Look around.

Have you ever noticed that those who rely on life’s circumstances to be happy eventually come to the conclusion that there’s nothing good about God?

That’s not to say circumstances should never be addressed or corrected. But nothing in the Bible suggests that choosing to be Jesus Christ’s disciple guarantees happiness. C. S. Lewis even said: “I didn’t go to religion to make me ‘happy.’ I always knew a bottle of port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

I can’t have it both ways.

If Jesus is always creating happy circumstances for me, then there’s nothing to overcome in this world. On the other hand, if I choose to emulate the apostle Paul, I’m probably not gonna be overly concerned about life’s circumstances:

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every [circumstance] I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” [Phil. 4:11-13; from his letter to all the saints in Christ Jesus who (were) in Philippi] [my emphasis]

[μυέω: (mū-êh-ōh] to learn a secret]

As Jesus Christ’s disciple, overcoming the world is the engine I fire up every morning, and my faith is the fuel which drives its pistons. [see: 1Jn. 5:4-5] Circumstances were irrelevant to Him. He did, however, promise some pretty amazing rewards to those of us who choose to rise above them:

“…to him who is overcoming, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” [Rev. 2:7]

“…he who is overcoming will not be hurt by the second death.” [Rev. 2:11]

“…he who is overcoming, and he who is keeping My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” [Rev. 2:26]

[νικάω: (nî-kâ-ō) to overcome, to conquer, to prevail]

We choose to live either above our circumstances or beneath them. If I truly belong to Christ, my faith is the only thing that can sustain me if my goal is to live an obedient lifestyle to His will. While circumstances certainly impact my life, they should be the consequences of my decisions rather than the primary means of making them.

That’s how the world can identify an overcomer.

The promise of inheriting land in the coming age is what makes the Good News good.

If I’m not aware of that, I’ve missed something that was important to the Biblical authors. And even though the potential to own land has declined over the centuries, it’s still an inherent ambition of most men even today.

[Is inheriting a Biblical concept? see: Birthright Through Redemption]

In fact, many passages of Scripture define inherited land ownership as a noble objective. But the 37th Psalm helps to connect this precious Jewish hope with the assurance that those who belong to Christ today shall also co-inherit the Lord God’s land and other blessings on an equal footing with His firstborn people Israel: [confirm this by reading: Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 3:6; Rom. 8:16-17]

“…but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.” [vs. 9b]

“But the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.” [vs.11]

“The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever.” [vs 18]

“…those blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be cut off.” [vs 22]

“The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.” [vs 29]

“Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land.” [vs 34]

Six times the Psalmist David exhorts the reader to strive toward the goal of inheriting real estate—that is, the promised land—something which is as much a part of the future of Christ’s people today as it was to David himself. Remember Peter’s words to the brothers on the day of Pentecost:

“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day…for it was not David who ascended into heaven…” [Acts 2:29, 34a]

So…he won’t inherit any land before Jesus’ faithful disciples will. But according to Peter, they will indeed inherit:

“…the promise is for you [disciples] and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” [Acts 2:39]

[Read more about why God’s people will all inherit together! A Better Hope of Perfection]

Certainly everything God intends to share with His people isn’t tangible. But nothing should diminish the value of the things that are.

Life’s a lot easier if you plow around the stumps.

But sometimes you gotta get ’em out of the way or nothing else fits together. So, I think it’s time to expose a distortion of Scripture that’s been taught in many of our congregations for well over a century.

The term “rapture” was inserted into Biblical doctrine during the 19th Century to help validate a subversive form of Christian theology known as Dispensationalism. The concept is built around a passage in 1Th. 4:17:

“…we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” [my emphasis] [ἁρπάζω: (har-pâ-zō) take by force, take away, carry off, catch up]

This event, which the apostle Paul recorded to bring hope and comfort to the saints in Thessalonica, describes the second arrival of Jesus Christ and the future resurrection of the righteous dead He often spoke about. It is, however, unfortunate that most traditional interpretations of this passage are wholly inconsistent with what the text of the Bible actually says–-and on more than one level.

[Read why at: Dead or Alive?…Safe in Christ!]

But perhaps the most important lie to refute about “the rapture” is that Jesus Christ’s disciples will not have to endure the tribulation—something that He assured them they would indeed need to prepare themselves for! [see: Matt. 24:4-51]

Why such a big deal?

That it contradicts the Written Word of God should be enough. Who’s to say why John Darby and his colleagues picked up on this preposterous suggestion that the Lord’s grace is cheap and ran so successfully with it over a hundred years ago? Nevertheless, the costs associated with the good news that the Man Jesus Christ and His disciples gave up their lives for have been continually diluted over the centuries.

[How costly is God’s grace? see: High Rollers in His Grace]

If I choose to believe that, as a disciple of Christ, I have nothing to do but wait for the day Jesus is gonna zap me up onto a cloud, I really don’t know His character nor am I willing to read what the Bible actually says for myself.

Human free will is the facilitator of truth.

Make it work for you!

Believe it or not, men were created to be forceful.

Not at birthday parties or dance recitals. But everywhere else. If you don’t agree, you might be part of the problem—that is, by the design of soft men who’ve been placed in positions of authority, we’ve created a couple of generations of males who are largely passive in nature.

A passive man isn’t necessarily effeminate. But he is one who’s too afraid to be forceful or violent when it becomes necessary. Yet, through his idleness, he demonstrates why God regards effeminacy every bit as abhorrent as other forms of sexual immorality. [see: 1Cor. 6:9-11] The result is that a community which tolerates this type of behavior only helps to advance the progression of a corresponding passive attitude among its fathers and leaders.

And that’s A Recipe for Confusion.

In the gospel account of Matthew, Jesus suggested that his cousin John [the baptist] was a rugged man, both physically and mentally:

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? …A man dressed in soft clothing? [Matt. 11:7b-8a]

Of course they didn’t.

Because John was the embodiment of male ferocity and tenacity, and Jesus was illustrating that John’s character was a pattern for others who desired to enter into the kingdom of the heavens. It wasn’t a cakewalk. Those who were really serious about doing it often had to fight for it:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is forcibly entered, and violent men seize it for themselves.” [Matt. 11:12] [βιαστής: (be-ôs-tāys) violent or eager person, forceful one] [my emphasis]

Soft men have always understood that emasculating a civilization gradually is highly preferable to engaging it with violence. It is, in fact, their only option for ruling over it.

But the Biblically “violent” man will never be misled by the distortions and lies proliferated in our feminized culture. He will boldly reject what is detestable in the eyes of his Master at the risk of being offensive to an ignorant heart.

He’ll seize that only opportunity to enter into what Jesus described as the kingdom of the heavens. [see: Matt. 13:1-52]

Will you?

Some unusual words are fascinating.

And, occasionally, I’m inclined to dig for a better understanding of one. Seeing photographs or images in real time usually get me going in that direction.

Here’s my latest one: Inosculation. From a botanical perspective, this is a natural occurring phenomenon by which tree roots, trunks or branches become intertwined and actually grow together like in the photo above.

But there’s more to appreciate about inosculation besides being something cool to look at. It’s a process that ultimately produces an unusually strong bond between two living things. That makes it incredibly similar to the way a living man becomes connected to his Living God!

Think about it.

This fusion process originates through occasional contact, and that contact progresses with growth. Botanists tell us that, eventually, the bark from each branch becomes worn away at the points of contact, exposing the cambium below.

The cambium is the sensitive part of woody plants—the only part able to successfully initiate and sustain any kind of modification to the growth or shape of that particular species of plant. It’s interesting also that this marvel of the natural world happens at a rate directly proportional to the amount of time these two exposed surfaces remain in contact with one another.

All this suggests to me that proximity is crucial to any kind of change that could be effective in the created order. But it also demonstrates that the consequences of close association are inevitable. In other words, through repeated contact, I can unwittingly become bound to people or situations which are irrelevant or hostile to my growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Just like us, trees need room to grow, and sometimes that requires creating a strong bond to facilitate that growth. But it rarely happens without some form of disruption or distress.

Trees don’t have emotions, of course, but their insides are just as fragile as ours are. On the other hand, they inherently grow toward the light.

Do you?

“For if we have come to be grown together in the likeness of his death, certainly, in that of his resurrection also, shall we be.” [Rom. 6:5] from the J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible [my emphasis] [σύμφυτος (sūm-foot-âs) adj., sharing in, united with, at one with]