Dealing With Difficult To Understand Passages

 This morning I have been reading from 2 Samuel, and wrestling for understanding of a story about David.  Here are the verses - 2 Samuel 12:7-14 NASB:

[7] "Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. [8] I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! [9] Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. [10] Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' [11] Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. [12] Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" [13] Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. [14] However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die."

So as I have been thinking about these verses several thoughts have come to mind:

1) The child is innocent, why strike the child for the sins of David?

2) Bathsheba was essentially innocent, why cause her grief for the sin of David?

3) Why forgive David and still strike the son?

4) Did God cause the child to die, or did He allow the child to die?

5) Is this representative of God's character, and ways?  Isn't He the same always?

6) Does God do this today?

7) Why did David ever sin in the first place? 

All of these are good questions, and while I don't have solid answers to them all, I think I have some understanding.

First, it is important to note that the Old Testament represents the progressive revelation of the character and nature of God.  At the time of these events, they only had the received the Law, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel had not lived yet, and these were major sources of Revelation of the character of God.  Jesus, who is the perfect representation of the Father (Heb. 1:3) had not lived yet, nor provided His understanding and teachings.  However, in reading this story it is important that we read it with all of that understanding in place, so that we do not misunderstand God's Character.

For reference -  here are just a sampling of some of the verses I am referring to:

Isaiah 53:5-6 - The messiah would bear our sins

Jeremiah 31:30-34 - A man will die for his own sin, and God will make a new Covenant and write it on their hearts, and God will forgive their sins.

Ezekiel 18:3-32 - A man will die for his own sin, not for his fathers.  God takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, but desires repentance.

John 4:1-42 - story of Jesus interacting with the woman at the well, who is clearly an adulteress, yet He brings salvation to her, not judgement.

Second, God was operating within the context of the Covenant of the Law that He had given Moses, even though God had another better Covenant, and New Covenant planned through Jesus.  He hadn't released the understanding of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel yet, so He (God) was operating within the constraints of His present revelation.  This is actually quite merciful, as to expect David to understand something He had never heard or seen previously would not be just, nor would it bear witness to the Law's He put in place.

An analogy here that might be helpful, in elementary school there are certain rules that we need to follow, that are no longer necessary in Highschool or college.  These are in place at the time to aid in our education and learning experience.  However, if we applied the rules for seniors in highschool to a kindergarten class, but only to certain students, it would be confusing to all the students, would undermine their understanding of rules and how they work, and actually cause issues with their development.

Thirdly, according to the The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, when we read phrases where God says, "I will raise up" or "I will even take", we must understand that God is essentially saying the following ""That is, in the course of my providence I will permit this to be done." Such phrases in Scripture do not mean that God either does or can do evil himself; but only that he permits such evil to be done as he foresaw would be done, and which, had he pleased, he might have prevented."  This is such an interesting a deep subject, for not everything God foresees happens, and often times His warnings are headed and what could have happened doesn't.  The reverse of this is also true, God can foresee things that will happen, as a result of our free-will.  He will often warn us about them, but if we continue down that path, we will suffer the consequences.  Thus, He sees us, could intervene, but doesn't out of His respect for our free-will.  (This is much too deep of a topic to cover in such a short meditation - so will leave the rest for another time.)  In the story above, He doesn't intervene and answer David's prayers.

Fourthly, as I mentioned earlier, we really need to filter all such biblical accounts through the perfect representation of the Father, provided us by Jesus (See Heb 1:3).  The simple question of whether Jesus would say this or do this (something which we read), should give us pause in our application of that something, found in the Old Testament, to our lives. For example, I referenced the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, found in John 4.  While clearly not the same situation, we see Jesus dealing with someone who is clearly in adultery, (She was married 5 times, and now living with a man who wasn't her husband).  We could argue that she wasn't a Jew and wasn't under the Law, but that really isn't the issue here, the focus is on the response of Jesus, representing God the Father to someone who is clearly sinning, and for who the punishment would be stoning (See John 8 for the other story  of the woman caught in adultery).  His response to her is to engage her in conversation, reveal His knowledge of her, and open her eyes to the truth of who He was, namely the Messiah.  She is radically saved and becomes one of His first evangelists, getting most of her town saved by leading them to Jesus.  This is nothing like what we see in the story from 2 Samuel, and yet it is the same Father.  Both are true accounts, and true  representations of the Father, but Jesus' actions and words represent the best understanding of the Father's heart and character.

So, in light of the above, how should we read and understand David's punishment and the words of the Lord, spoken to him by Nathan?  We see God revealing to David that His sins are not hidden, neither from God, nor from others.  We understand that our actions, and our sins, can have ramifications that are damaging to ourselves and to others.  Sometimes that damage is done to our attitudes towards others, our relational paradigms, our thoughts and heart motivations,  and other times they can have real world consequences. God, in dealing with David, was calling him to a place of transparency, humility, repentance, obedience and deeper relationship.  We are all encouraged down this same path, regardless of the seriousness  of our sins, and our lack of knowledge of God's ways and purposes.  If we look at the response of the Samaritan woman at the well, we see this exact same flow of transparency, humility, repentance, obedience and relationship.  

In this scripture from 2 Samuel, we see God intervening in David's life, causing him to stop his sinful ways, and turn back to the Lord.  Bathsheba's next child is Solomon, who would become King after David, and we see in his birth and life, the redemption of all that had been lost by Bathsheba due to the consequences of David's sin.  We see God redeeming their relationship, and blessing it, which should certainly tell us there is more to this story than just punishment for sin.  We know from other scriptures (Matthew 1:5)  that David's great grandmother is Rahab, who just might be the prostitute that provided Joshua a safe place to hide when they were spying out the land.  Talk about redeeming one's life!  

Hopefully this reflection provides some helpful insight and tools for understanding difficult passages in scripture.  God knows us, loves us and wants to lead us into deeper relationship with Him.  Sometimes that requires Him to intervene in our lives, calling us out of our sin in painful ways, but His heart is always for us!  He desires to redeem all that has been lost due to our sins, and has this tendency to bless that which is restored with double blessings.  Let us entrust ourselves to this loving God, who does not punish us as our sins deserve, but who took upon Himself the punishment for all our sins!  Let us turn towards Him and acknowledge our need for Him, ask forgiveness humbly and enter into deeper relationship with Him.  

Amen and Amen!

 

In These Terrible Days Pursue Righteousness, Faith, Love and Peace

This morning I am reading from Paul's second letter to Timothy.  Like any of his letters, there are really no chapters and verse numbers, those were added later to help us navigate.  I am reading the end of chapter two into the beginning of chapter three for they are directly related, and applicable to these days.  Here are the verses - 2 Timothy 2:22-26 NIV:  

[22] "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. [23] Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. [24] And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. [25] Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, [26] and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

And continuing - 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV:

[1] "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."

The thought that struck me this morning was the last sentence of chapter 2, verses 26 for this basically explains the next 5 verses.  The terrible times in the last days, as described by Paul, are the result of the trap of the devil, which enables him to take people captive, or capture them through their own agreement with him.  I reflected on this theme on this past Saturday, and I believe this is one of the key issues in our day, believing the lies of the enemy concerning God.  I believe its actually been one of the main issues since history has been recorded.  We understand that Jesus came to confront this, as described in 1 John 3:8 NIV:..."The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work."  

Notice though, Paul's encouragement to Timothy is to not engage them in arguments, for this bears no good fruit, but instead tells Timothy that he should treat everyone with kindness, and gentleness.  At worst, our response should be to just have nothing to do with such argumentative people.  However, we should be ready to gently instruct those that are willing to listen at all, engaging them in gentle conversation, in the hope that their eyes might be opened to their own deception, allowing them to change their mind, breaking off their agreement with the devil and stepping into the Kingdom, through the salvation of their souls.  

First and foremost though, our call, as was Timothy's, is to pursue righteousness, faith. love and peace.  If our eyes and efforts are set on these things, we will be safe-guarded from the craziness of some.  Paul writes in his letter to the  Ephesians 6:12 NIV: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

So let us embrace righteousness, faith, love, peace and gentleness towards all our brothers and sisters, especially those who are not yet members of the Kingdom of God.  Let us not be surprised when people believe such things, and respond accordingly.  Let us instead "fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." ( 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV).

Amen!

Breaking Our Agreement With The Enemy

 Apparently directly related to a dream I had this morning, I was led to the following verse in 1 John 3:8 NIV:..."The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work." 

There could be several ideas about what this "devil's work" might be, but I think if we go back to the beginning, applying the hermeneutics principle of first mention, we find that the devil's work was to convince Eve that God was lying about His plans for her.  Here are the verses from Genesis 3:1-5 NIV:

[1] "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? ” 

[2] The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, [3] but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' ” 

[4] “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. [5] “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

This exchange is noteworthy for two reasons, first the serpent (representing the devil) is questioning the nature of God, in his first question and then is outright lying about his nature in his second statement.  However, of secondary importance, Eve doesn't know the truth, or remember it.  She misquotes God's command to her, leaving an opportunity for the enemy to convince her of a lie.    God told Adam the following Genesis 2:16-17 NIV:  And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; [17] but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  I believe that if she had been able to stand on the truth, and the knowledge of the character of God, that she could have resisted this deception.

We can learn much from her interaction, for the end-result was that both her and Adam ended up believing or agreeing with the lies of the enemy, and their lives and relationship with God was altered from that point forward!  It seems to me that the devil's primary work, based on this encounter, is to get humankind questioning the character of God and the Truth, believing lies about God, and then agreeing with this accusation, for it is nothing less than an outright accusation that God doesn't have their best interests in mind!  

Jesus in coming to earth, and representing the Father perfectly, (Heb 1:3) was proving to us, once again how good the Father really is, breaking through the lies and deception, the work of the devil!  We need to war against these same lies in our lives, for the enemy hasn't stopped questioning the goodness of God, accusing Him of holding back from us the best, coloring His perfection, His love, His mercy and compassion, His justice as angry, punishing, limiting us from that which is best.  This is all an elaborate scam, and the purpose is to get us to agree with the devil's perspective, causing us to break relational intimacy with the Father.  

The Good News is that the power of the this deception has been broken by Jesus, and He has paid for this sin.  He has opened the way to the Father, and thus, the separation that Eve and Adam suffered need not be our experience!  We can repent, renounce our agreement with the enemy, and step back into the waiting arms of the Father.  

Today, I am encouraged to look at my life, at my thoughts, at my heart and see where I have agreed with the enemy and renounce my agreement.  Jesus gives me the authority to tear up that contract, where I signed on with the enemies view.  I can step into the fullness of all that God has for me, breaking off the lies and deceit, and step into true relationship with the Father as His son!  I am so thankful that Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil, preparing the way for me to break off the shackles and step free!

Thank You Lord!

A Call, A Visitation, Or A Habitation?

 This morning I have been thinking about a book I was reading last night called "The Dancing Hand of God" by James Maloney.  It is  a great book that stirs up my faith for more of the Lord in my life.  This morning I am reading from John's Gospel and realized that my verses for reflection were directly related to what I was reading last night.  James Maloney was recounting a time where the Lord's presence came in a way that the Lord called a habitation.  He was ministering in a church for 8 days, and the Lord's presence was so thick during that time that it was as if He was in the room, and His ministry was as it had been, everyone healed, etc.  It was a glorious experience from the sounds of it.

This morning I was reading Jesus' prayer for us all, right before His passion, found in John 17:20-23 NIV:

[20] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one--- [23] I in them and you in me---so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Here Jesus is speaking of intimacy that is essentially a habitation, where we experience the intimate indwelling of "I in them and You in Me".  This is so much more than a Sunday encounter at Church.  

As I was reflecting on these verses I felt like the Lord said something like the following, "You have settle for an occasional Zoom call with me, and think that You desire a visitation, but what I want is habitation!"  

As I thought about that statement, I related it back to regular life.  Many of us make calls to loved ones via phone, face-time, Zoom or whatever is available these days. While these are ok, they don't replace face-to-face visits, where we are actually visiting someone's home for an hour or two.  If we really want quality time with someone we might schedule a visit to stay with them for a weekend, or even a week.  I would equate that to a visitation.  Things really get serious when you decide to move in with someone, experiencing the intimacy of inhabiting the same space for months and even years.  The intimacy that a habitation is meant to enable is much greater than what develops during a visitation, and certainly more than the occasional call.   

Jesus' prayer in John 17, is a heart cry for habitation with us!  

Wow!

Now, I will say I have lived with and experienced all of the above with friends and family.  We have dear friends that will drop by for an evening and its a great time.  We spend a few hours cleaning before they get here, have a nice meal, have some deep conversation and then they head back home and we go back to our regular lives.  Times like these are blessings and enrich our lives.

We also have dear friends that have visited for a week or two and that is better, although that is also more work ad requires more self-sacrifice.  We have to adjust our lives, our schedules, our daily regimens, when they come to stay.  It is more work, and always requires a level of self-sacrifice, but the level of relationship is much deeper. We have so much more time to share, to listen, to interact, to understand and just be together.  It is disrupting to our regular  lives, but worth it.

We have also been blessed to have had many people who have lived with us, some living with us for over a year.  This is something completely different, and requires a level of self-sacrifice that many are not willing to make.  Having someone else, who isn't extended family, living in "our" house, using "our stuff" eating "our food" for months on end is not our common experience here in the US, at least not here in Kansas City.  This habitation, logically,  enables an intimacy that is even deeper than is available with a visit.  However, it requires much more self-sacrifice.  We must change or adapt our whole way of living, even our way of thinking about "our" stuff like furniture, food and time.  It can be wonderfully glorious, and it can be down-right trying, even difficult at times.  Not so much because of the people that inhabiting our house, but more for the selflessness that is required.  The blessing is that now these people are like family!  We have lived together and shared life together to such an extent that we know each other more deeply than few others. It is a wonderful thing.

The question I felt encouraged to look at this morning is whether or not I want a habitation experience, with the Lord as my housemate?  We could extend that and ask if we really want the Lord to come and inhabit our church?  Are we willing to radically change "our" lives, "our" ways of doing things, "our" plans? Are we willing to sacrifice "our" schedules, "our" time, "our" control?  Are we willing to do lay own our lives for greater intimacy with Him?  Are we hungry enough for His presence, that we are willing to open up the door to "our" lives, "our" church and make room for Him?

It is clear from Jesus prayer in John 17, that this is His desire!  If that is His desire, He will make a way, and it is possible.  The question is are we willing?

Oh Lord, my prayer today is that I might desire Your presence, Your habitation, more than anything in my life!  Help  me to be open and willing!  I desire to experience the intimacy You describe in Your great prayer to the Father.  I want t be with You where You are, and have You with me where I am, every day, all day long!

Amen and Amen!

Growing the Body of Christ

This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's letter to the Church in Ephesus.  While I am starting with some very familiar verses, I am looking more at the following verses as those seem to not be quoted or spoken of as often, but are the results we should actually be focused upon.  Here are the verses - Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV:

[11] "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Paul, in the last two sentences, continues to flesh out (pardon the pun) the vision he was given of the Body of Christ, with each of us as a part.  It seems to me that these verses are more focused on the Church level of connectedness, and how the different churches must be connected and in relationship to be effective parts of the Body of Christ.  I am not talking about organizational hierarchy, but rather relationships based on love.  Paul, very specifically identifies love as the binding and maturing agent, as each part does its work.  

A brief observation of our present expression of the Body of Christ, is that more often than not, we are not bound together relationally.  We might have a church hierarchy and organizational structure, even being a part of a particular denomination or stream of a denomination, but when I look across our city, I wonder how many churches are actually in relationship with the other churches?  We seem to be focused on our own congregation, our on peculiar expression, or micro-cosmic presentation of the Body of Christ.  While it is good to focus on our members, form a pastoral perspective, that is just one of the five core ministry areas as Paul describes them in verse 11.  

The whole purpose of these five-fold ministries is to build up the church, to equip the people for works of service within the Body of Christ, and in the greater mission fields of the world.  We are supposed to see members built up, encouraged, matured and sent out, achieving the whole measure of the Body of Christ!  Wow, that is a big encouragement, and it is the way the church is supposed to function. 

The question in my mind is why are we so far from this model of Church in most congregations? 

What caused, or is causing this mistrust of one another that often proliferates in the Body of Christ?  

What can we do about this in our own lives, in our own expressions of the Body of Christ?

First, I would say the obvious is that we need to be open to the Five-Fold Ministries once again.  We have focused so much on the last two in the list, pastor and teachers, that we have lost a true sense of what God intends for His Body through the ministries of the Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists.  We have seen some weird stuff related to the first two, and rather than work through those issues, we have reduced our reliance on those ministries, and even reduced our openness to  those ministries.  Paul addresses the dangers of not walking in the fullness of those ministries in verse 14, for the fullness of operation of these ministries battles the immaturity, and wishy-washy ways.  We need to speak the truth in love, and work to establish and preserve the unity!  We need to establish ligaments of relationship with one each other. 

Paul began the chapter with these encouragement - Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. [2] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. [3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Amen Lord, help us to grow in "attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."!

Amen and Amen!

Overcoat of Love

 This morning I just want to reflect on some of my favorite verses from Paul's letter to the Colossians 3:12-14 NIV:

[12] "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

This is such a beautiful list of character attributes, of heart felt choices we can make to represent Christ to the world around us, and to each other.  Each of these words represent a choice in how we are going to see the world and people around us, and how we are going to respond.  

Paul's encouragement is to clothe ourselves in these, and to me that represents a daily choice I can make.  My clothes are often the first thing that people see, and here we are encouraged to make these character traits the first experiences of us that those around us will have.  Paul calls them virtues, and I think that is accurate, and I think they held in high esteem by all.  His final encouragement is to put on love as the overcoat, if you will, that binds them all together.  We could say that love completes the ensemble.  As Paul notes in his first letter to the Corinthians, without love our actions are actually quite empty.

I should also note that Paul gives particular attention to forgiveness, and encourages us to forgive others as Christ forgave us.  This is a very high order, and does really require soul searching and rooting out judgments, offenses, and even opinions that we hold onto, because of past hurts and grievances.  Christ in his forgiveness wipes away our sins, forgiving them completely, an casting them away from Him.  There are several illustrations and verses that describe this type of forgiveness, but my favorite is found in Psalm 103:11-12 NIV:

[11] "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."  

Again, love is the motivation, and forgiveness is one of the results.  Let us set our hearts to love like Christ does, and forgive as He does as well.  

Let us choose today to live clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and choose to put on our overcoat of Love!  

Amen!

High Truths

This morning I am reading from Paul's letter the Colossians 3:1-3 NIV:

[1] "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

Since my reflection yesterday was about the throne of God, I found these verses very encouraging.  Paul is encouraging us to think about Jesus seated on the throne, to set our hearts on eternal or heavenly realities.  He wants us to realize this isn't just figurative language, but actual spiritual reality, and it is our reality, although we may not be able to fully comprehend this truth. 

To grasp the truth revealed in the statement "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ", which is the foundation of the next couple verses, we must go back to Paul's writing in the previous chapter - Colossians 2:9-15 NIV:

[9] "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. [11] In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, [12] having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

[13] When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, [14] having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. [15] And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

Paul is speaking of our flesh, our sin nature, which was put to death with Christ Jesus.  It is essentially an eternal event, that when we receive salvation, here  symbolized by baptism, that eternal act is applied to our lives, to the totality of our lives.  We experience this, by way of our faith in Him.  The circumcision he speaks of is a cutting away of that flesh, our sin nature.  Essentially, it dies when it passes through the death and resurrection of Christ. Again, we access this through our faith in Him.  If this makes no logical sense, welcome to this side of eternity, for some things are not comprehendible this side of heaven.   

It is one of the great mysteries that God desires to restore us to full Edenic relationship with Him.  He does this through applying Jesus' sacrifice to our lives, effectively putting to death that which is the result of the first Adam, our sin nature, and raising us to new life, with the result of the second  or last Adam's (Jesus) actions being applied to our lives (see 1 Cor 15).  It is this application of Jesus' resurrected life that is applied to us, and which Paul is speaking of in verse 1, of chapter three.  We are raised to life, with Jesus, as His sacrifice and resurrected life has been applied to us, and where He goes, we go, for we are now hidden in Him.

This is why Paul urges us to set our minds on such things, to set our hearts on things above, for as we reflect, meditate, and embrace these truths, even if we don't fully understand them, we will receive greater revelation, and we will receive the benefits of living from this reality.  As I was writing that last bit, the idea of former prisoners or former slaves being set free came to mind.  They often struggle to fully grasp and fully live their new reality, their new freedom.  It takes time for this new reality to be fully understood and enjoyed, and again, this is why Paul encourages us to set our minds and hearts on such things.  There are those former prisoners, and former slaves who never really break away from their captive mindsets, and there are many Christian's that are equally struggling to live in their new reality. 

Thus, I am encouraged this morning to allow these high truths to settle in my heart and in my mind.  I am encouraged to lay hold of these, to apply them to my thinking.  I am hidden in Christ, and I am seated where He is seated, for where He goes I go.  None of this is my doing, but rather the desire and purpose of God!  His invitation in this all, is for me to embrace this reality and live in intimate relationship with Him!  Lord, help me to understand more fully this great mystery.  Help me to experience this reality in my life!  Help me to set my heart and mind on things above!

Amen!!

God's Heavenly Throne

 This morning I have been reading through many verses that have to do with the Throne of God.  It is an excellent study theme.  While there are many verses I read, I started my study with Psalm 9, where David speaks of God's eternal throne. 

Psalm 9:7-10 NIV:

[7] "The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
[8] He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
[9] The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
[10] Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

I am encouraged by Matthew Henry's extensive commentary of God's throne, as follows:

VI. "He (David) comforts himself and others in God, and pleases himself with the thoughts of him.

1. With the thoughts of his eternity. On this earth we see nothing durable, even strong cities are buried in rubbish and forgotten; but the Lord shall endure for ever, Psalms 9:7. There is no change of his being; his felicity, power, and perfection, are out of the reach of all the combined forces of hell and earth; they may put an end to our liberties, our privileges, our lives, but our God is still the same, and sits even upon the floods, unshaken, undisturbed, Psalms 29:10,93:2.

2. With the thoughts of his sovereignty both in government and judgment: He has prepared his throne, has fixed it by his infinite wisdom, has fixed it by his immutable counsel. It is the great support and comfort of good people, when the power of the church's enemies is threatening and the posture of its affairs melancholy and perplexed, that God now rules the world and will shortly judge the world.

3. With the thoughts of his justice and righteousness in all the administrations of his government. He does all every day, he will do all at the last day, according to the eternal unalterable rules of equity (Psalms 9:8): He shall judge the world, all persons and all controversies, shall minister judgment to the people (shall determine their lot both in this and in the future state) in righteousness and in uprightness, so that there shall not be the least colour of exception against it.

4. With the thoughts of that peculiar favour which God bears to his own people and the special protection which he takes them under. The Lord, who endures for ever, is their everlasting strength and protection; he that judges the world will be sure to judge for them, when at any time they are injured or distressed (Psalms 9:9): He will be a refuge for the oppressed, a high place, a strong place, for the oppressed, in times of trouble. It is the lot of God's people to be oppressed in this world and to have troublous times appointed to them. Perhaps God may not immediately appear for them as their deliverer and avenger; but, in the midst of their distresses, they may by faith flee to him as their refuge and may depend upon his power and promise for their safety, so that no real hurt shall be done them.

5. With the thoughts of that sweet satisfaction and repose of mind which those have that make God their refuge (Psalms 9:10): "Those that know thy name will put their trust in thee, as I have done" (for the grace of God is the same in all the saints), "and then they will find, as I have found, that thou dost not forsake those that seek thee;" for the favour of God is the same towards all the saints.

Note, (1.) The better God is known the more he is trusted. Those who know him to be a God of infinite wisdom will trust him further than they can see him (Job 35:14); those who know him to be a God of almighty power will trust him when creature-confidences fail and they have nothing else to trust to (2 Chronicles 20:12); and those who know him to be a God of infinite grace and goodness will trust him though he slay them, Job 13:15. Those who know him to be a God of inviolable truth and faithfulness will rejoice in his word of promise, and rest upon that, though the performance be deferred and intermediate providences seem to contradict it. Those who know him to be the Father of spirits, and an everlasting Father, will trust him with their souls as their main care and trust in him at all times, even to the end.

(2.) The more God is trusted the more he is sought unto. If we trust God we shall seek him by faithful and fervent prayer, and by a constant care to approve ourselves to him in the whole course of our conversations.

(3.) God never did, nor ever will, disown or desert any that duly seek to him and trust in him. Though he afflict them, he will not leave them comfortless; though he seem to forsake them for a while, yet he will gather them with everlasting mercies."

This reflection has been helpful to me, for to many of us, the idea of the throne is somewhat foreign.  We know the stories from scripture, and examples from history, but often the idea of a throne, and the purpose of this imagery is lost on us, especially those that do not have a monarchy as government.  It is important to note that God could have chosen to reveal Himself, and His authority and justice in any way He wanted, but He chose to use a throne.  The imagery of the Heavenly Throne is consistent from 2 Chronicles 18:8, through David's revelations in Psalms, to Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel's visions of heaven, and finally with John's vision in Revelations.  God's throne is a consistent theme in much of scripture. 

I am greatly encouraged by one of the verses concerning God's throne, found in the Book of Revelation 3:21 NIV:

"To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne."

And finally, a couple of last verses relating to God's throne.

Revelation 21:3-7 NIV:

[3] "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. [4] 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

[5] He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

[6] He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. [7] Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children."

Amen and Amen!

Release From The Waterless Pit - Unbelief

 Yesterday during a prayer time at our church, I started praying out of Zechariah 9:11-12 NIV:

[11] "As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. [12] Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you."

I was praying for quite a while, specifically for those with no hope, those trapped in whatever pit one could define. I also continued on praying for a restoration of twice as much to us all, whatever that meant.  Twice as much hope, twice as much as was lost, twice as much life, etc.

As I was praying this all,  I felt like the Lord shifted my focus to Jeremiah 33:2-3 NIV: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it---the Lord is his name: [3] 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'"  

Again this theme of a shift in our perspective, of our knowledge of God, a releasing of new revelation.  Lord, I don't know what it will look like, but I know it will be different.  We want to understand the great things, and ask You Holy Spirit to teach us all things (John 14:26).  I focused my prayer on this theme for a while, asking for more and greater revelation, deeper understanding, seeing and hearing new things, a release for the gifts of seeing God's movement, the spiritual world and reality.

Again, after a time of focused prayer, I felt the Lord shift me to Mark 6, which is, among other things, Jesus walking on water.  As I was reading through those verses a couple of things stood out - but mostly that this was a point of revelation for the Apostles.  Mark described this as follows - Mark 6:51-52 NIV: "Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, [52] for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."

Jesus' walking on water, opened there eyes and softened their hard hearts, for somehow they had missed the significance of the feeding of 5000.  The Greek word used to describe the hardened heart is a word that means hardened skin, as with a callus.  In other words, we would say they had become callused to Jesus' signs and wonders.  Oh Lord, I pray that is not ever our state, and yet I believe it is.  We hear of things You have done and while we might cheer and say "Praise God!" does our heart condition change?  Have we become hard hearted from ineffective prayers, from allowing unbelief to grow in our hearts?  

Mark writes that Jesus' walk on water amazed the Apostles, and apparently broke through their callused hearts.  He also note in verse 45 that Jesus made the disciples get into the boats and set out ahead of Him.  As I was reading and reflecting, I thought that these two verses (45 & 52) were related, for Jesus was aware, via the Power of the Holy Spirit, and prayer with His Father, that the disciples were becoming hard-hearted, and so I believe He orchestrated this situation that they might really grasp the reality of who Jesus was, and the depth of relationship and the fullness of His authority!   Oh Lord, that You might cause our eyes to be opened and hearts to be softened to Your will, Your Words and Your way!

This morning I am encouraged to press into the Lord for all of this.  For a release from the waterless pit, for a restoration of Hope, and all that has been lost, including belief!  I am encouraged to press deeper into the Lord, looking for and waiting for greater revelation, for a paradigm shift in understanding!  I am encouraged to humbly acknowledge my own hard-heartedness, my callused response to the Lord, knowing that I need break-through, I need my eyes opened, and praying for that which will soften my heart.  

I just realized that my unbelief is my own waterless pit.  Lord set me free from this pit, bring me to a place where my hope, my belief, my faith is alive and well!  Lord, I pray that my eyes might be opened, my heart made fully alive by new revelation of Your sovereignty and power!

Lord, I am waiting for You, please come and help me!

Amen!

We Are Known, Understood, Appreciated and Loved By God

This morning I am going to be looking at a theme that came up in conversation yesterday with my sweetheart.  We were talking about how in scripture it says our days are numbered (known), and as we talked an analogy popped into my head that we both found very useful.  First the scriptures that we will use are from Job 14:5 and Psalm 139.

Job 14:5 NIV: "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed."

Psalm 139:16 NIV: "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Now to fully understand the analogy I will share, we must have a view of eternity and time.  Time is linear, it has a beginning and an end.  In grade school we used to draw time-lines, and place important dates on them.  Eternity is not linear, it is.  God lives in eternity, outside of time, and from His vantage point He can see everything on the time-line.  With this view of both, we can some-what grasp this concept.  

The way I described this whole bit to my honey was that our life is like a book.  God exists outside of time, and He has read the book of our life already.  He has read it completely, and from His vantage point, he can turn to any page and see how our life plays out, He can read the first page, the last page, or any other page. Thus, when He describes our days as determined, numbered or ordained, He is speaking from His perspective.

David writes the following in the beginning of Psalm 139, and with this view of time and eternity it makes sense - Psalm 139:1-6 NIV:

[1] "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 

[2] You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 

[3] You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 

[4] Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 

[5] You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 

[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."

Imagine this as God having already having read David's book of his life, these statements would all be true, and they are true for us as well.

Where we get messed up is in our ideas around free will, and question how we can have free will if all our days are already written.  Again, if we think of eternity and time appropriately, free-will is not negated.  We are still bound in time, essentially writing the book of our life as we go, but from God's vantage point outside of time, He still sees it all.  We can choose to engage God in our lives, for He certainly created us, but in giving us free-will, He allows us to choose as to whether we involve Him further in our lives or not, but that doesn't change His eternal vantage point.

A few other things that the Lord showed me via this analogy are that the application of His Blood, which brings forgiveness as it is applied to our lives when we proclaim Him our Lord, and receive salvation, is like a redacted document.  For those who have never seen a redacted document, there are whole sections of the document that are blacked out, in some cases just a few words, in other cases whole paragraphs and even pages and no longer readable. When we receive His salvation His Blood wipes away all our sin, as if it never happened.  In this case the Blood of Christ, applied to the book of our life, effectively erases those  sins out of our life and returns the page, where they had been written, to white. Isaiah describes it along these lines - Isaiah 1:18 NIV:  “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Another idea that made perfect sense was the idea that God can speak prophetically into our lives, and that is essentially Him telling us what we are like, later in the book of our life.  Think of your life at present, you are writing page 124, and God looks at page 247 and then whispers into your ear what you are like on page 247.   That is essentially what He does when He releases a prophetic word or promise into your life, He tells you what He sees when He reads further ahead.  

One of my favorite books is the Hobbit, and imagine if Bilbo had someone step into that story and tell him that he was going to have great courage, enough to stand face to face to a dragon, but that he received that information early on in the story.  Bilbo would have changed his own perspective of himself, and might have changed how he acted.   In the same way, God's prophetic words are meant to give us some of His perspective, and help us to change our idea of who are, and who we become.  Even better, in our lives, we can actually ask God for daily help and direction, from His vantage point in eternity! 

Where my mind starts to lose it is when I consider that God's eternal perspective allows Him to have the same view of everyone on the earth, both now and that has ever lived.  He is intimately aware of each of us, of our current situation, our futures and our pasts.  He also is aware of how our lives interact with each other, and even of the potential choices we can make in our lives, and ramifications of those choices!  As David said, "such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain!"

Finally, as I was thinking about a title for this journal/blog entry I felt like the Lord said, "I have read the book of Your life, I know everything about you. I love who you are and I love who you will become!  I love being part of your life!"  I guess I could say I am known, understood, appreciated and loved, by God! 

That is certainly enough encouragement for me today!  Thank You Lord!

Eyes On The Final Destination

 This morning I am going back to a very familiar scripture, Luke 11, the story of Lazarus.  I have reflected on this story many times, and every time the Lord reveals something new to me, and today is no exception.  I am going to focus on a few verses, looking at the prophetic perspective and announcement of Jesus concerning Lazarus.  Here are the verses - John 11:3-4,14-15 NIV:

[3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 

[4] When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” 

[14] So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

I am leaving out the meat of this story, for their is much that occurs in between and after these verses, but I wanted to look at Jesus original statement about Lazarus, and his second clarifying comment.  Jesus says very clearly - "this sickness will NOT END in death."  When I read that sentence this morning, I thought about my reflection yesterday,  and see that Lazarus being alive is the final destination in this prophetic perspective.  Again, using a map analogy, Lazarus being alive is the end-point they are moving towards, what He doesn't describe is the journey to get to that final destination.  Jesus also lays out the promise  and point of all God's interaction with man, God's glorification.  

One of my favorite Catholic Saints, Alphonsus De Liguori said all things we encounter bring about two things, if we look to God. First, God's greater Glorification and secondly our greater sanctification (essentially becoming more like Christ). I love that perspective, and if we can take our eyes off our present situation, where we are in our journey, and look up, these are great final destinations.

Going back to the verses, the apostles have not understood the prophetic declaration of Jesus, and he give them greater context, or if we use the map analogy, a bit more details about the route they will be taking.  Nothing has changed in the destination!  This is so important, for often we can lose sight of the final destination in the midst of the journey, especially if it becomes difficult.  The path they are heading down is about as difficult a path as there can be, and yet Jesus is walking them through it, and encouraging them forward, with the final destination in mind the whole time, for He clearly references that in verse 15.  

There have been many times in my life that I have found myself following the Lord down a path, and then finding the path was nothing like I thought it would be!  I would receive a promise and draw a straight line from where I was presently to that final destination, and assume that the journey would be flat and easy going.  There are many times I have thought I have missed His guidance because of how hard the path is, and yet, if I look back the promise was never about the journey but rather the final destination or fulfillment of that promise.  I guess I need to learn to ask more questions about the specific journey.  

I do believe that in God's love for us, and through our intimate relationship, that He will provide more details, clarity and direction and even some of the challenges we will face.  However, I am also aware that sometimes, (OK, most of the time) I wouldn't choose to walk through the hard parts if I knew about them ahead of time.  God in His wisdom and love, provides me the needed information, the needed guidance, and then walks with me through the difficult things, constantly encouraging me, even reminding me of the final destination (if I were to ever ask, rather than complaining and grumbling).  

So this morning I am encouraged to look back to some of the original promises, and to trust that God has a plan, a purpose and a path perfectly chosen for me!  The final destination will result in His greater glorification and in my greater sanctification!  I am encouraged to entrust my journey to You, knowing that You love me more than I can ever understand, and that while the journey might include dark times and difficult times, the final destination has never changed!

Amen!

Waiting On Revelation

 This morning I am reflecting on the book of the Prophet Habakkuk, definitely not my daily reading selection, but one that I find quite interesting.  In the first chapter of his book, Habakkuk has a complaint against God, that He isn't responding to the cries for help. In the second chapter, God responds, and says something that I have been letting rumble around in my spirit this morning.  Here are the verses - Habakkuk 2:1-3 NIV:

[1]" I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint." 

[2] "Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. [3] For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."

I feel like the invitation has been issued to wait on the Lord, to see Him proclaim His word and then fulfill it!  This is certainly not outside our normal expectation of God, at least not for me, and I am wondering why I have been given these verses to reflect on today?

One thing that definitely stands out to me is the invitation to linger, to wait, to put our hope in God's ability to release His answer at the appointed time, at the perfect time.  We are so limited in our understanding of God's ways and purposes and plans.  We cannot see what He is doing, often until after He does it.  Its easy to look backwards and see His hand at work in our life, but sometimes we need to look forward and see that God is engaged, even if we can't see it or understand it, knowing that He is working is helpful, and causes us to hope!

This morning I had a dream where I was riding my bike across a city I lived in a long time ago.  I had  decent idea of where I was going, but the intricacies of the exact route, or the many route options were more than my past knowledge of the this city could handle so I needed to look at a map.  The map showed me where I was at present, and I could see the path I needed to follow to get to my home.  I could also see alternative paths, that would also get me home.  

This is EXACTLY what revelation of the Lord is like.  He provides a revelation that provides direction and understanding of our present situation, as well as our future destination.  Oftentimes, we think we know how we will get from Point A (Where we are) to Point B (Where He says We will End up), but often the route is different then we think, another path that gets us to Point B.  Additionally, the route guidance the Lord provides us, is very timely, and we need to wait until we are at the point where a turn is required, before He tells us which way to go.  However, the key point is that He knows the route that is best for us, and will provide us the guidance we need, when we need it.  He does have a destination (a destiny) for us, and He is willing to tell us what it is!  His revelation is both definitive (Defining our destiny) and dynamic (guiding us actively on our route). 

My encouragement this morning is that God has a plan, a path, and a destination planned for me!  He invites me to look to Him, to wait on Him to reveal His plan, purpose and next direction.  He won't lead me astray, He won't get me lost, He hasn't forgotten about me.  Even if I have made wrong turns, He can still get me to that final destination.  His revelation is worth waiting for, for in that revelation we receive a glimpse of our destiny, our identity and even our route. 

Lord, help me to see and to hear Your directions and guidance, I am waiting for You to speak!

Amen!

Revealing God's Power and Character

 Yesterday, during prayer, I was pressing into a couple of verses from Ephesians 1:17-20 NIV:

[17] "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. [18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, [19] and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength [20] he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,"

Lately I have been praying bolder prayers than normal concerning the release of the Power of God in our midst, and these verses certainly fit that theme.  I have also been praying for greater revelation, greater understanding of Him and His ways, drawing us into greater revelation, that we might understand mor than we do at present, and again these verses from Paul were right on target with those prayers.

Looking back at these verses, it is amazing to think that God wants us to know His power, which is incomparable to any other power!  He wants us to know Him better, knowing Him as the God of Power, the God of Hope and the God of a rich inheritance.  This power is the same Power that raised Jesus from the dead, that defeated death, the shattered the gates of Sheol, that set the captives free!  He wants us to know Him in this way!  

I believe that the main reason He wants us to know Him this way, is that we might faithfully represent Him, faithfully express His character to those we around us, and to those we meet in ministry.  He is a powerful God, and we would be remiss if we did no encounter Him in this way, nor pass that understanding to others.  

As I was writing that I was reminded of how little my kids knew about what I did for my job for most of their lives.  However, in the last several years, both have been able to intern with me, and receive training from me, joining me in my daily work, and now they have a much better understanding of what I do, of what I understand and of my character as seen in the work place.  When asked what I do, they can now answer very clearly, for they have seen me work, and understand well my character.  I realized this is exactly what the Lord is inviting us into, a time of seeing Him work, of coming to understand more about who He is, and what He is capable of doing!  

As I was praying some these prayers yesterday, I was reminded of some of David's Psalms, and particularly, Psalm 145.  It seems to me that David, is essentially expressing this same prayer, this same understanding of God's character, and reflecting on it to the benefit of the next generation.  Here is his psalm -  Psalm 145:1-21 NIV:

[1] "I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 

[2] Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 

[3] Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 

[4] One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. 

[5] They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty---and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 

[6] They tell of the power of your awesome works---and I will proclaim your great deeds. 

[7] They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 

[8] The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 

[9] The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 

[10] All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you. 

[11] They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 

[12] so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 

[13] Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. 

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. 

[14] The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 

[15] The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 

[16] You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 

[17] The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. 

[18] The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 

[19] He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 

[20] The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 

[21] My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever."

Yes Lord, we want to proclaim Your Power, Your Character to the next generation!  We want to speak of You as someone we know intimately, not just someone we have heard of, someone we have read of in our Bible.  We want to know Your incomparably great power, unleashed in our lives, that we might give You all the Honor and Glory You deserve!

We want our praises to rise to heaven like sweet incense, joining with the praise and worship that is, even now, constantly erupting in Your throne room, as You reveal Your greatness and power, Your awesome character in new ways!  

Amen and Amen!

An Invitation to Greater Revelation and Understanding

 This morning I felt like I should read from John 14, these are some of my favorite scriptures, and they are the foundation of much that I believe to be true for us as followers of Jesus.  Here are the verses - John 14:10-12,19-21,25-26 NIV:

[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. [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 works themselves. [12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." 

[19] "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. [20] On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. [21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 

[25] “All this I have spoken while still with you. [26] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

In my mind, as I noted before, are some of the most important scriptures for us to press into in our lives.  They speak of a two-way conversation, an in-dwelling of God in our lives, intimacy, and constant revelation and guidance.  I believe these set the boundaries, if you will, of what our expectations should be for our relationship with the Lord.  Jesus came to demonstrate what was possible as a man, fully human.  He showed us what an intimate relationship with the Father, through the Holy Spirit looked like, and was constantly pointing back to the Father as the source of all He did and said.

I love that we are promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us "all things" through that some intimate, in-dwelling relationship!  I know I certainly need to know much more than I know now!  

The other day I was praying for a greater release of revelation and understanding, specifically around the area of what God is saying, and I was reminded of Helen Keller, and the first time her teacher was able to help her understand that she could communicate, for Helen was blind and deaf.  Without going into the story, it was beautiful moment and the turning point of Helen's life when she realized that she could understand and communicate in a way previously unknown to her.  It was a completely new paradigm for Helen, and enabled her to make a quantum leap in her relationship with everything and everybody.  I felt like the Lord was bringing this to my mind as an example of new revelation that could transform my ability to understand and communicate.  It was essentially an invitation to press into Him, looking for a new paradigm, a quantum leap if you will in my ability to learn from Him.  What a cool image!  I know for me, I feel blind and deaf to His ways and words!  I am generally unaware of what's happening in the spiritual realm around me, in much the same way that Helen was unaware of what was happening around her in the natural realm.

This morning I feel like the Lord is wanting to open that invitation up to us all.  He desires that we know more, and has sent the Holy Spirit to us, to live within us to help us understand "all things".  He desires deeper relationship with us, and wants us to be released into greater revelation, greater understanding of Him, His words and His direction, that we might better represent Him.  All I can say is AMEN, yes Lord!   Help me step into this greater revelation, open my understanding to new ways of communication with You.  

Amen and Amen!