Listen: I Looked At A Valuable Envelope. I Thought It Was Trash; I Threw It Away. I Was Wrong. It Was Worth A Lot. Some People Have Looked At You And Thought You Weren't Worth Much. You've Been Offended & Hurt. They Didn't Know Who You Were.

 Leviticus 26:12-13, "I will walk you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men]." (AMP)

At one or another time in my life, I did quite a bit of teaching, workshops, seminars, and conferences. But I would have to say one of my most memorable was in Nashville TN. You see, I had just finished up a leadership conference, and one of my associates, Diana, was there with me. We were walking back to our hotel rooms to pack up and leave. Truthfully, I was exhausted and preoccupied when she handed me an envelope. I noticed the email message written on it, and I distinctly remember Diana saying something when she gave it to me, but I was concentrating on the message written on the envelope. I looked at who it was, and I said to myself, "Oh, I already responded to this email." And since I was finished with the message, I threw the envelope away after I got in my room.

Well, when we got back to the office, somebody said, "Where is the check from the directors in Nashville?" They were referring to the check for our teaching from the weekend. I said, "Diana has it." However, when they asked Diana, she said, "I gave it to Janet already." My response? "You did?" Well, if you haven't figured it out by now, the envelope I threw away. It Held the Check! I wish I could say this was the first check that I had thrown away, but it wasn't. Well not on this sizeable check, but I have thrown my check away with the trash, not paying attention to what I was doing. So, in the end, they stopped payment, and they re-issued it. But naturally, I was treated for acute embarrassment! See, I didn't know what the envelope was worth inside, so I just threw it away. In essence, I read the container but took no time to review the contents. I wonder how often so many of us repeat this same mistake in varying areas of our lives!

The good thing about this whole fiasco is that yet another devotional was birthed out of my many blunders in life. This brings us to our text in Leviticus 26:12-13. It's an essential passage for a lot of us who don't realize how valuable we are. See, the people here, the ancient Jews, had been mistreated in Egypt, they'd been used, they'd been hurt, and they'd been belittled (sounds like the testimony of a lot of us.) And so, the awful result is, they started to believe that being treated like cheap labor was what they were worth. And that couldn't be further from the truth.

Listen to what God said to them, and you and me as well. "I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men]." (AMP)

See, they were out of Egypt, but Egypt wasn't out of them. They were out of bondage, but the bondage wasn't out of them. And I'm afraid that's the very description of many of us today. God has brought people out of domestic violence, addictions; bad habits; bad decisions, and still some act as though they are still where they were! There's nothing worse than being a prisoner for so long that even when the bars open, you remain in bondage!

This reminds me of an old story I'm sure you've heard of: "One day, a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly (I mean, after all, how would you respond if someone were trying to bury you alive?) Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something unique. He would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of soil. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of all the neighbors.

Moral of the Story: Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is not to let it burn you but to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!"

Every time I read that story; I'm amazed by how much it encourages me. Because the truth is, some of us fall and determine that the fall was too great to recover from, so we give up. But then we also experience times when others see how great our fall was, and they round up the neighbors, everyone gets their shovels, and throws dirt in our pit because they simply cannot see a way for us to recover and come up out of what we've gotten ourselves into. All they know for us is an ending. Which makes me wonder, if all the neighbors in the story could all gather their shovels, and come together for the sole purpose of throwing dirt on the donkey, burying him alive, couldn't they all have very well come together and find a way to get him out instead? Isn't that just like some messy folks? They would rather throw dirt on you than help you get clean from a chaotic situation.

Well, today is your day of encouragement because I refuse to allow you to wallow, wilt and die! Neither will you allow yourself or anyone else to bury you before you die! If we are all brutally honest, we all sin daily (and for the rest of us simple church folks, we sin by the nanosecond)! Now, I know some super-spiritual folks tend to act like they sit next to Jesus every day, but then if that were true, why did they need a Savior in the first place? We may not commit the same evil, but we're just as guilty as the next for a crime of corruption! And in case Some Folks Are Under The Impression That Sin Comes In 'Sizes,' Let Me Help You…Sin Has No Size! One Size Fits All! There Are No 'Big And Little Sins.' God Does Not Grade Our Sins By Measures And Levels! God has concluded that both come under His judgment whether one person takes a person's! So, whatever your sin was, be it deliberate and willful, accidental, or even unknown, when you take it to God and repent and ask for forgiveness, it is done in that very instant, and you need not prove levels of righteousness to mere man! Those who you have wronged, you sincerely apologize, make it right in whatever way you can, ask for forgiveness, and walk-in newness going forward determined to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you'll be today!

Stop allowing dusty people to throw dirt on you while you bow your head in the ditch and die! I don't care how you got there nor how long you've been there, you can get up, get out and go on! And you need no one's permission or approval to do so! Stop accepting invitations to pity parties celebrating what you could have done, and who you could have been. Do it today, become it today! Shake off the dirt they've thrown on you and at you, use it as a foundation to step on, step up, and step out!

Remember This: John 8:3-11, "The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin." (MSG)

Moral of the Scripture: Until You're SIN-LESS, Remain STONE-LESS! Even Jesus set the record straight. He wrote in dirt; He didn't throw it! So, if anyone approaches you with shovels in hand, don't argue, fuss or fight. Just shake it off, step up, step out and step off! You are no longer under condemnation, nor are you bound in bondage! God has broken the bars of your yoke, and you are now free, so talk, walk, act, and live like it!

Romans 8:1, "Therefore there is now NO condemnation [NO guilty verdict, NO punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]." (AMP)

Psalm 103:12, "He has REMOVED our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west." (TLB)

1 John 1:9, "If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His nature and promises] and will FORGIVE our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]." (AMP)

In other words, you may have gotten yourself down in a dirty ditch, but you don't have to stay there! Therefore, once you're out, let no one treat you like you're still in, not even YOU!

Back to our text, God told them what royalty they were and that it was about time they started living like the treasure they were. Maybe that's what God is trying to say to you today. You've been making the same mistake about your worth that I did with that valuable envelope; you think it's trash, but it's not, and neither are you, no matter what you've done, how many times, with who, when where or why!

My friends, you are more valuable than you give yourself credit for!

But maybe you've felt like a loser, a reject, a victim. So, you've been throwing yourself away, and there are a lot of ways to do that. You can throw yourself away academically by not trying, not working very hard, by getting sexually involved, maybe throwing yourself away chemically or alcoholically. You could be trashing yourself by what you do for pleasure, what you listen to, or watch, by putting yourself down, by settling for bad relationships. Maybe you've even thought about suicide. It could be you don't try because you don't believe you are worth it.

Well, I've stopped by to drop off a vital message to you today: YOU'RE WRONG!

God is saying to you today: You are My handmade creation! My people are no longer slaves to their enemies; you can now walk with your head held high! And yet, so many of you are still making a mistake that breaks the heart of your Creator. You believe you are trash because some people treated you like trash. But no, you are who your Creator says you are. God created you. God loves you. God purchases you through the death of His Son. You belong to God. You are not trash!

You've got to keep moving. Whatever you let sit will go bad. When you have an assignment from God, even when you are hurt, keep moving, keep serving, keep giving, you keep moving. Whatever sits goes bad, you sit long enough your legs will go to sleep; your hands will go to sleep. If your battery sits, your battery will go bad. your car, automobile, if you don't drive, it will go bad. Let your mind sit; it will go bad. An idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Let meat sit, let fruit sit, let eggs sit and it will go bad. Whatever you let sit will go bad. We are designed to move, so keep moving.

Feed yourself on another level for where you are going. Listen, I know you have been offended, I know you have been hurt, sometimes you have been rejected in a place where they do not see your worth & value, and they have made you feel some way about yourself, but you will go to another place and find there are such great values. You will be surprised who needs what's in you. But you've got to keep moving. I don't care how hard you were slammed to the ground, keep moving, take your time to get up, re-invent yourself, look up, anoint up, dress up, worship up, you got to keep moving, eat up, restore what was lost in you.

Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship [His masterwork, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set] so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]." (AMP)

THAT'S WHO YOU ARE!

Listen: I Looked At A Valuable Envelope. I Thought It Was Trash; I Threw It Away. I Was Wrong. It Was Worth A Lot. Maybe Some People Have Looked At You And Thought You Weren't Worth Much, And They Treated You Like Trash. Well, They Didn't Know Who You Were. They Had No Idea Of The Value You Carry Within. 2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty] so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves." (AMP) You carry treasure, and you are God's treasure! And just because they didn't know it doesn't mean anything. You need to know it! Don't break God's heart anymore by throwing away what He thinks is worth so much He would die for you. He would die for the very wrong things you have done, for every rebellion against Him in your life. You were worth the life of Jesus Christ, His Son.

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Complacency Is Everywhere. Our Churches Are Infected With It. Your Lord Is Trying To Move You Into A New Season Of Your Life; But You’ll Miss It If You Insist On Staying Where It’s Safe! Financially, Geographically , Occupationally & Spiritually Safe

 Proverbs 1:32, “…Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills: COMPLACENCY IS MURDER…” (MSG).

A friend of mine had a ringside seat on a family of birds. They decided to nest under the roof on the porch. The fun part was watching the birth and development of those baby birds. My friend got to see them hatching out and then settling down into their nest. They all fit very nicely in there – AT FIRST! See, Mama Bird kept filling their open mouths with more and more food, and the little birdies didn’t stay little for very long! THEY STRETCHED AND THE NEST SHRUNK! As it got increasingly crowded, each baby did more and more wiggling around to kind of keep his position in the nest. Then they feathered out, and they forgot about all of them sitting in the nest comfortably ever again! They began to perch on the edges of the nest until they were pushed off the edge by their siblings in a battle for whatever food Mama brought. One by one, as crowding pushed those little birds to the edge – and then over the edge – THEY WERE FORCED WITH THE DECISION TO EITHER FLY OR DIE! They decided to fly! However, the last nester stayed in the nest for another full week, being fed as an only child by Mama Bird. Finally, though, Mama Bird must have gotten disgusted with her nest-addicted child. So, she quit feeding him! First, there was a lot of squawking and fussing, and then he even abandoned the nest to finally touch the sky!

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” (Helen Keller).

We all know what those baby birds must discover – that they weren’t made to just hunker down in their comfortable nest until complacency finally kills them! AND NEITHER ARE WE! “The spirit that does not soar is destined to grovel.” (Benjamin Disraeli). AND CERTAINLY, OUR GOD DIDN’T GO THROUGH GUARDS, GRAVES, AND GOLGOTHA, JUST FOR US TO GROVEL ON THE GROUND! You see, those birds are DESTINED to leave where it’s safe so they can finally soar, AND SO ARE WE!

Mike Apicello said it best: “Complacency is our worst enemy.”

One of the definitions I found interesting about the word ‘complacency’ is: “to be pleased with oneself or one’s merits, advantages, situation, and often without awareness of some potential danger to being self-satisfied.” Did you catch that? ‘complacency’ makes you so comfortable in a situation that you don’t even realize that DANGER is lurking nearby! When you become ‘complacent’ you let your guard down; your convictions are easily compromised; your sensitivity wanes; your discernment is weakened; your expectations are lowered; your high standards fall low, you negotiate with the choices and consequences of sin, and the things and people you ought to accept or reject become so entwined that your judgment is faulty!

The Bible clearly warns us about the DANGERS of ‘Complacency’:

“…Fools are DESTROYED by their own COMPLACENCY.” (Proverbs 1:32 NLT);

Zephaniah 1:12 should really pierce your ‘COMPLACENCY’: “…On Judgment Day, I’ll search through every closet and alley in Jerusalem. I’LL FIND AND PUNISH THOSE WHO ARE SITTING IT OUT, FAT AND LAZY, amusing themselves and TAKING IT EASY, Who think, ‘God doesn’t do anything, good or bad. He isn’t involved, so neither are we.’ But just wait. They’ll lose everything they have, money and houses, and land. They’ll build a house and never move in. They’ll plant vineyards and never taste the wine.” (MSG).

And of course, the book of Revelation brings it home: “I know you inside and out and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! YOU’RE STALE. YOU’RE STAGNANT. YOU MAKE ME WANT TO VOMIT. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact, you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.” (3:15 MSG).

Yes, ’COMPLACENCY’ will cost you BIG! WHICH IS WHY GOD LOVES US ENOUGH TO NUDGE US OUT OF THE NEST!

Your Lord Is Trying To Move You Into A New Season Of Your Life Where You Can Make A Far Greater Difference Than You’ve Ever Made Before! But You’ll Miss It If You Insist On Staying Where It’s Safe! Financially Safe, Geographically Safe, Occupationally Safe, Where It’s Methodologically Safe, Socially Safe, Emotionally Safe, Mentally Safe, Spiritually Safe.  Complacency Is Everywhere. Our Churches Are Infected With It. Our ministries are hindered by it. Our passions are dampened by complacency. Complacency describes the state of so many. They are complacent in their work, relationships, and ambitions. All without realizing that they are headed toward destruction. Complacent Christians are a win for the Devil. DON’T LET COMFORTABILITY, CARELESSNESS AND COMPLACENCY KILL YOUR CALLING! 

Read His Description of His loving plan for our lives: (Deuteronomy 32:10-11 ). The New Living Translation reads like this: “He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes. LIKE AN EAGLE THAT ROUSES HER CHICKS and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions.” (NLT). I love that word ’rouses’, it means: “to bring or come out of sleep; to awaken or wake up; to bring out of inactivity; to excite or provoke.” THAT’S WHAT OUR LOVING FATHER DOES FOR US! He ‘rouses’ us, because HE LOVES US TOO MUCH TO LET US SLEEP THROUGH OUR PURPOSE; BECOME IMMOBILE AND INACTIVE IN OUR CALLING; BORED WITH OUR GIFTS OR DULLED IN OUR DESIRE TO FULFILL OUR DESTINY!

Not to mention our Father also rouses us because He knows the enemy desires that we remain comfortably asleep! 1 Peter 5:8-11, “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You are not the only ones plunged into these challenging times. It is the same with Christians all over the world. So, keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering will not last forever. It will not be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are! —will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.” (MSG)

The mother eagle removes all the cushioning in her nest, and that leaves her eaglets living on just the rocks and the sticks underneath it! WHICH IS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE! The stirring of that nest leads to their willingness to leave the nest where they had been so comfortable, and ultimately to take to the sky. Think about it, maybe your nest isn’t quite as COMFY as it once was. Things are stirring that use to be still and changing where they used to be quite COMFORTABLE, remaining the same. In your environment and in your heart there’s this gnawing RESTLESSNESS that seems to say, “GOD’S GOT MORE FOR YOU THAN THIS”! Well, He does, and He is making you RESTLESS for it because RESTLESSNESS always precedes a great work of God! Your Lord is trying to move you into a new season of your life where you can make a far greater difference than you have ever made before!

He’s NUDGING YOU OUT OF THE NEST so you can Soar to the place where: “His blessings overtake you; soar till you’re blessed in the city and the field; soar till the fruit of your body is blessed; soar till the fruit of your ground is blessed; soar till the fruit of your cattle is blessed; soar till your basket and store are blessed; soar till your blessed coming in and going out; soar till your enemies that rose up against you are smitten before your face; soar till those that came at you one way, flee from you seven ways; soar till your storehouses are filled; soar till everything your hands touch prosper; soar till He blesses the land He gave you; soar till he establishes you as His holy people; soar till all the people of the earth are afraid of you; soar till He makes your goods plenty; soar till He opens His good treasure to you, rains on your land in season and blesses the work of your hands; soar till He makes you the lender and not the borrower; soar till He makes you the head; soar till He makes you above only”!  (Gleaned from Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

HE’S NUDGING YOU OUT OF THE NEST, NOT SO YOU CAN FALL, BUT SO YOU CAN FINALLY FLY!

But you will miss it if you insist on staying where it’s safe! Financially safe, geographically safe, occupationally safe, where it’s methodologically safe, socially safe, emotionally safe, mentally safe, and spiritually safe.

AW Tozer, a biblical teacher states like this complacency is easy and it is the enemy of spiritual growth. There are several Biblical references we see on how complacent the people were, for example Lot who had a complacent life, in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, he agreed on to give his daughters to adultery. Then we see about King David who was complacent in his Christian life, where he being a king knowing the truth committed adultery with Bathsheba and send to kill Uriah. The issue of complacency comes to highlight in our Christian lives when we face a situation, but today let me ask you how much are you investing in your Christian lives to avoid complacency. How much time of the day do you invest in reading the Bible and in meditation? How much time you invest in prayer to God? Our Christian life should be a life of relationship to God that grows every day. How do you expect your Christian lives to be successful if you have no investment in your Christian lives? And here is where we see the problem of complacency in Christian lives.

The summary of all this we can evaluate that we see how these characters and the other such people took their Christian life very leniently. So according to the Bible we can conclude that complacency is when the believer has reached a point of satisfaction in which he/ she becomes comfortable in their faith and don’t feel the need to move forward in their Christian life and SIN slowly starts to influence in his or her Christian life.

 Complacency is everywhere. Our churches are infected with it. Our ministries are hindered by it. Our passions are dampened by complacency.

Complacency is the feeling of self-satisfaction without knowledge or awareness of the dangers that are lurking or the deficiencies lurking within oneself. Complacency describes the state of so many. They are complacent in their work, relationships, and ambitions. All without realizing that they are headed toward destruction. So many have not thought through where the drifting through life is taking them, and the answer is nowhere good. 

Complacency is dangerous because it is easy. All you must do is sit back and go with the flow. To go against the flow requires work and conflict might be involved. To be complacent is to get along. Complacency does not require discipline. It doesn’t require accountability. It doesn’t require action. And because of that it is all too often appealing to too many of us. But we can’t be complacent. We are commanded to discipline, action, and accountability. We are commanded to watch ourselves and our doctrine closely. Hebrews 2:1 urges us “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” We need to pay much closer attention to what we know to be true so we can live accordingly and not be in a complacent drift.

This is personal. You either are growing closer to Christ and maturing in His ways or you are drifting away. This means we cannot be complacent in our devotional life or our spiritual disciplines. We must work at them and be in the Word and be applying the truth to our lives every single day. Look around the church and you will see many believers complacent in their spiritual growth.

They believe and they try to live it out and are satisfied with that. But we are called too much more. We are called to be conformed to the image of the Son. We are called to strive with all of God’s might working inside of us to become increasingly like Christ. That does not sound like a complacent attitude or a complacent walk with Christ. It is Paul saying he is pressing on. It is the saint falling to her knees in prayer every day. It is the bible worn out from our frequent handling. It is the life changed by grace that is now lived out for others.

This is relational. Our society trains us to be complacent in how others live. “You do you and I will do me” is the motto of a whole generation. But the gospel does not allow us to be complacent in relationships. We don’t let relationships just drift along, we pursue people for Christ, and we help one another be build up in Christ. This means we hold our brothers and sisters accountable. We seek to be held accountable by our brothers and sisters. We want to stumble together toward Christ in all we do. This is not a complacent community by God’s vibrant loving community.

This is worship. We are not complacent to sit back and be presented at a worship service. We want to be involved and experience the worship service. This does not necessarily mean any certain movement on our part or look the same for everyone. But it does involve the congregation not being passive but active participants. We are not complacent consumers but active worshippers.

This is evangelical. We are not complacent anymore to watch people head toward hell and do nothing about it. We pray, we share, we go, we love, and we trust God is working in those around us to bring them to faith. Too often Christians can be complacent with people’s eternity, and we can no longer live in such a way.

Complacent Christians are a win for the Devil. So, throw off complacency and follow Christ. 

LOOK AT IT THIS WAY: Abraham Would Never Have Discovered God’s Amazing Plans For His Life Unless He Was first Willing To LEAVE The SAFETY And Prosperity Of A familiar and secure place! The Disciples Would Have Always Been Just Another Bunch Of Fishermen Unless They Had Been Willing To Abandon The Security Of Their Career For The Call Of Jesus! Noah Would Have Never Reaped The Blessings From Obediently Building The Ark if he waited comfortably for God to send the rain before he read the blueprints! Ruth would have missed Boaz if she remained under Naomi’s arms instead of obeying Naomi’s instructions to lay at his feet until he arose! Deborah Would Have No Song To Sing If she sat back complacently and told Barack, just go on without me, you got this! If Mary Waited For The Plan Of God To Make Sense To Everybody Around Her Before She stepped out and made the bold declaration, let it be to me as you have spoken, she would have missed out on being the mother of Jesus! Peter could never have known what it was to walk on water if he had not climbed out of what comfortably CARRIED HIM! Imagine If Samuel Asked Jesse For Any More Of His Sons, And They Went Out To Get David, That David’s Response Was, no thanks, that whole king, kingdom, crown, and anointing thing seems like a lot of work and headache. I’ll just stick to what I know and stay comfortable in this here pasture! What about Paul? We could easily understand if he decided to say, God, you, and I both know where I come from and what I did. It is nice that you want to use me regardless, but I do not think I want to deal with the hassle of all the critics addressing my past. I will just write a letter or two on your behalf, to your churches, behind the scenes and sign it anonymously! Just Imagine If Jesus Said I’ll WAIT FOR A MORE COMFORTABLE METHOD OF SALVATION FOR THE WORLD, THAT CROWN AND CROSS, THOSE NAILS AND SPEARS, ALL LOOK A BIT TOO UNCOMFORTABLE FOR ME TO BEAR!  

Listen: God has much more of Him that He wants you to experience, but it will ONLY happen as you move beyond all your usual security blankets and abandon yourself to total trust in Him! He has so much more He wants to do with your life, BUT IT’S BEYOND YOUR COMFORT ZONE! Like those baby birds, you were not created to just hunker down in a safe, secure little nest – a nest that is becoming increasingly uncomfortably small! No, you are destined to soar! Therefore, do not let the comfortability of the nest kill you!

After examining the topic of complacency, I have personally realized that it is easy to fall into the sin of complacency. The creator of the universe calls us to glorify Him, in our worship, praises, devotions and we struggle to attend church or spend time in study and prayer. We take what is holy and treat it as mundane.

DANIEL – a man who was under the rule of three major rulers, yet he led a life of humbleness and never let complacency overtook him. Because of the power he had people around him, started envying him, and placed traps to remove him and we know the rest of the story. So, we need to start asking ourselves when we compare ourselves with Daniel. Are we leaving a complacent life in the offices? Do people in the office or workplace know this is not you - you will not compromise on bribe, lie, go against your moral standards. It is not because you are great but because it is the God whom we serve is great and we belong to him and that is why we hold our moral standard high or where you study, do they know who you are? What is not negotiable with Daniel, they knew it very well? And they started to use that against Daniel. Daniel teaches that all throughout his life his priority was God. Honor God and He will add Glory to you.

Listen, complacency is a serious matter, and this is a sin. We must confess our sin to the Lord and allow Him to purify us of that which taints our lives and souls. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” This promise still holds true for all of us even today. So repent, break free from complacency, and bring honor to God.

DON’T LET COMFORTABILITY, CARELESSNESS, AND COMPLACENCY KILL YOUR CALLING!

Write the book; preach the sermon; teach the lesson; play the instrument; travel the land; go back to school; apply for the mortgage, the scholarship, the grant; the loan; start the business…whatever it is, stop procrastinating! Just because the opportunity came once, is no guarantee it will come again!

In a Nutshell: All you have is TODAY! Tomorrow is promised to NO MAN! Therefore, stop deferring till the morning what you can do TODAY! When the Spirit gives you a GO, do not allow your Flesh to STOP you! Do not make excuses; don’t blame others or point fingers to accuse. No, this is your life, the only one you get, so make the best and most of it!

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com

Justice Is Hard To Come By In This World. Courts Do Make Mistakes And Sometimes Innocent People Suffer For Crimes They Did Not Commit. That’s What Happened To Jesus. He Died A Criminal’s Death: No One Spoke Up For Him. What Is Behind Jesus Silence?

 Justice Is Hard To Come By In This World. Courts Do Make Mistakes And Sometimes Innocent People Suffer For Crimes They Did Not Commit. That’s What Happened To Jesus. He Died A Criminal’s Death. This Was Jesus, No One Spoke Up For Him. When He Was Crucified 2000 +Years Ago. What Is Behind Jesus Submissive Silence?

Though he had done no wrong, uttered no threats, committed no crime, and had hurt no one, the powers that be decided that he had to die. So, they trumped up charges against him, shuffled him from one hearing to another, and in the end, they got what they wanted.

Sometimes courts make mistakes. He died a criminal’s death, hanging between two thieves. But he didn’t deserve to be there.

When Isaiah considers the death of the Servant of the Lord, he stresses how Christ responded to unjust accusations, how no one came to his aid, and how even his burial testified to the wrong way he was treated. This passage ought to drive us to our knees in gratitude to Jesus for what he endured for our salvation.

Let’s begin by considering what Jesus didn’t do and what He didn’t say when He stood before his accusers.

I. His Submissive Silence

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (v. 7).

Sometimes you are known by what you don’t say. In this case, Isaiah prophesied that Christ would not open his mouth to defend himself, even in the face of certain death. Hundreds of years later that came true when he stood in front of his accusers:

“But Jesus kept silent” (Matthew 26:63).

“He did not answer” (Matthew 27:12).

“But he kept silent and did not answer” (Mark 14:61).

“But Jesus made no further answer” (Mark 15:5).

“But he answered him nothing” (Luke 23:9).

“But Jesus gave him no answer” (John 19:9).

Sometimes you are known by what you don’t say.

When Jesus stood before Pilate and Caiaphas, he would not defend himself, and he did not try to explain himself. In the case of Caiaphas, his mind was already made up. Pilate’s situation was different. Because he was confused about Jesus’ identity, he did not have a bias against him. But even with Pilate, Jesus would only speak to force him to make a decision, not to enter into a debate with him.

Pilate had to decide what to do with Jesus. In that sense, he stands for all of us. Once Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, he should have let him go. But he didn’t. We can speculate about Pilate’s motives for hours, but in the end, he could not wash his hands of the guilt of Jesus’ blood. Jesus spoke to him only to help him come to a decision. Once he knew the truth (that Jesus was innocent), the Lord had nothing more to say to him.

Pilate stands for all of us. When Peter wrote to the beleaguered, scattered, persecuted Christians in the first century, he used this passage as an example for how to respond when you are attacked for your faith:

“For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:21-23).

The greatest honor is to be like Jesus. According to Peter, following Jesus means that sometimes we will suffer even when we have done nothing wrong. The greatest honor for any Christian is to be like Jesus. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. Though he did no wrong, he was betrayed, tried, denied, and crucified. Though he never sinned, he was hated by the power brokers who plotted to kill him. The same thing will happen to us. People close to us will disappoint us, and some will turn against us. How will we respond?

Peter points to Jesus and says, “He did not retaliate.” When we are insulted, our natural inclination is to return an insult for an insult. But Jesus chose a better way. As the old spiritual puts it, “He never said a mumbling’ word.” When he stood before Pilate and Herod, and when he faced the jeering mob, he uttered no insults, he made no threats.

When they scourged him, he didn’t retaliate. When the soldiers put the crown of thorns on his head, he didn’t curse at them. When they drove the nails in his hands and feet, he didn’t threaten them. When the bystanders spat at him, he didn’t spit back. When they swore at him, he didn’t swear back.

You find out what you really believe when others mistreat you. You find out what you really believe when others mistreat you. Sometimes the real test of your faith is what you don’t do. Sometimes you’ll be a better Christian by not saying anything at all.

When you are mistreated, repeat these four sentences: It’s not about me. It’s not about now. It’s all about God. It’s all about eternity.

Was Jesus a victim? He was truly the Silent Savior who, having all power in his hands, decided not to use it against those who tormented him. According to Martin Luther King, Jr., “We must say to our enemies, ‘I love you. I would rather die than hate you.’” That is the exact spirit of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2.

II. His Unjust Sentence

“By oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people, he was punished” (v. 8).

Who protested the death of Christ? Who spoke out against this injustice? Who came to his defense?

The answer is no one. Of all the major personalities involved in the death of Christ, ironically it was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, who showed the most concern for

Christ. Unlike his trial before Caiaphas when he would not defend himself, Jesus engaged in a dialogue with Pilate because the governor seems on one level to have been seeking the truth. At least he came to the right conclusion. Three times he said, “I find no guilt in him.”

In the end, he caved to pressure and sentenced Jesus to death. His guilt is therefore all the greater because he knew what he was doing. I would rather die than hate you”.

No one spoke up for Jesus because no one could speak up. The Jewish leaders were so enraged with Jesus that they were determined to kill him. Fueled by fear and jealousy over a Galilean rabbi they could not control and did not understand, they paid off Judas, arrested Jesus at night, put him through six hearings before morning, and then stood by as the Romans put him to death.

He was cut off, Isaiah says.

He died before his time.

He was only a young man, in his early 30s when he died.

No one spoke up for Jesus. When a man dies young, we think of all he might have accomplished, the songs that might have been composed, books that might have been written, and amazing discoveries that might have been made.

“He might have won a Nobel Prize.”

“She might have been our first female president.”

“He might have won an Oscar.”

“She might have been a superstar.”

And on goes the sad speculation about what might have been.

That may be our worst fear . . . that we will die before our time.

We die too young . . ..

Or we die too soon . . .

Or we die with our work unfinished . . .

Or we die with our dreams unfulfilled.

You cannot say that about Jesus.

What else did he have left to accomplish?

He was put to death for the transgression of his own people.

Jesus finished all He came to do.

Only one person in history never left behind any unfinished business. His name is Jesus Christ. He is the only person who could come to the end of his life and say—with absolute and total truthfulness— “I have finished everything I set out to do.”

Just before Jesus died, he cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Note that he did not say, “I am finished,” for that would imply that he died defeated. Rather, He cried out “It is finished,” meaning “I successfully completed the work I came to do.”  It is the Savior’s cry of victory.

Since Jesus Christ paid in full the price for our sins, the work of salvation is now complete. That’s what we mean when we talk about the “finished work” of Jesus Christ. That’s not just a slogan; it’s a profound spiritual truth. What Jesus accomplished in his death was so awesome, so total, so complete that it could never be repeated, not even by Jesus himself.

His work is “finished.” There is nothing more God could do to save the human race. There is no Plan B.  Plan A (the death of Christ) was good enough.

III. His Humble Grave

“He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (v. 9). How could this be? How could Jesus be assigned a grave with the wicked and yet also with the rich in his death?

The work of salvation is now complete. When Isaiah wrote these words, he no doubt must have wondered about this himself. The wicked and the rich generally end up in different places. A truly wicked person might be buried in an unmarked grave or in some obscure corner of a cemetery. We bury the wicked with dishonor and with as little fanfare as possible. But the rich we honor with monuments and flowers and generous inscriptions. We make sure that 100 years from now passers-by will know that “an important man is buried here.”

We forget the wicked and remember the rich. That’s how the world works. So how could Jesus be counted both with the wicked and with the rich in his burial? R. T. Kendall (Why Jesus Died, pp. 151-152) points out that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy three ways: First, when Barabbas, a genuine criminal, was set free, and Jesus quite literally died in his place.

Second, when he died alongside the two criminals who were also crucified that day at Calvary.

Third, when he died for sinners everywhere by taking their iniquity upon himself (“the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all,” v. 6). Romans 5:8 tells us that Christ died for sinners, and Romans 4:5 even says that God justifies the wicked. Though he lived a sinless life, Jesus died for sinners and thus was assigned a grave with the wicked.

Christ died a sinner’s death though he himself was sinless. But where was he buried? In a tomb borrowed from a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57-60).

Thus, even the burial of Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy to the letter. Even though no one could have foreseen it in advance, both the nature of his death (by crucifixion) and the place of his burial (a rich man’s tomb) fulfilled prophecy given 700 years earlier.

All of this happened even though Jesus was innocent.

He had done no violence.

He committed no sin.

He told no lies.

The Only Righteous Man

It’s hard for us to grasp how amazing this is because we have nothing to compare to it. That is, we don’t exactly know what being “sinless” is because all of us are sinners.

He was pure, holy, and perfect in every way. He never sinned, not even one time. Though he was severely tempted, he never gave in. All the rest of us fall so far short that we cannot begin to be compared to him. He is the only righteous man ever to walk this earth. And we crucified him.

His reward for doing God’s will was a bloody Roman cross. Here is the wonder of grace at work. From the murder of a perfect man came God’s plan to rescue the human race.

Christ died for us while we were still” sinners. Out of the worst evil, God brought forth the greatest good. Only God could have done it.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Note the little word “still.” We were “still” sinners when Christ died for us. He didn’t die for us while we were still “church members” or “good people” or “law-abiding citizens” or “nice neighbors” or “high achievers,” but he died for us while we were still lost in our sin and far away from God. That’s the truth about all of us. Christ died for sinners because it is only sinners that can be saved.

For Sinners Only

How do we encounter the benefits of Christ’s death? Reach out with the empty hands of faith and trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior. The door to heaven is marked,

“For Sinners Only.” If you are a sinner, you can come in. No one else needs applies. Christ died so that sinners like you and me could be saved. Here is God’s call to us today: “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’” (Isaiah 1:18). And here is God’s promise to those who come by faith: “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

What we could not do for ourselves, God has done for us through the death of his Son. The only thing left is to believe in him. Turn from your sin, lay down your self-will, and lay hold of the Son of God who loves you and died for you. Cast yourself completely on Jesus for your salvation. If you trust in him with all your heart, he will not turn you away. This is the promise of God to all who believe in Jesus. God help you to trust in him.

Psalm 46, “God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas, Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!   There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Highest. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning].   The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.   The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our Fortress and High Tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!   Come behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth.   He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.  Be still and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!   The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our High Tower and Stronghold). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!” (AMPC)

“…Jesus…Cried Out With A Loud Voice…” Father, ‘Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit…” (Luke 23:46 NKJV).

LESSON 7: RELEASE IT TO GOD! Some of the issues we struggle with seem to be never-ending, like money worries, family problems and health concerns. Even when we get a break and should be resting, we sit up anticipating the worst, wondering, “How long, Lord?” Well, the only way to have Real Peace is to Commit the Outcome to God! When Jesus cried, “…Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit…” It Was a Cry of Release! It was an Act of Trust that meant Surrendering Control to the Father

(Something we’ve Yet to learn to do!) The atoning blood had been shed; salvation’s work was finally complete! But before Jesus could pray That Prayer, He FIRST had to pray, “Father, If You Are Willing, Take This Cup From Me; Yet Not My Will, But Yours Be Done” (Luke 22:42 NIV) And that’s a prayer we must each learn to pray! In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul wrote: “All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised Him to life. I want to suffer and die as He did, so that somehow, I also may be raised to life” (CEV). We all want to rule and reign with Christ Someday, we just don’t want to submit our will to His Today! But it does not work like that!

Jack Hayford writes: “The charted course…always has been…the way of the cross.’ The cross not only calls us to Jesus, but it also calls us to a life, to the wisdom of God’s ways in all our relationships and pursuits…to the pattern of Jesus…in the face of our deepest struggles.” So, whatever you’re wrestling with today, Release it to God once and for all! When you do, you’ll experience His peace, and you won’t be disappointed with the outcome!

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus is saying cry out to me today. Jesus lives, and Jesus reigns. Crying Out To Jesus. The battlefield of the mind is a sensitive place. It is where Satan does his best work: When we can’t help ourselves and call for help, when we’re pushed beyond our limits, when we’re pulled out of our comfort zone, when we don’t like where we are and want out, when we don’t like who we are and want a change; We reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. “Help Lord” is our natural cry. Prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because we’re always in trouble at some level, Finances, Family, Health and on and on. It requires no special preparation, no precise vocabulary, and no appropriate posture. It springs from us in the face of necessity and, in time, becomes our habitual response to every issue, good and bad, we face in life. His help is only a prayer away. (Phil. 4:6) A powerful and yet - a simple prayer to pray is: I trust you Lord; That simple little prayer can give you so much comfort.

When you pray the promises instead of the problems not only will it change your attitude from a victim to a victor, but also Jesus’ Word coming out of your mouth is powerful. When He hears His Word coming out of you, He dispatches angels with the answers, He sets miracles into motion, and He will begin to change things.

It may not happen overnight but stay in faith and keep reminding Him of what He promised you day in and day out. Instead of complaining say, “Lord you said.” Instead of begging say, “Lord you said.” Instead of describing the circumstances say, “Abba Father you said.” If you get in a habit of praying His promises back to Him, you will see Jesus at work in your life. His Word and all His promises are yes.

The Only Begotten Son of God

There is one doctrine that all the others rest upon. It is the rock-bottom, foundation of the Christian faith: Jesus of Nazareth is the only begotten* Son of God. Without this core belief, all the others are meaningless. Christianity stands upon the person of Jesus of Nazareth as the only begotten Son from eternity past and into the future forever. He is unique because He is the only begotten Son of God.

The seven sayings are gathered from the four gospels. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus cries out to God. In Luke, He forgives His killers, reassures the penitent thief, and commends His spirit to the Father. In John, He speaks to His mother, says He thirsts, and declares the end of His earthly life.

Jesus' Last Seven Words From The Cross:

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

• Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
• Woman, behold, thy son! Behold, thy mother!
• My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
• I thirst.
• It is finished.
• Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

Blessings

J.P. Olson

www.thewordwithjpolson.com