What Does God Bless?

Jacob had a very loving relationship with his adult son Joseph. This last interaction is very interesting to me...

"Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them." Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ... Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn)... When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations."" - Genesis 48:9-10, 12-14, 17-19 ESV

You see the love and tenderness but you also see the disconnect of expectations... father and son... the son was an accomplished man... God had used him to save 'the world' from famine but Jacob represented God... He was the honored one and the one with the power to bless...

God doesn't bless what we do in the way we want Him to. His priorities are different... He often blesses the thing of 'lower' importance to us. The thing we stumbled into versus the thing we worked to build.

Does He love us.... YES!... or course He loves us beyond what we can imagine. Jacob lost Joseph and got him back. A father couldn't love his son more than Jacob loved Joseph.

God can't love you more than He does right now. No matter what you do or don't do.

We push things in front of God and say... bless them... and it is good and right that we do that but we also shouldn't be surprised if He 'crosses His arms' in the blessing to bring an unexpected result.

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What Were Jesus' Commandments?

"In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." - Acts 1:1-5 ESV

"You are my friends if you do what I command you." - John 15:14 ESV

""If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." - John 14:15-17 ESV

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." - John 15:12 ESV

"And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." - Mark 16:15 ESV

I see three primary commands given to these people.... stay in Jerusalem... love one another... go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.

There are two who tried to leave...

"That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ... When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together," - Luke 24:13-16, 30-33 ESV

They knew that Jesus had COMMANDED them to be in Jerusalem. Jesus was so gracious... He didn't chide them... He just loved them and walked with them away from where they were supposed to be.

I think we can put way to much stock in programs and what we think God wants us to to do. Religion demands things that Jesus Himself did not demand.

Be in places where you receive power
Love people
Evangelize

Those are 'abiding' things not religious duties.

"Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." - John 14:21 ESV

What a great promise!

It happened to them at Pentecost. It can happen to us also... not through a program but by abiding in the vine... living with God and being where He Is revealed.

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Rejection

Jesus made sure that God won't reject you... not active rejection (exclusion) or passive rejection (forgetting).

You might say, 'God doesn't exist so why would I care about that?' 

You only even entertain that thought because you fear that He will reject you. That you will die and it will be terrible or that you will be gone and forgotten.

Jesus was both passively and actively rejected 'as you' so that you could be accepted forever.

John 14:2-4 ESV — "In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”"

This passage covers Jesus' death (where they knew He was going but didn't want to accept it), resurrection, ascension, session (being seated in Heaven at the right hand of the Father) and standing up to greet us.

Acts 7:54-57 ESV — "Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him."

If we remember Him He can't forget us... won't reject us... but if we never know Him...

Matthew 7:15-24 ESV — "“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

Those who want only gain will end up with only loss but those invest trust in the unmerited love of the Son will have a Father in Heaven.

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So Much More Than A Triangle

I've been thinking a lot about the 'Trinity' and the triangle used often in theology books to describe these three 'persons' and that diagram falls so far short.

We can relate to Jesus. He became one of us. He always was. We were created in His image and He was incarnated in time. We can relate to Him and He emptied Himself to relate to us.

The Father is beyond us. He is a person separate from the Spirit but we can not fathom Him... infinite... regal... fierce... wise... loving... seeing... Holy... high above all that we can now know. 

The Spirit also. If we believe He dwells in us but He is like the wind. We are inspired, taught and encouraged but He Is doing that with many of us simultaneously... so misunderstood... many see Him as a thing and He doesn't even correct them... He is involved in ways and on layers of humanity we can't fathom.

Three persons... Yes... But a triangle doesn't cover the eternal flow of that unbreakable but once broken relationship... broken at the cross for a 'moment' to let us in again. The flow... the love... the honor... the care... 

Jesus brings us into that flow... that embrace... we get glimpses... we know enough to use a phrase like... Holy Trinity... even though the majority of that dynamic reaches out beyond what we can see or sense.

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Courageous People Collaborate

If a person is naive they get taken advantage of. They may start out fearless but after getting hurt again and again they 'learn' to fear or avoid people.

Wise people see what motivates others. They deal with people realistically and learn from their mistakes.They face their fears and collaborate.

Joshua 1:9-10 ESV — "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,"

Deuteronomy 31:6-8 ESV — "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”"

Ezra 10:4-5 ESV — "Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath."

It is shocking how many passages talk about collaboration linked to courage. 

We can cast our cares upon God and face our fears and we should but are we courageous if we can and won't work 'with' people? Will we let pain turn us into cowards? Our first and primary collaboration can be with God. Then He will give us wisdom about people. Once we understand people's motivations we will be able to have mutually beneficial collaborations.

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The Royal Mind Bears Fruit - Part 2

 The royal mind...

"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." - Jeremiah 17:8 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." - John 15:4 ESV

We sometimes seem to cease to bear fruit but we are not the main character of our story. We are supporting characters and God's mind NEVER ceases to bear fruit.

Live there. He knows you and i and loves us in every season... Live there.

"Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?" - Amos 3:3 ESV

We agree to meet... where His words are spoken and The Holy Spirit speaks to us... using His book and people in interesting ways.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." - Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

Not fear, envy, doubt or hatred... living thoughts of life, hope and future exaltation. 'It is Finished' thoughts.

It is going to get hot and we may feel it but have a place to go where we are insulated... a strong tower where we run to... the royal mind.

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The Royal Mind - Part 1

 "[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable." - Proverbs 25:2-3 KJV

Kings are people just like us... in one sense yes but they are people put in an unique position...

"Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes KINGS and sets up KINGS; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him." - Daniel 2:20-22 ESV

"John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us KINGS and priests to His God and Father, to Him [be] glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 1:4-6 NKJV

Do we have a royal mind? A royal mind is God given. Jesus has The Royal mind.

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

A royal mind has great depth. It does not succumb to fear. It doesn't bow down to anyone but it's God. A royal mind serves. A royal mind washes feet. A royal mind plans ahead. A royal mind takes responsibility and has authority. A royal mind acts decisively.

We don't need dictators but we do need kings. God's Spirit in us creates a capacity for a royal mind to form.

"For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little."" - Isaiah 28:10 NKJV

"Teach me to do Your will, For You [are] my God; Your Spirit [is] good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." - Psalm 143:10 NKJV

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." - John 14:26 NKJV

We can open the King's book and have His mind. What a awesome privilege and responsibility that is.

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Keeping It Simple

 Complexity.... things get so complex that we get overwhelmed... it can look hopeless and paralyzing.

Faith however is simple and simplifying... it is binary... we have it or we don't... i really like the Lord's prayer...

""Pray, then, in this way:
'Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
'Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. '
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" - Matthew 6:9-13 NASB20

Each line flips a switch. Each line is a way to believe and a thing to believe in that shifts the focus and burdens off of us and toward God.

The God who Is
The Holy God
The One who Is going to show up in a powerful organized way
The One who wants things and makes them happen
We ask Him to feed us
We rely on Him to forgive us
We look for His leading and trust in His deliverance

None of that is complicated... it is simple...

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV

Casting cares is a mindset that frees us to do the next thing... our problems won't get solved if we are passive but we can have a clear mind as we walk ahead one step at a time.

"[Nun] Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105 ESV

Today i got a few things done and tomorrow i will do a few more. Some are steps i must take but i will also start and complete a few small things just to feel that simple sense of accomplishment.

"A Song of Ascents. Of David. O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore." - Psalm 131:1-3 ESV

Yes and Amen to that.

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Three Kinds of People We Miss

 Galatians 1:4 KJV — "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:"

2 Timothy 4:10 ESV — "For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia."

People 'go' for different reasons but once they do they are absent from our 'present'.

Jesus gave himself in the past to deliver us now. God the Father wanted and wants to sustain us in our present circumstances no matter how hard or easy they are. 

One day we will be the ones who are gone but God will keep those who come under the shadow of His wings... Jesus gave Himself for these and those deliverances.

In that passage in 2 Timothy 4 Paul missed those three... Crescens is never mentioned again... Demas appears to be backslidden... Titus is a leader Paul raised up... none of them are there in his 'present' and he misses all of them.

I can relate.... to me.... Crescens is that person i look for but can't find... the number i have is old and disconnected and no internet search brings them up in a way i can contact them... then there are the Demas people... addicts lost in addiction or people who now hate me for some unknown reason because i stayed where they left or think some dark thing about me.... then there are the Titus people who are moving forward in their call but we aren't making memories together. We will share the stories later.

I miss all three but God Is here and His daily deliverances are here.

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From Imitation To Liberty

 "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." - 1 Corinthians 13:9-11 ESV

This morning i am seeing this passage in a fresh way as i ponder imitation and identity formation.

As children we imitate others... that is how we learn to speak... we see adults doing things and we do things the way we saw them do it, or try to.... identities get formed they can be healthy or very unhealthy depending on what is modeled, accepted and rejected.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."" - Matthew 4:17 ESV

That was John the Baptizer's message... Jesus saw the value of this man and imitated him. Jesus. The perfect man. But then there was a break into manhood.

"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry." - Luke 4:1-2 ESV

Jesus had a 'rite of passage into manhood', a hard thing He had to do Himself, just Him and His heavenly Father... no help from anyone... a victory that propelled Him into manhood and ministry.

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." - 1 Corinthians 13:9-11 ESV

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."" - John 8:31-32 ESV

I see so many 'identity issues' linked to imitation. People just don't know who God has made them to be or they forget and latch on, in their dissatisfaction, to something in the culture and they parrot those outward behaviors they see.... which is fine if you are a child but must eventually end.

Jesus latched on to His Father in Heaven. He showed us how to do that also. Something we can do at any age.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " - John 14:6 ESV

He said this and gave us a book full of red letter words (the words Jesus spoke).

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." - John 16:7 KJV

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." - John 14:26-27 ESV

The word and the Spirit and people who have come before us and walk in that same Spirit.

"So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing." - 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8 KJV

"Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us." - 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 KJV

Liberty is for adults... we can see freedom in others and imitate them but there comes a day, usually though something extremely hard, that can propel us in adulthood. I want that for all who are struggling today.

As we face the challenges of life let do it as adults who have love, joy and peace that passes understanding because we have left the imitation of temporal things behind.

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The Feminine Nature of Wisdom

 Wisdom is is spoken of as a woman in parts of Proverbs and i have been fascinated by that idea. This 'personification' is not actual... but it does reflect an aspect of human nature.

"The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man." - Genesis 2:20-22 ESV

Adam was missing something. He was incomplete. This morning i am seeing that rib as language and mathematics. Human things that are descriptive. God is transcendent. He is beyond what he has created but he took something human and made a woman to complete 'him' (humanity). Be His companion.

He gave us what we could never have alone.... wisdom... the rib became a woman... the logos (information) becomes a rhema (logical God breathed illumination).

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son, do not lose sight of these - keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." - Proverbs 3:13-26 ESV

Wisdom isn't a person we can meet like in Greek mythology... She is a gift we can treasure and a way we can operate. A companion both men and women can have so we are not alone in this world. Our 'plus one' who comes with us to commune with God and whispers insight into our ears about what she sees in those meetings.

"The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man." - Proverbs 8:22-31 ESV

We are made in God's image and wisdom is an impartation He has given us if we want it and woo it and value it. We can be fools. Information can just be a tool for our selfishness but it doesn't have to be... she can make us noble.

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