Tasting the Goodnes of God

I spent this past Sunday celebrating God's goodness with about eighty fellow Christians down by the river, or probably better said up by the river.  The church I have been going to on Sunday nights was headed to the mountains where there is a beautiful river flowing and 16 people were going to be baptized.

I was excited to have the opportunity to join, expectant for God's presence to shower the time with His Grace and filled with joy for those being baptized and grateful for the opportunity to celebrate with them.  The day was filled with fellowship, worship and ministering from the hand of God.

There is something that is just awesome about witnessing another person making a public profession of their faith in Christ and watching them demonstrate it by being baptized.  My heart is filled with joy each time I see it.  But this day was that and more.  The members of the church demonstrate the closeness that we are called into as children of God.  The location was incredibly beautiful, reminding me of how awesome God is in power, in creativity and in His favor to share His beauty with us.  

Everywhere I turned I was being delighted with His handiwork.  The beautiful river with cascading falls, the tall pines that reminded me of how we are to be as we are planted and thriving from the river flowing with Living Water, healthy and secure, strong and towering and giving shade because we are drawing from Christ and His Spirit is in us.  And there were the green pastures by the river where a banquet was laid out.  And of course there was the still water pool where the baptisms would take place.  Such beauty!  But the real beauty of the day was seeing the hearts of lost sinners turned to God and the proclamation of their faith in Christ who died for them, their professing that they have likewise been buried with Him, died to sin and been raised with Christ, their savior.

After a time of worship and the baptisms we all gathered around and shared in the breaking of bread and tortillas and plenty of tasty mexican offerings for our comida, but what I enjoyed feasting on the most was the goodness of God and I was filled to the full.  Thank You God for Your Goodness and that You do not leave those that seek You hungry, You supply Your Grace in measures that are continually overflowing our cups!

Things Are Not What They Seem, but They are and Will Be as The Lord Said

Friday I made an entry titled Do You Think You Can Tell that stemmed from a line from the Pink Floyd song titled Wish You Were Here (on the album of the same title.)  The song had been running thru my head despite the fact that I hadn't heard the song in ages (or as I think I put in my entry, many mucho years ... probably a good enough translation.)  But nonetheless it was stuck in my head until I got the blog entry posted.  Or so I thought.

I went the rest of the day without hearing the song and a good bit of the nite too.  And then, out of the blue, while I was out for dinner with some friends ... Yep!  First the, by now, familiar intro, which I sort of dismissed thinking that the tune was just creeping back into my head and hoping if I ignored it the song would not get stuck there again.  But then I realized I was actually hearing the song in the restaurant.

Now I was just sitting there thinking how bizaar (and truthfully starting to sing along and taking a stab at playing away on the table.)  Then I started thinking more about it.  I hardly ever go out to eat at a real sit down restaurant for dinner .... the food, while inexpensive, costs a good bit more than I can get on the street or have at friends places and the food is just as good if not better.  But I was here for a reason and the song, I figured, was playing for a reason as well.  Having blogged about it earlier that day my thoughts about the line in the song were fresh as were my thoughts of my friends that are in need of coming to grips with what future awaits them apart from the Lord.  So as things sorta came a little clearer I let the song drift off into the background and leaned into the table to excitedly tell my friends about my experience hearing the song, writing about it and the line in and let the conversation begin.

So sometimes it seems things are not what they seem, we know something is happening, but can't tell what or why and then all of a suddens it becomes crystal clear that indeed things are just as they seem, just as the Lord said they would be!  Just for fun, I thought I'd check to see if there were any Pink Floyd songs along this line .... a quick Google search and found it's called Sheep.  Interesting, but no .... this isn't a blog about Pink Floyd it's about God and His Amazing Grace, how it's being poured into my life and my desire to let it flow through me.

And I went all day Saturday without hearing the song in my head and didn't even think of the lyrics as I wrote this entry.  I'm not trashing the band or the song - though I'm not fan, I like some of the songs .... guess they remind me of when I was young???? I just don't want them stuck in my head.  I'm fine with getting some good praise and worship ballads stuck up there, maybe I will dial up some Chris Tomlin or Third Day or SCC or .... I better stop, the list is pretty long for me.

And with that know I will pray that you would be open to seeing the Lord working in and thru you and in when something just doesn't seem to be as it should, you would be quick to turn to Him, tell Him you trust Him and let Him lead you on the great adventure He has planned for you (quick reference to SCC, The Great Adventure .... Saddle Up Your Horses, We've Got a Trail to Blaze!)

Run to Him

The father in the parable of the prodigal son is about as clear of an image I can think of (though I can think of many more instances from the Bible and own personal experiences) that demonstrates God's desire toward the lost.  He is anxious to come and receive His lost son.  Check out verse 20, the father actually starts off running toward the son while the son was off in the distance!

Many are wanting to turn to God, but are filled with fear or lies about how they will be, if at all, received.  Many have an angst or a tugging (the work of the Holy Spirit) on their heart to turn to Him, to listen and turn from sin and obediently follow Him, but they are afraid they will not succeed in walking away from sin or in the endeavor that the Lord wants to lead them in - a losing of self that they may live.  In all truth, they won't be able to, that is they won't apart from Christ.  See that is the part of truth that the father of lies takes hold of and tries to magnify.  He will draw attention to the first part of the truth that we can do nothing apart from Christ.  But Christ promised otherwise!

Christ, in John 15:4, plainly lays out that He is our source of bearing fruit.  It is thru Him, the Vine that the branches are nourished and thrive.  And we are in Him because He has made it possible to be grafted into Him.  Christ has taken the punishment for all that would separate us from the Father and for all who come to Him for salvation, acknowledging their need for His perfect sacrifice, turning to Him from their sin, they will be received.

Why would one with this tugging on their heart not run to Him?  The only reason I have to offer is that they are still holding onto a false hope or believing a lie of who they are or who God is.  Do they think they are capable in their own strength - I think they know otherwise, deep down they know they are not.  Are they hearing they will be judged unworthy - I pray they hear they are indeed unworthy, but further they hear that God has already dealt out the justice due and it was dealt upon Christ at Calvary!

God is a God of Mercy and Grace, His perfect love for you will cast out all fear if you turn to Him.  Check out the following verses for a quick glimpse Micah 7:18, Romans 3:23-25,  2 Corinthians 5:21 and Romans 10:9-10.  His love is for all, as the last passage in Romans says, who put their trust in Christ!  The well known verse of John 3:16 doesn't say For God so loved "some" of the world ... He so loved ALL of the world, including you and me, that He sent Christ to die for our sins that we may have forgiveness and eternal life, be redeemed and restored unto the who we were created to be, His children.

I don't know where any readers are at, I only where I was and where I am now.  Christ has won the battle for me and proven over and over His faithfulness and my Father's affection toward me.  I have struggled with, and may again, though I pray not, who I am in my Father's eyes and His Grace toward me has abounded more and more.  I am nothing without Christ, but with Him and because of Him I am a child of God and that will never change.  I will surely walk thru days ahead that will have trials and there will be times of mourning as I have had in the past, but I am confident of my future because of whom I have believed in.  I will, if I focus on walking with my Savior, walk with joy and with purpose and if I notice I am far off from Him I will purpose  to run to Him and am sure to find He is running toward me.

Do You Think You Can Tell ....

And the song continues .... Heaven from Hell?  Do you think you can tell heaven from hell?  I am pretty confident that I could answer yes, but hold out 100% certainty for risk of being too confident and not on guard enough, lest I be deceived by something false.

I am not sure exactly where the thought for this post came from, but the line above comes from a Pink Floyd song, Wish You Were Here.  I guess the other day it sorta popped into my head which is strange since I haven't heard it for many mucho many years .... maybe it was that I was playing, or at least trying to play, Hotel California by the Eagles on a borrowed guitar and it had a line it about heaven and hell, and an similar thought questioning the ability to tell the difference.  Nonetheless, here I write about heaven and hell.  

Both are realities and they couldn't be farther apart - one bringing an eternity of sadness and pain and the other bringing an eternity filled with joy, hope fulfilled and absent of tears, pain and suffering.  I think both can be experienced here on earth, but far short of what they are really like.  I also think many are confused about what they look like and are seeking their own versions, trying to shape truth to placate themselves.  And the enemy of our souls is quick to jump in and help with the twisting of truth, attempting to convince that the present and future should be filled with blessings that are deserved or justifiably ours. The truth is we, I, don't deserve what God freely, out of love, offers - a future, filled with hope and a home in heaven, to be with Him forever.  Part of me wants to delve into what I am looking forward to, but I know better .... it will be far too long of a post and come up way too short of how wonderful it will be so I will stop at only saying it will be far greater than we can comprehend.  

As I mentioned above, I do think we can experience some of what it will be like ... for instance when I give myself over to caring for others above my own needs or when I am lost in worshiping our Great and Mighty God, I experience a joy that is unexplainable.  I experience love that goes beyond myself.  I also think we can get lost in the sadness and pain here in this sin stained world and experience a taste of hell and in reality we all have apart from Christ, just many are fighting the truth of the matter.  I hope and pray that this brokeness, this poverty in spirit was or will be used by God to lead you to Him.  The truth is that apart from turning to Christ and the hope He has secured , a person is left with only two sad choices.  First is to focus on the drowning pain being experienced and the other is to seek a substitute for the pain, offered by the world and the Father of lies, which only takes one further away from the love their Creator desires to lavish upon them.  

I believe I can tell a difference, but pray I will always be found looking to and following the Word of God and trusting the Holy Spirit to lead me in Truth.  And so I sing as the song goes, How I Wish, How I Wish You Were Here .... in a sense of I wish the Lord was returning to bring us home now, but until He does I will sing How I am glad, How I am glad Lord, that You  are here, here with me now and forever with me.

How about you?  Do you think you can tell?  If not try crying out to you Father in heaven who loves you with and unending love, He is waiting to lavish His Grace upon you.  Call out to Him and ask Him to show you great and unsearchable things, His love is truly beyond comprehension, but it is nonetheless oh so real and it is unmistakeably discernable when seen in the light that is the Light of Truth.  If you're not signing the lines I've written, I pray you would seek Him - He is waiting with an open invitation for you to approach His throne of grace and if you are singing with me, the invitation is, of course, open for you to approach the throne as well, with thanksgiving in your heart and on your lips.

A Telling of Things Past and Things to Come

The first sentence in Daniel 7:28 sums it up so well for me .... this is the end of the matter.  God's Word says it and it is so.  This morning, as I read thru chapter 7 of Daniel, a book I've read and studied several times, I found myself filled with wonder at the simplicity of these words.

The preceding verses tell of the vision that, rightly so, greatly troubled Daniel.  As I read thru the chapter I too was greatly troubled in my heart, but also greatly comforted knowing that my trust is in the One who has already defeated the enemy.  Christ is my Victorious Warrior who has secured my salvation.  There are battles yet to be fought, but I am confident beacuase my trust is in Christ alone, in what He has accomplished and what He has yet to do.  I am anxious for His return and the final blow He will bring to the one that continues to seek to bring pain and destrusction yet can not steal away those Christ has secured .... I desire that Christ not tarry a moment more, eagerly awaiting His return, yet I trust His perfect timing.

When it comes to His returning I can only fall back to my thoughts and ways are not like His.  Mine are so much lower, so oft filled with myself.  As I type about His returning I find myself pondering how He can be so patient and then I move on to ponder His Grace - how can it be?  Yet He is patient and His Grace is all that and so much more.  His love is so great, His desire that not one of the sheep He is shepherding be lost, He will wait for the perfect moment to come charging back for the completion of what has already been secured and not a moment sooner.

Until then I will purpose to go and do where and what He leads me and know there is a purpose in the waiting.  It is not just idle time nor are the trials bringing useless struggle and the pain, brought forth because of a world stained by sin, is actively being redeemed as the Redeemer is at work bringing into completion all that has been and will be for His Glory.  And that is the ultimate end of the matter.

GRACE AT WORK

Several days back I posted about the work of Grace bringing forth fruit.  The other day I wrote about being diligent in adding to our faith - moving forward and growing in our relationship with the Lord and those He loves (that's pretty much all the people in the world, according to what God says in John 3:16).

Today's post is a simple, short but sweet reminder to be looking for signs of Grace at work in our lives.  As Titus 2:12 states, the Grace of God teaches us, compells us and strengthens us to live upright and godly lives that are pleasing to our Father.

When I find myself lacking, I know where to turn.  May I be ever so quick to run to my Father's throne, with confidence to find the mercy and grace He is desiring to lavish upon me.  And may I be quick to encourage others to do the same.  God's Grace is all that the song Amazing Grace speaks of and so much more.  It's not earned, it's not deserved, but it is ours!  So let's soak it up and let it flow through our lives this day all the while remembering Christ came so that we may receive it.

Moving Forward in Confidence and Victory

Today's post stems from what God has been impressing on my heart over the past week (and in reality for a much longer time, over and over again).  It is basically 3 points to remember in my walk with Him.  First, press on - be about moving forward, second is to be encouraging others to do the same and lastly to remember it isn't in my own strength.

God has been using Philippians 3 and 2 Peter 1 as sort of a 1-2 punch this past week, not to knock me down, but to keep my attention and strengthen my walk.  Maybe I was trying to avoid acknowledging or trying to walk in my own strength  and confidence, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal, but I found this past week was difficult for me.  Thursday was Thanksgiving, and though I have much to be thankful for, I was also alone in a foreign land.  Yes I was with friends - some locals and other ex pats and tourists, but alone, having left behind much to be here.  Maybe, looking back likely, it was an unseen yet experienced battle - an attack prompted by the enemy of my soul, in an attempt to take away my confidence and joy in Christ.  Fooey on him, for my God is Greater all I needed to do was turn to Him.

In Philippians 3 I was reminded that what I had before apart from Christ is worthless.  Anything that would keep me from Him is rubbish.  I desire, like Paul penned, to forget what lay behind and on press on toward that which Christ took hold of me for.  And that led me to 2 Peter, or I should say prepared me for 2 Peter.

I have been meeting with a group every morning for a Bible study in a local park - it's in Spanish, but God has been good and given me understanding while also using it to help me learn the language.  This past week we delved into 2 Peter 1 and spent two days focusing on moving forward with diligence, adding to our faith .... growing.  The purpose?  That we would not stumble and we would be productive and effective in our walk.  Verse 9 calls out one thing we should not forget about our past ..... we sinned against God, but further we should not forget that all who have placed their trust in Christ and sought forgiveness of our sins have been forgiven!  This incredible truth, the very Grace of God, is to compell us forward.   Continuing on in verses 12-15 I was greatly encouraged to press on in encouraging others in their walk .... while I have breath, may I be about praising our Great God, sharing His love and encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ to walk ever more closely with Him.

And lastly God reminded me that it isn't in my strength, for in it I will surely fail.  But in Him I am more than a conqueror.  Where I am lacking in adding to my faith all I need to do is to pray and ask for Him to help me - that I may see the reality of that which He has already done for me, what He has already given to me and secured for me ... that I may participate in the divine nature He has set in me.  He has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of His Son, may I ever walk in the Light that He has brought me into to and may my weakness and humbleness be used to bring Him Glory.

My prayer for you - may you be looking to Christ, looking forward to what He has for You, adding to your faith - building upon in more and more daily, that you be encouraged and encouraging to others and always relying on Him who has saved you and know that He is your strength - your strong tower or righteousness.  He has given us His very great and precious promises .... and He is faithful and abel to bring them to be.