I have have been meditating lately on trust... what to trust... who to trust... why should i trust in a person or thing... what are the parameters of that trust... i may trust a person to do something they are able and willing to do but not for something else...
"To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High... But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!" - Psalm 9:1-2, 7-11 ESV
I trust God because of His 'name' there is no other name like His. A 'name' in this context is beyond reputation. It is His nature as it has been revealed. It is His character. He Is a king. He is the King. He is not a 'forsaker'. He doesn't give up on people. If He gives His word He keeps His word. Those are qualities that promote trust.
Many folks have a short list of people they really trust. It becomes understandable if you get to know them and what has transpired in their life.
I long to be trustworthy and accountable because of the One i speak about and i want to invest trust in others correctly. People are fallen. All people are fallen. Still trust can be invested. God has trusted me by giving me life, time and influence. These things are gifts and how i use them will affect other people one way or the other.
Who do i trust? What do i trust? I want to trust in a way that glorifies the God of all grace and never lean to heavily on anything but Him.
Bridges are made to be crossed and projects are undertaken to build people and those things involve trust. God help us. Open our eyes so we can live innocent lives free from cynicism. Give us wisdom and we will be wise. Thank You God.
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Showing posts with label Royalty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royalty. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2018
Thursday, June 2, 2016
The Only Loophole
It is very interesting to read the genealogies in the Gospels. They prove Jesus' royal right to the throne of Israel. He was, and Is, The King of the Jews. He is qualified like no other and the proof is right in the two genealogies printed in every Bible.
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 1:18 ESV
Before this grand statement Matthews gospel reveals Joseph's lineage but Joseph was not Jesus' the biological father. Why have his lineage listed. Joseph was of the royal line of David and the Messiah needed to be a royal descendant of David.
"Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon)." - Matthew 1:11 NLT
" 'As surely as I live,' says the LORD, 'I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off... This is what the LORD says: 'Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless. He is a failure, for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David to rule over Judah.'" - Jeremiah 22:24, 30 NLT
Jehoiachin, sometimes translated Jeconiah, was cursed by God to never have a child on the throne. Jesus' birth had to be a virgin birth or it would have disqualified Him to be Messiah. At the same time He needed to be the son of a man from the royal line in order to be qualified to be Messiah.
Moses was raised in Pharaoh's house but was not genetically linked to Pharaoh. Jesus was raised in Joseph's house but His Father was God himself.
There can be no other Messiah. No one could prove their lineage. Rome destroyed the temple in 70 AD and the official record got destroyed also. No one can prove that their father's fathers came directly from David and even if the could Jeconiah would be there in the bloodline poisoning it.
Is it any wonder that we are reborn in a strange way. Everyone who is born of God is born strange. Adam's line is cursed to die. God snuck us in to His family using a loophole just as He put Jesus in David's royal line using a loophole.
Mary was also of David's line but in Jewish tradition you don't get to be king because of your mother. Your Father must be royal.
"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' " - John 3:5-7 ESV
Jesus is the king that will sit on the throne of David. He died but He lives forevermore so no one will come after him to inherit that throne but if God is your father then you share in the inheritance of royal lineage. God has no grandchildren. You must be born again. That happens when a person believes in Jesus. Only believe. By believing we escape the curse of the fall. God brings us into His family using the only loophole available to mankind.
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"Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit." - Matthew 1:18 ESV
Before this grand statement Matthews gospel reveals Joseph's lineage but Joseph was not Jesus' the biological father. Why have his lineage listed. Joseph was of the royal line of David and the Messiah needed to be a royal descendant of David.
"Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon)." - Matthew 1:11 NLT
" 'As surely as I live,' says the LORD, 'I will abandon you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off... This is what the LORD says: 'Let the record show that this man Jehoiachin was childless. He is a failure, for none of his children will succeed him on the throne of David to rule over Judah.'" - Jeremiah 22:24, 30 NLT
Jehoiachin, sometimes translated Jeconiah, was cursed by God to never have a child on the throne. Jesus' birth had to be a virgin birth or it would have disqualified Him to be Messiah. At the same time He needed to be the son of a man from the royal line in order to be qualified to be Messiah.
Moses was raised in Pharaoh's house but was not genetically linked to Pharaoh. Jesus was raised in Joseph's house but His Father was God himself.
There can be no other Messiah. No one could prove their lineage. Rome destroyed the temple in 70 AD and the official record got destroyed also. No one can prove that their father's fathers came directly from David and even if the could Jeconiah would be there in the bloodline poisoning it.
Is it any wonder that we are reborn in a strange way. Everyone who is born of God is born strange. Adam's line is cursed to die. God snuck us in to His family using a loophole just as He put Jesus in David's royal line using a loophole.
Mary was also of David's line but in Jewish tradition you don't get to be king because of your mother. Your Father must be royal.
"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' " - John 3:5-7 ESV
Jesus is the king that will sit on the throne of David. He died but He lives forevermore so no one will come after him to inherit that throne but if God is your father then you share in the inheritance of royal lineage. God has no grandchildren. You must be born again. That happens when a person believes in Jesus. Only believe. By believing we escape the curse of the fall. God brings us into His family using the only loophole available to mankind.
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Friday, April 29, 2016
Angelic Topics Of Conversation
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 18:10 ESV
"And to which of the angels has he ever said, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" - Hebrews 1:13-14 ESV
"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." - Hebrews 13:1-2 ESV
Sometimes I think with humor about these angels that are not visible to us interacting with each other as spectators of our little human dramas and day to day routines. How can we know what they say to each other of if they even look at one another?
We do know this...
"But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ' The Lord rebuke you.' " - Jude 1:9 ESV
But this is not angel to angel interaction. This is an angel to fallen angel exchange. These groups are at odds in their purposes. We read about a future battle here.
"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven." - Revelation 12:7-8 ESV
Satan will be knocked out of the sky and thrown to the ground. That is another topic to explore but I'm glad that God's angels refuse to pass a blasphemous judgment because if that was their tendency then what would they be saying about us as they follow us as witnesses that protect and serve in invisible ways?
God has never said to an angel, 'Sit at my right hand.' He has only said that to His Son.
"...and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places," - Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV
Whatever they might say to each other I'm sure it is always in this context. 'These are people who are seated in Heavenly places with Christ.'
As we brush our teeth. As we drive to work. As we think about what we can say to minister Christ to people during the day. As we sit in front of the television or open our Bible. I wonder what they see and hear. Does our Bible glow with life to them? Is the television a blank dead box with no picture and garbled sounds? Do they hear when we say empty sentences and tune in only when the Spirit turns up the volume as we speak redemptively? When are they assigned to us and do they move to another person when we go home to be with Christ? How many of them are there... how many of them can fit on the head of a needle?
We only know what the scripture tells us. No more and no less.
I want to live in the nobility that has been given to me. God forbid that I should have a blasphemous judgment on my lips as a person seated in a privileged position. I want to have grace words and live with reverence and dignity knowing there is a cloud of human and angelic witnesses that surround the stage of time and space.
I want to see Jesus as He Is and live with my face towards the Father. We have this great privileged to go boldly to the throne of grace in our thinking. Angels see the face of the Father even as they guard a child. What about us? What about the men and women who have salvation in Christ? We can live our lives facing that throne also. We do it by faith and how marvelous is that!
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"And to which of the angels has he ever said, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" - Hebrews 1:13-14 ESV
"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." - Hebrews 13:1-2 ESV
Sometimes I think with humor about these angels that are not visible to us interacting with each other as spectators of our little human dramas and day to day routines. How can we know what they say to each other of if they even look at one another?
We do know this...
"But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ' The Lord rebuke you.' " - Jude 1:9 ESV
But this is not angel to angel interaction. This is an angel to fallen angel exchange. These groups are at odds in their purposes. We read about a future battle here.
"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven." - Revelation 12:7-8 ESV
Satan will be knocked out of the sky and thrown to the ground. That is another topic to explore but I'm glad that God's angels refuse to pass a blasphemous judgment because if that was their tendency then what would they be saying about us as they follow us as witnesses that protect and serve in invisible ways?
"...and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places," - Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV
Whatever they might say to each other I'm sure it is always in this context. 'These are people who are seated in Heavenly places with Christ.'
As we brush our teeth. As we drive to work. As we think about what we can say to minister Christ to people during the day. As we sit in front of the television or open our Bible. I wonder what they see and hear. Does our Bible glow with life to them? Is the television a blank dead box with no picture and garbled sounds? Do they hear when we say empty sentences and tune in only when the Spirit turns up the volume as we speak redemptively? When are they assigned to us and do they move to another person when we go home to be with Christ? How many of them are there... how many of them can fit on the head of a needle?
We only know what the scripture tells us. No more and no less.
I want to live in the nobility that has been given to me. God forbid that I should have a blasphemous judgment on my lips as a person seated in a privileged position. I want to have grace words and live with reverence and dignity knowing there is a cloud of human and angelic witnesses that surround the stage of time and space.
I want to see Jesus as He Is and live with my face towards the Father. We have this great privileged to go boldly to the throne of grace in our thinking. Angels see the face of the Father even as they guard a child. What about us? What about the men and women who have salvation in Christ? We can live our lives facing that throne also. We do it by faith and how marvelous is that!
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
One Helpless Thief
All day long I have been thinking about the two thieves crucified next to Christ.
One thief on the cross next to Jesus started out a mocker just like the other one. He did not do anything. He was powerless.
Somehow He saw the royalty of Christ. A man with arms bound and struggling for breath just wanted to be remembered by someone divine. He believed and God put righteousness on this helpless man's account.
After he believed he was just as powerless. He asked to be remembered but God was now going to take this man somewhere. He was going with God.
Amazing. He just believed. We just believe also. We believe and ask and God does more than we ask for.
I wonder about the sign in different languages that said 'THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS' (see Matthew 27:37) nailed above Jesus' head and what role if any it had in this man's conversion.
Not many would have been close enough to read it. Was it a personal witness to this thief? I know the religious people were angry about it but surely if the thieves could read they saw it also.
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One thief on the cross next to Jesus started out a mocker just like the other one. He did not do anything. He was powerless.
Somehow He saw the royalty of Christ. A man with arms bound and struggling for breath just wanted to be remembered by someone divine. He believed and God put righteousness on this helpless man's account.
After he believed he was just as powerless. He asked to be remembered but God was now going to take this man somewhere. He was going with God.
Amazing. He just believed. We just believe also. We believe and ask and God does more than we ask for.
I wonder about the sign in different languages that said 'THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS' (see Matthew 27:37) nailed above Jesus' head and what role if any it had in this man's conversion.
Not many would have been close enough to read it. Was it a personal witness to this thief? I know the religious people were angry about it but surely if the thieves could read they saw it also.
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