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“You worship what you do not know…”! What a tough but truthful statement that Jesus made to the woman at the well! How many of us are willing to say to that someone!?
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:21-24
The woman at the well was searching for God. As a Samaritan woman, she was told that God could be found on Mount Gerizim. However, the Jewish people believed that God was worshipped in Jerusalem.
Jesus was trying to help this woman see that God was not going to be isolated to a location any longer. While the Jewish people had the right idea of worshipping God in Jerusalem, but God was going to close that chapter in the history of worship as well.
The God of universe, the omnipotent, and the omnipresent God is not limited to a structure or building. Although God may have powerfully visited a place in the past, it doesn’t mean that His presence is limited to a location, nor is He obligated to remain in one place!
The woman at the well was following a tradition of her forefathers. She was told about God, but she had never met the true God. She told Jesus what she had heard about worshipping God, but based on her response to Jesus, it is clear that she didn’t have a personal experience or revelation about God.
The scripture in John1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The unreachable, so called hidden God no longer chose to remain hidden from the common man. Moses, Joshua and other spiritual leaders were not going to be the only ones who were going to have a visitation with the God of inverse anymore. God came to inhabit whosoever believes in Him. He chose average people who had no lineage in priesthood to spread the Good News of the gospel and to be His ambassadors in the earth.
Jesus was very direct with the woman at the well and told her that she was worshipping what she did not know. How many people are worshipping what they do not know!
Muslims and Jewish people still fight over the location of worship. Both people groups strongly feel that their place of worship is in Jerusalem and that their God is the real God. They are even willing to fight over their place of worship. The Muslims also have their yearly trip to Mecca as a spiritual journey around a black cube that is supposed to represent the presence of God.
The Christians in the past centuries made some amazing churches with beautiful and impressive artwork as a form of worship to God. Many of those beautiful churches have turned into museums where people from all walks of life and faith come to take a few pictures and leave. There is respect for the building, but where is God!
God cannot be sought in a building. We cannot find Him in a religion, or in a tradition passed down to us. God is too big and too personal to be limited to our places of tradition, culture, or comfort.
Do you know who you worship, or are you just following the tradition of your forefathers?
I will share more about worshipping the true God in the next devotional.
Giving up our rights is possibly one of the hardest things we can do. It is not something we like to pray about or celebrate, but it is one of the ways of success in the Kingdom of God!
3. Giving up our rights to fulfill God’s purpose
We read about Joseph’s life in Genesis 37 & 38-45. Joseph was a young man who was favored by his father. This put him at odds with his brothers. They were jealous of him and did not want to see him as the favorite of their father. Subsequently, they tried to get rid of him by selling him to the Egyptians. They also lied to their father about Joseph being killed, which they really wished to happen to their brother after all.
Joseph had tough years serving as a slave in Egypt. He was accused falsely for something he hadn’t done. He was put in prison for a couple of years. Additionally, he missed years of being away from his father the one who loved him the most! He had the right to have enjoyed the love of his father rather than being fatherless in a foreign land. He had the right to enjoy his father’s wealth rather than being a slave to an Egyptian ruler. However, none of these adverse circumstances and people changed Joseph!
When the opportunity came that Joseph could have killed every one of his brothers, he not only did not lay a hand on them, but he also blessed them. He was willing to let go of his rights as a son and as a brother and forgive those who had severely trespassed against him. Letting go of his rights did not happen on the day he met his brothers. Joseph must have forgiven and let go throughout the years he was away otherwise anger and resentment could have made him a bitter and an angry person.
Forgiveness is the action of letting go of a grudge against someone who has either taken something away from us or has violated our lives. It is the ultimate of letting go of our rights! It cannot happen without the grace of God giving us the ability to do it. If we don’t let go of our rights, we can grow in bitterness and resentment, and ruin more relationships in the present and the future.
Jesus is our ultimate example of giving up his rights and being willing to die for our sins. If he hadn’t, we would not have had salvation. He chose to accept a punishment that he didn’t deserve in order to purchase salvation for us.
Joseph’s statement to his brothers is a key verse that gives us the motivation and the hope to let go of our rights:
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20
Did he understand the purpose of his pain all those years? Did he know that someday God was going to use him to feed and save his family? Probably not. What kept him from growing bitter was his trust in God and His sovereignty. What his brothers did was absolutely dark and egregious, but it didn’t mean that God wasn’t with him and couldn’t work on his behalf.
God’s purpose was fulfilled in the life of Joseph as well as the Israelites because Joseph was willing to give up his rights and allow God to work out his perfect plan!
What is God asking you to give up your rights to? Is it something you deserved or earned? Is it a relationship with strings attached? Is it a grudge that is holding you in its grip? Letting go is never easy, but it’s powerfully effective in God’s Kingdom!
Giving up our rights is counter-culture to everything we know naturally, but as a believer, there are times in life that it’s the best thing to do given the circumstances. This is a continuation from the last devotional.
2. Giving up our rights for the sake of freedom
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.
21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” Genesis 14:18-22
Abraham went to out to defeat the enemies of Sodom and rescued his nephew along with the other people who were held captive. Abraham in this case fought like a warrior and took it upon himself to assist a king who needed help in defeating his enemies.
King of Sodom appreciated Abraham’s efforts and sacrifice. He in turn offered Abraham the spoils from the battle desiring to bless him for his support. However, Abraham refused to accept the goods from the king. He told the king that he had promised his God that he wasn’t going to take anything from the king.
In Genesis, chapter 12, we read about God’s promises to Abraham. When this special offer was presented to him, Abraham had not forgotten about God’s amazing promises to him. He was confident that God would make him successful; he didn’t want to be tied to a king who can gloat about making Abraham rich. He desired for God to be glorified in his success and that no other person would get credit for it.
When we allow others to have such a significant hand in our lives that our success or wealth depends on only one person, it is dangerous, and it can lead to ungodly ties! One can feel a great obligation and responsibility to maintain a good relationship with the person in order not to lose what he/she has gained through the relationship. Ungodly ties can ultimately change us because now our focus has shifted from pleasing God to pleasing man!
Abraham deserved the goods, but he chose to let them go. He desired only God to be glorified in his life. He didn’t want a man to steal the glory or have a claim to Abraham’s success.
The decision to give up our rights isn’t easy. We can justify the fact that we deserve the goods or that the blessing is from the Lord. We can think about our hard labor over the years and desire not to squander our investment of time and energy. However, we have to look at the issue at a deeper level and understand its impact on our lives. Is this causing us to be tied to a person because of our perceived need of them?
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
Giving up our rights is not a easy thing to do for most of us, and it goes completely against our nature. However. there are times in life when giving up our rights is the best thing to do.
In our American culture, we value speaking up. We are passionate about speaking out against injustices. We also value our opportunities and would like to see the fruit of hard work and labor. I praise God for these great privileges! I hope we all can use these rights to honor God and bring about righteous change in our society. However, For God’s people, there is also another law that operates in our lives. That is the law of the Spirit of Life. It is being citizens of Kingdom of God. The rules of engagement in God’s kingdom sometimes are very different than the world.
One of the things that is highly valued by God is giving up our rights to ourselves and to the things we deserve we should have. That’s a difficult thing to do because our nature is conditioned to seek what is fair and what rightfully belongs to us. Additionally, we are taught that we should be a good solider and fight various spiritual battles, so at times we are confused as to when to fight a battle and when to let go and give up our rights.
While it’s not always clear what we should do, the scripture gives us some examples of those who gave up their rights for a purpose! This can shed light in our situation and help clarify when to let go of something even though we are justified in holding on to it.
1. Giving up our rights for the sake of impacting others’ lives.
In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:14-18 (NIV)
God had commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive an income from preaching. Paul had the right to be compensated financially for his ministry, but he did not use this right. He was willing to give up his right for the sake of the gospel. He worked with his own hands by being a tentmaker and also did the work of ministry. He did this to show the sincerity of his heart and his desire to see the people saved by the gospel. By providing for himself, he also wished not to be a burden to the church members. Many were rightfully compensated for their ministry, but in this case, Paul chose to forego that right!
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 (KJV)
Many of us think that if we experience everything life has to offer, then our lives will be considered full. Looking at the above scripture and reading the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us a different story. Solomon experienced everything in life, but that wasn’t enough for him. He still considered it vain and a vexation of spirit.
The reality of this life and everything in it is that it only satisfies for a season and then we are back on the treadmill of striving to achieve or acquire something else.
When we are young, we can’t wait till we get to college and get a good job. Once we achieve that goal, we long to be married because being single for too long isn’t fun anymore. After the excitement of marriage wears off, we desire to have a house and build a family. Then this causes us to worry about our finances and look forward to the day we can be free from burden of debt and financial obligations. The babies we were so looking forward to having, now we are tired of their dirty diapers and their constant interruption. We look forward to the day they can be at school all day, so we can regain our freedom and our time! This is how our lives continue to go on with hopes of being in a different season.
Is it possible that all of life on earth is a mirage of true life? Is it possible that we will never become fully satisfied on this side of heaven by trying to acquire and achieve one more thing? Could it be that the more tightly we try to squeeze everything out of life, we actually lose our peace? We allow the joy of the moment get snatched out of our hands leaving us unfulfilled and empty all over again. Is it possible that only with the heavenly focus that we expect less of this world and enjoy more contentment in life?
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 (KJV)
God gave Solomon great wisdom. Everything he wished and desired, he achieved and was able to possess. As a matter of fact, Solomon gave himself the permission to violate God’s boundaries by marrying foreign women. God had warned him that they would turn away his heart from Him, but Solomon didn’t listen and chose to have a few hundred wives!
Solomon was a man who was born and raised as a royalty. While he was not King David’s firstborn son, God gave Solomon the privilege of succeeding His father as king. We don’t hear any sad stories about his upbringing or tough times as a king yet we don’t find Solomon happy and joyful at the end of it all.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks about “vexation of spirit” a few times.
Vexation (according to Strong’s Concordance): longing, striving
What could Solomon have longed for in His life that he didn’t have!? Was there anything beyond his achievement? What could he have lacked in life that would cause him to strive?
As Americans, we have more opportunities and resources than many other people around the world including believers who live in other nations. However, it doesn’t seem that we have found contentment and joy as believers.
Our opportunities have created a wedge between husbands and wives. Divorces in the church are just as many as in the society. Lack of trust in the church and in the government is evident based on the behavior and discussions seen and heard around dinner tables and on the media. Honor and respect is in all time low in a nation that gave us the freedom to speak out not to dishonor but to stand up for truth and righteousness. Where do we go from here? What will satisfy us that we don’t have and are still longing to have?
What are you after today? Are you currently experiencing vexation of spirit? Is there something you are longing or striving for right now? Spend some time with the Lord and let Him examine your heart and how you really feel about your life right now.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved. Psalm 93:1
I just returned from traveling oversees, and I found myself at awe of the greatness of God all over again. Flying 14 hours halfway around the world is a reminder of the vastness of God’s creation. We have a technology that allows 300-400 people along with their luggage to fly at speeds of 523 miles/hr and at heights of 36,000 feet above the ground. That’s amazing!
Above the clouds, the temperatures plunge to -70 Fahrenheit. Surprisingly, the airplane doesn’t freeze, and the inside temperature remains nicely controlled for the enjoyment of the 300-400 aboard the plane.
God has given man the ability to subdue the earth. We are able to go against the laws of nature by flying a heavy machinery against the gravity and all along enjoying comfortable seats, heating, air-conditioning, TV, food, etc.
While I was amazed at God’s power and the ingenuity that He has given man, I also saw his tender loving care through a mother sitting next to us on one of our flights. Her 4-month-old baby was safely and happily lying on her mother’s chest and enjoyed a bottle of milk and then fell asleep. The baby’s mother caressed her the entire time and loved her while the little one was enjoying a nice little nap. This was also a reminder of the goodness of God. The tender loving care that He has given us as parents for our children is a reflection of who He is and how He cares for his children.
God desires for us to rest and trust him even when we don’t understand what is happening. The little baby on the plane had no idea what was going on. She had no awareness of the fact that she was on an airplane thousands of feet above the ground level. She was just happy and content to be in her mother’s arms and was able to rest while we the strangers sat next to them and kept staring at the cute baby! She was not concerned, fearful, or anxious.
From time to time, we need to pause and take in God’s greatness all over again. We see planes flying and mothers loving their children everyday. In the process we lose the sense of awe, the wonder of God, and His greatness in midst of the predictability and mundane of life.
This devotional series has been about the significance of transformation in our lives as a believer. Another area that we are to see powerful change is our ungodly desires!
Lusts & Desires
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 1 Peter 1:14
The world’s influence and our cultural norms create an environment for ungodly desires and lusts to develop. Those lusts and desires become stronger over time by being exposed to certain values and/or lack. They come from our old nature trying to handle life and achieve success!
If one has come from a very poor family, getting rich may be very important and valuable to him/her. Another person may have come from a family of doctors, and it is their expectation that someday he/she needs to become a physician. Some have had missionaries and pastors in their family; they may have developed an expectation to pastor a church or be in full time ministry someday. Some come from church cultures that are very title conscious. These individuals didn’t know anything about church titles until they walked in their recent church culture. Now they find themselves developing new lusts that weren’t there before. While some of these desires are not wrong on their own merit, being absorbed or consumed by them is wrong.
How do we know we have lusts and desires that are ungodly?
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We lost our peace.
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We compete or compare ourselves to others.
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We find ourselves feeling inferior for not having those desires fulfilled.
The above scripture is encouraging all of us not to be ignorant as we once were but resist conforming to the cultural norms and values. Sometimes we make our lives complicated and confusing when we try to hold on to cultural values of our environment/past while at the same time trying to love God and serve Him wholeheartedly. Holding on to both will cause us to be double-minded, and we are bound to lose ground in what we have overcome in the past.
The question that would clarify our lusts and desires is: “Is this as important to the Lord as it is to me?”. If the answer is, “No.”, then we need to let go of it. Crucifying the flesh and its desires isn’t easy, but as obedient children, we don’t have any other choice. As a believer, we cannot play the cultural game and think that our soul and spirit won’t get polluted by those desires.
Lord, we ask for your continual grace to give us the power to be transformed in all areas of our lives!
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
Transformation is a necessity for us believers. Through transformation we change into the image of Christ, and the world can be drawn to God because of our changed lives!
In the last devotional, I shared about the spirit man. Our spirit is the first place of transformation, and it becomes the gateway for all the other aspects of our lives to change as well.
Our Soul (mind, emotion, & will)
In order for transformation to be visible, our soul needs renewal. Our spirit man got converted at the point of salvation, but our soul needs transformation which is a long continual process. It requires intentional and patient effort in the right direction.
Our soul will begin to change when our mind changes. The above scripture is speaking about our minds being renewed. Joyce Meyer in her book “The Battlefield of the Mind” says, “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”
What we don’t realize is that our thoughts shape our reality. For example, we experience disappointment, and we internalize and interpret it in a certain way. We may decide that we must not be good enough, or we may think someone doesn’t have our best interests at heart. Unfortunately, we falsely believe our inaccurate interpretation, so we conclude that those are the facts.
After a few hurtful events, we start expecting disappointments, and we make up our mind about the outcome before it happens. The world calls this “Self fulfilling Prophesy”. Spiritually speaking, it is a stronghold that we have developed in order to protect ourselves from getting hurt again. Those thoughts affect our emotions and “will”. Certain situations, take us back to the negative thoughts we had of that circumstance and remind us of the memories and emotions we experienced during that time. Then we exercise our “will” to avoid that type of situation or person because it made us feel bad.
To develop the mind of Christ is a lifelong battle. So many times we want to justify holding on to anger, resentment, and un-forgiveness, but that is not God. The Lord knows that as long as we hold on to those thoughts and emotions, we cannot have joy and fullness of life. Those thoughts can cause seething anger in our hearts. Past hurts can affect our trust level in people who have not done anything to harm us. Un-forgiveness affects our relationship with the Lord as well. When issues arise we find ourselves cynical and doubtful rather than trusting and hopeful.
The pattern of the world is to harbor anger, un-forgiveness, and cut off relationships. In order to live a Christ-like life, we need to develop the mind of Christ. When our mind changes, our emotions, and our “will” will follow suit.
Praise God for His transforming power at work in our lives!
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
We are all in need of transformation. The world and the people continue to become more evil and selfish, and the only hope for this world is for believers to be transformed by the power of God! Our transformation is a sign to a lost and dark world that true change is possible, and there is hope for humanity!
Just as a butterfly when it is in the cocoon, is not a pretty sight, we are not attractive in our old nature! Our true beauty comes when we are free from the bondages of our old man. We can’t choose to remain in the cocoon of old nature and resist the transformation that God has purposed in our lives. If we claim to we know Christ, then we must be willing to change!
When we finally see a butterfly losing its cocoon and starts flying, we are delighted and amazed at its beauty. So it is with the people of God who are willing to go through His process to be transformed into His image.
Transformation is one of the conditions of experiencing abundant life. If we follow the patterns of this world, we cannot expect to have an overcoming life. The more we fashion our lives after God’s pattern, the more genuinely we are transformed, and others get to see and taste the image of Christ in our lives!
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
We need transformation in different areas of our lives:
Our spirit man
Our spirit man comes to life at the moment of becoming born again and receiving the gift of salvation. This is foundational to change. Once our spirit man comes alive, it has the opportunity to grow and become strong. In the past our soul and body ruled our lives.
God’s grace has the opportunity to work in a born again believer because of our relationship with Him. We are now empowered to be yielded. The stronger the spirit, the greater capacity to be yielded to His direction. When the spirit is in charge, the soul and the body must take orders and follow the leading of the spirit rather than rule over it. This transformation occurs through accepting Truth, obedience, and yielding to the Holy Spirit.
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
