Waiting Does Not Mean Wasting Time

I came across this meme on social media tonight:

I think it is good. I would, however like to clarify what "waiting" is about in this context.
Keep in mind I have not remarried yet in almost 7 years. I have had no steady relationships in that time since I was abandoned, and my first marriage ended. Yet I am really involved with ministry more and more. My miracle ministry that survived divorce has been preserved by the Lord. I am to teach and to preach and to minister in my local church. That is my privilege and honour. Whether I get married or not, this is my calling. It is the cross I bear. What is the cross you bear for Jesus?

So to this meme I say:

Yes of course waiting on God is important.

But... It is also important to position oneself for receiving. One must keep praying in Jesus' Name, and keep asking and keep seeking. It's not enough to just sit back and do nothing. When some people think of waiting they imagine themselves sitting in a doctors office, waiting to be called. No.

In this context, "waiting on God" means working for Him in your calling. It means you do not act outside His will, but you DO act according to His will. Waiting on God does not mean standing around doing nothing, wasting the gift of singleness. The more years one can get in doing the work of God, the better. Because once marriage comes, your time will be divided and you will have to please both The Lord and also your spouse. Believe me, that is no easy task.

(1 Cor. 7:32-33)

 

Wait on God by praying for your future spouse to come. Then ....get back to work! Serve Jesus. Spread the Gospel. Love one another in the churches. Serve God in the ministry you have. All Christians have a ministry. Be faithful.

Go all out for Jesus as a single. NOW is your time to serve and bless Him and bless others. You will never again have this THIS level of freedom to please the Lord. You will never again get this many options where you are free to make choices in Christ without considering a spouse's plans or feelings.

 

You have a commission. Serve God in it, and really press into your love relationship with Jesus Christ our God and Saviour. Don't think that waiting means wasting. Not a chance. Waiting means you position yourself thankfully and prayerfully, and then get busy and do what God called you for in ministry.
Yes, you keep putting yourself in position for meeting a special person. But your focus must remain on your calling. The only way you will ever know who to marry is by cultivating your calling in Christ. Jesus does not call us to marriage or singleness per se. He calls us to love Him, to spread His Gospel, and to die to self and follow Him. THAT is the call. In a word, the call is DISCIPLESHIP. And, regardless of your marital status, marriage cannot ever be more important than discipleship. And the geographic details of your call will vary from mine. Nevertheless, now is the day to serve God and worship Him and love Him.
Love those He puts in your path. Feed the sheep with the truth of Jesus Christ, who is the Bread of Heaven and the Living Water. In 1 Corinthians 7:7, Paul calls marriage and singleness "gifts". They are not the call, but gifts. The Call is always discipleship. And discipleship is always an individual experience before the Lord. Discipleship cannot be blocked by marriage or family or past or current condition. As you read through 1 Corinthians 7 you realize the key is not found in marriage OR singleness. The key is this,

 

1 Corinthians 7:171599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹⁷ But as God hath distributeth to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk: and so ordain I in all Churches.

 

 

God bless,

Pastor Curtis

Meme Commentary: Happy-Complicated-Hurt

I found an interesting meme online today, and was inspired to make a commentary on it:

Allow me to comment on this meme using Scriptural principals and also my life experience thus far:

1) I am responsible for my own emotions and happiness. I will never rely on another human being to be responsible for something they have no control over: my happiness. They might have some influence, but not control. This includes any romantic interest, bosses, coworkers, friends, family, and those I minister to or those I receive ministry from. At the end of the day, I still make the call to be happy or not. Most days, I choose to be happy with my lot in life, knowing God is sovereign over all.

I own up to my responsibility for my own emotions. That is part of mature adult life.

And.... I learned a long time ago that even if I try my hardest, I simply cannot "make" someone else happy. In other words, I cannot directly control the soul/emotions of another. I wouldn't want that kind of control anyhow. But, I can do kind things for them, perform a task in an excellent way, or say encouraging words (as I love to do). And yet... it is the other party's choice to be happy about it or not. Trust me, I know from experience and observation.

This in no way deters me from striving to do my best in any form of communication, service or relationship. We should always strive for excellence in our thoughts, actions and words, regardless of who notices us or thanks us or is happy because of us. I am still learning and growing at this!

--

2) If by "complicated", the meme writer means "confusing" then yes, we are not to invite confusion into our lives. BUT IF "complicated" simply means "complex" to this writer... well... all relationships are complex. Some are less complex than others, but all have some degree of complexity. Even good relationships get "complicated" at times. Jesus promised we would have trials in this world. But He also said in this promise: fear not, I have overcome the world.

Love relationships are very complex. After all, we are spirit, we have a soul (soul = mind, will and emotions), and we live in a body. We are 3-in-1 beings! When you put two 3-in-1 beings together, there is complexity, diversity, depth and richness of relationships.

--

3) Hurt, and pain is something we should avoid inflicting on others. But because of fallen human nature, we inadvertently hurt our loved ones. Sadly, this is inescapable, even in truly good relationships. We all fail at times. And  yes, sometimes we hurt each other in words or actions, not out of malice, but out of heated or rash decisions that were made in poor judgement in a moment of weakness. It is for this reason Jesus tells us to leave our gift at the altar and make amends with those whom we have offended. Then after that, we can pick up where we were. Also, Jesus tells us to forgive so that we may be forgiven of God. It is unrealistic to expect a 100% pain-free relationships while living on this planet in its current state. It should be noted that forgiveness and "trusting again" do not automatically go hand-in-hand. The Bible never commands us to trust someone who is proven to be untrustworthy, only to forgive them. 

Another angle: When parents discipline a child for wrong behaviour, as Proverbs tells us they should, there will usually be a consequence for that misbehaviour. It might mean a little bit of "pain". Like a loss of privileges for a while, or being grounded, for example. That is the kind of pain that tells of deep love, and of parents who wish their child to grow up and become excellent adults in the real world.

That said, we should always act in love and always think of the feelings of our loved ones, coworkers, bosses, friends and family before speaking and acting. And the same goes for our relationship to God. He can be grieved at some things we do as well, but you do not see Him abandon His people just because we sin again or fall short on occassion. He is faithful and merciful and loving. He will never abandon or forsake us. When we confess our faults directly to Jesus, He is faithful and just to forgive us. We grow closer in love with Jesus. We can choose to do the things that are pleasing to Him.

God bless,

Pastor Curtis

Thur June 18, 2015, 1:57am EST 

Meme Commentary: A Man's Success

Today I saw a meme on the internet and it was this:

A random internet meme I found online today.

While I would tend to agree with it, it is not the whole picture either.

It inspired me to write the following:

Sometimes, the right woman for a man to marry is no woman at all. It is sometimes best to remain single for the Lord. Especially when you are a pastor and part of what you do is to lead a Christian singles ministry. Especially when you desire no natural children. And if your past relationship was not so good, then taking a break from the opposite sex is always wise.

So the Lord has kept me for Himself, apart from women. To serve Him. As He pleases. At His call and at His pleasure. It is all for His Name's Sake.

Seasons do change eventually. But for now the Lord has kept me on this path for six years as a single-again Christian (legally divorced). I've been living alone for 7 years and very busy at church, the store, and elsewhere. And through me the Lord has successfully enriched the ministry I am involved with. And He has blessed me with new songs to create in that time. Since becoming single again, I got promoted at my job at the store in 2012 (I overcame lots of challenges). Thank you Jesus for SUCCESS in the natural and in the Spirit! Following Jesus is success! Fear God, keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind. 

So to add a final thought to this above meme:

A person's success has everything to do with the kind of God one chooses to have in ones life!

If your god is money... you will ultimately fail.

If your god is marriage... you can't take it with you. At your death, you enter eternity as a single. So making your marriage a god is not going to lead to success either. As special as this institution is, between one man and one woman, we must be careful not to idolize it either.

If your God is JESUS CHRIST, then you will truly succeed, according to God's view of Success!

If you recognize Jesus as the one true God, then all else will fall into Biblical alignment, over time, with obedience to Him. You will gladly serve Him. Your finances, your relationships, your work, your pleasure. You will gladly entrust it all to Him to make you a SUCCESS in HIS BOOK! 

Blessings!

May 10 2015 3:18 PM EST 

Meme Commentary: I Was Reborn This Way

Inventions require instructions from the inventor

I saw a post that describes to me, a more and more prevalent attitude today. It starts off as "motivational" and "inspirational", but then becomes quite defiant. Allow me to show you an example I found posted on a social media website.

There were two unsavoury words that have been censored to spare our sensibilities. As a side note, swearing is not only vulgar, but it shows a lack of knowledge of the language being spoken. A lack of thought and display of rebellion is what the above photo is showing.

I got thinking about the assertion in this social media viral image that the pipe "can be a towel rack" if it believes. Who invented the pipe? Is it a water pipe? Gas pipe? If it is a pipe, then the inventor and builder of that pipe would be the one to tell us how it is used. Correct? If it was a case of a person selecting a career or developing a hobby, I can agree: pursue your passion and don't let the world stop you! But the poster is not addressing a career choice or a hobby, it is addressing a way of life, and more essentially, an identity.  See, if the pipe is free to live like a paper towel dispenser, then why doesn't it? One reason is that it doesn't open on one side to allow the roll to be inserted. Why doesn't it open? It was not designed that way. Besides, if it could, then whatever was in the pipe will come out and leak! That is potentially harmful, or at least messy. So if the inventor and architect of the house wants a paper towel dispenser, he would build one. That is a matter of identity. The issue here, is that the poster is not just encouraging us to chase our dreams in jobs and hobbies and causes (which I agree with), it is telling us something much more serious. It is asserting erroneously that you can change your identity all by yourself. But identity is not for the pipe or the cat to decide. Identity comes from the source. What, you may ask is the source? A better question is "Who" is the source! The answer? The Inventor is the source!

Identity Comes from the Inventor. Identity Determines Function. Changing function does not change identity.

It was an inventor, a person, that gave the pipe in that picture its identity AND function. And it is the same with that cat. It was the Inventor, The Lord, who gave that cat its identity as a cat. The cat may act like a towel but it will never be a towel. That is because function and identity are two separate yet related issues. You, like the pipe and the cat, cannot set your own identity or change it by yourself. Your natural identity was determined by your parents and natural family line. Your spiritual identity can only be found in your Heavenly Father, through Jesus.

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Joh 14:7  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  

Jesus is showing us His identity by relating to His Father. The natural principal reflects the spiritual.

 It is the One who brings us forth that gives us our identity. And out of that identity flows the actions accordingly.
You cannot change your identity by changing your features, or by acting differently. You cannot really change your identity at all. You can only come to Jesus and let Him RESTORE your identity. That identity that Adam and Eve lost ( "children of God" ) is now restored to you and to me! There are rights and privileges that come with such a powerful identity. And ANYONE who is hungry can come to Jesus!

The Bible teaches that our identity comes from the one who invented Heaven and earth. He invented Humans. He invented the marriage union between one man and one woman. He invented and designed human relationships. He is the One in Whom all things consist. He is perfect. Thus, He made no mistakes in His original design. Because of mankind's choice to sin, we ruined what He made. But Jesus has restored us to the Father, (the Inventor/Creator). He has restored us to not only our original function, but our original identity! This identity can only be found in the one who made you and died for your sins, and rose again on the third day!

Joh 5:24 (ESV) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

So, according to Jesus, above, it is not about believing what YOU think, it is about believing what the FATHER says through JESUS!
Jesus promises you today, that if you believe Him, you are protected from judgement for your sin. He forgives all who turn from sin and believe on HIM! That is GREAT news! It is not religion or mankind that saves you, but pure grace (unearned favour) from JESUS to you! It is a relationship to your inventor, a reunion.

So when the poster above deals with "believing" it is getting the source wrong. You are not the source, you cannot invent or give identy to yourself truly. You weren't there when you were being made. Thus, the TRUE source is Jesus! HE is the one to Believe! He is the one who made you and can identify you and GIVE you identity. It is time to receive Jesus:


John 1:12-13 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Ah! And here is where your true identity kicks in. Once you are reunited with the One who made you, He identifies you as His child! Only those who believe Jesus have the power or right to be children of God. That is what the Word of God says. And once you do believe in Jesus, your identity is restored. You are now a child of God, a son or a daughter of the most high. You have rights in the King! He tells you what you are made for. He shows you with His own earthly example how to live life by faith. Don't try to invent or reinvent your self. You were born into sin, but God wants you to be "Reborn this way"!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Joh 3:4  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'



I was reborn this way, Jesus tells me who I am! 

Meme Commentary: Beware of Misguided well-meaning chain-posts in social meda.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
-James 4:7, Holy Bible -English Standard Version
Beware of silly posts or misguided posts on social websites like twitter or facebook, even if they are well-meaning. There are a series of posters that prey upon people's superstitions. The classic chain letter, in digital format. There is no authority or truth to the superstition. The Bible clears it up for us as Spirit-filled, born-again Christians. But sadly, people still believe the superstitions out of fear or respect for that which is untrue. The big example is: "Share this post and you will be blessed." or "Share this post if you love your mother. Scroll past it if you don't". To think that reposting a picture online has any authority over your life is wrong and unbiblical. Here is an example which I have seen more than once:

The same poster is below, with my comments added. Click on it to see the whole thing:

Overcoming satan
Today I want to make a comment on the poster you see here. I found this on facebook and I see it being passed around. But I have something to say here:
True warfare against satan is when you don't just carry the bible or read it, but you understand it in the Holy Spirit and apply it with pointed prayer in the Spirit. Satan is not afraid of God's written word (read Luke 4). In fact he will try to twist it in your mind. So rightly dividing and discerning in Christ's Spirit are essential. The Bible says "RESIST" the devil and he will flee from you. Living out the instructions of the Bible is good, and needed, but it's a very broad statement. To be more specific, Biblically, it's only when you are purchased with the blood of Jesus and you suit up in God's Holy Spirit Armour and actually RESIST the devil, that he will flee from you.

And no, sharing this post does not defeat satan. Don't believe posters that say silly things like that. The Bible says, in Hebrews 2:14 that JESUS partook of flesh and blood and through death, He mightily DEFEATED the devil!

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; " Heb. 2:14 KJV
The devil is now wandering and trying to lie to as many as he can, to try and talk them out of being Christian overcomers by twisting scriptures with a satanic "if".


Luke 4:9-11 KJV "And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. "

Jesus repelled the devil by stating the Word of God correctly and living it in the HOLY SPIRIT. In other words, He RESISTED the devil:

Luke 4:12-13 KJV "And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."  Once a Christian can become a Jesus-like overcomer, he knows that his previous and permanent defeat at the hands of King Jesus renders him powerless against the spiritually armoured and spiritually armed Christian. By the way, there was no "share" button or "social network website" to share on, 2000 years ago, just the powerful cleansing blood of Jesus. Only His blood has defeated satan.  Heb. 2:14 (KJV or Geneva version) says satan "had" the power of death, but not anymore! Jesus took it! JESUS now currently and permanently holds the Keys of hell and death, NOT satan (Rev. 1:18). Jesus is the Big One in charge. So suit up, read Ephesians 6 and other Bible passages, and get equipped in the Spirit! Be a mobilized, armoured, spiritually armed, man or woman of Christ. Be an Overcomer.

And please, don't repost supertitious chain-posts, even if they sound "Christian". Instead do like I did, and compare them against the actual Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation in Jesus' name!
Be blessed in Jesus!
~CJA