Freedom Fighters

Prodigal Humility II

03/22/201603/21/2016Leave a comment

“God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” ~1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NLT)

Have you looked at the parable of the prodigal son and ever ask yourself what his aim was with receiving his inheritance early? What was the end game with all that loot? I’m gonna stretch this out a bit and say that where ever your heart is with the story there you will not only find the prodigal but the prodigal within you. If you’ve said that he just wanted to rock and roll all night and party every day and needed the money to throw away on it…I would wonder if that was what you wanted to do. Me? I’ll be honest, since it is a young lad we’re talking about, I’ve leaned towards that same answer in the youth of my walk but I now I might just give him the benefit of the doubt and say he wanted to start his own life with it. Maybe….

So…what was your aim when you came to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ? Do you plan an end game with that? Now if you give me that same fire alarm answers that states the end of The Bible can be summed up in two words (WE WIN) then my guess is all you want is to be able to say you’re on the winning team. Which isn’t a bad thing but it can’t be what you rest your walk on. Because if that’s all you intended to do then you’ve cheapen the grace that YHVH has imparted to you and it really is all about you. And I think when you come to humility we should see the end game much clearer than we did when we first accepted Christ. But the unfortunate truth to this is very often we don’t tend to make God our ultimate end because humility isn’t an easy thing.

When you look at the parable of the prodigal do you ever wonder how his presentation was when he approached his father for his inheritance? Was he asking as a humble son or was he belligerent one? Once again I’ll say where ever your heart is with story there you’ll find not only the prodigal but the prodigal within you. And I’ll once again say that in the youth of my walk I could envision this kid being pushy about getting’ his stuff BUT I’ll give benefit of the doubt and say there was a certain sense of humility to it, but in the sense that I said in my last Freedom Fighter. Parleyed humility…I be humble to you if are humble to me. Philia over agape.

Being humble on our terms is a contradiction of itself. And at times we can slip into “moral corruption” and make humility some kinda happy thing to do. Like there is a pleasure seeking end game to it. So our walk looks more hedonistic than Christ-like,

(then the Doobie Brothers sing…” Jesus is just alright with me, Jesus is just alright oh yeah”!!) and I think that like the prodigal getting the father’s inheritance, we sorta waste our inheritance from Jesus and we feel good about. Never one time bringing it to the forefront of our mind that this is gonna get hard and this gonna take effort. And a funny thing to note is there are some who would dangle the enjoyment of heaven as the reason to come to Christ, never once telling you about the cost. Sad, but true.

Well my time with you is coming to an end today but in closing I hope you not thinking that I’m being a killjoy. It isn’t wrong to enjoy conveying humility to one another and it isn’t wrong to have that as a desire but what I am saying is to make sure it is not ultimately and only self-serving. I’ll be getting into the parable of the prodigal a bit further next time I am with you but until then let me ask you…How much me-time do you need? How much of your time, money and energy go into bringing yourself pleasure? Now think of the widow with the two mites and tell me if you see yourself worth more that. Me? I have to be content on knowing that wasted time, money and energy I don’t get back but I’m also content knowing that losing 100% for the Kingdom is time/money/energy well spent. Amen?

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 81; Proverbs 21

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “To many of us it has been a new joy in the Christian life to know that we may yield ourselves as servants, as slaves to God, and to find that His service is our highest liberty—the liberty from sin and self. We need to learn another lesson—that Jesus call us to be servants of one another, and that, as we accept it heartily, this service too will be a blessed one.” ~Andrew Murray

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;

The future of the wicked shall be cut off. ~Psalm 37:38 (NKJV)

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Prodigal Humility

03/16/201603/14/2016Leave a comment

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’” ~James 4:6 (NKJV)

(Before I go too much further I have to confess that this writing is going to come from some notes that I found on my desk that I know came from a Keswick conference. I just don’t know from whom I got them from or how long ago I got them. So if what I write looks familiar to what you spoke on…let me know who you are, you musta gave some sermon that time period)

One of the things I have been encouraging folks to understand is that humiliation only pleases Satan. If we were to go back to the beginning of The Book everything Elohim created was good until Satan showed up. It was in humiliation that Adam and Eve covered up their disobedience their own way and when YHVH asked “Where are you?” it was all over, shame set in. Now here we are, in the 21^st century and very few of us can truly say it’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and it’s all because of this skewed view we have of humility (thought I was gonna say humiliation, didn’t you?) Anyway…

So often in the Christian world we tend to parley humility to each other. If you treat me with humility, I’ll treat you likewise. So from the view point of a guy that greets everyone at the front door of the church he attends, every now and again, parley is no way to handle humility. Now, at times, when I hand out bulletins to people with a gracious smile, a big ole’ “GOOD MORNING” what I’ll get in return is a growl of “…morin’…” then off they go. Now if I parley my composure for the next time I see them they might just get “…mornin’-ing…” themselves. In essence it is no way to show Christian humility, however, when it does come to showing Christian humility we’ll go philia before agape every time. Sad…but true!

Now God’s Word makes this one point very clear, God gives grace to the humble. That in and of its self should blow us away. Our problem is that after we’ve gone through a time of brokenness we relax and get comfortable, pride creeps back into our everyday and then it becomes all about us again. But then on the flip side there is a widespread misunderstanding of this whole sense of humility. Like what was written back in the 6^th century by a monk named Benedict. He had these 12 steps to humility and in the 7^th step he suggested to other monks that they look at themselves as the lowest and vilest of men and quietly say to themselves, “But I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and the outcast of people.” Not sure about you but I ain’t saying nuttin’ like that! God don’t make no junk like that…besides God already created worms. Can’t question The Creator.

So I guess we need to wrap our minds around what motivates humility in our Christian walk. Andrew Murray wrote that there three motives that should urge us to humility…I like the second one. Humility should “appeal to us in our fallen state, and points out the only way through which we can return to our right place as men” (or women). It’s being oriented away from ourselves and being there to serve the interests of others. But what it’s not is a license to keep screwing up so we can get back to a contrite position with God. If you have been saved and truly believe it is by grace that you have been saved, then you should already be at the contrite part. It’s not sin that makes you humble its grace…got it?

Well this is about as far as I can go today but in the next few Freedom Fighters I hope to be able to work us through humility in the parable of The Prodigal Son. It is my view that Jesus does us a great favor by flipping the script on what was once look upon as humiliation to levels of humility we get the rest of time on earth to achieve. And yes I am proposing that you have the rest of your time here to work on humility. I think one of the greatest disservices we do to ourselves is we think we have to have this all together at the moment we’ve confessed with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus saves. Au Contraire…I believe that God wants us to keep working at it because it shows Him that we love Him enough to pressing on. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (November 2003), is married with two adult children (who you may remember from summer staff) and serves on the Deacon Board at Trinity Alliance Church in Cologne NJ.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 76; Proverbs 16

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “When I look back on my own religious experience, or on the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus. “ ~Andrew Murray

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

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Fire Exits

03/08/201603/07/2016Leave a comment

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” ~1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)

I see one of the most DUMBEST acts of carelessness ever performed every day at the place where I work. Every time I see it happen I just wanna reach out and…well maybe I ought not go much further than that but it does really butter my biscuits. And since my response to this display of stupidity is a key factor in the getting along with those that claim their citizenship in Secularland I find myself quietly (well…not really all that quietly) undoing what was just done. My phrase of choice has been “Please allow me to move your cart of stuff away from the FIRE EXIT!!!” (emphasis on the sarcasm). Then I make sure I at least report the act to someone who looks like they might agree with me…emphasis on the “might agree.”

The last time this happened (which is probably right now as you read this) it made me think of what we read in 1 Corinthians 10:13…” He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Now as much as we agree that this is how our God works we can, at times, we tend to spend too much effort looking at the obstacles. Which is what I do when I see the fire exits at work blocked. My response to them being there at all isn’t good because even if I say nothing out loud (for all to hear), my voice within me is just as loud. And since it is staying within me, I tend to add a few unkind adjectives to my conversation. What a wretched man I am.

I think one of the things that we/I have to get a grip on is that we have been a people who have been tempted to do stupid things throughout the ages. After Genesis 3 it all goes downhill and that means that we, as fallen creatures, are always temptable. We’ve yielded to temptation by the law of habit, we have gained a tendency to do acts of stupidity, and this tendency is ever on the increase. Access to stupid things is easier now than when I was younger and even then it was thought that access was easier to my generation. See how this rolls?

Now don’t fret it will all get better when we get to heaven and heaven may have no incentives for wrong doings but it ain’t like that down here!! You may have the “Christian privilege” that Christ purchase for you but even the Hebrews found favor with YHVH while they were in the wilderness…the family of Korah got swallowed anyway, didn’t they? Privilege is not security.

So what of the things that get in the way of getting outta temptation’s grip? Well God says they are resistible…” I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) And yes we can fall back on this verse but not taking for granted what comes before this verse…” Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” (Phil 4:11-12) I think the key to finding the way of escape is found in the “to be content” part of the passage.

As I go through my everyday existence I have to come to terms that things WILL get in the way of an easy exit BUT when it comes to those things of danger to my spiritual wellbeing I have to ask God to do His work. Lately I’ve been asking to let “Your word be a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) a lot these days. And because of this I’ve seen my way clear to do those things for God that I’ve been assigned, I’ve been guided to those who are there to help me get them done and to the moment to be able to say “Look at what my God can do” and it is in this I find contentment. But when my word is my lamp to guide my path it seems to end up with some doofus blocking my exit with his stupid work cart. GRRRR…what a wretched man I can be but thanks be to God through Jesus Christ I can find a way of escape. Hope you can as well. Amen!?

Written by Chris Hughes: Graduate of The Colony of Mercy 11-2003 and serves on the Deacon Board at Trinity Alliance Church in Cologne NJ.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 68; Proverbs 8

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “It’s been said many times that Satan doesn’t worry about throwing roadblocks in front of us if we aren’t posing a threat to him. But if we are a threat to him—if we are doing things for God—then look out! Want some practical advice? Stay rooted to people who are of similar mind and have a similar focus on God and Christ.” ~Tony Dungy/Nathan Whitaker

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

But you would not, ~ Isaiah 30:15 (NKJV)

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