Craig's Living H2O

April 30th - "Trapeze Artist"

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.  Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."   Philippians 3:12-21   

The Apostle Paul knew that to follow Christ one must let go entirely of the past and press forward to "lay hold of Christ." Like a trapeze artist who lets go of one partner to fly to the next; we must let go of everything to gain Christ. This is not easy to do. Our tendency is to keep one hand on what we are comfortable with, while stretching the other to lay hold of Christ. But just as the trapeze artists cannot hold on to one partner while clutching the other's hand; we cannot hold on to this world and gain Christ. We have to let go of one, to gain the other. "Letting go" is a discipline that we must daily employ if we are to "know Christ." This takes great resolve and focus. Paul gives us three places to train our eyes to help us focus for this great task: 1. "Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us." 2. "Our citizenship is in heaven." 3. "A Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

April 29th - "Hope that Purifies"

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure."    1 John 3:2-3

When we have a living and active hope the Jesus is coming soon, this hope, "purifies us as He is pure." If you somehow knew that Jesus was coming back in 30 minutes from now, what would you being doing for the next 30 minutes? I am sure we would all be doing the same thing! And yet all the signs of our time are pointing to His eminent return. Never have we been closer to that glorious moment when "the trump of God will sound!"  A quick scan of the newspaper should jar us into the reality that Jesus is indeed coming soon. Israel is surrounded by enemies who are even now acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Jesus said, "When you see these things coming about, look up for your redemption is near." Are you ready? Will you be confidently ready to meet Jesus when He returns, or will you shudder in fear? Jesus wants to make you confident and sure of your salvation. Cry out to Him today and send my a comment if you want or need some help finding Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Those who truly know Jesus can confidently say, "We are God's children now." The hope of His soon return does not cause them to fear, rather this hope is like soap and water to their soul. It cleanses the believer and causes them to live closer to the cross of Christ. Sadly, those whose lives are consumed with the things of this world, don't spend much time looking up. They will be caught unaware at His return. It will all happen in the blink of an eye. There will be no time to get ready then. The sound of that trumpet blast will bring ecstasy to some and pure horror to others. Oh my friend, the Bible says, "Make your calling and election sure." You cannot afford to guess on this one.  Make sure your ready now. The Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation." His coming is so near!

 

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."            1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

April 28th - "Don't Be Deceived"

"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin in lawlessness. You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."    1 John 4-10

 

Did you get the "Everyone" part? "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil." This is what the Bible says!  Do you think that most of America's churches would accept this kind of preaching today? How would they spin and soften this? Most wouldn't even try; instead they would conveniently never get to this passage. How can we justify lowering the bar to: "I'm just a sinner saved by grace?" No, I am not a sinner (one who practices sin) any longer! Grace has changed me from a "sinner saved by grace," to a "saint kept by grace." This widely accepted view ("I'm just a sinner saved by grace") is a perfect example of why you need to know the Scriptures for yourself. You cannot base your theology on anything but the raw Word of God. You are at great risk when you don't know the Scriptures. I'm not saying that we should go out on the street corner and shout this message, "Your father is the devil!" to those who don't know God,  In that situation you would be preaching the right message to the wrong crowd. No, this message is directed to the deceived would-be-follower of Christ who somehow justifies in their mind that practicing sin is okay with Jesus. If you think that you are in right standing with God and yet you habitually practice sin, violating God's righteous laws, YOU ARE DECEIVED. "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil." If you are "living together" with you boyfriend or girlfriend, yet call yourself a Christian, you are endanger of hell. God forbid that the trumpet of God would sound while you are in your sin. God forbid that you would be in a car accident and lose your life in your sinful state. Repent! Don't be deceived any longer. God accepts us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us like we are.

 

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap."    Galatians 6:7

April 27th - "Come on People, Let's Raise the Bar!"

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."    1 John 2:1-6

This generation of Christians needs to raise the bar. It seems today's Christian is totally comfortable being called,"a sinner saved by grace," with the emphasis on "sinner."  A "sinner" by definition is "one who practices sin." The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle John, clearly states, "I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin." The Holy Spirit says, "Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar."  Do you practice sin every day? God's grace not only save us, but it will keeps us from sin, if we will cooperate and obey the Holy Spirit who comes to live inside of those who surrender the lordship of their lives to Jesus. The same grace that saves us, will teach us to say "No to ungodliness." Raise the bar in your own life, "So that you may not sin." 

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age."    Titus 2:11-12

April 26th - "Drifting - Perhaps the Most Important Post You will ever Read"

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statues.    Psalm 119:9-12

How do we stay pure in an impure world? It is only through being in the Word of God daily that we can keep from "wandering" and falling into habitual sin. Recently my family and I went to the beach. It was a beautiful day and the temperature was warm enough that some were enjoying the water. I noticed how quickly the swimmers would drift far down the beach, far from their original point of entry as the enjoyed the waves. The tide was pushing them along. Those who did not pay attention soon lost their bearings. They would have to get out of the water and walk back up the beach to where they began. Friend, this world has its own tide that is pushing us along and it is strong indeed. You don't have to do anything to drift into eternity without God, simply drift with the tide and you will end up there. Daily Bible reading helps us to keep track of where we are spiritually and where we are in our relationship with Jesus. Those who do not pay attention to their daily Bible reading will quickly find themselves swept away with the tide. They fall into a pattern of constant "wandering." Their lives resemble the swimmer who has to repeatedly get out of the water, walk back up the beach to where he began, and start again. They live in an endless cycle of falling into the same sin (drifting), realizing they are lost and repenting (getting out of the water and walking back up the beach), and starting over just to fall again (the endless cycle). Sadly, many finally give up, believing that following Christ is just too hard. God has better than this for us. He wants us to keep from drifting so that we can help others to do the same. When we are constantly drifting, we can't help others with their struggles. God wants us to mature and become a rock in the water of life. As we are firmly planted upon the Rock Christ Jesus, others can hold on to us as we hold on to Christ. Then we can say like the Apostle Paul, "Imitate me, as I imitate Christ." The only way that we can begin to be a part of the solution is "by keeping it (our lives) according to His Word." If you truly want to end the cycle, you must forcefully swim against the tide by keeping in the Word of God every day. Get a Bible reading chart so that you can keep up with how you are doing.  "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word."

April 25th - "A God of Faithfulness"

"For I proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He."    Deuteronomy 32:3-4

Those who have walked with Jesus for any length of time can testify that indeed He is a "God of faithfulness." What great comfort we can take from knowing that "all His ways are just." He is a just and faithful God, "without injustice, righteous and upright is He."

April 24th - "Rock Solid"

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and I will confirm it, that I will keep Your righteous ordinances.    Psalm 119:105-106

    For many years I have believed the Word of God to be true. As the years go by, I not only believe it to be true, I am experiencing it to be true. When belief becomes experience, something amazing happens, a solidifying of your beliefs. It is like cement. When a cement truck comes to pour a foundation for a new home, the cement is wet and soupy. But when the cement is poured and allowed to harden, it becomes concrete. Once hardened, a house can be built upon the foundation. So it is with the Word of God. Given time, my beliefs have been solidified by my experience, and thus they give me something concrete and solid under my feet. I have not believed in vain. In my own life, and for generation after generation of believers, the Bible has proven itself to be absolute TRUTH!  You can build your life upon it. If you are just starting to believe, just starting the journey, you are in the wet cement stage. Time is all that is needed for the Word of God to solidify into the proper foundation for your life. Don't give up or let go of the Word for if you will give it enough time, you will find yourself planted upon the only firm foundation.

 

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."    Matthew 7:24-27

April 23rd - "Mutual Benefit"

"For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strength you - that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine."  Romans 1:12

This is the glorious effect that believers have upon one another, a "mutual benefit" derived from walking together in Christ. This wonderful benefit cannot be attained by those who remain an island unto themselves. Every follower of Christ needs to be a part of a local church, walking together with other believers. We are better together!

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"  Psalm 133:1

April 22nd - "Sustenance"

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."    Joshua 1:5

"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."    Jeremiah 29:13

Have you come to the place where you exist by daily depending upon the promises of God? God wants us to find our very sustenance from His Word. We can be so foolish and neglect His Word; the very source and fountainhead of all life.  Jesus said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Is that how you exist and survive? There is abundant life in the Word and it is available to all who will freely receive it and freely give it away. Stand upon the promises, quote them, memorize them, write them, and feed upon them; for in them, you will find life. Sadly most people, and even many believers, are looking for life in all the wrong places. Dear child of God, pick up your Bible and consume it. This is what true Christ-followers do! They "live and move and find their being" by His Word. Do you love the Word of God?

"...I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."    Micah 7:7

 

April 21st - "Good Promises"

"Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God and with those who are not with us here today."   
Deuteronomy 29:14-15

The covenant that God made with Abraham and his seed is valid for all those who are "of the faith of Abraham." All those who are "children of the promise," have a guarantee from God that He will fulfill His covenant with them.  Even when God originally gave these promises, thousand of years ago, He noted that they were made for His followers today! His covenant and His promises are good for all those "who live by faith in the Son of God." Every promise to Abraham and His seed are yours today if you are born again and walking in obedience to Jesus!

"That is why it depends on faith,  in order that the promise may rest on grace and  be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."   Romans 4:16

 

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints."    Ephesians 1:17-18

 

"So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper in all that you do."              Deuteronomy 29:9