A weekly teaching series designed to encourage, challenge, and better inform those seeking a relationship with the Lord, or those who want to simply just come and hear what the Lord is saying to His people
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” Isaiah 43:18-19.
Christmas Greetings, Sonsofthesea family! Kendra, Stephanie, and I wish you and your family abundant blessings today—and the whole week through. Soon the New Year will be upon us with its offerings of renewed hope, growth, and the opportunity to walk more closely with our Lord. With that, we’re praying even now; you begin to seek the Lord in prayer and fasting as to what it is He desires from you in this new season. What is God asking you to release, making room then to receive the “new thing” He’s chosen to bring into your life? Will you allow the Good Gardner to prune away those areas in your life that drain your focus and strength, making your branches healthier, more fruitful? We here at Sonsofthesea are locking arms with you, believing for God’s very best to manifest in and through you in this new season. But for today, from our hearts and homes to yours, “O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”
“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” –2 Corinthians 6:1-2.
Paul is referencing the Prophet Isaiah here. More accurately, Isaiah is sharing with us what God has shared with Him directly concerning a future time and Ruler that will be born to His people, to Israel. Isaiah 49:8 is a love note from God, to us. It’s God pointing us towards the coming of His Son, Jesus, towards salvation and grace. Some say God is talking through Jesus, to Isaiah, pointing Him towards His acceptable time, His season of good-will, toward His virgin birth that will usher in God’s New Covenant. One that will be sealed by the Spotless Blood of this same One written about but yet to be born. “Thus said the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you: and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;” –Isaiah 49:8.
This Ruler and time would first be announced to the lowly, to a virgin village girl who would soon be overshadowed by His Holy Spirit. Followed then, by those lowly shepherds guarding the Temple flock the very night that same girl gives birth to God’s Son, Jesus. Had there never been a cradle, there would never have been The Cross. Jesus was born in a lowly stable in Bethlehem to one day die in our place. But before that, before He dies, He will grow up and challenge the status quo. He will touch and change and revolutionize our understanding of what it means to love God absolutely—and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus was born, in part, to be our errorless guide, our unswerving Teacher—flawlessly demonstrating what it means to be a genuine co-laborer with the Father. To be the only man born of a woman worthy of taking upon Himself the sins of the whole world. This Godman. That tiny Babe wrapped in swaddling milk rags man’s only way back into right relationship with the Father. An unorthodox telling of the Christmas story for sure, yet True, nonetheless.
Long before the angel appeared to Mary, God had conferred upon man the unfathomable privilege of co-laboring with Him—of being His emissary. “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name” –Genesis 2:19. Even before God’s Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary or that moment, a specific one of His stars pierced the clear night sky while certain shepherds tended their flocks or wise men in a distant land poured over their charts and maps in search of Him. God had chosen us, you and me, Paul, Isaiah, and Mary and Joseph, each to be His. The recipients of His magnificent gift of salvation, of His utterly amazing grace. Paul is admonishing the Church in Corinth never to forget this. We would be wise to take heed as well! To not receive God’s grace in vain. Be it our undeserved saving grace or the daily graces afforded us moment-by-moment that enable us to “live and move and have our being.” Instead, Paul is encouraging us all to follow his example of wringing out the very last drop of this grace afforded him, afforded us daily, in service to His God. He is also reminding us that we are, after all, God’s ambassadors here on earth. Our loyal service the King’s rightful due then. Those shepherds tending their prized Temple sheep, sheep having been set aside solely to be sacrificed for Israel, for its atonement, did precisely that. They lavishly spent every cent of the grace afforded them in service to their newly born Messiah.
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel’” –Matthew 2: 6.
Scripture tells us that no sooner than this preternatural star-emblazoned their otherwise ordinary night sky, an angel appears to them and, “the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them,” informing them that their long-awaited Messiah had just been born. Scripture goes on to tell us that they were terrified! Yet, despite their fear—their awe-struck-ness, they were off to find this Holy Babe. And, once they had seen Him, Scripture tells us they told everyone they came across about Him—about the extra-ordinary events of this very holy night. “And those who heard were astonished.” Grace had been afforded these shepherds. And they spent it all in service to the Babe they found lying in a manger. These were wise servants, indeed. We would do well to model our faith-walk after theirs. “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” –Luke 2:10-12.
It is said that on the evening of December 21, 2020, centuries since the last time what is being hailed as the “Christmas Star,” in 1226, to be precise, the observable conjuncture of the planets Jupiter and Saturn will, some say, light up the night sky. Whether this same conjuncture of planets or a similar one is what the shepherds saw, I’m not qualified to comment on. Yet this I am confident in saying: whatever this celestial event may be, whatever it may end up being labeled as, one thing is sure, this celestial event is no mere coincidence. Those like myself, patiently waiting for our Redeemer to return, have our eyes locked on the horizon, always looking up. We are eagerly awaiting the return of the One born in that manger some 2000 plus years ago. And, yet, while we look and while we wait—we work. Just as Paul instructs us, more, like Jesus commanded us. And we share, too.
We tell of His coming and of the wonders of knowing Him—of serving Him. We speak of His great Love. He is Love personified, after all. We tell of His amazing grace and mercy, of His sweetness, His tenderness. We speak of His correction and reshaping. His great love for us will not allow us to remain wherever He may have found us. We share that He will soon return and how no one can see Him—go with Him unless they are His unless they have a relationship with Him. Like those shepherds before us, those first evangelists, as my dear friend Sam Cordeiro just referred to them in His most recent sermon, we speak as they did, of what we know—have tasted for ourselves. This Christmas season ought to be about more than presents and lights and spending. It ought to be about receiving His great love for you, into your heart, new or newly. Receiving this One, we see asleep in the manger, Christ the Lord. The Savior of mankind. God’s New Covenant.
If you know Him, brothers, and sisters, then please, don’t squander the grace He’s afforded you. And friend, if you have yet to meet Mary’s Son, our Jesus, I encourage you, no, I plead with you to ask Him to show Himself to you this day. I would so look forward to meeting you one day and hearing our Father tell you, “well done, good and faithful servant!“ “Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom” –Matthew 26:27-28.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” –Psalm 51:10.
The posture of David’s heart in this Psalm, his simple plea before God for a clean heart is a beautiful, Godly example for us all. A humble, bold example to follow when we go before our God, who is full of grace, recognizing our sins.
That said, have you ever felt morally dirty after having sinned? Have you ever felt increasingly burdened by the shame, guilt, the regret sinning creates within you? Have you ever felt entangled, snared by a habitual sin? Have you ever distanced yourself from God because inflicting yourself with a mental flogging just felt safer than confessing your transgressions to your Holy, heavenly Father?
Being the deeply flawed and imperfect beings that we are, our natural man is bound to sin. Each of us was born with a sinful nature; inheriting the sinful fruit of our corrupt human nature from Adam – “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” –Romans 5:12. Scripture also states that even seemingly innocent children are born with this same sinful nature: “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child” –Proverbs 22:15. And David confirms this as well, listen: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” –Psalm 51:5.
In our natural state then, in our flesh, we cannot please God. Hence our desperate need for Him, for His mercy, grace, forgiveness—for His love!
2 Samuel 11:2 tells us, “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.” David’s lust for this woman drove him to send his messenger to go and bring this woman to him. “She came to him, and he slept with her” –2 Samuel 11: 4. David’s lust (a mental and physical sexual appetite for a person) was the initial seed that moved him to sin. Then, after getting the woman pregnant, (11:5), that seed bloomed when David attempted to cover his original sin by ordering the woman’s husband to return from war—all with the hope that he might sleep with his wife. Making it appear then, that her husband, and not David, had gotten her pregnant. Unfortunately, David’s scheme did not work. So, David then proceeded to have the woman’s husband sent into the thick of a raging battle. Then, while standing on the frontlines of said battle, her husband was killed (11:15). What started as a seed of lust, led to the murder of an honest man. All this to cover-up David’s sin of having had an affair with another man’s wife!
And what happened with David, choosing sin over God, continues to this day. Our sinning begins with a thought—the seed. That thought then flourishes, spreading deeper into the appetites of our flesh. And, if not taken captive immediately, we will ultimately give sin a life of its own by operating outside of the fruit of self-control.
Mastery over our flesh requires mastery over our thought life.
“…What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness” –Mark 7:20-22. There is a reason the Lord reminds us in His word that the heart is deceitful. Also, that we ought to think on those things which are honorable, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy so that we may gratify the Spirit, and not the desires of our flesh (Paraphrased Philippians 4:8).
Like David, I remember giving into the sin of sexual immorality, and, while feeding the flesh provides temporary satisfaction, that same satisfaction has lasting consequences. We must, therefore, put to death those fleshly desires within us, how we used to live; this is a requirement for the born-again believer.
As we learn later on in David’s story, the Lord forgave Him. Yet, because of what he did, his sin, David lost the child born to that adulterous affair –2 Samuel 12:15. In Galatians 5:16-26, the Lord instructs us to walk by the Spirit, avoiding then, keeping far from, the sins of the flesh: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions…” –Galatians 5:16-26.
David penned Psalm 51 aware of his rebellion, of the wickedness in his heart. Then, he did what most would consider being counterintuitive – he knelt humbly before God in prayer with a sincere and contrite heart. At one of the lowest points of David’s life, he pleaded with God to renew a right spirit within him—creating in him a clean heart. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” –Psalm 51: 10-12. I love that within David’s prayer He asks God for newness, for a clean heart—not just for God forgiveness! In other words, David is saying “change my heart, God! Create in me a clean, pure heart because I do desire to live differently. I want to be made new because I want to change and love as you do, Lord!” David’s approach to flat-out run to the very God who he offended appears incongruous. Our initial human response oftentimes is to disconnect and hide from God, much like Adam and Eve did. We come to Jesus with the barest understanding that his grace is greater than any of our sins—yet with the greatest of hope that His forgiveness is transforming.
The enemy wants to keep you burdened, entangled, entrenched in the shame, guilt, and regret of your sin—in the lie of it, that you may keep your sin to yourself—hiding it, supposedly, from an Omniscient God. When the truth is, you cannot hide anything from God. And, in keeping sin to yourself, the burden of carrying it becomes heavier and heavier, and the root of glorifying self-hatred and the shame of your sin, deeper. While it may appear to make more sense to us to hide our sins from God, ultimate freedom and spiritual rest will only come from running toward God instead. Yes, the very same God who you’ve offended is the very same God you need to run to for freedom, in repentance, for newness. I encourage you – don’t allow your mind to get trapped in the perpetual cycle of guilt and shame. Like David, humbly, and wholeheartedly confess your sins before God. Make running towards God your disciplined, default cycle instead.
Oftentimes, we experience our greatest disconnect from God when our sins are left unconfessed.
A strong relationship with the Lord requires that we repent and confess our sins regularly. As Christians, we are being sanctified, made holy even as He is Holy, daily. So then Christian, don’t let your sins stop you from boldly approaching the Throne of God! When you confess and truly repent of your sins, God will give your weary spirit rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” –Matthew 11:28-30. A “sacrifice of the heart” is precious in the sight of God.
God delights in a surrendered, broken, and contrite heart—one that desires to be pure.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus Christ wants our hearts! I encourage you to neither wallow nor allow yourself to remain entrenched in your sins. Instead, go before The Throne of God, confess, repent, and ask Him for a pure heart, a renewed spirit. What does our confession do? It humbles us. It reminds us of our need for God’s grace, it sustains and renews our faith. Wherever you are, be honest, talk to God. Open Psalm 51, praying it out loud. Might the Holy Spirit expose the ugliness inside your heart? Yes – but only because God loves you, He wants to work on that area within you. His grace is so beautiful. It forgives, renews, transforms, and, further still, it promises this:“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” –2 Corinthians 3:12.
Don’t let your sins keep you away from God. Don’t allow them to keep you from knowing or accepting Jesus into your life. The Lord already knows your heart, nothing you’ve ever done—will ever confess can surprise Him. God is, after all, Omniscient; nothing takes Him by surprise. Pray sincerely from your heart then, confess it all, lay it all at his feet. I guarantee you that your Creator will meet there, renewing a right Spirit in you.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” –Luke 2:9-11.
I’ve been going for a lot of long nature walks lately. Not even because I’m super reflective, not because I have an affinity for nature, no. It’s much simpler than that, it’s because I have a dog. Yes, you read that right; my dog is the reason I go for long nature walks. Bear with me here as I tell you a bit about my fur baby. I have a golden retriever named Daisy, and boy is she energetic! Simple neighborhood walks don’t do it for her any longer, not like they did when she was a pup. She requires the cool of the earth beneath her paws now, she wants the scent of crisp autumn leaves, actually, more like whatever’s lurking beneath them. She wants the sight of the forest with its beams of sunlight and the sound of squirrels rustling about, birds chirping, up in the trees somewhere, she wants to lick the dew off of the fallen foliage. To say she loves the woods is an understatement—she is elated when she’s in them! When I say the words, “wanna go for a walk?” she comes to life. She bolts towards the door, ready to run, head-on into a new adventure. Over the past couple of months, as Daisy and I have trekked various New England trails, my dog has taught me to love creation. It’s because of her that I’ve been reminded nature was created for me to enjoy as well. Daisy stops and smells the flowers. She investigates every twig that appears suspicious. She picks up on any trace of any other creature who may have gone before her. She is so present in every moment. Locked in discovery mode, she traces every sight and scent—familiarizing herself for next time. Her desire for discovery got me thinking: “what if we lived in wide-eyed wonder as Daisy does? Awestruck by all the beauty that surrounds us? What if the earth, formed by the hands of our Maker and designed for us to thrive in, elicited the same awe-struck response in us as it does in Daisy?
Throughout Scripture, God is referred to as an AWEsome God. I think that says something about the lens through which He wants us to view Him…
By definition, awe is an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc. It is produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like. Knowing the Creator of the universe invokes just such an awe inside of us. It awakens some deep knowing that fulfills our every need for belonging. I mean, it was the voice of God, after all, who spoke the stars into existence and gave the earth its form; He who, with just one Word, spoke light into existence. And it was this same God who allocated a place in the ecosystem for every living being. Everything that has breath sends that same breath right back to Him, in praise. His hands the very ones that formed humankind, the crown jewel of His creations. And it was His breath blown into the lungs of that first man that gave him life—us too. Yes. From the very beginning of time, God’s watchful eye has been on us. If I stopped right here, what I just said should be enough to ignite a great big spark of awe in you. But alas! There’s more…
The bond between God and man was broken by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden—their sin separating them from Him. But God set out to—had a plan to, restore what they had broken! Considering the Christmas season that is upon us, I thought it appropriate to look at the response of mankind to the arrival of God in the flesh, in the person of His Son, Jesus. In Luke 2, we find the story of Jesus’ birth. But before I get there, I need to remind us- Jesus chose to come into this world in the most unlikely way, and to the most unlikely of people. Ordinary people like me and you. Jesus did not come with a heavenly army, nor to a kingdom as we know it. He came through Mary, a humble servant. And He chose to be born in a simple stable, in a very unlikely town. In Luke 2 we learn that the very first people to be told of His birth were lowly shepherds. What got me when I read Luke 2 was the shepherd’s response. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. So, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” –Luke 2:9-11; 16. They were terrified—a response to being awed. Yet despite this, after they were reassured by the angel, they were moved to action. That overwhelming awe didn’t paralyze them. It moved them. First, to go and see, then, secondly, to go and tell!
When you have a genuine encounter with the Living God, something magnificent happens within you. That encounter causes you to act because of what you’ve just experienced for yourself! Understand, this kind of supernatural reaction doesn’t just impact you, the one who has the initial experience, it has an eternal chain-link effect that connects you somehow to countless others. Luke 2 goes on to tell us that, “all who heard it were amazed by what the shepherds said to them” –Luke 2:18. All who heard. Those shepherds couldn’t keep quiet about their awesome experience with the angel of the Lord. They told anyone who would listen to them all about Jesus, His star, and His birth—about their divine encounter with Him. They shared all that the angel had spoken to them and everything they had witnessed with their own two eyes. They could have chosen to write the angel off as some dream-like apparition, yet they chose instead to unapologetically stand by what they knew to be true.
I can call to mind some experiences I’ve had where I may have dulled down the story to make it seem a bit more “normal”. But the truth is, the supernatural things of God are anything but normal. There’s a reason they’re called “super-natural”. They defy earthly definition. And when we share these supernatural things God has done in our life with others, it causes amazement to well up in them.
Let’s look, for a moment, at the wise men. Fun fact: The Bible doesn’t say how many wise men there actually were. We know from Scripture that there were three gifts, but there very well could have been a caravan of people traveling to behold the Savior of the world! Regardless, these wise men, or “Magi” as they’re referred to in Matthew 2, were highly esteemed and well-educated men. Yet these same men came and bowed humbly before a baby they believed to be the Messiah. They saw a star in the heavens, a sign, and they followed it. They did not worship this sign mind you, they simply allowed it to lead them to their Creator. With this in mind: I pray we are never too old or too prideful to recognize and respond to the move of God—no matter how undignified doing so may seem. Like the Magi who knelt before a baby, I pray we have the humility to adore Him in every situation we may find ourselves in. Secondly, I pray we don’t look at signs as gods, rather that we allow them to lead us to the One True God—the source of all wisdom and life.
From the moment He was born, Jesus evoked an unadulterated passion from His own—from all those who recognized Him as their Messiah. I have the feeling that all the emotion tucked into the Christmas story may have been placed there to help us to return to a childlike state of simple joy and admiration for the Babe in the manger.
As Jesus grew into His ministry, He healed many and spoke with such wisdom it shocked those who heard Him speak. The Samaritan woman, the lepers, the blind men, the lame, each received His gift of healing and love. Then, telling everyone they knew what they had experienced, most of them responded just as the shepherds did—in wonder and amazement. Part of the beauty of this story is that we get see Jesus amaze people all around the world, still. Whether it be restoring hope to the hopeless, bringing healing to the afflicted and broken, or bestowing a sense of belonging to someone who is lost. Jesus is still working today—right here, right now. He still displays signs and wonders around us every day. We just need to open our eyes, our hearts, to both see and to receive them.
If my dog can live in the moment, soaking in the awe and wonder of God’s endless goodness, His abundant provision, and splendor, I’m thinking we ought to be able to as well. Wouldn’t you agree? This Christmas season, my prayer for you is that you might find the “extra” in ordinary things. Most of all, I pray that you discover the hope found only in Jesus Christ. I pray His joy fills you beyond measure! I pray you begin to live in a state of wonder and awe, flat out amazed by all that God has done, is doing, and is yet to do!
And if you’ve never asked this God of awe and wonder into your heart—what better time than now! Give your life to Jesus today let it be your gift to Him in return for all that He has given you, starting with your very breath. He has allowed all this time to pass just so that you’d read this, and then ask Him into your heart as Lord. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” –2 Peter 3:8-9.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” –Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Because it is limited in its own essence. No tree has unbounded potentialities; though it live for centuries it will grow itself out, exhaust all its latent force. Not so with the soul. It has unending powers of growth. Because it is limited in its supplies the river at its roots may dry up; the nutriment in its soil it may exhaust. Not so with the soul; its roots strike into the inexhaustible fountain of life. Its leaf shall be green, — ever green. –Joseph S. Excell
To fully take in the rich imagery and deep spiritual inferences Jeremiah places before his readers in verses seven and eight, that ‘ever-fruitful tree planted by the stream’ mentioned above, we must go back and read verses five and six so that we might bear witness to another, this tree’s “ever-green” opposite—the barren, stunted, prickly heath. A dusty, fruitless thing fit only for wastelands and arid places. Side by side now, we can rightly assess them. And, as it with these two exemplars, so too is it with every man; thus a choice lay before us all. One, wholly reliant on God, desperate for want of Him. The other, stiff-necked, and self-reliant, stubborn, and resistant, it turns to anyone but God for sustenance, making gods then, of created things. This is what the Lord says:“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives” –Jeremiah 17:5-6.
The Bible tells us that God “so loved the world He gave us His only Son”—yes, even to these rebellious ones determined to go their own way, no one is excluded. God provides for all His creation. Yet some are willfully barren, while others are joyfully well watered. Some choosing to live in their stiff-necked, empty self-reliance, just as Judah did, the spigot of their hearts rusted over now to God’s will, to His love and tenderest of mercies. They were unwilling, their choice made, they will not receive the Living water needed to thrive and flourish. These simply refuse to join the man who will not live anywhere other than beside this Life-giving stream. Instead, they drink in the fierce, fiery judgment they have brought down upon their own heads, shaking their fist at God all the while, as if they had no part to play in their own calamity. As well might bees try to get honey from a vase of wax flowers as we to draw what we need from creatures, from ourselves, from visible and material things? Where else will you get love that will never fail nor change nor die? Where else will you find an object for the intellect that will yield inexhaustible material of contemplation and delight? Where else infallible direction for the will? Where else shall weakness find unfailing strength, or sorrow adequate consolation, or hope certain fulfillment, or fear a safe hiding place if not in Christ alone, that Living water for our souls. –Alexander Maclaren, D. D.
“They will not see prosperity when it comes.” This ‘heath’ cannot receive, his will, like his heart, sealed shut to those things—those countless blessings that come from the merciful, bountiful, hand of the Lord. His eyes fixed instead on his own abilities and accomplishments, on self, on another’s—any others, input, or assessments of his self-worth. He does not need to acknowledge God for his everyday blessings, he is far too busy chasing after the gods of this world to waste his valuable time. Money, lust, more and stiller, and stiller. Judah was his teacher and he’s become an exemplary student. Hence, determined in his sin and hard-heartedness, he loses out on those blessings God had intended him. “The LORD says, “People of Judah, your sin is written with an iron pen; it is engraved on your hearts with a diamond point and carved on the corners of your altars” –Jeremiah 17:1. He seeks ‘things’ only, never their Creator. He has chosen to go his own way. He is root-less. Disconnected. Parched. Withered and brittle. A tumbleweed of a person tossed first here, then there, never at rest, never satisfied with his lot. This an example of one devoid of connection to the Source of Life-giving Water—the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus describes such a one as being able to do nothing of lasting or eternal value. “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.…” –John 15:4-6.
By comparison, the other “does not fear when heat comes…” Why? Because he has been blessed to have fostered an everlasting connection to his Living Source. Conversely, the doors of his heart flung open, his entrance swept clean, wide, and welcoming. The teeniest of his root-hairs pining after more and more of this Living water—unquenchable. His very song one of wanting. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” –Psalm 42:1. This one’s everything, each blessing: from his very breath to his undeserved forgiveness he acknowledges having come solely from his Creators loving hand. He is filled with a wave of peace not his own, content to take his rest on this dewy bank he’s been planted on. He seeks no riches for himself, nothing silver or gold might buy; his worth found in God alone, this ever-fecund tree. And so, he sings: “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day, their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—he remains faithful forever” –Psalm 146:1-6.
You, I, the poorest and humblest of men, will never be right, never feel in native soil, with appropriate surroundings, until we have laid our hearts and our hands on the breast of God, and rested ourselves on Him. Not more surely do gills and fins proclaim that the creature that has them is meant to roam through the boundless ocean, nor the anatomy and wings of the bird witness more surely to its destination to soar in the open heavens, than the make of your spirits testify that God, none less or lower, is your portion. –Alexander Maclaren
Friends, Jeremiah’s words assure us of two things: The promises God has made to those that are His: that we need not fear amid the fiercest of circumstances, the most trying, leanest, most arid of times—the depth of our Source cannot be plumbed. We are firmly planted in Him—by Him, our roots running deep and straight into our inexhaustible Source. Therefore, we shall not fear the drought, our leaves will never wither nor grow dry. Our strength found in worshipping our God. We possess this Life-giving Water the world knows nothing of—more, we are wholly possessed by It—by Jesus. Conversely then, you can trust in mere flesh, but you cannot have it both ways. To turn toward something other than the Lord is to turn away from the Lord. We can’t face both directions at the same time. And don’t be fooled dear friend, God will not be mocked! The man who chooses his own wayhas chosen to be planted in poisonous soil—nothing fecund or prosperous can ever be found in him. His the salty place where the heath grows—those whose shallow roots have difficulty reaching deep enough to drink from the Life-giving water just beyond their reach.
We each must choose. You’ve been made aware now, there’s a difference—God, in His infinite love for you, would not leave you unawares, uninformed, without a witness. Whom will you serve then? God or man? There is no middle ground, friend—no ‘other’ choice. I’m praying you chose wisely. I’m praying you chose the Lord and all that He’s had planned for your life since before the foundation of the world. I’m praying this Word to take deep root in your soul, and that it shoots forth tendrils that will affix you to Him, always.
Friend, if you don’t know this Jesus, I pray you to call out to Him today. Ask Him to come into your heart as Lord and Savior. Here is His promise to you if you will: “The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” –Isaiah 58:11.
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”—John 10:28-29.
It was God’s word that made us; is it any wonder that His word should sustain us. Charles Spurgeon.
If we turn left, someone will have an opinion. The same will happen if we turn right. And if we stay the course, someone else will come along telling us we should have turned either left or right! We live in a world filled with talking heads. Some well-intentioned, others, not so much. So many folks just brimming with opinions on the topic de’ jour. So, who do you listen too? Whose voice rises above the kerfuffle—drowning out that great sea of voices vying for your attention, your heart, your peace? Speaking for myself, I listen to Jesus. In a world filled with people and their opinions—my own included, I am so grateful that I have Jesus to turn to for the Truth—as my due north. When all those voices that vie for my attention overwhelm or confuse me, His still small Voice comes, softly, and leads me back to the still waters. Back to that place of peace found in Him alone. Then, finally, my head laid against His chest once again, His lone heartbeat restoring me, the world then, with all its clamoring voices and opinions, melts away.
Within this Tenth Chapter of John’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus is our Good Shepherd—we also learn of the price He was willing to pay to be. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep” –John 10:11. We hear Him talking about the thief, exposing him as the one whose sole mission is to steal, kill, and destroy Jesus’ sheep—that devil. “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]”—John 10:10. We hear Jesus explain the difference between hired hands who care little for the flock in their care—these Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. There’s a certain irony here considering who Jesus is talking to, the Pharisees—most of them hired hands themselves. Some in it for the reward only, running then at the first sign of trouble, they are not invested in keeping the sheep in their care safe. “But the hired man [who merely serves for wages], who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The man runs because he is a hired hand [who serves only for wages] and is not concerned about the [safety of the] sheep” –John 10:12-13.
We hear Jesus explaining all these Truths to the spiritually blind. Those with their own opinions of who He is or isn’t—these Pharisees and some gathered around them. Continuing, Jesus reveals to this same crowd that He is their Good Shepherd. In the previous chapter, Jesus had just performed a miracle. He had restored physical sight to a man who had been born blind. Yet these teachers of the law (and others who stood with them) professing their ability to see did not recognize their long-awaited Messiah standing right in front of them, while this man who was born blind, saw and worshiped Him. And he said, “Lord, I believe [in You and Your word]!” And he worshiped Him [with reverence and awe]. Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind [to spiritual things], you would have no sin [and would not be blamed for your unbelief]; but since you claim to have [spiritual] sight, [you have no excuse so] your sin and guilt remain” –John 9:38-41.
Jesus went on to tell them about these other sheep He has. Sheep who’ve yet to meet Him, though they know His voice somehow; those who will become one with this flock. “I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd” –John 10:16. Jesus is on the verge here of stating plainly that not only is He their Messiah, but He is also God’s own Son. And, in being His Son, God has granted Him the ability to both lay down and pick up His own life. He states boldly that this is His Father’s command—His will. Listen: “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life so that I may take it back. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down voluntarily. I am authorized and have power to lay it down and to give it up, and I am authorized and have power to take it back. This command I have received from My Father” –John 10:17-18. And it’s here that some Pharisees and those who stood with them nearly lost their minds! You can just imagine their holy indignation! Hear their piercing, pious screams! Visualize them ripping open their outer robes in horror and outrage! These self-professed holy, hand-picked leaders, these teachers of all things lawful and God-like. They had to stand there now and listen to this nobody from Galilee tell them that He was God’s own Son, never! Blasphemy! “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others” –Matthew23:5-7.
Yet there were some gathered there that did not share in the Pharisee’s feelings—nor the condition of their heart. They had left some room within themselves for hope—to receive what they knew to be Truth. The Living Word that had taken root within them rose-up, pointing them towards what Moses had spoken. Towards the hope that God would send their Messiah soon. They knew their Word. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” –Numbers 23:19. They recognized this Voice within them speaking, even though they didn’t fully connect it just yet with the One standing right in front of them. So, it’s here then that we hear their determined voices having the final say. “There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” –John 10:19-21.
We’ll close the circle here. Connecting both my opening words with today’s Scripture verses—linking them then, to all you’ve just read. For as long as you live there will always be some voice or another vying for your attention. Voices that will do all in their power to persuade you that their way is best—and, if you’d just listen to them, you’d be happier, more fulfilled, at peace, living your best life if you will. As I said earlier, some of these voices come attached to familiar faces, loving faces. They are the voices of our parents and spouses, our children, family, and friends. Those who are near and dear to us. So how do we know just who and what to listen to in a world filled with so many varying opinions? Again, as I said earlier, I choose to listen to only One voice. Jesus’ voice. I choose for His Word to have the final say in my life. In every decision, over my thoughts and wants and opinions, over those opinions of the very ones, He’s placed in my life to love and do life with. His voice must reign over everyone else’s. He alone is my God. Do I get it wrong at times, sadly I do? I fail Him. Yet even there, in my failure, it’s those very moments often, that I am ever so thankful that I serve a God who knew that I would fail Him—and chose me to be His child despite my failures. It’s then, in those moments that I hear Him say, I know you’re afraid you blew it, that it’s too late. It’s not, just come back. Your safe with me. I’ll never turn you away. Neither will the Father—we love you. I died for you so that you could be with me always. So let me talk with you a while. Trust me, I’ll straighten this out. I love you. I forgive you. Rest in me now, and just listen…
Friend, hear the Word of the Lord: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” –John 10: 28-29.
This is the only Voice that truly matters. You’d be wise to listen to it. Jesus’ Words, not my opinion…
If you don’t know this God yet, just the fact that you followed Him here tells me you soon might. Won’t you ask Him to speak clearly to you today? Now? To come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior. He will if you’ll just ask Him.
It’s bedtime. My husband is sound asleep next to me, my dog just audibly snoring under the bed. I had coffee after 6:00 pm. I knew better, but I just couldn’t let my mom waste my portion of ‘Joe that she’d prepared for me as I was getting ready to bid my goodbyes at her house earlier that evening. I lay in bed with my eyes closed (as humans do when we need to fall asleep) but inside, my mind does not submit to the stillness that I am trying to outwardly express by closing my eyes and waiting to fall asleep. Thoughts of the past week, the day, and the coming week just race through my mind, replaying scenarios that I could have responded to better, and anticipating future scenarios where I am the better person. Though the room is dark, I can see and hear each part of this locomotive in living color, and there is no stopping this train of thought on my own. Tossing and turning I try to find a comfortable position to finally park this train, until suddenly I remember! I am not of this world. Worrying will NOT add a single day to my life. All of a sudden these doubts and worries are replaced with affirmations from the word of God and I am met with the tender peace that stops the train in its tracks and escorts me to sleep.
I am not of this world. This kind of thought disruption is not a natural response of mine, rather it is a result of cultivating my relationship with God; inviting Him to be part of my life in such a way that is as deep as my thought processes. As I have been revisiting my last blog post and studying what Jesus meant when He was talking about what the will of the Father is, I read back over the couple chapters prior to Matthew 7 where we left off. Here, Jesus gave one of the greatest sermons ever preached. Some may know it as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. A couple verses later we see similar language used again saying, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. As I read over “these words” of Jesus, I began to see one common thread in regards to the will of the Father: the Kingdom of God is His mission for humanity.
Jesus is looking to know us more than He is looking for perfection. Getting to know Him requires spending time with Him in His word and in prayer. To know the word of God is to know Jesus. He desires for us to seek the will of His Father, God and the way to do this is to first invite His Holy Spirit to help us understand what His will is. Second, we must discipline ourselves to redirect our thoughts to be focused on His Kingdom. In Matthew 5-6, Jesus gives us the blueprint to what He intended this life to look like by the economy of the heavenly realm. He shows us what it means to navigate this world by His principles. By our standards, we know not to murder, not to steal, not to cheat on our spouses, to forgive our enemies, etc. Jesus takes it a step further and says that if anyone is angry with a brother or sister they are subject to judgment; if a man even looks at a woman lustfully he has committed adultery; let your yes be yes and your no be no, anything more is from the evil one; love your enemies [paraphrased]. It seems as though He is presenting the impossibility to live rightly. But may I propose that what He is saying is to live humbly and unassuming of others. The common thread in this reading is that we are to place others above ourselves and not just chase after our own ambitions. He is saying to counter culturally examine our hearts and motives: Why am I being generous? Why am I praying? Why do I post certain things on my social media? Is it for the approval of someone else? Or because I’m being true to what God wants me to do? Is His approval enough for me? And I mean, seriously ask yourselves these questions before God. Perhaps He is inviting us to a life of self-examination, so that we remain with a heart posture that is pure before Him. A life that He truly knows. That when we stand before Him our outward acts of kindness came from an inward posture of humility before Him while we were on earth, before we were ever able to behold His presence with our physical eyes. I believe that Jesus is calling you and me to live with an awareness of His heart for others.
When He shows us how to pray in chapter 6, there is one small blurb of presenting our needs. That’s it. ONE LINE. The rest of this model for prayer is seeking the will of God. Is there a place to ask of the Lord? Of course there is; I would not suggest otherwise. I just find it interesting that the Lord’s prayer is laced with yearning for a Kingdom of which we cannot see. It starts with praising God and giving thanks without even saying “me” or “I”. It goes on to say Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Pause! From this I understand that we can see His Kingdom ON EARTH while we are STILL HERE. Could this mean that His Kingdom is manifested through us, His people, as we submit ourselves to Him? Could this mean that we can actually see peace where we live and work? I think Jesus, praying for the Kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in Heaven, knew that there is so much more than meets the eye, and He is welcoming us into this level of relationship with Him! He goes on to say, Give us today our daily bread… This is the one part of the prayer that focuses on our physical needs after we have praised God and asked for his Kingdom come and His will to be done on earth. The rest of the prayer reads, And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. The rest of this instruction on prayer focuses on the posture of our hearts. It is a position of repentance; turning from sinful ways. Not just once, but to remain in that place our whole lives. This prayer focuses on healing our hearts through the forgiveness of God and realigning ourselves with His will. When I read this, my heart is burdened with the desire to always want to come to the throne room of Heaven with humility and not entitlement.
The will of God for us is simple. Seek Him. Love Him with your whole heart; the kind of love that can only come from spending time with someone. Second, love others. Put them before yourselves. As you grow in your love for the Lord, He fills you with compassion for others. He gives the ability to love the unlovable. I pray as you know God you grow in confidence that He knows you, and His Kingdom is readily available to you.
I know that for many, this type of relationship with God is beyond comprehension. I want you to know that He made this lifestyle available to ALL MEN when Jesus came to earth and died on the cross. He did it for me and He did it for you. Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus, and He is faithful to forgive you.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair. ~ G.K. Chesterton
Merriam Webster defines Inextricable this way: incapable of being disentangled or untied; not capable of being solved. We beloved, our life in Christ and the gifts born from it, a grand, vibrant, eternal visual of this very definition…
I recently read a quote by Charles Spurgeon that said this concerning Christians and what links us—past, present, and future. There are many chosen ones who have not yet believed in Christ, and the Church cannot be one till these are saved. These chosen ones are to believe — that is a work of grace, but they are to believe through our word. If you would promote the unity of Christ’s Church, look after His lost sheep. If you ask what is to be your word, the answer is in the text — it is to be concerning Christ. They are to believe in Him. Every soul that believes in Christ is built into the great gospel unity in its measure.
This is how I hear Jesus saying this in the Book of Revelation—His Revelation to us. “But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death” –Revelation 12:11. Recognizing fully they would have no testimony—I wouldn’t either, neither, my Christian brother or sister, would you, except through our being chosen in Christ Jesus! Our testimony a direct result of our relationship. No Jesus—no salvation—no testimony! That is exactly what Paul is telling us in his two preceding verses, listen: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” –Ephesians 2:8-9. Equally then, we cannot boast of the “good things” we do as a result of this salvation—the two as inextricably linked as the mystical bond that exists between the Trinity from which they were born. One bible commentator had this to say concerning what Paul is telling us in these verses: It is here (in these verses) that we see the glorious power in the faith that He has given to us. Paul’s argument is straightforward. If we are saved, then we are saved to live out good works such as Christ would do. Paul is expanding the notion of what it means to be raised up together with Christ. Christ lives through our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have become, in Him—God’s poiēma, His artwork…
Today’s Scripture verse refers to us as God’s masterpiece—this is Truth, we are. Yet, it is only when we see ourselves through the eyes of Scripture, through the eyes of God’s Truth, that we’re able to see ourselves clearly. When we allow the Truth of who and what God says we are to overtake and fully silence our fleshly voice, that of the lying, life-stealing voice of the enemy of our soul, too—only then may we begin to see ourselves as that masterpiece our God sees each time He looks at us. Unless that is, we choose to continue seeing ourselves instead, as one of Picasso’s cubist portraits. A disjoined—distorted version of that which is beautifully and wonderfully made, in God’s eyes.“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” –Psalm 139:14-15. Since the Word, which cannot lie, tells us that we know this “very well”, our continuing to believe anything else makes Christ a liar…
“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar…” Romans 3:3-4
Beloved, we are quite literally connected. You and me and him and her and them way over there on the opposite end of the globe. On the opposite end of the pew—in Christ Jesus. Both in our salvation and our common predestination to do these good works God has for us to do. Each of us chosen by God—saved in Christ—specifically for this purpose. In light of this, I lift you up today. I pray you will finish your course well.“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12.
If we share the same Father beloved than you are my brother. Period. Each of us using what we have been freely given, our testimony, gifts, and talents. Spending our energy, the entirety of the gift of time, to be used by God. These good works given us by God, no more our own than our salvation is. Neither can be accomplished simply because we will it or wish them to be. Paul makes this abundantly clear throughout this second chapter of Ephesians.“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us. “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward” –Mark 9:38-41.
Nothing of Kingdom value will be gained by our being envious of each other’s giftings either. Rather, God’s will is accomplished through our gifts as we support, uphold each other, encouraging and rejoicing over them as the incredibly unique and essential treasures they are. Blessings each to His Universal Body. These seeds, placed in our belly, your belly—before the foundation of the world. That at just the right moment—God might have His Holy Spirit hover over them as surely as He hovered over Mary. Calling forth life He alone intended to birth through us. “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.… Genesis 1:1-3. Let Him who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying here…
This free, incomprehensible gift of salvation was not given us to keep to ourselves—God forbid! Some bag of treasure we bury so as not to lose track of it. Having been entrusted with it at all, it empowers us to be the very hands and feet of Jesus, thus aiding in its multiplication. Affording us then, the divine privilege of investing every ounce of what we’ve been given, in another. Listen to how Jesus says it in the Parable of the Talents. “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” –Matthew 25:29.
Beloved, as God’s masterpieces, we are called to imitate Him. To love this world as our great TeacherJesus did. As God did. Both willing to lay down their absolute best for, “whosoever will.” Since we carry some spark of this Divine within us, let us then lay down our best. hat which Jesus died to give us and that which God weaved into us for such a time as this. Pouring the very last drop of them both out—in love, for the sake of our God, and those He has called us to reach. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” –2 Timothy 4:1-2.
Friend, if you have read this far and do not know this Jesus personally, know this: There are no coincidences. You are not here by accident—God is holding His hand out to you. Take it, please…“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12.
Then He said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground; and he goes to bed at night and gets up every day, and [in the meantime] the seed sprouts and grows; how [it does this], he does not know. The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head [of grain], then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop ripens, he immediately puts in the sickle [to reap], because [the time for] the harvest has come.”
Within this passage of scripture, this parable of the
growing seed found only in Mark’s gospel, we witness, catch some watery glimpse
of, both the mystery, as well as the manifestation, of a soul’s salvation. We
witness too, how, as Christ’s disciples, we have been afforded the great
privilege of being able to sow the seeds of the Word of God into every type of
soil; the condition of which being far beyond our purview. We are simple,
ordinary sowers, fishers of men, after all, touched and enabled solely by the
mighty hand of the divine. “And He told them many things in parables,
saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed
fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky
ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil
was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they
withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a
crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. He who has ears, let him hear”
–Matthew 13:3-9.
And, when, after we have been faithful in our sowing, trusting in the Holy Spirit of God to have gone before us, according to His will, either to break-up or, as with Pharoah, harden the ground we’ve been sent out to scatter in, entrusted to plant within, we too then, may well share in the great joy of the harvest of which our scripture speaks. “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together…” –John 4:35-36.
I’ve heard it said that: Evangelism is not merely something to be done when we think it’s convenient; waiting until the perfect moment means never getting anything done at all. As those who have been taken from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death; having been mercifully reborn into this glorious new life in Christ Jesus, we then have a mighty duty to God, a great commission to go into every city street, every neighborhood or town, down every country lane, into war zones and prison cells and hospital rooms, searching out the ‘least of these’ that we might leave in our wake some small handful of hope by way of the Word of God—the very seed that, once firmly planted in a man’s heart, forever changes every-thing. “And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal” –John 12:23-25.
Thus, this sowing and reaping are each, in part, our responsibility, my brothers and sisters. Our portions, our privilege, to walk out daily for as long as God sees fit to use us as co-laborers in ushering in the fulfillment of His plan for all of mankind.
But oh the glorious mystery that stands alone! That Brilliant Beacon in the midst of us! The Mighty One who saves! Our excellent, highest, most glorious Example who illumines the darkest of men’s hearts! That sweet, life-changing unknow mystery born from the womb of the life and death of Christ Jesus. Our most Holy Spirit! Who, in union with the Father and the Son, in some deep unknowable moment, overtakes the heart of every man who has ever heard whispered in his ear, “Come, follow me.” Thus becoming one with the mystery which arises from the deep seat of himself. That same one who, one nanosecond prior, stood shaking his fist at God—insulting Him unashamedly, now, on his knees, is found sobbing and repentant. Made new in God’s divine election of Him. “Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” –John 3:3-5.
The Apostle Paul, that great example of just such a glorious
and true conversion—such a sincere and striking rebirth says this concerning
both the worker and the mystery of the work: “What, after all, is
Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as
the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it,
but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who
waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” –1 Corinthians
3:5-7.
Beloved, we will never understand so lofty a mystery as to how any man, once born of his mother, can then be born, yet again, of the Spirit of God to start afresh. At least not on this side of eternity. Thankfully, we need neither believe nor understand a thing for it to be nonetheless true. “I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more” –Isaiah 43:25.
What we must understand, however, is that having been so lavishly blessed, we are then commanded to spend the remainder of our natural lives, dear friends, humbly pouring ourselves out in thanksgiving before Him. Singing His praises before all men for counting us among those He has called to share in the work given Him by our Father. We must lovingly, single-mindedly, fulfill our duty to Jesus as diligent sowers; both in planting and in guarding the precious fields we’ve been entrusted with. Exalting and recognizing Jesus all the while, for being God all by Himself. This Lord of the Harvest. The heart of the great mystery of our rebirth. The very First Kernel to have gone into the ground. Our Example. “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” –John 12:24.
Friend, if you are here today and have not yet met this Jesus, this One who is able to change a man completely—giving Him a new life in the blink of an eye, may I urge you to ask Him to come to you today—showing Himself real and True and powerful in your life. Won’t you ask Him for this free gift of—this fruit of eternal life today?“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” –John 11:25-26.
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”
Friends, over the next several weeks of Advent, these postings will each be centered around Jesus as, “The Light.” It’s been this aspect of Himself that He’s impressing upon my heart, and I believe, wants to remind us of. ” The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5. In these dark days, these turbulent and uncertain times in which we live, God is re-minding us: Immanuel is here, still. He is sending His Light forth, in this season of hope, that it might illuminate and refocus our hearts and minds on Him. Exposing their hardness and wayward tendencies, so that, His Truth might be rekindled within them; causing us to repent and return fully to Him. Our remembrance of His solemn promise stirred afresh within us:“He will never leave us, never forsake us.”
My prayer for each of you in this season of hope is this: that you will take the time to allow the Light of the world to dawn in your hearts and be re-freshed, re-awakened, or perhaps, awakened for the first time, to His Truth.“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5.
The term Advent finds its roots in the Latin word, adventuske. Which means, “arrival”, “appearance.” In the Christian community, it is that four-week period preceding Christmas. Matthew’s Gospel refers to the dawing of this great Light— this Jesus who appears, dawns suddenly in the human heart, this way: “The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light, And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death, Upon them a Light has dawned.” –Matthew 4:16. That’s us. Our heart. Each believer. Each minister of the Gospel message. Each one who has been transformed. Made new. Those washed clean by the shed Blood of this same Light that commanded the darkness to give way to the light of the first day. We are “the people,” upon whom this permeating Light of Christ has dawned; piercing these, our earthly vessels through and through. Exposing us to His blinding Truth. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one abiding in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you are able to do nothing” –John 15:51. Now, ever changed by this Truth; our new hearts are eternally captivated by the One whom we now adore.
This advent of Christ in us laid to rest our old man with all its sins and stains. Darkness must take flight in the presence of Light. Now, made new, His resurrected brilliance shines through us. Our new man beckons to all who will, saying: “Come, see a man who told me all things I ever did. Can it be that this is the Christ?”
His Spirit alive in us—Immanuel. Fully God yet fully man. A deep mystery.
On that first Christmas Eve, Pure Light entered this world in a sullied, fleshly vessel in order that He might be akin to us. Experience every aspect of our frail humanity; in every way save sin. How better to mediate for any man except having experienced, in the truest, the most intimate sense, all that a man has seen and felt and done and lived through: good, or bad? This Light of which Paul is speaking descended from heaven that He might live within each of us, intimately. Making a way back to having a right relationship with the Father possible by the eventual laying down of His life. I saw it written this way: God descended heaven in the form of His Son to prepare the way back to Himself. He came to be Redeemer of a lost and dying world.First, it was God above, God far from us. Then it became, in Christ, God with us. Finally, through His gifting us His Holy Spirit, it is now God in us.For God, who said,“Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” –2 Corinthians 4:6.
This same Jesus, this Light that shone in the darkness 2000 plus years ago, beckons to you and me now—still. Leaving heaven He came to us as a defenseless babe. For a time, the all-powerful One, Creator of heaven and earth surrendered His power, entrusting Himself into the hands of Mary and Joseph, His creations. He came not to condemn the world, rather, to offer it salvation in Himself. In His death and resurrection, He offers you, me, them, each of us, eternal life. Without Him, outside of His dunamis (the Greek word from which we derive our English word dynamite) power in us: His strength, ability, His moral power, His excellence of soul, His inherent power residing in us, His very nature within His; we can do nothing of eternal value. Starting with saving our own souls. Impossible outside of Jesus. Hence why we have such a deep need of this Light we carry in these our fragile, earthen vessels, His alone.
In this advent season, this season of a million and one shining lights, won’t you ask the One True Light to come into your heart?
I promise, as one who has received His precious Gift, Jesus is, by far, the only Present you will ever need in this, or any season.“For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you” –Ephesians 5:14 (emphasis my own). And what is “this reason?” That you might leave behind every sinful thing, every deed committed under the cover of darkness. And, then, after having surrendered your life into His loving care be filled with His Light that you too will, in turn, shine it into this lost and dying world. Becoming a beacon then for, “whomsoever will…”
We are a team of Christian Authors and Teachers dedicated to sharing the Innerant Word of God with those hungry to receive Biblical Truth. Follow us as we follow Christ at Sonsofthesea.org
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