Dirty Feet (pt. 1)

John 13:5- Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”

In those days peoples feet must have been absolutely disgusting! Only the lowliest servants would ever wash peoples feet. They were the “lower members” of society. That is why this shocked Peter. He held Jesus in such a high regard that he couldn’t imagine seeing him wash feet! He’s saying…”Jesus..what are you doing?”

7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

What was Jesus saying here? It was custom that everyone must wash their feet when they entered someone’s house. They had to…or they would not be welcome inside! So what was Jesus really symbolizing here? God’s house! That’s why he was doing this. He knew that it was only through him that they could gain access to Gods house! It was an earthly demonstration of something much more spiritual. It was another example of what he was going to do for them on the cross!

When Peter said…”you will never wash my feet” he was viewing it in the earthly religious sense. He saw Jesus doing something that he didn’t think he should be doing. It wasn’t according to the rules that Peter knew. But that was only the beginning of Jesus humiliation.

Jesus knew that only he could wash their feet. It is only him that can ever make us clean enough to enter Gods house! No one enters the kingdom except through him. (John 14:6) If you have no part of Jesus…you have no part of Gods kingdom.

9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you. ” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

“He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet.” Only your feet touch the ground. Only your feet will dirty the house. What did Jesus really mean by this? He meant…I have done it! All of your bathing…all of what you are trying to do to become clean…hasn’t worked! But I have done it! You have bathed your entire body! But the part that I am the most concerned about…you cannot wash!! Only I can do that for you! I am going to do that for you soon. That’s why you don’t understand it right now Peter! Peter…if you don’t allow me to wash your feet…then you have no welcome in my Fathers house!

So here’s the final illustration…

We’re coming and knocking on the door to God’s house. We’re dirty and covered with the grime of this world. We’ve been walking in dirt…so it’s all over our feet. We feel the weight of it, we bear the guilt of it. That dirt will not be allowed into the house because the house is spotless! So what do we do?

A servant is there at the door…and he says that he will wash our feet. He’s there to wash away all of the dirt and the grime and the shame of carrying it. He makes us clean, and we are allowed to enter into that place where we will never be covered in that dirt again! Then we find out…that the servant is really the homeowners son!

What Jesus did was truly the ultimate act of love and humility. His death in place of ours. So how do we react to it? Do we respond like Peter did with pride and say “YOU WILL NOT WASH MY FEET!!”. Will we try to do it ourselves and say “I AM CLEAN!” Jesus says…”let me do this for you…or you have no part of me. If you have no part of me…you have no part of my Father. No one enters the kingdom of heaven…except through me! Have you allowed Jesus to make you clean? Are you trying to do it on your own? That is futile! If no one enters the Kingdom except through Jesus then why do Christians try to do it? Why do we try to seek approval from God without Jesus? Only he can make us clean!

DGM

Not Ashamed!

Rom. 1:16- For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

There is so much truth and depth wrapped up in this little verse.

Paul starts off by saying “I am not ashamed!”

This is merely an indication, of where his state of mind is. To truly say that you are not ashamed is really a matter of the heart…you cannot have a morsel of doubt or potential of shame.

He is not ashamed of the gospel!
But, what is the most interesting about this passage is why he is unashamed of it. It has nothing to do with himself. But, all of mankind! “To everyone who believes!” In this statement we understand the depth of Pauls mission, and we also understand why it is that he is not ashamed. It’s only partially due to personal benefit. Paul has moved well beyond that. He’s moved to “the gospel is for you!” To be ashamed of it would be selfishness!

In this verse Paul states that being ashamed of the gospel is really a selfish act because you are holding out on someone with the very thing that is their salvation! So, because of your fear to share…you are acting in a selfish manner. You’re saying that how people view you, your reputation, your fear, is more important than the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I am not ashamed of what I believe because if I was, no one who I come in contact with will have a chance to hear about the very thing that saved me and can save you!”

The Message puts it like this “It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!”

When it comes to the gospel…shame, fear, and doubt are all rooted in pride. When you are ashamed of it you are saying that something that you are doing here on this earth is of more value than the purpose that God put you here for.

In the Gospel lies the power for salvation for all mankind! What is there to be ashamed of?

DGM

Resolutions

How many people do you think made a new years resolution this year? How many people do you think actually kept their resolution from last year?

A friend of mine tweeted on New Years Eve…”I’ve got 20 minutes to lose 35 pds.” That was his resolution from last year. He hadn’t completed what he had set out to do this time last year. I am like him in that I have done this so many times its not even funny anymore! I’ve done it so much that I should just have the same list of resolutions every single year!

The other day at my apartment building I saw some people unloading a bench press set. As I was walking past I did a typical Dan move and opened up my mouth. I simply said. “There’s a new years resolution waiting to be broken!”

Well, maybe this guys New Years resolution should have been to develop a sense of humour because he didn’t react so well! He said…”oh…do you think you’re funny?”

He then proceeded to stare me down and fold his arms in a way that made them look as big as possible.

I just walked away scared because it seemed to me…that maybe this guy had started taking the weight lifting supplements a little early. He might have had a little bit of the rage going on. Or, maybe he didn’t like what I said because he was just like me and many of us…he had many failed resolutions in the past and he didn’t want this to be another one!

Why do we do this? Why can we not maintain these things that we set out to do?

I set good resolutions…probably like a lot of you do!
-read more
-pray more
-evangelize more
-its all good stuff.
So, if we’re not setting bad resolutions then why do we not capitalize on these things?

I think that it’s because we don’t depend on God to do it. We try so hard on our own strength to do it. Is that what the bible really teaches? Does the bible ever say…that we will ever earn brownie points with God by how much we pray, or how much we read our bible?

What it teaches is that we must fully rely on him. That’s what it says! It says seek first the Kingdom of God.

Rom. 8:2- For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

There you have it. In our flesh we will never please God.

The following is a quote from Charles Spurgeon.

“…all your church-going, or your chapel-going, stands for nothing. Your prayers and your tears, your Bible readings and all that have come from yourself only, can only lead to yourself. Water will naturally rise as high as it’s source, but not higher: that which begins with human nature will rise to human nature; but to the divine nature it cannot reach.”

Why do we want to pray more? Why do we want to read out bible more? Why do we want to evangelize more? We do so because God is real and we know that he’s real. Seeking his face will bring about a passion for scripture reading. It will bring about a passion for prayer. It will bring about a passion for evangelism.
That’s my challenge to myself this year. That I wouldn’t get caught up in what I haven’t accomplished…that I may have missed a day in my “bible in a year.” That’s not what matters. What matters is that I never stop seeking his face. That’s my New Years Resolution!!

DGM

Christmas Light

I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of Christmas, and what it means to me. As well as what it means to us believers in Christ.

If we went out into the street and asked what Christmas was about you would hear all kinds of things…

-Love
-Joy
-Peace
-Family
-Sharing
-Gift Giving
-Volunteering
-If we asked kids we’d probably just hear the word “presents” over and over again!

These are all good things. But what about how we see Christmas sales on November 1st? Thanksgiving is hardly even considered. Has something been lost here? Sometimes as Christians we get frustrated with the commercialization. We feel like the meaning of Christmas has been compromised and that it’s our duty to defend it.
I saw a sign the other day that just simply said “Help keep Christ in Christmas!” We talk and talk and talk about what Christmas is really about…
I would take offense when someone says happy holidays.

But there lies my question…

Why do I expect a world that lives in darkness to understand Christmas in a way that only believers can? If you don’t have Christ…then it really is a non-denominational holiday.

The more we think about Christmas…the more we (as believers) realize how much Christ is the center! All of the joy, peace, love, etc…is a bi-product of what Christ brought into the world. He is the light of the world.
But, much of this world walks in darkness trying to shut out the light. But again, no matter what the world tries the truth is that Christmas cannot be contained, because the gospel can never be silenced. The world cannot shut out the light of Christ shining in the hearts of his children especially at this time of the year.

Family is good, gift giving is
good, volunteering is good. But, Christ will always be the meaning behind Christmas. Just as he is the meaning behind our very lives.

Let us display the heart of Christ to a world that desperately needs changed hearts. For that is what it means to carry the Christmas spirit in your heart all year long!

Matt. 7:11- 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 what is good to those who ask Him!

His gift to us was his son. God has never been a last minute shopper because he had this planned before time began.

This is why Christmas for a believer is much more than just a holiday…but only if you make it so. So this Christmas and every one to follow…let’s try to let as many people as we can know about why we enjoy it so much…so that as many as possible can enjoy it like we do!

DGM

Blinded By Purpose

John 9:1- As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered,“It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

There is no evidence to say that this blind man wasn’t a good Jewish man. He probably didn’t deserve blindness. Lots of people will believe that he must have done something wrong in order to become blind. Maybe God knew something that he was going to do? Who knows? What we do know…is that to associate somebody’s health with their closeness with God…is a very terrible error!

Unfortunately there are a lot of people that view God as a cosmic genie. They have the view that all we need to do is pray and God will heal all that we have ever been ailed with. All it takes is a little bit of faith! Well…yes and no! What I do know is that the prosperity gospel just isn’t so. Teaching that God is only there to provide us with what we want…is going to produce many angry, confused, and bitter people. The truth is that christians will indeed fall upon hard times. Everything doesn’t magically become easy when we accept Jesus into our heart. If that were the case then where is the depth of our relationship with Christ founded? If I only love Jesus and follow God because he makes my life amazing…then I really have no opportunity to exercise faith do I? If I am able to manipulate God by my level of prayer or spirituality to the point where God owes me something…then is he really an all powerful sovereign God?

Life is going to have its struggles…and it has nothing to do with our level of spirituality. There are many things that we do not understand. We do not understand why certain things happen on this earth. But, man was never meant to understand the full extent or purpose behind suffering. But God does!

Isaiah 55:8- “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts

The bible teaches the opposite of a life of luxury and ease. It even teaches that we indeed will face trials…and that we are to rejoice in them!

1 Peter 1:6- In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

So what is the purpose behind trials? Who really knows but God himself. In this verse about the blind man Jesus actually explains why the man was blind. Jesus gives us a glimpse of God’s purpose behind that mans suffering.

It wasn’t because the man had sinned. God wasn’t punishing him! If God wanted to punish us for our sins on this earth then none of us would be here. If God wanted to crush us…nothing would stop him.

What did Jesus say the purpose was behind this mans blindness? He said…,“It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” How so? What happened immediately after the man came back from the pool? He spoke of his healer…a man named “Jesus.” That mans struggle ultimately led to a testimony of God’s greatness!

Having a struggle in your life does not make you a bad Christian. But do not take that as an opportunity to embrace a habit of sin. Struggling with a sin in your life does not mean that you should ever stop trying to defeat it. It’s through the fight that God makes us rely on him.
The apostle Paul…who wrote a large majority of the New Testament (I’m pretty sure he wasn’t “unspiritual” or “lacked in his faith”) spoke plainly about his struggles.

-2 Cor. 12:7- Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul cried out to God 3 times…asking that God would take this thorn in his flesh from him. God’s response was…”My grace is sufficient for you…for power is perfected in weakness.” The purpose of Paul’s suffering was humility…that he would never lose sight of the fact that he needed God!!

What’s difficult to hear is the fact that nothing is going to happen to us that hasn’t first gone by the Father. God knows all of our difficulties and trials…and allows them to happen.

We don’t know why they happen but God does. If God gave me an incredible life on this earth with perfect health and wealth but never gave me himself…then where is his mercy? But, if I have a horrible life on this earth yet God gives me himself…he is a completely merciful and loving God and I should be nothing but amazed by his mercy and grace!!

So often the struggles that we go through…as hard as they may be are not even for our personal benefit. They may be so that we can testify of God’s greatness in our lives. Their purpose may be to keep us humble and relying on God. What we really need to understand is that the salvation of our souls is the glory of God in us! It’s the glory of God being revealed.

The weakness or struggle that we are dealing with today…could be the very thing that God uses in our lives to save the souls of many. We must embrace God in our weaknesses. Because that’s where his power is perfected! We must never forget that God has a marvelous plan!

DGM

No Other God’s

I’ve often wondered why and how the people of Israel would constantly worship other “gods.” It seems like such a blatant way to disobey the real God of Israel. Now, I am by no means justifying their actions but if you look at the times that they live in…every culture around them had their own god or version of deity. It may have been a statue, or an element of the earth, even specific animals were worshiped as “holy.” The Israelites would see the prosperity of a culture or group of people around them…which would lead them to trust in their god or idol. It was simply a lack of faith. It was envy towards those around them and what they had. They associated all of the prosperity towards that cultures idea of deity.

It’s easy to sit back and shake your finger at the Israelites but how often are we, in this modern day like them? How often do we put our faith in other things? What do we allow to “satisfy us?” Anything that we use to try to fill the space in our lives that God has intended for himself…is an idol!

We so often place our trust in things that will let us down. Whether it’s people, purchases, investments, property, activities…none of these can ever be a solid foundation for our lives. But we so often turn to them in times of trouble instead of turning and trusting God. We see that others are prospering from it…so we must try it as well.

Turning to God does not mean that we ignore the world around us. We still make informed decisions and react accordingly. But, what is our initial reaction? When we hear that the world economy may be in deep trouble what do we do? Do we say a quick prayer? Or do we quickly grab our smartphone to check our stock portfolio?

I believe it’s more of a matter of prayer and faith. Do you put all of your faith and trust in him when things are good and bad? Or do you trust the earthly foundation that we have created? Examine yourself. Your reactions in times of trouble will go a long way towards seeing where your faith lies.

Let’s look at Job.

He is the perfect example of a man who had everything. His faith could have been in any of the things he possessed. His family, his livestock, his land. We are like Job in that we have nothing that cannot be taken from us in an instant. Nothing on this earth is certain. The only thing that cannot be taken from us is our faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly states that he will never leave us or forsake us. Even in times of trial…he will remain.

The commandment “have no other god’s before me” may seem like God is merely just a jealous glory hog. In all reality he would have a right to be. But, let’s look at that commandment a little differently. His asking us to have no other god’s is also saying “put your trust in me because I alone can sustain you.” God asks us to put nothing before him not only for himself but for us as well. He asks us to put nothing before him because he is the only thing that will never leave us.

DGM

Salt To Your Fields

Matt. 5:13- ”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. 
    
Have you ever eaten at McDonalds and found yourself super thirsty later half an hour later? That’s the salt or sodium in the burger and on the fries making you thirsty. You have an excess of it in your system and it’s pulling in all of the water. That’s why you can’t drink ocean water even if you were lost at sea. Drinking the ocean water will kill you quicker than not drinking anything at all.

Jud. 9:49- So Abimelech fought against the city that entire day, captured it, and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.

Sowing the field with salt will make it so plants can not be grown again. Those plants are like certain sins in our life. We do whatever we can to remove it but it keeps creeping back. It’s like a weed that we can’t get rid of. We may want to stop the filthy talk coming out of my mouth at school…but it keeps happening. Young men might want to stop looking at young women a certain way…but they keep catching themselves doing it. You might want to stop gossiping…but your mouth has no filter.

Is the salt in your life not able to completely remove those seeds of sin? Have you run out of salt? Are their plants sneaking up again that you thought that you had killed? Are there are some things in your life that you haven’t surrendered? We need to attack those things with the tenacity of Abimelech. We need to sow that field with salt so that it will never take root again.

But how do we do it?

Prov. 20:9- Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
    I am cleansed from my sin”? 

Though many may disagree the truth is that the root of sin in our life is not something that we ourselves can keep up with. We do not possess the power to eradicate sin entirely in our lives. We don’t have the salt. The honest truth is that we ourselves have no power over sin. We can develop good habits that might help keep us more pure than the next guy…but that’s not what Jesus has asked of us.

-Rom. 7:18-For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. 22 For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God’s law. 23 But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body?

That verse makes it terrifyingly clear. We do not do what we want to. Are you in that place?

Believe it or not, but salt is actually essential to life. If you don’t get salt into your diet then will eventually die. It’s the same way in a spiritual sense. If you’re not throwing the salt of God’s word onto your fields of sin then you will never conquer those things. They will continue to take root. They will overcome you!

How is it that we are to conquer it?

Ps. 119:10- I have sought You with all my heart; 
    don’t let me wander from Your commands. 
    11 I have treasured Your word in my heart 
    so that I may not sin against You.

God’s word is the salt to our fields of sin! God’s presence is a figurative herbicide to those weeds of sin in our lives. All we can do is continue to pull out one weed at a time while it continues to spread it’s seeds. But God gave us freedom from sin by sending his son to die. He also gave us his word and the Holy Spirit that we may soak ourselves daily in his presence.

That is how you conquer sin!

1 Cor. 15:55- O Death, where is your victory?
    O Death, where is your sting? 
    56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 
    57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory 
    through our Lord Jesus Christ!

DGM