Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Hopeless... But Now Having A Hope That Maketh Not Ashamed
Hopelessness is when we lose all confidence in ourselves, other people and have no sense that any powerful being cares or notices us in a real way.
"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." - Ephesians 2:11-12 ESV
That was us before... after believing in Jesus we have this...
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:1-5 ESV
'...hope that maketh not ashamed...' (KJV language) is a realization that because we are JUSTIFIED in Christ (verse 1) God notices us. We have access. We have a place to stand. We 'rejoice in hope of the glory of God'... God isn't going to remain invisible... His glory is a revealing of His brightness and person...
This hope has nothing to do with other people or how we perform or succeed... love gets poured into us... our sufferings are producing room for that love... we don't suffer because we are forgotten... God Is going to be revealed because we are not forgotten... We have peace 'with' God. That is not just a cessation of conflict. It is a shared peace.
"Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!" - Psalm 119:116-117 ESV
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Thursday, October 28, 2021
Predictors versus Indicators
The past is not a very good predictor of the future. I see many Bible teachers using the what has happened to try and say what will happen. Historians also. They are rarely right.
One thing many Bible teachers do get right, from my viewpoint at least, is that things do happen for a reason. Nothing is random. Events get pushed along by some force, or forces really, because there are always several reasons that something has happened.
We can see 'indicators' and then we make choices based on those things. The wise know how to spot indicators that are not obvious to the untrained eye.
"for we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV
Character is a good indicator. Our 'Faith' is based on God's demonstrated character. That applies to people also and loosely to groups but because leadership changes hands and circumstances change even that is not the best 'predictor'.
"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." - 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV
God tells us certain things about what he will do and how He thinks and that information is 'precious' because it gives us hope in a very uncertain world.
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Saturday, April 21, 2018
The Sugar Cube
The other night at coffee we began talking about Richard Wurmbrand. In the prisons that man was in a sugar cube was like medicine because they were all starving. Just one cube was precious and could keep a dying prisoner alive for a few more days. Pastor Wurmbrand spoke of a time one of the men in his cell was close to death and another prisoner spoke up and proclaimed that he had a sugar cube. They watched as he slowly unwrapped it. The whiteness of it struck them. Nothing was white in that prison. Someone in the group said, 'It is like Heaven' the others agreed and the small group of starving, pale men dressed in rags began to dance for joy. Heaven's presence was felt in that cell and the dying man told them to put the sugar cube away and give it to someone in a worse state than he was. The joy of his fellows and the power of that moment had revived him.
It is rumoured that that sugar cube was passed from prisoner to prisoner for years... maybe decades...
"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see." - Revelation 3:17-18 ESV
God, please lead us today. All of us who have received the Gospel have the brightness of Heaven to offer to our fellow but only those who truly know their need will see the value of it. Lead us. We treasure it but it is not a thing to keep for ourselves it is a thing to be given away and we want to give it away to those who are close to death but may not even know it.
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It is rumoured that that sugar cube was passed from prisoner to prisoner for years... maybe decades...
"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see." - Revelation 3:17-18 ESV
God, please lead us today. All of us who have received the Gospel have the brightness of Heaven to offer to our fellow but only those who truly know their need will see the value of it. Lead us. We treasure it but it is not a thing to keep for ourselves it is a thing to be given away and we want to give it away to those who are close to death but may not even know it.
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Thursday, February 22, 2018
A Messy Prayer Time
Shamelessly begging God this morning for people and places... for marriages and young men and women who are in trouble... asking every way I know How. Bugging Him. Pleading. Demanding He come through like a son who feels like His Father's reputation is on the line. Looking for loopholes. Reminding Him of scriptural accounts where He helped and saved people. I'm demanding supplies like an army unit on the frontline of the battle. If He were a flesh and blood person on Earth He might say, 'Get yourself together. You are barely making sense right now.' and hang up the phone but I know He won't. I know He hears. He sees my hearts cry. He sees my tears. My desires are small compared to His.
Along with prayers for others is mingled in a deep desire that He not let me be a mediocre man witnessing hardship around me but doing very little or being ineffective in my efforts. The least I can do is get on my knees but what comes next? How do I act? I run ideas by Him and make suggestions. I plan phone calls and set some money and time aside in my schedule so I can go or give.
Why even write this and tell you? In a way these posts are like notes in a bottle cast into the ocean. Today this is a small note saying. 'It can be this way sometimes.' or 'You can talk to God this way also.' it doesn't have to happen only in the time of emergency.
No. No. No. No. A thousand 'no's. To the hardships and troubles and isolation. If there is a way I want to find it with God. There are a million 'Yes's and 'Amen's in Him. He can make a way where this is no way. He brings the stream to the desert.
No offence but I am done talking to you folks this morning. I need to pound on God's door now for a few more precious minutes...
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Along with prayers for others is mingled in a deep desire that He not let me be a mediocre man witnessing hardship around me but doing very little or being ineffective in my efforts. The least I can do is get on my knees but what comes next? How do I act? I run ideas by Him and make suggestions. I plan phone calls and set some money and time aside in my schedule so I can go or give.
Why even write this and tell you? In a way these posts are like notes in a bottle cast into the ocean. Today this is a small note saying. 'It can be this way sometimes.' or 'You can talk to God this way also.' it doesn't have to happen only in the time of emergency.
No. No. No. No. A thousand 'no's. To the hardships and troubles and isolation. If there is a way I want to find it with God. There are a million 'Yes's and 'Amen's in Him. He can make a way where this is no way. He brings the stream to the desert.
No offence but I am done talking to you folks this morning. I need to pound on God's door now for a few more precious minutes...
--
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Heaven Has All The Children
Many many years ago King David had a sick child. That child didn't grow up to adulthood.
"David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.' But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, 'Is the child dead?' They said, 'He is dead.' Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, 'What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.' He said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.' " - 2 Samuel 12:16-23 ESV
On the basis of verse 23, it is my firm conviction, that all children go to Heaven. Heaven has all the children.
Hell is filled with adults who say 'no' to God. These adults never said 'Yes' to God. Who can share a house with someone who never agrees with them? How does that work in the long run? There must be some basis of agreement. The first thing we ever agree with God about is His Son Jesus.
One day we will go to see God in His house and it will be filled with children and adults that all agree about one thing. They won't be there because they are good. They, we, will be there because God is good.
I'm praying this morning for all those who are weeping and fasting for a child. They want to see that child grow up to adulthood and prosper. We weep with them and pray with them.
One day all the tears will be wiped away.
"And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken." - Isaiah 25:7-8 ESV
We will dance and play. Joyful laughter will echo on shining streets of gold.
--
"David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.' But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, 'Is the child dead?' They said, 'He is dead.' Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, 'What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.' He said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.' " - 2 Samuel 12:16-23 ESV
On the basis of verse 23, it is my firm conviction, that all children go to Heaven. Heaven has all the children.
Hell is filled with adults who say 'no' to God. These adults never said 'Yes' to God. Who can share a house with someone who never agrees with them? How does that work in the long run? There must be some basis of agreement. The first thing we ever agree with God about is His Son Jesus.
One day we will go to see God in His house and it will be filled with children and adults that all agree about one thing. They won't be there because they are good. They, we, will be there because God is good.
I'm praying this morning for all those who are weeping and fasting for a child. They want to see that child grow up to adulthood and prosper. We weep with them and pray with them.
One day all the tears will be wiped away.
"And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken." - Isaiah 25:7-8 ESV
We will dance and play. Joyful laughter will echo on shining streets of gold.
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Having True Joy This Christmas Season
Good theology shrinks the gap between perception (how we see the world) and expectation (how we would like the world to be). The larger that gap is the more frustrated we are as human beings. If nothing is as it 'should be' for long periods of time we can live in 'prevailing unhappiness'.
Holidays can amplify this undercurrent because of all the expectations involved.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 ESV
Yes. The overcomer isn't unhappy.
You may say, 'Who are these people?' but if you have believed YOU are an overcomer.
"As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:36-39 ESV
What is this Christmas going to be like? What will this next year bring? Part of the equation is this gap. Are you living in a lost world that needs Jesus or a movie where the good guy wins at the last minute and the girl always ends up with the man who will love her selflessly?
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." - Hebrews 13:9 KJV
That means we expect that we are going to get negative things at times but that we are given a perfect position by God. Not only does he see us as perfect because of His Son. We also get a stream of provision from our Father just like His Son had a stream of provision when He was walking on the Earth.
I want you to have a Merry Christmas. It would be great if we all have one but there is a deeper issue here.
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 ESV
Eating and drinking with people you enjoy and enjoy you is momentary merriment. Peace and Joy with God's essence coursing through us is deeper. That can be had in prison if this gap is small.
God help us to live expecting to get 'what we don't deserve'. We deserve Hell but we are getting Heaven. We merit isolation but we have been given at least one divine person who loves us with an everlasting love.
I hope you see Jesus this Christmas, the Risen Christ and not just the tiny plastic baby in the manger. In His presence the gap between 'how it should be' and 'how it is' fades down to nothing. He Is 'how things should be'. Let Him hold you in His embrace.
--
Holidays can amplify this undercurrent because of all the expectations involved.
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33 ESV
Yes. The overcomer isn't unhappy.
You may say, 'Who are these people?' but if you have believed YOU are an overcomer.
"As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:36-39 ESV
What is this Christmas going to be like? What will this next year bring? Part of the equation is this gap. Are you living in a lost world that needs Jesus or a movie where the good guy wins at the last minute and the girl always ends up with the man who will love her selflessly?
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein." - Hebrews 13:9 KJV
That means we expect that we are going to get negative things at times but that we are given a perfect position by God. Not only does he see us as perfect because of His Son. We also get a stream of provision from our Father just like His Son had a stream of provision when He was walking on the Earth.
I want you to have a Merry Christmas. It would be great if we all have one but there is a deeper issue here.
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." - Romans 14:17 ESV
Eating and drinking with people you enjoy and enjoy you is momentary merriment. Peace and Joy with God's essence coursing through us is deeper. That can be had in prison if this gap is small.
God help us to live expecting to get 'what we don't deserve'. We deserve Hell but we are getting Heaven. We merit isolation but we have been given at least one divine person who loves us with an everlasting love.
I hope you see Jesus this Christmas, the Risen Christ and not just the tiny plastic baby in the manger. In His presence the gap between 'how it should be' and 'how it is' fades down to nothing. He Is 'how things should be'. Let Him hold you in His embrace.
--
Friday, November 24, 2017
One Hidden Hope
I awoke thinking of the time in Israel's history when the line of David, which was also the line of Messiah, was whittled down to just one boy hidden away in a back room.
"Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death." - 2 Chronicles 22:10-11 ESV
Those months and years Israel must have felt abandoned by God. David's throne was supposed to be forever. This child was kept a secret so most people had no idea David's dynasty was being preserved.
"And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, "Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David. This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. Let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the LORD. The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out. The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions." - 2 Chronicles 23:2-8 ESV
Then when Athaliah was defeated and Joash was crowned king he was too young to really be considered competent.
"Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest." - 2 Chronicles 24:1-2 ESV
How could He lead? He was just a naive boy!
Joash was and is a type (picture that represents some aspect) of Jesus. Every hope was placed on one seemingly hidden person. Then once He is revealed can He really do the job in a dog eat dog world.
Yes, He can. All seems lost but it isn't. It looks like mankind will poison itself to death or push the planet past it's resources and let's face it... we could left to ourselves but there is a Messiah hidden in a back room that only a few priests knew about.
If you know Jesus then you know the world has a Saviour. What hope! What a sacred trust that is!
Our faith is an open secret. We have hope a folk who don't have it must see that little boy to believe that there can be a happy ending. This innocent One does have the wisdom to lead well. We don't have to resort to the wisdom of the world. Jesus' way is right and God approves of His innocent ways.
--
"Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death." - 2 Chronicles 22:10-11 ESV
Those months and years Israel must have felt abandoned by God. David's throne was supposed to be forever. This child was kept a secret so most people had no idea David's dynasty was being preserved.
"And they went about through Judah and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem. And all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, "Behold, the king's son! Let him reign, as the LORD spoke concerning the sons of David. This is the thing that you shall do: of you priests and Levites who come off duty on the Sabbath, one third shall be gatekeepers, and one third shall be at the king's house and one third at the Gate of the Foundation. And all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the LORD. Let no one enter the house of the LORD except the priests and ministering Levites. They may enter, for they are holy, but all the people shall keep the charge of the LORD. The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand. And whoever enters the house shall be put to death. Be with the king when he comes in and when he goes out. The Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded, and they each brought his men, who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, with those who were to come on duty on the Sabbath, for Jehoiada the priest did not dismiss the divisions." - 2 Chronicles 23:2-8 ESV
Then when Athaliah was defeated and Joash was crowned king he was too young to really be considered competent.
"Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest." - 2 Chronicles 24:1-2 ESV
How could He lead? He was just a naive boy!
Joash was and is a type (picture that represents some aspect) of Jesus. Every hope was placed on one seemingly hidden person. Then once He is revealed can He really do the job in a dog eat dog world.
Yes, He can. All seems lost but it isn't. It looks like mankind will poison itself to death or push the planet past it's resources and let's face it... we could left to ourselves but there is a Messiah hidden in a back room that only a few priests knew about.
If you know Jesus then you know the world has a Saviour. What hope! What a sacred trust that is!
Our faith is an open secret. We have hope a folk who don't have it must see that little boy to believe that there can be a happy ending. This innocent One does have the wisdom to lead well. We don't have to resort to the wisdom of the world. Jesus' way is right and God approves of His innocent ways.
--
Monday, November 6, 2017
Renewed Hope
I need hope to be renewed on a regular basis.
"But Naomi said, 'Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.' Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her." - Ruth 1:11-14 ESV
Naomi wasn't having her hope renewed and she was trying to fit her future into what was. The future rarely fits into that old mold. Hope gives us flexibility.
Jesus said this...
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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?" - John 14:1-2 ESV
Jesus has gone into this day 'before' us just like He travelled into death and scouted out a path for us. He operates from eternity. His prayers are with full knowledge of what has happened and what will happen.
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." - Hebrews 7:25 ESV
My hope lies in this 'uttermost' salvation.
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 10:32-33 ESV
This is an interesting passage to ponder in this context isn't it? His timing for release is just right but 'acknowledgement' of Him plays a part in some of our situations. Hope is linked to seeing Him in our days and moments.
Naomi could only see the future through her past performance and that wasn't going to work in her present situation. Ruth would be the one that God used to save her and her family. The Messiah would come through Ruth's line. Naomi had no way to see that before it happened.
We can't know what God will do this week or next month. We have hope that He has gone before us and in acknowledging Him we become colaborers instead of spectators.
--
"But Naomi said, 'Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.' Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her." - Ruth 1:11-14 ESV
Naomi wasn't having her hope renewed and she was trying to fit her future into what was. The future rarely fits into that old mold. Hope gives us flexibility.
Jesus said this...
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 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?" - John 14:1-2 ESV
Jesus has gone into this day 'before' us just like He travelled into death and scouted out a path for us. He operates from eternity. His prayers are with full knowledge of what has happened and what will happen.
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." - Hebrews 7:25 ESV
My hope lies in this 'uttermost' salvation.
"So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 10:32-33 ESV
This is an interesting passage to ponder in this context isn't it? His timing for release is just right but 'acknowledgement' of Him plays a part in some of our situations. Hope is linked to seeing Him in our days and moments.
Naomi could only see the future through her past performance and that wasn't going to work in her present situation. Ruth would be the one that God used to save her and her family. The Messiah would come through Ruth's line. Naomi had no way to see that before it happened.
We can't know what God will do this week or next month. We have hope that He has gone before us and in acknowledging Him we become colaborers instead of spectators.
--
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Three Things
"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV
"...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV
Faith, Hope and Love
Hope in Jesus... Hope becomes a covering for our thinking.
The work of faith is combined with the labor of love to make up a protection on our heart.
These three abide (have a home) now on Earth in God's plan.
Jesus must be at the center of this and every other meditation. Grace. Mercy. What He has done and how He thinks must be central.
No striving. No outcome driven focus. Just Faith, Hope and Love abiding now.
God show us how that applies today in our interactions and planning. Not just a pie in the sky future. Our thinking dwells in Heavenly places so that we can have a place to abide here and now on the Earth in our actual provisions.
A covering for our heart and for our head. That is what we need and that is what we have.
--
"...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV
Faith, Hope and Love
Hope in Jesus... Hope becomes a covering for our thinking.
The work of faith is combined with the labor of love to make up a protection on our heart.
These three abide (have a home) now on Earth in God's plan.
Jesus must be at the center of this and every other meditation. Grace. Mercy. What He has done and how He thinks must be central.
No striving. No outcome driven focus. Just Faith, Hope and Love abiding now.
God show us how that applies today in our interactions and planning. Not just a pie in the sky future. Our thinking dwells in Heavenly places so that we can have a place to abide here and now on the Earth in our actual provisions.
A covering for our heart and for our head. That is what we need and that is what we have.
--
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Reading And Rereading Proverbs Chapter 24
I am reading and rereading Proverbs chapter 24 this morning and it is so refreshing.
"My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off." - Proverbs 24:13-14 ESV
I so identify with what is being said in this chapter.
"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?" - Proverbs 24:10-12 ESV
We can have seasons where we are so bombarded with issues and concerns that we just don't have a capacity anymore to hear about more tragedy. Unless we get a break, rest and be renewed we will begin to turn a 'blind eye' to need.
"I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." - Proverbs 24:30-34 ESV
Yes. This is wisdom. It is practical.
We can read and reread and be washed and realigned. None of us know what the future will bring but there is wisdom that imparts hope.
We can deal with a few weeds and take note of weak places in our wall that need repair. If we are not overwhelmed we can do little things here and there and live with compassionate eyes that see, acknowledge and love.
If our strength is small there is no condemnation we can be realigned in grace and mercy.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV
Yes. Amen.
--
"My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off." - Proverbs 24:13-14 ESV
I so identify with what is being said in this chapter.
"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?" - Proverbs 24:10-12 ESV
We can have seasons where we are so bombarded with issues and concerns that we just don't have a capacity anymore to hear about more tragedy. Unless we get a break, rest and be renewed we will begin to turn a 'blind eye' to need.
"I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man." - Proverbs 24:30-34 ESV
Yes. This is wisdom. It is practical.
We can read and reread and be washed and realigned. None of us know what the future will bring but there is wisdom that imparts hope.
We can deal with a few weeds and take note of weak places in our wall that need repair. If we are not overwhelmed we can do little things here and there and live with compassionate eyes that see, acknowledge and love.
If our strength is small there is no condemnation we can be realigned in grace and mercy.
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV
Yes. Amen.
--
Monday, March 20, 2017
Depressed? Please Don't Condemn Yourself
If you are depressed it isn't your fault.
Oppression causes depressions. There is an aerodynamic action we can live in. Eternal security protects the mind. Being given Christ's righteousness protects our heart and vital organs. Faith can block all the fiery darts that would cut us off from our supply. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame anyone. The night is dark but the dawn will come. Get help for your body if that is needed but your soul needs God's sunshine to win this battle. You are a precious needed human being. You are important. God loves you in a special way... please don't blame yourself... see yourself through God's eyes and sometime soon you will soar again.
--
Oppression causes depressions. There is an aerodynamic action we can live in. Eternal security protects the mind. Being given Christ's righteousness protects our heart and vital organs. Faith can block all the fiery darts that would cut us off from our supply. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame anyone. The night is dark but the dawn will come. Get help for your body if that is needed but your soul needs God's sunshine to win this battle. You are a precious needed human being. You are important. God loves you in a special way... please don't blame yourself... see yourself through God's eyes and sometime soon you will soar again.
--
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Paul's Chains - Colossians - Part 34
Good morning. If you are reading this then that means you are alive and it is my firm conviction that where there is life there is hope.
I had interesting dreams last night. The details of them are fading even as I type but the theme and thought I was left with was the concept of 'being painted into a corner.' I don't hear people talk about it very much but I do see the theme everywhere in fiction and in life.
People tend to get trapped by their own projects or locked into circumstances. Stepping on wet paint makes a mess and waiting wastes time. The grass is always greener out in the free zone if you are stuck in a trap of your own design.
We find that life is filled with many painters and at times our progress is halted by the work of others.
I think this is a fitting thought for this last verse of the last chapter of Colossians.
"I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you." - Colossians 4:18 ESV
Paul's life has brought him to this place. A trapped man who is truly free. He isn't complaining or full of despair. He is writing about the loftiest of subjects. He is moving forward. He has hope for himself and others. God is being revealed moment by moment to him in his experience.
The Gospel is a message for trapped people who long to be free. It is for dying people who want to live.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." - John 3:16-19 ESV
If you are happy functioning in your own power then this isn't such good news.
But, For the father who suddenly realizes that his life is locked in because he has children or the business owner who knows that others are relying on them this is wonderful news.
It is wonderful news to anyone who has painted themselves into a corner or who has come to grips with the reality that death is coming at them like a freight train and one day they will face the final situation where the only solution lies in a Savior who will be the way of escape.
Paul was in chains. The Colossians knew that. I'm sure they prayed for his release but I'm also sure that it was motivation for them to live in the freedom of the One who gives release.
Are you trapped today? There is a Savior who releases captives.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed," - Luke 4:18 ESV
If you are alive then you have hope.
"'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." - Matthew 22:32 ESV
Believe in Jesus and join the ranks of the living. There is hope in Him. He will be your constant companion as the paint drys and He will release you from every chain at the perfect moment.
--
I had interesting dreams last night. The details of them are fading even as I type but the theme and thought I was left with was the concept of 'being painted into a corner.' I don't hear people talk about it very much but I do see the theme everywhere in fiction and in life.
People tend to get trapped by their own projects or locked into circumstances. Stepping on wet paint makes a mess and waiting wastes time. The grass is always greener out in the free zone if you are stuck in a trap of your own design.
We find that life is filled with many painters and at times our progress is halted by the work of others.
I think this is a fitting thought for this last verse of the last chapter of Colossians.
"I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you." - Colossians 4:18 ESV
Paul's life has brought him to this place. A trapped man who is truly free. He isn't complaining or full of despair. He is writing about the loftiest of subjects. He is moving forward. He has hope for himself and others. God is being revealed moment by moment to him in his experience.
The Gospel is a message for trapped people who long to be free. It is for dying people who want to live.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil." - John 3:16-19 ESV
If you are happy functioning in your own power then this isn't such good news.
But, For the father who suddenly realizes that his life is locked in because he has children or the business owner who knows that others are relying on them this is wonderful news.
It is wonderful news to anyone who has painted themselves into a corner or who has come to grips with the reality that death is coming at them like a freight train and one day they will face the final situation where the only solution lies in a Savior who will be the way of escape.
Paul was in chains. The Colossians knew that. I'm sure they prayed for his release but I'm also sure that it was motivation for them to live in the freedom of the One who gives release.
Are you trapped today? There is a Savior who releases captives.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed," - Luke 4:18 ESV
If you are alive then you have hope.
"'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living." - Matthew 22:32 ESV
Believe in Jesus and join the ranks of the living. There is hope in Him. He will be your constant companion as the paint drys and He will release you from every chain at the perfect moment.
--
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Hope Deferred
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." - Proverbs 13:12 ESV
Are people heart sick because they don't have what they want yet or because they don't want what they already have?
I think it's both. If you spend any time with older people they treasure what they had and remember their youth and middle age vividly. It's like those times come into focus for them. Some fictionalize their past, others have deep regrets but there are others that appreciated things in the moment and then look back with appreciation and insight. The stories they tell about what happened to them in the past instruct a younger generation on what is happening in the present.
Yesterday we spoke about Jesus being the embodiment of hope and I'm looking at this verse in Proverbs in that context. I understand what it is like to live in a battle that rarely seems to end and suffer heartbreak after heartbreak. I know what it's like to want something and have that thing postponed again and again until you don't want to want it anymore but you can't change your heart's desire.
'But God...'
He Is what we have (if we have believed in His Son). Do we want Him?
He wants us.
"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
We can enter into His love and have a present hope that is not postponed.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" - Titus 2:13 KJV
Yes He Is coming later but His appearing is also the day of His visitation.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:20 ESV
People talk about living in the moment and I understand that but that falls short in so many ways because unless that moment is eternal it will turn to dust. Time does that to biological things because of the fall.
Hope is living in the eternal mind of the One who has won the victory over death and Hell. It is a tree of life and trees reproduce in multiplication as they give nourishment.
You may not have what you want but do you want what you have? We are stewards of hope. If we appreciate and take care of what we have God may just give us more to take care of.
--
Are people heart sick because they don't have what they want yet or because they don't want what they already have?
I think it's both. If you spend any time with older people they treasure what they had and remember their youth and middle age vividly. It's like those times come into focus for them. Some fictionalize their past, others have deep regrets but there are others that appreciated things in the moment and then look back with appreciation and insight. The stories they tell about what happened to them in the past instruct a younger generation on what is happening in the present.
Yesterday we spoke about Jesus being the embodiment of hope and I'm looking at this verse in Proverbs in that context. I understand what it is like to live in a battle that rarely seems to end and suffer heartbreak after heartbreak. I know what it's like to want something and have that thing postponed again and again until you don't want to want it anymore but you can't change your heart's desire.
'But God...'
He Is what we have (if we have believed in His Son). Do we want Him?
He wants us.
"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
We can enter into His love and have a present hope that is not postponed.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" - Titus 2:13 KJV
Yes He Is coming later but His appearing is also the day of His visitation.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:20 ESV
People talk about living in the moment and I understand that but that falls short in so many ways because unless that moment is eternal it will turn to dust. Time does that to biological things because of the fall.
Hope is living in the eternal mind of the One who has won the victory over death and Hell. It is a tree of life and trees reproduce in multiplication as they give nourishment.
You may not have what you want but do you want what you have? We are stewards of hope. If we appreciate and take care of what we have God may just give us more to take care of.
--
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Hope In God
God isn't going to change. God isn't going to die. If we place our hope in God we will have hope until the end. We can have hope for each circumstance and each life we come in contact with. It is a realistic hope because we have a risen Saviour.
I almost don't want to say more... Isn't that good?
"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
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" - Philippians 2:5 KJV
Jesus had a mind full of hope. He was going to the cross believing that God would make everything alright for the world and for Him also. Jesus was and is hope.
We can believe God. Jesus does believe God... always.
Is your situation dark? Jesus is with you in the situation. Is your neighbor's situation dark? God has you there to participate in hope. He has you, His ambassador, there to be a person who believes.
Deception is an absence of Hope in God. Hope is either gone or it is misplaced.
Today can be a great day because of Jesus. God hears prayers because of Jesus. Miracles happen when Jesus is present.
It is simple... very simple... so simple. We say His name and think about who He is. He died and rose and will never die again. He will never change in His love. He is alpha and omega. When He enters a room hope enters also.
'Jesus'
Say His name. Demons tremble at that name. Heaven sings when they hear it. Healing comes when hope comes.
Thank You God. Thank You. Darkness would have overcome us but You walked in and saved us. Thank You God. Let healing tears of hope come into dark places today. You are our strong tower. We run to You and hide in the comfort of Your strength and wisdom. You are the awesome God. There is healing in Your wings.
--
I almost don't want to say more... Isn't that good?
"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
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" - Philippians 2:5 KJV
Jesus had a mind full of hope. He was going to the cross believing that God would make everything alright for the world and for Him also. Jesus was and is hope.
We can believe God. Jesus does believe God... always.
Is your situation dark? Jesus is with you in the situation. Is your neighbor's situation dark? God has you there to participate in hope. He has you, His ambassador, there to be a person who believes.
Deception is an absence of Hope in God. Hope is either gone or it is misplaced.
Today can be a great day because of Jesus. God hears prayers because of Jesus. Miracles happen when Jesus is present.
It is simple... very simple... so simple. We say His name and think about who He is. He died and rose and will never die again. He will never change in His love. He is alpha and omega. When He enters a room hope enters also.
'Jesus'
Say His name. Demons tremble at that name. Heaven sings when they hear it. Healing comes when hope comes.
Thank You God. Thank You. Darkness would have overcome us but You walked in and saved us. Thank You God. Let healing tears of hope come into dark places today. You are our strong tower. We run to You and hide in the comfort of Your strength and wisdom. You are the awesome God. There is healing in Your wings.
--
Friday, April 1, 2016
Many Tears Wiped Away
I just had a wave of thankfulness to God in my prayer time as I remembered last Saturday's outreach time.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4 KJV
It is hard to know the difference between an empty confession and a confession with a conversion but if there is a confession there is hope for a conversion.
"...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' " - Romans 10:9-11 ESV
Only God knows and sees the heart.
If we confess with our lips while believing in the center of our being then all tears will be wiped from our eyes.
I got to be a witness to a few mustard seed confessions last Saturday. A seed so small going into the ground doesn't look like much but that seed grows into something fragrant and great.
"Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." - Luke 15:10 ESV
I gave a man I dearly love a hug at Church on Sunday after a tender exchange where we both got a little teary-eyed and He said, 'I'm 78. I cry more now.' and I said, 'I'm much younger than you and I cry more also.'
I will one day have all my tears wiped away and I am confident that many of the people I have had the privilege of praying with over the years will all be having their tears wiped away also at the same time. Sure some prayed to get rid of me but others prayed believing and those who believed have this promise given to them.
Thank you God. Life can get complicated. Anger flares. Tears are shed. We wonder at puzzles and complexities but this is a simple promise and a beautiful one. Because of You we have hope that one day everything we go through will be worth it.
Hebrews 11:35 speaks about a 'better resurrection' for those that hold unto hope and live in their called instead of denying it in passivity. It is for those who choose to live in who God has made them to be instead of in who they once were.
God help us. Give us the courage to walk as ministers of reconciliation. We want to see many many tears wiped away on that promised day.
--
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelation 21:4 KJV
It is hard to know the difference between an empty confession and a confession with a conversion but if there is a confession there is hope for a conversion.
"...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' " - Romans 10:9-11 ESV
Only God knows and sees the heart.
If we confess with our lips while believing in the center of our being then all tears will be wiped from our eyes.
I got to be a witness to a few mustard seed confessions last Saturday. A seed so small going into the ground doesn't look like much but that seed grows into something fragrant and great.
"Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." - Luke 15:10 ESV
I gave a man I dearly love a hug at Church on Sunday after a tender exchange where we both got a little teary-eyed and He said, 'I'm 78. I cry more now.' and I said, 'I'm much younger than you and I cry more also.'
I will one day have all my tears wiped away and I am confident that many of the people I have had the privilege of praying with over the years will all be having their tears wiped away also at the same time. Sure some prayed to get rid of me but others prayed believing and those who believed have this promise given to them.
Thank you God. Life can get complicated. Anger flares. Tears are shed. We wonder at puzzles and complexities but this is a simple promise and a beautiful one. Because of You we have hope that one day everything we go through will be worth it.
Hebrews 11:35 speaks about a 'better resurrection' for those that hold unto hope and live in their called instead of denying it in passivity. It is for those who choose to live in who God has made them to be instead of in who they once were.
God help us. Give us the courage to walk as ministers of reconciliation. We want to see many many tears wiped away on that promised day.
--
Saturday, March 26, 2016
The Valley In Between
The Saturday before Easter is a very interesting day. Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday. This is the day in between. The disciples are in disarray and Jesus is preaching to demons in Tartarus and the old testament saints awaiting release.
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." - 1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV
The days in between are interesting days. The morning is coming but is not here yet. The trauma of yesterday is still fresh in our minds.
My study of burial this morning brought me to this passage...
"On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land." - Ezekiel 39:11-12 ESV
This hasn't happened yet. This is a valley between Jerusalem, a city set on seven hills (approximately 2,500 ft above sea level), and the Dead Sea (approximately 1,400 ft below sea level). Tour buses used to go down a treacherous road translated 'Old Jericho Road' to take people to the Dead Sea. It is my understanding that Palestinians presently occupy this land.
This valley is believed to be the 'Valley of the Shadow of Death' referred to in Psalm 23 because a great shadow was cast as the sun went down making it a dangerous place to be. The story of the good Samaritan may have been based on the accounts of robbery that occurred while passing through this valley.
In the future an army that comes against Israel will be buried there and it will inconvenience travelers. A mass grave between the Holy city and the Dead Sea.
This reminds me of this day between death and resurrection. Our life resembles this day at times. We have believed and God has saved us but our bodies are not raised from the dead yet. Large swaths of land next to our spiritual life is unpassable. We see through a glass darkly.
But then Sunday comes. Then life is reborn. Then hope is stirred within us.
Easter is a day to celebrate. God has won a victory for us on the cross and our travels may be inconvenienced at times but what a great victory it is. Sunday will soon be upon us.
I hope you all have a great Sunday tomorrow.
--
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." - 1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV
The days in between are interesting days. The morning is coming but is not here yet. The trauma of yesterday is still fresh in our minds.
My study of burial this morning brought me to this passage...
"On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land." - Ezekiel 39:11-12 ESV
This hasn't happened yet. This is a valley between Jerusalem, a city set on seven hills (approximately 2,500 ft above sea level), and the Dead Sea (approximately 1,400 ft below sea level). Tour buses used to go down a treacherous road translated 'Old Jericho Road' to take people to the Dead Sea. It is my understanding that Palestinians presently occupy this land.
This valley is believed to be the 'Valley of the Shadow of Death' referred to in Psalm 23 because a great shadow was cast as the sun went down making it a dangerous place to be. The story of the good Samaritan may have been based on the accounts of robbery that occurred while passing through this valley.
In the future an army that comes against Israel will be buried there and it will inconvenience travelers. A mass grave between the Holy city and the Dead Sea.
This reminds me of this day between death and resurrection. Our life resembles this day at times. We have believed and God has saved us but our bodies are not raised from the dead yet. Large swaths of land next to our spiritual life is unpassable. We see through a glass darkly.
But then Sunday comes. Then life is reborn. Then hope is stirred within us.
Easter is a day to celebrate. God has won a victory for us on the cross and our travels may be inconvenienced at times but what a great victory it is. Sunday will soon be upon us.
I hope you all have a great Sunday tomorrow.
--
Thursday, March 24, 2016
A Message In A Bottle
I have several thoughts this morning as I sit here. I pulled a new booklet out of my booklet box this morning. I don't rummage through the box. I just pull out the next one. It is booklet based on a message preached in 1971 called, 'Last Looks, Last Thoughts, Last Words'. It was a very powerful message. At the moment it can be found on the internet (I'll post a link in the comments). It made me think of all the tapes, booklets, materials and letters that have been made over the last two thousand years. They were almost like 'message in bottle' communications handed from person to person. The Bible is a compilation of God's message in a bottle communications.
"Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, 'That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.' " - Romans 3:1-4 ESV
God used a nation to keep His words and not all of the individuals were faithful but The Bible is a faithful complete collection because God is faithful.
"At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.
Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, 'How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?' And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, 'O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.' " - Daniel 12:1-10 ESV
The Book of Daniel is a message in bottle book. It is tape that was handed from one person to another. It is a promise from Heaven held in a faithful communication.
These are days when people move quickly and knowledge increases at an alarming rate but only some people understand what is happening and what is coming towards humanity. People look to the stars as a possible future but others look up looking at what is not visible to the naked eye and hope in a Messiah that will one day split the eastern sky.
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." - Matthew 24:24-31 ESV
This message in Matthew is not for our generation. Those who live or have died in Christ will have already met Him in the air.
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV
After that happens there will be strong delusion on the Earth but also there will be people searching for God. They won't find Him in the information or rumors. The sealed book will be their provision. The Bible will become a road map to tell them there is hope.
Bibles are common right now in many places. It won't always be that way. They will become precious. I think that happens to people now also. A person in prison finds a Bible and it becomes a life line for him or her. God speaks to them through the words of a book. Like Daniel they don't understand many things but God unfolds His truth to them on His timetable and gives them a freedom that no person can take from them.
I have seen and heard of some crazy unhinged people quote the scriptures but I have also seen incredibly loving and stable people who live and move in what the Bible teaches and hold it up as the one book they trust. I understand why people might distrust someone quoting scripture. The Bible is a wonderful but dangerous book. In the wrong hands it is a weapon but in other hands it is a key that unlocks freedom, cleansing and communion. This key is rare and can only be found in one place.
I love my Bible. God comes to me in this book. It is my lifeline. I have shined light into it's darker corners and found gold and silver there. When I was hungry it has fed me. Grace has taught my how to handle it's sharp edges so that it can be used as a tool and not a weapon.
I consider it a personal gift from God.
Thank You God. You did not leave me lost, wandering and searching. You found me and gave me a wonderful book. I cling to it. I will treasure it until I see You face to face. Thank You God.
--
"Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, 'That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.' " - Romans 3:1-4 ESV
God used a nation to keep His words and not all of the individuals were faithful but The Bible is a faithful complete collection because God is faithful.
"At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.
Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, 'How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?' And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, 'O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.' " - Daniel 12:1-10 ESV
The Book of Daniel is a message in bottle book. It is tape that was handed from one person to another. It is a promise from Heaven held in a faithful communication.
These are days when people move quickly and knowledge increases at an alarming rate but only some people understand what is happening and what is coming towards humanity. People look to the stars as a possible future but others look up looking at what is not visible to the naked eye and hope in a Messiah that will one day split the eastern sky.
"For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." - Matthew 24:24-31 ESV
This message in Matthew is not for our generation. Those who live or have died in Christ will have already met Him in the air.
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV
After that happens there will be strong delusion on the Earth but also there will be people searching for God. They won't find Him in the information or rumors. The sealed book will be their provision. The Bible will become a road map to tell them there is hope.
Bibles are common right now in many places. It won't always be that way. They will become precious. I think that happens to people now also. A person in prison finds a Bible and it becomes a life line for him or her. God speaks to them through the words of a book. Like Daniel they don't understand many things but God unfolds His truth to them on His timetable and gives them a freedom that no person can take from them.
I have seen and heard of some crazy unhinged people quote the scriptures but I have also seen incredibly loving and stable people who live and move in what the Bible teaches and hold it up as the one book they trust. I understand why people might distrust someone quoting scripture. The Bible is a wonderful but dangerous book. In the wrong hands it is a weapon but in other hands it is a key that unlocks freedom, cleansing and communion. This key is rare and can only be found in one place.
I love my Bible. God comes to me in this book. It is my lifeline. I have shined light into it's darker corners and found gold and silver there. When I was hungry it has fed me. Grace has taught my how to handle it's sharp edges so that it can be used as a tool and not a weapon.
I consider it a personal gift from God.
Thank You God. You did not leave me lost, wandering and searching. You found me and gave me a wonderful book. I cling to it. I will treasure it until I see You face to face. Thank You God.
--
Friday, March 4, 2016
A Majestic Restoration
This morning I am reading Isaiah chapter 60 over and over again and it is washing me. God is describing the restoration of Israel and the descriptions alone are so majestic.
I know for some large chunks of scripture are hard to digest but in some cases I think dicing up passages do injustice to them because context is lost and context is a key to understanding.
Just imagine yourself as a ruined used up nation who had a time of power and prosperity but now that time is past. You are broken and disgraced by your own failures but God speaks the following words to you...
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it." - Isaiah 60:1-22 ESV
A nation can't think. It is an entity with no mind similar to a corporation or a continent.
People think and have sensibilities. We see, feel and understand. When God speaks to this nation who is He addressing? He is speaking indirectly to you and to me isn't He? He knows our needs. He recognizes our lack and our desires.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." - John 10:10-11 ESV
I read Isaiah 60 and marvel and the sensitivity of my God. The God of this nation has become my Father. I am not just His creation. He has adopted me into His family because I have accepted the friendship of His Son.
If He knows how to restore His nation with such flair and abundance doesn't He know how to restore us?
If we look to long at the suffering around us bitterness and despair can enter into our hearts. People can seem forgotten and obscure like this tiny nation whose impact seemed to be a thing of the past.
Israel has hope because of God. Israel could have been wiped from history like so many tiny nations but it remains and it will be restored. God has made them a promise and this great Restorer is thinking of You today. He has good plans for You right this minute.
I read the chapter and let it wash me. I have failed and will fail but the best is yet to come. I have a God who know every cell in my body and loves me in spite of me. Good things wait down the road. A great majestic restoration awaits all who believe.
--
I know for some large chunks of scripture are hard to digest but in some cases I think dicing up passages do injustice to them because context is lost and context is a key to understanding.
Just imagine yourself as a ruined used up nation who had a time of power and prosperity but now that time is past. You are broken and disgraced by your own failures but God speaks the following words to you...
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will beautify my beautiful house. Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? For the coastlands shall hope for me, the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the LORD your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful. Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Your gates shall be open continually; day and night they shall not be shut, that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid waste. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet; they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it." - Isaiah 60:1-22 ESV
A nation can't think. It is an entity with no mind similar to a corporation or a continent.
People think and have sensibilities. We see, feel and understand. When God speaks to this nation who is He addressing? He is speaking indirectly to you and to me isn't He? He knows our needs. He recognizes our lack and our desires.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." - John 10:10-11 ESV
I read Isaiah 60 and marvel and the sensitivity of my God. The God of this nation has become my Father. I am not just His creation. He has adopted me into His family because I have accepted the friendship of His Son.
If He knows how to restore His nation with such flair and abundance doesn't He know how to restore us?
If we look to long at the suffering around us bitterness and despair can enter into our hearts. People can seem forgotten and obscure like this tiny nation whose impact seemed to be a thing of the past.
Israel has hope because of God. Israel could have been wiped from history like so many tiny nations but it remains and it will be restored. God has made them a promise and this great Restorer is thinking of You today. He has good plans for You right this minute.
I read the chapter and let it wash me. I have failed and will fail but the best is yet to come. I have a God who know every cell in my body and loves me in spite of me. Good things wait down the road. A great majestic restoration awaits all who believe.
--
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
We Shall Be Changed
"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 ESV
Wow. What a promise.
There is a moment we can all look forward to when everything will shift. Broken things will be fixed. Incomplete things will be made complete. Short sighted people will hear a sound from Heaven and be baptized into perspective.
I personally feel that there are many great things to look forward to but this one day is high on my list. Worship will move to the forefront of our minds because the resurrection of Christ will become crystal clear.
If the Bible is true, and it is, then this is what we have to look forward to.
"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. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 ESV
Faith, Hope and Love. These things won't change. They aren't broken.
--
Wow. What a promise.
There is a moment we can all look forward to when everything will shift. Broken things will be fixed. Incomplete things will be made complete. Short sighted people will hear a sound from Heaven and be baptized into perspective.
I personally feel that there are many great things to look forward to but this one day is high on my list. Worship will move to the forefront of our minds because the resurrection of Christ will become crystal clear.
If the Bible is true, and it is, then this is what we have to look forward to.
"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. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:9-13 ESV
Faith, Hope and Love. These things won't change. They aren't broken.
--
Monday, December 7, 2015
A Thought For Discouraging Times
There are times when I am discouraged and I just don't tell anyone but God.
I have learned that God has a way of quickening us. He really does.
"And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' And some of the bystanders hearing it said, 'Behold, he is calling Elijah.' And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.' And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." - Mark 15:33-38 ESV
I always thought it was interesting that Jesus cried out to God and it was like He was speaking another language. The bystanders heard Him but misunderstood Him. Still... even though they misunderstood what He said it filled them with expectation to see a miracle.
We aren't Jesus. We aren't saving the world with our sacrificial death. That work has already been done by the only one who could ever do it.
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." - Colossians 1:24-29 ESV
Wow. Somehow we live in the cycle of death, burial, resurrection and session (being seated in Heaven with Christ) now here on the Earth and it is a source of encouragement to the bystander who sees our circumstances.
I sat next to a couple last night and they peacefully worshiped God together but I know a little bit about their hardships. They are many and varied. Perhaps in their own heart language they were saying, 'Oh, God why have you forsaken me?' but what I saw was two people with upturned eyes gazing at Heaven in circumstances where that is not natural. I saw powerful miraculous possibilities because I was in the midst of a group of people that live in this upward spiral. Some of them are tasting the bitterness of death or are in the waiting period of burial and others are enjoying the uplifting sensation of ascension and the peaceful glory of session. In two years the table may turn entirely and the people suffering today will be in a peaceful settled place and those who are experiencing victorious living may face great hardship. That is how it works.
We fill up this moment of history as Christ's representative on the Earth. God makes us ministers of reconciliation in time as He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. His affliction was more than enough to save all of mankind. We are filled with a taste of His range of experience so that we can communicate the hope of His glory.
The night of Jesus death he dealt with politics, pain and betrayal. He was tried unjustly and bribes were given to people to testify against Him. He had little sleep and little companionship. All these things can discourage us also. If we dwell on secular matters without rest we will get discouraged.
"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:12-14 ESV
Yes.
So we speak to God voicing our feelings but it doesn't end there. In death and burial we speak of resurrection, ascension and session. Then in victory we will not be forgetful of death and burial.
It is good to talk to people sometimes. We seek wise counsel and it makes all the difference because there may be logistical issues that we need wisdom to deal with. We may need someone to remind us that God is still God and that He has a plan.
God is the One who we can pour out our heart to and He understands completely. Jesus is our wonderful counselor.
--
I have learned that God has a way of quickening us. He really does.
"And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' And some of the bystanders hearing it said, 'Behold, he is calling Elijah.' And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, 'Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.' And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." - Mark 15:33-38 ESV
I always thought it was interesting that Jesus cried out to God and it was like He was speaking another language. The bystanders heard Him but misunderstood Him. Still... even though they misunderstood what He said it filled them with expectation to see a miracle.
We aren't Jesus. We aren't saving the world with our sacrificial death. That work has already been done by the only one who could ever do it.
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." - Colossians 1:24-29 ESV
Wow. Somehow we live in the cycle of death, burial, resurrection and session (being seated in Heaven with Christ) now here on the Earth and it is a source of encouragement to the bystander who sees our circumstances.
I sat next to a couple last night and they peacefully worshiped God together but I know a little bit about their hardships. They are many and varied. Perhaps in their own heart language they were saying, 'Oh, God why have you forsaken me?' but what I saw was two people with upturned eyes gazing at Heaven in circumstances where that is not natural. I saw powerful miraculous possibilities because I was in the midst of a group of people that live in this upward spiral. Some of them are tasting the bitterness of death or are in the waiting period of burial and others are enjoying the uplifting sensation of ascension and the peaceful glory of session. In two years the table may turn entirely and the people suffering today will be in a peaceful settled place and those who are experiencing victorious living may face great hardship. That is how it works.
We fill up this moment of history as Christ's representative on the Earth. God makes us ministers of reconciliation in time as He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. His affliction was more than enough to save all of mankind. We are filled with a taste of His range of experience so that we can communicate the hope of His glory.
The night of Jesus death he dealt with politics, pain and betrayal. He was tried unjustly and bribes were given to people to testify against Him. He had little sleep and little companionship. All these things can discourage us also. If we dwell on secular matters without rest we will get discouraged.
"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:12-14 ESV
Yes.
So we speak to God voicing our feelings but it doesn't end there. In death and burial we speak of resurrection, ascension and session. Then in victory we will not be forgetful of death and burial.
It is good to talk to people sometimes. We seek wise counsel and it makes all the difference because there may be logistical issues that we need wisdom to deal with. We may need someone to remind us that God is still God and that He has a plan.
God is the One who we can pour out our heart to and He understands completely. Jesus is our wonderful counselor.
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