11-19-12
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Isaiah 40:31 " But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint."
Sometimes life is hard. If we are not careful, we can easily loose our joy due to the hardships that this world offers that never seem to be in short supply. Our health is failing, our loved ones are on drugs, our boss is a jerk, there is not enough money in the bank, or if there is, not enough time to enjoy it. We are getting old more quickly they we would like. This seems to be especially poignant around major holidays such as Thanksgiving when we wonder where the last year has gone or how it went by so quickly. The years sure do seem to speed up as you grow older. If we focus on the media and the news of any given day, there are plenty of things that will depress us. This past Presidential election cycle was enough to make even the most patriotic of Americans feel embarrassed by the lowliness of the campaign process. Is that the best we can do, I kept asking myself as I viewed viscous attack ad, one after another? Apparently so. I guess all it takes to become President of the United States these days is to artfully and ruthlessly vilify your opponent without ever having to put forth an actual plan of your own.
So where do we turn when the weight of the world is stealing our joy and we cant seem to see over the mountains that stand before us? I believe the answer is found in the Bible verse of the day above. If we place our hope in the Lord, wait upon the Lord, we will renew our strength. As a matter of fact, we will find an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm from aligning ourselves with the only One, through the energizing gift of the Holy Spirit, who can ever give us real strength and real peace. I learned while listening to a sermon the other day that the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek words En and Theos, which literally mean " In God." The more we align and spend time with God, the more energy we get. We actually feel like a gust of wind has lifted us up to soar like eagles and to run and not grow weary. I have found that we need to re-frame our problems from what is wrong with us, to what is right with God. Just that subjective change in mindset can truly set us free. They say a low view of God is the cause of 100 lesser evils, while a person with a high view of God is relived of 10,000 temporal problems. We cannot focus on God and help but feel our strength grow. Our fears can cripple us and leave us looking back on our lives and wondering why we hadn't tried more things or taken more chances. These regrets, called sins of omission, can stifle our happiness later in life. The price of our vitality is the sum of all our fears. God says in Matthew 11:28 "come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened and i will give you rest." He alone can give us the courage to go forward when we are out of strength. He alone can give us the enthusiasm for life deep in our soul when it seems all the world is caving in all around us.
As followers of Christ, it should be our birthright to be enthusiastic and to have a sense of destiny about life when we focus in on how great His love is for us. Where others see us a having a death wish, we really have a life wish. We want to take risks for the One who risked it all. As my Pastor said this weekend, all the other religions of the world focus on the word "do" as in what do you have to do to be saved? Wow, what a heavy burden to carry around with you, always wondering what else you have to do in order to be accepted by a judgmental God. Christianity focuses on the word "done" as in Christ has done it all for us. We are free from sin, from the guilt and shame that otherwise would have destroyed us if it were not taken care of us on the cross. Our sin tab reads PAID IN FULL. It is a hard concept in this world of go take what you want from the world, be your own boss, you deserve it, for us to get to a place where we can be energized in just knowing that there is nothing that is required from us other than accepting what already has been done for us by a merciful and loving God. When we really come to that place where we see how powerless we are to deal with our own sin, and yet we realize that we have a God who sent the Lamb of God in Jesus Christ to pay an atoning sacrifice for our collective sin, Christians should be the most energized people in the world. Not naively enthusiastic, recognizing that we all will experience seasons of sometimes tremendous pain in our earthly pilgrimage, but inherent enthusiasm welled up deep in our souls.
God loves insurmountable odds, and the Bible is full of the stories that prove this, just see David vs. Goliath or Gideon's army for a few reminders, because where we see obstacles, He sees opportunities. Opportunities to bring glory to His Kingdom by using saved sinners like us, the rag tag folks of God's Army, the weak to humble the strong of this world and to bring love to the hopeless. That is why only the weak can fight in His army. He needs to break us of all pride and then He can begin to restore us for His bigger plan and purpose for our lives. There should be tremendous enthusiasm in being a part of such a big plan. Jesus says throughout the scriptures that we must be like little children " For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." What are little children like? First off, they are totally dependent on others for their survival and contentment. Was that a big hint or what from our Lord? If you look at their personalities though, they tend to be eager, enthusiastic, playful, loving, trusting and not the least bit self conscious. They are alive and they are eager to experience life to its fullest. I believe God expects the same from His followers. There should be an enthusiastic expectancy to our lives as followers of Christ. I believe King David was a man, although certainly not immune to pain and heartache, who lived his life in an eager way that was dependent upon the Lord and full of enthusiasm for what he might do next. This is captured in one of his prayers in Psalm 5:3 " In the morning O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." For that and many other reasons King David was known as a man after God's own heart. May we have the courage to live enthusiastically in and for God ourselves. He deserves nothing less from us.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
We are His beloved
10-23-2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the day: 1st John 4:19 " We love because He first loved us."
Can you imagine the state we would be in as humans, full of our guilt and sin, if God had told us that before He could love us, we needed to get ourselves cleaned up, straightened out and rid of all the junk in our lives that keeps us from closer fellowship with Him? He would be a very lonely God because there would be no one that He could love. But thankfully for us, God is merciful and desires above all else a close and intimate relationship with His people who populate the earth. In fact, he loves us so much that rather than making us do anything to be more loveable, he sent His only begotten Son in Jesus Christ to earth to take care of our sin problem and our unrighteousness right here on earth, so that we could be reconciled back to him and His love right in the place where we were. In other words, in our sinful nature. Romans 5:8 proves His immense love for us when it states that " But God demonstrates His own love for us for us in this; While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Wow, that is a powerful verse. It says to me that God so understood the depth of our sin problem and our inability to do anything about it, that He sent us a life line in Jesus Christ, to bear the burden of the world's sin on His own shoulders and paying our sin tab in full. The message is clear, we are powerless to deal with sin, except through the strength, grace and wisdom found in and through Jesus Christ. All other religions of the world are reaching out to God in their guilt, trying to earn their way out of their sinfulness by the good deeds they are doing in their own eyes, hoping to get that insurance policy in the sky to cover the wickedness of the hearts. But Isaiah 64:6 shows the ineptitude of that approach " All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our good deeds and righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." What we see as good works, God sees as filthy rags. They are literally nothing when viewed through His eyes. They are an affront to Him, They can never compare and measure up to His holiness, when He was willing to risk it all and take the sin of the fallen world and place it on his Son on the cross. So while the other religions of the world struggle to feel ok about their guilt, and themselves, through their fruitless efforts to please God, God reaches out to us in His Son and says here is your salvation, sent just for you, take and drink of Him, who alone can save you. He is available to all people, and only your foolish pride can keep you from accepting His redemption for your sinfulness. He alone can set you free, will you let Him? So, my natural response is, what should we do to respond to a love that is so great and so undeserving? Well, in the verse of the day, 1st John 4;19 he tells us what to do: Love others. Because He loved us first, we must love others and share with them the good news of the gospel. In fact, he warns us later in 1st John 4:20-21 how serious He is about us loving others when he says " If anyone says I love you, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." We are freed up to love others, even those who are unlovable, because deep down in the depth of our souls, we have been set free by the fact that He loved us first. The world needs to know this kind of love, for it is the only true love that exists in the world. Augustine said there are only two types of love: The love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God. Which way are most of us living today? As selfish lovers of self, and it is literally starving the world of the ral love found only in God. As humans, our love is imperfect. It is jealous, anxious and often flawed. But God's love is perfect, holy and ever lasting. Human beings are prone to hurt one another. We tell each other mean, judgmental things, like that we no longer are in love with you. Things that cause pain and hurt and agony. God says just the opposite. In Hebrews 13:5 He says that no matter what you do or have done " I will never leave you or forsake you." There is another assurance we can bank on in Romans 8:1 ' Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." He has removed all of our sins as far as the East is from the West. Why would we not want what God is freely giving and what this world so desperately needs? Unconditional love, free from guilt and shame. Hebrews 2:3 says " How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" The answer is we wont. Romans 14:11-12 assures us " That as surely as I live says the Lord, that every knee will bow before me and every tongue confess to God. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." Why not freely accept the love of God found only in Jesus Christ." Now go and love one another so that people can see the love of God in you. Fathers love your children and your spouses and keep the place in your family that is of vital importance. Children love your parents for they are doing their best to help you deal with this darkened world. Love those who persecute you, for then you will be aligned with the selfless love of God. God cares about our heart alignment and wants us to reflect his gracious heart of forgiveness and humility. Humility onto love on the cross. Love so amazing. Love so amazing.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the day: 1st John 4:19 " We love because He first loved us."
Can you imagine the state we would be in as humans, full of our guilt and sin, if God had told us that before He could love us, we needed to get ourselves cleaned up, straightened out and rid of all the junk in our lives that keeps us from closer fellowship with Him? He would be a very lonely God because there would be no one that He could love. But thankfully for us, God is merciful and desires above all else a close and intimate relationship with His people who populate the earth. In fact, he loves us so much that rather than making us do anything to be more loveable, he sent His only begotten Son in Jesus Christ to earth to take care of our sin problem and our unrighteousness right here on earth, so that we could be reconciled back to him and His love right in the place where we were. In other words, in our sinful nature. Romans 5:8 proves His immense love for us when it states that " But God demonstrates His own love for us for us in this; While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Wow, that is a powerful verse. It says to me that God so understood the depth of our sin problem and our inability to do anything about it, that He sent us a life line in Jesus Christ, to bear the burden of the world's sin on His own shoulders and paying our sin tab in full. The message is clear, we are powerless to deal with sin, except through the strength, grace and wisdom found in and through Jesus Christ. All other religions of the world are reaching out to God in their guilt, trying to earn their way out of their sinfulness by the good deeds they are doing in their own eyes, hoping to get that insurance policy in the sky to cover the wickedness of the hearts. But Isaiah 64:6 shows the ineptitude of that approach " All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all of our good deeds and righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." What we see as good works, God sees as filthy rags. They are literally nothing when viewed through His eyes. They are an affront to Him, They can never compare and measure up to His holiness, when He was willing to risk it all and take the sin of the fallen world and place it on his Son on the cross. So while the other religions of the world struggle to feel ok about their guilt, and themselves, through their fruitless efforts to please God, God reaches out to us in His Son and says here is your salvation, sent just for you, take and drink of Him, who alone can save you. He is available to all people, and only your foolish pride can keep you from accepting His redemption for your sinfulness. He alone can set you free, will you let Him? So, my natural response is, what should we do to respond to a love that is so great and so undeserving? Well, in the verse of the day, 1st John 4;19 he tells us what to do: Love others. Because He loved us first, we must love others and share with them the good news of the gospel. In fact, he warns us later in 1st John 4:20-21 how serious He is about us loving others when he says " If anyone says I love you, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." We are freed up to love others, even those who are unlovable, because deep down in the depth of our souls, we have been set free by the fact that He loved us first. The world needs to know this kind of love, for it is the only true love that exists in the world. Augustine said there are only two types of love: The love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God. Which way are most of us living today? As selfish lovers of self, and it is literally starving the world of the ral love found only in God. As humans, our love is imperfect. It is jealous, anxious and often flawed. But God's love is perfect, holy and ever lasting. Human beings are prone to hurt one another. We tell each other mean, judgmental things, like that we no longer are in love with you. Things that cause pain and hurt and agony. God says just the opposite. In Hebrews 13:5 He says that no matter what you do or have done " I will never leave you or forsake you." There is another assurance we can bank on in Romans 8:1 ' Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." He has removed all of our sins as far as the East is from the West. Why would we not want what God is freely giving and what this world so desperately needs? Unconditional love, free from guilt and shame. Hebrews 2:3 says " How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?" The answer is we wont. Romans 14:11-12 assures us " That as surely as I live says the Lord, that every knee will bow before me and every tongue confess to God. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." Why not freely accept the love of God found only in Jesus Christ." Now go and love one another so that people can see the love of God in you. Fathers love your children and your spouses and keep the place in your family that is of vital importance. Children love your parents for they are doing their best to help you deal with this darkened world. Love those who persecute you, for then you will be aligned with the selfless love of God. God cares about our heart alignment and wants us to reflect his gracious heart of forgiveness and humility. Humility onto love on the cross. Love so amazing. Love so amazing.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Judge Without a Court
10-8-2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Romans 2:1-4 " You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Now we know that God's judgement against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgement on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance."
I am a man in dire need of repentance based on the verse above because I am guilty in my sin of judgement. I live my life in a way that is at odds with this teaching, even if by my power I try my best not to. And you see, that is where the problem lies. I cannot live the life I am called to live as a Christian, as a follower of a Christ, on my own terms and in my own power. My self-righteousness quickly gets in the way and condemns me of being guilty of judgement of others. Who am I, a mere man, to judge others and where does that lack of tolerance come from? I believe it comes from allowing the world in which I live to corrupt my thinking and from not being grounded deep enough in the true teachings and understanding of who Christ is and how he taught. He taught nothing but compassion and tolerance. In every person he saw a child of God who was worthy of His calling and time, and never did he judge someone based on their past behavior without throwing them a life line to a new life of hope in him. He understood fully our human weakness and our moral frailty. Brenning Manning, in the book Abbas's Child, points out the paradoxical challenge of Christ's life on earth to His followers by noting how He got involved with the " moral failures, the irreligious and and immoral people; so many dubious, obscure, abandoned, hopeless types, existing as an eradicable evil, on the fringes of ever society." My God, if Jesus Christ himself was so compassionate and patient towards those people in his time on this earth, turning towards them with gracious kindness so that they may still be "saved" up and until their last dying breath, who am I or is anyone else to cast our own judgement upon those same people when we don't even have a court in which to judge? Lord have mercy on me and forgive me of my sin! In today's world, the AIDS carriers, the drug addicts, the sexual predators, the dregs of society, would be the first ones that Jesus would probably reach out to because of their being ostracized in society. How hard of a message is that to hear with our human understandings and limitations? Impossible! According to Manning, "the Pharisee lurking within all of us shuns sinners, while Jesus turns toward them with gracious compassion." The only way we can ever get to the place where we can look at things through His eyes is to totally surrender to our way of thinking and to remove all pride from our lives that assumes that we have some moral authority over those whom have chosen to reject God. We are so quick as Christians to judge those that have chosen to live their life in a way that doesn't measure up to our own make believe standards. What a joke that is and an insult that must be to the Risen Lord. As a matter of fact, it is those same people who Christ may put in our path so that we can illustrate to them what true, non judgmental, love looks like. Romans 5:5 says " The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us." The challenge is do we use that love of God to the best of our abilities and in a way that would be pleasing to him? I am first to admit that I often fail in this area, as I am way to quick to cast dispersions on those who I deem as unholy. Just typing that makes me sick to my stomach when it becomes apparent that next to Jesus Christ, who reveals in His human life what it looks life to live a divine life, full of compassion, grace and mercy, just how guilty in my human ignorance I am. I fully realize that we as sinners our never able to even come close to approaching the life of God incarnate on this earth, but yet my utter lack of tolerance in some situations still startles me. I am reminded to run to the cross and repent when these episodes of judgement are revealed to me, so that I can live a radical life as one who is beloved by a God who forgives me of ALL of my sin through the blood of my savior Jesus Christ. Without that assurance, I would be truly dead in all my transgressions, with no hope for redemption or eternal life. God calls us to a life of forgiveness, which is counter cultural in a world that demands an eye for an eye at best, and a much more uneven retribution against those who have harmed us at worse. In the Lord's prayer, we ask God to "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We have seemed to forget what He is really teaching us here, that He forgives us without limit, an unpayable debt ( The meaning of 70x 7 ) and expects us to have our hearts positioned in the same manner. Only a complete and radical trust in a Source greater than ourselves, and a total abandonment to our own flesh, can empower us to truly forgive the wounds inflicted upon us by others. May the Lord of all strength, power and glory give us the ability to do so. For there in lies true freedom, free of judgement and revenge, the truest Christian who can say they did their best to follow the example for which He died upon the cross, forgiveness of our sins. For even in His last breath, in Luke 23:34 Jesus turns to His accuser and says "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Romans 2:1-4 " You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things. Now we know that God's judgement against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgement on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgement? Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance."
I am a man in dire need of repentance based on the verse above because I am guilty in my sin of judgement. I live my life in a way that is at odds with this teaching, even if by my power I try my best not to. And you see, that is where the problem lies. I cannot live the life I am called to live as a Christian, as a follower of a Christ, on my own terms and in my own power. My self-righteousness quickly gets in the way and condemns me of being guilty of judgement of others. Who am I, a mere man, to judge others and where does that lack of tolerance come from? I believe it comes from allowing the world in which I live to corrupt my thinking and from not being grounded deep enough in the true teachings and understanding of who Christ is and how he taught. He taught nothing but compassion and tolerance. In every person he saw a child of God who was worthy of His calling and time, and never did he judge someone based on their past behavior without throwing them a life line to a new life of hope in him. He understood fully our human weakness and our moral frailty. Brenning Manning, in the book Abbas's Child, points out the paradoxical challenge of Christ's life on earth to His followers by noting how He got involved with the " moral failures, the irreligious and and immoral people; so many dubious, obscure, abandoned, hopeless types, existing as an eradicable evil, on the fringes of ever society." My God, if Jesus Christ himself was so compassionate and patient towards those people in his time on this earth, turning towards them with gracious kindness so that they may still be "saved" up and until their last dying breath, who am I or is anyone else to cast our own judgement upon those same people when we don't even have a court in which to judge? Lord have mercy on me and forgive me of my sin! In today's world, the AIDS carriers, the drug addicts, the sexual predators, the dregs of society, would be the first ones that Jesus would probably reach out to because of their being ostracized in society. How hard of a message is that to hear with our human understandings and limitations? Impossible! According to Manning, "the Pharisee lurking within all of us shuns sinners, while Jesus turns toward them with gracious compassion." The only way we can ever get to the place where we can look at things through His eyes is to totally surrender to our way of thinking and to remove all pride from our lives that assumes that we have some moral authority over those whom have chosen to reject God. We are so quick as Christians to judge those that have chosen to live their life in a way that doesn't measure up to our own make believe standards. What a joke that is and an insult that must be to the Risen Lord. As a matter of fact, it is those same people who Christ may put in our path so that we can illustrate to them what true, non judgmental, love looks like. Romans 5:5 says " The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us." The challenge is do we use that love of God to the best of our abilities and in a way that would be pleasing to him? I am first to admit that I often fail in this area, as I am way to quick to cast dispersions on those who I deem as unholy. Just typing that makes me sick to my stomach when it becomes apparent that next to Jesus Christ, who reveals in His human life what it looks life to live a divine life, full of compassion, grace and mercy, just how guilty in my human ignorance I am. I fully realize that we as sinners our never able to even come close to approaching the life of God incarnate on this earth, but yet my utter lack of tolerance in some situations still startles me. I am reminded to run to the cross and repent when these episodes of judgement are revealed to me, so that I can live a radical life as one who is beloved by a God who forgives me of ALL of my sin through the blood of my savior Jesus Christ. Without that assurance, I would be truly dead in all my transgressions, with no hope for redemption or eternal life. God calls us to a life of forgiveness, which is counter cultural in a world that demands an eye for an eye at best, and a much more uneven retribution against those who have harmed us at worse. In the Lord's prayer, we ask God to "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We have seemed to forget what He is really teaching us here, that He forgives us without limit, an unpayable debt ( The meaning of 70x 7 ) and expects us to have our hearts positioned in the same manner. Only a complete and radical trust in a Source greater than ourselves, and a total abandonment to our own flesh, can empower us to truly forgive the wounds inflicted upon us by others. May the Lord of all strength, power and glory give us the ability to do so. For there in lies true freedom, free of judgement and revenge, the truest Christian who can say they did their best to follow the example for which He died upon the cross, forgiveness of our sins. For even in His last breath, in Luke 23:34 Jesus turns to His accuser and says "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Fear Not
7-17-2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Psalm 23:4 " Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;If your rod and staff, they comfort me."
If we are truly walking with the Lord, spending time in the word and following His directions for our lives, we should be the most courageous souls on the face of the earth. We should be bold as Lions. We know that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain should the worst thing that could possibly happen to us, we die, actually happen for as Paul said in Philippians 1:21 ' for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This should free us up to charge ahead in our pursuits of whatever the task at hand is that God is calling us to pursue. So why don't we? Why do I still struggle so much with my fears? I have been pondering this a lot lately because I do know that the most common phrase in the Bible is Fear Not and I truly believe it can be attainable to live this way, but yet I still struggle with totally surrendering all of my fears to the Lord. I find that whenever I try to take the wheel, and drive the car that is my life on my terms or with what I feel are my rights, the fears coming flying in and although it sounds easy to just say I will stop trying to be captain of my ship, I find it to be quite difficult at times. I guess as much as I try to control it and am aware of the pitfalls that accompany my quest for my will and my way to be done, my prideful human condition can still creep in and mess with God's perfect plans for my life. I am torn because I truly know that God's way is the best way, the path that leads to real freedom and true life. I have even occasionally been quite bold in the manifestations of my faith for His eternal purposes. But I don't seem to be able to sustain or maintain the energy that builds up when I am living for the one and only real Truth in this life. I get distracted so easily by so many trivial things, be it the latest political news, or the pending collapse of the Country I love from both moral as well as financial bankruptcy, or the pretty girl at the club who is somehow working out in an outfit that together doesn't even encompass a cocktail napkin's worth of material. Many blessings are currently overflowing in my life, and I am fully aware and fully grateful. I feel the Holy Spirit all around me, and His presence comforts me in my prayers and guides me in my walk. I feel close to the Lord when I am faithful, as He is always faithful. I want to do big things for the Lord at all times and yet sometimes I find it difficult to even take a step forward towards that courageous decision that needs to made on His behalf and where I am convinced that fearless living resides. Instead of being and living as a vessel for which and through which God can use me for what I was created for, I tend to think of me and my limitations, my past stumbles and my lack of confidence in so many areas of my life and I feel unable to do it. But then I remember the Bible is full of heroes who never felt worthy of the calling God put on their lives, but they learned how to fully surrender their will to God's will and their way to God's way. I think of David as a little shepherd boy or Moses as a stuttering murderer or Sarah as a barren 90 year old. Did they fully realize how God was preparing them for his huge glory when they were in the midst of it or were they just focused on getting their hearts right and being faithful in prayer so they would be ready when and if the Lord of the Universe called them into action? I pray that this is the process I am going through know and that soon it will be revealed to me how I can be used for His purposes. It is always the remnant that God calls on to save the city, and I firmly believe He is raising up an army of men and women right now who understand what is happening and will be prepared to answer the call. Psalm 23 lets us know that God will and has always provided everything that we need for our successful completion of our testing. In this one little Psalm, we see all of the various attributes that God provides for not only our survival but also for our success; He provides Rejuvenation ( he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul, verse 3 ), guidance ( He guides me in paths of righteousness, verse 3 ) protection ( I will fear no evil, for you are with me, verse 4 ) comfort ( your rod and your staff, they comfort me, verse 4 ) blessings ( you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, verse 5-6 ) and eternal relationship ( and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, verse 6 ). I pray for the wisdom, strength and courage to just get out of the way and let Him fearlessly lead me to the place of my destiny, for I am convinced that there is no greater discovery available to man thant seeing God as the Author of our destiny. Amen.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible verse of the Day: Psalm 23:4 " Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;If your rod and staff, they comfort me."
If we are truly walking with the Lord, spending time in the word and following His directions for our lives, we should be the most courageous souls on the face of the earth. We should be bold as Lions. We know that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain should the worst thing that could possibly happen to us, we die, actually happen for as Paul said in Philippians 1:21 ' for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This should free us up to charge ahead in our pursuits of whatever the task at hand is that God is calling us to pursue. So why don't we? Why do I still struggle so much with my fears? I have been pondering this a lot lately because I do know that the most common phrase in the Bible is Fear Not and I truly believe it can be attainable to live this way, but yet I still struggle with totally surrendering all of my fears to the Lord. I find that whenever I try to take the wheel, and drive the car that is my life on my terms or with what I feel are my rights, the fears coming flying in and although it sounds easy to just say I will stop trying to be captain of my ship, I find it to be quite difficult at times. I guess as much as I try to control it and am aware of the pitfalls that accompany my quest for my will and my way to be done, my prideful human condition can still creep in and mess with God's perfect plans for my life. I am torn because I truly know that God's way is the best way, the path that leads to real freedom and true life. I have even occasionally been quite bold in the manifestations of my faith for His eternal purposes. But I don't seem to be able to sustain or maintain the energy that builds up when I am living for the one and only real Truth in this life. I get distracted so easily by so many trivial things, be it the latest political news, or the pending collapse of the Country I love from both moral as well as financial bankruptcy, or the pretty girl at the club who is somehow working out in an outfit that together doesn't even encompass a cocktail napkin's worth of material. Many blessings are currently overflowing in my life, and I am fully aware and fully grateful. I feel the Holy Spirit all around me, and His presence comforts me in my prayers and guides me in my walk. I feel close to the Lord when I am faithful, as He is always faithful. I want to do big things for the Lord at all times and yet sometimes I find it difficult to even take a step forward towards that courageous decision that needs to made on His behalf and where I am convinced that fearless living resides. Instead of being and living as a vessel for which and through which God can use me for what I was created for, I tend to think of me and my limitations, my past stumbles and my lack of confidence in so many areas of my life and I feel unable to do it. But then I remember the Bible is full of heroes who never felt worthy of the calling God put on their lives, but they learned how to fully surrender their will to God's will and their way to God's way. I think of David as a little shepherd boy or Moses as a stuttering murderer or Sarah as a barren 90 year old. Did they fully realize how God was preparing them for his huge glory when they were in the midst of it or were they just focused on getting their hearts right and being faithful in prayer so they would be ready when and if the Lord of the Universe called them into action? I pray that this is the process I am going through know and that soon it will be revealed to me how I can be used for His purposes. It is always the remnant that God calls on to save the city, and I firmly believe He is raising up an army of men and women right now who understand what is happening and will be prepared to answer the call. Psalm 23 lets us know that God will and has always provided everything that we need for our successful completion of our testing. In this one little Psalm, we see all of the various attributes that God provides for not only our survival but also for our success; He provides Rejuvenation ( he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul, verse 3 ), guidance ( He guides me in paths of righteousness, verse 3 ) protection ( I will fear no evil, for you are with me, verse 4 ) comfort ( your rod and your staff, they comfort me, verse 4 ) blessings ( you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, verse 5-6 ) and eternal relationship ( and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, verse 6 ). I pray for the wisdom, strength and courage to just get out of the way and let Him fearlessly lead me to the place of my destiny, for I am convinced that there is no greater discovery available to man thant seeing God as the Author of our destiny. Amen.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Freedom From Within
7/6/2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: John 8:32 ' Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
We celebrated America's 236 Birthday this week as a sign of the freedom we enjoy as a nation. It took a lot of brave men and women to work together for the enduring cause of our freedom from the tyranny of oppressive rule. It took courage and strength and fearlessness to fight the battles that needed to be fought in order for us to secure this most treasured of earthly prizes- FREEDOM. But although we are still free as a group of individuals to pursue our desires, to pray and worship freely, to love and to cherish the beliefs that make us special as a nation, there are still many walking amongst us who are not free at all. They are walking in spiritual bondage to an evil, oppressive occupier of their minds, hearts and souls and in many cases they are not even aware of their plight. On the outside, they may even appear to be winning in the game of life. They may be living the American dream of fancy houses, nice cars and great careers. But if you were to ask many of these people to honestly state how they feel on the inside, many would express a far different story. They would say that they are fearful of losing of what they had worked so hard to acquire. They would talk of the anxiety and depression they feel. Basically, they would feel duped that all of the external things that they thought would bring them peace and comfort, has instead left them feeling like a captive deep in their souls.They are literally trapped in an internal prison. I know this feeling because I was living it for the first 38 years of my life. No matter how much worldly success we accumulate or how many possessions we acquire, we eventually must come to the stark conclusion that all true freedom must come from within. As the Bible verse of the day states above, once we recognize this truth, that Jesus is the only way to true and everlasting contentment, can we be set free internally. The truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do for us here on earth, is the beginning of our internal journey to find real truth and freedom. Once we recognize the fact that Jesus died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins, was resurrected on the third day to sit at the right hand of the father's throne, and left us the ability to connect with His truth through the power of the Holy Spirit, can we begin our march to true freedom deep in our souls. The amazing thing is there is no hard work required on our part, only the willingness to ask Him to come into our lives to help us with our pain and separation, to recognize who He is and what He has done for us, and to humbly repent of our sinful nature and He does all the rest! True freedom begins the moment we recognize how far we fall short of the mark He set, and recognize that without Christ, we would stand guilty in our sins before the God of the Universe on judgement day. Now, we are free in the knowledge that He alone has paid our sin bill in full and there is nothing left on the tab! If that is not freedom, I don't know what is. It doesn't mean it will be easy, or without pain, as we grow in our knowledge of who He is and who we are, and how great the chasm is that divides us, as Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, " As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." But it gives us great freedom to know that He has taken care of the chasm, and He understands that our sinful nature is a result of living in a fallen world into which we were all born, where sin and darkness reign until HE comes again to clean this whole mess up. Unless you grasp that thought, you will never be free and no amount of money or success can make you feel free inside. Like all freedom, our internal freedom came at a cost, and in this case it cost Christ everything. But love has no higher calling than this, that He was willing to lay down his life in a gruesome fashion so that we could live in true freedom, knowing that we are His for eternity. For He came to this earth to set the captives free, to remove the scales that were over our eyes so that we can see the truth clearly. After the drugs where off, the sex gets old, the gambling brings only pain where it once brought pleasure, we must finally admit that the sinful ways of this world lead only to entangle us in our pain. Jesus Christ is the way to true freedom. "He is the way, the truth and the life" as John 14:6 reminds us. All of our heart's desires and all we need for happiness and contentment, come from being assured of the rest and security that comes from the loving arms of our heavenly Father, by way of His faithful Son. True freedom never comes from external circumstance, but rather from internal contentment. When will we stop striving, looking for external things to fill the void that exists in our lives? True freedom comes from within. May that truth set you free. Amen.
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: John 8:32 ' Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
We celebrated America's 236 Birthday this week as a sign of the freedom we enjoy as a nation. It took a lot of brave men and women to work together for the enduring cause of our freedom from the tyranny of oppressive rule. It took courage and strength and fearlessness to fight the battles that needed to be fought in order for us to secure this most treasured of earthly prizes- FREEDOM. But although we are still free as a group of individuals to pursue our desires, to pray and worship freely, to love and to cherish the beliefs that make us special as a nation, there are still many walking amongst us who are not free at all. They are walking in spiritual bondage to an evil, oppressive occupier of their minds, hearts and souls and in many cases they are not even aware of their plight. On the outside, they may even appear to be winning in the game of life. They may be living the American dream of fancy houses, nice cars and great careers. But if you were to ask many of these people to honestly state how they feel on the inside, many would express a far different story. They would say that they are fearful of losing of what they had worked so hard to acquire. They would talk of the anxiety and depression they feel. Basically, they would feel duped that all of the external things that they thought would bring them peace and comfort, has instead left them feeling like a captive deep in their souls.They are literally trapped in an internal prison. I know this feeling because I was living it for the first 38 years of my life. No matter how much worldly success we accumulate or how many possessions we acquire, we eventually must come to the stark conclusion that all true freedom must come from within. As the Bible verse of the day states above, once we recognize this truth, that Jesus is the only way to true and everlasting contentment, can we be set free internally. The truth of who Jesus is and what He came to do for us here on earth, is the beginning of our internal journey to find real truth and freedom. Once we recognize the fact that Jesus died on the cross for forgiveness of our sins, was resurrected on the third day to sit at the right hand of the father's throne, and left us the ability to connect with His truth through the power of the Holy Spirit, can we begin our march to true freedom deep in our souls. The amazing thing is there is no hard work required on our part, only the willingness to ask Him to come into our lives to help us with our pain and separation, to recognize who He is and what He has done for us, and to humbly repent of our sinful nature and He does all the rest! True freedom begins the moment we recognize how far we fall short of the mark He set, and recognize that without Christ, we would stand guilty in our sins before the God of the Universe on judgement day. Now, we are free in the knowledge that He alone has paid our sin bill in full and there is nothing left on the tab! If that is not freedom, I don't know what is. It doesn't mean it will be easy, or without pain, as we grow in our knowledge of who He is and who we are, and how great the chasm is that divides us, as Isaiah 55:9 reminds us, " As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." But it gives us great freedom to know that He has taken care of the chasm, and He understands that our sinful nature is a result of living in a fallen world into which we were all born, where sin and darkness reign until HE comes again to clean this whole mess up. Unless you grasp that thought, you will never be free and no amount of money or success can make you feel free inside. Like all freedom, our internal freedom came at a cost, and in this case it cost Christ everything. But love has no higher calling than this, that He was willing to lay down his life in a gruesome fashion so that we could live in true freedom, knowing that we are His for eternity. For He came to this earth to set the captives free, to remove the scales that were over our eyes so that we can see the truth clearly. After the drugs where off, the sex gets old, the gambling brings only pain where it once brought pleasure, we must finally admit that the sinful ways of this world lead only to entangle us in our pain. Jesus Christ is the way to true freedom. "He is the way, the truth and the life" as John 14:6 reminds us. All of our heart's desires and all we need for happiness and contentment, come from being assured of the rest and security that comes from the loving arms of our heavenly Father, by way of His faithful Son. True freedom never comes from external circumstance, but rather from internal contentment. When will we stop striving, looking for external things to fill the void that exists in our lives? True freedom comes from within. May that truth set you free. Amen.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Just Do It!
6/20/2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the day: James 1:22 " But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (NKJV)
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Wounds of Glory
6/14/2012
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Revelations 5:12-13 " In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever."
In Revelation 5, the apostle John portrays Jesus as a wounded Lamb. Why should our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appear before the assembled in his wounds in his glory? The answer is because His wounds are His Glory! They symbolize everything that gives us hope and gave Him glory! That He was able to overcome the temptations of the world, namely darkness, evil and the sinful nature of man, to remain Holy and thus receive all the glory, honor and power bestowed upon him by the heavenly Father for all of eternity. I love this image because it reminds me of His greatness and my weakness and sinfulness all at the same time. While He was able to overcome, often I succumb to the pleasures of my flesh. While He stood strong in the face of temptation, I often fall in my own weakness. While He deserves all of His eternal treasures, I must humbly seek His mercy upon my soul. The scriptures above reveal glimpses of the praise that will be non stop, day and night, for the King of Kings in the heavenly realms and which all believers will be a witness of. The whole of the worthiness of that praise to me is summed up in these scriptures from Romans 5:6 and 5:8 " You see, at just the right time, when we were all still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly and " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I love that our faith didn't then and doesn't now require us to get it all together, or to figure it all out, or to pull ourselves up out the ditch we had fallen in to in order for our Savior to be willing to die for us, to relieve us all from the punishment that was rightfully due us for our rebellious nature towards God. In fact, he did just the opposite. He took our sin upon Him so that we could become righteous in His own eyes. So that our sin would be dealt with through the work on the cross and not alone before a God who could see our sins for himself and give us the just punishment we deserve. So the wounds He suffered on the Cross are His glory, but they are also ours. For without them, we wouldn't stand a chance and our sin would condemn us to a place of eternal separation from the place of glorious praise and honor to our Eternal King for those who believe. We should never bee ashamed of the gospel because he wasn't shamed on the cross to carry the weight, and to pay the unimaginable price, of our sin so that we could be reconciled back to the God who created us. As Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Even when we were yet sinners, and at the perfect time, He was willing to die for you and for me. I would say He was busy working things out for the good of all of those who love him. I can never understand fully this eternal sacrifice in my human condition. But I can try to live my life in way that says thank you Lord Jesus, thank you, for what you did for me on the cross. Amen!
Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Bible Verse of the Day: Revelations 5:12-13 " In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever."
In Revelation 5, the apostle John portrays Jesus as a wounded Lamb. Why should our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appear before the assembled in his wounds in his glory? The answer is because His wounds are His Glory! They symbolize everything that gives us hope and gave Him glory! That He was able to overcome the temptations of the world, namely darkness, evil and the sinful nature of man, to remain Holy and thus receive all the glory, honor and power bestowed upon him by the heavenly Father for all of eternity. I love this image because it reminds me of His greatness and my weakness and sinfulness all at the same time. While He was able to overcome, often I succumb to the pleasures of my flesh. While He stood strong in the face of temptation, I often fall in my own weakness. While He deserves all of His eternal treasures, I must humbly seek His mercy upon my soul. The scriptures above reveal glimpses of the praise that will be non stop, day and night, for the King of Kings in the heavenly realms and which all believers will be a witness of. The whole of the worthiness of that praise to me is summed up in these scriptures from Romans 5:6 and 5:8 " You see, at just the right time, when we were all still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly and " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I love that our faith didn't then and doesn't now require us to get it all together, or to figure it all out, or to pull ourselves up out the ditch we had fallen in to in order for our Savior to be willing to die for us, to relieve us all from the punishment that was rightfully due us for our rebellious nature towards God. In fact, he did just the opposite. He took our sin upon Him so that we could become righteous in His own eyes. So that our sin would be dealt with through the work on the cross and not alone before a God who could see our sins for himself and give us the just punishment we deserve. So the wounds He suffered on the Cross are His glory, but they are also ours. For without them, we wouldn't stand a chance and our sin would condemn us to a place of eternal separation from the place of glorious praise and honor to our Eternal King for those who believe. We should never bee ashamed of the gospel because he wasn't shamed on the cross to carry the weight, and to pay the unimaginable price, of our sin so that we could be reconciled back to the God who created us. As Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Even when we were yet sinners, and at the perfect time, He was willing to die for you and for me. I would say He was busy working things out for the good of all of those who love him. I can never understand fully this eternal sacrifice in my human condition. But I can try to live my life in way that says thank you Lord Jesus, thank you, for what you did for me on the cross. Amen!
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