The High Life

Colossians 3:1-4

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

When you are in love with someone, their interests become your interests. We need to be interested in what God is interested in because we love Him, and our life is in Him. We become consumed by what consumes Him. The more heaven gets into you the more it radiates around you.

Colossians says, we are to “seek those things which are above.” To seek means to search for and pursue until you find it. It is not a casual pursuit but a diligent, purposeful, and disciplined pursuit of those things above. We are to “set our mind on things above.” The King James Version says to “set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” The focus of our soul man (mind, will and emotions) must be on things above. When we do that our soul comes into agreement with our spirit causing us to walk out the high life.

Jesus said in John 4:34, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” What is it that really drives your life? In French it is called “votre reson d’etre,” or your purpose of existence. Why do you get up and go to work or school, take care of family, or the myriad of other things that make up your life. If your motivation is anything else except Christ and those things which are above, your “reson de etre” is very fragile and can be taken away at any time. However, if your mind, will, and affections are on things which are above, then “your life is hidden with Christ in God,” a place of ultimate and eternal security. And “when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

In Revelations 4:1 it says, “I (John) looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this."  There is a door in heaven standing open for you. It is a door of revelation, a door of glory, a door of provision, a door of healing.

In Genesis 28:10-14, Jacob sees a stairway to heaven with God at the top of the stairs. God promises His blessings on Jacob, and through His descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed. We too, through Jesus Christ, are given access to heaven and the high life, that we may walk in the blessings of Abraham, and through us all the nations of the earth may be blessed.

Andy Clark

God is in Control

During these days with our economic and political world reeling in uncertainty, we truly need to recognize, believe, and affirm that God owns and controls everything. In I Chronicles 29:11-12, King David stands before the whole assembly of Israel and prays this prayer of affirmation that needs to be a part of the very fabric of our being:

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength.”

In the midst of negative confessions that surround us, like David, we need to publicly confess before family, friends, and coworkers that God is in control, and riches, honor, and power come from Him alone.  It needs to be our affirmation, whether we are struggling or walking in success. This is not some pious, scripted prayer David read, but it came from the depth of his soul. David declared God’s greatness when he was a shepherd boy, when he confronted Goliath, when he was the general of Saul’s army conquering all his enemies, and when he was running from Saul for his life.

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty.” God’s greatness, glory, victory and power are not diminished because of our circumstances or world conditions. We have become so saturated with humanism that we have lost sight of the greatness of our God. We do not possess the strength or ability to rescue ourselves or our society.  No man, government, or army can rescue us from the dilemma that we are in. We do not possess the spiritual character to stop the moral decay that surrounds us, but God does.

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus in Athens before some of the greatest minds of his day and declared, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, …. He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:24-28)

Like David, the greatest king in Israel’s history, a man after God’s own heart, and Paul who brought the Gospel to the world of His day and was constantly awed by God’s grace, we too must stand up in our day and declare before a struggling world that the God we serve is in control. We must not be influenced or intimidated by those who profess themselves to be wise or mighty “because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”(I Corinthians 1:25)

Today, Lord, “we adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength.”

Andy Clark

Making Time

Genesis 14:14-16

“Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.”

Four kings went to fight against five kings, one of whom was the king of Sodom, where Lot lives. The four kings defeated the five kings and conquered Sodom, taking Lot, his family, and all their possessions. Lot is in trouble because he is in the wrong place with the wrong people. Yet, Abram, even though he is totally outnumbered by the armies of four kings, takes his 380 trained servants and goes to rescue Lot, and God gives him a resounding victory.

Because Lot was in the wrong, Abram did not have to go and rescue him. However, Jesus exhorts us to leave the 99 sheep and to go after the one that has strayed away. (Luke 15:4-7) We often are so preoccupied with and protective of the ninety-nine that we fail to go after the one that is lost. Yet, that is exactly where God’s blessings and provision lie. God’s heart is for the lost, and He empowers those who seek the lost. Signs and wonders follow those who are involved with God seeking and saving the lost.

Abraham had a huge enterprise to run. He had 380 trained servants, who I’m sure were not sitting around looking for something to do. Yet, when Abram hears of the need, he drops everything and invests all his resources to rescue Lot. In the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin, there is a total investment of time and energy in finding and rescuing the lost. Jesus said in Matthew 18:11, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” And again in Luke 15:7 He says, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

God has empowered us by His spirit to reach the lost. Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” God invested His son to reach us when we were lost and in rebellion against Him. He pursued us by His spirit, convicting us of sin, and drawing us to himself. God made time for you and me.

God abundantly blessed Abram because he took of his time and resources to rescue Lot, his family, and all that he had. How much time and resources do we spend in reaching the lost? As we make time for what is important to God, we will come into the blessings of Abraham and be a blessing to the world.

Andy Clark

God Loves You

“God loves you” is a pretty simple statement but one we easily lose sight of in a world full of challenges and often void of true Agape love, which has no hooks or conditions. We need to constantly look in Scripture and remind ourselves of what God’s love is like and how much He loves us, despite what we may be going through. When we understand the love of God for us, it changes our expectations of God. The great chapter on love concludes by saying, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13) Love drives faith and hope. When we truly understand and accept God’s love, we will have hope and faith in all circumstances because we know our Heavenly Father cares for us.

Romans  8:31-39 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Whatever situation you are facing today, no matter how small or great, you are more than conqueror, even in the midst of your circumstances because of God’s love for you.

Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We can come boldly with confidence before God in time of need because of His grace and great love for us. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11)

We have an omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (always present), omnipotent (all powerful) Father who understand us, loves us, and is always there for us. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7)

Andy Clark

Resist the Enemy

1 Peter 5:6-10

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Peter in this portion of Scripture defines our position as we look at what is going on in the world and the personal challenges that we may be encountering. Our overall stance is a position of humility. We have become so self-sufficient, especially in the west, but times are coming where we will reach the end of our sufficiency and be forced to declare our dependency on God. Either God will humble us, or we can choose to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.

Humility is not only a position of dependency but a posture of submission. We can’t just cry out to God to meet our need, but we must begin to walk in full obedience to His word and His will. As the world rebels against God and comes out from under His protection, we must come more and more under God’s authority to walk in His protection and blessings. It is in the position of submission and trust that we can cast our cares upon Him and walk in freedom and peace even when the storm rages around us.

But being submitted and dependent on God does not absolve us of personal responsibility. We cannot stick our heads in the sand and pray and trust that the storm goes away. We must be sober, or self-controlled, and vigilant. We must be in control of our mind, will, and emotions so that we are not swept away with the tide of opinion and circumstances that surround us. We are to be observant and alert to what the enemy is doing and what God is doing, so that we don’t just react to situations but respond in the godly and Biblical manner by the power of the Spirit.

I am reminded of when Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. He carefully examined the challenge, sought God’s counsel, and devised a God plan. He didn’t try to do it all himself but divided portions of the wall according to families. They worked with one hand and had a weapon in the other. They were constantly alert to the enemy but not so caught up with the threat that they abandoned the work. When a threat or deception came, Nehemiah did not react but sought the councel of the Lord and responded according to the word of the Lord and continued building.

The last thing is that we must resist the enemy steadfastly in faith. We have to persevere and be consistent in what the Lord has told us to do. Don’t give up. Keep pushing back against the enemy, but don’t become so preoccupied with the problems that you fail to do what God has called you to do. Take your tool in one hand, weapon in the other and stick with the job until it is done.

Andy Clark

Highway of the Lord

Isaiah 19:23-25

“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing in the midst of the land, whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."

As we look out over uprising in Syria, increasing tensions between Iran and Israel, and the elections taking place in Egypt, we need to be inquiring of the Lord what He is doing throughout the Middle East in this day and hour. While I do not lay claim to be an interpreter of prophecy, I do believe we have a responsibility to be aware of the signs of the times and seek God’s face as to our response to what is happening in our world.

As we look at the prophets of the Old Testament, we clearly see that God is involved in the political world, raising up and taking down nations to fulfill His purposes and plans. In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a great statue representing the great empires of history. When God reveals the interpretation to Daniel, his response in Daniel 2:20-21 is,

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

For wisdom and might are His.

And He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and raises up kings;

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to those who have understanding.”

As we look out over the turmoil in the Middle East, it is hard to imagine the fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23-25, where God is going to create an highway of blessing between these nations. But we need to remind ourselves that we serve a God of wisdom and might, the times and seasons are in His hand, and He removes government leaders and raises up government leaders. We cannot be fearful and should not be indifferent to the turmoil that surrounds us, whether it is at home or abroad.

Daniel goes on to say that our God of wisdom and might wants to give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the times and what He is doing. We cannot allow the world, politicians, economists and the media interpret for us what is going on in our world today. We like Daniel, must seek the face of God for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding regarding how to pray and respond to what is going on around us.

Pray for the elections in Egypt June 17, and for Syria, Iran and Israel. Pray for the highway of the Lord between these countries.  May our God, who spoke light into the darkness, walked on water, and calmed the sea be glorified in us and in the world.

Andy Clark

Inheritance

Numbers 18:20

“Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.”

In Numbers we see that God gave Israel the land of Canaan as their inheritance but to the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, God declared, “I am your portion and your inheritance.”  While the Land of Canaan or Land of Promise was a wonderful place of divine provision, it was physical and temporal. What God promised the priests was that He would be their provision and inheritance. While they lived as Israelites in the Promised Land, the land of abundance, their provision and inheritance were not tied to the land but were from God. Their inheritance was not physical land and natural riches but an eternal inheritance that flowed for the very character and nature of God.

Jesus said, “Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)  We are not like the Gentiles who receive fulfillment from earthly provision, but our focus and source of life is our inheritance of Christ’s righteousness and kingdom.

I Peter 1:9 says, we are a “royal priesthood.” Revelation 1:5-6 says, “He washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.” As priests unto God, our eternal inheritance is the righteousness of Christ. We receive this inheritance by the grace of God through the blood of Christ. yet Jesus also admonishes us to seek His righteousness. As priests of God we have to guard this righteousness that we have been given as our inheritance, for it is out of this righteousness or right standing with God that everything else flows and God is glorified.

In Luke 15:13 we see that the prodigal son squandered his inheritance. In the day and age in which we live, the temptations of this world that are paraded before us, as they were before Christ in the wilderness, cry out to us to trade some of our inheritance for the pleasures, possessions, and positions that the world offers to us. The church often walks two steps behind the world. We give a little here and a little there to be politically correct or socially acceptable. We must guard our inheritance which was bought for us by the precious blood of Christ.

In a temporal, changing world, the Lord says to you today, “I am your portion and your inheritance.”

Andy