This morning I felt led to read from the book of the Prophet Malachi 3:13-18 NIV:
[13] “You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord. “Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
[14] “You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? [15] But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.' ”
[16] Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
[17] “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. [18] And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
I was reminded today of how important it is to check my thoughts, and to make sure I am honoring the Lord in my thoughts and words. The accuser is constantly trying to get us to agree with him, and his accusations against God, which is what verses 14-15 above represent to me. There have been several times, as I followed the Lord, that I ended up in circumstances and situations that were not favorable, or down-right difficult. Most of the time they were not my fault, and yet I felt like I was getting punished, while those who could care less about God were prospering. During these types of times, I am so ready to join the accuser and blame God, or to say that serving God is worthless!
What I lack is correct perception, and appreciation and gratitude for all that I have received from the Lord! I am looking at the little bit of disappointment, rather than at the mountain of blessings I have encountered. My perception is so focused on the present struggle I am discounting the long list of God's previous provision, His track-record of faithfulness, and mercy, His compassion and forgiveness. It is like I am willing to chuck all my history with God over some present difficulty. I can see why the Lord had Israel build monuments to times of His intervention and provision so that they would be regularly reminded of how good He is to them! I really need to build my own wall of memories and God's intervention, so that when I am struggling in a present situation< I can remind myself of God's previous blessings. I definitely want to make sure if there is ever a list generated of those who loved and honored the Lord that my name is included. I am not getting all religious here, just saying that I want my life to honor God because I am very aware of all that He has done for, and through me.
Finally, I am just encouraged to approach life with an attitude of gratitude, knowing that in spite of my present struggles, whatever they might be, that I am eternally blessed, and God is good! I know that in each and every one of the struggles I have walked through, that I have encountered the Lord, and His faithfulness. I have not always encountered Him the way I thought I would, but He has always been faithful. Oftentimes I mistake my expectations for His promises. In other words, when He promises something, I think I know what exactly He means, and that becomes my expectation. Oftentimes these two things (my expectation and God's word in fulfillment) are miles apart, and this can cause me to stumble or grumble. Its not that God hasn't been faithful, its that my expectations were incorrect. If I am able to maintain an attitude of gratitude, I can keep some of this negative thinking from finding a home in me.
So this morning I am grateful! I am reminded of all the goodness the Lord has poured upon me, and I am quick to point out the blessings and recognize the struggles will lead to additional experiences of God's faithfulness!
Amen, thank You Lord Jesus!
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
When The Lord Seems To Change The Plan...
This morning I felt led to read from Paul's letter to the Galatians. While I am quite familiar with this letter, I felt led to reflect on several verses from the first chapter, that described a radical shift in strategy by the Lord. Here are the verses - Galatians 1:11-24 NIV:
[11] "I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
[13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. [17] I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
[18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles---only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
[21] Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” [24] And they praised God because of me."
This morning I was captured by the enormity of what the Lord did in calling Paul as His apostle. Effectively, using football language, He called an audible and completely changed the plan as it was previously known. He called Paul, one of His main persecutors, revealed the Gospel to him and set him loose to preach this Gospel, without any transference of knowledge or teaching from His other Apostles. Wow! No one saw that coming, and to the credit of the other Apostles, they actually welcomed Paul as a fellow apostle (See Gal 2: 6-10).
My thinking this morning is focused on the radical steps the Lord is willing to take for the sake of His Church, and His extreme confidence in His ability to get it right! I mean, what individual would ever think, "I want to increase my reach and expand my territory, so I will grab my arch-enemy, give him no formal training and make him my main message bearer!"? Answer - No One! Except that is exactly what Jesus did! Paul has no personal history with Jesus, didn't walk through years of training and impartation, didn't hear His teachings, didn't see Him minister, wasn't one of the 12 or even 72 that were sent out, and yet Jesus entrusted the Gospel proclamation to the Gentiles to him! That is just amazing to me!
The point, if God is willing and able to do that with Paul, imagine what He can and will do through me or you!!!! We are much like Paul, except that we have a greater advantage, for we have the Gospel's and all the other foundational scriptures to help us and guide us! We have the same Holy Spirit that Paul had, the same lack of personal experience with Jesus in His earthly sojourn, and the same teacher available to us that taught Paul!
Oftentimes I am tempted to disqualify myself, thinking there is no way that the Lord can use me, and yet when I look at Paul's history I must say I am more qualified than He was to be chosen by the Lord. I really can't say that the Lord couldn't use me or choose me after reflecting on Paul's history. I guess I am going to have to deny those thoughts of disqualification from here on out! Thank You Lord for this encouragement!
On the other hand, there were probably hundreds of people who were followers of Jesus, some even among the 120 that were in the upper room and received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, who were not selected as Apostles. They had followed Jesus, had the personal experience, were Jews with real experience and history with Jesus and yet the Lord picked Paul. Clearly Jesus saw something in Paul that made Him risk entrusting His Gospel to him! Again, not to try and disqualify any of the others, I am just looking at the radical risk the Lord took! I am once again drawn to the supreme confidence the Lord showed when He called the audible and changed the revealed plan, it wasn't about Paul so much as it was about Jesus' confidence in His own plan! Paul understood that clearly, for several times he talks about the Gospel being proclaimed in spite of his weakness and inability. Paul recognized that his calling was a part of the Lord's grand plan, and He was the one who was going empower him to succeed! Paul's confidence was in the Lord! (He went on to say pretty much exactly that in his famous letter to the Philippians 3:1-14).
I am greatly encouraged this morning that I can share the same confidence of Paul, for the Lord is just as capable of empowering me, teaching me, training me, and sending as He was when He did this for Paul! Jesus is willing to risk it all on people like me, people like all of us! He is confident in His ability to work through us, in spite of our weaknesses, struggles and sin!
My prayer this day is that all of us who are called and chosen by the Lord would have the same encouragement as Paul! That we might know and understand that if the Lord called our name and has entrusted us with ministry to some group of people (big or small) then He is fully capable of raising us up, training us and empowering us for the task at hand, so that we will be successful! Let us believe in the Lord's ability, not our own! Let us not fear when the Lord seems to change His plans, He knows what He is doing, even if it includes us!
Amen and Amen!
[11] "I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
[13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. [17] I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
[18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles---only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
[21] Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” [24] And they praised God because of me."
This morning I was captured by the enormity of what the Lord did in calling Paul as His apostle. Effectively, using football language, He called an audible and completely changed the plan as it was previously known. He called Paul, one of His main persecutors, revealed the Gospel to him and set him loose to preach this Gospel, without any transference of knowledge or teaching from His other Apostles. Wow! No one saw that coming, and to the credit of the other Apostles, they actually welcomed Paul as a fellow apostle (See Gal 2: 6-10).
My thinking this morning is focused on the radical steps the Lord is willing to take for the sake of His Church, and His extreme confidence in His ability to get it right! I mean, what individual would ever think, "I want to increase my reach and expand my territory, so I will grab my arch-enemy, give him no formal training and make him my main message bearer!"? Answer - No One! Except that is exactly what Jesus did! Paul has no personal history with Jesus, didn't walk through years of training and impartation, didn't hear His teachings, didn't see Him minister, wasn't one of the 12 or even 72 that were sent out, and yet Jesus entrusted the Gospel proclamation to the Gentiles to him! That is just amazing to me!
The point, if God is willing and able to do that with Paul, imagine what He can and will do through me or you!!!! We are much like Paul, except that we have a greater advantage, for we have the Gospel's and all the other foundational scriptures to help us and guide us! We have the same Holy Spirit that Paul had, the same lack of personal experience with Jesus in His earthly sojourn, and the same teacher available to us that taught Paul!
Oftentimes I am tempted to disqualify myself, thinking there is no way that the Lord can use me, and yet when I look at Paul's history I must say I am more qualified than He was to be chosen by the Lord. I really can't say that the Lord couldn't use me or choose me after reflecting on Paul's history. I guess I am going to have to deny those thoughts of disqualification from here on out! Thank You Lord for this encouragement!
On the other hand, there were probably hundreds of people who were followers of Jesus, some even among the 120 that were in the upper room and received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, who were not selected as Apostles. They had followed Jesus, had the personal experience, were Jews with real experience and history with Jesus and yet the Lord picked Paul. Clearly Jesus saw something in Paul that made Him risk entrusting His Gospel to him! Again, not to try and disqualify any of the others, I am just looking at the radical risk the Lord took! I am once again drawn to the supreme confidence the Lord showed when He called the audible and changed the revealed plan, it wasn't about Paul so much as it was about Jesus' confidence in His own plan! Paul understood that clearly, for several times he talks about the Gospel being proclaimed in spite of his weakness and inability. Paul recognized that his calling was a part of the Lord's grand plan, and He was the one who was going empower him to succeed! Paul's confidence was in the Lord! (He went on to say pretty much exactly that in his famous letter to the Philippians 3:1-14).
I am greatly encouraged this morning that I can share the same confidence of Paul, for the Lord is just as capable of empowering me, teaching me, training me, and sending as He was when He did this for Paul! Jesus is willing to risk it all on people like me, people like all of us! He is confident in His ability to work through us, in spite of our weaknesses, struggles and sin!
My prayer this day is that all of us who are called and chosen by the Lord would have the same encouragement as Paul! That we might know and understand that if the Lord called our name and has entrusted us with ministry to some group of people (big or small) then He is fully capable of raising us up, training us and empowering us for the task at hand, so that we will be successful! Let us believe in the Lord's ability, not our own! Let us not fear when the Lord seems to change His plans, He knows what He is doing, even if it includes us!
Amen and Amen!
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
When Following The Lord Leads To Difficulty...
Over the last month I have been reflecting on some verses I ran across in Matthew's Gospel. The come right at the beginning of the story of Jesus walking on water - and have to do with the night the apostles spent on the sea of Galilee. Here are the verses - Matthew 14:22-33 NIV:
[22] "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. [23] After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, [24] and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
[25] Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. [26] When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
[27] But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
[28] “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
[29] “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. [30] But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
[31] Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
[32] And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. [33] Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The first thing that struck me was the opening line on verse 22, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side." He was likely aware of the winds and waves that were going to assault the disciples over the next several hours and yet He sent them on their way. In other words He sent them straight into difficulty, and they were in that situation because they obeyed Him! They clearly were not having a good time, battling the waves, wind and darkness! It is important to note that this went on all night, for it was shortly before dawn when Jesus finally started out walking on the water, so they had been about their efforts all night long!! I am sure that more than one of them were thinking negative thoughts!
I found this bit quite encouraging, because it was very clear the Lord directed them into this situation. I have, more than once, found myself in difficult straits through my obedience to what I believe the Lord has directed me to do. Sometimes I even find myself wondering if I actually heard the Lord, or if I was just trying to "make" something happen. I was encouraged to see that in this case, Jesus clearly had directed them down a path that would cause them to struggle in the darkness, as most of the time I feel that is a good representation of my perspective.
There have been many times where I have wondered if it was worth it to follow the Lord, many times, I found myself thinking, this is completely not what I expected, times where what appeared to be promise and provision instead turned into lean seasons of struggle and hard work. I find that my idea of God blessing me and loving me doesn't allow for difficult times, and I know that isn't correct, but it still causes me to struggle.
I find much of my struggle is related to the thoughts I am listening to. I find myself thinking that God doesn't love me, that He is being hard or even cruel, that He is punishing me, etc. I find that these thoughts ultimately don't originate with me, but are rather being spewed into my mind by one who is the enemy of all that is God. The enemy, and his followers, are constantly trying to get us to agree with their accusations about God, His love for us, and even ourselves. My agreement allows these thoughts to take up residence and start to cause bitterness and anger to rot my thinking and my resolve.
I find that I often let my circumstances affect my thinking about God, as I mentioned above. The truth is that our circumstances have nothing to do with Who God is, or His love for us! He loves us always. His love for us never changes! He will never love us less due to our own failings. He does bless us in our life, but that is not a guarantee that everything will always be perfect.
Going back to the story and theme of encountering difficulty as one follows Jesus, I imagine the apostles came to a similar conclusion over their time of following Him, realizing that things weren't always going to work out perfectly to their liking! Following Jesus meant a life of incredible blessing, and yet they all encountered difficulty and struggles. This story is a very small example of the Lord allowing, or maybe I should say using difficult circumstances to bring about greater revelation.
Jesus said many things that should challenge this idea that following Him will lead to a perfectly comfortable and pleasing life. Matthew recorded Him saying the following or something similar, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matt 10:28 & 16:24). That does not sound like a life of luxury and pleasant surroundings, but rather struggle and denial of self.
Paul, in his life of following Jesus, was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, ship-wrecked, and ultimately executed. I am pretty sure He wasn't a partaker in the thinking that God only blesses those He loves with earthly treasure and pleasant surroundings. He understood that following Jesus would sometimes lead Him into difficult straits, but He never turned back, or slowed down.
Going back to the story of the boat trip, I do love is the fact that the apostles were still struggling forward, they hadn't given up and were pressing on, even as dawn was approaching. They hadn't given up hope, hadn't let the accusations of the enemy cause them to falter. That is a good point of reflection as well...for our lives, especially in the midst of struggle, are often impacted by our choices and decisions. The Lord hasn't changed who He is, and who we are hasn't changed, its just the circumstances around us that have changed. We need to allow our perspective to be anchored by the Truth, by the Lord.
Continuing on with the story, the end result was that all of the men in the boat were completely convinced of Jesus being the son of God (verse 33 above)! They might have come to this conclusion earlier, but this whole experience cemented that truth for them all. I believe that often times the Lord is about increasing our revelation of Him in the midst of our struggles, and we need to be looking to Him for that that increased revelation. He wants us to grow in our understanding and thinking so that we can grow and mature in our relationship. He wants us to learn fully what it means to be a son or daughter of God!
One last reflection I had upon reading these verses has to do with God's immediacy. Three times in the verses quote above, it said Jesus did something immediately. I really like the sound of that, but twice the immediate response came after a night of struggle, once to reassure them that He wasn't a ghost, stopping a full scale panic, and once to rescue Peter when He started to sink. So, while God can react immediately, we find that it might only come after we have been obedient to keep on struggling down the path He directed us previously.
In summary, I am encouraged that the Lord is about helping me grow in relationship with Him, and regardless of the circumstances He loves me and is wanting to help me mature and grow and know Him more. He is who He says He is, and I need to hold onto that Truth regardless of what is going on around me, regardless of the darkness, winds or waves of life. I am also encouraged that struggling through difficult times doesn't mean I missed the Lord or that I somehow screwed up. Thank You Lord for loving me, and providing me, and leading me.
Amen!
[22] "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. [23] After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, [24] and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
[25] Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. [26] When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
[27] But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”
[28] “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
[29] “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. [30] But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
[31] Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
[32] And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. [33] Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The first thing that struck me was the opening line on verse 22, "Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side." He was likely aware of the winds and waves that were going to assault the disciples over the next several hours and yet He sent them on their way. In other words He sent them straight into difficulty, and they were in that situation because they obeyed Him! They clearly were not having a good time, battling the waves, wind and darkness! It is important to note that this went on all night, for it was shortly before dawn when Jesus finally started out walking on the water, so they had been about their efforts all night long!! I am sure that more than one of them were thinking negative thoughts!
I found this bit quite encouraging, because it was very clear the Lord directed them into this situation. I have, more than once, found myself in difficult straits through my obedience to what I believe the Lord has directed me to do. Sometimes I even find myself wondering if I actually heard the Lord, or if I was just trying to "make" something happen. I was encouraged to see that in this case, Jesus clearly had directed them down a path that would cause them to struggle in the darkness, as most of the time I feel that is a good representation of my perspective.
There have been many times where I have wondered if it was worth it to follow the Lord, many times, I found myself thinking, this is completely not what I expected, times where what appeared to be promise and provision instead turned into lean seasons of struggle and hard work. I find that my idea of God blessing me and loving me doesn't allow for difficult times, and I know that isn't correct, but it still causes me to struggle.
I find much of my struggle is related to the thoughts I am listening to. I find myself thinking that God doesn't love me, that He is being hard or even cruel, that He is punishing me, etc. I find that these thoughts ultimately don't originate with me, but are rather being spewed into my mind by one who is the enemy of all that is God. The enemy, and his followers, are constantly trying to get us to agree with their accusations about God, His love for us, and even ourselves. My agreement allows these thoughts to take up residence and start to cause bitterness and anger to rot my thinking and my resolve.
I find that I often let my circumstances affect my thinking about God, as I mentioned above. The truth is that our circumstances have nothing to do with Who God is, or His love for us! He loves us always. His love for us never changes! He will never love us less due to our own failings. He does bless us in our life, but that is not a guarantee that everything will always be perfect.
Going back to the story and theme of encountering difficulty as one follows Jesus, I imagine the apostles came to a similar conclusion over their time of following Him, realizing that things weren't always going to work out perfectly to their liking! Following Jesus meant a life of incredible blessing, and yet they all encountered difficulty and struggles. This story is a very small example of the Lord allowing, or maybe I should say using difficult circumstances to bring about greater revelation.
Jesus said many things that should challenge this idea that following Him will lead to a perfectly comfortable and pleasing life. Matthew recorded Him saying the following or something similar, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matt 10:28 & 16:24). That does not sound like a life of luxury and pleasant surroundings, but rather struggle and denial of self.
Paul, in his life of following Jesus, was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, ship-wrecked, and ultimately executed. I am pretty sure He wasn't a partaker in the thinking that God only blesses those He loves with earthly treasure and pleasant surroundings. He understood that following Jesus would sometimes lead Him into difficult straits, but He never turned back, or slowed down.
Going back to the story of the boat trip, I do love is the fact that the apostles were still struggling forward, they hadn't given up and were pressing on, even as dawn was approaching. They hadn't given up hope, hadn't let the accusations of the enemy cause them to falter. That is a good point of reflection as well...for our lives, especially in the midst of struggle, are often impacted by our choices and decisions. The Lord hasn't changed who He is, and who we are hasn't changed, its just the circumstances around us that have changed. We need to allow our perspective to be anchored by the Truth, by the Lord.
Continuing on with the story, the end result was that all of the men in the boat were completely convinced of Jesus being the son of God (verse 33 above)! They might have come to this conclusion earlier, but this whole experience cemented that truth for them all. I believe that often times the Lord is about increasing our revelation of Him in the midst of our struggles, and we need to be looking to Him for that that increased revelation. He wants us to grow in our understanding and thinking so that we can grow and mature in our relationship. He wants us to learn fully what it means to be a son or daughter of God!
One last reflection I had upon reading these verses has to do with God's immediacy. Three times in the verses quote above, it said Jesus did something immediately. I really like the sound of that, but twice the immediate response came after a night of struggle, once to reassure them that He wasn't a ghost, stopping a full scale panic, and once to rescue Peter when He started to sink. So, while God can react immediately, we find that it might only come after we have been obedient to keep on struggling down the path He directed us previously.
In summary, I am encouraged that the Lord is about helping me grow in relationship with Him, and regardless of the circumstances He loves me and is wanting to help me mature and grow and know Him more. He is who He says He is, and I need to hold onto that Truth regardless of what is going on around me, regardless of the darkness, winds or waves of life. I am also encouraged that struggling through difficult times doesn't mean I missed the Lord or that I somehow screwed up. Thank You Lord for loving me, and providing me, and leading me.
Amen!
Friday, January 10, 2020
Our Mistakes and Jesus' Response
This afternoon I am reflecting on some interesting verses that I heard Bill Johnson speak on several years ago. They are found in Luke, chapters 9 & 10. Here are the verses - Luke 9:51-56 NIV:
[51] "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. [52] And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; [53] but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. [54] When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” [55] But Jesus turned and rebuked them. [56] Then he and his disciples went to another village."
Focusing on verses 54 and 55, Bill asked, "What do you think Jesus did next?" It is clear that James and John, called the sons of thunder, really didn't represent the heart of the Father very well here. They were all full of offense, and wanted vengeance, and wanted to destroy the village. Bill asked us to imagine that we were senior pastors over a church, and had some of the pastoral staff respond to a difficult situation the way James and John responded. He talked briefly of the corrective actions that our churches would likely have taken; the removal from active ministry, the needing to re-earn trust, possibly even the removal from ministry positions entirely. We see in verse 55 that Jesus did correct them, and then if we turn to the next significant action of Jesus in Luke 10, we see His overall response - Luke 10:1-2,8-9 NIV:
[1] "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. [2] He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
[8] “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. [9] Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you."'
In his sermon, Bill was laughing when he read the verses above, saying if you hadn't read verses 54 and 55 previously, you would think Jesus was saying to Himself, "Everything went so well with the 12, I think I will send out 6 times as many!" And yet, that seems to be exactly what He does! He does add some directives about how to handle rejection, but at the end of that ministry outreach, Jesus is overjoyed, as are the disciples.
Luke 10:17,21 NIV:
[17] "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
[21] "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
So, what is the point here? The point is that Jesus, and the Father, have a completely different response to failure to those that miss, to those that are over-zealous, than we would likely have!
If we look closely at Jesus' response, it says He rebuked them. The Greek word that is translated rebuked, is the word Epitimao. It is defined as follows:
1) to show honour to, to honour
2) to raise the price of
3) to adjudge, award, in the sense of merited penalty
4) to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely
a) to admonish or charge sharply
Isn't that definition interesting? In school we learned that the definitions of words were normally listed in order of common use, and the lower on the list, the less common was that definition. According to the tool I am using, that word is used 30 times, and in all of them, the word is translated to English using the 4th definition. Imagine if all the times we are told of someone rebuking someone else in the NT, if we replaced the word rebuke with the word honour, how different everything would read!!
My point here is that Jesus' response, while corrective, may not have been as drastic, as heavy of a rebuke as we would think, and we can see that by what He does in Luke 10. Secondly, if we believe that Jesus was speaking exactly as the Father directed, then we may need to take a second look at our idea of the Father.
Is it possible that Jesus commended them, even honored them for their zeal, for their desire to defend His name, for their sense of the importance of their message? Is it possible that He then redirected them and gave them direction as to how to deal with those that reject them in the future. We know that Jesus did give direction as follows - Luke 10:10-16 NIV:
[10] "But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, [11] 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' [12] I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
[13] “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. [14] But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. [15] And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. [16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Now before we assume that this is all judgmental and the sentence was announced by Jesus towards these towns, we need to look at what else we know about these towns. Bethsaida was the town that Peter, Andrew and Philip were from. We see them going back to fish, after Jesus resurrection in John 21. Peter is the one who coordinates the fishing outing, and I am proposing that He likely went back home, to where He had a boat, Bethsaida. We know that Bethsaida was renamed Julius and became a relatively affluent Roman city, which was flooded about 300 years later, but then as resettled in the Byzantine era and the Church of the Apostles was built over the site of Peter's house (that is what is recorded in various historical documents). Whatever, the case, we can't read into Jesus' words the same sort of destruction as Sodom, and His comments are clearly focused on the day of judgment. Chorazin is a bit more sketchy, as that town is only mentioned this one time. Regardless, Jesus wasn't about condemning or judging, He was about saving (See John 3:16-17).
So, back to the verses and the situation, my overall thought is that Jesus didn't lose His cool, or disqualify any of His followers, despite pretty significant mess-ups. In the case of James and John calling down fire, after some correction, Jesus and the disciples all just went on to the next town. We would maybe say "no harm, no foul" in today's language. Shortly after, Jesus sent out another 72 with similar directions, and when they came back, He was rejoicing! James and John were not disqualified, in fact, James was one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:2) and John was the one to whom He entrusted His mother Mary when He was on the cross (John 19:27).
Jesus was completely dependent on these Apostles to faithfully represent Him, and He didn't seem to have an issue with their over-zealousness, their misunderstanding and judgment. This is such good news for us, for we are likely something like them, or have been in our past! Our enemy would try to convince us that we have disqualified ourselves by our judgmental attitude, our immaturity, our mistakes and our flat-out rebellion. He knows us, loves us, has paid the price for our sins, and extends grace to us endlessly! He is more interested in us getting out there representing Him, than He is about our perfection! He has to use flawed individuals because, besides Himself, there are none who are perfect!
So today, I am encouraged by the Lord! I am encouraged that despite my messes, He still desires relationship, and still plans to use me! He looks at my mistakes and says, "Ok, let's try that again, but this time, how about you try this instead?" He is so gentle, so understanding, and knows me so perfectly, He directs me perfectly!
Oh Lord, help me to represent You faithfully! Help me to expand Your Kingdom in a way that represents you!
Amen!
[51] "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. [52] And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; [53] but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. [54] When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” [55] But Jesus turned and rebuked them. [56] Then he and his disciples went to another village."
Focusing on verses 54 and 55, Bill asked, "What do you think Jesus did next?" It is clear that James and John, called the sons of thunder, really didn't represent the heart of the Father very well here. They were all full of offense, and wanted vengeance, and wanted to destroy the village. Bill asked us to imagine that we were senior pastors over a church, and had some of the pastoral staff respond to a difficult situation the way James and John responded. He talked briefly of the corrective actions that our churches would likely have taken; the removal from active ministry, the needing to re-earn trust, possibly even the removal from ministry positions entirely. We see in verse 55 that Jesus did correct them, and then if we turn to the next significant action of Jesus in Luke 10, we see His overall response - Luke 10:1-2,8-9 NIV:
[1] "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. [2] He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
[8] “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. [9] Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you."'
In his sermon, Bill was laughing when he read the verses above, saying if you hadn't read verses 54 and 55 previously, you would think Jesus was saying to Himself, "Everything went so well with the 12, I think I will send out 6 times as many!" And yet, that seems to be exactly what He does! He does add some directives about how to handle rejection, but at the end of that ministry outreach, Jesus is overjoyed, as are the disciples.
Luke 10:17,21 NIV:
[17] "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
[21] "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do."
So, what is the point here? The point is that Jesus, and the Father, have a completely different response to failure to those that miss, to those that are over-zealous, than we would likely have!
If we look closely at Jesus' response, it says He rebuked them. The Greek word that is translated rebuked, is the word Epitimao. It is defined as follows:
1) to show honour to, to honour
2) to raise the price of
3) to adjudge, award, in the sense of merited penalty
4) to tax with fault, rate, chide, rebuke, reprove, censure severely
a) to admonish or charge sharply
Isn't that definition interesting? In school we learned that the definitions of words were normally listed in order of common use, and the lower on the list, the less common was that definition. According to the tool I am using, that word is used 30 times, and in all of them, the word is translated to English using the 4th definition. Imagine if all the times we are told of someone rebuking someone else in the NT, if we replaced the word rebuke with the word honour, how different everything would read!!
My point here is that Jesus' response, while corrective, may not have been as drastic, as heavy of a rebuke as we would think, and we can see that by what He does in Luke 10. Secondly, if we believe that Jesus was speaking exactly as the Father directed, then we may need to take a second look at our idea of the Father.
Is it possible that Jesus commended them, even honored them for their zeal, for their desire to defend His name, for their sense of the importance of their message? Is it possible that He then redirected them and gave them direction as to how to deal with those that reject them in the future. We know that Jesus did give direction as follows - Luke 10:10-16 NIV:
[10] "But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, [11] 'Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' [12] I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
[13] “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. [14] But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. [15] And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. [16] “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Now before we assume that this is all judgmental and the sentence was announced by Jesus towards these towns, we need to look at what else we know about these towns. Bethsaida was the town that Peter, Andrew and Philip were from. We see them going back to fish, after Jesus resurrection in John 21. Peter is the one who coordinates the fishing outing, and I am proposing that He likely went back home, to where He had a boat, Bethsaida. We know that Bethsaida was renamed Julius and became a relatively affluent Roman city, which was flooded about 300 years later, but then as resettled in the Byzantine era and the Church of the Apostles was built over the site of Peter's house (that is what is recorded in various historical documents). Whatever, the case, we can't read into Jesus' words the same sort of destruction as Sodom, and His comments are clearly focused on the day of judgment. Chorazin is a bit more sketchy, as that town is only mentioned this one time. Regardless, Jesus wasn't about condemning or judging, He was about saving (See John 3:16-17).
So, back to the verses and the situation, my overall thought is that Jesus didn't lose His cool, or disqualify any of His followers, despite pretty significant mess-ups. In the case of James and John calling down fire, after some correction, Jesus and the disciples all just went on to the next town. We would maybe say "no harm, no foul" in today's language. Shortly after, Jesus sent out another 72 with similar directions, and when they came back, He was rejoicing! James and John were not disqualified, in fact, James was one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:2) and John was the one to whom He entrusted His mother Mary when He was on the cross (John 19:27).
Jesus was completely dependent on these Apostles to faithfully represent Him, and He didn't seem to have an issue with their over-zealousness, their misunderstanding and judgment. This is such good news for us, for we are likely something like them, or have been in our past! Our enemy would try to convince us that we have disqualified ourselves by our judgmental attitude, our immaturity, our mistakes and our flat-out rebellion. He knows us, loves us, has paid the price for our sins, and extends grace to us endlessly! He is more interested in us getting out there representing Him, than He is about our perfection! He has to use flawed individuals because, besides Himself, there are none who are perfect!
So today, I am encouraged by the Lord! I am encouraged that despite my messes, He still desires relationship, and still plans to use me! He looks at my mistakes and says, "Ok, let's try that again, but this time, how about you try this instead?" He is so gentle, so understanding, and knows me so perfectly, He directs me perfectly!
Oh Lord, help me to represent You faithfully! Help me to expand Your Kingdom in a way that represents you!
Amen!
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
The Significance of Hidden Prayer
Lately I have been thinking about Jesus' first 30 years of life, wondering what He did, how He interacted with the Father, how He managed to stay completely hidden, other than a couple of times we have recorded in scripture where we get a small glimpse of His extraordinary birth, or unique talents as a boy of 12 (both found in Luke 2). I was thinking about this the other day and felt the Holy Spirit say that Jesus was praying during this time. I understand this to mean that He was in constant communication with the Father, and was being directed and guided in His daily life and work.
We know that He grew up in Nazareth (Luke 2:39, 51), that He was known as a carpenter (Mark 6:3), the son of a carpenter(Matt 13:55), and can surmise that His life was very normal by the response to His ministry from people in His hometown later (see the verses from Mark and Matt listed earlier). So, in my imagination I see Jesus working and living in this town for close to 30 years, and most people in this town have no idea He is the Messiah, or that He is special at all! Wow! That is an amazing job of staying hidden!
Previously in some of my reflections, I have pondered this hiddenness and thought about Jesus' heart as He sees the struggles, sickness, death, hunger, desire for the Messiah in those around Him. I have reflected on the responses of His former neighbors when they hear about His ministry and the things He is doing in other towns, how they became offended, and how that was likely tied to the own memories of Him doing nothing while in their midst previously! I imagine that all of this was cause for prayer for Jesus. He knew who He was, knew why He had been sent to earth, and yet He was required to stand by and seemingly do nothing.
This brings me back to my thought that He spent these years praying, because He wasn't doing nothing, He was praying! He was speaking to the Father about everything He saw, every injustice He witnessed, every opportunity where the revelation of God's Kingdom would make a difference, every sick person, every difficulty and struggle, every poor person, every hungry person, every cry to God for help! He was reminding the Father of His Word, His Promises, His Love for His people! We are told that He presently resides in Heaven, constantly interceding for us all (Rom 8:34 & Heb 7:25), and I am sure this intercession is just a continuation of His prayers that constantly flowed during His life here on earth!
If we look at His life, He spent on 11% of His earthly life in active ministry, the remaining 89% hidden, and praying. Is it possible to say that the effects of His ministry were tied directly to all of His prayers? I believe we can say that, as long as we don't get all religious, and think that somehow the Father was keeping score, or Jesus was, and knew how many prayers He had to pray, etc. He was living as directed, and His heart was fully aligned with the Father, and thus His Ministry and sinless life were a direct result of His prayer - His constant communication with the Father. It wasn't the quantity of prayers - it was the nature of His relationship established through prayer, that was the foundation for His ministry.
As I was writing this< I was reminded of the verses in Revelation 5:8 NIV: "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people." If there are bowls in heaven full of the prayers of God's people, imagine what type of container Jesus must have filled up with His Prayers!! I was thinking that its almost like His prayers filled up a giant Golden Bowl, that was then poured out when He started ministering! Now, none of that has a scriptural basis, but I like the imagery.
Is it possible that our prayers are filling up bowls in heaven, and the angels when sent on assignment, are delivering answers to these very prayers? We are told to pray (Col 4:2 and many other scriptures)! We are encouraged to lift our needs daily to the Lord (The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11:2-4) ! We are told of how the angels are sent in response to our prayers (Daniel 10:12). Again, I am placing a bunch of scripture together and tying them together logically, not in the hopes of creating a religious practice, but rather to open our eyes to the significance of prayer! Paul was constantly asking for prayer, Jesus was constantly praying, the apostles led the early church in constant prayer, and we would be do well to follow in their footsteps. To be clear, I am not talking about rote recitation of canned prayers, but rather a heart and spirit in constant communication with the Lord! A real dialogue and communication, both speaking and listening.
Oh Lord, help me to learn to be in prayer, like You were in prayer! Help me to be aware of the significance of our communication with You, our prayers. Help me to embrace a life of prayer, whether I am actively ministering, or living a quiet and "hidden" life, working and raising a family! Help me to see what You want me to see, and talk with You about the things You want to talk about, calling forth provision, healing, deliverance, salvation, prosperity, mercy, grace, compassion, and love for those I encounter! Help me to fill bowls and bowls that Your purposes might be poured forth upon the earth!
Amen!
We know that He grew up in Nazareth (Luke 2:39, 51), that He was known as a carpenter (Mark 6:3), the son of a carpenter(Matt 13:55), and can surmise that His life was very normal by the response to His ministry from people in His hometown later (see the verses from Mark and Matt listed earlier). So, in my imagination I see Jesus working and living in this town for close to 30 years, and most people in this town have no idea He is the Messiah, or that He is special at all! Wow! That is an amazing job of staying hidden!
Previously in some of my reflections, I have pondered this hiddenness and thought about Jesus' heart as He sees the struggles, sickness, death, hunger, desire for the Messiah in those around Him. I have reflected on the responses of His former neighbors when they hear about His ministry and the things He is doing in other towns, how they became offended, and how that was likely tied to the own memories of Him doing nothing while in their midst previously! I imagine that all of this was cause for prayer for Jesus. He knew who He was, knew why He had been sent to earth, and yet He was required to stand by and seemingly do nothing.
This brings me back to my thought that He spent these years praying, because He wasn't doing nothing, He was praying! He was speaking to the Father about everything He saw, every injustice He witnessed, every opportunity where the revelation of God's Kingdom would make a difference, every sick person, every difficulty and struggle, every poor person, every hungry person, every cry to God for help! He was reminding the Father of His Word, His Promises, His Love for His people! We are told that He presently resides in Heaven, constantly interceding for us all (Rom 8:34 & Heb 7:25), and I am sure this intercession is just a continuation of His prayers that constantly flowed during His life here on earth!
If we look at His life, He spent on 11% of His earthly life in active ministry, the remaining 89% hidden, and praying. Is it possible to say that the effects of His ministry were tied directly to all of His prayers? I believe we can say that, as long as we don't get all religious, and think that somehow the Father was keeping score, or Jesus was, and knew how many prayers He had to pray, etc. He was living as directed, and His heart was fully aligned with the Father, and thus His Ministry and sinless life were a direct result of His prayer - His constant communication with the Father. It wasn't the quantity of prayers - it was the nature of His relationship established through prayer, that was the foundation for His ministry.
As I was writing this< I was reminded of the verses in Revelation 5:8 NIV: "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people." If there are bowls in heaven full of the prayers of God's people, imagine what type of container Jesus must have filled up with His Prayers!! I was thinking that its almost like His prayers filled up a giant Golden Bowl, that was then poured out when He started ministering! Now, none of that has a scriptural basis, but I like the imagery.
Is it possible that our prayers are filling up bowls in heaven, and the angels when sent on assignment, are delivering answers to these very prayers? We are told to pray (Col 4:2 and many other scriptures)! We are encouraged to lift our needs daily to the Lord (The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11:2-4) ! We are told of how the angels are sent in response to our prayers (Daniel 10:12). Again, I am placing a bunch of scripture together and tying them together logically, not in the hopes of creating a religious practice, but rather to open our eyes to the significance of prayer! Paul was constantly asking for prayer, Jesus was constantly praying, the apostles led the early church in constant prayer, and we would be do well to follow in their footsteps. To be clear, I am not talking about rote recitation of canned prayers, but rather a heart and spirit in constant communication with the Lord! A real dialogue and communication, both speaking and listening.
Oh Lord, help me to learn to be in prayer, like You were in prayer! Help me to be aware of the significance of our communication with You, our prayers. Help me to embrace a life of prayer, whether I am actively ministering, or living a quiet and "hidden" life, working and raising a family! Help me to see what You want me to see, and talk with You about the things You want to talk about, calling forth provision, healing, deliverance, salvation, prosperity, mercy, grace, compassion, and love for those I encounter! Help me to fill bowls and bowls that Your purposes might be poured forth upon the earth!
Amen!
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Revealing the Sons and Daughters of God!
The other morning I had a long dream that was very complex. It started with a long review of the worldwide struggle and spiritual warfare at a significant level, like millions, even billions of combatants. It was like at times I could see beyond the natural into the supernatural, almost like I could see past the veil into the unseen realm. I was concerned that there didn't seem to be progress being made by the good side.
I was looking for the key to changing the outcome, and I was led to these three different guys who were like key gate-keepers and they were really weak and barely able to push back the enemies that were trying to break through. As I was looking at them, I realized that they were actually great warriors, but it was like they were unaware of who they were. I got right up in one of their faces, and told him who he was, and it was like all of a sudden his self-deception just melted off of him, and he was revealed for who he was, a mighty warrior! That turned out to be the catalyst for a massive change that swept through all of the good side as they were all revealed to be sons and daughters of God! Its like all of a sudden their cloaks were thrown down and they were all shining and bright and powerful. The tide immediately turned and the bad army was pushed back and defeated. The idea that was in my mind was that we all were restored to our position that Adam had originally, one of intimacy, authority and dominion.
I woke up and found myself praying for us to understand and embrace our true identities as sons and daughters, believing that is what the Lord is waiting for, and desiring. This is so significant that it will literally change the whole environment, the whole spiritual atmosphere!
The enemy is working overtime to keep us deceived, so that we don't realize who we really are, sons and daughters of God. We are mighty warriors, able to walk in authority and power, and the Father is waiting for us to step into this reality.
This reality is about us stepping into His power and His authority, for we only have it (Power and Authority) in relationship with Him. As we turn to Him, we receive our directions, which are handed out to each of us individually, They are delivered not to see us fail, but are handed out by One who loves us and wants us to succeed. He will guide us and lead us, but we have to believe His words for us....about us. He tells us what we can do, and we need to believe that we are capable because He knows us... because He has gifted us!
As I wrote that last bit I was reminded of a time my son was in the 5th grade and had been tasked with writing a research paper. He was completely overwhelmed by this assignment and had no idea how to proceed. I knew he could do it, but he was so stressed he saw no way forward, and truthfully didn't have all the understanding or skills required. However, I knew how to write one, and with some serious Holy Spirit inspiration was able to figure out how to help him. Rather then write down note-cards, I had him voice record the information he knew as I asked him questions, then he listened to the recording and typed what he said. It worked wonderfully! Anyway, the point is that I knew, as his father, that he was capable. I also knew he needed help, so I helped him. I didn't provide him the material, I didn't write the material for him, I helped him discover his own abilities and knowledge and capabilities in a way that didn't require him to fail! I know the Lord is far better at encouragement and helping us then I ever could be, and He is about revealing to us our true nature and abilities and He is going to help us succeed!
Many of us see ourselves in the battle regularly, struggling with thoughts, actions, intentions, and whatever, not making much progress. However, the problem is that we are often working out of our strength and effort, when instead the Lord wants us to step into Him (We are hidden in Christ - Col 3:3) and fight from that position. Imagine if you were being chased by the enemy, where is the safest place you can hide? Hidden in Him who has already defeated the enemy! If we are hidden in Christ, sitting with Him on the Throne (Eph 2:6), we bring a completely different perspective to our struggles, the effort required, the actual effort is mostly His. When we step into our true identity we open ourselves to His provision and power, His authority and perspective. We allow Him to move us and teach us, and work through us!
I am reminded of the TV Show Power Rangers, how kids were given the ability to "Power Up" and they were given suits and robotic creatures they controlled. In these robotic creatures, the individual person was inside them, and was encased in power and had a completely different ability, and level of power. This is what we are called to do, to step back into the Lord, into our relationship with Him, into His power, under His wings, settling back into Him. He wants to call us into His unity.
I am reminded of a couple of verses from John 17:22-26 NASB:
[22] "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; [23] I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. [24] Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
[25] "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; [26] and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
If we look closely at these verses we see that we are called into that intimate unity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in that place where they are, we will see and experience the Glory of the Son, and the whole world will know!
And finally - back to the dream. I felt like the main point was that we must understand who we really are, sons and daughters of God. We must understand this truth and then walk in this truth, effectively revealing ourselves to the world. In fact Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Romans 8:19 NASB: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
Let us step into our true identity as sons and daughters of God! Let us cast aside the veils and cloaks of the enemy's lies and deception, and let us embrace fully God's desire for us to be revealed to the whole world as His sons and daughters! Let us change the atmosphere of the whole world!!
Amen!
I was looking for the key to changing the outcome, and I was led to these three different guys who were like key gate-keepers and they were really weak and barely able to push back the enemies that were trying to break through. As I was looking at them, I realized that they were actually great warriors, but it was like they were unaware of who they were. I got right up in one of their faces, and told him who he was, and it was like all of a sudden his self-deception just melted off of him, and he was revealed for who he was, a mighty warrior! That turned out to be the catalyst for a massive change that swept through all of the good side as they were all revealed to be sons and daughters of God! Its like all of a sudden their cloaks were thrown down and they were all shining and bright and powerful. The tide immediately turned and the bad army was pushed back and defeated. The idea that was in my mind was that we all were restored to our position that Adam had originally, one of intimacy, authority and dominion.
I woke up and found myself praying for us to understand and embrace our true identities as sons and daughters, believing that is what the Lord is waiting for, and desiring. This is so significant that it will literally change the whole environment, the whole spiritual atmosphere!
The enemy is working overtime to keep us deceived, so that we don't realize who we really are, sons and daughters of God. We are mighty warriors, able to walk in authority and power, and the Father is waiting for us to step into this reality.
This reality is about us stepping into His power and His authority, for we only have it (Power and Authority) in relationship with Him. As we turn to Him, we receive our directions, which are handed out to each of us individually, They are delivered not to see us fail, but are handed out by One who loves us and wants us to succeed. He will guide us and lead us, but we have to believe His words for us....about us. He tells us what we can do, and we need to believe that we are capable because He knows us... because He has gifted us!
As I wrote that last bit I was reminded of a time my son was in the 5th grade and had been tasked with writing a research paper. He was completely overwhelmed by this assignment and had no idea how to proceed. I knew he could do it, but he was so stressed he saw no way forward, and truthfully didn't have all the understanding or skills required. However, I knew how to write one, and with some serious Holy Spirit inspiration was able to figure out how to help him. Rather then write down note-cards, I had him voice record the information he knew as I asked him questions, then he listened to the recording and typed what he said. It worked wonderfully! Anyway, the point is that I knew, as his father, that he was capable. I also knew he needed help, so I helped him. I didn't provide him the material, I didn't write the material for him, I helped him discover his own abilities and knowledge and capabilities in a way that didn't require him to fail! I know the Lord is far better at encouragement and helping us then I ever could be, and He is about revealing to us our true nature and abilities and He is going to help us succeed!
Many of us see ourselves in the battle regularly, struggling with thoughts, actions, intentions, and whatever, not making much progress. However, the problem is that we are often working out of our strength and effort, when instead the Lord wants us to step into Him (We are hidden in Christ - Col 3:3) and fight from that position. Imagine if you were being chased by the enemy, where is the safest place you can hide? Hidden in Him who has already defeated the enemy! If we are hidden in Christ, sitting with Him on the Throne (Eph 2:6), we bring a completely different perspective to our struggles, the effort required, the actual effort is mostly His. When we step into our true identity we open ourselves to His provision and power, His authority and perspective. We allow Him to move us and teach us, and work through us!
I am reminded of the TV Show Power Rangers, how kids were given the ability to "Power Up" and they were given suits and robotic creatures they controlled. In these robotic creatures, the individual person was inside them, and was encased in power and had a completely different ability, and level of power. This is what we are called to do, to step back into the Lord, into our relationship with Him, into His power, under His wings, settling back into Him. He wants to call us into His unity.
I am reminded of a couple of verses from John 17:22-26 NASB:
[22] "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; [23] I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. [24] Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
[25] "O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; [26] and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
If we look closely at these verses we see that we are called into that intimate unity with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in that place where they are, we will see and experience the Glory of the Son, and the whole world will know!
And finally - back to the dream. I felt like the main point was that we must understand who we really are, sons and daughters of God. We must understand this truth and then walk in this truth, effectively revealing ourselves to the world. In fact Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Romans 8:19 NASB: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."
Let us step into our true identity as sons and daughters of God! Let us cast aside the veils and cloaks of the enemy's lies and deception, and let us embrace fully God's desire for us to be revealed to the whole world as His sons and daughters! Let us change the atmosphere of the whole world!!
Amen!
Monday, January 6, 2020
Embracing a Quiet Life of Following the Lord!
A couple of days ago I was thinking about Jesus, and the fact that we really only see 3 years of His life, with a couple of brief glimpses into His life prior to His public ministry. I was thinking about how that relates to me, and what direction I should take from Him regarding my hidden life. I asked the question, "I wonder what Jesus was doing all those 30 years?" and immediately the answer I heard was, "Praying!" I was a bit blown away by the answer, and now the idea of Jesus spending 30 years in prayer, prior to His time of active ministry has really been captivating my thoughts. This is such an interesting thing to me, and should not really be a surprise, I guess. However, it is something that just helps me to think about myself and my time out of active public ministry, and a good guide for how to live my life... how to embrace this time of quietness. I need to be focused on relationship with the Lord (for that is what I understand Jesus to mean when He says He was praying - He was communicating with the Father), and looking to Him for direction, speaking what He shows me, growing in ways that represent Him.
My base understanding for this perception is from Jesus' statements concerning His words and actions, and our understanding of Him being perfect, and sinless even in His human state. Starting with the latter, the definition of sin I am using here is the definition of the Greek word that is used by the original writers of scripture and which we translate sin. The Greek word used is Hamartano/Hamartia and is defined as follows:
1) to be without a share in
2) to miss the mark
3) to err, be mistaken
4) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
5) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin
I am applying this definition as it pertains to Jesus' life, and assume that this means Jesus walked perfectly in the path laid for Him by the Father. He was always hitting the exact mark, was never mistaken, or without a share of what the Father planned, and He never wandered from the path before Him, for His entire life. This is not about a list of particular sins, but rather is about perfectly walking in unity relationally with the Father, doing what the Father said to do, and speaking what the Father said to speak, operating in perfect obedience to these minute by minute directions and guidance for His entire life!
Jesus said the following about His life.
John 5:19-20 NIV: "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."
John 12:49 NIV: "For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken."
John 14:9-10 NIV: "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 I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."
Finally we have this statement from the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 4:15 NIV: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet he did not sin."
So summarizing these statements, Jesus said and did what the Father showed Him to do. Perfectly! His whole life! I am applying this statement and belief to the whole of his life, even those years lived out of the public eye, His childhood and adolescence, from His birth to His baptism and entrance into public ministry after his time in the wilderness.
So how does that look when applied to His life prior to His ministry? How do we embrace this lifestyle in our own daily walk? How do we embrace this lifestyle as it relates to our work, to loving our spouses, significant others, children, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and those we meet throughout our daily life? How does the Lord want us to represent Him in speech and action? How do we represent the character of God to those around us?
Paul writes this in his letter to the Romans 8:28-29 NIV: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
If we read this literally, we are included in the "many brothers and sisters" for whom Jesus is the firstborn, the one whom we follow and emulate. He showed us the path, opened the way for us to have relationship with the Father and now guides us through His indwelling Holy Spirit down this same path.
However, my experience is that most of the time I am unaware of His will and purpose, certainly not in an intimate moment by moment way that seems to be the way Jesus lived. So, how do I get from my present level of experience to something more intimate, a life lived with greater intentionality and insight into what I should be doing and saying? How do I learn to represent Him in my every word, and every action?
I think the answer is simple and yet far from simple! The answer is I ask and then I listen and obey. What a simple statement, and yet how difficult it is to accomplish in my action packed day of work and life. I tend to lose sight, lose focus and once that happens, I just plug along on my own power and effort. I really need to learn to quickly recenter and refocus, to listen throughout the day, to chose to listen first, then speak or respond. I think so often I miss what the Lord is saying because either I am talking or I already decided on a path and moving.
I was just thinking how my wife and I often times have strolling conversations, where we are talking to one another as we move from room to room, and how that is a very ineffective way of communicating. Yet, I do the same thing with the Lord, as I lose focus, almost immediately upon leaving my prayer time. So, how to keep myself focused? How to walk in a sense of union, of connectedness with Holy Spirit every day, all day?
As I am thinking about all this, it is apparent to me that I don't need to recreate the wheel here! There are many who have walked this path before me, some who have even written of their life. I am also VERY conscious of the leading and guiding of Holy Spirit as He wants me to succeed and learn this too! I am convinced that He wants me to learn, that He knows me perfectly, and that He will gently guide me, if I let Him and turn to Him. Lord, please help me!
I am aware of the fact that is requires me to be aware of His presence, in me! I need to foster my awareness, in conjunction with His leading and guiding me to learn to do this. I need to be aware of His voice directing and guiding me! I need to be aware of His heart, His passion, His character - desiring to be expressed through me! One of the authors I read regularly said it something like this, "The Holy Spirit is inside you and HE wants out!"
Lord, help me to learn to walk in Your path, in Your guidance, speaking and acting as You desire! Help me to focus on relationship with You first and foremost, that I might walk in unity with You, expressing Your love, mercy, compassion and grace to those that I interact with daily.
My base understanding for this perception is from Jesus' statements concerning His words and actions, and our understanding of Him being perfect, and sinless even in His human state. Starting with the latter, the definition of sin I am using here is the definition of the Greek word that is used by the original writers of scripture and which we translate sin. The Greek word used is Hamartano/Hamartia and is defined as follows:
1) to be without a share in
2) to miss the mark
3) to err, be mistaken
4) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
5) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin
I am applying this definition as it pertains to Jesus' life, and assume that this means Jesus walked perfectly in the path laid for Him by the Father. He was always hitting the exact mark, was never mistaken, or without a share of what the Father planned, and He never wandered from the path before Him, for His entire life. This is not about a list of particular sins, but rather is about perfectly walking in unity relationally with the Father, doing what the Father said to do, and speaking what the Father said to speak, operating in perfect obedience to these minute by minute directions and guidance for His entire life!
Jesus said the following about His life.
John 5:19-20 NIV: "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. [20] For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed."
John 12:49 NIV: "For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken."
John 14:9-10 NIV: "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 I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."
Finally we have this statement from the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 4:15 NIV: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet he did not sin."
So summarizing these statements, Jesus said and did what the Father showed Him to do. Perfectly! His whole life! I am applying this statement and belief to the whole of his life, even those years lived out of the public eye, His childhood and adolescence, from His birth to His baptism and entrance into public ministry after his time in the wilderness.
So how does that look when applied to His life prior to His ministry? How do we embrace this lifestyle in our own daily walk? How do we embrace this lifestyle as it relates to our work, to loving our spouses, significant others, children, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and those we meet throughout our daily life? How does the Lord want us to represent Him in speech and action? How do we represent the character of God to those around us?
Paul writes this in his letter to the Romans 8:28-29 NIV: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."
If we read this literally, we are included in the "many brothers and sisters" for whom Jesus is the firstborn, the one whom we follow and emulate. He showed us the path, opened the way for us to have relationship with the Father and now guides us through His indwelling Holy Spirit down this same path.
However, my experience is that most of the time I am unaware of His will and purpose, certainly not in an intimate moment by moment way that seems to be the way Jesus lived. So, how do I get from my present level of experience to something more intimate, a life lived with greater intentionality and insight into what I should be doing and saying? How do I learn to represent Him in my every word, and every action?
I think the answer is simple and yet far from simple! The answer is I ask and then I listen and obey. What a simple statement, and yet how difficult it is to accomplish in my action packed day of work and life. I tend to lose sight, lose focus and once that happens, I just plug along on my own power and effort. I really need to learn to quickly recenter and refocus, to listen throughout the day, to chose to listen first, then speak or respond. I think so often I miss what the Lord is saying because either I am talking or I already decided on a path and moving.
I was just thinking how my wife and I often times have strolling conversations, where we are talking to one another as we move from room to room, and how that is a very ineffective way of communicating. Yet, I do the same thing with the Lord, as I lose focus, almost immediately upon leaving my prayer time. So, how to keep myself focused? How to walk in a sense of union, of connectedness with Holy Spirit every day, all day?
As I am thinking about all this, it is apparent to me that I don't need to recreate the wheel here! There are many who have walked this path before me, some who have even written of their life. I am also VERY conscious of the leading and guiding of Holy Spirit as He wants me to succeed and learn this too! I am convinced that He wants me to learn, that He knows me perfectly, and that He will gently guide me, if I let Him and turn to Him. Lord, please help me!
I am aware of the fact that is requires me to be aware of His presence, in me! I need to foster my awareness, in conjunction with His leading and guiding me to learn to do this. I need to be aware of His voice directing and guiding me! I need to be aware of His heart, His passion, His character - desiring to be expressed through me! One of the authors I read regularly said it something like this, "The Holy Spirit is inside you and HE wants out!"
Lord, help me to learn to walk in Your path, in Your guidance, speaking and acting as You desire! Help me to focus on relationship with You first and foremost, that I might walk in unity with You, expressing Your love, mercy, compassion and grace to those that I interact with daily.
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