Certain Things

As I thought about what I would post this morning, reflecting on what I read this monring during my quiet time of the morning, spending time reading the Bible and listening to the Holy Spirit as He spoke insight and wisdom, my heart felt peace and joy.

I started reading thru Lamentations and Hebrews, along with continuing in Psalm and Proverbs.  One truth that continues to wash over me is that so much of what we hold as certain and firm is not.  As I went to sleep last night, I was certain I would wake this morning ... obviously I did, but only by God's Grace.  Lamentations is a book that continues to speak of the sad state the Israelites found themselves in because of their sin - they had the glory of their great position, which was from God, taken and the safety they were sure of was no more.  It wasn't God's desire and scripture is filled with His repeated efforts to warn and turn their hearts back to Him, yet they continued growing in hardness of heart, trusting in their own strength and ignorance, even boasting that they would continue in their sin.

I often see the same today.  I have often seen it in myself.  Trusting in my own strength, going thru a day confident in my own ability or living in a sense of security that is not founded solely in the Grace of God.  That isn't where God wants me to be and it certainly isn't where He deserves my heart to be.  And thankfully, out of His compassion toward me, He has brought me back to where I need to be - certain only in Him.  For the mountains He made, as sturdy and strong as they may seem, will one day be flattened.  All that we could put our trust in here will be vanish and it can happen in an instant.  All that we are left with for security and certainty is Christ and what He has done for all by going to the Cross for our sin.  Tomorrow may not come and if it does, what I may hold securely in, with regards to my own strength, may be flipped on its head.  Only my trusting in Christ is without fail, for He is faithful, He will not fail - He is holding me and my inheritence in Him securely and my heart praises Him.  Whatever else may come, I have peace and confidence I will go thru it with and for Him.

It is Finished, but There is More Yet to Come

When Jesus cried out "It is finished" the work on the Cross and the fulfilment of God's plan for salvation came to be realized. It was no surprise to God, but that moment shook the foundations of the world and has been breaking hardened hearts and chains ever since. Yet there is more to come! One day He will return, what a Glorious Day! And until then there is more that is yet to be done, more that is yet to come. God isn't finished, He hasn't given up .... that fact amazes me! He didn't give up on me and continues to show His amazing Grace and compasssion toward me and He hasn't given up on you and the rest of the world, each day we are given is proof of that - our's is the opportunity to accept and trust in Him and that He won't give up and has more to do and then to trust and follow Him where He leads.

Last Sunday night at the church I have been going to here in Mexico, we sang a familiar song - God of This City, in Spanish. I was singing partly in Spanish and partly in English and fully in tune with the Holy Spirit, affirming the truth of the song and His Lordship. Later I went online so I could get the all of the words in Spanish so maybe next time I could sing it all in Spanish. While looking up the words I came across some posts that gave the backstory for how the song came to be ... Wow! I first saw a clip on YouTube (will post below) and then read some more on it. What an Awesome God we serve! He is still moving, there is more yet to come! I don't want to do an injustice which my retyping most of the story would do so here is just a real high level summary and then you can check out the clip.

The net of it is the song wasn't written it was given in a moment of worship and praise as the band Bluetree was performing on stage. They were on mission in Thailand, singing in a Brothel Bar, in the midst of darkness, shining the Light of Christ and in the middle of their set the song just flowed out. God was moving - saying to them, proclaiming over the people in that bar, that city, that nation and the world that He is King, He is Lord, He is still moving, He hasn't given up, His plans will not be thwarted .... there is more that is yet to come, there is more that is yet to be done! Check out the clip - it is of Chris Tomlin sharing how the song came to be and how it was shared with him to sing.

For some reason, this post has taken a long time to get posted - I think the enemy (and my lacking technology skills) have been working against me getting it completed.  So I just prayed that it would get completed this morning and I will press on, knowing that God is my help, my strength and that His timing is perfect and His plans will not be thwarted.  I hope and pray this is an encouragement and light of hope to you as well.  In closing I want to share Titus 3:3-8 and specifically call out to you that it was His effort, notice what He did for me and you, notice where I was at when He was moving!  I don't take it lightly that I was an enemy of God's when He sent His Son to die for my sins.  And He isn't finished yet - not with His working in me to sanctify me and to lead me to do what is pleasing before Him, not in covering in me and comforting me and bringing me joy and life.  And one glorious day I know He will return .... until then there is more that is yet to come, more that is yet to be done!  As Psalm 100 closes .... The Lord is good, His love endures forever and His faithfulness gcontinues through all generations .... and I will indeed continue to give thanks!

Love Will Win

This morning I read 1 Peter 4:8 - love covers.   I spent time thinking about how love compells and God's perfect love conquers. My thoughts have been winding around some of what I have heard and seen here in Mexico with regards to persecution, what is driving that and how those being persecuted can stand, they can be encouraged and compelled to continue in the call to love others.

I don't know how to measure or rate the intensity of the persecution - no one is being beaten, locked up or dragged and thrown into a fire as other brothers and sisters in Christ are, but as I wrote about briefly in a previous blog, I have definitely seen and heard of Christians experiencing persecution where I am at in Mexico.  It is certainly the closest I have personally been to physical persection.  It has ranged from what happened to German in his town - the others in the town working against him, maligning him and making things difficult in the town and with the local government, even threatening him with punishment for made up charges when he stepped in to protect his young son, all because he and his family are Christians and from there it escalates.  Probably the heaviest I have heard of was actual destruction of property, repetitively as brothers in a small town of 500 were working to start a church.  They were first threatened and the local government refused to sign any of the documents needed to obtain the rights to do contstruction and remodelling for the new church.  Then when they received help from other Christians outside of the village to overcome the roadbloacks put up (and really received help from our God who led them to those that helped) their homes were repeatedly damaged in the night and time and time agains construction material was damaged - for instance one night about $5,000 worth of cement mix was ruined and cabling and wire were cut or stolen.  The 30 or so brothers and sisters living in that small village are continutally treated as outcasts.  The really amazing thing is that the persecution is coming from the Catholic community, or at least it is amazing to me.  They have a daily choice to make - live out their faith, love out their faith or cower back and be silent, or worse respond in kind.

As I pondered what they have been going thru and their responses that I have seen I came across the passage in 1 Peter.  I was also in 2 Timothy this morning, reading thru chapter 4.  God used these passages to remind me that first love covers sin - the greatest love of all covers my sin, all of it and the rest of the world's too, including yours.  We are called to live in love and forgive in love ... recalling Jesus' words on the Cross " Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing".    We are also called to live boldly in our love - first for God and then for others.  We can do both these because we know who is standing with us, standing for us, standing before us and behind us.  We know that He will work in and thru all things that His will would be done and for the good of those who love Him.  What a great and simple truth to hold on to - grasp it each day and many times throughout the day and know that when you feel like you can't hold on anymore, He is faithful to hold onto you!

I pray for my brothers and sisters, that they may be strengthened and encouraged - those locally and throughout the world that face perscution in the name of Christ.  I am comforted that they will be comforted, they will be blessed.  I am also encouraged because the Gospel of Christ is active, the Word is bringing what we are promised it will - it is presenting a stumbling block and division, it is drawing a line and requiring a response.  Some may reject and be lead to persecute, struggle and fight against it (being lead by the one that is thrashing his last gasps, but is already defeated) and some will be drawn by Love, be won by Love and will accept the Father's Love that is demonstrated in Christ and being lived out before their eyes by the ones being persecuted.

Of Lions, Tigers and Ducks

I am not sure if you are reading this because that title peaked your interest ... if so, I hope it doesn't dissappoint.  A week or so back the service at the church I have been going to went late - they were ordaining  a new pastor the fellowship and mealtime went later into the night so I was asked if I wanted to stay over, since the buses stopped running and I didn't have another way home.  When my bed was made up I was given two blankets, the first was covered with baby ducks or chicks (pollitos in Spanish) and the second had a really big tiger (tigre) on it.  As we laid the tiger blanket on top of the chicks I thought of the day that is promised to come (Isaiah 11:6-9 or Hosea 2:18) when the Lord will restore fully and bring peace, one in which a tiger really could lay down peacefully with baby ducks.

Well unfortunately that day isn't hear yet, still hoping it may yet come today, but it is in the Lord's timing.  In the meantime we live in a fallen world that has wars, not peace.  There is evil and wickedness done, there is pain and sadness, there is greed that is fueld by selfishness - placing personal gain and overindulgence above and beyond the compassion and valuing that others deserve.

As a follower of Christ, I have been called out of darkness and redeemend into His kingdom, one that is a kingdom of light.  Yet I still live in the world, yet as an ambassador of His light, His love and mercies.  I have peace that I can bring to a world filled with unrest.  Many times that peace will not be accepted and it is promised to bring conflict, as Truth does with things that are not true.  I'll get into some of that conflict in another post, but for now we can recognize where it comes from and what we are called to do and that is simply to follow our Savior, His leading and trust in Him.  He is my Rock and Refuge (Psalm 94:22).  May He receive all the Glory.

And in case you were wondering, I had a really peaceful nights sleep as I lay down with the ducks and the tiger, knowing The Lion of Judah was watching over me.

Faith, Fear and Flames

I wrote the other day about the certainty of an appointed time for all man and the uncertainty of that time for all except God.  Yesterday I came across a post on another blog that ties in with what I have been reading in Jeremiah and the certainty of a day of judgement that is coming.  The blog is Fire and Hammer and the post was a morning devotion on Malachi 3:2 by Chalres Spurgeon.

Malachi 3:2 simply asks "Who may abide the day of His coming?"  This is speaking of when Christ will return and should cull fear in all who are apart from Christ.  Reading thru it strengthened my fear and awe of God and thankfulness that I will abide and be found thriving in that day for my hope and salvation rests in Christ alone.   But for those who have not received the gift of His salvation, Spurgeon goes on to question how they can even stand thinking of that day .... and I think the truth is they can't and that is proved out in the rejection of the truth of God's word, shown in the pride and stubborness of the hearts of men who reject the Truth - they can't and won't face it.  But that doesn't change the fact that the day will indeed come.

I also read thru chapter 36 in Jeremiah.  Thru this chapter God continued to speak the truth of a coming day of wrath and judgement, but also of His continued desire to show compassion and bring healing.  In verse 3 He asks, will they not fear me and turn from their wickedness, I will forgive them and heal them.  I don't know to the extent that they heared and turned from wickedness, but some did hear and were struck with fear - see verse 16, but when the message was brought to the king it was rejected entirely as he cut up the scroll and threw it in a fire as quickly as he  read it.  How sad?  Here was a message of love, an offer of forgiveness and healing, a message of mercy and grace being poured out by God.   Here where God's foretold wrath is more than just, God is offering to take those practicing wickedness and heal them and forgive them and bless them.  Yet this message is flat out rejected.

This story is played out over and over each day when someone rejects the Gospel, when someone turns from what is right to practice evil, as if God doesn't see or that it is ok - they are above and beyond the reach of God.  Rejecting God is played out when we sin, period.  Yet He continues to show mercy and grace - He sent His Son because of our rejecting Him, He sent Christ to die for our sins when we were His enemy.

All who have trusted in Christ have been saved from the wrath of God and given the Righteousness of Christ that fully replaces the stains of our sin.  We are in the process, God's process of being sanctified and need to continue to encourage one another, spurring each other on toward good deeds and walking in the manner that is worthy of our calling to holiness.  We need to be prepared and diligent in sharing with others, what awaits all who are apart from God and and the hope that is in Christ, the message of His Grace that was poured out at Calvary, flowing with His blood that cleanses completely.

Some may hear, fear God for they see Him for who He is and how desparate we are without Christ and turn to Him for the forgiveness and healing He offers.  For those that do place their turst in Christ that flames of fire are only for our refining.  For those that do not accept the message, but choose instead to ignore, I fear for them.

Without A Moments Notice

The title of this post, unlike others, carries a serious message.  Life here on earth can change in less than a moment, without notice.  The end will come and often without notice, but it will come.  Change happens, struggles and trials that are unexpected or unforseen come upon us and all in a moment or less.  We can prepare, as best we can, but there truly is only one preparation that will truly suffice all instances, and especially that of death.  

To be fully prepared one must come to terms with their creator, on His terms, not our own.  Once this is done, you will be fully prepared for whatever may come in life, even for death, which may happen without notice (besides the notice that it will indeed happen one day.)  With the preparation of getting right with God, or so the saying goes, you can have a perfect peace that surpasses all understanding .... like how can someone be at peace when their life seems turned upsided down.  The only way someone can be   at peace in a situation like that is to know that God has it all under control. And trust me, knowing He has it under control is a lot better than me pretending that I have it under control.

The other day I read another blog which really drove the point home.  It was about the sudden death of a race car driver.  The driver, Dan Wheldon, was one of 15 drivers that were involved in an accident that unfolded at 220 mph ... at that speed things can happen without a moments notice and in this case it was the tragic loss of life.  He left a wife and two young children behind.  I really don't know much of anything about him, but I am sure he didn't wake up that morning thinking it would be his last day.  I am sure he knew of the risks of his profession, but even with that we tend to live out our days with a confidence that tomorrow will come and even if we realize death is a certainty, we put it far off.

The reality is none of us know our day, only God does.  But if we are trusting in Him and His plans, that should be good enough.  We should live out our days, ready for the future, but living for today as if it is the day that will be our last.  That means take care of the things that need to be taken care of ... today is the day of ssalvation for tomorrow may not come!  Live out of the love you have been given, and we all have been given much love by our Father in Heaven, who loves us so much He sent Jesus to redeem us!  Love the ones the God has placed in your life, even if they are just a brief acquaintence .... for in reality, when eternity is conisdered, all of our relationships are but for a moment.  Show mercy and kindness, use the gifts given to you to help the needy, with your time and money .... for you can't take either with you.  And encourage one another likewise, building up not tearing down.  Be ready, and share what has been freely given to you so that others will be ready as well.

Another blog I ready this morning doubly reinforced this point ..... it was about about another death from a car accident.  This one wasn't in a race with cars going 220 mph, but in a restored model T Ford, going much slower for sure.  I don't know the details, but the driver ran off the road and into a ditch and was killed.  So going fast or playing it careful and driving slowly doesn't matter (not saying you should drive fast and recklessly).  Be prepared ... life will change, that is a certainty .... I hope it continues to change for the better for you, but know there changes coming and some of those include heavy trials and difficult times.  And death is a certainty, 100% of all living people will one day see the end of their days on the earth.  But regardless of what changes may come or how fast they come, you can have a perfect peace thru Christ.

I know the Plans He Knows for Me ... Hope and a Future

My daily reading this morning brought me to one of my favorite verses .... Jeremiah 29:11.  Even as I typed that verse, the sunlight coming in thru my window seemed to intensify 100x, moments before it was cold and grey (ok, 66 degrees is a cold morning in Mexico!)  God You are so good to me!  You indeed bring me hope with the comforting words found in Jeremiah 29:11.

What a wonderful truth to hold tightly to.  You have plans for me.  The truth revealed in that very thought in and of itself is huge!  It means You have taken notice of me, You know me and You have made plans for me.  And it only gets better from there!  Your plans are not for my harm or destruction, but instead they are for my good, to prosper me, to give me hope and a future!  And that future includes You (it wouldn't be very hopeful or bright with out You!)

As I go thru this day and all my days may I always be drawing ever more near to You.  Thank You that You have affirmed that You will be with me, have a desire and affection toward me that was demonstrated in the love shown when You sent Jesus to pay for my sin, thank You for the compassion and mercy You continue to shower me with.  I am grateful that You have taken hold of me and are continuing to work in me that Your perfect plans for me will indeed secure my hope and my future.  My confidence is in only You.

For any that do not have this great comfort and hope, I pray you would read on, for in Jeremiah 29:13 God promises that if you seek Him, honestly and earnestly seek Him, you will find Him and the hope He offers to You.  And this hope and confidence is available 24x7, whether the sun is shining or the storm billows roll He is the One over all.  He brings the rain to quench a dry and thirsty land, but at the prefect moment He is the One who whispers be still and brings a perfect calm.  And what a wonderful reminder we have of His faithfulness when we glimpse the glory of a rainbow shining bright.  So thru it all His promise stands true - no matter the circumstances we face, He is always there, calling us to call out to Him.  I choose to do so and live in the peace of knowing He has already answered and provided for all I need and pray you choose to do so as well.

Why Read the Bible?

This morning, after I spent some time in the Word, I went off to town for an inter-cambio, an interchange of conversation with somone, or is my case two others, who are interested in practicing their english with someone who is interested in practicing the language they are working on learning, in my case mi espanol.  This was my first time participating in one so I was very interested to see where the conversations would head to.

The two individuals I sat down with were two university students, un hombre (a man) and una mujer (a woman), both in their mid twenties.  We would spend the first hour talking only in spanish and then the second hour in english.  Since my spanish isn't too good (my english isn't really much better) we started off slow, but I was encouraged by the fact that the conversation was moving forward - they were understanding what I was saying and I was getting what they were saying.  Toward the end of our time talking time in spanish the topic of religion came up, or more specifically my beliefs since I had answered a question about books that I have read and at the top of the list was La Biblia (the Bible ... sorry, I have to take the lay up shots when I can to practice my spanish.)  As I spoke about my faith we circled back to the my reading the Bible and I was asked by the guy why.

I thought that was a great question.  I believe it was a sincere question, not one flippantly thrown out as a jab, like why waste your time doing that?!?  I spoke briefly about why I read it, but not as strongly as I would have liked to given my spanish isn't all that bueno (good).  I did mention that it is God's Word and some other thoughts, but then the conversation moved into a discussion about the Catholic Church, other denominations and the difference between religion and man's rules versus a relationship with God.  Thankfully as the conversation got deeper we moved into speaking english as their english was definitely better than my spanish so I am sure they were able to get more out of the conversation with me speaking in english.  In either case, I was trusting in the Holy Spirit to get His message (mensaje) across.

So as I sit here typing this, my prayer is for the two I met with this morning.  First, that they indeed did hear and receive what God intended them to hear and that I will have the opportunity for more conversation with them next week (the intercambios are held each Saturday morning) and get to build a deeper relationship with the guy who threw the question out.  Second, it is for myself, and others who spend time in the Word regularly and for those that don't that happen along here ... that we would be ever in awe of the fact that we are blessed to be able to hear from God, His very Word each time we open and read the Bible, that it is His perfect and true, inmutable Word - the fact that it is God's Word, it leads me, giving light to my path, instructs, it is Truth and gives hope and life, speaks of His mercy and great love for me, offers Grace and shows me Christ, my Savior.  My prayer is that I would not take it for granted and I would be ever prepared with a ready response as to why I read it.

Thank You Father for Your Word and all that it is to me .... the above is way to short of a list!  May Your Word continue to work in me, sanctifying me and renewing my mind.  As You shape me with it, as You build me up with the knowledge and wisdom contained in it and as You equip me for the work You prepared me for and lead me in, may my actions and thoughts be ever pleasing to You.

Agua De Una Roca

I continue to be amazed at how God works.  His ways are so way above and beyond my understanding!  I am just filled with gladness that He has compassion toward me and continues to show me His mercy and grace.  Today, as I was preparing a Sunday school lesson that I have the privelege of teaching I found myself being led to deeper insights into the way God is at work in our lives - a glimpse into some of the ways the tapestry is being put together and how I am so often wrapped up in the here and now, I easily forget there is indeed a bigger picture.  And all of this wouldn't be happening if I weren't teaching this Sunday school lesson and that wouldn't be happening if I hadn't come to Mexico to live and love out a walk with God here, his leading.

Since arriving I have been blessed with God leading me to a couple brothers in Christ.  One is Germano - I wrote about him the other day and yesterday we spoke again and I found out that all is well with him, all thanks to God.  There is more to the story, but I will save it for another post.  Another brother is my spanish teacher, Manuel.  He is the one who asked me to help out in his church and that is what led me to what God wanted me to learn today.

So the passage I will be teaching on is Exodus 17:5-6 .... how God provided for the Israelites, even though they were at it again, grumbling and complaining, this time about being thirsty.  God told Moses to strike a rock and He would make water pour out from a rock.  Moses obeyed and struck the rock and like God said, water came out to quench their thirst.  Well this wasn't the last time the Israelites would grumble and more specifically not the last time they would grumble about their thirst and question why the left the "comfort and provisions of their captivity"  (side note to self: ouch!).  The second time around didn't go so smoothly for Moses.  God told Moses to take his staff, go to the rock and speak to it and water would come out. 

I wasn't there and scripture is pretty net on how it all went down, but it is pretty clear in Numbers 20:11 that Moses didn't exactly follow God's command as he struck the rock, like the first time, instead of speaking to it as commanded.  And since that didn't work, as no water poured out, he struck it again!  After the second blow water did come out, the people were happy, maybe Moses was relieved, but God wasn't too pleased.

I honestly have to say I've struggled a time or two with what would follow.  Because of Moses's disobedience God told him he would not enter the promise land.  This is the land that Moses was leading the Israelites to.  He had to wait 40 years, wandering in the dessert with a bunch that was quick to turn their eyes back to captivity, to make idols for themselves and whose grumbling and complaining brought about this situation to begin with.  Now Moses would not get to enter the promise land!  I think I've stopped short of crying foul or saying aloud that this punishment sure seemed harsh, but I have to say the thought entered my mind.  

But not today.  It seems more clear to me, more understandable from a couple of points.  I read up on a couple commentaries and several gave a good perspective on how the rock stood for Christ and how in the first encounter the Rock poured forth water, but it took a strike to bring it forth.  The second time around was just to come from a spoken word, yet Moses struck the rock, not once, but twice, as if to say what the Rock bore the first time around didn't accomplish the task and there needed to be more punishment ... this of course implying that the work to be done on the Cross would be insufficient.  Maybe God intended the second experience to have living water pour forth with a shout, reference to Christ' second coming.  Interesting perspective on the severity of Moses' disobedience.  In truth, all of our disobediene flies in the face of the work of Christ on the Cross, yet we find Grace when we turn to Him.

More of my own insights .... he messed up, Moses didn't follow God's instructions.  Maybe this was a time where that little  bit of Moses left in Moses was to be pruned and refined, maybe it was quick for him or maybe it took some time of wrestling after he got the news, but I believe in the end he was good with it since it ultimately would bring him closer to who God intended him to be.  And when we look at it from that perspective missing out on the promise land is a pretty good trade, maybe didn't feel like it at the time ... at least discipline and pruning for me hasn't felt good from my own personal experiences, at least not at first.  

Maybe God wanted to set an example for the other leaders and those being shepherded.  Here is Moses being broken and stripped of the privelage of entereing the promise land for not following God's instructions.  If this could happen to Moses, think what could happen to them ... it's time to ship up, get tight, pay attention and stay in formation ... which we know from reading ahead wouldn't come to pass.  How about in our own lives, are we getting it?  

And then finally maybe God intended this to be a teaching opportunity for you and me.  I know it has been for me.  I need to pay attention, be quick to follow His leading and instructions, to take God at His Word, not to put myself in the mix by doing what I think would be best, and when I do to stop quickly, repent and seek His forgiveness and leading instead of doubling down on my own efforts.  I've also grown in my understanding that God is just - what He did was right no matter why He did it.  And this last point is really the most important of all.  

It doesn't matter why He did it.  He did it and we can rest in the fact that it was right and just because of who He is and know that His intentions were pure and He acted out of love, you don't need to go any further than the cool refreshing Living Water that pours from our Rock to be assured of that.

It's by His Grace .... it's in His Power ... it's for His Glory

This morning I started reading 2 Thessalonians, I read chapter 1 and I found myself resting in two precious truths.  The first is the blessed assurance of that day to come, when my Lord returns - to be praised, marveled at, admired and glorified by all who have believed and called upon the Lord to be saved.

I love days when I grasp the truth that He is returning!  Or better said, when this truth really grasps me and takes hold of me.  I try to make them many, but honestly find myslef more temporaly focussed, living in the here and now and maybe at best with a touch of eternity.  But what a joy it is when I go thru a day or at least a part of it living with great expectation and hope that all this is indeed just a glimpse, there is a day coming, maybe today :)!  

But if not today or tomorrow, I know that there is more to life than just living out my days.  This is a time that is ordained by God in which He is actively sanctifiying me, equipping me and empowering me to fulfill all my desires of goodness, all that is pleasing to Him and all that is for the work that He desires to accomplish in me and through me.  This is the second truth I found myself resting in.  It is in and thru Him, His power that is at work in me and for me ... it is not in my strength.  I love to plan to do good things, but when I try to do them in my own strength I know I am going to come up short and get burnt out along the way.  Yet when my focus is on Christ and I am crying out to Him for His leading and strengthening, I will be filled and He will fullfill all my desires for goodness, those He has given me, and the acts prompted by the faith  He has given to me.

My prayer for today is that He would increase my faith, lead me and empower me to act on the desires He has set on my heart and that He would receive the glory.  And with that prayer answered I know that I will live in the joy of the Lord, whether today is that day or not.

Can You Hear, He is Calling Out, Crying Out .... Listen

This morning I could be feeling a bit discouraged and saddened, God is crying out from His heart and it is at times hard to hear, hard to take.  He is speaking in love, in truth and in words that prick my heart as I listen to His.

I am continuing to read thru Bible in one year and am currently in Jeremiah, 1 Thessalonians, and going thru the book of Psalms and Proverbs. The Jeremiahs passage for today is 16:16 thru 18:23 and God continues to offer warnings of turning away and the blessings that He offers to those who walkin trusting in Him.   He lays out very directly He is God alone and to be worshipped, yet the people (all of us) turn and reject Him, after hearing.  How sad, to be offered a blessing and yet turn from it, I can't imagine how that must make Him feel, I know how it would make me feel .... how unloving and hurtful, yet that is what our sin says to God. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 nails it ... whoever rejects the instructions of God rejects Him .... we are called to be holy, set apart to live for God, worship Him alone and trust and obey, yet in our actions and motives that are not toward Him we turn and reject that calling.  The passage is talking about sexual imorality and self control, but this is just one way of living an impure life not worthy of the call to be holy.  We are called to live a life that reflects our love for God (obedience) and to live a life of love toward others (a love that flows out of God's love toward us and our gratitude of the grace shown us.)

I next read Paslm 81 which ends with God again crying out ... if my people would only listen to me, He cries out "Hear me my people, I will warn you", but they didn't listen and so often we (I) don't.  He is offering to warn us, guide us to safety and to feed us, supplying our physical as well as our spiritual daily bread, to quench our thirst with the Living Water, to satisfy all of our needs and desires.  Yet we settle for so much less and in the process act with indifference or arogance toward our very Creator, toward our loving Father.  When we hear Him call out warning us, do we respond with a thankful heart and turn to safety or dow we foolishly continue to chase the empty promises of our lust that lure us away?  Do we continue to walk in the stubborness of our pride and self righteousness?  When we hear Him calling us to sit and spend time with Him, to we respond by saying we are too busy?  When we hear Him call to us to walk in love - sharing, caring and meeting the needs of others, physical and spiritual, do we selfishly keep what we have been freely given, concerned in our own ability or worry about taking care of our selves first or do we respond and follow His leading and trust in Him to work thru and for us?

In closing I go back toward the beginning of Jeremiah, chapter 3:19 - God desires to treat us as His children, children of a perfect loving Father.  He offers to give us a desirable land, a future with a rich inheritence in Him and in fact has secured this for us in Christ .... and this desire of His is for all to receive that would come to Him.  My prayer for myself and for all who read this is that we would hear and respond.  For those that have yet to trust in Christ's work - His death and ressurection on the Cross of Calvary, I pray that you would accept what is freely being offered, but know that it requires something of you - that is your trusting in Him and let me tell you He is indeed trustworthy!  I am glad to share more with anyone that reads this and wants to know more, just email me or post a comment or you cancheck out the following link (to be posted).  

For those of us that have heard Him call our name and turned to Him for true foregiveness and cleansing of our sin, I pray you respond when you hear Him - His warnings, His calling you to act in love and to trust in Him to work thru you and meet your needs, His calling you to sit a while and be refreshed, to be led by the cool waters and rest on the green grass, to be filled with bread of life and drink the living water to have your thirst quenched.  May the Grace of God cover you and flow thru you, it is truly something to  marveled in today and all the rest of our tomorrows and for that reason, I am not saddened but am expectant ... I hear Him and am choosing to respond by turning to Him for His leading, abandoning again myself and abiding where His Grace abounds!

Blameless and Holy in the Presence of Our God and Father

This morning I have been enjoying a refreshing cool dawn with a warm up of coffee and my Daily Bread that is nourishing and renewing my spirit.  I am grateful to my Lord, for He is faithful to meet with me, inviting me to walk with Him and enjoy His leading, His good and perfect will for me in this day and my life .... it is my choice and a great loss when I find myself wandering toward things that distance and separate me from Him, even those things that may appear good, yet are being pursued in my own strength.

I daily have a choice to make.  The need for time in prayer and the Word, that I may petition the Lord to strengthen and fill me that I may be filled to the fullness of His grace, able to bear fruit in all seasons and cirumstances and get armored up and prepared for the battles that will come, being reminded that the battle and the war belong to the Lord, He is already victorios, yet the battle is still real and our enemy is still active.  Even this morning the hater of my soul would seek to draw me away from this time with the Lord, but thanks be to God and the work of the Spirit in me, I am being strengthened and able to stand or better yet, kneel and worship my Lord, rest in His great protection and be filled with wisdom and grace that I may walk into the day with joy and peace and love overflowing.

It is not me, it is in Christ alone.  As I read in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, my prayer is that I would ever grow in understanding that it is the Lord that will make my love increase, He is the one that will strengthen my heart so that I will be found blameless and holy in the presence of my God and Father - it is His work in me, not mine .... mine is only to submit to Him and even then, it is not a real work of my own but of His loving affections toward me that call me to Him, His faithfulness that has shown me I can trust Him and His renewing of my mind that I would not continue in utter foolishness and go my own way, He strengthens me and opens my eyes with Truth, gives me discernment that I would not be deceived and so much more ... all to His praise and glory!

Help me God, my Savior, for the Glory of Your Name

I am continuing my reading in Jeremiah, started in Chapter 12 today which led off with Jeremiah proclaiming God's righteousnes ... He is always righteous.  That is enough right there for me - He is always righteous, that truth alone should humble us pretty quickly, I know it does me.  For He is always righteous and the corrolary or flip side to that truth is that I am not, except and only for the righteousness I have only because Christ is in me.

Yet many, including myself, are quick to look at others and point out their shortcomings, maybe even prone to judge their unrighteousness and quick to look past our own.  The 2nd verse really pricked at my heart, specifically the second part - You are always on their lips, but far from their hearts.  This verse is speaking of the wicked, those that seem to be thriving, planted and bearing fruit, though not the fruit of righteousness.  The wicked even have God on their lips - some maybe to curse or use His name in vein, but some call out and even praise, while at other times, cry out to Him for help, but continue to walk far off from Him, in disobedience, seeking the pleasures of their lustful ways.

I continue to be amazed at how foolish God's chosen have been, they have seen the Lord's blessings, they have heard the prophets call and seen the prophecies come to be, the rise of the wicked, the fall of those far off from God, the warnings they ignored .... and I continue to be amazed at how I was the same way and in fear that I could be again if I am not continually yielding myself to Him, walking in obedience and trusting Him.  And so my prayer this morning is a cry for help, that my God would save me this day from having to walk thru the consequences of my foolishness, my unrighteousness because I don't want to experience the sadness and pain that would come from it, I don't want to bring it to others and least of all, I don't want to sadden my Lord - I want to live for His Glory!  So I ask Him to search my heart, to continue to strip away what remains of me and lead me in the path of righteousness.  And may His name be on my lips and even more so may He be near to my heart, may He have all of it and may I be bearing the fruit of His righteousness.

From the Fullness of Grace

This morning I am again pondering and marvelling at God's Grace.  It's something that I love to do, especially after spending time reading thru passages that point out how foolish and destructive my sin is, for example, in Jeremiah 10:19 - it brought me an incurable wound!  and in Jeremiah 11:3 I am reminded that those who do not obey God are indeed choosing to be cursed.

But thanks to God for His mercy, He gave His Son .... that alone is grace enough, given out of His compassion, His love.  Yet the gift was given in the fulness of His grace, John 1:16, that we might receive one blessing after another, blessings upon blessings.

I deserved complete deslotation and utter destruction, yet I have life now and forever in Christ.  I am not seen by my Father in heaven for my disobedience, but instead Christ's righteousness and I am called to be a child of God, possesing the riches of the inheritence promised that are in Him.  I have joy, overflowing joy and am bathed in grace upon grace, blessings upon blessing .... none of which were deserved or due to me out of any act of my own.

So I sit here and ponder the how and why, I marvel at the depth of His love and pray for more understanding as to the depth, the height and the width of His love for me and for all.  I am growing and grasping more in the truth of how this marvelous grace indeed teaches me to live uprightly, how it compels me to worship in spirit and truth and to love others through the abundant outporing of the grace given me, more sufficient than I  could ever dream of, outflowing from me, yet I am continually being filled to the fullness that I had already been given.

I don't know what lies ahead of me this day, but I know there are incredible blessings to receive and share, all to the praise of my loving Father, may my walk today be pleasing to Him, show my love for Him because of His great love which He first gave to me, even when I was an enemy of His, and even when after saved by His grace, I still followed the foolishness of my own hearts desire, yet He has held on to me, continued to work in me, as He has promised to do, and is blessing me even the more, fulfillng my hearts desires as I set them on Him first.  My prayer is that whoever may come across this, that you would find this perfect peace and hope as well .... it is found in Christ.  And indeed if you seek Him, you will find Him.

Another Day Another Opportunity to be Amazed at Our Awesome God

So my journey, my soujourn that I am on has me living in Mexico, relearning to speak Spanish and continuing to learn how awesome our God is and how awesome it is to live each day relying on Him, living to glorify Him. I am going to be dropping in some posts here and there about some of the experiences I have had the opportunity to walk thru and hopefully get to share the joy I have had in seeing God work - how easily they could be missed, but when walking in step with Him, He has been so gracious to call them to my attention.

I have been doing some volunteering with a couple of organizations that work with children and adults to teach english, help with schoolwork for the children and life skills, helping with small business management.  The last two weeks I have had the opportunity to build a relationship with a brother in Christ in a small village that is mostly native indians and Catholic.  His children have been coming to learn english and he asked if I would work with him as well.  He doesn't speak much english, but wants to learn and we have had a good time sharing - some in broken english and some in my broken spanish, but it's been working and I believe the Holy Spirit has been working a little overtime to make sure we get the important parts communicated.

Yesterday when  I saw him and asked how he was doing he said the usual bien for well.  But something, or more specifically the Spirit, prompted me to press more about how he was doing and then his countenance changed and he poured out about the tough day he has been having.  It turns out that the day before there was a big comition in town, with him at the center  of it.  He told me what was going on ....

He had gone to pick up his son from school and on the first pass, I heard he saw a boy kick his son and that he went and stopped it.  I was hearing concern, but knew I wasn't getting the full story.  Fortunately this day my spanish teacher, also a Chrisitan, had asked to come along with me to see what I was up to in this village, so I called him over.  He got the real detail after a quick introduction.  What happened was that he saw there were several older boys kicking and hitting him so he did what any dad would do and jumped in and pulled them off and protected his son.  As the day progressed the events of the afternoon began to gain a life of their own and other villagers were now saying that my friend overreacted and was assaulting the other boys.  He was going to have to go before the town counsel and may end up facing charges and he believes this is mostly because he is a Christian.  He was definetly shaken by the events and was fearful of the outcome and how he was being viewed.  We were able to sit with him, pray with him and encourage him - remiding him that God was in control, God was his protector and that God would give him wisdom to walk thru this time.  He was greatly encouraged and I pray that he will be even more so as we walk thru the events yet to be seen in this trial, trusting in our awesome God and watching Him work this out for His glory.  I pray that many in the town will  see his faith shine, his deeds be seen for what they were and the righteousness of our God upon him shine like the noon day sun.

Of Fire and Hammers

Today's post is on a verse that the Holy Spirit has been continuing to weave into my fabric or better illuminate and fill me with the wisdom of His will for it in my life and the world.  The verse is Jeremiah 23:29 - the Lord ask's is not His Word like a fire and a hammer?

When I read that verse I stopped to ponder it, I prayed asking the Lord to further reveal His intentions of the question and statement to and for me.  He answered that prayer that day and has been continuing to work it into my understanding more and more.

The Word of the Lord is indeed like a fire - bringing light to darkness, Praise God, or I'd still be stumbling around in darkness.  It bringa warmth and comfort, it is filled with power and it is used to burn away impurity as well as a weapon to shield and protect.  It is indeed like a hammer - able to smash rocks and hardness to pieces, it can also be used to gently, or at times with force, reshape and mold, flatten and dull sharp edges.

Gaining a deeper insight into how the Word works as fire or a hammer has brought more depth into how I pray, using the Word and how I ask the Lord to use it in me and for me and for His Glory.  At times, when I am honest, some of those prayers are scary - at least until I am reminded that the Lord's intentions for me are for my good and that He will always be with me ... for when we ask that a work of burning fire be applied, our pride can rear up - what of me needs burned, will it hurt, what if I don't want to get rid of it, what will fill that space that was me?  And then I realize that the Word is already at work, bringing into the light the remains of me that need burned away, crushed with a mighty blow of the hammer and I realize that is exactly what He wants (and I do too!)