Spirit of Adoption

Romans 8:14-17

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,"Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” NKJV

When I was a missionary in Haiti, I had a missionary friend of mine who took an orphan boy into his home to care for him. The boy moved from the street into his own room which he had never had and enjoyed the warmth of a loving home that lacked nothing. Yet, even though the cupboards were full of food and he was getting three meals a day, he was hiding food throughout the house in fear of the day there would be no food.

We, too, as Christians can oftentimes live with the orphan spirit. We have been born again and have become children of God Almighty who created, owns, and sustains all things by His power and promises to care for us. Yet, we worry about the future. We live in the house of abundance, but we squirrel things away for a rainy day. It also affects our generosity toward God and those around us whom God brings across our path. We are so busy attempting to make ourselves secure that we don’t have time for God or those around us.

No matter whether life is treating you well or you are facing challenges today, allow the Spirit of adoption to rise up in you and reconnect you with “Abba, Father” who dearly loves you and wants to reaffirm to you that you are His child. He is the reason for living, your inheritance, and great reward. The Spirit of adoption not only wants to bring you into a place of security in the Father, but He wants to lead you and empower you with wisdom, knowledge, and might that you in turn would be able to bring the Spirit of adoption to those who are orphaned around you.

As a child of God, let the Spirit of God lead you to reach out to someone with a word of encouragement or and act of kindness. Jesus said,“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Andy Clark 

Pressing On

The Lord recently took me to the story of the call of Elisha in I Kings 19:19-21. Elisha is just doing his job, plowing his field, when at God's command Elijah comes by and throws his mantle on Elisha. Elisha kills the oxen he was using to plow, then burns his plow, his source of livelihood, sacrifices the oxen and follows Elijah. 

I Kings 19:21 concludes, "Then he arose and followed Elijah and became his servant." Elisha gives everything up to follow the will of God, and the will of God was that he would first become the servant of Elijah. The call of God is not the same for all but the pursuit is all-encompassing. The call may not be an abandonment of vocation but of self. The call of God is not passive but requires an active response. Elijah arose and followed Elijah. The call of God begins with servanthood. “And Jesus sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35-36)  

As you fallow the story of Elisha following Elijah in 2 Kings 2:1-18, Elisha is tempted to stop at Gilgal, the place of meeting or fellowship, then to stop at Bethel, the house of God, and then at Jericho, the place of victory. However, at each place he refuses to stop in his pursuit of God through his service to Elijah. Finally, the last test was Jordan, the place of death.While the rest of the prophets stopped at Jordan, Elisha pursues God and his service to Elisha, even through the place of death and comes into the double anointing that God had for Him.

We oftentimes compartmentalize our service to God as spiritual activities that we may do in church, or with brothers and sisters in Christ, or the privacy of our home. Being a disciple of Christ is not a part-time job, it is 24/7 no matter what your vocation. It means serving those around us, whether believer or not, as you would serve Christ. It is a single-hearted pursuit of God and the manifestation of His love, grace and power through our lives to the world in which we live and operate. This pursuit of God, as with Elisha, requires a death to self that the life of Christ may be seen in us.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

I would encourage you today not to give up, be discouraged, or become complacent, but keep pressing on to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of you. The plans God has for you “are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Andy Clark

Delight Yourself in the Lord

Jeremiah 9:23-24

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. for in these I delight," says the LORD.”

As I read through the book of Jeremiah, I see many parallels to our nation today. Israel in their prosperity had become self-sufficient and self-centered. Even though many still worshiped God, their hearts were far from Him, and they placed their confidence in what they created with their hands. So God was about to strip them of everything they had and send them into captivity.

In the above portion God exhorts them to make a shift in their confidence from their wisdom, might, and riches to the place that they would understand and know Him. Notice the word “that.” The ability and capacity to understand and know God can only come as we abandon our confidence in our wisdom, might, and riches. In doing so we begin to delight in what the Lord delights in, and that is lovingkindness or unfailing love and devotion to Him and to those who are around us. God is not “turned on” by our wisdom, might and riches. God is “turned on” to unfailing love, justice, and righteousness (right standing or right relationship) with Him and others.  

A shift in our confidence is demonstrated by a shift in our speech. Malachi 3:16-18 says, “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

We are going to see a growing distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not. The distinction will begin in our speech. What do we talk about when we are with family, friends, and co-workers? God actually keeps a book of remembrance when we talk about things that delight Him, that turn Him on and make His day. “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalms 37:4-6)

Andy Clark

Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:8-9

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ “

Paul opens this chapter in Philippians by giving his resume. Paul was great and successful in both the secular Roman world and the religious Jewish world before he ever met Christ. He was born into an important family, had the best education, had risen to the top of his field, and was successful in everything he did. Paul was zealous for God and his church. He was at the top of his game. But Paul considered all that rubbish in comparison to knowing Christ.

Knowing Christ is not the key to greatness and success, nor is greatness and success evidence of knowing Christ. Knowing Christ is greatness and success. In Africa they have a proverb that says, “It is not important who you are but who you know.” In the world and the church we idolize fame, greatness, and success. Our bookstores are filled with books on how to be successful. We parade it on TV and reward it with our time and money. We often gain our sense of identity by what we do and what we possess. However, the things we put such importance and on which we spend so much time and money may bring us some fulfillment and pleasures in this world. But they are rubbish in God’s world compared to knowing Christ.

In Luke 10 and John 12 we see two stories of Jesus visit to the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. In both stories Martha is busy serving, and Mary is at Jesus feet in worship. In the story in John, Lazarus was seated at the table fellowshipping with Jesus. In Luke, Martha complains to Jesus that Mary is not doing her part in helping serve. Jesus response is very revealing of the heart of God. “And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."  (Luke 10:41-42)

All three elements of fellowship, service, and worship are important in our walk with the Lord. But Jesus identifies that what Mary was doing as most important and would not be taken away from her. Everything we do that is of eternal value stems out of our relationship with Christ. The proof of our relationship with  Christ is not in our accomplishments but our character as evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit will come forth in our lives in the good times and the bad times. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Andy Clark

Nation Building

Psalms 127:1

“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

I was recently part of a fairly extensive political survey. One of the questions asked was, “What is more important to you, moral values or the economy?” They then asked, “How important are moral values to you: not very important, somewhat important, important or very important?”

In the midst of all the political hype and bickering with which we are bombarded by the media in the run up to the US elections, we must be careful that we do not lose sight of what is most important. It is often hard to judge who is telling the truth. What are the real facts, and what is conjecture and political spin? In the midst of all the political ideology, expert opinions and media hype, there is one thing that remains consistent and true, and that is God and His Word.

America is great because it was founded on Biblical values. The moral decay of our nation is the primary cause of the decay of family, education, government, economy, and every aspect of the social and political fabric of our nation. The economy is not the major issue of this election. Biblical and moral values are the major issue of this election. What does God say in His word about marriage, family, the sanctity of life, education, immigration, money, and the relationship of religion and politics? That is where we need to stand and vote for the candidate who most closely aligns with Biblical views. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

As I read through the prophets in my daily Bible reading, I am reminded that God is the one who raises up and takes down nations. God is a nation builder. No nation, no matter how great and powerful, can stand without God. When we abandon God, we abandon the source of life. This is not only true on a personal level, but also on a national level. Christianity is not just a private relationship with God but should permeate every aspect of our lives. Jesus’ entire life revolved around His relationship with the Father. It was not a relationship He practiced just in private but one that influenced every decision and impacted everyone He met.

We are in a crucial time. It is time for the church to stand up and be the church. It is not a time to retreat but to be salt and light in our world. It is time to pray, to speak boldly the unchanging truths of God’s Word in the confusion and darkness of our day. We cannot get caught up in the political vortex, nor can we stick our heads in the sand. We must pray, vote, and take a strong Biblical stand for the salvation of our nation.

Andy Clark