Where is God?

A few days ago I asked this very question to a fellow Christian, "Where is God."?" Her response was to the effect that God is with her, which is true. God is also for her, as he is for every Christian. Her answer though, is, unfortunately typical of so many Christians endeavoring to explain where God is. For a variety of reasons, too few Christians have been enlightened as to what the real answer is to the question, "Where is God?" The real answer is, for the Christian, God is not only with and for you, He's actually IN you.

Your internal organs, such as stomach, pancreas, and heart, are called that because they're in you. Not just with you, but IN you. What a difference in knowing that all of your internal organs are in you, functioning according to God's design.

In the same manner, as much as I'm thankful that God is for and with me, I'm infinitely more thankful that He is IN me, in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Hearing others talk about God being in them is wonderful. Knowing this truth for myself, however, is changing my own life, knowing that the Living God, the Creator of the Universe, the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, has taken up permanent residence in my heart, my spirit. The same spirit that God used to raise up Jesus from the dead is IN you, me, and every other Christian on planet Earth.

So, where is God? He's in every Christian, through the New Birth, when a person confesses Jesus as his/her Lord out of a believing heart. And He's in them to stay.

Whether due to lack of teaching or overlooking this truth, the person's response to my question, "Where is God?," is what drives me to get this vital truth into people's lives, including knowing where God is. Knowing that, no matter the situation you may be facing, God is in you, will change your outlook on life.

"God is in me."  Say this to yourself. Begin to see yourself this way (because it's the truth) until this truth becomes real in your own heart. Because it's then-and only then-that knowing where God is will change your life.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

Words Matter

Over the years I've attended 25 or so weddings, not including my own. All had at least one common thread: the words "I do." Every bride and groom responded in the affirmative when posed the question, "Do you take ______ to be your lawful wedded (husband/wife)?" No exceptions; both my wife (thankfully) and I also answered in the affirmative. When it comes to weddings, "I do" matters. Saying "No" or "We need to talk" aren't moving the ceremony to its anticipated conclusion. Now, if only "I do" guaranteed a successful marriage but, alas, it takes more than two words to accomplish this.

If people only knew the value of their everyday words, vocabularies would instantly change. "That just tickles me death" may sound harmless but who really wants to depart this life by tickling? " I'm scared to death that....." are words which give permission for fear to harass, torment-even cause death in the one whose tongue is producing the fruit of death, rather than of life (Proverbs 18:21). Apparently God takes words pretty seriously.

There are ditches on both sides of any topic you want to name: eating, exercise, diet, cleanliness, dress, to name a few. The same is true concerning our words, those things which we say on an everyday basis. One ditch is to say anything you want; the other is devoid of any humor whatsoever. Pharisees love this side, for sure. While there's certainly a balance, the Bible says much about guarding what comes out of our mouth.

For myself, if the Bible has something to say about words, I want to hear it, then do it.

As over simplistic as it may sound, words matter-and not just in weddings. Words matter in everyday life.  Words are containers; they contain faith or fear, love or hate, belief or unbelief. The words we speak can bless or curse, encourage or discourage, build up or tear down. And it's always by our choice.

Do you really believe that you'll get the flu? Do you really believe that money runs out before the end of the month? Do you really believe that so and so will be the death of you? Then why permit those words to take root in your life? If God's Word can take root in your life (Mark 4:20), then so can other words, but in a negative way.

I'm not saying that we can't tell a clean joke or gently tease someone once in a while. What I am saying is that the importance of our words is something worth learning. Not just the importance of speaking God's Word, but those words we speak in everyday life.

Check out your words to see how they can be improved, in content and/or tone. I did, with measurable results. I haven't arrived yet, but life is better. Who's willing to do the same? Who's willing to ask God for His help in being a greater blessing to the world around you?

Now, do I really believe that, with God's help, this is not only possible, but well worth it?

I do.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

No Sequel Needed

Great books do not need a sequel; the original is sufficient in itself. Although sequels were done to them, books like To Kill A Mockingbird, Gone With the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz are, in my opinion, just fine as they are.

The greatest book ever written, and the one with the most annual sales is, actually, the Bible. Actually 66 books within the one Book, the Bible is history, a narrative of the life of Jesus Christ, and letters written to Christians. It also contains the book of Revelation, a lengthy vision that John, the last of the original disciples had regarding end times.

For centuries the Bible has endured criticism, derision, hatred, and questions concerning its sacred origins. It has survived countless attempts to eradicate it from the face of the earth, to be blotted out from all memory-all to no avail.

Jesus said that His words would not pass away (Matthew 24:35). The same is true concerning the rest of the Bible: what holy men of old wrote, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21) is as true today as when it was written. God says what He means and means what He says. No sequels, revisions, updates, or corrections are needed.. As I said in my book, Born To Win: A Study Guide for New Believers, God said it right the first time.

Much time is spent arguing whether the Bible is really God speaking to us today, or merely a work of fiction compiled from the pens of many men over the years. Any book that has changed countless lives over the last 2,000+ years is worth studying. It's the only book ever spoken by God through the lives of those who not only wrote what God said to write, but who first lived it.

Regardless of doubters, scoffers, and others opposed to God's Holy Word, the Bible's words were correctly written the first time. Unlike the afore-mentioned books, the Bible stands as the written will of God. As is. Forever. No sequel needed.

And that's more than enough proof for me to act upon the timeless truths of God's Word, the Book needing no sequel: The Bible.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

The Most Valuable Commodity

By definition, a commodity is something useful or valued. It's often found as a product or a service. Today's post focuses on the word "commodity" as a product, specifically words. That's right, words; things we use to communicate information on an everyday basis. Some commodities are better known, like gold, silver, and oil. Some are small, such as corn or wheat. but none are as valuable as words. Allow me to explain.

Motivational speakers get paid to do what? To speak words which are designed to inform and/or inspire their audiences to more productive thinking, action, and results. Results which, hopefully, profit both the sponsoring company (ies), as well as those listening.

Top motivational speakers command six-figure fees for hour-long speeches. No stunts, tricks, or personality (well, maybe some),   Motivational speakers motivate with words.

W O R D S.

What changed people's lives during Jesus's earthly ministry was not His looks, personality, or where He liked to go shopping; it was His words. Jesus said the following:

"By your words you'll be justified, or condemned." -Matthew 12:37

"You'll have what you say, out of a believing heart" -Mark 11:23 (my paraphrase)

Wind was stilled, bodies healed, and false doctrine corrected. Not with what was written, but said. Words of authority, power, and ability.  And life.

Words of life. Both Proverbs 4:20 and the words of Jesus, in John 6:63, tell us that God's words are life. Not mere mortal manuscripts of collective philosophy, but LIFE. Speaking God's words is speaking life (Proverbs 18:21)  and health (Proverbs 12:18),

Those who understand the value of their words (eventually) become invaluable to those around them. Speaking for myself, I'd much rather have someone around speaking words of life, health, encouragement-something uplifting, then hearing words of doom, gloom, agony and despair-the usual fare of the evening news. And most conversations.

Words are a result of choice. We choose to speak what others will be hearing. Will our words be cheap sounds of despair, disease-even death, or the most valuable commodity on earth: words of life, peace, victory, success, health, and wisdom, just like God's words?

Speaking words of value won't pay you a six-figure fee every time you open your mouth. But something far more valuable can happen: you can change a life, starting with yours.

Yes, words are the most valuable commodity in existence. How much are yours worth?

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

How's Your HC?

The word conditioning holds different meanings, depending on who you're talking to. There's physical conditioning, mental conditioning and hair conditioning, for openers. For the Christian a different kind of conditioning exists, one that, generally speaking, is unheard of or underused. It's called heir conditioning, as in being conditioned to being an heir of God, joint (equal) heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:16,17).

As children of God, we are His heirs. Usually, being heirs means that someone died, a will was read, and those mentioned receive whatever the deceased left to them. In this case, however, the person who died-Jesus-has been resurrected, and is very much alive.

And, now, as God's children, we still get to receive and enjoy our inheritance. In this life, with no waiting.

God made the world, which is His (Psalm 51:12). He made it for us, His children, not the devil and his crowd. As His heirs, God wants us to have the very best in life, being willing to use it to further His kingdom, here in this life. He wants us to enjoy our inheritance, without our eyes and hearts holding on to temporal things, which we can't take with us.

More than temporal things, though, God wants us to truly know the reality of our place in Christ, as the triumphant Church in the earth, enforcing Satan's defeat, which Jesus won for us. As the Church, Christ's Body (Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:18, 24), we are to rule as kings in this life, by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). This is part of our inheritance. Both yours, and mine.

It takes time to grasp the reality of what God is saying to us: We are His heirs, joint (equal) heirs with Jesus Christ Himself. What Jesus is heir to we are, in equal portions. No intelligent person would think of Jesus as a pauper. No, He's King of kings and Lord of lords. Well, who are the kings Jesus is King of? Among others, us. Again, this is all part of our inheritance.

Being willing to believe what the Bible says about us is the first step towards knowing and walking in our inheritance. For some, the obstacles of religious thinking will have to be overcome, but their persistent efforts towards doing so will be well worth it.

I'm passing on what's begun in my own life. Whatever time and effort I'm putting in to improve my heir conditioning (being conditioned to think, believe, talk, and act like an heir of God) is paying off!

And I'm just getting started.

So, how's your HC? How's your heir conditioning coming along-being conditioned to think, believe, talk, and act like an heir of God? If this sounds too good to be true remember that God sees this about you. Since agreeing with and acting like an heir pleases God, go ahead and please Him.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

Sunday Mystery Hour

My wife and I enjoy watching detective mysteries, the kind where we try to figure out who did what to whom, before the hero does. Those from England/Australia rank high. Sadly, for multiple reasons, a Sunday mystery hour happens live before the eyes of many. No television or movie channel access is needed; this mystery is aired live, in thousands of church services worldwide. No signup necessary, for this mystery is found in the hour+-long services being led by many pastors.

I say mystery because many who attend these services are either unchurched, or come from a completely different background than what they're checking out. To use a restaurant analogy, the menu being offered is in a language foreign to the guest.

Generally speaking-and regardless of intent-so much of what's being said in our Sunday services is geared to those already familiar with words and phrases used by pastors and other leaders. In short, the unchurched and those from mainline denominational backgrounds don't speak our lingo. It is, in part or in whole, a mystery to them.

We in churches need to do a better job of keeping things simple. " Can't you feel the Presence of God, this morning?" may register with "regulars" but confuse guests. What if they don't "feel" God? Are they, then, unspiritual or in sin? I know what some mean by that but, at the same time, God's in service with me all the time, because He's in me-whether I "feel" Him or not. The same is true concerning my liver, which I've never "felt."

New people checking out your church aren't stupid; they're hungry for something not found on the menu of traditional restaurants. Their appetite has changed; not so the menu. Worship leaders, pastors, and others in the public eye need to realize that not everyone understands what they take for granted. Trying to learn "Christianese" takes a lot of time, something those new to contemporary settings  may not be willing to take.

Let's not use high-sounding phrases as a means of appearing super spiritual to newcomers. Jesus always spoke using terms common to most people. Parables centered around corn, wheat, mustard seeds, fish, and bread-things people readily understood. Even the Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee, used simple words in his preaching,

With pretty good results, I'd say.

There's a time and a place to explain deeper meanings found in Scripture. Using my previous analogy of a restaurant, simplifying our menus will bring more hungry "customers" into our midst. Doing so can help take the mystery out of Sunday services.

© Hubert Gardner Ministries 2017-2024

My True Identity

Whether young or old(er), married or single, male or female, everyone's looking for an identity. Everyone is looking to, somehow, identify with a person or organization that provides security. Someone or something to make sense of this life. Beginning at about age 11, I played organized baseball until I was in my late teens. With home life deteriorating my identification with baseball grew into becoming my reason for being. Although fast afoot, fear kept me from trying out for our high school football team my senior year. Basketball tryouts resulted in being cut, as was the case for our baseball team. Failure at basketball was tolerable, but not making the baseball team my senior year: devastating.

To make matters worse Coach Miles took me aside and told me that, if he took me, he'd have me (a senior) for one year. But, taking a junior meant having him for two years. With summer league eligibility expired, my high school playing days were over.

Still worshipping baseball, I attended a major-league tryout camp. Still fast, but, again, not enough of the skills necessary to go further. Another failed attempt at identifying with something capable-or so I thought-of providing meaning, purpose, and security.

Due to the unconditional love shown me by one family, I gave me life to Jesus Christ within days of the tryout. What happened that night of August 17, 1969, put me on the path of a life that I had needed my whole life, but had never been told about.

After a few years of stumbling around, I was introduced to teaching on our identification with Christ. I began to (slowly) find out who I really was-who I am in God's sight. I began to learn about who I am, in Christ, what I have in Him, and what I can do, through Christ. In short, I found my true identity, my purpose for being. Thank God for giving me true identity in Christ, not in temporal things which will eventually pass away.

God and gangs both offer an identity; both are available by choice. One is free and forever; the other costs you more than you're told and results in death-sometimes sooner than later. The second choice is one of force; the first is one of open invitation to all.

My true identity is found in Christ, in how God sees me. Although married with three grown children my identity is in Christ, my reason for being, security, strength, and rock. I still love the game of baseball, but its no longer my identification, for I can live without baseball. Not so with Christ, my Life, Peace: the one in Whom I have my true identity.

Confessing Jesus as Lord, out of a believing heart, and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, will give you an identity that the world can't match.

Where's your true identity? In a gang? Sports? Music? Money? Ministry? Or in Christ?

In Whose Sight?

For some reason work is hard, perhaps explaining why it's called work. I have no recollection of any work being easy. Some was easier than others, but still work. When we work who are we doing it for? Some would say for money, for the boss, or for the company we're working for. While this may be true for some, there's a reason even many Christians overlook: what we do ought to be done as unto God. Colossians 3:23 tells us that, whatever we do is to be done unto the Lord, as unto God.

Doing things unto ones supervisor, teacher, parent, or country is to lower the bar of life, so to speak. Doing things unto God, however, keeps the bar of life where it belongs: at its highest point.

There's something exhilarating about doing our best unto God, as though the "work order" came from Him. Even when no one sees all of what we're doing we rest in the fact that God sees and knows, as well as the attitude of our heart towards what we're doing.

Doing things as unto God often means doing things in a manner above and beyond worldly expectations-especially when it comes to something called quality. Quality means doing things with excellence, our very best.

There's something rewarding about knowing that, as a Christian, you've done your best in any given situation. Whether cleaning house, being a part of a work-related project, or studying for Sunday's sermon, motive matters. Colossians 3:24 tells us that, ultimately, it is God who will reward us. No matter how employers act or the pay scale, doing things as unto God is trusting Him for what we need.

Pride in workmanship has lost its importance with many. As Christians, our work is our witness. Unfortunately, doing things right stands out. What used to be mediocre now passes for excellence. Those who are doing things right in the sight of man will settle for an earthly reward. Those who do things right in God's sight will receive His reward, on top of any natural compensation.

Whether it's your room, marriage, home, vehicle, place of work, or church, in whose sight are you doing things?

Excuse me now, I have cleaning that's waiting to be done. In God's sight.