Psalms 2 (Part II)

⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

    He said to Me, “You are my Son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear
    and celebrate His rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss His Son, or He will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
    for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.  - Psalms 2:7-12

(vs 7-9) Just as my thoughts ended with the last reflection of the first six verses of Psalms 2 that God is the only Authority, this is the very thoughts exclaimed from these first three verses as God the Father gives His Son full authority over heaven and earth.  I am reminded of God's exclamation of approval over Jesus as He emerged from His baptism by John as it is written in Matthew 3:16-17, "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"  Although John heard God declaring His pleasure in His Son, I wonder if Jesus didn't hear His Father say what is written here in Psalms 2.  Or maybe God said this to Him when He ascended into heaven after fulfilling His Father's will by dying on the cross.  Or maybe God declared this to His Son when He was physically born, or at a moment before the earth was even created.  It might be an interesting study to determine if it can even be found out.   Ultimately, it doesn't matter when, only that God gave Jesus full authority to rule heaven and earth.

(vs 12) "Kiss the Son" kings and rulers are told to do here.   One method to show reverence and acknowledgment to a god (unfortunately too often idols) was kissing.  The apparent idea is the kiss indicates the breath of life of man being given to the god adored.  For example, the Greeks of old would kiss their hand towards the rising sun as an act of worship to their idol.  Job refers to this in 31:27 when he denies that he has kissed his hand towards an idol.  In 1 Kings 19:18, Elijah indicates that he can only find 7,000 men who had not kissed Baal.  Just to bring this act a little closer to home, don't we see Cardinals and such kissing the Pope's ring?  So, kissing is used as a method of indicating or expressing worship at times in culture. 

(vs 10-12) Because God did give Jesus that authority, kings and rulers of the earth would be wise to "serve the Lord with fear and celebrate [Jesus] rule with trembling".   God is specifically telling all the kings and rulers to show Jesus your worship and respect His Authority lest He break you with a rod of iron and dash you to pieces like pottery.  Going "your way will lead to your destruction" thus indicating going His way is the way to be blessed.  What an incredible verse to memorize!  Accept His authority and believe in Him are the underlying commands.  Take security and shelter in His authority and in His way and you will be blessed.

Life is a temporary assignment part 1

 

In his book entitled What on Earth am I Here For? Rick Warren states: "It is a fatal mistake to assume that God’s goal for your life is material prosperity or popular success, as the world defines it. The abundant life has nothing to do with material abundance, and faithfulness to God does not guarantee success. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. He’s more interested in what you are becoming than in making this life easy for you. Remember, life is a test.

So many evangelists today attempt to get inside our heads with a message that "God wants to prosper you."  To me, any message that puts the emphasis on me is suspect from the start.  After all, the root of all sin is self-centered ness. I guess if people come to The Lord with this kind of message, good for them, but for me it is always dangerous to put the emphasis on me and my wants, desires, goals, or dreams.  I need a high degree of accountability to remain focused on God's will rather than my own.   To me the gospel message is all about who God is and what he did to reconcile a lost world to Himself, and what he is doing to call each uf us into relationship with Him. In short, it's all about God, not me.

Psalms 2 (Part I)

¹ Why do the nations plan evil together?
    Why do they make useless plans?
² The kings of the earth take their stand against the Lord.
    The rulers of the earth gather together against his anointed king.
³ “Let us break free from their chains,” they say.
    “Let us throw off their ropes.”

⁴ The One who sits on his throne in heaven laughs.
    The Lord makes fun of those rulers and their plans.
⁵ When he is angry, he warns them.
    When his anger blazes out, he terrifies them.
⁶ He says to them,
    “I have placed my king on my holy mountain of Zion.” - Psalms 2:1-6

(v1)  This verse makes a statement about evil as it makes a direct comparison to useless.  Everything done for evil purpose is useless.  The only possible gain we are capable of is to gain a little more of God's character, to step a little closer to Him, to understand a little more of His wisdom, or to perform an action that declares His greatness or shows Him to others.  Plans that do not involve this are plans that are not made to prosper and are useless.

(v2)  Thinking of kings taking a stand against the Lord, my mind considers Revelation 13 where the anti-Christ and his kings of the earth have evil names to displease God, they speak evil things against God and His character.  What are we to do in the face of such facial disgust to our character?  Verse 10 says, "Everyone who is supposed to be captured will be captured.  Everyone who is supposed to be killed with a sword will be killed with a sword.  So God's people must be patient and faithful."  We must be patient and faithful.  Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19, and Hebrews 10:30 all indicate that God is adamant that "Vengeance is Mine".  He alone will repay and that payment will be proper, the evil will slip at the time appointed, the place for repayment will be the right place. 

(v3)  What chains or ropes do God's people put on the evil?  God has only continually accepted all people if they will choose to believe in Him.  He never rejects a single person, ever!  The restrictions felt by evil can only be the knowledge that there is a God, will always be a God, and He is the final authority over all life and all things.  Evil does not accept that there is a God and the knowledge of God is binding to them.  They believe that they are alive now and the life and power of an unseen God is imagination and prevents them from living as they see fit, doing what they want to do, being their own God of their own lives.

(v4)  I'm not sure I agree with the way this verse is written in this Bible version.  I would like to have a Hebrew interpretation of the actual words.  But I believe the intent is that God does not tremble or fear at their foolishness or foolish plans; He does not consider their rejection of His authority as intimidating.  I believe it does sadden God's heart for each created person who rejects His life and refuses to believe in Him.  This is God's character because He is love and is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)  Therefore, it is hard for me to imagine God "making fun" of those who will perish.

(v5)  I am again reminded of Revelation 6:15-17 where the kings, princes, generals, rich and powerful people were all crying out to be hidden from the anger of "the One who sits on the throne" and "the great day of their anger has come.  Who can live through it?".  They are terrified indeed when the reality of God, the reality of His power, the reality of His authority is immediately before them.  

(v6)  The One, the chosen of God, is put in the place of authority because He put Him there.  There is no other authority.  I believe this is a direct reference to Jesus the Christ. 

I am reminded of the game of Spades when I read this text.  In the game, the lowest card, the 2, in the suit of spades is greater than all the other cards of the other suits.  It doesn't matter if you are an Ace, King, or Queen of another suit, the lowest spade is higher than you.  Comparing this to God's kingdom, the lowest person who believes in God is higher than the highest authority that doesn't believe in God.  This is how God sees the persons of the world.  We would be well served to do the same.  He also sees all those persons who don't believe as persons who need opportunity to see Him.  And if a thousand people who do believe in Him have to physically die before that one person chooses Him, then we are to be "patient and faithful" knowing His plan is perfect and every opportunity to save another single person will not be wasted.  He is the one true God.  He is the only Authority.

What's Your Vision?

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint - Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)

Where there is no vision, the people perish - Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

When people no longer see a purpose, a reason for trying, they no longer have a goal to attain, a reason to do what they know to do, they "cast off restraints" and "perish".  I see this in myself and in my kids and in everyone around me.  I also see it in a church.

I suffered from this by having success too quickly.  Unfortunately I did not have a large enough dream for my life.  If I could go back, I would be diligent to pray and pray for what God would want my purpose to be because I know His dream for me would not be too large or too small but uniquely and perfectly made for me.  My own goal was to simply live a "normal" life.  It was not to live with nothing and constantly feeling less than other people.  I just wanted to live a life that society would later describe as suburbia and myself as a Yuppie.   For me, it was simply to have an equivalent shirt, shoe, car as everyone else and not feel less than because I knew I had less.  I worked hard to get to that goal.  But once I got there, I suffered a "now what" and floundered.

I praise God for giving me a gracious wife who has stuck with me, suffered through me, and has shown me what love really looks like.  I am certain that no one has illustrated this to me better than she has.  Because of her in my life, I believe that I am in a position to be able to discover God's plan for the rest of my life.  

Tony Dungy comments, "Both pride and complacency are enemies to our mission and will eventually lead to a fall.  Whether we are winning or losing, we have to shake off the past and keep moving ahead.  We need to focus on the task right in front of us. ... When you lose sight of the goal, it's unlikely you'll reach it.  Keep the vision in front of you and always continue moving toward it." 

I find it interesting that failure can exist in losing and winning.  It is really a matter of the heart.  But then, isn't it always?   I don't think God keeps score on our accomplishments in this world except the accomplishments of the growth of our heart towards Him.  In all things, in all ways, we must focus on how we are growing towards Him no matter what our earthly accomplishments or failures.

I believe our church was perishing the last 3 to 4 years with the lack of a leader who could show revelation and vision.  There was nothing to "catch", no line to tow.  It is great to now see a leader who prompts meetings with committees to get an idea of what the church is doing, what it can do, and encourage it towards a goal with a purpose.  There is a spark of life in that and it is refreshing.

I thank God today for being here with me, never leaving me, and I pray for His actionable item today that I can apply towards His goal and purpose for me.

Does Rejection Exist?

The original rejection is the removal of Adam and Eve from Eden.  Why were they removed?  They had made a choice to do the one thing God had asked/stated/declared that they not do.  If we remove Satan, who confused them (something that is easy to do since we are but dumb sheep - the reason Patrick on SpongeBob is so funny is because we are all kind of like that), then what we see are two people in harmony with their world, each other, and their God whom they walked with every day.  Their choice caused them to be removed from Eden and other incidental problems like pain in childbirth and weeds.  Did God reject man from the Garden?  Or did man reject God in the Garden? 

Another example would be Moses inability to enter the Promised Land.  Moses was not allowed to cross the Jordan River because he had struck the rock out of anger over the people he was leading instead of doing what God had told him to do.  Did God reject Moses from the Promised Land?  Or did Moses reject God at the Promised Land?

God Himself came in the form of man as Jesus.  He healed people, raised people from the dead, miraculously fed people, calmed storms, and greatest of all, gave the Words of God and the Heart of God to everyone who would listen or follow.  Yet, man sought after Him and killed Him.  He could have not allowed Himself to die, being God, and some would certainly argue that He left because He wanted to go.  Did God reject man and leave him?  Or did man reject God?

For me, the obvious answer is that man has continuously rejected God despite His every effort to provide perfect Gardens, Promised Lands, or Himself to us.  God has never rejected man but has instead allowed man to choose a path away from Him.

God has no rejection inside of Him because God is love.  Love does not reject, but always chooses to do for others what is best for others.  This is because love ... is love.  Love wants to complete others, love wants to add value to others, love wants to work for the benefit of others, all so the other can become a better who they are created to become.  Obviously, as demonstrated by God's actions, this sometimes means moving man out of the Garden, not letting him in the Promised Land, or dying in His physical body.  All of which were for man's betterment.  

Therefore, I submit that there is no such thing as rejection in the spiritual world where God reigns for man.  He will never reject you or forget about (forsake) you.  You are always on His mind and in the center of His care. 

Rejection only exists from man and man's chief rejection is of God Himself (where is thy faith?).  Then it is to other men.  It is a choice not to believe and follow God, then it is to make other men submit and serve them and their purposes.  Rejection is, in its essence, a choice against love and equal to our understanding of evil (the opposite of good) and hell itself. 

We must take special care whenever we feel feelings of rejection towards others.  Those are not from the hand of God.  God rejects no man who does not reject Him.  It is these actions of rejection that have been put towards us and that we have put towards others that have caused such destruction in all of our relationships.  It is impossible for us to demonstrate God to others and share who He is and what He means to us if we have the insecurities of rejection towards them.

As I examine myself, I believe that all of my many emotional problems are from rejection.  It is from some person rejecting me in some manner and my subsequent effort to protect myself from more pain.  I finally realize that I am incapable of protecting myself and therefore shouldn't modify myself (which is an effort to improve on who God created - that doesn't make sense).  I should instead build my faith, trust God when He says He loves me and that I am special to Him and that He will never reject me, and love myself as He made me.  I should know that even if I am in pain from deliberate rejection, He is with me and that He suffered the pain of rejection of man first.  Jesus even says this to us in John 15:8, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first" (remember Adam and Eve?).  I believe the strength of our daily walk in Christ relies heavily on how we handle man's rejection.  One way leads to greater faith and a fuller me, the other leads to instability and confusion.

Job - Experiencing Contrast

Just reading through Job and making notes.

Job feels worthless, insecure, and hopeless.  Job feels no reason to continue, he replies, "Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life." (9:21)  He feels all his efforts to continue to live are wasted, "I still dread all my sufferings, for I know you will not hold me innocent. Since I am already found guilty, why should I struggle in vain?" (9:28-29)

Job is confused.  While he thanks God for making him and the great times, he still questions why he was even born. "If I am guilty—woe to me! Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head, for I am full of shame and drowned in my affliction. ... Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me. If only I had never come into being, or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!" (10:15,18-19)

Job is embarrassed.  "I have become a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God and he answered - a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!" (11:4)  Yet, Job has a tremendous faith, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him" (13:15).  Job then wants to confront and demand his trial before God.  He is angry.

But his actions are still blameless, "My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes; yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure." (16:16-17)  And greatest of all, I believe he sees Christ, "Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.  My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend." (16:19-21)

As best as I can read, Job experienced all the emotions and feelings that go with doing a terrible wrong.  The astounding contrast is that he, as best as I can read, experienced all the emotions and feelings that go with being wronged as an innocent person.  His descriptions of the internal conflict and pain are well said and easy to interpret if you've ever committed a horrendous wrong or been wronged horrendously.  I find myself drawn in as I relate to him and my faith strengthened from his commitment to God in 13:15 and his observance of Christ in 16:19-21.  May I make such a commitment and be reminded of my Intercessor in heaven.

Job

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. – Job 1:1

This morning my mind wandered to Job as I was sleeping.  I woke up with his experience on my mind.  First, Job was “blameless and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil.”  Job did what was right in the eyes of God and blame for doing intentional evil was not found in him.  From this description, we know that Job was wise since “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.  Another character trait is he purposely moved away from and distanced himself from evil.  

He would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” – Job 1:5

The last example of his character, prior to the attack upon him, is he thought about the possible sins of his family and he sacrificed offerings for his and all of them.  So Job sacrificed for others whether they had sinned or not.  Sound familiar?  Maybe like something God Himself would do.  Job was an incredible man and his traits are worth aspiring to obtain, especially since God valued them so much.

God had intentionally blessed and protected Job.  Satan confessed to God that God protects Job.  “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” (Job 1:10)  Satan had run into that protection before I bet.  For me, this is one of the most obvious and stated examples of God’s supreme and absolute power over Satan and all things.  And it comes in confession from Satan himself.

Once God loosened his protection over all physical things that were in Job’s life, with the exception of Job himself, Satan immediately destroyed it all at the same time.  Each surviving messenger came while the other one was still speaking.  All the servants, all his children, and all the positions he had were dead and gone.  The only exceptions were his health and his wife.  Grieving, Job worshipped God and remained blameless.

Satan then says this is only because he didn’t attack Job’s body, so God then allows Satan to attack his body, but not kill him.  Then, he is allowed to stay in this form for a time.  I think it is remaining in this depraved, broken condition for the time that was the most difficult.  Job reminds me of Jesus.  Jesus had no possessions and His body was broken, yet He said nothing.  But, Job also proves to me that even the best man is not God.  Job finally curses his birth, a God ordained event, and his life.  Jesus, being perfect, never wavered in His determination to do the will of His Father.

I don’t know why, but this morning I was awoken by the thoughts that Satan doesn’t seem to attack us like he did Job.  Job had all his positions and children taken in an afternoon.  Our attacks don't seem to come like that.  I think this may be because we aren't as strong as Job in our faith.  Or maybe it is because Satan has found better attack methods.  Today, our attack would be more like one of our kids would become a homosexual, one would become addicted to drugs, our spouse would suddenly decide to leave, and someone in our church would do something extremely offensive to us.  Then our retirement savings or home worth would turn in some economic event to be worth only a fraction of what we put into it essentially leaving us with nothing.  And each of these would happen in a slow and deliberate manner over a decade or decades.  These are the types of things I see people experiencing, but not realizing that their faith is being tested and they are under attack due to the slow and drawn out method to it, and that God is all they need to protect them and bless them.

I am most saddened by the fact that Satan knew enough about Job’s wife that he left her alive so she, who I assume was most close to him, would work on Satan’s behalf in the calamity that surrounded him.  This one aspect of the story breaks my heart the most.  We must pray, pray, pray, and then pray again for God’s hedge around us, our household, and around all that we have on every side.  We must pray for God to bless the work of our hands and to increase our possessions as He wills for His benefit alone.  I feel urgency this morning in my prayer and if I’m not careful it will lead to fear.  God help me to trust you and know that all that You allow, all that You permit, is done at Your will and is right in all of Your Creation.  As Job said,

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.” – Job 1:21

Rejection

My thoughts are now becoming centered on the topic of rejection and how it plays such a deceiving central driver to many of our thoughts, actions, and emotions.  I have often said that the largest problem with teens as they grow is their lack of emotional stability.  I think that I now see that the biggest problem for their emotional stability is how they handle rejection.  Consider the following common symptoms of rejection:

• Rebellion. 
• Fabricated personalities (being somebody you aren't, in order to be accepted).
• Tendency to reject others immediately, so that you aren't the first one to be rejected.
• Always questioning and have a need to know if a person rejects or accepts you.  Always wondering what they think about you.
• The need to fit in or be accepted by others and be a part of everything.
• Inability to be corrected or receive constructive criticism.
• A tendency to blame God ("Why did He give me this big nose? Why did God make me so short?")
• A sense of pride that says, "How dare they reject me!"
• Stubborn and opinionated personality with a the need to be right about things.
• Feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, or hopelessness.
• Constantly seeking a parent's approval.
• Envy, jealousy, and even hate can be rooted in rejection.
• Fear of confrontation (because your identity is based upon what they think of you).

Immediately I think of myself in some of these areas and I also think of others who exhibit some of these symptoms in obvious ways.  What does God's Word say about rejection?  What are some ways to identify and address the rejection?  How can I help someone else make a path away from the traits in their personality that are there from rejection? 

Hopefully there will be some good study here and much input from others will be most helpful.  I pray God will lead me to some awesome wisdom and thoughts that can be organized to help not just myself but others.

Never Give a Sword to a Man That Can't Dance (Part III)

 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

I find these two highlighted thoughts odd.  They fly head first into all the logic and operation of normal life.  He boasts in his infirmities?  He takes pleasure in them and in persecutions or distresses?  Has he gone mad?

Why does he boast and take pleasure in these things we would greatly prefer not to happen to us?  So the power of Christ may rest upon him and for Christ's sake.  Does this mean Christ want us to suffer?  ...  Absolutely not.  But Christ does want us to depend upon Him - completely.

"Where the joy of the Lord is, there is freedom!" the song sings.  I think it is here that Paul learned that his joy, his security, his tomorrow, his today, ... his everything to include his suffering was secondary.  The only thing that is real is God and we are loved and cared for by Him.  God's intention is to show Himself and the greatest blessing we can ever have is to be a part of that.  Nothing seems to cause more emotion from me than to realize and know that God used me, sinful and awful me, to show Himself to someone.  The joy in my heart causes tears and I really can not contain myself.

Paul is saying this here.  If my suffering is to be used to perfect me, then glory to God, cause me to suffer.  If my suffering is to be used to perfect others, then glory to God, cause me to suffer.  I am secondary, the only thing that is real is God.  Make my joy full and let me know that You, God almighty, are using me.

We can only have this attitude if we are full of joy for God.  We dance with Him.  We love Him because He first loved us.  How can we ever fight for Him through suffering or servitude for others without that joy and love?  I believe the truth is that we can't.  The army that is almost impossible to defeat is the army who fights out of a deep love for one another and for their purpose.  Hence the Celtic proverb, "Never give a sword to a man that can't dance".  If he has no love and joy in his fellow men, he is not worthy to yield the sword and enter the fight.

Where is your joy and love today?  Is is full?  When our joy and love for God is full, then we are ready to be used by Him to show Him to others because we'll accept any circumstance, event, or effort knowing that it promotes Christ to others.  We become focused on His purpose as it becomes our purpose.

Never Give a Sword to a Man That Can't Dance (Part II)

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

So, here Paul is with a “thorn in the flesh”.  I don’t know what that really means.  Today we would just say I’ve got a bad cut in my arm or a broken leg or maybe migraine headaches.  Since he was not specific about it, I wonder if it wasn’t something unseen but of the flesh nonetheless like anger, pride, or lust.  Pride would make sense with the other descriptions regarding being “exalted above measure”.  Maybe something that was of the flesh that he could recognize as not of God but couldn’t handle it well himself.  Again, I’m not sure we’ll ever know.  The thing to know is that Paul was in some kind of pain and it was staying with him.

There is an old Celtic proverb which says, “Never give a sword to a man that can’t dance.”  I found that quote very interesting.  What exactly did that mean and did it have a spiritual application?  The next day I read these verses and got a glimpse into an aspect of it that I enjoyed considering and the thoughts of it have stayed on my mind.  I wish I could say I have all my thoughts are well thought out, but I don’t.  I still want to share what I do have however.

The most scripted sermon from these verses is usually preceded by the song “Power in the Blood”.  The sermon then explains that God was telling Paul that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  That is, when we decide to allow God to be the ONLY solution to our life, His strength is made perfect in our life.  When we say, “God if you are not the solution to this, then there is no solution” we put ourselves in position to allow God’s work to be perfect and for Him to do something impossible (at least in our eyes).  Then at the end of this passage he writes that by his being weak, he is strong because it is God who is doing the work.  Paul is at his strongest when he admits to himself that the only perfect work that can be done is God’s work, so through submission and service (weak in the world’s eyes) to His Heavenly Father, he is made strong through God being God.  This is the message I hear most from these verses and there is nothing wrong with this message and it is an awesome message that applies to our daily life and if we get a hold of it, will change the strength of our faith, but I think there is more there.  This sermon is then followed with the song “Trust and Obey” and an alter call. ... Sometimes I find myself longing for one of those “old-timey” services again.

Still not getting the “never give a sword to a man that can’t dance” connection?  You’d be a daisy if you did.

Courageous Christians

Matthew 18: ¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Often scripture isn't specific about God's will.  Whether and where to go to college, for instance isn't spelled out in detail for every individual on the planet, hence the importance of a vibrant relationship with God who can reveal these details to us.  In other cases, however, scripture gives us clear instructions on God's will, yet we often choose to ignore it.  In the case where one person wrongs another, scripture is crystal clear and provides step-by-step instructions on how to address the situation.  Confrontation, especially in love, takes great courage.  It's not easy, at least for me, to confront those who have wronged me unless I know them incredibly well.  For most acquaintances, I find it much easier to talk about their wrongdoing behind their back.  It's far easier to go to a trusted friend with a conversation that starts with, "you won't believe what so-and-so did."  I might even try to rationalize this approach under the guise of "seeking advise."  I think relationship experts call this triangulation, wherein one party involved in a dispute tries to recruit others to their side.  I think scripture just labels it gossip.  
We don't need advise or assistance, we already have it.  Scripture is clear.  We are to go to them - just the two of us and point out the wrongdoing.  Scripture also points out in Matt 5 that we are to accomplish this quickly - before we "bring our gift to the alter."  My own experience is that when I fail to follow scripture, wounds are opened that are deeper than necessary and slow to heal - if they ever really do so.  Yet when I do follow scripture, I often find that the whole situation was a simple misunderstanding, quickly and easily resolved.  So why is confrontation so hard?  First, this takes a lot more courage and usually more effort than talking behind the other persons back.  Second, in some cases we have to be willing to admit that perhaps we bear some, or all, of the blame.  Third, sometimes we have trouble articulating exactly how we feel or why we're hurting.  Regardless, scripture is clear that we are to go to the person quickly and address the situation.  
It seems to me that our world would be a drastically different place if we would simply obey scripture in all cases, especially this one.  Yet we continually demonstrate our hard headedness and heartedness toward the will of God.  If we can't execute this simple instruction, then how can we be trusted with the deep things of God?
Lord grant me the courage, wisdom, and strength to correctly address issues at work today.  Let your grace flow through me as I deal with disciplinary issues.  May you also work in and through those in my church to address unresolved issues and put them to rest such that we may individually and collectively approach your alter in boldness and confidence of children without grudges, grievances, and blame.     

Never Give a Sword to a Man That Can't Dance (Part I)

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul says twice in this passage, “lest I be exalted above measure”.  He seems to be explaining this as a result of “the abundance of the revelations”.  He does not describe the revelations here.  My interpretation from this is that he is in such a constant contact with God regarding these writings, as he is writing to this church in Corinthians, that he is starting to walk “a little higher” than the ordinary men around him.  We would call this “getting the big head” back in Mississippi where I grew up.  Anytime a good athlete was getting a little too much praise and being a little too successful it was easy for them to start believing that the team’s success depended upon them and not too much on the other lesser athletes on the team.  In the book and movie, “Friday Night Lights”, this is exampled well by the character Boobie Miles. When asked why he didn't lift weights like the other members on his team he answers, "C'mon man.  This is God given.  The only thing I gotta do is show up."  Perfect example of the big head.

Back to Paul, here he writes with assurance that he is made to suffer in some way physically for a purpose that is not physical, but spiritual.  I am reminded of Job, he also suffered physical ailments for a spiritual purpose.  Who caused Job’s suffering?  It was Satan who was allowed to hinder him only under God’s watchful eye.  Who is causing Paul’s suffering?  “A messenger of Satan” he explains.  I can only surmise that this is a demon, again under God's watchful eye.

My mind immediately questions, “Why would God allow His child to suffer?”  Obviously a question asked by much more important people than me for many thousands of years before me.  The answer in this instance is for a spiritual lesson.  The result of the suffering is a child of God drawing closer to God with proper perspective and understanding of his (and our) relationship with his heavenly Father.  Part of me wonders if that is always the answer to why, I don’t think I’ll know until I get to heaven.  I do think I know that our task, as was Paul’s, is to trust Him in it, even if He doesn’t answer the prayer and remove the suffering as is Paul's situation, praying instead to learn His lesson to us and to grow closer to Him.  Job and Paul gained great wisdom and truth from their suffering (and some apparent humility also). 

Hopefully suffering won’t be always necessary, but may we be willing to learn as well.  The worst thing I can imagine would be to suffer and learn nothing thereby possibly necessitating the need to do it again.

Thanksgiving

Philippians 1:3 ³ I thank my God every time I remember you.

Looking back over this years missions work reveals much for which to be thankful.  I'm grateful for the participation and excellent work by the High School missions team.  We served an incredibly spiritually rich family who blessed us greatly.  The team responded in outstanding fashion to everything asked of them earning at least part of a day off (a first for me!).  This years ICM was outstanding as well.  For the first time on an ICM I got to work (mostly) indoors at Bruner Middle School.  Air Conditioning - what a treat!  Far more importantly, although we are a young group, again the youth stepped up and did what was asked with good attitudes.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to continue to work with youth in service to God and others.  I'm also thankful for God bringing us excellent adults who respond so willingly to make these events happen.  From praying so diligently in the background to cooking, cleaning, decorating, and working with the kids, I'm thankful for the group God pulled together this year.  I'm thankful for Whit Heath's leadership that begins with forging relationships with the youth first and foremost.  Finally, I'm most thankful for this particular "season" in life.  First, my wife and kids have chosen to make their individual relationships with God a priority in life which as a husband and father is my first priority for them.  Second, God has given us an opportunity to serve together for the past few years, a cherished time and memory. 
God is good!  I am richly blessed.

The "How-To" Guide VI

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

I guess I need to complete this series, although my mind has been moved into other thoughts.  

"Be filled with the Spirit ... always giving thanks to God the Father for everything."  Not sometimes, not just in good times, not just in bad times, not every once in a while, not just when you feel good, not just when you feel bad, not just on Sundays, not only at Christmas or Easter or Thanksgiving, but ALWAYS for EVERYTHING.  

I suggest that the very fist thanks of every prayer ought to be for God being a loving God.  He could be a hateful God who just plays with man to see how much He can make man suffer.  It is easy for us as sinners to conjure up such atrocities to do to one another.  It seems that every new action movie has some kind of innovative new suffering or new method of dying to demonstrate with more gory realistic graphics.  I don't believe that the Creator of man, made in His image, who breathed life into man has thoughts like these.  We should be thankful that God is our God and that He is a loving God who loves us personally.

Next, I suggest we thank God for the very life we have.  If we can pray, that means we are awake and alive physically.  What a blessing!  Our heart is beating and we are breathing.  We should be so thankful for our own existence.  Once we stop taking that for granted, we learn to enjoy every moment a little more and to be good stewards with all the breaths we are given.

From being thankful for these two things as a foundation, everything else starts taking a clearer focus.  Immediately, the people in our lives are what comes to mind and I am so very thankful for them and want to pray for blessings in their lives.  I notice how I do not dwell on being thankful for things.  Once I get my thankfulness and gratitude in its proper perspective, I stop seeing the world as we are tempted too, but as God intends us too. The people who are important to Him, become important to us.  And it all starts with being "filled with the Spirit ... giving thanks to God the Father for everything."

The "How-To" Guide V

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

How do we address one another?  How is our speech to one another intended to be?  It is intended that we, being filled with the Spirit of God, would share His wisdoms with one another, His words with one another.  Instead of "small talk" which mostly comprises the weather or where a typical conversation is: "How you doing?" "Fine." "How's work?" "Busy." "That's good."  We are supposed to be speaking to one another "from the Spirit".  

Have you ever met someone and immediately been led to say something that you, as a regular person, would never say?  Maybe it seemed to intentional or invasive, but inside something was telling you where the person was hurting and you were being prodded to ask and then act to pray or comfort so God Himself could reach out to them.  We must be careful to be filled with the Spirit always and to listen to it and then speak to others in His way.

We are also to speak to one another with hymns and songs led by the Spirit of God.  We will all be rejoicing with excited hearts and living abundant lives when we are filled with the Spirit and singing together in this way.  When our hearts are full, we don't care so much about how badly we sing or if we are off tune.  We can't help but to sing.  The joy and fullness of God's love in our hearts overflows into the world around us.  

To many people believe that this type of fellowship with others is only available by going out with friends to clubs and parties where there is lot of people and loud music.  But God is saying right here that we are to be filled with His Spirit and singing with one another from our hearts "to the Lord".  If we are filled with His Spirit and we are singing to Him then our song becomes perfect as He, in our heart, is making the song perfect through us to Himself.  Just as when we do a work, led by Him for Him and in His Spirit thus making that work His work, we can sing to one another, speak to one another, in perfect fellowship as He is speaking and singing through all of us in His Spirit to His Spirit.  What a marvelous existence that picture provides!

The "How-To" Guide IV

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

Here in this verse is the first direct "do not" that we can physically apply.  The first three verses are much less direct saying do not live unwise, do not waste your living opportunities, and do not be foolish.  While I agree with them and they sound great, they are subject to some interpretation and it is hard to provide direct application.  But now I have something I can do.  ...  Or not do as it written. 

"Do not get drunk".  A legalistic religious person would say just do not get drunk on wine.  Wine.  Everything else is fine.  And that would miss the point.  Wine is not the key word.  The key word is drunk.  If being drunk on anything "leads to debauchery" then the point is do not be over indulged in it, whatever it is.  And there are a lot of whatevers that aren't just wine.  Debauchery is defined as "excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures".  I often wonder if smart phones qualify here.  I certainly believe our youth and some adults are excessively indulged in them.  Also, we recently had an issue with a youth over marijuana.  "But it's legal in other states.  But it's not a bad drug."  But, but, but .. if you indulge in it does it lead you to God or away from God?  All other questions or comments ARE IRRELEVANT.  

The verse follows by saying "instead, be filled with the Spirit".  Don't be indulged in anything excessively that is not the Spirit of God.  If you need more of something to be complete, get more of God.  He will complete you perfectly.  Trust Him to fill in your holes and remake what you do have in the right manner.  Everything else in this world is designed by the opposer to take all you have, crush your abilities, and leave you hopeless.  

Maybe you're sitting there just about to explode.  You have to go somewhere, do something, live life wide open!  Go find God, do what He is leading you towards, and you'll live life with the provider and creator of life in a way that few get to understand and enjoy.  And it will complete you in a way that you didn't know anything ever could.

The "How-To" Guide III

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

This verse follows the intention of "making the most of every opportunity" with the rebuke to "not be foolish" by doing something with your time (the stuff life is made of) that is outside of "what the Lord's will is".  It is imperative to know then what is foolish or as other Bible versions interpret, unwise.  This is answered by the 2nd part of the sentence, anything outside of "what the Lord's will is" is foolish or unwise.  The contrast to "understand what the Lord's will is" to "not be foolish" seems to define foolish or being unwise for us.  And this fits my understanding of how to live as wise as I had said previously that "God Himself is the only provision for wisdom that we can obtain."

Okay, so I got that.  I need to live every moment understanding what the Lord's will is.  Sounds good.  Preaches and teaches well.  But where's the "how-to" in that?  How do I carefully live wisely redeeming every moment in understanding of God's desire (will)?  

First, to live wisely you have to live with God since He is all wisdom.  Further, to live at all means you are with God, otherwise you just exist.  As you live with God you are in conversation with Him.  This is why He allows His Spirit to come to us once we accept His reality as truth.  Second, we have to listen to Him.  If we don't listen we can't hear His directions.  Third, we have to look for Him.  He is working around us at all times.  

Can we imagine how our GPS would lead us to our destination if we turned the sound and screen off?  It would be of no use at all!  If we do not listen and look for God's guidance at all times, how can we be guided?  It will only be by our best experience and the world's wisdoms.  Since the opposer leads the world's wisdoms, then to listen to that means we are following him.  May that not be!

We must be careful to allow God's Spirit to dwell richly within us and to be in constant communication with Him at all times so we can only think and act to His desire with our energy.  This is the Lord's will for us.

Rejoice!

Deuteronomy 12:7

There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

 

Zephaniah 3:17

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.”

The "How-To" Guide II

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

While I do not wish to contradict the saying of Ben Franklin as it relates to time, I would point out that as best as I understand my Bible, it says that Life is only found in God Himself.  God controls time and is timeless Himself.  But for the purposes of discussing this portion of the verse that says, "making the most of every opportunity", it is a useful quote.

It begs an answer to the question, "What do you spend your time doing?"  Why is this important to know?  It is important because in our physical life, we only get a limited amount of time.  And the older I get, the faster it seems to be going by.  Since we only have a limited amount, then it is important not to squander or waste it, but to "be very careful how you live ... as wise making the most of every opportunity".

The most wise life is the life spent in complete communion with God, who is life.  The next most wise life, then, is spending as much of time as one is able in complete communion with God.  The next would be the life spent in some communion with God.  The wasted life becomes the life spent without God.

How am I going to spend this next minute?  Am I careful to be deliberately conscience of the Spirit of God and in fellowship with Him?  How about the next hour or day?  Am I willing to let hours, or even worse, days run together out of fellowship with God?  I pray that I will be wise and not squander my time.  I have done this before many times in my life and the overwhelming feeling from those is that the gift of life has been wasted.  There is always a sense of regret and a longing for a re-do.  And this is why we are to be careful and wise with every opportunity, "because the days are evil".  If we are not careful, Satan will do all that he can to devour us, and if he can't consume us then making us immoble and unproductive, or in other words, wasters of the gift of our time, he makes the day evil.

Let me be a careful steward of my time, spending it wisely in love and laughter in communion and fellowship with God and those God loves.  May every moment be the greatest of my life because God is consuming me and dwelling richly through me.

God shows us Himself in simple things

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

 

This time of year the sunshine beams through our front door and windows every morning as I take the dogs out to "get the paper."  This morning it was an almost blinding reminder that Jesus is the light of the world and without Him, there would be no light.  Light brings us illumination.  To reveal more detail, requires more light (a fact I'm learning more every day as I age and begin to lose what was once 20/15 eyesight).  I'm mindful that darkness has no definition except the absence of light.  We tend to retreat into darkness to hide something so that its detail is not revealed.  This isn't new: John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

I liked the sunshine beaming through my front doo this morning.  I wonder, however, if my heart and mind could stand up to the scrutiny of God's revealing light.  I pray that as I walk through this day, I would be a man, husband, father, worker, church-member, and friend of integrity; one who could not only stand in the light with all the faintest of details revealed, but more importantly be a shining reflection of the light of the world!

The "How-To" Guide I

¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:15-20

Russ is always saying regarding preaching or teaching of Christian theologies, don't teach him anything unless you give him a practical "how-to" guide for the teaching.  In other words, how do I use this today or tomorrow.  With that in mind, I do try to always consider to provide some example of "how-to" use whatever I'm teaching in practical life.

Here in Ephesians is a "how-to" live guide.  The first thing to do is "Be ... wise".  Proverbs 1 tells us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom.  You have to acknowledge who He is as a beginning to knowing anything.  How do we live wise?  We understand that God is the beginning and finisher of everything.  Then we ask Him for wisdom.  Solomon asked for wisdom when he was given the chance to ask for anything and God gave him wisdom.  I believe that God Himself is the only provision for wisdom that we can obtain.  If we want to live wisely, then we need to live obediently close to Him, trusting Him in all things above all things.

This is a task that is to be done with attention, intention, and purpose.  This passage says to "Be very careful" to live as wise.  This is not something we just arbitrarily do.  This is an aspect of our lives that we are deliberate, patient, and purposeful to walk.  If we are climbing on a trail that is rocky with small ledges, we are very careful lest we misstep and take a great fall.  The same careful attention and intensity of detail should be considered as we look to be careful to live as wise.