Are you discontented with an empty, meaningless, pointless life where everything just focuses on you and your own pleasures? Have you found out that what you have is not satisfying; so you get another goal; and then, when you reach it, you find out it’s not satisfying either?  You are not alone.

Over and over in Scripture, we see people desperately crying out to God for mercy.  Whether it was the sick, the crippled, or the demon-possessed, these people came to Jesus seeking His mercy for their problems.  What is it that brings a person to a position where they are conscious of their need for mercy from God?  Hebrews 4:1, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” These people who are conscious of their need for God’s mercy are motivated to come boldly to God for mercy because of fear.  I understand that Jesus said, “Fear not” oftentimes to his disciples.  There are some things we should not fear; but at the same time, there is a healthy fear that every Christian ought to have. I want my life to count for Jesus Christ.  I want to know that I made a positive difference in this world.   I want my wife and our children to know that I was a man of God, and I had an influence in their life.   I want to be a faithful pastor.  However, I live with fear of falling short of that goal.  I do not want to do anything, be anything, or go anywhere that will ruin the potential that I have for Jesus Christ in this life. So, I am motivated by that fear. People who are conscious of their need for God’s mercy are motivated by fear.

People who seek God’s mercy are also motivated by the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Bible is alive, and it beats with the heartbeat of Jesus Christ.  It is far more than just pieces of paper in a bound book; it is the living Word of God. That means it is current for every generation. If the Bible is doing what it should in your life, it will be like a two-edged sword.  Swords are very motivating. If I said, “Move out of the way,” you might say, “Why should I?” But, if I had a sharp two-edged sword, and I poked you with it, you would move out of the way without any argument.

It is tragic, but many people have a relationship with the Bible that does not move them. As a result, they are not very conscious of their need for God and His mercy in their lives. When God’s Word starts piercing and dividing asunder your soul and spirit, you are going to be motivated to go to God for help.  When it begins to cut you, when it begins to reveal, as He says here in this verse, “the thoughts and intents of the heart,” you see your need for mercy very clearly.   Think about your thought life.  Aren’t you glad there is not a little monitor where everyone can actually see and hear what you are thinking?  When people are cut by the Word of God, it drives them to seek God’s mercy.

Do you seek God’s mercy today?  It is available, my friend, for his mercies “are new every morning.”

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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Good Morning!  Looking again today at I Thessalonians 2, I want to direct your attention to verse eleven.  Paul likens his balanced ministry to a father with his children, ^“As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.” I know that not everyone has the privilege of growing up with a godly father who expressed his love and guided his children.  But, there is nothing sweeter than a close parent-child relationship.  My 12-year-old son, Justin, still comes in to say good night to me.  I would not trade anything for the time we spend together, talking about the things of God, praying for each other and for God’s work in our church and our lives. I have never seen a parent shout and berate a child into good behavior.  But, I have seen patience and love work amazing transformations.  This is true with all relationships. You are not going to shout anybody into getting right with God.  You are not going to criticize anybody into getting right with God.  You are not going to insult anyone into getting right with God. Remember, the “goodness of God leadeth [them] to repentance.”

When working with people, Paul reminds us in verse 12, “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you into his kingdom and glory.” This is the vision that Paul and others had when they first came to Thessalonica; it had a vision that was “eternal”. Why do people do ministry? Why should we disciple others?  Sadly, some people do it for personal, selfish reasons. Paul said, “I want you to know that our vision for you is that you walk worthy of the vocation in which God has called to you; worthy of His kingdom; worthy of His glory.” Oftentimes, our efforts to help people with the truth of this Word are curtailed and hindered because we lose sight of the eternal nature of our purpose.  Paul and his team started out focused on the long-term goal, and they kept that focus no matter what else was going on around them.

After all is said and done, it really is not about our comfort.  It is not really about changing people to benefit us or even ultimately to benefit them. It is ultimately for Him.

The church in Thessalonica was not just great while Paul and Silas and others were there, because those people were not focused on pleasing Paul and others. They were not just “toeing the line” because someone, a spiritual leader, a mentor was overseeing them. They caught a vision that they could walk worthy of the vocation that God has called them fulfill. How do we “minister” when no one is looking?  We must walk worthy.  It is absolutely essential, but it will never happen unless we continually work in this matter of blending and balancing our mercy and truth in presenting God’s Word to others.  Your ministry, whether to an entire church or a single individual, will succeed to the extent that it matches this pattern established by Paul and his team.  Let us all learn from their example.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury

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How does the Hid-N-Life relate to my affections? If I appropriate my identity in Christ by faith, I need to also cooperate with God’s Spirit as He “restores my soul.” This process of renewal in the mind, will, and emotions (Romans 12:1-2) depends on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

An aspect of this renewal that has been impressed upon me lately is that of renewing the affections. If Christ is my life, I will delight in that which HE delights. My affections will be directed to what is valuable to Him.

How prone the flesh is to delight in the sensual and carnal desires of this fallen world. I recently heard a great definition to help identify present day idols in the lives of 20^th century Christians. One simple question will reveal unhealthy delights. How would you respond if it is taken from you? Idols are a very real addiction in our society today. This should be no surprise to us as it is in the list Paul gave us for the manifestations of the flesh. James rebuked the early Christians for following after their own lust or pleasures (James 4:1-3). Why else would John need to caution us in his first epistle? 1John 2:15-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” This delight to have, be and do can be changed by the inside persuasion of a new spirit as well as the Spirit of God.

The true believer has the blessing of a regenerated human spirit – “the new man” (Colossians 3:10). We have been made partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Yet the soul is still vulnerable to the forces of the world, the flesh, and the devil. “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” 1 Peter 2:11.

When the Lord Jesus is functioning as my LORD and LIFE, He will redirect my AFFECTIONS. What should we delight in?

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

(Psalm 37:4)

Delight in God’s perfect will –  “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

Delight in the Word of God – “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.”

(Psalm 119:162)

Delight in God’s moral principles – “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”

(Romams 7:22)

Delight in God’s comfort – “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.”

(Psalm 94:19)

Delight in the Second Coming –  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

(1Peter 1:13)

Delight in the blessing of eternal fellowship with God – “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

(Psalm 16:11)

Evan Hopkins wrote, “We shall seek what we love and delight in. It is where our treasure is that our heart will be also. ‘Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is nothing upon earth I desire beside Thee.’ What are the things we are seeking? It is those things that are filling our thoughts and attracting our affections. It is upon these we set our wills and concentrate our energies. It is not difficult to seek what we love.

Will we ask God to search our heart and redirect our affections to where they belong?

Our Father, we confess that our affections tend to get misdirected as we live by sight instead of by faith. Illumine us so that we will set our hearts on things above, where Christ, Who is our life, is seated with You. Continually restore our soul by redirecting our affections to what is eternally worthy. Amen.

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Christianity without Christ is Boring!

II Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

The other day my wife and I were discussing the alarming rate at which we have noticed people dropping out of ministry and even out of local churches altogether. There are many excuses that people give for the dropout rate; however, I believe that much of it boils down to the fact that people are sick of “going through the motions” of a dead religion. How frustrating it is to try and start a car when the tank is on empty or trying to use a flashlight with the wrong type of battery. We need more people around to show them that Jesus Christ is alive! They need to realize the power of God living within them!

I would rather be a Christian than anything I know. Being able to live the very life of Jesus Christ on earth, right here and right now, and tap into the limitless resources of his Deity to accomplish only those purposes designed by almighty God is the most exciting life anyone can live.

It is exciting to work in a ministry that exposes the hidden life to so many different kinds of people, especially those that participate in one of our conferences, or listen to a tape or a book that explains this hidden life in Christ. At first, the hearer is often bewildered by what they hear, and many times it seems to go right over their head. Then slowly, they come to a moment of truth where it becomes so obviously clear. You can watch their faces as if the proverbial light bulb came on. They begin to see the truths of the crucified Christian life and realize how profound they are; yet simple, thus making them simply profound.

Paul expressed a grave concern to the church at Corinthians regarding this process of understanding the crucified Christian life. He even called it a fear that he had. The context of 2 Corinthians 11, Paul had just compared the church to a virgin, soon to be presented as a bride to her Redeemer, yet he was reminded of how the first woman, Eve, was deceived by a tempter, and led astray from walking with God to knowing about God.

II Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear (alarmed that it would happen again), lest by any means (no limit to gain a result), as the serpent beguiled Eve (to adapt temptation to a person’s character or circumstances) through his subtilty (trickery), so your mind should be corrupted (your thoughts should be perverted) from the simplicity that is in Christ (a single hearted devotedness to Him).

Paul was anxiously concerned that nothing in their lives should detract from the simplicity that was in Christ. That simplicity is found in Galatians 2:20, particularly in the phrase, “yet not I” I am also inclined that many Christians today believe they can have a relationship with the Lord by what they do for Him in the local church. Their mind has been “perverted”, that is to have an intended meaning altered, misrepresented, and corrupted. When the mind is corrupt, it is manifested by the affections being alienated from the proper object and the soul is filled with its own purposes and desires. The end result is our heart is alienated from not only the Source but the power gained from that Source. We’ll never have a relationship with Him because of what we do; we’ll only have a relationship with Him because of what He did. I also witness those who minister to people with the idea that they’re a good Christian if they do “these things” and the Christian life/discipleship is based on an outward appearance instead of an inward relationship. The utmost need in every ministry and in every outreach and in every denomination is to rediscover the Lord Jesus Christ and the Person of His indwelling Presence within the believer.

Today we can encounter the living, risen Lord who shares His life with us on our way to Heaven … so that He may accomplish through us what He began to do in His own physical body 2,000 years ago. What a fantastic privilege! Today allow that phrase ring in your heart, “yet not I” and experience the abundant life instead of a redundant life.

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2 Corinthians 3:17-18: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

It is a great privilege to live in America and to enjoy a freedom that few nations have ever known. But it is a far greater privilege to be “born again” and to enjoy the spiritual freedom available only in Jesus Christ. This freedom is given through the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, enabling us to know and to do the will of God as revealed in the Scriptures. Note three things from our text which will help us to understand and appreciate the wonderful liberty we have in the Spirit of God.

First, note the POTENTIAL of our liberty in the Spirit. Every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment of conversion. Thus, the potential of true liberty is found in the words “where the spirit of the Lord is” (v. 17b). Believers are not told to seek the Holy Spirit for He already dwells within. But we are told to yield to the Holy Spirit and when we do, the potential of liberty in the Spirit becomes a reality. One of the greatest deceptions of our day is the use of psychology and “brainwashing” techniques to help us supposedly discover our “hidden potential.” While these methods claim to give “liberty“ they will enslave us, for only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can any believer reach his full potential and enjoy full freedom.

Second, note the POSITION of our liberty in the Spirit. Our position before God is perfect for we stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ’s imputed righteousness, we are able to come boldly and confidently to the Throne of Grace for help in any time of need.

Third, note the POSSESSION of our liberty in the Spirit. Every believer has been sealed by the Spirit of God until the day of redemption. We may grieve the Holy Spirit but He cannot be “grieved away” as some mistakenly teach. The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s children is a continuous work. We may hinder or delay that work and fail to enjoy the liberty God wants us to have, but that work never ceases, that liberty never ends.

Every believer should earnestly desire to be more like Christ with every passing day. And, as we keep our eyes upon the Christ of the Scriptures, we will be “changed into the same image” (v. 18). How thankful we all should be for the glorious liberty of the children of God. I pray that you will walk in that liberty today and live a victorious Christian life.

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