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Watch out for the pricklies

Mattew 7:12 (MEV) Therefore, everything you would like men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

While in prayer yesterday, I was praying for our church to seek God first. The word ‘seek’ kept going over and over in my mind and I turned to Isaiah 55:6 (MEV), “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near” and Matthew 7:7 (MEV), “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Then I kept reading in Matthew, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!“

I have learned with a “Therefore” that I better pay attention to what is going on before and after. We love the verses about when we ask it will be given to us but check out what He tells us to do. Do you know that the way you view people is important? How many of us are disappointed at people, but most of it is our own doing. Matthew 7:12 in the Amplified says this, “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.” What did Jesus say were the greatest two commandments? To put it simply, to love God and to love people. It is a self-centered mindset for wanting people to do for you but for you not to seek out opportunities to do for others.

Matthew 7:13-14 (AMP) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Be mindful of the temptation to seek the best for yourself only. Seeking God takes a surrender of self. When we are positioned to love God, we should have the fruit of loving people. Jesus tells us that anything we would like for people to do for us, we should do for them. It is not when people do for you, you do the same in return. You start the process, even if they never do in return. When we lose peace and start keeping score is when we have done things without love. Love does not keep a record and does not keep score.

Matthew 7:15-20 (AMP) Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].

Eating from a tree that is dripping with bitterness can turn you sour. It can make you distrust God and the body of Christ. Watch out that you do not become prickly yourself. This is not to do good to the prickly people, but do not become one yourself. Set boundaries but always do good.

So, who does the initiation in seeking, asking and knocking? We do. Who does the start of the good works? We do. Can we expect others to do for us, and we are not willing to do for them? Absolutely not. Check our motives and keep our hearts pure, because self-focus and self-centeredness may seem like a path to take but it does not lead to growth in Christ. It may just lead to a life of prickly. So next time you are in your feelings about people not doing for you, get out of yourself and into the love of Christ. Seek out an opportunity to do for others, like you would want done for you.

Abba, Father, our Creator, You are worthy of our Praise and Honor. You are Marvelous and full of Majesty. You are Holy. Thank You for Your Son, our Prince of Peace. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Comforter. Thank You for the revelation of Your Word to bring us to know You more. We want to know Your heart as we seek Your face. We repent for taking score and keeping records of when we feel like we have been disappointed by people. People are not our problem. Sometimes we have created our own problems, and we are sorry for that. Give us a heart that sees, hands eager to help, and the courage to move forward without pause. May our actions mirror Your compassion, bringing light to dark places, hope to the weary, and love to the lonely. Seach our hearts Lord, let us surrender our will and our ways to Yours. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Now

John 17:3 (AMP) Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

This verse jumped out at me the other day. “NOW this is eternal life.” That means that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we stepped into eternal life. We are a people that are looking to be satisfied. Will anything really satisfy us other than Jesus? What else could we be looking for?

We are being watched by those who do not know Christ that way. What are they hearing from us? Are they hearing us proclaim the Gospel? Or are they hearing us being divided on post tribulation or pretribulation rapture, the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, whether we have to celebrate all of the feasts. What does any of that have to do with eternal life?

Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Love God and Love People. That is what you will want to do when you accept the fullness of who God is. The enemy is pretty good at getting us distracted. He wants us to look anywhere other than keeping our eyes on Jesus. He would use things that should bring us closer together. It is our choice though. The devil has no authority in a born-again believer’s life.

Whenever I get in a conversation with someone about any topic, can be worldview, social, economic, my heart position is to bring it back to our position in Christ. Somehow that conversation is going to be led back to us being rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. That is where peace is found. You cannot take away the joy of someone who has found peace. Go back to what Jesus proclaimed while reading Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives
And freedom to prisoners,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

We are no longer captives. They keys of our bondage was taken by Jesus (Revelations 1:18). Those chains are there until we remove them (Isaiah 52:2). You have been raised up with Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). We have been called something new. We are now righteous through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). I believe this last part is why the enemy fights us in all of it, “That He may be glorified.” Does it glorify God?

What does it mean to be a tree of righteousness? Trees produce. We also call it the fruit of the Spirit. What if we looked at our fruit as not us having good morals, but at us being obedient. What does this have to do with eternity? This tells the world who we belong to. God is gloried when we exhibit who He is. Everything about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a direct reflection of who we are in Him. This is how He is gloried!

Now is eternal life. If we are in Christ, then we are in it. There is a coming back, but I do not need to fear it if I remain in Him. Getting ready because Jesus is coming should not bring us to more division, it should bring us to unity. Love God. Love People. If you do not know how to do that in Your life, ask the Holy Spirit. He will reveal it to you as you read your Bibles. Turn off the news and turn off your favorite preaching videos and get in the Bible for yourself. Read all of it. Read it to know who God is, with Christ as our example and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. Are you secure in your eternity today? If not, here is a prayer for you:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I have sinned and strayed from Your will. I’ve lived selfishly, and for that, I am truly sorry. I repent and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe in Your sacrifice on the cross to save me, doing what I could never do for myself. I surrender my life to You now and ask for Your guidance. From this day on, help me to live each day in a way that honors You. I love You, Lord, and I am grateful for the promise of eternal life with You. Amen.