Author Archives: Dan Lemburg

About Dan Lemburg

Hi I'm Dan, I'll update this bio info soon.

Heirs of God

Leave a reply

What does it mean to be God’s son or daughter? It’s vitally important to understand the dynamic status we’ve freely been given in Christ, because without an appreciation for what this relationship encompasses, we are unlikely to move beyond a certain level of spiritual growth. “I realize what it means to be a child of God,” you might again be thinking. But have you really come to grips with the magnitude of this promise?

How often do we stop and think about what Paul meant by saying, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”(Romans 8:16-17). Do you notice the principle of inheritance here? Just as God promised that Abraham would be an heir, we also are heirs of God. Paul makes it very clear in Romans 4:16 that “those who are of the faith of Abraham” are his descendants and therefore heirs of the promise. But in our case the promise is even greater, because what we are to inherit is the fulfillment of that which God planned for His children from the very beginning of time—the promise of “a new covenant”; that of an “eternal inheritance,” as the writer of Hebrews so succinctly states.(Hebrews 9:15) What an incredible opportunity we’ve been handed!

Fellow heirs with Christ? It’s tough, isn’t it, trying to envision ourselves as the heirs of the splendors of all that belongs to God. Can you even imagine? If we could really grasp this truth, wouldn’t it change everything for us? Wouldn’t we just naturally live out our faith in a whole new way—a life of greater focus, a life so much more motivated to “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called?”(6)

Soul vs. Spirit

Leave a reply

The Bible talks about man being dead because of sin (Romans 7:9 – “I was once alive apart from the Law ; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died”). This death obviously does not mean the death of the physical body, since it’s plain to see that there are still plenty of sinners running around out there. Rather, it speaks of spiritual death. My point is this: even when a person’s spirit is dead, his body, mind and soul continue to function normally, though not healthfully.

It’s extremely important to understand the significance of body, mind and soul being able to function devoid of the life of the spirit, because living without the support of the spirit has tremendous implications for both our behavior and our experience of life.

Let’s not forget that body, soul and spirit are inseparable in man—these elements of our nature simply cannot function independently of one another, whether or not our spirit is dead. I think back to what it was like trying to negotiate life with the weight of a dead spirit around my neck. I didn’t have a chance at a fulfilling life!

What Drives Us

Leave a reply

I think we can all agree that our body is a reckless thing, always wanting its desires satisfied quickly and completely. So any choice we make which denies what our body wants speaks loudly about the presence of some other motivating force in our nature. For instance our will—this determination coming from within which sometimes drives us to make decisions either for our own good or the good of others in spite of the instant gratification our physical body may be demanding. Or how about those deeply seated emotions in our being which often prevent us from a reasonable response as we interact with the world around us? And above all, what about our conscience, this inherent sense of right and wrong that so mightily contributes to the control and direction of our behavior?

All people, in varying degrees, share attributes and capabilities that come from a deeper component of our being—the immaterial part of the nature of man.

Now since the mind is accessed both by the physical body and our immaterial nature, it can clearly be seen as the critical link between the two. I think of the mind as a gateway which facilitates change going either direction. Bad behavior in the body sickens the soul, and an unhealthy soul fosters a further deterioration of our behavior. But the opposite is also true: a vigorous soul serves to strengthen the resolve of the mind, which in turn promotes better behavior. And better behavior then further bolsters the health of the soul.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

 

 

 

The Essence of Our Being

Leave a reply

Created in the image of God? How so? For years I believed that the true essence of man is that he is a spiritual being. This seemed logical since we ultimately will share eternity with God, and the Bible clearly tells us that “God is spirit.”(John 4:24) Only later did I begin to realize that God’s purpose for man demanded that he be fashioned in quite a different way. So God added another aspect to man’s immaterial nature, a soul. And He also gave us a physical element to our being, a body. These three elements of our nature—body, soul and spirit—are clearly laid out in Scripture.(1 Thes. 5:23)

Yet for me the threefold nature of man raises a question. Why would God bother to create a physical universe at all? Since God is spirit, why not merely fulfill His plan strictly within the bounds of some sort of spiritual order? Well, the obvious answer is that God created all that He has in order to fulfill His special purpose for man. And mandkind had to be fashioned in a specific way to achieve that objective. In reality, the more closely we look into our design, the more apparent the brilliance of God’s plan becomes. Here we are; just look at us!

Being human means much more than simply putting up with a physical body for a time before it is cut loose by death to allow our spiritual being to inhabit eternity with God. We need to understand that man is an inextricable mixture of body, soul and spirit, and that anything less simply means being less than human.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Man: God’s Jewel

Leave a reply

“What is man that You take thought of him? And the son of man that You care for him?” asks David in Psalm 8:4. He then goes on to say, “Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty.” Does this sound like you, or anyone you know? I know some pretty wonderful people—some whose character may even hint at this portrayal—but it would be a stretch to see even them as mirroring this magnificent prophetic description.

God knows better. He knows who we really are. When He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” He meant it (Genesis 1:26). And the fact that God cared enough to create us in His own image speaks volumes about His special purpose for man. We are nothing less than the pinnacle of God’s created order. His entire creation revolves not around angels, nor any other created being, but around human beings—those of us who have received Christ Jesus as Lord in particular (Romans 8:19).

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Suffering: God’s Tool

Leave a reply

Trials are common to all believers. And they are not the result of any lack of interest or caring on God’s part. Just the opposite, actually: He allows suffering because He deeply cares about us. His glorious purpose for our lives dictates that He press us toward His long-term goal, instead of providing counterproductive short-term solutions. This is no doubt why God’s promise that we are “children of God…heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” is made along with this qualifying statement: “if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”(Romans 8:16-17)

Will I continue to trust God in my circumstances? Or will I cut and run by giving in to my natural inclination to do things my own way—in the process showing God that I really do not trust Him. God allows suffering not that He might discover what we harbor in our heart. He already knows what’s there. Rather, God wants us to recognize what is concealed within, and suffering is His tool for laying it all out on the table.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

 

Unavoidable Challenges

1 Reply

God wants us to experience joy and fulfillment, and even lots of pleasure as we live our lives for Him. Still, because the role of suffering occupies such a central place in God’s plan for our ultimate destiny in Him, we can’t simply sweep the issue under the rug. So one way to better understand His purpose for us is to begin to recognize the methods by which He employs suffering as a part of His plan to bring us into our destiny.

             What are they? First of all, this world is not our home. We are merely sojourners here. The great people of God in the Bible all knew this to be true.(Hebrews 11:13) Paul was well aware of this fact: “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven”(2 Corinthians 5:2, Romans 8:23). We simply were not created for the objective of happiness on this earth, no matter how bountiful life here might turn out to be.

            It doesn’t matter how rich we become, what prestige or power we gain in life, or even how wonderful our relationships with family and friends are. Mature Christians know that all these things pale in comparison to what we’ve really been designed for. And the fact is that none of these earthly benefits, no matter how marvelous they are, exempt us from challenges and hardships that come in so many different ways throughout our lives. Merely by virtue of the fact that we live in a world full of sin and suffering—what we call a fallen world—puts us in direct conflict with any hope that God’s design could be solely focused on our happiness here on earth.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

 

Choice with Teeth!

Leave a reply

Why does God allow us to encounter so much conflict and hardship in life? How does it all fit in with His plan to bring us into union with Him? Choice is the answer!

Our redemption does not merely rest on our initial decision to make Jesus Lord of our life. It’s true that receiving Christ as Lord is the bedrock of our salvation, but our relationship with Him is built on a series of decisions we make over the course of a lifetime. Because life’s circumstances are tough, these choices are rarely easy. God allowed sin to exist for this very reason.

If God had designed things so that it would be easy to follow Him, our choices would have little meaning. Our pursuit of Jesus, while forsaking our own selfish desires, is what He wants. And He’s created the ideal system to measure our progress: life here on earth.

True Purpose

Leave a reply

Millions upon millions of Christians have been lulled into thinking that God’s purpose for us as His children boils down to not much more than enjoying a rewarding life here on earth while on our way to all the benefits of a heavenly reward later. And because of this mindset, it’s only natural for us to focus on what God can do for us here and now. But while this attitude neatly fits in with our human appetites and ambitions, it merely serves to derail our spiritual growth.

This clever deception of the evil one has been a blight on believers—probably down through the centuries, but certainly in this modern age of prosperity. Yet though many of our teachers attempt to make a biblical case for this philosophy, it clearly has little support when the entire context of Scripture is taken into account.         

            The Westminster Catechism says that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” So true, yet we need to recognize that a big part of God’s purpose also encompasses His enjoyment of man forever. As a result, He has put together a program which fosters the achievement of both goals very effectively. In what way, though, might God enjoy us as fully as we enjoy Him? By making us His very own sons and daughters. God has indeed fashioned us in the way He has to accomplish this very purpose.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Fantasy Toward Reality

Leave a reply

Why does fantasy come so easily to us? Is it just for fun? Or as we grow older, an escape from reality? Possibly. But just maybe we’re reaching into the very depths of our being, into the realm of the Spirit, sensing a little taste of God’s ultimate purpose for us.  

Have you experienced what I’m talking about? Have you sensed the feeling of being cut out for something great—an intuition that I truly am more than what I appear to be? Of course you have! If nothing else, it took place as a child. It happened before the reality and rigors of life smothered it. It cropped up before you decided that it made a whole lot more sense to settle for the mediocre.

That sense of special purpose can be re-energized. It’s been God’s intention all along!

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself