We... can do all things! What does that mean?

I have been contemplating for many months now, no, probably over a year, the tattoos and other promotional claims regarding Philippians 4:13. It is prominently displayed by many athletes as a tattoo or a wrist band or something that seems to signify that the wearer can be ‘successful’ at their particular endeavor because of some overly protective magic that Christ provides them; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”


I finally took the time to really read and review in meditation the actual context in which Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ makes this proclamation.

Firstly, he is not claiming some athletic or earthly victory here. He is speaking about the gifts given to him and his group of Evangelists as they travel the known world and proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about how the Philippian church provided for their physical needs back when they were in Thessalonica and no other ‘church’ provided for their physical needs during that time. He extols the fact that they have, finally, received the provisions that the Philippians have sent them, and Paul goes on to say that he rejoices in their gift, “not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.“ Phil 4:17. This is a benefit to the giver, not to Paul, spiritually.

Furthermore, looking directly at the verses before the Phil 4:13 “all things” statement, Paul is saying that he has learned to be ‘content’ in all things regarding FOOD. He’s not saying he’s become a superman or a Heisman Trophy winner because of Christ’s miraculous provision of strength and fortune, he’s talking about being ‘content’ from a physical sense whether he and his followers have enough provisions to meet their “daily bread”.

What is most interesting to me about this entire situation and miss-interpretation of the meaning of these verses is that it proves the point Paul made back in Philippians 3 -18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord

These two chapters; Philippians 3 and 4 as well as the entire book of Philippians, nay, the entire New Testament is about the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ’s coming, revealing God’s will to us and dying for our benefit. We are to be reverently admiring and glorifying God through our ‘calling’ to salvation through Jesus Christ. We are not to be claiming His secret powers or extolling his ‘favor’ upon us through our physical endeavors and ‘victories’.

We are called to grow to maturity in Him, to dedicate our very lives to knowing Him and the ‘power of His resurrection’ in our lives as we extol His mercy and grace, and, especially, call others to HIM! Matthew 28:19.

Praise Him!!

Amen

Blessed are those whose strength is in you

The Valley of Baca
By Os Hillman

October 4

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (Ps 84:5-7).

There is a spiritual law in the Kingdom of God. Every great leader in the Kingdom will pass through the Valley of Baca. Baca means to weep. It comes from the Hebrew word,bakah (baw-kaw'); a primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan.

However, Baca is also a place of springs. There is nothing better on a hot day when you're thirsty and weary than to drink water from a mountain spring. It refreshes. It renews. It gives you a second wind to continue your journey. Those who commit themselves to a pilgrimage with God will experience the Valley of Baca. But in the midst of Baca they will discover that in this valley they will also drink from a very special spring that refreshes with a different kind of living water.

It becomes the source of "secret things in hidden places" described by the prophet Isaiah (Isa 45:3) reserved only for those willing to journey on the Great Pilgrimage with God. Once you drink from this spring you will be energized in your spiritual man from strength to strength. Each Valley of Baca will result in a new spiritual spring from which you will drink. It is handmade just for you by God. But know this it will be used to provide a refreshing drink for others you will encounter who are also on their pilgrimage.

Ultimately, Baca leads to the presence of God. There is something about being in a place with God that results in our weeping and crying out to Him. Do you find yourself in this place with God today? If so, know that His springs are also available to you. Ask him today to give you a drink from His spring only available in the Valley of Baca.

Contact Os Hillman at http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/

We would do well to read and ponder the following....

1 John 3

1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Love one another

11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Once again, I cry... you answer

It is so amazing to me that the Lord is ever present in our lives, but, are we listening?

The call upon our lives is to .... "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33.  Well, when we do, He is faithful and just and will 'reveal Himself to us'.  I know because it happened again this morning.

I was having my time alone with the Father, had read the Os Hillman piece for the day; "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Our Lord never saw the mundane activities as ordinary. Whether He healed the sick or sat around the fire with the disciples, He did not see one activity as spiritual and the other non-spiritual. Life was lived as a holy service to His Heavenly Father.

Today, view every activity you do with an attitude of worship and communion with Jesus.

And this ran right into what I had been speaking about with a new friend of mine in Nashville, just yesterday.... then, I turn to http://www.biblegateway.com/ for the daily reading and it is Psalm 143:1 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
 
and in my normal process, I click on the verse and begin to read the entire Psalm;
 
Psalm 143

1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

I had, just yesterday told my friend that God is faithful and will hear us if we seek Him.  Here is the validation of that....

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
Here is another validation of what we spoke about; "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"

3 The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.
The world (the enemy) crushes us; causes us to see only frustration and darkness and 'death' when He is light, life and life more abundantly.  Are we only focused on the world, the darkness?  Where is the light?  In Him and in His Word.

4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

see above

5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.

Now, David, turns his eyes to the Lord, to His Word, as should we; to the light of life.

6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

David surrenders; spreads out his hands to acquiesce his life to the Lord.  Without Him our souls are dry and dead, thirsty and starving.  Surrender...

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Life is killing me, please answer me quickly, I need you!  Please don't allow me to go into complete despair like the world around me that is only 'playing' fulfillment.

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Here it is!!  "In the morning."  Every morning, every day... we must be in His presence; in His word, in prayer, in preparation for our mission of the day.  I trust... You, please, show me and enliven my soul to know You are there.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you.

It is a battle out there!!  Have no doubt about that.  God will rescue us from the world, from our own evil desires and our own failures as well as the sinful darkness that surround us.  Let us HIDE ourselves in Him!

10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

We need Him!  He will teach us.  He is 'faithful'.  His Spirit is active and alive in our lives.  We must seek Him and listen and act on His inspiration.

11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
This is all about Him, not us!  Everything associated with our life is about Him, His righteousness, His glory, His will, His orchestration of our lives.  Everything.

12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.

Father, empower us, defend us, bring down our enemies for we are YOUR servants; doing Your work, obeying Your precepts and laws, glorifying YOU and not succombing to the world in which we live.

We live for you.  We love you.  Please continue to rescue us!!

I love you all

Amen.

I will speak of God's reign as King of the universe.

Bear with me as I expound from my Spirit, my thoughts on this Psalm;

Psalm 116

1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

Even when I wasn't asking, the Lord heard my cry from my spirit.

2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

I appreciate His love and care for me so much, I will serve Him until I die, then serve Him forever

3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

I remember crying; "Why am I here?  Why am I so dissatisfied with life?  What is the answer?"

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD : "O LORD, save me!"

I remember this. I clearly remember asking for His presence in my life... 1979...

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

How could He hear me?  I was not worthy?  Really not worthy!!

6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

He protected me, continues to protect me.  I was meant to be in Him for eternity.

7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

Never have I been more at rest and peace.  I am free on this earth to serve Him and will for eternity.

8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Many times!  I do weep now, for joy.  I have given up stumbling. He guides and strengthens me to walk.

10 I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."

It was so evident that I was far from Him and I was a mess when I discovered His majesty.

11 And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."

This is so true and I was the worst.  Still; all men and women are liars.

12 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

I can't, but His call is to "Follow me."

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

Salvation.... the answer to life.  Thank you, Father, God!!!!

14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.

My vows are to love Him and my neighbor as myself and believe in Jesus Christ His Son.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Death to myself.  Life in Him.

16 O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.

The chains of eternal death.  The chains of slavery to the world of lies here on earth.  Free indeed!!

17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.

Everyday. You are real, Father. Your Spirit is guiding, counseling, protecting, reminding.  Thanks!

18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the LORD— in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

I will believe.  I will profess.  I will testify.  I will encourage others.  I will speak of God's reign as King of the universe.

Find Him!!

I love you;

Bill/Dad

REAL FREEDOM.. Indeed

We hear so much about Freedom these days and have for a number of years.  The definition is presented something like this; "I am free to do anything that I want to do and no one can judge me for that."  Well, freedom as understood by our Founding Fathers was based upon the following;

Galatians 5


13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Life by the Spirit

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

So, according to God, we are free to obey Him by living in the Spirit and practicing self-control or we are free not to obey Him and live anyway we want to.  Hmmm, what are the consequences? 

Slavery to the World.... ask me, I'll tell ya!

Love you...

Bill/Dad

When Others Disappoint You

When Others Disappoint You
By Os Hillman
August 2

"Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica" (2 Tim 4:9-10).

Adversity molded the apostle Paul into the greatest warrior for Christ the world has ever known. But there were times when adversity and disappointment took its toll on this rugged warrior. We can sense Paul's hurt and discouragement near the end of his second letter to Timothy:

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica... At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me... Do your best to get here before winter (4:9-11,14,16,21).

Do you hear the pain in those words? Twice he urges Timothy to come to him. Do you feel his anguish when he twice speaks of being deserted by his friends?

In most of his letters, Paul seems to have an invincible spirit. Yet he was a man who suffered, felt betrayed, and was at times very lonely.
However, Paul chose to look at life from a heavenly perspective. That's why he could write:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

Paul had experienced a level of opposition and suffering that you and I can scarcely imagine. People said they would do things but did not follow through. He could not depend on certain people. Yet he was not crushed, and he refused to give in to despair. He viewed his life as a continual process of dying. His goal was to live in such a way that the life of Jesus would be revealed in his response to adversity.
Beware of placing too much expectation on others. Realize that people will let you down from time to time, but do not let that impact your faith. Trust God to work even through these disappointments.

Contact Os Hillman at http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/