Choose The Right Cup

This morning I am thinking of a Pastor I knew who started drinking and stopped ministering. He died that way.

1 Corinthians 9:25-10:6 ESV - "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did."

It is Monday and we have good spiritual food to eat. We are running a race and there are people that need us to keep running it. I plan to find strength in God and not seek to escape reality. We can face challenges with courage. God is faithful. If we are renewed in our mind we will see the provision.

Psalm 116:12-13 ESV - "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD"

If we drink out of God's cup we will win this week. God puts it in front of us so we will partake of it. There is no Earthly substitute.

--

The Will Of The One Who Sent Us

 This passage struck me this morning...

"Jesus answered them and said, 'My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or [whether] I speak on My own [authority]. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.' " - John 7:16-18 NKJV

"So Jesus answered them, 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's (His) will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.' " - John 7:16-18 ESV

Jesus is saying that a person who wants to do God's will is going to perceive things differently. That is one quality a second quality is seeking 'the glory of him who sent him'. That has a slightly different flavor.

We don't have to know what we are going to do or even how we are going to accomplish tasks today. We can just have this mindset. We can desire to do His will (live in freedom, apply mercy, function in grace, praise Him in all things, spread the good news, function in integrity, etc...) and that is foundational. Then we can formulate those other things. It is our starting point. We can seek the glory (revealing) of the one who sent us first. 

If we are sending ourselves then we will be selling ourselves but if we are Heaven sent we can reveal Heaven on Earth. Good behavior is not what reveals the righteousness that has been put on our account. According to this passage, revealing the invisible God is what reveals the righteousness given by God.

--

A Glimpse Of The Holy Spirit

 This was written on November 20, 2012

---

The Holy Spirit... Yes, We can grieve Him and we can quench Him but He is for us. Once with us He never leaves us. Once we let Jesus in He rushes in with Him and never goes. Always there to guide... always there to comfort. Like a coach to give us guidance... like a lawyer to plead our cause. The Bible would be a foreign language if He didn't translate it for us. When we are so distraught that we want to speak but can't find words He makes utterance. What a Divine friend... humble and meek... misunderstood.

He whispers, "Look to Jesus." He waits when we are stubborn or proud and whispers. When Jesus is in clear view He is like a strong wind in our face or at our back... like fire in our belly... flaming to ignite the heart... and in worship... Oh, In worship He is there woven in the middle... loud and clear... bright and glorious. 

We are not worthy of Him but that is not the issue. He can't be bought or sold only freely given. Jesus has Him without measure. There is no measure to Him.

In a moment of faith we were sealed with a seal that can never be broken. Our spirit made alive is of the same stuff that He is made and mingled in Him who is Holy breath. 

Sent on a mission after the ascension of Christ He will not leave until a body is made to be a bride. We are people of mission born of The Spirit on a mission. The lost must be found... the blind must see... the water must be presented to the thirsty. The Spirit and the bride say "Come". We stand before the darkened heart and say, "Look to Jesus" and there is an all powerful Trinity of Divinity behind every word.

I will never harness Him but perhaps He will harness me today. As I bow before the Throne and come to His cross with nothing He lifts my head and fills me. My will now free to choose in liberty to go where I am led.

--

Be First

 "...so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory." - Ephesians 1:12 ESV

Ephesians is an astonishing book. Really. If you read it line by line in a good translation it builds in such lofty ways.

What struck me this morning was this little phrase, 'we who were the first to hope'. Then you can go back in the chapter and see the great things that these people found hope in.

"...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," - Ephesians 1:4-11 ESV

You could say, 'see this is talking about those first believers' but really it is talking about all believers. In every group there are those who become 'the first to hope'. In every generation it happens again and again. The Gospel goes to places where it is rarely seen and people begin to hope. Children grow up in groups and either make individual decisions to believe or some wander off into the world and do other things.

I feel like a 'first to hope' person. There was a time when all i had was here and now but then the knowledge of Christ dawned on me and i became a believer... a hopeful person.

Maybe you can be the 'first to hope' today in your household. If you wake up before everyone else and actively put you trust in what Christ has done you are numbered as first. You can be the 'first to hope' in a situation and express that hope to the group that is dealing with hardship. The evangelist is really just the person who is 'first to hope' in a conversation. 

Being the last to hope means hours, months or years of hopelessness. Don't do it. Start being first. Start now. Start early.

--

There Is No One Like Jesus

Reading this got me thinking about my early days in Church. I was an outsider. "So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, 'Why did you not bring him?' The officers answered, 'No one ever spoke like this man!' The Pharisees answered them, 'Have you also been deceived?' - John 7:43-47 ESV The Pharisees likely never heard Jesus speak. They certainly never spent time with Him. The whole 'idea of Him' vexed them. Then these officers needed to get close to Him out of duty. Maybe they gathered on the edge of the crowd and out of respect, or just fear of the 'mob', deciding to wait until Jesus finished speaking before the arrest. Then they heard His voice and His words. Duty melted away. There was life here. His words pierced their soul and awakened long forgotten desires, innocence and dreams of fulfillment long dead. Maybe they drank coffee with the people who lovingly accepted them from the crowd and ate pastries and laughed. Then later they realized they had to go back to work. "The Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?" - John 7:47 ESV Perhaps some of them said, 'Maybe I am.' in their heart when challenged with this question. 'That sure seems better than this.' There just isn't anything like hearing Jesus. It isn't a siren song drawing you by lust to the rocks where you will be destroyed. It is the sound of home. It is like waking from a dream. It is like sunshine breaking through the clouds after weeks of gloom. It is the sunset that is so spectacular that you have to stop what you are doing and just look at it. You pull out your camera and take bad pictures of it because you never want it to end. I'm sure some of those soldiers pitied those Pharisees that day. They had seen the Messiah. These old crusty accomplished men were dead relics. I still get that wonderful sense sometimes. I have it this morning. There is no one like Jesus. His words are sunshine. He breaks every chain. There is no disease that can stand against Him. No evil can triumph over Him. No matter how far away you are He can bring you home again. {{Tears}} // I had to stop typing because I couldn't see the keyboard // Do you have that in your life? I hope so. There is only one place I have found it. There is only one person who is consistently like this. Meeting your heroes can be disappointing because you realize they are just people like you. When you meet Jesus you realize He Is worthy of praise. He Is divine. --

Develope Spiritual Neediness

I'm thinking this morning about 'spiritual neediness' and how it is a good thing but it takes maturity to realize this. The aging process is a good parallel. As a young person I didn't wear glasses. Then I got one pair as an adult. Now I have two pairs used for different things. I aged but adjusted. Our spiritual vision has always been impaired and it isn't because we are the 'exception' and everyone else has something we don't. A person who needs mercy all the time is just in touch with the divine reality of what it means to live in a fallen world. 2 Timothy 2:2 KJV - "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." If we live in shame because of our spiritual neediness we won't obey this passage. Grace and mercy will be theoretical emergency measures instead of a daily provision and a normal framework.

Real Assistance

Today I am focusing on the 'why' and 'how' in this next passage... "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:3-5 ESV I never liked this passage. The wording always throws me off. How can you have a log (Strong's G1385 - dokos). The Greek word actually talks about a beam which is a structural building block also made out of wood. If my wife or friend has something in their eye and I see it before they realize it is there what would be my motivation for telling her? He eye is in danger and I see it... if I act quickly I might avert a bigger problem. Shouldn't i act? We have blind spots. Why do we even see other people's problems? Our blindness clearly isn't complete. Our lack of complete vision allows us to see enough that we diagnose but not enough to provide a good solution. The beam (structure of our value system) blocks us. How do we get the beam out of eye? We must abandon our structure and get outside. Wow. That is quite a challenge. I see abortion clinics as a perfect example of this principle. Altruistic people who are blinded by their own structure trying to help but really they are hurting the individual and society. The cure is worse than the disease. God must help us remove the beam. We must leave our small circles for seasons to even see the structure we are so used to that it is invisible to us. Only then can we be of service to others. History shows us that blinded people justify the murder of others as a way to help society. Grace and mercy must move us outside. If it doesn't even our kindnesses become cruel. --

Abrams Longing

"Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' " - Genesis 12:1-3 ESV "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." - Hebrews 11:8-10 ESV Hebrews shows us an unrecorded inner motivation of Abrams heart. He wanted to belong. He wanted to be apart of something great. He want to find a place where people embraced him. He never found that place on Earth because it isn't on Earth. Abram had great success here. He had heirs who loved and respected him but he had a God shaped hole in his heart and no person or accomplishment could fill that hole. This life is really a journey towards or away from God's house. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - John 10:10 ESV Jesus is our bridge to the place where we belong. Our design fits in that place it is for us and we were created for Heaven. Not everyone will find their way there. "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." - Matthew 7:13-14 ESV Jesus is that narrow gate. He is the only elevator that gives access to the top floor. The door to that elevator is open. Get in. The stairs won't get you there. --

Catalysts

Thinking of our role to be a 'catalyst' in people's lives. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." - John 5:30 KJV "For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth." - 2 Corinthians 13:8 ESV "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:4-5 ESV The catalyst does not cause the chemical reaction. It creates an environment that allows something to happen or accelerates the process. The catalyst remains unchanged. It is not 'eaten up'. It does not lose substance. "You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world." - Matthew 5:13a-14a ESV Salt and light are catalysts. Salt creates a certain environment in soil and water. Some marine life only thrive in salt water and others in fresh water. We function one way when we can see what is around us and in another when we can not see. You and I are catalysts. Are we catalysts for evil or for spiritual life? --

Motivation And Warfare

Thinking about deficit motivation, what I'm calling 'contributive' motivation, joy, unhappiness and spiritual warfare. Lots of things in the mix. I think people either discount or often over emphasize spiritual warfare for lots of reasons... world view oriented ones mostly. Still the Bible teaches us that angels and demons are real and actively viaing for influence. What am I as a rational responsible person to do and think? Also, where does my motivation come from. Is it to 'get' or 'give'? Sex is a great example. Business dealings. Education. Am I learning to get or be a part of something great? If so, how will that turn out and how does that make me vulnerable to the invisible battle going on somewhere close to me? Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV - "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil." --

The Heavy Weight In Your Hand

Anyone who has worked out with weights in a serious way knows what it is like to 'train until failure'. That is when you select a weight that is heavy enough that when you get to the last few repetitions (ideally 10 or so) you are challenged to the point where it seems like you can not complete the last 1 or 2 repetitions. You need to push. You need to dig deep and not quit. That struggle in those last few seconds holds the most benefit. That is where strength is born. That is where endurance is achieved. That is where results happen.

I think of Jesus on the cross. The last few hours of His life on Earth were the hardest but His human endurance and refusal to quit accomplished more than any man ever has or ever will.

"And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!' " - Matthew 27:50-54 ESV

He fought until He reached that specific place and time. He paid for the sins of the world and collapsed when the job was done.

I think we can strive in the wrong way but we can also strive in the right way. There are things worth fighting for in life. Perhaps the weight you hold in your hand feels heavy. This week ahead may look challenging... very challenging.

I plan to ask God for His help and complete my 'workout' this week. I plan to do all 10 repetitions and not quit. I am training to reign and my efforts are not in vain.

"... much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:17b ESV

"When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!" - 1 Corinthians 6:1-3 ESV

Oh God, Help us to move in mercy this week. We need it. Others need it. Quicken us to continue and expect opportunities. Help us to forget what is behind and move forward in hope. You are our victory. You are our strong tower. We run to you.

--

I Lay It Down But No One Can Take It From Me

This passage speaks volumes to me about freedom, human rights and love.

John 10:17-18 ESV - "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

Yes. No one should take your life either. Taking life and freedom away from people is wrong. The Father didn't do that to Jesus. The Father gave Jesus authority over His own life. We can say this is an aspect of His Messiahship but that office is a human office. It is the height of human dignity. Only the best of us could be the Messiah. He Is divinity and the pinnacle of all that is good and right.

It is interesting that Jesus says that the Father loves Him because if how He exercises His free will. It reminds me of the employee and employer relationship. A manager 'loves' the person who chooses to work well with the authority and resources they have been given. We don't have this kind of relationship with God. Jesus' favor has become our favor but at the same time Jesus humanity is our humanity. God has given us a stewardship over our life. It doesn't belong to us. It belongs to Him but we choose.

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...' - The Declaration of Independence

Yes. This is individual and communal. I don't have the right to take these things from you. We live together in this and find a pathway to live in dignity together.

--

The Chambers Of Our Mind

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own," - 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Our body, or mind, is going to be a temple of something. Our imagination (the chambers of our imagery) is active and something is there. It is either holy and the spirit has free access to the rooms of our soul or it is closed off and filled with things that never see the light.

This next passage is an amazing picture of a person's thought life that is filled with idolatry. God sees it all but if we 'dig in the wall' it can be seen by us also.

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.' So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. And he said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.' And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, 'Son of man, dig in the wall.' So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And he said to me, 'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.' So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up." - Ezekiel 8:5-11 ESV

Don't get me wrong most of us have closed off rooms in our soul. They may be secrets we protect or places that are just too painful to enter. Abuse does that.

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." - Luke 11:21-23 KJV

The Holy Spirit is the 'stronger man' who can take back that chamber, those chambers, God can cleanse His temple.

"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise." - John 2:13-16 KJV

Yes. Passover is when God set Israel free from bondage. Jesus is 'freeing' his Father's temple here. Those money changers had rigged weights. They cheated people and gouged them. They bought 'sacrifices' that where made to God but that was not God's heart. He wanted people to have easy access to his house.

God wants easy access to your mind. He wants to cleanse your mind and mine so we can be clean and free and not in bondage to lies and systems that are false and dark.

If you and I are functioning as 'temples' people can have access to God when they are with us. If our mind is cleansed we will have thoughts, words and ideas that are nourishing and wholesome. God is the treasure and not the structure that He dwells in. An empty Church is just a building. Our mind can be a thriving place if God dwells there.

--

Moses And Aaron

I have always wondered about this interplay between Moses and his brother Aaron. Was it God's will or was it a 'compromise' of sorts?

"But Moses said to the LORD, 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.' Then the LORD said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.' But he said, 'Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.' Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, 'Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him." - Exodus 4:10-16 ESV

Also, Did God predict that Aaron would be happy to step into this role or did God move on Aaron's heart in some way to produce the outcome?

Either way it comforts me that God is willing to make us interdependent in ways. Moses is a 'type' or Christ. He was a Savior of Israel in that God used him to get them out of Eygpt and to the edge of the promised land.

"...You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do..."

Reminds me of this.

"When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." - John 20:20-23 ESV

There is this grand interplay between the Trinity and us as individuals. If we have a Pastor God sometimes uses words from that person to speak to us. He gives the pulpit the words and we are both taught together.

Maybe sometimes we feel like saying...

'...Oh, my Lord, please send someone else...'

Even in that there is a provision for companionship in the sending.

Oh that is good. I'm praying we all run into more people who are 'glad in their heart' to see us and work with us. No one should have to go alone in this world.

--

Cursed Thinking And Blessed Thinking

The first person here is us thinking naturally and the second blessed person is us when we are walking by faith. This isn't some other person this is you and me!

"Thus says the LORD:

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:5-9 ESV

There is no middle ground. It is either Adam or Christ. Our Adamic natural 'man' thinks one way and the new us that has a living spirit quickened by the Holy Spirit thinks a different way. We put on Jesus like a garment and choose to cast down one set of thoughts and confess the truth we have been taught about what God says and how He thinks.

All of that is in the Bible. It isn't a mystery. We may be ignorant but we can search the scriptures and find out what a blessed person is concentrating on. That truth becomes water for our soul.

Flip the switch with me and with every other believer on the planet who is choosing to walk by faith today. Turn on the light by mixing faith with the truth.

"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." - John 15:26 ESV

The Spirit of God will honor a decision to walk by faith in the truth. A humble person who is sending down roots to find water will find it.

--

Transcendence And The Upper Room

Transcendence sounds eastern. It is the claim that that there is existence outside the four walls of seventy years. A very attractive idea to those who are trapped. Our mind tells us, 'There is more.'

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV - "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

The 'Upper Room' is a great study.

John 20:26 ESV - "Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' "

Jesus walked through walls to get to the trapped disciples who feared death. He Is the way in and the way out. We can't or won't exit the upper room. Fear of death keeps us there but Jesus enters in to give us the peace to exit the trap of four walls. We have a place to go beyond our seventy years. It is a timeless place filled with eternal people that took Christ's hand and escaped death.

The disciples found that place. They had the last supper there where Jesus revealed unique things. It was a 'transcendent' experience on many levels. He dies. They get trapped there by their own fear. He enters in to visit. Jesus ascends in Heaven. That room becomes a place of operation for the early church.

God got them into that room and God got them out. It became a place of strength.

That room is like our life of faith. It has stages but freedom, power and community are the end result.

Acts 1:10-14 ESV - "And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."

--

How Much More?

This has been a great study... the parallels between the ashes of the sin offering and the blood of Jesus Christ.

"For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." - Hebrews 9:13-14 ESV

"Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel. Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean." - Numbers 19:16-19 ESV

Those ashes were the inflammable residue of the sin offering. It was what could not be taken away... even by fire. Those ashes mixed in water and applied cleanses a person legally and physically.

Jesus' blood is alive. His life could not be taken from Him. He did not die from His wounds. He gave His life and His blood is living blood.

If dead ashes could cleanse the body 'how much more' can living eternal blood cleanse our conscience from 'dead works'?

Jesus blood washed us once at our salvation then again and again in our mind to stop us from 'working' for God's approval. We are made clean because we come in contact with the cleansing agent. We don't earn it.

1 John 1:8-9 ESV - "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

A Hebrew person could stumble into a grave yard and be made unclean through no fault of their own. They would need to have that water sprinkled on them again and again.

We have a once and for all eternal sacrifice that is living and has become a remedy for our mind, heart and soul. That blood 'experienced' our sin when all of the sins of the human race were placed on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:24 ESV - "...and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."

Abels blood cried for vengeance but Jesus' blood enables forgiveness. It makes a claim that sin has been paid for and proclaims freedom.

How much more? Yes, so much more!

--

Spider Webs And Cornerstones

I have this visualization of deception being like a spider web. It has no real foundation that holds it up. The spider connects the threads to objects and builds something. I think all of us have 'connected the dots' only to find out that we were wrong about the conclusions we came to.

"For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:" - Isaiah 28:10 KJV

Truth is like this.

"But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken." - Isaiah 28:13 KJV

The trap is also like this. People build line upon line but get snared in their own thoughts. They paint themselves into a corner.

"Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."" - Luke 20:17-18 NKJV

Jesus said this. He was talking about Himself. He Is a foundational truth. He Is like the Sun. He Is a light that illuminates other things. If we reject foundational truths our thinking won't be grounded. It will hang it the air like a gossamer creation.

People search and search but sometimes they have already rejected their provision. They have rejected the 'corner stone' and it has halted their progress.

Jesus has become my touchstone. He Is real. If what I think about myself deviates from what He says I am wrong. He has a perspective on relationships, history and many other subjects. We can read the red letters in a red letter edition of the Bible and see what He said to get a foundation to build on and our thought will not be a snare. We can be 'ministers of reconciliation' if we think with God.

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," - Philippians 2:5 NKJV

"Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you." - Philippians 3:15 NKJV

Read the red letters with me. They will comfort and ground you.

--

Crushed Olives

A good day with the guys in the heat. We discussed God's sovereignty, providence, human suffering and the anointing. How God has this plan and certain events are destined to come to pass in God's plan but at the same time we have free will and our choices matter. The 'anointing' is linked to suffering. Olives are crushed to get oil. The anointing breaks the yoke (our training to function a certain way naturally). To be free we will suffer. Jesus suffered to set us free and we suffer in degrees if the anointing is operational. How we suffer is linked to our free will. Do we suffer because of bad decision making or do we 'suffer well'? God's plan is going to come to pass but we can be 'co-laborers with Christ' and God in His sovereignty (His free will) may very well answer prayer or just intervene on our behalf out of love in special ways that glorify Him.

I want God to 'show up' in the spaces I enter into. I want an anointing and a more than natural manifestation. He does that if the olive gets crushed. We fall on the rock and get broken but the gift is so great. The pain is fleating but the glory is forever. Jesus was crushed for us and that suffering is finished... still... in Him we suffer many things with Him.

I want to keep this in mind when I've been pushed outside my comfort zone and I'm trying to make things work. I'm try to make bricks with no straw. A great deliverance is coming for my mind if the result is that those olives get crushed.

--

Fear Or Joy

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1 John 4:18 ESV

Fear and joy (love) take up the same space in our soul. They can not co-exist. I either have one or the other. Deception and fear always co-exist. We are afraid because we feel the need to preserve something and there are unknown factors that might prevent that from happening.

This season has been a real test for many of us. Joy can slip away if fear takes root.

Perfected love! Wow. God is in control. Nothing I do can make God love me less or more. Jesus has dealt with the sin issue for us. Nothing can separate us from God if we have believed in what Jesus has done. That pushs fear out and joy takes it's place.

--

Strength To Strength

At times we go from oasis to oasis...

Psalm 84:5-7 ESV - "Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion."

Strength for the journey means moving from strength to strength. Sometimes the day is a dry place we need to be refreshed before we go.

Jesus often prayed all night to be ready for the day to come. I've never done that but to get up and be refreshed before my 'day' begins has been a very worthwhile practice.

--

Rereading Philemon

The last few days I have been reading Philemon over and over again. It is truly an abolitionist text. Onesimus is a slave and Paul is sending an appeal to the Church. Paul never comes out and condemns slavery. I believe the Holy Spirit communicates a new value system to these people through the Apostles words. This person can no longer be property once this value system is adopted. No person can be. Nor can we oppress people if these concepts sink in. I love this book more and more as I read it.

It is a short book (letter). I included it below and plan to reread it a few more times over the next few days. These are concept we must understand today.

"You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." - 1 Corinthians 7:23 ESV

We were purchased by Christ's blood so He could set us free. That is God's method of adoption. He isn't a 'white Savior'. He is the Messiah.

As free people we can live lives that promote freedom. What a priveledge.

-o-

"Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus-- I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." - Philemon 1:1-25 ESV

--

That First Ten Percent

Give the first 10% to God.

It is a great principle for money and for life because then you start out on the right foot. There is a principle I heard recently, 'Create before you consume' which reminded me of this. Make something first and then look at what others have done. Draw then look at drawings other people have made. Paint then look at paintings. Write a post then look at other posts. If that is the order procrastination will go out the window and instead of negative comparison you can be inspired by others.

The days I get up, pray a little, get in the Bible and maybe pray or just talk to God about what I have read are always the best days. That first 10%, or more, went to Him but there was a transfer I can not measure also.

Beholding Him transforms us. He creates in us before we go and consume anything from others when we give Him the first and best of what we have... time.

--

A Reading Of Psalm 102

I'm reading and rereading Psalm 102 today and it is so good. I'm writting this on my lunch break. The 'preface' to this psalm is very short but also very important.

"A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD...." - Psalm 102:1a ESV

We must see and absorb this perspective. This is a vunerable person talking to God in a very emotionally charged way. The inspiration of this psalm is that it truly shows this man's humanity. He isn't right. He is arguing with God and says things about God that are colored by hurt, helplessness and distance.

"A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!" - Psalm 102:1 ESV

He talks like a man who isn't sure God hears him. He uses God's intimate name that orthodox Jews of today never use or even write down on paper. He uses this intimate name in a plea that shows that he is unsure that God is caring or even noticing him.

"Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass." - Psalm 102:2-11 ESV

Wow.

'...you have taken me up and thrown me down...'

Ever feel like that? It isn't true. God has never done that but at times it feels like he has.

After verse 11 there is a major shift...

"But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD." - Psalm 102:12-22 ESV

A moment of clarity! A person who knows God's intimate name gets to see this. We see him seeing this and it is like we are seeing it. This Is the alpha and omega. He has Been and will Be into forever but we are human and hurting. Knowing this is a bridge into forever but we are 'afflicted'.

"He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days." - Psalm 102:23 ESV

For a second there we see the inside of a person speaking to himself. He gives this great discourse talking to God about who He Is but then he takes a sentence to talk to himself and say.

'He has weakened me.'

God slowed him down and allowed circumstances to bring the psalmist to this place.

" 'O my God,' I say, 'take me not away in the midst of my days - you whose years endure throughout all generations!' Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you." - Psalm 102:24-28 ESV

I read this psalm and feel like I have God's permission to be a bit messed up sometimes. Feeling distant doesn't mean God has cut you or I off. He understands this. Jesus sweat blood the night before His cruxifiction. He needed all His strength to carry that cross the next day but some of it was taken the night before.

You and I think we need to be strong to face things but that isn't what we need at all sometimes. God knows what we need. We need to see Him and get a glimpse of His foreverness. He Is always seeing us but we forget what He looks like often because of our limits and make up.

Today I'm reading this psalm and 'pouring out my complaint' to Him. I am also in awe of His glory. The 'conversation' will become a paragraph in the biography that is my life. God is the main character not me.

--

Those Terrible Crucifixions

I was thinking today about cruxification and that it was something that was done regularly in Jesus' time. His crucifixion was not rare. It was unusual because of it's timing on a holiday.

Luke 9:23 KJV "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Jesus didn't rail against Rome because they crucified people. He said, 'Remember those poor people you saw dragging those crosses through Jerusalem. I am one of them. Follow me and be one of them.'

Crazy!

Jesus talked a lot about how wonderful His Father's kingdom Is. There are many mansions there. Heaven has no pain, death, sickness, jealousy or cruxifications.

Every human institution is littered with atrocity. Every generation has it. Jesus says, 'I am that person you visit in prison. Bring a cup of cold water to them and you are bringing one to me.'

{Sigh} Tears fill my eyes... We are so quick to hurt one another and point fingers. Jesus has risen from the dead. That is the 'sign' He left us with. I want to spread that hope. That hope outlives every generational outrage.

--

Responding To Goodness

- God is good. Mankind isn't.
- We can respond to 'good' but we can not initiate true goodness on our own. Self preservation or gain is always in the mix.
- We can however initiate based on what we have recieved. God's Spirit leads us down a road we would not go on our own. That is the only kind of initation that does not add to the corruption we see around us.

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 ESV

I have not seen this belief system anywhere else but in the Bible and it is the only way I see to have a truly healthy self image.

If we abandon trying to do 'good' and exalt the One who has done 'good' then we find ourselves living life in a different way without guilt or shame.

I am suspicous of and eventually must denounce any theology or philosophy that does not promote this view because it obscures who God Is and pushs people to try to perform in a way that is impossible.

--

My Box Of Unfinished Busniess

I'm praying for bravery this morning... for you and for me.

We are brave people... i think we can forget this... obstacles, fears, complexities, unknowns... we have faced them before and we can face them again... but will we? Yes... we will... the box of 'unfinished business', the conversation, looking at the thing we have avoided looking at... God will go with us if we invite Him and then take a step... the complex thing can be broken down into little steps... the hard thing is only too hard if we get overwhelmed by the wind and the waves... focus on Jesus and move towards His outstretched hand... I like to picture Him in my problem smiling at me... laughing maybe but not in a mocking way but the way a friend who cares for you and is on your side might laugh and say, 'Don't be afraid. I AM here.'

You are brave. No. No arguments. You are. That giant is blind as a bat. He hopes you get close enough and afraid enough to stay away or just do something stupid. His loud words are just words. Face him with your sling. Pick some stones and take aim. Don't rush in but don't hold back. Aim for the head. There is danger but you are brave and smart.

I got on my knees this morning and put all my 'unfinished business' in a box. It isn't going into the attic. God is going to be with me as I finish each thing. He promised me that He would never leave me or forsake me. (see Deut 31:6, 8; Heb 13:5)

I plan to recycle this box... rip off the tape, flatten it and recycle it.

"For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:8-9 ESV

Yes.

--

Newness In Christ

Take a look with new eyes and you will see that all things have become new again.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV

People who have an identity crisis either crystalize or start over. This passage informs me that because of Christ I don't have to lose it all circumstantially in order to begin again.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 6:11 KJV

I like the KJV for this passage. We must say, 'What I do can not separate me from God. What Jesus has done has reconciled me to God forever.' and that gives a place for newness.

Celebrities reinvent themselves with new clothing, hairstyles, and altered styles but God has reinvented us in Christ with mercy. It happens again and again and we need it to happen over and over again for each day and each season. Our mind needs renewal.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." - Romans 12:2 ESV

The pressures of life will push on us and can block the light we need to see. Depressions are caused by pressures. Renewal is needed.

"...the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds," - Ephesians 4:21b-23 ESV

What you want will kill you an inch at a time but what you have can renew you of you enter into the renewal that Jesus has won for you.

--

A Formal Request

Today I am equating prayer, the supplication kind (asking for something), to a form that needs to be filled out or formal request of some kind. Almost all governments and organizations of any size have something like this. A 'ticket' is created to document that there was a problem then that 'ticket' gets closed.

"And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.' And the Lord said, 'Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?' " - Luke 18:1-7 ESV

Was the form filled out? Who gets the form? Do they care about the issue? Can the people who get the request fix the issue? Do they have the power? These are questions we ask and must answer about any formal request.

In the parable, the woman knew the judge had the power so she kept coming.

'And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?'

Jesus said this. What is our answer to His question?

--

Our Original Confidence

Wow. This next passage is loaded.

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." - Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV

Our 'original confidence' is vital. Jesus is alive and if we know God there was this moment that we became aware that He was aware of us. A transaction happened. A saving. We knew it. A dead soul was suddenly alive and the Spirit of Grace ignited a confidence in us.

'Day-to-Day while it is called today' we encourage each other that this living God still sees us and things are happening even if we don't see evidence that they are.

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?' " - Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV

Like a sheep, I am prone to wander. My heart can harden out in the wilderness as I seemingly fend for myself but Jesus leaves the ninety-nine to find His wandering lambs.

The cross is a big landmark that I can look to and lift up. He can be found in His word and where two or more encouraging and encouraged hearts gather and say His true name. He Is Saviour, shepherd, physician and the living God. When His nature is revealed our confidence returns and rests on Him and His willingness to affect situations for us and through us.

--

Boundaries In A Time Of Ghosting

I was thinking this morning about having healthy boundaries in relationships and this passage came to mind...

John 2:23-25 ESV - "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man."

There are always going to be people who push in too far. Social media allows for 'ghosting'. If someone crosses a line we don't like we can unfollow, block or just mute them but personal relationships aren't always that easy and frankly speaking I don't think that is a healthy way to live.

Jesus did everything perfectly. He knew when to speak and be quiet. He entered and exited at just the right moments. He loved so much that miracles happened just from touching Him but there were places no one touched in His life because He never exposed those areas to the grubby hands of fallen men and women.

Boundaries are sometimes complex but at other times it us as simple as saying 'no' even though that 'no' will cause upheaval.

I love this next passages where Jesus deals with his family...

John 7:3-8 ESV - "So his brothers said to him, 'Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.' For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, 'My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.' "

Then Jesus went anyway but He did it in secret and said this just a few hours later...

John 7:14-18 ESV - "About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.' "

This is dealing with Jesus' messiahship but I think it also speaks of the person functioning in true liberty. A person's freedom to function reveals something about their source of power. Liberty isn't license. The alpha male rolls over people or tries to exercise dominance as a show of power which us a crude way to set boundaries.

As I have gotten older I really enjoy just letting people be who they are with a few 'no's thrown in if absolutely necessary

--

The Sign Of The Prophet Jonas

God called Jonah to live in proactive compassion but he ran from that calling. Jesus didn't but Jesus directly identifies with Jonah in the gospels (see Matthew 12:39). Jonah ran and ended up in the belly of a whale. Jesus went to a cross so He could go to Hell in our place. Jonah eventually found himself on shore again marching into the city he was running from. I sit here on my bed writing this trusting God that I died with Christ, rose with Him and am seated with Him in Heaven in some mystical positional way. I have my face pointed towards the city I was running from and that in itself is miraculous.

If God can do that He can do the rest. We are called to compassion. We lift up a compassionate God who became a man who could turn us, save us from Hell and ourselves.

There are people in the city that need to know that Jesus is their 'space to repent'. They can turn to the one who turned you and be saved from hate and damnation just by believing in Him.

--

Easter 2020

My Easter message is a bit salty and short this year.

I am thinking that most of Christ's disciples thought after the crucifixion, 'Is there something i could have done to stop this.' Some moped, other just felt lost and then some beat themselves up. But then He rose from the grave and later the Spirit fell on them like fire filled with joy and glory.

I've decided not to beat myself up this Easter about what i 'could' have done for the people i have lost and am going to lose this year. I will let the God of all grace lead me. He Is after all the God of resurrection life.

--

I Tell My Soul To Be Free

I love this psalm! David is talking to his soul here and commanding himself in the light of the knowledge of who God Is and what He Is like:

"Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits," - Psalm 103:1-2 ESV

It isn't a psalm asking God for something. It is a psalm where a man tells his own soul to be a blessing because God has removed burdens and self-occupation...

"...who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." - Psalm 103:3-8 ESV

Yes. God is the merciful and gracious One. He redeems and we don't have to redeem ourselves. Meditating on Him renews us like an eagle is renewed.

"He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." - Psalm 103:9-12 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul. The burden of sin is lifted. Jesus came to Earth after this was written and did what was promised here. Jesus satisfied the anger and justice of God. He does not deal with us after our sins. They are taken away. He does not repay us for our mental rebellion (iniquity). If you are in awe of God then through Jesus you and I can see God's wide, deep and far-reaching love.

"As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more." - Psalm 103:13-16 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul. Life is short on the Earth. I want to spend my time being a blessing. I can't strive to do this. It isn't payback. It is me beholding God and taking my eyes off myself. It is me spending the day with Him and making His priorities my priorities.

"But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all." - Psalm 103:17-19 ESV

Bless the Lord, O my soul, because God Is on His throne and the Devil is a liar.

"Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!" - Psalm 103:20-22 ESV

I love how this turns at the end. David is drunk with the power of this revelation. He Is telling the angels and demons what to do.

It reminds me of this passage...

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." - Galatians 6:14 KJV

We look around at a world that doesn't seem in awe of God but we apply the cross and say, 'Look at Him! He is awe-inspiring!'

I talk to my soul in liberty today. I tell it to be free and point to Christ and say, 'Be free because of Him. Let Him set you free.'

--

Palm Sunday 2020

Looks like we can't do our 'burnt offerings' this palm Sunday and Easter.

Psalm 51:15-17 ESV - "O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."

Jesus gave God this offering for humanity. It was and Is a sweet 'smelling savor' to God the Father.

Jesus Is the king of kings who rides in humbly on a simple animal used for labor. I grab a branch off the newest palm tree and run to throw it down before You. You Lord are my salvation.

Those who see who He Is in His humbled state will also see Him regal and glorified. That glimpse is transforming.

--

Do Good

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10 ESV

Dwelling on this passage this morning.

Is this verse promoting special treatment for one group as some have said? The 'do good to everyone' statement negates that idea.

Who do you know best, spend the most time with and have opportunity to be 'familiar' with (and not in a good way)? Those in your 'household'.

Lets 'do good' to everyone right now. Those who are close and those who are far away.

---

Some Time In 2 Timothy Chapter 4

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV

His judgement will be, in part, that He shows up and everyone will suddenly know that He Is very very real.

I'm reading 2 Timothy chapter 4 again and again and marveling at the seeming disorderliness of ministry around Paul. He delegates. He lets people be led but calls out the carnality of Demas and you have to wonder why he highlights that transgression the way he does.

"Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen." - 2 Timothy 4:9-18 ESV

He speaks about 'all the nations hearing' but it seems like this is a small band of likeminded people running in different directions at times with sparse resources.

Still...

We see things from farther down the line, don't we? The nations did and are hearing. It was people like them... like us who told the world. People shivering because they needed a garment left at a person's house in haste. People who relied on the faithfulness of others but were sometimes disappointed.

What are my excuses again? Can I justify nursing hurts stemming from things that should have happened in my mind but didn't? Do I have a Demas or a Titus or an Alexander? Paul had a gracious mind towards those people but he also wasn't naive or too proud to ask for help from Timothy.

God was going to rescue him but He was asking Timothy to bring the cloak, books and parchments. Paul wasn't hyper-spiritual living in quasi-spiritual isolation from people and their weaknesses. He asked things of people who sometimes failed to come through.

Can the Holy Spirit help you and I think like Paul was thinking?... like Jesus Is thinking? I say He can and gave us this book so we could make choices about what we read here and mix faith into what we are reading and hearing.

Help us God. Help us to have this mind. We are so far from the 'end of ourselves' like Paul was here. This is the thinking that gets the Gospel into all the world and we want that because You want that.

--

Friendship With God ??

"and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness' - and he was called a friend of God." - James 2:23 ESV

Have you 'ghosted' God or are you called His friend? Interesting. Last night we were talking about arguing with God and the craziness of it but how we can find ourselves in that place and how God is saying:

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure mercies of David." - Isaiah 55:3 KJV

'Come unto Me'... that is our calling... I firmly believe that drawing near to Him because we respond to the clear need to do so is our 'calling'... it isn't what we do professionally or the ministry we feel drawn to... those are callings but this is 'the calling'... if we are angry at someone that isn't easy to do. It requires humility.

That action of moving towards God instead of away is the difference between spiritual life and death. Are our minds alive and moving in hope or are we spiraling into disappointment? Eternal life is linked to believing in Jesus as a 'one-time' thing but living life and living in life is all about drawing near... even when we are offended because we don't think God is being the right kind of friend in our relationship with Him.

---