"Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed." - Hebrews 12:9-13 ESV
Healthy parental discipline takes two primary forms. Something unwanted is added (more chores, extra study time, a new temporary responsibility, etc...) or some privilege is taken away (freedom to participate in events, keys to the family vehicle, etc...) these provide incentives and deterrents for proper and improper behaviour. This discipline is never condemning or demeaning. It is instructive.
The focus of this passage isn't on the discipline per se. It is on the state of mind we have when we feel like we have been put 'in time out' and things are not the way we want them to be. That feeling can be present regardless of how we got in a situation. It deals with what we can do when things aren't as we would like them to be.
We could have drooping hands and weak knees when we have to face our circumstances as in that state it is very possible that we get 'put out of joint.' Isolated. Depressed. Dejected.
God tells us to 'make straight paths for our feet' by living in a redemptive plan with Him. Instead of blaming Him for our circumstances or treating Him like He Is a hard taskmaster we make a plan with Him to get from here to there. We look at point B (a place in clear sight) and make a plan with Him to get there. We do that again and again and there is healing in that process in part because we are transacting with God in each decision.
It is Monday and we may have not overwhelming enthusiasm about what we see ahead of us today but we can 'make a straight path for our feet' today and live in a redemptive expectation. We ask God to give us a soul to speak to and share the good news with. We can ask Him to be glorified through us in what we do. We can plan with Him. We can worship in Spirit and in truth. It can be a great day. No! It can be the best day we have ever had.
"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 3:18 ESV
Yes! God has all of this in stock in abundant supply. It is ours if we have believed. We 'buy it' by faith. We appropriate it and it is ours.
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Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Monday, May 14, 2018
Monday, June 26, 2017
Coffee Can Contributions
This morning I'm thinking of 'coffee can' savings accounts. Put a little in and a little more and a little more. Lots of deposits but very rare withdrawals. Then when the big day comes those cans get opened and all the little sacrifices become one big party.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." - Matthew 12:33-37 ESV
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" - Matthew 6:21-23 KJV
Notice in each there are two varieties of treasure. Grace treasure and dark treasure. No gray. No combinations. You either know God and have a coffee can of light or you don't and have a coffee can of darkness.
"Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat." - Hebrews 13:9-10 ESV
Grace is directly linked to Jesus. No Jesus. No grace. Know Jesus and know grace.
This morning I am refocused on the big party coming later. I will be there because of Jesus. Just looking at Him adds something to my life that is contributing something to the party later on. Every faith thought and every time we value grace as something to receive, give and live it adds a degree of light to a treasure of light.
Amazing.
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"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." - Matthew 12:33-37 ESV
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" - Matthew 6:21-23 KJV
Notice in each there are two varieties of treasure. Grace treasure and dark treasure. No gray. No combinations. You either know God and have a coffee can of light or you don't and have a coffee can of darkness.
"Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat." - Hebrews 13:9-10 ESV
Grace is directly linked to Jesus. No Jesus. No grace. Know Jesus and know grace.
This morning I am refocused on the big party coming later. I will be there because of Jesus. Just looking at Him adds something to my life that is contributing something to the party later on. Every faith thought and every time we value grace as something to receive, give and live it adds a degree of light to a treasure of light.
Amazing.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Planting Surprises
When I was younger I used to purposely leave money in my coat and blue jean pockets so that I could find it later. Maybe it was $10 or if a was doing well I left a $20 dollar bill. It was because I found money in a pocket before and it really blessed me so I decided I could 'surprise myself.'
When we heard the Gospel we gained knowledge of a past event that had potential impact on our present and future experience. It was like a wrapped gift or an unopened letter.
The conversation at Church I have been speaking about most of this week was about sobriety but we didn't mention alcohol. It was more about what we think we will be like as old men because of how we are living now. We talked about our 'wallet table'... the place where we put the things we need in our pocket as we go out the door.
We live in a debit card age and I don't plant $20 bills anymore. It's still a great idea but I'm not in that mode anymore. I put ziplock baggies filled with Gospel tracts in my coats and I keep a stack (that keeps spilling over) on my wallet table so I remember to take them as I go out the door. They are little gifts I can hand out at a moments notice.
I refilled and arranged that table and my coat stash just this weekend. After a friend talked about how he found himself without tracts on a recent trip.
The Gospel is like a pleasant surprise God plants in a person's future... more really because it is life-saving... future saving... transforming. I want to be able to reach into my pocket and find it to give to someone at just the right moment.
If I live in this sober way now then that is the kind of old man I will be. I plan (if I am given the time) to be that old man who extends a shaking hand with a tract in it to strangely dressed young people. If I live that way now then I am more likely to live that way later.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18 KJV
What a glorious gift. Thank you God.
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When we heard the Gospel we gained knowledge of a past event that had potential impact on our present and future experience. It was like a wrapped gift or an unopened letter.
The conversation at Church I have been speaking about most of this week was about sobriety but we didn't mention alcohol. It was more about what we think we will be like as old men because of how we are living now. We talked about our 'wallet table'... the place where we put the things we need in our pocket as we go out the door.
We live in a debit card age and I don't plant $20 bills anymore. It's still a great idea but I'm not in that mode anymore. I put ziplock baggies filled with Gospel tracts in my coats and I keep a stack (that keeps spilling over) on my wallet table so I remember to take them as I go out the door. They are little gifts I can hand out at a moments notice.
I refilled and arranged that table and my coat stash just this weekend. After a friend talked about how he found himself without tracts on a recent trip.
The Gospel is like a pleasant surprise God plants in a person's future... more really because it is life-saving... future saving... transforming. I want to be able to reach into my pocket and find it to give to someone at just the right moment.
If I live in this sober way now then that is the kind of old man I will be. I plan (if I am given the time) to be that old man who extends a shaking hand with a tract in it to strangely dressed young people. If I live that way now then I am more likely to live that way later.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18 KJV
What a glorious gift. Thank you God.
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Monday, February 22, 2016
A Sound Strategy
A good plan can produce a good result. A good recipe makes for a good meal. A good business plan produces a profitable business. A good blueprint makes for a sound structure.
Is it possible to get a good result without a good plan. Yes. But it isn't a reproducible result.
God makes good plans for things.
"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." - Galatians 3:22 ESV
"Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit... The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven." - 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47-48 ESV
When Adam fell in the garden all of mankind fell with Him. As soon as we are old enough to be a accountable for our actions we suffer the consequences of our actions. If we live in Adam and sin we die because...
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 ESV
One decision kills us forever so that one decision can save us forever. What a good plan that is!
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?' " John 11:26 ESV
Not only does this work for one person here or there. It can work for everyone. It is a fool proof recipe. It is a proven blueprint.
Red grabs the attention of the viewer. If someone is wearing red they are going to stand out in a crown that is wearing more muted colors.
"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." - Isaiah 1:18 ESV
One slip caused a great fall but each decision to take God's outstretched hand produces a relationship that lasts forever. Amazing.
I am formulating a plan for this week. I am going to base it on Biblical principles of rest, integrity and vision. Not every minute is going to micromanaged it is a plan that involves faith in God's plan. I'm not sure what the results are going to be but I know I have a few good proven recipes and fresh ingredients.
I look forward to seeing what happens.
--
Is it possible to get a good result without a good plan. Yes. But it isn't a reproducible result.
God makes good plans for things.
"But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." - Galatians 3:22 ESV
"Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit... The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven." - 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47-48 ESV
When Adam fell in the garden all of mankind fell with Him. As soon as we are old enough to be a accountable for our actions we suffer the consequences of our actions. If we live in Adam and sin we die because...
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 ESV
One decision kills us forever so that one decision can save us forever. What a good plan that is!
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?' " John 11:26 ESV
Not only does this work for one person here or there. It can work for everyone. It is a fool proof recipe. It is a proven blueprint.
Red grabs the attention of the viewer. If someone is wearing red they are going to stand out in a crown that is wearing more muted colors.
"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." - Isaiah 1:18 ESV
One slip caused a great fall but each decision to take God's outstretched hand produces a relationship that lasts forever. Amazing.
I am formulating a plan for this week. I am going to base it on Biblical principles of rest, integrity and vision. Not every minute is going to micromanaged it is a plan that involves faith in God's plan. I'm not sure what the results are going to be but I know I have a few good proven recipes and fresh ingredients.
I look forward to seeing what happens.
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Thursday, January 7, 2016
Recipes Of Faith
I can't tell you how many times I have bought fresh vegetables only to have them go bad in my refrigerator. I have two lemons on my counter right now that if a don't use soon I will have to throw them in the trash.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 ESV
This verse is given in the context of worry and supply but this morning I think about abundance and use.
Opportunity is like that lettuce waiting to be used. If I don't plan a recipe that uses lettuce then it may just end up in the trash. I could make a salad or a sandwich. There are a dozen ways that the lettuce could be used and a dozen way that it will remain unused.
"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." - 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV
A tree takes a lifetime to grow. Hay comes up in a season and stubble is what is left over from a harvest.
There are a dozen recipes that include Jesus today. There are also a dozen that don't include Him. Gold is His character of royalty and divinity. Silver is his purity. It is what remains when silver ore is heated and the dross rises to the top and gets skimmed off. Precious stones are individuals born in fire and carved out as friends.
"'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.' " - Malachi 3:17 NKJV
"...among whom you shine as lights in the world," - Philippians 2:15b ESV
My faith is in my cupboard but will I use it this week. Mercy is new this morning. It is like manna that has come down from Heaven.
"When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'... Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted." - Exodus 16:15-16, 21 ESV
The manna came with the dew. It didn't float down like snow. It formed like dew forms on leaves from the mist of morning.
Just as some of us rarely see the dew in the morning some rarely see God's mercy because they aren't up early enough to gather it.
I'm not going to strive but I do have some recipes planned for the ingredients I have been given. Not everything can go in the freezer after all.
--
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:33 ESV
This verse is given in the context of worry and supply but this morning I think about abundance and use.
Opportunity is like that lettuce waiting to be used. If I don't plan a recipe that uses lettuce then it may just end up in the trash. I could make a salad or a sandwich. There are a dozen ways that the lettuce could be used and a dozen way that it will remain unused.
"For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." - 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 ESV
A tree takes a lifetime to grow. Hay comes up in a season and stubble is what is left over from a harvest.
There are a dozen recipes that include Jesus today. There are also a dozen that don't include Him. Gold is His character of royalty and divinity. Silver is his purity. It is what remains when silver ore is heated and the dross rises to the top and gets skimmed off. Precious stones are individuals born in fire and carved out as friends.
"'They shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.' " - Malachi 3:17 NKJV
"...among whom you shine as lights in the world," - Philippians 2:15b ESV
My faith is in my cupboard but will I use it this week. Mercy is new this morning. It is like manna that has come down from Heaven.
"When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'... Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted." - Exodus 16:15-16, 21 ESV
The manna came with the dew. It didn't float down like snow. It formed like dew forms on leaves from the mist of morning.
Just as some of us rarely see the dew in the morning some rarely see God's mercy because they aren't up early enough to gather it.
I'm not going to strive but I do have some recipes planned for the ingredients I have been given. Not everything can go in the freezer after all.
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Thursday, August 6, 2015
Building A Tower
"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:28-33 ESV
This is a good passage for career planning. To be successful financially we must plan like we are building a tower or waging a war. To be successful spiritually we must renounce all that we have and make the shift from relying on our own ability and rely instead on the gift of righteousness that has been given to us.
Surveying the landscape of our chosen profession is a good thing. If we were job hunting do we have the skills and tools in place to find a new source of income? If there was a fire or disaster of some kind do we have an escape route? Do we have a plan? Tower building requires a plan. If we want to live in a rancher we don't need an extensive plan but if we want to build a tower we do need one.
How about spiritually? Do we want to live in a rancher or to build a tower?
"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him..." - Matthew 5:25a KJV
In this verse our adversary is the Holy Spirit who convicts us. It might be a good idea to step back and make a few calculations. Do I really want a war with God? We don't have the resources for such a conflict so why go there?
Renouncing what we think we have and living in grace is a much wiser decision then beating ourselves or other people up. Grace is the best plan for the long haul. Our lives are better spent living by faith no matter what is looks like by sight.
The tower in Babel was never finished. They wanted to climb to Heaven and that never works. The things we want to see built are monuments to grace and those things glorify God.
--
This is a good passage for career planning. To be successful financially we must plan like we are building a tower or waging a war. To be successful spiritually we must renounce all that we have and make the shift from relying on our own ability and rely instead on the gift of righteousness that has been given to us.
Surveying the landscape of our chosen profession is a good thing. If we were job hunting do we have the skills and tools in place to find a new source of income? If there was a fire or disaster of some kind do we have an escape route? Do we have a plan? Tower building requires a plan. If we want to live in a rancher we don't need an extensive plan but if we want to build a tower we do need one.
How about spiritually? Do we want to live in a rancher or to build a tower?
"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him..." - Matthew 5:25a KJV
In this verse our adversary is the Holy Spirit who convicts us. It might be a good idea to step back and make a few calculations. Do I really want a war with God? We don't have the resources for such a conflict so why go there?
Renouncing what we think we have and living in grace is a much wiser decision then beating ourselves or other people up. Grace is the best plan for the long haul. Our lives are better spent living by faith no matter what is looks like by sight.
The tower in Babel was never finished. They wanted to climb to Heaven and that never works. The things we want to see built are monuments to grace and those things glorify God.
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Saturday, June 27, 2015
Some Thoughts From The Baltimore Convention
June 23rd, 2015
Just a couple of thoughts from last night at the convention that I am mulling over this morning...
- Grace can become a tool that helps us forget those things that are behind us and press toward those things that are before us. As we are in the anointing God looses the moorings and those things just float away until they are out of sight. It is not something that is automatic. God does it. I am praying He will do it for people to free them experientially from their past so they can move forward by faith in freedom.
- The things we seek are 'above' things and they are just out of our natural reach but the presence of God brings them to us so we sense them and experience them. When we don't feel them we reach for them by faith. These 'above' things are throne relationship things. They are in Jesus. They are with Jesus. Jesus is with us. We won't find them with the mind alone but we find them because He has found us.
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June 25th, 2015
A few more thoughts from convention 2015...
- What were men like Moses doing when they went down on the ground and 'fell on their face' in the OT? What did they find there? Who did they find there? Really, It was a kind of surrender but not a surrender to the circumstance or to a mortal person. They surrendered to God down there on their face.
"They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?'
When Moses heard it, he fell on his face," - Numbers 16:3-4 ESV
No argument with people. Moses didn't just walk on ignoring the conflict. He exercised ultimate humility and meekness and submitted to God. Wow.
Jesus hung on the cross but He was a man 'on his face' doing it. He refused to give a fallen argument. Amazing.
- The beatitudes came alive to me in last night's message.
"And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.' " - Matthew 5:2-13 ESV
These are are not the declarations of self. Grace does this in a person as their new man is ignited to think with God. Grace reveals the blessing on us in our human poverty. Grace reveals and produces meekness. We have a different hunger and thirst. Grace and mercy go hand in hand. The blood purifies and is applied by grace. A peacemaking ministry is possible. We can fall on our face when reviled and attacked. Joy is coming in those times.
What a blessing the messages have been this year. I want to get the audio of what I've missed. There is a living expectation that lingers with me this morning for the prayers prayed with people. It is a unique time. What a privilege it is to be involved and present.
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June 27th, 2015
The June convention in Baltimore has always been an interesting time of year. In many years past God has used this time to speak to me and change my life somehow. People are present that you may only see once a year... or once a decade. The conversation and messages are rich and at times just goofy and full of joy.
In years past I have prayed and asked God to speak to me, lead me or just plain heal me during convention. What He ended up doing was very rarely what I expected. This year was as unique as any other year has been.
I didn't ask God to give me anything this time and many times felt out of sync with what was going on. I would have a 'divine appointment' with someone and then minutes later I would find myself bringing a cup of coffee to someone who had gone who knows where. Ten minutes into the messages I found myself drifting and having to force my body into stillness and settle my restless legs. I liked what was being said and got some amazing gem from each message but found it hard to stay on track. Some of the music so enraptured me that I can still enter back into those moments as if they are happening right now.
God has spoken to me in many ways over the years. This year it was important to me to live in reality and not fantasy. If I got something from God I wanted it to be 'real' and not some confirmation or denial of a self contrived religious notion that would lead me down a road I was unsuited to travel on.
I hope you understand what I mean. Things can seem romantic but the glamour fades quickly when we go into things with rose colored glasses. I don't know about you but I have entered into 'faith ventures' where I have crashed and burned and it is not pleasant. You stumble from the wreckage bruised and limping and begin to flinch from the thought of ever going back. It's kind of like saying, 'I'll never love anyone again' after a terrible heartbreak. It is a stupid thing to say but if you are hurt deeply enough it sound more reasonable than getting hurt again.
Anyway... In the midst of my out-of-syncness there were these amazing moments of clarity and that is how God spoke to me this year. Much of what was said was personal and I won't share it here but a very key thing happened last night at about midnight while standing and talking to some friends in the parking lot as the band was wrapping things up and loading up equipment into their vehicle.
One of these friends is a missionary Pastor in India and He was talking about prayer and demonic activity and how much more common it is in India to see people who 'have demons' then it is here. This Pastor is a very kind rational person by the way. He isn't looking for a demon under every rock and is actually very reluctant to get involved in such cases because it is dirty business. He would rather just love people up than deal with that stuff. But, That among other things has taught Him the power of prayer and the security he has in the name of Jesus. He spoke about how prayer is so important in any venture and how he has seen first hand how afraid demons are even of the name of Christ.
I am very wary of, 'God told me I need to _________ more.' statements because I think God knows us very well and our effort is just that. It is ours and not His. He Is the Savior and we are not. But, When God shows me something I want to listen, remember and live in the reality of it. God showed me something about prayer and revealed something that goes to the root of why I can end up frustrated at times.
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' " - James 4:13-15 ESV
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." - James 5:16b-18 ESV
It is wise to bathe our going in prayer. It is wise to mention the name of Christ liberally if we are not doing it in vanity. His nature and name are powerful. He Is redemption and we function and see fruit when things are bathed in His name and not ours.
Some things may take a lot of asking and time but in the end there will be a lot of fruit. God will do it by grace and we might even be blessed to see it happen with our own eyes.
--
Just a couple of thoughts from last night at the convention that I am mulling over this morning...
- Grace can become a tool that helps us forget those things that are behind us and press toward those things that are before us. As we are in the anointing God looses the moorings and those things just float away until they are out of sight. It is not something that is automatic. God does it. I am praying He will do it for people to free them experientially from their past so they can move forward by faith in freedom.
- The things we seek are 'above' things and they are just out of our natural reach but the presence of God brings them to us so we sense them and experience them. When we don't feel them we reach for them by faith. These 'above' things are throne relationship things. They are in Jesus. They are with Jesus. Jesus is with us. We won't find them with the mind alone but we find them because He has found us.
----
June 25th, 2015
A few more thoughts from convention 2015...
- What were men like Moses doing when they went down on the ground and 'fell on their face' in the OT? What did they find there? Who did they find there? Really, It was a kind of surrender but not a surrender to the circumstance or to a mortal person. They surrendered to God down there on their face.
"They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, 'You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?'
When Moses heard it, he fell on his face," - Numbers 16:3-4 ESV
No argument with people. Moses didn't just walk on ignoring the conflict. He exercised ultimate humility and meekness and submitted to God. Wow.
Jesus hung on the cross but He was a man 'on his face' doing it. He refused to give a fallen argument. Amazing.
- The beatitudes came alive to me in last night's message.
"And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.' " - Matthew 5:2-13 ESV
These are are not the declarations of self. Grace does this in a person as their new man is ignited to think with God. Grace reveals the blessing on us in our human poverty. Grace reveals and produces meekness. We have a different hunger and thirst. Grace and mercy go hand in hand. The blood purifies and is applied by grace. A peacemaking ministry is possible. We can fall on our face when reviled and attacked. Joy is coming in those times.
What a blessing the messages have been this year. I want to get the audio of what I've missed. There is a living expectation that lingers with me this morning for the prayers prayed with people. It is a unique time. What a privilege it is to be involved and present.
----
June 27th, 2015
The June convention in Baltimore has always been an interesting time of year. In many years past God has used this time to speak to me and change my life somehow. People are present that you may only see once a year... or once a decade. The conversation and messages are rich and at times just goofy and full of joy.
In years past I have prayed and asked God to speak to me, lead me or just plain heal me during convention. What He ended up doing was very rarely what I expected. This year was as unique as any other year has been.
I didn't ask God to give me anything this time and many times felt out of sync with what was going on. I would have a 'divine appointment' with someone and then minutes later I would find myself bringing a cup of coffee to someone who had gone who knows where. Ten minutes into the messages I found myself drifting and having to force my body into stillness and settle my restless legs. I liked what was being said and got some amazing gem from each message but found it hard to stay on track. Some of the music so enraptured me that I can still enter back into those moments as if they are happening right now.
God has spoken to me in many ways over the years. This year it was important to me to live in reality and not fantasy. If I got something from God I wanted it to be 'real' and not some confirmation or denial of a self contrived religious notion that would lead me down a road I was unsuited to travel on.
I hope you understand what I mean. Things can seem romantic but the glamour fades quickly when we go into things with rose colored glasses. I don't know about you but I have entered into 'faith ventures' where I have crashed and burned and it is not pleasant. You stumble from the wreckage bruised and limping and begin to flinch from the thought of ever going back. It's kind of like saying, 'I'll never love anyone again' after a terrible heartbreak. It is a stupid thing to say but if you are hurt deeply enough it sound more reasonable than getting hurt again.
Anyway... In the midst of my out-of-syncness there were these amazing moments of clarity and that is how God spoke to me this year. Much of what was said was personal and I won't share it here but a very key thing happened last night at about midnight while standing and talking to some friends in the parking lot as the band was wrapping things up and loading up equipment into their vehicle.
One of these friends is a missionary Pastor in India and He was talking about prayer and demonic activity and how much more common it is in India to see people who 'have demons' then it is here. This Pastor is a very kind rational person by the way. He isn't looking for a demon under every rock and is actually very reluctant to get involved in such cases because it is dirty business. He would rather just love people up than deal with that stuff. But, That among other things has taught Him the power of prayer and the security he has in the name of Jesus. He spoke about how prayer is so important in any venture and how he has seen first hand how afraid demons are even of the name of Christ.
I am very wary of, 'God told me I need to _________ more.' statements because I think God knows us very well and our effort is just that. It is ours and not His. He Is the Savior and we are not. But, When God shows me something I want to listen, remember and live in the reality of it. God showed me something about prayer and revealed something that goes to the root of why I can end up frustrated at times.
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' " - James 4:13-15 ESV
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." - James 5:16b-18 ESV
It is wise to bathe our going in prayer. It is wise to mention the name of Christ liberally if we are not doing it in vanity. His nature and name are powerful. He Is redemption and we function and see fruit when things are bathed in His name and not ours.
Some things may take a lot of asking and time but in the end there will be a lot of fruit. God will do it by grace and we might even be blessed to see it happen with our own eyes.
--
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Bandages In The Cupboard
I keep band-aids in my cabinet because I know I'm going to need them someday. I hope that I don't use them and that they get so old that I have to throw them out and get new ones.
I'm not planning to cut myself. As a matter of fact I'm planning to be careful not to cut myself. But I'm not structuring my whole life that way.
"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" - Jeremiah 8:22 ESV
God gave us plants and substances that have restorative properties because at times we need restoration.
Things break. Mistakes happen. Just like we plan not to injure ourselves if we are wise we also plan to have what we need just in case we do.
God has spiritual band-aids in his cupboard. Life gets rough at times.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2 ESV
Jesus took the deepest cut. Our mistakes cost Him everything. But He was confident that His Father had band-aids in His cupboard.
I am so grateful that God is more diligent than I am. He has had a plan to help me waiting all along. He knew I would need healing so He stocked the cupboard with just what was needed.
Thank you God. There is an overflow of mercy. More than enough for us and the whole world. I feel privileged to know it. I want the world to know that the cure for what ails them is waiting in Your Son. Help me get the word out. Thank You for your great care.
--
I'm not planning to cut myself. As a matter of fact I'm planning to be careful not to cut myself. But I'm not structuring my whole life that way.
"Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" - Jeremiah 8:22 ESV
God gave us plants and substances that have restorative properties because at times we need restoration.
Things break. Mistakes happen. Just like we plan not to injure ourselves if we are wise we also plan to have what we need just in case we do.
God has spiritual band-aids in his cupboard. Life gets rough at times.
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10 ESV
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:2 ESV
Jesus took the deepest cut. Our mistakes cost Him everything. But He was confident that His Father had band-aids in His cupboard.
I am so grateful that God is more diligent than I am. He has had a plan to help me waiting all along. He knew I would need healing so He stocked the cupboard with just what was needed.
Thank you God. There is an overflow of mercy. More than enough for us and the whole world. I feel privileged to know it. I want the world to know that the cure for what ails them is waiting in Your Son. Help me get the word out. Thank You for your great care.
--
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Steps Ordered By The Lord
There is something about having a goal to read through the scriptures in a year and getting blocks you would not choose to read on your own. Then purposing not to skim but really read. I have spoken before about my box of booklets. I don't choose the next one. My hand goes into the box and what ever one I pull out next I read. Then I put the ones I have read into a new box.
There are several things in my life at any given day that are like that. It is healthy for me.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand." - Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV
We make a decision to choose a path of believing and not one of continual preference. If our lives are is filled with, 'This is what I want and that is what I want.' all day and week long what happens when it is time to make a hard choice? We have already worn a deep furrow of preference oriented choosing and maybe we use scripture to rationalize another 'what we want' decision. Then if there are no preferable options we can easily live in disappointment because preference can't be found.
Grace makes us free. Free to live knowing we deserve Hell but are not getting Hell. We deserve pain but have measures of comfort instead. We should be guilty but a higher justice sets us free from guilt and shame. Prisoners rarely get what they want and people who work to earn everything have a sense of entitlement because they worked hard for the power to choose. What about free people who should not be free but have what they have because of mercy? How do they think?
"Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." - 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 ESV
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
People read these verses in some duty oriented mode mindset and then deprive themselves or put themselves into a mold that becomes bondage. A deep study of the Bible must bring us to a different conclusion. Grace blows that out of the water. God freed us to be free. Really He did.
As free men and women we can choose the highest inner life. We may grab our inheritance and run away only to long for and find the house of our father was better than our preferences. All of us do that I think in big and small ways. Real liberty comes after we find the freedom of living in our father's house.
Grace brings us in union with Christ and that is unique. Jesus made things happen that His Father planned before the foundation of the world. He walked in pre-creation projects and had liberty in the midst of His purpose. He had meat and drink that the disciples would not truly know about until after Pentecost.
If we have believed and had a like-minded spiritual conversion we can say in the midst of our planning, 'What now God?' and really mean it. Then make a choice based on communion with God in the moment. That choice has an element of Spirit leading because it was a surrendered choice made in a scripturally saturated mind functioning in a 'not getting what we really deserve' mentality.It is not I must do this or I can't do that and it is also not I want to do this and don't want to do that. It is something else. It is faith navigation where we shout 'Grace Grace' to a mountain and it is removed because both rules and preference have been abandoned and a redemptive purpose requires the removal of that particular mountain.
--
There are several things in my life at any given day that are like that. It is healthy for me.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand." - Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV
We make a decision to choose a path of believing and not one of continual preference. If our lives are is filled with, 'This is what I want and that is what I want.' all day and week long what happens when it is time to make a hard choice? We have already worn a deep furrow of preference oriented choosing and maybe we use scripture to rationalize another 'what we want' decision. Then if there are no preferable options we can easily live in disappointment because preference can't be found.
Grace makes us free. Free to live knowing we deserve Hell but are not getting Hell. We deserve pain but have measures of comfort instead. We should be guilty but a higher justice sets us free from guilt and shame. Prisoners rarely get what they want and people who work to earn everything have a sense of entitlement because they worked hard for the power to choose. What about free people who should not be free but have what they have because of mercy? How do they think?
"Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." - 1 Corinthians 7:21-24 ESV
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
People read these verses in some duty oriented mode mindset and then deprive themselves or put themselves into a mold that becomes bondage. A deep study of the Bible must bring us to a different conclusion. Grace blows that out of the water. God freed us to be free. Really He did.
As free men and women we can choose the highest inner life. We may grab our inheritance and run away only to long for and find the house of our father was better than our preferences. All of us do that I think in big and small ways. Real liberty comes after we find the freedom of living in our father's house.
Grace brings us in union with Christ and that is unique. Jesus made things happen that His Father planned before the foundation of the world. He walked in pre-creation projects and had liberty in the midst of His purpose. He had meat and drink that the disciples would not truly know about until after Pentecost.
If we have believed and had a like-minded spiritual conversion we can say in the midst of our planning, 'What now God?' and really mean it. Then make a choice based on communion with God in the moment. That choice has an element of Spirit leading because it was a surrendered choice made in a scripturally saturated mind functioning in a 'not getting what we really deserve' mentality.It is not I must do this or I can't do that and it is also not I want to do this and don't want to do that. It is something else. It is faith navigation where we shout 'Grace Grace' to a mountain and it is removed because both rules and preference have been abandoned and a redemptive purpose requires the removal of that particular mountain.
--
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Thinking That Predates Time
Pondering the power of a finished work thought.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" - Matthew 25:34 KJV
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." - John 17:24 KJV
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" - Ephesians 1:4 KJV
"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." - Hebrews 4:3 KJV
"...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." - Revelation 13:8b KJV
God is a planner. Grace flows from this thinking.
Men seek answers for power. Even those that seem to seek God don't want Him they just want closure of some kind. The want an explanation.
God has had all the answers from before the beginning. That is how for back we must go. Before the foundation of the world we find intimacy not nothingness. We find a God who Is planning redemption and everything that comes after has that as a foundation.
What is finished work thinking? It is when we come to conclusions based on what God was thinking before time started ticking.
It is also making decisions with His mind before the situation happens.
A faith that pleases God sees God as He really Is. It is a snapshot of the big picture brought into a moment and then conclusions are drawn based on that reality. A finished work thought is based on God's pre-creation planning.
What will I do when someone hurts me? I pre-plan to forgive them.
What will I do with my next pay check? I pre-plan that redemption will come off the top and not the leftovers.
I start the day with God. In a way this time is before the beginning of my day. Jesus prayed all night. I start. He never started. Jesus is forever.
What Jesus did in time on the cross and what He was thinking before the world began give us an eternal thought process. We burn but we are not consumed. We have no problem being low because are thought are from above the sky.
What lies in front of us is lit from behind us when we think in the finished work. Even if it looks dark... It won't always be dark. The light from behind us will illuminate it in due season if we think in the finished work.
--
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" - Matthew 25:34 KJV
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." - John 17:24 KJV
"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" - Ephesians 1:4 KJV
"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." - Hebrews 4:3 KJV
"...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." - Revelation 13:8b KJV
God is a planner. Grace flows from this thinking.
Men seek answers for power. Even those that seem to seek God don't want Him they just want closure of some kind. The want an explanation.
God has had all the answers from before the beginning. That is how for back we must go. Before the foundation of the world we find intimacy not nothingness. We find a God who Is planning redemption and everything that comes after has that as a foundation.
What is finished work thinking? It is when we come to conclusions based on what God was thinking before time started ticking.
It is also making decisions with His mind before the situation happens.
A faith that pleases God sees God as He really Is. It is a snapshot of the big picture brought into a moment and then conclusions are drawn based on that reality. A finished work thought is based on God's pre-creation planning.
What will I do when someone hurts me? I pre-plan to forgive them.
What will I do with my next pay check? I pre-plan that redemption will come off the top and not the leftovers.
I start the day with God. In a way this time is before the beginning of my day. Jesus prayed all night. I start. He never started. Jesus is forever.
What Jesus did in time on the cross and what He was thinking before the world began give us an eternal thought process. We burn but we are not consumed. We have no problem being low because are thought are from above the sky.
What lies in front of us is lit from behind us when we think in the finished work. Even if it looks dark... It won't always be dark. The light from behind us will illuminate it in due season if we think in the finished work.
--
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Decent Order of Grace - Part 13 - Forethought
"When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me. But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia; and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I may go. For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits. But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." 1 Cor 16:3-9 NASB
Paul's organization has a decent order to it. Notice the spiritual autonomy given. The flexibility. He directed them to pick people but he reserved the right to send the people.
'If it is fitting' there talks about 'drawing down the scale'. Paul takes a look at the coming situation and guesses it's weigh but has a contingency plan in case the scales start to tip in one direction or the other.
Paul anticipates grace adjustments and the need for God's direction in the coming situation. He is willing to be the answer if necessary but does not take the whole project on himself. He is not a micro-manager but he keeps a hand on the project and does not let it go entirely either.
He leaves no possibility of failure. This thing is going to happen it is just a matter of when, how and with whom it will happen.
Paul is on the move and he does not function from deficit motivation. It is all 'Win / Win' because God is in it.
The mission centers around people and relationships and not the project itself. The project is a vehicle to be with people and Paul is sensitive to people to give them a 'heads up' so that they can plan. 'Perhaps I will stay with you' leaves room for housing plans... 'or even spend the winter' tells them to prepare for a possible lengthy stay... 'I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost' gives them a target time period. The Lord's coming may be imminent but not Paul's.
Paul doesn't just want to be there for a few minutes or days. He wants time to be with people. He wants to leave knowing the children's names... after many prayers, raps, bible times and meals together.
He sees life as ministry and that ministry has a wide door of effectiveness. Yes, There will be problems and maybe people who generate problems but ministry has impact we can't measure because it is done by faith. Faith pleases God... Biblical Christ centered faith.
Much can be learned about directing troop movement by studying David and Joshua. They were men who led armies. Much can be learned about directing volunteers by studying Paul. Gracious leadership is needed. It is needed wherever there are initiators and responders.
Fear is a powerful tool but what will that produce? The promise of promotion is often the carrot dangled to get things done but that eventually produces power hungry leadership. Gracious order weeds out lust and carnal motivators because it promises a cross not a prize. It strengthens relationships not lust patterns.
Paul's organization has a decent order to it. Notice the spiritual autonomy given. The flexibility. He directed them to pick people but he reserved the right to send the people.
'If it is fitting' there talks about 'drawing down the scale'. Paul takes a look at the coming situation and guesses it's weigh but has a contingency plan in case the scales start to tip in one direction or the other.
Paul anticipates grace adjustments and the need for God's direction in the coming situation. He is willing to be the answer if necessary but does not take the whole project on himself. He is not a micro-manager but he keeps a hand on the project and does not let it go entirely either.
He leaves no possibility of failure. This thing is going to happen it is just a matter of when, how and with whom it will happen.
Paul is on the move and he does not function from deficit motivation. It is all 'Win / Win' because God is in it.
The mission centers around people and relationships and not the project itself. The project is a vehicle to be with people and Paul is sensitive to people to give them a 'heads up' so that they can plan. 'Perhaps I will stay with you' leaves room for housing plans... 'or even spend the winter' tells them to prepare for a possible lengthy stay... 'I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost' gives them a target time period. The Lord's coming may be imminent but not Paul's.
Paul doesn't just want to be there for a few minutes or days. He wants time to be with people. He wants to leave knowing the children's names... after many prayers, raps, bible times and meals together.
He sees life as ministry and that ministry has a wide door of effectiveness. Yes, There will be problems and maybe people who generate problems but ministry has impact we can't measure because it is done by faith. Faith pleases God... Biblical Christ centered faith.
Much can be learned about directing troop movement by studying David and Joshua. They were men who led armies. Much can be learned about directing volunteers by studying Paul. Gracious leadership is needed. It is needed wherever there are initiators and responders.
Fear is a powerful tool but what will that produce? The promise of promotion is often the carrot dangled to get things done but that eventually produces power hungry leadership. Gracious order weeds out lust and carnal motivators because it promises a cross not a prize. It strengthens relationships not lust patterns.
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