The Word For Today

Jesus was called 'Rabbi' eleven times in the Gospels. But he wasn't like any other rabbi. Rabbis quoted others, but Jesus said, 'Truly, I say to you...' In the gospel of John, he said it twice: 'Truly, truly, I say to you...' The reason Jesus wasn't like any other rabbi was because he was God manifested in the flesh. And Paul says, 'Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Colossians 2:2-3 NKJV).

The early church fathers had a favourite saying: 'The Gospels are a river in which a gnat can swim, and an elephant can drown.' The Gospels - the record of Jesus' life and teaching - have impacted the world so much that they have been translated into about 1,800 languages. Another highly-translated book, Don Quixote, has been translated into about 140 languages. To this day, the Bible remains the bestselling book of all time.

In the academic world, scholars keep score of how often their articles are cited by other scholars. By this year's score, Jesus' intellectual impact is unprecedented. Why is this? Because when everything else fails, God's word works. Jesus explained it this way: 'It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life' (John 6:63 NKJV). If you are a teacher, you know that the number-one question in any class is: 'Will this be on the final exam?' If you want to pass your final exams and hear, 'Well done!' from the teacher, get into God's word each day and get God's word into you.

Muscle memory isn't stored in your muscles. It's a procedural memory stored in your brain any time you repeat a muscle movement. Whether it's putting a golf ball or playing a violin, the muscle memory becomes stronger the more it's repeated. Have you heard about the 10,000-hour rule? Psychologists say that's the amount of time it takes to become an expert at anything. That's encouraging because it means anybody can do it, but it's discouraging because it means there are no shortcuts, no matter how smart or gifted you are.

Just like learning a foreign language, developing a spiritual mindset is a learning curve. Can you imagine being frustrated on the first day of a foreign language class because you aren't fluent? That's how we can feel when we aren't fluent in prayer, or strong in faith, or disciplined in our habits. Psalm 84:7 (NIV) says we 'go from strength to strength'. You'll be working on this for the rest of your life, one day at a time. You'll keep benchmarking. Your faith ceiling becomes your faith floor.

Make no mistake about it - spiritual disciplines accrue compound interest. And they pay off in terms of joy, fulfilment and power with God. 'Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace' (Romans 8:5-6 NIV).

Before conquering Jericho, God told Joshua to 'circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time' (Joshua 5:2 NKJV). Six hundred years earlier, God had inaugurated the practice of male circumcision. He told Abraham that it would be 'a sign of the covenant between me and you' (Genesis 17:11 NKJV). What was the message? Remember whose you are!

In a sense, all believers are 'circumcised'. Paul wrote, 'Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body' (Colossians 2:11 CEV). That means you are now God's child (John 1:12); Jesus' friend (John 15:15); a member of Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:27); a saint (Ephesians 1:1); redeemed and forgiven of all your sins (Colossians 1:14); complete in Christ, lacking in nothing (Colossians 2:10); free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); God's co-worker (2 Corinthians 6:1); seated with Jesus in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 2:6); God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10); a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20); adopted into God's family (Ephesians 1:5); born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you (1 John 5:18).

Paul wrote: 'Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God' (Romans 6:11 NLT). So when the devil draws near, stand up to him and say: 'What are you doing here? I am dead to you!' When he dredges up past mistakes, tell him who you are 'in Christ' (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV). He has no recourse to this truth. He knows who you are. He just hopes you don't or that you'll forget.

Jericho was the strongest city in the Promised Land. Its towering walls looked impregnable - intimidating to any would-be invader. So God told his people to remember and record what he'd done for them in the past. In essence he told them, 'Before you look forward to Jericho, look backward to Jordan and what God accomplished for you there.' He said, 'Take...twelve men...one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, "Take for yourselves twelve stones...out of the midst of the Jordan...And those twelve stones...Joshua set up in Gilgal [as a memorial to the parting of its waters]"' (Joshua 4:2-3, 20 NKJV).

One of your best weapons against Satan's attacks is a good memory. Don't forget God's blessings! The psalmist says: 'He is the one who forgives all your sins...all your diseases, the one who rescues your life from the pit, the one who crowns you with mercy and compassion, the one who fills your life with blessings' (Psalm 103:3-6 GWT).

Create a trophy room in your heart. Each time you experience a victory, place a memory on the shelf. Before you face a challenge, take a quick tour of God's accomplishments on your behalf. Look at all the blessings he has given, and the prayers he's answered. 'This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness' (Lamentations 3:21-23 NKJV).

We share the same inheritance as Jesus! Whatever he has, we have! 'As [Jesus] is, so are we' (1 John 4:17 NKJV). So, if we are co-heirs with Jesus, why do we struggle through life? For two reasons:

(1) We don't know about our inheritance: 'The exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe' (Ephesians 1:19 NKJV). No one ever told us that instead of fighting for victory, we fight from a position of victory. If you have given your heart to Jesus, he 'has blessed [you] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ' (Ephesians 1:3 NKJV). Notice the word 'has'. You already possess everything you need to be everything God desires. You have access to 'every spiritual blessing'. That also means God will 'equip you with all you need for doing his will' (Hebrews 13:21 NLT).

(2) We don't believe in our inheritance. Imagine what would happen if a generation of Christians lived out of their inheritance. The lonely would find comfort in God, not in the arms of strangers. Struggling couples would spend more time in prayer and less time in anger. Children would consider it a blessing to take care of their ageing parents. 'God's power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength God used to raise Christ from the dead' (Ephesians 1:19-20 NCV). The same indwelling Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will turn every one of your 'I can'ts' into an 'I can': 'I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength' (Philippians 4:13 NCV).

A young artist called her aunt one day to let her know she was leaving on a trip to a fashionable resort to try and sell her wood carvings of seabirds to the owner of a gift shop. She asked her aunt to pray that her venture would be successful. Her aunt assured her that she would pray for the largest order she had ever received! That evening, the young artist called her aunt back. Not only had the gift shop owner purchased all her carvings, but the owner of a chain of gift shops had also ordered as many carvings as she could make! She was filled with wonder at how abundantly God had answered prayer. 'Now,' she said to her aunt, 'pray that I can fill his order!' Her aunt replied, 'The Lord doesn't open a door unless he expects us to walk through it successfully. When we pray for rain, don't be surprised when you get a cloudburst!'

Are you praying for God to meet a need in your life? What answer are you expecting? Be honest. Bare minimum? Meagre-but-satisfactory? Or are you expecting an abundant, more-than-enough supply?

Stand on God's word: 'The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand' (Deuteronomy 30:9 NKJV). Jesus said, 'I have come that they may have life, and...have it more abundantly' (John 10:10 NKJV). Paul wrote: 'God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, may have an abundance for every good work' (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV). So, believe God for abundance.