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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Submission

Getting UnStuck.

November 16, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’ This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” –Romans 4:17.

Today, I felt led to share this word of encouragement: We serve a God who brings dead things to life. Who creates new things out of nothing—out of those who feel like nothing.

If you are stuck, wanting to believe for more, question whether your life and faith will ever change and grow. Will God really do all He’s promised to do? Then I pray this encourages and gives you direction. The hope needed to keep believing in Jesus. I pray it reminds you of the power of the Living God you serve and how even the Fathers of the faith experienced feelings of being stuck. So don’t panic—Jesus does not condemn you for feeling stuck—even Father Abraham wondered if his situation could change. Still, God had a plan for Abraham, and He has one for your life.

 “God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” –Genesis 17:15-17.

Remember, beloved, God alone has the power to change your life and circumstances.

God caused two dried-out old bodies to bring forth new life. He allows us, desires for us—sent His One and Only Son to us so that we might one day be partakers of every promise He made to and through Abraham—that dried-up old man. Who, by the way, felt stuck himself at times—as did his wife, Sarai. In Genesis Chapter Fifteen, we read about a conversation between God and Abraham. God promises this old, childless man he’ll be the Father of nations and have his own child with Sarai. But Abraham is stuck. To his thinking, their combined old age can’t add up to them having their own child.

But God said it would be so… and so it was.

So what do you think He, who is no respecter of persons, will do with your dead hope—your feeling stuck, that nothing—that you, dear Christian—will never change? I’ll remind you your feelings are just that, feelings; they’re fluid, changeable, and fickle, regardless of their weightiness. If you let them, they’ll sink you—robbing you of life, trust, and hope. Robbing you of your Isacc. They have attempted to hijack your mind, exalting themselves over Christ’s Sovereignty in your life, and now they must bow before Him—relinquishing their temporary grip over your heart. Instead, you must remind them of the Truth—it’s the only sure way to conquer them—taking them captive rather than allowing yourself to be held captive by them.

Something not easy to do when they’re screaming in your ear, doing their level best to extinguish all hope and belief—faith that anything in life can or will get better than it is right now—yourself included. Just give up. You’ll never be more than your past—or present because you’re inextricably locked in their grip.

But Truth says: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” –Romans 8:11. You, child of God, possess so great a Power within you that, if you ever truly grab hold of this Living Truth—you’d never be the same. Though this verse speaks of our resurrected bodies, as written in a previous chapter, Paul doesn’t want you to miss this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave affords you unimaginable spiritual power right now.

It’s likely why Holy Spirit had Paul remind us of these following Truths:

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” –2 Corinthians 10:5. To become unstuck, we must partner with God’s Holy Spirit, remembering He will not force Himself upon us; we must open ourselves to Him, giving Him and the Truth of His Word our undivided attention.

We must remember our lives are no longer our own; they belong to Christ now.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” –2 Corinthians 5:17. Knowing we are weak creatures—sheep He calls us, God’s Holy Spirit, coupled with His Inerrant, Living Word, reminds us of who we truly are now—a new creation. Christ in us—His will, His plans, His timing, and Sovereignty in all things, His Truth ruling the throne of our lives, choices, and will. We must repent of allowing ourselves to believe we’re somehow entitled to some thing we feel is missing in our lives.

“Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.” –Luke 10:19. We must consciously turn away from every feeling that frightens and paralyzes us by intentionally and actively aiming our thoughts at Truth, God’s Living Word, our Source. Christ alone offers the Christian—life, hope, joy, and complete satisfaction.

Our fickle feelings don’t stand a chance against such Sovereign Power.

We are not God and have no idea what is best for us. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Philippians 4:6-8.

So, how does God’s Word get us unstuck?

“Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.” –Colossians 3:2-3.

Choose to take God at His Word by believing the Truth, not the lie. Trusting in the power of His Holy Spirit alive in you—that same power that raised Jesus from the dead who can and will free you if you allow Him. Because perhaps, just perhaps, your feeling stuck is, in fact, God’s way of lovingly enabling you to come face to face with your own fleshly dissatisfactions so that He might once and for all rid you of them because, at their core, your dissatisfactions are you playing god. You’re telling Him you know better than He what you need right now—what is best for you. That your current state of life is, in fact, not good. It is you forgetting you are no longer your own and have said, claimed, and professed to trust Jesus—at all times.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” –Isaiah 55:8-9. You’re feeling stuck has not taken God by surprise—He saw this coming even if you didn’t. Dare I say God allowed it. To bring good from it. To restore and bless you somehow. God is being God. Using feelings, He permitted you to experience (being stuck, powerless to change, questioning if you can really change—is it really possible, or are you too old? Too far gone. Is it too late? Can it really happen still?) To redirect you, bring about hope and His perfect plan for you. To rid you of fleshly feelings and desires that in no way reflect His Son to this lost and dying world. The answer is a resounding yes, by the way, to each of the above questions.

“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” –Romans 8:28. Beloved, trust that God is at work in you now, amid your feelings. He has a good plan for you—for your life. Trust His timing. Trust that your Good Father knows best what’s best for you.

And dear friend, if you are feeling stuck in this world, longing to be finally free of its hold on you, there is a way out. It starts with you asking Jesus into the life you so desperately want to be changed. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. –Romans 10:9-10.

Fixing Your Heart on God.

August 13, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves— cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.” –Jeremiah 2:13

In Jeremiah, Chapter Two, God describes Himself as the fountain of Living Water, reminiscent of how Jesus referred to Himself in John 4:13-14. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Could this have foreshadowed who God’s Holy Spirit would be to us?

God tells Jeremiah that He alone is the fountain of Living Water, its Source. Through Jeremiah, God asks his people, “what more can you possibly need?” Jesus’ saying that He can give anyone Living Water is groundbreaking to those who know the Scriptures. If Jesus can provide this Water, it must surely be the Spirit of God flowing from the Father Himself.

Within Jeremiah 2:13, God paints a beautiful picture of humanity seeking fulfillment in things that don’t last.

A cistern is a secondary source of water. For example, a cistern would hold water from rainfall. These cisterns could dry out quickly and wouldn’t fill again until there was an overflow from something else or another rainfall. A fountain, like a spring, is a primary source of water. A constant flow of water from which you can continually draw. God is telling Jeremiah His people have abandoned Him for a secondary source of belonging. They have abandoned the True Source for a low-quality, unfulfilling version. One that will leave them sick spiritually and, ultimately, would destroy them.

I see some of us in this picture—today’s Christians that is.

A people who too often neglect God for a lower-quality source of fulfillment, still, I invite you today to read the message found in the book of Jeremiah as a call to humble yourself and return to the Father.

The book of Jeremiah is centered around a prophet in the Old Testament by which this chapter was named. He came from a line of priests in a town called Anathoth, believed to have been about 3 miles Northeast of Jerusalem. We know that Anathoth was still part of the Israelites’ territory because the settlers there were priests from the tribe of Benjamin, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Because of the amount of lamenting we read from him, Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet.” At first, I thought he was just an emotional guy, but as I dove into this book, I realized his weeping resulted from a touch from God that had given him a heart for God’s people—Jeremiah’s heart was hurt by what hurt God’s.

While judgment seems to be a theme threaded throughout the entire book of Jeremiah, we also feel the ache of God’s heart for His people.

We read of God’s desire for His people to be restored to Him before His judgment comes. While the Bible does not talk much about Jeremiah’s life before becoming a prophet, it tells us Jeremiah came from a line of priests, indicating he grew up learning the scriptures. He was not rogue when God called Him. Following the examples of the prophets in the Old Testament, Jeremiah was mentored before stepping into his calling. Jeremiah had submitted himself to the Temple’s work and to serving Anathoth’s people when God called him to be a prophet. The interesting thing about God calling Jeremiah is that his tribe was outside Jerusalem. Year’s prior, King Solomon had banished this tribe from the Temple into Anathoth because of their disloyalty to him. Their being banished tells us Jeremiah came from a line of priests who could only serve the people to a degree but could no longer offer sacrifices in the Temple.

Why would God call someone from this family instead of a priest with full access?

Asking this question of you, Christian, asking it of us all, why would God call sinful people only to banish us from His presence? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- God is not afraid of our past, status, or reputation. He has a way of redeeming what seems lost to fulfill His divine purpose. Jeremiah had a specific assignment: to restore the hearts of God’s people to the Lord.

Jeremiah was called to talk to God’s people about God, above interceding for them; God already knew their transgressions and hearts were callous towards Him. The funny thing about this is that we often expect God to force people to choose what’s right, but our praying usually has to be coupled with action. “Faith without works is dead” –James 2:20.

We can pray for our brothers until our dying breath, but if we never open our mouths to sharpen them or tell them about Jesus, we will have only made it halfway. Praying for someone is what prepares their heart. Actions plant the seeds the Holy Spirit will water. Excuses don’t work with God. Jeremiah was a young man who tried to use his youth as an excuse to avoid his calling, but God nipped that in the bud by telling Him that he was purposed for his calling long before he was born. “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” –Jeremiah 1:4-5.

In that moment, the Bible tells us, “The Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words. See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant”– Jeremiah 1:9-10. Jeremiah is then filled with the Spirit of God and calls Israel out on their sins as a nation. He also begins to feel the sadness of Israel’s repeatedly turning away from the God who had saved them—time and again. I get the sense that God felt the betrayal by the people that He had chosen long ago to be His family. Remember, the first commandment of the Mosaic law is this: “you shall have no other god before me”– Exodus 20:3. Yet again, Israel had worshipped other gods, even making an idol of the Temple. “Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” –Jeremiah 7:4.

Israel had turned the Temple into a god instead of turning to God, seeking His presence.

The Temple became Israel’s cracked cistern. What’s yours?

If turning God’s Temple from their Source into a “cistern” wasn’t grievous enough, the Israelites also turned to pagan gods. Any other source save God alone, any cracked cistern, will never sustain you and will cause a depletion of your soul’s life.

Maybe your cistern is a significant other? Perhaps it’s your children, church, pets, home, your money? Where are your attention and affections focused? If Jesus is not the first thing that comes to mind, you’ve found a cistern.

God wants your heart.

He aches for you to come Home, tapping back into the Fountain of Life, His Living Presence in you, His Holy Spirit. Jesus is rich in love and mercy, and He abounds in blessings. God wants to bless you and provide for all of your needs. God wants to fill you with the joy and peace that can only come from His Pure, Living Water.

Hebrews 13: 8 reminds us: “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He wanted the hearts of His people then, and He wants them still. He wanted a family then, and He wants one now.

We were made for God, and in Him is where true peace is found.

Ask God today to expose your “cracked cisterns.” Then, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, which will cause you never to thirst again.

And friend, if you have not asked the God who gives all who ask His Pure, Living Water, ask Him today. Drink deeply, and be satisfied. No cistern you have used to date will truly satisfy your longings as Jesus can. “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” –John 4:13-14.

Biblical Submission…

February 27, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything” (Ephesians 5:22-23).

For the past few weeks, the overarching theme in my alone time with God has been His reveling that practically everything Jesus said, did, and how He commands us to live is counter-cultural. It often opposes and contradicts what society says is good or right. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not only compelling and transformative –it’s also confrontational. God’s Word confronts almost every societal norm and challenges the upside-down beliefs that spring up from them. Its fluid standards regarding love, success, modesty, femininity, sexuality, and marriage. It should be no surprise then that Lord commands believers’ standards to be different from those of the world. In the Book of Ephesians, we read that the Apostle Paul insisted on this: “I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking” –Ephesians 4:17.

And if anyone struggles to understand what Paul is saying, John makes this same message crystal clear listen: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” –1 John 2:15-17.

It is becoming more and more evident that sin is celebrated in our society. In contrast, hostility towards God, His people, and the things of God is on the rise. The world calls sin freedom and thus, celebrates it. Is it any wonder that those who follow Jesus Christ in this anti-Christian climate face so much resistance, hostility, and rejection? We live in a time where the majority rule holds sway over ever-changing societal norms of what is deemed right, and what is wrong. Where subjective feelings and opinions all too often superseded God’s Truth.

In my alone time with Jesus, I thought about the cost of both following and submitting to Him. The many ways in which His narrow path is vastly different from the wide-open road of the world. And it was during this reflective time that the Lord dropped the word “submission” in my spirit. And I began to question Him, “aside from submitting out of reverence for You, where else is submission commanded? Oh, yes – marriage!” At that moment, I didn’t understand why the Lord was speaking to me about submission within the bonds of marriage as I’m currently single.

But what eventually became clear to me was this: The place where we exercise biblical, counter-cultural behaviors is in our homes, specifically within our marriages. As a single, woman I’d never thought about submission in light of marriage. Then I visited the scriptures and found this passage in Ephesians 5:21-33 which states: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, of which he is the Savior. As the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the Church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the Church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

Talk about counter-cultural! In today’s climate, just the term “submission” alone invokes negative reactions and imaginings. And yet, we witness people submitting to one another daily. CFO’s submit to CEO’s. A child to its parents (Ephesians 6:1). And as citizens, we each must submit to law enforcement and governmental authorities. Jesus, the Son of God, submitted to God His Father (1 Cor. 15:28). The universe submits to Christ (1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22), and even demons submitted to the disciples (Luke 10:17).

Each of us must submit to someone or something in some capacity at some time in our lives.

The Lord showed me how it would be useful for me to come into a deeper understanding of biblical submission now, especially since I desire to become a wife someday. Serving my husband will be a form of submission, a way in which I will exercise honor and obedience towards Him. As I read and prayed, God opened my mind, enabling me to understand that the world’s practices and ideas concerning submission in marriage contradict those practiced in a genuine God-glorifying, traditional, biblical marriage. Before I had a relationship with Jesus, culturally speaking, submission meant a man having control over a woman. For me, the word submission was rooted in toxic, controlling, misogynistic, and outdated ideals. However, God and Scripture have taught me otherwise. And while it breaks my heart to imagine anyone in an unhealthy, controlling marriage – please know this: that was never God’s design for marriage.

The Lord intends marriage to be a loving, intimate, intentional, and God-honoring covenant.

And any marriage that genuinely glorifies God will require obedience to His authority. It also requires that a wife be willing to submit to her husband as he lovingly exercises authority over her. (In this, we witness the Bride, the Body of Christ, willingly offering herself to God; Christ, Head over His Body.) The woman’s submission to her husband and her husband’s loving-kindness towards her honors the Lord, and it serves as a model of service one to another. “Male and female he created them…” –Genesis 5:2. Each of the partners having a unique yet complementary role. “And the LORD God said, ‘it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’ –Genesis 2:18 From the very beginning, the Lord’s design for creation involved order and separation (heaven and earth, light and dark, morning and evening, male and female, etc.)

In an article on the “Focus on The Family” website, author Jeff Johnston sums-up this concept of biblical marriage beautifully:”

It is out of the diversity and distinctive separateness of male and female that we humans are called to not only reflect the image and likeness of God, but we also represent God in the stewardship of His good and wonderful creation (Genesis 1:28-29). Male and female also reflect God as they come together in unity in marriage and are joined as “one flesh” (see Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19: 3-6; Mark 10: 6-9; Ephesians 5:28-32). This coming together as one flesh is unique in that the sexual union brings forth new life that will also somehow look like God and bear the imago Dei. As we are “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,” we spread God’s image around the world (Genesis 1:28).

Friends, biblical submission is not about control nor oppression. Biblical submission within marriage is rooted in God’s beautiful, divine, and unique order. It is the unifying picture of the Lord and His bride –the Church. While the heavens display God’s greatness, God chose humankind to bear His image; we each created in His image and likeness. And within the bonds of the covenant of marriage, we find the biblical model of divine order: love, servanthood, and leadership. God’s marriage order (God 🡪 male 🡪female 🡪 children) does not imply inequality or inferiority rather divine order –Ephesians 5:21-33. In biblical marriage, the Lord Jesus is its center. He alone reigns over each partner, and not one partner ruling over the other. Each then submits to Him, and each other, out of reverence and love for Jesus. “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” –Ephesians 5:21.

Men are called to love their wives just as Christ loved the Church. Jesus gave His life for us, pursued us when we denied Him, loved us when we were unlovable; men are called to love their wives with this same kind of love! “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the Church— for we are members of his body” (Ephesians 5:25 – 28).

I don’t know about you, but that sounds to me like a remarkably high calling to me! Love is at the very core of this unique calling. Husbands are called to cleanse their wives, washing them in the Word, loving their wives as they love their own bodies. We are to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37). We are to love our enemies (Matthew 43:48). We are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) – and for a husband, his closest neighbor is his wife. Both a wife and her husband are called to die to their flesh, their “me first” predilections – that doesn’t come naturally. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit at work in both partners. Submission is counter-cultural. Trusting your husband’s lead is counter-cultural. Loving your wife as God loves His Church is sacrificial; it too is counter-cultural—because biblical love in and of itself is, counter-cultural.

While the world may view biblical marriage as a woman yielding or giving up her individual liberties, it is instead embracing and submitting to the divine order God has established for her with the bonds of marriage. The obedient wife does not wait for orders. Instead, she tries to discern her husband’s needs and feelings and responds in love. When she sees her husband is weary, she encourages him to rest; when she sees him agitated, she soothes him; when he is ill, she nurses and comforts him; while he is happy and elated, she shares his joy. Yet such obedience should not be confined to his wife; the husband should be obedient in the same way. When she is weary, he should relieve her of her work; when she is sad, he should cherish her, holding her gently in his arms; when she is filled with good cheer, he should also share her good cheer. – St John Chrysostom, 4th Century AD

Friend, if you are single now, yet desire to be married one day, it’s never too early to learn God’s design for the covenant of marriage. And, if you’re married, re-membering His plan can serve as a refresher. A reminder that we need to die to ourselves daily. To be intentional within the bonds of marriage. And to submit one to another lovingly. As Christians, we have not been called to live as the world does. As Christians, we are called to follow and abide in Christ. To follow His will and ways, even if it makes us look upside down in the eyes of the world.

However, challenging it may be to follow the narrow path while living in this world—your soul will undoubtedly be filled to overflowing with joy and your heart at rest and satisfied when you do. As a former atheist, I can attest to this: the world will not satisfy the deepest longings of your soul–only Jesus Christ alone can do that. I’ve counted the cost and continuously find Jesus to be worthy. However counter-cultural it may be, are you willing to courageously accept Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior?

If You’ll Just Follow… Mark 8:36

December 23, 2018 /

 “For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world [with all its pleasures], and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul and eternal life [in God’s kingdom]?”

If you’d be so kind as to indulge me for a moment or two—I promise you, by the time we part company today, we’ll have discovered some Truths together…

Today I was led to the book of Zechariah.

It’s where my journey with the Lord began this morning. But, before I get into what He revealed, allow me to share just how joy-filled it is to sit at the feet of the Lord and have Him open the eyes of my understanding to His Truth! It’s as humbling today as it was the very first time the proverbial light-of-my-understanding was flicked on! Just like that, out of seemingly nowhere, bam! Truth is realized! And, as a result, I am forever changed in some great or small way. And so are you! Or, you certainly can be! Take a moment to think about that the next time you’re in your Word. The Creator of the universe is right there with you whispering His Truth into your spirit; causing your belly to jump in response to His presence with you!

Elizabeth knew a thing or two about this…

But it was the mention of being “brought through the fire” in verse 9 of Zechariah 13 that caused me to pause today. It resonated with me. In its reading I was reminded of a Word the Lord had spoken to me almost a year ago now concerning my imminent relocation. Sitting with Him one morning I had heard the Word ‘crucible’ drop in my spirit. I knew this was a Word concerning the season He was leading me into.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been walking with the Lord long enough to know that when you hear a Word like that drop in your spirit—buckle up! This was not going to be a mountaintop season—no refreshing time by the brook for this gal! This was going to be one of those walking through the shadow of the valley of death deals! Mine that is. I knew God was about to do a deep work in me. I also knew it was time…

Let us be re-minded that in this season of giving the very act of giving itself is designed to cost us something…

My first clue came in a “suddenly” moment. Standing at my kitchen island I heard the Lord say, “take your hands off of it.” Foolishly in the moment I thought He was referring to the new home He had just provided. In other words, “don’t get too attached to it.” See He’d dealt with me in the past about making idols of “things”. So, it was easy for me to see this as a reminder: This is a gift, NOT a possession!

Hence the hands-off thing…

I had no idea in that moment however, that in a just a few short months, not only would I leave that new home behind but with it my family, friends, my church family, my ministry work, and, the islands I so love. Those same Islands God has been bringing me back and forth between for the past 27 years! Would I ever come back?  Like I said, I had no idea this was coming. His ways are surely not mine!I would love to tell you that I was all super-spiritual and instantly—joyfully obeyed His command to pack it up, give it away, and go where He was leading me. But that would be a lie. However, I did pack. I did give away what I was told to, and I did go amid one of the worst hurricanes the Islands had seen in years. So severe was this storm that just 48 hours prior to my departure there were no flights off the islands due to the menacing wind. Only by Gods divine Hand was the storm turned away and literally swept out to sea.

His Word will not return to Him void…

Allow me to pause here and clarify something important: I was joy-filled to hear from God; that is my Spirit-man was. My flesh on the other hand, not so much.

Now you may be thinking, nice testimony, but what does this have to do with today’s scripture, or to your earlier reference of being led to the book of Zechariah? It’s here then that I will thank you for patiently following along. More, where I will start filling in the pieces of this puzzle for you…

In this season when everyone is running around searching for the perfect gift to give, it was in and through each of these passages that the Lord re-minded me of that one “perfect gift” He requires from us—from me, His children. A heart of obedience. One completely surrendered to His Lordship. After-all, it’s a large part of the reason He came for you and me. Why He chose us. Why He allowed Himself to be wrapped in milk rags and sleep in the leftover straw meant for animals. It’s why He gave up heaven and took on human flesh. It’s why that same flesh was ripped open by the Roman lictors whips. Why He held His Cross as one would hold their lover. It’s why He laid down upon it—willingly, stretching Himself wide; He wanted there to be room “for all who will” inside the Inn of His Body. It’s why this Spotless One took on every filthy thing I have ever done, said, thought. You too. He did this, and so much more, for us both. He did it for each soul that has ever been, is now, and those yet to be called by His great name.

Is there anything we might gain that is worth having outside of Jesus?

Is a fine home, a car, beautiful furnishings, cash in the bank, exotic destinations, the best of spouses or a house filled with children; never mind some finely wrapped gifts given us at Christmas worth having if our not knowing Jesus is the price we must pay to have them?

I say no. There is nothing. No thing I would exchange for knowing, and being both known and loved by my Lord. Nothing. And, that’s scary to say out loud. Though I know that I know He works all things together for my good—those “things He’s working with” are often exacting. Yet still, it’s on trembling knees I lovingly say, “not my will but Thine be done.” After all, I am His. Who else is there for me but Him?

It was in reading Zechariah 13 verse 8 that I was re-minded I have been chosen in Christ Jesus. Saved to serve my Savior. And, in verse nine how it is through this fire of adversity spoken of—this election of sacrifice and refining, that He burns off my dross. One day we will—I will, stand before Him spotless and without wrinkle. Oh, glorious day! It was during this same time that a verse we sing at this time of the year found its way into my heart. Thinking of it again now I am brought to my knees: “Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth…”

Oh, night divine! Oh, holy night…!

And there is it. My life, your life, the greatest gift we will ever receive laid out for us in nine simply profound and life-changing words. My worth—your worth, is found in Christ alone! Be re-minded of that in this season of hope beloved! Receive this precious gift friend. Is there any “thing” He might ask of us that is too great to give back to the One who came as Gods greatest, most costly gift to the world?

Friend, if you’ve yet to meet Him—to experience the life-changing joy of His birth, don’t let this Christmas pass without finding your way to His side and bow before Him in humble adoration. And, if you’re unsure just how to find Him, fear not, He is as faithful to guide you today as He was to those lowly shepherds so long ago… “And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” … Luke 2:12-14!

And, to my brothers and sisters I welcome you to join me in worshiping anew our King. The greatest gift we will ever be given, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. May His star burn brightly in your hearts. And, may it be used as it was that first night to lead those who will to Him…

 

“Stay Low.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

November 4, 2018 /

 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”.

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried”. G.K. Chesterton

Peter was addressing the elders responsible for overseeing and instructing the believers and new converts. He instructs them to be earnest in their undertaking— to lead from a place of genuine love and care for those God had entrusted to them. He admonishes them not to lord their position of authority over any of these. Basically, don’t take advantage of the least of these in any way. Neither were they to carry out this sacred calling hoping to make a buck—looking for some “opportune” opening to fleece the flock and line their proverbial pockets. He was also admonishing both the new believer as well as the elder to be submissive one toward another—humble. Reminding them that pride comes before destruction… “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” –1 Peter 5:2-3.

Perhaps this admonition was born from Peter’s own failures to do this very thing. Staying low—being humble?

Not that Peter ever stole from those he led. Nor did he lead them from a place other than a heart of genuine love and sacrificial service. Scripture certainly attest to this. He didn’t take advantage of his flock—rather, like his Master, he gave his life leading them towards the One he willingly died for. There was however a moment in Peter’s early walk with God that pride was a like, “a stone in his shoe”. Something that hindered his walk with God. Pride had caused Peter to sin. To deny knowing the One he left everything for—the One he undoubtedly loved above all else.

Peter was speaking from experience to all those gathered. It’s what added meat to the bones of his words. Making them so believable—so easy to receive.

G.K. Chesterton, a writer and lay-theologian, best known for his fictional character, Father Brown, was once asked, “what’s wrong with the world?” He bypassed the answers the author of said article thought surely would be tops on his list of probable responses: Flourishing wickedness, corrupt politicians, crime, unjust laws, or warring nations. Rather than any of these, Chesterton gave the reporter a simple two-word answer that left him slack-jawed! “I am”.

I am responsible…

Peter had learned what Chesterton had professed. And, he had learned it the hard way. Pride had caused him to fall. And it was a hard fall indeed. Peter was well acquainted with the undeserved grace of God. He knew first-hand of the power of Love and forgiveness, of unearned mercy. “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you. “Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” John 21:15-17.

Peter knew, in the depths of his soul, that whatever authority he and these elders had, had been given them as a gift from God; as was everything else they had. Even unto their very breath. It is from this place of being intimately acquainted with humility that Peter can offer-up these kernels of hard-won wisdom to the elders, to us. Leading them and us towards this realization that like himself, we each, will one day have to give an account of our service, our very lives, to Jesus.

It is as we walk in subjection to Him who is meek and lowly in heart that we can appreciate the preciousness of that grace which He gives to the humble. Pride is a barrier to all spiritual progress.

Being acquainted with this Truth, like any good dad, Peter poured out Truth after Truth into those that he loved—spiritual children entrusted to his care. Instructing them to: 1.) Remain humble. Don’t let the favor of God on your life allow you to get all puffed up. Seek God first. All else will come. 2.) Do all that you do from a pure and loving heart. Do it out of obedience to the One who has called you into His service. 3.) Don’t lord your position over those that have been entrusted to your care. Remember as quickly as the Lord gives, He too will take away. 4.) Guard your heart. You have an enemy that is always looking for a way to take you out. Even if that means taking out one that’s been given to you in order that he wound you to gain access into you. 5.) Repent quickly. Don’t give your enemy a crack in which to slither into. Humble yourself before God. He is faithful to forgive those who repent with a sincere heart. And the lessons went on and on until he had finished his race.

Peter, likening himself an equal to those he’d been entrusted with, faithfully fed them spiritual food that they’d  be made strong in the Lord and the power of His might. And, that they, you, and I, might remember his instructions on responsibility, submission, and humility in our hour of testing;when Satan asks to sift us. Peter knew that hour would come for us all. You can almost hear this “fisher of men” reminding us to stay low. To trust God only. Telling us that Jesus will lift us up in due season, if we’ll but humble ourselves under His Mighty hand. We are to take the lowly place of unquestioning submission to the will of God now, knowing on the authority of His Word that in the day of manifestation He will take note of all we have endured for His name’s sake, and He will then give abundant reward.

Friend, This Word came to examine me first. Causing me to bow low before the One who knows my tomorrow. Won’t you ask Him to search your heart and if He reveals anything within it that is not of Him—humble yourself, and repent. Confident that He is a good Father who is faithful to forgive.

And if you’re here today and have not asked Jesus into your heart—do it now. Don’t let another hour pass. Ask Him to forgive those sins you know are there—and those you are not aware of. He is faithful to forgive you—if, you’ll humble yourself before Him and ask sincerely…

“Do Your Part.” John 11:35

May 14, 2017 /

 

“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

This week’s teaching was meant to come out of the first Chapter of Colossians, and was also to be titled, “Doing your part.” That was the plan. And, though the title of this week’s teaching will remain the same, the text, however, was changed.

The Holy Spirit always has the final Word.

As I was preparing to type the original message given me, I went back into my Word for a bit more time with Jesus. And it was at that moment, when I picked-up my now opened Bible, that I began to read what was before me. It was the account of Jesus’s resurrecting of Lazarus. In the margin, I’d made a notation some time ago that reads: Jesus will handle the resurrection, you do your part.

I don’t believe in coincidence. So, that the very same words that were to be the title of this week’s teaching were right in front of me was not lost on me. God was trying to get my attention.

And He had it now…

You see, this, doing your part, has been an ongoing theme for me lately. And, It makes me wonder if perhaps you too aren’t hearing some version of these same words in your Spirit as well? To cooperate, submit maybe? I ask this because this much I know—it has been my experience that: The Word a human vessel receives from the Lord is first meant to minister to them, the hearer, and then flow outwards to those who will receive it…

As I read this Scripture, several points jumped out at me—

 

So, now, the first thing that caught my attention was the opening sentence. It informs us that Jesus was deeply moved— but why? What happened, touched Him so, that Scripture allows us a glimpse into how He’s feeling? I believe that to pr

Before we jump in, my prayer for you, for me, is this: that we will give our will’s, our wants, what may seem ‘right’—sound, to us, over to the will and calling of Jesus. That we will trust Him above all else. Putting to death all the internal chatter that clamors for answers to the life-robbing, peace stealing, why’s. May the exhale of our every breath be, Thy Will be done. Whether we understand it—or not. Whether it makes sense—or not. Even if we must say yes with wobbly knees and trembling voice—yes. We say yes. I say yes, to His will, His way, and, His Divine timing.

Yes Lord…

operly answer this, we must go backward a bit. Towards the beginning of this same chapter, we find the source of His pain. Jesus has informed His disciples that Lazarus, His friend, has died.

At first, they don’t get that he’s dead. Because Jesus had told them that Lazarus had ‘fallen asleep’. Naturally, their minds thought of ordinary sleep–rest. So, Jesus made it plain for them, stating emphatically that Lazarus was dead. He went on to tell them that it was good that He hadn’t been there to intervene. You see, Jesus was about to perform a miracle in the lives of so many through —this, His, one-act of obedience to God.

This is one of the many instances in the Bible, where we witness God’s ways—His thinking and knowledge being far above our own…

Now, standing before the tomb Jesus was also deeply moved by the pain his friends, Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters were feeling. Moved too because he witnessed the outpouring of grief that came from their friends and neighbors. Moved because His act of obedience to the Father to stay put earlier, to not go to Lazarus, His friend—to not intervene, not touch, and heal, as He had for so many, had allowed others to experience so much pain.

And so, “He wept.” He was after all, fully man—too.

But all of this—His pain and theirs, did not stop Jesus’ obedience to the will of The Father. To allowing Lazarus to die. There was a greater good that was about to come of this. Jesus knew obedience to the Will of The Father was more important than all else—obedience is paramount (Micah 6:6-8).

The second point that struck me was that an obstacle blocked Jesus’s way into Lazarus’ tomb. An obstacle blocked His entrance into the very place He needed to go—was required to enter, in order for the miracle He had come to perform to take place. And the Word tells us—makes us see, makes a point of Jesus’s saying, “Take away the stone.”

But why?

Wasn’t He already there—hadn’t He come to do His part? Raise Lazarus from the dead? So why move the stone? After all, He’s God. He could have had Lazarus walk right through it. Move itself, for that matter. So then, maybe moving this stone symbolizes something more? Goes beyond just the moving of an actual stone? Maybe this need to ‘roll a thing away’ points us directly towards our need to obey? Maybe it points us towards seeing the need to do our part—my part, your part, towards our choosing to listen to God’s voice and say yes to His command to roll away the stone that impedes His entrance into our dead places—so that, in His time, new life might come forth.

So, with that in mind, let me ask you, what is there in your life preventing Jesus from entering? And, are you willing to obey His command to roll it away?

Next, what caught my attention, were Martha’s words. When Jesus told those present to move the stone out of His way, Martha’s response was to tell Jesus no—don’t do that. What are you thinking? He’s been dead for days and it stinks in there! Sounds reasonable, right? After all, isn’t that what happens when we hide ‘our flesh’ in places we think no one can see? It festers—and, no good can come of that. It stinks. So, we choose to keep the tomb to our dead—shameful, painful—even prideful, ‘things’ sealed off—safe.

See! No stink here…

Is there something telling you, whispering, to keep things closed off, sealed away—your hurts, the shame, pain, fear, all that dead stuff inside. To keep it from Jesus?

Is it telling you, He won’t love you if He sees.

Beloved, that’s so wrong! It’s a flat-out lie!

See Jesus knows that for us to have True Life, we must let Him into our stinking—rotten fleshly places. We must agree to have the stone, our stone, moved away that He might have full access to us—to every yucky—stinking part of us!

He won’t come in unless He’s invited…

And, so, next we’ll see Jesus praying to The Father. Thanking Him for hearing His prayers. We hear Jesus saying, that it’s for the benefit of those gathered around that He came at all—that The Father had sent Him in the first place. But why?

Because the Truth is this: whatever Jesus is doing to us—in us, through us, it’s not just for or about us…

One part—a piece, of God’s Divine plan,  the moment He chooses to save each of us—was, is, an ability—through partnership with Him, to multiply our capacity to impact this world for the sake of His Kingdom—our home. We are saved, in part, to be used—to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this lost and dying world. To be vessels used by Him—each uniquely gifted and equipped. We know this is Truth because again—as always, The Word confirms The Word made Flesh…

Listen to Jesus speaking to His Disciples—to us of our responsibility: “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Or more, in Acts 1:8: “…. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere–in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

And, lastly, after the stone had been rolled away—after He had been granted access, after the shame of the stench of rotten flesh had been exposed, and, after prayer, then, and only then, was the true purpose of His coming accomplished. New Life. All that hear His voice cannot help to respond—not even the grave can hold them back (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Rev, 1:18). “Lazarus, come out!” And He did. And we did, and many will continue to—all those that are called by His name must leave their dead things (the flesh) behind to be released into the Light of Life. Their salvation, their new life…

“Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Jesus will always have the final Word, in His divine time…

Yet, as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:13-16, we too, have a part to play. Here, now, listen: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘”Be holy, because I am holy.’”

Plainly put: We must do our part. After Jesus called Lazarus to come out, Lazarus moved, he acted. And so must we. “Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

“It’s Time for A Revolution!” Ezek. 18:27-32

October 29, 2016 /

graffiti-156018_960_720 Before we can do a thing—take part in it, we first must understand what “it” is. So, along that bent, what is this revolution of the heart, mind, and, way of living God is detailing to Ezekiel? What news will he share with the Israelite’s—with us?

Simply put—you will be judged according to how you live. Not how your mother or father, nor any others before you chose to live…

Here’s how Webster’s defines revolution: A sudden, radical, or complete change; a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something.

Revolution begins with personal—individual responsibility. It begins and ends there. God is telling Ezekiel that each man is responsible for his life—his actions, and their subsequent consequences.

You did it, you own it!

This thinking held by the Israelite’s, that they were judged for what their fathers did, was flawed (Ezek.18:20)—unless, and only,  as children often do, they were mimicking their parent’s sinful behaviors.

Then, assuredly, they should rightfully expect to suffer the consequences of their own sins and rebellion, just as their fathers will suffer their own…

It is in this way only that they, and in succession, we, share in the generational sins of our fathers…” You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exo.20:5) … this concerning the sin of idolatry. Anything we put in front, in place, of God…

It is only through Adam that every man shares in sin—and subsequently, the curse that was introduced into the world thus. And, like our first parent, we, like the Israelite’s, have learned well, how to play the blame game…(Gen.3:17-23).

Adam was the first to play the game—to attempt to sidestep his sin—his culpability…

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Gen.3:12). Emphasis my own.

Did you catch it? He is telling God; you did this to me. It’s all that woman’s fault. If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have done it! Why did you put her here?

It is a commonly shared— human trait to lay blame on others for our wrong, sinful, behaviors and choices. We will even go so far as to assign blame to God! Solomon told us there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc. 1:9)!

Adam completely glossed over his guilt—his choice. And so it was with the Israelite’s. They falsely blamed God for being punished for their forefather’s sins. The truth of the matter is, they were being punished for their own sins and rebellion against God.

And so will each of us, today, unless we break the cycle of blame and take responsibility for our sins against God. And, if you’re thinking; I’m okay, I’m a good person, I’m not like_____, I don’t need to confess and ask forgiveness of God—let His Word speak correction to you, listen; “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Rom.3:23).

Don’t miss that—the everyone and all. None of us are sinless or exempt from God’s just judgement…

That is the point of—the actual heading of, today’s chapter from which our verses are taken. “The Soul Who Sins Will Die.” Not because of what your mother or father, grandfather or grandmother did, not because of some supposed on-going family sin, but because you choose to do what is wrong in the eyes of God…

Until we take a revolutionary stance and say enough—no more! No more lies, no more blaming, and playing the victim, we will continue in our current behaviors—hardened by our sin, blinded in our rebellion, and we’ll miss the heart of God. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom.6:23).

And for those who profess to know God, profess salvation through His saving grace, no more taking one step forward to take two back using the excuse; but it’s what I know, I’ve been doing it for so long, I can’t seem to break free of it…

God is not pleased with that thinking and certainly not with the behaviors that are birthed from it, listen; “Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly” (Prov.26:11).

More to the point still for those who profess to know the Lord; “If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me” (Heb.10:30-31 Msg.).

So how do we start this Revolution? Humility…

Before anything in us can change—we must acknowledge we need to change. We must admit that all of our, “self-help” attempts to change our condition, our lives  have done little or nothing of lasting effect. And we’ve abandoned them in disappointment. Heaps of frustration, shame and self-loathing piled high on the floor of our lives.

While in front us , all we have left to face tomorrow with, our only remaining hope is…  whatever the next-best-thing might hand us…

Truth is, in-and-of ourselves, we are powerless to change—powerless to break the chains of sin, compulsion, rebellion, and, blame. We like the Israelite’s, and all those that have gone before us, must humble ourselves, acknowledge—own up, take responsibility for, our sins and cry out to the only one who can ignite this change, this revolution within…

It’s the only way to start a personal, powerful—truly life changing revolution!

And the wonderful news is you can start yours today—now, without delay, wherever you are.

How?

Here, let me help you…It all starts with you and God.

… “Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt.19:26). 

Salvation is not self-help.

Let me repeat that, salvation is not self-help. Don’t get it twisted! Salvation is not just another thing you do—or try, in some fickle-minded attempt to fix what you believe to be broken in your life. It’s not a magic wand.

Salvation is submission to a Divine decree—surrender to the undeserved saving grace of Jesus Christ. It is God first choosing you, loving you. It is Him on your cross dying in your place, for your sin…

So yes, true revolution begins with your surrender! your surrendering of your will for His will. Your plans, for His plans for you. Your timing for His timing. Self for service. Sounds contrary doesn’t it? That’s because what you need for a successful revolution will never, cannot be— found in this world…

Colossians says it like this; “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col.3:2). Jesus came to this world for one specific purpose. You. The work He did on His Cross—His choosing to die in your place, gave you the necessary tools, that if used correctly, can enable you to humble yourself and ask Him to come into your life, both as your Lord and your Savior…

Doing for you what He intended when He created you… “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11).

Revolutions don’t start accidentally, nor are they unplanned—willy-nilly, they require purpose, decision—planning. True revolution requires a blazing spark from a heart that has said—enough! Change—whatever the cost!

The thing about revolution—there’s never a right time to start one…

The right time is always today, now!

If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, ask Him in your heart—your life! “But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your loving kindness, Answer me with Your saving truth” (Ps.69:13).

Until next time beloved…Blessings.

“Dead Men Speaking?” Heb.11

October 15, 2016 /

people-1099783_960_720 “[Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking” (Heb.11:4). Emphasis my own.

These men of God, these stalwarts of the faith—eternal voices, esteemed each, and found in the Christian Hall of Fame, Hebrews Chapter Eleven, are no more dead—no more silent, than is Jesus. And Jesus is most certainly not dead! He is alive and speaking still, as are they—always, to His children—to the world!

There are times, that in order for us to understand where we are now and how it is we got there, we must look over our shoulder for a moment and evaluate—take stock of, our path, our journey. This is  what Paul, I believe, is reminding us to do in Chapter Ten’s conclusion. He signals us to remember those moments when we first believed, when we were on fire for the Truth—for God. We must rekindle those moments, afresh, again and again.

There is no price too great to pay to follow what burns in our hearts—what we hunger for, thirst after.  Paul reminds us that though time has passed—and with it’s passing, perhaps it’s taken some of our ardor also. Nevertheless, we must hold on, hold fast to, our passion for God. We must remain steadfast in faith. We must persevere…

He reminds us that none of us is promised a smooth path to follow. But he also states plainly that the one who went before us is coming back for us as well—and He won’t delay! That is our Hope delayed, but not denied! Yet this Jesus is not looking for—is not pleased with us when we shrink away from our walk with Him simply because it’s gotten hard…

Think how hard it was for Him. How hard it was for Abraham, Moses and Noah. For David, Mary, His mother, and Rahab, the prostitute. For Peter and John, Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. Even for Paul himself. How difficult it was for all those who choose to follow the call they knew came from God in the midst of a pagan world who wanted nothing to do with their Jesus…

Sound familiar?

Yet we, like they, gain our strength through The Holy Spirit, so that, we too may endure until the end. If we will turn our hearts to Him—crying out to the only One who can sustain us in our hours of weakness, our times of trials and loss and testing. And there will be testing. Jesus did not escape it, and we certainly won’t either. Like Master—like servant. We must hold firm to our faith. It was this very thing—this faith, this elementary foundational building block, which straightened their spines, these stalwarts, and aided them in putting one foot in front of the other when persecution, uncertainty and yes, fear, hunted them.

We, like with those who’ve gone before us, who’ve finished their race and received their crown, have been bought for a price. The ultimate price, The Atoning  Blood of Jesus. Christ’s sacrificial giving of His life in exchange for our own. Least we never forget!

Now,echoing across this Hall of Fame, we hear the footsteps of Abel—out first dead man speaking. “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.”

As we continue to listen to Paul’s naming of those found in this encouraging—life affirming, faith building chapter, next we hear of Enoch…

Enoch, Noah’s great-grandfather. Much like Elijah in Kings 2:11, Enoch too, was taken up to heaven, never to have tasted physical death (vs.5). Then comes Noah. Noah who in holy fear built the Ark that God instructed him to build—and he built it precisely as he was told…

He built it in the midst of persecution and torment. He built it though he had never seen rain. God had told Noah to build a boat—and he did it, by faith, in obedience. And as a result, he, his whole family, and those animals the Lord chose to enter this boat, were all saved from the coming flood. Through Noah’s faithfulness, God ushered in His judgement on a sinful world. You see, Noah was a type of the Christ to come—and Christ, through His obedience to the Father—offers Salvation for all who will…

An Ark…safety.

Concerning Noah and us all: Faith moves us to do those things we have no foreknowledge of—no reference point from which to spring forward. We are made to be solely reliant on the Christ whom we confess… (James 2:14-26).

And when we think faith, how can our minds not go straight to Father Abraham. Not only did he leave home and country when called to by God, also, when he was nearly 100 years old, he had the faith to believe a promise given him by the Lord under a starry, night sky. A promise which stated that from his withered, and all but dried-up body he would sire a child, Father a nation. And this promise would be fulfilled through the womb of his equally dried-up, and barren wife! It is never too late for God…

Faith is the evidence of things unseen, yet hoped for… (Heb.11:1).

Our Hall of Fame list goes on to mention such memorable names as, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph of the multi-colored coat. Who would save his entire family from famine—because by faith he endured pits and slavery, false accusations, deceptions and treachery, attempts on his life, and abuse at the hands of those he thought loved him—those whom he loved…

In this world you will have trials and tribulations, but fear not, take heart, for I have overcome this world… (Jn.16:33).

And, as I stated earlier, sometimes, in order for us to know how best to move forward we must look back to where we started—for the purposes of re-calibration, not in sorrow or longing for things past, God forbid! If we have been made new creations in Christ Jesus, why would we ever long to unite our new selves to the corpse of the dead selves we left floating about in our Baptismal waters? Though we are—and will be until Christ’s return, working out—learning this new self, this new relationship; it’s thinking and resulting actions.Each of these things will never be made complete should we continue to reach behind…

Paul says it this way, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil.3:13-14).

Each of those found in our Hall of Fame, as well as every Christian that’s gone before us, knew of one trait in our arsenal that was essential to or faith walk. Needed like air and water…

Perseverance.

Paul knew it. Paul’s faith, along with those mentioned in Hebrews 11, was fashioned in trials, made sure through perseverance. In faith believing that the One who started this new thing—this good work, would do just as He said He would, and complete it. That was His part—His promise to them, to us. Our part is the persevering through whatever comes. Through the fiery furnaces, through so much we’ll never understand this side of eternity. That is what Paul is teaching us—back there, in Chapter 10…

Paul says it this way: “But we are not of those who shrink away and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Heb.10:39). And not because of anything we’ve done…

Perseverance is the take-away when we look to God’s Word for how it is we’ll get through this world and all of its many trials and woes. It’s what lead us into Chapter 11, into Faith—the how of perseverance, its partner.

Why perseverance? Why Faith? The closing verses of our chapter gives us a glimpse—and sets us up for what is yet to come. Jesus. It was Jesus these stalwarts in our Hall of Fame wanted, served—yet did not know by name. They knew only the God of Laws and the Prophets. Paul tells us that, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Heb.11:39-40).

Jesus.

And how much more than Paul and Peter and John and Mark are we—witnesses to the fulfillment of the promise each of these Hall of Famer’s clung to. If we, like those before us, will continue to persevere in faith—in spite of, regardless of—come what may. Our joy too will be made complete! Our Faith rewarded…that we may see Him coming on the clouds, returning to bring us to Himself in glory!

“And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, Write: for these words are faithful and true” (Rev. 21:3-5).

 

 

 

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