Changed by the Spirit

J.A. Matteson

"This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"  Galatians 3:2

How often do you catch yourself still trying to please God through performance?  Why is it we continue to think that if we just read our bible more, pray more, memorize more scriptures and the like that God would love us more?  Where is that coming from? Well it is not coming from the message of the gospel.  Think about this, when did Jesus Christ die for your sin, before you believed in him or after?  Listen carefully to what the apostle Paul says about this: "but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  Allow the joy of that truth sink in for a moment.  If the God of the universe purposely died on our behalf before we were even born, before we believed in him, while we were living in sin, it is irrational to think he will now love us more if we strive to be perfect. Here us a trustworthy statement: we can not be perfect, only Christ is perfect!  That's the whole point of the gospel, it is Good News!  How do we receive the Spirit?  By faith in Jesus Christ, believing the gospel.  Again listen to the apostle: "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).  How may we know that we have received the Spirit?  Because we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.  How may we know that our faith is genuine and not counterfeit?  Because the Spirit changes us from the inside out, our disposition, likes and dislikes, slowly conforming us to be like Christ in our thinking and behavior.  This is what is referred to as the fruit of the Spirit, those qualities he produces in our lives: "For the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  So allow yourself to be your own fruit inspector.  Are those qualities increasing in your life?  If they are that is the Spirit's work in your life.  The truth is, all who come to Christ by faith are changed by him. As many theologians have stated: Christ loves and receives us as we are, but his love for us does not leave us as we are.  Continue to pursue Christ, read his word and talk to him, listen to him.  More importantly believe his word by living it, and the Spirit will do amazing things in your life, things you could never imagine possible.

Copyright (c) 2016  Immutable Word Ministries

Youthful Wisdom

J.A. Matteson

"He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Proverbs 13:20

Young person, what is it that you seek?  Are you enamored with fame, position, power, or wealth?  Who's favor do you seek?  Is it that of your friends, teachers, boyfriend, girlfriend, parents, brothers and sisters?  Who's opinion matters to you?  Truthfully, are your decisions influenced more by your feelings or by carefully thinking things through before you choose a course of action?  And while we have never met I would venture to say you want to invest yourself into things you deem worthwhile, enduring, beautiful, creative, to leave your unique mark on this world, to leave it if possible, a bit better because you lived.  Right?  Otherwise what's the point if it all?  Yet you are in the flower of your youth and by your perspective the day that you find yourself aged seems like an eternity away.  Indeed you secretly feel immortal and the very thought of your life ending seems impossible, that happens to other people, but not you.  By now you have experienced the unexpected loss of a friend or known of a friend of a friend who died in their youth.  You are unsure how to process it.  But process it you must.  And in the quiet moments of your inner thoughts you know something about death is wrong, it's not right, it's not supposed to be this way.  It's so permanent.  The melancholy introspection causes you to long for something above and beyond the normal human experience on earth, you long for that which is eternal.  Where did that come from?  There is an answer and it is this: God has hard wired into your being the longing for eternity because you were created by God as an eternal being, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  How you ask is that even possible?  Why would God do this?  God tells us why in the book of Genesis, "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground'"(Genesis 1:26).  To be created in God's image is not reflected in your body because God is Spirit and does not have a physical body. To be created in God's image is to mirror his likeness in terms of personhood. Personhood, what is that?  God thinks, feels, makes decisions, plans, creates, and so forth.  Consider how people differ from dogs and cats, they may have feelings and instincts but are incapable of complex thinking, reading, mathematics, and the like. They don't build ships, libraries, or open restaurants. So not only has God placed eternity in your heart because God is eternal, he has also placed within you a desire for significance, that too is something animals lack.  So now we come full circle back to my original question: young person, what is it that you seek.  Sure we all seek different things daily, but strip those things all away and at the core of your inner self your greatest longing (placed there by God) is for a life of significance and ultimately eternity, and neither of those longings can be yours apart from knowing God and fulfilling his wonderful plan for your life.  Look at that first scripture again, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."  Do you consider yourself a wise person.  Sure you do.  But by who's standard, yours or Gods?  What does it mean to "walk" with wise people?  A better question is who is wise by Gods standard and who is foolish?  Here's the truth, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10).  From Gods perspective the wise person is the one who acknowledges his existence and who displays a deep respect for him.  So who does God consider a foolish person?  You guessed right, "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good" (Proverbs 14:1).  So how can you fulfill a life of significance?  Be a wise person, that is, one who acknowledges and lives in daily relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ.  At that you might push back, thinking that's pretty restrictive.  Surely all religions worship the same God, right?  Wrong.  The eternally wise God took on humanity through the person of Jesus Christ, lived the perfect (sinless) life we are incapable of living, died for our sins in our place on a wooden cross, and was raised from the dead on our behalf, so that all who place their trust in him for the eternity they desire will not be turned away.  Is Jesus really the only way to God?  In his own words, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Did Jesus make any promises about eternal life by trusting in him for it?  Yes he did!  Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).  That's awesome news, isn't it?  So is there anything else to living wisely?  Yes, choose your friends carefully by hanging around other wise people who can help you as you help them live your life according to the good plan he has designed for you.  Remember that if you decide to hang out with unwise people you will cause yourself harm, "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33).  Now that you know what it truly means to be wise, go do it.

Copyright (c) 2016 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever.

True Wisdom

J.A. Matteson

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

It's all so simple and at the same time mysterious. That is, how can we know true wisdom to live a meaningful and satisfying life with a heart of understanding to live prudently? The ancient words of King Solomon tell us: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). What does the old guy mean by "fear"? Does he mean terror? No. He means reverence (a deep respect) for the holiness of God and a healthy respect for His wrath as a consequence to those who reject Him. That premise is the beginning of living wisely. It is to be playing, if you will, the game of life with a full deck of cards, to have the good judgement to perceive life as it truly is, a gift from God who created all things and to whom all things are accountable. So to acknowledge that God exists, is holy, and is the ruler of all things is the beginning point of living a life of wisdom. And this wisdom is available to everyone; however, many reject it. The king next goes on to say that once we have attained true wisdom by acknowledging God's existence and submitting to his governance over our lives that "knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." In other words Solomon is suggesting we can know God personally and intimately. Think about that for a moment because it's an amazing truth. The God of the universe invites everyone to know Him personally; that is fantastic! Where can we gain this knowledge of God? The answer is right in front of us: the Bible. It is God's inspired revelation to the world of Himself. Want to know the heart of God? Read and study the Bible. The more you commit yourself to knowing the heart of God through the Bible the more "understanding" you will acquire on living out a life of true wisdom, a life pleasing before the God who created you to know Him and love Him and to know His love towards you. 

Copyright (c) 2016 Immutable Word Ministries ("...the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 4:8)