From the Kitchen Table

Driven by Eternity                           DAY 18

WHAT KEEPS US FROM SIN

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

The fear of the Lord accomplishes something amazing for us—it keeps us from sin. One might ask why the fear of the Lord works this way since it is so counterintuitive; God explains why. It’s because when His fear is in our hearts, we will not depart from Him. We know there is no good apart from God, so the fear of the Lord brings us good because it keeps us near Him. (Bevere, John)

To fear the Lord is to fear trying to live life without the Lord.  Something changes when we begin to experience the love of God.  We become motivated by that love and we develop a desire to never find ourselves outside of that love.  It all sounds backward but then so does the Jesus way of living.  So, the fear of the Lord draws us into a closer relationship with God.  And we never want to find ourselves, by our own choice, living outside of God’s love.  We just don’t!  Does that make sense?

Driven by Eternity        DAY 17

WHEN FEAR ISN’T BEING AFRAID

“Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)

How can we have intimacy with the Lord (which He truly desires) if we are afraid of Him? Is that really what the fear of the Lord means? (John Bevere)

The fear of the Lord is not being afraid of the Lord.  It’s a fear that we will miss out on God and His great love for us in this life and the next.  People who are afraid of God run from Him but, people who live in the fear of the Lord live desperate lives for God because they fear life without God.  There’s a difference.  One fear drives us to our knees and the other drives us to our needs to be included with man.  Come and see what God has planned for our lives and pursue nothing else.

Driven by Eternity       DAY 16

GOOD FEAR

He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (Isaiah 33:6 NIV)

This morning John Bevere begins with this statement.  “Jesus could hardly have been clearer in His comparison. “Do not fear men, who can merely destroy your body, but cannot touch your soul,” He said. “Instead, fear God, who has the power to kill you and then destroy your soul in hell” (Matthew 10:28).”

Living this life in fear of man is a mistake.  We fear missing out, not being included and sounding different.  And we do all that while hoping dearly that we will know heaven.  Trying to live in two different worlds at once will create dangerous blind spots in our lives.  We will pick up thoughts and things that keep us from seeing heaven and heaven’s way.  This world is motivated and maddened by resentment and unforgiveness.  We cannot grab hold of heaven and harbor the hurts of here.  Just these two things can and will lead us away from the things of God, the things of heaven.  Good fear is fearing that we will miss out on the things of God, not man

Driven by Eternity                      DAY 12

SEEING SPOTS

“But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”(Luke 12:45–46)

A believer may walk away from God, but that does not mean they will also walk away from the church. When this happens—and it does happen—it is a doubly dangerous situation, for now, there is a wolf disguised as a sheep among the flock, looking to benefit himself off those around him. (John Bevere)

Today the author takes us to the issues that take us away from God and they’re not that out of the ordinary.  And yes, there are people who go to church but are not living as the church and I don’t even think they know what’s going on.  But bitterness and unforgiveness are like cancer that eats away at our heart taking us away from heaven.  Jesus had hard things to say about unforgiveness.  We can’t live in the kingdom of God and live with an unforgiving heart.  Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” Unforgiveness is dangerous, defiling and deadly.

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 12

KNOW THAT YOU’RE KNOWN

“On the day of judgment many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t you remember us? Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles for the sake of your name?’ But I will have to say to them, ‘Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I’ve never been joined to you!’”                                                                         (Matthew 7:22–23 TPT)

 

None of us wants to be a Judas.  Think about it.  Judas was one of the disciples of Jesus who roamed the countryside preaching the gospel, casting out demons and performing miracles and yet he betrayed Jesus.  How does that happen?  It happens when we settle for a believing in Jesus and not on Jesus.  It was Jesus who said there would be those who call Him Lord, Lord and prophesied and performed miracles in His name and yet would be unknown to Him.  Believing leads to behaving.

 

John Bevere writes today, “Judas’ problem was that his relationship with Jesus was self-focused, aimed at promoting himself. A true relationship with Jesus must be focused on love. We know from Scripture, “But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him” (1 Corinthians 8:3).  Loving God genuinely and unselfishly, being motivated to please Him, is how we become known by Him.”

 

Are we motivated by the love of God, for God from God?  Or do we just like the idea of there being a God?

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 11

FINISH YOUR RACE

This is a faithful saying and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. (Titus 3:8)

Faith alone is not enough. It’s a tragedy that that statement is controversial in our day, but it is. Yes, we do need faith, but Scripture is clear—we also need works.  (John Bevere)

 

Without the works, we are without a walk.  That’s a hard word but it’s true because a true faith brings about a change of attitude, motivation, and demonstration.  We’ve found the truth and that truth is transforming how we live and why we live.  The touch of Jesus is real. It’s life-changing.  This isn’t just about belief, it’s about behavior.  If it was simply about belief, then all the demons of hell would be in heaven.  Believing results in behaving and if we don’t believe that then we don’t want to go to day 12.

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 10

EXCHANGING LIVES

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter

the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21 NIV)

Could you imagine your spouse saying to you, “I promise to be faithful to you, along with all the rest of my lovers … but you will be first”? Would you accept this level of commitment? Of course, you wouldn’t. Yet this is exactly what many people try to say to Jesus.  (John Bevere)

 

Jesus doesn’t want second place in our lives or even a shared first place in our lives.  The King of kings and Lord of lords is King of kings and Lord of Lords, and it’s right here where so many of us make a critical mistake.  A lot of people want God’s pardon but not God’s presence in their lives.  It’s a critical mistake because without God’s presence we can’t know God’s love, power, wisdom & purpose. Without God’s presence, this Christian life is impossible, and we will become defeated trying to do His thing without His presence.  But, Jesus doesn’t take second place because it’s His presence with His passion that drives us or leads us, into eternity.

 

How is Jesus Lord of your life?  How would you encourage someone to make Jesus Lord of their life?

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 9

NEW LIFE

When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand-new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!

(2 Corinthians 5:17 TLB)

Don’t you just love this statement?  “Many Christians have no idea of just how saved they really are. This deception can lead to unfruitful living that puts eternity in jeopardy for those who think they are safe.”  A lot of Christians live their lives as if the victory has not been won.  That’s a lie.  And if that lie is allowed to live, we will continue to live frustrated Christian lives because we will continue to believe that we have received a ticket to heaven but not the triumph of heaven.

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior, we live and fight from victory, not for victory.  Jesus won the victory.  Our problem is that live listening to a dying and defeated flesh as though it was alive and well.  We’re used to hearing that voice.  What we need to learn is how to hear and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  Fruitful living comes from living in and by the voice of the Holy Spirit, not from listening to and living by the voice of our dead and dying flesh.  And the author is right, “listening and living under the influence of the old self is dangerous” to the new life we have received from Jesus, the Victor of sin and death.  It’s a new life, listen to the new voice of this new life.

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 8

GOD’S OUTRAGEOUS GOODNESS

“You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

(Genesis 2:16–17 TEV)

John Bevere begins today with “God does not open heaven for those who simply call themselves Christians; He opens it only for those who have become Christians in truth by following Jesus and His teachings.”

 

So, we have some definition to the description of a Christian.  A person is NOT a Christian just because they say they are; a person is a Christian because they have chosen to believe and follow Jesus.

 

Before we discuss the details of Christianity, let’s ask ourselves this one question:  Is this the work of a hard and unloving God?  If God is love then why are the requirements so difficult?  Well, it’s NOT the requirements that are so difficult but the decision that is difficult.  The decision is difficult because those who choose to be Christians must choose to give up their way of living for God’s way of living.

 

Going back to the garden, Adam chose this life that we now know as a life of sin.  Adam wanted to be the god of Adam.  Adam wanted his own wisdom and didn’t want to have to trust God’s word.  The results of that decision are now difficult to live with but that’s what we know.  So, now we must decide on God’s way of living over our own way of living.

 

Romans 2:4 says that the kindness of God leads us to repentance and Romans 5:6-8 demonstrates that kindness.  God has given man this outrageous opportunity to live forever with Him even after man rejected God’s offer earlier.  And not only did has God given man this opportunity but He bought and paid for that opportunity for mankind who had rejected Him earlier.  However, we don’t become Christians just because God wants us to but because we have chosen what God wants over what our fallen, sinful nature wants.  We have decided to leave our way and follow the Jesus way.  As a result, we have been saved from the way of death.

 

 

Driven by Eternity                                                                                                                    DAY 6

THE SECOND DEATH

“But cowards who turn back from following me [Jesus], and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars—their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the Second Death.”                                           (Revelation 21:8 TLB)

What is hell?  It’s the second death.  It’s the death of spiritual breath.  There is no hope of life after the second death.  But it’s who this second death for that is very concerning.

Jesus told a parable one time about a forgiven “servant” who refused to forgive.  That unforgiving forgiven servant who was delivered to jail for his actions. (Matthew 18:21-35)   And Jesus told another parable about a wicked and slothful “servant” who was cast into outer darkness because of his attitude and actions.  (Matthew 25:14-30)

Revelation 21:8 says that the Lake of Fire is reserved for those who turn back because of fear, those who live in an unfaithful relationship with Jesus and for those who fail to ever believe in Jesus and thus behave wickedly.  That’s a fairly large scope of people.

Revelation 21:7 says that the one who conquers will have this (new heaven, new earth, and new city) heritage, and I will be his God and he will be My son.  This Christian life is more than a belief, it’s a way of behaving.  Those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior behave like He is their Lord and Savior.  Belief determines behavior.  Belief determines behavior that determines what’s beyond this life.  We can enjoy a second life or encounter a second death.