Wisdom From the Word

In looking at leadership I will cover a few areas. Again they are focused first on leading our own lives. Some areas I am going to cover are to some extent my adaptation of topics addressed in a leadership course I attended. They are however greatly informed and influenced by my own life experience and reflections on leadership.

Vision is often introduced as a foundational part of leadership, which it is. In Christian circles we often quote Proverbs 29:18 from the King James Version, “Where there is no vision the people perish.” However that is not the most accurate translation, and often the application being touted is the need for vision. This can easily miss the point of the verse. It isn’t about having vision, it is about having Yahweh’s vision.

¹⁸  Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV)

The centre column note in my bible says the word ‘revelation’ here refers to prophetic vision. I believe that is accurate. The best way to understand the scriptures is to let scripture interpret scripture. Let me illustrate. The phrase ‘cast off restraint’ or ‘perish’ in the KJV is a single Hebrew word. It is used twice in the verse below and is translated as ‘unrestrained’ and ‘not restrained.’

²⁵  Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), Exodus 32:25 (NKJV)

This verse comes from the golden calf incident. What is important is that the people in this incident were not unrestrained from a lack of vision. In fact they weren’t even unrestrained in the sense of a lack of focus. They were very focused, just on the wrong thing. They had a clear vision, they wanted to continue their journey and wanted a visible ‘god’ to lead them. They even held a feast to Yahweh to celebrate their golden calf. Their problem was they had a wrong vision around the how. Their vision was to have gods like they knew in Egypt and as a result 3,000 of them died. The scriptures are not clear on what happened in terms of their behaviour in ‘worship’ but the inferences are not good.

What is the conclusion we can draw? I coached basketball for a decade and during that period the concept of ‘practice makes perfect’ shifted to ‘practice makes permanent.’ I presented this in my own way and used to tell the boys that they could get really good at doing the wrong thing. We don’t just need a vision. If we are going to follow Jesus we need His vision! What vision are we presenting with our lives? What vision do we have for our lives?

Are you a leader? Is that a question we generally think about? If it isn’t perhaps we should. Many people, myself included, view leadership as influence. This concept relates to the leadership of others. I will address this in some detail in this series. The other aspect of leadership that I think is even more important is self-leadership. How are we leading our own lives? What is drawing us?

I of course want to address all of this from the perspective of the scriptures. I believe that good and godly leadership requires Character, Awareness and Wisdom. A key part of character is that difficult word discipline. I believe the fruit of leadership rises and falls on character. We can have great leadership skills but lead in the wrong direction. Years ago when emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) was becoming well known and being trumpeted as just as important as the traditional IQ I wrote a paper for my Master’s degree and raised the need for not just IQ and EI but also for MI, what I referred to as moral intelligence.

There have been many strong leaders in history who have led in the wrong direction, which is why I have highlighted self-leadership and character. This is the starting point. This doesn’t mean we need to have perfect character to lead our own lives or others. It does mean that it needs to be a focus in our life. Which is why I have titled this series Reflective Leadership. I believe if we are wise we will pay attention to our motivations and outcomes.

Strong leaders are known for their vison, focus and purpose. Let us apply this to ourselves as individuals. What is our vision, focus and purpose? Moses, one of the great leaders in biblical history, wrote one of the Psalms. One verse of that Psalm particularly stands out for me and I have provided it below in two different translations.

¹²  So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NKJV)

¹²  So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NASB)

Moses was praying that Yahweh would help us to pay attention to the brief time we have on earth so that we would exercise wisdom in how we live our lives. When we step from time into eternity how we have lived our life will be assessed by Jesus.

There are variations of the following message but this is how I heard it many years ago.

Sow a thought, reap an act.

Sow an act, reap a habit.

Sow a habit, reap a character.

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

I believe our primary leadership goal in our own lives and in the lives of those we influence was expressed very well by Paul.

¹⁹  My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, Galatians 4:19 (NKJV emphasis mine)

It is about Christ being formed in us and thus revealed through us. May we exercise wisdom now in the leadership of our lives!

What does worship have to do with hearing His voice? If we believe the scriptures, and the experience of multitudes of believers down through the centuries, worship has a great deal to do with hearing His voice. Music, in particular worship, does something inside of us that enables us to more easily discern His voice. Part of what helps us to hear is that true worship pushes back the darkness. The clearest example of darkness being pushed back is in 1 Samuel.

²³  And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. 1 Samuel 16:23 (NKJV)

A verse that has frequently been on my heart over the years that further supports this is below (see also Ps. 140 and 150 and reflect on the spiritual application).

⁷  You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah Psalm 32:7 (NKJV)

I have had the privilege of helping lead a small group for a number of years with a gifted worship leader who regularly pushes back the darkness with her worship leading. This type of worship creates an atmosphere that welcomes His presence and opens our spirits to hear His voice.

We like David need to understand that worship and warfare are intertwined. David understood this and because of that most of the Psalms flowed from the continual worship he established before the Ark of the Covenant when he set it up in Jerusalem for the last 33 years of his reign. Interestingly something else in scripture lasted for 33 years, Jesus time walking on earth.

Another example of hearing His voice is the prophetic release that Elisha knew would come through worship.

¹⁴  And Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. ¹⁵  But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 2 Kings 3:14-15 (NKJV)

When worship took place Elisha heard from the Lord. Lest we think this is only an Old Testament practice see the verses below.

²⁶  How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NKJV) ¹⁹  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, Ephesians 5:19 (NKJV) ¹⁶  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16 (NKJV)

In the verses above numerous things are connected to worship. I believe the context of 1 Corinthians 14 is that of each person having ‘a psalm’ on their hearts because of the revelatory gifting this church body functioned in even in spite of their failings and errors. Of note, if we look at the New Testament and the abuse of spiritual gifts in Corinth how would we respond? Would we suggest limiting or banning the exercise of these charismatic gifts until other issues were addressed in the congregation? How did Paul respond in his role of apostolic oversight? He exhorted them.

¹  Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NKJV)

Paul exhorted this body of believers to pursue an attitude of love while asking the Holy Spirit for a greater release of charismatic gifts. Why this approach? True prophetic words would bring correction and focus. Given that these gifts are enhanced through worship I think Paul envisioned a great deal of worship taking place in Corinth.

When we move forward from the New Testament we can see in church history that the release of new worship has always accompanied revival/renewal movements. It is still the same today.

In my own journey to hearing His voice two scriptures have been important to me.

¹⁰  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 (NKJV) ¹⁵  For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, Isaiah 30:15 (NKJV)

I personally find that I need worship that stirs without overwhelming. When worship enables me to become internally quiet I hear His voice and receive direction. When I can physically dial down in an atmosphere that promotes an internal stillness and rest through intimate worship He comes near to my heart.

May we worship Him in spirit and truth and clearly hear His heart.

I have addressed the need to hear His voice and the fact of His speaking along with some of the ways He speaks. Now I want to address the need to discern whether He is the one speaking.

While the Holy Spirt communicates to us do we always hear accurately? Have you ever heard someone reporting what you said in a situation and thought, ‘I never said that.’? How does the Holy Spirit respond to all of the things, some of them conflicting, that we attribute to Him? Consider the passage below.

¹  Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ²  And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ³  “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? ⁴  Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵  that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.”’ Ezekiel 14:1-5 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

What is the message here? If we come to hear from the Holy Spirit while hanging onto our own agendas what we hear will be filtered through and distorted by our idols. To hear clearly we need a clean heart. That means when we come to Him we need to invite Him to examine our hearts and then lay down anything He puts His finger on so we can hear. Repentance and conviction are words not often heard in the modern church but are much needed.

In seeking to hear His voice we need to prepare our hearts and plan. As our hearts come to rest in Him so too does His wisdom rest in us.

 ¹  The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. Proverbs 16:1 (NKJV) ⁹  A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV) ³³  Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. Proverbs 14:33 (NKJV)

Having right motives is important and then we need to weigh what we hear by the Word.

²⁰  To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20 (NKJV)

What we hear needs to line up with the truth of scripture. However, there isn’t a verse that tells us who to marry, what house or vehicle to buy, which job to take and numerous other things. We need to hear His voice in these matters. However, say I am a young man ‘in love’ with a young woman. I want to marry her but she is not a believer nor really interested in the things of the Lord. I pray and believe the Holy Spirit is telling me to marry her. If I asked a wise believer they would tell me I was not hearing from the Lord because the scriptures tell us to not be ‘unequally yoked’ and say ‘what fellowship has light with darkness?’ In this scenario my emotional desires would be interfering with my ability to hear from the Holy Spirit.

We need to discern together (1 Cor. 14:29) and it is unwise to make major decisions without the counsel of scripture and the counsel of other mature believers (2 Cor. 13:1). Another key factor is that if we feel great emotional pressure to rush and make a decision we need to stop. Jesus lives outside of time and is never in a hurry. As Isaiah said,

¹⁶  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Isaiah 28:16 (NKJV emphasis mine)

In conclusion, this is not an exhaustive teaching on discerning, more of a primer and I encourage you to dig deeper.

NOTE – I will close this series with my next post by laying out the connection between worship and hearing His voice.

Given that we are called to hear His voice, how do we do that? A better question might be, ‘How have we done that?’ If we are His sheep then He has been speaking to us. I invite you to set aside some time to sit and reflect on how Jesus speaks to you and how He has spoken to you in the past? I don’t know what your list will look like, as we are each called to a unique relationship with Him. For illustration purposes below are some ways He has spoken to me over the years.

–      Scripture (This is for me the most important method. It may be verses or passages He highlights or a ‘sudden understanding’ of a passage or verse.)

–      Impressions (A sense to call someone or pray for them, their face may suddenly come to mind. Looking at someone and knowing their need or the calling on their life – this is very common for me. This are often a call to prayer/intercession.)

–      Dreams (For myself or others.)

–      Signs (Messages on billboards, road signs or messages on vehicles that come with a sense of His presence resting on the message.)

–      Birds (Types or behaviour.)

–      Numbers (Some numbers have great significance in my life and Jesus has highlighted them in a great variety of ways.)

My purpose in providing the above list is to highlight both the variety of ways the Holy Spirit may speak to us and the need to recognize when He is speaking. Once we believe He is speaking to us an important component is discerning what to do with the message. There are three aspects to a message – Revelation, Interpretation and Application.

In the above examples the revelation would be the scripture passage, the dream, the impression, etc. The next step is interpreting what the message means and then how we apply it. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us we do not always know what to do with what He has spoken to us. That is intentional on the Lord’s part because we are parts of a body and He wants us to learn to depend on one another. Paul illustrates this in 1 Corinthians.

²⁶  How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. ²⁷  If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. ²⁸  But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. ²⁹  Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 1 Corinthians 14:26-29 (NKJV)  

So when we receive something form the Holy Spirit a general practice should be to share with others that we have a trust relationship with to determine how to interpret and apply it. This deepens our relationships and our spiritual understanding and we grow in the process, which means by extension that His body is maturing through hearing His voice.

In our busy culture how do we find time to hear God’s voice? We don’t. Though ‘finding time’ is a common expression in our culture do you know anyone who has found time laying around in the street or forgotten somewhere by someone else? Recently at work I went to use the washroom and to my surprise found a very nice cell phone in the stall. The previous occupant must have been trying to ‘find time.’

What does wisdom tell us about time? We need to set priorities with the time Yahweh has given us. One thing that has become clear to me over the years is that what we can easily discern what we truly value by how we spend our time. It would be even clearer if our bank accounts were revealed and others saw where our money went. Our true values are expressed in how we invest our time and money.

If I put all of my activities in my calendar for others to examine I hope they would find that I value my relationship with Jesus, my family and other relationships, health/exercise, and the outdoors. These things are not always in the balance I would like but that is the balance I seek to maintain by paying attention to how I invest my time. Yes, time has been given to us as a resource to invest in the bank of the present for a return on our investment in eternity.

Given that the Holy Spirit sees our real calendars, what would a dialogue with Him about our schedules sound like?

In examining time and schedules one way we are called to invest our time is in hearing His voice. This truth is plainly evident in the scriptures and below are a few examples with some portions emphasized. In John 10 Jesus began His teaching describing how natural sheep respond to the voice of their shepherd then applied it to Himself as our Shepherd.

¹⁶  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. John 10:16

(NKJV) ²⁷  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 (NKJV)

⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 (NKJV)

¹⁴  For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. ¹⁵  In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, ¹⁶  Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction. Job 33:14-16 (NKJV)

Given that He wants to speak to us there are two questions;

1. Are we listening?
2. How do we train our hearts to hear?

It is easy to see that the visible part of a house needs something supporting it, a foundation. In a similar manner other things need something supporting them. For example, a throne holds up a ruler, but what holds up the throne, not the literal throne but the right to rule? The answer is of course found in the scriptures. The scriptures describe the foundation of Yahweh’s throne. Have you ever considered what constitutes this foundation?

¹⁴  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Psalm 89:14 (NKJV)

Yahweh’s throne is built upon righteousness and justice because they are manifestations of His character. We live in a tumultuous time in the earth and we need His righteous and justice manifest in our lives, homes and communities to walk through what is coming upon the earth. To walk in righteousness and justice requires wisdom. Proverbs 8 is the wisdom chapter and tells us something very interesting about wisdom.

¹  Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice? ²  She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet. ³  She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors: ⁴  “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. ⁵  O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.” Proverbs 8:1-5 (NKJV)

²⁰  I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice, Proverbs 8:20 (NKJV)

Wisdom is accessible and crying out for our attention. What is most interesting is that we find that in the very things that are the foundation of Yahweh’s throne, wisdom is found. There walking about with righteousness and justice is wisdom.

So when we pursue righteousness and justice we encounter wisdom. The qualifier is that it is righteousness and justice from Yahweh’s perspective. We live in a time where much that passes for justice is simply misguided sentimentality. When we choose to not do the right thing because someone may feel bad or be offended we are no longer exercising justice and righteousness and by extension are not demonstrating wisdom. The scriptures must be our standard, not our feelings or reasoning.

Knowing that to walk in righteousness and justice requires wisdom it is helpful to hear from Proverbs and 1 Corinthians.

³³  Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. Proverbs 14:33 (NKJV) ³⁰  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption– 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NKJV)

If wisdom rests in the heart of those with understanding, and if Jesus became our wisdom from God then walking with Jesus should produce righteousness and justice. When we embrace righteousness and justice our behaviour becomes aligned with Yahweh’s thrones and thus His kingdom.

Enjoy your walk.

So given that we have the Law of the Spirit of Life in Jesus how does it work? If we reflect on laws we discover that while laws are put in place they need to be enforced. The speed limit, parking laws, the criminal code, all require enforcement. What about gravity and the speed of light? Yes they too require enforcement and the scriptures tell us how they are enforced. Jesus is both the source of these laws and the one who enforces them. They are built into creation.

¹  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴  having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4 (NKJV)

¹⁵  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. ¹⁸  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV)

Do you see the enforcement of gravity and other laws in the passages above? For example, there is a little phrase in Hebrews 1:3 “upholding all things by the word of His power.” Some translations say ‘powerful word’ but I believe miss the point. The Greek meaning of ‘word’ in the phrase above speaks to a present and ongoing release and could be translated as ‘u[holding all things by the utterance of His power.’ The point being made in Hebrews is that everything we see in the physical realm is held together by the ongoing release of Jesus power! Colossians 1:17 tells us that “in Him all things consist.” He made all things, visible and invisible. The universe, angels, everything. In in Him they ‘consist’ or are ‘held together.’ Jesus continually enforces the laws He built into creation by His ongoing life and presence.

The word ‘firstborn’ in verse 15 above refers to position or standing, not birth order. Jesus has the ultimate authority, which takes us back to the ‘law of the Spirit of life’ in Him. How is it activated in our lives? The answer is simple but difficult. Simple to say, sometimes hard to do.

²  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2 (NKJV)

Another aspect of law is that some aspects of the legal system have authority over others. A higher court can overturn the ruling of a lower court. This is how the ‘law of the Spirit of life’ functions. It takes precedence over the law of sin and death. Imagine dropping a ball. The law of gravity takes over and it drops to the floor. However, if you put your hand under it and catch it you cancel the effect of the law of gravity.

In a similar manner the law of the Spirit of life can interrupt and negate the effects of the law of sin and death. It is issued by the highest court, the heavenly one! However, for it to be effective in our life we must believe it. If we focus on the power of His life in us rather than on the power of sin and death we find ourselves increasingly walking in freedom. After all, what we focus on grows. What are we giving our energy and attention to?

How do we understand laws? Have you ever considered the different types of laws? Think about the speed limit. It is a law made by man through legislation and different jurisdictions set different laws based on their authority. For example, in Canada we have laws that are federal in nature. They are established by the House of Commons and apply to everyone in the country. Provinces have some degree of autonomy and set laws like provincial building codes and taxes because they fall under their authority. Towns and cities set bylaws around parking and municipal speed limits because they fall under their authority.

If we think more broadly we have laws that we refer to as ‘laws of nature.’ They are laws like gravity, the effect of the sound barrier, the speed of light and others. We often refer to things done by ‘mother nature’ and mention things like the ‘laws of nature.’ As a side note I find it both sad and amusing that many people who claim to not believe in God turn around and deify nature without even thinking about it.

For example, one time I ended up in a discussion with a fellow at the fitness centre who it turned out was a biology professor. When I pointed out in our dialogue that when he referred to the things that ‘nature’ was doing he and others were just replacing God with ‘nature’ the way he used the term and the powers he ascribed to nature. He was a bit taken back, however he saw what I was talking about and it did open the door to some sharing about the gospel.

So, why am I going on about the law? Primarily because we tend to view laws as restrictive. However legislation is generally written in two ways, as either restrictive or enabling and the overarching purpose is generally intended for the good of the populous. If we think broadly of the Mosaic Law in terms of the Ten Commandments “(see Ex. 20:1-17) we find most of the commandments are restrictive.

In the New Testament we find something new introduced in relation to law. While we are told that the whole of the law is to love the Lord and our neighbour we are not given the strength to do so, that is until after Jesus resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 1:8, 2:1-4). As we move further into the New Testament Paul explains what happened on the day of Pentecost when the church was birthed; a new law was introduced and he tells us what it is.

²  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2 (NKJV emphasis mine) 

The new law we are called to live under and by is the ‘law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.’ I invite you to meditate on the significance of this law. More to come…

Gyroscopic faith may sound like a strange title but I want to tie it into the concept of heavenly help from the real realm, the unseen realm. If you are unfamiliar with gyroscopes please see the links below.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Gyroscope&view=detail&mid=002E87FB2A86BBD37BF8002E87FB2A86BBD37BF8&FORM=VIRE3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroscope

In essence when a gyroscope is spinning it seeks to remain upright no matter how you tip it. So what does this have to do with faith you may wonder? I had a dream recently where I was explaining to a large group at a church how a gyroscope was connected to our faith and it inspired me to write this post. Some familiar objects where we see a gyroscopic effect are motorcycle or bicycle tires. The spinning effect of the wheels seeks to pull the bikes upright. However, like an actual gyroscope, the effect is dependent on movement. Hence it is easier to keep a fast moving bike upright than a slow one as the gyroscopic effect is more pronounced at higher speeds.

Now to faith. Paul made a statement that is a theme in the New Testament. He is below speaking of the aim of salvation.

²¹  And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²²  in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight– ²³  if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Colossians 1:21-23 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

Neatly slipped into this statement is the qualifier I highlighted above, “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast…not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” Importantly, Jesus said the same thing.

³¹  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” John 8:31 (NKJV)

The word ‘abide’ is translated as ‘continue’ in other versions and the concept of continuing is in many places in the NT. What is my point? Just as movement is what keeps a bicycle upright, so moving forward in our faith enables heaven to be engaged on our behalf. The Holy Spirit leads us rather than pushing us and it is easier to redirect a moving object that to overcome inertia. I don’t believe these statements are about being saved, they are what Peter referred to.

¹¹  for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:11 (NKJV)

Peter laid out how to grow in our faith. Intentionally moving further into our faith is what will ensure a great welcome when we step from time into eternity. We can limp in or run in. Are we embracing the gyroscopic effect of our faith here on earth?

The song below is about moving with Jesus.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rita+springer+moving+with+the+lamb&view=detail&mid=C875AB57953A93F969F8C875AB57953A93F969F8&FORM=VIRE1