God | areliablefaith

Archive for the ‘God’ Category

Alpha and Omega

Posted in God, Prayer, Worship, tagged adoration, faith, foretaste of heaven, love, praise, truth, worship on June 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

You are wiser than the wisdom of all the wisest sages for You were their teacher.

You are stronger than the strength of all men and machines that have ever been.

You are fairer than the combined beauty of all the fairest maidens that have ever lived, for You formed them.

Your justice and righteousness renders the whole of righteous human judgment that has ever been rendered insignificant in comparison.

Your goodness is our succor. Your mercy is our hope. Your creativity is unmatched. Your favor gives lightness to our steps.

You, Oh Lord, are the One. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. You are the source from which we spring. You are the Hope to which we aspire. You are the reward to Whom we return when our life here ends.

Lord God, the joy which I feel in the midst of life’s trials are a gift from You.

The sweet fragrance of honeysuckle that gently wafts its way to me as I contemplate the wonder of who you are further reminds me that you are all these things – creativity, beauty, comfort, humor, wisdom, and more.

As the psalmist said, “Heaven is Your home and earth is Your footstool.” This day, the foretaste of our final home from the footstool is glorious because You are there in fullness.

I am overwhelmed with You.

I find myself filled up with peace and a gentle, bubbly joy in the sure and certain knowledge that You are here and that You love.

Words fail to capture the complete wonder and gratitude that I feel, so I simply say,

“Thank You, LORD.”

Read Full Post »

Turn Toward the Sun

Posted in God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Spiritual Growth, The Father, tagged classical disciplines, holy spirit, Jesus, spiritual growth, Transformation on May 28, 2015| 2 Comments »

It is a coolish late spring morning where I live. As I slipped outside into the early dawn my shorts and t-shirt provided slightly less warmth than I needed, but the beauty of the pre-sunrise sky drew me in and kept me from going back inside. As I walked I meditated upon my study the night before on spiritual growth and the classical disciplines which help us in that growth. As I look back on my life I can see that it has been a series of growth spurts and plateaus. It is probably much like a tree which grows rapidly during the spring and summer and then rests through the fall and winter. I suspect we all have “growth rings” of a sort. I recognized two other things. Deeper intimacy with the Lord and increased practice of one, and usually more, of the spiritual disciplines were present during the times of growth.

There is an essential order to the process. It is crucial that we recognize and keep before us the goal of our life, the goal of spiritual growth is to grow in our intimacy with the Lord. Jesus’ death on the cross was not simply so that we could go to heaven one day. No, His death was to remove the curse of sin which separated us from the Father and opened the door to a life of intimacy with Him. The curse is removed immediately, but intimacy comes over time as we collaborate with the work of the Holy Spirit inside us. So the essential order is 1) accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, 2) make intimacy with God our primary goal in life, 3) practice those activities which lead to greater knowledge of and intimacy with the Lord, and then 4) experience all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities of a life surrendered to Him. The benefits, privileges, and responsibilities begin showing up as soon as we begin our spiritual journey, but what I experience today is so much more than what I did when I was a young Christian.

I had been exposed to small doses of the classical disciplines over the first couple of years of my faith walk by more mature believers, but the real breakthrough came when someone gave me the book, Celebration of Discipline – The PATH to SPIRITUAL GROWTH by Richard Foster. It is succinct, well-researched, and written in a way that I could easily understand. I recommend it to anyone seriously desiring to grow spiritually but unsure what steps to take. In the near future I suspect my posts will include things we discuss in our Home Group since we will be studying this over the next three months. I am very excited because I sense the Lord wants to do something new and fresh in our group and in me.

As I continued to walk outside a shiver hit me due to the chill in the air even as my excitement was building. I stopped and turned to look at the sunrise just as the sun was becoming visible through the trees on the horizon. Immediately the chill was gone and I sensed a warmth on the outside that mirrored the warmth I was feeling on the inside as I had been meditating and praying to the Lord. In that moment I was struck by the fact that as we look to the Son, Jesus, and grow in intimacy with Him, God the Father draws us into His warm embrace and fills us with His grace more and more.

At Pentecost, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as tongues of fire. So it is when we make it our life goal to live in intimacy with Jesus, the Holy Spirit will warm us with His Holy fire. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us. His fire is a refining fire though. It will burn up the chaff in our life – those things that are not God’s best for us. But with the purging and refining comes something so much better, so much greater – a deeper, richer faith and an intimacy with the Lover of our Soul that we were created for.

And that, my friend, is glorious!

Go forth to be blessed and be a blessing to someone God puts in your path today!

A pre-dawn sunrise viewed from our SC home.

Read Full Post »

Like the Weather

Posted in God, God Stories, Jesus Christ, Worship, tagged hope, hurricane, Jesus, storm, Trust on May 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Life is a lot like the weather. Sometimes it is wonderful like blue skies and pleasant temperatures. Other times it is rainy, dull, and dreary. And on occasion a storm or hurricane decides to roll through. For those in the northern climes we’ll say a blizzard blasts you. Today I sit on a balcony at Myrtle Beach as tropical storm Ana decides to come ashore. As storms go Ana is relatively mild. Still the wind gusts and at times driving rain are scuttling the plans of many as we hunker down inside and plan to “make the best of it.”

Today several of our friends are going through hurricanes in their lives. A precious 2 year old succumbed to cancer yesterday. Another friend lost her only brother who leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. Other friends are dealing with struggling relationships – marriages being attacked and threatened. These painful events are akin to the wind, rain, and battering waves that threaten to destroy beach, buildings, and any soul who mistakenly wanders out into the storm.

Jesus talked about exactly these sorts of situations and He used a weather metaphor to do so. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus describes the wise and foolish builders.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

I am an engineer so I know that there are many steps in building a good, solid house. Jesus really emphasizes only one point in this story – the foundation. You can do everything else in home construction perfect, but if you have a poor foundation the home will not stand when the earth shakes or the severe storm hits. Jesus and His teachings are the only truly solid foundation for life.

Just a little bit later in Matthew we see a real life example of Jesus’ authority demonstrated. Crossing the Sea of Galilee Jesus falls into an exhausted sleep in the boat when a squall breaks out. From Matthew 8: 23 – 27:

23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

For some storms in our lives Jesus will step in and calm the storm… the layoff passes us by, the diagnosis is marvelously / miraculously wrong, the wayward child comes to their senses and returns home. For many storms though the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, chooses to walk with us through the storm rather than still the storm. The promise of scripture and the experience of followers everywhere is that if the Lord doesn’t calm the storm, you can be certain He is with you in the storm. That is my story. Jesus’ peace, comfort, and grace have sustained and carried me through every storm I’ve experienced. And on the other side I am a better person with a stronger faith because of it. I have been in a particular storm for the past year plus, but I see the end of this storm on the horizon and I am excited.

As I’ve written the bands of wind and rain have continued to sweep through and yet I feel joy in my heart as if it where a beautiful, spring morning. I know Him who is the foundation of life and He is my strength and shield. I don’t know where you are in your life, but there is a truth our pastor says fairly frequently. “Whoever you are you can be certain one of three things is true. Either you are in a storm, you’ve recently come through a storm, or there is a storm in your future.” This would be pretty discouraging IF we didn’t have a sovereign God who knew how to bring good out of every storm and Who walks with us through them.

If Jesus and His words are your life foundation, then join me in praising Him in the rain. If you do not yet know Him, please comment to my blog and I will be happy to reach out and introduce you to the Lover of your soul who wants to be your foundation. Ask the Lord to help you know Him. Also pick up the bible and start reading. The gospels are the best choice, but I would be happy to correspond with you and give you some suggestions based upon your life situation.

Be blessed today and be a blessing whether you are in the sunshine or in the rain.

Read Full Post »

Scars Aren’t All Bad

Posted in God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, Marriage, Prayer, Vision, tagged broken legs, hearing God, holy spirit, hope, marriage, Prayer, scars, tangible change on May 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

This morning as my wife and I finished our devotion we moved into prayer for friends and family who are going through serious challenges. In particular we prayed for couples who are striving to reconcile their marriages after betrayal and hurt.

A picture that came to mind as we were praying is that of a deep wound that must heal from the inside out. I spoke with a friend recently who has suffered a very serious injury losing the ends of three fingers. The doctors are leaving one of the wounds open so that it will heal properly – from the inside out. Coming back to the picture that came to mind as we were praying, I believe that this was a word the Lord gave of what has to happen in these couples we know although it is true of anyone who has suffered deep hurt. The emotional wound has to have time to heal. Words and superficial actions will not bring the healing that we truly need to be made whole.

In a marriage a demonstrated commitment is essential for this healing. Practical steps in this are striving to know and understand our spouse better and better, seeking to understand and speak our spouse’s love language, putting our spouse and their needs before our own, and walking in the character trifecta of openness, honesty, and integrity. These same truths apply to other relationships as well, but marriage is indeed a common relationship crucible for many of us. Sadly, for many marriages the refining fire beneath the crucible doesn’t have to get too hot before the majority of what we have built our life upon becomes ash. Yet through this God is able to build something truly valuable with the little that is left and adding His all-sufficiency.

You see I know this from personal experience. My wife and I celebrated 30 years of marriage last month. As I look back I can honestly say that over those 30 years we have had 29+ years of very good to amazingly great love and life together. But there have been times… A little over three years ago our relationship had become quite strained. My job had me on the road 70% of the time. Lisa was focusing more and more on her career and when I came home looking to be pampered a little bit (okay maybe I was looking for a lot of pampering) Lisa was about used up from all the extra she was having to do. Our communication suffered and frankly the love was a rather dim ember at that time. Even the close friendship that we have always shared was being severely tested. At Christmas we had booked a condo in Orlando assuming Sammy’s soccer team would be playing soccer between Christmas and New Years as they had done for four years previously. Surprise, they decided not to play in that tournament and yet I had the condo rented. The short story is it was not the relaxing time to refresh and rejuvenate that I had hoped for. In fact we now refer to it as the “vacation from hell.” That is not a direct reflection on Orlando necessarily, but more on our heart condition at the time.

Driving back from that vacation I was secretly looking forward to work and being be back out on the road. I had scheduled to be gone for the first seven weeks of 2012. Six days later we were racing to the emergency room with Lisa’s left leg just above the ankle sitting at a grotesque angle. It was a compound, open fracture of both bones a little above the ankle. A week in the hospital, three surgeries, 12 weeks with no weight on the ankle and multiple PT sessions later Lisa is able to walk and generally has regained most of her mobility. In a previous post I have written about our walk through this time. It’s a particularly moving read called “Broken Legs, Mended Hearts.”

I allude to this story today because one of the residuals from this is a serious scar around Lisa’s leg where the tissue was so seriously damaged. Two things the doctor later told us that we look to as a testament of God’s grace. First when he first saw Lisa’s leg he estimated he had a 50/50 chance of saving it. Yet her healing progressed very well. In fact he seemed very pleased and even a little surprised at how well she recovered. Second at her one year check up he fully released her telling her to listen to her leg and let pain and discomfort tell her how much to do. (Oh he did forbid her from swinging on rope swings too.) But he also said, that a break as bad as hers 50 years earlier often proved fatal. The bones were shattered into so many small pieces and the wound was a terrible thing.

As we finished our prayer time and I shared the picture that I had used in praying for our friends, Lisa thought of her leg and pointed to her scar. And she said that deep wounds can leave bad scars. She was mostly right, but I don’t see her scar as bad. To some it may not be pretty, but to me it reminds me of Gods abundant grace. Lisa lived. Lisa kept her leg and she has most of her mobility. Our marriage was healed because when Lisa broke her leg, God broke my heart. Our oldest daughter who had been estranged from us for a time not only came rushing back to be with her mama, she gave her life to the living God. She will live with God in His kingdom and the catalyst for her final step to this decision was Lisa’s broken leg.

One final thought. I went for a run after we finished our devotion. I love to run and I had stopped for a couple of months, so it was exhilarating to get back out there. But I don’t run for the sake of running. I run so I can talk with the Lord. He did not disappoint. I pick up small rocks as mementos of the places we’ve travelled. (Lisa is wrapping up a business meetings here in Myrtle Beach as I write this post.) You may agree with Lisa and think it’s a little weird, but I have found a few other persons who share this weirdness. Anyway I am on the return leg of this long run and I have picked up a couple good rock candidates for my collection when I feel the Lord speak to me to stop and look for a rock. Now I like fossil rocks or intricate design rocks or even pretty rocks – something that stands out. So as I stand by this puddle I am thinking, “Are you going to show me a gold nugget or something Lord?” And I started looking for something special. But the Lord said, “Look in the muck and mire. Look for the dirty and overlooked. Get the rock that looks the least appealing.” So I looked and sure enough there was a little, ugly black rock. I picked it up and as I evaluated it I decided it is a possibly a small piece of shell encased in a little bit of asphalt. I thought, “Wow, no gold nugget here.” To which the Holy Spirit immediately replied, “Everything can be redeemed!” My mind went to the description of the heavenly city described in Revelation of the streets of gold and I realized that streets of gold will have an underlayment that support them and keep them strong, flat, and beautiful. An underlayment that can include little pieces of shell encrusted in small chunks of asphalt.

Friend, I do not believe you are reading this by accident. I feel that the Lord has a message of hope for the world that He will get out through as many means as possible. This message is meant for you and perhaps a loved one or friend. God loves you, He can bring about the deep healing that is needed, scars aren’t always bad, and everything can be redeemed. That about sums it up for this morning.

Have a blessed day. And be a blessing to someone God puts in your path or on your heart today.

Read Full Post »

Best of Times

Posted in God, Vision, tagged best is yet to come, best of times, faith, hearing God, hope, mountain top, valley, vision on April 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Recently I heard some guys reminiscing about our high school days and one of them commented with a sigh, “Those were the best of times.” I’ve pondered that a good bit since then wondering is that true in any sense of the phrase. While this becomes a reality for some this absolutely does not have to be true. One of our slogans at church is “The Best is Yet to Come.” I believe that. Not because I am locked into a positive-thinking mindset. (Although I do see this is better than a negative-thinking mindset.) But because God’s Word promises this. Also I have seen what happens to people who are fixated upon the past. They usually have a wreck in their immediate future. It’s like trying to drive while constantly looking in the rear view mirror. It doesn’t work for very long before you are piled up into a tree.

Sadly for some, perhaps many, the high school days are the high point of life. The freedoms most of us enjoy during high school are significant and growing. The responsibilities most of us have are generally much less than what we will encounter a little later in life. Finally, there’s the “small pond” effect. You do not have to be really big to be the biggest fish in the pond. In a similar manner, in high school it is easier to be the “star” because of the small population. I experienced that. In high school I had my accolades, but when I got to college I disappeared into the mass of humanity just trying to figure things out. Until I connected with a small group that helped give me an identity, I was invisible.

While I am ready to move on to the wonderful promises the Lord for His children, I’m reminded that there are many variations on the theme “those were the best of times”. The marriage that started strong and somehow lost its way and ended… the promising career that crashed… the health and vitality that drained away in sickness and ill-health… the era of raising a family that gives way to scattered family in distant reaches with infrequent contact. The reality is life changes and it ebbs and flows over time. Not every experience is a mountain top. And every mountain top does not have to be big and dramatic. Our two year old grandson loves his grandpa. At the moment we get to see him a lot. When he hears me come in he charges to me with his arms raised and a big grin to give me a hug. I realize I am very fortunate that I get small “Best of Times” reminders like that pretty often right now. Don’t miss this though. I could miss them. If I did not respond with the same warmth and love that Jasper shows to me, I am pretty sure I would lose this wonderful gift.

There is a reason I recognize this small “Best of Times” gift. I know my Father loves me and He wants the best for me. Actually He wants the best for every one of His children. In fact His offer of adoption is available to everyone and He wants to shower us all with His love. Some of His love and grace already falls upon those who have not yet come to Him. The country we live in enjoys freedoms and prosperity perhaps greater than any country ever has. And it goes back to the grand experiment of our founding fathers who built this nation upon Judeo-Christian beliefs. If we have eyes to see, if we take time to really see, we can perceive many ways that small blessings come our way. Why is this important? If you are in a valley time, and they happen to all of us, you are not meant to remain there. An important step in getting out of the valley is to keep looking up, keep seeking a way up, keep praying for a path up. God wants us to go forward, to come on up. If we get stuck wallowing in regret, self-pity, and blaming, we look down and back rather than forward and upward. God’s desire is to bring us through the valley to even higher ground than we were on before. The world, the flesh, and the devil conspire to keep us stuck in the valley. Choose the higher ground and keep striving.

Fortunately God has given us a guidebook, the Bible, which has numerous passages that affirm this desire for us to keep progressing unto more Best of Times. Jeremiah 29:11 was written to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, but the Lord also had it written for us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The prophet Isaiah was also God’s mouthpiece to the Jews 2700 years ago and to us today. In one of the valleys that the Lord brought me through, Isaiah 41:10 became a life verse. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” If we keep our focus looking back or looking at what we have lost we will miss the good things that God has ahead of us. How do I know God has good things ahead? Well I take Jesus at His word. In John 10:10 He tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they (that is His followers) may have life, and have it to the full.” Another translation says it “that they may have abundant life.” Either way it fits my description of the “Best of Times”.

The final reason I am certain that as good as it gets here it still falls short of what the future holds, is because this is not my home. Our final destination is with God in heaven. Now I won’t claim to know what it is totally like, but occasionally I believe the Lord has given me hints. On the gorgeous late spring day when everything conspires to be absolutely beautiful, the Lord whispers, “It’s better than this.” When I have gotten to some breath-taking vista and I am admiring the view thinking how absolutely amazing it is, I hear Him say, “This is just a foretaste…” When my heart is light and bubbly because of the love one of my children or wife has blessed me with, I sense the Lord say, “I love you more than this.” WOW!

I am thrilled to be on this journey of life. The hope, anticipation, and excitement of what lies ahead is truly bubbling inside me at this very moment. I look out the window to the grey threatening sky of an unusually brisk spring morning and my heart is thrilled because there are sunny days, beautiful vistas, and a heavenly home filled with God’s unfathomable love ahead. Truly the Best is Yet to Come!

I pray that wherever you are, whatever you are going through, that the Father will give you a foretaste of the “Best is Yet to Come” He has in store for you. I know of some family and friends who are walking through challenging times. I pray that you will be encouraged as God provides tangible support to you through this time. For others who may be in the doldrums, which constitute a fair amount of our life, I encourage you to see and enjoy the little glimpses of the “The Best” He puts in your path. Be encouraged. He has no forgotten you or forsaken you.

Final thought. The way Jasper responds to me and to his daddy is a picture of how we can respond to our heavenly Father if we want to bless Him. My heart soars when this little guy comes running to me with joy on his face just wanting to be in my arms. I think our heavenly Father’s heart desires the same from us.

Have a wonderful day. Be blessed and be a blessing!

Read Full Post »

Check Your Motives

Posted in Church, God, Jesus Christ, Responsibility, tagged Caiaphas, Easter, faith, Jesus, Killing Jesus, messiah, obstacles to faith, religion, religious leaders, Transformation on April 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Over the past few weeks I have taken more time to study one of the chief “villains” in the Easter story, Caiaphas, the high priest who orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion. While I have contemplated the Easter story hundreds of times through the years, I have always just lumped Caiaphas and his father-in-law Annas into the group of evil religious leaders who conspired to have Jesus killed by the Romans. While true, I realize this superficial look misses a vital lesson that we need to consider in our walk with the Lord.

How did these men who were steeped in the religion of the Jews miss the coming of the Messiah?
As the prophecies were fulfilled why did they not stop, reconsider, and acknowledge that Jesus was who He claimed to be?
Finally when Jesus rose from the dead, why did they not get the message then?

Answers to these questions will help us find the right path that they failed to see. Simply stated “Wrong Motives Made Them Miss the Messiah”

For these men, religion defined by their interpretation of the Law, meaned everything. Most importantly it trumped the relationship aspect that God desires to have with His children. King David was called a man after God’s own heart because He was passionate to know the Lord. You can’t help but see this intimacy in many of David’s psalms – see Psalm 51, 91, 139 for good examples of this intimacy. For Caiaphas the protection of the “purity” of the Law was His responsibility. As high priest he was the final arbiter in disputes and interpretation of how it was applied. Viewing his role as the primary custodian of the Law, Caiaphas took exception to any view of the religion different from his. When asked by one of the religious leaders what the greatest commandment was Jesus response was not about religion but relationships. From Matt 22:35-40:

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 22:37 (Deut. 6:5) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 22:39 (Lev. 19:18) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus’ message of a relationship with God and particularly His boiling the Law down to two keys struck the religious leaders as a direct attack on everything they stood for. They saw their religion threatened and their defenses were on the alert to any further subversion of their religious practice. Their religion made it hard for them to see the living God among them.

There was also the potential political threat of Jesus teaching. Jesus was amazingly popular. He brought a message to every man, woman, and child of a God Who loved them deeply, Who care for them intimately, and through signs and miracles wrought by Jesus’ hand, was actively engaged in people’s lives. Under the Roman occupation though popular figures were considered a threat who could marshal the masses to rebel and this was not acceptable. Both the Romans and the Religious leaders were determined to prevent a rebellion, therefore Jesus walked under a cloud of suspicion. On a number of occasions Jesus pointedly rejected the political route even though many in the crowd clamored for Jesus to fulfill the popular interpretation of the conquering, kingly Messiah. But both the Romans and the Religious leadership heard the crowds, they saw them growing, and they felt the threat to the delicate balance in this hotbed of sedition. Their political view made it hard for them to see the living God among them.

Annas’ was of the Zadokite clan. The high priesthood had resided in the Zadokite clan for hundreds of years. When Alexander the Great conquered and rose to power he transferred power away from the Zadokite clan. The Romans however restored power to Annas’ ancestors building a political and financial relationship that was mutually beneficial to both parties… at the expense of the general population. Taxes, fees, exchange rates, and monopolies on religious essentials allowed the priestly families to become incredibly wealthy. They in turn shared some of this wealth with the Roman’s in the form of tribute. To the religious leaders Jesus assault upon the money-changers and vendors selling animals in the Temple was more than just an attack on their prescribed religious practices, it was an attack on their carefully crafted and extravagant livelihood. Their lifestyle and the financial pipeline from the religious practices that poured lots of money into their pockets made it hard for them to see the living God among them.

Finally as the story of Easter plays out the religious leaders’ anger, hatred, and rage finds its full vent upon Jesus. That Jesus does nothing to resist them, nor does He do anything to try and deflect their accusations causes the mock trial, torture, and execution to progress rapidly. In approximately 24 hours Jesus goes from kind and gentle leader of a small band of disciples to a dead body in a grave. The book “Killing Jesus” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Duggard brings to light much of the context and backstory that we may not pick up just from reading the biblical text. The high priest and religious leaders broke numerous religious laws in the way they handled Jesus’ case, however they justified it all on religious and political expediency. On the third day, when the tomb is opened and the body of Jesus disappears despite a Roman guard stationed at the tomb, I would think that they might have second thoughts about who Jesus was and the validity of their actions. Instead they make up a story about the body being stolen and attempt to carry on life as normal. Their pride and their guilt made it hard for them to see the risen God among them.

We’ve looked at roadblocks to recognizing and accepting the Lord for Who He is. It is also true that these same obstacles will keep us from growing in our faith. Jesus has called us to live an abundant life. But it is important to realize that this abundant life begins and ends in our relationship with Him. Every one of the areas mentioned above: our religious observations, our political leaning, our lifestyle and financial provision, even our emotions are to subservient to our knowing and growing in Christ. The message of Easter is that Jesus is Alive. Let us live fully in the reality that Jesus is Alive and wants to live in us more fully every day. Say “YES!” to Jesus’ continuing work in you and you will experience His love in greater and greater measure day by day.

Be blessed my friend and be God’s blessing right where He puts you today.

Read Full Post »

Life-long Learning

Posted in Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Responsibility, The Father, tagged bible, holy spirit, learning, obedience, scripture, study, Word of God on April 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

John, the beloved disciple, concludes his gospel with an interesting sentence. John 21:25 says “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” While many of us have a few noteworthy accomplishments and amusing anecdotes from our life, Jesus’ life is the life above all lives to be studied. Although He lived for a relatively brief period, He is the central figure of history. The book that describes His life is the all time best-seller. It is printed in more languages than any other book. And despite repeated attempts to blot out His story and crush His people, the church continues to grow. As believers in Jesus we have a responsibility to become followers of Him. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” How do we do this? In reality this is a simple, impossible task. We simply read the book that tells us about Jesus and God’s work in the believers, the bible, and then we do what it says. It is impossible for us to do this perfectly in our own strength. That is why Jesus to sent the Holy Spirit to all who would follow Him.

As a young believer I heard someone explain the difference between being intelligence and wisdom. Intelligence is the ability to grasp and understand large amounts of information. Wisdom is the ability to apply the information one possesses in the right manner. I witness this in my work with plant managers and leaders in manufacturing. The truly special leader is one who possesses a good intelligence and exercises excellent wisdom. Many are the leaders who are intelligent, but do not walk in the most wise fashion. In Matthew 10 Jesus gave directions to His disciples as they were being sent out on a brief training mission. In verse 16 we read “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Jesus does not want us ignorant of His work. He admonishes us to become as knowledgeable as practically possible, yet walk in humble innocence.

Our church is a good example of what God can do through a group of committed believers who seek to follow Jesus every way we can. We are a bunch of imperfect people seeking to know and serve a perfect God. One of our Pastor’s tag lines is a simple phrase, “Read the Word. Do what it says.” By doing that we see people come to faith by the dozens and even hundreds. We do not have a final count, but as of 9 am on Sunday morning we had already seen over 200 people come to faith in Jesus. And at the 9:15 service at our campus I saw dozens more come forward and make a profession of faith. This is a wonderful thing to see.

This is the first vital step into the abundant life Jesus calls His followers into. Being the first step carries the certainty that there are many steps to follow, too many and too varied to be addressed in a short post. However the Holy Spirit, who seals every believer at conversion, is able to lead and guide each believer into the life God calls them to. The Holy Spirit knows what is needed, what is not, where we must go, what we must do. In short, the Holy Spirit is God living in us to guide us into all that we need to know and do. The caveat here is that the Holy Spirit is still subject to the will of the believer. Jesus desires to work in concert with us. Our willful obedience, not our coerced obedience, is God’s desire.

Today, I encourage you to do a few things that may be new. First, ask the Lord to instill a fresh desire in you to know Him better. Second, ask the Lord to show you anything inside of you that is hindering your taking your next step in faith. Third, read the Word and ask the Lord to help you do what it says. Fourth, listen and respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will always lead you in accordance with the Word of God. In fact the bible and the Holy Spirit are always perfectly in synch.

The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the bible to put down the words we read. It is the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer who gives us the ability to read, understand, and follow what it says. If you feel lead to do something that is contrary to the bible, then stop and seek the Lord’s clarification. I have had the Lord prompt me to do things that I thought were odd, things that definitely took me out of my comfort zone, things that I normally wouldn’t have thought to do, but I have never had the Holy Spirit prompt me to do something that is against the scripture. Let this be a safeguard for you.

In the post-resurrection days, the Church literally exploded into life. People recognized that God had done the most amazing thing the world would ever know. It remains the pivotal point in all of history. And people were moved to live in a radically new way, following the teaching of the One who had conquered death and called them to this new life. We have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps. Jesus calls us to Himself and then into the unique life He has equipped us for. Immerse yourself into learning about and following the One who loved you so much He went to the cross on your behalf.

Be blessed today my friend. And be a Spirit led blessing to others.

Read Full Post »

Alleluia, Jesus is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!

Posted in Holy Week, Jesus Christ, Service, tagged Easter, Empty tomb, garden tomb, Jerusalem, resurrection on April 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The world was forever changed on Easter morning. On Friday sin was judged and the just penalty was paid in full. On Sunday the Lord rose triumphantly from the grave proving He had not only paid the penalty, but He defeated death, hell, and the grave in the process. ALLELUIA, JESUS IS RISEN! THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!

In Friday’s post I shared pics from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher over the most likely site of Golgotha and the empty tomb. Just outside the current city walls there is another potential site where there was a rocky face that had the appearance of a skull and an empty tomb in a garden. During our trip to Jerusalem last spring we visited this site. Whether this site is the actual burial place or not, it much better depicts what it would have looked like. I share these pics with you today in hopes that this Easter you experience God’s grace in a new and powerful way. He died for you and He rose for you. Lift up you heart, your hands, your voice to Him this day… and be thankful!

Picture from around 1900 of what the rock face looked like. This was also beside a major road out of Jerusalem which was another necessary characteristic of the Roman’s. Crucify in a very public place to send a message to other would be rebels.

Communion shared in the Garden Tomb. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Read Full Post »

In the ‘Tween Time

Posted in Holy Week, Jesus Christ, tagged disciples, Jesus, Jesus' death, Pontus Pilate, resurrection on April 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Between the delivery of the promise and its realization is the “Tween Time”. On Good Friday Jesus died. Through the Holy Sabbath that followed the disciples, His followers, the religious leaders, even the Roman authorities lived in the ‘tween time. Consider what each group must have experienced through this day of waiting.

His disciples were crushed. They had lost their leader, their friend, the One they had left their lives and livelihood to follow. They had thought He was going to become the leader who would set them and their nation free from Roman oppression. They were Jesus’ closest friends and confidants. Simply losing someone dear is a terrible shock. But they had thought Jesus was so much more. Now He was gone.

They were also very afraid. It was bad enough that the religious leaders had it out for Jesus, but the Romans had actually carried out the execution. And one thing about Roman justice when it came to even a hint of rebellion, they were not afraid to squash it ruthlessly. If they had crucified Jesus because they felt He was a threat to Roman rule, then His disciples would soon follow. Recent uprisings had seen not only the leader crucified, but dozens and sometimes hundreds of their followers crucified as well.

In varying amounts they were also ashamed. They fled when Jesus was taken. They were not able to stand this simple test. Peter personified this sense of guilt for the group. He promised to stand with Jesus going to the garden, but within just a few hours he had denied knowing Jesus even with an oath.

His other followers were bewildered. They too had put their hopes in Jesus. Many had experienced healing at His touch. Others had been set free from demonic bondage. Thousands had seen and experienced His miracles whether in the food that multiplied when He prayed or through sermons that touched the heart. They knew these things that had happened were real… or at least they thought they were real. How could it be that the One who demonstrated such power had so quickly been taken from them?

The religious leaders were a mixture of smug assurance that a very real threat had been eliminated and still a little wary since the impostor had spoken a number of time about “life after death”. While they felt confident that Jesus’ death would put an end to this growing challenge to their power, they took steps to ensure no further complications could arise by the Galilean’s followers taking His body and saying He had arise. They convinced Pilate to have the tomb carefully guarded.

The Roman authorities were probably not too terribly worried about the whole issue. Pilate, for His part, was not particularly pleased that he had to stoop to being the pawn of the religious leaders in this incident, but his tenuous hold over this restive Roman province was predicated upon a good “working” relationship with the Jewish leaders. As requested, a Roman guard posted at the tomb of this man, Jesus, was a simple final task in this unsavory business. Soon the Passover would be over and he could return to Caesarea away from these religious fanatics.

On this Saturday everyone was convinced a climax had been reached, the curtain had drawn closed, and Jesus’ life and mission had been completed. Jesus’ powerful presence had been the engine that was driving the movement and now He was gone. While no one really knew what to expect a couple things were certain. The religious leaders had stopped this movement by cutting off the head and the disheartened, frightened band of disciples and followers were certainly in no condition to keep it going. This Jesus movement was a thing whose time had passed.

At least that is what they thought on Saturday in the ‘tween time…

Read Full Post »

A Time to Grieve

Posted in Church, God, Jesus Christ, The Father, tagged crucifixion, Gethsemane, Good Friday, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus' death, mock trial, Stations of the Cross, Way of the Cross on April 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Good Friday is a time to remember what Jesus did for us. He was innocent. But He chose to die in obedience to the Father and out of love for us… for you and for me. Consider what He did. For the story from 4 perspectives Read Matthew 26:57 – 27:61, Mark 14:43 – 15:47, Luke 22:47 – 23:56, John 18:1 – 19:42.

He was innocent. He never sinned. At a time of great political tension in the land Jesus did not antagonize the foreign power that ruled. In fact His message and heart reached out to the Romans who listened and were receptive to truth. Remember the Roman centurion who asked for prayer for his servant. Jesus’ only “issue” was that He stood up to the religious authorities and He called them out about their hypocrisy.

He was powerful. He did not have to die. He certainly did not have to die the brutal way He did… if He chose not to. When He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, His followers begin to mount a resistance, but Jesus tells them to stop and that He could overwhelm His accusers with 12 legions of angels. But He chose to obey the Father’s plan and submit to them instead.

He was gentle. When Jesus faced His death, He laid aside any and every attempt to soften the path. I woke up at 3 this morning and I immediately thought about Jesus. At that time He was probably with the Sanhedrin. He had already been beaten, spit upon, and cursed by many. He was nearing 24 hours being awake. Don’t forget the intense sorrow He had experienced in the garden, sorrow and anxiety so intense that He had sweated blood. Already He had to be close to physical and emotional collapse. Yet He stood and He took their worst.

He was beaten and battered. In addition to the beatings He took from the religious leaders and the temple guards, Jesus was brutalized by the Romans who were professionals at administering pain and death in the most horrific fashion. Seriously, the Romans knew how to inflict the utmost pain and humiliation upon a person. It was a key ingredient in how they kept such a large empire under control. Make the penalty for resistance and rebellion so unbelievably cruel and painful that almost no one will stand against you. These were Jesus’ executioners. The most realistic portrayal of this is in the movie – The Passion of Christ. It has been a part of my spiritual discipline to watch the movie on Good Friday primarily because it portrays what Jesus went through… for you and for me.

He was loved and He was being separated from the ones He loved. The images of His mother, His disciples, His close followers mingled in the crowd of “haters” as He was led to Calvary had to pain Him further. But even more excruciating had to be the separation from His heavenly Father for a time. In fact this is probably the biggest deal of all. Jesus, the One Who existed in union with the Father from before the world began, was about to experience something that happened only this once in all eternity. As judgment passed on Jesus for all mankind’s sin, His Father turned away. When the sin was judged, Jesus knew separation from the Source of all life, His heavenly Father. Matthew captured this moment in Matt 27:45 – 46. Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” We know why today. The Father’s love desired to make a way for us to be reconciled to Himself. The demands of justice had to be met. Through the death of the only sinless, perfect soul, our redemption was purchased.

Again I encourage you to take the time today to let the weight of what Jesus did rest upon your soul for a little while. When we understand how much He did for us… how low He was willing to go to reach us… what great a price He paid for us, we cannot help but be deepened in our love and devotion to Him. That God loves you so much that He experienced Good Friday is amazing beyond description.

Receive the Lord’s blessing today in rich abundance. And share His blessing with those He brings into your life.

Here are pictures from our trip to Jerusalem. Actually we walked the Via Delarosa exactly one year ago today. I begin with pictures of the Garden of Gethsemane.

Garden of Gethsemane

Ancient Olive Tree in the Garden. This tree is hundreds of years old.

Inside the Church of All Nations in the Garden.

The altar in the Church of All Nations is directly over a large rock outcropping that was in the Garden. This is a likely place where Jesus prayed.

The Garden of Gethsemene was the location of an Olive Press.

The Garden of Gethsemane was the location of an Olive Press.

Our guide indicated that while these trees are possibly over a thousand years old, they roots continue to send up shoots and they live for thousands of years.

Our guide indicated that while these trees are possibly over a thousand years old, the roots continue to send up shoots and they live for thousands of years. So these roots existed at the time Jesus was arrested here.

Front of the Church of All Nations.

Next is the area where the Roman fortress Antonia was located. Here the final part of Jesus’ mock trial was completed, where the Roman scourging took place, Where He was dressed in a purple robe and a crown of thorns and mocked, where he was disrobed, and where His march to Golgotha began.

This is the Church of Condemnation. The area surrounding the “Stone Pavement” mentioned in John 16:19.

Inside the Church of Condemnation.

In the Church of Condemnation

This is the Stone Pavement where Pilate tried to release Jesus. He brought Jesus out wearing a crown of thorns and wearing a purple robe. But the crowd, incited by religious leaders, shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

Details on the Stations of the Cross.

Inside the Church of Flagellation.

Standing at the beginning of the Stations of the Cross

The following shots are several of the Stations of the Cross as we wind our way through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem.

These final pics are from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is over the most likely site of Golgotha (also referred to as Calvary) and the Garden tomb. This church was built in 326 AD. It is also called the Church of the Resurrection in the Orthodox Church.

This altar is over the rock that is believed to be Golgotha, the “place of the skull” where Jesus’ cross was erected. Here a pilgrim leans in to kiss the rock.