Who?

Who is beyond God's hand and grace if He reached out to me?

Each One Must Answer

Luke 17:21 (New International Version)

²¹nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
The seed has been planted in the heart of man.  How then will it be received?  Each one must answer.  

The Work Of God

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (New International Version)

 ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
       or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
       so you cannot understand the work of God,
       the Maker of all things.
The Spirit moves in ways we cannot understand, yet is given to us. It is the wind among us and refreshes those whose face is turned to God.  We do not know the Spirit's path, but we know from whence it comes.  We are being formed by the work of the Spirit in the womb of God's creation.  It is the work of God.

Some

Ephesians 4:11 (New International Version)

¹¹It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
He gave particular gifts to some, but to all He gave the unique gift of life.  Each is important as the other in the body of Christ.

Together

Ephesians 1:10 (New International Version)

¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
Heaven and earth are joined in Christ.  We become the fullness of His body as we are raised up with Him.  He is the cornerstone of the new temple, the dwelling place of God.

Firstborn

Colossians 1:15 (New International Version)

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Jesus was born of God through Mary.  Through this union truly came forth the Son of God and the Son of Man.  Adam was created; Jesus was begotten.  He is the firstborn of many.  We are the many by His grace when His Spirit enters our hearts.  In this way God keeps sending His Son to be born as a gift of love to and for the world.  We will be like Him.

Manna

Manna
Bread from heaven
Son of Man
First fruits
We will be like Him
And will cover the ground

Since We Belong

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (New International Version)

⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
As people of the light, we are to look and act as a people who follow the Spirit, informed and guided by that light.  Faith and love cover and protect the heart.  We are given hope which protects the head, fed by faith and love flowing from the heart.  This is reason beyond reason, understanding beyond understanding.  

Shadows May Appear

Seeing the light brings shadows into view that would not be discerned otherwise.

Days Are Numbered

Our days are numbered but our life has no end.

Read It For Yourself

You may have a good reason to discount religion, but there is no excuse in letting that get between you and God.  The most important thing is believing in Jesus and giving your life to Him, even as He gives life to you.  His Word is true; it’s interpretations that can be hazardous.  Read it for yourself.  Let the Spirit speak to you.

Gathered

2 Corinthians 8:15 (New International Version)

¹⁵as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
In sharing with each other, we share with God.  Love is expressed in His gift to us.  That is His will for us, to love.  Where two or more are gathered, He is there.  All are fed.

Pure Religion

James 1:27 (New International Version)

²⁷Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Where do we spend our energy and resources?  Jesus has shown us how to live and have life.

That Different Person

1 Samuel 10:6 (New International Version)


6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
People will note the change if you are a different person.  That change will speak eloquently to the presence of the Spirit, whether through word or deed.  They will also take note if you are not.  The power of the Lord was demonstrated and comes through Jesus Christ.  He is here today.  Be that different person.

And So

Romans 4:18 (New International Version)

 ¹⁸Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Just as Abraham, we will become what we believe.  He put his faith not in what he could see or understand, but in God.  As God speaks, so it is and shall be.

Focusing On The Eternal

2 Corinthians 4:18 (New International Version)

¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Focusing on the eternal we are renewed.  Renewed, we can focus on the eternal.

Why Do The Nations Rage?

Love does not make the same noise as made by a bomb, nor does it destroy, or demand submission.  The mark of peace is being humble, as shown by our Savior, Jesus.  Love seeks love.  So why do the nations rage?  The answer is in His Word.

Unexpected

2 Corinthians 8:5 (New International Version)

⁵And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.

Surprise the world today.  Do something unexpected, as He gave to us. Some will notice.

To Dance

To dance with the Lord of the dance, you must find a place where the music can be heard.

In Our Darkest Hour

Job 7:16 (New International Version)

¹⁶ I despise my life; I would not live forever.
       Let me alone; my days have no meaning.


We often find the light and meaning in our darkest hour.

Pursuing God

If you pursue God, make sure you pursue the “I AM” rather than what is acceptable to you.  There might be a difference.

Good Things

As we step through the seasons of life, our perspective may change.  What is good or good enough evolves.  May it be that we realize or remember that all good things come from the Lord.

Knowing Jesus

It is possible to know of Jesus, but not know Him.  It is possible not to know.

Enabled

John 6:65 (New International Version)

⁶⁵He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."


God enabled us by sending His Son.  All who listen and respond will be be saved.

A Suitable Companion

God created Eve to be a helper to Adam.  From Adam’s rib Gog made a suitable companion.  God made us in His image.

This may give us insight into why we are here and what it means for the church to be the bride of Christ.  We shall leave our “family”, the world, to join and become one with Him, the Son of Man.  He is the promised One.  It is the promise to us.

All

1 Corinthians 9:22 (New International Version)

²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

God has used all possible means to save us, even giving of Himself.  I notice that the word all occurs three times in this verse.  Though nothing was held back to this end, not all will accept Him.  Those that do, in the end, will be saved.

He Knows Our Frailties

1 Corinthians 1:14 (The Message)

 ^13-16I ask you, "Has the Messiah been chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul's name?" I was not involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting this report, I'm sure glad I wasn't. At least no one can go around saying he was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas's family, but as far as I can recall, that's it.)


Paul's observation may lend insight as to why Jesus let His disciples baptize.  Someone baptized personally by Jesus might lord it one who was not.  Jesus knows our frailties.  

Freedom

Freedom is another name of the kingdom of God.

Filled And Enabled

Acts 2:4 (NIV)  ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The Holy Spirit enables as needed for God's purposes.  He is the seal of promise, our comforter, and the power of God working through us.  Here the disciples began to speak in other tongues so that the many foreigners in town would hear the gospel without a language barrier.  The Spirit gave them the word and and the words for the sharing of that message.  They were filled and enabled.

Do Not Suppose

Matthew 10:34 (NIV)  ³⁴"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

The gospel is not preached in places where the idol of inclusiveness is worshipped. It is not welcome when the truth of God contradicts the good sense and truth of man.  Jesus brings the peace of God, not of man.  A man of true peace is a man of God.

To Rest On Each One

Acts 2:3 (NIV)  ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Though assembled as a group, the Spirit came to rest on each one.  There is one Spirit, but He is given to each of us.  The Spirit descended on Jesus at the time of His baptism, but it was still possible for Him to be tempted.  Immediately, He was led into the wilderness where He faced Satan.  He overcame, and because of this, He offers the grace of salvation.  That salvation is offered to each one of us, and we stand alone in that decision.  If we decide to believe and accept God, we will never be alone again.

Yes

Acts 9:10 (NIV)  ¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!"

      "Yes, Lord," he answered.


Ananias answered with a yes.  He was listening and heard the Lord, for he was in relationship with Him as a disciple.


How might the world be different if you and I said yes today?  

Together In One Place

Acts 2:1 (NIV)  Acts 2

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

One place physically and in mind.  They were ready for a revelation.  Jesus brought them to this place.  He is about to do a new thing.  We can be in that same "place".

I Am My Love

To quote my friend Russell about his wife, “I am my love”.  This is God’s message to us.  So He is, so are we to be.  Thus we are defined and made visible.  The closer we draw to Him, the more we become like Him.  This is the light that has come into the world.

Evangelicals

We are all evangelicals because our lives preach one thing or another.  

What Do You Accept?

John 6:60 (NIV)  ⁶⁰On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

It there some of His teaching that you cannot accept?

Leaving Her Clay Jar Behind

John 4:28 (NIV)

²⁸Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,²⁹"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"

She came to fill her jar as usual, but instead found the living water of life.  She left her clay jar behind.  Perhaps it was no longer needed.  This living water fills another sort of vessel.

Is Found

Luke 15:32 (NIV)

32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' "

In this parable we are reminded of what is at stake in believing Jesus.  Being lost is equated with death.  Jesus came to find us in the darkness.  If we listen, we can hear His voice.  

There is much joy in heaven when one begins walking in the light, when what was lost is found.

A Different Person

1Samuel 10:6-7 (NIV)

6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

These words were spoken to Saul, but apply to us all.  Once the Spirit enters the heart, a fire is lit.  It is a holy fire and light, a presence that leads to change.  It is God working within, just as He did in His Son Jesus.  Whatever we then do in that light glorifies God, our Father, for He is with us. It is to our glory and His.

Only Reveals

To say there is no truth only reveals one has not found it.

Questions and Answers

Job 38:1-3 
¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
 ² "Who is this that darkens my counsel
       with words without knowledge?
 ³ Brace yourself like a man;
       I will question you,
       and you shall answer me.


It is easy to misunderstand, forget, or twist the meaning of Scripture verses.  That  is why it is important to stay in the Word everyday.  It is there light is revealed, as the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to the things of God.  


At the same time, it questions and provides answers. Looking into the mirror of the Word, we are able to see ourselves in the light of God.  We can see ourselves relative to the Holy One, and as a child of the Father.  A dialog is begun.  From there is wisdom and knowledge to all that seek Him.   

Shining In The Darkness

John 1:5 (NIV)

5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The word translated as “understood” here is translated as comprehend, or overcome, or comprehended in other translations.  One uses the word “mastered”.  Seized is part of the meaning.  

This is how violence is done to the gospel.  That which is opposed to the gospel is served through the omissions, deviations, and rejections of the Word.  Building one’s own god and elevating self have always been the hallmark and struggle of man.

The darkness of the world tried to put out that light in the man Jesus, attempting to cover it with death and placing it in a tomb, removing the unwelcome light, or so they thought.  That life and light is not to be denied.  Jesus rose, overcoming the world. That life continues to shine in the darkness.  

Playing In The Garden

The Garden of Eden is at play and is played out in each man and woman.

That Life

John 1:4 (NIV)

4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

There is something different about the life in Jesus.  Within His mortal frame was the life of God.  Flesh and Spirit came together, blazing brightly to give light to those lost in a dark world.  It will be given to all who see it and follow after.  

Beginning With The Word

John 1:3 (NIV)

3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Jesus has always been God’s way of relating to creation.  Through Him all things were made.  Through Him we are saved from ourselves and made new. What begins on the inside will become manifest on the outside.  It has always been the Word.   

Made Him Known

John 1:18 (NIV) 

18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. 

Only God has seen God.  He has seen Himself, or knows Himself, yet here we are told He has been made known by the One Who sits at the Father’s side.  Does this make sense?  No.  Is it true?  Yes.  How can we know?  The Spirit teaches and confirms.  Do we know everything there is to know about this?  No.  Do we need to?  No.  It is enough to believe.  It is enough to bring us into faith.  Faith will take us beyond words into the presence of God the Father.

Grace And Truth

John 1:17 (NIV) 

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

The law is given so that we might understand our need.  Jesus comes with both grace and truth.  We cannot choose one or the other.  Grace is revealed in truth.  Jesus speaks the Word of God, the words of His Father.  His words are true, just as God is True.  

Knowing What We Think

John 7:27 (NIV)

²⁷But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from."


Sometimes we think we know, but we only know what we think..

Come, Eat And Drink

John 6:53 (The Message)

 ^53-58But Jesus didn't give an inch. "Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. The one who brings a hearty appetite to this eating and drinking has eternal life and will be fit and ready for the Final Day. My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. By eating my flesh and drinking my blood you enter into me and I into you. In the same way that the fully alive Father sent me here and I live because of him, so the one who makes a meal of me lives because of me. This is the Bread from heaven. Your ancestors ate bread and later died. Whoever eats this Bread will live always."


Jesus does not speak of eating bread as was done by the Israelites in the wilderness.  Though it fell from heaven, the bread that was picked up off the ground offered only temporary life.  He likens the acceptance of Who He is and His Words to eating and drinking, fully ingesting into our lives His life and the life of the Father.  This Bread fell to earth, but rose by the power of God.  He is poured out for us.  Come eat and drink.

So They Took Him On Board

John 6:20 (The Message)

 ^16-21In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned. A huge wind blew up, churning the sea. They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless, but he reassured them, "It's me. It's all right. Don't be afraid." So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.


When we bring Him into our boat, our lives, we find our way; our exact spot.  The darkness recedes and the sea diminishes.

Unwrapping

John 11:44 (The Message)

^43-44Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

   Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."


Jesus states earlier that He does this so that the people know He was sent from God.  Lazarus is brought from dead to life by the power of His word.  Jesus did the same for us through His obedience to God.  Obeying the command of Christ, we are able to leave our destined tomb and enter the light of life in the Son.  


We step into a fellowship with others who have responded to His call.  Notice that Jesus then tells the others to help complete the process.  He could have taken care of the unwrapping as well, but He chose to work through the disciples around Him.


The same is true with us.  We are to help unwrap each other,  exposing the riches of God's grace within.  We grow in that liberty, in the giving and receiving.  It is the power of God working in us.  It is mortality putting on immortality. 

Fear No Evil

Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

 ⁴ Even though I walk
       through the valley of the shadow of death, 
       I will fear no evil,
       for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff,
       they comfort me.


Our life can be seen as the valley, but we are led from the shadow of death to the light of life in Christ.  He calls us and leads the way.  We find our comfort and rest in the protection of His rod and the direction of His staff.  Evil is not to be feared for He is with us. 

The Difference

We must be the difference to make a difference.

What Do You Need To Know?

John 5:1-6 NIV

   Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there was a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, with five alcoves. Hundreds of sick people—blind, crippled, paralyzed—were in these alcoves. One man had been an invalid there for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he said, "Do you want to get well?"

 7The sick man said, "Sir, when the water is stirred, I don't have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in."

 8-9Jesus said, "Get up, take your bedroll, start walking." The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off.

 9-10That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, "It's the Sabbath. You can't carry your bedroll around. It's against the rules."

 11But he told them, "The man who made me well told me to. He said, 'Take your bedroll and start walking.'"

 12-13They asked, "Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?" But the healed man didn't know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.

 14A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, "You look wonderful! You're well! Don't return to a sinning life or something worse might happen."

This man has been in his condition for a long time. His world is reduced to what he has known.  Jesus changed that for him and for all of us, healing the man of the spot.  What the man knows changes.  So what do you need to know? 

Heirs

We are not heirs to the riches of God through a denomination, but by faith and belief in Jesus. 

Fountain Of Life

The fountain of youth is Jesus, the fountain of living water.

Into Question

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

When we confess and believe in Jesus we will be saved.  There can be no disconnect between heart and mouth.  We are to love Him with everything we are.  Doing something less brings into question where we are and where we are headed.

Fooling Around

Ecclesiastes 10:3 (The Message)

3 Fools on the road have no sense of direction.
   The way they walk tells the story: "There goes the fool again!"

Words communicate, but our walk tells the story.  Blessed is the one who’s message is the same.

To Worship The Big Lie

Jeremiah 18:11-17

 11"So, tell the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem my Message: 'Danger! I'm shaping doom against you, laying plans against you. Turn back from your doomed way of life. Straighten out your lives.'

 12"But they'll just say, 'Why should we? What's the point? We'll live just the way we've always lived, doom or no doom.'"

 13-17God's Message:

   "Ask around.
   Survey the godless nations.
Has anyone heard the likes of this?
   Virgin Israel has become a slut!
Does snow disappear from the Lebanon peaks?
   Do alpine streams run dry?
But my people have left me
   to worship the Big Lie.
They've gotten off the track,
   the old, well-worn trail,
And now bushwhack through underbrush
   in a tangle of roots and vines.
Their land's going to end up a mess—
   a fool's memorial to be spit on.
Travelers passing through
   will shake their heads in disbelief.
I'll scatter my people before their enemies,
   like autumn leaves in a high wind.
On their day of doom, they'll stare at my back as I walk away,
   catching not so much as a glimpse of my face."  MSG

Jeremiah warns the Israelites of the consequences of disobeying God.  The message applies equally today.  What did He say?  All will be judged by His Words.

Knowing

Now scientists and doctors are coming to realize that chronic fatigue is not just a problem in the head.  They assumed this in the past because they could see no other explanation with their methodology and mindset of the day.  Viral and physiology revelations have taken place, of facts which were always there, but not understood.  I myself was told that some doctors thought the difficulties brought on by my MS were in my head, until I was finally diagnosed.

It is a common tendency to doubt what can't be seen.  The more we "know" does not decrease the challenge in knowing.  Sufferers of chronic fatigue knew long before the experts knew.  I knew something was wrong, even suspected what it was long before the official diagnosis.

Putting faith in God offers the same challenge.  Nothing can be "proved".  It is faith.  Yet that faith opens the eyes and confirms that reality of God.  We will all come to understand.

But Seriously Folks

James 4:1-10

 1-2Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

 2-3You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

 4-6You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."

 7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.  MSG

At His feet we can rise and stand.  At His feet we find what we seek, even when we don’t know what we seek.  Substitutions become apparent.  Folly comes into view.  We find ourselves when we find Him.

Food For Thought

Ecclesiastes 6:7
 7 We work to feed our appetites;
   Meanwhile our souls go hungry.

Feeding one will keep us alive a lot longer than the other.

He Leaves It With Us

John 19: 25-27

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

John is to assume Jesus‘ earthy role.  Jesus is leaving His place as son to journey on as the Son of God.  He leaves His mother with the disciple He loved.  Jesus entrusts her into John’s hands and loving arms.

We are likewise called to serve, to be the hands and feet of Christ.  The world has been given to us to love as Jesus loves.  It is a world that is precious to Him.  God loved the world enough to send His Son to offer love and grace.  He leaves it with us, but He is always with us.

Lost Love

Don’t let a minute go by without loving,  for that is love lost.

God With Us

John 3:1-8 God With Us

John 3 1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."3Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."4"How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"5-6Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.7-8"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God." MSG

One does not see the wind, but one experiences the wind.  The kingdom is confirmed in the heart, spirit with Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit hovered over the waters in creation, over-shadowed Mary, descended on Jesus, and was given to us.  It is the same Spirit with us.  It is God with us.

Believing And Doing

James 2:25-26 The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse. MSG

Remember the demons that Jesus cast out of the man driven to madness?  They asked to go into the pigs and He gave them permission.  They don’t have a body of their own.  The herd then dashed into the water and drowned.

Body and spirit are required for life here on earth. Separation means death, just as separation from God means death.  Union with God results in life.  Works are the turning to God and walking in His light.  No longer are we to be separate, but joined with His Spirit.  As said here, it is “that seamless unity of believing and doing.” which indicates life, just as not breathing is an indication of death. Breathing in the “Spirit” is an in and out process.

Sanctuary

Psalm 73:16-17 (NIV)

16 When I tried to understand all this,
       it was oppressive to me 17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
       then I understood their final destiny.

Understanding comes when we meet with God in the sanctuary.  Sanctuary is the presence of God.  His Spirit is given to the one who believes, which is the seal of promise.  The temple of the new covenant is the heart.  His commandments are written on the heart, fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.  True worship begins and ends there.

Looking For Jesus

If I look for Jesus in others, they are more likely to see Jesus in me. 

Here's What I Have To Say

Luke 22:66-69(The Message)

66-67When it was morning, the religious leaders of the people and the high priests and scholars all got together and brought him before their High Council. They said, "Are you the Messiah?"

 67-69He answered, "If I said yes, you wouldn't believe me. If I asked what you meant by your question, you wouldn't answer me. So here's what I have to say: From here on the Son of Man takes his place at God's right hand, the place of power."

Asking a question does not automatically mean that one is seeking an answer to that question.  That was the case here.  Jesus saw through the words and into their hearts.  He answered in truth to a question arising from malice.  

He said what He came to say, sent from the Father, full of mercy and grace.

We Will Bow Down

Psalm 22:27 (NIV)

27 All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,

The day will come as His Word declares.  We will see Him in His majesty and glory.  We will bow down before the beauty of His holiness. 

Invites Us To Believe

John 3:12 (NIV)

¹²I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?


Jesus taught with parables.  The heavens declare God’s glory.  Life here on earth gives us the opportunity to believe God. He speaks to us where we are and tells of a place beyond our imagination.  He invites us to join Him.  He invites us to believe.  

My Song

Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
       he has become my salvation.
       He is my God, and I will praise him,
       my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Because of His salvation, His gift of love, I can stand in His strength.  His strength becomes mine.  There is room in my weakness for His strength to become my own.

His song becomes my song.  I join with the many and the heavenly host.  My song blends with the thundering chorus, yet He hears my voice and takes joy.

He is my God and Father.  All praise belongs to Him.

Showing The Way

A follower of Jesus is a leader among men.

We Are Planted

Exodus 15:17 (NETP)

You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance,in the place you made for your residence, O Lord,the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

Our sanctuary is in the Lord.  The mountain is manifest in the heart of every believer who finds rest in Him.  He is our portion and refuge.  We are planted in His garden around the tree of life.  

The Race

The race we run is against time and to the Father.  The important thing  is to get there in time. 

Simple Enough

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)

3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

I read this morning that the more complicated we get with our religion, the further we drift from Christ.  It makes me think of the contrast between the Pharisee who followed a whole list of do’s and don’ts and the tax collector who stood off in the distance saying, “have mercy on me, a sinner”.

How simple is our rest in Jesus?  Is it working through a list or simply walking with Him?  Do we know Him or just about Him?  

The disciples lived with Him and were changed forever.  That is simple enough for me to remember.

Take Off Your Sandals

Acts 7:33 (NIV)

33"Then the Lord said to him, 'Take off your sandals; the place where you are standing is holy ground.

It is not for us to seek or negotiate a “middle” ground for belief and worship.  That only applies if we are seeking our own way, building our own church.

God has clearly spoken on the matter.  He tells us how to approach Him.  “Take off your sandals”.  We do not come to him on our own merit or devisings.  To stand on Holy ground one must listen only to the Lord.

They Have A Theory

Experts go back and forth on whether coffee is good for you.
We can't cure the common cold.
We don't know what causes MS.
For a long time it was believed with certainty and confidence that the sun revolved around the earth.  It was plain to see.
Our understanding of how the brain works has recently transformed.  The idea of the brain having "plasticity" was dismissed and resisted for years despite evidence to the contrary.  It is now accepted and believed.
They say the universe started with "big bang" but can't explain why.
That same intellectual capacity and vision tells us that God is not real.  Not to worry though, they have a theory.  That doesn't sound reasonable or credible to me.

Light To The Path

2 Corinthians 10:18 (NIV)

18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

This applies to all of us.  Sometimes it obvious, but sometimes it is so subtle we don’t see it.  What we do seems so right, so satisfying that it must please the Lord just as much.  

Here we are reminded that the only commendation that counts comes from the Lord.  Remaining humbly in His Word will keep us on the right track.  Seeking Him in prayer strengthens our relationship with Him.  Listening to the Holy Spirit will give light to the path.

In The Dark With Nothing

Isaiah 8:20 (The Message)

^19-22When people tell you, "Try out the fortunetellers.

   Consult the spiritualists.
Why not tap into the spirit-world,
   get in touch with the dead?"
Tell them, "No, we're going to study the Scriptures."
   People who try the other ways get nowhere—a dead end!
Frustrated and famished,
   they try one thing after another.
When nothing works out they get angry,
   cursing first this god and then that one,
Looking this way and that,
   up, down, and sideways—and seeing nothing,
A blank wall, an empty hole.
   They end up in the dark with nothing.


Forsaking Scripture there is no light.

3D

The Holy Spirit expounds and expands the words of the Bible into the Word of God, from one dimension to the multiple dimensions of the testimony of Jesus.  There we come to the boundless Father, The I AM, unseen and unrecognized by the world.

Through

Through Moses,  our Father taught of sin and the impossibility of coming into His presence on our own power.

Through Jesus,  our Father provides the way to reconciliation.

Through the Holy Spirit,  the Father brings His life to every spirit.

Through you and I,  the light of truth shines before the world in a heart given to Jesus.

May you feel that the warmth of that gift.

Reason For Reason

The Case Of Reason Impartially Considered

By John Wesley

Sermon 70

(text from the 1872 edition - Thomas Jackson, editor)

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Brethren, be not children in understanding: Howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. 1 Corinthians 14:20
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/70/

The value and pitfall of man's reasoning.

Like A Child

One that is spiritually quickened might be likened to a child that learns to read.  What once was unintelligible and foreign begins to make sense.