MEAT FOR MATURITY – DISCIPLESHIP

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8, NLT). We may not normally think of God’s commandments as sources of joy. We tend to think that they are challenging and that it may be a struggle to keep them. But if we reflect a little more, we realize that God’s commands bring joy and life. A few lines earlier in this Psalm, we learn that God’s instruction revives the soul (v. 7). So, God’s commands don’t just keep us from being destructive; they also guide us into peace and maturity. They guide us into communion with God in Christ. That is why God’s commands bring joy, they bring us closer to him. This is why Jesus said: “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15, NLT). He wants us to follow what he taught (the Sermon on the Mount and everything else) because Continue Reading →

“The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me…He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalms 18:4-5, 19, NIV). In this Psalm King David had been attacked by powerful enemies and his reign was in jeopardy but God powerfully intervened and strengthened the king and he was rescued from tribulation. How does this apply to Christians? Under the new covenant believers have no geographic kingdom in this world (John 18:36) and “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world” (Eph. 6:12, NIV). We also have the enemies of general corruption around us that damage us, the enemy of our old self which tries to take us from Christ and the Continue Reading →

“With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” (Ps. 18:29, NIV) In this Psalm, King David is rejoicing over the victories that God gave him over his political and military enemies. Under the new covenant, believers have no geographic kingdom in this world and “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world” (Eph. 6:12, NIV). This sounds like a daunting task, for mere humans to defeat unseen rulers and authorities! And yet, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37, NIV). We can have victory over challenges. So, how can we “advance against a troop” and “scale a wall” in the spiritual sense? How can we have victory over challenges? With the full armor and weapons of God. “Therefore put on the full Continue Reading →

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalms 18:28, NIV). When Adam and Eve disobeyed God they lost the light of life and thus their knowledge of truth and meaning, and the road of wisdom. They were enveloped in a cloud of darkness that all the poets and philosophers and religious leaders could never break through. No one could find the light of life on their own. Yet for those who humble themselves and turn to God he gives them a spiritual lamp that burns forever. We break through the darkness of the world and begin to live in the light of the knowledge of God. He gives us the light of life. Jesus is the lamp and light of God who reveals true life to us. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in Continue Reading →