“Made Himself Nothing”

In Philippians 2:9-11 we read that Jesus has the name above all names: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” This is an example to emulate, namely, Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate model of humility. Jesus emptied Himself or made Himself nothing.

So, what does name of names means for us? Most people spend their entire lives trying to understand things in Life associated with a name especially as a Christian.  Your name is brought to light because of a need to belong, and who you are. My biblical thoughts have lately focused on a spiritual name, fit for maturity, based on faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ; including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the third day. This is an Echo each day with many nurseries rhyme questions that chant, “who I belong to, who I am and what is my purpose “. When God changes a name, it indicates that something new has happened or will happen to that person—a new relationship, a new character quality, or a new phase of life. We see this somewhat today when a wife takes the name of her husband. It represents a change in her life, both in the eyes of God and of society. 

As strange as that mouthful may seem, it strikes me as quite biblical. A name in the Bible is often a description of the person himself or herself—or of what the parents would like their child to become. God gives names as well. Even more significant is when He changes a name. In fact, did you know God will give you a new name? Over the year’s family, friends have referred to me by many names:

Whom do you belong to Ron? Jehovah I will obey.

My Father in heaven I will aid;

I’ll pay my promises without reserve.

He bought me at great cost;

I’m Faithful to him I’ll keep on.

To him I will give each moment I exist.

His star I’ll hold in esteem light each day. 

Who are You “Sugar Bear”? I am a new creation in Christ 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Bible is clear that all people are God’s creation (Colossians 1:16), and that God loves the entire world (John 3:16), but only those who are born again are children of God (John 1:12; 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1-10).

 “…because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” 

God Loves us and offers us a wonderful plan for Life.

God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."¹

What is your purposefulness as a developed, “Ronnie”?

What’s the best way to describe the main purpose as a Christian? Humm, that’s a tough one. Especially in today’s world? Simply, it is to be like Christ. This means to me being constantly in boot camp training or a mentoring program designed to develop individuals to become more like their Savior. When Christ became man and lived on earth, he endured all of the same trials, pains, and persecutions that man suffers in order to prove himself as a perfect example for us. Therefore, one of the primary purposes of a Christian is to follow the character of Christ.

1 Peter 2:21 says, "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."

A further purpose of our Christian discipleship is to learn about the Father. In Christ's three-year public ministry on earth, He often stated that His goal was to teach His disciples about His Father. Christ wanted us to know that God is alive, real, sovereign, loving, and is preparing a place for His believers in heaven. So, another purpose of discipleship is to grow in our knowledge of God.

In Philippians 1:9, Paul said, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight." As we grow to know God, we yearn to know His power and to experience it at work in our lives. We long to feel His presence more closely and fully than we have experienced previously. We yearn to understand and grow in God's grace.

As I see it, as I smell the roses of life with Christ another purpose of a Christian discipleship is Bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. It says in John 15:8, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." It is essential to increase the fruit (or those character virtues we exhibit in our lives) to be productive as well-informed disciples of Christ in order to carry out the responsibilities given to believers such as serving others and spreading the gospel.

My Christian discipleship began when I made an active choice with the help of the Holy Spirit to get to know Jesus better. By God's grace, I thought how can I Kept is Simple? By the straightforwardness of being meek in my thinking it is then accomplished in several ways:

• You can study His Word daily and spend time alone with Him in prayer.
• You can become a member of a Bible-teaching church fellowship.
• You can seek out the companionship of other Christians who are growing with Christ.
• You can participate in ministry and meet the needs of other believers.
• You can share what you're learning about Christ with others, just like Andrew, James, John, Luke, Matthew, Peter, Paul and all the original disciples did.
• Let the peace of Christ Rule in Your Heart in everything you do. We are Free found in His great Love!

Finally, these are simply helpful tips on how to grow in your new faith; they are not a list of requirements to become a Christian or to stay a Christian. You have been saved by grace through faith, apart from any works of your own (Ephesians 2:8-9) God started the work in you, and He promises to finish it (Philippians 1:6). God bless you as you continue to mature in your faith!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“Existing Breath”

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

    is God in his holy dwelling”. Psalm 68:5 

Jeremiah 22:16 reminds us that to “know God” means helping the widow and the orphan. 

I still want to know what it is that really motivates you? This question has been with me every since I was a kid spending time in an orphanage. This was a life-changing experience of a question asked by a bible Sunday school teacher within this horrible place, the orphanage. You see while there I learned great survival skills like being superficially charming, being stronger (fighting every day), and being sneakier, but not great commitment as a young Christian. Through this person at the orphanage Jesus continued to extend his ministry of love and care for me. 

I would think back often after this experience, about the true distinctiveness of Christian life, not only in what we do, the place, but in why we do it. Because of The Christian life is a battle of the sinful flesh against the new nature given by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), I found myself asking questions like “Why do I need to know about union with Christ? Is it really necessary? I’ve gotten along fine thus far without understanding it. What right does he/she have to pry into another person’s life? “The reality of the question now is: “as a believer, “Why not to care for another person’s spiritual life”? Isn’t it our eternal responsibilities for our lives here on earth?”

At that time what I often overlooked was that on my journey was a need to accept Christ as Lord. Being a blood-bought child of God means I/we give up the right to ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:20). This is the point where sanctification begins, and this moment-by-moment dying to self continues as long as we live in our earthly bodies (Matthew 16:24).

Anyone who tells you that committing your life to Christ makes your life easier is not telling the truth. Fulfilling, yes. More joyful, absolutely. But easier? No. In some ways, life got more difficult for me after coming to Christ. My struggle against sin became more pronounced, for one thing. It led me to Laziness, gluttony, swearing, anger, envy, self-centeredness, materialism, covetousness, and other issues—the temptations seem never-ending. The world was like sinking sand, the flesh, and the devil don’t go away because we have stepped into a relationship with Christ.

We are reconciled to Him, and we have all the legal rights and privileges of a son or daughter (John 1:12). We now have a relationship with the Creator of the universe. The Spirit’s regeneration sets off an alert system that lets us know things have changed. Sinful behaviors that we once found comfortable no longer are. The old way of life grows rather—old (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I thought to myself as a Christian I must now confront this life from a different worldview that comes with a new set of values—God’s values. I for one was being immersed in a world system that trumpets its ideals and slanders anyone who demurs. Before we are saved, we accept what the world says without even thinking about it. We don’t know anything else. After we are saved, our eyes are opened to the truth, and we can perceive the lies of the world. Fighting against those lies can be difficult.

Being a Christian is difficult because, once we are saved, we are suddenly swimming upstream, against the current of the world around us. Though our appetites will change, our sanctification can be a difficult process. Friends no longer understand us; our families question our new involvements and associations. Those we love often feel rejected, angry, and defensive. They don’t see why we can no longer continue in our old ways.

Christianity requires growth. God loves us too much to let us stay the same. Growth can be painful at times, and we usually don’t like to leave our comfort zone, but positive change is always rewarding. As we grow in Christ, we realize that God isn’t just desirous of our conforming to a set of rules. He wants all of us; He wants a crucified life, given totally to Him. We learn through obedience and trust to find rest in His guidance.

Life as a Christian is difficult because we must constantly say “no” to our own fleshly desires and yield to the Spirit. We learn to handle conflict with grace, instead of through retaliation. We learn to forgive, rather than hold grudges. We learn to replace the vacillating emotions we once called love with true, unconditional love. We grow through the opportunity to die to ourselves daily, to become obedient.

Yes, being a Christian is difficult in many ways. But that’s only half the story. The difficulties believers face is not tackled alone. Every challenge is met through the power of Christ who lives within us (Philippians 4:13). The faithful follower of Christ is never completely overwhelmed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). Never forget: Satan is absolutely opposed to God, and his single goal is to stop God’s work—including His work in our lives. When we come to Christ, we change sides (as it were), moving our citizenship from Satan’s kingdom to God’s Kingdom.

What is the solution? First, don’t give the devil a toehold in your life! If old “friends” drag you down, stay away from them. If old habits or sufferings have you in their grip, ask God to help you replace them with new ways of living. In addition, learn to walk with Christ every day through reading the Bible, prayer and fellowship with other believers. Finally, don’t rely on your own strength to win the battle but on Christ and His strength.

There are definite, eternal rewards for following Christ (Luke 18:29-30). We learn by experience that God’s ways are better, safer, and more reliable than the world’s ways. Our trusting obedience to God becomes the pathway to a transformed and abundant life (John 10:10). 

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“Marinated with Artificial Duty”

 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 6:23

There comes a point in our lives and we are here-when the world around us is so marinated with artificial duty messages consisting of perceptions, myths that attacks our reality; that snubbing them and hoping they will go away is not only impossible? It’s risky. As I travel on this Faith journey meeting people alone the way it has always bought echoes of music that try to shift my Faith perspective, like traveling to a foreign land – This powerful strategy that can be used throughout our journey of faith lives against us. 

When faced with such an obstacle, can be a challenge. It’s easy to get stuck in this fearful point-of-view. A false song to me that expresses the idea that no one religion possesses all the truth about God.  Instead, each one of their sense of duty verses would express different religions various realities about the same God and try to illustrate their falseness by the following,” The parable of the three blind men and an elephant “summarized:

1.     The first blind man put out his hand and touched the side of the elephant. “How smooth! An elephant is like a wall.”

2.     The second blind man put out his hand and touched the trunk of the elephant. “How round! An elephant is like a snake.”

3.     The third blind man put out his hand and touched the tusk of the elephant. “How sharp! An elephant is like a spear.”

4.     The fourth blind man put out his hand and touched the leg of the elephant. “How tall! An elephant is like a tree.”

5.     The fifth blind man reached out his hand and touched the ear of the elephant. “How wide! An elephant is like a fan.”

6.     The sixth blind man put out his hand and touched the tail of the elephant. “How thin! An elephant is like a rope.”

7.     An argument ensued, each blind man thinking his own perception of the elephant was the correct one. The Rajah, awakened by the commotion, called out from the balcony. “The elephant is a big animal,” he said. “Each man touched only one part. You must put all the parts together to find out what an elephant is like. To those who do not believe in any God, all religions are simply variations of the same myth or perception of a recompense. 

When fighting against worldly philosophies being blinded before the elephant, human wit and weaponry are of no avail. Marketing techniques, counter-philosophies, persuasive words of human wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:4), rationalism, organization, skill, entertainment, mystique, better lighting, better music—these are all human weapons. None of these things will win the spiritual war. The only thing that is effective—the only offensive weapon we possess—is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). 

The Bible states clearly that there is nothing man can do to make himself right with God (Isaiah 53:6; 64:6; Romans 3:23; 6:23). God did for us what we cannot do for ourselves Colossians 2:13;2 Corinthians 5:21). Our sin separates us from His presence, and sin must be punished (Romans 6:23; Matthew 10:28; 23:33). But, because God loves us, He took our punishment upon Himself. All we must do is accept God’s gift of salvation through faith Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  Grace is God’s blessing on the undeserving.

Yet, “duty” is the very word Jesus uses to describe how to live as His followers. The disciples came to Him looking for a reward for what they had done in giving up things to follow Him. His response was: 

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?  Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?  So, you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:7-10

But here’s the tricky thing: you see duty is destructive when fueled by wicked motives. Don’t perform religious duties in order to convince yourself of righteousness. We can get fooled by thinking, “just look at all the good things I do. I must be a Christion!”

The parable was to teach them that they were not to look to accomplishing great things by a strong faith given to them in a moment of time, but they were to labor on patiently and bravely, and afterwards, as in the parable story, they too should eat and drink. It was to show them that in the end they should receive that higher faith they prayed for, which was to be the reward for patient, gallant toil.

A life centered in Jesus is our duty, because it is life based on His love alone. We don’t need to depend on a reward, because if we did, we’d never get it. Even as we begin, we must remind ourselves of the good news of the gospel and response in a graceful manor, “Always”. Be mindful that we cannot perform them “duties” with perfection. But we rejoice that our justification is found in the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. Because of his righteousness and payment for our sins, God is willing to accept our incomplete obedience.

God wants us to know Him, to draw near to Him, to pray to Him, and love Him above everything. That is not religion; that is a relationship. So be, “sprinkled clean” and “washed with pure water.” What is this water? It is the Word of God that strengthens us as we fight, the duty of every Christian to be Christ to his neighbor (Ephesians 5:26; John 7:38).

God Bless You and This Ministry!