Staying Tough & Tender

As we walk out our relationship with the Lord, it is necessary that we remain tough to persevere through the hard times when the difficulties of life come against us. However, we also must remain tender to freely give love & receive love. It is a fine line that we must walk & also a progressive growth as we mature.

As people are learning to walk this out, the young ones typically swing from one extreme to the other—either finding their identity completely in what people think or who tells them to do what—or becoming totally rebellious & blocking people out of their lives & hearts altogether.

Many times, those older have been burned so much that they shut their passion & emotions down, so that they do not feel. They do not take the risk of opening their heart anymore, because they do not want to feel the pain of rejection or the pain of watching someone walk away.

This is often seen in evangelism & discipleship, because people get tired of reaching out with their whole heart, then watching the people walk away from God. It is also seen in marriage & relationships. Also, this kind of thing can happen in people who reach out for healing or the supernatural.

The way we remain tough in perseverance, however, is not to wall off our heart, but to plumb-line our spirits with the Word of God where we believe it absolutely 100%--even when we do not see a manifestation of it at the present time. Also, we keep our heart & emotions tender by constantly dialoguing with the Lord over the Word, our emotions, & our present circumstances.

Looking at the life of Jesus, He was the most tough, persevering hero throughout history; yet he was also extremely tender, loving, & compassionate. Everything He did was full of passion. As we learn to walk out life in friendship with Jesus, we will continue to grow tough towards opposition, but tender & loving towards God’s people & the things that are on His heart.

Humanism: Adversary to Understanding God's Justice

The base premise of humanism is that man is inherently good. If man is good in his very nature, then man will be able to progress to have unity, equality, tolerance, and great accomplishment. Humanism has permeated every area of our society, & even societies all over the world.

If we do not believe that humans are evil in their very nature, then we will constantly be at war with the idea of God’s justice. Justice is when God gives the just reward for an action. However, if men believe that they are “good people,” then they will see no need for salvation, and they will not rightly understand the mercy or justice of God.

Men blame God when something bad happens—“If He was a God of Love, then why did He allow this to happen?” However, humans do not understand that God is also Just, and He allows actions of sin and lawlessness to reach the maturity of their fruit, which is actually a fulfillment of justice.

The reason we do not understand the Justice of God and the need for His judgments is because somewhere in the dark recesses of our mind, we believe that we are good. Although we would never say it, we actually believe that in some way, we can fulfill our own righteousness. Somehow, we believe that we deserve better than what God is giving us.

The main reason for this war in our minds is believing that men are good by nature. When we finally see that men are not good by nature, we will begin to understand the need for God’s justice, and we will begin to be thankful for His mercy & forgiveness.

If you need to be convinced of the inherent evil nature of man, just watch a couple of toddlers play together for a few minutes. That will do it.

Difference Between Mercy & Justice

Along with the confusion between grace & mercy, people also have confusion between justice & mercy. Many believe that mercy & justice are against each other, but really, they are two sides of the same coin.

The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross was mercy for us because it was something that we did not deserve; it was God’s heart reaching out to His people to give them a chance to turn back to Him again.

However, the Cross of Christ was also justice, because it was a judgment against evil & the fulfillment of all righteousness & all the Law.  It was seemingly unjust, because an innocent man died for the guilty, but because it was a voluntary act of love—it was a fulfillment of justice.

Now, those who call upon the mercy of God and His redemptive work of the Cross are covered by the blood of Jesus which is necessary for all justice & righteousness to be fulfilled. All of those who do not accept this free gift through the mercy of God will be judged according to the absolute justice of God without the covering of the blood of Jesus which filled that necessary vacuum of injustice.

Many ask, "If God is love, why does He judge?" God is Love, but He is also a Judge. He is Merciful, and He is also Just. He is loving and He is Holy. It is difficult for us to fathom, because we cannot hold this seeming opposites in perfect balance like the Lord can.

When God breaks in on a sickness through healing, He is releasing mercy to the person who does not deserve it because of their own righteousness, and He is fulfilling justice by responding to the completed work of the blood of Jesus. He is also fulfilling justice by judging the evil sickness, disease, & death which Jesus conquered on the Cross.

When God saves or delivers someone, He is extending mercy to them, because in their own power, they do not deserve that salvation or deliverance, but because they are applying the legal transaction of Jesus on the Cross, they are appealing to the legal implications of His complete fulfillment of the Law.

Many ask why God is allowing wickedness to keep prevailing and getting darker. It is because He has extended mercy so many will turn. However, at times when He does release judgments, it is also mercy, because people’s eyes are opened to the grave nature of their sin, and they are given the opportunity to turn. Also, those who do not turn are removed; thus, releasing mercy on those who evil was tormenting.

We must understand that God can hold all of His attributes in complete and perfect balance. God is both merciful and just, and we cannot pit mercy and justice against each other as though they were enemies. They are both part of the nature of God, and we should ask Him to help us understand them more.

Difference Between Mercy & Grace

So many times, I hear the words “mercy” and “grace” used interchangeably in conversations. I also speak several languages, and I often hear people translate grace for mercy and mercy for grace. This is an error. I believe it is a doctrinal error more than a translation error. People do not understand the difference between mercy and grace. They are not the same thing.

Mercy is getting what we do not deserve. This is when we deserve punishment, but God takes the punishment away or delays it to give us time to turn. God was merciful to us by sending His own Son to die on the cross to take away the punishment that we rightfully deserve because of sin.

Grace, however, is the ability or power to do something. The Greek word charis means “grace” and has a similar meaning to the word “gift.” It is where we get the words charisma, charismata, and charismatic. These words all trace back to a gift, ability, or power to be able to accomplish a specific purpose or task.

Why is it important to distinguish between grace and mercy? Because when I say, “God, give me mercy…” I am asking Him to forgive me for my wrongs and give me something I do not deserve. I am asking Him to take away my punishment that I rightfully deserve. When I say, “God, give me grace…” I am asking Him for the ability to walk in holiness and not walk in sin.

If I am praying for someone and I say, “God, release your grace over them,” then I am asking God to give them the ability to walk in holiness and righteousness. However, if someone translates it as, “God, release your mercy over them,” then the meaning changes to, “God, give them the ability to receive your forgiveness for sin, and give them something that they do not deserve.” Both are good prayers and both are needed, but they are not the same.

The problem is that when we have a wrong view of the difference between grace and mercy, we will not correctly see the need for holiness. God gives us the grace to walk in holiness, but He gives us mercy for when we fail. We cannot use them interchangeably, because it will cause a disaster in our theology to the point where we do not understand the need for grace in relation to holiness.

Hebrews 4:16 says that we “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We obtain mercy at the throne of God by being covered with the blood of Jesus who took away our punishment for sin. Then, we find grace in our time of need to strengthen us in walking out our salvation.

Perfected Forever Those Being Sanctified

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified… (Hebrews 10:11-14)

“He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified…” What an amazing statement. This is saying that not only did Jesus complete our salvation of justification (we are saved), but also at the Cross, He completed our salvation of sanctification (we are being saved). Sanctification is the process of being made holy.

Also, this statement is saying that although we are currently in the process of “being sanctified,” we actually are already sanctified through His blood and the work is already finished in the sight of heaven.

Why does there seem to be such a contradiction between what we see in our lives and what this verse says about our sanctification being made complete? Why am I a new creation, but still have to put to death daily the deeds of the flesh? (II Cor. 5:17, Rom. 8:12-14, I Cor. 15:31)

This is where transformation comes into play. When we first accept Jesus into our hearts (justification), our spirit is made alive to Christ and we begin to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:3-11). Our spirit is 100% holy and pure, but our body, mind, will & emotions still need to be transformed. As we look at God, we begin to be transformed into His image (II Cor. 3:18).

Romans 12:1-3 outlines this process of transformation. It says first, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice…” This is the way new believers typically begin. They stop drinking, smoking, & sleeping around. Those things have to do with the body. They are presenting their bodies as living sacrifices.

Then it says, “Do not be conformed to the world…” This has to do with coming out of alignment with the way the world leads, which is self-serving and coming into alignment with the leadership of the Cross, which is seeming foolishness to the world (I Cor. 1-2).

Next, we are to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” which is bringing our mind out of the wisdom of the world into the wisdom of God. To do this, we must constantly be bringing our minds into alignment with Scripture and asking the Holy Spirit to lead our minds.

Then, the result is that we will be able to “test and approve what God’s will is”—this is how we bring our will into alignment with the Holy Spirit. Once the will is in alignment under the mind, which is under the Spirit, then the emotions will follow. Emotions are terrible leaders, but great followers. Also in the ideal scenario, the body is brought under subjection by the mind and the will which are being led by the Spirit.

Many of us think that this process of sanctification is impossible, and we want to give up. However, saying that we cannot have victory over sin is to deny the power of the cross in our lives. Jesus already “perfected forever those who are being sanctified…” This means that we must call forth that eternal reality in our daily lives and live as though we can taste it today. We must set that perfection before us and realize that the blood of Jesus was not only enough to save us from hell, but also enough to save us from living in sin. It is His blood that gives us the grace (ability, power) to walk in holiness.

Once Upon a Time in a Far-Away Land...

Ladies and Gentleman,

Come one, Come all…
While I tell you a tale, you are longing to hear,
Gather around and incline your ear…

Once upon a time, in a far-away land,

There lived in a garden a woman and a man.
The man’s name was Adam & the woman was Eve,
Once you hear the story, you are sure to believe…

They lived in a beautiful garden made by God,

And in the middle of the garden was something a little odd;
Placed there by the Creator, there were standing two trees—
Both were so beautiful, it would bring you to your knees…

Some say this was awful,

Others say it was mean;
But I personally believe that God was rather keen…

He spoke to Adam & gave him a command,

“On the Tree of Good & Evil, do not lay a hand…”

And of course, it’s no shocker—you know how the story goes…

Of which of the two trees, do you think Adam chose?

Did he choose the Tree of Life that he was allowed freely to eat?

Or at the prompting of his wife, did he fall into deceit?

We all know the story of how Adam fell;

It is a story that we all should know very well.

“I will be like God,” he said in his heart.

And from that very day, the world began to fall apart.

Now all us humans, point the blame back to Adam & to Eve,

But truly in our hearts, we all choose the same of those two trees.

“Why did God give us two trees,” you ask?

“Because He wanted us to surely fail this task?”

No, is the answer; it’s because He gave us a choice,

Always in the matter, Love has a voice.
God always lets us choose between the two trees,
And truly, we should learn from Adam & from Eve.
 

The Stories God Writes

Have you ever thought about the fact that God is an Author? It says in Hebrews 12 that He is the “Author and Perfecter of our faith.” God is actually a writer and He writes amazing stories.

The stories God writes are full of every element of a good story—suspense, drama, thrill, excitement, pain, sorrow, loss, romance, joy, despair, hope, life, and death. God does not write boring stories. He writes stories that take us on a journey of hope and trust in Him, stories that stretch our faith and perfect it.

Why did God write “history” like He did? Why did He have to grow through the promise of the Messiah, the long wait, the first Coming, His death and resurrection, and the long wait again for His Second Coming? It seems like God could have done it all quickly and gotten it over with—of course He could. But, God is an author who is writing one of the most spectacular stories ever written. When we look back over His Story, we will see the remarkable leadership of the best Author who has ever written. God writes beautiful stories.

Have you ever thought about the Book of Life being more than just a list of names? What if it is an actual “Book of Life”? What if it not only has our names written, but also has our stories written? Can you imagine God writing down Your story? Psalm 139:16-17 says, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

God keeps tracks of every person on the planet. He knows about the little decisions we make for Him and He writes them down in His book.

When I look back over my life, I can see the amazing way God writes a story. Even in the most tragic of experiences, God can turn into something beautiful. He gives beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning (Is. 61). God is an amazing Author. The bible even says that He keeps all of our tears in a bottle and writes them down in His book (Ps. 56:8). Psalm 69 says that the wicked will be blotted out of the book of the living that the names of the righteous are written in. In Malachi 3:16, a Book of Remembrance was written before the Lord of those who feared His name.

During the suspense, drama, waiting, and longing, we must remember that God is an amazing Author who is writing one of the best stories of all time. We must remember that He is the Author of our Faith and He will bring it to completion. Even through the ups-and-downs of a wild, thrilling story, we must learn to trust the Good Author and know that this story will have the happiest ending ever.