A Mind for the Poor

Jay Richards
During my senior year in college, I decided to read the Bible straight through quickly rather than
in bite-sized chunks. When I did so, a larger pattern jumped out at me: God's abiding concern
for the poor, and his expectation that we share his concern. That's the message from Genesis to
Revelation.
 
Near the beginning, God tells the Hebrews before they enter the Promised Land not to "be
hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor.... Since there will never cease to be
some in need on the earth, I therefore commend you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy
neighbor in your land'" (Deuteronomy 15:7, 11). The Proverbs are chock full of commands that
connect our love of God with how we treat the poor: "Those who oppress the poor insult their
Maker / but those who are kind to the needy honor him" (Proverbs 14:29).
 
Outraged Old Testament prophets like Amos announce God's judgment on Israel for defrauding
those who can ill afford it, trampling the needy, and "bringing to ruin the poor of the land"
(Amos 8:4-6). No minced words here: God let the Babylonians and Assyrians carry off the Jews
into captivity because the Jews worshiped false gods and failed to care for the poor and needy.
 
It's the same story in the New Testament. God became flesh and was born to a humble woman
in a stable filled with animals. Poor shepherds were the first to hear the news and to see God
become man. And Luke tells us that at the beginning of Jesus ministry, Jesus entered the
synagogue at Nazareth—his hometown—and read from the prophet Isaiah:
 
          The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
          because he has anointed me
          to bring good news to the poor.
          He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
          and recovery of sight to the blind,
          to let the oppressed go free,
          to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18 -- 19)
 
When Jesus told listeners that he was there to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy, they got so mad that he
had to move on to Capernaum.
 
Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats is really hard-core, and troubles the placid doctrine of
salvation by faith alone. Jesus says that when the Son of Man returns to establish his kingdom,
he will separate the "sheep" and "goats" depending on how they have treated people who are
hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned. The goats are dispatched to "eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels." The sheep, in contrast, are told to "inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world." That sounds much nicer, especially
without all the goats. In the parable, the only difference between the sheep and the goats is
how they treated the vulnerable, and so, by extension, how they treated Jesus himself: "Truly I
tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are my family, you did it to me"
(Matthew 25:31-46).
 
At one point, a religious figure asks Jesus, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the
greatest?" Jesus says, "’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like
it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets” (Matthew 22:34-40).
 
Another time a lawyer asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus tells them he has to fulfill
these two greatest commandments: love God to the full, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The lawyer, sensing an unattainable goal, looks for a semantic loophole in the word neighbor.
"And who is my neighbor?" he asks. Jesus then tells the story of the Good Samaritan. If you
read it carefully, you'll notice that Jesus never answers the lawyer’s question. Instead, after he
tells the parable, he asks a different question: "Which of these three, do you think, was a
neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Luke 10:25-37). His point seems
to be that instead of trying to whittle away the definition of neighbor to get off easy, we should
strive to be the good neighbor to everyone else. Jesus’ reversal prevents the man from simply
taking a safe neighborhood where none of his "neighbors" will ever need help. Even if he lives
in a gated community, his neighborhood extends well beyond the gate.
 
So God's concern for the poor isn't some sidelight. It follows straight from what Jesus tells us
are the two greatest commandments. For any follower of Jesus, then, that we should care for
and help the poor is not the question. The question is, How do we do it? "Piety," said the
Christian philosopher Etienne Gilson, "is no substitute for technique." What he meant is that
having the right intentions, being oriented in the right way, doesn't take the place of doing
things right. A pilot's caring deeply for his passengers and wanting to land the plane safely are
no substitute for his learning how to actually land planes safely. Jesus suggests the same thing.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Don't
forget the third item: love the Lord with all your mind. Don't misunderstand heart. Your heart
isn't just your feelings. In the Bible, heart refers to the seat of your will and your emotions. I
hope you already have a heart for the poor. Lots of Christians do. But do you have a mind for
the poor? Unfortunately, that's in rather short supply.
 
God knows your heart. Spiritually you're better off a little mixed up about your economics than
indifferent to human suffering. Economically, though, only what you do is important, whatever
your reason. Buying a bunch of bananas at Costco will have the same economic effect no
matter why you buy them.
 
Our minds and our motives aren't isolated compartments. God gave us minds and reason, so
we are responsible for thinking through the consequences of our actions. In fact, it is morally
self-indulgent to feel good about our motives when it comes to actions that affect the world.
When the focus is personal spiritual growth—sure, we should examine our motives. But when
it's time to roll up our sleeves and actually try to help someone, fixating on our motives can
become a stumbling block. It can distract us from discovering the right action at the right time.
Teenagers rightly ask, "What would Jesus do?"
 
I'm going to sound like a schoolmarm, but I'll say it anyway: we need to exercise prudence.
Prudence means "to see reality as it is, and to act accordingly," to conform your mind, and then
your actions, to reality. It's one of the four cardinal virtues, along with justice, fortitude, and
temperance. Cardinal is based on the Latin word cardo, which means "hinge." These four
virtues are cardinal because all the other virtues hinge on them. Helping the poor, for instance,
hinges on prudence. That's because, in the economic realm, actions have all sorts of
unintended consequences. We can't anticipate all of them. But we can anticipate a lot of them.
Therefore, if we really want to help the poor, we have to exercise prudence—to know what the
world is really like, and act accordingly.

Looking for Christ in the Wrong Direction

by Jim Hylton

Most of the focus on Christ is either the Christ of the past or the Christ of the future. Many,
with a nostalgia that enhances Israel's tourist industry, go back to take the steps where He once
walked. I too have enjoyed the tour and have led others on the tour. But we have the same
need as those who went to the tomb early in the morning. They looked in the wrong place.
Thinking he was where they last saw him, they went to the tomb. They looked in the wrong
tense. He was the Christ of the past. Going back to the past for one more look will not let us see
Him. We need to hear the angel for ourselves, " He is not here, He is risen" (Luke 24:6).
 
Or we look wistfully to the throne where He sits in reigning residency. We live with the
anticipation that He is going to get up off the throne and began making His way back to earth.
Many are checking His travel schedule constantly. Attempts are made to read the signs of His
coming. Israel is usually the focus of His return. Many believe He will base His booking to return
on what is happening with Israel and their neighbors.
 
The Last Days Are Here Again was a tongue-in-cheek title for a book written as people made all
kinds of predictions based on Y2K. The "last days" have lasted much longer than anyone ever
projected and are not likely to end anytime soon. It is time to get over the "last days" and to get
up to speed with "these days." These days are days for His life from within to have expression.
There is the hope of glory.
 
Neither the backward look nor the forward look will locate Him. The hope of glory is not the
historic timeframe of Him walking on earth in a body like ours. It is the fact He is here now in us.
He is the Christ in you giving you the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
 
Seeing Him has been called revival for decades. Revivalists have shared the stories of His
appearing and claim that He wants to do it again. I have been one of them. Awakening is
another term we have used to describe this newly-found clarity of vision.
 
Neither of those terms is wrong. There is a reviving of that which has lost vigor and vitality.
Awakenings have occurred and with them new vision. Any sighting of Christ has untold benefits.
Calling it revival or awakening does not alter His visitation with accompanying manifestations.
But the problem is that the terms are inadequate to describe the big picture of what God wants
to do. Is the Kingdom by any other name still the Kingdom? Is a rose by any other name still a
rose? I think so. Yet, if I want a rose, yet ask for a daffodil, how can my order be filled?
 
Has "the Kingdom coming" been called revival or awakening? Why would I even bother to raise
the issue? I raise it because I think we have labored with concepts and the anticipation of
something that is not as great as God has in mind. Not only that, but I also believe we do not
have a biblical foundation to support what we have called revival. Revival, as we know it or
think of it, is designed to rescue the church at worst and salvage the sagging statistics of the
church at best. I do not need to build a case for the needs of the church. From mega-churches
to mini-churches, we face major issues. While mega-churches reach gigantic size, overall church
attendance is on the decline. Communities and cities in the shadow of the largest churches may
go untouched and unchanged.
 
Prayer editing is required because of our prayer handicap. We do not know what to pray for.
From groanings that are unutterable or from oratorical declarations that could be printed in the
anthology of beautiful prayers, the Holy Spirit must edit our praying. I think the Holy Spirit is
saying to the Father, "They're asking for revival and awakening. What they really want is for the
Kingdom to come." The Holy Spirit speaks up for us because we don't know how to ask or what
to ask for. Even when we ask for the wrong thing, the Lord gives us what we need.
 
The cripple at the Beautiful Gate was asking for money in his cup. That was what he thought he
needed. Peter and John didn't have what he wanted, but what he needed. He wanted alms. He
needed legs. They said, "What we have we give to you" (Acts 3:6). What they had was the
transferred authority of Jesus to supply legs. We ask for what we think we need, and the Lord
graciously gives us what we really need.
 
I have come to the conclusion that receiving a Kingdom is far better than praying down revival.
The glory of God is the light to see God's Kingdom. God’s glory and God’s Kingdom are
interactive because both are manifestations of His presence. His presence in glory brings the
light with which we see His Kingdom.
 
Without God coming personally to illuminate the operative Kingdom, we would miss it
altogether. God has never stopped saying, "Let there be light." Without Him furnishing the
light, we haven’t the clarity to see what exists. God is not creating the Kingdom. It is already
created. It is a remarkable panorama to watch the Kingdom of God from eternity past enter
into time as we know it, unfold in various types and shadows, and then appear again in Christ's
activities. As the curtains of Revelation open and eternity future appears, we see an eternal
Kingdom clearly operative. The interactive engagements of heaven and earth are interactions of
both time and eternity.
 
His Kingdom is within us. His glory is within us. His Kingdom is resident because Christ is
resident. His glory is resident because Christ is resident. Christ in you is the hope of glory
(Colossians 1:27).
 
Kingdom reality is an inside job. Consciousness of Christ's life and Kingdom enactment starts
inside us. Whatever we call reality that occurs, the reality begins with the presence of Christ
letting His light shine within us. That light makes us the light of the world as well.
 
Adapted from "The Supernatural Skyline" by Jim Hylton, copyright 2010, used by permission of
Destiny Image Publishers, 167 Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg, PA  17257
www.destinyimage.com . Hear more about God’s Kingdom this week on LIFE TODAY and
request Jim Hylton’s book when you support Rescue LIFE.

The Blind Dog Helped Me See

James Robison

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither
that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in
him.  (John 9:1-3, NAS)

While shopping at an office supply store recently, I witnessed an odd sight. A man was pushing
a pink baby carriage down the center aisle of the store. It was smaller than a normal carriage –
similar to one a child would push a doll in. I looked into the carriage and there was a beautiful
little dog. He weighed around 15 pounds and had a mane that looked like a lion’s. I’ve never
seen one like it.

The dog captivated me, so I leaned into the carriage and said, “You sure are cute. You really are
pretty.” The man called the dog’s name and said, “That’s the man who needs to pray for you!”

It caught me quite off guard. He said, “I know you.”

I asked, “Why do you want me to pray for your dog?”

“My dog is blind,” he said. “He is five years old and has a retinal disease that is afflicting many
dogs throughout the country. They are losing their sight in a very short time. We’ve actually
taken him to a doctor in Boston to have a procedure, but the dog is still blind.”

“I will pray for your dog,” I said and dropped down on my knees in the middle of the store. I laid
my hands on the dog’s face, turning him straight toward me. I noticed that he didn’t follow me
and didn’t seem to respond as quickly as a dog normally would, though his eyes appeared
perfectly normal. I prayed, “God, bless this little dog. He’s such a sweet pet and his family loves
him very much. Please make this little dog well. You can heal this dog’s eyes. Jesus, would you
heal this little dog’s eyes.”

I cupped his face in my hands, putting my cheek against his cheek with tender affection. When I
stood up the man said, “Thank you.” I smiled and said, “You evidently know me and can get a
message to me. I would like to know if your dog begins to see. My prayers go with you.”

I finished shopping and left the store. Later, as I reflected on the moment, God revealed, “My
kingdom was manifest in that store right in broad daylight. You did exactly what believers
should do when they recognize the importance of living with an awareness of kingdom power.”

Prayerfully, I asked God about the experience. “Why did that man say of me, ‘That’s the man
who needs to pray for you’?”

God impressed upon my heart, “Because he was actually saying to his dog, ‘That’s a man who
believes in a God who can do anything for anyone… anywhere… anytime. That’s My kingdom!”

Considering that thought, I wondered why he came to such a conclusion. Had he simply seen
me on television or had he heard me speak somewhere? Perhaps, but wouldn’t it be best if he
had, over a period of time, simply observed my life? You see that can and should be the case
with every believer, not just preachers and teachers, but everyone reading this story.
If you are sick and fighting a disease in your family or among your friends and are under the
load of some seemingly unbearable weight, I ask you to agree with this fact: The King is here!
His presence and power are all around you as surely as the air you breathe. Ask Him to release
His healing power to lift the load and accomplish His Kingdom purpose in and through your life,
including those you care about. Trust Him! Kingdom results are in His hands. We receive the
seed in receptive soil and the light of His life and the water of His Word brings forth beautiful
fruit in His garden. No plant strains to yield its fruit; no flower, its blossom. It simply remains
rooted and grounded, trusting God for the light and the water necessary for fruit to come. If we
yield to the King to bring forth kingdom life, He will not fail. It’s our responsibility to yield. His
grace working in us makes remarkable changes. We should live amazed by the power of His
presence.

You may ask, “What if I’m not healed physically?” Keep trusting Him and thanking Him for a
great work of healing and wholeness His Kingdom power can accomplish by shaping your
character. This is the greatest healing of all. God provides healing for our souls and for our lives,
even when we don’t always see it in our physical bodies. Jesus’ stated that the goal is for the
works of God to be displayed in our lives.

Many people have been healed physically, but not spiritually, and, as a result, they still can’t
clearly see God’s kingdom purpose for their lives. Jesus can heal a withered hand, but His
greater emphasis is on the need for withered lives to be healed by the power of His abiding
presence and kingdom reality.

Jesus miraculously fed the multitudes on more than one occasion. But when they kept coming,
asking for another food miracle, He made it clear He wasn’t going to be the original “fast food
opportunity.” He wanted them to have meat to eat they knew nothing about. They needed
nourishment that comes from above—food with eternal promise and present-day effect.

He really did come to heal the brokenhearted and those who may also have a broken body. All
disease and sickness will be absent in the eternal kingdom that is to come. Absent from that
kingdom will also be any potential for disease, temptation or sin, and there will be no more
death. It’s no challenge in heaven to overcome an enemy because there’s none to overcome. In
this life God desires to make us more than conquerors—priests and kings, mighty warriors,
ambassadors with His armor and the shield of faith that can quench every fiery suggestion of
the enemy and all of the lies in this present world.

God’s kingdom power really did show up in that office supply store. It wasn’t simply an
expression of love from a lover of pets, but it was an expression from the lover of our souls and
our lives. It was the heart of One who cares about every concern we have. His desire is not that
we should strive for righteous works on our own, but that we would allow Him to work His
righteousness in our lives every single day. Once we allow His kingdom to rule in our lives, we
can learn to express His kingdom here on earth.

Awareness of kingdom presence in the spiritual realm is like the knowledge of oxygen in the
physical realm. You know it’s there, so you access it. By faith, we must recognize that kingdom
presence and atmosphere is here. We are receiving into the visible realm the power found in
that which is in the unseen realm. We must breathe it in. When you live in this awareness, you
will find yourself suddenly producing kingdom fruit. This is when we, like the blind man Jesus
encountered, allow the works of God to be expressed in our lives. This is true healing.

Live Within Your Means

by Betty Robison
Right from the start, James and I came to a crucial agreement, one we believe is supported by
the words of the Bible. We agreed not to indulge in compulsive spending and not to try to
impress people with any of the stuff we had. As James likes to say, “It’s okay to have stuff; it’s
not okay for stuff to have you.” Never allow the things you possess to possess you.
The Bible tells us plainly in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be
humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own
interests, but take an interest in others, too.” There simply isn’t room in the Christian life to
worry about impressing other people. We should never want anything because someone else
has it or because it’s a status symbol. There’s nothing wrong with possessing the things you
need or even the things you want. But how can you “take an interest in others” if you’re
drowning in debt?
Paul also tells us in Philippians that God will supply our needs. 1 And he says in 2 Corinthians
that if we learn to keep God first, even in our giving, He will enable us to give to every good
work. 2 In the book of Proverbs, we are told, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with
the firstfruits of all your increase.”3 When we keep God first, it’s amazing how much better we
manage our money.
The part of you that wants to impress people and revel in vanity – the part that wants to
determine your personal worth based on your possessions — is the part that has to die. You will
never be happy if you try to base who you are on what you have. This way of thinking leads only
to dissatisfaction and a constant pursuit of “uncertain riches.” 4 When you build your self-worth
on the foundation of money, you’re foolishly building your house on an unstable foundation. 5
Self-gratifying spending never satisfies. Living for earthly treasures and pleasures leads to a
show form of death. As Ecclesiastes 5:10 tells us, “Those who love money will never have
enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!” This was written by King
Solomon, one of the wisest and wealthiest men who ever lived. He was speaking from
experience, having discovered in his old age that money and possessions didn’t satisfy him.
If you’re currently pursuing or living for foolish material gain, we encourage you to take these
thoughts and attitudes to the Lord and to start living under His control, not out of control. God
wants the best for you, but His best often looks much different from what the world thinks is
best.
Find your worth in God, and you’ll experience true prosperity. Jesus promises us an abundance
of life, which is not the same as an abundance of possessions. If, however, you keep first things
first, you can and will enjoy all things richly.6

God Did Not Save You to Tame You

with Lisa Bevere

God does not reveal himself as limitless in order to limit us. Quite the contrary. He wants to put
his heart within us. My friend Christine says it best: “God did not save you to tame you!”

God is not looking for people who act like Christians. He wants us to be Christians! The word
Christian means “anointed or Christlike one.” Jesus did not go around “being good”; he went
around “doing good” and releasing all who were oppressed. What has he anointed you to do?

God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me
to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and
battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” (Luke 4:18-19)

If the Spirit of God was placed on Jesus to do all these things, and if we are born of the same
Spirit, then we are to do as he did – preach the good news to the poor, set the burdened and
battered free, and announce, “This is God’s year to act!” I believe that each and every year is
God’s year to act, that he is still waiting for us to go into motion on his behalf.

In light of this charge, God does not need a band of domesticated daughters who spend their
days baking and behaving well. Nothing wrong with baking, but if that is all we do, God won’t
use us to change history.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich says, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” I know this quote may
challenge some of you. It challenged me when I first read it. This is not an admonition to be
naughty, but to realize that change often comes with the challenge of the status quo.

It is when I bow before Him that I stand the tallest In knowing I belong to Him, I am most my
own, and in submission to His Spirit I experience the greatest possible freedom. The river of life
flows freely and the result is fruitfulness and true fellowship with the Father and the family as
Kingdom power reveals the love that never fails.

In the eyes of her southern culture and the bus company, Rosa Parks was not behaving well
when she refused to yield her seat and move to the designated “colored” section in the back of
the bus. One woman’s choice to hold her ground and not change seats changed how our nation
looked at racial segregation. I seriously doubt in that moment she realized she was making
history. Time alone has the power to reveal motives and consequences of choices. Maybe Rosa
was just tired of being marginalized and denied her God-given right of human dignity.

What about Deborah, Jael, Tamar, Esther, Bathsheba, Abigail, Rahab, and even Mary? (These
are just a biblical sampling, because there are more.)

Was Deborah behaving well by inciting her people against a dominant oppressor and riding into
war with the men? The leaders of her time thought not. An army rose to oppose her rebellion,
but they could not prevail. When the God-chosen male leader hesitated, Deborah carried out
God’s directive the best she knew how.

What of Jael? Did she have to use a tent peg to kill her enemy? Couldn’t she just have turned
him over to the authorities while he slept? Possibly, but she didn’t. God was okay with her
choice, and a song was composed to declare her value.

Then there is Tamar. This twice-widowed woman pretended to be a prostitute and slept with
her widowered father-in-law, patriarch Judah. Her behavior is shocking on many levels. There is
no evidence that God instructed her to do this. She chose this course of action. But the son of
this tenacious woman is found in the lineage of Christ, and she was declared righteous.

Esther disobeyed the command to come to the king only when called. Disobedience had gotten
Vashti, Xerxes’ first wife, sacked. Esther should have known better! But her choice to behave
badly at court saved her people.

Bathsheba was an adulteress and the mother of Solomon the wise. Rahab was a prostitute who
lied to her king and hid enemy spies. Not only did her actions of faith redeem her family from
the destruction of Jericho, but her son is in the lineage of David and Jesus. Abigail circumvented
her husband. Her choice saved her household and won her the heart of King David.

Mary appeared to carry and illegitimate child and gave birth to the Son of God. What if she had
said, “Unwed and pregnant will look bad. Can this wait until I'm married so I will look well
behaved?”

History alone justifies the choices of these women. Their hearts were awakened and stirred.

How will you respond when you are fully, dangerously awake? What history will you make? Will
you, like the fierce lioness, awaken from a tranquilized state and rise up to defend your family,
your community, your world? Are you awake? Even now, what is stirring in your heart?

Excerpted from Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World by Lisa Bevere, © 2010 by
Lisa Bevere, (WaterBrook Press)
Sheila Walsh: Facing the Impossible
What does the Bible teach about seemingly impossible situations? Find out why God calls us as
He sees us, not as we see ourselves, when we trust Him and His word. Watch now.

Jimmy Evans: Resolving Conflict

The renowned marriage expert uses James' and Betty's relationship to spotlight the importance
of confrontation and resolution. Watch now.

Lisa Bevere: A Wise Woman

The Bible says, "A wise woman builds her house." What does that mean? Find out now.

Beth Moore: Hit Back!

Beth discusses "the anatomy of a victory" in "Praying God's Word," part 3. View the clip.

Do You Know What You Are Called To Do?

by Rick Renner

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. - Philippians 3:12

I have no doubt as to what God has called me to do with my life. He has called me to preach the
Gospel and to help establish the Church in regions of the world that are unstable, difficult, and
unchurched. That is my calling, and I am very confident of this fact. But for me to fulfill this
divine call on my life requires hard work, attention, and a determination to never stop until I
have achieved exactly what Jesus intended for me to achieve with my life.

When you look at the life of the apostle Paul, you'll find it very evident that he emphatically
knew his calling. Furthermore, he was able to concretely express it and often wrote of it in his
epistles. Over and over again, he wrote that he was an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8).
Paul lived, breathed, ate, and slept and awoke every day to the call of God that was on his life.

When Paul was in a Roman prison with the prospect of death staring him in the face, he never
gave up because he knew he hadn't yet fulfilled the entire plan God had revealed to him. I
personally believe that reaching his God-given goal was in Paul's mind when he wrote, "Not as
though I had already attained, either were already perfect." (Philippians 3:12).

The word "perfect" is the Greek word teleo. It refers to something that is ripe, mature, perfect,
or complete. It suggests that Paul meant, "I have done a lot and accomplished much in
comparison to others, but I haven't yet brought my assignment to completion. The job is not
finished. I have not yet completed what God has called me to do."

During his multiple years of serving the Lord, Paul had achieved more than any other Christian
leader of his time. He had preached on different continents, traveled to the countries of the
Mediterranean Sea, and preached to governors and kings. Besides all these notable
accomplishments, Paul had written the majority of the New Testament text! But none of this
mattered to him because he knew he hadn't yet "attained" that for which Jesus Christ had
apprehended him.

Instead of relaxing and taking it easy at the end of his life, Paul therefore turned his attention to
the dream - to the unfulfilled vision or assignment that was still before him. Because there was
still so much left to do, he went on to say, "I follow after." This phrase comes from the Greek
word dioko, which is the word that is usually translated to persecute. Let's stop and talk about
this for a moment so we can understand the full force of what Paul was writing in this verse.

The word dioko, translated as "I follow after," is a fiercely aggressive word. In historic Greek
literature, it means to hunt; to pursue; to chase; to track down and kill. It is the picture of an
outdoorsman who is so determined to hunt down an animal that he will stop at nothing to
pursue, chase, track down, and ultimately get his game!

Do hunters accidentally bag their game, or do they strategize in their plans to get a good one
each hunting season? Hunters strategize! They dream! They talk to other hunters about the
best places to hunt! They dress in camouflaged clothes; then they perch themselves high up on
tree branches and wait for hours upon hours for an unlucky deer to walk into their trap. Once
the deer comes in range, they shoot to kill! They hunt, hound, and stalk that animal until they
finally kill it. Then they throw the big catch in the back of their truck and head home with their
trophy - and the prospect of many good venison meals in their future! That is exactly what Paul
means when he says, "I follow after."

The apostle Paul strategized, planned, studied, and ardently followed after the call of God on
his life. You could say that he hunted, hounded, and stalked the call of God with all his heart,
never stopping until he could say, "I got my game!" When Paul's job was finished, he gladly
said, "I have finished my course." (2 Timothy 4:7). That's when he packed it all up and went
home to Heaven with his trophy - a crown of reward.

For you to achieve what God has planned for your life, it will likewise require a fierce
determination to keep pressing ahead. You can never stop until every part of your God-given
assignment has been fulfilled. Jogging along at a comfortable pace will never get you where you
need to go. You must focus your attention on the goal and then strategize, plan, and work until
you can confidently say, "I've done exactly what Jesus wanted me to do!" But be forewarned:
Achieving this goal will demand your utmost concentration and undivided attention and the
empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Do you know God's plan for your life? Do you know the assignment He has designed just for
you? Are you following after that divine call with all your heart? If not, today is the perfect time
to start discovering and then following after God's call on your life!

God’s Kingdom Rediscovered

by James Robison

Presently, it seems clear that much of the church--many who have trusted Christ--have lost
sight of the Kingdom and it must be rediscovered! Jesus came out immediately declaring the
need to repent and to receive the Gospel of the Kingdom. "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand,” and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel." (Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:15 NAS)  God’s Kingdom is an order revealing
the fatherhood of God, love, redemption, grace, justice, true fellowship in the family, and love
for all those outside. This Kingdom stands in the face of the lower world order founded on hate,
selfishness, greed, manipulation, deception, exploitation and disrupted fellowship.

The Gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed by and revealed in Jesus tears down the gates of hellish
bondage, cleansing, renewing and releasing captives through the transforming power of the
TRUTH. God will establish His Kingdom in us if we will lose our life in His purpose and then
discover not only the fulfillment of our heart’s longing, but also God’s desire for us.

We must learn that God’s laws are rock solid and unshakable. We never actually break His
commands, they in fact break us. Just as a locomotive is designed and built to run on tracks in
order to pull its load, accomplish its purpose, and reach its destination, so we as believers are to
run on Kingdom tracks in order to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.

The Scripture provides far more than goal posts as our objective. They provide guideposts with
Jesus Himself as the standard we faithfully plow toward while refusing to look back or be
turned off course to the right or the left. We must not be distracted from Kingdom purpose and
must continually look to the author and finisher of our faith.

As surely as a train off its tracks fails in all areas, wreaking havoc and ruin, so do people who live
outside Kingdom purpose. When we repent and accept the Kingdom Jesus said is at hand and
to be established in us, we find self-fulfillment, and outside of this realm of the Spirit we find
only frustration, no real meaning, no significance, and all is vanity.

We must recognize all rebellion against God and His will proves to be rebellion against all that is
best for us, and our best interests are forfeited. The Kingdom of God cannot be replaced by
anything truly fruitful and blessed. When it is revealed and released through us, it will touch
every realm in the most fruitful and blessed way imaginable. Obey the laws of the Kingdom and
you will have heaven manifest in you – disobey it, and you will have hellishness right now as a
condition and mental state of confusion.

It is when I bow before Him that I stand the tallest In knowing I belong to Him, I am most my
own, and in submission to His Spirit I experience the greatest possible freedom. The river of life
flows freely and the result is fruitfulness and true fellowship with the Father and the family as
Kingdom power reveals the love that never fails.

We must live looking unto Jesus who not only proclaimed the Kingdom, but reveals it. When we
see Jesus, we see the Father for in Him the fullness of God dwells bodily. He is the author and
finisher of our faith. He makes abundant life available to all who will trust and obey. True life is
only discovered when we live for Jesus’ sake and the Kingdom’s sake.

God must be God of all, or He is not God at all. He is not the God of some things, but all things.
Everything is to be under His control, impacted and influenced by those who are committed to
the revelation and release of all the positive aspects in this Kingdom. Jesus is the King of Kings,
the Lord of Lords, but the questions are, “Is He your Lord? Is God truly first?” We must all ask,
“Whose kingdom are we committed to?” The correct answer is, “Jesus is my Lord and I live for
His Kingdom sake and for His glory.”

Seeing God’s Kingdom and His purpose more clearly than ever in my life, has set my heart on
fire with the fire as witnessed by Moses in the burning bush. This holy fire does not consume, it
consummates. It refines and warms every aspect of life.

Betty and I, as with many in the United States and around the world, are considered past
middle age, but I have an announcement. These are not our “last days!”! These are our best
days! We have all been born for this moment to reveal His Kingdom to a deceived, disillusioned,
defeated world.

This is your moment to reveal the Kingdom of the coming King! It doesn’t matter how old you
are or how young. How large or small you see yourselves. God’s Kingdom is about to become
HUGE through you because you are going to allow God to be as big as He really is. You will live
to witness the “significance of one” when that life is yielded to the great “I AM.”

This is the time to replace the present world order with God’s order – the Kingdom of God, His
will on earth through us. Present day academics, intellectuals, philosophers, psychologists,
entertainers, politicians, some theologians and many preachers seem to know everything about
life except how to live it! Now is the time for THE CHURCH, the people with Kingdom purpose to
turn this upside down world right side up. Now is the time for believers to recognize the master
key to the Kingdom of God is the Master (Jesus)! He has given to His church established on
living stones set in place by the very hand of God, power to overwhelm the gates of hell.

The stage is set today for a rediscovery of the Kingdom of God. In error the Church through the
ages has not totally rejected aspects of the Kingdom, but unknowingly has reduced the
Kingdom and replaced its importance for the here and now by putting forth the promise of only
a future reward with little impact in our present day.

Keep in mind, it is the Kingdom and the absolute rule of God and His purpose in the life of every
Christian that the gates of hell assaults. It is the purpose of God to be fulfilled in us that satan
hates. The book Purpose Driven Life has sold over 30 million copies because it is referencing life
that is to be led by God’s Kingdom purpose. We must all learn, it is not about us—it is about
Him and others. His Kingdom is the meaningful life all mankind is longing for.

The rule of God alone can give us all a sense of belonging, of significance and purpose with
godly guidelines rather than the foolish focus on the world’s goal lines and pursuits. In His
Kingdom there is security, peace, fullness and fulfillment.

It is time for us all together to rediscover God’s Kingdom and allow it to be revealed both to us
and through us. I commit to spend the rest of my life focused on Jesus, yielding to God’s
purpose. I encourage everyone to become a part of fulfilling life’s greatest mission, believing,
demonstrating and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. Share it, not in Word only but also
in deed.

God is inviting every one of us to make Him the focal point of our lives – every aspect of it. He
must be the very center of your world and everything is to revolve around the pursuit of His
perfect will being accomplished in us. As He becomes bigger, everything else becomes clearer.
What matters to Him, will matter to you. It is time to rediscover God’s Kingdom!

Building to the Code

by Philip De Courcy
I once read that Willie Nelson, the country star, bought his own golf course. Somebody asked
what “par” was. “Anything I want it to be,” he replied. “See that hole over there? It’s a par 47.”
Then he added, “And yesterday, I birdied it!”

That would be laughable if it was not a sad and sorry picture of what’s going on in America
today. It seems people don’t believe in right and wrong anymore; they believe right and wrong
is whatever they want it to be. Given that reality, we are without doubt at a critical hour in our
history as a people. We all know that every building must have a foundation, and consequently
what is true of buildings is also true of people’s belief and behavior. If the foundation of moral
consciousness and conduct in a nation is destroyed, what is left (Psa. 11:3)?

A television news crew was on assignment in southern Florida after hurricane Andrew caused
widespread destruction. Amidst the devastation and toppled buildings, they were struck by a
particular house that remained on its foundation. They interviewed the owner of the home and
asked, “Why is your house the only one standing? How did you manage to escape the severe
damage of the storm?”

“I built this house myself,” he answered. “I built it according to the Florida state building code. I
was told that a house built according to the code could withstand a hurricane and it did. I
suppose nobody else around here followed the code.”

As I look around our crumbling culture, it seems that few in our nation are building to the code.
But Jesus told us that there is a foundation we can build on that will stand the test of time and
beyond. It’s the bedrock of God’s word (Matt. 7:24-27).

We need to be once again a people governed by moral maxims: absolutes. “Righteousness

exalts a nation,” according to Proverbs 14:34. Righteousness is uprightness. It is an action or
behavior according to a standard.

Interestingly, Proverbs was particularly written to the emerging leaders of Israel as

demonstrated by Solomon often addressing his son or sons. As they were instructed, so are we.
When the authors of Proverbs wrote of righteousness, they had in mind the upright standards
of God’s moral law, codified in the Ten Commandments, later to be embodied in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Righteousness exalts a nation; therefore, uprightness of behavior in accordance with the
moral law of God is the path to peace and prosperity.

The world is not a moral vacuum. It is one designed and directed by a Holy God, who weighs the
actions of men and reacts accordingly.

"All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

But the Lord weighs the spirits.
Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established." (Proverbs 16:2-3, NKJV)
Just as the physical universe is governed by natural laws, such as gravity, so there is a moral
component to this world governed by a just God, who is righteous in character. If we are going
to enjoy some measure of life, liberty and happiness, we must recognize our Creator, seek His
happiness and live within His moral laws. Good government, therefore, takes God’s holy nature
into account. How is a nation to be exalted if there is no righteous standard by which to live?
That’s what the book of Proverbs reminds us.

“Many seek the ruler’s favor,

But justice for man comes from the Lord.” (Proverbs 29:26, NKJV)

Justice does not come from any person’s sense of right or wrong – not even a king. The king is
to administer God’s justice. Leaders are to establish God’s righteousness. Morality is not
relative or situational. We need to stop living by the dictum that everything is right some time
and nothing is right every time. God’s standards are like God himself; they are sovereign and
steadfast. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not God’s Word (Mark 13:31). Morality,
therefore, is and must be rooted in the absolute righteous character of God, revealed to us in
the Holy Bible and ultimately put on display in the perfect life of Jesus Christ.

Right is right, and wrong is wrong because God said so! If God does not exist, and if there is no
transcendent, absolute, moral law given by Him by which to measure our behavior, then all
things are permissible. Biblically speaking, no man has the right to tell another man what to do
unless that man is telling another to do what God commands all men to do. If God is not the
authority, then who is? Without the chart and compass of God’s Word, we would be left to drift
on a sea of relativism and pragmatism, inevitably finding shipwreck against the rocks of our
own self-will.

But the Bible tells us that there are certain standards that are absolute and God will hold us
accountable to them. We discard and disregard them at our own peril. Happiness is found in
obedience to God’s will as revealed in God’s Word and seen in God’s Son (Psalm 1; Hebrews 1).
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  If we want to know peace and
prosperity, then we must embrace God’s truth as we find it in Scripture and in the person and
work of Christ (John 17:17; 14:6).

We must stop living as if we are our own judge and jury when it comes to morality. We must
stop thinking that tolerance prevents us from having sound judgment. We need to move from
feeling good to being good to doing good. We must realize that ideas have consequences.
Therefore, we need to repent of the idea that the only absolute is that there are no absolutes
(which is a complete contradiction since that statement is an absolute!)

Success and stability involves a commitment to righteousness and the righteous One.
Obedience invites God’s blessing.

"When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;

And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked." (Proverbs 11:10-11, NKJV)

Given all that we have said, starting today we must urgently pursue goodness by following the
wisdom of God’s sufficient word. We must passionately walk uprightly, stand for truth and
justice, and show mercy according to God’s liberating law. But first and most important of all,
we must kneel in submission to God’s Son who kept the law and died for those who have
broken that law (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10-14). These are the keys to greatness; these are the
grounds for happiness, both for a nation and for each of us individually.

Philip De Courcy is the senior pastor of Kindred Community Church in Anaheim Hills, California,
and speaker on the daily radio program, Know the Truth (ktt.org) This week’s devotional is
adapted from his sermon, “For God and Country” (kindredchurch.org).

A Saved Mind
with Beth Moore

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2
Timothy 1:7, NKJV)
 
The New King James renders this phrase in the Greek as “sound mind.” The other part of the
phrase is where we get the idea of “salvation.” It refers to a saved mind.
 
When I think back on what Jesus Christ has done for me, I can tell you that He saved my mind. I
truly was a tormented and insecure child coming out of abuse, second-guessing, self-doubt and
self-loathing. With that kind of mindset, you absolutely despise yourself and believe that you'll
never amount to anything. You feel like you have to constantly prove something and perform. 
Talk about torment of the mind! I lived my life in a cycle of defeat.
 
But the enemy overplayed his cards with me.  He tried to convince me that God could never
change me after God’s Word said that's what Jesus Christ came to do. Jesus did not come for
the well; He came for the sick. He did not come for those that were already whole; He came for
those that needed Him desperately.  I began to see what the Bible says and I decided to believe
it.
 
I should give a disclaimer of sorts: I am not talking about genuine, medically-diagnosed mental
illness. That is something that God can and does heal through various processes, but what I’m
really speaking to are situational challenges where something has happened – a circumstance,
sudden crisis, whatever it may be that has caused us to go through a pronounced season of
defeated thinking. Maybe we're even going so far as to make fools of ourselves externally,
where our defeated thoughts come out in our defeated actions and we begin acting like the
person we are thinking like.
 
Can you imagine what would happen if the enemy could just hold us there?  If we became
convinced that we don't have soundness of mind and got trapped in that place? All sorts of
negative things could happen.
 
The Apostle Paul talked about it in Romans 7:15 when he said, “What I hate, that I do.” How
many of us have done things and, while we're doing it, thought, "I don't even want to be doing
this." I can remember times of defeat in my life when I thought, “Why am I doing this?  I don't
even want to be doing this. This isn't even where my heart is!”
 
It can come from rejection, loss and many other things. We can think, “I cannot mentally
survive this.” We will reaffirm that idea in our minds over and over again. “I cannot make it
through this. My mind will never come back together again.”
 
This doesn’t mean that we don’t grieve. The Word of God says we grieve, but not as those who
have no hope. We certainly want to have a healthy grief, but forecasting ourselves as never
having a sound mind is a lie from the enemy.
 
Victimization can do it. This is one I've seen over and over again because this is my specific past.
I thought I would have a broken mind forever. I felt that if I had to look squarely in the face of
where I had been that I would not emotionally and mentally survive it. I had to begin dealing
with my emotional family tree. That is the biggest drop-out rate in the journey, because people
are convinced they are not able to tolerate it. But that is a lie!  We are not wimps!  We have
been given a strong heart and a sound mind. We are far more resilient than we realize.
 
I'm a big believer in seeking godly counseling. I'm a big believer in going to a professional and
talking through some of the things we're going through. We can’t let the enemy intimidate us
from seeking wholeness and health in Christ by having it in our heads that we will never survive
it. That is a lie! 
 
“He sent His word and healed them,” Psalm 107:20 tells us, “And delivered them from their
destructions.” (NKJV)
 
God sent His Word to heal you. We can reprogram our thoughts to reclaim a sound, saved
mind. You will feel like you think, so redeem your mind through the health and wholeness of
God’s Word.
Contentment
by Carol Kent

The dictionary defines contentment as “the quality or state of being contented,” and contented
is defined as “feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.” 1 One
of the key ingredients of contentment is accepting the hand dealt to us in life, our place in this
world, the people in our circle, and the resources we have. Frankly, if my level of contentment
could be monitored on a meter that measures satisfaction and acceptance, I know there are
days when neither attitude would even register. Instead, my dissatisfaction would be off the
charts.

Paul’s example of dealing with adversity over more than three decades of his life as a Christ-
follower encourages me, because throughout his writings Paul describes the inner peace we
can learn to cultivate, regardless of circumstances. Even while imprisoned – again – by the
Romans, he wrote:

Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite
content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as
with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands
empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes
me who I am.2

From a place of complete confidence in the God who transcends all human experiences, Paul
urged the early Christians to be “content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will
never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.’”3

As parents of a lifer, Gene and I find ourselves wondering (and sometimes worrying!) about
how prisoners, including our son, will be cared for as our country continues to experience a
deep financial crisis that has negatively affected the lives of almost everybody in our society. As
there is less and less money for the upkeep of prisons, the salaries of prison employees, the
health care and meal quality of inmates, and the education of the incarcerated, how will the
United States take care of nearly two-and-a-half-million inmates in our country?

Another thought that steals my contentment as a mom is wondering what will happen to our
son after Gene and I get old and die. That may seem like a morbid thought, but the reality is in
your face when you have a child with a life sentence. Younger family members will one day be
responsible for making sure there is enough money in Jason’s account to cover his basic needs.
J.P. once wrote to us about some of the added indignities inmates experience when they don’t
have anyone looking out for them on the outside.
When prisoners have no family member who deposits money in their inmate account, they wear
footwear provided by the Department of Corrections – little slip-on shoes called “bo-bos”
(pronounced with long o’s) that are three sizes too small or three sizes too big. When a man’s
shoes are too big, he looks like a little child wearing his father’s shoes – just shuffling along so
they don’t fall off. When the footwear is too small, the inmates’ feet are cramped into little
slippers that only cover their toes, with their heels hanging out over the backs of the shoes.
Often, when a hole is worn through the sole of a bo-bo, a large piece of cloth tape is applied
instead of having the shoe replaced.

The trousers we wear are often patched or extended with six or more inches of material to
make them longer. Towels are sewn together from two, or sometimes three, pieces of old
towels.

These little things take away part of our dignity – and if we let these common practices get to
us, it produces discontent.

Any contentment I experience can go right through the window when I start dwelling on my
concerns about who will provide and care deeply about my son for the rest of his life. I don’t
have a chance for peace of mind unless I truly believe that my God – my son’s God – will never
desert him. I must continually practice following more of Paul’s excellent advice:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into
prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness,
everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what
happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.4

The challenges my son is experiencing as a guilty man imprisoned for committing murder don’t
compare to the extreme challenges Paul faced as a Christian unjustly persecuted in Roman
society. But Jason, like Paul, is learning that contentment is not just a feeling, and it’s not
dependent on his circumstances. Ironically, my incarcerated son is teaching me the true
meaning of contentment.

I know there are days when Jason is tempted to give in to anger, bitterness and jealousy. I have
those temptations, too. But I'm encouraged as I see him trying to internalize this truth from the
New Testament: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get
worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with
whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”5 When I choose to live one day at a time
instead of trying to make it through my son’s entire life sentence, I'm surprised by
contentment.