by David Peake | Blog
(Published in The Christian Journal – Medford, OR – September 2018)
When Jesus expresses in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you not be judged,” He is not giving a command to not judge the actions of another or between right and wrong … It is, instead, a stern reminder that what goes around comes around. In the next verse, He makes this point clearly: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
It will go a long way toward our growth if we will realize that when we are quick to judge others, we really have a self-image problem. This is the problem the Pharisee had as he looked down on the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
God saw the best in us, not the worst, as He sent His Son to die for our sins. He loved us (John 3:16-17) and indeed, loves us! Paul reminds us how much God loves us when he writes, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly … But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6,8
When we see someone in sin, our first inclination should be to build him up. We must remember that the Holy Spirit had made it plain as Paul is inspired to write in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.”
When we have a proper image of ourselves … made in the image of God and righteous through Christ … we are more apt to respond, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness … Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1,2 (Read all of Galatians 6:1-5)
Looking for the best in others, both our fellow Christians and those in the world … seeing the potential, not the failing … and if we will be vigilant over our own lives first, it will be harder for us to judge when we should help, condemn when we should restore or hate when we should love.
When we remember that we will be judged by the same measure that we judge … we will likely be more forgiving, generous, thoughtful, and gentle. Will we be interested in the salvation of those around us rather than being certain of their destruction?
by David Peake | Blog
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it — lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26-33
One writer says:
If the closest relationships of a disciple’s life conflict with the claims of Jesus Christ, then our Lord requires instant obedience to Himself. Discipleship means personal, passionate devotion to a Person — our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between devotion to a person and devotion to principles or to a cause. Our Lord never proclaimed a cause — He proclaimed personal devotion to Himself.
Is this what it means to be a disciple of Christ?
The basic definition of the word “disciple” is “a learner or student.” I have, for most of my Christian life, given no more thought to this word. A disciple is a student — I am a student of God’s Word — therefore, I am a disciple of Christ.
There is comfort in such an easy understanding, and yet, any thinking person can read the passages where this word “disciple” is found and know that it means much more. This study is dedicated to knowing more and, by extension, being more.
(more…)
by David Peake | Blog
(Published in The Christian Journal – Medford, OR – August 2018)
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He compares us so effectively to the birds of the air and the grass of the field. It is the picture of the grass that most attracts my imagination when He says, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matthew 6:30. James expresses, in agreement, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14
Life is so short, we need to redeem the time we have (Eph 5:16; Col 4:4). Even if we had the lifespan of Methuselah, worry would still be robbery from God. Our lives are in service to the Eternal King who did not make us for frivolous concerns but to live fully in His presence, our lives a living testament to His love and promises. Consider Romans 8:12-17:
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors — not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 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.”
We did not “receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.” It is in the flesh to worry. We are heirs of the King, what do we truly have to worry about? God has promised to provide for us if we will only trust in Him. To truly trust in Him is freedom from worry.
Instead of being filled with concerns born of the flesh, let us instead subscribe to that which Paul teaches in Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
by David Peake | Blog
Can any of us say that we are serving our God fully? Sure … we can say it, but can we say it truthfully?
The most likely and accurate analysis of our lives would find that we are not serving Him fully … only One ever did. If we will recognize this simple and inescapable fact, then, we are ready to strive for a fuller service to Him.
The trick is to acknowledge our shortcomings without accepting or declaring defeat. Some might ask “If I am not capable of serving him fully, what is the point?”
The Apostle Paul would have us understand that the point of our lives is discovered in striving to serve Him fully.
There are many days in our lives when we can look back and say, honestly, “ I have not sinned.” But we don’t get to hang our laurels on that day. Instead, we have to focus on the next day and work to do it again.
I submit to you that this is Paul’s message in Philippians 3:12-16:
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. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
The best question we could ask ourselves today is “does this passage describe me or just the Apostle Paul?”
Paul continues his thought, in part in Hebrews 12:1, where he says “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
What kind of things hinder us from serving our God more fully? What weight are we carrying that we ought to lay down?
(more…)
by David Peake | Blog
John 1:4 expresses, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” We do not have a fundamental understanding of Jesus without considering the profound statement, “in Him was life.”
The word “life” appears in the New Testament 192 times — 47 times in the book of John alone — but the idea of life begins in Genesis — the beginning.
To say “in Him was life” and not address creation ignores John 1:1-3:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
In Genesis 2:7 we read, “And Yahweh God ( or Elohiym Yahweh) formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Since we know that “all things were made through [Jesus] and without Him nothing was made” (John 1:3) We can infer that Jesus breathed life into Adam inasmuch as the Father did. In fact, Jesus is involved in the creation of all life making the statement “in Him was life” an observation, in part, of His role in creation.
What’s more, 1 Corinthians 15:45 looks back to Genesis 2:7 and says, “the first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” Paul continues in 1 Corinthians, but we understand that “the last Adam” is Jesus, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (or pre-eminent) over all creation.” Colossians 1:15
As regards the phrase, “life-giving spirit,” it is understood that this is used to differentiate between the mere mortal Adam and the Divine Jesus. After all, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24
Let’s explore for a little bit now, how Jesus embodies this phrase “in Him was life” …
(more…)
by David Peake | Blog
Our thoughts, the things we think about, are of critical importance. In God’s eyes, our thoughts define us as surely as any word spoken or deed done. Proverb 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Our thoughts are the intent of our hearts. Although we cannot know each other’s hearts, God knows each of our hearts … He knows our thoughts. In Matthew 9, it is recorded that Jesus said to a paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you.” At this, the account continues that the Scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes!” At verse 4 it is recorded that Jesus knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?”
You see, the things we say and do are the product of our thoughts and our thinking involves the heart. Not our actual heart, but the core of who we are … our minds. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20:
“… those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man …”
Our thinking is important … it is the fertile ground from which our words and deeds spring. Our thinking can defile us or make us pure. To help us achieve and maintain purity, the Apostle Paul has given us practical instructions in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.
What are we going to meditate on?
How often to we find ourselves giving our mind’s attention to the negativity in the news, negativity in our family, at work, at our neighborhood and on and on? How often do we believe a lie and let it fester in our lives? How often to we let gossip take up residence in our heads?
Paul shows us a better way!
Are we going to be focused on the things of this world — or — will we be meditating on whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report and what things are virtuous and praiseworthy?
The choice is ours!
