“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14 KJV)

I live in a farming community, and there are lots of dairy farms of all sizes everywhere. We also have a huge fair here each year, and we have another big event called a plowing match. That’s where farmers, young and old, come from all around to be a part of a plowing contest done the old-fashioned way, with horses or mules, instead of tractors. You can tell the difference between a novice and a seasoned contestant by how they plow. The rows plowed by the novice entrants are often curved and jagged. The rows plowed by the seasoned entrants are perfectly straight. This is because the novice entrant looks down at the row as he plows it, causing him to wander a bit here and there. The seasoned entrant, however, keeps his eye on a flag planted at the far end of the row he’s plowing. This makes each row perfect, without any curves or imperfections.

Press towards the mark

As Christians, we are encouraged to press toward a mark, and that mark, of course, is Jesus. The prize at the end is “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (see the passage at the top). Just like the people in the plowing match illustration above, the better you keep your focus on Jesus, the better your result will be.

Therefore

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:2 ESV)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6 ESV)

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize.” (1 Cor. 9:24)

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Heb. 4:16 NLT)

There once was a powerful king who ruled with an iron hand. If anyone dared approach him without permission, he would be immediately put to death. The king had a son, still a toddler, that he dearly loved. One day, while the king was holding court, the little boy heard his father’s voice, broke loose from his caretaker's grip, ran into the room, and yelled loudly, “Daddy!” He ran right to him, jumped onto his lap, and said, “Hi Daddy, I heard your voice! I am hungry. Can I have something to eat?" The king smiled, embraced his son, and ordered some food for him. That is a picture of how we can approach God. You can approach Him boldly in your time of need! He loves you!

“Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you.” Psalm 50:15 (NLT)

“When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Prov. 16:7 ESV) 

Yesterday, I spoke about pleasing God and obeying His commandments to get your prayers answered. Another way to please him is to find out what he says he hates. Then make sure you don’t do any of those things! The following is a list of things he says he hates and detests. It’s very important to know what these things are and not allow them into your life, period! When you please Him, He will bless you with peace and even make your enemies to be at peace with you. What a promise!

Seven things the Lord hates and detests

“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” (Prov. 6:16-19 NLT)

• Haughty eyes - Haughty is defined as arrogant, vain, conceited, snobbish, superior, self important, pompous, supercilious, condescending, patronizing; scornful, contemptuous, disdainful; full of oneself, stuck-up, snooty, hoity-toity, uppity and big-headed.

• A lying tongue – To lie is to deceive someone else and to be in agreement with the devil who is the father of lies! (John 8:44). Deception of any kind leads away from God because He is truth and will not associate Himself with liars and deceivers. The opposite of lie is truth, Jesus is the truth and the truth will set you free! (John 8:32).

• Hands that kill the innocent – To kill the innocent is to commit murder (Exo. 20:13). This is why abortion is wrong. It is killing the innocent. (Gal. 1:15 & Jer. 1:5)

• A heart that plots evil – Evil is defined as any of the following:  wicked, bad, wrong, immoral, sinful, foul, vile, dishonorable, corrupt, iniquitous, depraved, reprobate, villainous, nefarious, vicious, malicious; malevolent, sinister, demonic, devilish, diabolical, fiendish, dark; monstrous, despicable, atrocious, heinous, odious, contemptible, horrible, execrable; dirty “an evil deed".

• Feet that race to do wrong – Wrong is defined as not true, incorrect, mistaken, in error, erroneous, inaccurate, inexact, imprecise, fallacious, wide of the mark, off target, unsound, faulty. It’s to know what is good but then not to do it: “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.” (James 4:17 NIV)

• A false witness who pours out lies – One of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” It forbids: Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive your neighbor. Speaking unjustly against your neighbor, to the prejudice of his reputation. In other words, a righteous witness must tell only the truth and be trustworthy. “A trustworthy witness will not lie, But a false witness utters lies.” (Prov. 24:5 NIV)

• A person who sows discord in a family — Discord is defined as Conflict, friction, hostility, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, bad feeling, ill feeling, bad blood, argument, quarreling, squabbling, bickering, wrangling, feuding, contention, dissension, dispute, disunity, division, opposition, infighting.

Therefore

“But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thess. 2:4 ESV)

“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1John 3:22 ESV)

I recently visited with a friend I’ve known for many years. He’s a Christian, a churchgoer, and doesn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs, but he recently started living with a woman he’s not married to. I asked him how his relationship is with God, and he said, “It’s all right." I asked, “Do you pray? And he said, "Yes." I said, “What does God say to you about living in sin? Does that ever come up in your conversations with Him?” He looked embarrassed that I had asked him that question. I told him that if you’re ever doing anything you know is sin, that will affect your relationship with God. It will affect your ability to pray effectively. And it will affect your prayers being answered and whether or not you are blessed by Him. It’s sort of like coming face-to-face with someone you owe money to but haven’t paid. It’s awkward and a barrier to the relationship until it’s paid back. And because you owe them, you avoid them. It’s the same with God.

The promise of answered prayers

The passage at the top, our promise for the day, says, “And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” It’s clear that the promise of answered prayers is contingent upon two things: 1) keeping His commandments, and 2) doing what pleases Him. This begs the question: How do you please Him? First, you please Him by obeying His commandments! Begin with the Ten Commandments. And, as you daily read the Bible, seek to understand and obey the commands you see as you come across them.

“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!” (Psalm 119:9-10)

Therefore

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (1 Thess. 4:1 ESV)

“The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” (Prov. 12:24)

Work like ants and don’t be lazy!

 “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.” (Prov. 6:6-8 NLT)

When you watch ants, you can tell they aren’t lazy. Each one has an important job to do in the colony, and they work continuously to do it. That’s why the Bible tells us to take a lesson from them. We can and should learn a lot from them because ants are truly amazing creatures. They faithfully do their jobs, work hard, cooperate together, and prepare for the winter. Ants are very social insects, and they divide jobs among different types of ants in each colony. The queen’s job is to lay eggs. The other worker ants feed the larvae, take out the colony's trash, forage for food, and supply or defend the nest.

Don’t be slack in doing your job

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” (Prov. 18:9)

 Wake up, get to work!

“But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. (Prov. 6:9-11 NLT)

Therefore

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” (Col. 3:23)

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matt 16:27)

Welcome home!

I heard a story about a missionary who had spent his entire life on a remote mission field, working tirelessly to help the poor people there. Eventually his body got old, his health failed, and he could no longer carry out his duties. So, he had to return to America to live out his final days. After the long ship ride, they finally arrived at the sound of a band playing and a crowd of cheering people carrying signs saying, “Welcome home!” But none were for him. It was for some famous person they were greeting. No one was there to welcome him as he slowly made his way off the ship towards the small, sparsely furnished room where he would be staying. He put away the few little items he had been able to bring, and then sat quietly alone. He thought of all the hard work he had done over his lifetime in a faraway land and the toll it had taken on his life. He thought about the big band and the cheering crowd with welcome home signs, which were not for him. And he became very sad, with a heavy heart. He cried out to God in anguish, “Have I not done a good and faithful job serving you all my life, Lord? And yet, not one person was there to welcome me home! Why?” And he heard a small voice say, “You’re not home yet, my son!” He then understood the wonderful truth. He will one day actually be arriving home, and that arrival will be far above anything he could imagine!

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Rev. 22:12 NIV)

“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9 NLT)

Therefore

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 3:20 ESV)

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4 ESV)

“Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:23-24 NKJV)

What church did Jesus promote?

Recently, I listened to a religious commentator who answered questions from his audience. One person asked, “What church did Jesus promote?” I thought that was a very interesting question. I can understand why the person asked because there are so many different churches. In most large cities, you see them everywhere, even next to each other. The simple answer is found in the verse at the top, which says God does not dwell in temples made by hands.

So, what exactly is the church?

According to the New Testament, the name of a city served as an identification for the churches there as a whole. “Church” is the translation of the Greek term ekklesia, and is used in the New Testament to identify the community of believers in Jesus Christ. It literally means “assembly,” “congregation,” or “meeting.” Another term was used in the Old Testament to refer to experiences such as “the day of the assembly,” “the Lord’s congregation,” or “meeting before the Lord.” In the New Testament, no synagogue, temple, chapel, tabernacle, building, or any other meeting place was ever called a “church.” The term always referred to the Christian assembly, and in the New Testament, it was used for both the local community of believers and the overall collection of Christians.

Therefore

 The church is never a building or type of denomination, the church is a group or congregation of fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ. So, the answer to what church did Jesus promote is simple—it’s all of them!

“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Rom. 12:5 ESV)

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20 ESV)

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28 ESV) 

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24 ESV)

Jesus declared: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Mt 16:18 ESV). And that is a wonderful promise!

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” (Prov. 21:23 ESV)

The above promise is golden to those who obey it. It simply says that if you don’t say anything you will stay out of trouble. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But in practice this is very hard to do, especially if you are angry.

I should have kept my mouth shut!

A few days ago, I stopped by a local store to buy something. The clerk, an older woman, asked me what I was looking for. She had it. I then told her where I had previously purchased the product online. As soon as she heard the name of the place, she launched a verbal attack on the business and told me they were terrible, sold only inferior products, and no one should ever purchase anything from them. I told her I had bought many items from them without issues. And she said I was totally ignorant and didn’t understand like she did, and I should be better educated. As her voice raised, so did mine. The conversation went back and forth and escalated as each of us responded to the other. Pretty soon we were shouting at each other, and there was nothing I could do but turn and leave. Afterwards, after calming down and revisiting our conversation in my mind, I realized I could have avoided the entire problem early on by simply remaining quiet. I did not have to respond to her negative comments, period. If I had only kept my mouth shut, I would have completely avoided trouble. I then tried to look at the issue from her side. I then realized she obviously cared about her products and did believe the online place was inferior, and they were ripping off people with poor substitutes, which was why she was angry with them. So the next day, I stopped into the store again to speak with her. I told her I was sorry for my behavior the previous day, which was rude and despicable. I told her I realized she obviously cares passionately about her products, and that is to be commended. When she heard this, she puddled up and said a few kind words. We parted as friends. 

There are some other promises and commands in God’s Word that are very helpful to remember.

A fool who keeps quiet will seem wise  

“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” (Prov. 17:28 ESV)

Don’t curse those who persecute you  

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Rom. 22:14 ESV)

The mouths of fools pour out folly  

“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.” (Prov. 15:2 ESV)

Restrain your words with understanding 

“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” (Prov. 17:27 ESV)

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14 NIV)

God made you wonderfully!

So many people have negative self-identity issues. Maybe they grew up with criticism from their family. Or maybe they compared themselves to the models used in advertising and did not compare favorably. So many young people are unhappy with themselves, so they have expressed their unhappiness in many different, sometimes dangerous ways, resulting in eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Some even go so far as to reject the gender they were born with and go to great lengths to identify with the opposite sex, as unisex, or as none at all. All this confusion is because they don’t understand how special they are, just as God created them.

You are born a winner!

On the day you were conceived over a million of your “brothers and sisters” raced to reach your mother’s egg. And you got there first! You won! That’s right, you were truly the winner that day! And you are still a winner today! (Psalm 139:15 NKJV) 

God skillfully made you in secret

“My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” (Psalm 139:16 NKJV)

Therefore

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalms 139:17-18 NKJV)