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In the last two messages, we’ve considered the glory of the Lord. We saw how we are now God’s Temple and are to “reflect the Lord’s glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) into the world as we are transformed into the likeness of Christ. It is a great honor to be in the presence of the Lord and we have been given the awesome responsibility to reflect an “ever-increasing” amount of His glory.

But what does this really mean? How can we increase the glory which our life reflects?

When we place our life in the Hands of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we are given His Spirit “with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). We reflect His glory as we submit to His leading and allow the fruit of His Spirit to be evident in our life; “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). As we further submit and allow His fruit to define the character of our life, God’s glory will shine with ever greater intensity!

Notice that the focus of reflecting His glory is on submission, not on our effort. When the glory of the Lord filled Solomon’s Temple, “the priests could not perform their service” (2 Chronicles 5:14). God’s glory and the work we perform through our own effort are incompatible – our work hinders His reflection.

Hebrews 4:10-11
“For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.”

God created the heavens and the earth in six days; “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all His work” (Genesis 2:2). God was satisfied with His work and entered His rest for all eternity. He is still intimately involved, but God accomplishes everything from a confident and calm position of rest because He KNOWS the final outcome.

Likewise, we must not cease from doing what God calls us to do, but we must cease from working in our own strength and for self-righteous rewards. God will certainly keep us active, but the focus of our effort must be on serving and growing from a position of rest with a true desire to do ALL for the love of God.

Many of us are attempting to walk His path in our own strength by working hard and carrying the burdens which are rightfully His. This is not our call! We must love Him with all our heart and serve Him with all our strength. But we must do so through joyful surrender, submission, and obedience. He will accomplish His work in His time and according to His purpose. Let’s continue to reflect more and more of His glory. Let’s draw closer into His presence and make every effort to enter His rest.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the message “Dedicate His Temple” we saw that through the forgiveness of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are now God’s Temple; “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). And as with the Temple during the reign of King Solomon, we are to dedicate ourselves for worship and be filled with His glory (2 Chronicles 5:13-14).

The glory of the Lord first appeared to the people of Israel after they were led out of Egypt; “They looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud” (Exodus 16:10). Then, when Moses was called up Mount Sinai to receive the law, the glory of the Lord settled over the mountain; “To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire” (Exodus 24:17).

When Moses came down from the mountain, “his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29). The presence of God did not cause Moses’ face to simply shine with a joyful glow, it beamed with a fear-causing glory; “When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him” (Exodus 34:30). After Moses spoke to the people, he “put a veil over his face” (Exodus 34:33) to ease their fear as well as cover the fact that “the radiance was fading away” (2 Corinthians 3:13).

These examples of God’s glory give us a sense of awe. God’s glory reflects His character – His majesty, holiness, and awesome power. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are now God’s Temple and “ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6). We are no longer like Moses who had to cover his face with a veil. Jesus has removed the veil and we can boldly reflect His glory into a lost and dying world.

2 Corinthians 3:18
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”

When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we begin to reflect the glory of the Lord from within as we are transformed into the image of Christ. This transformation produces a glory which is intended to increase for the rest of our days. We will never attain the full likeness of Christ until we see Him face to face; but, with every step along God’s path, we become more and more like His Son. And as we are transformed, the radiant-blocking “self” is slowly removed and we are better able to reflect His glory.

We must continue down His path. We must take daily steps toward a life which reflects the glory of the Lord into the darkness that surrounds us. Heavenly Father, we pray for the strength to more fully surrender and reflect You into this world with an ever-increasing glory.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

Every day we are given the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Every time we open our mouth to speak, we send forth words which have an effect on those around us. Our words, which come “out of the overflow of the heart” (Matthew 12:34), will either cause a positive or negative reaction – our word are rarely neutral. Knowing the power of our words ought to cause us to use them with great care.

Ephesians 4:29
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

This means that every time we speak, we have the opportunity to encourage and minister. With just a few moments of our time and very little effort, we have the opportunity to brighten someone’s day, to ease their burden, and possibly draw them closer to God. This precious opportunity must not be taken lightly; “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:26).

If we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our careless words are eternally forgiven. And yet, our words remain a reflection of our heart. God has given us a new heart which ought to be filled with devotion, and our words should be filtered through a desire to bring Him glory and honor. But sometimes we smother this heart and fail to let it shine. Though forgiven, we must also give an account of the damage our words have caused.

We seldom realize how harmful and discouraging our words can be; “Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘I was only joking!'” (Proverbs 26:18-19). Sarcastic and joking words are “deadly arrows” which are never useful for “building others up.” Over time, these words are sure to destroy a relationship.

Before we speak, we must carefully listen. What is the real question? What are the real needs or concerns? “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13). We may only be given the opportunity to speak a few words, but we can make every effort to use our words wisely; “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil” (Proverbs 15:28).

Our words are a powerful gift. Let’s honor our Heavenly Father by effectively using this gift to encourage. Let’s speak so those who listen may benefit and be built up in their faith. Let’s continually encourage one another to draw closer to our Heavenly Father and never squander the opportunity of our words.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-8), Jesus told about a farmer who scattered seed on four different types of soil: packed, shallow, thorny, and fertile. In this parable, the seed refers to the Word of God and the soil refers to those who hear the Word.

Those of packed soil have hearts which are so hard that they immediately turn away. Those of shallow soil may quickly germinate and grow, but they also quickly lose interest and die. Most of us reading this type of message fall into one of the last two types of soil. We desire God’s Word to grow on the fertile ground of our heart and produce a bountiful crop, but we seem to continually battle the thorns.

Matthew 13:22
“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”

We have more opportunity to receive God’s Word today than any other time in history. We can hear good preaching in church, on radio, on tape, or even over the internet. We can read God’s Word in a variety of translations and receive an abundance of help with interpretation. Our soil is definitely receiving seed. But the challenge is to keep our lives free of the distractions which hinder growth.

Here’s a simple test of our soil. Jesus said the number one commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When was the last time our heart overflowed with love for God? When was the last time we considered the sacrifice of Jesus and nearly bubbled over with “Thank You!”?

God desires for us to love Him. In fact, His entire Word is a message of calling us back to a loving relationship. If we have a hard time following His most basic desire, it’s no wonder we’re confused about where He’s leading. We look for specific direction with where to live and work, yet we fail to give Him the entirety of our heart and simply worship at His feet.

When God’s Word comes into our life, we should receive it and cherish it as a precious gift. We ought to immediately look for ways to apply His Word and make it grow, not process it through the distractions of deadlines, appointments, bills, and worldly relationships and ambitions.

Is the Word growing in our life, or is it being choked by unnecessary demands of the world? “The world and its desires pass away” (1 John 2:17), but the things of God are eternal. He is calling us to live a life fully dedicated to Him in ALL we do. Let’s weed our garden and remove distractions so the seed of His Word can grow and bear fruit. Let’s begin to develop fertile soil which is free of thorns.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

At the end of his third missionary journey, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, transferred about 40 miles up the road to Caesarea, and sat in prison for over two years before being sent by boat to stand trial in Rome. During the journey to Rome, a storm blew the ship off course and threatened to kill everyone on board.

Acts 27:30-32
“In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, ‘Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.’ So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.”

Where is our true security? Most of us have lifeboats which we keep close to our side. Even after we’ve accepted the forgiveness and saving grace of Jesus, we tend to keep the lifeboats – just in case. We say we’re trusting our future to God, but we still make sure every step of our life is planned for the next 30 years and fight any attempt to deviate from “the plan” – just in case.

We say we understand the concept of eternity and the idea that our life is “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), but we still strive for titles and positions so our friends and family can remember us as “successful” – just in case. We say we want to live for Jesus and praise our Heavenly Father for all eternity, but we still don’t want to miss the immediate pleasures of the world – just in case.

If we keep one foot in the ship and one foot in the lifeboat, we will never live as God desires. It makes absolutely no sense to say we believe and trust God with our eternity and yet fail to trust Him with the uncertainties of tomorrow or the storms of today. Cutting the lifeboats means we place ALL our trust in God, believe His Word as truth, and live accordingly: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).

We MUST stay with the ship! A saving relationship with Jesus implies we have recognized the eternal storm of sin which threatened to sink us to the pit of hell, but it also implies we are clinging to His forgiveness as the ONLY way to be saved; “for there is no other name under Heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of our life which is not consistent with a life of unrestrained belief and trust. Then, let’s ask for the strength and courage to, once and for all, give Him ALL of our heart and cut the lifeboats.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

In the last two messages, we’ve considered the parable of the prodigal son. We’ve seen how we must often “Love Enough to Let Go” and trust that God will continue to work in the life of a prodigal even as they walk through “Their Field of Pigs.”

As the son was longing to eat the pig food, he decided to return home and began to rehearse what he would say; “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:18-19).

The son returned home. But before he could give his speech – before he could tell his father about eating with the pigs…before he could “prove” his repentance or say ANYTHING – the father received him with joy.

Luke 15:20
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

When the father saw his son had returned, he was overjoyed and wanted to celebrate: “Bring the fatted calf…for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:23,24). This type of love and joy cannot be manufactured for a one-time event. It must be established in the relationship long before there is trouble, and maintained even when all else is falling apart.

The scripture isn’t clear about what turmoil occurred when the prodigal son left home. We’re never told of the father’s pain – but I assure you it was there. It’s not clear how long the son was away – but I KNOW the father spent many anxious moments worrying about his son. And yet, when the son returned, there was joy and forgiveness. Without condoning the poor choices the son had made, the father received the son and loved him without reservation.

When we turn to our Heavenly Father in faith, He accepts us without requiring that we earn His love or demonstrate our worth. We may have drifted far away and are unsure how to find our way back into His loving arms; but when we turn and seek Him, we find He is right there ready to receive us Home.

Jesus Christ submitted to a horrible death in order to provide a path of restoration. We who have been restored are now called to restore with others in this same manner; “Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). We are called to be a catalyst of restoration, not a hedge of thorns which must be vaulted over. When a prodigal begins to return, let’s believe the best, be filled with compassion, and receive them back with true forgiveness and joy – even while they are a long way off.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries