True Poverty

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,^[j^]worth only a fraction of a penny.^[k^]

43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

Out of her humility she gave. She understood true poverty is a person without God. That is why she gave everything she had, for she recognized there is no life apart from the Father, which is true poverty. The others gave out of their wealth. She gave herself, trusting in the riches of God.

The Seed

It seeks fertile ground

The Word is given

The vine takes root

Branches come forth

The owner searches for fruit

Fruit that is sweet in His mouth

Flesh is but a seed

Tiny, yet contains a tree

When spirit is reborn

Replanted in God’s kingdom

Bearing heavenly fruit

And leaves of healing

A Deserted Church

A church that does not follow Jesus is a vacant church. A vacant church is no darker than one that has deserted Christ. The light is out long before the last switch is turned off.

Have You Considered?

Job 1:6-12 (NIV)

6 One day the angels ^[a^] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan ^[b^] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

9 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. 10 "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."

12 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."
Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Satan accuses Job of only following for what he can get rather than having a heart for God. His accusations reflect and reveal his heart, a heart ruled by selfishness.

In the end Job is vindicated. Though he questions and suffers, he still seeks after God.

Why do we have this story? Why would God do this? It teaches. It spoke to Job, Satan, and to us. God is sovereign and blesses those that love Him. Our time on earth is for finding Him and remaining in Him in the midst of our struggles and joy.

Unity

Only in the body of Christ is there true unity, and that already exists. Inter-denominational unity is more about mergers, community organizing, and posturing.

Enough

We are not given all the facts about God, but enough to believe, in faith.

Great Joy

3 John 1:1-4(NIV)

1The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

The joy of truth. Paul expresses that joy when hearing of the faithfulness and walk of those he taught. Imagine Jesus speaking instead of Paul.

Consistent

How might we understand evil in God’s creation? It must be consistent with His purpose, His glory.

Was To Is

Revelation 4:8 (NIV)

8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

“...was, and is, and is to come”. Have you ever waited for a long train to pass, and it was seemingly endless? The engine was long past out of sight and the end was no where to be seen, but the train was still present.

It makes me think of God. He is outside our notion of time. He inhabits all three points of our time reference simultaneously. He is eternally present.

When we place our trust in Him we are transported from was to is. We are eternally present with Him. Now that is traveling in time and we can do it now!

In The Beginning

In the beginning God’s Spirit hovered over the earth, overshadowed Mary, descended on Jesus, and is given to us.

Begotten

1 John 4:9 (NSAB)

9By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

God entered creation through His unique Son and He continues to enter through the many sons and daughters that follow Jesus in belief. By this we are reborn, new creatures in Christ. We come together in His kingdom.

Light

The Word of God is the revelation of light. Creation begins with the separation of light and dark. Jesus brings light into the darkness of the world. The darkness is unable to comprehend the light. When the Father and Son descend in the new Jerusalem the darkness will be no more.

Truth Of Grace

The truth of grace lies with Jesus. He is the only basis and source of grace. To deny His truth is to deny His grace.

Discrimination

Discrimination knows no color. It is seeing others as "other". Brokenness and violence result. God is the answer.

Your Grief Will Turn

John 16 20 (NIV)

20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.

Jesus speaks of not only what is to come, but what is already here. We will indeed rejoice when He comes, when we receive all that is promised.

Our joy is not just confined to a distant expectation, but is a present reality. There is a peace in the middle of hardship and struggle that defies natural understanding, and it is available now. Jesus turned water into wine. He turns our lives into lessons of new life, new life in Him. Let the joy come and flow.

Being Well

Truly being well is being able to say “it is well with my soul”. That only comes from Jesus, the well of living water.

Beauty of Wholeness

The beauty of wholeness, of righteousness before God, will multiply joy. It sparkles, catching the eye of all, especially those who are struggling in the shadows. It should multiply within and around us. Once seen it cannot be resisted or ignored.

Whole Gospel

It takes the whole gospel to make us whole.

Over Time

Revelation is most often a process that happens over time. Thank goodness I've been given an eternity!

Being Rational

Being rational is irrational when considering God, but it works when He is no longer part of the equation. That is why faith is required.

Listening

Listen to James Taylor sing “Country Road” and think about the Way of Jesus. Hear the music of the Spirit. It’s all around us. You’ll never hear the song the same way again. That’s what the Spirit does, making life different, renewing and making new.

Confirmation vs Revelation

Seeking confirmation of what one believes only has benefit if sought from the Holy Spirit. Seeking and finding it elsewhere results in a distorted view, an alternate reality apart from God.

Still Moving

Only when we become still in the grace of God can we hope to move with the Spirit.

Assuming

Don't assume that the inspiration and authority of Scripture is assumed where you worship. This must be known, confirmed, and proclaimed. This is the sign of body of Christ, the true church.

Vocabulary

We attempt to explain the supernatural with the vocabulary of the natural.

So Sings My Soul

Luke 1:46 (NIV)

46And Mary said:

"My soul glorifies the Lord

So sings my soul...

Heavy Lifting

John 12:32 (NLT)

32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

He has done the heavy lifting. Now let’s lift Him up in our lives.

Friends

John 15:12-15 (NIV)

12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Who are our friends? Jesus defines His friends for us. We do not have to guess or wonder, unless you discount these words. He plainly states here that His friend follows His command. Elsewhere (John 3:36), John the Baptist tells us that those who do not believe and obey the Son shall not see life.

His friends are those who believe, and believe enough to obey.

The Best Place

What better place for the light but in darkness?

Change

Don’t pick up the Bible if you are afraid of change or afraid to change.

If You Please

Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The choice is one or the other. It always has been.

Even More Fruitful

John 15:2 (NIV)

2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a^] so that it will be even more fruitful.

Every branch in the vine must bear the fruit of the vine. Jesus says the Father removes the branch that does not.

The initial fruit is the Spirit of the Father, given as the first fruits of the kingdom, and is received by faith. The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer’s heart, reshaping our lives into the image of God.

The branch does not start out producing complete clusters of fruit, but grows at the hand of our loving Father. Fruit of the Spirit is the necessary outcome of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be otherwise. The Father alone sees what needs to be done and works on our behalf so that we are even more fruitful.

Getting There

God said “Go” to Abraham and Jesus tells us to “Come”. The destination is the same, and faith gets us there.

Unfolding

God’s kingdom is unfolding. I want to be in it and part of it.

To Love

To love as Jesus loves requires our eyes to be on Him, to turn and receive that love. It is then we can be that love.

Remain In Me

John 15:1-4 (NIV)

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a^] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

We are made clean in the Son when we receive the cleansing water of His grace. We then become part of the true vine. The fruit of grace enables us to be grafted into the life of God.

The Father prunes and shapes each branch so that more fruit appears, but remaining in Christ in required.

Man's Wisdom

Man’s wisdom has always seemed perfect to man.'

To Deny

To deny Truth is to remain chained.

It Is Written

In light of all the books that have been published or produced, which book would Jesus quote today to say, “It is written”? What would be your choice?

Tuning In

When tuning into a country music station on the radio, there is no doubt that it is different from a classical station, and no doubt what music is being played. Any gathering in the name of Jesus should leave no doubt, that anyone and all of us will hear only the music of God and only see the fruit of the Spirit.

I Believe

I Believe

..the Bible is the Word of God.

..Jesus is Who He says He is

..Jesus is the only way to God

..Jesus will judge the world

..Jesus is the Truth

..Jesus says if we love Him, we will obey Him

Astonished

Galatians 1:6-7 (NIV)

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

There is one gospel that saves. Anyone interested in the grace of Christ, the grace of God, should take care they rest in the gospel that provides that grace, and not some other pasture. Paul is astonished to find a different gospel in the midst of the Galatians. The same element exists today. I think Paul would be equally astonished.

Troubling

It is troubling when some come to church for something or someone other than Christ. It is even more troubling to think they are finding what they seek.

One Spirit

Unity does not happen because different people come together in the same place, but when they come together in the One Spirit. Peace does not happen between walls unless the the Spirit of Peace is within the heart.

Got Love?

John 14:21 (NIV)

21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Where are these commands? They are in the Bible.

What comes first, love or obedience? Love.

What demonstrates love? Obedience.

What results? Love. We will see Jesus.

Got love?

Can You Say It?

Can you say that Jesus is Lord and the Way? If not, then your are merely being religious and not following Him.

All Were Satisfied

Matthew 15:34-39 (NIV)

34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. 37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 38The number of those who ate was four thousand, besides women and children. 39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

There are more than one insight to be gained from a given scripture. Possible messages here may be:

Seven loaves represent the perfection of Jesus as the bread of heaven which gives life.

The few fish might represent the disciples who are given the bread to pass on to the crowd.

Sitting down on the ground could foreshadow the banquet of Christ, the wedding feast to come.

The boundless supply of God’s grace is displayed by the seven baskets of broken pieces left over.

Four is the number of creation.

Women and children are included because the bread was for everyone.

The locale of Magadan is uncertain, so He will have to come back for us to be with Him.

“They all ate and were satisfied” Amen.

Turn On The Light

Shadows are revealed by light. Jesus is the light of the world.

Doing So

God told Noah of the need for the ark and how to build it. Noah believed and did so. God tells us the need for Jesus and how enter the ark of grace. Let us do so.

Garments

Genesis 3:21 (NIV)

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

God also covers you and I, sacrificing His Son that we would be clothed, transformed with the white garments of immortality.

Going Back

Love brought Jesus into creation, faith allows us to go back with Him.

Seeing The Temple

Revelation 21:22 (NIV)

22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

We are living temples, the many mansions, that make up the body of Christ. One in Spirit with the Father and the Son.

Without

A thought without God is incomplete. An action without love is empty. Life without Jesus is an allusion.

It Was Night

John 13:30 (New International Version)

30As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

It is possible to take the bread but not partake of Christ.

That is indeed a dark place.

The Temple

John 2:19 (NIV)

19Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

We are living temples of God’s presence. The one made by human hands no longer served a purpose, for the new one was built by Jesus in three days.

There the AntiChrist appears and will appear. The abomination and desecration take place in that sacred place: the heart. That is the mark of the beast.

React

Luke 16:31 (NIV)

31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

If anyone told you that someone had risen from the dead, how would you react? How do you react?

A Man's Heart

1 Samuel 17:28 (NASB)

28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and ⁽A⁾Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, "Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."

Eliab said he knew David’s heart. He didn’t. God appears to have a different view of that same heart. The difference is between one who thinks he knows, and the One Who knows.

Only God sees and knows what is in a man’s heart. That could be viewed as good and bad news. The bad news for some is that no pretense will fool God. We may fool others, but not Him. The good news is that He loves enough to not let what He sees stand in His way. Don’t let anything stand in your way.

Tell Me

John 9 35-38 (NIV)

35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

The blind man had been healed but he did not know the One Who healed him. His ability to see was about to become clearer. He knows of the Son of Man, but he does not know Him personally, though he had been touched.

Jesus finds the man so that the man finds Jesus. His heart was ready to hear the truth.

Many wait to hear those same words from Christ. Jesus speaks through our words and actions if we let Him. They are waiting to be found.

“Tell me”

Grace

Jesus is the Author of grace, we can only quote Him.

Before Their Very Eyes

John 9:13-15 (NIV)

13They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

The man did not know or say how the miracle was accomplished, but he was able to tell what happened from an earthly standpoint. The message from heaven was contained in the healing, the gospel was spoken, and the mystery revealed by the action.

The Pharisees were focused on the Sabbath, but could not see the true Sabbath unfolding before their very eyes.

The Heart

The heart of man is made up of those things that reside in the flesh, but are more than flesh: mind, soul, spirit, understanding, will, etc.

It is life in clay pots. It is this God seeks to reclaim and redeem.

Where Is This Man?

John 9:10-12 (NIV)

10"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

11He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

12"Where is this man?" they asked him.
"I don't know," he said.

Those who could not see in spirit ask the man who could now see through the flesh. They observe a sign of the kingdom through this healing, but they are blind to its significance.

If you were asked, what would be your answer?

I Am The Man

John 9:8-9 (New International Version)

8His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9Some claimed that he was.
Others said, "No, he only looks like him."
But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

A new man has arrived. A new creation arises from the old. Dealing with the change in a person’s life often results in mixed reactions from others. Some can’t get past the past. Others note the difference, but can’t put their finger on what is different.

The one healed does not hesitate, “I am the man” he says. He is at once the same man and not the same. The shell remains, but it now contains the light of life rather than the stain of death.

All those reborn of the Spirit can take joy in the new man. Let us be quick to speak of that grace and change when asked. May we be eager to say “I am the man”!

Where We Must Begin

Denying that Jesus is the only way to God is denying what He said. Denying what He said is denying Jesus. He said He only spoke the words of God, if true, then denying what Jesus said denies God.

Apostle John said Jesus was the Word of God, and begins His Gospel with that assertion. If we do not begin there we end up nowhere.

Go And Wash

John 9:6-7 (New International Version)

6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Jesus makes us aware of the mud in our eyes, as depicted in this story of healing. When He mixes the water of Truth from His mouth with our earthly being, we become aware of the resulting mud. We become aware of our need.

Jesus said go and wash. After the man did so, he came home seeing.

Jesus could have healed him immediately, but He did not. He could have immediately forgiven and healed everyone that has or will ever exist, but He did not. What He does do is tell the man to go and wash. We wash in Him. The command applies to us as well.

Fling

God, through Jesus, has flung open the door of heaven. Now He stands at our door and knocks. It is up to us answer. Fling the door open wide!

Secret

We all have a secret, internal life never entirely shown to others. It is easy to think that because we don't see Him, He can't see us. There are no secrets from Him.

Making Sense

The Gospel makes sense of a world that doen't make sense, with what many say doesn't make sense.

By Faith We Understand

Hebrews 11:1-3 (NIV)
¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
² This is what the ancients were commended for.
³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

The creation story in Genesis is not given as a scientific treatise of how it happened, but why. Science is able at times to figure out some particulars, but the view is limited by the tools at hand and schools of thought. The Hubble telescope expanded our universe only in the sense of the one who sees.

Understanding incremental facts adds to “our” universe, but creation belongs to God. Faith allows us to leap beyond and ahead to the answer of the ultimate question. Facts do not and cannot substitute for meaning. It is by faith we understand.

Unlovely

Even though we are unlovely, He loves us. Love does away with the “un” which was added by sin. We are left with lovely. We are lovely when we accept His love.

This is what love does.

Entering His House

Jesus came to earth because we were not acceptable to God. God could not bear our presence nor could we bear His, but He did not leave us in that place. In love, He sent His Son that we would become acceptable and be with Him. He came to change us and to offer salvation. His requirement was that we believe and repent, that we turn from our ways to His. If we do not turn toward Him we cannot hope to enter His house.