"Faint Not; Man Up"

"Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it." (Job 40:1 & 2) We have covered this section of scripture before, but now I wanted to look at it from a little different angle. Please believe me when I say 'I am not picking on Job', I really just want to use what he went through to illustrate a point; it just so happens that Job is the best illustration, because he did nothing wrong to deserve what he suffered through, and yet there was wrong brought out of him. Again, if you remember the word for 'Instruct' used here in this opening verse is 'Yissor', and this word only occurs once, right here. It means a reprover, a blamer, one who rebukes; in this text, God is asking Job to take a moment and consider the big picture; to basically step back from not only his suffering, but also from his questions; and to consider the magnitude of God. This is not a rebuke by God of Job, but rather He is trying to get Job in the right perspective; to get him to a place where he can actually see how Big and Powerful the Almighty really is. What a place to be! Nothing can compare to the vastness of God; and when we are focused on this, everything else fades away. In knowing this, and the fact that we are a part of His overall plan, we can then see ourselves in a different light also; Why? Because this bigger picture is eternal and is bigger than anything of this world; and there we are also, within His eternity. Now remember Job's response to God's instruction: "Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further." This word 'Vile' which Job uses, is 'to be small', which means that compared to the vastness of God, how can we compare; or better yet, how can our small suffering compare to His great glory. And yet, when we are going through something, even something that may compare to what Job went through, we must remember that this is just a piece of dust in the universe of God; really, how can it compare? And yet, there we are also, within that universe of God, as saints; chosen vessels that have a place with Him for all eternity. To what should we put our glory in; this or that? "Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul my judgement? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? Hast thou an arm like God? Or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty." (Job 40:6-10)

"Faint Not; Be Profitable" 2

Here is a quote that you may have heard, "Never Let a Good Crisis go to Waste". Now where have you heard that? Well not that I agree with those that said it, or why they said it; but I think it really points to what I said yesterday about Job, and his missed opportunity. I was not there, so I can not testify about what happen; but I kind of wonder why his three friends showed up, and exactly how long he was sitting there on the ground. Listen, this was a moment to give God everything that he had left in him; why is that? Really, what did he have left to do that would make things seem better, than to give God glory. It's kind of like what Pastor Gene says, "It's easier to give God the Glory, than to take the blame". Here we have a man who served God, and believed enough to offer sacrifice for his children's secret sins of their hearts, and trusted God to take care of them; but yet when all is striped away, he forgets that God takes care of him also. Again, I am not judging Job, his three friends did enough of that; but on the other hand, this was a time which would have been best served to give God glory, than if he had just won the lottery. Why would I say that? There are people who watch our lives! This is more important than you may know; but there are people around us, who want to believe that there is more to this life; and they look to you to prove it! "Show me the money"; that is what they are saying! Let me see the proof in your life that there is a God that you believe in, then I will believe what you say is true. What does it mean to be 'Salt' and 'Light'? To be testimonies of God's kingdom; even though we may not feel things are going great in our lives right here, right now, we must not faint; because when we do, we give the enemy what he wants. I don't think that Satan went before God anymore about Job after he sat on the ground; he did not need to, because Job had stopped praising God, and had started his pity party. Sure, there were things that he said while seated on the ground that gave praise to God, but really, how can you give God praise with your lips, while with your actions you show forth a heart of despair? I think people watching our lives want to see a little more proof than that. They want to see God matters more; they really want to believe that there is a God, and that what He offers means more than this life; but from where will they see it? Not from our rejoicing in our wealth! But from our rejoicing in how Great our God is, even after all has been striped away! That shows them that there is more, and that we believe it!!! "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and the length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19)

"Faint Not; Be Profitable"

"His Lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: Thou oughest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:26-30) This scripture is not being given to compare what Job went through to the 'Slothful Servant'; well, maybe just a little. And it is not that I am picking on Job, or anything like that; I am only trying to put forth a point: That what we do by our actions matter 'for' or 'against' the Kingdom of God, and where we want to be is on the 'for' side; in other words, we want to be profitable for the Kingdom. However, when we are slothful in our service to God, we are not profitable, but actually hinder the work of God; How is that? Okay, let's take a little look at Job (not to pick on him), to demonstrate a point that there was an opportunity to give God great glory in his sufferings, which was passed up, and may have even been counter productive. Because the suffering that Job went through with the lose of his livestock, children, and his health, all could have given God glory by Job staying strong and making those things lost count for the Kingdom of God. Listen, I am not trying to say that Job did terrible before the Lord by sitting on the ground and having a pity party; I would have most likely done the same thing; however, what I am saying, is that the damage done to the testimony of what matters most can be collateral damage; because those people who are watching your life, really start paying attention to what you do when you are going through something. Why is that important? Because it is at those times when our testimony of what we believe matters most, that's why!!! Really, I mean that! You can say you trust God and believe in Him for your eternal life and happiness all day long when things are good, and people will say, 'That's nice'; but you keep saying it, and acting like you mean it when things are bad, and people take notice. You can only keep what you give away!!! Three really is no better way to put it; there is nothing of this world that is profitable for His Kingdom; but what we do have is what we have been given, and sometimes that includes opportunities to give Him glory. Again; here is a portion of the verse I closed with yesterday; see if it makes a little more sense: "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." (Ephesians 3:13)

"Faint Not; Be Very Bold"

"The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets." (Proverbs 26:13) There is something the happens to the heart of a man when he becomes fainthearted, he loses something which is natural to a man. When I look at Job, I have to wonder at what point in his trial did he lose heart; was it at the point when he sat on the ground and covered himself in ashes; or was at the point when his wife said, 'Curse God and die'? He replied to his wife that which was good, but one can only wonder whether or not he had taken it to heart; because even though he rebuked his wife, "Thou speaketh as a foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" Yet in a very short while, this is almost his attitude: To curse the day he was born and anything else that had anything to do with that day. He actually did not curse God, but he cursed everything about God and His creation; Is there a difference? Basically what I am saying, is that at what point did Job come to a point where the things which are of the present mattered more than the eternal. Actually I believe it was at the point when he sat on the ground in ashes, and started scraping his boils; what his wife said to him was only confirmation of the obvious: Job had given up. There was something which drove Job before, which had been removed: Boldness, 'parresia': Freedom or frankness in speaking; confidence, particularly in speaking: Holding fast our Hope, which entails a special exercise of Faith. Job had devoted his life to praying and offering sacrifice for his children, continually he did this; Why? Because he believed that he could intercede on behalf of them; he believed that he could offer sacrifice for their wrong they committed in their hearts, "for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts'. So again, let me ask, What motivated Job to offer sacrifices for his children? Wasn't it his belief in the God he served to be merciful and to honor his sacrifices; and also his belief in something which is far greater than what is seen? This which had motivated him to go before God on behalf of his children, was not just a small thing; it was passion; it was motivated by love; and it was boldness towards God. Yet, that was what left him when he sat on the ground; his eternal perspective had changed to looking upon the now. Am I putting Job down? No, not in anyway; I am just stating that he was putting forth the obvious, so much so, that his wife stated what she saw; a broken man. Now, contrast this with the brokenness of Christ on the cross; there was only one outburst of remorse, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken ME". Yet, His outburst was not given in response to His situation out of faintheartedness, but was rather given to proclaim what was done, because after that He proclaimed, "It is Finished". Boldness: to proclaim openly what you know to be true!!! "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all man see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith in Him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." (Ephesians 3:8-13)

"Faint Not"

When you look up the word 'Faint' in the Greek, there are two basic meanings or words which describe it; both are very similar, but they speak to different levels of fainting. One speaks of loosing heart, or soul, or courage (ekkakeo); the other speaks of loosing strength, or to grow weary (ekluo). Both of these are things which we do not want to let happen in our walk, and in our service to the Lord; but I think that the first is the worst. Let me tell you why: The second sign of fainting has to do with being discouraged, or exhausted by a trail or tribulation; like to have fatigue due to labor; to be weary. This is the 'Faint' that is used in Hebrews 12:3 & 12:5; "For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him." We know that the Word says not to faint in these type of situations, but yet, many of us do, if only for a short while; and when we do, there is really not to much harm done. We might show a sign of discouragement, or maybe hide under the covers for a day or two; but we really have not caused in any collateral damage. However, this other sign of fainting, now that is a horse of a different color. This is the 'Faint' that is used in 2 Corinthians 4:1, 4:16, and Ephesians 3:13; "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;" "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." All of these uses of the word faint, refer to faintheartedness; it is also to grow weary, just as the other faint was; but that one referred to the body growing weary, as by fatigue; this is speaking about our heart growing weary, and our lose of courage. This one can cause collateral damage, because when we grow weary in this way, we can begin to become slothful in our duty to the Lord, and we can begin to lose our courage to share when prompted to share. Both of these faints can be cured through prayer; but 'ekluo' requires us also letting go and letting God; while 'ekkakeo' requires commitment and faith. In 2 Corinthians 4:1, Paul is speaking about how people read our lives, and the great hope we have that is set before us. Just as when Moses came down from the mountain and the children of Israel could not behold his face; there is something which should be glorious about us, and the hope that we before us. This type of glory causes us to never give up, and yet when we do faint in this area, it is because we have lose sight of the glory! "Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:14-18)

"Ordained = Design"

The word for 'Ordain' in the Greek is 'Tithemi'; which has a basic meaning: To set, put, place, or lay. Particularly, to set, put, place, or lay a person or thing; as to set food on a table. It also means to purpose, propose, or design: To lay upon, or attribute something to someone. Without getting into some major discussion on how we were chosen, or whether or not we have a choice in the matter, I believe that we are chosen by God before we were even born. How that all works out, is really something which will be revealed in the end, but for now, we must just know that He has chosen us. And because He has chosen us, He has ordained us for His specific purpose; which really means, that He causes the things which we go through to work towards the purpose that He has ordained. Now, I know that some things which I go through, or get into, are not specifically good for my walk in Him, but somehow, He will cause that too to be turned towards the good. How that works, I really don't think we can figure out, especially while we are going through it. But we must know, and believe that we are His children; and as His children, just like our own children, sometimes we do the wrong things, or make the wrong choices. When we do, it is as if God is saying, "Okay, so you want to see where this will lead you; let Me instruct you". On the other hand, His purpose for our lives are worked out in us, even through the things which He may not have wanted us to go through; but rather what He will allow us to go through. When I look back upon my life as a whole, there are a lot of things which I wish I had never done; and I am sure that He also wishes that too; but whatever, I am still His child, and He is mindful of the things which I go through, and ultimately He is in control. Because of this fact, we can bring forth fruit; fruit which brings Him glory; which is not based upon the things which we do, but is based upon the grace we have been given. It really comes down to a life that is surrendered to Him, and for His purpose for our lives. When we make the wrong choices, He reminds us through those things that we must be surrendered to His will; so, although it may not specifically be for the good, it will work towards the good in the long run. Our God is a really Big God!!! "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth Fruit, and that your Fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give to you." (John 15:16)

"What A Trip"

I am back home, and you may not have even known I was gone; but I took a 7,000 mile trip in the RV. It was to have lasted 21 days, but the RV broke down in Florida for 4 days; which was really quite interesting. We had a chance to meet some very wonderful people along the way, but I think the period of time when we were broke down was the most interesting. The problem with the RV was a fluke, and something the Ford service people called 'a known problem'; but apparently it was known only by them, because no one else could figure it out. After driving through a heavy rain storm east of Tallahassee, the RV acted as if it was out of gas, but more like it was not getting the proper gas supply. My very first thought was that it was the fuel filter; others thought that it was the fuel pump; but that did not make sense because the pressure to the fuel injectors was adequate. And during the first pressure test at the injectors, water was discovered in the line; which made us think that there might be water in the gas tank. But after pulling the new filter that I installed, the contents were found to be only gas. When we first broke down I called my GMAC insurance company, which arranged for a tow; however, Florida law is the no one can be in the RV as it is being towed, so they tried to find transport for my wife. I guess they could not find a Medi-Van, because after about a half hour a ambulance showed up, and instructed me that they had to transport her to the hospital; because that was protocol. I was not having that, and told them that I would walk her to the place where the RV was being taken. At which time they got on the horn with their captain, and it was decided that they would follow the RV to where it was going; Defuniak Springs, Florida, to Triangle Chevrolet. The EMTs stayed with us there on the side of the road for over an hour, until the tow truck showed up, and the RV was being transported. Then Marianne, Laura, myself and one of the EMTs road in the back of the ambulance behind the RV. My generator had quit working the week prior, so we needed to find a place to plug into for power. Just so happened that there was a Spanish Evangelical Church (Iglesia Canaan) right across the street from the dealer. One of the EMTs asked them if we could plug into their church, and they said we could; then he also asked the person who owned a antique store next to their building, if we could park in their lot, they also said it was alright. So, I had to drive the RV around the block to get into the lot; which went pretty good at about 2 miles an hour, until I started to go uphill. Then about 6 brothers from the church got behind the RV and pushed us the rest of the way. After getting hooked into power and situated, it was time for church, which started at 7:30 pm. I was able to get Marianne ready, and the three of us went to church. We could not really understand the words to the songs, or the messages that were being given, but we were all praising the same God, and the Spirit was moving. Service lasted over 2 and a half hours, and was not going to be over until all three of us were forward at the alter being anointed and prayed over. It was a very special time of worship, and even though I could not understand the words, I understood the message; Holiness. Which gave me inspiration for the next days Blog, "Peace By A Holy God". Then we went to church again on Sunday at 2:30, and again, we could not understand the words, but I definitely understood the message; "Abiding In Christ", taken from John chapter 15. This morning I was looking back on the adventure, and I could not help but wonder; is it "For" or "Towards", or maybe both? After all, "All" does mean ALL!

"Live Jesus"

I have heard it said, That it is not what you know, but who you know that will get you furthest in life. Well truth be told, that is true for eternal life also. Because it is how much you know that matters, but what really matters is that you know Jesus. The more we learn and know, the more confused we get by knowledge, and what little we truly know. But if we know Jesus, or anything about Jesus; then we would know how He ministered, and how, and where He performed His greatest work. And when we come together in the sanctuary on Sunday, or Saturday, or whatever day it is for you, we come together to celebrate what Jesus has done; but if we want to see Jesus, then we need to live Jesus; because where Jesus did most of His work, was outside the Camp... "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines: for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name. But to do good and communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." (Hebrews 13:9-16)

"The Joy In Living Right" - 2

Really it is all about Love! Jesus is still asking, "Do you Love Me? He asked Peter this three times, and many agree that it was because Peter denied Jesus three times the night He was arrested. However, I believe it was for another reason also that He asked him three times: For Peter's three part role in the church; as a Shepard, Pastor, and Teacher; for Jesus had instructed Peter when He first meet him that he would be a 'rock, upon which He would build His church'. Where Jesus was the Rock, and Peter, He referred to as the little rock, or stone. Today, Jesus is still asking us the same question: "Do you Love Me?"; only this question is based upon our ability to love Him more than those things which cause us to be moved away from Him. Have you ever denied Jesus? I know I have. I have denied Him in my public appearances; doing the wrong things, in the wrong places. These are things which cause others to stumble, and make the power of God of less importance in the eyes of those that witness my conduct. We must always remember that we are called to be Light and Salt; which means that we must live our lives to shine and enhance the power of God in our lives, for other to see and to taste. "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:7 & 8)

"The Joy In Living Right"

The reason that we will have Joy in living right, is because we will not be ashamed; it really is hard to experience joy within your heart, when you are all covered in shame. But this is the reason that Jesus wants us to live rightly, so that we are free from the shame we might otherwise feel, and that causes us to not be honest with ourselves and with Him. It really is all about relationship; our relationship with our Lord, and our relationship with our brothers and sisters. We must live our lives in such a way that we care for those relationships; that we care for them so much, we are willing to forsake the things which we may want, in order to further our relationships with one another. It is doing this that will bring us Joy within our selves; which is added to the Joy the Lord has given unto us. It's like this: His Joy is given by our knowledge of who He is, and what He has done for us; our Joy is produced by our response to Him, and our desire to live rightly. We might not think that giving up what we want will bring us joy, but it will; anytime we give of ourselves, we will experience more joy; Why is that? Because we are actually experiencing His Love as we do it, which in turn brings more joy. Again, it all goes back to the Living Waters; for the water to be living, it must flow: so for us to experience the Joy, Peace, Love and Grace of the Lord, they must flow through us: From Him, into us, and unto others. It's not rocket science, but it is out of this world! "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:1-6)

"The Joy In The Lord"

There is something though that requires us to stay faithful to the Lord, and to not lust after the things of this world: He calls us Friend! Do you remember how you would sneak around and keep things from your parents as a child? It kind of is only natural that we do these things; even when we become adults, we can keep things from our spouses, our children, and even our employers; as though we are hiding something about ourselves, which makes us feel in some way that we have a little advantage over those people: "I know something you don't know". Well guess what: With Jesus, that does not work. And better yet, He does not do that with us either. In John 15:15, Jesus says, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friend; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you." Because He calls us Friend, we have a closer relationship with Him than if He were just Lord; because as just Lord, He becomes standoffish; which means that we will feel intimindated by His presents. Herein is His Joy bestowed upon us: Because He has Joy for us, and for our friendship, we can share in that Joy through the friendship that He offers to us. Okay, maybe a little clearer, please? It's like when you have a certain friend, that no matter what you might feel like, or how sad you might be; as soon as you get around that person, they cheer you up; it's just something about them that causes their joy to rub off on you, and you walk away from your visit feeling happy. This is how He wants us to feel with Him; as we meet with Him and talk with Him, and experience our friendship together, and our friendship with one another in Him; we are to be partaking in His Joy. What happens to us when we partake of His Joy? WE EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE! And when we experience His Love, we produce fruit abundantly. And when we produce fruit abundantly, the Father is glorified!!! "This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My Friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:12-14)

"The Joy Of The Lord"

There is something which must be present in our lives which demonstrates that we are abiding in Him, and He in us: His Joy! This is what He places within us as soon as we come to Him, and it will remain within us as long as we are abiding in Him. So then, What can cause us to not be abiding in Him? Lust for one; pride can do it also; but I think lust is twice as enticing, because there are two types: the lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes. In John 15:6, Jesus says, "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Not to much to have joy about if you are the one cast off; right? But, what Jesus is saying is that this is the result of not abiding in Him. Because when we do not abide in Him, one of the first things to depart from us is our joy; and I did say our joy; there is a difference. His joy is complete and unchanging; our joy is only complete when it is based upon His joy remaining in us, and we remaining in it. The reason that Joy is one of the first fruits to depart from us when we begin to lust, is that we are replacing the eternal things with temporary things, in our heart; and when this happens, one of the greatest sources of our joy is everlasting life in Jesus. This is changed within our hearts when we begin to lust after other things; things that are temporary, and of this world, instead of having our hearts set upon the things which are eternal. When that happens, our joy becomes as fleeing as those things which we have our heart set upon. However, the Joy of the Lord will remain in us, and will only be experienced when we put down those things and return to Him; if we do not put down those things, we will become withered; which is just a dried up branch that is laying on the ground; not a good place to be... "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My Love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My Love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His Love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My Joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:7-11)

"Abiding In Christ"

"I am the True Vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (John 15:1 & 2) Jesus is the True Vine; to be acquainted with all that He is we must be attached; just as a branch is attached to the vine. It is really not that had to figure out; Really! The branch can not survive when it is detached from it's source of life. To experience the Peace, Joy, Faith and Love of the Lord, we must be attached to Him. Here in John 15, Jesus speaks about how this is so very vital to our relationship with Him and with the Father. He refers to the Father as the husbandman, which means the gardener or farmer; the keeper of the garden. And as such, He performs the tasks of the Husbandman of His Garden; one of which is getting rid of the dead branches that do not produce fruit. Another is purging the good branches; which means pruning; which again, is the chastising of God upon His children. This pruning is done to obtain the growth to the branches which produce the most fruit, and yet will not cause the branch to break, or the hinder the growth of the tree. Much like a tree that is pruned, this requires cutting away parts which may appear healthy, but that could take growth away from other areas that need it more. Sometimes these areas may even seem important to those that do not understand husbandry (gardening), because they can not see what is going to be achieved by what seems like such drastic pruning. But the husbandman knows best what is best for the whole tree, and for the fruit which will be produced. This is why it is so very vital that we continue to Abide in Christ; for He is the True Vine, and if we are not abiding and producing fruit in Him, we will be removed and counted as a dead branch. As long as we are Abiding in Christ we will produce the Fruit that is pleasing to the Father. If we are attached to the Vine and not bearing Fruit, it is because we have been Abiding in Him; for He says, "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:3-5)

"Peace By A Holy God"

"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:3-6) Holiness: There is a certain kind of Peace that can only come from serving a Holy God; this is a Peace which can not be moved by even the threat of a horrible death: Because we know how Holy God is, and because He requires all of our reverence and all of our worship. However, when we are serving other gods (which is to have another god before Him), we can not begin to really experience this peace that is not moved by anything (including a horrific death). Why is that you might ask? Because, to be sure of God's power to deliver us, or sustain us, we must be sure of His Holiness; and we can not be sure of His Holiness if we are not living as though we believe it to be so. Now, maybe you think you can pass the test; Do You? If we think we can, maybe we should really check ourselves, because from where I see things, if we can get so bent out of shape and distorted from godliness over such little things, which are not life threatening, then what will we do when our lives are threatened? Really: What do you think that you would do? Would you have the Peace within you to say, "Bring it!"? Would you have the Peace enough to not bow down to any other? In Daniel 3:10-18, we see a story of three of God's servants; who for no fault of their own, were actually serving King Nebuchadnezzer, and had been placed over the affairs of the province of Babylon. The king had made a decree, that everyone must bow down and worship the image the he had set up whenever the music was played. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego refused to bow down and worship his image; even though the king had made a decree, and whosoever did not bow down would be thrown alive into the fiery furnace. When the king heard of this, he was upset with their actions, and summonsed them, asking: "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego? Do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:14 & 15) Now for some, this would be a time for a testing of their faith, which it was for these three, in a way; however, it was their Peace in knowing the God that they served that was the real issue here; because for these three, it did not matter whether or not God would deliver them; what mattered most to them, was that He was Holy, and that they would worship non other. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:16-18) This is where the rubber meets the road for what we believe about God; because these three were not concerned about whether or not God was going to deliver, but more importantly, they were concerned about offending a jealous God; and because they were, they had a Peace which had been supplied to them by a God who does not change, and who is Holy!!! "See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For Our God Is A Consuming Fire." (Hebrews 12:25-29)

"Peace With A Holy God"

As I was reading the remaining verses in Hebrews 12, I could not get the story of when David was bringing the Ark into Zion (Jerusalem, The City of David) out of my head. I have shared on this before, but there is something which needs to be expressed in that illustration: Our approach to A Holy God. If you know the story, you might recall that David's first attempt was failed by the death of Uzzah, whom God smote for touching the Ark as he tried to stabilize it when it crossed Nachon's threshingfloor. When David first attempted to move the Ark, he placed it on a new cart and played music with all sorts of instruments as they traveled down the road; he felt peace in being able to move the Ark of God in whatever manor possible. But yet, as soon as Uzzah was slain, he no longer wanted anything to do with the Ark, and was displeased with God. What David had forgotten was how Holy God is, and how vital it is to adhere to God's Word. But later after hearing of how the Ark caused whoever had it to prosper, David had a change of heart, and then he realized that this task of moving the Ark of God must be performed as God has specified in His Word, and that it must be done with reverence. In doing so, David not only experienced Peace with a Holy God, but he experience Joy beyond containment; he danced before the Lord with all his might. This is how we must remember to approach God, for we are called to be Holy before our God; and what makes us Holy before Him is to adhere to His Word; which means to hold fast to His Word; which also includes The Word, which is Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus that we have access to the Father, and we must never forget that. His sacrifice has made it possible for us to enter the Hollies of Holy, which is where the Ark dwells; and it is only Jesus that gives us the right to approach where we otherwise would not be allowed to go. This is the access we have been given to our Father; not like an unapproachable God, where we must beg, or seek His permission to enter in; but as long as we approach Him through His Word (Jesus), then we have free access to His throne; and we can enter in with Peace, not being ashamed or fearful. "(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of the sprinkling, that speeketh better than the things of Abel." (Hebrews 12:20-24)

"Peace With God"

However; we can not forget about the chastening of God upon His children; which does not mean that we have necessarily done anything wrong, but just that we are not perfect; yet! And it is not as though He expects us to be perfect, but to know how perfect He is and how imperfect we really are. In knowing this we are made aware of how much He loves and cares for us; because in spite of who we are He still died for us! This is what we must come to realize: That we have peace with God, not because of who we are, but because we are His children through who Christ is; and we are not His children because of what we do, but because of what Christ did. In so knowing this, we are naturally drawn to be as Christ was and to act as a child of God. But of course we can not be as He was, because He was perfect and sinless; which is why He was counted worthy to pay the price for our sins: He that knew no sin, took on sin, that we could be made perfect. Now; it is because of this perfect condition that we have been given that we are chastised; not for the lack of the perfectness that is in us, but for the perfectness of His Son, and His desire for us; not to necessarily live perfect, of which He does not expect, but to know what perfect is, and to try to attain it as we strive to draw closer to Him. But yet through all of our attempts to attain, we still have peace with Him, and yet not because we have attained, but because Christ has attained for us. And in knowing this we strive all the more to hold onto our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the Way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." (Hebrews 12:11-16)

"Peace In God"

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) This Jesus told his disciples the night He was arrested, knowing full well all that was going to happen; but they still did not have a clue. Even though He had been instructing them about those events which were going to take place, they just could not understand what it all meant. When Jesus said, "I have overcome the world", what a shock it must have been to them in the hours to follow, that He would be arrested, and then go through all that He did; all the way to and on the cross. And yet He instructed them to "Be of Good Cheer". This is a prime example of what "All Things" mean; for when God says "All" He means "All"; what better picture can we have of how this present suffering can lead to good, then the illustration that Jesus provided to them on this night. If we ever think that we are suffering through something, and that we can not see how it is working for the good, we must remember what He suffered through for us, and how lost and alone His disciples felt after His death on the cross. Sure, we might have some trials here and there, but what they would suffer through later in their lives was death and punishment; and yet, they would all have peace through it all. Why? The Holy Ghost is why! The Comforter, which is given unto us all, is the One that gives us that Peace which will bring us through any and all of what the world can bring against us. We so often forget that He is in us as we face whatever trial it is that we are going through; and more than that, we forget that He is there to comfort us in our sufferings. Really, I think it is not that we forget, but that we are so focused on our situation, that we do not give Him a chance to really comfort us. Because to feel His comfort, we must take our minds off of our situation and put it upon Him, which is sometimes not easy to do while we are suffering through something. Maybe it is because we might feel that we are being punished by God for something, or that, what we are going through is the result of sin. But Jesus said, "In this world you will have tribulation", and He said that for a reason, so that we would know that we are suffering because He suffered; and yet we are to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Because we are in God, we will share in His suffering; but because He is in us, we will also overcome; therefore we must be of good cheer and believe that "All" means "All": period! "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

"Peace Like A River From God"

There is finally The River it's self, which flows directly from God. This Peace is nothing like anything that the world can give us, because it is given to us from our justification with God through Jesus Christ. Where we are in a right standing with God because of forgiveness of sin that we have received from our Lord and Saviour. This Peace can not be moved by the world, or anything else that would come against us. It is the Living Water that flows from the throne of God into and through our lives which supplies this Peace, which is the same River that is what John saw flowing from the throne in Heaven; and it is for those that are His children to experience now, as we live in this life. Why is that? Because God is eternal, and so is His Love for us, and with that Love comes His Peace; wherein that, because we know we are loved by Him we can experience the Peace of God now, and not just in our final destination. This is what God would want us to partake in: His Rest; which is available now for those that choose to receive it. When the Bible speaks about 'Today being the Day of Salvation' it includes all the benefits that come with that Salvation; for we are given a place in Heaven as soon as we come to the Lord, and because that place has been established we can experience the Peace that comes with it. 'Blessed Assurance' means the we are assured of the blessing of His Peace and His Love. Nothing can take that away from us, absolutely nothing. Yet so many times we accept the lie that His grace is somehow dependent upon our own merits; when in Truth, it is only upon the merits of Jesus Christ by which we are saved; and our only choice is to believe in Him for our Salvation. So many false religions and doctrines have been established because many just can not accept His Gift of Salvation without putting upon it the works of their own. And many will not be able to experience this Peace which He provides, because they have placed upon themselves additional merits to His acceptance as His children. But when we walk in His assurance, we can believe the 'All things work for the good' without wavering from that fact, because we know that it is not because of what we do, but because of what He did, that we are Saved!!! "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Romans 5:1-5)

"Peace Like A River" - 3

Great News my Brothers and Sisters; There is yet another thing that the Peace our Lord gives that is like a Mighty River: Still Waters Run Deep! That's right: How Deep is His Love for us? How Great is His Protection over our Souls? There is simply no way to measure how much He cares for us! If you have ever been River Rafting you would understand this simulation. When the river is shallow the current is very fierce and dangerous; it is apparent from far off that you are heading into a really rough ride. When we are seated in Christ Jesus, although the ride may seem very rough and tosses us to and fro, He has us in His Mighty Hands; those hands that bear the scars of what He did on Calvary. He will not let us go, nor forsake us; and it is that assurance we have in Him that gives us peace through the fiercest of rapids. Then like a mighty calm, we are through the rapids, which are like the trials we face in our lives; and when we come through them, our relationship with our Lord is deeper than ever before, with a soothing peace that is almost tranquil. It is in these times of tranquil peace that we feel the His Breath; hear His Voice; and can even see His Face as we just Rest in Him. In Psalms 34: 11-14 David declares a Psalm of Deliverance, and within these few little verses, God packs a powerful punch to something that many times holds us back from experiencing His Peace: "Come, ye children, hearken unto Me: I will teach you to fear the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace , and pursue it." I am sorry, but it is really true that sometimes when we are going through something which we can not handle, we have a tendency to want to pull others along with us. It may not even seem to us that this is happening; and many times it will not even be apparent to others, even those that we are pulling. But it is our tendency to speak ill of others as we are being persecuted; as if to bring others down will somehow make us feel a little better in our suffering. This is not good, and really causes our conquest for peace to be that much further from us. God's desire for us, is that we would seek peace and pursue it, especially through the times where we may feel attacked and persecuted. Those are the times of our testing, and during them we are to be vigilant to obey what God has instructed us in, no matter how much we think that others are to blame for our suffering. "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel (your name) say; If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalms 124)

"Peace Like A River" - 2

There is another thing that the Peace the Lord gives to us that is in common with a River, and that is the undercurrent. For there is an underlying Peace which we have in Him that is not seen from the surface; but it is felt from deep within. It is such a Peace that sometimes we know we should be feeling unrest in our current situation, yet there really isn't any, instead we feel the calm that only the Lord can bring, because all the while we know that He is working everything to our good; even though we can not see what is going on. This undercurrent also possesses another property which is vital to our Faith also: Even though it is not detectable from the surface, it is very strong and forceful, and when we plunge into it, we are swept away in it. Very similar to the effect that being submerged in Christ will have upon our lives; we become powerless in Him; which means that we can not even fight what He is doing, because He is the one in control. All that we can do is to just rest in Him and be taken through whatever it is we are going through. We dare not even try to fight the current, but must learn to simply trust Him and relax as He moves us down stream. This again is where Faith comes into play; because once we go deeper into our relationship with the Lord, we have less control of what we are doing, and He has more control over our lives; which then produces more Peace in Him and in what He is doing in and through us: What A Ride!!! There is just really no better way to explain it; but you must live it and know that He is God. He knows what is best for our lives, and even though we may not like it sometimes, we have no control really; we must just surrender what little control we think we might have, and give Him all of our life; and He will see us to the end... "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest on the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would He not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4:3-11)