Great Parking Spaces

I get good parking spaces. Not all the time but often. People in my car tease me about it because it is shocking sometimes.

At one point in my life I was a passenger in the car with a man of God i respected at the time... and still respect. He told me that he often prayed for a good parking space and then just drove up the area where he wanted to park. As a passenger I saw this man get great parking spaces right in front of where we were going.

I remember sitting there and making a decision. That provision was not just for him. It was for me also. I started doing it. I dealt with it like it was an adventure. It was an opportunity to see God do something. It was a game we could play together. It is a time I can concentrate on Him.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:31-32 ESV

"... but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." - Hebrews 4:2b KJV

Years later I drove with that same man of God. This time i was driving and I told him what I did with parking and he said something like, 'Wow, I should start doing that again.'

At some point He had stopped believing God in that area of his life. He had stopped mixing faith with 'God is for me' in regards to parking. He had stopped driving to the area he wanted to be and just started settling for where he thought it would be 'practical' for him to find a space.

I don't think less of this person. He is a giant as far as I'm concerned and I'm not worthy to untie his shoelaces but It says something to me about the nature of grace and promises. They are mystical. They can slip through our fingers. We can forget because it isn't what we are seeing day to day in the world. We can neglect the favor that God wants to give us.

I apply this principle (pray then drive to the front) in some areas of my life but not all areas. Parking spaces are 'low stakes' things. It isn't going to cost me money... just some time. I won't lose my life if that day I have to park somewhere else. Still because i live this way there are the moments when I do seem to 'walk on water' in high stakes areas. Not on a stormy lake but in life.

This last week I prayed and drove to NYC to visit a few relatives and God met me there. He really did.

I saw a man of God park his car and it changed my life. He did it as a believer and I became one in a moment. I already was a believer in Christ but I suddenly became one for something new. I became one in practice.

I pray God would use us as a catalyst for someone's faith this week. I pray God would use us... weak but willing... faith mixers... believers.

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Faith And Magnetism

Thinking this thanksgiving morning about iron, magnets and faith. The Earth has a magnetic field. Free floating magnets will seek to align with that field and point magnetic north. They also produce a field themselves. There are only a small group of elements that 'hold' magnetism. Iron is one of them.

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 ESV

The iron in you affects the iron in me. The faith in you affects me and vice versa. It can magnetized me when I have lost my charge (aligning influence). Intense heat causes iron to lose a magnetic charge but it can become remagnetized.

Many believers in one place believing with a freeing message that lets them float to align with the mind of God is an amazing unique thing.

Ancient seafarers used compasses to align themselves and safely navigates the seas. Faith can do that for us also.

I'm studying to align myself to God this morning. I'm going to be around people today and I want to have a strong 'magnetic charge' of faith so I can be a blessing and not a curse. Doctrine without power is dangerous and fragmenting. Grace causes freedom. Power and freedom are an amazing combination aren't they?

"If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Corinthians 7:13-14 ESV

This passage is talking about marriage and divorce but doesn't it also speak about the magnet-like power of a believer. One believing parent can bring temporary 'alignment' to a child that has no faith field of their own yet. A person can have a sanctifying influence in a household. The visitor brings Jesus in but the person who lives in that home has Him reside there.

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A Few Thoughts About Faith

"And without faith impossible to please ..." - Hebrews 11:6a ESV

I put in brackets the words that don't appear in the Greek but the translators added so it would make sense to our English speaking minds.

In the passage before this, the writer talks about the pleasure God had in Enoch so we know that the the writer is referring to is God by context but we can also say that this is a universal principle. The word impossible is adynatos (Strong's G102) is a negation of the word dynatos (Strong's G1415) which can be translated possible or mighty or able. It is an adjective. You could translate this:

'... without faith powerless to please...'

Enoch had faith and God was pleased with him.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1 KJV

Another universal principle this time describing what faith is. We may not be able to see the wind but we can see the effects the wind has on something like a tree waving back and forth and we see evidence that the wind is active.

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 KJV

Whose faith do we live in? What faith gives pleasure to God? What is the evidence that Heaven is at work and that we have a reason to have hope? The faith we want is Jesus' faith. It is the faith 'of the Son of God'. We internalize His belief system and make it ours. We trust in Him as He trusts the Father.

Ok. Last passage...

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." - John 14:6 KJV

Faith brings pleasure in relationships but Jesus is the only way we can interact with God. This faith is linked to Heaven's King. When people witness this faith they see something happen that only interacting with Heaven could produce.

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The Valley Of Dry Bones

"And he said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, you know.' " Ezekiel 37:3 ESV

Take a look at the field of dry bones (the dead structure of a promise from God) and answer God out loud. Ezekiel gave the right answer. It was health to Ezekiel's bones to answer with a faith answer. He didn't say 'Yes'. That would have been a hyper-spiritual lie. He didn't say 'No' because He knew He was conversing with The Almighty God. Ezekiel was ready to witness a miracle if that is what God had in mind. Are we?

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, you know.' Then he said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.' " - Ezekiel 37:1-14 ESV

I see stages here. I see stages of edification and faith. A vision dies and leaves full grown bones but then God has a person speak faith over that dead vision and the bones take form and get covered with sinew, muscle and skin. Then in another stage breath is given by words of faith. Then hope.

Bones are out there in a field like that because there was a battle and the ones who fell in that battle were left out there to rot and get bleached by the sun.

Our world is filled with valleys of dry bones. People have souls that resemble a field of dry bones.

We, the ones who believe, are the ones who look out at the disaster and say 'O Lord GOD, you know.' and speak the life found in the finished work of Christ by faith.

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Make Straight Paths For Your Feet

"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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The Miracle Worker

Is there someone out there who wants you to be a miracle worker? You are not alone. Jesus knows all about that.

We might say, 'Well, He was a miracle worker wasn't He?'. This is what He has to say about that... keep in mind that the day before over 5,000 people got fed from a few loaves and fish...

"Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.' So they said to him, 'Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.' Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe...' " - John 6:28-36 ESV

Jesus gave glory to His Father in Heaven. He was a reflection of the Father. He was the 'finger of God'.

I believe God will use you and i in people's lives if we step into a position where we can be used but part of this is knowing we are not the miracle workers.

Jesus said this before going to the cross...

"So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:22-24 ESV

His name Is His nature. It isn't just adding, '...in Jesus' name.' at the end of the request. We ask knowing who the real miracle worker is.

Our spouse, our parent, our child... they are not the answer. It is the Father. No world or local leader is going to work miracles. Our hope is in God. If we look at people expecting what only God can give we will be disappointed and eventually resentful.

" 'And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!' " - Luke 2:12-14 ESV

Yes. All glory to the Father who sent us His Son. He Is please with those who believe in Him by faith. He delights to have a relationship with them and give them true joy.

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Fluctuating In And Out Of Double-Mindedness

There is a mindset that continues to make faithless calculations...

"On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.' Then they said to him, 'What must we do, to be doing the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.' " - John 6:22-29 ESV

This is the same crowd that wanted to make Him a king the day before when God multiplied the loaves and fish to feed over 5,000 people.

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake." - 2 Corinthians 4:3-5 ESV

Someone who doesn't know God will live in A veiled mindset towards eternal things and someone with 'a casual relationship with truth' will toy with it and fluctuate in and out of double-mindedness. Even though proof is given more will be needed and then more and then more.

"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

A weaned child has matured enough to see that there is a feeding schedule.

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." - Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV

God is not a vending machine. He has given us minds and abilities to be used in life but our primary work is to 'enter into rest' about who He Is and what He Is like. Jesus is the concrete representation of that character and nature. If we walk by sight we can easily enter into double-mindedness but we are ones whow walk by faith like a weaned child. That child remains calm because they 'calm and quiet themselves' even with an empty belly because trust has formed in their little soul.

Jesus was on the other side even though they knew He didn't get there by conventional means. Only faith was going to make sense of that. Jesus Is here right now in our lives. We can't put it all together yet. We are challenged in the same way. Will we keep asking and demanding or will we just rest and receive?

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A Few Thoughts From Luke Chapter Eight

I have many thoughts this morning as I read and reread Luke chapter eight...

Jesus charges two people to do two different things in this chapter.

"The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.' And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him." - Luke 8:38-39 ESV

"And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat." - Mark 5:42-43 ESV

He told the demonized man to talk about what had happened but then he told the parents of the child He healed to keep it a secret. Interesting...

I also was focused in on this idea of a 'moment of truth.'

"And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him... While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, 'Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.' But Jesus on hearing this answered him, 'Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.' " - Luke 8:41-42, 49-50 ESV

The man came to get Jesus. They were delayed on the way and the situation just seemed to deteriorate further. Jairus' worse fears seem to be coming to pass but Jesus says 'only believe'.

"And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, 'Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.' And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead." - Luke 8:51-53 ESV

Here we see that 'moment of truth'. This is how the event is recorded elsewhere.

"And when he had entered, he said to them, 'Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.' And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was." - Mark 5:39-40 ESV

I struck me that this command to only believe was about to be tested when they got to the house. Jesus wanted the room cleared and that was only going to happen with the cooperation of Jairus. Coming to get Jesus wasn't enough. Jesus was going to request access to the child and there was going to be mocking resistance. The Father was unsure what was going to happen but He gave Jesus access in spite of the laughter.

"Taking her by the hand he said to her, 'Talitha cumi,' which means, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise.' And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat." - Mark 5:41-43 ESV

I think many times our faith isn't this sense that everything is going to work out. No. Perhaps we have some serious doubts but we clear the room and let Jesus in any way. That is our 'only believe' moment of truth. Then God gives us that moment and doesn't want us to tell the story a thousand times to everyone we meet. He wants us to keep these moments in our heart and treasure them. We tell people the Gospel but we keep these private moments as precious treasures.

We can have both a public testimony and a private life with God and it is important that we do have both. One reinforces the other.

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He Kept Moving

So little is mentioned about Jesus' youth. We really only have the account in Matthew chapter 2 about him going to Eygpt (which parallels Isreal's adolescence as a nation) and this passage.

"And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him." - Luke 2:40 ESV

Followed by this account...

"Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, 'Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.' And he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." - Luke 2:41-52 ESV

Notice how verse 52 is much like verse 40. It is one of many Hebrew parallelisms used in the Gospels. You see this construction in the Psalms and Proverbs. Say something. Then contrast, reiterate or amplify it.

Jesus was like an army brat of sorts. He moved from Bethlehem to Eygpt, then Natzeret. It just made me think of the great advantage missionary children have. They are moving (or staying) only because their parents are seeking God and going where they sense they are being led. Those choices aren't always easy ones.

"...saying, 'Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.' And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene." - Matthew 2:20-23 ESV

They go but obstacles are in their path. They choose based on what is available but that is God's will. Jesus grew in that faith environment not in spite of it. Faith provides tension that isn't comfortable and uses reason. Going but not stepped right into the fire. Also not holding back because of danger.

These passages convict me to be full of faith and moving when it is time to move.

"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. The sluggard says, 'There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!' As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly." - Proverbs 26:12-16 ESV

Wow. We can be too careful and maybe we can also be too careless also. Our eyes need to be fixed on the redemptive cause.

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Negative Influences

Human beings use different language with different people. Some folks do it more than others. People may talk to parents one way but then use totally different language, words and phrases with a co-worker they barely know. It makes sense. We have all experienced it. We can say these are 'masks' and sometimes they are but it seems to go deeper than that. Children of divorce see it in parents that remarry people who have very different personalities than their original mate. Sometimes there are radical changes and that can be attributed partially to happiness levels. They were sad and frustrated in the first marriage but now they are happier so things have changed. Mood seems to be part of it but the bottom line is that for most people personality is plastic and it changes depending on who we spend time with. People 'bring out' aspects of who we 'are' or who we want to be.

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.' Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you...' " - Genesis 17:1-6 NKJV

God wasn't saying, 'Walk before me and be on your best behavior'. He was saying, 'I am giving you a new name because when you are with me you are blameless. In the KJV the word is translated 'perfect'.

When we walk with God it doesn't 'bring out the best in us'. No. If that is what is happening we are missing something vital. We have a new identity of perfection that He puts in us and it only comes out when we are with Him.

I think I have heard the phrase, 'I am going to remove all the negative influences from my life.' about 10 times just this week and I just can't get onboard with it. People get annoyed with me because I don't express overwhelming support but it just makes me sad and a little sick inside when I hear people try to go for a 'godless' solution that only sounds good on paper. Somehow people think that if they get rid of everything bad then only the good is what will remain and be strengthened but that is just not how life works.

Some people and situations are toxic and I am all for dealing with that if it is possible but that is an extreme surgical procedure and it is not the answer to most of life's problems. Surgery often means irreplaceable loss. People throw others away because they don't like who they are when they are with them.

The answer is to walk before God and 'be perfect'. That will mean saying 'no' to things but we are saying 'no' to the old because we have something new not because we are trying to purge the old to make something happen.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" - James 4:7-12 ESV

Negative influences will flee from you and if they don't you will have the power of a person who is exalted by God. If you say, 'All you people are sucking the life out of me and I deserve better.' you are one step closer to becoming a person who sucks the life out of others.

They are not the problem. They will be replaced by other imperfect people who will disappoint you in some other way. It is just a matter of time. If we walk with God He will bring people into our life we won't have to look. He will do it.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." - John 1:12-13 KJV

I tried to use a more modern translation but they all take the word 'power' and translate it 'the right' and that just loses something. We have the 'power that authority gives us' to operate as children of God.

If we are stubborn and rigid people being around God brings out our new nature. If we are weak and wishy-washy we have a new life in God and His presence give us backbone.

God thinks you are perfect. Really. He thinks that because when you are with Him you are perfect. He gives that perfection as a gift to those who believe in His Son. If you are not 'with Him' you can't know who you really are but if you do walk with Him it won't matter what other people do or don't do... a kingdom will be walking with You.

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Circulating Movement

Many thoughts this morning.

There is one conversation I participated in on outreach this weekend that sticks out in my mind. We were talking briefly about the human lymphatic system. Our heart pumps red blood cells throughout our body but our lymphatic system has no pump. It works primarily on muscle movement bringing white blood cells to where they are needed in the body.

"...for we walk by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV

God has accomplished a great salvation for mankind.

At rest, my heart will still keep pumping oxygen and nutrients all through my body but my body wasn't made to be idle. We need to keep moving by faith in a purpose. That walking movement is needed.

Perhaps we tend to focus on goals and results and that has a place in our life but what about just moving by faith in the moment?

I need outreach. I am there for others but at the same time outreach provides a focused area to operate by faith in God's declared will.

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luke 19:10 ESV

It might be a neighborhood or even this generation of young people that are being raised up in front of our faces that become our focus but we can move with God and all that we have is circulating in our proactive endeavors.

"As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:4-7 ESV

I plan to keep moving this week. I don't want to do it in vanity. I want to have God move me as I move by faith.

God, Please stir us up in love and motivate us to move in a redemptive vision. No striving but we want to progress in a progression that blesses You as we walk by faith.

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Three Things

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV

"...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV

"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV

Faith, Hope and Love

Hope in Jesus... Hope becomes a covering for our thinking.

The work of faith is combined with the labor of love to make up a protection on our heart.

These three abide (have a home) now on Earth in God's plan.

Jesus must be at the center of this and every other meditation. Grace. Mercy. What He has done and how He thinks must be central.

No striving. No outcome driven focus. Just Faith, Hope and Love abiding now.

God show us how that applies today in our interactions and planning. Not just a pie in the sky future. Our thinking dwells in Heavenly places so that we can have a place to abide here and now on the Earth in our actual provisions.

A covering for our heart and for our head. That is what we need and that is what we have.

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The Third Option

This parable has been on my mind lately.

"He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."" - Luke 18:9-14 ESV

Parables are interesting things. They are stories designed to illustrate one point. They aren't accounts of events. If you read too far into them you may miss the point. Verse nine says that Jesus told this story to 'some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt' to drive home one idea.

Still. 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' rings in my head. This man won't get 'close' he stands far away and says this.

We need mercy but we also need proximity. The Pharisee was close but far away in his thinking and that is so dangerous.

This is a story and it illustrates a point. Don't judge with contempt because God doesn't think that way but as I sit here I see a place available that neither of the men in the story had. A close place where mercy has been and is received.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace..." - Ephesians 2:13-14a ESV

The tax collector went home and back to his life but we have a new home and a new life.

I cry for mercy today also. I need it but I am not beating my breast. I do lift my eyes. My thoughts are not introspective. I worship because I know there is mercy for me. There was mercy and there Is mercy.

Jesus' blood has brought me near. Knowledge of my depravity is gravity but I am not stuck on the ground. I worship and fly in an aerodynamic of faith.

Thank you for mercy God! Thank you. Let contempt be far from us as we draw near. We don't want to be close but miss your heart and we don't want to be far away because of introspection. Draw us. We want to see your glory. We worship you. You are near to us now and we are so grateful.

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Lead Me

'Lead me.'

What a good prayer that is!

"Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me." - Psalm 5:8 ESV

"Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long." - Psalm 25:5 ESV

"Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!" - Psalm 43:3 ESV

"from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I," - Psalm 61:2 ESV

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" - Psalm 143:10 ESV

Can we be led?

A prayer like this assumes that God will give guidance if we ask for it. It is a prayer of faith with an awareness of leadership and all that involves.

I'm praying this prayer this morning.

If he leads we will end up if places we would never be in any other way. We will meet people that He Is visiting.

His leading. His visitation. His will. His provision. His power. His plan. Our victory.

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Alignments

A key fits and opens a lock because someone designed it to align with that lock and overcome the obstacles put in place to keep someone else out.

We have ways to be aligned and we have times when alignment is possible.

"... Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" - Luke 18:8b ESV

Rest has to do with alignment. Faith does also. Are we aligned with God's vision for a family or a marriage? Is our body aligned?

"He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, "Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!" And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, 'Deliver me, for you are my god!' They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, 'Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?' He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, 'Is there not a lie in my right hand?' " - Isaiah 44:14-20 ESV

Is our life like this? If it is then those areas are not aligned. The key won't open the lock.

Grace thinking aligns us. God thinks this way and then he gives it to us through His Son. All that we have is given to us outside of performance. We have by faith and our lives get aligned by faith in rest.

If we hold something crooked in our right hand (a picture of approval) as we feed on ashes we won't think with God. The lie blocks our perception.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." - Ephesians 1:3-6 ESV

In Jesus, we are aligned. We can't beat ourselves into the right shape. There is no need. Jesus is forever aligned and we are, right now, aligned in Him.

Cook your food and warm your family but do it with open hands of worship. Jesus Is who we look to and in God's time, other alignments will open doors for us to walk through. If we have eyes that see we will act when the moment is right.

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Living Faith

James is such an interesting book. This writer uses language differently than the other new testament writers.

In the following passage James is basically saying, 'Kindness is King.'

"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - James 2:13-17 ESV

People turn this into a theological treatise about salvation but it is much more about human relationships and personal testimony. God is merciful. That is very true but are we?

I see mean merciless people quote scripture and I wonder, 'What Jesus are they talking about? Not my Jesus. Not The Jesus.'

Jesus fed people and died for the sins of the world.

When James says, 'works' he isn't saying it like anyone else in the new testament. Elsewhere it is spoken of as 'actions to please God' but James speaks of works as 'actions that affect other people.'

Jesus physically fed people and trained His disciples to do the same but then right before He went to the cross He said this...

"And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." - Luke 22:19-20 ESV

He loved us until it killed Him. His love feeds us and clothes us. It connects us to God and that connection also provides 1,000 other provisions for every need in life.

I look at Jesus and my faith comes alive. Without Him I am a selfish rascal. I might talk a good talk but it is only because of Him that I have any kind of walk.

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Fan The Holy Flame

Fan into flame the gift of God. He hasn't given you the spirit of fear. His Holy Spirit came with the gift of salvation and His Spirit is clean and full of love.

"As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:4-7 ESV

Most of us don't 'fan' things today. When you fan something you are directing air on it. The Greek word pneuma (Strong's G4151) is the word for Spirit and for wind. Pneuma is moving air.

Think with God and be alive today. Fan the flame of faith. Fear freezes us or causes a reaction of fight or flight. God instructs us to fan the flame of faith and live in power, love and self-control. New life is a gift and there is power that came with that life. We have God's Holy Spirit intermingling with our human spirit.

I plan to go into this weekend stirring up love and directing spiritual life so that holy fires are ignited and enlarged.

Others (like Lois and Eunice mentioned in the scripture quoted above) have believed before us. Now it is our turn. We have been given new life because of what Jesus did on the cross. Now we can fan the flame of that good news in our hearts, in our circles of influence and beyond.

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Remembering Today

Histories are written and edited. I often think that way about our personal histories also.

"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 7:17; 21:4 ESV

What if our memories will only consist of what we did by faith and everything else just falls away on the cutting room floor to be swept away.

What will be remembered from today? Will it be remembered at all? Perhaps some days will be very short or even missing from our memories. We get up go to the bathroom and realize that there is no toothpaste and 'poof' everything else is gone from that day. We are just waking up again the next day.

The Gospel is such good news. We are forgiven.

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 ESV

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV

Most of all can't recall large portions of our lives. There will come a day when everything will come back into focus like we can only dream of it now. Our mind will be fully reclaimed. Our soul already is. God has purchased us and will one day restore us to a glory we can only imagine. We will see things that are invisible to us now.

"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV

If we redeem the time we will have the clarity of participation. We can stake a 'grace claim' on time and space. This day can either blow away like chaff in the wind or it can be a day of gold, silver and precious stones. Will adversity steal our memory? Will disappointment? No. We can live by faith in what Jesus has done and get all of today into the final cut of the redemption story.

Thank You God.

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Some Thoughts On Ministry

Many thoughts this morning of ministry, vision and singular leadership.

"The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd." - Ecclesiastes 12:11 ESV

"The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil." - 1 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV

"For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." - Titus 1:7-9 ESV

The word 'overseer' (sometimes translated Bishop) is a word linked with nurturing. The oversight is given for care to be administered.

A vision is something that must be nurtured. A ministry is not first and foremost an organizational term it is a vehicle for nurturing. God shares something with a person and that person experiences it as a 'vision'. That vision might be dramatic or it may be a quietly growing desire. Then the person makes choices. A vision can become a ministry. One of the confirmations of a vision is that other people walking with God in a nurtured relationship will give confirmation when something is truly of God. The 'vision' will have Biblical compatibility.

"And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them." - Acts 6:5-6 ESV

The Church is God's vision and it is an amazing one but we are all individual gardeners... nurturers... overseers... under the Master overseer of all. One person can nurture. Each of us can have a ministry as we are a part of a larger ministry.

What has God given you to nurture? If 'doing' is the focus then a shift needs to happen. If we are cut off from God's care what resources will we have to care for anything He has given us?

Let's draw near to God and nurture what He has given us. No condemnation, greed or envy just care for the precious things and people.

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Thoughts On Victimless Crimes

I have many thoughts this morning and many are hard to communicate in a clear way. A dominant concept is the idea of a 'victimless crime'.

There is great debate as to whether or not such a thing even exists but I find it interesting that God mandated the Sabbath for the nation of Israel and then instructed that there be punishment if the Sabbath was broken.

We aren't under the law. The law isn't for individual believers it was given to a nation and it was for that nation.

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" - Romans 6:14-16 ESV

You could say that no one was hurt by not keeping the Sabbath or you could saw that the individual wasn't hurt but the fabric of society was hurt. You could even say people hurt themselves by not resting as mandated by God but we are not under law... even this law...

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." - 1 John 1:7-10 ESV

Perhaps these thoughts would just provoke us. I want to walk in the light today and that means coming under grace. That isn't 'not hurting anyone' and it also isn't, 'just taking care of myself'. It is having an open communication with God.

"...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." - Romans 14:23b KJV

Faithlessness seems like a victimless crime but is it?

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