Discovering God's Ways

This morning while praying my two cats were nearby, as usual.  They are very different, and I found myself thinking how I have come to know their ways (in other words - how they will act in a given situation), through my daily interaction and observations. Immediately after having that thought, I was reminded of a recent message I had heard speaking about Israel hadn't come to know God's ways, in spite of their wandering 40 years in the desert, seeing His works, signs and wonders.

I looked up ways in my Bible concordance, and was encouraged by Ex 33:13 where Moses prays the following, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you."  This was followed by Deut 10:12 which reads, "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul..."

I was thinking about how we can know God's ways so that we might walk in all of them, as we are encouraged to do in the verse listed above.  I was reminded of Jesus word's to Philip, when Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father (John 14:9-14), "Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."

In other words, if we look at Jesus, if we study the Gospels, we will see God's ways!  We need to focus on the person behind the works and miracles and come to understand His ways. We will see revealed to us, how God acts in given situations and circumstances, and we will come to know His ways.

Lord, help us to know Your ways, more and more!  That we might walk in Your ways all our days!  That we might rightly represent who You are to the world around us!

The Kingdom Established Through Love

Recently I was reading Psalm 93:1, "The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure."  I was thinking about how God, could have established His Kingdom on earth, through His awesome power and majesty!  He is all powerful, full of majesty, and His words and His voice are awe-inspiring (See Psalm 29)

However, when He came to earth, He chose to come in human form, not as an all powerful man, but rather in humility.  He emptied himself of His divinity and took on our form, and even more humbly, became a servant (Phil 2:6-11).  He lowered Himself to our level and became for us an example of how we should live.  He gave us a new Commandment - that we should Love one another (John 13:34).  In fact, Jesus said that the way people would know that we are His disciples is through our love for one another (John 13:35).  In other words, the outstanding characteristic of His followers, and thus His kingdom, will be Love.  

Jesus talks about the end-times when the Love of many will grow cold in Matt 24:10-14, "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, ¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

So, let us embrace this main characteristic of God's Kingdom here on earth.  Let us Love one another, and stand firm in that Love!  That we might stand out in a society and culture that is becoming one of hate.

Amen - help us Lord!

Watching, Waiting with Our Light On

Last night, I was reading from Luke 12:35-38 prior to going to sleep.  This verse is normally assumed to be pointing to Jesus' second coming, but as I was reading it, I felt the Lord give me some new insight.  The verses read, 


"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak."


I felt like the Lord said, this is for your life now too! In light of our call to be His witnesses, letting our light shine before men (Matt 5:16), I think this verse can also apply to how we walk out our lives daily.  The Lord wants to come and minister Life through us, and will bring to us opportunities throughout our days.  If we are not prepared and ready, with our light already shining, we may very well miss those opportunities.  When He does come, all we need to do is provide the "open door".  We do this through relationship and our consistent loving witness to those around us!  He will come in and actually serve (do the work that needs to be accomplished), and we will be blessed!


Awesome!


For some continued mind-blowing revelation, I realized as I was reading this, that in some way this is a fore-shadowing of what Jesus did at the Last Supper.  He took on the role of the servant, washing the feet of the apostles, and then fed them, giving them the bread (His body) and the cup (His blood). The bread and cup represented the New Covenant, and His sacrifice which opened the way for us to be in relationship with God.  Literally tearing in two the veil (sin) that separated us from God.  Through this sacrifice Jesus made the way for us to share in "Eternal Life" and have the Holy Spirit actually indwell us!  


I could just keep writing....  Lord, help us to more fully understand this awesome reality!

The Greatest Equation

The other morning I was reading 2 Corinthians 5:21, which reads, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."  As I read this, I was overcome with the reality of what it says!  I decided to write it out in an equation format because it was so incredible:


Jesus Has No Sin --> He becomes Sin for us


We are full of sin --> We become the righteousness of God 


All this is made possible because Jesus became the perfect sacrifice. In Isaiah 53:10-12  God explains this incredible truth through the prophet Isaiah.  It reads,  


¹⁰ "Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, 
   and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, 
he will see his offspring and prolong his days, 
   and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 
¹¹ After he has suffered, 
   he will see the light of life and be satisfied; 
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, 
   and he will bear their iniquities. 
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
   and he will divide the spoils with the strong, 
because he poured out his life unto death, 
   and was numbered with the transgressors. 
For he bore the sin of many, 
   and made intercession for the transgressors."

Not only did He make intercession for us, but He invited us into His life - literally allowing us to become the righteousness of God!  I am sure this is one of the mysteries that we will never fully comprehend!  That we, through Jesus becoming sin for us, become, in God's eyes, righteous like He is righteous!  Incredible!

Jesus you are beyond comprehension in your awesome love for us!

The Extent To Which God Will Go To Save Somone

This morning I was reading from Acts 16: 16-36, how Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for setting a woman free from a spirit.  In particular I was interested in verses 25-32 which reads:


 "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷ The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

 ²⁹ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

 ³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

I was thinking about how it was interesting that God caused the doors to open and chains fall off Paul and Silas, but not so they could escape.  Rather it seems that this was done so that the Jailer might recognize God's sovereignty and be saved, along with his whole household.  I come to this conclusion since God had rescued Peter from prison earlier, and just walked him out of Prison.  In this case He left Paul and Silas there, so they could minister salvation to the Jailer and His family.  In addition, Paul and Silas were actually set free from Prison the following morning - so the earthquake and doors opening, and chains falling off was completely unnecessary.  This leaves me to conclude that God went to those lengths so that this one family might be saved!  Amazing!  His love for us is beyond understanding and comparison!

It is also a good reminder to those of us who walk with the Lord to look for these types of opportunities in the midst of our own struggles and difficulties! I haven't been beaten and thrown in prison, but I would imagine I would normally be thinking about my own situation, but Paul and Silas were praying and ministering in song to those around them, and aware that God was about doing something more than just freeing them.

Thank You for Your amazing Love God!  Help me to be a true witness to this Love, regardless of my own circumstances!

Don't Disqualify Yourself

This morning I was reading through Luke 12:22-32 where Jesus is talking about how we worry about many things, but the Father sees and provides - verse 29-31 reads, "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."   I was meditating on the fact that the Father is such a good Father, giving us the things we need.  I really like the next verse (32) which reads, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."  The reality of the kingdom is that this includes healing, miracles, deliverance, etc.  I was thinking about how amazing it is that God would choose to use any of us, let alone myself to further His Kingdom.  I am sinful, full or pride and selfishness, undependable and wholly not up to the task of being His witness, yet he chooses me (Eph 1:4).  I have disqualified myself many times due to weakness, sinfulness and general recognition of my lack compared to Christ.

As I was thinking these, I felt like the Lord spoke the following words of encouragement.

It is the Father's choice to make. Do not discredit or disqualify yourself.  He is the one who chooses.  In the same way that He healed differently many times, He chooses differently.  We cannot compare our lives and gifts to others that were called of God to see if we qualify or not.  In reality none would ever qualify, but God overlooks that and chooses us.  It's His choice and His free gift!

I guess if the Lord can choose and use someone who persecuted His church and oversaw the killing of His servant (Paul) or someone who is an illiterate, stuttering plumber (Smith Wigglesworth) than He can use me too.


Note: to be clear - during his young adulthood, God healed Smith or his stuttering, and he was able to read.  At first he could only read his Bible.  He became a plumber at 23.

Prodigal Son or Prodigal Father

The other morning I was reading through Luke 15:11-32 - the story of the lost son.  Growing up this story always referred to the prodigal son.  Several years ago I happened to look up the word prodigal and was actually quite surprised by the definition I found:

adj.

1. Rashly or wastefully extravagant: prodigal expenditures on unneeded weaponry; a prodigal life.

2. Giving or given in abundance; lavish or profuse: prodigal praise. See Synonyms at profuse.

n.

One who is given to wasteful luxury or extravagance.

The first definition makes sense when applied to the son, but what caught my attention was the second definition, which in this case could easily be applied to the Father.  For the Father's response to the son, after he had squandered his inheritance, was lavish and profuse.  He gave the son the best robe, placed the family crest ring on his finger, re-established his status as his heir, and threw an extravagant party to celebrate his return.  This is the type of Father we all have in Heaven.  He gives abundantly, lavishing His gifts and blessings on all of us, even though we clearly don't deserve any of it, and have probably wasted much that He has given us in the past. 


What an awesome Father we have in our Life!  I know whatever I have done, He will be there waiting for me, desiring to lavish His blessings on me!  As Paul writes in Galatians  4:6, "Because you are his sons (daughters), God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,“Abba, Father'.  He desires that each of us know Him as our Father, and is waiting for us to return to Him.