"Good Sheep" -2

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14) Another concept of what is Good Sheep, besides that of security, is that of conformity and profitability. For to be considered as something or someone that is lost to someone else, requires that there is a value or worth to that which was lost. The word 'For' at the beginning of Romans 8:14 is very similar to the word 'Therefore', in that it requires us to look at the previous text to see what it is there for. In doing so, we can see how 'Good, Led and Follow' are all interconnected, and how they all point towards the means to be considered 'a son of God'. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall Live." (Romans 8:12 & 13) Now then, when we consider also the word 'Good' that was used in the address to Jesus by the young man, "Good Master", the word is a description of someone who is of great worth, profitable, benevolent. And as we also consider the word 'Follow', as in "follow Me", we can see that it is a word that means to conform to, as in to resemble the Life of Jesus Christ. Which makes it all the more interesting that Mark's account of this encounter differs from the other two Gospels that record it, in that he adds "take up the cross" to the instruction by Jesus to the young man. It is the concept of what this means to the individual who makes the choice to do this, that brings attention to the cost of suffering for the greater purpose of a passion for God, and for the Love of God. Further more, we can add to that, the description in Mark's Gospel of how Jesus reacted to the young man's statement about having kept the Law since his youth, "Then Jesus beholding him loved him", and we can see the personal connection between the writer and His Shepherd; having come to the understanding, that the real fulfillment of the Law, is Love. In doing so, he can get the greatest meaning of the answer to his original question, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (It is also a good idea to also look at the verses after any given verse!!!) "For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, the heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:15-17)

"Good Sheep"

"And when He had gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto Him, Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." (Mark 10:17 & 18) As I thought about this title for today's post, I pictured a lamb sitting at the feet of Jesus, as Jesus sat upon a rock, looking out among the sheep, and being the Good Shepherd. When the Shepherd would rise up, then so would the lamb, expecting that it was time to move, and not wanting to be out of the Shepherds protective reach. This picture also made me think of the concept of 'waiting on the Lord'; however, this waiting is for a reason far greater than one might think, because the reason for this lamb to be waiting was for the protection of His Shepherd. One of the meanings of that word 'Ago', in the sense of being led, is that of 'bringing forth', or 'to bring forth'; which is to carry someone through a journey by leading. To carry someone through a journey may or may not require that the person be actually carried, but it might just imply that they are carried because they are so close. This is what is meant by being 'led by the Spirit'; and when we receive Jesus as our Lord, then we are to be carried through our journey, just as that lamb who is afraid to be out of the Good Shepherd's reach. It requires more than just acceptance of the fact that He is the Good Shepherd, because it also requires the knowledge of what you are being protected from; and also, in the case of our Salvation, what we are being carried to! This is also the purpose of the word 'follow' which was used by Jesus in His answer to the young man above: "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt receive treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21) Which might also explain the actions of this same young man, when he latched onto Jesus in the Garden, as the soldiers were taking Jesus away! (Mark 14:51)

"This or That?"

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14) I have my niece coming to spend a few days with me this weekend, so we can get a couple of days in snowboarding. The last time I was with her we were in Ontario, CA and went to a Calvary Chapel there for church, and on that day she was singing, 'Will you get with this, or will you get with that', which is off a KJ52 cd. If I am not mistaken, I think that pretty much sums up what I have been saying, for as long as I can remember. Here is your life: set before you are two paths; one leads to Life Everlasting, and the other to eternal damnation; so which one do you pick? Okay; maybe you need some help deciding which path to choose? The word 'led' in the verse above from the Book of Romans Chapter 8, which happens to be one of my favorite chapters of that Book, is a word that is a little complex. The word is 'Ago' and can imply a variety of things, some of which are fixed, and some are not; which means, some things are in question, and some are unquestionable. For example, where you will end up for all eternity is a question of what you do about Jesus Christ: Do I follow Him or not? While, on the other hand, where you will be for all eternity will be unquestionable if you choose to follow Him. Now, where the 'led' comes into play when we are talking about being 'led by the Spirit of God', is the fact that we are more enticed or induced into making the proper choices. This is the part of the word that is not fixed: your choice in the matter of following. The part that is fixed, is that He will lead you, and even sometimes carry you; which is what a Good Shepherd will do for His sheep. Okay, now we have settled that; so let's look at the 'received' from yesterday's closing verses; because the next question you must ask yourself has to do with Him being Lord of your life. All the good sheep that want to be taken care of by their Good Shepherd, will obey His voice; that is of course, if they want to Live... "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name." (John 1:12)

"More Than Enough" -2

"Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spake this parable unto them, saying..." (Luke 15:1-3) The following 29 verses in the chapter of Luke 15, have to do with three separate issues: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. All these issues have one thing very distinctive in common, which is that the father who loses his son, the woman who loses her coin, and the shepherd who loses his sheep, do not give up the right of ownership. In the same manner, God is presented as still claiming His right of ownership even of those who are lost. When they are reclaimed, it is not He who becomes their Father or their rightful owner, but they become His again. I cannot stress enough how important it is to remember that we are His child, because this is what keeps us from giving up!!! God will never give up on us; Never! He will never dismiss ownership of those that are His; even in judgement, He will be judge of that which is His. I hope you got that? "He came unto His own (His!!!), and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (Authority!!!) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name." (John 1:11 & 12)

"More Than Enough"

"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" (Luke 15:17) So, I bet you are wondering what this means? But as I was praying this morning, I could not get the title of this posting out of my head; over and over, the words, More Than Enough kept flashing before my eyes. Like what happens most mornings that something like this happens, I go to my trusty Concordance to look up the key word that I have been given; and then ask, What do you want to say to me Lord? It just so happened that my Bible was open to Proverbs, so I took a look at Proverbs 30:15 & 16, "The horseleech hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: the grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough." If you are struggling to get the point of this, then welcome to my world; because, sometimes I have no clue what God is saying until it is said. With that, let me say, that the reason the fire is not quenched , might be from the burnable materials that are still available! The opening Verse, if you could not tell, is from the parable of The Lost Son, who took his inheritance and wasted it upon the world; only to come to his senses after he realized that he was eating with the swine, and had come to understand what he had become. For this Lost Son, the fire was still not quenched; not until he could see what was required to be made whole; which was to repent and look to the Father!!! In doing so, he could see that even the lowliest within his father's house had more than enough to satisfy their hunger, yet he being a son hungered. This is something of great importance, and we must always remember it, no matter how far we stray away from God: We are His child!!!! And that is enough...

"The Lord is My God" (yes or no)

I think this requires a little thought, and some deep soul searching; because the one thing that is required for me to make a statement such as 'The Lord is My God', is that He is my One True God, and there is no other god that I serve than Him. When Jesus would say, 'Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind soul and strength', the all part of that statement requires a devoted love to be in place. What that basically means is that my heart is devoted to loving God, and there is no other. But really, how do you know that there is no other? How can you know unless your love for God is tested by fire? But here is the fascinating thing about this testing that must take place, God already knows the answer; so, the testing is not for Him to know, but for us. And not only that we would know, but that we would gain understanding in the matter, and it will be reflected in our physical life here on this earth. The second part of Jesus' statement, would also include, 'To love your brother'; however, we can not begin to love our brother until we first love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. This might not sound like something that requires a whole lot of thought, but I think it really does. Stop and think for just a moment about a quarrel you have seen between two brothers, or two sisters; and ask yourself what would you have done different if it was you. I think if you are totally honest with yourself, you would be able to see how selfish you could be also in any given situation, and that we all have a little pride that needs to be burnt out of our lives. What I found really interesting this morning as I was praying about this post, is that what might make the other god we serve so hard to see, could be the fact that we are looking without, when we might need to look within!!! "Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honour is humility." (Proverbs 18:12)

"The Lord is My God"

"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they will say, The Lord is my God." (Zechariah 13:8 & 9) This is really what facing the fire is all about, knowing that our God is doing a work in us, to make us His offspring. But wait, what about the work that Jesus did no the cross; was not that all that was required to make us a child of God? I know that question was asked, so I thought I would put it out there. Yes indeed; the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, was sufficient to take away all of our sins, and to restore us to a right standing with God; and there is nothing left for us to do that will change that. However, that is in a spiritual regard; wherein our spiritual relationship with God has been restored, and our soul is once again alive with the Spirit of the Living God; but what I think we are talking about here is our life in the flesh. This is the life that we have been given now, to proclaim that "The Lord is my God", and to be a light on this earth for God; to such a degree that God will say, "It is My people". Now I know that to a certain extent, God already accepts us as His child, because we have been adopted into the household of God; but I really believe this is different, because it is more like a stamp of approval upon our life here. This is something like the meaning of Paul declaring, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21), which was his way of saying that as long as he is alive, he would show fourth Jesus, which would be best for those that need to see Jesus lived out in his life; but it would actually be better for him to be with the Lord. The reasoning in this statement is not to far off from the desire to not have to struggle with the flesh anymore; as if to say, I am really looking forward to the day that I am with the Lord in Glory! Which is because, that is where we will be free from sin, once and for all! Don't get me wrong, because I really believe that we are currently given the power, by the blood of Jesus, to be set free from our sins; the only problem with that is our flesh, which is a magnet for sin. So here we are; totally set free, yet confined within this shell; and it is this shell which must to conformed to the image of Jesus Christ!!!

"Making Jesus Lord of My Life"

As I was praying about this title this morning, I could not help but think of the difference between making Jesus Lord and letting Him be Lord; and have come to the understanding that it works both ways. If you think about the first day that you asked Christ into your heart (if you can remember), He began to direct your life right from the start. From the perspective of our New Life in Christ, everything that Jesus changed in us was accepted and welcomed as how our life was now going to be. However, from the perspective of the old life; well, let's just say that there needed to be some things worked out. This is the point of what I am saying! Our life in Christ is not all just handed to us on that first day, and then there is nothing that we must do; although, on that first day, He made everything New, there is work to be done in and through us. The point of the Refiners Fire is to do some of that work, and the understanding which must come from that is the finished work. Sadly, there are some who will go through the fire, only to heated up, and to never gain the understanding of what the fire was even for. This is the part of our life that requires 'Making Jesus Lord', because there is something that we have placed before Him which must be removed. There are several questions we must ask while going through any trial, and they all have to do with change; How do you want to change me Lord? is a good one to start with. Another that ranks right up there is, How can I surrender all to you? because it has the beginning of making the right choices. In case you were not aware of this, surrendering all to the Lord is not as easy as it might sound (if you think it does). In fact, as I look at the mighty men of God throughout the Bible, there seems to be one common thread to the sin in their lives: Pride, or Vanity, which ever way you wish to look at it. I think that pride is the root of the problem, whereas vanity is the fruit that is shown in our actions; but the root of the problem is the pride. So, the thing that I am seeing (from person experience!), is that the fire will quickly burn away the vanity, which is the surface stuff that is in the way of God's work in us; but the pride, that is a different matter and must be surrendered; OUCH!!! Things could get a little hot! "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the Lord loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." (Proverbs 3:11-14)

"Following Jesus Happily" :)

"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold." (Proverbs 3:13 & 14) I hope that Solomon is talking about wisdom and understanding here, because the previous verse speaks about correction; but I am thinking that the two are one of the same! First off, the word 'wisdom' used here in this Passage is 'Chokhmah' and is a noun that is gained by experience; therefore, skeptics will never find this kind of wisdom, and they will never know the true meaning of life. God is all-knowing and all-powerful; therefore, all wisdom has its source in Him, and does not have a separate existence. Then, when we add in the word 'understanding' with wisdom, it is our own individual insight into the who and the why; or the object, faculty and personification of wisdom. Now I bet your wondering where following Jesus comes into this, or why this should be based on happiness: Don't be such a skeptic! I am talking about something that is fundamental to our walk with the Lord, and it has to do with wanting. If you were wondering if I was off of that subject, your wrong. How many times have you looked at someone in the world that has everything going well for them and wondered why they have so much and you have so little? Oh, I'm sorry, I did not mean to assume anything. If you are happy with the what and where in your life, then I am sorry; but some of us are just two steps away from homeless; and some are less than one. Thinking back to the 'rich young ruler' that went away sad when Jesus said, "Sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and follow me", I have to wonder, if that was Mark, what changed his heart and mind. I just picture him laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about what Jesus said. His desire was how he could inherit eternal life, yet he lacked one thing, and the one thing he lacked was an eternal perspective on life. I picture him laying there and imagining his life with and without; but as he gets more and more of the eternal perspective, he gets less and less attached to his riches; until he finally can see the happiness in the life he will have in Christ alone. This is a heart that will be happily following Jesus, no matter what may be taken away or added upon them...

"Following Jesus" -2

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil." (Proverbs 3:5-7) True wisdom can only come from the base of knowledge (whom ever); but the problem with wisdom that is without knowledge, is that the source of the wisdom is forgotten; which then makes one a fool. The reason that humility is so very important to following Jesus, is the fact that humility is the oposite of vanity; and vanity causes us to look to ourselves for direction, comfort, or understanding, instead of to the Lord. But you might say, Rich, you don't understand; God has shown me what to do already, and now I just need to obey. You know, there is a difference between hearing and listening, Don't You? If you were able to ask Solomon about what really matters to the bigger picture of things, I am sure that he would say that staying humble is way up on the top of the list. Because the primary problem that we have, especially as men (discretion intended), is that we always think we have it figured out on our own; and even if we don't, we think we will be able to figure it out as we go. So, when we get some kind of word or vision from the Lord, instructing us to do something; our natural way to process that within our minds will lean more towards vanity, then towards humility. I find it interesting that the word 'vain' can mean so many different things, but the primary meaning is 'sin'; which means to miss the mark. To do something that is called in vain, means that it was done without achieving what it was intended to do. That is why it is so very important to always trust God, and to never lean on our own understanding; even if we think we understand. Humility is what is needed to live our life, not just navigate certain areas...

"Following Jesus"

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." (Zechariah 13:7) On the Mount of Olives, shortly before His arrest, Jesus applied this passage to what was about to happen to Him and His disciples (Mt. 26:31; Mk. 14:27). When we look at the suffering the our Lord had to endure, we have to wonder what kind of life we can justify as the life He would have us live. I know, you are wondering if I am still stuck on the stuff, and if we should really be attached to it all; but I am talking about something else right now, and it has to do with humility. I think that we can have all that God will allow us to have, as long as we remain humble. A good example of that would be Solomon, and his asking for wisdom and knowledge, that he could go out and come in before the people of Israel (2 Chr. 1:10). The thing that most people remember Solomon asking for was wisdom, but he actually asked for both wisdom and knowledge; because neither one by itself can do a man any good. Wisdom alone will just make one wise, and the Bible says, man's wisdom makes him a fool; knowledge alone is not going to get you anywhere, unless you have the wisdom to use that knowledge: the two go hand in hand. So what does that have to do with following Jesus? Quite a lot, if you are one of His sheep; because the thing that His sheep must do first is to know their Shepherd, which is the beginning of knowledge. Then the sheep must hear His voice and obey, which is the beginning of wisdom. Now, after we have established the beginning of these two very important things, what remains is called humility; which is the fence around obedience to the Shepherd... "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want."

"Facing The Fire" -2

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23:6) I am thinking that part of the problem might be in the point we are missing in following the Lord. If we could only see how every detail of our life was going to work out, then maybe we could step out on our own and take the helm; but we cannot know what tomorrow may bring us; however, we do know what waits in the hereafter! That is the key to the boldness needed to face the fire; that no matter what the outcome of any situation here on this earth may be, the end result shall be the same for us who are His children. However, the end result may not be the same for those who might be involved in or watching our ordeal. In fact, their fate may rest in the response that we have within our trial!!! Let's look at the verse above for something that might be right out in the open, for all to see: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me" is quoted and read all the time, but what does it really mean? Well, we know what goodness and mercy mean, but the word follow, that is the part that needs some explaining; because the fire that we may be facing will not display the characters of goodness and mercy, but we must know and trust that goodness and mercy shall follow us through the fire. And not only for us, but for others in the wake of the fire; those that may not even be connected to us or our trial, but may have something happen in or to their life as a result of knowing someone who is. This is bigger than you and I, and the sooner that we realize that, the better we can be used for the kingdom of God. Having said that, I am going back to something that I said several days ago, before the fire became the subject; and it has to do with serving two masters. Part of the problem with having so much stuff in our lives, is that we are drawn into the comforts that those things bring us; which, if you ask anyone that has them, they will say that it is fine to have them, and that God wants their lives to be blessed. However, the blessings received by those things are very temporary, and can also become very selfish in nature; not that we become selfish in those things, but that the thought of 'it is mine' has the ability to become more a part of us then we may otherwise know. That is until it is all taken away, and then we realize how much it meant to our testimony of God wanting to bless us...

"Facing The Fire"

I picture the fiery furnace that Nebuchadnezzar had made to punish his subjects as something that was also made in his likeness; the mouth of the furnace being his open mouth to swallow all those who would not obey. Thinking back to the 'valley of the shadow of death' which is the most famous part of the 23rd Psalm, I could not help but remember why those shadows cannot hurt me, and why also the flames of the fire can do me no harm; it is because my God is with me, and if my God is with me, then everything will be okay. However, if God was not with me, then even the shadows could and would harm me, because those shadows represent darkness. I do not know what trial you may be facing, and even if I did, I probably could not relate to the level of the trial that you are feeling; because we each feel our own trials in our own ways. I may not think that your trial is that big of a deal, but you might be seeing it as the end of your world. God, on the other hand, has not only the trial in His control, but He also has your best interest in mind; that is however, if you are willing to face the fire. Strange as that may sound to some, it is the only way that God can refine us, and make us as pure as fine gold: 'The Refiners Fire' as many will call it, is meant to do what we cannot do on our own. Just as the blood of Jesus takes away all of the sins, which we have no way of doing anything about our self; the Refiners Fire has the ability to remove all of our inadequacies, that we may not even know we have. However, we must be willing to face the fire! What do I mean by that? Well, if you had to ask; the point I am trying to make is that if the fire is meant for our good, then no matter how scary it may look, we must be willing to face it with the anticipation of God doing something good in us, or through us. What is your fire? Is it health related, or financially based? I can only relate to some of your trial, but the force of the fire that you are feeling has the heat attached to it. I can however assure you that no matter how scary the fiery furnace may look, or how hot the flames may become, if God is with you, then all will be okay!!! "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) This beginning to a very famous Psalm says more to what I am saying then I could ever say; because if the Lord is my Shepherd, and He is leading me, then I must trust Him in all things! All does mean all, right?

"Entering The Fire"

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) There are a couple of different ways to enter into the fire, being thrown in bound is one of them. But the place where entering starts is actually back before being bound and thrown in takes place. For Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego, entering the fire started when they refused to bow down to the image on Nebuchadnezzar; that is the point in which there is a choice made in our heart that nothing else matters but God. Do I think they believed that God would rescue them? Yes, I believe that they put all of their faith in God for His protection, but they also were willing to die, if that be the case. That is where entering the fire began for them, when they made that choice to even die for their faith; which was the evidence of their faith. Our faith must be seen, because it is not just something that we can talk about, and then when faced with a choice that could even result in death, we back down and do not demonstrate what we say that we believe in. What was the thing that caused them to enter into the fire? it was their faith. And because their faith in God was to such a degree that the fear of death was not an issue, they could be prepared to enter into the fire. Now then, regarding the "Valley of the shadow of death" which I mentioned yesterday, and the statement about shadows having no direct effect upon my life; the reason that this statement means so much to me, is that those shadows are very similar to the flames of the fire. I related the direct effect that a shadow can harm me, to the results that the flames of a fire will do to me; a shadow can only do good for me, but can do me no harm. For example: a shadow can warn me of possible danger, or give me shelter from the sun; but the direct result upon my life, as far as harming me, a shadow cannot do. Which the flames of the fire cannot do either, because the only thing that will be accomplished by the fire will be good; such as burning off the things that bind me, slaying those things that have thrown me in, and giving glory to God as I walk with Him in the fire; just to name a few!

"Going Through The Fire"

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:24 & 25) I known that you might be familiar with this story from the Book of Daniel, and have probably heard everything that can be said about it; or have you! I love hearing the Word of God taught, because I never get tired of hearing something fresh; especially when I am looking for God to speak to my heart on a matter! Here we have three men who made a decision to not bow down to the king of Babylon nor his idol, no matter what; even though the king instructed them that they were going to be thrown into the fiery furnace, they held their position on the matter. In fact, when asked by king Nebuchadnezzar, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?", they were quick to answer that they did not care if they were delivered or not, but that they still were not going to bow down to his image. This is really what I think we should be living: lives that are determined to live or die for the Lord that we serve; knowing that the fate of what this world might bestow upon us is nothing compared to the life that is waiting on the other side. I heard something very interesting at church Sunday, and I will briefly share it, but will dive into it more later; but it goes something like this: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil", because shadows have no direct effect upon my life! The thing that astonished king Nebuchadnezzar, is the way these men were walking in the fire loose; their bindings had been burnt off, yet they were unharmed. Even their clothing, including their hats, were not touched by the fire; yet the ropes that bound them were gone. When we are holding on to Jesus, no matter what, there are several things that will happen to our lives while we are going through the fire. The first and most directly felt by ourselves, is that our bindings will be stripped away; those things that bind us to this world, or in this world will be burnt away by the fire; yet we shall be left unharmed. Secondly, the Lord will be with us in the fire, and will keep us walking with Him as we are in the midst of that which is has burnt away those things that had bound us. Thirdly, the world will see the fire has no effect upon us; that it has burnt away our dependence upon whatever it was that bound us, yet has left us unharmed. And fourthly, they will see Jesus in the midst of the fire with us!!!

"Holding On To Jesus More"

I am trying to understand what is meant by "take no thought", because that is really hard to do! Oh, the ministries that I have seen ruined and put to waste for this very reason; in my own life also! So many times over the last 29 years, I have not done something that I felt called to do, because I could not see the way for my family to be supported. Being lead by Jesus requires a person to not be concerned with the small stuff; the small stuff being anything that has to do with what we see with our natural eyes; because those things that matter most are what we see with the eyes of our heart. As far as taking thought of the natural things of life, like food and clothing, it's not really a matter of not thinking about them, but it is more a matter of not living for them; let alone all the other stuff that we are trapped into owning. Does that mean I don't like all my stuff ? I am still working on that thought; because the more I think about it, I am wondering what use most of this stuff is for the kingdom of God; and I have narrowed it down to this Laptop; and even then, that is debatable. My main concern now is with my wife, and keeping her comfortable; but as soon as the Lord takes her home, all bets are off!!! I am not sure what I will do, but I know it will not be what I am doing now. I can see now how I have let this world get it's grip on my soul over several decades of living for what most people understand as the American Dream; owning a home, two cars, big screen TVs, boats, RVs, etc, etc; you get my point. But the more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you and your interest, your passions and the time and money required to maintain them and the lifestyle that comes with owning them. Do I believe that they are things we should not own? I am wondering what the Lord thinks of that; and I have been wondering that since this disaster has hit Japan. Seeing all their stuff just swept away like twigs on the beach, made me wonder about just how temporary all this stuff really is, and how much of my time is devoted to accumulating and maintaining it. Once you have gotten to the place where you are living this kind of lifestyle, it is really hard to back down, or scale back from the life you have been living. In fact, it is almost a trap, that you are now stuck in and cannot see your way out of...

"Holding On To Jesus" -3

Now you are wondering where I am going with all of this; quite frankly, so am I. But the easiest way to understand where you are at, is to look where you have been, and then say, Now how did that happen? Serving the things of this world is not as cut and dry as you might think; and it is definitely not just about money. The way I am seeing it, the real issue comes from the life that requires your everyday thoughts, desires, and plans to be geared towards making the things of this world work out. Oddly enough, that is what we have been instructed to do since we were children in school. Our whole life has been about planning a lifestyle, raising families, making the dreams of our youth come true, or just trying to stay alive. If you are told to do something with your life from the time that you were born, it makes it pretty hard to change the focus of your heart, and the inner passions of your daily living, to conform to the way that is required for us to be holding on to Jesus. Basically the whole point that I am trying to make in this posting today, is that Jesus must be the focus of our lives, if we are going to be holding on to Him. Otherwise, we are actually holding on to those things that govern our lives, and then trying to depend on Jesus to get us though our messed up lives; when all the while, the reason that our life is so messed up, is because we are holding on to the wrong thing... I need to think about that for a while! "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought of your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (Matthew 6:25)

"Holding On To Jesus" -2

Here is the thing about having two masters: only one of them will rule your life! So, you really can not have two masters, because the hardest thing to do in this life is to not worry; if you have worry, then where is God in that? Someone who is a follower of Jesus Christ, they are to be following Him; which means that the direction of their life is not determined by them, but by Him. As I thought about that question I have not asked the Lord in a long time, 'What do You want to do today, Lord?', I wondered where my life would be right now if I had made that the way I had started every day. In an effort to get myself to understand what it is I must be doing, I try to picture what Jesus would have me to do; which is kind of on the lines of 'What Would Jesus Do', but with more of a focus on direction, then on action. The reason for this variation in the way that I am thinking is that directions are more for the way we are going, while actions are more for the way that we respond. Maybe that did not make since to you, but believe me, I have tried to think of a better way to put it and it just is not there. God has instructed us by His Word everything that we need to know about our actions, and how we respond to every situation in life; but our direction is something which we must live on a day to day basis. Looking back on my life for as long as I can remember, I have based the direction of my life upon survival; which means that I have lived to keep living, and keep my family in a good home, and living a modest lifestyle. So, the motivation of my life has been to sustain these things; which I do not believe that this was my intention, but was more of my overall focus, as I look back on things. When Jesus said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon", I think that word means more than just money; I think it means all that money represents, which is the life we all live in...Weird!!!

"Holding On To Jesus"

As strange as this may sound, I can't always hold on to Jesus; but Jesus holds on to me! This is a promise that I can hold on to, that much I know, because He has said in His Word, that He will never let me go, and no man can snatch me from His hand! So why would I say that I can not always hold on to Jesus? I am just being honest; and the fact is, that I sometimes get distracted by the world; not really by intention, but just from boredom maybe. But, finding myself in a place where I am no longer holding Jesus as my One-in-All, but holding other things closer, and placing more of my cares in those other things, than in my relationship with Him. However, no matter how far I stray away from Him, He is always holding me, and making sure that I do not get hurt to bad. You did notice that I said to bad and not just get hurt at all; because, sometimes we need to get hurt a little in order to keep us knowing how much we need to hold on to Him. I was thinking this morning about something very interesting, and I can't really remember the last time I actually asked this question, but I know I did once upon a time; and the question is: What do You want to do today, Lord? Don't get me wrong, I ask the Lord to do things all the time, but it is more like, Lord help me to do this, or help me to be more like You. But the real meaning of the question, What do You want to do, is that I am waiting on Him to lead me, instead of me trying to lead Him. It is kind of scary, but I don't think I have asked Him to show me what to do in quite awhile. Instead, I have thought of what I need to do, and then asked Him to help me do it. This is what I believe is the reason that we must "receive the kingdom of God as a little child"; not because we are just newly born into His kingdom, but more because we are dependant upon His care. Just as a small child will be fearful of being away from it's mother or father, and cries out to them as soon as they are hurt; so too are we to be with our Heavenly Father, knowing that we are safe in His care... "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

"Holding On" for her...

I know that one day... Really that is what Hope is all about; the day that is coming; and it is just around the corner. The first thing that you must understand is that I am not holding my wife here, but God is. Believe me, I have wondered numerous times about the whys in this matter, but ultimately God is in control; and the things that He does never cease to amaze me. My main problem, and I am speaking frankly, is that I sometimes have doubt; doubt that He is still doing a work in me and in her. Call it the flesh if you will, but the simple fact is that the forces that are pressing against me are sometimes hard to push back. I can tell when people react negatively to my wife, and are quick to dismiss her as a person. I know that sounds a little harsh, but it is true; because the harsh reality is that many people would not want to live in that condition. However, nobody knows what that condition is really like. They might think that they know; they might study the brain movements on electronic images, and think they know what they are looking at; but what is going on inside of her, they really have not a clue. My job, and my obligation, is to make her as comfortable as I possibly can, to love her as much as Jesus loves me, and to keep Hope alive!!! There is nothing that is to difficult for my God to do; absolutely Nothing! "And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27)

"Holding On" for me...

I know where my eternity will be, so that matter is settled; but there is another relationship that I must hold onto, with all my might. Someone out there may know what I mean, if you are, or ever have lived what I am living. I pray that you never do, but if you are, then this blog is for you! The word 'stablished' is another word I have shared on before, but again, there is always enough of God's Word for every situation. The word means to make firm or reliable so as to warrant security and inspire confidence, to strengthen, make true, fulfill. Now then, when it comes to the love I have for my wife, that love is based upon the assumption or the knowledge I have of her being here still; which some may doubt. But she is, because I can tell by certain jesters and hand movements, and by the way she reacts to my voice when I come into the room. However, there are forces, situations, and even points of loneliness (selfishness) which can cause my heart to stray from being stablished in love for my wife; which, for lack of better words, can weaken the trust I have in Jesus to heal her. Maybe you are wondering how that can be so? As if love has anything to do with the trust I have in Jesus to perform a miracle? Well, I believe that it does! In fact, they go hand in hand together, and the trust I have in Jesus that He will heal her, one way or another, inspires confidence in my love for her, and that I am doing the very best I can for her! That is the real question in every one's mind: Why are you keeping her here??? But it is not about me, but for me to do all that I can do to ensure that I never give up hope; and more importantly, that I never do anything to take away from the confidence that is inspired by hope!!!

"Holding On" part two

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6 & 7) Now you might be wondering about the 'relationships' that I closed with yesterday, and how having relationships in the most important thing, or what matters the most. But let me assure you by a couple of very interesting facts; the first of which, being the fact that no one who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is going to be entering into Heaven. And when I say relationship, I mean that there is something in which we have in common, and He knows me, and He calls me friend. Thinking back to 'the young man who was naked' (regardless of that being Mark, or the young rich ruler; but it works better for my point), and his desire to hold unto Jesus, there is a certain motivation that we can detect in his reason to hold on; primarily, he is without anything else but Jesus, and the hope of inheriting eternal life. When they came and took his Master away by force, his hope was disrupted by the removal of Him on whom he had placed all hope. Although it was only for a few days, his devastation was no doubt the kind that would cause most to kill themselves, or go nuts: There goes that crazy naked guy! There was however a relationship that had been established between Jesus and this young man; a relationship that was based upon his need for his Master's providing; for not only his temporary needs, such as food and water, but most importantly, his spiritual needs, and the reason to hope. That hope which was disrupted, was restored and magnified, after Jesus rose on the third day after His death; giving this young man the ability to rest in Christ Jesus his Lord. This is what Paul means by the word 'stablished' in the faith; because there is nothing here that is constant, or that we can place our hope in because it is reliable or sure. In fact, the only sure way of knowing that we are Saved, have Eternal Life, and going to Heaven, is by our personal relationship with Jesus Christ; so if you are not sure of your relationship, then where you are going to end up is in doubt...

"Holding On"

Watching Fox News yesterday morning, I couldn't help but feel for those devastated people in Japan. Listening to Neil Cavuto sum up his coverage, he thanked those people in Japan for the reminder of what really matters, Life! As he put it, Do you think those people were caring about their 401k, their savings, their retirement; no, they were thinking about being alive, and about those that were lost! (paraphrased) I am not sure about Neil's relationship with God, but I can tell from his attention to detail, that he believes in God, or at least knows that there is one. I took a brief moment to look up Neil's bio, and he has had some hard kicks himself; battled cancer and MS, and is thankful to be able to walk or talk. He did graduate from a Roman Catholic High School, so there was some form of church upbringing in his life. I think that we all need to be reminded of what really matters, because this life we have been given is so very temporary, and can be over in just a few seconds. Looking at the footage of all the stuff being swept away, the cars, the houses; and then thinking about what that stuff stands for, I have come to realize something important: there is nothing that we can hold onto, except Jesus Christ!!! Not even our lives are able to be held onto, for they are here today and gone tomorrow. So really; what really matters? Do you think you know? How about where you will spend eternity? Yes, that could mean something down the road; but the thing that really matters now, right now, What is it? I will just say one word, and then leave it at that; for now: RELATIONSHIPS!!!

"Giving it ALL to Jesus" -2

It would also make sense that Mark was a Levite, just like his cousin Barnabas was; which would explain his keeping of the Law, if he was that 'rich young ruler' from Luke 18. But to sell all that he had, and give it all away; everything but a linen cloth wrapped around himself. It was as if he wanted to be just like his Master; since Jesus had no belongings, with the exception of His cloths, Mark was going to follow in His footsteps. Over 90% of Mark's Gospel is covered in Matthew and Luke; however, Mark gives more vivid details, and focuses more on the superhuman power of Jesus. Mark presents Jesus as God's Son in action, by telling more of what Jesus did, and less of what He said. This I believe was due in part to his own experience of doing; because if he was that 'rich young ruler' that walked away from Jesus sad, when Jesus said, "Sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and follow me", then he had made a choice to do just that, sometime after that encounter. And in making that choice, he experienced the freedom of giving it ALL to Jesus; which, for a lack of better words, was the action of doing what Jesus had instructed him to do. You have heard the expression, 'giving the shirt off his back'; well, for the 'young man' in Mark 14:51 & 52, that became quite an understatement. But seriously, the way of the Master, is to live the sacrifice; to give your All for the Kingdom of God, means to not hold back anything. And, just in case you wanted to argue the point that Jesus asked him to give everything to the poor, because Jesus was concerned for the poor; then we should look to the example of the one who was thought to be Mark's mother. It is found in John 12:3-7, and shows Mary taking a pound of very expensive ointment (very costly is the description), and anointed the feet of Jesus. The sum of cost for this ointment was most likely the annual income of a labourer in that time; which was the reason that Judas Iscariot spoke out the way that he did: "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" It says in the next verse, that Judas did not really care for the poor, but that he cared about the money, and could not stand to see all of that costly material to be wasted. However, Jesus answered back, "Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but Me ye have not always." I might be reading a little much into this, but if I was not mistaken, I think that Mary's riches were also Mark's riches; and since he sold all that he had, then she too was now poor; however, this jar of ointment was something that she held unto for the purpose of this day, and the anointing of the feet of Jesus. (But that is just my thought on the matter.)

"Giving it ALL to Jesus"

To understand the meaning of ALL, most people must first be instructed by way of the Master; I would say ALL people, but then I might upset those that think they know the meaning already, without having to live it. It was said by some the Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark was the 'rich young ruler' in our story from Luke 18; this very well could be, but Mark was stated to be the son of Mary, the same Mary that anointed Jesus with a pound of very expensive ointment in John 12:3-7. But what I found really interesting by looking up who Mark was, is that he is thought to be the young man mentioned in Mark 14:51 & 52; who, if it was he, and if he was also the 'rich young ruler', then he had definitely given all that he had away!!! To set this up a little, we are talking about when Jesus was arrested in the garden, and all of His disciple fled away. Then there is mentioned this young man that followed Jesus, probably feeling quite bewildered and wondering, What the heck!!! For if this is actually that 'rich young ruler' that sold all the he possessed, gave the money to the poor, and then began to follow Jesus; then his world just came to an abrupt and chilling ending; for a few days anyways! "And they all forsook Him, and fled. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young man laid hold on Him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked." (Mark 14:50-52)

"Dependence Upon God" -3

Inherit eternal life!!! "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This I believe is key to the whole reason that we are dependent upon God, because the only way to be given the gift of eternal life is by inheritance! We can not earn our way to heaven, or purchase our way there; but it has been purchased for us by the blood of Jesus Christ. And the only way that we can be a part of the inheritance, is by being born into the kingdom of God! Just as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3-7, that unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This is what it means to be a child of God; and with the adoption into that position, comes the reward of inheritance into the kingdom for all eternity. Now then, the question which comes to my mind in this situation, is why didn't Jesus answer the 'rich young ruler' the way that He instructed Nicodemus? Why didn't Jesus say to this young man, that he must be born again to receive eternal life? Without getting into a theological discussion, let's just say that Jesus knew the condition of this man's heart; and He knew what it was that possessed his heart: his possessions! Besides, the real twist to this story is the 'Good Master' part of the question, and the way Jesus answered that title, was the answer to the real question: "There is none good, save one, that is God". Because it really does not matter how many commandments Jesus would have listed, nor which ones that He left out; the real question asked was about keeping them, and do you think you have done them all? Which is a resounding no for anyone who is asked! But that is what Jesus died on the cross for, and why He instructed this young man to sell all that he had, (which were the things that he put his trust in), give it all away, and follow Him. And again, we can see a very similarity between the possibility of keeping the Law, and the statement Jesus made about the possibility of a rich man entering the kingdom of God: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle". Which takes us back to our dependence upon God: "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God". (Luke 18:27)

"Dependence Upon God" -2

Another thing which we must consider as we reason with God, is the time span that we are talking about; for example, my sailing ship filled with supplies for two years, really does not justify a life. In fact, as I said Saturday morning, two years is nothing in this crazy life, and just goes by so fast. Which might be one reason that I picked the sailing ship, because I thought of a place where time would go by the slowest; and where else but out in the middle of the ocean? But really; the time span that I am talking about goes beyond our life here; which as James said so perfectly in James 4:14, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life ? It is but a vapour, that appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away". This might sound crazy, but there are people out there that believe that this is all that there is, and that when you die, that is all she wrote. I tried to think about that being the case, and I really could not think that through very long; it just could not make any sense whatsoever how someone could believe that God does not exist; and if He does exist, and if He is eternal, then wouldn't it make sense that there would be something beyond this life? Now, if we take a quick look again at the 'rich young ruler' from Luke 18:18, there was something that he neglected to understand about the Law, and his reason to keep the Law since the time of his youth: the benefits of keeping the Law were based in eternity! But yet he approached Jesus with the question, "Good Master, what should I do to inherit eternal life?"; to which Jesus responded, "Why callest Me good? none is good, save One, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother". Either Jesus had left something out, or He was interrupted during the listing of the Law, because the Law that the 'rich young ruler' was guilty of breaking, was the one that says, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me'. For he had put his dependence in his riches, and not in God. Those riches that he possessed were only temporary, just like his life here on this earth; yet his question was based on eternal life, and how he could inherit it. Jesus, knowing the real condition of his heart, said the thing that he lacked was his dependence upon riches, and not upon God. As was the case in many 'rich young rulers' of that day, theirs was an inheritance; the wealth and position that they had was handed down to them from their fathers. This might be the reason for his phrasing the question the way that he did, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"; because his life here was one of inheritance...

"Dependence Upon God"

If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? For me, I think it would be a large sailing ship, that could withstand the majority of the storms, and came equip with several years worth of supplies. Now, if you think about it, even the most thought out plan does not bring with it the guarantee of success; in fact, it will most likely need something or someone to help it along. As we look again at our two figures that Jesus gave in Luke 18:10, we can see the contrast in who they thought was in control, and at what ability they could yield anything worthy of being called righteousness. For the publican, who by very definition was one who reaped rewards off of the labors of others, had something going for him as he bowed before God for mercy; he was aware of his sin, and his need to be cleansed. While the Pharisee was so self righteous, and thought that he was so able to gaze up into heaven, as if to declare how wonderful that he was; thanking God for the righteousness that he has over others. When God says, "Come, let us reason together", He is meaning to examine our lives with and without Him; to place our life in the balances of a scale, and to make a determination of the value placed in what really matters. As we look at the Pharisee, the things that he placed most value in, were the things that looked best in the eyes of men; not having sins that were lived out, and doing things which could be witnessed as good. In so doing, he had counted these things as his righteousness, and worthy of being justified before God as having forgiveness, even though he had not acknowledge himself to be a sinner. The publican on the other hand, having reasoned with God, found himself to be lacking the ability to justify looking up towards heaven, or even approaching the alter. In other words, he had found his need to be great for God's forgiveness; and his ability to do anything to save himself was realized, as he smote his chest and cried out for mercy.

"Being Still" - 3

As we look at the 'young rich ruler' from Luke 18, we see a picture of someone who has tried to keep the Law, but yet has not been able to be governed by the spirit of the Law. For a better illustration of what I mean, we could look at the few verses which come right before this encounter, which are found in Luke 18:15-17. Here we have small children being brought to the Lord, that He might touch them; but His disciples rebuked those that brought them. In verses 16 & 17 we see something said by Jesus which many of us tend to forget: "But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the Kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." Interesting enough, there are many among us that feel they have outgrown their 'little child' portion of their Salvation, and have progressed to the young adult stage of their walk. Yes, we are to mature in our walk with the Lord, but never to a point where we are not entering the Kingdom of God as an infant. Okay, so you might not see my point yet; then lets move back a few more verses, say verse 10: "Two men went up to the temple to pray; one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:10-14) The point is this: no matter how mature you might become , or think that you are, you will always be totally dependent upon the Lord, as an infant is dependent upon it's parent to care for it; otherwise, you are not making Jesus Lord of your life, but are trying to share lordship. When we try to share lordship with the Lord, we can find ourselves walking away from the ministry, much like the 'rich young ruler' walked away sad by Jesus asking him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor... (I hope you got that?)

"Being Still" - 2

"Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) Being still requires something else which many do not quite understand, and sadly, will not come to realize until the Day of Judgement: and that is that Jesus is Lord, regardless of their choice to make Him Lord of their lives. One of the illustrations from yesterday was given by Pastor Denny Stahl, and it had to do with trapping monkeys with coconuts and rice. This is something that I have heard before, but with a little less enthusiasm, and a little more attention to the rice; but the main point to this illustration, is that the monkey is so attached to that rice which he has his little hand around, that he will not let go, even though it will cost him his life, or even his freedom. As I was saying yesterday, that absolutely nothing can be surrendered until it is let go of, and letting go of something requires giving it to the Lord; all of it! That hole in the coconut is big enough for the monkey to get his outstretched hand into, but not big enough for his fist; especially a fist full of rice. The meaning of 'to loosen your grip' can be a matter of life and death, freedom or bondage; and must be the choice made to surrender. I know that the fires of hell are spoken of as being the torment of that place, but I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, that actual torment will be regret: if I had just surrendered that rice!!!

"Being Still"

How is it that I am busy, even when I am not busy? I wonder sometimes what it would be like to be a shepherd, and have so much time to watch sheep, and talk with the Lord. To gaze up into the heavens for hours at a time, and to actually get to know the Maker of the universe, and get a really good feel for smallness. Yesterday I came to a very strong conclusion about my life: I can not keep up! Every day is just a faded memory, and it seems that weeks last more like days; months seem more like a week; and three years seem like one. I think I will call this 'Racing Towards Eternity', because that is what it feels like. I really am looking forward to the day when I can see my Lord face to face, and will no longer need to deal with this world. This I believe is one of the key reasons that we need to be still and know that He is Lord; because we have no control over anything, and He is Lord of All!!! I am really excited about the Men's Conference taking place today. The theme is 'Jesus is Lord', and I am trying to prepare my heart for the Lord to do something great today! And, I know that I do not need to be out in a field somewhere far away from everyone else in order to be still; but I just need to come before Him as a child who needs to be nurtured by the One who made me. This is actually known as being weak; as strange as that may sound to some, but that is key to being still; that we would be weak before the Lord, so that we might become strong in the Lord. Which is also why gazing up at the stars for hours at a time can give a person a sense of frailty, or the proper perspective on just how small they really are; like a bug on a busy sidewalk! In Psalm 46:10, the word 'still' is the same word that we looked at before, but in a negative light; it is the word 'raphah' and it means to be slack, to be idle, to be feeble; to loosen your grip (which we looked at before in the sense of letting go of someone who was about to go over a cliff). However, to paint this word in a positive light, we must understand that the main way that we surrender anything to the Lord, is by letting go of those things. Nothing, absolutely nothing can be surrendered if it is still held onto; and we can not be still before the Lord if we are busy dealing with stuff!!! "Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

"Love Will Remain"

I could not help but share something that I read this morning, because I think that it speaks very strongly about the power of God's mighty Love. First the reason why hope is so important to the life of a Christian, is not necessarily based on what is, but what will become; however, once that which has become takes place, then there is no longer any reason for hope to exist. We could say much the same thing about faith; because once we are with the Lord in Heaven, our faith and our hope are no longer a thing that will be needed; nor will they have any place in His Glory. Love, on the other hand will be present and pure; in fact, the power of God's Love will be the Light that shines so brightly, that there will be no need for the sun, moon or stars; there will be no sorrow, no more pain, no more hate; nothing but pure Love. This is the reason for Paul to declare in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity (Love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (Love)"; because when all has been removed, including faith and hope, Love will still remain. As we consider the hope of our Salvation in Christ Jesus, we must also be aware that His journey here was not based on hope and faith, but purely on Love; as the One who was the I Am, He had no reason for hope or faith, but He established it; because our hope and our faith are in Him alone!!! "Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the Great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12) Be Strong my brothers and sisters, Be Strong in the Lord!

"The Heart of God in You Too"

As I expressed before, part of the strength that comes in our suffering, is by knowing what the outcome will be. Jesus knew far more than we could know in His time of suffering, however He has also promised us that same peace and strength that comes from knowing, if we would just have faith in His promises. Did He promises that we would not have hurt or troubles? No; as a matter of fact, He told us that we would have them; because He had to suffer, we must suffer also; because the servant is not greater than the Master. However, our suffering will end in this world; which means that we will not even need to go close to the pit of hell, but go from life here, right to Life in His presence. Which brings me to the word 'fear' that Peter uses in his instruction to us about giving a reason for the hope that is in us. This word 'fear' we have looked at before, but like I said, this time it's about Love; previously we had glazed the surface of what this word means with regard to not having fear, but to stand strong. The word 'phobos' is also a noun, and is mostly used to express fear, terror, reverence, respect or honor. Because it is a noun, it has the property of an object and not of an emotion or a response; which can make a world of difference when it comes to understanding what this fear means, or how it should be viewed. It is viewed best as the object that inspires fear, more than the fear itself; but the fear is part and parcel of the object of fear, and is more of an amazement or astonishment in the overall picture. To understand better what it is that I am saying, and how this 'fear' relates to the Love of God, we could look again at our 'Suffering Servant' from Isaiah 53:8-11; which will show us the plan that was put before Him, and how the knowledge of this plan inspired not only a reverence, but a deep love for the purpose, which was more than enough to conquer any fear. "He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities." Now, let me ask you a question: Do you know the outcome of the travail of your soul? And because you do, does it not inspire Love that is based upon the fear? (This requires some thought!)

"The Heart of God in You"

If we could explain the ability to endure persecutions and trials with the joy and hope required to make others wonder, it could only happen because we have a strength within us which is of God. The Holy Spirit is that force, yet the motivation of the Holy Spirit is to express the Love of God within us, and the manifestation of the Love is Jesus Christ. This is another expression that is given of 'The Suffering Servant' in Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth." The word for 'meekness' that is used in 1 Peter 3:15, is the word 'prautes', which is a noun, not a verb; with the meaning of meekness that goes beyond man's outward behavior and relations to his fellow man, or even his mere natural disposition. Rather, it is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the expressions of it are primarily towards God. It is the attitude of the spirit that accepts God's dealings with us as good and we do not dispute or resist. The word 'prautes' is not readily expressed in English, since the term meekness suggest weakness; but it is a condition of the mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. This is the expressions of our Lord and Saviour as He was taken before the authorities, beaten, and the crucified for our sins; being powerful in the gentleness by which He allowed them to fulfill the Father's plan...

"The Heart of God" - 2

So you might be wondering how the fact that the unbelieving spouse being sanctified by the believing spouse has anything to do with the point I was making; are you? Well, I pretty much thought that it made my point all by it's self; but in case you did not get the point that was made, I will try to run it down for you. The thing that I was talking about is what happens in our heart, is very similar to what happens in the marriage of the believer and the unbeliever. In other words, the wickedness of our heart will not defile the holiness of God; but the holiness of God will sanctify our wicked heart. Does that mean that our wickedness is no more? No, that is not true; and if you look close enough at your heart, you will see that is the case. However, the point to what I was saying, is that God's holiness will, and is able to, override our wickedness, if we are submissive to the Holy Spirit. The primary word for 'sanctify' means to make Holy, or to make clean; which is brought by the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit on the heart. In the text of what Peter was saying in 1 Peter 3:15, to sanctify the Lord in our heart, we must acknowledge the source of any holiness that dwells within us, is not from us, but is of God. And in doing this, we are preparing our self to give the right answer for the hope that is within us; and what is the right answer? Well, let's see; in the context of what Peter is speaking about, it would have to do with not being afraid to suffer for righteousness sake, and what we would say when someone were to ask us why we are not. Peter also uses 'meekness and fear' as the way to express our answer to those that might ask; which is our response to the work of the Holy Spirit upon our heart. Again, it is not our doing; therefore, it is nothing which we can boost about, or take credit in anyway; because the work that is done in us is of God. Therefore, our answer which is to be given, is one that will glorify God for not only the work He has done in us, but also for the work that He will do in the one who might ask.

"The Heart of God"

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear:" (1 Peter 3:15) As I was praying about this blog this morning, I could not help but think that our hope is in Jesus and not in ourselves. I am quite a piece of work sometimes, and that is not a positive statement, but one that describes something that is hard to figure out. However, my Father in heaven knows me inside and out; in fact, He knows me far better than I know myself: He even knows every hair that is one my head! Knowing how much He knows me, yet how He still loves me, I am amazed by His heart towards me. The word 'sanctify' that Peter is talking about in the verse above means to regard as Holy; to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, is to separate what is Holy from that which is filthy or common; which is not an easy task to do while looking into our filthy hearts. Needless to say, we must do what Peter is instructing here, if we are to prepare our hearts for the next portion of instruction, which is 'to give an answer'. The hope that is in us is not something which should be shut off and on, like a light switch; however, that is what we have a tendency to do, not purposely, but out of ignorance of what is going on within our own hearts. The point I believe that Peter is making, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, is that the finished work of Jesus Christ must be made the dominating force within our hearts. And not just the dominating force, but it must also stand out as the overriding source for the hope that is within us. I know what you are thinking, Duh again! Yes, but, our hearts are not that obedient to do that task without some help from the Holy Spirit. This word 'sanctify' is also the same word that is used for a wife to sanctify an unbelieving husband. The unbelieving partner is set apart on account of the believing partner. The unbeliever comes under a special and direct spiritual influence and benefits from divine favor in the life of the believer. As long as there is contact, there is hope that the unbeliever will turn to faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, in such a marriage the believer is not defiled by the unbeliever, but the unbeliever is sanctified by the believer.

"Knowing The Heart of God"

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) If there is one thing that speaks plainer than anything else in our lives, it is the Love of God for His children. And yet, for those that do not know His heart, it can also be one of the hardest things to see. You hear it all the time: If God were so loving, then why is there so much suffering in the world? or, If there really is a God, then why did this have to happen? Do you think God does not care for those that must suffer death or disaster? One of the shortest verses in the Bible answers that question very strongly, and it is found in John 11:35: "Jesus Wept". This took place outside the tomb that Lazarus was in, being dead for four days; and while He watched those around the tomb weeping. Those that stood by, seeing Him weep, thought that He was weeping for Lazarus being dead; but we know that was not true, for in just a few moments He would be calling Lazarus forth from that tomb. But Jesus was weeping for the destruction that sin has brought into the world, and for the sorrow that is felt in the heart of the Father for all of us that have to live through it. To know the heart of God, we must be a child of His; and no one knew the heart of the Father better than the Son. And, although it was painful for the Father to give us His Son, the Bible also states that it pleased the Father to do so: Why? Because it was the only way to redeem man from his fallen condition. However, men scoff at the Gift that was given for them, as if they did not have a need for it at all. Those same people that think they do not need His Gift of redemption are the same ones that question His very existence in the first place. It is quite something that they can not put two and two together, and see the price that was paid for their sorrows to end; but like I said, in order to see the heart of God, you must be His child. God's heart is that none would be lost; but man, because of the hardness of his heart, cannot see his lost state. If man is so mindful of the sorrow around him, then why can't he see the One who can make the sorrow go away? "For He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isaiah 53:2 & 3)

"ALL or Nothing!"

"He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11) One more thing, and then I will move on from this subject; not because I am done with it, but primarily because it is to hard to bear! (If you don't think it is, then you are not seeing what I see; maybe because you have not sinned as much as I have.) The point that Jesus was making by His foot washing demonstration was twofold: the heart of a servant that cares and the need to care for one another. Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12 is the greatest illustration of 'God's Suffering Servant' that I believe is found in the Bible; yet, the one point in this illustration which is not made strong, is the fact that this Servant was God. This very important fact has a great deal to do with the knowledge Jesus had that would justify many, and required the greatest humility that has been demonstrated to man: that the Maker of our souls would offer His own soul for our sins. Did He hold back anything? Did He? I don't think so! And yet, we have not yet seen the fullness of His Grace, nor the mighty work that He had completed through His obedient heart; but He did! When it comes to the act of Love, there is no halfway point by which we can meet the Lord in a form of compromise; it is ALL or nothing. The same goes for our Love one towards another; there is no halfway point to loving our brothers and sisters; as if we go so far, and then the rest is up to them. Which, for the sake of argument, is the same in marriage; where there is no halfway point to me loving my wife! Thinking back to the things which I have lacked in doing, and the things which I have put before my 'devoted love' for my wife, I hurt inside; and when I say that I hurt inside, I mean that my soul groans in anguish from my actions, or lack of a love committed to completion. If you again do not see what my point is, then I am sorry for wasting your time; however, if you know what I am talking about, then listen to what I am about to say. When it comes to a husband loving his wife as Christ loved the church, look at the Suffering Servant, and see if there is anything that could stop His love from giving His ALL. When it comes to loving our brothers and sisters, look at the Suffering Servant, and see if His love had any form of compromise. I think you will see that the old saying, 'Love is a two way street', has no bearing in this matter at ALL... "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:16 & 17)

"In The Name of Love" - 3

Without warning, the simplest message can get really complex! Wow, I had no idea that this could be so hard. The reason that caring for one another in the way that I was trying to explain is so very important, is because of the strength gained in unity; not just unity of numbers, but the unity of the Holy Spirit. To understand the point that I am trying to make, we must go back to one of my previous statements: sin will hinder our ability to hear God's voice. What happens to our hearts when we are governed by God, is the strength to push forward, even though the way may seem difficult, or maybe even impossible. Okay, maybe I need to explain that in more practical terms. If we are able to hear God's voice clearly, and without doubting that it is His voice that we are hearing, then the path that we are on is made sure; regardless of the obstacles or mountains which we must climb along the way. However, if we are not hearing God's voice clearing, or even at all, then the path which we are on is unsure and full of doubt; which means that the peace that we should be enjoying in our lives is missing, or lacking the knowledge of God being in control. The unity of the Holy Spirit that I mentioned above, is the unity that comes to our spirit when we are actually loving our brothers and sisters with the heart of God. Yes, I do believe that we have the ability to love with the heart of God; which is the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Yet, that ability is not readily available unless we are yielded as in the example given by Jesus in the foot washing illustration. It really comes down to our ability to be humble enough to care for our brothers and sisters as much as is required to put their needs before those of our own; which might sometimes be harder than we might think... "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4 & 5)

"In The Name of Love" - 2

Now, if you thought I was going to start and compare Judas Iscariot with the wicked heart, well let's just say that I don't need to, because Jesus clarified that after, while they broke bread together. But what I believe Jesus is demonstrating in the foot washing example, is an act of compassion towards one another. It really comes down to caring for the burdens of one another; which are not necessarily the physical ones, but more the spiritual ones; the burdens that are carried due to sin. One of the problems that we are facing in our churches today has to do with caring for one another in a way that shows compassion. I know that some of you may wonder what I am talking about, but after you have been in leadership for ten or more years, you see things which go unnoticed in the general congregation. The reality is, that we spend more time talking about the sins of others, than praying for others that are dealing with sin. It is just that way because we are so sinful ourselves, that we get almost gleeful when others can be made to look worst. However, as I have said before, we are One in Christ Jesus, which means that when we hurt our brother or sister by our actions, which are mostly set against their good, then we are actually hurting ourselves in the process. If Jesus was actually demonstrating what I think that He was, then the act of caring for one another involves humility; which means to become lower in stature for the sake of another. In the culture of that time, those that would wash the feet of another, did it as an act of showing respect to the position which that person held over them. For example: if a nobleman came to your home for a visit, then out of respect for that position which they had over you, you would wash their feet as a sign of humility and servitude. This was the reason for Peter to have such a sharp rebuke for Jesus to wash his feet. We that are the Body of Christ have all been justified by the blood of Christ, which has washed our bodies in whole, including our very souls; however, the need to wash parts of the body will be a constant issue, and involves sanctification. Now then, the point of betrayal begins when a brother or sister confines in us a need for prayer or cleansing, and then we share that need with others. Maybe you don't quite see the connection between the betrayal of Jesus and the betrayal of a brothers trust. I think the reason that so many in leadership positions have such a battle with sin, is that they do not feel that they can share their burdens with others in confidence, because they know how things work in the 'network of the church'. Please don't get mad when I say this, but sharing a brother's burden with your wife is not keeping it to yourself!!! "Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for I Am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." (John 13:13-15)

"In The Name of Love"

If not for them, then do it for Jesus! Let's get one thing perfectly clear: What Jesus did on that cross was all about God's Love for us; therefore, it is on the basis of God's Love by which we are able to be made perfect. I know what you are thinking, 'Duh!' But the thing which we have a tendency to forget, is that our hearts are very deceitful and will live more towards the flesh side of a personal issue, in more times than not. Again, if we look at the example of Peter's reaction to Jesus in John 13, we can see that Peter's heart was more turned towards the physical side of the situation than towards the spiritual. Jesus on the other hand was trying to make another point which requires us to look beyond the physical, and even the emotional side of things, and to look towards the spiritual side of every issue. After Jesus had washed their feet, He asked them, "Know ye what I have done to you?" (John 13:12) Needless to say, they really did not understand what it was that He did; at least not then. But they would come to understand later, that the reason behind the Master and Lord of the universe humbling Himself on the floor to wash their feet, was in the name of Love. This is not an easy issue to put into a physical illustration, because it really involves spiritual principles; but the simplest term of what is being portrayed is 'others first'. And in the area of what Jesus came to portray, which was the Love of God towards men, we are to walk in that same example; which at times may be humbling and even feel a bit awkward; but if not for them, then we must do it for Jesus. If you think that this is not that big of an issue, then think again; because woven into this example of humility, is also the harsh reality of betrayal...

"Giving Up To God" - 2

Why would I have concern about hearing God's voice? Okay, let me phrase that a little different, like, why would I not be able to discern His voice? There is something which can come between me and my God, and it is called sin. But, you might ask, didn't Jesus die on the cross for all of our sins? To which, I would answer, most definitely!!! However, there must be a washing away of all that sin; and sometimes it might require a foot washing somewhere down the road. No, scratch that; it will require a foot washing down the road! We have to realize more than anything else, that we will get dirty, and when we do, we are going to require a washing; not another rebirth, but a time of surrender, where we give whatever it is up to God. This is so very important, because that sin which we have picked up and that we are clinging to (or clinging to us), will disrupt our ability to hear God's voice. In fact; I will go as far as to say, that if left alone for too long, the ability to hear from God will be greatly hindered. Does that mean beyond repair? No, not at all; because our God is in the business of restoration; but you sure could find yourself stuck out in the wilderness for a while. This example that Jesus gives in John 13 about the washing of His disciple's feet has a couple different meanings; but the most important one is about the need to be cleansed of the traveling sins; which are the sins we pick up as we walk with the Lord. I know that might sound a little contradicting; and how can we walk with the Lord yet still pick up sins? Because we can, and we do! Remember that sin is more than the actual act of sinning, but can also include the things we hold in our hearts; things which we might hold against our brothers and sisters in Christ. Am I saying that the things we hold in hearts against our brother or sister will hinder our hearing from the Lord? Wow, you are a genius!!! "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is Love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." (2 John 4-6)

"Giving Up To God"

The key to a heart of surrender is to give up to God; for my life to be God's way and not my way. My way is based on the physical surroundings of my world, and how I might change them. God's way is based of the spiritual and how His Spirit might change me, no matter what my physical surroundings are, or might become. Why is this so? Because in the spiritual world the physical really does not matter all that much! Having thought about that for a little while, I can only wonder how many times I have made a choice by what I see instead of by faith. I know that my first intuition in most matters is to go for the way that looks most pleasing to the eyes, or to step in the direction which looks least intimidating. But with God, that is not always the best path to take, and more times than not, will take me down a path where my flesh gets feed more than my spirit. Now, the reason I feel that this subject is even worth talking about, is that I have been torn lately between several different directions, in almost every area of my life. I think this is a good thing, at least I hope it is; I am defiantly seeking the Lord more for the way He is leading me; which at times is hard to determine. And it is for that reason that I know I must take care to listen to the voice of God and not the voice inside my head! How do I know when the voice I hear is the voice of God? That is not a rhetorical question; but is one that must be answered. You would think that after almost thirty years of walking with the Lord, that I would be able to discern His voice; but I can say with a very honest heart that I have trouble sometimes listening. So my next question that I need to ask, is that if there is a difference between hearing and listening? Well, the first 'know' which Jesus uses as He tells Peter, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter", is a word that describes an ability to see, or to perceive and understand: As I have listened to my own question, I have perceived that I really do not understand; therefore, I knowest not the answer! This 'know' is also the very same know in the following statement, which Jesus made to the five foolish virgins: "Verily I say to you, I know you not (you are not related to me)." (Matthew 25:12)

"To Know God's Rich Mercy"

'You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?' Basically there are a few different meanings to the word know, and some actually are the result of knowing, while others are more of the practice of knowing of. I know that you have heard the talk and walk statement before, but have you ever wondered how it could relate to knowing Jesus? There is a reason for the 'Rich' in the way I have been expressing God's Mercy, and it has to do with what you know; because when we do know His Mercy, not just knowing of it, but knowing it because we live it, then we also realize that it far out ways everything else. No fear of man or praise of man can stand up against the Mercy of our God, and what His mercy brings. With that in mind, let me refresh your memory to the meaning of 'Agape' and how God's Love meets our individual lives; because the meaning involves God's willful direction toward man, and Him doing what He knows is best for us and not necessarily what we desire. Can we say that about any other? No, I don't think that we can; because those that we would try and please here on this earth, would be more incline to want what is best for them, above what is best for us. Besides, they do not know all that God knows, so why should we put any stock in their praises. Yet, this is the direction that many of our brothers and sisters go; where the praises of men are more valuable than the praise of God; and for what? a few moments of fellowship; shallow fellowship that does not provide a lick of redeeming value. A good example of what I am talking about could be found in John 13, where we find Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. In verse 6 we see Jesus come to Peter, and Peter say, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?"; and Jesus answered in verses 7, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter". The 'knowest' and the 'know' are two very different words, with two very different meanings; both are the result of knowing, yet are the result of two separate ways to gain that knowledge. While we are His children we will gain knowledge of Him and His love for us; when we became His child we were brought to the knowledge of Him and how much He loves us. One way is the result of living in Him, and the other is the result of Him living in us; both are the result of a heart that surrenders!!!

"Knowing of His Rich Mercy" - 2

As I was saying, it is really quite a shame that a man would forfeit all that God's Rich Mercy brings for the safety of his environment or stature. But what is even worst than that, is when someone would put the fear of being called out in church, or even thrown out of church, ahead of the chance to be made right with God! Churches are a place where people are to come together to fellowship not only with each other, but to fellowship in the act of corporate praise and worship to the very God who made them; yet when we do not believe in the saving power of the One who redeemed us, then to whom are we worshipping? Okay; let me put it another way; something a little less wordy: the church is not what saves you, Jesus is; and until you accept that, then you really are not worshipping God! "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:44-46) It is one thing to deny that you are in darkness, which many people do; but it is all together something else to deny the One who can pull you out of the darkness that you do not think you are in. Until we can see Jesus for the mighty work that He has done, then we are not able to comprehend the richness of God's Mercy; and until we accept that His work was meant for us, personally, then we are blind to the Love of God...

"Knowing of His Rich Mercy"

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed." (Isaiah 53:1) Part of the power to save is in the Knowledge of His Salvation; the other part comes by applying it to yourself! I can tell you about Jesus and what He did on that cross till I am blue in the face, but until you accept it, and believe that it was for you that He died, you will not Know of His power to save. There is a burden that we bare, unlike anything else which is known to this world; a burden of sin that separates us from the One who created our very soul. This type of burden, although masked by the burdens and cares of this life, is only noticed by the one who can see the power to be saved from it. In other words; we can not believe how separated we are until we can see what was required to make us whole. This was a major problem for the Jew in the time of Jesus, and is still a problem today; that people would forfeit the power of His Rich Mercy in an effort to appear as though they did not need it. What a shame!!! "But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed Him not: that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him. Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praises of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:37-43)

"Singing of God's Rich Mercy"

"Behold My Servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: so shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider." (Isaiah 52:13-15) Back in the days, before Jesus died on the cross, this passage of Scripture might not have made much sense; but that all changed on the very special day. There is something else which we must consider about that verse 54:1, and the aspect of not being able to bear; because, as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 7:13 & 14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it". The reason that we must take this into consideration is because of our inability to get it right; which means that we are not able to get pure enough to please God; nor are we able to become Holy enough to enter into His presence. Yet, there are many who will pursue that road, and will, if I may, try to 'travail with child' in the pursuit of godliness. As we look at the Servant mentioned in Isaiah 52:13, we can realize now that He is Jesus Christ; and as the Scripture says, He "shall deal prudently". At the risk of seeming wise or prudent myself (which I am not), let me say that 'perfect love' plays perfectly into this passage of Scripture; and as I said yesterday, to understand the concept of having joy though a trial we must have a clue of the outcome. The word 'prudently' comes from the Hebrew word "sakhal' which for the purpose of this particular verse, it means knowing the reason for something; which is the thing that drove Jesus to the cross, because He knew what the outcome would be, and why He was here: that God's Rich Mercy could do for us what we could never do on our own...