Signpost Church

We are kept from the pride of life when we don’t have anything to prove to anyone. We are not compelled to say or do anything to gain the approval or recognition of men. When we are moved to act, it is by God’s stirring – whether people like or don’t like it is inconsequential.

God weans us from our pomposity through all manner of despising and rejection. Who are we really? We are nothing apart from the working of God in our life. We have nothing to boast of or glory in except God Himself. So what then if people dismiss us as a nobody? Should we become indignant? Should we go on the counterattack? God forbid. To take such patiently, without retaliation, is to wear a greater glory than we could ever possess in ourselves. This is the glory of Christ, who was deserving of all praise and honor, and was treated like a worm.

The devil is always giving us opportunities to rise and shine and show the world who we are. He wants us to be great in our own sight and to the eyes of others. We need to pass on the opportunities he presents us with. But God also has opportunities for us to shine for Him, with a beauty and a glory that was first found in His beloved Son. These opportunities are not found in great displays of anointed power; they are best found in a scornful crown of thorns; undeserved stripes; and a cross designed for the accursed.

Man wants to be seen, known, and recognized for who he is. But our glory does not matter to God. What matters to Him is that we glorify Him. Show the world Jesus. Shine with the Son.

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” (Psalm 40:16)

— Shine With the Son

The God of heaven is a generous God. He loves to give. “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Ps. 145:16). There is a rich supply for all of our needs to be met in Christ. We would have if we would but ask. If we don’t have after we’ve asked, it’s because we’re asking for the wrong thing (James 4:2,3).

God knows what we have need of, even before we ask. Are we willing to receive what’s on today’s menu for us? We may be asking God to give us today what He intends on giving us tomorrow. Today’s provision may be the patience to wait; tomorrow’s, the courage to move.

God loves a cheerful giver, and He loves a cheerful receiver. He likes when we come to His table hungry. Perhaps, the biggest hindrance to our being filled is the delusion we already have, we don’t need to pray or read His word or sit at His feet. What a tragedy, that a God who is so willing to give should send us away with nothing, because we think we’re full enough as it is.

May we never get to the place where we think we’ve “got it.” We are always in need of “getting” from a wonderfully giving God.

“He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” (Luke 1:53)

— Getting From A Giving God

Every person who becomes a follower of Christ at some point is possessed by a strong interest in knowing Him. Who exactly is this Person? One doesn’t know, but there is an insatiable desire to find out.

The Lord asked His initial disciples, “Why are you following Me?” Did they understand their strange attraction to Him? John the Baptist had pointed them in His direction: “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). Did they grasp in that moment the full import of this man being the Lamb of God? Much later, they remained confounded by His talk of sacrificing His life. All they knew in the beginning was that their welfare was somehow dependent on being connected to Him, and they were being pulled to Him like metal to a magnet.

This attraction to Christ is the continuing mark of every true disciple. When others leave Him, they cannot. “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:67,68).

Let others defect because of some offense with His word. Let others find fault with Him for some dealing with them. To the Christ lover, He remains the pearl of great price. They not only love Him, but they love His law, and nothing offends them. He never ceases to be good and wonderful in their eyes. Others tire of the Christian life; they don’t – because it is Christ Himself who fascinates them. He never becomes dull; there is always some new height or depth He is ushering them into.

Those who love the Lord don’t merely desire to spend the day with Him. “They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day …” (John 1:39) The one thing they desire is to dwell in His house each and every day, to behold His beauty, to speak to Him and to hear from Him. He is their Magnificent Obsession.

“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?” (John 1:38)

— Magnificent Obsession

Who doesn’t want a partner that is “head over heels” in love with them? What woman would ever tell her husband; or, what man would ever tell his wife: “You’re too much in love with me?”

Can we be “too much” in love with Jesus? He doesn’t think so. We are called to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. Some people become uncomfortable around those who appear to love Jesus too intensely. They are “fanatics.” “Jesus-freaks.” Who knows – maybe they are “cultists” of some sort. A little religion on Sunday is okay, but why get carried away?

Never be ashamed to be wildly in love with Jesus. Don’t be a fanatic about your church, your religion, your particular doctrines and practices that you think make you closer to God than others. That is cultic. Be known as purely a sold-out lover and devoted follower of Jesus Himself.

You can’t hide it when you’re really in love with someone. There’s a glow about you; you talk about your beloved; you cling to them. It also becomes evident when that love is not there. You can “go through the motions,” but it’s known, especially by the person you’re supposed to be in love with.

Jesus knows those who are religious and those who really love Him. “I know thy works …” (Rev. 2:2). He knows when you’re more about “CHURCHianity” than CHRISTianity. Eventually, everyone else finds out as well. Maybe the love relationship was never there; maybe it was left.

Be hot or be cold. Be on fire for God; or admit you don’t love Him. God is not interested in “show marriages.” He is passionately in love with us. He wants us to be passionately in love with Him.

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” (Revelation 2:4)

— Can You Be Too Much in Love?

Humility is such a beautiful thing. No wonder the humble find grace in God’s sight. A proud person becomes offended when corrected. Instead of appreciating another’s desire to help them improve, they become indignant because the correction communicates they are “not good enough” in the eyes of their critic.

Such pride is repellent. Even the one who would give good counsel fears to give it because of the response they anticipate. “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot” (Prov. 9:7). Neither his wife nor his servants could correct the proud fool, Nabal. “… For he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him” (1 Sam. 25:17).

The proud fool is quick to get angry at any who call into question their actions. “Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath” (Prov. 21:24). They are scorners because they are too proud to receive any correction. “A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke” (Prov. 13:1). The great tragedy is that proud fools ultimately harm themselves because of their unwillingness to be “fed” by those who have wisdom to impart to them. “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom” (Prov. 10:21).

Wise people are always becoming wiser. Why? Because they are humble enough to know they have so much more to learn. Simple fools, who are humble, don’t stay fools for long. Scorning fools “die for want of wisdom.”

“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” (Proverbs 9:8,9)

— How Fools Become Wise

Jesus understood the far-reaching importance of our eye. What we let our eye focus on determines whether we will be “full of light” or “full of darkness.” “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness” (Lk. 11:34).

Our eye can be drawn to what isn’t ours – our neighbor’s car, or house, or wife. At that moment, we are at a crossroads, a decision has to be made. Will we make ourselves blind or will we feed an adulterous eye? Jesus said: “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Mt. 11:29).

Yes, there are many things in this world that could captivate us. Jesus was taken up into a high mountain and shown all the world’s glory. His response: “Get thee behind me, Satan!” So many who refuse to worship God in that moment of temptation, get what the god of this world dangled before them. But what was lost? “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

No matter how something eventually turned out, sin is never justifiable. To justify sin on any level is to begin a descent toward apostasy. So you gained the world, but you lost your soul. You lost moral clarity. You lost the ability to know God in truth. Was what you gained – your heart’s desire, the “love of your life,” – really worth it? It would have been better in that initial moment for you to have been blind. Make the decision to not see what the devil wants you to see. Cherish God more.

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27,28)

— Blessed Are the Blind

The message can be subtle or overt, but it will be there. The discerning will pick up on it; the simple will believe every word. The intention of the speakers is to “draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30). The focus is not on what Christ has done; it is on what “we” are doing and where “we” are going. Sheep are groomed to not want to “miss out” on the great things in store. Defection is discouraged as the flock is encouraged to trust the declarations of earthly shepherds. “Stay with US.” “Hold on.” “The best is yet to come.”

The mission of a church has never been to build the church; it is to preach Jesus who said that He would build His church. In his day, Paul saw the personal ambition and competitive spirit that drove many in “ministry building.” Likewise today, the lust to be successful and a “cut above” the competition is the driving force behind the constant drumbeat of how special we are, and “where God is taking us.”

When Paul listed the works of the flesh he included “variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies” (Gal. 5:20). These more subtle sins of the spirit manifest where men desire vainglory, and seek earthly recognition and honor. Such a spirit compels them to distinguish themselves from others who don’t have the revelation they have or aren’t entering the “realms” they are ascending into.

What distinguished Paul from so many of his peers? “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philippians 2:21). If the church is to grow as God intends, each member must be exhorted to “hold the Head” (Col. 2:19). Leaving a church might be the best thing you can do for yourself when that “church” makes your spiritual welfare contingent on abiding in them. You don’t want to go where God is taking them. Pride goes before a fall.

Instead, find a company of saints who preach and exalt Christ. Your one true need is to abide in Him.

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5)

— Preaching Ourselves or Christ?

God either has our ear or He doesn’t. The vast majority of humankind is deaf when it comes to knowing God’s will for their lives. They are utterly estranged from their Creator. How can they know His voice when they don’t know Him? Obedience to God begins with a recognition of who God is and what He is worthy of. When Moses tells Pharaoh what God wants, the scornful king replies: “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2).

Saul, the first king of Israel, knew what God was worthy of, but didn’t give it to Him. He deceived himself into believing he had “performed” the commandment of God; but he could not deceive God or His prophet. “And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Sam. 15:13,14)

God had given the king a clear charge, but Saul failed to fully carry it out. In his mind, he had done good enough. He justified sparing the sheep as something the Lord would appreciate as sacrifices in worship. But God was not impressed. He is uninterested in what we think to give Him. No matter how small or great our sacrifice for Him, it can never substitute for our obedience.

Some might think that Saul was removed from being king over minor matters. But there are no “little” sins or “little” obediences. God sees both. He calls us to diligently keep His commands. If we will worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped, we will first hear His charge to us, and then carry it out with precision. God, not the devil, is in the details.

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

— No Substitute for Obedience

We are always on the receiving end of some influence. We can be swayed one way or another depending upon which influence prevails. The Holy Spirit is likened to the wind. Our spirit can let God’s Spirit move us; or, we can let some other force dictate what we think and how we act.

We are often at a crossroads. We will go one way or another. A choice must be made. At such times, the Lord can be our Shepherd; or, we can listen to the voice of a stranger. We can’t listen to both. No man can serve two masters. Right and wrong; good and evil; truth and error, are before us. The truth received is a lie rejected. A lie received is the truth rejected.

Our hearts are the ground in which seed is sown. The best defense is a good offense. When we believe God’s report and receive His good word, we bring forth good fruit, and keep any bad seed from growing in our heart and mind. The still, small voice of God’s Spirit is ready to teach and instruct us in the way we should go. But there is an alternative that can speak loudly and forcefully to us as well.

The choice is ours. Who will we serve and bow down our ear to? Our lives will be the living proof of the voice we have heard and the choices we have made. Reject each persuasion that is not of God. "This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you" (Gal. 5:8). Today, choose to hear from none other than God.

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve …” (Joshua 24:15)

— Choose This Day

Is there any virtue more extolled in scripture than humility? Is there any vice more condemned than pride? Humility attracts God’s favor over one’s life; pride repels His involvement. His blessings abound to the humble; His hands are off the proud. Humility is the path to exaltation; pride leads to disgrace and destruction.

With such promise of good or evil before us, why wouldn’t we cherish every opportunity to become humble, and hate anything that stokes pride? Man’s desire for honor has him constantly gravitating toward the sin of pride. If he is to be kept from such an insidious vice, God must engineer all things to keep him humble.

Surely, it irks us to lack the glory that impresses men’s eyes. We would be strong and smart and successful. We would be great and greatly praised, not small and despised. We bemoan all in our nature and circumstance that brings us low, that speaks of our weakness, ignorance, and failure. What we fail to realize is the hand of God in these things. The thorn in our flesh is God given. Our lack is the key that unlocks His fullness. When we are weak, He can become our strength. When we are fools, He can become our wisdom. When we are base and despised, He can become our glory and our beauty.

Our outlook and “in-look” begins to shift when we come to the glorious revelation that whatever humbles us is ultimately good. No, God doesn’t hate us when He lets us be humbled. His chastening upon us is a token of His love, to bring us to grace and glory, to crown us with the honor that rightly comes when He is glorified in our life.

Would we be God’s workmanship, or the product of our own hands? God would be our Potter. We cannot make ourselves humble, nor excise pride from our heart. We are not called to impose a regimen upon ourselves designed to produce humility. God provides each of us with enough opportunities to embrace this chief virtue. May we have eyes to see what God has designed for our good.

“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” (Proverbs 18:12)

— Whatever Humbles Us Is Good