next generation by disciplining ourselves and our kids. If we do this, and if every generation thereafter repeated this, cultures and societies would be blessed with a disciplined understanding, peace of mind and happiness. Use the Word of God and all of it's wisdom to implement Godly discipline in your life and your family's life. When you do this in your own household, you'll easily see an improvement in your household's quality of life.

YOUR HOROSCOPE

Proverbs 13:11
Wealth from get-rich-quick
schemes quickly disappears;
wealth from hard work grows.



I recently received an email forward of a horoscope from a Christian sister. The message ended by saying that if I forwarded the message on to 10 people, I would be blessed with luck. I was really saddened by this email because it dawned on me that some Christians are truly being deceived by horoscopes, fortune tellers and other forms of unfaithful prophecy. These wannabe witches cannot even tell their own fortunes and futures, let alone someone else's. These types of things are abhorred by God and He curses those who choose to believe these things over the Word. The Word of God tells us that money from quick schemes disappears as fast as it arrives. Don't be fooled by these schemes. It'll cost you in the long run.

IT'S YOUR CHOICE

Proverbs 12:24
Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.



There is no reason that a person cannot overcome poverty. The greatest asset that God gave all of us equally is time and people that use their time wisely work smart and are usually key leaders. If you want to see a job done well as quickly as possible, just give it to a very busy person because that person will try to finish it as quickly as they can, with the best quality of completion because they don't want to waste more time by having to return and repair the work. Lazy people, on the other hand, would likely procrastinate on just making decisions about a project or work. Live this way, and before you know it, you'll be an indentured servant, which is essentially... someone's slave.

IT'S GONNA OVERFLOW

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part
of everything your land produces.
Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow
with the finest wine.



How do we honor the Lord with our wealth if we have hardly any wealth to begin with? This is a legitimate question that the Word addresses in Luke 21:1-4,

While Jesus was in the Temple,
he watched the rich people putting
their gifts into the collection box.
Then a poor widow came by
and dropped in two pennies.
"I assure you," he said,
"this poor widow has given more
than all the rest of them.
For they have given
a tiny part of their surplus,
but she, poor as she is,
has given everything she has."

So, you're wondering what to give if you have no wealth to speak of? Don't worry about such a thing, just give everything you can with a joyful heart and God will recognize the value of your offering. Live this out correctly and the Lord will grant you overflowing blessings.

GET RICH QUICK!

Proverbs 21:5
Good planning and hard work
lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts
lead to poverty.



Short term and long term planning are keys to staying focused and achieving your goals. A sharp focus upon our goals is what gives us the ability to get where it is that we want to go. Unfortunately, however, there are no shortcuts to prosperity. Proverbs 29:18 teaches us that, "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." There is no shortcut to success - and that's even when a person amasses large sums of money from game of chance. Proverbs 13:11 tells us that, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows.” If you want to succeed at something, you're going to have to develop a good plan, keep God's close, work hard and stay sharply focused upon your goal.

ZIP, ZERO, NADA

Hebrews 13:5
Stay away from the love of money;
be satisfied with what you have.
For God has said,
"I will never fail you.
I will never forsake you."



A Paul Harvey riddle was sent to me that asked, "What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you'll die?" Before I read the riddle, I was informed that 80% of kindergarten kids answered correctly while only 17% of Stanford University seniors got it right. If you haven't guessed it yet, the answer is nothing. There is nothing in this world that you can add to what God has prepared for you. There is nothing that you can do to earn what God has prepared for you. You just have to be with God to get it.

PATTING YOUR OWN BACK

Proverbs 27:2
Don't praise yourself;
let others do it!



Let's be honest, we all want to be recognized for a job well done. We all want to feel good about our achievements, the nice possessions we have or even our good deeds. Sometimes, however, our pride takes over and we begin to bring praises upon ourselves. It's not wrong to do this, but there is a better way to enjoy your exploits and deeds. Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:1 to, "Take care! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven." With anything that you do or undertake, do it to glorify God. When you approach your life in this way, God gets the glory and then in His pleasure, He blesses your life.

A GREAT PLACE TO START

Matthew 5:9
God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.



There isn't a day that goes by without a war going on somewhere in the world. Right now as you read this, there is a war going on somewhere. Worse yet, every second of everyday, there are crimes being committed somewhere on the planet by someone. Why is this the case? How could this possibly be true? The answer to those questions is simply that the sin that triggers this behavior runs deep in our blood. While there is no remedy for the kinds of decisions that lead to a life of crime or a society at war because of sin, we know that a person's character and decision-making ability is developed early on as a child. Our sinful ways, character flaws, falling morals, questionable ethics and lack of integrity are things that have been handed down to us by our parents. It's because of these personal challenges that the Word teaches us in Romans 12:18 that, “As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone.” In spite of our sinful ways, we still have an obligation to correct our behavior and to try our best to live in peace with everyone is a great place to start.

WE NEED EACH OTHER

Romans 12:5
So it is with Christ's body.
We are all parts of his one body,
and each of us has different work to do.
And since we are all one body in Christ,
we belong to each other,
and each of us needs all the others.



Have you ever wondered what's the purpose of fighting with one another? The irony of quarreling and bickering amongst each other is that with some patience, love and understanding, fighting can essentially be avoided. The Bible draws a picture of what a healthy church looks like by describing a healthy human body where every body part is part of a symbiotic relationship and each part performs it's tasks without straining other body parts. When all the body parts and systems are working together perfectly, the human body becomes capable of amazing physical and mental achievements. If people could live by this premise, the world would certainly be a very different place. I read a quote that said, "There are three kinds of people: those who watch things happen, those who make things happen, and those who have no idea what happens." As citizens of the human race, we need to focus upon making good things happen for each other by exhibiting some patience, love and understanding with each other because, according to the Bible, we need each other.

MAN OF WAR

1 Samuel 17:37
The Lord who delivered me
from the paw of the lion and
the paw of the bear will deliver me
from the hand of this Philistine.
Saul said to David,
"Go, and the Lord be with you."



1 Samuel 17:37 features a very young David, not yet a King, volunteering to face the gigantic archenemy of his country and countrymen. Even though David was young and without much experience, David assured King Saul that God would deliver him from Goliath because the Lord had moved in his life before by protecting him from a lion and bear while David shepherded his flock. I once read a story about the man-of-war, which is a creature that looks a lot like a jelly fish. While the man-o-war appears to be harmless, it has deadly poisonous tentacles on it's underbelly. What is quite interesting is that the man-of-war swims accompanied by a shepherd fish. As larger fish would attempt to devour the small shepherd fish, the man-of-war would protect the smaller fish, stinging and paralyzing the larger fish with its venomous tentacles. In much the same way, David the shepherd protected his flock from its giant enemy, with the full knowledge that he was being protected by the Great Shepherd, the Lord God. Remember that when you move with faith and are committed to the kingdom of God, our Father in heaven is with you and will be faithful to protect you.

SHARED LOAD

Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill
the law of Christ.



Regarding teamwork, Christian author Virginia Whitman wrote that when the South Asian Weaver ants build a nest, “a column of them lines up on the edge of a tree leaf, clinging to it with their hind legs while reaching for another with their front limbs. With team work they bring the two leaf edges together. Meanwhile, another team of them have lined up in readiness on the underside of the leaf. Each ant is holding a live larva of his own breed that he proceeds to use as a squeeze tube source of threads to fasten two leaves together. Successive leaves are woven together in this fashion until a nest has been completed.” It's interesting how Biblical principals can be used by even the smallest of God's creations. If Christians could sincerely carry each other's burdens, all types of problems could be solved. Challenges big and small would be dealt with as a shared load, without judgment from our brothers and sisters. And ultimately, huge things could be accomplished in the name our Father in heaven.

THOUGHTS & INTENTIONS

Genesis 4:5
But he did not accept Cain and his offering.
This made Cain very angry and dejected.



Gifts are the types of things that are typically reserved for special occasions like Christmas, birthdays, and weddings. The first instance in the Bible of gift-giving is found in Genesis 4:5. However, in this particular verse, God didn't find Cain's gift acceptable. God's reaction begs the question, "Is there such a thing as unacceptable gift?" After all, gifts are meant to be sincere, right? Well, I can recall a Christmas party where someone received a gift and responded with, "Wow! This was the gift that I gave to you last year!" Being caught re-gifting can be pretty embarrassing, but it certainly is a picture of giving an unacceptable gift. Remember that our God is a righteous God, and that when He looked at Cain’s offering, He very likely saw something that we aren't capable of seeing. 1 Samuel 16:7 teaches us that, "The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." Knowing this, make sure that when you give to the Lord that your offering, whether it be time, work, money or actions, is acceptable on the inside and out. After all, the Lord is looking at your thoughts and intentions.

CREATOR

Romans 1:25
Instead of believing what they
knew was the truth about God,
they deliberately chose to believe lies.
So they worshiped the things God made
but not the Creator himself,
who is to be praised forever. Amen.



So often we trade our Creator in for the creations made by Him. We give more time and attention to those creations that He has blessed us with and allowed us to have. What we need to understand, instead of chasing illusive items that can't ever truly fulfill us, is that we need to go to the Creator, recognize who He is in our lives and ask Him to be with us in fellowship and relationship. On Christmas Eve in 1968, the crew of the spaceship Apollo 8 broadcast a familiar message to earth: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." The astronauts then broadcast to earth a sublime picture of the enormity of outer space, a vast unexplored creation of God. Be careful to put God before His creations. He's still the Creator and we need to worship Him.

WITHDRAW INTO PRAYER

Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew
to the wilderness for prayer.



Why is important to note that Jesus prayed in the wilderness? Well, it was in the wilderness that He fasted forty days and forty nights, after which the devil tried tempting Christ. Jesus, however, despite his hunger and frail physical state from fasting, was actually in one of the strongest moments of His spiritual life because His resistance would be solely rooted in scripture. The only thing that Jesus had during his fast was the Word of God and He feasted upon it while in the wilderness. Jesus would even quote Deuteronomy 8:3 saying, "Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the LORD." So why was it important to note that Jesus prayed alone in the wilderness? Simply, Jesus did this for believers that would follow after Him as an example of how to live a powerful prayer life by being alone with God every single day. When we withdraw into prayer like this, temptations just aren't that powerful anymore because we're entrenched in scriptures and held closely by our Father in heaven for support and wisdom.

SUBMISSION & STRENGTH

Colossians 3:18
You wives must submit
to your husbands,
as is fitting for those
who belong to the Lord.



When a wife submits to her husband, it doesn't make her less valuable than her husband and it doesn't make a husband more valuable than his wife. Maxwell Droke once wrote a story about a very young girl who was taking an exam. Question one asked her to very simply, "Give an account of the creation of man." The little girl thought it through and then wrote her response: "First, God created Adam. He looked at Adam and said to Himself, 'I think if I tried again I could do better.' So He created Eve." It is unfortunate that the battle between the sexes rages on as marriages and relationships struggle. Ultimately, God created men and women to be equal, but with differing roles. Submission is something that we all must do at some level to complete what is lacking in any type of relationship. When two become one under a relationship, the individuals involved become stronger because one person's strengths should offset the other person's weaknesses and vice versa. We all need to keep in mind that in order for us to make any kind of relationship strong and successful, everybody has to realize to whom they must submit and then make the proper submissions.

SHOW ME

Psalm 25:4
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord;
point out the right road for me to follow.



King David, even with vast resources available and experienced counselors to advise him, still knew that He was lacking and limited without God. Ultimately, the future is always uncertain because we don't ever really know what's going to happen to us. Like sheep, our foresight is very limited. The only One who truly knows all that is past, present and future is God. David learned that the best person to gain counsel from is the One who knows everything, so David would counsel with God for almost everything. Sir Walter Scott once wrote of the Bible that:

Within this wondrous volume
lies the mystery of mysteries;
Happiest they of human race,
To whom their God has given grace,
To read, to fear, to hope, to pray,
To lift the latch, to find the way.

If you're looking to make a good decision, or if you're looking for the best counselor, always remember that Jesus is the way and that if you read His word and follow Him, the best choices will become very clear to you because God Himself will be showing you the way.

CONSIDER THE SPOILS

1 Samuel 17:25
"Have you seen the giant?" the men were asking.
"He comes out each day to challenge Israel.
And have you heard about the huge reward
the king has offered to anyone who kills him?
The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife,
and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!"



Inevitably, we will face challenges everyday. We must wisely choose, however, which challenges to expend time and energy upon. It's important to know that 1 Samuel 17:25 teaches us how to choose our challenges. The basis for our selections doesn't begin by choosing the simplest among the challenges, but rather by choosing the challenges which offer the greatest rewards. History tells us that when Roman General Titus attacked and destroyed Jerusalem, the soldiers were rewarded with the allowance to take the gold overlay of the temple. Needless to say, the greatest rewards typically come from taking on the toughest challenges. Be sure to carefully choose your battles by considering the spoils of victory, however complex or difficult the challenges may be. You'll find that your victories will be sweet and fruitful, and that your experience levels will grow exponentially preparing you even larger spoils.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Ephesians 2:19
So now you Gentiles are no
longer strangers and foreigners.
You are citizens along with
all of God's holy people.
You are members of God's family.



One of Bill Gaither's songs says, "I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God! I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood. Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, For I’m part of the Family, the Family of God." Gaither was inspired by Ron Garner, a mechanic working double time to pay for his young daughter's heart surgery. Garner was seriously injured one late night in an explosion at his shop and he wasn't expected to make it through to the morning. Fellow church members and Christians in his community were alerted to pray for Ron through a chain of telephone calls. The church building was kept open and there was even an overnight prayer meeting. Ron survived the accident through what many felt was God answering His people's prayers. Don't ever underestimate the power of prayer and what God can do when His people get down on their knees and sincerely ask in prayer. Don't ever underestimate what God can do for you if you would just get down on your knees and sincerely ask in prayer.

SAFE FROM THEIVES

Luke 16:9
I tell you, use your worldly resources
to benefit others and make friends.
In this way, your generosity
stores up a reward for you in heaven.



British General Charles G. Gordon, who was a renowned and faithful servant of God, received a distinguished gold medal for his military service in China. In an act worth mimicking, he had the gold medallion melted down and sold off, just so that he could buy bread for the poor during a long famine. He entered the following into his journal: "The only thing I had in this world that I valued, I have now given to the Lord Jesus." The world would certainly be very different if there were a few more people like General Gordon. He lived out the lesson taught to us from Matthew 6:20 that most people have difficulty applying, "Store your treasures in heaven, where they will never become moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves."