The Open Place With No Doors

There are doors that only a few people ever use.

One of the things about working somewhere in that you see a side of the business that only people who work there see. You go into rooms and drawers that no one else has access to.

We are curious creatures. We want to see what is underneath and behind things but that isn't always good.

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness... You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive." - Leviticus 18:2-10, 17-18 ESV

I only quoted part of that passage but more categories of people are listed. It may seem a bit vulgar to quote from this passage but it is important that we understand where lust comes from. It doesn't start with wanting something. It starts with seeing something.

A thief is looking in his or her mind in places they are not allowed to be and thinking of things that don't belong to them. An addict has often opened a door that should never have been opened and some part of their mind longs for some taste that should never have been tasted in the first place.

Perhaps you have seen something you shouldn't have seen. Now what? We live in a time where images are everywhere and neon signs point to doors no one should enter.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels." - 2 Timothy 2:15-23 ESV

Flee youthful lusts. Be washed in the water of the word. Decide what you are going to be. God sees everyone who is washed in the blood as a vessel of honor. What does a vessel of honor see? Where do they go? What do they think about?

"And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules. I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts." - Psalm 119:43-45 ESV

"For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? - the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip." - Psalm 18:31-36 ESV

Grace is the wide place. There are no doors there. Jesus is the narrow gate but once you pass through you and I enter into a wide place of freedom that is open and has purity.

"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' " - John 20:19 ESV

Jesus didn't use the door. He doesn't explore hidden places because nothing is hidden to Him. In Christ we have that also. We have a purity that isn't looking to uncover. We are in the wide place of grace.

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Strange Mixtures

God doesn't approve of certain mixtures. The last part of this passage is often used by angry atheists or other folks who want to disprove or invalidate the scriptures one way or another but I find it to be very edifying in context. That is why I have included the verses directly before the often quoted passage.

"You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material." - Leviticus 19:17-19 ESV

God doesn't want us to mix love and hate. He gave Israel, not us, statutes so that they would be a visual witness. The nations and cultures who passed through Israel to get to the Orient or to Europe would say, 'These people are different. They eat differently. They dress differently. They are funny people. What makes them different?'

If you have a garment made of more than one material don't sweat it. This 'statute' isn't for you. Chuqqah (Strong's H2708), the word translated statute, means custom or way of life. It was never meant to be global. It is an illustration of God's distaste for mixtures given to a nation that was to represent His mind to the world.

The world is very fond of making hybrids these days. Foods get mixed. DNA gets tossed together like a salad in laboratories. We as believers are not called to be an example of that. We are called to purity. Wear what you want. Join in marriage to the person you want to marry no matter what their ethnicity is. A joining of a man and a woman is a blessed event. God isn't asking us to have an outward conformity. His mind is pure and He loves to see us with an undivided heart and mind. He wants love that never seeks revenge. He wants pure relationships and we can only have those if we look at how He Is and what His Son has done on the cross so transformation and renewal can take place.

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Feigning Weakness

This morning I have been thinking about 'feigning weakness' as a strategy. That is when you pretend not to be good at something so you won't have to do a task. Competitors use this tactic to throw off their adversaries in contests so that the opponent will press an attack in what they see as a weak area only to be taken by surprise and overwhelmed.

"And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, 'Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?' And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, 'Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?' " - 1 Samuel 21:10-15 ESV

David wasn't mad but he knew these people were superstitious about insanity. They didn't want to be around it or be guilty of harming a person afflicted this way because they thought the insanity might jump on to them.

Self-deprecating humor feigns weakness and is very effective camouflage. A comic pretends to be dumb for comic effect but is really quite smart.

Oftentimes our weaknesses are revealed in our speech. Tempted preachers preach hard on adultery and other sexual sins and it can make people wonder if they have a weakness in that area. Then it is no surprise when it turns out they do.

If I have a problem I'm going to talk to the person who can do something about it. In the area of weakness that person is God but not many other people need to know. In public I am going to have a faith confession in weak areas and not harp on subjects that bother me. I am determined to live in a 'faith confession' that relies on God's strength. My mind doesn't need to hear my mouth talk about what is troubling me over and over again. Putting wood on that fire is not helpful and it only gives ammunition to those who do want to exploit weakness.

Let your enemy think you are full of pride when really you are humbled by grace. Let them think you are greedy when in truth you are happy with what you have been given. Then in the moment of truth, God will be glorified in your life.

I am not saying these things to make anyone a deceptive person. We seek to live a life of transparency but knowledge about warfare is vital in this life.

"Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly." - Proverbs 13:16 KJV

Let's live lives of purity and wisdom.

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The Fire And The Water

Water washes things. Fire changes things.

"...you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance." - Psalm 66:12 ESV

"...when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning." - Isaiah 4:4 ESV

We have a gas stove. I like cooking with gas. The heat seems easier to control. Perhaps there is better technology out there but I and fond of gas stoves.

When the knob is turned the gas in released and something ignites it. It might be a pilot light that is always burning or it might be a sparker of some kind that makes a clicking noise when the knob is in a certain place.

Fire, water and abundance. That is the order. Fire cooks changing raw ingredients into food but intense fire purges. Water washes the grime away. Then God gives abundance.

"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." - Hebrews 12:22-29 ESV

It makes me think of holiness. The Spirit of Grace is also the Spirit of burning. Grace changes us and purges us.

"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." - 1 Corinthians 3:12-13 ESV

Holiness is what I want. Heat is required and a spark is required to turn that gas into flame so that the change can happen. If the materials are right the change is a melting change. Gold, silver and precious stones are not consumed... they are molded and set into place.

I look around and I see flammable culture and when people talk about wanting to exit a potential bonfire before it explodes into flame  I understand that feeling.

When we know God's character and nature we have great respect for His power and we don't live in fear of His fire. It is controlled and His timing is always perfect. He is for us and never against us even if He turns something we were once fond of into ashes that need to be washed away.

Let's build on a foundation that can't be moved with materials that melt but don't burst into flame and if the fire touches our life then let the water of the word come in to wash away the ashes and cool us down again so that blessing can be abundant in our life.

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Grace In Luke Chapter One

I'm reading Luke chapter 1 this morning and what a blessing it is. The the angel Gabriel is making visits and speaking to people.

He speaks to an old man who is made mute until he makes a faith decision to act in a window of opportunity but he also speaks to a young woman. That young woman didn't have the stubbornness of the old man but none the less the conversation still caused her trouble.

"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry,

'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.'

And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.'

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home." - Luke 1:39-56 ESV

Mary made haste to have fellowship with people who could relate to her. She was a pure young girl and her words reflect her purity don't they?

Mary lived for three months in the stubborn mute old man's house.

"Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered,

'No; he shall be called John.' And they said to her, 'None of your relatives is called by this name.'

And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.'

And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea," - Luke 1:57-65 ESV

That was no ordinary house. God was doing things there.

Perhaps there is a stubborn old man living in your house. Maybe there is one living deep inside you. A mute relegious person who goes through the motions of serving in the temple but is hesitant to walk by faith.

God may just put a piece of paper in front of you today. What will you write on it?

Or maybe it is Mary that you relate to more in this season of life. You have vision that has yet to be born but the trouble has already begun. Fellowship is what you need. Time with people a little farther along the path.

This morning my soul magnifies the Lord.

I read the words of the account of these people's lives and it is like cold water splashed on my face. It awakens me and cleanses my thinking.

He sent us a Savior and it turned our lives topsy turvey. Thank God He did. We need to get things shaken up so that reality will come into focus.

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Effortless One On One Communication

I once asked a man how he became such a good listener and conversationalist and he said it was from years of confrontational evangelism. He had been rejected by hundreds of people and he had learned to be a good listener. He had abandoned formulas and learned to love the lovely and unlovely alike.

"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," - 1 Peter 3:13-15 ESV

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," - Philippians 2:4-5 ESV

There is something about purposefully conversations where personal agendas are absent.

When you extend yourself in love you also learn how to listen. Introvert or extrovert it doesn't matter. Your world may be inside yourself or outside of yourself but in purity Christ becomes the focus and there is a way to be with people that is absent of anxiety or fear because God is supplying a peace that passes understanding.

I see people relate to each other based on sexuality and it is a sad substitute for intimacy. A false identity that is built on attraction is just a distraction. It is a mask for insecurity.

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." - Romans 12:9-11 ESV

When God is our King we are not seek to please people. God is already pleased with us because of Jesus. People are no longer objects or sources pleasure, prestige, provision or even comfort. God has met those needs in us. We know that whatever need we are experiencing in any given moment has a provision that is on it's way from God. Our souls are weaned and know that they will be fed in due season by the God who loves us.

Jesus could (and did) befriend fishermen, scholars, prostitutes and traitors alike. Mary Magdalene met a man she could not beguile who loved her in purity and had words from Heaven. Nicodemus came at night to talk to Jesus but concepts and theories weren't the basis of the conversation. Jesus loved Nicodemus and gave him an eternal perspective that could not come from any book.

Think about who makes you nervous. The idea of that person is exerting a power over you. If you pray for them and think in purity that power can be broken over time or in a moment because it is a false power feeding off of a personal agenda to be loved, wanted or powerful. When our souls are fending for themselves fear is always an underlying influence.

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." - Galatians 1:10-12 ESV

I post these things on social media but the bottom line is that I don't really care if you like what I have to say or not. I don't care much about if you like me or not either. I care about your soul. The message I have from day to day isn't my message. I hope to have strong relationships with all kinds of people... I'm just not going to compromise to get them.

We can go toe to toe and speak face to face with people who hate us. We are able to stand there loving them as we speak and listen. We don't have to harden our hearts like inmates in a tough prison block. It is a supernatural freedom that is only acquired in a faith relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ but anyone can have this freedom.

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-32, 36 ESV

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