So Much More Than A Triangle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Courageous People Collaborate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Royal Mind Bears Fruit - Part 2

 The royal mind...

"He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." - Jeremiah 17:8 ESV

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." - John 15:4 ESV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Royal Mind - Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Keeping It Simple

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yes and Amen to that.

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Three Kinds of People We Miss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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From Imitation To Liberty

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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