Matthew 6:10
“10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Most people spend time before they die preparing a last will and testament. In this document they write out specific instructions as to how their remains are to be handled, who is to watch after their children, and where their riches are to be disbursed. This document serves to ensure that the last wishes of that person be carried out, so that they didn’t die in vain.
Typically a person will spend an entire lifetime saving up and collecting special and priceless memorabilia that will be passed on to the next generation after they die. They hope that the legacy of who they were will inspire and encourage family, long after they’re gone. People, even through death, want to give gifts to the ones that they love. Why are we like that? Because being made in the image of God, we have the same desire to give and bless that He does.
While Christ walked on earth He had “nothing”, not even a place to lay His head, according to Luke 9:58. He didn’t spend His days working and toiling for money, the perfect house, the right job, or the fastest car. He didn’t come to gain a position of status in the community or define Himself by His social environment. Christ spent His time here thinking about the legacy He would leave behind after His death. His job was preaching and reaching, healing and teaching. He spent His days on earth writing His last will and testament. I believe that Christ wanted to leave us a legacy that we could be proud of, a blessing that no man could ever top.
When Jesus was dying on the Cross He said, “Father, forgive them...” Jesus’ last will and testament to us was “Forgive them.” Jesus wasn’t speaking only of the Pharisees and soldiers around Him on that day when He said to forgive them. Jesus was telling the Father, “Look at my scourged back, witness my disfigured face, see my nail pierced hands and feet.....Father forgive them...for even their unintentional sins are upon me. See how I AM, so let them be made clean!” Jesus was preparing His last will and testament as He died. His legacy for the world was forgiveness of sins. His gift after death was that we would be redeemed!
So when I hear someone say, “Are you sure you’re acting in the Will of God?” I can most assuredly answer, “YES, I am.”
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Peacemaker
Matthew 5:9
“9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
So who or what is a peacemaker? The dictionary defines a peacemaker as a person, group, or nation that tries to make peace by reconciling parties who quarrel, fight, or disagree. The wild west defines a peacemaker as a .45 Colt revolver. Can’t it be both?
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Make peace with God”, but have you ever really thought about it? What would “making peace with God” look like? Some might say that it would be coming to an agreement that you’ve made mistakes, but that you had the best intentions. Others would say that it’s simply admitting you were wrong. I think it looks a lot more violent than that! You see, to honestly make peace with God, we would have to atone for all of our wrongdoings. It wouldn’t be as simple as saying, “I’m sorry”; there would have to be blood shed.
There was a man named Jesus. He was taken by His own people and brutally beaten. He was brought before a Roman court and scourged. Whips with bone and lead fragments embedded in them were used to tear His body apart. He was laid on a cross where 7 inch nails were strategically hammered between His bones to ensure that He would suffer horribly before dying. And to top it off, the very people who He loved; whom He came to save, stood at the foot of the cross and ridiculed Him.
Jesus endured it all for us, though. In dying such a horrible way, He made peace with God for us. You see, the ultimate peacemaker is the One who isn’t about being violent to control the masses, but rather about enduring violence to save the masses.
Being a peacemaker means being willing to suffer. It means being willing to put aside your feelings for the good of another. It means being willing to say I’m sorry, even when you haven’t done anything wrong. That’s what Jesus did, so it is what we must do also!
This week, as the 4th of July approaches, we will celebrate our Independence. We’ll hear stories about men and women who sacrificed themselves in order that we might have a peaceful, free life. We’ll hear about their courage in the face of danger, their drive in the face of insurmountable odds, and their victory over oppression. We’ll celebrate how they fought to give us peace! I suggest that while remembering our peacemakers we pause and remember our Peacemaker, for He is the Son of God!
“9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
So who or what is a peacemaker? The dictionary defines a peacemaker as a person, group, or nation that tries to make peace by reconciling parties who quarrel, fight, or disagree. The wild west defines a peacemaker as a .45 Colt revolver. Can’t it be both?
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Make peace with God”, but have you ever really thought about it? What would “making peace with God” look like? Some might say that it would be coming to an agreement that you’ve made mistakes, but that you had the best intentions. Others would say that it’s simply admitting you were wrong. I think it looks a lot more violent than that! You see, to honestly make peace with God, we would have to atone for all of our wrongdoings. It wouldn’t be as simple as saying, “I’m sorry”; there would have to be blood shed.
There was a man named Jesus. He was taken by His own people and brutally beaten. He was brought before a Roman court and scourged. Whips with bone and lead fragments embedded in them were used to tear His body apart. He was laid on a cross where 7 inch nails were strategically hammered between His bones to ensure that He would suffer horribly before dying. And to top it off, the very people who He loved; whom He came to save, stood at the foot of the cross and ridiculed Him.
Jesus endured it all for us, though. In dying such a horrible way, He made peace with God for us. You see, the ultimate peacemaker is the One who isn’t about being violent to control the masses, but rather about enduring violence to save the masses.
Being a peacemaker means being willing to suffer. It means being willing to put aside your feelings for the good of another. It means being willing to say I’m sorry, even when you haven’t done anything wrong. That’s what Jesus did, so it is what we must do also!
This week, as the 4th of July approaches, we will celebrate our Independence. We’ll hear stories about men and women who sacrificed themselves in order that we might have a peaceful, free life. We’ll hear about their courage in the face of danger, their drive in the face of insurmountable odds, and their victory over oppression. We’ll celebrate how they fought to give us peace! I suggest that while remembering our peacemakers we pause and remember our Peacemaker, for He is the Son of God!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Nice Loaves!
1 Peter 2:5
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
In the Old Testament there was a line of people specifically chosen to be the priests for the nation. These were the sons of Aaron. They had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. First, they had to live as an example to the people. They were held to a high standard of integrity and honesty. They were required to know the laws and rules and regulations, and they were required to act them out. These men were responsible for making sacrifices to God and keeping the temple a holy place. In short, it was a pretty rough gig.
Each week these priests were required to make 12 loaves of bread and lay them on the altar before the Lord. This was a symbol of their fellowship with God and of the lasting covenant that He made with His people. This bread was “the most holy part” (Leviticus 24:9) of their regular offerings to the Lord. At the end of each week, Aaron and his sons would eat the bread, then prepare fresh for the next week.
Sadly, the rest of the nation of Israel did not get to commune with the Lord as the priests did. This was a special event for the priests. Because they were the Lord’s priests, because they were held to a higher standard, they were also blessed with a higher level of connectedness with God!
Jesus, our High Priest, wanted us to be able to fellowship with the Father just as the priests of old did, just as He did. He became the Bread of Life. I think that he made this abundantly clear at the last supper when He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) Jesus not only became our sacrifice, He also became our Levitical show-bread. Through Jesus, we are all priests and kings and are therefore welcome at the table of God. We, because of His final sacrifice, are able to walk up to the table, pull out a chair, and “break bread” with Him.
I’ve heard a lot about “communion” lately. It’s not just a time to remember what Jesus did on the cross, it’s a time to accept what He’s given us as a result. When we come to the Lord’s table we are to remember that Jesus was our grain, guilt, peace (fellowship), burnt, and sin offering. We are to remember that through His death and resurrection we have been given eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We are to remember that because of that forgiveness we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father and are priests and kings through the Blood of Christ! (Revelation 5) We are to understand that Jesus became our Show-bread and is present with the Father as an everlasting covenant to His people. We, as priests of the Most High, are to remember to fellowship with God the Father while we consume the Show-bread.
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
In the Old Testament there was a line of people specifically chosen to be the priests for the nation. These were the sons of Aaron. They had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. First, they had to live as an example to the people. They were held to a high standard of integrity and honesty. They were required to know the laws and rules and regulations, and they were required to act them out. These men were responsible for making sacrifices to God and keeping the temple a holy place. In short, it was a pretty rough gig.
Each week these priests were required to make 12 loaves of bread and lay them on the altar before the Lord. This was a symbol of their fellowship with God and of the lasting covenant that He made with His people. This bread was “the most holy part” (Leviticus 24:9) of their regular offerings to the Lord. At the end of each week, Aaron and his sons would eat the bread, then prepare fresh for the next week.
Sadly, the rest of the nation of Israel did not get to commune with the Lord as the priests did. This was a special event for the priests. Because they were the Lord’s priests, because they were held to a higher standard, they were also blessed with a higher level of connectedness with God!
Jesus, our High Priest, wanted us to be able to fellowship with the Father just as the priests of old did, just as He did. He became the Bread of Life. I think that he made this abundantly clear at the last supper when He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” (Matthew 26:26) Jesus not only became our sacrifice, He also became our Levitical show-bread. Through Jesus, we are all priests and kings and are therefore welcome at the table of God. We, because of His final sacrifice, are able to walk up to the table, pull out a chair, and “break bread” with Him.
I’ve heard a lot about “communion” lately. It’s not just a time to remember what Jesus did on the cross, it’s a time to accept what He’s given us as a result. When we come to the Lord’s table we are to remember that Jesus was our grain, guilt, peace (fellowship), burnt, and sin offering. We are to remember that through His death and resurrection we have been given eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We are to remember that because of that forgiveness we are made righteous in the eyes of the Father and are priests and kings through the Blood of Christ! (Revelation 5) We are to understand that Jesus became our Show-bread and is present with the Father as an everlasting covenant to His people. We, as priests of the Most High, are to remember to fellowship with God the Father while we consume the Show-bread.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Who is this guy?
Luke 24:27
“27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. “
After the Crucifixion of Jesus, His disciples were dismayed. The Messiah who had come to rescue Israel had been brutally murdered and hung on a cross of shame for the entire nation to see. Now here it was 3 days later and still He had not returned in Glory like they expected. Instead, some women said they saw Him, but all these men saw was an empty tomb. They didn’t see a resurrected King like they had hoped. So they went for a walk.
Along the way, a stranger encountered them. He asked what was troubling them. The men responded. They told this Stranger about all of the miracles that Jesus had performed while He was here on earth. They told Him how Jesus had healed the deaf, made the blind see, and made the lame walk. They told Him (I’m sure) how He turned water into wine. How He cleared out the temple with a whip and declared it a house of prayer! These men expounded on the physical things that Jesus did while He was here with them. Then they told Him how He died and they have not seen Him since.
This Stranger then began to tell them the Scriptures. He went on about the Prophets and how they spoke of the Messiah. He explained to them that EVERYTHING this Jesus did was foretold in Scripture and that it had to come to pass. This Man, this Stranger, used the Scriptures to show a picture of Jesus.
Why? Why didn’t Jesus (who is this Stranger on the road) just make Himself known to these men? Why did He disguise Himself so they wouldn’t recognize Him? He hid Himself from them to set the stage for the Church to come. You see, Jesus knew that He wasn’t coming right back after the crucifixion to rule as King (John 20:29). He knew that His bride, the church, had to be found through faith. He knew that seeing wouldn’t cause believing (the Pharisees proved that point) but that faithfully seeking would! He knew that He had to teach the church how to find Him after He was “gone”, so He did just that. Jesus walked to Emmaus in disguise to give us a lesson in how to know Him without physically seeing Him. He showed these two men that the Bible was Him, and if they looked in it they would see Him!
When He finished talking about the Scriptures and what the Prophets had said, Jesus sat and broke bread and poured out wine with these men. It was at that point that they saw Him for who He was.
The Bible is Jesus! EVERY story, every prophecy, every parable is a picture of Jesus. When we preach Jesus, when we reveal the Truth, we must follow the example of the King. Use the scriptures to bring Jesus to the people and break bread together so that their eyes may be opened.
“27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. “
After the Crucifixion of Jesus, His disciples were dismayed. The Messiah who had come to rescue Israel had been brutally murdered and hung on a cross of shame for the entire nation to see. Now here it was 3 days later and still He had not returned in Glory like they expected. Instead, some women said they saw Him, but all these men saw was an empty tomb. They didn’t see a resurrected King like they had hoped. So they went for a walk.
Along the way, a stranger encountered them. He asked what was troubling them. The men responded. They told this Stranger about all of the miracles that Jesus had performed while He was here on earth. They told Him how Jesus had healed the deaf, made the blind see, and made the lame walk. They told Him (I’m sure) how He turned water into wine. How He cleared out the temple with a whip and declared it a house of prayer! These men expounded on the physical things that Jesus did while He was here with them. Then they told Him how He died and they have not seen Him since.
This Stranger then began to tell them the Scriptures. He went on about the Prophets and how they spoke of the Messiah. He explained to them that EVERYTHING this Jesus did was foretold in Scripture and that it had to come to pass. This Man, this Stranger, used the Scriptures to show a picture of Jesus.
Why? Why didn’t Jesus (who is this Stranger on the road) just make Himself known to these men? Why did He disguise Himself so they wouldn’t recognize Him? He hid Himself from them to set the stage for the Church to come. You see, Jesus knew that He wasn’t coming right back after the crucifixion to rule as King (John 20:29). He knew that His bride, the church, had to be found through faith. He knew that seeing wouldn’t cause believing (the Pharisees proved that point) but that faithfully seeking would! He knew that He had to teach the church how to find Him after He was “gone”, so He did just that. Jesus walked to Emmaus in disguise to give us a lesson in how to know Him without physically seeing Him. He showed these two men that the Bible was Him, and if they looked in it they would see Him!
When He finished talking about the Scriptures and what the Prophets had said, Jesus sat and broke bread and poured out wine with these men. It was at that point that they saw Him for who He was.
The Bible is Jesus! EVERY story, every prophecy, every parable is a picture of Jesus. When we preach Jesus, when we reveal the Truth, we must follow the example of the King. Use the scriptures to bring Jesus to the people and break bread together so that their eyes may be opened.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Got Leprosy?
2 Kings 7:8
8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
This is an interesting story. It seems that there were 4 lepers who were going to die. They said to one another, "We're going to die....lets go to the camp of the Armenians (the enemy) and see if they'll look after us; if not, they'll kill us. Either way, we're going to die anyway!" So that's what they did. What they found when they arrived, however, was astonishing. Earlier the Lord had gone before them and caused a ruckus. Whatever the case was, God had the Armenian army believing that they were completely surrounded by warriors, GREAT warriors. The fear of that great army caused them to "beat feet" as it were and get out of there. They left everything they had behind. They left food and wine, oil, gold, silver, horses, tents; you name it, they left it. They took the clothes on their backs and ran!
These four starving leprous men found food, drink, clothes, shelter, riches, and transportation just waiting for them. At first they gorged themselves on what they'd found. Then they stock piled some for later. But then they realized that this was a great thing and had to go tell the rest of Israel what "good news" they had!
What an interesting story. So often we relate leprosy in the Bible to the sin in our lives. In this story 4 men, sinners, go out to die, hopeless because of this disease that is destroying their bodies and making them outcasts in society only to discover a blessing waiting for them! The bread and wine, the riches of the enemies army, the good news of victory without even fighting; all of these things parallel the redemption story of Jesus Christ found in the Gospels!!
Four sinners (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) with no hope find themselves redeemed by Jesus Christ. Jesus went before them and prepared a table. He broke bread and poured out wine to symbolize His upcoming sacrifice on the Cross. He promised them that where He was going, they would also go. (John 14:2-3) Jesus Christ conquered death and Hades on the cross so that we don't have to face that army. Jesus promised us the Kingdom of Heaven and has made us rich beyond belief. Like the 4 lepers, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; we have to accept the gift and proclaim the good news. Just like the lepers, when we first discovered what Christ did for our lives, we wanted to take it all, eat it, hoard it, hide it away, but soon we all realized that the greater blessing is to take and eat, realize that there is plenty for everyone and pass it on!
Our leprosy or sin (alcoholism, porn addictions, little faith, hopelessness, anger, depression,etc.) is what drives us to the riches that God has in store for us
8 The men who had leprosy reached the edge of the camp and entered one of the tents. They ate and drank, and carried away silver, gold and clothes, and went off and hid them. They returned and entered another tent and took some things from it and hid them also.
This is an interesting story. It seems that there were 4 lepers who were going to die. They said to one another, "We're going to die....lets go to the camp of the Armenians (the enemy) and see if they'll look after us; if not, they'll kill us. Either way, we're going to die anyway!" So that's what they did. What they found when they arrived, however, was astonishing. Earlier the Lord had gone before them and caused a ruckus. Whatever the case was, God had the Armenian army believing that they were completely surrounded by warriors, GREAT warriors. The fear of that great army caused them to "beat feet" as it were and get out of there. They left everything they had behind. They left food and wine, oil, gold, silver, horses, tents; you name it, they left it. They took the clothes on their backs and ran!
These four starving leprous men found food, drink, clothes, shelter, riches, and transportation just waiting for them. At first they gorged themselves on what they'd found. Then they stock piled some for later. But then they realized that this was a great thing and had to go tell the rest of Israel what "good news" they had!
What an interesting story. So often we relate leprosy in the Bible to the sin in our lives. In this story 4 men, sinners, go out to die, hopeless because of this disease that is destroying their bodies and making them outcasts in society only to discover a blessing waiting for them! The bread and wine, the riches of the enemies army, the good news of victory without even fighting; all of these things parallel the redemption story of Jesus Christ found in the Gospels!!
Four sinners (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) with no hope find themselves redeemed by Jesus Christ. Jesus went before them and prepared a table. He broke bread and poured out wine to symbolize His upcoming sacrifice on the Cross. He promised them that where He was going, they would also go. (John 14:2-3) Jesus Christ conquered death and Hades on the cross so that we don't have to face that army. Jesus promised us the Kingdom of Heaven and has made us rich beyond belief. Like the 4 lepers, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; we have to accept the gift and proclaim the good news. Just like the lepers, when we first discovered what Christ did for our lives, we wanted to take it all, eat it, hoard it, hide it away, but soon we all realized that the greater blessing is to take and eat, realize that there is plenty for everyone and pass it on!
Our leprosy or sin (alcoholism, porn addictions, little faith, hopelessness, anger, depression,etc.) is what drives us to the riches that God has in store for us
Unveiled
Matthew 27:51 (New American Standard Bible)
" 51And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split."
There is a tradition in many countries of veiling the bride's face before the wedding. This somewhat translucent covering is thought to keep the groom from seeing the full beauty and splendor of his bride before their first (married) kiss. He gets a distorted view of her prior to the wedding, but once the veil is lifted, he can see her for in all of her wedding day splendor. I, however, have a different idea about it. Perhaps it's the bride who is being kept from seeing the beauty of her husband. (Ladies, don't get upset!) I say this because if it were the husband being kept from seeing, wouldn't we veil his eyes? Why would we cover the eyes of the one who is to see everything and uncover the eyes of the one who is to be surprised? Logic says that the first point of view is wrong.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew people were NOT able to come in and see the Lord God for all of His beauty. There were many different places in the temple that they could go, but behind the veil wasn't one of them. They were kept from seeing the full beauty of God. They had a distorted view of Him, through the veil. God was Law; just and true, but not a friend. He was their leader and guide, but not their lover. The Hebrew people were seeing the world through the veil. Their view was clouded and confusing. I'm sure that it had blind spots. I'm sure that through the veil, there were things that they just couldn't "make out". God, on the other hand, saw the world outside the veil. He saw the people and their surroundings clearly and knew exactly what was going on. He loved them through the veil.
When Christ was crucified, the veil was torn. That curtain that separated us from intimacy with God wasn't just folded back over the top of our head (as in a wedding) so that it could be put back in place later. IT WAS TORN OFF! God decided He didn't want us looking at Him through the curtain anymore. God wanted us to see Him, to know Him, for who He really is. The Father, Husband, Leader, Protector, Lover, Friend, Comforter, and Savior wanted us to know Him intimately. So He sacrificed all that He had to give clear vision!
We, the church, Christians, are the Bride of Christ. We are already married, awaiting the reception. It seems that sometimes though, we walk as though we are still wearing the veil. Confusion and clouded vision plague our lives, but rest assured that the Veil has been TORN OFF. Look with your eyes at the Groom. He will not allow you to fall!
" 51And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split."
There is a tradition in many countries of veiling the bride's face before the wedding. This somewhat translucent covering is thought to keep the groom from seeing the full beauty and splendor of his bride before their first (married) kiss. He gets a distorted view of her prior to the wedding, but once the veil is lifted, he can see her for in all of her wedding day splendor. I, however, have a different idea about it. Perhaps it's the bride who is being kept from seeing the beauty of her husband. (Ladies, don't get upset!) I say this because if it were the husband being kept from seeing, wouldn't we veil his eyes? Why would we cover the eyes of the one who is to see everything and uncover the eyes of the one who is to be surprised? Logic says that the first point of view is wrong.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew people were NOT able to come in and see the Lord God for all of His beauty. There were many different places in the temple that they could go, but behind the veil wasn't one of them. They were kept from seeing the full beauty of God. They had a distorted view of Him, through the veil. God was Law; just and true, but not a friend. He was their leader and guide, but not their lover. The Hebrew people were seeing the world through the veil. Their view was clouded and confusing. I'm sure that it had blind spots. I'm sure that through the veil, there were things that they just couldn't "make out". God, on the other hand, saw the world outside the veil. He saw the people and their surroundings clearly and knew exactly what was going on. He loved them through the veil.
When Christ was crucified, the veil was torn. That curtain that separated us from intimacy with God wasn't just folded back over the top of our head (as in a wedding) so that it could be put back in place later. IT WAS TORN OFF! God decided He didn't want us looking at Him through the curtain anymore. God wanted us to see Him, to know Him, for who He really is. The Father, Husband, Leader, Protector, Lover, Friend, Comforter, and Savior wanted us to know Him intimately. So He sacrificed all that He had to give clear vision!
We, the church, Christians, are the Bride of Christ. We are already married, awaiting the reception. It seems that sometimes though, we walk as though we are still wearing the veil. Confusion and clouded vision plague our lives, but rest assured that the Veil has been TORN OFF. Look with your eyes at the Groom. He will not allow you to fall!
What are you wearing?
Matthew 6:28
28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, "
Have you ever really considered the lilies? Those of you who are closet Monty Python fans have probably heard this verse a hundred times and soon thereafter laughed at the crazy life of Brian, but what did Jesus really want us to do when considering the lilies?
Is this not a commandment? Observe how the lilies grow! They bask in the sun. They open themselves up in the morning to each new day, spreading their leaves and pedals to soak up all of the sun's rays. When it rains, they rejoice for the nourishment that it brings. They set their roots in solid, yet somehow accepting, ground. When animals come by and give them crap, they make the best of it! Oh, the lessons to be learned from how the lilies grow! We should be the same. For we are given a solid Rock, a firm Foundation to set our roots in, yet like the soil to the lilies, our Rock is willing to open up and give us room to spread out and to grow! We should wake daily and bask in the Son, opening our arms and raising our eyes to the Savior. We should openly accept the gift of life that He has poured out for us. When the rain comes, we drink! When people give us crap, we should make the best of it. As the lilies pull the nutrients from fertilizer, we should do the same. For we know that all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) We need to accept God's blessings in every part of our lives.
Wait, there's more......they do not toil nor do they spin. Some translations would say they do not worry nor do they spin. We are to do the same. We know that work is essential to survival, and that it's Biblical, (2 Thessalonians 3:10) but worrying is not. The stress that we place on our lives and bodies over our jobs is what's killing us quicker then bullets and bombs. Our moods, depression, anger, worry, and fears alter our minds and have horrible consequences on our bodies. Heart disease, mental disorders, and alcoholism are just a few results of this "toiling". The lilies, they don't have that...they just grow. They work hard to grow, but they're not worried about it. All they need, God has provided. The same is true for us!
This passage goes on to say that Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself as one of these. That's right, because Solomon was clothing himself. The lilies have been clothed with the righteousness of God. They don't need make-up or hair dye. The lilies don't need bright Hawaiian shirts and printed skirts, they are beautiful in the clothing that God gave them. We were once clothed in that same glory. In the beginning, in the Garden, God had clothed us with His righteousness. We were "very good" to quote the Creator! When we ate of the forbidden fruit, God's glory was no longer our clothing. We became naked and realized it. Thankfully, the blood of Jesus and the gift of the Cross has redeemed us to God. We are washed clean in the blood and clothed in His righteousness now.
So consider the lilies; observe how they grow. Then look at yourself and ask.....what am I wearing?
28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, "
Have you ever really considered the lilies? Those of you who are closet Monty Python fans have probably heard this verse a hundred times and soon thereafter laughed at the crazy life of Brian, but what did Jesus really want us to do when considering the lilies?
Is this not a commandment? Observe how the lilies grow! They bask in the sun. They open themselves up in the morning to each new day, spreading their leaves and pedals to soak up all of the sun's rays. When it rains, they rejoice for the nourishment that it brings. They set their roots in solid, yet somehow accepting, ground. When animals come by and give them crap, they make the best of it! Oh, the lessons to be learned from how the lilies grow! We should be the same. For we are given a solid Rock, a firm Foundation to set our roots in, yet like the soil to the lilies, our Rock is willing to open up and give us room to spread out and to grow! We should wake daily and bask in the Son, opening our arms and raising our eyes to the Savior. We should openly accept the gift of life that He has poured out for us. When the rain comes, we drink! When people give us crap, we should make the best of it. As the lilies pull the nutrients from fertilizer, we should do the same. For we know that all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) We need to accept God's blessings in every part of our lives.
Wait, there's more......they do not toil nor do they spin. Some translations would say they do not worry nor do they spin. We are to do the same. We know that work is essential to survival, and that it's Biblical, (2 Thessalonians 3:10) but worrying is not. The stress that we place on our lives and bodies over our jobs is what's killing us quicker then bullets and bombs. Our moods, depression, anger, worry, and fears alter our minds and have horrible consequences on our bodies. Heart disease, mental disorders, and alcoholism are just a few results of this "toiling". The lilies, they don't have that...they just grow. They work hard to grow, but they're not worried about it. All they need, God has provided. The same is true for us!
This passage goes on to say that Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself as one of these. That's right, because Solomon was clothing himself. The lilies have been clothed with the righteousness of God. They don't need make-up or hair dye. The lilies don't need bright Hawaiian shirts and printed skirts, they are beautiful in the clothing that God gave them. We were once clothed in that same glory. In the beginning, in the Garden, God had clothed us with His righteousness. We were "very good" to quote the Creator! When we ate of the forbidden fruit, God's glory was no longer our clothing. We became naked and realized it. Thankfully, the blood of Jesus and the gift of the Cross has redeemed us to God. We are washed clean in the blood and clothed in His righteousness now.
So consider the lilies; observe how they grow. Then look at yourself and ask.....what am I wearing?
In HIS rest
Genesis 2:21-22
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.
Have you ever really stopped to think that God's greatest creations, His greatest Gifts, His greatest accomplishments are done while we are in His rest? It's true. This picture of who God really is began all the way back in Genesis. God made everything else upon the earth out of nothingness, but when it came to creating woman, God put man to sleep. He caused the man to rest, took a rib from his side, and formed woman. He didn't leave it at that though. He didn't wake Adam and say, "hey...now go find what I made...it's great" No, God is the greatest Gifter of all time. He woke the man from his sleep and said here, I have created FOR YOU a mate, a helper, a companion, a lover, a friend; here is someone you can become one with!
There is so much more to be found in God's rest. His greatest accomplishments in our lives always come when we rest in His will. When we fully submit to His control over our lives, finances, relationships, and addictions; when we rest from our feeble attempts to be "in control", that's when God can work.
In Psalm 23 we read, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul...." The places we go in our lives and the trials that we face are all simply opportunities to lie down and let God do the work. He is our Good Shepherd. He isn't leading us down the path of destruction, but to life eternal. It's through His blood that He has restored our souls! (Also check Matthew 11:28)
To read further into this "Rest" that we have in the Lord, I suggest looking at Luke 22:39. In His greatest prayer ever, while He was accepting His role as sacrificial Lamb in the garden, Jesus' disciples were sleeping. They had found rest even in this hour of terror. And it was during their rest that Jesus fully committed and submitted to the will of the Father! Perhaps if they had been awake they would have had an opportunity to tempt or distract Jesus from His mission. You see, God's greatest gifts are always made while you are resting in Him!
Today, find the peace of Christ in your rest. Rest from your burdens, from your trials. Rest from your afflictions and your worries. Worrying only makes you a worrier; resting allows Jesus to be your Warrior!
21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.
Have you ever really stopped to think that God's greatest creations, His greatest Gifts, His greatest accomplishments are done while we are in His rest? It's true. This picture of who God really is began all the way back in Genesis. God made everything else upon the earth out of nothingness, but when it came to creating woman, God put man to sleep. He caused the man to rest, took a rib from his side, and formed woman. He didn't leave it at that though. He didn't wake Adam and say, "hey...now go find what I made...it's great" No, God is the greatest Gifter of all time. He woke the man from his sleep and said here, I have created FOR YOU a mate, a helper, a companion, a lover, a friend; here is someone you can become one with!
There is so much more to be found in God's rest. His greatest accomplishments in our lives always come when we rest in His will. When we fully submit to His control over our lives, finances, relationships, and addictions; when we rest from our feeble attempts to be "in control", that's when God can work.
In Psalm 23 we read, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul...." The places we go in our lives and the trials that we face are all simply opportunities to lie down and let God do the work. He is our Good Shepherd. He isn't leading us down the path of destruction, but to life eternal. It's through His blood that He has restored our souls! (Also check Matthew 11:28)
To read further into this "Rest" that we have in the Lord, I suggest looking at Luke 22:39. In His greatest prayer ever, while He was accepting His role as sacrificial Lamb in the garden, Jesus' disciples were sleeping. They had found rest even in this hour of terror. And it was during their rest that Jesus fully committed and submitted to the will of the Father! Perhaps if they had been awake they would have had an opportunity to tempt or distract Jesus from His mission. You see, God's greatest gifts are always made while you are resting in Him!
Today, find the peace of Christ in your rest. Rest from your burdens, from your trials. Rest from your afflictions and your worries. Worrying only makes you a worrier; resting allows Jesus to be your Warrior!
Pronounciation
Proverbs 22:6
6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Ephesians 6:4
4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
I've been thinking about this for some time now and have finally decided to write about it. Living here in the south, I've noticed that there are some differences in how people talk. It seems that the correct southern accent involves putting the emFAsis on the wrong sylLAbal. Take, for instacne, the word advance. In the north it's pronounced ad-Vance (emphasis on the vance), but here in the south it's ADD-vance. Better yet, let's look at insurance. The north (or Yankees) would pronounce it in-SUR-ance, but the south says IN-surance. Go ahead and try saying them out loud, you know you want to. There's no one here, it's okay. Try it! There are more words to illustrate this point, but I think you get the picture. Either way you say the word, it still means the same thing, right?
I've recently been pondering the word "discipline". (pronounced diss-a-plin) I've thought, what if the emphasis on the syllabals were changed? Perhaps we should try saying it diss-EYE-plin. It has a southern sound to it, which may be why I thought about it that way. (disciplin') Once I said it that way a light went on in my head. We've been pronouncing it wrong all this time. I realized that discipline simply is disciplin'!! It's teaching and correction; it's instruction and encouragement. It's what we as Christians, parents, employers, and employees need to be doing. We need to be disciplin' the people who matter most to us!
As a father, this revelation has had a great impact on me recently. I've realized that I haven't been disciplin' my own son, I've been punnishing him. That's not what the Father has done for us, however. Jesus Christ bore the punnishment and wrath of the Father when He went to the cross. That's the Gospel Truth. The remaining books of the Bible were given to us by the Father for understanding, spiritual growth, and practical living. The remaining books were givin to us for disciplin'. It's been God's plan for us all along that we would be redeemed to Him and that He would be able to teach us His ways. Solomon, the wisest man ever, wrote in Proverbs 22:6 "train", I'm not sure what the original text says, but perhaps he used a form of the word disciple. The men that walked with Jesus were called His disciples. Paul wrote to the church at Ephusus, "...bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord..." I think that a clear point the Bible is making is that disciplin' is what we are to be doing. Disciples are who we should become.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes discipline hurts, but if the motive behind it is disciplin', then a change will be made.
6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Ephesians 6:4
4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
I've been thinking about this for some time now and have finally decided to write about it. Living here in the south, I've noticed that there are some differences in how people talk. It seems that the correct southern accent involves putting the emFAsis on the wrong sylLAbal. Take, for instacne, the word advance. In the north it's pronounced ad-Vance (emphasis on the vance), but here in the south it's ADD-vance. Better yet, let's look at insurance. The north (or Yankees) would pronounce it in-SUR-ance, but the south says IN-surance. Go ahead and try saying them out loud, you know you want to. There's no one here, it's okay. Try it! There are more words to illustrate this point, but I think you get the picture. Either way you say the word, it still means the same thing, right?
I've recently been pondering the word "discipline". (pronounced diss-a-plin) I've thought, what if the emphasis on the syllabals were changed? Perhaps we should try saying it diss-EYE-plin. It has a southern sound to it, which may be why I thought about it that way. (disciplin') Once I said it that way a light went on in my head. We've been pronouncing it wrong all this time. I realized that discipline simply is disciplin'!! It's teaching and correction; it's instruction and encouragement. It's what we as Christians, parents, employers, and employees need to be doing. We need to be disciplin' the people who matter most to us!
As a father, this revelation has had a great impact on me recently. I've realized that I haven't been disciplin' my own son, I've been punnishing him. That's not what the Father has done for us, however. Jesus Christ bore the punnishment and wrath of the Father when He went to the cross. That's the Gospel Truth. The remaining books of the Bible were given to us by the Father for understanding, spiritual growth, and practical living. The remaining books were givin to us for disciplin'. It's been God's plan for us all along that we would be redeemed to Him and that He would be able to teach us His ways. Solomon, the wisest man ever, wrote in Proverbs 22:6 "train", I'm not sure what the original text says, but perhaps he used a form of the word disciple. The men that walked with Jesus were called His disciples. Paul wrote to the church at Ephusus, "...bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord..." I think that a clear point the Bible is making is that disciplin' is what we are to be doing. Disciples are who we should become.
The truth of the matter is that sometimes discipline hurts, but if the motive behind it is disciplin', then a change will be made.
You're Dead to Me
Genesis 2:17 (New American Standard Bible)
17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
"You're dead to me!" It's a quote that we hear on TV, typically by gangsters. It's a way of saying that what you have done has so offended me that I can no longer fellowship with you. I can't be around you at all because of your choices and actions. You have removed yourself from my good graces. It's interesting that God would use this typed of terminology with us!
We all know the story about the fall of man. How God had perfect fellowship with them in the garden; how He gave them everything they would ever need. We know that God gave them more then they would need. Of all the things that He created for them, there was only one that they weren't allowed to touch; the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We couldn't control ourselves, though, and went ahead and ate it's forbidden fruits. We sinned and death became us!
I've been on a death kick lately. Mostly because it's come and stared me in the face with recent family events. It's strange how God can use hurt to open our eyes to His Grace and Love.
It's been assumed for years that Adam and Eve were created immortal, but I haven't found any scriptural backing to that. We know that plants and animals die and that they are without sin. Why would we expect that our human bodies, created and functioning the same as all other life on Earth, wouldn't eventually die too. I think that God's words in Genesis were speaking of a spiritual death. We know that Adam and Eve lived a long time after they partook of the fruit. If they were to die (physically) that very day, that would have been the end of it all! The death referred to here in Genesis is spiritual death. A separation from perfect communion with the Father. Sin, disobedience, is in and of itself the most disgusting thing to God. He cannot stand to be near it. So when we stumbled, when Satan deceived us, we outright offended the Creator. He had to say, "You're dead to me!" (well this isn't very uplifting)
Romans 6:23 clearly points this fact out. "The wages of sin is death....." But the Bible is clear to let us know that there ARE two deaths! (Revelation 20:6, 2:11, 20:14 Matthew 10:28) With this in mind, I think that we all need to realize that no matter what kind of person you are, Christian or Jew, Muslim or Hindu; your physical body will die! Understanding the fact that all "life" dies makes it easier to understand why "good people" get cancer, why kids die in car wrecks, why boats sink. It's not punishment for sin. It's the way God designed the universe! Like the Lion King says, "It's the circle of life..." The physical death is merely "sleep" according to the Bible. (1 Thessalonians 4:14) The death that we need to fear is spiritual. We are born spiritually dead! In order to gain life, to eat of the tree of life, to drink the living water, we must recognize that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah. We must believe that He died and shed His blood to atone for our sins. He paid the piper (so to speak) and covered our sins with His blood. The Cherubim were set at the gate to the garden to protect the Tree of Life (Jesus) and to keep Adam and Eve from eating from it. When Christ came to earth and walked as a man, the Cherubim were removed!! The age of Grace began. We who were dead (spiritually) are made alive because we can come to the Tree of Life and EAT. It's a buffet of LIFE!
Ask yourself this question--If the death referred to in Genesis is physical and meant for all, but the gift of God is life eternal through Christ Jesus (the rest of Romans 6:23) why do Christians still die?
17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
"You're dead to me!" It's a quote that we hear on TV, typically by gangsters. It's a way of saying that what you have done has so offended me that I can no longer fellowship with you. I can't be around you at all because of your choices and actions. You have removed yourself from my good graces. It's interesting that God would use this typed of terminology with us!
We all know the story about the fall of man. How God had perfect fellowship with them in the garden; how He gave them everything they would ever need. We know that God gave them more then they would need. Of all the things that He created for them, there was only one that they weren't allowed to touch; the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We couldn't control ourselves, though, and went ahead and ate it's forbidden fruits. We sinned and death became us!
I've been on a death kick lately. Mostly because it's come and stared me in the face with recent family events. It's strange how God can use hurt to open our eyes to His Grace and Love.
It's been assumed for years that Adam and Eve were created immortal, but I haven't found any scriptural backing to that. We know that plants and animals die and that they are without sin. Why would we expect that our human bodies, created and functioning the same as all other life on Earth, wouldn't eventually die too. I think that God's words in Genesis were speaking of a spiritual death. We know that Adam and Eve lived a long time after they partook of the fruit. If they were to die (physically) that very day, that would have been the end of it all! The death referred to here in Genesis is spiritual death. A separation from perfect communion with the Father. Sin, disobedience, is in and of itself the most disgusting thing to God. He cannot stand to be near it. So when we stumbled, when Satan deceived us, we outright offended the Creator. He had to say, "You're dead to me!" (well this isn't very uplifting)
Romans 6:23 clearly points this fact out. "The wages of sin is death....." But the Bible is clear to let us know that there ARE two deaths! (Revelation 20:6, 2:11, 20:14 Matthew 10:28) With this in mind, I think that we all need to realize that no matter what kind of person you are, Christian or Jew, Muslim or Hindu; your physical body will die! Understanding the fact that all "life" dies makes it easier to understand why "good people" get cancer, why kids die in car wrecks, why boats sink. It's not punishment for sin. It's the way God designed the universe! Like the Lion King says, "It's the circle of life..." The physical death is merely "sleep" according to the Bible. (1 Thessalonians 4:14) The death that we need to fear is spiritual. We are born spiritually dead! In order to gain life, to eat of the tree of life, to drink the living water, we must recognize that Jesus is the Lord and Messiah. We must believe that He died and shed His blood to atone for our sins. He paid the piper (so to speak) and covered our sins with His blood. The Cherubim were set at the gate to the garden to protect the Tree of Life (Jesus) and to keep Adam and Eve from eating from it. When Christ came to earth and walked as a man, the Cherubim were removed!! The age of Grace began. We who were dead (spiritually) are made alive because we can come to the Tree of Life and EAT. It's a buffet of LIFE!
Ask yourself this question--If the death referred to in Genesis is physical and meant for all, but the gift of God is life eternal through Christ Jesus (the rest of Romans 6:23) why do Christians still die?
Here, and take it with you!
Exodus 3:21-22 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
It's interesting the way that God works, don't you think? There are seemingly bad things that happen in our lives every day. These "bad" things can range from a flat tire to the sudden loss of a loved one. What is God thinking when this happens? What is His plan?
In the Bible the Israelites end up in quite a situation. Really it started with the tossing of Joseph into a hole by his brothers. From there, Joseph was used by God to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. Those dreams were about a famine that was going to come over the land. From there, the people of Israel ended up selling EVERYTHING they had (including themselves) to Pharaoh, just to stay alive. This put them in a time of bondage and suffering. The people were then given a leader named Moses to bring them out of Egypt and back to God. God told Moses not only to lead the people out of Egypt, but to ask the Egyptians for all of their riches when they went. What kind of crazy thinking is that?
There is a strange and beautiful God revealed through all of this. (I use strange in the most loving way) The people of Israel ended up in a horrible situation because of a mistake made in their past. (selling Joseph into slavery) This resulting slavery wasn't a punishment by God, but merely the consequence of a bad decision! God used what happened to Joseph for good in Joseph's life, and for the protection of Israel against a famine. Pharaoh used what happened to prosper his nation. In time, the people of Israel grew weary and needed to be rescued. God heard their cries and answered. God's intention, however, was never to have the nation of Israel slave to an Egyptian king. When He delivered His people, God told them to "ask" for their possessions and the Egyptians would give them to them (gold, silver, and even clothing). As we all know from the story, that's exactly what happened.
Where does that leave us today? God never intended for us to live in bondage to sin and the Devil. We were created to worship Him in perfect fellowship. It was the decision made in the Garden that brought the consequences upon all of us. All of the things that happen in our lives that cause us to struggle are the result of bad decisions. (maybe ours, maybe someone else's) Just like the Nation of Israel, we have sold ourselves into bondage. It may be to drugs, alcohol, codependency, anger, or sexual abuse; however you look at it we are slaves to our "master". In most cases, this bondage has cost us dearly. It's cost us friendships, family members, and in some cases our physical freedom; but there is Hope! Just like before, God heard our cries and has sent us a deliverer. Jesus Christ came so that you may have life and have it MORE abundantly then before!!! The proof is in His Word. More then just giving you back your freedom, God wants to re-prosper you back to the place you were before entering into bondage. What has been taken from you, God wants you to take back with you when you go! If it weren't so, His Word wouldn't paint the picture!
I like this story because it uses the word plunder! Sin is our Egypt and the Devil our Pharaoh. Jesus is our Moses, He has come and told us that He wants to give us life more abundantly then what we have! (John 10:10) We simply need to take it. Sin and the Devil were defeated at the cross. Death, the ultimate consequence for our actions, was crushed by the Blood of Christ!
I don't know about you, but I'm taking back what the Devil has manipulated from me! Argh! I be a plunderin'!
It's interesting the way that God works, don't you think? There are seemingly bad things that happen in our lives every day. These "bad" things can range from a flat tire to the sudden loss of a loved one. What is God thinking when this happens? What is His plan?
In the Bible the Israelites end up in quite a situation. Really it started with the tossing of Joseph into a hole by his brothers. From there, Joseph was used by God to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. Those dreams were about a famine that was going to come over the land. From there, the people of Israel ended up selling EVERYTHING they had (including themselves) to Pharaoh, just to stay alive. This put them in a time of bondage and suffering. The people were then given a leader named Moses to bring them out of Egypt and back to God. God told Moses not only to lead the people out of Egypt, but to ask the Egyptians for all of their riches when they went. What kind of crazy thinking is that?
There is a strange and beautiful God revealed through all of this. (I use strange in the most loving way) The people of Israel ended up in a horrible situation because of a mistake made in their past. (selling Joseph into slavery) This resulting slavery wasn't a punishment by God, but merely the consequence of a bad decision! God used what happened to Joseph for good in Joseph's life, and for the protection of Israel against a famine. Pharaoh used what happened to prosper his nation. In time, the people of Israel grew weary and needed to be rescued. God heard their cries and answered. God's intention, however, was never to have the nation of Israel slave to an Egyptian king. When He delivered His people, God told them to "ask" for their possessions and the Egyptians would give them to them (gold, silver, and even clothing). As we all know from the story, that's exactly what happened.
Where does that leave us today? God never intended for us to live in bondage to sin and the Devil. We were created to worship Him in perfect fellowship. It was the decision made in the Garden that brought the consequences upon all of us. All of the things that happen in our lives that cause us to struggle are the result of bad decisions. (maybe ours, maybe someone else's) Just like the Nation of Israel, we have sold ourselves into bondage. It may be to drugs, alcohol, codependency, anger, or sexual abuse; however you look at it we are slaves to our "master". In most cases, this bondage has cost us dearly. It's cost us friendships, family members, and in some cases our physical freedom; but there is Hope! Just like before, God heard our cries and has sent us a deliverer. Jesus Christ came so that you may have life and have it MORE abundantly then before!!! The proof is in His Word. More then just giving you back your freedom, God wants to re-prosper you back to the place you were before entering into bondage. What has been taken from you, God wants you to take back with you when you go! If it weren't so, His Word wouldn't paint the picture!
I like this story because it uses the word plunder! Sin is our Egypt and the Devil our Pharaoh. Jesus is our Moses, He has come and told us that He wants to give us life more abundantly then what we have! (John 10:10) We simply need to take it. Sin and the Devil were defeated at the cross. Death, the ultimate consequence for our actions, was crushed by the Blood of Christ!
I don't know about you, but I'm taking back what the Devil has manipulated from me! Argh! I be a plunderin'!
Silence
Luke 19:37-40 "37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" 40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
We were created to worship God. (Isaiah 43:7, Colossians 1:16) That's it and that's all. The week before Christ voluntarily took the cross, He rode into town on the back of a donkey. The crowds gathered and waited for Him to pass by. When Jesus did pass by they shouted out praises to God for the King who had come. This upset the teachers of the law, the religious elders and they told Jesus to silence His worshipers. The Creator's response was if they stop, the stones will sing my praises! You see, all of nature declares the beauty of the Lord. Without even trying, flowers, trees, a beach, and a sunset show us the magnificence of God. The trees, flowers, and pretty sunsets were give to us by God, as a gift. We, the people of Earth, mankind, were created to do the worshiping, not the stones and flowers!
As I was singing a praise song the other night at church, this fact dawned on me. (perhaps I should say it was revealed to me) The people of Jerusalem were exalting Jesus as He rode into town and Christ said "IF they keep quiet......." They key is in the "if" I realized that we talk about nature revealing the Glory of God because we don't! It's not the purpose of the flowers and rocks to sing God's praises, it's ours!! If, however, we don't do it, then nature itself will because God not only deserves worship, but requires it! We have become a generation of "quiet worshipers". We go to church and listen to the songs; we listen to the sermon, but when was the last time we SHOUTED in church for the glory of God? We should be "raising the roof" when we enter into the church building, not sitting comfortable on our butts! We've turned to putting up pictures in our presentations of wheat fields and galaxies because we've been silent so long that the ROCKS and PLANTS themselves are singing God's praises. Our purpose for being created is being fulfilled by rocks!?
On the 7th day, they blew their horns and gave a loud shout and the walls of the enemy collapsed. The people of Israel did exactly what God told them to do! Imagine if we started giving God a large shout of praise; would the walls of our enemies fall down? Could we defeat our adversary simply by praising God?
When I finished singing that song (Let Me Sing-Todd Fields), I prayed with the congregation. I prayed, "God, I don't want a rock to do my job. Teach me to praise You so that the rocks don't have to!"
Ask yourself; Am I letting a rock do my job?
We were created to worship God. (Isaiah 43:7, Colossians 1:16) That's it and that's all. The week before Christ voluntarily took the cross, He rode into town on the back of a donkey. The crowds gathered and waited for Him to pass by. When Jesus did pass by they shouted out praises to God for the King who had come. This upset the teachers of the law, the religious elders and they told Jesus to silence His worshipers. The Creator's response was if they stop, the stones will sing my praises! You see, all of nature declares the beauty of the Lord. Without even trying, flowers, trees, a beach, and a sunset show us the magnificence of God. The trees, flowers, and pretty sunsets were give to us by God, as a gift. We, the people of Earth, mankind, were created to do the worshiping, not the stones and flowers!
As I was singing a praise song the other night at church, this fact dawned on me. (perhaps I should say it was revealed to me) The people of Jerusalem were exalting Jesus as He rode into town and Christ said "IF they keep quiet......." They key is in the "if" I realized that we talk about nature revealing the Glory of God because we don't! It's not the purpose of the flowers and rocks to sing God's praises, it's ours!! If, however, we don't do it, then nature itself will because God not only deserves worship, but requires it! We have become a generation of "quiet worshipers". We go to church and listen to the songs; we listen to the sermon, but when was the last time we SHOUTED in church for the glory of God? We should be "raising the roof" when we enter into the church building, not sitting comfortable on our butts! We've turned to putting up pictures in our presentations of wheat fields and galaxies because we've been silent so long that the ROCKS and PLANTS themselves are singing God's praises. Our purpose for being created is being fulfilled by rocks!?
On the 7th day, they blew their horns and gave a loud shout and the walls of the enemy collapsed. The people of Israel did exactly what God told them to do! Imagine if we started giving God a large shout of praise; would the walls of our enemies fall down? Could we defeat our adversary simply by praising God?
When I finished singing that song (Let Me Sing-Todd Fields), I prayed with the congregation. I prayed, "God, I don't want a rock to do my job. Teach me to praise You so that the rocks don't have to!"
Ask yourself; Am I letting a rock do my job?
Core Values
Romans 8:10 "If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness."
The Earth is a mass that spins and moves through space. It's the only planet known to mankind to have life. It has a perfect mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere to support ALL life. It is an endothermic planet, meaning that it provides its heat from within.
On the outside of the earth is a crust. On this crust lives all life; animal, plant, reptile, and fish. On this crust storms rage and destroy life and property. Fires devastate. Wars are waged. Children are killed. Yet every day new life grows. Flowers bloom and children are born. Land ravaged by storm and fire sprouts forth with new life and beautiful flowers. Cities laid to waste by storms and wars blossom with hope and charitable acts by other people. Sometimes the core within the earth, that molten hot liquid magma, builds up too much pressure and explodes to the surface. It creates a volcano and its fiery lava flows freely, seemingly destroying everything in its path. But what is in that lava? Minerals and nutrients brought from deep within the Earth. Things like potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum are found in lava. These are valuable to sustaining life on Earth!
Just like God's picture of the solar system is an example of how our lives are to revolve around His Son, so to is His Earth an example to us of how His Son dwells within us. A lot of times you hear people talk about "Being on fire for Christ"; there is reason for this saying. Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like Fire declares the LORD; and like a hammer which shatters a rock!" Jesus Christ is the Word and therefore a fire that lives within you.
On the outside; on our "crust" we all have stuff. We have self esteem issues, anger management problems, drug and alcohol addictions, and a myriad of other things that change our features. These storms of our life can have devastating effects on our bodies. They can cause us to age early, to eat abnormally; they can cause us to lose our teeth, hearing, sight, and can make us sick causing organ failure and even death! At our core however needs to be the Savior, the Fire of God's Word. Sometimes we need a volcano to erupt from deep within us. We need Jesus to rise up and completely destroy and consume that which is on the surface. His fiery flow will only leave behind a path to follow! When lava burns down a mountain side, it consumes all that is in its way. When it's done, a clear path with no obstructions has been formed. The same can be true for the Word of God. Let Jesus' lava flow consume all that is in HIS way and create a clear path of righteousness, free from obstructions and distractions from His purpose!
The human body is endothermic. The Christian spirit needs to be the same. ("Let the Word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY...." Colossians 3:16)
Remember that in everything God does, He can be seen and glorified. He is the core of value!
The Earth is a mass that spins and moves through space. It's the only planet known to mankind to have life. It has a perfect mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere to support ALL life. It is an endothermic planet, meaning that it provides its heat from within.
On the outside of the earth is a crust. On this crust lives all life; animal, plant, reptile, and fish. On this crust storms rage and destroy life and property. Fires devastate. Wars are waged. Children are killed. Yet every day new life grows. Flowers bloom and children are born. Land ravaged by storm and fire sprouts forth with new life and beautiful flowers. Cities laid to waste by storms and wars blossom with hope and charitable acts by other people. Sometimes the core within the earth, that molten hot liquid magma, builds up too much pressure and explodes to the surface. It creates a volcano and its fiery lava flows freely, seemingly destroying everything in its path. But what is in that lava? Minerals and nutrients brought from deep within the Earth. Things like potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum are found in lava. These are valuable to sustaining life on Earth!
Just like God's picture of the solar system is an example of how our lives are to revolve around His Son, so to is His Earth an example to us of how His Son dwells within us. A lot of times you hear people talk about "Being on fire for Christ"; there is reason for this saying. Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like Fire declares the LORD; and like a hammer which shatters a rock!" Jesus Christ is the Word and therefore a fire that lives within you.
On the outside; on our "crust" we all have stuff. We have self esteem issues, anger management problems, drug and alcohol addictions, and a myriad of other things that change our features. These storms of our life can have devastating effects on our bodies. They can cause us to age early, to eat abnormally; they can cause us to lose our teeth, hearing, sight, and can make us sick causing organ failure and even death! At our core however needs to be the Savior, the Fire of God's Word. Sometimes we need a volcano to erupt from deep within us. We need Jesus to rise up and completely destroy and consume that which is on the surface. His fiery flow will only leave behind a path to follow! When lava burns down a mountain side, it consumes all that is in its way. When it's done, a clear path with no obstructions has been formed. The same can be true for the Word of God. Let Jesus' lava flow consume all that is in HIS way and create a clear path of righteousness, free from obstructions and distractions from His purpose!
The human body is endothermic. The Christian spirit needs to be the same. ("Let the Word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY...." Colossians 3:16)
Remember that in everything God does, He can be seen and glorified. He is the core of value!
Revolution
Colossians 1:16-17 "16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Prior to 1610 the people of the world strongly believed that the Earth was the center of everything. They had this belief that the sun went around the Earth causing day and night and changing seasons. It was a great scientist and scholar by the name of Galileo who first published his thoughts and research that the Earth revolved around the Sun; that the Sun was never changing, but that the Earth was! His heliocentric view of the solar system was considered blasphemy by the Roman Catholic church and he was persecuted and imprisoned for it. There were times during his persecution that Galileo recanted his views and held fast to the theology of the Catholic Church, but eventually the truth was too much for him to hide and he stood by his findings. In 1632, in the face of the Inquisition, Galileo stood up and said that what he discovered was true and right. For his boldness before the inquisition, he was sentenced to live the rest of his days under house arrest. (rather mild considering some of the tales we hear about the inquisition) Today we know that the Sun is at the center of our solar system. It's a fact that's accepted without question.
Galileo's discoveries about how our cosmos works parallel our own spiritual lives. Before discovering the God of the Bible, we are all our own Gods. From the time we come out of our mother's womb until we ACCEPT that Christ is our Savior, we think that everything in life revolves around our own purpose. Whether it's getting the crap out of our diaper or having that mansion on a hill that I think I worked hard enough for to deserve, we put our want's and need's above everyone and everything else. There comes a time, though, in everyone's life (alive or dead) that they will have the revelation that Christ is King. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all! It will be a fact, accepted WITHOUT question. We all need to come to the realization that seasons change, day and night come and go, and storms sweep over the landscape of our lives, but the Son has never moved. It is us that is moving. We spin in circles sometimes, or we go to distant places. We quake and tremble with fear or we erupt with anger. We're calm and tranquil and we bring forth new life. Sometimes it's dark in our lives, a night time of experience. Those times aren't caused by the Son moving, but rather by us turning! We are like the Earth; ever changing, violent, and stormy.
Christ being at the center of our lives doesn't change the fact that we're still human and make mistakes. Christ at the center of our lives causes us to focus on what's coming, not the storm or dark night that we're in. In a hurricane or starless night, there is always a new day. Destruction and carnage may lay in waste when the morning comes, but even among the mess, the beauty of the Sun, its warmth and light, are always welcome.
When God created ALL things, there was order and purpose in His vision. He didn't create the Earth to revolve around the Sun because it wouldn't work the other way; He created the Earth to revolve around the Sun because He's a picture God. Take a snap shot of our solar system and see the Sun at the center. Take a snap shot of your life--can you see the Son at the center?
Prior to 1610 the people of the world strongly believed that the Earth was the center of everything. They had this belief that the sun went around the Earth causing day and night and changing seasons. It was a great scientist and scholar by the name of Galileo who first published his thoughts and research that the Earth revolved around the Sun; that the Sun was never changing, but that the Earth was! His heliocentric view of the solar system was considered blasphemy by the Roman Catholic church and he was persecuted and imprisoned for it. There were times during his persecution that Galileo recanted his views and held fast to the theology of the Catholic Church, but eventually the truth was too much for him to hide and he stood by his findings. In 1632, in the face of the Inquisition, Galileo stood up and said that what he discovered was true and right. For his boldness before the inquisition, he was sentenced to live the rest of his days under house arrest. (rather mild considering some of the tales we hear about the inquisition) Today we know that the Sun is at the center of our solar system. It's a fact that's accepted without question.
Galileo's discoveries about how our cosmos works parallel our own spiritual lives. Before discovering the God of the Bible, we are all our own Gods. From the time we come out of our mother's womb until we ACCEPT that Christ is our Savior, we think that everything in life revolves around our own purpose. Whether it's getting the crap out of our diaper or having that mansion on a hill that I think I worked hard enough for to deserve, we put our want's and need's above everyone and everything else. There comes a time, though, in everyone's life (alive or dead) that they will have the revelation that Christ is King. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all! It will be a fact, accepted WITHOUT question. We all need to come to the realization that seasons change, day and night come and go, and storms sweep over the landscape of our lives, but the Son has never moved. It is us that is moving. We spin in circles sometimes, or we go to distant places. We quake and tremble with fear or we erupt with anger. We're calm and tranquil and we bring forth new life. Sometimes it's dark in our lives, a night time of experience. Those times aren't caused by the Son moving, but rather by us turning! We are like the Earth; ever changing, violent, and stormy.
Christ being at the center of our lives doesn't change the fact that we're still human and make mistakes. Christ at the center of our lives causes us to focus on what's coming, not the storm or dark night that we're in. In a hurricane or starless night, there is always a new day. Destruction and carnage may lay in waste when the morning comes, but even among the mess, the beauty of the Sun, its warmth and light, are always welcome.
When God created ALL things, there was order and purpose in His vision. He didn't create the Earth to revolve around the Sun because it wouldn't work the other way; He created the Earth to revolve around the Sun because He's a picture God. Take a snap shot of our solar system and see the Sun at the center. Take a snap shot of your life--can you see the Son at the center?
W.W.J.D. (What Would Job Do?)
Job 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
Job, what a guy. Here's a man in the Bible who has it all. He's wealthy. He has cattle, camels, donkeys, children, and a wife. (perhaps she should have been listed 1st. Sorry to you ladies) He lives in a great land and is prosperous. Then all of a sudden one day, things start vanishing from him. His family dies, his health deteriorates, his possessions are gone; and with no real reason why. He can't see that in the Heaven's above, God and Satan are having a great debate (mostly Satan) about Job's loyalty and love for God. Though God has complete control, He obliges Satan. God ALLOWS the Devil to lay siege to Job's "life" with only 1 stipulation; Job's life must be spared.
It wasn't sin or a curse that brought all of this upon Job. We know that the very first verse of "his" book of the Bible tells us that "...this man was blameless and upright..." (Job 1:1) It was an attack from the Devil. Job was trying his best to do everything right in his life, living the best way he could and loving God all the while. It was at that time that he became a huge target on the Devil's radar. Satan doesn't care too much about you if you're living a Godless life--he's already won that battle. It's when you are living a GODLY life that the Devil gets scared. Fear drove him into the court of the Most High. Fear motivated him to challenge God for Job's loyalty. Fear that this man who was respected and motivated for God would impact the world doing Kingdom work!
We all know the story, how even Job's "friends" were used by the Devil to tell him that he'd done something to deserve what was happening. Even his wife told him to curse God and die, but Job didn't.
Lately I've been having a Job like life. My father-in-law died suddenly, my dog has a deadly (but curable) disease, my house needed new floors, and just yesterday my car died. Things seem to be unraveling around here. They were going so well. We were working on debt pay-offs, moving, really studying the word, getting closer to God....and disaster! It didn't hit me until last night, this is an all out attack. The Devil, that moron of old, is using the same tactics on me that he used on Job 5000 years ago! So I say WWJD....What Would Job Do? I know, you were expecting the other WWJD, but I think even He considered what Job would do.
Jesus went to the Garden to pray on the night He was betrayed. He was under attack from the Devil. His ministry for the Father was HUGE. Jesus' friends began to betray and accuse Him. He prayed in the Garden...is there another way? Jesus was feeling Jobish, persecuted and abandoned, so perhaps He thought about Job. Maybe He thought about Job 1:21..."the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.." For the life that had been "given" to Jesus was soon to be taken away. Just like with Job, the plot was hatched and executed by the Devil to take all Jesus had; and just like with Job, God over-rewarded the "victor" with spoils. In Job's case, he got back double what was taken from him. In Jesus' case, He is the ruler of all!
So when life is in the crapper...or on it's way there.....ask yourself....What Would Job Do?
Job, what a guy. Here's a man in the Bible who has it all. He's wealthy. He has cattle, camels, donkeys, children, and a wife. (perhaps she should have been listed 1st. Sorry to you ladies) He lives in a great land and is prosperous. Then all of a sudden one day, things start vanishing from him. His family dies, his health deteriorates, his possessions are gone; and with no real reason why. He can't see that in the Heaven's above, God and Satan are having a great debate (mostly Satan) about Job's loyalty and love for God. Though God has complete control, He obliges Satan. God ALLOWS the Devil to lay siege to Job's "life" with only 1 stipulation; Job's life must be spared.
It wasn't sin or a curse that brought all of this upon Job. We know that the very first verse of "his" book of the Bible tells us that "...this man was blameless and upright..." (Job 1:1) It was an attack from the Devil. Job was trying his best to do everything right in his life, living the best way he could and loving God all the while. It was at that time that he became a huge target on the Devil's radar. Satan doesn't care too much about you if you're living a Godless life--he's already won that battle. It's when you are living a GODLY life that the Devil gets scared. Fear drove him into the court of the Most High. Fear motivated him to challenge God for Job's loyalty. Fear that this man who was respected and motivated for God would impact the world doing Kingdom work!
We all know the story, how even Job's "friends" were used by the Devil to tell him that he'd done something to deserve what was happening. Even his wife told him to curse God and die, but Job didn't.
Lately I've been having a Job like life. My father-in-law died suddenly, my dog has a deadly (but curable) disease, my house needed new floors, and just yesterday my car died. Things seem to be unraveling around here. They were going so well. We were working on debt pay-offs, moving, really studying the word, getting closer to God....and disaster! It didn't hit me until last night, this is an all out attack. The Devil, that moron of old, is using the same tactics on me that he used on Job 5000 years ago! So I say WWJD....What Would Job Do? I know, you were expecting the other WWJD, but I think even He considered what Job would do.
Jesus went to the Garden to pray on the night He was betrayed. He was under attack from the Devil. His ministry for the Father was HUGE. Jesus' friends began to betray and accuse Him. He prayed in the Garden...is there another way? Jesus was feeling Jobish, persecuted and abandoned, so perhaps He thought about Job. Maybe He thought about Job 1:21..."the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.." For the life that had been "given" to Jesus was soon to be taken away. Just like with Job, the plot was hatched and executed by the Devil to take all Jesus had; and just like with Job, God over-rewarded the "victor" with spoils. In Job's case, he got back double what was taken from him. In Jesus' case, He is the ruler of all!
So when life is in the crapper...or on it's way there.....ask yourself....What Would Job Do?
Saltines
Romans 12:1
"1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
In the Old Testament there are hundreds of rules for how an offering can be brought to the altar; for what kind of offering can be brought to the altar. If it's a peace offering do this...if it's a sin offering do that...if it's a grain offering do another thing. Why did God put so many stipulations on how, when, where, and why we could offer things to Him? Because in each one of those long lists of rules and procedures He was painting a picture of who He was to become in Jesus Christ. Just look at the grain offering, God is emphatic that absolutely no yeast (leaven) be placed in a grain offering. Why no yeast? When bread is baked with active yeast it rises up. It becomes delicious, airy, and light. It increases in size and looks impressive! Yeast puffs up! I think it could be a symbol of our pride. Our pride puffs us up. It allows us to be caught up in what we have become, whether it's wealthy, wordy, quick witted, or famous. Our pride becomes us.
On the other hand, bread baked without yeast is flat, typically boring (like a Saltine), not impressive at all. It requires that something be added to it before it's true value is revealed. Sometimes peanut butter and jelly, maybe some cheese or deli meat. However you look at a saltine, it's square, flat, and waiting! A Saltine is a great snack waiting to be made! I think this is also like us. We are the salt(ine) of the earth. We are God's crackers waiting for Him to add to us what will make us exceptional. Whether it's the fruits of the Spirit or Lamb of God, we need something added to us to discover our true value and potential. That something is Jesus!
Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life. (John 6:51) It's what He did before revealing this to us that's of utmost importance. Prior to the Last Supper, Jesus HUMBLED Himself before His disciples and washed their feet. He showed them how to be a servant King. Before breaking the passover bread and using it as a metaphor for His own body, He first demonstrated that He was unleavened! He set aside the fact that He created the very Earth on which they were walking, knelt down, and took their nasty feet in His perfect hands and PERSONALLY washed away the dirt that they had been carrying around! (That's another lesson) Jesus became our perfect Grain offering. You see, Jesus isn't just the sacrificial Lamb---He's all of the sacrifices. He fulfills all of the law both physically and metaphorically!
Lets not be Sourdough or even Sweet bread....lets be Saltines for Jesus.
"1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
In the Old Testament there are hundreds of rules for how an offering can be brought to the altar; for what kind of offering can be brought to the altar. If it's a peace offering do this...if it's a sin offering do that...if it's a grain offering do another thing. Why did God put so many stipulations on how, when, where, and why we could offer things to Him? Because in each one of those long lists of rules and procedures He was painting a picture of who He was to become in Jesus Christ. Just look at the grain offering, God is emphatic that absolutely no yeast (leaven) be placed in a grain offering. Why no yeast? When bread is baked with active yeast it rises up. It becomes delicious, airy, and light. It increases in size and looks impressive! Yeast puffs up! I think it could be a symbol of our pride. Our pride puffs us up. It allows us to be caught up in what we have become, whether it's wealthy, wordy, quick witted, or famous. Our pride becomes us.
On the other hand, bread baked without yeast is flat, typically boring (like a Saltine), not impressive at all. It requires that something be added to it before it's true value is revealed. Sometimes peanut butter and jelly, maybe some cheese or deli meat. However you look at a saltine, it's square, flat, and waiting! A Saltine is a great snack waiting to be made! I think this is also like us. We are the salt(ine) of the earth. We are God's crackers waiting for Him to add to us what will make us exceptional. Whether it's the fruits of the Spirit or Lamb of God, we need something added to us to discover our true value and potential. That something is Jesus!
Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life. (John 6:51) It's what He did before revealing this to us that's of utmost importance. Prior to the Last Supper, Jesus HUMBLED Himself before His disciples and washed their feet. He showed them how to be a servant King. Before breaking the passover bread and using it as a metaphor for His own body, He first demonstrated that He was unleavened! He set aside the fact that He created the very Earth on which they were walking, knelt down, and took their nasty feet in His perfect hands and PERSONALLY washed away the dirt that they had been carrying around! (That's another lesson) Jesus became our perfect Grain offering. You see, Jesus isn't just the sacrificial Lamb---He's all of the sacrifices. He fulfills all of the law both physically and metaphorically!
Lets not be Sourdough or even Sweet bread....lets be Saltines for Jesus.
Stoned
John 8:7 (New International Version)
"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
So while thinking about the story of David and Goliath today, this scripture came to mind. And I thought....."What?" Really, what does Jesus talking to the Pharisees about a woman's sin have to do with the story of David slaying Goliath. Then I finally realized, not a thing!
The David and Goliath story is a great model of how we should live our lives; victorious for the name of God. We are to go out into the world with what God has given us and use His power to slay the Giants in our lives. Whether it's debt, drugs, pornography, or anger; we've all faced giants and will surely face them again. David's great faith in the God of Israel; his unwavering courage in the face of great danger is an inspiration to us all. Without a second thought, David said (paraphrased...) I've destroyed lions and bears to protect sheep, surely I can destroy this Philistine who blasphemes the name of my God!! And so he did, with a sling and a stone, David defeated Goliath and was a champion for Israel.
It's an outstanding story, but I think there's more. To quote the late Paul Harvey, "And now....the rest of the story."----------
In every story, every life, every high priest, and every garment. In every verse, chapter, and book of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and His power and might. In all of it is the story of His sacrifice for our redemption, and in all of it is the story of His courage and kingsmanship. (yes--I am now making up words)
Perhaps when Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees He thought about the story of David and hoped that the connection would someday be made.
The people of Israel needed a Champion. They needed someone with great courage and NO fear to face the giant. On the other side of the field was the Philistine army and their giant. Daily he came, taunting and mocking the Nation of Israel. Behind him was an army waiting for the opportunity to take hold of the Nation, make them slaves, to have dominion over them.
This story parallels our own lives, for we are the Nation of Israel and our giant is the Devil. Behind him are our past sins and mistakes, waiting to rule over our lives. Daily the Enemy comes to the battle field and taunts us. He mocks us. He makes us feel week and powerless. We need a Champion too! Enter Christ. Our Champion, the Good Shepherd (just like David). We are His people and He is our Savior. Christ didn't fear the Devil!! Christ chose to walk out onto that battle field and face him. Christ conquered the Devil and his army at the Cross.
So what of the stone? David used a single stone to bring down the giant, Goliath on the battle field that day. God Almighty wrote the Law on stone for Moses on top of the Mount Sinai. Jesus Christ walked a perfect life on this Earth, fulfilling the Law and thus becoming the Rock of our Salvation. You see, He who is without sin did cast the stone. He cast Himself at the Devil and cold conked him right there on the battle field. He did it so that we may be redeemed to the Father and be seen as perfect before a mighty and perfect God.
Because you are the righteousness of Christ, when sin and the Devil come your way; cast the first stone. In fact, cast the Rock. Throw Jesus at the Devil and stand victorious on the battle field.
"But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
So while thinking about the story of David and Goliath today, this scripture came to mind. And I thought....."What?" Really, what does Jesus talking to the Pharisees about a woman's sin have to do with the story of David slaying Goliath. Then I finally realized, not a thing!
The David and Goliath story is a great model of how we should live our lives; victorious for the name of God. We are to go out into the world with what God has given us and use His power to slay the Giants in our lives. Whether it's debt, drugs, pornography, or anger; we've all faced giants and will surely face them again. David's great faith in the God of Israel; his unwavering courage in the face of great danger is an inspiration to us all. Without a second thought, David said (paraphrased...) I've destroyed lions and bears to protect sheep, surely I can destroy this Philistine who blasphemes the name of my God!! And so he did, with a sling and a stone, David defeated Goliath and was a champion for Israel.
It's an outstanding story, but I think there's more. To quote the late Paul Harvey, "And now....the rest of the story."----------
In every story, every life, every high priest, and every garment. In every verse, chapter, and book of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and His power and might. In all of it is the story of His sacrifice for our redemption, and in all of it is the story of His courage and kingsmanship. (yes--I am now making up words)
Perhaps when Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees He thought about the story of David and hoped that the connection would someday be made.
The people of Israel needed a Champion. They needed someone with great courage and NO fear to face the giant. On the other side of the field was the Philistine army and their giant. Daily he came, taunting and mocking the Nation of Israel. Behind him was an army waiting for the opportunity to take hold of the Nation, make them slaves, to have dominion over them.
This story parallels our own lives, for we are the Nation of Israel and our giant is the Devil. Behind him are our past sins and mistakes, waiting to rule over our lives. Daily the Enemy comes to the battle field and taunts us. He mocks us. He makes us feel week and powerless. We need a Champion too! Enter Christ. Our Champion, the Good Shepherd (just like David). We are His people and He is our Savior. Christ didn't fear the Devil!! Christ chose to walk out onto that battle field and face him. Christ conquered the Devil and his army at the Cross.
So what of the stone? David used a single stone to bring down the giant, Goliath on the battle field that day. God Almighty wrote the Law on stone for Moses on top of the Mount Sinai. Jesus Christ walked a perfect life on this Earth, fulfilling the Law and thus becoming the Rock of our Salvation. You see, He who is without sin did cast the stone. He cast Himself at the Devil and cold conked him right there on the battle field. He did it so that we may be redeemed to the Father and be seen as perfect before a mighty and perfect God.
Because you are the righteousness of Christ, when sin and the Devil come your way; cast the first stone. In fact, cast the Rock. Throw Jesus at the Devil and stand victorious on the battle field.
It's the Law
John 3:17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world, through Him, might be saved."
Have you ever driven down the road and passed the police? They were coming from the other direction or sitting on the shoulder waiting for you, weren't they? It's scary. You instantly start thinking of everything that you've done wrong while driving at that moment. The speed limit--was I going too fast? My hands, 10 and 2--10 and 2!! Put down the coffee, signal when I change lanes, look around, etc. You may even start thinking of things that you are doing that aren't a traffic violation. Is the radio too loud? Did I turn leave my lights on? Your mind starts doing crazy things!! And what next? The worry, the focus on the rear view mirror! It's as if what is now behind you is more important then what is coming up in front of you!!! We do this even when we HAVEN'T broken any traffic laws! Why? Because the LAW condemns!
When we focus on the law we are constantly looking at ourselves. We re-evaluate everything we do wondering if it was right or wrong. We look back in our lives at the things that we've done and wonder about the consequences of those actions. We take our focus off of the straight and narrow path in front of us and lose direction! If you drive a car constantly looking in your rear view mirror you will eventually crash! This is true for our lives as well. If we are constantly looking at the Law behind us, wondering if it is coming to get us; we will eventually crash--and burn! And what does this focus on our mistakes do? It makes us break the Law even more!!! Just like driving a car, if you were speeding and slowed down, but now are focused on the rear view mirror, you may drift from your lane, run a stop sign, or forget to signal. Because you were so focused on the one little thing that you did wrong, you have now allowed that mistake to cause you to violate 2 or 3 other laws!! By turning our focus inward toward ourselves and where we have "gone astray", we in essence, have made ourselves into idols. We put ourselves above everything else in our lives, trying to right wrongs; trying to live a perfect life by obeying the Law. In doing so, we have broken the first commandment!
So what are we supposed to do? Well, we are to realize that no matter how hard we try, we will never fully live into the law. We need to realize that while we do not CHOOSE to break the law, we will at some point in time do just that. Speaking from a police point of view, I know that people will speed. Honestly, however, it's not the car going 5-10 over that's going to end up on the shoulder. We've all been cruising down the highway and looked down and had that "oh-crap!" moment. (let GRACE prevail) It's the car that's going 90 in a 55 that's going to get stopped. The people who get a ticket have typically CHOSEN to break the law. Our lives need to mimic our driving! We need to be aware of the rules and try our best not to break them, but realize that we will. We need to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit in those "oh-crap" moments and CHANGE our behavior.
The Devil will try to tell you that you're not good enough. The Devil will try to tell you that your sin (alcoholism, anger, pornography, etc) is what's keeping you from God. Jesus, however, chooses to spend His time with sinners (Mark 13-17). The Devil will try to convince you that the Law is coming to get you and condemn you!! You tell the Devil JOHN 3:17!!
Jesus knows that we are sinners. He died on the cross to free us from the bondage and fear of the Law. Our choice now is to make Christ the focus of our lives, realize that we're forgiven, and accept the sacrifice. If the death of Christ on the cross was enough to satisfy God, surely it's enough to get you through too!
Have you ever driven down the road and passed the police? They were coming from the other direction or sitting on the shoulder waiting for you, weren't they? It's scary. You instantly start thinking of everything that you've done wrong while driving at that moment. The speed limit--was I going too fast? My hands, 10 and 2--10 and 2!! Put down the coffee, signal when I change lanes, look around, etc. You may even start thinking of things that you are doing that aren't a traffic violation. Is the radio too loud? Did I turn leave my lights on? Your mind starts doing crazy things!! And what next? The worry, the focus on the rear view mirror! It's as if what is now behind you is more important then what is coming up in front of you!!! We do this even when we HAVEN'T broken any traffic laws! Why? Because the LAW condemns!
When we focus on the law we are constantly looking at ourselves. We re-evaluate everything we do wondering if it was right or wrong. We look back in our lives at the things that we've done and wonder about the consequences of those actions. We take our focus off of the straight and narrow path in front of us and lose direction! If you drive a car constantly looking in your rear view mirror you will eventually crash! This is true for our lives as well. If we are constantly looking at the Law behind us, wondering if it is coming to get us; we will eventually crash--and burn! And what does this focus on our mistakes do? It makes us break the Law even more!!! Just like driving a car, if you were speeding and slowed down, but now are focused on the rear view mirror, you may drift from your lane, run a stop sign, or forget to signal. Because you were so focused on the one little thing that you did wrong, you have now allowed that mistake to cause you to violate 2 or 3 other laws!! By turning our focus inward toward ourselves and where we have "gone astray", we in essence, have made ourselves into idols. We put ourselves above everything else in our lives, trying to right wrongs; trying to live a perfect life by obeying the Law. In doing so, we have broken the first commandment!
So what are we supposed to do? Well, we are to realize that no matter how hard we try, we will never fully live into the law. We need to realize that while we do not CHOOSE to break the law, we will at some point in time do just that. Speaking from a police point of view, I know that people will speed. Honestly, however, it's not the car going 5-10 over that's going to end up on the shoulder. We've all been cruising down the highway and looked down and had that "oh-crap!" moment. (let GRACE prevail) It's the car that's going 90 in a 55 that's going to get stopped. The people who get a ticket have typically CHOSEN to break the law. Our lives need to mimic our driving! We need to be aware of the rules and try our best not to break them, but realize that we will. We need to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit in those "oh-crap" moments and CHANGE our behavior.
The Devil will try to tell you that you're not good enough. The Devil will try to tell you that your sin (alcoholism, anger, pornography, etc) is what's keeping you from God. Jesus, however, chooses to spend His time with sinners (Mark 13-17). The Devil will try to convince you that the Law is coming to get you and condemn you!! You tell the Devil JOHN 3:17!!
Jesus knows that we are sinners. He died on the cross to free us from the bondage and fear of the Law. Our choice now is to make Christ the focus of our lives, realize that we're forgiven, and accept the sacrifice. If the death of Christ on the cross was enough to satisfy God, surely it's enough to get you through too!
Perfection
Romans 8:11 (New International Version)
"11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
To paraphrase Ravi Zacharias, "...God is perfect because He is the only being whose purpose for being is within His being, where as man's purpose for being is found outside of his being...." It's not exact, but I'm sure you get the point.
God exists outside of time and space, apart from everything. He has been, was, and always will be. His purpose for existence is within Himself! We, on the other hand, are creations of God. We were made in His image for a purpose, not to be a purpose. We were created to have perfect fellowship with God. To walk and talk with Him in peace and love forever. We were created to worship and adore the King. Something went wrong, though, and we fell from that state. We became full of ourselves and instead of being the creations that the Creator wanted us to be; we became whatever we wanted to be. In the process we sinned against God and separated ourselves from His glory.
In order to redeem our relationship, God had to have a perfect solution to a perfect problem; namely, Jesus Christ. There was absolutely no other way to redeem man back to a state of perfect union with God. Annual sacrifices and sin offerings as part of the Law were only good for a short time. The blood of the lambs could only cover our sins for a time; it would eventually wear off. God had to become the Lamb and offer His own blood as the sacrifice for our sins because He is the only perfect solution!
When Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross He became sin for the good of mankind. He took on the burdens and troubles of our lives at the cross and said "It is finished!" Jesus died, was placed in the grave, and on the third day He rose. Jesus ascended to the Father and sits now, PERFECT, at His right hand. Before He left, however, He gave us this promise, "16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
So what of this all? If God is perfect because He is, and we are not perfect because we aren't; how can we have perfect fellowship with Him? Through the death of Jesus our sins were blotted out. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit (who lives IN us) we are given perfection. As God is perfect because all that is-is within Him, then we are made perfect because all that He is-is within us. When the Spirit of God lives within you, God looks at you and sees His own reflection!
I used to not like what I saw in the mirror, what a change this has been.
"11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
To paraphrase Ravi Zacharias, "...God is perfect because He is the only being whose purpose for being is within His being, where as man's purpose for being is found outside of his being...." It's not exact, but I'm sure you get the point.
God exists outside of time and space, apart from everything. He has been, was, and always will be. His purpose for existence is within Himself! We, on the other hand, are creations of God. We were made in His image for a purpose, not to be a purpose. We were created to have perfect fellowship with God. To walk and talk with Him in peace and love forever. We were created to worship and adore the King. Something went wrong, though, and we fell from that state. We became full of ourselves and instead of being the creations that the Creator wanted us to be; we became whatever we wanted to be. In the process we sinned against God and separated ourselves from His glory.
In order to redeem our relationship, God had to have a perfect solution to a perfect problem; namely, Jesus Christ. There was absolutely no other way to redeem man back to a state of perfect union with God. Annual sacrifices and sin offerings as part of the Law were only good for a short time. The blood of the lambs could only cover our sins for a time; it would eventually wear off. God had to become the Lamb and offer His own blood as the sacrifice for our sins because He is the only perfect solution!
When Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross He became sin for the good of mankind. He took on the burdens and troubles of our lives at the cross and said "It is finished!" Jesus died, was placed in the grave, and on the third day He rose. Jesus ascended to the Father and sits now, PERFECT, at His right hand. Before He left, however, He gave us this promise, "16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17
So what of this all? If God is perfect because He is, and we are not perfect because we aren't; how can we have perfect fellowship with Him? Through the death of Jesus our sins were blotted out. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit (who lives IN us) we are given perfection. As God is perfect because all that is-is within Him, then we are made perfect because all that He is-is within us. When the Spirit of God lives within you, God looks at you and sees His own reflection!
I used to not like what I saw in the mirror, what a change this has been.
Why God?
"My daughter was severely beaten because of her looks." "My son was murdered by a robber." "My wife was raped." "My child died from cancer." "Terrorists blew up our city." "A hurricane destroyed our town." "WHY GOD?!?!?!?!"
Every day in this world we see it; on the T.V., in the papers, at our children's schools, and at the work place. Terrible things that happen to seemingly good people. And the question rolls off our tongues as easily as ever, how could a God of love allow such things to happen? It seems to be a paradoxical question. If you ask any Christian they'll tell you that God loves you and wants nothing bad to ever happen in your life. But, God ALLOWS things to happen because of.......(sin, brokenness, bad choices, etc). While this is easy to understand for the Christian; try explaining it to a not-yet-believer. That's what we do in church though. We teach that God is love and that He has a plan for everything in your life, but that it's your sin that brought this hurt into your life. It's your wrong doings that has caused you this pain. It's your disbelief that hasn't healed you yet! While I believe that some of this is true; our sin and sinful nature does bring hurt and heartache into our lives, is that the only reason?
I just watched a story on the news this morning about a young teenage girl who was beaten nearly to death by her peers because of some "texting" that was going on. I don't know what the texts were about, but does it matter? If she said something horrible in those messages did she deserve to be beaten to a brain damaged vegetable state? Of course not. Was God punishing her for that sin and that's why she is now laid up in a hospital? Absolutely not. How do I know this? Jesus paid the price on the Cross for ALL sins for ALL time. We live in the age of GRACE. God's judgment is currently being held back until all who are willing will receive His forgiveness and grace. There are churches out there that would have you believe otherwise though. They'd have you believe that God is judging you daily on your actions and that whatever evil or bad comes into your life is a direct result of your misdeeds. This flat out isn't true.
Back to the story....This girl in the hospital doesn't have a clue that right now people in her community have rallied together, established a trust fund in her name to help with medical and rehab bills, they're doing a walk to raise even more money later this month. This is where God is in the midst of this disaster. Just like when the WTC came down in New York, we heard of stories of Americans banding together and giving all they had, offering it freely and without prompt in order to see that others would survive or be taken care of. And as a country who did we give the credit to, OURSELVES. In every one of these situations, we give ourselves the glory for doing good, and lay the blame on God for something bad happening. We ask Him, Where were You? And then we turn around and say Jimbo was here in the rubble helping while You were on Your throng! Every time we hear a story like this we hear of the "Good in people's hearts". Phooey, it's the GRACE OF GOD that brought those people out. It's the heart of Jesus that compelled them (believer or not) to do extraordinary things in times of need. We need to give the credit to God for all things!!
2000 years ago Jesus came to earth and walked as a man among His people. A terrible thing happened to Jesus, He was crucified and died. He was betrayed by His friends and sent to a shameful death on a cross between two thieves. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it through Him." John 3:16-17
If you think that God isn't with you in your pain; if you think that He is allowing bad things to happen to you because He is punishing you, look at the Word! What did God do to deserve a death on the Cross? What sin did Jesus commit that God decided to "allow" this horrible event to happen in His life, as some retribution for a slip? Do you think that God doesn't understand your pain when bad things happen? His Son, His only Son was murdered and it must have torn at His heart to see it happen; to witness His death, to see Him become our sin, but the word says, "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [a] His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand." Isaiah 53:10 Why did God "cause" His Son to suffer. He was setting an example for us. He was showing us that through His Son's suffering the GREATEST GOOD of all would happen; the Redemption of Man.
Out of suffering is born good and great things. We as sinners in a world of sin show this without even realizing it. Without even being a "believer" we put ourselves out and show the grace of God and the good of His work in banding together and "saving" one another.
Every day in this world we see it; on the T.V., in the papers, at our children's schools, and at the work place. Terrible things that happen to seemingly good people. And the question rolls off our tongues as easily as ever, how could a God of love allow such things to happen? It seems to be a paradoxical question. If you ask any Christian they'll tell you that God loves you and wants nothing bad to ever happen in your life. But, God ALLOWS things to happen because of.......(sin, brokenness, bad choices, etc). While this is easy to understand for the Christian; try explaining it to a not-yet-believer. That's what we do in church though. We teach that God is love and that He has a plan for everything in your life, but that it's your sin that brought this hurt into your life. It's your wrong doings that has caused you this pain. It's your disbelief that hasn't healed you yet! While I believe that some of this is true; our sin and sinful nature does bring hurt and heartache into our lives, is that the only reason?
I just watched a story on the news this morning about a young teenage girl who was beaten nearly to death by her peers because of some "texting" that was going on. I don't know what the texts were about, but does it matter? If she said something horrible in those messages did she deserve to be beaten to a brain damaged vegetable state? Of course not. Was God punishing her for that sin and that's why she is now laid up in a hospital? Absolutely not. How do I know this? Jesus paid the price on the Cross for ALL sins for ALL time. We live in the age of GRACE. God's judgment is currently being held back until all who are willing will receive His forgiveness and grace. There are churches out there that would have you believe otherwise though. They'd have you believe that God is judging you daily on your actions and that whatever evil or bad comes into your life is a direct result of your misdeeds. This flat out isn't true.
Back to the story....This girl in the hospital doesn't have a clue that right now people in her community have rallied together, established a trust fund in her name to help with medical and rehab bills, they're doing a walk to raise even more money later this month. This is where God is in the midst of this disaster. Just like when the WTC came down in New York, we heard of stories of Americans banding together and giving all they had, offering it freely and without prompt in order to see that others would survive or be taken care of. And as a country who did we give the credit to, OURSELVES. In every one of these situations, we give ourselves the glory for doing good, and lay the blame on God for something bad happening. We ask Him, Where were You? And then we turn around and say Jimbo was here in the rubble helping while You were on Your throng! Every time we hear a story like this we hear of the "Good in people's hearts". Phooey, it's the GRACE OF GOD that brought those people out. It's the heart of Jesus that compelled them (believer or not) to do extraordinary things in times of need. We need to give the credit to God for all things!!
2000 years ago Jesus came to earth and walked as a man among His people. A terrible thing happened to Jesus, He was crucified and died. He was betrayed by His friends and sent to a shameful death on a cross between two thieves. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it through Him." John 3:16-17
If you think that God isn't with you in your pain; if you think that He is allowing bad things to happen to you because He is punishing you, look at the Word! What did God do to deserve a death on the Cross? What sin did Jesus commit that God decided to "allow" this horrible event to happen in His life, as some retribution for a slip? Do you think that God doesn't understand your pain when bad things happen? His Son, His only Son was murdered and it must have torn at His heart to see it happen; to witness His death, to see Him become our sin, but the word says, "Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the LORD makes [a] His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand." Isaiah 53:10 Why did God "cause" His Son to suffer. He was setting an example for us. He was showing us that through His Son's suffering the GREATEST GOOD of all would happen; the Redemption of Man.
Out of suffering is born good and great things. We as sinners in a world of sin show this without even realizing it. Without even being a "believer" we put ourselves out and show the grace of God and the good of His work in banding together and "saving" one another.
Mirrored
Image is everything, isn't it? It defines who you are, how you are, and what you are. It's a reflection in the mirror or a picture on the wall.
We've all heard how Jesus, when questioned about taxes replied, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" We've been preached to in church about how this gives us a Biblical example of submitting to our governmental authorities, and we've been shown how this represents Jesus' opinion of tithes and offerings. I don't think that this is what was meant by Jesus' response. When looking back at the text today, I saw something. More then me seeing something, it was God showing me something.
Matthew 22:18-21 "18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought Him a denarius, 20 and He asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then He said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Are you ready for the revelation. Jesus asked them who's picture was on the coin. Then He asked, who's inscription (signature/mark) is on that coin? He wasn't interested in its value, but more in the image it represented. Because the coin had a picture of Caesar on it, it belonged to Caesar. So what then is God's?
Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
If a coin bearing the picture or image of Caesar belongs to Caesar then a person, bearing the image of God, made in the image of God is therefore what belongs to God! Jesus wasn't using this "test" to talk about paying taxes or tithes, He was using this test to show that man belongs to God. He was saying that we are go give ourselves COMPLETELY to Him because we belong COMPLETELY to Him! We are all made in the image of God. How many times have you looked at a photo that may have your image in it somewhere? Are your eyes drawn towards you in the picture? The Earth is God's photo album and we are His "images". God, the Creator-Father, is looking at us all, seeking the beauty in us.
And that's that!
We've all heard how Jesus, when questioned about taxes replied, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" We've been preached to in church about how this gives us a Biblical example of submitting to our governmental authorities, and we've been shown how this represents Jesus' opinion of tithes and offerings. I don't think that this is what was meant by Jesus' response. When looking back at the text today, I saw something. More then me seeing something, it was God showing me something.
Matthew 22:18-21 "18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought Him a denarius, 20 and He asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21 "Caesar's," they replied. Then He said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
Are you ready for the revelation. Jesus asked them who's picture was on the coin. Then He asked, who's inscription (signature/mark) is on that coin? He wasn't interested in its value, but more in the image it represented. Because the coin had a picture of Caesar on it, it belonged to Caesar. So what then is God's?
Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
If a coin bearing the picture or image of Caesar belongs to Caesar then a person, bearing the image of God, made in the image of God is therefore what belongs to God! Jesus wasn't using this "test" to talk about paying taxes or tithes, He was using this test to show that man belongs to God. He was saying that we are go give ourselves COMPLETELY to Him because we belong COMPLETELY to Him! We are all made in the image of God. How many times have you looked at a photo that may have your image in it somewhere? Are your eyes drawn towards you in the picture? The Earth is God's photo album and we are His "images". God, the Creator-Father, is looking at us all, seeking the beauty in us.
And that's that!
Revelations
Have you ever stopped to consider the times in your life that God "reveals" Himself to you? Here's my thoughts on it....
Daniel the prophet was in captivity in Babylon when he was given one of the greatest visions of all time. Some might call it captivity, others may call it bondage; either way you look at it, he was not free! God allowed Daniel during this time to see the full glory of His power and majesty. He brought Daniel into his throng room and showed him His full power and glory. God showed Daniel His plan for the future, how His glory would be revealed.
Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon too when he received his visions from the Lord. He was caught up into the presence of the King and saw the throng. He saw the angels around the throng and heard the praising of the King. Ezekiel saw the power and might of God and the glory of His Triumphant return.
John was exiled on the island of Patmos when he was caught up in the spirit to the throng room of God. He was brought into the presence of the Lord and allowed to see the future; His coming and triumphant return to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
All three of these prophets were at a point in their lives where they had become accustomed to their situation. They were captives in a foreign land or exiled to an island. They were alone, yet God chose their worst time to show off His best time!
The point of this is that God seems to reveal Himself; His full Glory when we (people) are in captivity, when we're alone, when we feel abandoned. Whether it's an addiction to drugs or pornography, a debilitating disease, or a prison cell, God uses the times when we are in bondage and alone to reveal His power and plan for our lives. Through captivity and separation, God is glorified and revealed in all of His splendor and majesty. This is true even for what we have seen of Jesus. When Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden, He was taken into captivity, alone! He was brought before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate for a "trial" and was abandoned by His closest friends. He was sentenced to death on the cross, where He was exiled and separated from the Father (Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46) It was at this point, bound, separated, becoming sin for the sake of the world, that God's full glory, power, and majesty were revealed and unleashed for everyone!
Whatever it is in your life today that has you held captive, where ever you may be in exile from friends or family; the Lord God Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth wants to reveal to you His full glory and power and majesty. Enter the throng room of the King for you are royalty born again under the blood line of the Savior. Bask in His glory.
Daniel the prophet was in captivity in Babylon when he was given one of the greatest visions of all time. Some might call it captivity, others may call it bondage; either way you look at it, he was not free! God allowed Daniel during this time to see the full glory of His power and majesty. He brought Daniel into his throng room and showed him His full power and glory. God showed Daniel His plan for the future, how His glory would be revealed.
Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon too when he received his visions from the Lord. He was caught up into the presence of the King and saw the throng. He saw the angels around the throng and heard the praising of the King. Ezekiel saw the power and might of God and the glory of His Triumphant return.
John was exiled on the island of Patmos when he was caught up in the spirit to the throng room of God. He was brought into the presence of the Lord and allowed to see the future; His coming and triumphant return to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
All three of these prophets were at a point in their lives where they had become accustomed to their situation. They were captives in a foreign land or exiled to an island. They were alone, yet God chose their worst time to show off His best time!
The point of this is that God seems to reveal Himself; His full Glory when we (people) are in captivity, when we're alone, when we feel abandoned. Whether it's an addiction to drugs or pornography, a debilitating disease, or a prison cell, God uses the times when we are in bondage and alone to reveal His power and plan for our lives. Through captivity and separation, God is glorified and revealed in all of His splendor and majesty. This is true even for what we have seen of Jesus. When Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden, He was taken into captivity, alone! He was brought before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate for a "trial" and was abandoned by His closest friends. He was sentenced to death on the cross, where He was exiled and separated from the Father (Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46) It was at this point, bound, separated, becoming sin for the sake of the world, that God's full glory, power, and majesty were revealed and unleashed for everyone!
Whatever it is in your life today that has you held captive, where ever you may be in exile from friends or family; the Lord God Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth wants to reveal to you His full glory and power and majesty. Enter the throng room of the King for you are royalty born again under the blood line of the Savior. Bask in His glory.
Purchased Blessings
In Genesis 42 (the story of Joseph and his brothers) we learn that 10 of the11 remaining brothers came to Egypt to get grain and supplies during a time of drought. Back home, things weren't looking good, the ground was parched, cattle were dying, people were thirsty; but in Egypt (due to some divine preparation) things were running smoothly.
The 10 brothers brought what they had before Joseph to purchase the supplies that they needed to continue living back home. They got those supplies and left Egypt, but along the way they learned something. Joseph had had his servants put their payment back in their sacks (secretly of course). We've all heard this story and understand that Joseph may have been playing games with his brothers; it may have been some "pay-back" for what they'd put him through in the past. We've been taught that it was Joseph's forgiving heart that wanted to get them to bring the whole family back together. I don't doubt that these ideas are true, but I think there is more to it!
Have you ever gone to God and tried to earn a blessing from Him? Have you ever prayed, "God, get me out of this and I'll never _______ again!"? Have you ever heard, "God wants to bless you, all you have to do is 'sow your seed' in order to receive His blessing"? I think that this story of Joseph and his brothers is on so many levels, a picture of God's redemptive plan for our salvation! God's blessings for you in this world are a free gift, starting with salvation through the Blood. There is nothing NOTHING that we can give to God to purchase grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, etc...., so why do we try? Our brains are so ingrained in the LAW that we struggle to grasp the LAW OF GRACE!! We've been indoctrinated into a culture of tit for tat, quid pro quo; but we worship a God of all for naught!! Don't read too much into that....the nothing isn't Jesus' sacrifice; the ALL is...the nothing is what we have to bring/give in order to receive it.
Joseph didn't put the payment back in the sacks to play tricks on his brothers, he put it in there so that God's grace and forgiveness could be revealed. God's plan for our lives is that we may live MORE ABUNDANTLY. The blessings that He has for us are free for the taking. All we have to do is open our arms, lift our eyes to the heavens, and ask!! The payment (or overpayment-and even that doesn't do it justice) has already been made. The redemptive blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross opened the storehouses of Heaven for ALL who believe to receive. God doesn't want you to try and purchase your grain any more. He doesn't want you to try and buy blessings, that's an insult to His sacrifice! Jesus is the Bread (grain) of life, TAKE; EAT! No charge today!!
Like God, Joseph didn't want his brothers to pay for his love, blessings, or LIFE.....he just wanted them to ask!!!! What are you trying to purchase from God today? Maybe it's time to just ask!
The 10 brothers brought what they had before Joseph to purchase the supplies that they needed to continue living back home. They got those supplies and left Egypt, but along the way they learned something. Joseph had had his servants put their payment back in their sacks (secretly of course). We've all heard this story and understand that Joseph may have been playing games with his brothers; it may have been some "pay-back" for what they'd put him through in the past. We've been taught that it was Joseph's forgiving heart that wanted to get them to bring the whole family back together. I don't doubt that these ideas are true, but I think there is more to it!
Have you ever gone to God and tried to earn a blessing from Him? Have you ever prayed, "God, get me out of this and I'll never _______ again!"? Have you ever heard, "God wants to bless you, all you have to do is 'sow your seed' in order to receive His blessing"? I think that this story of Joseph and his brothers is on so many levels, a picture of God's redemptive plan for our salvation! God's blessings for you in this world are a free gift, starting with salvation through the Blood. There is nothing NOTHING that we can give to God to purchase grace, mercy, forgiveness, redemption, etc...., so why do we try? Our brains are so ingrained in the LAW that we struggle to grasp the LAW OF GRACE!! We've been indoctrinated into a culture of tit for tat, quid pro quo; but we worship a God of all for naught!! Don't read too much into that....the nothing isn't Jesus' sacrifice; the ALL is...the nothing is what we have to bring/give in order to receive it.
Joseph didn't put the payment back in the sacks to play tricks on his brothers, he put it in there so that God's grace and forgiveness could be revealed. God's plan for our lives is that we may live MORE ABUNDANTLY. The blessings that He has for us are free for the taking. All we have to do is open our arms, lift our eyes to the heavens, and ask!! The payment (or overpayment-and even that doesn't do it justice) has already been made. The redemptive blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross opened the storehouses of Heaven for ALL who believe to receive. God doesn't want you to try and purchase your grain any more. He doesn't want you to try and buy blessings, that's an insult to His sacrifice! Jesus is the Bread (grain) of life, TAKE; EAT! No charge today!!
Like God, Joseph didn't want his brothers to pay for his love, blessings, or LIFE.....he just wanted them to ask!!!! What are you trying to purchase from God today? Maybe it's time to just ask!
Dreams
Genesis 40 the Prisoner's Dreams.
I have for a long time read this and thought to myself, "What?!" Really, we need to know some more about how God allowed Joseph interpret dreams? And then I though, who really cares what happens to the baker and the wine taster? Is there some valuable life lesson in here somewhere? There is!!! It's simple, yet hidden. This passage gives us a look at the whole story of Jesus!! Allow me to explain. There are a lot of characters in this story, and a lot of symbols, but when you put them all together they give a picture of Christ.
Lets start off with Joseph. Here's a man in prison, condemned for doing nothing wrong. While there he serves boldly and loyally and accepts the position that he's been given. Then there is Pharaoh. He is the supreme ruler. What he says is law. He simply needs to "speak it" and it will become so. (are you seeing a picture here yet?) Then there are the baker and the wine taster, just regular people doing their jobs trying to get by. Let's not forget though, that we have set of dreams that involve symbols, the wine and the bread. Are you starting to see here folks that there is a story of Christ hidden in this passage.
So what of it, Gary; where is this going?
Joseph represents Christ's service and loyalty to the Father even when he's done absolutely nothing wrong.
Pharaoh represents the Father. His law is final. His decisions are unquestionable.
The wine taster and the baker represent us in all of our short comings and failures. (remember, they were in prison for doing something)
Finally the picture symbols...the bread in the dream on the head of the baker. A representation of Christ's body, broken and given out for all to just take and eat. The wine in the cup, a symbol of the blood shed for the sins of the world, PLACED in the Pharaoh's hand. The pole that the bread maker was placed upon, sound like a cross? And finally the 3 days from the dream to the completion...a crucifixion and resurrection.
God had a dream that Jesus would be the Bread of Life, that His blood would be the sacrifice to cover all sins. That he would live a sinless life and be condemned for doing nothing wrong. That He would be hung on a tree to die. That after 3 days, He would raise from the dead victorious over sin and death, so that all could be fed!
When we look at the Bible, we have to remember that it is the Word. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. Jesus Christ is the Word, therefore, the Bible is Jesus. When we read it, we should see Him. In every passage, we are to seek His face. Find His Glory revealed.
These aren't stories for us to live our lives by, this book, the Bible is a photo album of Jesus Himself. Yes, there are valuable life lessons and practical principles in the Bible for us to use as a compass in our lives, but the real purpose for the Bible is to show us Jesus!
I have for a long time read this and thought to myself, "What?!" Really, we need to know some more about how God allowed Joseph interpret dreams? And then I though, who really cares what happens to the baker and the wine taster? Is there some valuable life lesson in here somewhere? There is!!! It's simple, yet hidden. This passage gives us a look at the whole story of Jesus!! Allow me to explain. There are a lot of characters in this story, and a lot of symbols, but when you put them all together they give a picture of Christ.
Lets start off with Joseph. Here's a man in prison, condemned for doing nothing wrong. While there he serves boldly and loyally and accepts the position that he's been given. Then there is Pharaoh. He is the supreme ruler. What he says is law. He simply needs to "speak it" and it will become so. (are you seeing a picture here yet?) Then there are the baker and the wine taster, just regular people doing their jobs trying to get by. Let's not forget though, that we have set of dreams that involve symbols, the wine and the bread. Are you starting to see here folks that there is a story of Christ hidden in this passage.
So what of it, Gary; where is this going?
Joseph represents Christ's service and loyalty to the Father even when he's done absolutely nothing wrong.
Pharaoh represents the Father. His law is final. His decisions are unquestionable.
The wine taster and the baker represent us in all of our short comings and failures. (remember, they were in prison for doing something)
Finally the picture symbols...the bread in the dream on the head of the baker. A representation of Christ's body, broken and given out for all to just take and eat. The wine in the cup, a symbol of the blood shed for the sins of the world, PLACED in the Pharaoh's hand. The pole that the bread maker was placed upon, sound like a cross? And finally the 3 days from the dream to the completion...a crucifixion and resurrection.
God had a dream that Jesus would be the Bread of Life, that His blood would be the sacrifice to cover all sins. That he would live a sinless life and be condemned for doing nothing wrong. That He would be hung on a tree to die. That after 3 days, He would raise from the dead victorious over sin and death, so that all could be fed!
When we look at the Bible, we have to remember that it is the Word. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. Jesus Christ is the Word, therefore, the Bible is Jesus. When we read it, we should see Him. In every passage, we are to seek His face. Find His Glory revealed.
These aren't stories for us to live our lives by, this book, the Bible is a photo album of Jesus Himself. Yes, there are valuable life lessons and practical principles in the Bible for us to use as a compass in our lives, but the real purpose for the Bible is to show us Jesus!
Sacrifice
Jesus said a lot of things on the cross, but 2 stick out to me.
The first one is "I am thirsty" John 19:28 "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." and the second one was "My God, My God" Matthew 27:46 "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,c]">[c] lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Why did Jesus say these things? To fulfill the prophesy? Or was it something deeper...is there something here that maybe we as "the separated" haven't seen before?
In Matthew 27:46 Jesus refers to God as God...everywhere else in the Bible where Jesus speaks or prays He refers to God as Father. When speaking to others and teaching them to pray He refers to God as My Father or YOUR FATHER, but on the cross He cries out, "MY GOD"!! Why? Where has the intimacy gone of a Father and His Son? On the cross, Jesus became sin for all of eternity. He couldn't have the relationship that He'd lived with forever; during His time of sacrifice He was like us. Because He became our sin, He also endured our separation from the Father and for that He COULDN'T refer to Him as Father...He HAD to call Him GOD. He chose for us to become apart from the love of the Father so that we could have a Father/son relationship with the Creator. Jesus knew that was His purpose and that's why he taught us how to pray, "our FATHER"...He knew that His sacrifice would bring us into an intimate relationship with God the FATHER.
So why did He thirst? I know that the scripture tells us that He thirsted and they gave him sour wine but are we to believe out of all of Jesus did, one of the last things that He'd choose to tell us is I'm thirsty? I think that it goes back to the My God thing. Jesus wasn't thirsty in His flesh body, Jesus was THIRSTY in His spirit! On the cross, Jesus was sin; He was separated from the Father--He was like us!!! He was thirsty metaphorically for the relationship that He'd had with the Father. His perfect communion had been broken by sin (not His, but ours) and He was suffering spiritual DEATH while on the cross. Sure He physically suffered and died, but spiritually He suffered and died as well. He was thirsty for the RIVER OF LIFE...not for sour wine!
I know that this isn't the best writing that I've had, but hey..it's been a long week. I'm just thinking maybe Jesus had more to say from the cross then--"Hey, I sure could use a glass of water up here!"
The first one is "I am thirsty" John 19:28 "Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." and the second one was "My God, My God" Matthew 27:46 "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,c]">[c] lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Why did Jesus say these things? To fulfill the prophesy? Or was it something deeper...is there something here that maybe we as "the separated" haven't seen before?
In Matthew 27:46 Jesus refers to God as God...everywhere else in the Bible where Jesus speaks or prays He refers to God as Father. When speaking to others and teaching them to pray He refers to God as My Father or YOUR FATHER, but on the cross He cries out, "MY GOD"!! Why? Where has the intimacy gone of a Father and His Son? On the cross, Jesus became sin for all of eternity. He couldn't have the relationship that He'd lived with forever; during His time of sacrifice He was like us. Because He became our sin, He also endured our separation from the Father and for that He COULDN'T refer to Him as Father...He HAD to call Him GOD. He chose for us to become apart from the love of the Father so that we could have a Father/son relationship with the Creator. Jesus knew that was His purpose and that's why he taught us how to pray, "our FATHER"...He knew that His sacrifice would bring us into an intimate relationship with God the FATHER.
So why did He thirst? I know that the scripture tells us that He thirsted and they gave him sour wine but are we to believe out of all of Jesus did, one of the last things that He'd choose to tell us is I'm thirsty? I think that it goes back to the My God thing. Jesus wasn't thirsty in His flesh body, Jesus was THIRSTY in His spirit! On the cross, Jesus was sin; He was separated from the Father--He was like us!!! He was thirsty metaphorically for the relationship that He'd had with the Father. His perfect communion had been broken by sin (not His, but ours) and He was suffering spiritual DEATH while on the cross. Sure He physically suffered and died, but spiritually He suffered and died as well. He was thirsty for the RIVER OF LIFE...not for sour wine!
I know that this isn't the best writing that I've had, but hey..it's been a long week. I'm just thinking maybe Jesus had more to say from the cross then--"Hey, I sure could use a glass of water up here!"
Let there be Light
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
So, have you ever gone into a restroom at a restaurant or in a train station and washed your hands? You've obviously done something that has caused you to "feel" dirty, or you have been made aware that your hands are dirty. With this knowledge, you go to the sink, turn on the water, get some soap, and scrub away the germs and filth on your hands. You put great effort into cleaning each finger, the palms, the tops, and even under the nails to ensure that you have removed the dirt. Once you are sure that your hands are clean, you rinse away all that remains down the drain; now you are clean! Immediately, you turn to the paper towel dispenser, reach out with your now clean hand, and push the lever to dispense a paper towel to dry your hands. A nice brown thin strip of cardboard appears before you to the length of your desire. You are now free to reach forward, tear it off, and finish cleansing your hands and return to your business.
The problem with this is that as soon as you touched the dispenser, you were dirty again. Germs, bacteria, and who knows what else, are on that handle! All of your effort was in vane. Your scrubbing, your rinsing, your meticulous grooming is all for nothing because you are instantly dirty again in spite of your own efforts to stay clean! But there is hope!
While in a rest room the other day; the Lord showed me something! After I washed my hands, I turned to get a paper towel to dry off. It was an automatic dispenser. All I had to do is wave my clean hand in front of a little red light and it gave me a clean, white, perfectly sized piece of clean paper towel! When this happened I instantly thought of Jesus!
You see, under the law we can work all we want and try as hard as we can to "wash" away our sin, but it's just not good enough. The result, of our own effort, is a filthy mess to God. Like the brown paper towel, it did something, but not enough. When we surrender to Christ's cleansing sacrifice on the cross however, it is perfect. It is a gift, it is given to us, not pulled from Him! All we have to do is wave our hands (hearts & minds) under the blood of Christ and instantly we are given the exact amount we need! We are dispensed a clean, perfectly sized, white robe of righteousness from the healing power of the blood of the Lamb!
While we do need to do some work to clean the "germs" out of our lives, we must realize that it is only the healing power of Christ's redemptive blood that truly keeps us clean! Our sin only allows the grace of Christ to SUPER-ABOUND in our lives! So next time you go to a public bathroom, watch out, because God may just be waiting in there to show you something!
So, have you ever gone into a restroom at a restaurant or in a train station and washed your hands? You've obviously done something that has caused you to "feel" dirty, or you have been made aware that your hands are dirty. With this knowledge, you go to the sink, turn on the water, get some soap, and scrub away the germs and filth on your hands. You put great effort into cleaning each finger, the palms, the tops, and even under the nails to ensure that you have removed the dirt. Once you are sure that your hands are clean, you rinse away all that remains down the drain; now you are clean! Immediately, you turn to the paper towel dispenser, reach out with your now clean hand, and push the lever to dispense a paper towel to dry your hands. A nice brown thin strip of cardboard appears before you to the length of your desire. You are now free to reach forward, tear it off, and finish cleansing your hands and return to your business.
The problem with this is that as soon as you touched the dispenser, you were dirty again. Germs, bacteria, and who knows what else, are on that handle! All of your effort was in vane. Your scrubbing, your rinsing, your meticulous grooming is all for nothing because you are instantly dirty again in spite of your own efforts to stay clean! But there is hope!
While in a rest room the other day; the Lord showed me something! After I washed my hands, I turned to get a paper towel to dry off. It was an automatic dispenser. All I had to do is wave my clean hand in front of a little red light and it gave me a clean, white, perfectly sized piece of clean paper towel! When this happened I instantly thought of Jesus!
You see, under the law we can work all we want and try as hard as we can to "wash" away our sin, but it's just not good enough. The result, of our own effort, is a filthy mess to God. Like the brown paper towel, it did something, but not enough. When we surrender to Christ's cleansing sacrifice on the cross however, it is perfect. It is a gift, it is given to us, not pulled from Him! All we have to do is wave our hands (hearts & minds) under the blood of Christ and instantly we are given the exact amount we need! We are dispensed a clean, perfectly sized, white robe of righteousness from the healing power of the blood of the Lamb!
While we do need to do some work to clean the "germs" out of our lives, we must realize that it is only the healing power of Christ's redemptive blood that truly keeps us clean! Our sin only allows the grace of Christ to SUPER-ABOUND in our lives! So next time you go to a public bathroom, watch out, because God may just be waiting in there to show you something!
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