"One Way Up!"

"For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south." (Psalms 75:6) I really like doing the numbers game with the Scriptures; like the fact that this is the sixth verse, and it hints about man counting on something other than God to be lifted up, like himself and his own abilities. The Bible clearly says, "God resists the proud," because those that are proud think they have it all together, or that they have it all figured out; when clearly, without God everyone is hopelessly and eternally lost and going to hell. We can not please God while holding on to our pride, because our pride is what keeps us from being humble before God. This word "promotion" is an action word that speaks of lifting ourselves up, as if to be lifted up. But the problem with how we are lifted up, is that there is only really one way that counts for anything; any other way is false and has no real lasting benefit; and actually results in the opposite, death and destruction. Do you see how that works? It's just a prime example of how things work in God's economy. If you want to be exalted, then you need to be humble; if you want to be lifted up, then you need to bow down. It is really all about respect and knowing who is the one that holds all of the cards; because without God on your side, your doomed and hopelessly lost. I have to tell you, yesterday's post broke me like I haven't been broken in quite a long time. I literally felt like I needed to throw myself down to the ground; it was pretty awesome! I am getting ready to start working of the Memorial Service for my son, and I am hoping that I can get through this without breaking down and looking like I feel when I think about how much I miss him. When I have the ability to make the choice, weddings and funerals are times to share the Good News and have an alter call. I know I shared this before, but my wife and I had an alter call at our wedding. When I first mentioned it to Pastor Jeff and Pastor Jack, they both looked a little doubtful that a wedding was a good time to have an alter call. And then Pastor Mike walked by, and they asked me to repeat my request to him; and he was thrilled about the idea. Almost immediately after, Dan Marks walked up to the door and said he would love to play at the wedding; his wife even ended up being our wedding coordinator. A wedding is a message about our unity with Jesus Christ, and how it is only through Jesus that we can be reunited with our Heavenly Father. A funeral is about hope, the hope that we have in Christ for eternal life; that our life does not end at the grave, but that death is a graduation into Heaven. There are people I know who will be there who have given up on hope. They have given up on God, and feel that He has turned His back on them. It is very important for me to be in the right frame of mind, because I need to express the hope I have inside like never before. Not that there is any pressure or anything, but man, I feel like I have something to share...
"The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God -as is written about me in the Scriptures.'" First Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them" (though they were required by the law of Moses.) Then he said, "Look, I have come to do your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time." (Hebrews 10:1-10) NLT