The later part of Wednesday afternoon and into the evening I thought a great deal about ability and individual capacity.
There is the capacity that perspective brings
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." Ps 37:25
Also, We can have capacity or ability that once was ours or one that was never realized given to us by God.
"He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." John 9:25
Then there is borrowed capacity where we lend our ability to others or benefit from the ability someone else has.
"I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame." Job 29:15
Then there are windows of possibility. Times when something can happen but that window will only stay open for a time. I love this verse.
"I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Rev 3:8
God is holding the door open. He sees that we have little strength but He holds the entrance open for us and no matter what men do it will not close. Amazing.
"I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Is 46:11b
"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." 1 Thess 5:24
I do not want to live my life as if it is limited by my ability. Nor do want to have some 'positive thinking' attitude that relies on some boundless untapped potential of man that does not really exist except in the mind of the secular humanist.
I want to grow in grace and truth and have the borrowed strength that comes from God at the same time. He can do things in me and through me.
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23
"And these signs shall follow them that believe..." Mark 16:17a
When we walk in faith it is not just us people see. There are signs that follow us. Ability and capacity that may be subtle or it may be profound. People may write it off as some 'product of our humanity' but we will know and testify otherwise.
It is Christ who has done something and what has been accomplished at the cross is being made evident through us today as we walk by faith. It is more than just us... it is Christ in us and the fact that we are hidden in God because of Him.
Once we were lost but now we are found. Once we were blind but now we see.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Neither Height Nor Depth
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8:39
The word height here is the same word used here for 'high thing':
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" 2 Cor 10:5
The word for depth is the same word used here:
"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden." Rev 2:24
Our mind reaches for the heights and our soul cleaves to the dust. Both would by themselves leave us separated from God's love. Neither have the power to do that now.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" 2 Cor 10:3-4
My intellectual property may be a stronghold or perhaps it is the dusty trails my soul is prone to wander on it's own. Habits devoid of faith or thoughts devoid of life need not stand. Faith is a path we have not traveled before. Wisdom from above is fresh and new and when given is not up for my private interpretation.
Jericho will fall when God breaths on us. We have been made clean by the word that has been spoken to us.
I do not look to the stars for direction. I have traded all of my riches in for one pearl of great price. Jesus is my north star and by Him I will navigate. Let His book reveal to me my identity an not the dust of my genetics. In a moment all that I am will be inflamed in glory. Until then I will wrestle down anything that comes against what God has said.
Let God be true and every man a liar. If He says 'It is Finished' then it is. If He says I am a new creature and old things have passed away then they have. Do I have a commission? I do.
Am I loved? I am and so is every other person in the world. I am sealed in a way that no air separates me from God. That is how I will live today as one launching out in faith not as one bound to the ground or with my head in the clouds.
The word height here is the same word used here for 'high thing':
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" 2 Cor 10:5
The word for depth is the same word used here:
"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden." Rev 2:24
Our mind reaches for the heights and our soul cleaves to the dust. Both would by themselves leave us separated from God's love. Neither have the power to do that now.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" 2 Cor 10:3-4
My intellectual property may be a stronghold or perhaps it is the dusty trails my soul is prone to wander on it's own. Habits devoid of faith or thoughts devoid of life need not stand. Faith is a path we have not traveled before. Wisdom from above is fresh and new and when given is not up for my private interpretation.
Jericho will fall when God breaths on us. We have been made clean by the word that has been spoken to us.
I do not look to the stars for direction. I have traded all of my riches in for one pearl of great price. Jesus is my north star and by Him I will navigate. Let His book reveal to me my identity an not the dust of my genetics. In a moment all that I am will be inflamed in glory. Until then I will wrestle down anything that comes against what God has said.
Let God be true and every man a liar. If He says 'It is Finished' then it is. If He says I am a new creature and old things have passed away then they have. Do I have a commission? I do.
Am I loved? I am and so is every other person in the world. I am sealed in a way that no air separates me from God. That is how I will live today as one launching out in faith not as one bound to the ground or with my head in the clouds.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Sent In Love
"By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:13-17 NKJV
Jesus was the sent One... we are sent ones. Jesus was given the Spirit and so are we. He was loved as a son is loved and we are also loved. We can make this love our home. It is our home. If we choose to live in this place there is kind of confidence that can not be found anywhere else.
Every person has certain fundamental needs. Some of these lists are long and some short. Food, shelter, water are some physical needs but the need for love, purpose, understanding, identity and creativity are others. Our God meets all of these needs and many of them are met right here in this verse in 1 John.
Notice it isn't just saved ones that live in love. It is sent ones that live there. The momentum of our call deflects shame. There is rest in knowing that you are going as an ambassador and living in the decree of the royal law of love. We are all going to make mistakes in how we love people but there is little covering in a passivity that keeps to itself and never risks loving others.
I am not talking about the model of romantic love that we are fed in different flavors from every corner of culture. That love is indeed dangerous and deceptive. The love of a sent one flows in the channel of divine authority to us and through us. It is a love that never fails. It binds, it feeds, it nurtures, it helps, it affirms and it is filled with humor, joy and purity.
This is a confidence born of communion. Where we eat bread and wine with Him moment by moment at His table. Filled with the fellowship we have one with another and drunk on justification. Unlike it's Earthly counterparts this food and drink will not make us fat or dissipate us. It enlivens and equips us for the next thing.
Jesus was the sent One... we are sent ones. Jesus was given the Spirit and so are we. He was loved as a son is loved and we are also loved. We can make this love our home. It is our home. If we choose to live in this place there is kind of confidence that can not be found anywhere else.
Every person has certain fundamental needs. Some of these lists are long and some short. Food, shelter, water are some physical needs but the need for love, purpose, understanding, identity and creativity are others. Our God meets all of these needs and many of them are met right here in this verse in 1 John.
Notice it isn't just saved ones that live in love. It is sent ones that live there. The momentum of our call deflects shame. There is rest in knowing that you are going as an ambassador and living in the decree of the royal law of love. We are all going to make mistakes in how we love people but there is little covering in a passivity that keeps to itself and never risks loving others.
I am not talking about the model of romantic love that we are fed in different flavors from every corner of culture. That love is indeed dangerous and deceptive. The love of a sent one flows in the channel of divine authority to us and through us. It is a love that never fails. It binds, it feeds, it nurtures, it helps, it affirms and it is filled with humor, joy and purity.
This is a confidence born of communion. Where we eat bread and wine with Him moment by moment at His table. Filled with the fellowship we have one with another and drunk on justification. Unlike it's Earthly counterparts this food and drink will not make us fat or dissipate us. It enlivens and equips us for the next thing.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Remove the Veil
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Tim 3:16
Right here in this verse we can see Christ tackle the primary enemies of mankind. He takes the ax to the tree of evil. The dominoes begin to fall. The plan of God was finished before it started but here we see a snapshot, or overview, of how it worked.
"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." 1 Tim 4:6-10
I need a glimpse of the big picture to function correctly in the details of my own life. Godliness is a mystery. It is something hidden that get revealed again and again. Focus on self is never what reveals it. Focus on Christ is what opens our eyes.
If we are good ministers of anything it is because we give Jesus. Jesus was manifested, justified and seen in His incarnation. Now that progression is true in our lives. If those things happen we have a message. When Jesus is lifted up He draws men to Himself and they believe. The Gospel of Grace takes down barriers. It simplifies the complex. It unveils a mystery. The mystery that godliness is not sourced in the person you see before you. It is sourced in a person who came and died then rose and sits in Heaven.
No self help program there.
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt 3:12
The dominoes are falling. God will gather His wheat and then clean us the mess left behind.
Faith and truth will keep it all in perspective. Eyes on Christ will take the veil off of godliness.
I can ask God to fill me with His Spirit and go to work now. God is in control and I can rest in that.
Right here in this verse we can see Christ tackle the primary enemies of mankind. He takes the ax to the tree of evil. The dominoes begin to fall. The plan of God was finished before it started but here we see a snapshot, or overview, of how it worked.
"If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." 1 Tim 4:6-10
I need a glimpse of the big picture to function correctly in the details of my own life. Godliness is a mystery. It is something hidden that get revealed again and again. Focus on self is never what reveals it. Focus on Christ is what opens our eyes.
If we are good ministers of anything it is because we give Jesus. Jesus was manifested, justified and seen in His incarnation. Now that progression is true in our lives. If those things happen we have a message. When Jesus is lifted up He draws men to Himself and they believe. The Gospel of Grace takes down barriers. It simplifies the complex. It unveils a mystery. The mystery that godliness is not sourced in the person you see before you. It is sourced in a person who came and died then rose and sits in Heaven.
No self help program there.
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt 3:12
The dominoes are falling. God will gather His wheat and then clean us the mess left behind.
Faith and truth will keep it all in perspective. Eyes on Christ will take the veil off of godliness.
I can ask God to fill me with His Spirit and go to work now. God is in control and I can rest in that.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Garbage Has Been Taken Out
"Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Heb 9:22b
There are few more shocking statements in the Bible.
A person who cares about people but is unfamiliar with the Bible or Biblical concepts would see such a statement as barbaric or savage. It is a concept polite society shuns.
That little statement has so much embedded in it. Authority, responsibility, finality and the dread that anyone who has ever done something terrible that they can't undo has ever felt. If forgiveness is needed then in God's economy no excuse will buy you out of it... no compromise. Holiness by definition is uncompromising.
The smallest sin caused us as individuals and a race to turn a corner of no return.
When Adam and Eve realized that a sweet little animal that was nothing but a kind companion to them before was lying dead and lifeless so that they could be warm and clothed how their hearts must have sunk so much lower. Paradise was really lost. A flaming sword kept them from what was and would never be again.
Oh, The Blood of God. What precious blood was shed for you and me. What shock and agony to think about it... to really let it sink in. It is truly the highest price paid for anything and it's sacrifice will never be matched.
You can't call it forgiveness unless it happened at the cross. If you boil the first statement down that is what we find. Everything else is sentimentality or convenience of some kind. Our sins small and great have been brought there and there was at one time a slaughter that dealt will them forever. That truth sets us free when it hits us and sinks in. But, then as time passes and we replay the event we realize in was not just my burden... the individual sins of every person were dumped on that place.
All sin... the contractor who cheated me, the driver that cut me off, the murderer, the molester, the ignorant person... even the kindly old grandmother that looks like she would never hurt a fly. Every fault and every blunder has to it's record the blood of the innocent Savior.
My consciousness of sin is changed... transformed by that reality. Too high a price has been paid for me to look at myself and see a terrible person. Even that is removed and paid for. We now have a place apart from self to put sin. It is the cross.
If I impute sin to others I am not in God's will. Because blood was shed for those sins they must be and have been forgiven. The brutal decree has become freedom. Any other method still leaves a residue of some kind. This way leaves none.
Unforgiveness of all kinds is crucifying Christ afresh (see Heb 6:6). It will be a dead area that the Spirit of God can not fellowship with. Our God is the God of the living not the dead.
Jesus was once crucified but is now alive and has cast all that garbage into the sea of His forgetfulness.
If sin consciousness is removed from relationships we can have fresh living ones filled with humor and joy. Nothing needs to get in the way of loving ourselves and others. A way has been made for that to happen. We as individuals can enter into that dynamic.
Having found this method it is the one I am determined to employ. Transgression is brought mentally to the cross and reckoned to be paid for. That is thinking with God. That is my freedom.
There are few more shocking statements in the Bible.
A person who cares about people but is unfamiliar with the Bible or Biblical concepts would see such a statement as barbaric or savage. It is a concept polite society shuns.
That little statement has so much embedded in it. Authority, responsibility, finality and the dread that anyone who has ever done something terrible that they can't undo has ever felt. If forgiveness is needed then in God's economy no excuse will buy you out of it... no compromise. Holiness by definition is uncompromising.
The smallest sin caused us as individuals and a race to turn a corner of no return.
When Adam and Eve realized that a sweet little animal that was nothing but a kind companion to them before was lying dead and lifeless so that they could be warm and clothed how their hearts must have sunk so much lower. Paradise was really lost. A flaming sword kept them from what was and would never be again.
Oh, The Blood of God. What precious blood was shed for you and me. What shock and agony to think about it... to really let it sink in. It is truly the highest price paid for anything and it's sacrifice will never be matched.
You can't call it forgiveness unless it happened at the cross. If you boil the first statement down that is what we find. Everything else is sentimentality or convenience of some kind. Our sins small and great have been brought there and there was at one time a slaughter that dealt will them forever. That truth sets us free when it hits us and sinks in. But, then as time passes and we replay the event we realize in was not just my burden... the individual sins of every person were dumped on that place.
All sin... the contractor who cheated me, the driver that cut me off, the murderer, the molester, the ignorant person... even the kindly old grandmother that looks like she would never hurt a fly. Every fault and every blunder has to it's record the blood of the innocent Savior.
My consciousness of sin is changed... transformed by that reality. Too high a price has been paid for me to look at myself and see a terrible person. Even that is removed and paid for. We now have a place apart from self to put sin. It is the cross.
If I impute sin to others I am not in God's will. Because blood was shed for those sins they must be and have been forgiven. The brutal decree has become freedom. Any other method still leaves a residue of some kind. This way leaves none.
Unforgiveness of all kinds is crucifying Christ afresh (see Heb 6:6). It will be a dead area that the Spirit of God can not fellowship with. Our God is the God of the living not the dead.
Jesus was once crucified but is now alive and has cast all that garbage into the sea of His forgetfulness.
If sin consciousness is removed from relationships we can have fresh living ones filled with humor and joy. Nothing needs to get in the way of loving ourselves and others. A way has been made for that to happen. We as individuals can enter into that dynamic.
Having found this method it is the one I am determined to employ. Transgression is brought mentally to the cross and reckoned to be paid for. That is thinking with God. That is my freedom.
Friday, February 1, 2013
I'd Like You To Meet a Friend of Mine
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Cor 1:17-18
The Gospel is an announcement and an introduction not a call to behavioral change, philosophy or social affiliation.
Paul didn't want his name associated with the message. He was glad that few could make the claim, 'I was baptized by the great Apostle.'
He also makes sure to define the fact that the message is not some self help trend. It is not a fad or a movement cleverly designed by men.
This makes no sense to a dying man. He wants a fix or a self help group or some claim to fame that will outlast him.
But, To those that need a Savior the Gospel is power. It is the stripping away of the seen to reveal the unseen. It is not surface it is Love. It is not a sympathetic gesture it is mercy expressed that saves and causes change.
'Here is Jesus. Would you like to meet Him? He is not aloof like other Kings are. He is knocking on the door of your life and He want to sit and eat with you. You don't need to supply the meal. He has that covered. No need to clean the house before He enters. He will handle that also.'
The Gospel says that what was in the way is now out of the way. It has been blotted out and covered. There is no need to be on the run from authority because of transgressions. Jesus took the bullet and paid the fine.
The gospel doesn't ask us to join anything or do anything. It makes us aware of something great and introduces us to the Great One.
If we let Jesus be our friend He will be our friend forever. People will die, fail us us and leave us. Jesus never will. Programs and trends will change like diets and fashion. The Gospel is the same. Always new. Those doors are always unlocked and have a light on for the weary travelers to turn into and find rest.
The Gospel is an announcement and an introduction not a call to behavioral change, philosophy or social affiliation.
Paul didn't want his name associated with the message. He was glad that few could make the claim, 'I was baptized by the great Apostle.'
He also makes sure to define the fact that the message is not some self help trend. It is not a fad or a movement cleverly designed by men.
This makes no sense to a dying man. He wants a fix or a self help group or some claim to fame that will outlast him.
But, To those that need a Savior the Gospel is power. It is the stripping away of the seen to reveal the unseen. It is not surface it is Love. It is not a sympathetic gesture it is mercy expressed that saves and causes change.
'Here is Jesus. Would you like to meet Him? He is not aloof like other Kings are. He is knocking on the door of your life and He want to sit and eat with you. You don't need to supply the meal. He has that covered. No need to clean the house before He enters. He will handle that also.'
The Gospel says that what was in the way is now out of the way. It has been blotted out and covered. There is no need to be on the run from authority because of transgressions. Jesus took the bullet and paid the fine.
The gospel doesn't ask us to join anything or do anything. It makes us aware of something great and introduces us to the Great One.
If we let Jesus be our friend He will be our friend forever. People will die, fail us us and leave us. Jesus never will. Programs and trends will change like diets and fashion. The Gospel is the same. Always new. Those doors are always unlocked and have a light on for the weary travelers to turn into and find rest.
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