Gift of Life

I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.

Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT)

Last week was a fun week for me because I spent a day with my young nephew, Cole. To him, I am Aunt Wanna, since he can’t pronounce the “d” in my name. So I will just stay Aunt Wanna—that’s fine with me. Technically, since he is the son of my niece, I am actually a great-aunt and Cole is my great-nephew. Humm…that does make me sound old.

Cole is an energetic, little, 20-month-old boy. He has a curious mind that quickly soaks up knowledge, just as a sponge soaks up water. He watches people and then mimics them. Further, just like any other normal, mischievous, little boy, Cole tries to test the limits of what he is allowed to do.

As I was babysitting for Cole, he helped me dust the furniture. He looked adorable with his little dust-rag, following along behind me wiping off things. I showed Cole how to dust off the top of a table; I also showed him how to dust all of its cracks and crevices. You know those little hidden areas where dust likes to hide. Cole was a fast learner and enjoyed dusting the furniture with his great-aunt.

Later, after it had warmed up outside, I took Cole out to play. We played T-ball, rode on toys, transplanted plants, and pulled up weeds. I pulled weeds, he pulled flowers. We had great fun!

While I was pulling some weeds, Cole decided that it was time to test his boundaries. Surely, he could go wherever he wanted to go, and do whatever he wanted to do—couldn’t he?

Cole started walking down my driveway towards the road. I told him no. He looked around at me, smiled, and then continued on his journey towards the road. Once again, I said no, but this time with more emphasis. Cole turned around, looked at me, and smiled. After a moment of hesitation, he again started walking towards the road. Finally, I started moving towards Cole while firmly saying, “Cole, No!”  He stopped. Cole had tested his limits and found that he to abide by set boundaries.

While this little story about my babysitting adventure is fun, how does it relate to a Bible lesson? What can you learn from it? Plenty!

Stop and think about the miracle of life. Hidden deep within your mother’s womb, your life began. Miraculously, your body formed, your brain developed, and your heartbeat began. You grew arms, legs, fingers, and toes. That is a miracle of life. That is a gift from God.

Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God knew you. He appointed the time and the place of your birth. He orchestrated your physical birth and He provided for your spiritual rebirth. He has a wonderful plan for your life.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

After you are spiritually reborn, your once darkened mind becomes open with a new level of consciousness. You now know that life does not stop at your physical death, rather it extends beyond the grave unto eternity. And like my great-nephew Cole, you begin soaking up knowledge. You receive a new spiritual heart and begin to learn a new language and a new behavior.

As you are spiritually growing, God instructs you how to remove the dust of sin from your life. He shines His light of truth on all the hidden cracks and crevices in your heart. He illuminates those dark corners where sin likes to dwell. He shows you how to clean up.

Just like my great-nephew Cole, you too may test your boundaries. You may veer from the straight, narrow road leading to heaven, and journey towards the road of destruction—the road of sin. God will tell you, “No.”  Perhaps the first time, you may not listen. Once again, He will tell you, “No.” Each time, His “No” becomes firmer; until eventually, you learn to obey God’s commands. You are God’s child and He has a wonderful plan for your life.

In order to prepare you for the wonderful plan that God has for your life, He has to remove sin from your heart. Is God currently illuminating any cracks and crevices of hidden sin in your life? Are helping Him dust away the sins of your heart by obeying His “No”?

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Psalm 139:14-16 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.         Your life is a gift from God.

2.         God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb.

3.         God has a wonderful plan for your life.

Tame That Tongue

So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do….  It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

James 3:5-6 (NLT)

This week, I want you to put on your imagination cap. Close your eyes for a moment and visualize a lion tamer cracking his whip as he tries to control a snarling, hungry lion. The lion advances, the tamer cracks his whip. Next, the lion crouches down preparing to pounce. Once again, the tamer cracks his whip; however, this time he also holds up a chair. Confused by the chair, the lion becomes distracted and retreats.

Now visualize that the snarling, hungry lion represents your tongue and the ugly words that try to escape through your lips. Your snarling tongue advances dripping deadly venom. Like the lion tamer, you crack a whip of control. Then your tongue looks around for a target, preparing to pounce on its prey. You hold up a chair of distraction, the Word of God. Subdued, your tongue becomes tamed and controlled.

That little member of your body, your tongue, can quickly cause mass destruction. If left uncontrolled, it can destroy your church, your job, and even your family. It often drips deadly venom in the form of lies, rumors, sarcasms, and obscenities. It can sting like a snake (Psalm 140:3).  It can even spew forth putrid stench like an open grave (Romans 3:13). It must be subdued!

But how in the world can you control your tongue? How can you keep it from shooting forth missiles of fiery destruction?

God’s Word, the Bible, can answer those questions. Jesus says in Matthew 12:34-35 that your words are determined by the condition of your heart. If your heart is evil, then your words will be evil. On the other hand, if your heart is good, then your words will be good. In order to clean up and tame your tongue, you must first clean up your heart.

Jesus went on to say in Matthew 12:36-37 that you will be held accountable for every idle word that you speak. On judgment day, “The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37, NLT).

That could be a terrible thought! Your little tongue and the words that it spews reflect your fate on judgment day. With that in mind, you have to learn to take control over your ravaging, fiery tongue. In order to do this, you must surrender yourself to God and let Him clean up your heart through your faith in Jesus Christ.

After you have surrendered yourself to God, begin reading His Word. Open up your Bible and search for Scriptures that talk about your tongue, your words, or your lips. You will learn that a deceitful tongue will be cut off (Proverbs 10:31), a sharp reply can wreck havoc (Proverb 13:3, NLT), “…grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1), and “…the twisted tongue tumbles into trouble” (Proverbs 17:20, NLT). You will also learn that, “the lips of the righteous feed many…” (Proverbs 10:21), “a wholesome tongue is a tree of life…” (Proverbs 15:4), and “those who control their tongue will have a long life…” (Proverbs 13:3, NLT).

Just as a lion tamer can control a ferocious lion, you can control your ravaging tongue. You can whip your tongue into submission and choose to speak either words of life or words of death (Proverbs 18:21). Which do you choose—life or death?

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed.

Psalm 141:3 (NLT)

Three Key Concepts:

1.         It is out of the heart that your mouth speaks.

2.         The words that you say reflect your fate at judgment day.

3.         You can choose to speak words of life or words of death. The choice is yours.

Wedding Garment

But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. “Friend,” he asked, “how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?” And the man had no reply.

Matthew 22:11-12 (NLT)

This week’s lesson comes with a word of warning! If you only like to hear “feel good” messages, then stop reading right now because you won’t like this one. “Feel good” messages allow you to feel warm, cozy, and religious while you knowingly ignore God’s call for righteousness. If this describes you, then skip this lesson.

On the other hand, if you yearn to become closer to God and are willing to sacrifice your worldly desires for Him, then continue reading.

Our focus this week is on Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast. In this parable, Jesus tells us about a king who had prepared a great wedding feast for his son.  Invitations were sent to many people; however, everyone who was initially invited, made excuses. They all refused to come to the celebration. Finally, the king extended invitations to everybody—both the good and the bad.

As customary in that day, the king provided wedding garments for the guest. However, one guest refused to wear the proper clothes. He may have been prideful and thought that he was above following custom, or maybe he didn’t sincerely want to be at the wedding. It doesn’t matter what his reason was. His refusal to wear the proper attire was an insult to both the king and the king’s son. Therefore, the king ordered that the man be seized, bound hand and foot, and thrown into utter darkness, where “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13).

Like the king in this parable, God has prepared a great wedding feast. The invitations have been sent and the wedding garments have been purchased. Do you plan on attending?

In order to attend this grand celebration, you must first put on the wedding garment. The required garment is a clothing of God’s righteousness, which is only possible through your faith in Jesus Christ.  If you refuse to put on the proper attire (righteousness), you cannot come to the feast.

Righteous living is an unpopular teaching in our world today. Whether it is popular or not, it does not change God’s Word. “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). In order for you to enter in through Heaven’s gates and join in the wedding feast, you must put on a holy garment—one without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:1-8, 27).  

But how in the world can you put on (and keep on) a garment of righteousness when you are constantly surrounded by sin?

You can’t be righteous on your own power—it is impossible. However, God loves you and He provided the way that you can overcome sin. That way is through the blood sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.

Through Christ’s sacrifice, you can be reborn and empowered with the Spirit of God. When you are spiritually reborn, His Spirit begins teaching you how to resist evil temptations.  He shows you how to become holy, and thus, He helps prepare you for the great wedding feast. All you have to do is surrender yourself to Him and obey. When you do this, you become clothed in His righteousness.  “…walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

Is God’s Spirit currently dealing with you about something in your life? Are there any areas that He is asking you to clean up? No matter what it is, whether it is what you say, what you do, or what you hear, if God’s Spirit is trying to get you to stop some impure behavior, listen to Him. Let Him remove the spots from your filthy, worldly garment.

 

You have been invited to a great wedding celebration. Will you accept the invitation? Are you willing to put on the wedding garment?  

Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Psalm 15:1-2

Three Key Concepts:

1.         A garment of righteousness is required for the heavenly wedding feast.

2.         The wedding garment has already been purchased.

3.         When you obey God’s Spirit, you become clothed in righteousness.

The Word—Sharper Than a Sword

For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)

A couple of years ago, I bought a new set of kitchen knives. They were wonderful! With those new knives, I could quickly slice and dice my way through meat, vegetables, and fingers. Yes, I did say fingers. For a while after I started using those knives, I was always sporting a new band-aid on a new cut. But once I learned how to handle those knives properly, I began using them with minimal bloodshed.

A new set of kitchen knives are sharp because they are designed to separate things, like cutting a chunk of meat into smaller pieces or a whole tomato into slices. The Word of God is also sharp. It is designed to separate you from sin. With its truth, the Word exposes your heart and any hidden sin residing within. Once exposed, you are forced to deal with that revealed sin. Either you can choose to repent of the sin or you can choose to ignore the sin. The choice is yours. However, you must understand that eventually you will bear the consequences of your choice.

If you choose to ignore the exposed sin, it doesn’t make the sin go away. Instead, it creates a calloused place within your spiritual heart. As a result, if you consistently fail to repent and remove the sin, eventually your heart will become a hardened, lump of calluses. If you let that happen, you may no longer hear the voice of God because you have forcibly pushed Him away by your choices in ignoring His Spirit. “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who push the truth away from themselves” (Romans 1:18, NLT).

Instead of pushing God and His truths away, learn to hunger for more of Him. First Peter 2:2 says that you should crave the Word of God just as a newborn baby craves milk. The Word will help you grow into the fullness of your salvation as if provides the nourishment that you need to become strong in Jesus Christ.

John 1:1 says that Jesus is the Word, He was with God and He is God. Further, He existed from the very beginning of time. John 1:14 says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That Word, Jesus Christ, came to teach you and me. He shows us the way to God, because He is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).  (You will see these Scriptures referenced many times throughout my weekly blogs. I love these verses: John1:1, 14 and Colossians 1:15).

When you begin your spiritual walk with Jesus Christ, be prepared for a lot of bloodshed but don't grow faint. God knows what He is doing so completely surrender yourself to Him. Don’t fight against the changes that He requires in your life. Willingly allow His Word to slice and dice the sinful flesh out of your heart. He is purifying and preparing you for eternal life with Him.


The price that you have to pay for eternal life is small in comparison to the price that He already paid.

                                                        

“Does not my word burn like fire?" asks the Lord. "Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces?

   Jeremiah 23:29

Three Key Concepts:

1.             The Word is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart.

2.             The Word is a living, breathing, fire that can burn away sin.

3.             The Word will nourish your heart as it helps you grow into salvation.