Complete Resolution

“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” – Isaiah 62:4

Well, the New Year is upon us and with it our New Year’s resolutions; something about the “out with the old and in with the new” inspires us to change.  Whether it be a new job, new home, new career, or in this case; a new year.  We, like so many before us, will in 2016 resolve to make improvements in our lives.  “I will save more this year.”  “I will lose weight.”  “I will learn to play an instrument.”  We settle it within ourselves to do, or not do, this that or the other.  Many of us, if were honest, will not make it 30 days in our resolve; for various reasons, but whatever the reason, it likely boils down to commitment.  If you want change, you have to be committed to it.  If you want salvation, you have to be committed to God; anything in this life worth having, is worth being committed too. 

In the Bible, there are many “unsung” heroes (if you will).  One of those heroes is Ruth.  You can find her story in the book of Ruth, the eighth book of the Old Testament.  It is well worth your time to go and read, but for the purpose of this tract I will need to sum up.  Ruth was married to an Israelite (God’s people), living in Moab (not Israel), and her husband died.  Her sister’s husband also died.  This left Ruth with no husband and a mother in law.  Her mother in law, Naomi, was an Israelite like her sons and she decided to go back to her people.  Ruth, in a move of faith, decided to follow her.  At this point in Ruth’s life, she could very easily have been termed forsaken by the world’s standards.  Her friends and neighbors could look on and safely assume that she was desolate.  He husband is dead, she is in a strange land, and her only family nearby is her mother in law.  Ruth, a women, in a time when a husband, children and family is most important; has neither husband, family, nor children; and on top of all that, she has no way to make a living. I am sure the people around Ruth thought, what on earth did you do to offend God?  I can imagine the devil sowing powerful seeds of discouragement and doubt in her heart.  The social circle of that day gossiping, and mocking: “Naomi and Ruth, the forsaken ladies, the desolate ones, Haha!  What a pair!”  However, what the world does not understand, what people do not understand, and what we have to understand: is that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  When Ruth left home to follow God and God’s people; she did not make a halfhearted “New Year’s” resolution; she made a full commitment.  She made a complete resolution to follow God.  She said to Naomi “whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die,” She made a commitment to God.  Ruth left everything so as to make the God of Israel the God of her life.  Jesus Christ left everything so that we would no longer be termed forsaken and desolate.  He delighted in us, he loved us, and made a complete resolution to save us to holiness.  He is the bridegroom who came down from heaven, took on the form of man, so that we could be married to Him.  Marriage is not a blanket proposition, it is a personal proposition.  A groom doesn’t send a mass e-mail asking all the women in the world to marry him all at once; no, he proposes to one to take her to wife.  God rewarded Ruth’s faith, she met Boaz, they were married and Ruth had children.  Her great grandson was the king of Israel!  Does that sound like a women forsaken, and desolate?  God delighted in her, and she was married to God and to Boaz; but it was a personal establishment rooted in a personal resolution.  The commitment she made to forsake all and follow God is what brought her the blessing of redemption. 

The commitment we make to forsake the world, the flesh, and the devil is what will bring the blessing of redemption.  Jesus resolved to give all and he did give all.  How can we give less than all to Him?           

Christ’s Christmas

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” – Isaiah 53: 2

No doubt, there is a lot of gilt and glamour associated with Christmas in America.  What with the parades, ads, and never ending Kay Jewelers commercials; it seems (to me at least) that each year the Christmas marketing machine starts early and goes bigger.  The entire nation goes into a buying frenzy and companies across this land are lining up trying to attract the masses to purchase their product.  Like a fishermen after his fish, they will cast shiny trinkets and luscious bait to try and hook you.  You won’t see any ugly people driving that new sports car or modeling the best clothes.  Those billboards, internet ads, and commercials are going to be meticulously prepared to appeal to you; they will have form and comeliness so as to attract.  They want you to see the beauty and desire it.  This of course is not Christmas, it is commercialism.  The Christ that brought Christmas, was not girded with gilt and glamour.  He was not marketed or lauded to the elite, but he took on flesh and condescended to men of low estate.

When you stop and think that God made the universe, the Sun and stars, moon, and then the earth.  After that he clothed the earth with grass, and trees, mountains and deserts.  He filled the great trenches with water and set our entire ecosystems in perfect order.  Finally, He placed mankind here as stewards over his magnified creation.  When you stop and think about all that (if you brain doesn’t short circuit), then think, the God that made all that, sent his only Son to die for me.  Jesus Christ, left heaven, and came to earth taking upon himself the form of a man.  He was worthy of all the accolades and pomp we could offer.  His birth should have been exalted, and broadcasted across the nations.  The Son of God, has come to mankind!  The King of Kings, here to dwell with us.  This was not to be, Jesus’s coming was not a commercialized one.  It was never his intention to exalt himself, he did not come on Earth to court our business, or market himself in hopes to win our acceptance.  Jesus does not draw men that way.  He had no form nor comeliness, and there was beauty that we should desire him.  He was not like Absalom (King David’s son) with long hair, and perfect features, who with cunning words and charisma stole the hearts of the men of Israel.  Jesus does not want you steal your heart, he wants you to give him your heart.  That being said, he has courted you, he has sought after you…..he has bleed for you.  He left heaven for you; he left heaven knowing that he would be born in a smelly old manger, a carpenters son who would one day grow up to embrace a bloody cross.  He is not commercialized Christmas, he is Christmas; he did not bring a commercialized salvation, He is salvation.  The most important things that are in this world cannot be seen, or bought, or marketed on TV.  They are the invisible, the spiritual, a reflection of the character of God himself; things like love, joy, peace, fellowship, family, unity, eternity.  When Jesus came without form or comeliness he set the tone for his ministry and mission.  It was not about the world, the flesh, and the things of this life.  It was and always will be about the will of the Father.  It was God’s will that he come this way.  That he live despised and rejected.  That he suffer, and die on a cruel cross.  He was the Messiah, the Lamb of God, he brought the gift of salvation, and it is for whosoever will.  The scripture tells us that ALL may know the Lord from the least to the greatest. 

If our Savior was born among the lowly, who are we to think ourselves better than our neighbor?  If our Savior had no place to lay His head, who are we to complain when the internet is acting slow, or the air condition’s broke, or everything isn’t going just like we think it ought to be going?  If our Savior, who could have ruled the world, loved not the things of this world, who are we love it more than Him?  The Christmas he brought, the salvation he bought, and the gospel he taught, was not/is not a commercialized one, no, it is the ultimate gift to mankind; the salvation to save your life, and your soul, and that is not something you will find in a department store.          

The SON of righteousness

“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”-Malachi 4:2

Simple fact, without the sun, we would all die. You don’t have to be an A+ student in physical science to understand this.  The Suns importance relative to the Earth (and really our whole solar system) is paramount.  If the Sun ceased to burn today, the temperature here on Earth would be zero degrees Fahrenheit by Friday; and in a year’s time it would be negative one hundred degrees Fahrenheit.  We depend on it for heat, for light, we mark time by it; our seasons and weather patterns are driven by the Sun (in conjunction with the movement of the Earth).  Literally, our entire world revolves around the Sun.  The Suns mass accounts for 99.8% of our galaxy, we totally depend on this gigantic star for light and life.  Truly, the rising of the Sun marks the rising of life. 

Even if you are not an early riser by nature, everyone should enjoy a sunrise at least once in their life.  There is something serene and beautiful about watching the world wake up.  In just a few short minutes, the world transforms from darkness to life.  It metamorphs from a quiet, dark, cold, and bleak state; to one that is teeming with life and light.  The promise of the future, gifted to each creature as the great light slowly climbs higher and higher in the sky, ushering in the birth of a new day and new opportunities.  The deer begin to forage, birds take flight, squirrels leave the trees, flowers open their petals; creatures from small to great open their eyes and stretch their sinus, prepared to respond to the call of the rising sun.  It is the conductor of a victorious symphony of life, calling out to each one of us saying “another day is here, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  We have been gifted another day, we have been gifted life here on Earth; the light of the rising Sun marks this for us.  Without it we would parish and be in darkness, lost to the cold vastness that permeates the Universe.  A cold unknown that the Sun shields us from with its triumphant heat.  When the Sun rises, and the world awakes, it banishes the darkness, and brings life once more to Earth.

I imagine by this point you have seen the analogy coming a mile off.  If we pay attention, the natural world (through the grace of God) can teach us of the spiritual world.  As the Sun is to the Earth, so the Son is to mankind.  Jesus Christ is the rising Son of righteousness that will arise in your heart with healing and life in his wings.  He will lift up His light of life and banish the darkness of sin out of your very being.  He will drive out the cold, bleak, unknown that is embedded in the innermost chambers of your heart and usher in warmth and comfort.  To them that fear my name the Bible says the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.  When we fear God and fall at His feet, asking, no begging, for forgiveness and pardon; he grants it.  Further, when we give our all to Jesus and “die out” to our wills, ways, and wishes; the Sun of righteousness arises within and we are wholly bent and totally aware of our absolute necessity of this Jesus.  This Son of God that our entire world revolves around.  He is the Son of righteousness, He is Christ our Savior, He is the Emmanuel; God with us.  The rising Son brings light, life, and comfort to our darkness within.  It grants us the blessing of being keenly aware that we are His, and His people.  It allows us the confidence to go forth for Him and in His name, and it teaches us each day so that we may grow up in the Lord (no matter what age you are).  The rising Son is righteousness to the sin sick soul.  It is the life to our world.            

Little Drummers

“Come they told me

A new born king to see

Our finest gifts we bring

To lay before the king

So to honor him

When we come

Little baby

I am a poor boy too

I have no gift to bring

That’s fit to give our King

Shall I play for you?

Mary nodded

The ox and lamb kept time

I played my drum for Him

I played my best for Him

Then he smiled at me

Me and my drum.”

In this life, we are all little drummer boys (or girls).  Each day we live, each step we take, decision we make, and breath we draw; the rhythm of our life is being played.  The song of our soul poured out on our drum.  This instrument of life (the ability to live) God gave to us, and we play on it as we see fit.  In living, by extension, God’s grace has also gifted to us the precious gift of choice.  Within that choice we have the ability to choose whom we would serve; ourselves and the devil, or the God that loves us.  This choice was bought for us; bought by God’s own Son on a cross.  This man, Jesus Christ, left the hallowed halls of heaven and was born in a manger to a Virgin Mary.  He came and dwelled among the forsaken, rejected, wretched, and poor.  He lived this life sanctified to God and then sanctified Himself on a cross so that we might be sanctified.  God’s amazing grace was embodied in Jesus Christ.  The Savior of the world, the Lamb that was slain, the little baby born in a manager.  He brought and brought a way out of sin for you and me.  We come into this world carnal, wretched, needy, and sinful; but Christ our Savior has made a way that we might have life in this life and have it more abundant.  There is now a choice to every man, you can live for yourself (your desires, your wishes, your ambitions) or you can live for him.  You can play your song of life to honor your own selfish desires, or you can play for the King who gave His life so that you MIGHT serve him.  He bleed for you, died for you……Jesus loved you so much that he was willing to bleed for your chance at spiritual life.  Willing to sacrifice himself so that we can have this gift of choice. “When I think of how he came so far from glory, came and dwelled among the lowly such as I.  To suffer shame and such disgrace, and on Mount Calvary take my place.  Then I ask myself a question.  Who am I?”

We have one life to live.  One song to play.  There is no gift we can bring to honor the King.  “I am a poor boy too, and I have no gift to bring that’s fit to give our King.”  However, this life, this time on earth, that God has given to us to be stewards of.  We are drummers playing for whom we choose.  Let us play our drum for Him and play our best for Him.  Him who left heaven, was born in a manager, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who became a servant to all and suffered on a cross; resurrected on the third day a conquering Lord giving unto us the gift of salvation.  The gift of choice.  Let us play for Him.  The King who made a manger his throne, and rewrote eternal law with His own blood.

“That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” – Luke 1: 74-75

(lyrics at top: Little Drummer Boy, adapted) 

Lack for Nothing

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”-Psalms 23:1

        If the Lord is my shepherd I will want for nothing.  In some cases, the word want and lack can be used interchangeably; simply because if you have want for something then you obviously lack it.  Example: if you want a drink of water then you lack water.  What God has blessed me with this week is the thought: IF the Lord is my shepherd I will want for nothing.

               

        I believe, as I am sure many others do as well, that the Master chose his analogies very carefully.  Personally the shepherd/sheep relationship is one of my favorites.  Let us consider for a moment the animal that is a sheep.  First and foremost they are skittish creatures.  At the first sign of danger they run the other way.  There is very little courage in a sheep.  Second, they are completely defenseless.  They have no claws, teeth, venom; they are not very big, basically it’s as easy for a predator to have sheep for dinner, as it is for an American to have pizza for dinner.  So to sum up, the sheep are TOTALLY dependent on the shepherd; without him, they are as good as dead.  In your mind, imagine a sheepfold smack dab in the middle of a desert place.  If left to their own will they find food?  No, they will starve.  Will they seek out still waters?  No, they will die of dehydration, if not eaten first.  They cannot survive without the guiding, protecting hand of the shepherd.  Without the shepherd they want for everything, but with a good shepherd they want for nothing. Spiritually, are we not like sheep? (Perhaps temporally as well, although we are inclined to think different.)

                

         The scripture says that “when lust has conceived it bringeth forth sin; and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.”(James 1:15)  Lust is a strong desire towards something, anything really.  I believe that lust conceives in the mind, at the point when a man or women says "I am going to have this thing or do that thing at any cost."  When you finally say, I am going to do this no matter the consequences (Usually there are layers and layers of justification before you get to this point)-that is when lust conceives in the mind and will bring forth sin.   However before the justification, lust, and sin there is want/lack.

Brethren, “let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing.”(James 1:4)  Tribulation worketh patience because tribulation forces a person to lean on God and less on self.  Real tribulation will bring you to a place where you realize; “I can’t do this on my own.”  This worketh patience in your life; you begin to realize that God will supply all my needs....if I just wait for him, and allow him to do so.  As the sheep follow the good shepherd that will lead them to green pastures, so must we follow Jesus trusting that he will lead us to the nutrients that gives us abiding life.  He WILL: lead, comfort, keep and protect; but sometimes we must wait for it.  The devil will creep in, in these times of wait and try to make you want; or rather, try to convenience you that you lack.  When you begin to believe this lie you begin to want, lust, covet, sin, and then, eventually….death.  Let us instead say to the enemy of our soul-

“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” –Psalms 23: 1-3

It takes Faith to make a meal

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”- Hebrews 4:2

         The action of cooking is as much an art, as it is a science.  Not being a cook myself (I can basically make tea and that’s it), but being married to one; I know enough to know that ingredients are important.  Not only is the application of the ingredients important; but also the quantity, when you put them in, and how you mix them.  They work together to produce a desirable result, and if a critical ingredient is left out; you go from trying to create one delicious something, to creating a whole lot of nothing.   In the end, what makes the food desirable is the ingredients mixed together as instructed.

        Americans love food.  We spend a great deal of time and money feeding ourselves and enjoying the experiencing of dining; and there are plenty of ways to dine these days.  You have restaurants, take out, fast food, home cooked, cafeterias, buffets…the list goes on and on.  People can pay through the nose for fine dining (in fact, one restaurant in New York is so expensive, you can’t get out the door for less than $1200); or you can scrape together loose change and eat off the Dollar Menu at Miky D’s.  We all have to eat, and someone has to “mix” the meal; whether it be you or someone you know, or someone you pay.  I don’t know about you, but I have never been to the grocery store and had a bunch of ingredients in my basket that magically transformed into a week’s worth of meals.  Wouldn’t that be great?  You can walk through the grocery store all day long, and buy every ingredient on the recipe, but unless they are proper mixed you have no desirable meal.  We have to mix the ingredients to create a desirable meal.  We have to mix the ingredients together else there is no meal.  Take for example: chocolate cake.  You need milk, flour, eggs, sugar; these are your critical ingredients, without any one of them, you have no cake.  Simply walking through the grocery store does not a cake make; or a turkey dinner for that matter.  It has to be mixed.  There must be an application of the ingredients, else there is no profit; no meal to eat.  

        The gospel is preached in this country.  No doubt about that.  The Word of God goes out across this land (whether in pretense or in truth), and for that we are a blessed nation.  That is something to be thankful for.  However, just as walking through the grocery store does not a cake make, so walking in and out of church, or listing to a podcast, watching a sermon on television, does not a Christian make.  You can sit in church every Sunday from now until you die, but unless the word preached is mixed with faith; it will profit nothing.  The key ingredient to salvation is not your intelligence, or strength, or how “in order” your life is.  The key ingredient is faith. “For by grace are you saved through faith and not of yourself it is the gift of God.”  You don’t have to have your life together to come to Christ, you have to have faith.  When you hear the gospel: the good news, that Jesus is the Son of God, he paid the debt that you could not, and rose from the grave a Savior.  A Savior that will send the Holy Ghost into your repentant heart to live, and dwell, and give you the ability to reign over sin in this life.  Jesus can change your life.  He can change you from sin to righteousness; from darkness to life.  When you hear the gospel, when you walk down that aisle of the grocery store, don’t expect the ingredients to just magically form a testimony in your heart; rather take them to heart and mix it with faith.  Believe in Jesus, commit your life to him, and the Word will profit you!  It will make a meal.             

The Light, in every sense

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119

We have all been there, it’s late, the house is dark, and here you find yourself stumbling your way back to bed, because the genius that designed the house put the bathroom a mile away.  It’s amazing that even though you have moved through your house a thousand times: furniture, walls, handrails, etc. seem to move in the night.  Those objects and landmarks that you were so sure of, seem to be just out of reach.  Without a light, inevitable you trip, fall, or step on one of those razor sharp Legos; even the most well-traveled path becomes difficult to navigate.  How much more the path that you have no knowledge of?  How much more a path that you have never traveled before?

    Without question, every person on this earth is a traveler to eternity.  We none know how long, or short, our journey may be; no more than we know which day will be our last.  The uncertainty of tomorrow is a darkness in and of itself.  The day to day what, when, where, and how weighs on all of us.  We are constantly downloading information, analyzing, running a risk/profit analysis to hopefully produce a satisfactory course of action.  This could be for something as simple as where to buy milk on your way home from work; or as difficult as….well, you fill in the blank.  Like a toddler taking his or her first steps, we are ever teetering on discovery and failure.  We live in a world of uncertainty, and trying to wade through it produces anxiety (to say the least).  In addition to the darkness that is the uncertainty of tomorrow, there is another darkness, the uncertainty of the soul.  One could have their whole life planned out, making all the right decisions at all the right times.  They could be saving, preparing, and acting just as they are supposed to be.  Life could be perfect on the outside, but inside, there is darkness and unrest.  When you are out of fellowship with God, it invites sin into your life.  This brings darkness and uncertainty to the soul; outwardly everything may seem to be in its proper place, but inwardly that soul is stumbling and tripping every step of the way.  As we are travelers to eternity in a world full of darkness, its stands to reason that we need a light to guide our way.  God has provided that for us.  He has not only given us the light, but he has given us the way.  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  He is the map, the compass, and the navigator.  He is also the light “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.  God does not expect those who would serve Him to have it all figured out, he just want you to trust Him.  He is not looking for ability, he wants willingness.

The scripture tells us that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”  Jesus Christ came down from heaven and took on mortal flesh.  He was the first sanctified man and live this life an example that we should follow, and he did not leave us without help.  He was the light of the world while walking on earth, and he is still the light of the world after he left this world.  He has given us another Comforter who can live within a repentant soul.  This Comforter acts in the name of Jesus (rather is Jesus himself) and will light your way.  We live in a blessed day: we have the Word of God in every sense.  In the sense of the word left on record (i.e. the Bible), in the sense of the Word lived in mortal flesh, Jesus the incarnate; and finally, in the sense of the Word that can dwell within us (the Holy Ghost).  Truly, “thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”  If the Word is not your light today, it can be.  You don’t have to travel in darkness.  

HE has set a Watchmen

“For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” – Isaiah 21:6

The watchman of today’s age is vastly different than the watchman in Isaiah’s time.  These days, what watches over our kingdom is: security systems, artificially intelligence, cameras, lasers, spy planes, satellites, and who knows what else.  The watcher and the wall look very different in the 20^th century.  Surely, gone are the days when a man must stand atop a castle wall and look out all through the night, ever attentive of danger and destruction looming.  The watcher and the wall look very different indeed.  However, the watchmen over our soul has remained the same, and will remain throughout the ages.

In Isaiah’s day, kingdoms of old would set watchman on the wall to declare what they saw.  They would look out continually and cry out if danger was approaching.  The value of the watchman was both his boldness and attentiveness.  Obviously, they did not have the use of electronics or automation, and no king would want his kingdom to be caught by surprise.  So, they set someone high on the wall to keep watch over the kingdom and the surrounding land.  If any threat drew near, they were to declare it, and by declaring, they would affirm danger was coming.  In a sense, every man and women on earth has a “kingdom”.  That is not to say that we one are more important than the other, but rather that God has given us the gift of choice and free will.  We decide what to do with our time here on earth, and in that borrowed time we are vouchsafed a kingdom of sorts.  It is much ours as God grants to us, so perhaps we are more stewards over this kingdom than kings, but nevertheless, God has set a watchmen for us.  He has not left our souls in jeopardy nor did he give his prized creation over to the enemy without provided adequate protection.  God does all things well and he has set a watchmen, at great cost to himself.  He has sent his only Son Jesus Christ to bleed and die on a cross, to be raised again on the third day.  Jesus conquer: death, hell, and the grave, and he stands at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and me on His behalf; through the person of the Holy Ghost.  That is a real long sentence to basically say: if you have the Holy Ghost within, you need not worry about what is without.  We are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  As long as you listen to the warning and the cry of the Holy Ghost, and yield to his direction, he will keep you from dangers seen and unseen (that is to say, though you experience danger your soul is never in danger).  There are many wonderful attributes to the Holy Ghost and the work he performs within a man or women’s life, and the way he watches over our soul is certainly one of them.  When you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you have the power of God within….stop and think about that for a moment.  Do you think the power of God can keep you?  Is it more powerful than the power of the devil?  There is no enemy that is stronger or greater than God.  You do not have to fight alone, there is a power far greater than you or me that can dwell within and keep the kingdom; but we have to yield to it, listen to it, and leave off anything that hinders our hearing the blessed Holy Ghost’s watchful cry.

God will not only save you from sin, but he will keep you from sin.  He will not only save you from danger, but he will keep you from danger.  He will not only save you from destruction, but he will keep you from destruction.  The Holy Ghost will act as a watchmen over your soul, lovingly and firmly leading/warning you of dangers.  Guiding you away from the snare of the enemy and at times, abruptly showing you the way NOT to go.  If you commit to Him, he will commit to you; and as you look to Jesus, Jesus will look out for you. 

Who sends the rain?

“Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” –Jeremiah 5:24

The timing of rain can often determine whether or not it will be a blessing or a curse.  Especially when you’re talking in agricultural terms; concerning rain, timing is everything.  You can have a lot of rain at planting, then none throughout growing, and you will have a lousy crop.  You can have none at planting, and then a lot at harvest; and you will not be able to get to your crop.  The blessing of rain walks hand in hand with the timing of it; and we must remember that God controls both the rain and when it falls.

Agriculture analogies, allegories, and references are used all throughout the Bible.  People in that day and time could really relate to what was being said.  Furthermore, seeing is how people will always need to eat; the folks in our day can relate as well.  It is both relevant and timeless.  In the above text, Jeremiah speaks to a people who have a “revolting and rebellious heart.”  They do not fear God, that is to say, they do not respect or reverence him.  They do not recognize that God gives the rain, and reserves the harvest.  In other words, all that they have, they have because of God.  The arrogance of refusing to recognize this is astounding, and not surprising, relevant in today’s time.  Imagine if you will, a place where there is no grocery store, no Wal-Mart, no fast food chains; a place where the food you eat is solely provided by the land you own.  This is the reality that the people in Jeremiah’s day lived in (and truthfully it is the reality we live in as well; we are just further removed from the farming aspect of it all).  They had to totally depend on the rain, and on the timing of the rain.  In order to receive life and substance, they were completely relaying on something that was far beyond their control. 

In planting, you want a former rain, a rain that comes in swiftly after you plant.   This supercharges your crop and gives you strong germination.  Right before harvest, you want a latter rain.  A rain that drenches your crop and gives it that last drink to boost it up some more before you have to bring it in.  Obviously, you need rain in between, but the former and the latter rain at the perfect time gives you an abundant harvest.  Who on earth can command the rain?  What can we do to stop the rain from falling?  The nutrients and abundance of a field is reserved by God for man, and given by His hand.  These people in Jeremiah’s day are reaping the fruits of bounty on the back of the Almighty, and they have no humility or thankfulness in their heart.  There is only open rebellion and a false belief that they are the giver of life.  Do you see yourself in this text?  Our lives are our field, and in it we work and labor.  We sow what little seeds of time we have and earnestly expect a return on our investment.  We hope for a harvest, and rejoice when there is one; but to whom is the glory given?  What do you have that God did not give?  What did we gain that God did not first provide?  “Ye are not your own but bought with a price.”  One of the greatest tragedies that ever befell this country is the acceptance of evolution and anti-creationism.  Under the cloak of this theory the devil crept in and sowed a seed of doubt that would undermine Christianity entirely; and that seed is this.  God is not the creator.  When the people accept that there is no creator, then they believe that there is no governor of the rain; and if we believe that, then we accept that we are lords over our lives.

If God chooses to send the former and latter rain, than we must praise Him for it.  If he chooses to withhold the rain, that is in His providence and we must bless His name.   God knows when to send the rain and he knows when the blessing is needed.  The righteous trust God and praise God in the dry season and the rainy season.  The wicked trust themselves in all seasons, and “neither say they in their hearts let us now fear God”.  When we refuse to accept a God that sends the rain, then we break the first commandment; and though we have all the goods this world can offer, we will want in the Day of Judgment. “Fear ye the Lord all ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him.”

The Culture of Consumption

 “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” -2 Corinthians 12:15

In American, we live in a consumer based culture.  If you are currently breathing, then in some way, shape, or fashion, there is a product or service being pushed at you.  They want you to buy the latest this, or go to the newest that.  Modern day culture is a consumption culture, and if culture influences Christians; the modern day Christian will be consumption Christian.  This can be counterproductive to the kingdom of God, for he calls us to contribute.  We are to spend and be spent, not for ourselves, but for others. 

The Apostles Paul’s mentality towards the Corinthian church holds a dramatic contrast to the consumption culture we find ourselves in today.  Paul was adamant about not taking anything from the church at Corinth, and defended his position.  In one place saying: “If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.”(1 Cor 9:12) He did not want anyone or anybody to have the slightest notion that he was there for any other reason than to preach the Gospel.  Others preachers must have picked up on this and began sowing discord at Corinth, causing them to believe that Paul had robbed them of the chance to perform a virtuous act, and by not taking from them he was less than others who had.  I imagine those same somebody’s were taking from them and preaching “another Jesus” and “another Gospel.”  In response to this, Paul lays out a beautiful argument both affirming his position and illuminating the vanity of theirs saying: “for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”(2 Cor 12:14)  In this we see the two sides taken.  The false teachers saying that it is good to take from your congregation, and Paul saying that it is better to contribute than consume.  That he will gladly spend and be spent for the children in Christ he loves so dearly.  In doing so, he not only shows the love of Christ to these people, but he leaves on record a wonderful example to all who would follow.  Today we stand in this generation amidst many false teachers (mostly through an Iphone screen) who would lead us to believe that consumption is better than contribution.  In contrast, we have the example of Paul following the example of Christ; willing to forsake the culture of consumption to spend and be spent so that many or few may be saved.  We need the culture of contribution to consume the culture of consumption.  How can we effectively serve the lost if we are consistently looking to serve ourselves?  How can we expect to build and grow, if we are looking to consume and not contribute?  Paul understood this and he set the example.

In the last chapter of the book of second Corinthians Paul writes “examine yourselves.”  We must each examine ourselves and ask ourselves: are we a consumer or a contributor?  Do we go to church to take what they have to give; or to give so others make take?  We must leave off thinking what can the church do for me, and begin to ask; what can I do for the church?  This can mean both the local church you attend, and the global church whose membership is written in heaven.  If 80% of your church is in a consumption mindset then that eighty percent will exhaust the other twenty percent who are in a contributing mindset.  However, if one hundred percent of the church is in a contributing mindset; then you will not only encourage one another, but it will overflow to reach them who are without.  The lost, who are without hope, without love, without Jesus; those who need the gospel.  For their sake and our own, let us leave off consumption and gladly contribute.  

Utilitarian Religion

“And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” – Jonah 4:11

Utilitarianism-the ideal that if it works its good; if it is useful, then it’s right.  The world is certainly enamored with this theology, but is it meet for Christians?  In the church, can we really measure ourselves by results? 

God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh and cry against it.  Immediately, he turned tail and ran for the uttermost part of the world; only to be swallowed by a great fish.  It took three days but he got to the place where he was willing to go to Nineveh; he went, preached, and his one message saved the city.

In the natural realm, growth and progress are measured from a bottom line stand point.  Your business is measured by profit, education is measured by GPA, your health by weight, your height in feet, there are some things that are more subjective, but give us enough time and we will find a label for just about anything you can see, touch, or feel.  By living in this world we become conditioned to this world, and if we are not careful, it can influence us to measure spiritual things in the same way.  In the church we can become conditioned to think that if we had 30 people in Sunday school this Sunday and 20 people last Sunday than we grew by 10 people.  We can be tempted to believe that because only a dozen folks show up to Sunday service, or Wednesday night Bible study, there is something wrong.  A careful examination of the scriptures will reveal that with God, utilitarian religion is no religion.  Noah was a preacher of righteousness and the only man on Earth who found favor with God.  He preached his whole life and saved eight people.  Jeremiah spent his whole life preaching to stubborn Jews, and the only one who he found favor with was God.  The Son of God spent three years doing nothing but preaching; at his death there was not one convert who stood by him.  Jonah was called by God and he ran for the furthest corner of the Earth, repented, and then went to Nineveh to preach one sermon that saved the whole city.  Utilitarian religion says that Jonah’s example is better than Noah’s, better then Jeremiah’s, better than Jesus Christ.  Utilitarian religion and bottom line progress teaches us that any means is justified by the end.  It is as if we say “Whatever the cost!  As long as the numbers go up, where do I sign?”  Now there could be something wrong with your Sunday service, or you morning devotion or whatever, but if you’re looking for answers with a results mindset, you’re in the wrong mindset.  The reason utilitarian religion is no religion at all is because it is all for the benefit of the majority, and what the majority wants may not be what God wants!  God said “and should not I spare Nineveh, that great city…?”  He was trying to show Jonah that the results are in His hands and it is not for you to labor toward that end, but rather labor to the end that you might please God, and glorify His name.

This is the everlasting plumbline to which we should measure everything by.  It is no surprise that it is the same plumbline that Christ measured himself by; the will of God.  Jesus said “I do always those things that please Him.”  To do always the will of God is to live with the focus to please God, to glorify God.  Does your: business, personal life, church, fellowship, etc. glorify God?  Does it please him?  If it does, then it is profitable.  Your business may be bankrupt, home foreclosed on, church weaning in numbers, and you may not had a blessing in three years, but if your living your life to please God, then take courage: you are in good company!  You are in the preaching of Noah, you are akin to Jeremiah, you’re living with the same focus as your Savior.  You may not have utilitarian religion, but you have real religion; and real religion is what the world needs.          

A writing on Holiness

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” – Romans 6:22

The call to a holy life is found throughout the Word of God.  From the beginning, we were created in God’s image and gifted fellowship with Him.  His holiness was manifested towards us and we lost that noble estate.  From that point forward God has been about bringing us back to it.  His design is to make again that which was broken, but to make it anew; sin separates us from God, but holiness reunites us.  The redemption is available though the blood of Jesus Christ.  The archetype of holiness, the example, the lamb that was slain, the Savior and sanctifier; Jesus Christ brought holiness back to mankind.   

        When you Google the definition of holiness you find there on your screen “the state of being holy”.  So then you next move is to Google the definition of holy.  One will then find that holy is defined as “sacred or dedicated to the service of God.”  The vessels of old in the temple were holy vessels.  They were dedicated and devoted to the service of God.  So we also are made holy, dedicated, and devoted to the service of God when His Holy Ghost comes in.  Jesus was holy.  He did always the will of God and his heart loved God and loved his neighbor.  We can be brought into that same purity; concerning the heart.  Our “want-to’s” can be changed through the power of God and we can be in the likeness of His holiness.  Through the line of time the word holiness has taken on a different connotation, it is more so thought of when describing certain religious figures such as the Pope or the Deli Lama.  It is not ascribe to practical religion, certainly not thought of in relation to personal salvation.  The reality of it is….is that holiness is a reality.  You, me, anyone, can come to know a true experience of holiness of heart and life.  We just have to die.  The death route is the only route, because, as said above, you have to be “made free from sin” first.  Sin is a hindrance to the will of God, so you have to die to it.  How?  By sacrificing yourself: your, self; that is: your plans, your wishes, your wants, your everything.  You give up yourself and all the sinning you’ve done or want to do.  You have to get to the place where everything from the house that you own, to the gum in your pocket, is God’s.  You give you heart to him; you give it all to him.  When you get there you have died, and a dead man is a man free from sin.  It’s not an easy place to get to, but once you get there, you wonder why it took you so long.  Once you die, then and only then, God can raise you anew.  He can bring you into fellowship with himself through the vehicle of the Holy Ghost.  We die so we can live, live unto God, live unto holiness, live as Jesus lived; in complete fellowship with God. 

It is not by works, or knowledge, or merit that we are brought into fellowship with God.  We are made free from sin, by the merit of Jesus Christ, and His shed blood.  Like the song says: “Dark the sin that spoiled man’s nature and long the distance that he fell.  Far removed from hope and heaven near to deep despair and hell.  But there was a fountain open and the blood of Gods own Son, purifies the soul and reaches deeper than the stain has gone.”  You can be made free from sin, and you can become a servant to God, instead of a servant to the devil.  The devil writes a poor paycheck.  God gives liberally.  The blessing of holiness is the highest calling of man, and nothing glorifies God more than a life of holiness.  There is no greater joy than to walk in truth.  Do you believe this?  If you have faith, you can have holiness.       

Error in Ambition

“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” –Psalms 131:1 

Ambition is a funny thing, like water, too much or too little can be harmful.   When we become complacent and slothful, this is detrimental to us and those around us.  The opposite is true as well, if we look to achieve that which is not in the will of God; or meddle in matters that are not where we are meant to be, this can lead to our destruction.  There are not many who would argue the fact that too little ambition is a bad thing, but too much?  As Christians, can we really have too much ambition? What harm could there be in wanting to achieve?  What harm could there be in wanting more?

Psalms is the most quoted book in the New Testament and I imagine the most quoted book in Christian churches today.  Through written word, this beautiful book canvases the scope of human emotion.  It is the heart of David poured out on a page; with prophecy, doctrine, poetry, and exhortation intertwined within.  David was the second king of Israel behind Saul.  The reason Saul was no longing the king was because his heart was haughty, eyes lofty, and he exercised himself in matters/things too high for him.  King David, the author of the book of Psalms, saw firsthand the effect of being too ambitious.  When Saul was instructed to kill the Amalekites, the prophet (voice of God) Samuel told him to kill all the spoils; leave neither man nor beast.  Saul decided to keep the best of the flock, saying the people wanted to offer it as a sacrifice to God.  He manipulated the commandment of God to suit his own personal desires.  He wanted the spoil, the people wanted sacrifice, and nobody stop to consider what God wanted.  Saul was anointed king under God over the people Israel, and he spent too much time thinking about how he was over the people, and not enough time considering that he was under God.  His ambition lifted his heart beyond his authority; outside of his occupation, and he lost the kingdom (and eventually his life) because of it.  David took instruction from this and his ambition was only towards the things of God.  The longing to praise him, to worship him, and to fight for him was David’s heart; even in his sinfulness he saw that God and God alone was who the offence was against (against thee and thee only have I sinned).  He loved God more than the praise of men.  He loved God more than this world.  He loved God and God was the guide of his life.

As born again Christians who are following Jesus, living dead to this world, and alive to God; the ambition that takes us outside of the commandments of God it is too much ambition.  The ambition that carries us to a place where we “fear the people”, is misplaced.  Saul’s greatest sin was that he loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  Therefore he was unfit to lead.  Pastors, teachers, bishops, and board of directors across the Christian world are sacrificing the will of God for the praise of men, and doing it because their ambition has carried them outside their occupation.  It will do the same to you and me if we are not careful.  You can want a scholarship, job, property, or possession so much that it carries you to a place where you forget God.  Again, religious ambition is not excluded.  You can have ambition to be a pastor of a certain church or a bishop over a certain circuit.  A leader or minister.  Is this God’s will for us?  Or our will for ourselves, hidden under the cloak of Christianity?  It is a careful thing, because it is a dangerous trap.  Many a man has wanted better for his family only to find himself traveling all over the world.  His kids may have a first class education, but they don’t have a first class father.  Satan is subtle, but God is greater and knoweth all things; and when our greatest desire is for Him to guide our lives, there is no error in this ambition.    

A fixed heart

“My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.” – Psalms 57:7

Human beings were built for a fixed mark, just as a cutter was built for a heading.  The heart of a man or women was not meant to be traded and bartered; solicited out to various suitors.  No, it was designed to be focused and set; to love God above all and through Him to live in love.  A heart without a supreme love for God is adrift and vulnerable, but the heart with that love is complete and driven.

A “cutter” vessel is typically a small to medium sized boat that is built for speed.  They are designed to slice through oncoming swells with efficiency and pace.  There is little in their architecture that would hinder their progress amidst the open ocean; they are a seaworthy vessel.  However, like any boat, they are built for a heading.  Their seaworthiness is directly dependent on their need for direction and power; without these two things the vessel is lost and doomed to destruction.  They are built to move forward and face whatever the angry sea can muster, however without direction and without power they become little more than a fine piece of drift wood. 

When we were created, we were made in the likeness and image of God.  The relationship was established and the purpose of our being fixed.  We were in glorious fellowship with the Father and one another.  Sin broke that fellowship and gave our hearts another goal, another heading; it brought to us the will of Satan disguised as the will of self.  No more did we find continuous praise in our bosom or virtuous tempers in our soul; we were creatures of wrath and that was quantified in the law that God set forth years later.  This wrath within continues in the human race even until now; it is called carnality.  It divides the heart.  It divides it against God, against itself, against your fellowman, your spouse, your children, etc.  It wants, and wants, and wants some more.  The motive of it all is hidden in industry and commerce; going and coming, but the final product is akin to a vessel without direction, without power.  You find yourself adrift in this life tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.  Driven by lust counterfeited as love.  This is a life without Jesus, without the Holy Ghost power within, without the experience of sanctification.  I will not say it is your life (though the Spirit may), I can say it once was mine; and no matter who you are or where you come from, it doesn’t have to be this way.  Jesus can give you direction and purpose, he can put power within and drive your boat of life forward.  He can fix your heart.    

The fixed heart is a heart renewed to Garden of Eden fellowship.  A heart that is restored to image of God!  How wonderful it is when the Holy Ghost comes in and creates within you a love for God supreme and a subsequent love for your neighbor.  It is the direction and power that arms you against the storms of life.  It helps you to see and understand that you were built for this, created for this; to glorify God.  Have you ever wondered how Christians who have no money, comforts, or even personal freedom can be so at peace?  They feel no longing, no striving, but peace?  How is it?  Because peace cometh not from what is without, but from what is within.  As a vessel is built for a captain, so the heart of man is built for God’s purpose giving Spirit.  The heart is fixed and because it is fixed it is at peace.  It wants for nothing, and offers praise for everything.  It is no longer divided, broken, or wandering; it is complete, forever set on Jesus.  We have a heading, we have power from God, power to make it through any storm and land safe on the other shore.            

Faith Reality or imaginative certainty?

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8

We live in a society of imaginative certainty.  Typically, risk is only acquired if the reward is calculated to be greater; faith is a concept entertained only when pertaining to personal profit.  The idea is to be insulated, insured, and settled.   Our careers, relationships, insurance policies, retirement plans, and assets; the building blocks by which we craft our own little castles.  Once inside, we heap to ourselves all that we hold dear and fight off anyone or anything that might threaten our kingdom.   The imaginative certainty is comfortable enough to keep us from experiencing faith reality, and while we think we are safe; we are in fact rotting from within.  We are parlaying our own destruction in hopes we might gain more imaginative certainty; all the while there is a glorious faith experience that certainly would be ours if we but “go out not know whiter we went.”  

             Abraham lived many, many years ago in the land of Haran.  Not unlike you or me, Abraham was living around his family, trying to make his way in life, with the tools that this world had to offer.  He had a house, a wife, family and friends.  It is safe to assume that he was prosperous and living a comfortable worldly lifestyle (being that Haran was in northern Mesopotamia and on a major trade route).  Then God called him.  The call of God is a special thing, it demands action.  It demands affirmation or denial.  It demands that you follow or flee.  Abraham was not called to advance his kingdom; in fact the opposite, Abraham was called to leave all that he knew and go out into the complete unknown.  He knew God called him, he knew he was promised that somewhere over yonder was a land for his inheritance and that God would make him a great nation, but beyond that he knew nothing.  His faith was totally in God: all that he had, was, or ever would be was placed in the hands of God.  It was the promise of God verse the comforts of life.  Imagine if tonight you received a verse, scripture, or unction from God that told you to “go out.”  You know it’s from God, and you know little else.  Only that you have to pack up your things, sell your house, quit your job, gather your family and get in the car ready to drive….where?  You have no clue.  Where do you go?  God will tell you.  Will there be dangers?  God will protect you.  How will you eat?  Where will you sleep?  What about your family?  What will your wife or husband think?  The Lord will provide.  This was Abraham’s reality; he lived in imaginative certainty before God called him and He obeyed, thereby experiencing faith reality.  The certainty is imaginative because in a moment our little castles can be hewed to the ground.  The faith is reality because when we trust in the Lord and “go out” we experience the reality of living in faith and by faith.

            As Christians and sanctified people; the only difference between imaginative certainty and faith reality is obedience.  God is calling us to “go out” every day.  He is calling us to live in faith; faith in his Son, faith in his Word, faith in his Spirit; that it will teach, lead, and take you out, way out of your comfort zone.  It’s comfortable to build our own castles (not easy but comfortable).  The way of personal gain is tried but not true; the way of loss so that we might win Christ is true but less tried; because it takes abandonment, obedience, sacrifice, and perpetual going out.  Going out and lodging someone who needs a bed, going out and preaching to prisoners on death row, going out and quitting your job because it causes you to work on Sunday.  The way of “going out” is the way of faith; it is total dependence on God and absolute abandonment of self.   It is the way Christ lived, and calls us to live as well.  Lord help us by faith to go out. 

What field are you in?

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:8

The success of any crop is directly dependent on: soil, seed, and weather.  These factors can be supplemented, even manipulated; but ultimately, unless you have good soil, seed, and weather; you will not make a good crop.  The absolute outcome of farming and the timeless need, makes it a perfect analogy for teaching.  Our Savior knew this and used it often; his disciples did the same.  If we pay attention and allow the Spirit to open our eyes, this physical world will teach us of the spiritual world.

“Sowing to the flesh” will produce corrupted fruit, if fruit at all.  Those that sow to the flesh will work and labor in earnest, or in outright disobedience, only to find a poor harvest in the latter rain.  That which is sown is ourselves: we sow our time, energy, effort; always investing in “the flesh” in hopes it will yield fruit.  This leads us to the obvious question: what is “the flesh”?  It is the field that many heartbroken persons sow unto.  It is the field of sin and defeat, sometimes masked in doctrinal platitudes and flowery speech. When Paul wrote these words he was writing to a Galatian church who was influenced back to the Law of Moses, after experiencing the redemption in Christ.  A people who had been hindered by false doctrine and teaching.  Paul knew well that only through faith in Christ could a person experience: justification, sanctification, and redemption.  There was no salvation offered in the Mosaic Law only a remembrance of sins and a reminder that you were still bound by the nature to perform them.  A nature that only brought the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, etc.  All manner of dark deeds that were performed as a result of the hideous and monstrous iniquity that existed within man; and the Law was subject to this, but Christ brought liberty from it.  When they were persuaded to follow a doctrine that did not offer deliverance from sin, they were simultaneously persuaded to sow to their flesh.  This is both the flesh and sowing to it.  “This persuasion cometh not of Him that calleth you.”  There are many who are sowing to the flesh by living in open sin, and I dare say there are many more who are sitting in church pews across this land, sowing to the flesh, all the while thinking that they are following the will of God.  They may not be laboring in the field of the flesh as hard as others, but they are workers of that soil nonetheless.  It is likely, this is done for no other reason than that is what they have been taught to do!  “He that soweth to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.”  Search your heart: is there unrest?  Are you discontent and wandering?  Driven to the work(s) of the flesh by uncontrollable desire?  All the while wanting to please God but finding only despair?  It’s not your fault (unless you remain in ignorance)!  The seed is being sow in the wrong field and the fruit thereof is corrupted.

“Sowing to the Spirit” will bring life everlasting.  It is the Spirit that we need to invest ourselves in.  The faith in Jesus Christ; that he is the Son of God, that His words are true, and that he can “deliver us out of darkness and translate us into the kingdom of His dear son.”  In short, Jesus can convert you and sanctify you!  He can live within you and make you a new creature!  Then your days will be spent overcoming sin and sowing seed in the field of righteousness to reap the fruit of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

The Giants we face

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” –Psalm 20:7

On April the 10^th in the year of 1912 the Titanic set out from Southampton on its maiden voyage bound for New York City.  It was to be the fastest crossing to date on the greatest ship ever built.  While crossing the frigid Atlantic waters the Titanic top out at suicidal speeds, it was thought to be unsinkable.  The design flawless, the steel impenetrable, no one ever thought that such technology could fail.  It did fail.  It did sink.  “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” 

The Psalmist David, king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart, understood as well as any what trusting in God over trusting in man (even yourself) can do for you.  As a young man, David boldly stood against Goliath of Gath.  David just a youth and Goliath a “warrior from his youth” did battle to decide the fates of nations, and determine the destiny of many.  Goliath was cloaked with armor and on his person a sword and spear.  David, a picture of humility, in his shepherd’s robes and armed with a sling and stone.  What no one realized however (save David), was that David was on God’s side.  He slung the rock, struck the giant, and the victory was to God and to the Israelites.  He trusted in God, while all others feared Goliath.  In our lives, we are constantly faced with giants.  They come in many different forms and take many different shapes.  The giants in our lives engender heartache and fear.  Fear of the unknown, fear of: failure, weakness, neglect, and bondage.  They bring us to worry, and cause us pain and sorrow; all the while seeking to rob us of joy and peace.  Ultimately, striving to steal our salvation.  Giants can be money problems, health issues, loved ones passing, work issues, the list goes on.  Whatever the giant, named or unnamed (for some exist only in our mind and are known only to us and God), it’s up to us to choose when and where to put our trust.  In times of war where do we look to for strength?  What do we trust in to take us through and win the battle?  In David’s day, the king with the most horses and chariots (i.e. the biggest army) was the one who was the most secure.  They trusted in those things, just as the captain of the Titanic trusted in his technology.  In our day, horses and chariots could be described as our bank accounts or personal intelligence.  Our Titanic could be respectability and personal merit.  The giants in our lives force us to trust, and when that time comes we must remember the Lord our God.

The natural inclination is to trust in the physical things of this life.  To steam across the ocean of life; hoping that our “technology” and “innovation” will keep us safe.  This theology so permeates our society and psyche that to think otherwise is considered foolish by many; when in reality we are fools to trust in anything but God.  For anything but God will fail us.  The remembrance of the Lord and the earnest desire to have Him first in your life will save your soul.  It will take you through whatever trial or tribulation you are in; it will give you victory over any giant.  When times of trouble or distress come (for surely they will); do not trust in chariots or horses, but look to God for he can save and he can bless.       

Creation in Christ, Christ in Creation

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”  – Genesis 1:26

           

           A belief in Christ forever binds us to a belief in the Creation.  God created man in his likeness and God created the earth.  He then gave man dominion over His creation; dominion (not tyranny), the responsibility to care for and manage as a ruler, not as one who can profit from his subjects.  All creation testifies to the glory of God and his creation is a constant reminder of the divine hierarchy that has been forever settled in both heaven and earth.   To be a Christian is to be a creationist in the purist sense; and all creation is in Christ.

Man’s dominion over the whole earth is a responsibility, like many given from God this responsibility has been corrupted and misunderstood.  Satan has blinded the minds, and in our want and lust we have “worshiped the creation more than the creator.”  In some cases, the creation worshiped being defined as rocks, trees, and animals.  In other cases, the creation is none other than our own selfish desires.  A sinful man will take too much, and give too little; denying the power of the one who put is in charge in the first place.  They are servants who think themselves masters, and stewards who imagine themselves kings.  In all this, the grace of God reaches further and our dominion remains.  This dominion was not given to us because the job was too big for God, no, it was given to us (at least in part) for our learning and benefit.  When you believe God created the earth and gave man dominion over it, you then understand that God created man and God has dominion over him.  A belief in creation couples itself with a belief in God.  To believe in God is to believe that we were created by him, and therefore in subject to him, and the Word which he sent.  This Word is the very Christ who lived, died, and rose again; that we might have life free from the sinful fallen state that the first man Adam bequeathed to us.  The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, but he gave man dominion over His creation that in is occupation he might find instruction.  The abundance of this earth is in subjection to man (so much as God allows) and that subjection reminds us that we are in subjection.  We have one who has dominion over us.  When children come of age, there are those who are given their own room, and the parents give them the responsibility to keep it as the parents would keep it.  It is not that the parents could not keep it themselves, but they gifted this authority to the child in hopes that from it they will learn, grow, and mature.  God’s house is far greater than the earth, the earth is but a room gifted to His children; and to deny his existence and ownership of it would be just as insane as a child contending that the room his parents gave him was his altogether.  That this room was formed through time and space, and has no creator, the child has no parents, and this means that there are no consequences!  We are free to do what is right in our own eyes!  To follow our own path to destruction.  To reject Creation as according to the scripture is to reject God himself, and his dominion, and his blessings, and the Son which he sent to save His fallen children that wronged Him and took for themselves that which was not theirs.  To reject Creation is to reject God.

The Bible, like a tapestry, is a mired of fabrics woven together to produce a strikingly influencing image.  To pull at one strand is to pull at them all.  You cannot accept some truths and reject others, the beauty of it is that it comes as a whole or not at all.  When you understand that all creation dwells in Christ, Christ in God.  Therefore we dwell in God and He in us.  This does not bring bondage but deliverance.  It does bring tyranny, but dominion.  God has given us dominion over His creation, and a reminder that we have one who has dominion over us; to care for us, to keep us, to guide us.    

The liberty of reality

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” –Acts 4:13

It has been said before, that old cliché; perception is reality.  Perception is reality, in many cases, so much so that people and businesses are jockeying to control your perception of things.  How you perceive a: product, situation, or person.  They are pushing their agenda on you subtly or forcefully to try and change your perception in hope you will accept this as reality.  Businesses do this, the government does this, the media does this, the government and businesses through the media do this.  To change the perception is to change the reality.  However there are times, ever so rare, when the reality changes perception.  The genuine reality is so stark and unavoidably clear that it supersedes the perception (be it accurate or not) and drives home a greater fundamental truth. 

 Peter and John were many things, but religious scholars were not one of them.  If you were inquire about the intricacies of the Mosaic Law or the historical pretext of Isaiah with regards to the prophetic undertones; they would have been at a loss.  When it came to religious matters they were unlearned and ignorant men.  This was the perceived realty of the Pharisees towards Peter and John whether it was true or not.  In the context of Jewish religion and practices they were ignorant when compared to the Pharisees, just as you or I would be ignorant when compared to a doctorate of divinity (not saying that all those who receive religious degrees are Pharisaical).  That being said, in the context of genuine religious experience they were the elect.  They had been taught by the best and in their heart they had EXPERIENCED the righteousness that all those Pharisees and learned men were so laboriously learning about.  Imagine in your mind two aspiring musicians.  One sets out to learn his instrument and learn he does.  He studiously researches how it’s made, what it’s made from, the history of it, the proper playing technique, and the musical theory behind it.  However, in all this he never actually plays it!  He never experiences it.  In word and in mind he is learned, but in reality he is ignorant.  Now the other musician goes about learning very different.  He sits at the feet of a master, and he learns, and he plays, and he is critiqued, and he plays, and he learns, and plays; always playing, always learning, always experiencing.  I ask you, which of these two men are ignorant?  Which of these two would you call a musician?  The Pharisees perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men and in some respects they were, but the “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”!  The manner in which they spoke, behaved, and the miracles that they performed were so powerful and in the likeness of Christ that they could not avoid the reality that they had been with the Master.  They had supped with Him, they had walked with Him, they had learned from Him, and they had experienced in their hearts the gospel which he brought. 

Have we been with Jesus?  Have we experienced the Christ in our lives, and in our hearts?  Or is the perception of Him our reality, the act of learning enough to satisfy the ambition of being a Christian?  I firmly believe that there are many people who want to be Christians.  They just get caught up in being a Pharisee.  We can go to church, listen to sermons, and learn all about the theory of proper Christianity, but until you experience it in your life; it is only perception.  A real genuine experience with Jesus Christ will liberate you from all false perception, beyond that, it will liberate others (God willing).  The reality of Christ within will break perception and bring reality that you can be with Jesus.                

The world vs. The Word: Movement

“But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” – Acts 6: 4

            We live in a world of instantaneous feedback and immediate gratification.  If you were to call us a “microwave generation” that would be an understatement.  The very idea that we have to wait thirty seconds for anything is simply preposterous.  Why, we could send half a million dollars around the world in thirty seconds.  In thirty seconds, you could learn about the Gerenuk, while watching a movie trailer, whilst texting your friends; and you could do it all from your cell phone!  We can Skype someone from Mexico, while texting someone in Florida, and e-mailing a person in China.  Technology and social media, (in my opinion) has catapulted the concept that motion is action and movement, profit.  This ideal has grown to the point that people feel compelled to look at their phone every 5 seconds for fear they will miss out on this fast paced world that is flying by.  In short, you must move to keep up with the movement.  Movement is the motto, when in reality, much can be accomplished in the stillness of life. 

            The above scripture, among other things, give us insight into the mentality of the early church.  As the organization began coming together they found a growing need to care for the widows.  The widows were being neglected in the “daily ministration.”  The apostle’s did not want to leave off the care for the widows but in the same sense they thought it not good to “leave the Word of God to serve tables.”  So, the decision was made to elect some good men to care for the widows, and the apostle’s resolved to give themselves to prayer and the ministration of the Word.  It is not they couldn’t help the widows, or wouldn’t, or thought it was beneath them.  The reason they would not leave the Word of God and prayers was because they had a firm understanding as to where the power came from.  This cause of Christ was not advanced by the intellectual ability of a few.  It was not growing because of some organizational scheme or trendy marketing plan.  The power of God called sinners unto himself and they (the apostles I mean) realized that if there was to be any action or profit in the spiritual, it would have to come from God.  For this reason, they saw fit to give themselves to prayer and the ministration of the Word.  Stop and consider what this must have looked like to some.  They came to them saying, “We need you to serve tables.”  The apostles respond “no, because we have to pray.”  Try that one out next time your church passes around the clean-up sign-up sheet.  The apostles knew there was not a whole lot of movement and motion in prayer or in studying God’s word, but there was action and profit.  It kept them centered on God, and it kept the glory down.  This was the chief need, for without God we can do nothing.  Now, consider this, if the apostles thought is needful to exalt prayer and God’s word over the feeding of widows.  How much more over the responding to a text message?  How much more over the unsocial social media?  How much more over our immediate gratification or instantaneous pleasures?  Is there anything in our life that should take precedent over our fellowship with the Father?  The world exalts the man who is on the move.  He or she who is jet setting all over the country, making deals, and making money.  Prayer and studying God’s word is without much physical movement, people may scoff “you mean you spent your afternoon reading your Bible?”  As if you did nothing.  True, in the natural, little was accomplished, but in the spiritual much was gained!

            Please do not misunderstand, I am not contending for idleness and laziness (because the Bible doesn’t).  We must make a living, help our fellowman, pursue our education; clean our homes, wash our clothes, and perform many other duties necessary to existing.  These are tasks that must be done.  However, they are secondary.  The fellowship with the Father and with His Son is the primary.  Let us take great care in keeping that which is primary, primary; and that which is secondary, secondary.  Motion and movement may attract the praise of the natural, but we as pilgrims long not for the praise of men; but the praise of God.