Category Archives: Allegiance

Allegiance, Bible, Bowing, Jesus, Kneeling, Scripture, Worship

KNEELING

PHILIPPIANS 2:10

“so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”

I’m at the age now when I kneel down to get something, I pause to see if I need to do anything else while I’m down there. Lol. Can you relate? Kneeling gets harder with age. Our bones crack and moan more. Our backs strain getting back up. Now, I’m not in awful shape physically, but I definitely feel my age more these days. Maybe helping watch my ten-month-old grandson has something to do with it. You think?

Paul makes a declaration in today’s verse which is directly from the mouth of God. He says that one day, “every knee will bow.” And when he says “every” he means EVERY. He covers them all – in heaven, on earth and under the earth. Everyone will bow before the only true and holy Savior, Jesus Christ. He is Lord! John says something similar in his vision statement in Revelation 5:13. “And I heard every created thing which is in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, or on the sea, and all the things in them, saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever.’”

APPLICATION

The Greek word translated as “will bow” is kamptó which “primarily means to bend or bow, often used in the context of bowing the knee as an act of submission, worship, or reverence. It conveys the physical act of bending as well as the metaphorical act of showing humility or deference.” (Strong’s Lexicon). It is only used three other times (Romans 11:4. 14:11; Ephesians 3:14).

In Romans 11:4 Paul writes about the story of Elijah when he was complaining to God and was told by God that He had kept 7,000 men in Israel who had not bowed to Baal. In other words, their allegiance was to Jehovah and bowed only to Him. Later in Romans 14:11 Paul is quoting God from Isaiah 45:23 which says, “‘I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.’”

Finally, as Paul begins his prayer in Ephesians 3:14, he writes, “For this reason I bend my knees before the Father,” You see, Paul knew there was only one God and to Him only would he bow. Paul would bow to no man. Kind of reminds you of three youth who got thrown into a furnace for refusing to bow to an earthly king, doesn’t it?  Today, bow your knee, bow your heart, kneel and pray and lift up the name of Jesus.

O Lord, I will bow before You and praise Your holy name.

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Accountability, Allegiance, Belief, Bible, Commands, God's Will, Hypocrisy, Judgment, Obedience, Sacrifice, Scripture

HYPOCRITES

GALATIANS 6:13

“For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they want to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.”

Do as I say and not as I do. You’ve heard that before, I am sure. A lot of parents may not say those words to their children, but they sure live them out. “Don’t smoke!” But they light one up regularly. “Don’t drink!” But they don’t have a problem popping a cool one. “Don’t cuss!” But they let a few words slide out when they are upset. It’s easy to give directions if you aren’t holding yourself to the same standard.

Paul continues to confront the Judaizers who were trying to force the Galatians to follow the Mosaic Law in addition to accepting Jesus as Savior. As a former Pharisee, Paul knew all too well the debilitating consequences of trying to follow the law. You couldn’t pick and choose which parts of the law you wanted to follow. It was all or nothing. Fortunately, the Galatian believers needed none of it. Paul wants to make sure they know that.

APPLICATION

James said it best, I think, when he said this in James 2:10. “For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all.” There you have it. You can’t say, “Get circumcised,” and not keep the rest of the law. These Judaizers were forcing the issue of circumcision without they themselves keeping the whole law. They were, in fact, guilty of breaking the whole law. It was a futile exercise.

Don’t get me wrong. The law served its purpose. It pointed out to men the impossibility of keeping it. We needed something more. We needed the perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Jesus provided that. Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Hallelujah, praise the Lord!

Paul was not letting the Galatians off the hook with this statement in today’s verse. They still needed to follow the Lord’s commands. They should still strive to be holy as He is holy. But now all those things are under the blood of the Lamb. He has paid the price for our failings. We obey out of love, not fear.

O Lord, help me be an example of truth and honesty, not hypocrisy.

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Allegiance, Bible, Circumcision, Covenant, Faith, God's Will, Grace, Heart, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

ALL OR NOTHING

GALATIANS 5:3

“And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.”

A common cheer or motto among team sports is “All for one and one for all.” That implies that if one falls, they all fall. It means they must all stick together. The team has to stick together and is stronger together than separate. That is a good thing. However, our verse today is talking about a negative side of that “all for one” mentality.

Circumcision was the distinguishing mark of Jews. Since Abraham, this has been done to the male children. It was and still is a physical sign of allegiance to God for them. This rite was being forced on the Gentile believers in Galatia. There were Jewish believers who believed that they had to continue to follow the Mosaic laws, which included circumcision. Paul correctly points out that if they were going to keep this one law, they should keep them all (which was and still is impossible). Circumcision was not bad. It just did not prove their faith.

APPLICATION

What are the things in your life that you do to show you are saved? I bet it is that big Bible you carry to church each Sunday. Perhaps it is the way you wear your hair or refrain from alcohol. You wear these as a badge of honor to prove your faith. Like circumcision, there is nothing wrong with a big Bible, short hair or not drinking, but none of those things will save you.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:25-26, “‘25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.’” This still applies to us today. It’s not about what the world sees we are doing. It’s all about our heart. We cannot keep all the laws and we cannot keep all the traditions. We will fail.

I have met lots of people who have said, “I could never become a Christian. I am too bad. God could never forgive me.” That is exactly why they need a Savior. There is nothing we can do to gain His favor. We can’t be good enough. That is what Paul is saying to the Galatians, and that is what is still true for us today. All we need is Jesus. Let’s make our motto “All to One.” How about that?

O Lord, thank You for rescuing me and always being there for me. I give You my all.

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Advice, Allegiance, Allies, Authority, Bible, Church, Counsel, Direction, God's Will, Leading, Scripture

SEEKING COUNSEL

GALATIANS 1:19

“But I did not see another one of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.”

I have had the privilege to work with some fine men through my lifetime. I won’t begin to name names for fear of leaving someone off the list. Some of these came to me through my work environment. Others came through church or a men’s group. Some I chose, and others chose me. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

As Paul made his journey to visit with Peter, he had the opportunity to meet with a lot of different people. Jerusalem was still the hub of Christianity at this time. Surely there were more apostles present besides Peter and the one named in today’s verse – James. Scholars disagree whether this was the James, the son of Alpheus and cousin of Jesus, or James, the actual brother of Jesus born to Joseph and Mary. Irregardless, this James was a leader of the young church there in Jerusalem and someone who could come alongside Paul.

APPLICATION

We have another reference to James in the book of Acts that is quite interesting. In Acts 15, there is a council held in Jerusalem. You really need to read verses 1-21 to get the full picture, but here is Paul and Barnabas before the council giving evidence of the work of God among the Gentiles and seeking the church’s approval of their methods.  After some discussion and Peter’s speech, James speaks up. He is obviously the leader of the church by this time. Verse 19 says, “‘Therefore it is my judgement…’” This is James giving his judgment.

Why do I bring this up? Why point to this passage while discussing Galatians 1:19? Paul had no idea how God would use this James in latter years. But here we have evidence of James’ leadership. That leadership, that respect from the other apostles, gave James the role he held in Acts 15. God led Paul to James early in his ministry in order to seek counsel from the future leader of the church.

From whom do you seek counsel? Do you ask the Lord about that before you seek it? You know, He may direct you to someone you would never think of. He may put someone in your path who has just the right words for you. Don’t just go to your buddy or pal or best friend. Seek counsel from those you respect as a leader in your church. Go to an elder or deacon whom you have observed for a while. God’s counsel is not spoken through just anyone. Be selective and watch how God works.

Lord, You have blessed me with many great counselors in my lifetime. Help me be that for others.

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Abiding, Allegiance, Bible, Choices, God's Will, Loyalty, Obedience, Scripture

TURNING FROM THE WAY

MALACHI 2:8

“‘But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have ruined the covenant of Levi,’ says the LORD of armies.”

Call me a nerd, but I like the Star Wars movies and the spinoff shows. One of the most recent spinoffs is “The Mandalorian.” The main character is basically an inter-galactic bounty hunter. I don’t have space here to go too deep into the plot and subplots of the show, but I wanted to mention part of his creed which is spoken at least once every episode. It is “This is the Way.” This creed guides his decisions and actions. He must maintain this “way.”

The priests of Israel have turned from “the way.” God says so right there in today’s verse. And their turning away has “caused many to stumble.” This goes directly against what we saw in the previous two verses (verses 6-7). God says they have “ruined the covenant.” That’s a pretty heavy charge against them. God does not make false charges, so we know this was true. We also know He is a covenant keeping God.

APPLICATION

One of my biggest fears as a Children’s Pastor was that I would do something to cause one of the children under my watch to stumble. Jesus said it well, didn’t He? In Luke 17:2 He said, “‘It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin.’” I don’t know about you, but I am sure I couldn’t swim with a millstone around my neck.

We have such a high responsibility as believers to lead others toward Jesus, not away. Most of us are so careful with what we do, but we do not always watch what we say as carefully. One little word could cause someone to shun a life with Christ. They are looking for something different in us, a life that is not perfect but is different.

May I encourage you to say “This is the way” as you live each day with Christ? Make your way a holy way. Make your way one that reflects Jesus. Make your way His way. If you do that, you will draw others to Jesus. They will see you as different and want to find out how to get what you have. Keep the Way.

Show me Your Way each and every day, Lord. I want to lead others in it.

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Allegiance, Bible, Calling, Commands, Decisions, Following, God's Will, Messages, Scripture

GOD’S MESSENGER

MALACHI 2:7

“‘For the lips of a priest should maintain knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of armies.’”

I surrendered to full-time ministry at seventeen-years-old. Shortly after my salvation I heard God’s call on my life. I have to say that I didn’t really understand what that meant. Here I was a teenager who has given his life to serve the Lord wherever He may lead. Through all these years (I’m in my 45th year of service) I have never doubted His calling. It hasn’t always been easy, but I have always been one of His messengers.

In part two of my memory passage (Malachi 2:6-7), the Lord reminds the priest of two other responsibilities – that his lips should preserve knowledge and that people should come to them for instruction. Why? Because they are His messengers, sent according to His direction to lead the people of Israel. That was a weighty role and one not taken lightly.

APPLICATION

2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” The Greek word for “ambassadors” there means a trusted and respected ambassador who is authorized to speak as God’s emissary. So, we are given this responsibility as believers in Christ.

Therein lies the rub. Did you see what that word meant? It said an ambassador is to be a “trusted and respected” person. That’s where so many of us fall short. We don’t live our lives worthy of this calling. We don’t live trusted and respected lives. We don’t represent our God as we should with our lives, so our messages fall short.

I try to make sure my life is reflective of the Gospel every day. Do I always succeed? To be honest – no. Some days I fall short. I am not as Christlike as I should be. But I know my talk is only as affective as my walk. The same is true of you. Be God’s messenger. Be worthy of His calling.

I am honored to be Your messenger, Lord. Help me walk worthy of that calling.

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Allegiance, Bible, Blessing, Commands, Fatherhood, God's Will, Honor, Love, Scripture

HONOR THY FATHER

MALACHI 1:6

“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of armies to you, the priests who despise My name! But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”

I had a great dad. My dad was not a perfect father, but I never doubted for a second that he loved me and would have done anything in the world for me. I showed my dad honor by visiting him, by listening to him, by listening to his advice. In fact, as I got older, I would often run something by him just to give him the opportunity to give me advice, whether I needed it or not.

In verse 6 today, the LORD is beginning a chastisement of the leaders of Israel, the priests. We will see in the following verses in the days to come how they were dishonoring the LORD. But in today’s verse He just reminds them of their obligation to honor Him, just as they would honor their earthly father. The word “honor” is a Hebrew word that means numerous, rich, honorable, to make weighty. Interesting definition, huh?

APPLICATION

I am instantly reminded of the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12) which says, “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the LORD your God gives you.” Do I need to remind you that this is a commandment, not a suggestion. And this commandment is the ONLY commandment that comes with a promise, a promise to prolong your days. That’s a pretty good reason to honor your parents, isn’t it?

How do you show honor to your father? So many families are fractured today because of dishonor. So many fathers are wounded because of it also. Did you realize when you dishonor your father you grieve his heart? When we dishonor God through our sins, it grieves His heart. Our earthly father relationship is supposed to mirror our relationship with the Father.

You may be estranged from your earthly father right now. You may even feel justified to do that. Biblically speaking, unless your father has abused you in some way, you are still commanded to show him honor. Listen to the Lord. Ask Him how you are supposed to honor your father. That will also honor Him.

I show You honor, my Lord, by honoring my father here on earth. Now, that he is with You, I show him honor by thanking You for him.

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Abiding, Allegiance, Battles, Bible, Consequences, Devil, Enemies, Fighting, God's Will, Judgment, Justice, Rebellion, Satan, Scripture

YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE

ZECHARIAH 14:12

“Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth.”

I have mentioned before my two experiences with stem cell transplants. Both times I had chemotherapy which is horrible. I was blessed in that I did not have to take it long term. But each time I went to have a treatment I would see other patients who were not so lucky. They were skeletons, having lost so much weight. They had no hair, and their eyes were sunk back into their heads. Each time I saw them I would say a prayer for their healing.

Why do I tell that story? Well, it’s the closest thing I have ever seen to the description in today’s verse. This plague put on the enemies of Jerusalem is consistent with the effects of a nuclear bomb on the human body. I am not saying that is what will happen. God doesn’t need a bomb. He has the power to inflict any damage He desires on His enemies. This is probably one of the worse judgment scenes in the Bible. What a horrible consequence of using their mouth to blaspheme and their eyes to lust after Israel.

APPLICATION

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Why would I quote this verse? Because while we were sinners, we were His enemies. We were enemies of the cross, as Paul says in Philippians 3:18. “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ,”

Whose side are you on? God’s or man’s? God’s or the devil’s? That is what it amounts to. In past wars on earth there have been nations that remained neutral, out of the fight. There will be no neutral ground in this final battle. You cannot remain neutral. You must choose a side.

I love the verse in Joshua that reads, “‘But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.’” (Joshua 24:15) How about you?

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to be on Your side. I want to serve in Your army.

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Access, Allegiance, Bible, Calling, Children, Dependence, Faithfulness, Obedience, Promises, Scripture

WHISTLE

ZECHARIAH 10:8

“I will whistle for them and gather them together, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as they were before.”

My dad was a great whistler. I did not inherit that trait. My wife makes fun of me every time I try to whistle. I would love to be able to whistle. It would come in handy from time to time to call a dog or maybe even a child. But I did not get than gene, lol.

In today’s verse, God just whistles and His children come. This same Hebrew word is used when God called the quail for His children and the bees to drive out their enemy. It is only used twelve times in the Old Testament. That might make a great word study for you sometime. The point is though, the people had to be somewhat attentive to the whistle of God to respond. I am sure His whistle was quite unique.

APPLICATION

I have never heard God whistle, but I have heard Him call my name. When I was sixteen, He called me to salvation. A few months later, I knew He called me to full time ministry. All through my life, at critical points, God has called me. Let’s just say He whistled, and I responded. How about you? Have you heard that unique whistle or call by God?

John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive Him, to all who believe in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God.” To receive and believe, you have to hear His whistle, His call. When we respond to that, we receive that promise – to be called His kids. I am God’s kid. He’s my Father. When He calls, I am supposed to come, just like any child should. When He whistles, I should listen for His direction.

Are you going to be listening for God’s whistle? When He calls, are you going to obey? It is pretty simple. He calls, we come. He whistles, we turn our attention to Him to see what’s next. When I played football in Junior High and High School, the coaches all had whistles they would blow to get our attention. We had better respond or there were consequences (extra laps, etc). There are dire consequences if we do not respond to God’s whistle. Listen up!

I am listening, O Lord, to hear Your whistle, Your call.

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Advocate, Allegiance, Allies, Bible, Courage, Defense, Power, Scripture, Strength

NO MATCH FOR GOD

ZECHARIAH 10:5

“And they will be like warriors, trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle; and they will fight, because the LORD will be with them; and the riders on horses will be put to shame.”

One year when my high school football team played a team from Alabama, it was the mismatch of the century. We were a small private school in South Georgia with a small team. We probably had 25-30 players at max. Most of the starters played both offense and defense. But in rode this other team on three busses. They probably had 90-100 players and they were skilled. The final score showed the mismatch (50-3). We literally had no chance against that team.

Anyone who goes against the Lord is mismatched. 1 Chronicles 17:20 says, “LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to everything that we have heard with our ears.” Israel knew their God was great and would be with them in battle, should it come. God is reinforcing those beliefs here through Zechariah.

APPLICATION

God is with us, to fight our battles. His might is mightier than any foe we face. We only lose these battles when we think we are defeated. That team we faced on that field could have lost to us if they hadn’t played to their skill level. We fought hard against them every play. But they knew they had a superior force. Hey listen, we do too.

God is the mighty warrior. I have been memorizing Psalm 24. It’s only ten verses. I love verse 8 that says, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle.” Do you think God is through fighting His children’s battles here on earth? No way. He fights mine every day. I invoke His power and His strength daily.

I pray you know that He is on your side. He does not turn us into some kind of superhero, but He does give us the strength to face each challenge head on. There is nothing the devil can throw at you that He cannot defeat. He will use you to do that. Trust Him. He is your strength. He is your mighty power. You are His soldier in the battle. Fight on!

O Master and Defender, give me the courage to fight each day. Help me put on the full armor to fight the enemy.

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