Fallen But Filling In The Gaps Ourselves

Lies. I'm thinking about lies. Why we lie. How often we lie. Who do we lie to. All of it.

As you may have guessed I believe mankind is fallen. I didn't always believe that but I do now because the Bible states it and proves it. Anthropology also brings this out.

Lies, to me, are an evidence of the fall.

I know... people who believe in evolution or some other scenario where man is 'progressing' also have an explanation for lies and lying but 'wow'... the fall just puts it right into perspective for me.

Fallen people have gaps in knowledge and they try to fill them in ways that are beneficial. We do it to survive and to dodge guilt and shame but the thing is... we all do it. Some just make it into a lifestyle.

'Gaps' are a result of the fall.

I see three things that are just part of the human experience but to me they provide evidence that mankind is fallen and needs Heavenly intervention.
- The fact that we lie (gaps in knowledge)
- The reality that people age, get sick and then die (gaps in our biology)
- That we kill each other (gaps in love... we see the need to remove a person who would just die anyway later because it benefits us in some way)

Jesus came to deal with all of these things and He has.

The 'progression' folks have strange convoluted answers for all three of these things but just look at them. They are cracks in our existence that we all suffer from. They are downward cycles with no escape.

The liar needs a savior.

Go ahead and tell a liar that their children's, children's children are going to outgrow lies and hatred. Not only is that a lie but it is no comfort to them.

We all need a perfect person who sees us just as we are and loves us just as we are. Some one who won't lie. Some one with no gaps. Some one to give us hope.

Jesus loved His lying disciples. He embraced murderous humanity as we killed Him. He carries those who grow old and die into His bosom and makes them young again.

Jesus is the solution but many still don't want Him. His way is a narrow way. For some it will take them realizing He isn't 'a' solution. He is the only solution. Still others would rather die lying to themselves and hold on to that false control of perception until it is too late.

I love the term 'believer' to describe someone who has trusted Jesus because a believer is someone who doesn't just settle for things as they are now 'by sight'. They trust in a higher better way and you can see glimpses of that higher better way in their lives. They touch the Holy One and light shines from that Holy One into a dark world.

"But that is not the way you learned Christ! - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. 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 4:20-32 ESV

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The Prayer Assignment

In Bible school one of my classes gave 'prayer assignments'. We were supposed to pray for a list of people, countries and churches. Then at the next class we had to check a box saying we did the assignment.

This challenged me greatly because I thought things like, 'Is God going to answer these prayers if we just did them to get a good grade?'... is that really how things work?

The big test came when I didn't do the assignment but there I was with my pen hovering over the check mark. I wanted to get a good grade. Was i willing to lie to do that? Was I willing to lie about PRAYING to do that?

I remember being tempted to check the box anyway. I don't remember if i ever did. I might have. I'm kind of a rascal... but aren't we all.

I'm praying right now for a few things and people. Am I doing it to check a box? I don't really know but I'm doing it by faith.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." - John 14:12-14 ESV

Jesus' name is big and unique to me. He Is God Himself who came to be a man. He is my Savior. He came to Earth because of love and healed everyone who came to Him for healing. He Is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He Is sitting at the right hand of the Father. He knows me so much better than I know Him. God sees me and all that I do and don't do.

I'm a little nobody but I can name drop as well as anyone else and I plan to drop His name all over the place. I plan to pepper my prayers with His name. His name isn't a curse word to me. His name Is like an iceberg of divinity. His name Is weighty and wonderful. I'm going to use it and God help me if I misuse it because it is important and powerful.

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You Are Not Divine

Jesus is the only divine person (human being). We are not divine. We will not become divine. If we believe in Jesus we become a new creation but that newness and identity happens because we are hidden in Christ not because we are little Gods. Our new nature is linked to His nature and intertwined with the life of the Holy Spirit.

We are a creation. Jesus always was. We have a beginning but no end. Jesus has no beginning and no end. He always was.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" - Psalm 139:13-17 ESV

We were an idea in God's mind. When he made the Earth He made it in such a way that He saw our physical bodies in the Earth at creation. The moment a man's sperm fertilizes the egg of a woman a thought becomes reality. The 'idea' that God saw in his mind becomes a person who will mature and 'come into' their personhood.

He 'foresaw' and 'foreknew' you and i.

New age or new thought teachings use Bible words but they don't use them the way the Bible does. Most of them hinge on personal divinity apart from Jesus. To them Jesus was an example of what you or I can be. They teach the seeds of divinity are in everyone. They teach things like 'the law of attraction', 'spiritual awakenings' and 'sending light and good thoughts'. You can do these things or be involved in such things because of your realized or unrealized divinity.

It sounds so good because they use words like love, mercy, grace, light, rebirth and other words with Biblical roots but ultimately these teachings put you in a performance program.

Religion is a program to get to God or please God which is false and impossible because you can't do either of those things. Jesus did those things already for us.

New Age or New Thought tricks you into a process to become or awaken your divinity. They will even quote Jesus and 'name' him but it isn't the same Jesus. Their Jesus Is what we would be if we only adopt the right program. He is a teacher or an example not GOD HIMSELF becoming a man. To them He was a man who became God.

People were created in God's image. Jesus is the only man who came from Heaven but because of Him many will go to Heaven. He did what no other man could do and His name is exalted above every other name forever.

"Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory [is] above the earth and heaven." - Psalm 148:13 NKJV

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all." - John 3:31 NKJV

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV

We have one life. It is often hard. Yes. There is greatness in each person. That greatness is NOT divine. It is human. You are not a god. You never will be. You don't need to be. You can just be you because that is who God wants. He wants to adopt you into His family because you are friend of His Son.

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." - 2 Timothy 2:20-21 NKJV

If you believe then you can be a vessel of honor that is fit to live in the house. A created thing treated like a son forever.

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The Lesson Of The Anointing

1 John 2:27 ESV - "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie - just as it has taught you, abide in him."

Only a select group of people were anointed in the Hebrew scriptures. Kings and priests. It was very special. The recipe for the anointing oil was guarded and it was illegal to duplicate. The anointing oil in the scriptures points to the Holy Spirit. He is the true anointing.

I think it is the specialness that teaches us. We don't deserve to be annointed or to sense an anointing on others. The priests had their ears, a toe and a finger annointed for service. We can hear in the Spirit. Walk in the Spirit. Do things that are Spirit led things. We don't deserve that but still it us ours. It is a grace gift that the Holy Spirit will never leave us or forsake us and the knowledge of that reality teaches us. Knowing we have something we don't deserve makes us teachable in every situation.

I don't think it is a hyperspiritual sixth sense that is subjective. I think it is more like the state David must have been in after the prophet came to his fathers house and anointed him in secret. The prophet said David would be a king but David was just a boy. He must have looked back on that day and the knowledge that he was anointed must have informed his decisions. He could be brave knowing that he would not die. The prophet anointed him and what the prophet said had not yet come to pass.

We have that kind of information. If God has given us the Spirit then we have a purpose on the planet. Knowing we have a purpose teaches us a thing no one else can tell us but we can know with certainty.

You are special. God doesn't anoint everyone. Your ear can be touched by God. Your finger and toe can be sanctified for service.

I want this knowledge to inform me in ways no earthly teacher can. If I understand the anointing in me I have something precious that can't be taught in a classroom.

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Real Power

Power is all about who you know. All legitimate authority is delegated authority... at least that is what the Bible teaches.

There are no 'super powers' beyond that. That kind of power or 'energy' is fictional. Leverage is real. That is how physics works. That is how politics works and, Yes, that is also how spirituality works.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." - Phl 3:8-12 ESV

I know many smart people that are anti-social and essentially powerless in this life and in the one to come after our body goes into the ground.

"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."" - Luke 18:22 ESV

One of the paradoxes of spiritual life is seeing wisdom in giving to those that can't help us.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28 ESV

You can't have influence with everyone. Who will you side with? God is the one who Is for you and for 'them' also. He Is the 'fount of every blessing'. His Love Is the Light that opens our eyes to see things as they are and not as we want them to be.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 ESV

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Hopeless... But Now Having A Hope That Maketh Not Ashamed

Hopelessness is when we lose all confidence in ourselves, other people and have no sense that any powerful being cares or notices us in a real way.

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." - Ephesians 2:11-12 ESV

That was us before... after believing in Jesus we have this...

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:1-5 ESV

'...hope that maketh not ashamed...' (KJV language) is a realization that because we are JUSTIFIED in Christ (verse 1) God notices us. We have access. We have a place to stand. We 'rejoice in hope of the glory of God'... God isn't going to remain invisible... His glory is a revealing of His brightness and person...

This hope has nothing to do with other people or how we perform or succeed... love gets poured into us... our sufferings are producing room for that love... we don't suffer because we are forgotten... God Is going to be revealed because we are not forgotten... We have peace 'with' God. That is not just a cessation of conflict. It is a shared peace.

"Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!" - Psalm 119:116-117 ESV

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Freedom To Speak

'Freedom of Speech' is very important. It is a key to mental health in a society and in an individual. The Bible promotes liberty and healthy boundaries. It define profitable and unprofitable speech but it doesn't 'shut us down' with spoken or unspoken rules.

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses." - Matthew 18:15-16 ESV

The Bible doesn't say, 'Just forgive them, forget about it and never talk about it.' It gives a proper channel that honors all parties involved. There is a time and place. One that isn't libelous (written defamation) or slanderous (verbal defamation). Some things never need to be said but others must be said and faced.

Perhaps you were brought up in a home where certain subjects were 'out of bounds' and if you ever brought them up you would get a sharp negative response... maybe even a violent response. Like most abuse.. the victim might just grow up and become the abuser if there is no healing of the wound. You feel that way about certain subjects and you can't even pinpoint why.

God wants to heal you of that and every other wound that has damaged your soul. God will listen. The scripture will give definition on how God thinks so our mind can be changed if we have a wrong perspective.. which results in wrong dealings with others.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." - Ephesians 4:29 KJV

Notice the emphasis on self-governance. It does not say 'their mouth'. It says 'your mouth'.

I want my speech to be a 'faith confession' because that is profitable but I pour out my heart to God and nothing is off limits. At the same time I want to end the 'conversation' with His point of view. The poison gets purged and life-giving words fill that place in my heart and mind. Healing happens.

Yes. Freedom to speak is needed to have real freedom. Are you free?

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

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The Music Of Proverbs 14

Taking a bath in Proverbs chapter 14 this morning...

Each verse is like a note in a beautiful song... rising up one by one and then down with unexpected changes.

Those who don't believe we have free will can't have gone deeply into this book. It is all about how things are, who we choose to be and what likely happens because of choices made.

Here is a taste...

"A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways." - Proverbs 14:5-14 ESV

Wash, rinse, repeat...

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The Light Of The World

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 KJV

Jesus is the illumination of God's love.

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." - Genesis 1:3 KJV

God wanted to make it possible for us to see things that were far away in this creation He was making so He illuminated it.

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." - John 8:12 KJV

Yes! Yes! Yes! He Is the light that lights every man and shows us the love of the Father. Love is invisible unless you show it... It is unknown unless you say it. God didn't hide His love. He showed us His love.

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV

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Finding Jesus In Revelations

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." - Revelation 1:1-3 ESV

I have studied this book before. I read some of it days after I became a Christian and had nightmares about it. It has been decades since then. I have taken classes focused on this book... heard sermons... preached messages focused on passages.

Still. Today as I read the first few verses they seem fresh to me.

This book can seem like a puzzle. Names. Events. References to other parts of the Bible. Mysteries. 

The other day I got before God and said something like, 'I want to come at this book like I know 'nothing as I ought to' and have you teach me.' then I started to just look for Jesus in each chapter. What was God saying? What is His attitude? What was His tone? I skipped the names and events and just looked for Him.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."" - Revelation 1:1-8 ESV

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last," - Revelation 1:1-17 ESV

"'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary." - Revelation 2:2-3 ESV

"And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."" - Revelation 4:9-11 ESV

"...saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."" - Revelation 7:3 ESV

There is more, so much more, but Who do you see reading this? I see someone who cares deeply and knows people. He sees, observes and rewards. Those who experience Him can't say enough about Him. He is sensitive to pain and suffering. He times things and doesn't rush.

This is MY Jesus. I am His and He has become mine. 

The events are important... sure they are... but Jesus is revealed here and those things blur in the backround as He comes into focus for me.

This book scared me but now I want to eat it like candy.

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." - Revelation 22:16-21 ESV

Come quickly Lord! Thank you for this book. It is a great gift.

Are They A Soul Winner?

"As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." - 2 Timothy 4:5 ESV

I see a finger pointing right at me in this passage.

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." - 2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV

A teacher who teaches but doesn't evangelize isn't worth very much. You may say, 'That isn't their ministry'... perhaps but if that is so I don't need to be their student. They may be able to teach you some things but they can't teach you the things that will allow you to 'fulfill your ministry'.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." - 1 Corinthians 13:1 ESV

The internet isn't the place to find this out. Going out on the street with the person is where you will see this. Watching them greet people at the door and loving them is where you will see this. 

I often hear these quotes that sound good but I wonder... 'Is this person a soul winner or just a page turner?'... until I get that question answered I take it all 'with a grain of salt.'

I don't think any of us need two dozen teachers... just a few who win souls.

If I stop evangelizing stop listening to me. It will just be past tense and theoretical. I hope to win the nurse to Christ who is wiping the sweat off my brow on my deathbed. If that changes read someone else's posts that has that mindset.

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The Eyes Of A Parent

I'm thinking about bad parents and good parents. Some people love their children in wisdom and others have little capacity for love. A child sees their reflection in the eyes of their parents and sometimes the reflection they see is tainted and untrue.

"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me." - John 8:44-45 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 Devil is a bad Father. His children never find out who they really are. They never know where they stand. He is a gas-lighting narcissist. He is a liar.

God is a good Father. He is 'The Good Father'. In His eyes you discover who you are. You like how you look there. If you forget where you stand He reassures you. You are loved. When you go far away and come back He runs out to greet you and pile on gifts you don't deserve that He has set aside just for you.

You and i don't really know who we are. We must discover who we really are in kind loving eyes that are wise. Some people never discover their identity. They just run from one thing to the next looking to fill a hole that grows ever larger.

Don't forget to look up today and make sure you stay in touch with those wise humans on Earth that care for your soul. They are rare treasures... and remember... the Devil is a liar.

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Going And Listing

Lately I've been thinking of some of the unique aspects of Church life.

One is 'the prayer list'. I know many people have 'phone books' where the keep phone numbers of people. Perhaps they write in birthdays and names of that person's relatives and/or children also. That way when the call they also can mention those people by name. The prayer list is another animal really. I have had these lists of people... no contact information... some entries read like 'that guy with the blue shirt you talked to at Home Depot'. The list isn't one we use to contact the people. We use it to talk to God. Unique.

The other is Church 'seating'. I have purposed to be a wandering Jew in this area. I try to vary where I sit on purpose. That way I get exposed to many different people and interact with them. It does seem however that once a Church grows to more than a few people 'seating zones' begin to form. The 'upfronters' want every drop they can get. Sometimes it is family who will just dominate a certain area. The youth often like to sit together. Once in a while I'll just plant myself right in the middle of the teenagers just for fun.

Church has added so much to my life. It isn't always an easy place for me to be but it has added much more than I can list here.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

A believer living 'in application' goes. They go out to evangelize. They go to other countries. They go to God. They gather. Believing is active not passive. I never want to stop going and listing things and people.

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Choose The Right Cup

This morning I am thinking of a Pastor I knew who started drinking and stopped ministering. He died that way.

1 Corinthians 9:25-10:6 ESV - "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did."

It is Monday and we have good spiritual food to eat. We are running a race and there are people that need us to keep running it. I plan to find strength in God and not seek to escape reality. We can face challenges with courage. God is faithful. If we are renewed in our mind we will see the provision.

Psalm 116:12-13 ESV - "What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD"

If we drink out of God's cup we will win this week. God puts it in front of us so we will partake of it. There is no Earthly substitute.

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The Chambers Of Our Mind

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own," - 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV

Our body, or mind, is going to be a temple of something. Our imagination (the chambers of our imagery) is active and something is there. It is either holy and the spirit has free access to the rooms of our soul or it is closed off and filled with things that never see the light.

This next passage is an amazing picture of a person's thought life that is filled with idolatry. God sees it all but if we 'dig in the wall' it can be seen by us also.

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.' So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. And he said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.' And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, 'Son of man, dig in the wall.' So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And he said to me, 'Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.' So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up." - Ezekiel 8:5-11 ESV

Don't get me wrong most of us have closed off rooms in our soul. They may be secrets we protect or places that are just too painful to enter. Abuse does that.

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." - Luke 11:21-23 KJV

The Holy Spirit is the 'stronger man' who can take back that chamber, those chambers, God can cleanse His temple.

"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise." - John 2:13-16 KJV

Yes. Passover is when God set Israel free from bondage. Jesus is 'freeing' his Father's temple here. Those money changers had rigged weights. They cheated people and gouged them. They bought 'sacrifices' that where made to God but that was not God's heart. He wanted people to have easy access to his house.

God wants easy access to your mind. He wants to cleanse your mind and mine so we can be clean and free and not in bondage to lies and systems that are false and dark.

If you and I are functioning as 'temples' people can have access to God when they are with us. If our mind is cleansed we will have thoughts, words and ideas that are nourishing and wholesome. God is the treasure and not the structure that He dwells in. An empty Church is just a building. Our mind can be a thriving place if God dwells there.

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Moses And Aaron

I have always wondered about this interplay between Moses and his brother Aaron. Was it God's will or was it a 'compromise' of sorts?

"But Moses said to the LORD, 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.' Then the LORD said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.' But he said, 'Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.' Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, 'Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him." - Exodus 4:10-16 ESV

Also, Did God predict that Aaron would be happy to step into this role or did God move on Aaron's heart in some way to produce the outcome?

Either way it comforts me that God is willing to make us interdependent in ways. Moses is a 'type' or Christ. He was a Savior of Israel in that God used him to get them out of Eygpt and to the edge of the promised land.

"...You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do..."

Reminds me of this.

"When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." - John 20:20-23 ESV

There is this grand interplay between the Trinity and us as individuals. If we have a Pastor God sometimes uses words from that person to speak to us. He gives the pulpit the words and we are both taught together.

Maybe sometimes we feel like saying...

'...Oh, my Lord, please send someone else...'

Even in that there is a provision for companionship in the sending.

Oh that is good. I'm praying we all run into more people who are 'glad in their heart' to see us and work with us. No one should have to go alone in this world.

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Transcendence And The Upper Room

Transcendence sounds eastern. It is the claim that that there is existence outside the four walls of seventy years. A very attractive idea to those who are trapped. Our mind tells us, 'There is more.'

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV - "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

The 'Upper Room' is a great study.

John 20:26 ESV - "Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you.' "

Jesus walked through walls to get to the trapped disciples who feared death. He Is the way in and the way out. We can't or won't exit the upper room. Fear of death keeps us there but Jesus enters in to give us the peace to exit the trap of four walls. We have a place to go beyond our seventy years. It is a timeless place filled with eternal people that took Christ's hand and escaped death.

The disciples found that place. They had the last supper there where Jesus revealed unique things. It was a 'transcendent' experience on many levels. He dies. They get trapped there by their own fear. He enters in to visit. Jesus ascends in Heaven. That room becomes a place of operation for the early church.

God got them into that room and God got them out. It became a place of strength.

That room is like our life of faith. It has stages but freedom, power and community are the end result.

Acts 1:10-14 ESV - "And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."

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Rereading Philemon

The last few days I have been reading Philemon over and over again. It is truly an abolitionist text. Onesimus is a slave and Paul is sending an appeal to the Church. Paul never comes out and condemns slavery. I believe the Holy Spirit communicates a new value system to these people through the Apostles words. This person can no longer be property once this value system is adopted. No person can be. Nor can we oppress people if these concepts sink in. I love this book more and more as I read it.

It is a short book (letter). I included it below and plan to reread it a few more times over the next few days. These are concept we must understand today.

"You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." - 1 Corinthians 7:23 ESV

We were purchased by Christ's blood so He could set us free. That is God's method of adoption. He isn't a 'white Savior'. He is the Messiah.

As free people we can live lives that promote freedom. What a priveledge.

-o-

"Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you--I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus-- I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it--to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." - Philemon 1:1-25 ESV

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A Reading Of Psalm 102

I'm reading and rereading Psalm 102 today and it is so good. I'm writting this on my lunch break. The 'preface' to this psalm is very short but also very important.

"A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD...." - Psalm 102:1a ESV

We must see and absorb this perspective. This is a vunerable person talking to God in a very emotionally charged way. The inspiration of this psalm is that it truly shows this man's humanity. He isn't right. He is arguing with God and says things about God that are colored by hurt, helplessness and distance.

"A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!" - Psalm 102:1 ESV

He talks like a man who isn't sure God hears him. He uses God's intimate name that orthodox Jews of today never use or even write down on paper. He uses this intimate name in a plea that shows that he is unsure that God is caring or even noticing him.

"Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass." - Psalm 102:2-11 ESV

Wow.

'...you have taken me up and thrown me down...'

Ever feel like that? It isn't true. God has never done that but at times it feels like he has.

After verse 11 there is a major shift...

"But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD." - Psalm 102:12-22 ESV

A moment of clarity! A person who knows God's intimate name gets to see this. We see him seeing this and it is like we are seeing it. This Is the alpha and omega. He has Been and will Be into forever but we are human and hurting. Knowing this is a bridge into forever but we are 'afflicted'.

"He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days." - Psalm 102:23 ESV

For a second there we see the inside of a person speaking to himself. He gives this great discourse talking to God about who He Is but then he takes a sentence to talk to himself and say.

'He has weakened me.'

God slowed him down and allowed circumstances to bring the psalmist to this place.

" 'O my God,' I say, 'take me not away in the midst of my days - you whose years endure throughout all generations!' Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end. The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you." - Psalm 102:24-28 ESV

I read this psalm and feel like I have God's permission to be a bit messed up sometimes. Feeling distant doesn't mean God has cut you or I off. He understands this. Jesus sweat blood the night before His cruxifiction. He needed all His strength to carry that cross the next day but some of it was taken the night before.

You and I think we need to be strong to face things but that isn't what we need at all sometimes. God knows what we need. We need to see Him and get a glimpse of His foreverness. He Is always seeing us but we forget what He looks like often because of our limits and make up.

Today I'm reading this psalm and 'pouring out my complaint' to Him. I am also in awe of His glory. The 'conversation' will become a paragraph in the biography that is my life. God is the main character not me.

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Responding To Goodness

- God is good. Mankind isn't.
- We can respond to 'good' but we can not initiate true goodness on our own. Self preservation or gain is always in the mix.
- We can however initiate based on what we have recieved. God's Spirit leads us down a road we would not go on our own. That is the only kind of initation that does not add to the corruption we see around us.

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building." - 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 ESV

I have not seen this belief system anywhere else but in the Bible and it is the only way I see to have a truly healthy self image.

If we abandon trying to do 'good' and exalt the One who has done 'good' then we find ourselves living life in a different way without guilt or shame.

I am suspicous of and eventually must denounce any theology or philosophy that does not promote this view because it obscures who God Is and pushs people to try to perform in a way that is impossible.

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