Christ Above Everything

01/10/2024

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Numbers 13:30–33
Ten spies had an evil report. Two believed God. People can’t name one of the ten spies, but all of us know the names of Joshua and Caleb. Here’s a key to being forgotten in history, by your family, or in the work of the Kingdom: Murmur, be cynical, be a doubter, be skeptical, be a critic. Sit back and say, “This isn’t right and that will never happen.” On the other hand, the men, women, and congregations who leave an imprint on history are those who say, “We believe God will do great things.”
Ten of the spies saw the foes.
Joshua and Caleb saw the fruit.
Ten of the spies saw the giants.
Joshua and Caleb saw God.
Ten of the spies saw the walls and their faith crumbled.
Joshua and Caleb had faith and knew the walls would crumble.
It’s all a matter of perspective. We will have faith in that which we fear. The ten spies had faith in the giants because they feared them. But Joshua and Caleb feared God, and therefore, had faith in Him. We have a great big God standing with us who makes any giant seem like a grasshopper in comparison. The spies lifted up their eyes to the giants. Joshua and Caleb lifted them higher and saw the Father.

21/05/2024

It was in 1972 that the last Imperial Japanese soldier was discovered on a South Sea island. Because he was living in complete isolation, he hadn’t heard the news that the war was over. So there he was — still building fortifications, ready to hold off the American invasion of his little atoll.
‘What a waste,’ you say. ‘He could have been enjoying the Japanese economic boom, but instead he was stuck on an island, fighting malaria — all because he didn’t hear that a peace treaty had been signed.’
Yet it’s amazing how many of us do the same thing. ‘I hope the Lord doesn’t come down on me for this, or get mad at me for that,’ we think. ‘He must be really upset with me. I better hide here in the jungle.’
We don’t get it! The war is over! We have peace with God. The sin which separated us from God is forgiven and forgotten completely because of what Jesus Christ did for us. By embracing the simple fact that Jesus died for our sins and rose again, we have peace with God. Why, then do so many Christians still fight Him?
Friends, whether you’ve prayed for three hours today, or you haven’t prayed in three months, the war is still over. If you are a believer in what God the Father did for you in sending Jesus Christ to die in place of you, then you are righteous — justified by faith. We have a tendency to fall back into thinking we have to earn something or prove something to the Father. Not so. We can relax in our relationship with Him, talk to Him freely, and fellowship with Him continually because we have peace with Him eternally.
- Jon Courson
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ... - Romans 5:1

16/04/2024

How do we enter into the Kingdom? - Through many tribulations.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew this. They were in a fiery trial indeed, yet they didn’t come out until they were ordered out (Daniel 3:26) because they preferred walking in the fire with the Lord to sitting in the shade without Him.
What happened to the fourth Man in the furnace?
He remained in the fire (Daniel 3:25).
Where is Jesus — the fourth Man — today?
In the fire.
We have a tendency to try to avoid the fire whenever possible — and it’s a great mistake. I’m not saying we should be masochists. I am, however, saying
It's in the fire,
When times are tough,
When your heart is breaking
That Jesus is most visible,
Most real,
Most precious.

-Jon Courson

29/01/2024

And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Mark 15:38

In rending the massive veil in the Temple which kept everyone but the high priest from going into the Holy of Holies where the shekinah — the visible presence of God — dwelt, the Father declared, ‘Open House! You can come boldly into My presence anytime you want because the price has been paid once and for all.’
This grace is free, but it’s not cheap. It cost Jesus everything to open the way to the Father. Therefore, don’t sew the veil back up, gang, with legalism, rules, regulations, or expectations. Don’t feel as though you must prove something to God before you can come into His presence to present your petitions or to enjoy His fellowship.
Believers do this in subtle ways, like saying, ‘Before we can enter into the glory of God, we must spend time praising Him.’ Not true. The way is open. Nothing else remains to be done. Am I discounting the importance of praise? Of course not. Praise allows us to be refreshed in our knowledge of Who the Lord is and what He’s done. While the Lord is indeed enthroned upon the praises of His people, praise is not a prerequisite to fellowship. Neither is confession.
As valid as both of these elements are, we can come boldly into the presence of God not because of our ability to articulate confession or express praise, but solely because of what Jesus did on Calvary.
- Jon Courson

25/01/2024

And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him ... - Mark 5:21

Of the crowd gathered around Jesus, Mark will draw attention to two ... The most visible member of the community, Jairus was famous. The woman was anonymous.
Jairus was wealthy. The woman lived in poverty.
Jairus was the leader of the synagogue. Because of her physical condition, the woman was forbidden from entering the synagogue.
For twelve years, as his daughter grew, the house of Jairus was filled with laughter and joy.
For twelve years, the house of the woman was filled with despair and misery.
And so these two people — at opposite ends of life’s spectrum — waited for Jesus.
Like Jairus, you might be riding high. Your business might be booming. Your marriage might be blessed. Your family might be growing. Your body might be healthy. But you don’t know what the next moment holds. Before the clock strikes midnight tonight, you might find yourself totally, unexpectedly in the middle of a major tragedy. You and I do not know what the next moment holds. You who are Jairuses here tonight, realize this: Like this man, the next moment might bring tragedy into your world.
Conversely, you, who, like the woman, have either been going through an endless stream of setbacks or one persistent problem, don’t know what the next hour holds. The next moment might bring you a miracle of astounding proportion.

Pondering this keeps me from complacency when I feel like I’m in Jairus’ sandals, and from despairing when it seems like I’m standing in the woman’s shoes. Both of their stories remind me that the Lord is my Shield and my Protector. And if He allows difficulty, setback, or tragedy to come into my life, He will also be my Glory and the Lifter of my head (Psalm 3:3).
- Jon Courson

18/05/2022

Matthew 25:1-4 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Notice that though all of the virgins here were expecting the bridegroom's return, only five were prepared. This parable was written about those of us that have knowledge of Jesus and His return, but have not made ourselves ready. The foolish virgins had not stored any oil for His return. Interestingly, oil is symbolic of the Spirit of God.
This parable teaches us the importance of spiritual preparation. There is really no substitute for it. When we prepare spiritually, by daily reading the Word and practicing worship and prayer, we will become equipped with the oil of His Spirit. Not only will we be preparing for His return but as an extra added bonus, it will empower us to face today's trials. And when those unexpected challenges come, we'll have the power of the Spirit already working within us, helping us through! What a great deal!
Let's get ourselves ready so that we can help others get ready! He's coming and there's so much work to be done!

25/03/2022

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. - Genesis 25:5

Here we see Abraham disposing of his wealth to his son Isaac even as the Father in Heaven gave all things to His Son (John 17).
Because all things will find their ultimate destination in Christ, anything I do that isn’t for Him results in hopelessness, while everything I do for and in Jesus positions me in the center of God’s will.
How does this work practically?
Suppose you are a Taxi driver. God’s will for you is that you be a Taxi driver for His glory. As you pick up every passenger, pray that God will bless them. And suddenly, your job will not be a matter of how many trips you can make in a day, but of how many people God can bless through you in a day. Whether you’re a teacher, a realtor, a mechanic, a doctor, or a homemaker, allow God to use you in and through your profession to bring Him glory. To the extent that you do this in any given day is the extent to which you will experience purpose and deep contentment.
- Jon Courson

22/03/2022

Martha, Mary, and their brother, Lazarus, were close friends of Jesus. He often would spend time in their home in Bethany. When Lazarus became sick, Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus. No doubt they thought that Jesus would drop whatever He was doing and rush back to Bethany. But Jesus intentionally delayed His arrival.
In fact, Jesus didn't show up until much later. By the time He hit town, not only had Lazarus died, but he had been dead four days. Martha walked up and said, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Loose paraphrase: "Jesus, you blew it. You had the perfect situation here. You could have healed him, but you didn't show up."
Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha replied, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Martha didn't quite get it, so Jesus said, "Lazarus, come forth!" and her brother came out of the tomb. Martha wanted a healing. Jesus wanted a resurrection.
Sometimes we think God must work on our schedules. But God will not be bound by time. God will not be bound by our schedules. God will work when He chooses and with whom He chooses. Therefore, there will be times when our circumstances don't make sense. Even then, we need to trust Him.

11/02/2022

06/02/2022

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. - Genesis 9:20–21
How could this be? After all, Noah was the one who preached for one hundred years to the whole world. Noah was the one who built the ark, and who didn’t complain when he was sealed for 377 days within a floating zoo. Noah was the one who built an altar, who blessed God, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
When he was going through challenging times, difficult days, and thundering storms, Noah walked with God. But when things became normal, he became vulnerable. And the same is true with us. It’s when everything is going well, when our vines are growing, when our jobs are going fine, when life is on “automatic pilot” that we are in danger. No longer are we on guard, no longer are we dependent upon the Lord or desperately crying out to Him.
It’s when things are going well that we must be especially careful. When the storms are brewing and when trials are coming, we have a tendency to pray and seek the Lord. But when things are on “automatic pilot,” we, like Noah, often fall into trouble. - Jon Courson

06/02/2022

You'll never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you've got.