Luke Continues...

My tendency is to feel so honored and blessed for God to commune with me that I can not imagine Him doing anything better during our time together. His presence is sufficient... my great and abundant reward.

As I kept reading through Luke this morning, I realized by accepting the sufficiency and satisfaction of simply spending time with Him, He is willing to grant the desires of my heart. I think of His Truths as Laws. Just as the law of gravity says I will fall to the earth, His Biblical Truths reveal His Laws. If I... He will... (cause and affect). I look to the Bible to tell me these Laws and then I test them to see if they hold true. Often, my tests fail. If scripture is true, then I must be the erroneous variable. The problem I find lies in my interpretation, understanding, or even His willingness to reveal how my thinking got off track.

LAW: Seek God and you WILL find Him!

Often I have come to my time with God expecting to be fed. I have wanted His blessings, His answers and His wisdom in place of wanting Him. Then I get discouraged (and even angry) that His blessings, His answers and His wisdom are not being revealed to me. Is His Law not true? He recently reminded me through scripture to seek Him... NOT what He can do for me, how he could help me or what he should give to me. Suddenly, the scripture is completely true! He is opening doors to greater truth and closeness with Him. He is reassuring me that His presence is sufficient. He is blessing me with the understanding that He is not nearly done revealing Himself to me. The very idea that I can even get to that point this side of Heaven reveals how far I have to grow!

So that brings me to His revelations to me in Luke 16:10-17 this morning. I read...

He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
LAW: If I can get it right now in the small stuff, He will bless me with greater things. If I can't get it right now, He will wait until I do before He will use me to take great steps for His Kingdom. And if I screw up using my gifts at a basic level, attempting greater things will result in destruction.

Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of (handling) unrighteous wealth, who will give you (entrust you) with true riches?
LAW: If I can't believe, know and apply His truths apart from or outside of His Kingdom, how will I ever be asked to do anything for His Kingdom?

And if you have not proved faithful in that which belongs to another (whether man or God) who will give you that which is your own (that is, true riches?)
LAW: I have to allow others to experience God and His Truth for themselves if I am to fully experience His Truth in my own life.

No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will stand by and be devoted to one and despire the other. You can not serve God and mammon (riches or anything in which you trust and on which you rely).
LAW: Anything that rivals God in my life, destroys my service to God.

Now the Pharisees who were covetous and lovers of money heard all these things (taken together) and they began to sneer at and ridicule and scoff at Him. But He said to them, "You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts."
LAW: I do not have a complete understanding of God if I ONLY know the righteousness of His Law. I must have Him and His Spirit which is a heart of love, grace and mercy.

FOR WHAT IS EXALTED AND HIGHLY THOUGHT OF AMONG MEN IS DETESTABLE AND ABHORRENT (AN ABOMINATION) IN THE SIGHT OF GOD! (Can't help but think of Lilo running into her hawaiian dance class explaining how feeding her fish a tuna sandwich would be an abomination!)
LAW: THE BIBLE TELLS US WHAT GOD LOVES... WHAT IS GOOD... THE WORLD LIES TO US!! Expect it... if the world loves it, it's not from God. (I believe this means I approach the world expecting to HATE what the world loves...alcohol, darkness, revenge, self interest, betrayal, extra-marital sex, deceit and on and on... NEVER does scripture instruct me to hate God's ultimate creation: people!!)

Until John came, there were the Law and the Prophets; since then the good news (the Gospel) of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone strives violently to go in (would force his own way rather that God's way into it.)
LAW: Before Christ God communicated through the Law and Prophets. BUT His ultimate/complete message was communicated in Christ. No matter how righteous one's actions may be or appear or how hard one fights against his own sinfulness, obeying the law is not God's means for obtaining His Kingdom.

Yet, it is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for ONE DOT of the Law to fail and become void.
LAW: God works within His Law! He is the ONLY one who obeys His own laws perfectly. If He says it is Law, it is! If He says it is True, it is! He is TRUTH! If I grow in knowledge and experience and obedience to His Law, I will grow in knowing and experiencing Him... but HE HIMSELF DOES NOT REQUIRE us to know and experience Him. It's our choice. Jesus has already died. He has already paid my punishment and overcome dealth. Salvation is available to all. Many of us simply do not want it.

If I don't choose to believe He is completely LOVE and His Law is completely TRUE, if I find myself tempted with doubt and discouragement, I can test it. If I didn't believe in gravity I could walk off the roof of a second story building but apart from a miracle (God's ability to break the Laws He created), I will fall! I can do the same test WITH GOD. He will be faithful. He will obey His Law.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:2
LAW: If you want to test God's will... first, reject the lies of the world, then ask and allow God to transform and renew your mind. HE WILL!

"Therefore anyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24
LAW: If you want to transform and renew your mind, you will know God through the scriptures and do what He says.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24
LAW: If you want LIFE, believe the scriptures are True... then demonstrate the authenticity of your belief by living according to their instructions.

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." - Jesus (John 5:40)
LAW: If you want LIFE, you come to Jesus... Life will be experienced as He guides you through the scriptures.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, EAGER to do what is good!!" Titus 2:11-14

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Rev. 1:3

A simple test for today:
Pray continuously, be joyful always, and give thanks in all circumstances... this is the will of God! I will be anxious to hear know how it goes?