Christ-Exalting Generosity

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1

True generosity is a rare thing indeed. To receive a gift that is given anonymously and is given with no strings attached and with no expectations in return is to receive a gift from God.

My wife and I have recently received just such expressions of God's love for us. One gift was given quietly with clear direction to not tell anyone and we were told that this was a gift from God to show us that He loves us and cares for us. Another gift was given in a similar way and on both occasions I have sensed God's love for me and my wife through the gifts.

We have been recipients of generosity before but most of these acts have been very different from these most recent experiences. Usually there have been strings attached or the generosity has been brought up later, in front of others, in order to make a point of how nice and kind the person has been to us. The previous experiences left me feeling dirty, defiled and used. These more recent experiences have left me feeling loved, appreciated and cared for by God Himself.

I praise God for all of the experiences of generosity from people - whether they were given with a pure heart or from sinister motives. But I do pray for those who announce their generosity and lord it over the recipients because Jesus calls such people hypocrites and makes it very clear that such generosity may be used by God, but it is not from God.

When we rob God of His glory by announcing our acts of righteousness we have already received our reward and there will be no reward for us in heaven. If that is our pattern of generosity we are in serious trouble because it reveals not a love for God but a love for our own glory; it reveals not a love for people, but a love for our own reputation. To give in such a way is to break both commands that Jesus gave us - to love God and to love people. It ought to be sobering for us all to realize that kindness done in the open for all to see is considered by God to be on the level of robbing Him of His glory.

"Thus when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be done in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:2-4

Thank you, Lord, that You love us and care for us. Thank you, Lord, that You have given us good and perfect gifts from Your saints who desired for You, and You alone, to be glorified in their giving. Their gifts have caused us to weep for joy and to shout praises to Your name because of the love that You have placed in their hearts for us - Your love for us.

Blessings,


Kristian

Circumcision

"Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn." Deuteronomy 10:6

The simple meaning and purpose of circumcision is that when the foreskin is removed, that which is exposed is the most sensitive and most tender part of the male anatomy. That portion of the man's body is capable of producing the most amount of pain as well as the most amount of pleasure.

God wants us to have a heart like His and that means that we must have hearts that are circumcised; hearts that break easily because they are unprotected and hearts that experience the "inexpressible joy filled with glory" that is spoken of in 1 Peter. David was such a man and if you read the Psalms you see a man whose heart is regularly broken; a man who weeps often; a man who rejoices in the Lord with shouts and song; a man who dances before God; a man who is profoundly sensitive and emotional.

"The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be a prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." 1 Samuel 13:14

If we are to have hearts like God's heart we must be capable of the most profound sorrow and pain, as well as the most exhuberant joy and love.

If you are not deeply grieved over sin, betrayal, disunity and discord I would submit that you have once again grown a foreskin which protects your heart from the pain God has designed you to feel. Either that or you never had your heart circumcised to begin with. God feels the pain of rejection which is why our sin of rejecting Him causes such profound reactions of wrath from Him. In essence, God's sensitivity explain His anger over our offense against Him. When we ignore and reject God, He is offended and it deserves hell. If someone ignores you or rejects you, you ought to feel a deep pain because we are made in His image and likeness.

But, we must also have hearts that are capable of the most profound pleasure, joy and love. God rejoices loudly over His treasured posession, the Church. In Zepheniah we are told that God will exult over us and sing over us. God is a joyous and glad God. David was capable of the most exhuberant joy of any saint we have been priveleged to read about. David exulted, praised, sang, danced and shouted for joy.

To many, David seems schizophrenic because of his mood swings and his ability to go from exuberant joy to gloomy depression. I would submit to you that God saw David as a man after His own heart for the very same reason many view him as "moody."

David was a man after God's heart because he was sensitive. He felt pain deeply and he felt joy, love and gladness deeply. This is the essence of having your heart circumcised - it is no longer protected and therefore experiences pain, joy, love and sadness on the level it was meant to - on God's level.

Supernatural Faith

Today I wanted to look at something the Lord has been impressing in my heart lately and that is the topic of supernatural faith. Faith in general is a huge topic and cannot be fully expressed in all of its nuances in this forum. However, today I wanted to meditate on some Scriptures that deal with supernatural faith in a believer’s life.

In general we know that “salvation” is a gift of God from Ephesians 2:8-9. We also know that this salvation comes by the sheer grace of God through faith. So, having faith and trust in the Savior Jesus Christ is foundational and the life of the believer in Christ begins from this point of faith.

However, as a believer who has faith in God unto salvation we come across some passages in the Bible where it seems to talk about another type of faith within the believer’s life. This faith is not different in essence to saving faith but I would say it is different in mode of operation.

Let’s take a look at the following passage from 1 Corinthians 12:9 –

“…..to another faith by the same Spirit….”

Now the interesting thing about this short passage is the fact that Paul is describing the “charismata” or gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12. It is clear from the context that you need to be a believer first and foremost before any of the gifts of the Spirit can reside in your life. So, the question is why would he list “faith” as a supernatural charismatic gift of the Holy Spirit if “faith” is what initially brings us into the family of God in the first place and is in of itself supernatural in essence?

I believe again that the “gift of faith” described here is different in mode of operation but not different in essence to saving faith. The gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 is for the edification of the Body of Christ. So, as the Sovereign Spirit gives to each person in different circumstances different gifts it is for the common good of the Body of Christ as a whole.

Even though the Sovereign Spirit gives to each one according to the circumstance and for the good of the whole; Paul is very clear that we as individual believers should pursue the different gifts of the Spirit as the Lord leads us. We should be praying for these gifts to be evident in our lives for the good of the Body. I pray we would not neglect these wonderful gifts from God because they are actually not for ourselves but for others to be built up.

As is the focus today I would encourage you to pray specifically for the “gift of faith” so that God will manifest this in your life by His Holy Spirit so that others may be encouraged in their walk with God. You see I sense that the enemy is running around trying to devour the Body of Christ. In particular I see spiritual battles in my life and in the lives of those around me rising up a notch as of late. The enemy is working overtime because his time is short. Let us be a people of God who operate under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. This “gift of faith” is simply a specific act of faith and assurance in God during a trying or difficult circumstance in which God by His Spirit prompts your heart toward Him rather than you going down the road of despair. It is simply the supernatural act of trusting in God knowing the outcome is assured in Him. Take some time to read about the heroes and heroines of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Please note the specific details and circumstances facing these people of God who were already called by Him but they had supernatural faith in particular circumstances that they faced in their lives.

One profound thing that spoke to me from this chapter is that these people of faith operated in the understanding that they were foreigners in this Earth. Even though the gift of faith was evident in each of their particular circumstances the Bible says that they did not see the fruit or tangible expression of the promise of God in their earthly lives. Their saving faith as a foundation propelled them into the realm of the supernatural gift of faith as they experienced all of life’s different trials, circumstances, tribulations, etc.

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” – Hebrews 11:13

This chapter in Hebrews is interesting because it describes great victories for people operating in supernatural faith but also great hardships and tribulations – all coming from the same faith.

“…and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated

(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.” – Hebrews 11:36-38

Let me try and tie this together with the supernatural gift of faith in specific life circumstances. You see God is writing a story – “His-story” in your life and my life. We must always remember it is not about us but all about Him. The supernatural gift of faith described earlier from 1 Corinthians 12 as I mentioned is manifested from individual to individual as the Lord gives, but it is primarily for the benefit of the Body as a whole. What I mean is your supernatural faith in a particular circumstance which leads you to worship and adoration unto God results in edification for those who watch you and see you. God is painting a tapestry of faith from person to person so that in the end you and I will finally “get it” we will finally see the full picture and the promise in Jesus Christ will be fully known.

Let me end with a proof of this in the last two verses from Hebrews chapter 11 verses 39 and 40 from the Message:

“Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

You see God withholds the final promise in the full disclosure and revelation of Himself even when we are operating in supernatural faith because He is “doing something” – He is writing His Story. Praise His name that we who are His people are part of His Story and our supernatural faith during particular times and specific moments of our lives is added together with the rest of God’s people throughout history which is creating a completed whole. This is precisely why we need each other as the Body of Christ – let us pursue the supernatural gift of faith by the Holy Spirit so that God’s plan and purpose may be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of others!

Blessings,