A Love Story

   The other day I saw this picture posted on Facebook, with the tag-line "Seriously, how the hell do billions of people believe this?". I admit it was a knee-jerk reaction when I commented 'Who ever wrote this has obviously never read the Bible.'. I actually wanted to go on a rant and pick the statements apart and expose the source (Atheist Republic.com) as a bunch of fools. But I felt a hand of restraint hold me back. (Thank you, Jesus)
   Over the past few days, as I have reflected on this, I have come to realize how sad this all is. You see, billions of people do not believe this. We believe that a loving God created us in His image for fellowship with Him, that we were created with a free will so that we could appreciate how glorious that fellowship is. But our free will also allowed us to pridefully turn away from that fellowship. It is that pride, that arrogance, that is the original sin, and it is that pride at the very heart of the graphical statement illustrated above.
   Many people, and not just the atheist groups, have a hard time wrapping their heads around this whole concept. And I admit it was a tough one for me for a long time, but here is the basic scenario.
   From the moment of that first sin God has worked on bringing us to an understanding of our folly, and bring us back to our original fellowship with Him. This is the main theme of the entire Bible.
  So when God came to us in the flesh, in the person of Jesus, This was God getting right in our face so to speak, and saying 'This is how much I love you. I am willing to take on all the horror your act of sin has caused in the world and pay the bloody price for it. Please just come back to me. I miss our fellowship.'
  So that is why I am so saddened when I read these mis-informed statements about what we believe, and who God is and what he does. The truth is right there in the Bible; "That God so loved the world that He..." You Know the rest. If you don't, read the Bible. (HINT: it's in John 3:16)

This Jesus

   The name Jesus, the person, the history, the impact Jesus has had on our global culture is immense. There are so many interpretations of who he is, what he did and what he stood for sometimes it's difficult really get a handle on what Jesus is all about.

   The first introduction to Jesus we all have is through the Bible, but there are so many other texts and books and poems and movies it is very difficult to draw a clear picture of who "this Jesus" is.

   Evangelical Christians have him defined, the Mormons have him defined, the Jehovah's Witnesses and the multitude of "New Age" groups (everything from the ancient Gnostic texts to channeled works such as A Course In Miracles) have him all figured out. But they are all at odds with what they perceive as who "this Jesus" is.

   When it comes down to it there was a small group of people who actually rubbed elbows with Jesus while he was here on earth. Jesus had his group of disciples. At one point he sent out a group of seventy. Then there were his closest twelve. Of these He had a core group of three, John, Peter and James. Thankfully several put those experiences down in writing that we can share His story today.

   In this article I will focus on two of those close friends; the disciples John and Peter.

   Let us look at what they say and hopefully the Jesus they talk about, from their own personal experience you will see that this Jesus they knew is the Jesus who wants to touch your life today.

   Lets first look at  John. Now here's a guy who was one of the first that Jesus called to "follow Me". and without hesitation John put down his work and followed. We see John taking part in the discipleship training Jesus put forward, we see John at the Mount of transfiguration, we see John seated next to Jesus at the last supper, we see John at the foot of the cross. We have his testimony in his gospel and three epistles. The whole of the Bible culminates with Johns magnificent prophesy we call the Book of Revelation.

  So what does this man who knew and lived with and traveled with Jesus have to say about who Jesus is? This is not some interpretation after the fact these are the words of the person who in the Bible is called "the disciple who Jesus loved"

1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

  John also makes these defining statements about Jesus.

John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

   Peter was also was among the first that Jesus called to follow Him. Here in his second letter he lets us know that he too was an eyewitness to all the stories we, even to this day, hear about Jesus.

2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

   And again Peter testifies on the day of Pentecost:

Act 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’(Joel 2:28-32) 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him:‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’(Psalms 16:8-11) 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand,35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’(Psalms 110:1) 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

   So here we have two people who knew Jesus personally, traveled with him, camped with Him, ate with Him, watched him die, saw him resurrected and ascend to heaven. If the case for who is the true Jesus was brought to court would you not have to go in favor of the eyewitnesses?

A Daily Call

   I find it interesting how God brings a message. This is one that has blessed me and drawn me closer to the Lord.

   In the last two weeks I have listened in on two different Bible studies on the Book of Jonah. Both studies came from completely different angles. One illustrated the run-away prophet; the other, the servant who was displeased with how God didn't deal with the situation the way the man thought it should come out.

   All around Jonah was a stinker (and not just when he came out of the belly of the fish). But I think the most important aspect of this book in the Bible is the willingness of God to faithfully call his chosen prophet to pursue His will.
   God calls us to obedience, but even when we run away, fall away, or push Him away his Holy Spirit is always there to call us to his will.

^{Luke 11:28} He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

How Great Thou Art

  John 1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

   These verses in the Bible are some of the most foundational in true Christian faith. They speak directly to the Deity of Jesus but even more so as to the "largeness" of God. When in discussion with people it seems that grasping the idea of one God who is also three is too much to wrap our human minds around.

   I, myself, have struggled with this but recently I have been meditating deeply on this "largeness" that is God.

   The Bible tells us that God created everything; that in the beginning there was only God and that it gave him pleasure to form the cosmos and all that is in it. This means that he created time, space, and every atom, molecule, and organism that has its being within that creation.

   God surrounds this creation; He is larger then His creation, larger then time, larger then space, and yet at the same time he is within his creation. It was God who spoke light, who parts seas and rivers, walks on water, hung on the cross, and who indwells the believer. My human mind still struggles with this expansiveness, but yet find such a great comfort in that the largeness of His love surrounds me even with all my flaws and failings.

   My prayer is that as He continues to reveal His Majesty we can open our eyes to see and our ears to hear and know "How great Thou art". 

Your Kingdom Come

Luke 11:1-4 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

² So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
³ Give us day by day our daily bread.
⁴ And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”  

   When His disciples asked Jesus how to pray He gave them what we now commonly call the Lords Prayer. This is a wonderful example of the Trinity in action. Powered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus , the Son speaks to the Father. So when he says "Your Kingdom come." He is  not only telling us  to request, seek, work for, His Kingdom, He is also speaking it into existence.
  We, by turning our lives over to God, become citizens in His magnificent Kingdom.
  He is the King of kings.

The Cult of Darkness. or How to Defeat the Enemy While on your Knees

   I stopped by some friends house tonight on my way home. They were comparing the mentality behind the the attack on the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin to the way there neighbors treat them. The term they were using was "It's like there is a cult of darkness in the world". I was drawn to tell them about my recent study in The book of Romans where Paul is addressing the oppression that the believers in that city, and pretty much the world of the first century were being confronted by was a "cult of darkness". And yes it continues to this day
   Romans 1...
²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.

   The thing is; the point of much of Paul's words in "Romans" is that we are all a part of that "cult of darkness" if we are without Jesus, THE Christ. He is the only way to peace in our souls and subsequently in the world. So many fight against this because we are taught by our culture to be self reliant; that our intelligence is our salvation; that we are "the captain of our own ship". The "My way or the highway" mentality will lead a person to hell.
   It is not until we relinquish our lives; our person, to God that we can be free of the "cult of darkness".

   Romans 8...
⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh (read: "cult of darkness") but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And 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 because of His Spirit who lives in you.

Paul continues with this encouragement


³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son,but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

   So as concerning the "cult of darkness", would not a life given over to Jesus; The Lord; the Savior of the world; the Righteous One; the Lamb of God, be the the way to stand toe to toe with the wickedness in the world; the "cult of darkness". But more importantly would not a life given over to Christ show the world and lead it to the most beautiful Way.

Motivation

   

   When I read this quote by our old buddy Albert it made me pause and look at what my motivations are for following the life path I have chosen.
   Sinners are a "sorry lot".
   Yes the fear of separation from God, or the hope of spending eternity in His presence are valid motivations to be "good".
   Should not our motivation for that goodness be our deep and consuming love for God?


   "Love your neighbor". "Love your enemy". "Love yourself". We can get our heads wrapped around these, But "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind and soul"...
   Do you feel motivated?
   Praise the Name of the Lord.
   That's a start.

   

Growing In The True Vine

John 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.


    Here along Flathead Lake in Northwest Montana we have our famous orchards and vineyards. When the cherry trees are in bloom it is a truly spectacular site, But I have always been drawn to the site of the vineyards with their symmetrical rows and the vines trained along their frames and supports.
   I would love to have a small vineyard someday because the growing of vines strikes me as an exercise in loving patience. Many expert growers go to the pains to count every bud so as to know where exactly to prune.
   The main reasons for pruning is to control the crop size, the quality of the grapes and to keep the growth of the vines attractive and manageable. But primarily it is the quantity and quality of the fruit the Gardener is after. And while pruning helps with fruitfulness it is the strength and stability of the individual branches connection to the main vine that is the source of the fruitfulness.

   In the Hampton Court Gardens in England there is a single vine, planted in 1768, that has grown to 120 feet long. The crop is usually harvested in September. It takes the gardener nearly three weeks to harvest all the grapes. The crop averages 500 to 700 bunches of grapes that weigh 507 to 705 lb. The largest recorded crops of grapes from the Vine were 1,800 bunches in 1798 and 2,245 bunches in 1807. What I find significant is that the main vine is 12 feet around the base. These are obviously healthy branches attached to a magnificent vine.
   When Jesus spoke of being the "true vine" I have been envisioning a vine as mighty as this "Old Vine" in England. The branches are truly abiding in that great life source.
   But what about the pruning? In our lives it is God who cleans away that what is not going to produce fruit, but the pruning sometimes can be painful. Sometimes he removes an aspect of our lives that we are so attached to that it causes such profound pain it is difficult see the hand of God in it.
   I am going through a season in my life where I am confronted with a situation that is producing fear and depression. But I am trusting the hand of God on my life. He is a patient and loving Gardener. He is nurturing me; preparing me for a fruitful harvest. As for now I grow. 

Behold!

Engraved On His Hands

By: Charles Spurgeon



“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16


No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word “behold” is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my God has forgotten me.”


How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God’s favored people? The Lord’s loving word of rebuke should make us blush, and he cries, “How can I have forgotten you, when I have engraved you on the palms of my hands? How can you doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?”


O unbelief, how strange a marvel you are! We do not know which more to wonder at: the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of his people.


God keeps his promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt him. He never fails, he is never a dry well, he is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapor—and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, bothered with suspicions, and disturbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert.


“Behold,” is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marveling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written on the palms of his hands.


“I have engraved you.” It does not say “your name.” The name is there, but that is not all: “I have engraved you.” See the fulness of this! I have engraved your person, your image, your case, your circumstances, your sins, your temptations, your weaknesses, your wants, your works. I have engraved you, everything about you, all that concerns you. I have put you altogether there.


Will you ever say again that your God has forsaken you when he has engraved you on his own palms?

Fire from Heaven

   One of the things that strikes me about the stories in the Old Testament is how God responds with fire from heaven. There are times it is a demonstration of His justice (Sodom etc) but there are those events at an alter where He demonstrates His pleasure, His acceptance of the sacrifice by sending fire from heaven and consuming the sacrifice. 1Kings 18 where He shows He is the living God in Elijah's challenge to the priests of Baal and Asherah; with Davids repentance in 1 Chronicles 21:26; or at the dedication of temple that Solomon built, recorded in 2 Chronicles 5-7 (see 2 Chronicles 7:1).
   Amazing stories, but how do they relate to us?
   Let's jump ahead in time to the Book of Acts, chapter 2:1. Here we see 120 followers of Jesus in the upper room, (We don't have the full list but in Acts 1:13 we find that the core of Jesus' followers are there)  when what sounds like a loud and violent wind "then what looked like flames or tongues of fire" fell on them and they experienced glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
   It must have been an amazing moment; the sound, intense and thunderous; the sight of flames both fearful and wondrous. Then the voices. I envision a heavenly cacophony, almost like a music, full of joy and praise lifting toward God.
   But let us focus on the tongues of fire. Here it is fifty days after Jesus death and resurrection. Jesus has become the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind; The Lamb of God without spot or blemish. And it is now through the sacrifice of Jesus that God sees the believers, and we can assume that at this time there were only 120 believers in the whole world, and pours from heaven fire of approval upon them all. But it is not a fire that burns up what is on the alter because we are now a living sacrifice Romans 12:1. What an amazing demonstration of the gospel. Jesus, the sacrifice, once and for all, is now fulfilling his promise that He would be with us and in us.
   And now we hear the voices speaking out in joy and praise.
   Our God is great and mighty! Our God reigns with love and majesty! Holy is the name of our God!

God is up to something!

  There is this wonderful and liberating paradox we run across in the Christian life. First we are to take responsibility for our actions, and we have free will to do so. We can not palm off the blame on the devil as Flip Wilson use to say, "The Devil made me do it". We are decision makers and can choose the path we take. On the other hand we are to be surrendered to God. Our lives are to be totally laid before Him.
   Our lives are to be projected onto the greater backdrop of the Lordship of Jesus. To call Jesus Lord is to state your relinquishing of control to Him.
   When we invite the Holy Spirit to fill us we are no longer calling the shots. Even our self control becomes a product of His work (Galatians 5:22-23) We don't get to be in union with God's Spirit so we can choose the road we will travel. The action of the Holy Spirit is referred to as "like a wind" in the New Testament (John 3, Acts 2); this is not a wind that you can give orders to, you can not command this wind, it "goes where it wills". If you are going to partner with the Holy Spirit you must surrender and align yourself with God's agenda, and I assure you He is up to something.
   We can close ourselves off and go through the motions of being a Christian, impress people, feel good about ourselves, but until we surrender to God we can never be totally a partner with the work of the Holy Spirit; God in you.
   But God's plan is send us out into the world to testify to His great works and love. We can not do this without Him at the wheel. We need to surrender that wheel to him; As you surrender to His Lordship, then the Holy Spirit of God can work through us.

Homecoming

   We bring the Word of God to the world because of what we have seen God do in our own lives; we follow the commands of Jesus to be a witness to the world and makers of disciples. But what is our motivation? What is our true intent?
   First and foremost we should be motivated by our love for God "John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”, but what about those we call "the lost", how much do we love them? Are we motivated by the immense and extravagant love that God has for them or are we just trying to fill a pew, or like some evangelist gunslinger, put another notch in our bible for leading someone in "the sinners prayer"?
   I find it interesting that in the descriptions in the bible of when believers gathered there are no alter calls mentioned, no sinners prayer, no evangelism. What is depicted is a community of people getting together to share life, and love, and all the other blessings of God. And when evangelism is portrayed it is out in the streets and homes; wherever life happens, and people are. The community that meets for meals and prayers and teachings also meets in the world.
   When the Church is functioning as God intended, its' power and potential is unlimited. When we break out of the "box" of our beautiful buildings and comfortable pews then we can be examples of the miraculous life God desires for us. We need to become a Church that is "working right". We are the Body of Christ; we are His hands and feet, His voice and eyes, and yes, His love and compassion. We can comfort the grieving and heal the broken. We can build bridges for the one who is seeking and offer truth to the confused. We reach out to the lost, the lonely, the un-loved.
      A friend of mine once stated "I don't understand why people spend so much of their time in bars". I replied "For the same reason we go to church, for fellowship".
     The church is a family, and the world is waiting to be welcomed home.




“When love, acceptance and forgiveness prevail, the church becomes what Jesus was in the world: a center of love, designed for the healing of broken people, and a force for God… One of the greatest services a church can offer a community is to provide a place for people to be brought to wholeness – to be healed physically, spiritually and emotionally… People are fragmented. They are torn. Life doesn’t work for them because they are without Jesus... They need a place to be healed.” (Jerry Cook).

Faith

   Faith is living as if what can not be seen or touched exists - Faith is the relinquishing of control; we give up sensory affirmation of what is true and real; we begin walking in the Kingdom of God.
   Faith is releasing our will to truly accept and receive God's creation. We can no longer configure the world as we would like it, but release to God in a merging of visible and invisible. By faith we embrace life as God's gift and open ourselves not only to God himself but to what He's doing.

Watch, Listen, and Learn.

  On my computer desktop screen is a photo of a person silhouetted against a sunset (maybe sunrise) kneeling in prayer. The caption on the picture says "When life gets to hard to stand... kneel".
   This little slogan was put there to remind me to spend time in prayer as I go through this tough financial season I am experiencing now, but it has come to teach me much more about the truth, depth, and possibilities of my relationship with God.
   As I lift my burden to the Lord I have seen his hand and heart revealed in many ways, restoring joy, hope and peace. The financial barrier has not been removed but I am trusting it will crumble soon and from an unexpected avenue.
   As we read His word, God is revealed in many powerful ways. We are hear how he deeply loves and care for his people and desires the best for their lives.
   So day by day we learn from a God, who by personal revelation, guides us, nurtures us, matures us as we step out of our situation into His Kingdom.

Church Life - A Word Of Encouragement

   It is a common definition, in our culture, to think of the church as some place you go or something you do once you get there. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but where that can cause trouble is when it becomes the only definition. By holding only to that narrow view the church is limited only to the building and the activities that are limited to that building.

   In the truest and most biblical sense we are the church. The church is the body of Christ in the world. So yes on Sundays when we gather at a certain building and do certain things we are doing church, but come Monday we are back to doing "life"? If we are the church, if we are the body of Christ, if we are His disciples, doing His work, should not church life be our life?

   God desires a church that gathers in the everyday places of life. Out in the trenches of life where people struggle and dream. People stepping into life and lifting those who stumble, being the guide for someone who needs a map; living life as a follower of Jesus our Lord, becoming his hands and his voice in a hurting world. We do not "go" to church, we are a church that "goes".

Faith is Just a Leap Away

   I have to admit some of the stuff in the bible does seem pretty far fetched and hard to wrap a puny human mind around. But,through the years and with lots of study, I may not have a full understanding of what the book has to say, but I stand by it as a revelation of the person of God and his magnificent love for us. The bible requires you to think and reason and, yes, sometimes just take a leap of faith.
   When I first came to an awareness of my inadequacies before a holy God and my need for Jesus as my advocate to His father, I thought the bible was just a bunch of stories and pretty sayings. But I heard the truth about my sin nature. I heard about my need to turn from a life ruled by that sin nature. I heard that even though I was a sinner God loved me. I heard that because God loved me Jesus, His son, paid the price of that sin so I could be reconciled to God. I heard that I was now a new creation, a child of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
   So how does that happen; that amazing leap from dis-belief to faith? In my case I was obviously open to what I heard, but how did I become open?
   I think that my openness to hearing the gospel was that the ones that were bringing the Word of God to me were doing so mostly with the actions of their lives and not hammering me with what I "needed to do". These people put me at ease by allowing me to be myself, they accepted me for who I was and expressed Gods love for me by their very being and let me "work out my own salvation".
   Most importantly, as they brought the Word of God to me, they were also bringing the Holy Spirit into my life in a new and profound way. As I considered, debated, and wrestled with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit began to reveal himself into that opening heart of mine. So as I heard the Word of God I was also hearing "See how much I love you, see how much you need to come to me. Your way has no map. Follow me."
   Faith does not have to be a big thing at the start, it can be the size of a mustard seed, but with time it will grow. That basic seed of faith is the acceptance of the miracle that God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.
   Take the Word of God into the world today with the Holy Spirit as you guide. Be honest, be truly loving; love the way God loves. You are a living letter from God; The Word is in you. Those you come in contact with will have the seed of faith planted in their lives. You may not see it, but have faith. It is there.
   

Alter Call

  
  Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him. (Romans 12:1)

Step 1: Build an alter to God.

Step 2: Put your life on it.

Step 3: Wait and see what God does with it.

  We are a part of something so large, so awesome, as we follow Jesus. Sometimes it's hard to comprehend the full magnitude of what we have signed up for when we asked Jesus into our hearts. It's enough though to realize that we are apart of something large and awesome and that God's hand is guiding it all. We can take comfort that our lives lived, offered up to him as a living sacrifice, is all we need to do to be a part of this miraculous adventure that Jesus leads us in.
  As we take God's love that He's given us, and share it with the world, we can rejoice that the largeness and awesomeness of God is being revealed through us.
  Wow! A kind word, a giving act and there is God in our midst. And these are no small miracles. There are no small miracles. A hand held out to help is as powerful as a hand held out to heal if it is done from a heart of love.
  So as we step out today, take God's love into the world and give it as extravagantly as he did toward us. Let the world see what God is doing with your life. In so doing we invite others to experience the miraculous adventure of living in God's kingdom. 

Kingdom Living

  There is coming a time when Jesus will return and establish His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. We do not know the time of His return but we wait patiently and faithfully for that day. Jesus also speaks of the Kingdom being in us and around us; a place that we can enter. In all of these the Kingdom of God is the place where God rules. So if God rules our hearts, our minds, and souls; our lives, then that’s were we find the Kingdom of God now. In our hope of the Kingdom to come those in Christ live in the Kingdom present.  
  When a person turns their life to Jesus, receiving his salvation by grace through faith, they become "saved", but possibly more importantly they become a disciple of Jesus in God's Kingdom.
  When we become disciples; Citizens of God's Kingdom, we begin to model our life after the life of Jesus. This is a life of giving ourselves to love and good works. This is a life that becomes a testimony of what we have witnessed Jesus do in our lives and with our lives. It becomes our all consuming desire for all to see the power of the Gospel and the power of God’s grace.

God's Glory

  "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". (Romans 3:23 NIV)   Most of the time this verse is drawn upon to point out a persons sin and their need to turn their life to God. And it's true; I'm a sinner, everyone reading this is a sinner, everyone not reading this is a sinner. But I think the optimum word in the verse is "glory".

  It is because of God's glory, his holiness, His majesty, His sovereignty, His supremacy, that we have a reference point to become aware of our sin.
  There are a lot of good people in the world. For the most part we all want to live our lives peacefully and get along with every one else, but held up beside God all our good deeds are nothing. But here's the good news:
  God has shown us grace, a free gift emanating from His glorious love, that through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are cleansed of our sin. We, taking up the righteousness of Christ, can now stand before God in personal relationship.
  And that is the beauty of God's love. He wants us in relationship with Him. Just as He would walk with Adam and Eve in the garden during the "cool of the evening" he wants that personal time with us now. Isn't that glorious?

Prayer as Communion with God

        The Christian life is our present and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship brings us the wonderful gift of being able to talk directly with God. Prayer. We have this because of what Christ has done for us, creating a sacred union between human-kind and God. We are in Christ and He is in us.

So many think prayer is a way to get what we want. I truth prayer is bringing ourselves into union with His thoughts, ways, and teachings. Christ is the focus of prayer, His work, and His impact on your life. This is what Jesus teaches in the Lord’s Prayer.

(Luke 11:1-4 NIV) 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

  Prayer becomes our connection with God our way to be in tune with Him and His will. God is seeking to strengthen us; empower us for all we encounter in our lives. This is the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, who prays for us even when we do not know how to pray. This is just a hint of the depth of which God wants to interact with us in our lives. He desires a moment to moment relationship with us. That is why we are called to a life of constant communion with Him.

We need to recognize and establish the supremacy of God in our lives and an attitude constant communion through prayer helps make that happen. Prayer is probably the most key aspects of a Christian life, Bringing to the fore-front of our hearts, minds and spirits that Jesus Christ LORD.