Structured Freedom

Still reading Romans chapter 7 and just pondering why rules don't work for us in the long run.

"So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin." - Romans 7:12-14 ESV

"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh," - Romans 8:3 ESV

Ever work in a place with tight restrictive rules? A few people thrive but in most of the places I have been the relationships with management are always strained in some way. Those rules may be good rules or bad ones it. The culture is affected no matter what.

Folks teach that God is like that but He isn't. Rules were given so 'sin would be revealed as exceedingly sinful'. God isn't a micromanager.

"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.' They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-36 ESV

God has made a family for himself and creates a divine culture in this family. It is one of freedom not oriented on restrictions.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 ESV

This isn't a legal treatise. This is just me pondering on an ordered culture of freedom that has love, mercy, grace and honour. A place where we don't marvel at or concentrate on the rules or personal failure. We don't sweep it under the rug but we also don't live focused on how someone or something should be. We marvel at the mercy and live in a vision.

Rules just are not going to 'fix' people. Love will produce the change. Structured freedom creates an atmosphere of growth where failure isn't final.

Grace is sufficient. It really really is.

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Three Cords

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV

Oh, This is good.

Who are the first two people and who is the third person? There are a few answers. We could apply this to teamwork. We could also say that a family with children has this dynamic also.

I like to think that the first two cords represent communion (one person partaking of God's life) and the third person added to that dynamic provides fellowship (spiritual interaction based on God being between people in a relationship).

I have heard it taught as a comparison between natural marriage and spiritual marriage. That interpretation holds up but it never sat well with me that God would be third in any list. He Is never third in any list. He Is worthy to be first. It makes sense that He Is first not us. He was before the beginning and will be after the ending.

God. Us. Then other people who know and recognize the first cord. There is power there.

Or even better. God. Others. Us as a third cord to add strength through edification.

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 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 2:3-5 ESV

Wait! What? That's radical. Yes... and powerful.

I want to be the third cord this week. A person who strengthens those who know God. Then for those who go it alone I want to introduce the first cord into their lives and be there to add strength to that relationship.

God help us this week. You being intertwined in our life by grace has made all the difference. You warm our hearts. Thank You God.

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Private Times With Family

One of the thoughts that dominated my meditation yesterday was of 'secret family moments'. Perhaps because Easter is a holiday where families get together and often wear the best clothing they have and sit in a relatives house on a couch they rarely sit on. Perhaps pictures are taken or even videos and people get glimpses into those times but still, they are unique to that group. Other gatherings may be similar and likely are in some ways but only those people get to share that time.

That sounds rosy and wonderful but it isn't that way for everyone. I see some of the craziest driving on family holidays. Stress. Self-medication. These things are common on these days but time with family is very very hard for many folks. I remember what that is like. As a teenager, or younger, (as much as I loved my family) trips to visit were hard for one reason or another. I was itching to do something else or be somewhere else.

"When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 'for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; 'for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' " - Luke 22:14-19 NKJV

Jesus wanted to eat with them and yet it strikes me this morning that it wasn't an easy meal for most of the people there. Judas was also at the table.

It was almost like Jesus was saying, 'I look forward to this night because it will become the night of ultimate strife but it will be the last night of strife. The next meal we have together will be strife free.'

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter filled with joy and laughter and precious memories made but I also know that some of you had a hard holiday. It won't always be that way. He is Risen. Jesus suffered his last hard holiday and you will also.

Belief in Christ has improved the quality of my afterlife but it has also improved the quality of my present life immeasurably. I can 'be abased and abound' now in different ways. Hard days are not as hard. In uncomfortable situations, I still have a supply of comfort. Time is seen in the light of the eternal.

I could say, 'Get to know Jesus and your family get togethers will be more bearable.' but it sounds like a cheap shot to bring a person to faith... even though it is a true statement. {smile}

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Kidnapped - Colossians - Part 45

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." - Colossians 2:8 ESV

'Takes you captive' is sylagōgeō (Strong's G4812) and it is a verb that speaks about stealing people. Kidnap would work as a translation.

"For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." - Colossians 2:9-10 ESV

"Philosophy' and 'Deity' are also Hapaxes words.

There is a force that wants to take us away but there is a divine kingdom that can give us a home. The Godhead was at home in Christ.

Here it says 'Filled in Him' but the Greek word (plēroō - Strong's G4137) means to make complete.

A kidnapping always leaves a gap or wound. People get torn away from things and have no closure. If that has happened in the past there is still a remedy because we have a home in God that is as complete as Chist is in His identity. He has no gaps in His relationships to the Father and the Spirit.

The cross was a momentary gap made to let us in. He will bear the scars of that day forever so that we can be completely accepted.

A kidnapped person is never truly a part of the system that stole them. Our rebirth make us family. We are adopted and born in at the same time.

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A Prepared Place

This booklet I'm reading Is very intense (Last Looks, Last Thoughts, Last Words).

"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven," - Matthew 8:11 ESV

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:1-3 ESV

The prepared place. The family place where Abraham and Jacob fellowship even though they are from different generations and couldn't know each other on Earth.

Isn't it good to have a place... a reserved seat in the crowded event. It is so good.

"But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him." - Genesis 8:9 ESV

I think of the Church. There was a great flood and the dove looked for land but there was none yet. The waters were too high. Things were not settled yet so it came back and found a place on Noah's arm. People go and search for a while but then they come back because there is a place to rest in the Church.

But then just past the end of time we see this terrible scene.

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15 ESV

It is almost to hard to look at and imagine. No place at the table. No arm to rest on. No friend with connections. No place.

I have faced social rejection. The ones I have loved the most have said, 'Bye, Bye' and there is no other feeling like it. (I apologize if this stirs those memories up in you as you read. I am weeping as I write it.)

Jesus will never say, 'Bye, Bye' or 'Oops, There must have been some mix up.' If you know Him He has made a place for you. If you you believe the place is yours and Jesus will have prepared it special just for you. You will sit next to your favorite people. The ones you know and the ones that came before your time and never got to know in this life.

Imagine it... a special place or no place... there is no in between. Wow. The different is one small decision. One conversation. One faith transaction. One 'Jesus I believe in you... Save me.'

I'm praying for my friends that need a place right now. We can take it for granted when we have one but when we need one it becomes so vital. Please God have mercy on them. Thank you God. You have made Heaven our home. You have opened up your home to us and what glorious home it will be.

Lord, I believe if you are preparing one there then you can do it here also. This isn't 'pie in the sky' theology. Show that your hand is strong for these people we, the writer and the reader, are thinking of. Your arm isn't short. You can save. You have before so many times and we believe you will again. Thank You God. Thank You for the great security You have given those who believe in You. Wow. You are amazing.

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Ephesians Chapter Four Into Chapter Five

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:28-32 ESV

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:1-21 ESV

I wrote a blog post based on these passages but I 'pasted' when I should have 'copied' and lost it before I could post it.

Ha.

Well. Here are the passages. I pray God blesses you as you read them. They are amazing!

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Cold Transactions

I was thinking this morning how Jacob and Esau saw their family life as a business deal and because of that it cost them.

"Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, 'Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!' (Therefore his name was called Edom.) Jacob said, 'Sell me your birthright now.' Esau said, 'I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?' Jacob said, 'Swear to me now.' So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright." - Genesis 25:28-34 ESV

What a contrast this cold transaction is to Jesus walking the streets and back roads of Israel teaching and healing strangers until they became friends and disciples.

Jacob and Esau seemed to have little love for one another. In a few short sentences we see the culture that Isaac and Rebekah brought these brothers into. Sometimes it happens that way in families but in a loveless world Jesus loves. His transactions are grace transactions. His favor reveals the heart of the Father. When someone needed to be healed there was no talk of bargaining.

"Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 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." - Luke 8:40-42 ESV

Jesus didn't need much convincing did He?

"And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' - so that they might accuse him. He said to them, 'Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.' Then he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him." - Matthew 12:10-14 ESV

These men accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath but this wasn't work. This was no business deal. This was the Father loving people through His Son.

When loving people seems like work I want to return here. When I start to think about how much effort it takes to maintain relationships I want to look at Jesus. He walked miles to meet a woman at a well. He stopped what He was doing to love a person.

He had grace transactions. He revealed God's favor. No one felt like a secondhand citizen around Him.

I'm so glad that my Father in Heaven doesn't love me because I am a good hunter. He just loves me and somehow that creates a capacity in me to love others.

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Jesus At The Dinner Table

"Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, 'How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?' When Jesus heard it, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.' " - Mark 2:15-17 NKJV

It is one thing to hear a message but sitting and eating with the people who also hear it brings things to another level. Fellowship times make memories and build relationships.

I have some great memories of fellowship times at people's homes.

Grace in action.

We need American Churches. I sigh and groan for it. Not crystallized structures but gathering places where truth is spoken and fellowship is experienced.

My heart is burdened. Too many people hear truth but eat alone. Jesus does His doctoring at the dinner table.

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Our Father's Son

A man's identity is linked to who his father was. He might not know his father or he might know him very well. He might hate his father or he might put him on some kind of pedestal. The variations of possibilities are endless. There is an inescapable link and as men get older it becomes more apparent. Souls beget other souls. That is how God made us.

No matter who a man is or what kind of relationship he had with his genetic father (or other father figures) there are conflicts that arise in his soul that are linked to this father and son dynamic.

These days I don't think women are taught this concept but if they can get their minds around this idea then it will really help them understand the men in their life. This isn't something that can often be faced head on either. It is an issue that lingers near the blind spot of male perception and must be handled with great tact and care.

A man wants to be, needs to be, his own man but in a sense he never can be. If his father was an honorable man he walks in the shadow of that honor and if his father was a dishonorable one he has the conflict of knowing that no matter how honorable he is there might be a seed of the things that he sees and hates in him also. That is only one glimpse of a thousand different less definable reflections that are happening in a man's soul that he can't possibly be aware of.

Then there are the men who never knew their fathers. They live with no genetic mirror to give them a reflection so they wonder and have psychic loose ends that can't be tied up.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." - John 10:27-30 ESV

Wow. He Is the only man who ever lived who could say that He and His father were one and mean it like that!

"He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:11-14 ESV

The word translated 'right' in verse 12 is the Greek word exousia (Strong's G1849) and in other places it is translated as 'power' or 'authority'.

What does it mean to be God's son? What does it mean to be anyone's son?

As we get older all men find out what it is like to transform into our father's image.

There was and is no dysfunction in Jesus' relationship with His father and the miraculous thing is that there does not need to be dysfunction in our relationship with Him either.

Grace is the key. Grace and truth.

Grace opens the door for us to go to our Heavenly Father and be close to Him.

Some men have a genetic father or another older man they can go to that helps them along the way. Others never have that or the man they had that link with is gone now. Men age and men die. That is how life is. But those who have trusted in Christ have a Father in Heaven to go to. He sits on a throne... it is a throne of grace.

Our Earthly relationship points us to a greater eternal one if we are available to go there.

Can we put a price on that privilege? I can't.

"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

Once we have a Savior we also have a Heavenly Father. It is a package deal.

Amazing.

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A Brother To The Fatherless

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18 ESV

We often think of children without mothers and fathers when we think of orphans but being an orphan also involve living separated from brothers and sisters.

God won't leave people orphaned. He will come to people. He will send some out so that people can be brought in.

My heart is burdened for orphaned people today. People who are cut off for one reason or the other.

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:26-27 ESV

Yes.

Has our liberty brought us to a place where we can just say whatever we want to say. Is that what liberty is for? Or is our freedom given to us so we can visit those who are cut off and maybe hurting because of isolation.

Maybe we are not suppose to be a person's father but we are there to be a brother or a sister... not in some religious way but in a practical spiritual loving way.

God wants to father people. He does not want one person to be alone and hurting.

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Greek word metanoia (Strong's G3341) is the word translated as repentance here and it means to have a change of mind because there was something better to think about.

God wants folks to have a relationship with Him and people that know Him. He wants connections to form that will change minds. That is a process that takes time but God is patient.

The world around us sings the praises of self-sufficiency but I see orphaned people who are caring for themselves as best as they can but lack the support of a spiritual support system.

Help us God. Make us brothers and sisters to people. We want to find the lost and lonely ones.

Then we can sing together and laugh together. Then we can go together.

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Special Family Status

"Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.' But he answered them, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.' " - Luke 8:19-21 ESV

I often think of this verse if I give a missionary money because I was taught by my family that giving cash as a gift to family members was an acceptable but it was better to give a thoughtful item to non-family members. So every time I hand someone cash I think, 'You are family.'

Our family has a special place in our hearts and minds. It is a unique place. Not everyone has family. Many of us have interesting relationships with our families. There are different boundaries drawn. We are willing or unwilling to do things because people are in a different category when they are considered family.

Jesus is displaying His deity when He says, 'My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.'

Some teach this verse this way... 'If you obey God's commands you will have special status with God. He will make concessions for you like you do for family.'

But, This verse comes to mind.

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;" - 1 Peter 1:22-23 ESV

Our first birth gave us an Earthly family but our second birth makes us children of Heaven.

Jesus was speaking prophetically about those who would mix faith with the Gospel and that good news would go deep into them and create a new person who would value what God values and function in the reality that God speaks about. At times that would come easy and at other times there would just be a sense of obedience absent from emotion.

The person who never hears the truth has only one family... the one who sometimes can't make it through the crowd to get to them because natural circumstances hinder natural love.

The person who hears the word of God and does it can love both families. Prayer transcends the crowd and all natural barriers. There is a provision for the things that drive us crazy and put wedges between brother, sister, father and mother.

A great feast is coming and God has room at His table for more family members. They are out there waiting to be found. Maybe today God will put us in front of a person who has never heard the truth and will truly hear it deep inside their soul today if it is spoken today in a fresh way.

Help us God. Help us not to be respecters of persons. Give us room in our hearts for more family members. Heal us where we need to be healed. It it easy to get wounded and hindered but we want to love with the freedom that only You can give us.

Thank You God for taking us in and giving us a special place at your table.

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Sad Mary Or Street Smart Mary?

'And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?'

She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?'

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.'

Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'

She turned and said to him in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."' " - John 20:12-17 ESV

This is such a touching account. It is so personal.

I know what I am about to say might offend some people but it is on my mind this morning and it has real application for us. It reveals grace in a deep way to me.

Was Mary Magdalene the chaste post transformation Mary that we commonly think of her as in this account? Or was she the street smart woman acquainted with the under belly of society that she had been in the later part of her life? She called Jesus 'lord' but that was a title a wife called a husband in the common vernacular. Was she pretending that Jesus was her husband to get access? Had she slipped into her old ways like the rest of the disciples had? Was she working the system to get to Jesus like she had so often done before in other situations or was she truly as shattered as she seemed? I wonder.

It is before Pentecost. The Spirit has not come to them to fill them, change them and encourage them. Jesus' words are still seeds. She is woman who knows how to get things done. Perhaps I will owe her an apology when I see her in Heaven for questioning her methods. I know her motive were good but is this as it seems? People are very interesting after all.

Either way... when the angels ask her a question it is not enough to bring her out of her apparent mournful (or possibly manipulative) state. But when Jesus called her name it all gets dropped. Any act that she might have been playing dissolves. Her desperation turns to wonder. Her hope is restored. The angels speak first but that was not enough. Jesus steps in to resolve what only He can resolve and with a word the veil is removed and light streams into her being.

Then Jesus told her gently, 'Don't cling to me.' Why? Because you have a father now and I am going to see Him. He was my Father but now after the Resurrection he is your Father also. You don't need to act like an orphan who has to fend for herself. You have a family.

Our Father drys our tears and it is our knowledge that we have a Father that gets us to drop our act if we are using manipulation to accomplish some spiritual end. Jesus calling our name in grace snaps us out of it. The rationalizations dissolve.

We are children of God and we have power to function in that knowledge (John 1:12). Perhaps all we need is to hear Jesus call our name and know He is saying it because we have a place at the Father's table reserved for us that no one can take away.

People just need to hear Jesus call their name. That is what I pray for...

"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 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. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Revelation 3:17-22 ESV

Have a great day. It is still Easter after all. The Resurrection was the first day of a life that goes on and on.

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Outside Our Circles

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." - Matthew 13:57-58 KJV

"Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." - Proverbs 25:25 ESV

Let's go outside our circles today. It is warm and cozy in our warm little house but maybe it is outside that the message is going to be heard and God is going to move. I can know the face of my friend and loved one so well that I can miss out on the miracle. Wonderful things can happen when we come face to face with a stranger and share the Gospel with them.

Perhaps we go with the friend we know well but that venture, that lifestyle,  destroys familiarity in our friendship. We know each other and have a veil in front of our eyes about who that person is. Then after the fellowship and evangelism time the veil is gone again regardless of the outward results.

"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith" - Galatians 3:5 ESV

How about bringing our children and going to serve and share with people? At the store with our wife in the checkout line. Not striving but in understanding. Familiarity will creep in all by itself. It needs no help. Unless we function in faith action we will be subject to whatever comes or reactionary because we are standing on our heels and caught off guard.

We are not on this Earth to just be nice people. We are here to love people and that is a different deeper thing than a nod or a joke with a stranger.

"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,

'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' " - Romans 10:14-15 ESV

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Just Go Home

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Pet 1:3-5 NKJV

I love these verses!

To think that in a moment of faith our far away Creator became our Father. Who knew that God had so much mercy? To be taken out from under dark power and placed in a kingdom of light with Christ as our brother where we have an inheritance is more than my little mind can handle most days.

Perhaps our time has been misspent like the prodigal. Just go home. Your Father will be waiting there. Our inheritance is many things but the most precious of these is the embrace of our eternal Father who is always happy to see us.

A Family Obligation

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." Rom 8:12

After over two hours pouring over books and Bible programs I come to the conclusion that this does not say 'we are not debtors to the flesh' it means just what it says in the KJV. 'Brothers, We have under an obligation (or are debtors)' it is just not a fleshly obligation.

What struck me first this morning was 'Brothers'. This obligation is a family obligation and it is not linked to the old nature at all. Whatever obligation we had in the flesh, real or imagined, was cancelled at the cross. What obligation does a believer have under the grace economy?

It made me think of the debt Joseph's brothers had when Simeon was taken as a mock hostage by Joseph. Suddenly the brothers who were selfish and carnal had to make a change. Love rose up in them. The deal was they had to bring Benjamin back to Egypt but upon returning home they saw the money they paid for supplies was back in their sacks.

It is a picture how God has no use for our money, our carnal payment buys nothing with Him. But, Love... oh love. Love does something to us.

The brothers loved their father and they loved their brother Simeon. On the other hand their loved their brother Benjamin also. The guilt of what they thought about what happened with Joseph was so present in their minds now.

They failed to love Joseph but they would not fail to love Simeon. It was not that they were making amends. It was not possible to fix what had gone before... now in the moment they would choose to love as brothers... loving one another even though it would be hard to do it.

Can we love each other? Yes, We can. Is there urgency? Who is held hostage?

This is no payback. It is a family obligation. It is love that draws us with the 'cords of a man'. It is constraining love.