Reflections for October 2018

Often, the "poor" are just as susceptible to the danger of the love of money as the rich--and just as caught up in the all kinds of evil that such love generates. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven or the intense, blinding darkness of materialism will be the "light" of your life. A life of continual stumbling--continual "tripping up"--is the result. The lure of prosperity is one of the Devil's greatest weapons in destroying a man or woman's soul. Nations too.
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"The heart of man is desperately wicked; who can know it?"


Guard your heart!
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Invest your money in the needs of people.  The interest rates will be sky high--heavenly even.
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Everything the person you vote for does, he or she does with your full permission.
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So many of the "good things" that happen to bad people aren't actually good things.
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Why is it that a man or woman's character matters--unless he or she is doing something we like?
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God already defined morality--right and wrong.  You don't get to.
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Just because you call the golden calf you've built "Jehovah," that doesn't mean that it is.  Be sure you are worshiping Who not what.
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Don't forget your prayers of remembrance today.
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Every day through our circumstances, our regrets, and our fears, God is asking us the same question:  "Will you trust Me?"  The simple--but never easy--way to answer, "Yes," is to live a life of praise-filled obedience.

Calling

God often calls a man or woman to a ministry contrary to their make-up--or gives them gifts contrary to who they are. Why? First, because the first step of discipleship is denying yourself. Second, because then all the glory for what gets accomplished goes to Him and not to the individual--and he or she knows it. Such gifts and callings are not mistakes, and woe, to the disciple who says "but I don't have the make-up for such a calling, send someone else." He will. And ...the ministry will be fulfilled, but the disciple will lose the blessing. Instead, the disciple must respond simply and in full confidence in His enabling, "Here am I, send me." And again, He will--and "there will be showers of blessing, this is the promise of God." Trust Him. Submit to His calling and enabling. You will be amazed at what the omnipotent, omniscient God can do with an obedient servant. And for His glory.

At All Times

The last fruit of the Spirit is "self-control." Why? The Spirit wants us to know that regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what other people are doing, the believer still--always--must be loving, joyous, gentle, kind, patient, faithful, good, practicing self-control--under the control and empowered by the Spirit. Nothing, or no one, releases us from demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit at all times.

Masters

Everyone has either one master or the other. There are only two. The links in the one master's chains are the desires, the I wants: I want power and prestige, I want fame and fortune, I want the approval and applause of men, I want more than I have, I want to be the master of my own fate. And he knows that no matter what I get in any of these areas, the more I will want. The more I want to be in control, the stronger his chains hold me forged by the fire of discontent.And the outcome for his slaves is an eternity with absolutely nothing but the memories of what and who I have forever lost.
The Master of Love calls His servants to a life of ministry, a life of esteeming others better than themselves, a life of spontaneous service to those around them, a life of denying themselves, a life of bearing their cross and following Him day by day. And He supplies His servants with all they need--even the strength needed to spontaneously serve Him. In fact, the most astounding aspect of serving Him is that freedom He provides to do all the things He calls someone to do accompanied by a joyous heart. And the outcome of serving Him is an eternity of love and beauty and rest shared with the rest of His faithful servants.
Follow the master of emptiness or follow the Master of fulfillment even if you have nothing at all but Him.

No man can have two masters.

Prosperity

Often, the "poor" are just as susceptible to the danger of the love of money as the rich--and just as caught up in the all kinds of evil that such love generates. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven or the intense, blinding darkness of materialism will be the "light" of your life. A life of continual stumbling--continual "tripping up"--is the result. The lure of prosperity is one of the Devil's greatest weapons in destroying a man or woman's soul. Nations too.

Difference Makers

Education that isn't aimed at the heart and soul of the student is misguided--dangerous. Touch the heart and soul with a love for Jesus and a desire to do His will, and you will produce students who go out into the world thinking right and loving right and living right. They will be members of what someone has called "a colony of Heaven" dedicated to doing God's will on earth and not man's. Difference makers is what we call them.

He Knows

The Triune God of the universe--Father, Son, and Spirit--knows our frames, that we are but dust; fragile creatures who struggle day-by-day in our efforts to please Him. That is why we must rest in our opinion of ourself and of others of His children in the answer to Peter's rhetorical plea--"Jesus, you know all things, and you know that I love you." Yes, He does know. He knows that we love Him. That is why He is the God who looks into our hearts and sees our feeble faith ...and wavering obedient love and is still pleased with us for He knows that we do love Him and that our heart's desire is to please Him with our walk of faith. And that is why He calls David--faults, failures, and all--"a man aftet My own heart." That is why He says of Lot--yes, that Lot--"that righteous man." That is why He says of those mentioned in Hebrews 11--struggles and all--"of whom the world is not worthy." One day, when He calls us Home, He will not greet us with a reading of our faults and failures--even eternity may not be long enough for that--but with a smile, a "thank you," and the words, "Well done! Good and faithul servant! Enter into My joy." So, when you want to wallow in your past, or accuse other believers of their failures--you do know who the accuser of God's children is, don't you?--remember, as you walk on the shores of your Galilee with Him by your side, that He knows all things and He knows that you (and those others of His children) love Him. His word to you is the same--"don't be defeated by your past, focus on the now, focus on the future, go on now, feed my sheep."

"Lord you know all things and you know that I love You."


"Yes, I know child, I know that you love Me."

Courage

Courage is a necessity for the faithful disciple. We are soldiers behind enemy lines. We all face the mocking giants that ridicule our faith in a loving, sovereign God. We all have been commanded to use spiritual weapons--love, prayer, forgiveness as our "strategy" against the enemy. We all face the subtle encouragements to become entangled in the world system. We are all tempted to embrace success over godly character. We all encounter outcomes that would lead us to be...lieve that we have lost the battle. 
 

Where then do we find our courage?


 Only one place: the promises of our Captain.
 
"I will always be by your side."
"All of your tomorrows I took care of yesterday."
"When you go into battle, it is I who will fight for you."
"When you by faith in Me resist the enemy, he will flee."
"Obedience is the undeniable proof of victory, not the visible, human outcomes."
"The walls of the world's Jerichos fall flat at the sound of shouts of praise."
"No weapon of this world is mightier than the spiritual weapons you wield."
"I have made you more than a conqueror through the power of My love spread abroad in your heart by the heat of the battle."
"I have overcome the world."
"The battle is won. The earth will be filled with the My glory as the water covers the sea."
"Only be strong and very courageous."

One Thing

In those times in our lives when the answer to our prayers is the one thing we didn't want to happen . . .In those times in our lives when things are going on that break our hearts but are totally out of our control to change . . . In those times in our lives that the tears are flowing so deeply from the very depths of our souls that we wonder if even in eternity they can all be wiped away . . . In those times in our life when those we love are hurting and we can do nothing t...o help . . . In those times in our lives when we have been totally misunderstood and judged guilty . . . In those times in our lives when it looks as if evil is winning in a rout . . . In those times . . . one thing is necessary, vital to our joy, our strength, our spiritual victory. 
 

One thing:


We must fall on our knees and pray: '"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." . . .


"Not my will. but Thine

Quiet

I always enjoy coming home to the peace, stillness, and quiet of The Acres. Tonight there are some off and on showers to add to the mood. Yes, rain adds to the peaceful stillness. Another of His gifts that we too often complain about instead of enjoying its beauty. We, as disciples, so need those quiet times--alone times. They are invigorating times of meditation on the Word He has planted in our hearts. They are times of honest conversation with the One who knows our e...very fear, every struggle, every doubt and is never "put out" about our wayward selfish thoughts. He is quick to encourage, ready to lovingly exhort, eager to edify His child--to build us up for what He knows is coming--settle our hearts and minds on the Rock of our Deliverance. He is eager to fold us under His wings. I have found that the rest He places in my heart in the quiet times remains at work in my soul even when I have returned to the chaos and busyness of the next day. As quiet, alone times strengthened our Savior as He walked this earth so they will strengthen us as we walk the dusty roads of our place of calling. Often, He has been gracious enough to make me slow down, embrace the quiet, relish the aloneness. Do not despise the times when He says, "Stop, you need some time with me alone." No matter if you are by nature a quiet, lone soul like some old man I know, or an avid doer like so many I know and love, faithful discipleship finds its strength for the day in times alone with the Lover of your soul and the Power of your daily walk of obedience. "Be still and know that I Am God" is not a suggestion. And to know Him more deeply is to love Him more deeply, and to love Him more deeply is to love others more deeply, and such love is the essence of the Christian life. "Love the Lord your God with all your strength, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your will, and with all your soul, and love your neighbor as I have loved you." Don't let busyness--even Christian busyness; especially Christian busyness--keep you from those times alone with the Savior of your soul.

This Place

In my years of following my Savior and Lord, I have noticed--even at times in my own struggles--a propensity for disciples to believe that where you are is more important than who you are. What I mean is that often I see Christians--some that I love dearly--thinking that if they could just go somewhere else other than where God has them now, that they will find contentment and fulfillment there. The problem with that is, of course, that wherever you go to find "success," you take you with you. The real issue--Paul states it clearly, "I have learned wherever I am to there be content"--is my relationship with Him and my submission to His will. It is not a mistake that He has me where I am. God never says, "Oops, I really didn't need him there."
I think at times, though, He lets us move on in an attempt to get us to realize that it is who we are in Him, our faith and confidence in His wisdom and His will, that brings meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our lives as His disciples. Sadly, I have seen many who keep moving around physically that also begin to move slowly but surely farther and farther away from their relationship with Him. Thus, in the new place they become even more discontent, disheartened, and miserable. We need to ask Him daily, "what would You have me do today--right where You have me--that will make You known to others?" He will show us why He needs us where we are--why this is the place that, if we renew our submission to His will and not push for our own, that we will find the contentment and purpose that He has for us. If am dedicated to do His will each day, I will find a sense of His presence in my daily walk as His disciple. And if He walks beside me and directs my actions then where I am will make no difference at all, will it? As the hymn writer says, "Tis so sweet to walk with Jesus." Serve Him today where you are and with all your strength and loving obedience. Your life is not about you; it's about allowing Him to use you in the this place, the place of His calling.

Reflections from September 2018

"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;"
Sing to Him--lift the hearts of those who hear you, saturate your own heart with the melody of His presence, fill the throne room of Heaven with your exultation of His majesty.
Sing!
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"Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord."
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Speak the truth--IN LOVE.
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Laugh.
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Forgive.
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Encourage.
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In case you forgot, He's still on the throne of the universe today--full of infinite wisdom and infinite love and infinite patience.  He'll be there all day.
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Alone?  Never.
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Suffering is the path we must walk to fully understand His love for us.  And He who has walked the path on our behalf, always walks beside us to deepen our understanding and to strengthen our relationship with Him through the sharing of His joy.
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He who sustains the entire universe is more than able to provide all the strength you need for this day.
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Only a bond-slave of Christ is truly free to be the servant to others God has ordained him to be.  Every believer is called to be a minister--motivated by love and humility to put the needs of others above His own.
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Two words you can never say too often:  "Thank you."
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Use the strength of a submissive heart to empower those you love to be everything He has called them to be.
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Any so-called "right" that is not inexorably linked to inviolable responsibilities is (to use an old King James word) lasciviousness.
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Quit trying to earn grace.  Embrace the weaknesses that make it necessary and possible.  Then, He can perfect His strength in you for your good and His glory.
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A quote I encountered today in my reading:


'The line separating good from evil passes not through states, not between classes, not between political parties either--but right through every human heart." Solzhenitsyn
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For what it's worth. In "evaluating" people in a position of power, I always ask myself one question: How many of the fruit of the Spirit do they demonstrate in their daily interactions with other people--friend and foe alike? Love. Joy. Peace. Gentleness. Goodness. Patience. Kindness. Faithfulness. Self-control. If those are not evident in their daily lives, they are not God's man or woman.

Prosperous or Bankrupt

God's definition of a spiritually prosperous disciple:


poor in spirit
heartbroken
gentle...
famished for righteousness
merciful
pure in heart
committed to peace
persecuted for righteous living
insulted for their faith in Him
joyful

God's definition of a spiritually bankrupt disciple:


spiritually proud
lacking compassion
gloat over those who have stumbled
satisfied with their righteousness
judgmental
superificially pure
quarrelsome
spiritually invisible
faithless in their walk
murmuring and complaining


Taken a self-examination lately? The Spirit will be delighted to help you with the assessment.