A Faithful Bride

When public opinion becomes the basis for morality, a culture is broken. When Christians base their morality on love alone apart from the truth found in Scripture, the church is broken. The deification of man's opinion, even if the man is me, is spiritual adultery. Though we may call our choices--our words, "loving"--they are not. Loving God with all my heart is action--obedience. "If you love Me, keep My commandments," is the Bridgegroom's wooing of His bride. To not respond with the "yes" of loving obedience--in word and deed--is unfaithfulness, a betrayal of the God who so loved the world. For the Christian to respond with self-aggrandizing disobedience makes a mockery of grace--of the cross where Perfect Love died for the sins of the world--for my sins.

I cannot control public opinion.

I can by the Spirit's power love my Bridegroom with a life of obedience--a life of faithful love to His commandments--which, by the way, are not burdensome to genuine, committed love. "Love the Lord, God, with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. Be a pure and faithful bride.

His Love and Judgment

God's patience is proof of His deep desire to heal and restore. His preference is to not have to judge us so He patiently gives us the time to honestly examine ourselves and judge ourselves--to look honestly into the mirror of the Word and embrace the changes that need to be made through the Spirit's transforming power. But He will judge, discipline, if His patience is abused--mocked. Don't confuse God's gentle patience with your rebellion as an excuse for continued deliberate disobedience. Don't think that He doesn't care about your holiness. His love for you is so much deeper and stronger than that. He longs for a renewal of your relationship with Him--and will do whatever it takes to stimulate your love. Whatever it takes. He is a faithful God, full of lovingkindness.

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Loss of spiritual power is always gradual like the slow graying of an old man's hair. May God keep us sensitive to the Spirit's prodding, eager for confession and intimacy, thankful for the Spirit's love.

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Self-sufficiency, ingratitude, self-pity are all sins against God's love.

Who You Are

Remember who you are:

His dearly beloved
His brother; His sister
His joint-heir--and His inheritance
His friend
His holy one--set apart one
His light to the world
His salt in the world
His "majestic one in whom He delights"
His royal priest
His sanctuary--His Holy of Holies where He lives
His adopted child--adopted because His heart's desire is to spend eternity with you.

There is no who or what or when that will separate you from such intentionally lavished, eternal love. "Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice!"

Fearless

Words for our walk in today's world:

"These things I have spoken unto you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage--be of good cheer--I have overcome the world."

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world--our faith. And who is the one is overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and sound judgment."

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid."

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you."

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the refuge of my life; whom shall I dread?

"The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Rest in His peace--the victory has been won.
Take courage--be of good cheer.
You are an overcomer.
Be bold. His power, love, and mind are in you.
Have an untroubled heart.
Do not fear. He is your ever present help.
He is your light, your salvation, your refuge.

I will not fear.

Love

We are in no greater spiritual danger than when we begin to love the blessings God has given us more than we love Him. Perhaps in our arrogance we begin to believe that we have earned them, that we deserve them. No one--individually or corporately--who loves the blessings more than the Blesser has ever maintained a deep, satisfying, loving relationship with Him. And they have always found the blessings to be decidedly ephemeral.

 There is no love better than God's love. "More secure is no one ever than the loved ones of the Savior."

Image Bearers

To present the image of Christ to the world, I must

Express forgiveness even to those who are responsible for my cross. The only reason I need for forgiving them is that they have done something that needs forgiving. That's why He forgave me.
Diligently seek time to be alone with the Father--those moments when I am least alone
Be enthralled by the beauty of the world--the sparrow, the lily, the grass of the field--and sense the sorrow that permeates such a temporary fallen world
Always be moved with compassion in the presence of the needy--regardless of the reason for their neediness. And it must be a compassion that acts with whatever resources are available--dedicated to Him.
Meet physical needs with physical things.
Meet spiritual needs with spiritual "things"
Love the loveless
Weep with those who weep
Defend those who are more committed to spending time in His presence, learning at His feet, than they are committed to spiritual busyness. They will undoubtedly be criticized for having such a priority
Worship Him extravagantly--pour out my best for Him
Weep for those who reject the Father's seeking
Encourage the one who betrays me--remind them that He loves them and desires them to feed His sheep. Tell them that their failures qualify them for service--are a necessary part of coming to know Him and of learning to rely on Him more deeply.
Have a singing heart on the way to my Gethsemanes
Adore the little children
Embrace my "family"--those who are committed to doing His will above all else
Seek only the approval of the Father. Seek always to please Him
Speak the truth--always graciously, in love--but speak the truth
Dance and celebrate with the angels when one comes to repentance
Remember

The Enemy

Jesus loved the rich young ruler. When Judas betrayed Him with a kiss, He called him, "friend." On the cross He was pleading with the Father, to forgive. He deliberately sought out Peter who denied Him with vehement swearing, Thomas the doubter, and Paul the blasphemer. May God grant us the power of such gracious love. No one ever cared for you like Jesus? How do you, as the bearer of His image care for others--all others.

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Anyone who tries to tell you that works are necessary for salvation is an enemy of the cross. Paul tells us that our attitude toward such people should be broken-heartedness. Tears. Love. And love is always expressed in prayer.

Every Day

We all--I think--understand that the Christian walk can only be lived one day at a time. Yesterday and tomorrow are out of my control. But what does that mean on a "practical" basis?

Every day I must "eat"--desire the milk and the meat of the Word.
Every day I must respond to the Spirit's love by confessing my sin so that the day can be spent "walking in the light" of His presence.
Every day I must pray for my enemies, pray for God's blessing on their lives. Pray for those I am struggling to forgive that God might shower them with His blessings.
Every day I must cast my cares on Him.
Every day I must rejoice in who He is--regardless of how my circumstances change, He never changes--always with me, always faithful, always doing good.
Every day I must be sure that the words of my mouth are acceptable in His sight. My words must be unceasing prayers to Him.
Every day I must have a heart filled with thanksgiving for all things. I must learn to be content with each day.
Every day I must prayerfully put on the whole armor of God.
Every day I must set my affections--my treasures, my love, on the spiritual "things" that are eternal. I must surrender all that I am to Him as a living sacrifice.
Every day I must take up my cross and follow Him in obedient love.
Every day I must humbly remember that His love for me never changes--I am victorious every day because of His love and His strength.

Every day.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Reputation

A person's reputation--character--does not rest in his ability to live a sinless life free from mistakes. Thankfully. No, it rests in his honest confession, his "taking ownership," of his sins and mistakes, the depth of his genuine humility in asking for forgiveness from those he has hurt--intentionally or unintentionally--through his sin and failure, and the graciousness with which he readily forgives all those who have hurt him--or those he loves--by their sin and failures.

Love one another.

The Issue

We debate a lot of issues today:  music, order of service, salvation by grace alone, spiritual gifts, six-day creation, the priesthood of every believer, eternal security, all kinds of things in eschatology, even morality, and on and on.  But those things have never been the real issue--not since the beginning.  The issue, starting way back in Genesis 3, is the authority of Scripture.  Satan's attack was on the Word of God.  His weapons:  doubt, denial, and deception. Is that what God said?  Do you really think that's what God meant?  Surely, you don't believe that what He said will be the consequences for disobedience will actually happen?  And the battle has continued throughout history.  The message of the prophets was under constant attack.  Paul warns us that in the last days--those days that began when Jesus set foot on the earth--men will try to undermine the truth of God's Word.  Men will go looking for teachers who will tell them what they want to hear so that they can live the way they want to live regardless of the teachings of God's Word.  Men will become more and more the victims of deception and the perpetrators of deception--worse and worse as time goes on.  Most New Testament books warn us to be on the alert for false teachers, to try the spirits, to be sure the truths we are being taught have not been twisted or perverted to fit someone's personal point of view, to look out for Satan's servants who come as angels of light.  Like the Bereans we need to be students of the whole counsel of God; we need to test those teachers' ideas against the teaching of Scripture--no matter who the teacher may be.  As a teacher of God's Word,  I constantly pray that God will keep me from misleading those I teach.  I rightly am under a stricter judgment as one who opens the Word to others.  And being human I know at times I do error.  I pray as well that the Spirit will make the hearers forget those words that originate from within my self while imprinting on the hearts of my listeners the truths that I teach by the Spirit's guidance. The first person whose teaching I must examine is me.
I must be careful. It is not what does the verse mean to me, but what does it say. What did those words communicate to the one whom God choose to pen them?  How do those words fit into the whole counsel of God, the context of the situation?  My intellect and my personal experiences do not make me the 67th book of the Bible.  All the degrees behind a "scholar's" name do not make him or her the 67th book of the Bible.  Culture, science, the Talmud--you could add to the list--none of those are the 67th book of the Bible.  I am so prone to justify my experiences, to avoid at all cost being considered a fool, to worry about alienating those I deeply love and care for. 
I understand that as Paul affirms unregenerate man has no chance of understanding the Word.  The thoughts of God can only be spiritually discerned, and the man or woman without Christ does not have the Spirit. And yet I fear that even within the church God's truth can be undermined.  We must be prayerful, discerning students of God's Word.  We must be constantly on the alert for those who would deceive us--and nothing is more subtly dangerous than self-deception. Will those who deceive--intentionally or even accidentally--be held accountable for their deception. Beyond a doubt. But we will be accountable for allowing them to deceive us.  Pray for the Spirit's instruction and guidance, read, believe what God says is exactly what He means, and beware of those who would tell you otherwise.  Sadly, all false teachers come from the same place--inside the church.

Glory to His Name

An Encouragement:
"The Lord is my Shepherd. Is. Every moment of my life He is shepherding me. He is leading me, restoring me, providing for me, walking with me through every dark valley, preparing a table of blessing for me, letting the world know that He is on my side. Every second He is. Whatever I need that moment He lovingly supplies--over supplies. My cup can't contain His blessings. And it's a personal provision. Remember He calls His sheep by name. He is my Shepherd. So--I will fear no evil. I will embrace His comforting protective presence.

"Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me." All my yesterdays--for all the days of my life--He envelops in His goodness and His mercy. Some day when I see my yesterdays, I will be amazed at the goodness and mercy He showed me in each and every one of those days. My yesterdays have been transformed with the beauty of His goodness and the forgiveness of His mercy. So--I will rejoice and do good. Or--in other words--love the Lord my God with all my heart, and soul, and mind, and strength..And love my neighbor as myself. My tears will be transformed into the dance of joy. My failures will be a testimony to my overwhelmingly conquering through His love.

"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." What a future He has planned for me! He died that He might spend eternity with me. He has prepared a room for me in His Father's house. Our Father's house. I shall ever be with the Lord. Ever. So--don't let your heart be troubled. Believe. Trust His promises. Be of good cheer.

"Yesterday, today, forever Jesus is the same. All may fail but Jesus never, glory to His name.

Your today, your yesterdays, and your tomorrow--are in His loving care as The Good Shepherd of your eternal soul. Live the life that brings glory to His name.

Abiding

On the way to Gethsemane Jesus using the metaphor of The True Vine described for His disciples what an intimate relationship with Him would "look like." He called it "abiding." "The word means "to stay," "to continue on," to remain faithful and steadfast,"to stand by," "to dwell." Yes, Christianity is a relationship, but it is not just any relationship. It is to be an intimate husband-wife,bride-bridegroom relationship--intimate. Mutual. Holy. Pure. Unadulterated by a love for the things of this world and for myself. As His bride I should loving long for His presence, loving desire to do what pleases Him, trust completely in His love, His kindness, His goodness as active agents in my daily, intimate walk with Him. Abiding is empowered by love, by obedience, by submission, by trust. As someone has said, " 'The loving thing to do' is always to obey Him."
Abiding in Him is a necessity if I am going to be transformed into His likeness. Transformation requires that I spend time in His Word, the cleansing, pruning sword of the Spirit. Transformation requires total dependence on the Spirit to do the transformation. I can do nothing without Him. The attempts I make to spiritualize my nature are futile, inadequate, rebellious, spiritual pride. I am trying to usurp the glory that belongs only to Him and make it mine. Idolatry disguised as "spirituality." I must present myself daily as a living sacrifice; I must daily deny myself, I must daily be crucified with Christ so that I can, nevertheless, live through the faithfulness of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
And I must embrace the truth that it is--in this life--an unending, continual, transformation. In fact, the impetus for the transformation is that I am already bearing fruit. Remarkable, I have begun to be changed into His likeness. And so, His love presses on that I as a fruit-bearing branch will bear much fruit. And that fruit of the Spirit that abides in me is not my doing, nor is it for my consumption, but to touch others with that sense of His presence that inspires my love and obedience to my Lover. He would have them see Jesus. I am called to be a distributor--to glorify Him by leaving a sense of His loveliness wherever I go.
Transformation--day by day abiding--is not easy. God is in the taking away business--the pruning business. Any part of me that that hinders that cleansing He will remove. And I am not often eager to give up those sins and weights that I love to impress people with. Thankfully my Savior's love is patient but relentless. And He promises me all I need to abide--to remain faithful in a hostile world that because it cannot "attack" Him, attacks me. What are those promises to the abiding branch, to the beloved bride? Answered prayer. His joy in its fullness--the joy that endured His cross--the cross. A deep sense of His love for me. A spontaneous love for others. Participation in the transformation process with other branches. Amazement when I see Him use me to glorify Himself. A deepening experiential knowledge of His character that wonderfully deepens my love for Him which in turns makes obedience a joy not a burden. He gives all the strength I need--always only one day at a time--that I might abide in Him as He abides in me.

Yes, on the way to the garden, on the way to the cross, on the way to the tomb, He told His disciples I want an intimate relationship with you. Till death do us part. I am going to make that possible. And by doing so destroy death so that you can be with Me forever. Will you, now, living as an alien in this world, be My branch--my lover, my bride? Will you embrace my heart's desire to transform you into My likeness no matter what I need to take away? Will you obey Me? Will you love Me faithfully and steadfastly and continually no matter how the world responds? If I be lifted up, I will draw men to Me.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

The Ladder of Success

Solomon in Ecclesiastes tells us all about the "ladder of success." Those at the bottom feel oppressed and hopeless. They feel that it would have been better off if they had never been born. Those on the way up who view it as a rivalry fight against their neighbor instead of loving their neighbor as themselves. Those who do nothing starve to death. Those who are motivated only by the drive to succeed are never satisfied; they have no sense of accomplishment no matter what they do. Wind chasers, they end up going around in circles, arriving back where they started with no sense of joy. Those who make it to the top, even those who started out on the very bottom, find no comfort either. They just end up being the target of everyone's criticism and dissatisfaction. Everything you want is never enough. And the methods used to get there fall under the inescapable directive from God Himself: "You reap what you sow."
How then should I approach the ladder? To not get on it is foolish. To see it as a competition causes me to violate the second great commandment. (Which of course is a violation of the First Commandment.) To try to find self-fulfillment on it is impossible. To "make it" only brings conflict and disapproval. What's a Christian to do?
First, do whatever God has called you to do with a sense of His presence to guide you. Fear Him--reverence Him--in every decision you make. Do it for His approval alone. Loving your neighbor as yourself is required--commanded--in the business world as well. God's commandments cover every area of your life. Every. Second, remember that a "handful of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after the wind." Nothing is more essential to maintaining the strength and insight to do what you are called to do well--in a manner that glorifies Him--than times of rest. "Do not grow weary in well doing" requires times of not doing. When it's time to make a critical decision, get alone with Him. Find "rest for your soul." Third, don't do it by yourself or for yourself. Cherish those partners God has given you in the endeavors of life, those who will help you up when you fall, those whom you can help up when they fall, those who join hands with you in the face of danger, trials, and testing. Christianity is a group project--and the work God has given you is not secular, it's sacred. You can't make it on your own.

So:

You are called to do something with the gifts, talents, and passions God has given you. Don't despise your gifts.
You are not in a competition but a cooperation. Lean on the "pillars" God has given you. Be a "pillar" they can lean on. And remember "iron sharpens iron." God gave you your friends to at times be a "pain in your side." Sharp beats dull every time.
Grab hold of opportunities to rest. Grab hold of opportunities to rest. Grab hold of opportunities to rest. Rest is good.
Where you are on the "ladder" is irrelevant; how you conduct yourself there is sacred. It is God's work you do--whatever it is.
You will not find fulfillment there; that is found in Christ alone and the depth of your abiding fellowship with Him.

It's not actually a ladder: "Take up your cross daily and follow Me."

Worthiness

To refuse to forgive someone is to imply that I am more worthy of His love and grace than that person is. No offense, but I've got my doubts. Love you.

Stumbling Blocks

Paul tells us that if someone honestly believes that doing a certain thing is sin--even if it falls under the liberty we have in Christ--to them it is sin. For me to encourage them to do that thing they believe is sin is to be a stumbling block in their growth to spiritual maturity. God's not very pleased with stumbling blocks. Be a building block instead--love them, encourage them, build them up where they are and let the Holy Spirit do the teaching and changing. To truly embrace the liberty that I have in Christ is to be willing to give it all up in order to not be a stumbling block to others. Wouldn't it be sadly--tragically--ironic to condemn someone else for being a Pharisee and thus become the biggest Pharisee of them all? Spiritual pride is so subtly infectious.

Every Nation

Every nation that exists is under the power of the "prince of the air"--and we all know who that is. Every nation--from it's very formation--its beginning--until today. That includes the one you live in. Do you evaluate its history from that clearly biblical point-of-view? Genuine ambassadors of Heaven do. Be sure you know where your citizenship lies. Be careful what you "worship."

Qualified

Aren't you glad Christ came to save sinners and not the righteous? I confirm my eligibility every day. To be the worst of sinners doesn't disqualify anyone; in fact, it makes them the most eligible. We need to see all sinners--and treat them--as prime candidates for sainthood--the very people for whom He willingly died. Just like us. Aren't you glad that God has more grace than all the sin in the world?

 "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Not might be--will be. All the other "stuff" is extra. Not that obedience is unimportant--it's the only way I can show Him how much I love Him--but it is not what saves you. And, yes, growth is evidence of life. But no one is saved by works of righteousness.

Mindset

The Modern Mind:
"The fool has said in his heart that there is no God."
"The things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to him and he is powerless to understand."
"They become futile in their speculations. Professing to be wise, they become fools"
"Ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
"They walk blindfolded in a world of illusion. and are cut off from the life of God through ignorance and insensitivity. They have stifled their consciences and then surrendered themselves to sensuality, practicing any form of iniquity that lust can suggest."
"And every man did what was right in his own eyes."

The Challenge to us:
"But you have learned nothing like that from Christ, if you have really heard His voice and understand the truth that Jesus has taught you. No, what you learned was to fling off the dirty clothes of the old way of living, which were rotted through with lust's illusions, and with yourselves mentally and spiritually remade, to put on the clean fresh clothes of the new life which was made by God's design for righteousness and the holiness which is no illusion."
"Be careful that nobody spoils your faith through intellectualism or high-sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men's ideas of the nature of the world, and disregards Christ."
"May your spiritual experience become richer as you see more and more fully God's great secret, Christ Himself. For it is in Him, and in Him alone, that men will find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

So:

"Dress" right. Don't wear the world's "emperor's new clothes." Live right.

Develop a world-view based on God's ideas--and they are not God's opinions--of what man and world are really like. Guard your mind. Think right.

Focus on Him--the Author of the written Word and the perfect example of the Living Word--"full of grace and truth." Immerse yourself in the study of the life of Christ. Lay up the right treasures. Serve the right Master. Be an example of the believer in word and truth.

We have the mind of Christ.

A Hundredfold

The Christian walk: Total dependence on Christ, submission to all the other members of His body and bride--the church, a daily, willing death to self. To act independently of Christ's loving claims on one's life, to forsake the fellowship of the body, and to live for self leads irrevocably to spiritual disaster--for the believer and for all those he or she claims to love. The sorrow caused by those who deny His Lordship, despise the church, and make choices to please themselves indifferent to whoever the hurt caused by their selfishness is heart breaking. And do not those who love most deeply suffer most deeply because of those choices? Starting with Him whose heart is love.

:"Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he reap." And the harvest produced by the sowing of one seed can be a hundredfold.

Pressing On

Reflecting on 69 years of life can be instructive. How many days, hours, minutes, seconds has that been? Lots--I think that should be the answer to most math questions. And yet, most of the time it doesn't seem like "lots." A "time for everything" as Solomon puts it. Good, bad. Exciting. Mundane. Clear. Muddled. Empty. Full. Right choices. Wrong choices. Success. Failure. Yes. No. Breakthroughs. Frustrations. Faith. Doubt. Laughter. Tears. Energized. Exhausted. Calm. Seething. You get the idea. One truth I have found out about Him over and over again--a truth that always keeps me pressing on: He cares.