Hitting the Nail on the Head

When someone reaches a level of excellence there is a flow to their lives that is enjoyable to watch.  Their work is fluid, effortless, pleasurable.  But as we all know, these skills did not come easily, without hard work, sacrifice, and commitment. A young man recently asked me how he could know what career his was to pursue.  I told him not to worry about his chosen career…I told him to work hard, study, hard, play hard, and live and love life passionately; in God’s timing, it would all begin to fit together.  King David started as a shepherd boy, living out in the wild night and day, taking care of the sheep; little did he know that was the preparation for not only killing Goliath, but becoming a king.  We just never know what God is preparing us for…”show me a man diligent in his work, and he will stand before kings…”  or become one!  Enjoy the attached video.

Some will not understand

“So Jesus said to the Jews who believed on him, ‘if you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham, yet you seek to kill me because my Word fins no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father…They said to him, ‘We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.’ Jesus said to them. ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my Word. You are of your father the devil, and you will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do wit the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell you the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the Words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

As I travel I have found that those who love God the most are those who are intensely trying to abide in His Word. They struggle with their sin and sometimes fall. "A just man falls down seven times seven times, but gets back up again." I once heard an old missionary say that this Book will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from this Book. The Bible is God's love letter to us...it is filled with real hurts, hopes, and genuine humility that gives us role models to follow. It truly is a lamp for our feet and a light to our path.

Love

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

        In the English Standard Version the last word in this sentence was translated "ends" rather than "fails."  The word ἐκπίπτω, ekpiptō, ek-pip'-to means to drop away; specifically be driven out of one's course; figuratively to lose, become inefficient: - fail, fall (away, off), take none effect.

Love never "ends" in the sense that it continues to work; but when I think of Love never failing, I think of something much more powerful.  When all else fails, love will never fail.  The key however is found in the essence of love---it is patient, kind, doesn't boast, isn't arrogant or rude, doesn't insist on its own way….well you can reread the list above….when I read this I find myself so lacking.  I can love for a time, but if things don't change in the response and behavior of those whom I love, I begin to demonstrate how much I really love myself. Oh how I long to love purely without insisting on my own way.

        I am reminded what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1Co 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was in me."

        In 2Co 2:4 he wrote: "For out of much affliction  and anguish of heart  I wrote  unto you  with  many  tears;  not  that ye should be grieved, but  that  ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you."

        And lastly in one of my favorite verses of Scripture Paul writes:  "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." 2Co 12:15 

        Now that is true love!  Nothing more needs to be said…love never fails…now it is up to us to labor more abundantly than they all…yet knowing that we must be totally dependant upon God's grace for any real change and genuine growth.  I don't know if you know the tune or not, so you will have to imagine me signing this…this is an old song I learned over twenty years ago…if you can find the music, it is a really fun song with many parts: "Love, the, Lord your God, with all your heart, and, all your soul, and all your mind, and, love all mankind, as you would love yourself—love!, the Lord your God…with all your heart, with all your soul, and mind, and all mankind…we've got Christian love….and for the life of me I can't remember the rest of it!  Good night and God bless…

l

Enduring or Sinning Deliberately

One of the most difficult passages of Scripture to understand is Hebrews 10:26 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of Grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.”

That is quite the warning. Though hotly contested that these verses speak to unbelievers, the text, I believe, clearly demonstrates that believers are the focus here. They are not losing their salvation; they are placing themselves under impending judgment because of their deliberate sinning. The author of Hebrews emphasizes, “For If we go on sinning…” and “Lord will judge his people.” Again, he is talking to believers. “Therefore,” he says, “do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” First note that there is a ‘great reward’ for those who endure. We live in such an indulgent culture, where the desires of our flesh have reached epidemic proportions. Our appetites to be satisfied at all cost, have bound us as Eldridge so skillfully writes: “We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take-it-for-granted unbelief that we don’t even know how to cry out for help. And the Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free. He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us—whatever it takes to keep us in darkness. Like a woman bound to an affair from which she cannot get free, like a man so corrupted he no longer knows his own name, the human race is captive in the worst way possible—we are captives of the heart.”

So what will it take to break free of our captivity? The author of Hebrews (which I believe to be the Apostle Paul) goes on to say that “For you have need of endurance so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Just a few verses prior he encouraged the believers to “recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings….exposed to public humiliation, …and accepted the plundering of your own property…” What happened? Why are they being warned now, not to shrink back? I can remember the former days so clearly…and thanks be to God my heart is as passionate today as it was then...why? by the grace of God I am who I am…the difference between now and then is that I now know how needy I really am. But the passion remains…endurance has been the key…it has been the key to my marriage, my change in heart as a parent, and the incredible “reward” of sharing with so many what I have been able to learn. And i must be so careful not to share too much...because sharing can be a form of self love that eases guilt. Fenelon once said, that we must learn to suffer quietly. Oh that I/we would learn to endure, quietly…the reward will far outweighs our temporary gratifications and the false comforts that our talkative nature gives.

When i think of patient suffering i think of Moses: “By faith Moses…choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid…for he endured…” Oh that we would believe that the reward far outweighs our gratifications! We must leave our Egypt’s behind…those false securities that promises fulfillment…we must endure…"recall the former days when you endured a great fight of affliction." Keep your first love with Christ fresh and passionate.

“The just shall live by faith…for without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Endurance and reward seem to be inseparable. Endurance is also according to Romans 5, the foundation for our character development, which without, we lose hope and become so easily tossed and discouraged. “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” Heb 10:39

“Therefore, since we are surrounded with such a great cloud of witnesses (those who walked by faith in Hebrew chapter 11), let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despised the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (excellent verse to memorize!)

When I think of endurance I am reminded of Jesus’ last words to the church of Philadelphia: “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

What ever it takes to endure…it will be worth it…

RE: The Ransomed Heart - Something Up His Sleeve

This morning I received another Ransomed Heart email from John Eldridge.  I really didn’t have time to read it however a friend had told me that it was specifically written for her.  As I read this, my heart was deeply moved.  Such were some of us…or rather, such were all of us.  However, those of you who became children of God at an early age, you have so much to be thankful for.  I know you sometimes hear the testimonies of those who were saved later in life with all of their stories of what God delivered them from, but oh to be clean and innocent at an early age…what a blessing.  Be thankful…guard your heart even more diligently to present your life to Christ, pure and unblemished.  For many, the letter from Eldridge below may hit a little too closely to home…it is very powerful.  I would like to write more about the text he sites…perhaps tomorrow.

Something Up His Sleeve 10/28/2007 Rescuing the human heart is the hardest mission in the world. The dilemma of the Story is this: we don’t know if we want to be rescued. We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take-it-for-granted unbelief that we don’t even know how to cry out for help. And the Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free. He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us—whatever it takes to keep us in darkness. Like a woman bound to an affair from which she cannot get free, like a man so corrupted he no longer knows his own name, the human race is captive in the worst way possible—we are captives of the heart. Their hearts are always going astray. (Hebrews 3:10) God is filled with the jealousy of a wounded lover. He has been betrayed time and again. The challenge God faces is rescuing a people who have no idea how captive they are; no real idea how desperate they are. We know we long for Eden, but we hesitate to give ourselves back to God in abandoned trust. We are captivated by the lies of our Enemy. But God has something up his sleeve. (Epic ,62-64) From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 301 Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com

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Refiners Fire

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine  them as  silver is refined,  and will try  them as gold is tried: they  shall call on my name,  and I will hear  them: I will say,  It  is my people:  and they  shall say, The LORD  is my God.

Zec 13:9 

travail in birth (revisited)

"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you."

Gal 4:20

If you have given birth or experienced someone giving birth, you can understand the depth of longing the Apostle Paul had for the Christians of Galatia. Paul is not talking about being an innocent bystander, he is talking about giving birth..actually “travailing in birth.” Recently I experienced someone coming to know the Savior…I can truly understand what Paul meant by travailing in birth. But experiencing the new birth as Jesus describes in John 3 is just the beginning. Now it is time to grow. To begin feasting on the pure milk of the Word as Peter describes, and to move toward the meat of the Word once we’ve taken those first baby steps into adulthood. I have found that time is not as much of a factor in a Christians growth as it has to do with the foundation that is set in those early days, weeks, and first few months—a foundation of storing God’s Word in our heart, fellowshipping with other believers, and fleeing from old sinful influences.

The new birth is truly a miracle...it is exaclty how Jesus describes in John chapter 3. "The wind blows where it listeth and you can hear the sound thereof, but you cannot tell from where it comes or where it goes...so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." The Greek word for "listeth" is an interesting word with a wide range of meaning. It can mean, to will something, to desire for something to happen, to delight in, to wish, sometimes adverbially it can mean gladly, to have rather, or to love. The New American Standard Bible translates "listeth" as "where it wishes," and the New International Version translates it as "where it pleases." Now that is quite the range of meaning. But it only stands to reason...or should i say, it stands beyond reason that our Lord and Savior would pursue us like the wind, where He pleases, where He desires, and wishes. His pursuit has so much tender love behind it.

When i was younger in the Lord i used to think of Jesus' illustration about the wind as haphazard or random. The wind comes and goes and you can't tell from where it came or where it goes...just didn't sound like there was a purpose behind it. When i think of the wind, i don't think of it having a specific direction or purpose. The Lord Jesus is pursuing us purposely and personally; delighting as he desires to win us over with His love. I like to think that His love is like a rush of wind that relentlessly pursues us. In Revelation we see Him knocking at the door...oh the love of our Savior...but we must open the door...we must not resist the movement of the wind.

The more we learn about the true nature of God's love toward us and His passionate pursuit and protection to keep us holy, the more we will be willing to surrender our old ways, our very heart. Truly, if any man/woman be in Christ, he/she is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things become new!

Dialogues of Fenelon

In a few weeks we will be announcing our first devotional printing of a rare work written by Francois Fenelon of the 17^th century.  Those who have heard me speak know that I regard Fenelon as my mentor.  Though I do not agree with his theology entirely, I do believe he possessed an understanding of the cross of Christ and its significance in our lives, that is rare today.  It is for this reason that I am so passionate about reading his letters and encouraging others to do so as well.  Here is a glimpse of what you will find in our new book, titled Dialogues of Fenelon (a collection of devotional letters written to real people with real needs who were requesting his guidance)

“O God, am I called to put up with

being badly served? I will do so gladly,

if only I can thereby serve Thee well.

My work is not to be well served, but to

serve Thee well, to be gentle and patient

under all that disturbs me.”

Crucified with Christ

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Galatians…but that is only because I just read it this morning.  Tomorrow 1^st Kings will be my favorite book…and on and on it goes. God’s Word is so infinitely filling…so much to learn about Him…so little time.

        My favorite verse in Galatians is found in chapter 2 verse 20…I will try by memory…you can see if I do it correctly:  “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  What a great truth to be stored in our hearts!

        To be crucified with Christ however is not a pleasant thought if you see the whole picture…there is nothing pretty about crucifixion…it is a brutal death.  Recently I read about several American women who flew to India, Pakistan, and China to visit some of the Christian women who are part of the great network of underground Christians.  When the American women met these women of Christ (it is the only way I know to describe them), they shared how they have been praying for the American Christian women because they know how shallow western Christianity has become with all of its indulgences and easy life style.  When the American women heard the heart of these women who had identified with the sufferings of Christ, they wept.  You can read about this in the book Daughter’s of Hope.  If you can’t find it, you can contact Lamplighter or read about it on our website.  When I read their account my heart was stirred.  Have I been made conformable to His death?  Paul in Philippians 3:10 writes:  “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;^”

        Our eastern sister’s in Christ had indeed been made conformable to Christ’s death, and were daily experiencing the fellowship of His sufferings.  They told of the brutal beatings, the rapes, the threats…but they also told of the miracles of protection and redemption and healing.  “Oh “Father, give us your heart to stay focused on the calling that you have called us….to lay hold on eternal life, no matter what the cost.”

        “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Rom 8:17 

Tug of War

Recently I viewed the most powerful presentation of Christ’s redemptive love on video that I have ever seen.  I also witnessed this same presentation in real life…thank you Father for your redemptive love and for relentlessly pursuing us when we so easily turn to our own ways.  Thank you Charlie for being an instrument of God’s grace and love…I look forward to spending time with you on New Earth.  Here is the link:

http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/afternoonShow/?p=86

 

Wedding Day part 2

Recently I wrote about the fragrance of the rose and my daughter’s wedding day.  I never did talk about the rose, nor the fragrance of the rose, that day.  When it is my turn to speak to the bride and groom, I stood there gazing at my beautiful Jennifer and for some reason, I knew that what I had prepared was not a fit for the occasion.  My Jennifer did not need to hear a prewritten rehearsed speech from her dad, no matter how good it might have been.  She needed to hear something that came straight from her father’s heart.  So there she stood…radiantly beautiful…I will have to post some photos when there in….and the setting only added to the incredible beauty of this amazing day…(the wedding took place at Mohonk Mountain House)…where was I?...As I began to speak, I remembered an incident that took place on that same mountain, twenty-one years earlier…and here is what I shared on her wedding day:

“Twenty-one years ago, your mother and I took you for a hike on this same mountain.  Your little brother David, then six months old was on my back, mom had your older brother Jonathan’s hand…he was taking the lead, but not really knowing where he was going…and I had your hand as we traversed the rocks on our way to the crevice, otherwise known as the famous Mohonk Lemon Squeeze. We had two friends with as well, a young man named Barry who I met in seminary and his finance. This was their first time to see Mohonk.  

Having climbed up to and through the crevice many times before you were born, we didn’t think that taking you and your brothers, really posed any real difficulty or threat.  It was a beautiful day, much like today.  The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the views were breathtaking as usual…it was a beautiful Mohonk day.  Mom and I wanted you and your brothers to experience this beautiful mountain at as early an age as possible...we just love it here…it is where we first fell in love…now it is a place that you love and are creating a memory that will last a life-time…what fairy tale! 

            As we began our ascent to the crevice, in about thirty minute into our climb, a dense fog began to close in on us.  It came, seemingly out of nowhere and within seconds we could hardly see our hand in front of our face.  The situation was one of the most dangerous I have ever experienced.  The rocks, now wet, became treacherously slippery and the fog made it almost impossible to continue.  To wait could bring disaster…fog on this mountain could last for days and it would probably only become worse, as I had seen many times before.  The decision that I had to make was the most difficult decision in my life…I had to quickly give you into the hands of another man to protect you.  I asked Barry if he would carry you while I led the way with David on my back, holding on to moms hand, who was holding on to Jonathan’s hand, who was holding on to Barry’s hand who was carrying you and holding on to his fiancée’s hand.  In order to keep you safe that day, I had to place you into the hands of another man to protect you…it was the hardest thing I ever did as a dad.

            Today, I am placing you into the hands of another man…a man whom I know will love you and protect you…I man who will lay down his life for you…

            So, today I am doing the second most difficult thing I have ever done as a dad…I am giving you into the hands of another man, to protect you, love you, cherish you, give his life for you if needed.  Jared I am giving you my daughter to love and protect and I could not think of a better man to entrust her to.  May our Lord Jesus use your beautiful relationship to bring much joy to so many…this truly is like a fairy tale…God bless you both.  I love you.

Dad.

holding on...

In Genesis 32 we come upon a scene where God, in the form of a man, is wrestling with Jacob—a man of many devices.  All his life he was able to get what he wanted.  He obtained a second wife whom he had to have; a dozen children, additional flock, his brother’s birthright, and by deception, his father’s blessing, that was to be his brothers.  Jacob was a man of passion; and his passions kept him from receiving God greatest and most fulfilling blessing—Himself.  As the scene unfolds, we find the Man wrestling with Jacob down by the river Jabbok.  The similarity between Jacob’s name and the name of the river is purposeful—divinely purposeful.  The word wrestle in Hebrew is the word for Jebok.  So Jacob, at the Jabbok river, is about to Jebok with a Man.  If you say those words quickly, you will find that you can become tongue tied rather quickly, and that is exactly what God desires for us to experience.  Not being tongue tied, but to experience the similarity of sounds.  You see, if God cared to make the river where Jacob was standing, sound like his name, and the act of wrestling to also sound like his name, then is it possible that God was trying to communicate something very important?  Before I tell you what that might be, I need to mention that the Jabbok river is a very twisted and winding river.  It is only seventy-five miles long but if you were to stretch it out, it would stretch out to over several hundred miles long. And to make this a little more interesting, the word Jacob means, Palm of Hand, or Grasper. The palm of one’s hand is curved; crooked so to speak.  Jacob is the crooked man who grasps after that which is not his to possess.  In line with his crooked and grasping nature, he is always planning and scheming to get what he thinks will bring him the most happiness.

        So the stage is set, the battle has begun.  After an all night wrestling match, the Man finally appears to be tiring (is this possible if it is God?);  the text reads that the man saw that he was not able to prevail against Jacob.  Now at first glance it would appear that Jacob is winning the fight.  I have to wonder why God allows us to have our way; He loves us so much he will not force us to obey.  I almost wish He would; but then it would not be true love. So after the long night of wrestling, the man touches Jacob’s hip socket and moves it out of joint.  Jacob might be winning the fight, but he sure doesn’t have a supernatural touch