It's Raining Again

This morning I listened to Supertramp's "It's Raining Again".  Mainly because that's the way I felt.  Then I listened to "Hang on Little Tomato" by Pink Martini.  Two completely different styles of music, but both about keeping your spirits up.  Lyrics to "It's Raining Again" say,

C'mon you little fighter

And get back up again

Oh get back up again

Fill your heart again ...

Lyrics to "Hang on Little Tomato" are all good and very poetic, and there is no specific chorus, say,

The sun has left and forgotten me

It's dark, I cannot see
Why does this rain pour down
I'm gonna drown
In a sea of deep confusion

Somebody told me, I don't know who
Whenever you are sad and blue
And you're feeling all alone and left behind
Just take a look inside you and you'll find

You gotta hold on, hold on through the night
Hang on, things will be all right
Even when it's dark
And not a bit of sparkling
Sing-song sunshine from above
Spreading rays of sunny love

Just hang on, hang on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine
If you start to cry, look up to the sky
Something's coming up ahead
To turn your tears to dew instead

And so I hold on to his advice
When change is hard and not so nice
If you listen to your heart the whole night through
Your sunny someday will come one day soon to you

Two completely different songs.  Either way, both speak to the world raining down upon us and hanging on through the night to get back up again with a full heart because if we hang on, tomorrow will be a better day.  As great as that advice is, I wonder if the world truly understands how impossible that is to do without the Spirit of God dwelling inside.

David wrote in Psalm 3:2-3, "So many say that God will never help me.  But Lord, You are my shield, my glory, and my only hope.  You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame."  And in verse 8a he says, "Salvation belongs to the Lord." 

God alone lifts our head.  I may can lift it for a while with a renewed hope, but eventually my sustainment will run out.  No matter how strong I am, at some point I will not be enough.  No matter how strong my friends or family are, at some point they will not be enough.  No matter how strong positive sayings and quotes are, at some point they will not be enough.  No matter how beautiful and inspirational nature is, at some point it will not be enough.  "God alone"  is all that will ever be enough to fill my heart and lift my head.

This salvation from the hand and heart of God belongs only to Him.  In nothing else can man find their rescue, their fulfillment, their completion.  Nowhere else can man look to be saved.  Salvation only is found in the Lord.  It is His property; His action; His character; His essence.  As Natalie Grant sings in "In Christ Alone", In Christ alone my hope is found.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like ...

"The kingdom of heaven is like ..." Jesus says 11 times in Matthew.  And every time He uses a parable to describe it.  I get the impression that He is trying intently to describe something that He knows is hard for us to understand and so He applies story after story to show the many sides or facets of this topic.  Seven of these parables are in Matthew 13. 

I find this whole chapter humorous from a teacher-student viewpoint.  Jesus starts the conversation by speaking to the multitudes in parables, specifically the one regarding the Sower.  The disciples then ask Him why He speaks to them in parables and Jesus answers because it is not given to them (the multitudes, not the disciples who He says can understand) to understand the kingdom of heaven.  He then follows this by telling the disciples seven straight parables.  Obviously, the disciples needed some remedial training as much as I do. Whoa unto me whenever I think I understand something!

But Jesus had a clear intention regarding clarifying what "the kingdom of heaven is like."  In verse 16, Jesus presents to us how blessed we are if we are able to see what God is doing and hear His message and instruction on our hearts.  This seemingly simple thing, this communication we take for granted, is the greatest blessing our lives will ever have.  This verse is the key to the following seven parables that follow it.

The ability to know God, to feel His presence of Spirit, to hear wisdom in words or depth of heart, to see God in His Creation or in the expression of love to another, to experience a dwelling inside that overflows and encompasses all of who you are, completing every aspect of what you know yourself to be and filling every hole in your being.  This is what you will value above everything else in this world  (v 44).  This is for what you will "sell out" (v 45-46).  And if we will let His word take root, it will grow to be the greatest structure in our lives, so much, that all the other parts of our life will depend upon it (v 31-32).  Then we will bear fruit ourselves (v 23).

Blessed are we who have not had His Word "snatched away" from our heart by Satan (v 19).  For we will be separated from the wicked (v 41-42, 49-50) and taken to the Father to be with Him when all is passed away (v 43). 

Treasure your communication with your heavenly Father more than your own life.  Love all the time you have with Him knowing this is where life truly resides.  Keep your eyes and ears open, looking and listening to where He is leading and to what He is conversing.  That life, focused on that conversation valuing it more than anything seen, heard, or experienced physically, is what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Don' Worry, be happy!

Matt 6:  ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

In the insightful theology of Bob Marley: Don't worry, be happy!  Sounds easy enough, but the engineer in me always asks: how?  Some turn to chemical assistance.  Others turn to the advice or simply gossip of others.  The Gospel message is not about finding answers within ourselves or even in this world, but to look to God.  Matthew chapter 6 reminds us that we are to depend on God for everything, what we eat, drink, etc.  Yet the pattern I see in my own life and in the life of the church is to be self-sufficient until that turns out to be insufficient.  Once in a crisis, we pray that 9-1-1 prayer that starts "Oh God!"  The root cause as I see it is summed up in an excellent blog by a Haitian Missionary who points to the fact that we treat the gospel message as simply a "get-out-of-hell-free card."  In other words, we buy into Jesus as Savior, but we don't want to let Jesus be Lord.  We're quick to let Jesus be Lord over those things we have no control over such as life and health, but our careers, relationships, appetites, hobbies, etc are all off-limits as we believe we can be the masters of our own happiness.  Then we spend hours upon hours wondering why we're not content, we lack joy, and we can't seem to find fulfillment in life.  I believe this is the Holy Spirit screaming at us that we're missing out on the benefits of a spirit-filled, God-centered, Jesus is Lord of all life.  When we fail to allow God to be fully in charge, then we're forced to worry about how things will turn out.  We worry about how others will perceive us.  We worry about how our careers will progress, what will happen tomorrow in my job, what will happen in my relationships, how will my kids turn out, and on and on.  This is not the life that Jesus has called us to live.  We are to live in the confidence that God goes before us (Ps 119:105), has a plan for us that is filled with hope (Jer 29:11), that all these things will be added (Matt 6:33).  We need to live in confidence that God holds our future and in the end, God wins!  I believe it is confidence in the one who can truly not just save us, but truly give our life purpose, meaning, direction, and joy that displaces fear and worry. 
Does your life give testimony to a God who is Lord of all and in whom you rely daily or have you bought into the lie that God rewards those who help themselves?  Are you planning, scheming, worrying, developing a plan and asking God to endorse it or are you praying that God would guide you and living in confidence that He didn't bring you this far to abandon you now? 
What are you worried about?  Perhaps God is pointing out an area in your life that isn't yielded to His lordship, something that you stubbornly hold onto as "yours."  Do you trust him or do you think you've got this?  Jesus said you can only serve one master.  Is Jesus Lord, or are you in charge?

Get Out of Jail Free

This is a blog post and is an excerpt from the working book manuscript by Matthew Ayers titled Holiness in Fresh Perspective: Covenant, Cross and Kingdom.  I thought the concept of our standard teaching, at least from most Baptist pulpits, is significant as Matt is obviously trying to lead to a point that there is a lot more to knowing Jesus than just getting our "fire insurance".

This, for far too many Christians, sums-up Jesus, the cross, and the resurrection.  Believe in Jesus and you’ll be issued a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. Really? Is it really that one-dimensional?  Does this sum up the sixty-six books of scripture, the promises to Abraham, Israel, David, the Disciples and the church today?  Is this what it’s all about?

To borrow the phrase that Paul repeats again and again in Romans in response to the conclusions not to be drawn from his teaching, “By no means!” (Rom 3:4, 6, 31, 6:2, 15, 7:7, 13, 9:14, 11:1, and 11).

How have we ended up in a place where our theology grants license to promote the gospel as synonymous with a Get Out of Jail Free card?  I’m sure the answers are many, but the bottom-line, I believe, is that we have tragically lost sight of the salvation narrative.  Sandra Richter said it well with this, “most Christians have not been taught that the story of the Old Testament is their story…The church does not know who she is, because she does not know who she was” (Richter, Epic of Eden, 17).  Paul does not make this mistake.  If we read Paul without the Old Testament in perspective, we will misinterpret all over the place.

One of the central pillars for reconstructing the proper framework for interpreting Paul and his doctrine of holiness is the salvation narrative, the big picture, God’s single plan.  But what do we mean by “salvation narrative”?  In a phrase, the salvation narrative is the story of God’s single plan to re-establish his reign through his chosen human agents in the creation; to renew the world and its righteous governance.  To borrow N. T. Wright’s language, what we’re talking about is “God’s World Renewal Project”.  This is the story of scripture. God’s plan to restore and renew the creation from its condemnation and corruption that came as the consequence of human disobedience and moral autonomy.  This story of God’s mission is what we will regularly refer to as God’s World Renewal Project.  It is only when we have this larger framework in mind that the concepts of covenant, cross, kingdom, and holiness come clearly into focus.

This concept of God’s World Renewal Project is fundamental for putting together the big picture.  In fact, it is the big picture.  Understanding Paul, holiness, whatever it may be, means reading Paul against the backdrop of this salvation narrative.  If we discard the salvation narrative, we end with a one-dimensional, out-of-balance theology.  We end up, sadly and wrongly, thinking about salvation as being solely about me and Jesus and our language ends up sounding a lot like this: “Jesus died to forgive my sins so that I can go to heaven”.  While this statement is true, it is incomplete and heavily out of balance with the thrust of the gospel according to scripture.  The gospel, the full gospel, Paul’s and Jesus’ Gospel, is much deeper, richer, and more profound than this.  It is about so much more than where we spend the after-life.  The full gospel is a rich, and complex thing that cannot and should not be flattened out by removing or neglecting the long story of God’s enduring and faithful plan to redeem the creation.

So what is there to this Jesus beyond His work of life, death, and resurrection that we should get to know?  Why would the Bible talk so much about walking with our Lord when all we need to do is believe in His Son and we're covered, right?  How well do I know Jesus?  How close do I want to be to Him really?  Am I consumed with how I can walk with Him "closer still"?  Why not?

The Matt says, "It is about so much more than where we spend the after-life" and I agree.  It is about our life now.  When Jesus says so many times "Heaven is like ...", I believe He is describing how we can be now when united closely with our Lord.  Knowing Jesus is about how we live this minute, this hour, this day.  If heaven is being with God forever and I can have God's Spirit with me now, then I should be able to walk in heaven today.  And I should not be slack in seeking, looking, or searching for that close walk with Jesus at all times.

Why worry?

Worry is faith in fear, not faith in Jesus Christ. Worry is fear, and fear is the rejection of faith! The Bible says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear" (2 Tim 1:7)! - John Hagee Ministries

Once in a while I come across things on the internet that grab me and make me think.  I'm not sure I agree with the first sentence herein, but its worth some thought.  I've always believed worry to be a lack of faith, not faith in fear.  Furthermore, worry isn't always a bad thing.  When it consumes you, blocks you from obedience, and affects your ability to function, obviously it is out of hand.  On the other hand, failure to realize and approach problems in life can represent apathy which can be worse than a little worry. 

For Us

IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN EVER BE AGAINST US? - Romans 8:31

How do we ever forget this concept?  I so very often look at how things happen and wonder with my ever-so-tiny and very limited view of the complex interworkings of the people and events around me, not to mention all people and the universe itself, and wonder why things happen the way they do.  Tony Dungy asks "How many times have we prayed for a certain outcome, imagined that a problem has only one solution, and lost heart when that outcome or solution didn't occur?"

Yet this verse says and forevermore says, If God is for me, who can ever be against me?  Do I think that when something doesn't go the way I think it should that God has forsaken me?  By my count, God says 17 times in the Old Testament that He will not forsake us.  Not only will He not leave us to ourselves, but He is for us.  He is on our side.  Everything that happens will work out for our betterment so that we can proclaim How Great Thou Art. 

Dungy answers his question saying "I am reminded that in every outcome - whether it was the one I had been praying and hoping for or not - God has a good plan in place, something whereby He will be glorified."  I am reminded of the song Blessings.   That song says so much and certainly conveys the right thoughts and attitudes regarding our understanding versus His working for us.  We have to know this, not just hope for it, but know that God is on our side and does not work against us.  Any thought we have to the contrary is un-Christian and could be hypocrisy.  

Once we establish our thinking to the cause that God is for us, then we must be confident that there isn't anything in Creation that can stand against Him.  And since He is for us, then who can stand against Him within us?  What in Creation will prevent God's will for our spiritual growth, His sanctifying grace working within us?  There is nothing to stop this apart from us choosing not to accept His work in us. 

Today and forevermore God is with you and for you and will never leave you.  Know this and live!

May 27

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  (Col 3:17 NIV)

Back to work.  After nearly two weeks, I'm headed back to work.  I've learned as I age that in order to consistently work at optimum capacity and competency, I've got to take some time off work every now and then to recharge, rejuvenate, and reinvigorate.  Unfortunately, my type A personality doesn't lend itself to rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.  There is always something to do, something to fix, and something to enjoy.  So, I go back to work, tired.  The challenges I faces when I left, remain.  Some of these involve people and those are always the most challenging of issues.  Annual performance appraisal season doesn't always proceed as people would like.  I would be easier for me to simply say "hey, you're doing great, keep at it" when performance is clearly lacking.  Instead, I've got to deal with people with a great sense of fairness and integrity. 
Integrity is something that is always challenged.  Yesterday, for instance, as we went fishing under competing rules in state vs federal waters, I found it personally challenging to fish with integrity.  We rarely "limit out" (in fact I can't recall a hunt or a fishing trip where I had to quit as I had reached a limit) and its easy to justify a little hedging as "we're not the problem" or "hey, we're just a few hundred yards away - no one will know."  I knew and it's important for me to model integrity for my son as well as the other young men on the boat.  So, I threw a couple of fish back that as it turns out, we could have kept (once we had an accurate distance to shore).  In the end, I think it more important to err on the side of integrity than to keep a nice fish.   
Today as I deal with people as well as challenges involving a myriad of projects that aren't as simple as they seem on the surface, I feel a little like Solomon must have felt when confronted with governing a vast kingdom at a young age - I'm simply not wise enough to deal with these issues correctly.  Yet, I know who is and pray that God would inspire me to deal with these issues correctly, fairly, and with a dose of His grace. 
Lord may everyone I come in contact with today be blessed by Your presence.  May my actions be Holy and acceptable to you, and may You be glorified in all that I do and say. 

Holy

Phenomenal writing regarding what is Holy.  For me this has extraordinary clarity.  The rest of the writing is on this post.  Apparently is is part of the manuscript for a book that is still in writing entitled Holy is a Four Letter Word.  Any emphasis on it is mine.

Jesus is the champion of the holy life. Not only his deeds and good works, but more than these, his voluntary death on the cross. I’m first reminded of the story in John 2 about the wedding at Cana. As the host family finds themselves short on wine, Mary, Jesus’ mother, invites Jesus to intervene. Jesus, however, seems reluctant. He responds to Mary by saying, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). This, at first glance, seems a bit bizarre in two ways. First, it seems that Jesus is speaking harshly with his mother. Second, and more to the point for us here, he responds as if he is not going to get involved, but we all know that in the end he does, in fact, turn the water into wine.

So, what did Jesus mean when he said “My hour has not yet come.”? He clearly didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to help, because he did. What Jesus meant is that the primary mission of his earthly ministry was not to turn water into wine. Rather, Jesus came to die. All the other stuff of Jesus’ ministry simply points to his death. His death is the ultimate demonstration of the inner life of God—the life of holy, self-giving love.

We are not the only ones with the same tendency to misunderstand the holy life. The religious leaders of the Jews during Jesus’ time misunderstood as well. Their misunderstanding also meant that they were misguiding their followers. They were supposed to demonstrate the holy love of God summed up in the cross. Unfortunately, they failed. This resulted in people having the wrong idea of the inner lie of God’s self-giving love. This being the case, Jesus in his earthly ministry was redefining people’s theology—Jesus came to redefine how people understood what it meant to be holy, to be set a part for God, to share in his nature. We all know that people misunderstand God today in much the same way that they misunderstood God more than two thousand years ago. During the time of Jesus, people thought that God was impossible to please, judgmental, fierce, quick to anger, and highly exclusive. People believed this because this is precisely what the leaders of God’s covenant people testified in their public example (the pharisees, scribes and other temple officials). Unfortunately, people today have the wrong notion of who God is for the same reasons. The testimony of the church is intended to be the window into the inner life of God, just as Jesus was. We are the body of Christ. When we fail at this, we too become the object of these harsh words of Jesus to the scribes and pharisees: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter go in.” Jesus came to give people the right idea about God. That idea is Love.

Our testimony, my testimony, as the body of Christ, is to show people who God is.  Do I do that in a ready fashion?  Is God that apparent in my life?  I would ask others but I am afraid at the answers I might receive.  Does my family show people who God is?  Is God that apparent in our life?  And, corporately, does our church show people who God is?  Is God that apparent in the life of the church?  ...  These are hard questions, but necessary ones!

Just Show Up

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. - Matthew 15:29-30

Tony Dungy's devotion for today is about "just showing up".  He remarks his regrets about how he allowed work to overrule his time with his family for the mundane events and how he changed as time passed.  He doesn't mention it, but in the back of my mind is his son's suicide.  I can only imagine that the regret for time lost with that son is immense.  He finishes his thoughts by saying, "Spend time with your family and loved ones - for no reason at all but to be there.  You will witness miracles you might otherwise miss forever."

I have to say I have found his findings to be true.  It is very important for me to be at home even when there is nothing going on.  Sometimes I get there and wonder why I'm there, everything is functioning fine.  I tend to think about the work I could be doing at work, but I have worked on this and now I don't think about that so much.  I do find that I tend to feel like I don't know what to do and that anything I think of isn't interaction with family (yard work, exercise, study).  But just being in sight of the kids is important I think.  It helps me maintain my priorities. 

I think of my brother through these thoughts and towards how much family time he has missed.  He has never been to any family member's weddings or funerals.  He spends three hours a day training through running or biking.  At a time of his career when he can spend the most time with his family he has effectively shunned his family and cracked it apart.  I continue to say to him it is a lack of faith on his part.  He is pursuing himself.  If anyone should know, I unfortunately and most regrettably recognize it. 

As much as I hate to type the last paragraph, I just felt it necessary to call out the two paths we all are able to choose regarding "just showing up".  God won't waste our experiences so I'm sure God will still use my brother in every way that He is allowed.  I myself am very thankful and grateful that God has allowed me to stay married to my amazing and beautiful wife and be home with my children.  He is just too good to me.  I praise God today for giving me the opportunity to "just show up".

Going Home

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 NIV)

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9 NIV)

I wish I could say I had vacationed long enough and was looking forward to being home, but I have to admit that I've just gotten used to retreating into a fantasy world each day where all I have to do is be with family and find an attraction with short lines.  I'm mindful that even Jesus had to withdraw at times.  His method of recharging, however, wasn't some overblown rat, but prayer. He retreated and plugged into his real source of power. I return to some significant technical and personnel challenges at work, and will clearly need divine guidance to appropriately face and correctly address these challenges. 

The flip side is that God has placed me in a place where others go to vacation.  What an awesome blessing!  That reminds me that often we don't look at "going home" correctly.  I was reading an obituary several months ago about a wonderful Christian who had "lost" their battle with cancer.  Like being disappointed to have to "go home" to the world's most beautiful beaches, I think too often we as Christians have the wrong view of death.  For us, this is the ultimate victory.  It signifies that our race against sin, destruction, and death is over, and we have won - permanently.  I'm not wishing an untimely demise upon myself or anyone else, but I do look forward to the day that I won't have to face the raw challenges that await me at home.  Yes, the mouse has been a great distraction, but it has not recharged me, made me wiser, or given me the grace I'll need to meet the challenges that await.  I lacked the wisdom, grace, and energy I needed to find the best solutions to these thorny issues when I left, and the mouse hasn't done anything to change me or these problems.  For wisdom, power, and grace to face the challenges that await, I must cover myself with payer.

Seek Him First

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ... But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. - Matthew 6:31,33-34

This is one of the hardest aspects of living to stay a hold.  It seems I can grasp it but I can't live it very well.  I find that I go to a point of saying "that stuff then doesn't matter" and get flippant to its regard but I think I understand Jesus' point as being quite different.  If I stop working to focus solely on God's ministry will I be neglecting my family or myself?  Do I expect God to work a miracle of provision daily or am I not doing His will in providing?  These questions are the ones I wrestle with when considering these verses.  It is easy to get confused and wrapped into a cycle of I'm not having enough faith versus I'm not hearing God's will and to finally just drop it due to a lack of clarity.

However, my understanding to this point is that Jesus is saying focus on the purposes of God in your life, focus on the Spirit dwelling inside of you and to His promptings for understanding, direction, and wisdom, focus on being and doing what He is leading you towards.  And while keeping this the center of your attention, have complete confidence that God will take care of everything else. 

The lure for people who are working furiously to succeed is that if they can just do a little bit more a little bit better a little bit faster a little bit more accurately a little bit cheaper, then they can be successful.  This work becomes their life's focus.  Everything else in life is supplementary to their work.  Their validation, their confidence, their excitement for living, their purpose is all wrapped up in this work.  God never intended for us to be given to something that is not eternal.

We are to be confident that our heavenly Father who loves us will take care of us.  He will provide for us and is in our tomorrow forevermore.  Let us focus on today and how He wants us to lean on Him and where He wants us to walk with Him.  Let us be ever mindful and our thoughts be laid at His feet this day and let Him make the work we do and the relationships we interact be blessed.

Thrive

Casting Crowns sing,

"We know we were made for so much more

Than ordinary lives.

It's time for us to more than just survive,

We were made to thrive."

Webster's defines thrive as to grow or develop successfully; to flourish or succeed.

Grow, develop and then to flourish.  By definition, if we are thriving, we are growing and developing into something more, but we don't stop just with being a student, we flourish.  We grow healthily and we do very well.

Charles Stanley writes, "What is it that would make God see me as a success?"  This is the question we must learn to ask and answer as we determine what succeeding really means.  Mr. Stanley continues by answering the question with "My greatest achievement is a continuing desire to be the person He has called me to be and to reach the goals He has helped me to set."  He is saying that our success is really God's success when it is accomplished.  We are the person God wants us to be and we have done the things God wants us to do.  So, our victories belong to God and He then deserves all the praise.

In order to thrive, we need to recognize that we need to grow and develop continually to have the perfected knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Paul says we are to yearn to know Christ personally,  to know the power of His resurrection, to be willing to partner in His sufferings and go with Him unto death itself.  We have to reach for this and want to find it.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.   So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet!  - Philippians 3:12-15

What is the "everything God has for us"?  It is Himself.  He works for our "good" (Rom 8:28) and that good is more of Him in us and less sin (1 John 3:8b).  His character in us shall come to rule.  Where He is there is life (John 14:6), but not just life, life abundantly (John 10:10b).  When we are becoming the person God wants us to be we not only have life, our life flourishes.  And it is because it is God in us who is overcoming, reaching out, and worshiping.

"We were made to thrive."  Do not settle for less.  Reach out to God and be willing to grow!

What to live for

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 NIV)

Watching people at Disney is interesting. I saw one guy yesterday that had tattoos of Disney characters and images on one leg and images of Marvel comic characters on the other.  I've seen others carrying packages larger than their double strollers and their single child. It makes me wonder what they're living for.  Peter reminds us that it's not enough to simply accept Jesus as savior, but we are literally to die to sins and live a life of righteousness.  Fortunately, we aren't doing this on our own as all the people did in the Old Testament. We have the Holy Spirit - God's very presence in us.  Given to us to help us live the life of righteousness we are called to live. One thing is for sure. God tells us that we are either for Him or against Him.  We must choose daily for whom we are going to live.  It is obvious to me by the news, policies of our government, and our politics, we are a nation of people loving for ourselves.  For whom are you living?  Have you died to sins and living for righteousness, trying to straddle the fence and live for both God and yourself, or simply living for yourself?  

Consequences

...Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3:10 NIV)

It is said over and over in church that we cannot out give God. I've also emphasized my whole time as a SS teacher that decisions have consequences. Yesterday I talked about what a disaster the day before had been.  I also said that I was making a conscious decision to behave differently. My changes were sutttle to me, but the consequences were dramatic.  I was careful to greet Reja with a kiss, and was rewarded with many opportunities to spend some quality time with her.  She and I were actually the first ones ready and we took the opportunity to go to Epcot and eat breakfast before everyone else showed. Throughout the day, we spent much time walking, holding hands and simply enjoying some quality time together.  We ended the day by splitting off from our group and going to the Magic Kingdom together after Epcot closed just to watch fireworks.  At least for the two of us, yesterday was the Magical experience we desired. 

Note, however, that the magic was much less about Disney and almost exclusively about quality moments together.  I truly believe there had to be some divine intervention, as I don't have the ability to modify other people's behavior.  So this turned out to be a real lesson in reaping what you sow and receiving a much larger benefit than my investment should have been worth.  I'm thankful to serve a god who takes seemingly minor acts of love and obedience and turns them into tremendous benefits!  

Creation

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. - Romans 8:18-25

This was the scripture text for Sunday's sermon.  I was excited as I have never heard a sermon on the creation parts of this text (at least I don't think I have), but as I read I also thought that is a lot to cover in one sermon.  Rev. Mike did an excellent job on the first verse.  So I thought I'd expound upon the rest regarding Creation and see if the great study and wise theologian Russ could comment upon it as well.

Creation was cursed when man sinned.  We usually can't get past ourselves to realize this, but in Genesis this is an indirect event as man is kicked out of Eden.  Too many people think of Eden as a specific place, but I believe the whole of creation was an Eden.  When man sinned and had to leave Eden, he had to leave a creation that was perfectly made and suited for him.  He then had to live in a world where he would have to fight "thorns and thistles" to grow food.

Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food. - Genesis 3:17-19a

Apparently, before this man did not have to work for his food, or at least he didn't make a sweat doing it.  But ever since then all of Creation has eagerly awaited for the revelation of those who believe in God.  It moans and groans for that time when it will no longer bear its curse and can be what it was created to be, a partner to man as a part of Creation.  It suffers in bondage to decay and self-destruction.  Apparently all the global warming scientist and political agendas persons have it right, we are destroying the earth, but it is not in the way they think it is.  It is because we sin and sin and sin and refuse to restore ourselves daily, hourly, upon each minute to a proper relationship with Jesus Christ.  Every environmentalist wants to talk about sustainability of the resources of the earth.  If they would accept it, the way to sustain the earth is for everyone to admit their sin, accept Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection, and be made whole again before God. 

We and all of Creation will continue to groan together until that time when Christ comes again and restores all.  That time when we are once again allowed to walk with God in the garden of His perfect Creation.  How blessed the ground will be when He walks on it again!  How blessed we will be in that day to share in His perfect Creation!

Unmitigated Disaster

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NIV)

Yesterday was Kerianne's 21st birthday (and the wedding day for Brittany McGrail and Stephen Barebo). I had so hoped to make it a special day for her. We began by letting her "sleep in" and showed at Disney's Hollywood Studios for lunch at 1215. I had hoped lunch at Sci Fi Cafe would be something new and unique.  Being arranged in a late 50's style car table facing a screen playing trailers from 50's B rated Sci Fi trailers wasn't conducive to group interaction. Worse, i had felt feverish all morning and I could tell it during lunch as i went suddenly from cool to sweating profusely. The park was mobbed with people dressed up for the first day of Star Tours, so getting on rides was a challenge to my patience (speaking of unmitigated disasters, this new fast pass system is one).  We scurried from one end of the park to the other using the fast passes I did have starting with the great movie ride in which I stood in line thinking if this doesn't hurry along, I'm going to have to go to the restroom which I finally did - as the doors opened for us to get on the ride - argh!  The day culminated with me breaking my $750 Maui Jim prescription sunglasses on RocknRoller Coaster. We gave up at 7pm and returned to the hotel. To celebrate her 21st we had dinner in the foodcourt. Ugh!  I was frustrated and felt absolutely terrible. I think I got in bed around 9:20. ( BTW, the boys were smart - they got themselves up early and hit the park at opening finishing nearly the whole thing by noon with multiple rides on RnR and ToT.)

I'm not suspicious, nor do I think God intentionally caused any of these things, but you'll notice, I didn't start my day with devotions. If nothing else, devotions center me under God and remind me to keep things and view all things from the perspective of the victory represented by the cross.  True, lasting, penetrating joy comes only from God, not Disney or any other man-made thing.  

By far the worst part, Reja was grumpy or at least non-communicative all day.  Upon reflectio, I believe my first words to her yesterday were something along the lines of "you better hurry or we'll be late for lunch."  Chris had written an excellent devotion regarding a wife's countenance being a measure of her husband's success at loving her as Christ loves the church.  

Today I'm going to be decidedly different.  I'm choosing to start today as I know I should.  I got up earlier than everyone else and have retreated to a quiet place to consider my own failures.  I begin today focused on what truly matters and I greeted my wife with a kiss.  Today I'm choosing to live differently. 

Rejoice! Rejoice!

God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change his mind.  Does He speak and then not act?  Does He promise and not fulfill? - Numbers 23:19

I find that verse from God comforting and encouraging.  How often we somehow reason that our God is incapable or unwilling!  We dare to appoint human characteristics to Him.  Our God does not change His mind, what He has said will stand forever, He acts upon His Word and He fulfills His promises.  How encouraging and uplifting this thought should be to us.  God is not man and He will not disappoint us.  We can depend upon Him in all things and we can trust in Him where we can't in man.

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.- Zephaniah 3:17

That same God who acts upon His Word has said that He is a Mighty Warrior who saves.  He saves us from our sin and works actively in us towards His character within us.  How do I imagine that the Creator of the universe and lover of my soul takes great delight in me?  It is so hard to grasp this concept when I most often do not even like myself, yet He takes great delight in me!  So much so that He rejoices over me with singing?  It seems so hard to accept.  But Jesus also commented on it in Luke 15:7 indicating that there is "rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents."  And the following story in Luke 15 of the Prodigal Son teaches us how the Father rejoices at our homecoming.

Our God acts upon His Word and fulfills His promises.  He takes great delight in us and rejoices over us with singing.  Our God.  The God who loves us with an unending and ever-bountiful love.  His love pours over us and He walks with us, around us, and within us.  How great a God and Savior we have!  

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Blessed

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40 NIV)

Blessed. Sometimes you just need to take a moment and thank God for all the tremendous blessings of this life. Today I'm thankful for the incredible blessings of friends and family. Not just in general, but specifically for God placing me in a situation wherein I've been taught to recognize His activity in this life.  I'm thankful for Him giving me parents who above all else love Him and taught me the great benefits of a life devoted to God. I'm thankful for God placing a woman in my life that has enough love and grace just to put up with me. I'm thankful for two awesome kids who have placed their trust in Him and who have been blessed with a heavenly dose of joy that makes them incredibly fun just to hang out with. I'm also thankful that they have divine wisdom to make good choices including friends that are also fun to include in our family.  I'm thankful for the beauty of His creation that is a clear testimony to his constant presence and ongoing creation. Finally I'm thankful to be blessedly  with some time away from work and the resources to enjoy a little man-made fun and inventiveness. Disney may be the happiest place on earth, but it's not for the reasons they think. Thankful for the people God has given me to enjoy it with. Now, off to Space Mountain!

Enduring Hardship

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children.  ...  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. - Hebrews 12:7,11

I was teary-eyed yesterday listening to a radio broadcast by Focus on the Family of parents who have had incredible hardships through their children's physical health or even death.  One mother was testifying how she had come to know God through that hardship and even with the pain of the loss of her daughter, she felt so very blessed that she had been in her life and that the experience had led her to the saving knowledge of Jesus.  I found her story compelling and telling of how to live out this concept.  The broadcast link is HERE.

"Endure hardship as discipline."  I find this easy to grasp sometimes, but extremely difficult at others.  I have to consider Jesus' answer to the disciples in John 9:2-3, "His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?  'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'"  Discipline by definition is a "practice of training people to a code of behavior" and "a branch of knowledge".  It is plausible then to consider that discipline is a training inside of us for a behavior and knowledge.  Applying what we know from a previous blog entry (see More Than Conquerors) that the good that is being worked inside of us is the revelation and perfection of God's character in us, then we can see how we might can endure hardship, or any other event in our life, as discipline (behavior training and knowledge of God).

This discipline produces "a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it".  Obviously, we have the option to not be trained and to just hope we survive.  But, as a parent this is the absolute worst option I would ever want for my kids, to endure a discipline and receive absolutely no benefit.  It is a wasted event and one that will likely have to be repeated.  The faster they pick up the purpose to the discipline the faster I react to their learning.  Although, sometimes I wonder if God allows things to happen in our life so that learned character will show or shine for others to see Him in us.  Even so, there is always more work in us that can be done.  We are always able to get "closer still" to Him.

Will You Get In?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! - Philippians 4:4

Why do we let stresses get us or tear us down?  Is it the responsibility of it all?  Do these responsibilities of wanting to raise our children right and make the best decisions for them, wanting to do a good job and produce a quality product and reputation, wanting to be a good son or daughter and take care of our parents weigh us down?

What if it was your responsibility to live a perfect life among spiritually retarded people in a cess pool of physicality?  Jesus came down from heaven to live within a physical body with the spiritually minded idiots and morons.  Then He has to find a way to communicate with these people, equivalent to us trying to talk in a way a protozoa would understand, and to do it well enough for them to be able to communicate His message to others.  I find that this is quite a responsibility He undertook.  But I do not see where it interrupted His joy.

When we stay in communion with God, we have a joy within us.  We are secure in where we are, wherever that may be.  We are confident that He will never leave us; that He is with us; and that no matter what happens He has it covered. 

I read this story recently: "Let’s imagine you’re near the beautiful but dangerous Niagara Falls.  A circus performer has strung a rope across the falls with the intention of pushing a wheelbarrow from one side to the other.  Just before stepping on the rope, he asks you, 'Do you think I can accomplish this feat?'

"His reputation has preceded him, so you reply that you believe he can walk the tightrope.  In other words, you have faith that he will succeed.  Then he says, 'If you really believe I can do it, how about getting in the wheelbarrow and crossing with me?'  Accepting his invitation would be an example of remarkable trust.

"It isn’t difficult for some people to believe that God is capable of performing mighty deeds.  After all, He created the entire universe.  Trust, however, requires that we depend on Him to keep His promises to us even when there is no proof that He will.  It’s not so easy to get into that wheelbarrow and put our lives in His care. Yet it’s a step we must take if we are to 'be anxious for nothing' in all of life’s circumstances."

When we "get into the wheelbarrow" and trust God completely we can then be joyful in all things and at all times.  Jesus knew that God was there, with Him in all ways.  We must be sure that we know the same.

More than Conquerors

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. - Romans 8:26

(Forgive us our trespasses ... Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.) God's Spirit, His presence, is with us.  We are always weak in ourselves but in Him we are strong.  Only He is our strength.

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

(Your will be done ...)  God is our strength and He doesn't sit idly by waiting on our call.  He "works" for those who love Him, and not just any work, but work for our "good".  Since there is only One who is good (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19), He works for Him in us.  His will is to destroy sin in us (the work of Satan).

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

What is my response to God's work in me?  If He is working in me, if He is my strength overcoming my sin weakness, what sin in the world or in any spirit or man can overpower the living God? 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? - Romans 8:35

Is there anything in Creation that can overpower the living God who works in me according to His will of destroying sin for my "good" or His work in me?  Is there anything more powerful than God's love for me?  Can I ever believe I am left to myself?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

"We are more than conquerors" of the sin in our lives because Jesus conquered sin.  "We are more than conquerors" of death because Jesus conquered death.  What exactly is "more than conquerors" anyway?  How can you be more than a conqueror?  Either you win or lose right?  You are conquered or you have conquered.  How can you be more than a conqueror?  ...  "We are more than conquerors" because it has already happened.  Sin and death have been defeated.  We do not strive to conquer it now.  We, as children of the Most High God, are inheritors.  We are the princes and princesses to the King.  He has conquered for us.  We are why conquering of sin and death happened.  We, the church of believers, are His prize, His bride.  "We are more than conquerors" because of the immense value He has placed upon us.  "We are more than conquerors" because He has conquered and He works His work in us and nothing will ever overpower Him.

Play To Win

 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

"Play to win" we might would say today.  We all know, either from playing or from watching, that it takes lots and lots and lots and lots of training to become good at something.  And if you want to win, you either need to have more talent than the other team or you need to train harder than the other team.  Here we are told that we have a purpose, it is not worthless.  We do not discipline ourselves and sacrifice for no cause.  There is a cause and it has a purpose.

We are to train, to discipline, to strive towards, to condition, to focus ourselves towards His calling.  Too often this road is tough, it requires strength, stamina, dedication, belief, faith, and love.  Tony Dungy comments that the "word for race is agon, from which we get our word agony.  It signifies a match or a race in which endurance and determination must overcome those moments of difficulty that come in any race."  (Every time I hear the word agony in relation to sports I think of the ABC Sports video of the ski-jumper crashing at the bottom of the ramp while they said "and the agony of defeat".) 

So often we want to quit or back away from our faith whenever the going gets tough.  We must be careful to never settle for straddling the fence.  We should not say we like that Jesus message and believe in Him enough to have our fire insurance, but we aren't going to get much closer because that road is really hard to walk.  The Bible promises persecution.  A race promises to be difficult, arduous, and may require us to push ourselves past what we believe we can accomplish.  Our faith development must also be such.  However, just as when you exercise and train rigorously and come to love it, even though it is difficult, so we will come to love the training of our faith, knowing that it produces character and we will look forward to those things that can make us stronger. 

On my home-gym wall it says "Without self-discipline it is impossible to succeed".  Yoda said, "Do.  Or do not.  There is no try."  It's time to recognize what we're doing, and "Just Do It".  (I think I just broke the record for phrases in a blog post.)

May 9

Luke 5: ¹⁵ Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. ¹⁶ But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (NIV)

Overwhelmed.  I just can't seem to get it all done.  I spend my workdays in endless meetings; each one important, but each a different topic, all needing direction, decisions, and sometimes just to gripe.  Then as everyone leaves to go home, I tackle numerous emails and phone calls, again each one needing a decision, approval, recommendations, review and comment.  Ugh!  enough already!
Then as I drove home after 8pm last night, I noticed I had missed a text from someone desperately needing assistance.  When am I supposed to meet her needs?  I'm convinced that Satan is overwhelming me with work to keep me out of God's kingdom business.  As I prayerfully considered what to blog about today, I felt empty, spent, poured out, yet not nearly enough to satiate all the needs. 
I'm glad I serve a savior who has experienced my weariness.  Numerous times scripture says He withdrew to a "lonely place" and PRAYED.  That's it!  I'm never going to be enough to satisfy anyone including myself.  Why am I worn out?  Because I'm not relying on God to meet people's needs, I'm doing all I can.  I'm not enough.  In fact, I'm nothing.  People don't need me.  They need what I have - a relationship with a savior who can genuinely make a real difference in their lives.  As I start this day, I pray that God will fill me with His spirit and He will meet those needs that most need to be met.  Most importantly, I pray that he meets the needs of a lonely lady who has reached out for help.  If not me, I pray God will meet her through someone who can share Him in such a way that she is led to life eternal.

He Created

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. - John 1:1-3

These verses are hard to handle for many people.  "In the beginning Jesus was with God and was God?  In the beginning?  Wasn't He born millennia later?  In Him all things were created?"  I can certainly understand that confusion provided someone doesn't or hasn't yet conceived the totality of who Christ is.  Jesus is God as much as God is God. 

He came and dwelled among man, something I find absolutely stunning.  As much as we teach and preach on the ascension of Jesus it is His descending that I find to be the real miracle.  I find that when I go to the homeless and poor to help or even teach I am uncomfortable and I have trouble discerning why.  I can only assume it is because I have an error in how I perceive them, looking upon the outside and not upon their humanness.  Or it is because I am intently aware that they are perceiving me as not equal to themselves and that makes me uncomfortable.  Maybe a combination of both.  But for Jesus to come to us who are spiritually bankrupt and the poorest of all poor being lost in sin and having no concept of God's realities demonstrates the greatness and power of His love for us.

In His love all things were created and are beautiful.  Today we have blue skies, green grass, colorful flowers, and mild weather.  It is very difficult to not notice the extensive beauty of His creation around us.  A week ago, in the flooding, it was much harder to see it for most people.  Likewise, when all is well in our relationships and successes it is difficult not to notice and be thankful and grateful, but in the storms it is much harder to see it.  Yet it is in that storm that we might see Him in ways we would have never seen before.  For many people, it is the only way they will ever see Him.  Jesus created all of it so that He might be seen by more better, so that we'd learn to start each day mindful that if we aren't relying upon Him then it is a lost day.

Look out today and see His beauty and know that all created things, including me, are beautiful.  God doesn't make junk.

May 8

James 2: ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Decisions.  So you've prayed, researched options, prayed over them, searched scripture, sought wise council, analyzed your circumstances, and have finally arrived at what you believe is a Godly decision.  Now what?  GO!  A good decision becomes terrible when not acted upon immediately.  I can't tell you how many people I see wrangle with decisions, then fail to follow up.  Sometimes we procrastinate.  Other times we set our priorities too low.  Let me give you an example:  I suffer from a chronic case of obesity.  I know I should eat better foods, eat less of it, and get more exercise these are all supported by scripture, prayer, and wise council.  I have this little thing, however, called a job that competes for my time and attention.  There is so much to be done at work, I often don't get home until 6:30 or 7pm.  This is not the time to be rummaging around in the frig or freezer to whip up a healthy, balanced meal.  Consequently, I reach for simple, filling things like starches and sugars that come out of a bag or a box, are quick to prepare, and fill me quickly.  Then I fall on the couch, or more likely as of late, go back to work.  Not a healthy lifestyle.  So what has happened?  I've let me job out-prioritize my health.  If I don't reverse this, someday I will not be able to work, at least not at my peak capacity and capability. 
Many people have recognized the symptoms and encouraged me to get exercise or eat differently.  These aren't the heart of the matter, however.  The heart of the matter is a matter of my heart - my priorities.  I'm allowing work to out prioritize my health.  No amount of advice, given in love of course, can fix my priorities.  I've got to decide that my health is important enough to make a lifestyle change to support my health.  I did this several years ago and lost weight and felt better.  Before you pile on with all kinds of advice, you've got problems like this too.  You've got areas in your life you know God wants to make changes, but your comfortable or don't want to risk what you know for what God promises. 
How about you?  You've wrestled with a tough decision.  You've got what you think is a Godly answer.  Is it important enough to you to get off the couch, out from behind the game console, or away from your social activities to follow in obedience?  Have you filled out your college applications?  Scholarship applications?  Unloaded the dishwasher?  Taken out the trash?  Why do you procrastinate?  Why does God or your parents have to practically beat you to take action you know you need to take.  It's easy for me to yell at you for not doing what I think is a simple thing - just get off your lazy rear end and do it!  Then God says, yeah Russ, just get off your lazy rear end and get healthy!  Ouch.  We've all sinned and fallen short and we need accountability help. 
Lord I know what I should do, but I find it so hard to just do it.  I need your help, not with my symptoms, but with my desire.  I know what is right, I just don't desire it enough to do it.  Oh God, help me with my lack of desire, my lack of discipline, and my lack of belief!

Come

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

In heaven God's will is done.  Jesus taught His disciples that when they pray they should state (not ask) for God's will to be done here on earth.  "Your will be done" we are to say believing that our heavenly Father's will most definitely will be done.  "Your kingdom come."  Bring Your kingdom today Lord!  Who is to be a part of Your kingdom but isn't?  May they come today!  I pray that I would be of Your kingdom today and as a citizen I would come into this world today as such.  May I be mindful of the kingdom I am from and who the King is that rules!  "Your kingdom come" to me today.  "Your kingdom come" to others today.  May Your will that not "any should perish but that all should come to repentance" happen today. (2 Peter 3:9)  "On earth as it is in heaven."  I pray that I would walk today as a citizen of heaven on earth.  May there be no difference in me as I walk with my Lord today.  I pray that I'd have one foot in heaven and one on earth.  May my mind, heart, and spirit exist with my Lord in heaven today on earth.

When people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. - 1 John 3:8

Jesus destroyed sin.  Sin is the work of the devil.  "Your will be done."  Jesus, come today and destroy the sin work of the devil.  Destroy that work in me!  May it not exist in me so that I, as a citizen of heaven, can be about our Father's will that none should perish.  Destroy that work in me!  May it not exist in me so that I can love others today and thereby show them who you are and whose I am.  "Your will be done" in those around me today.  Destroy the sin that works in them so they might become a citizen today!  Destroy that sin that works in them so they will be made full and alive today.

Lord come, have Your way, commune with me so that I, here am there, and You there, are here.

Follow Me.

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.“Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him. - Matthew 9:9

At this point in Jesus' ministry He had healed many, restored people from demon possession, calmed the storm, and taught many new things.  I don't know what kind of buzz was surrounding Him when He walked into Matthew's town, but I assume there were people beyond the disciples following Him. 

I have always been amazed that when He simply said these two words to the disciples they dropped everything they were doing and latched on.  Wow.  Today, this very moment, right now, if Jesus walked into the building then looked and me and said "Follow Me", would I drop everything and go?  Would I say to Him I need to go tell my wife goodbye first and hug the kids?  Would I say I need to pack some things?  If I did I know He would reply as He did in Matthew chapter 8:22 with "Let the dead bury their own dead."  "Follow Me" He said to that disciple but that disciple walked away.

Jesus is making a very clear statement regarding the scale of our perception of what following Him means.  There is no equivalence.  His imperative statement is a command and anything that impairs it is against Him.  Against Him!  How can I be against my savior?  Simply by not following first.  Don't think back, don't say your what-ifs, don't wonder about where you're going, don't consider who will care for whom, simply follow first.

"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has.  It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods.  It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows Him." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Similarly, Kyle Idleman asks in his book Not a Fan, "When is the last time following Jesus cost you something?"  

"Follow Me" Jesus instructs.  When I seriously envision that command to me and analyze my heart, do I only think of following immediately or do I think of any other single thing?  I must know my heart's response or examine why it isn't an immediate "Yes" to follow with no consideration for anything else.  I must reexamine my response every morning when I wake up.  

Cinco de Mayo!

In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:6 NIV)

Following Russ's lead on this verse and then tying it shamefully into the Cinco de Mayo celebration I have these thoughts.

"Cinco de May is the July 4th for Mexico" I said to Jack this morning.  Independence Day.  It was a pretty cool movie really, but then I like Will Smith as an actor.  ...  Sorry, random thoughts.  We all value our independence and of extreme importance to a nation, to a people, is the day they won their independence from their slavery to the commands of a king, as in America, or a master, as in the black slaves in America, or in the case of Mexico, their victory over French forces in the Battle of Puebla (according to Wikipedia).  So, what I told Jack this morning shows my ignorance.  Mexico's independence day is September 16.  This will not, however, disturb my thought process regarding independence day.  I will continue in my ignorance for the remainder of this blog entry.  ...  Sorry, those dang random thoughts keep jumping around ... kind of like Mexican jumping beans ... aaagghh, just can't get these things to settle down!

The important aspect or reminder to me as a Christian is to acknowledge my independence day.  As a Christian, our independence day was when Jesus resurrected.  Then death was defeated and a life everlasting with God could be had!  There can be no greater Independence Day!  As a person in Christ, my independence day was when I first believed in Jesus as the Son of God.  That is my independence day.  And that is the day that gave me life.  That is the day I was freed from the evil king of this world who works tirelessly to destroy me, cheat me, steal from me, and to confuse me.  My independence day is the day I met my Savior who conquers all and who will never stop loving me.

When I submitted to God in belief, I was to submit in all my ways acknowledging that He knows better.  Who better than God can know which way is better for me to go?  Do I consider that I do?  Do I consider that the world does?  Do I consider the evil king of the world would?  Of course not!  I am independent of the world, a citizen of heaven.  God alone knows what is best for me and where my path should be.  I am to "walk" with Him on His path for me.

Praise God for my independence!!  May I never take it for granted.