Death and RESURRECTION

As per usual, I read the True Vine devotional this morning and below is an excerpt from what I read (here is the whole thing if you are interested: http://www.spiritoffire.org/ebooks/the%20true%20vine/vine05.htm

Excerpt from the True Vine devotional – John 15:1:

“…Christ ever lived in the spirit of what He once said: “The Son can do nothing of himself.” As dependent as a vine is on a husbandman for the place where it is to grow, for its fencing in and watering and pruning, Christ felt Himself entirely dependent on the Father every day for the wisdom and the strength to do the Father’s will. As He said in the previous chapter John 14:10: “The words that I say unto you, I speak not from Myself; but the Father abiding in Me doeth his works.” This absolute dependence had as its blessed counterpart the most blessed confidence that He had nothing to fear: the Father could not disappoint Him. With such a Husbandman as His Father, He could enter death and the grave. He could trust God to raise Him up. All that Christ is and has, He has, not in Himself, but from the Father…”

I have read this many times but this time something stuck out to me more than before. It was the line that said “He could trust God to raise Him up [from death and the grave].” He had nothing to FEAR… He could trust God to raise Him from the dead!!

I have a tendency to think of Jesus as more “God” than “man” and that all He did and said came easily to Him… But this morning I was reminded that He was 100% human as well as God.  He struggled with the same things and in the same ways WE do.  When I read this particular line this morning, “He could trust God to raise Him up.”, it not only reminded me of His humanness but it also reminded me of Abraham in that he also believed God could and would raise Isaac from the dead once he sacrificed him. But, instead of putting someone else to death, Jesus allowed Himself to be put to death and believe that God would raise Him from the dead! Wow. How incredibly hard was that?! I am sure His relationship, faith and belief in God made it somewhat easier, but again; I believe he had to battle His human side of things as well. He had to counter the lies that God couldn’t, wouldn’t and didn’t really ask Him to do that. He had to avoid reasoning His way out of it thinking things like “My loving Father would never ask me to do something like that!”  He had to counter the temptation to do what His disciples wanted Him to do, i.e. raise up an army and become the ruler and King in Jerusalem here on earth. He had to counter the enemy and the temptation to demand that “this cup be taken away …” and instead submit Himself to: “may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42)

But He was able to do this because why? Because, EVEN AS A HUMAN, He was absolutely and completely dependant upon His Father in Heaven and He had NO FEAR or doubt that God’s GOOD and PERFECT Will would be done in, and through Him.  He didn’t question the Fathers will, goodness or desire but TRUSTED Him completely. He knew that His flesh HAD to die in order for the Spirit to live, and live not only in Him but in us as well (“Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7).  Jesus is our example of how WE need to live here on earth. Am I absolutely and completely dependant on God like Jesus was? Do I have the love, faith, and trust in God that Jesus did to be put to death...? And, am I as obedient?

 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23. In order for me to follow Jesus, I have to daily deny myself and crucify my flesh on the cross. Ok, to be honest, I have heard this for most of my Christian walk but the part that I missed before this morning was that, when I do actually manage to die to my flesh, I need to TRUST that the Father will RAISE ME FROM THE DEAD! Not in the physical form but in the spiritual. Not only that but that He will raise me to be better than I was… that His plans for me are for GOOD and not for HARM and that I will actually LIKE what He does with me.  Isn’t that where the difficulty lies? Do I trust that God will raise me from the dead, and when He does, will I like what He does with me?? Look what He did for Jesus! He surrendered His life to God and God raised Him from the dead, transformed him and sat Him on His right side, ruling along side of Him from the Throne of Heaven. Oh man! Just think of what He would have missed out on if He had catered to and given in to His “flesh” the “disciples” and the “enemy”! So, do I expect great things like that from God for me? The least I can do is expect that He can do greater and better things than I can!!  How many times have I missed out on the “best” that God has for me by allowing my flesh to lead my actions? Is my will and my way better than the creator of all the heavens and the earth? Can I put MY flesh to death daily and trust that, when I do, He will raise me up to be better than I was? Oh Lord, help me to get there!!

This makes me think of the caterpillar that goes into its cocoon willingly, surrendering its life and its transformation to God, and then immerging as a beautiful butterfly in flight! He was designed and created by God to do that but I think God uses His creation so we can see what He plans for us as well. Do we really want to stay as caterpillars when we can be transformed into butterflies?  This of course does not happen without a cost, the death of MY will and MY desires, but is the cost worth the results?

So, going back to the True Vine devotional analogy and summarizing, Jesus is the True Vine, completely submitting to the Father, relying completely upon Him for EVERYTHING. Having absolute trust and no fear that the Father would take care of Him and do what was needed for the Vines health and growth.  And, if we are to be the branches, grafted into the True Vine to become one with the Vine, can we be a different plant, producing our own fruit? I think we keep trying to do that and then we wonder why it isn't working!  Jesus is our example of becoming “entirely dependent” upon the Father for guidance, wisdom and strength to do His Fathers will everyday. We need to die to what we were before and trust that we will be raised from the dead and transformed into the butterflies and servants that He needs us to be to for HIS glory and HIS Kingdom purposes. But the first and most important question that we need to ask ourselves is, “do I trust that He will raise me from the dead…?”   

Oh Father, I look forward to the day when I can say “YES” without hesitation to that question. Only You know my heart both it’s corrupted side and it’s desires to do good and only You can help me to climb up on the sacrificial table each day and surrender my life and my will to You for Your purposes. Help me to TRUST You and Your goodness and help me to see that Your purposes are better than mine. Father, I DO believe you can raise me from the dead… but please, help me in my unbelief!

Upside Down: Humility vs. Pride

I have been thinking about the word “humility” for a few years now.  The Lord continues to bring it to mind as a quality He holds very dear so it is something I also desire in my life because of that. I always hear Him say “…learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...” Matthew 11:29. As I read the Bible I see God’s desire for humility pop up all over the place; it’s in the Old Testament, in the prophesies, Proverbs, Job, and of course all throughout the New Testament.  The Lord is very consistent and persistent with communicating the things that are most important to Him and this seems to be one of them.  So, I have come to the conclusion that if you desire to know God, and want to be a disciple of the Lord, you will also need to come to know true humility because they are one and the same.

As I was thinking about writing this blog, I thought I better look the word up to make sure I knew what it really meant!!  You know how you go about “thinking” you know what a word means only to discover you were mistaken…?  So anyway, here is one definition I found that was a good representation of others that are out there: “… freedom from pride and arrogance; lowliness of mind; a modest estimate of one's own worth; a sense of one's own unworthiness through imperfection and sinfulness; self-abasement…” And, as I was searching the web for some things on humility I found a couple sayings regarding it: “Humility, a strange thing, the minute you think you’ve got it, you’ve lost it” and the other was “Humility does not mean you think less of yourself, it means you think of yourself less”. The definition and the sayings pretty much explain what humility is… right??

Well, as it turns out, after going through this research, and talking about it with Tom, I am walking away with more questions and am even less certain of what humility really is. I want to steer away from anything that would encourage “false” humility or even worse, “codependency” (which I struggle with!). But, for the purpose of this blog I will attempt to describe humility as I understand it now; It’s not that you feel like you are a weak, worthless, no good nothing, it’s that you KNOW who you are in Christ and you are completely reliant upon Him and your confidence rests in that and not in yourself or your own abilities. You know that you, being sinful, have been bought with a price, and even at your worst, Christ loved you enough to die for you. When we come face to face with this truth, of our sinfulness and His redeeming love for us, I think we are also faced with the reality of our NEED for Him in our every day lives.  This knowledge then compels us to set aside our desires, our wants, and our needs to be obedient “bond servants” of Christ, serving Him with our whole heart, mind, body, soul and strength. WE are not our main focus in our life anymore but it is Christ and His desires that are our main focus. Again, humility doesn’t mean you are a weak and wimpy person but instead, I think that it takes an incredibly courageous and strong person to be able to set aside their wants and desires to pick up the virtue of humility and become completely reliant upon Christ… for everything! I don’t see ANY weakness in that!!

So, that brings me to why this is part of the “upside down” series.  When I compare this definition of humility, or my understanding of it, to what the world teaches, I see that they are two entirely different things! The world teaches and trains us to think about and focus only on ourselves!  All the focus is on getting MY needs met and getting MY desires fulfilled. I deserve a break today; I deserve a vacation, a diamond, a yacht, a nice house, a nice car, a nicer stereo system, a nicer, better, prettier/handsomer spouse… I deserve to be treated better, to have more money, a better position at work, to get a raise, to get the promotion… Basically, it’s ALL ABOUT ME, and YOU, getting what WE want, and if necessary, stepping on or shoving to the side, anyone or anything that gets in our way. We are pumped full of “pride” and “self sufficiency” and we end up not caring or thinking about anyone else but ME and MY needs. That, my friend, I believe is completely upside down from the desires of Christ and the Kingdom!

So, with that said, I hope you will indulge me while I chew on the definition of humility a little more. Even with my current understanding and explanation, I still feel like I am missing something. The Bible says that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3). What was it that made him so humble? Was it the 40 years of herding sheep after his prideful fall in Egypt? (I think that would humble anyone!) And then we see David, a man after God’s own heart. I believe he exhibited humility in that, when he was anointed king, he still honored Saul and didn’t “take” the kingdom from him but waited for God’s timing. But then we have Daniel, whom the angel of the Lord said “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” Daniel 10:12. What was it that created humility in Daniel?  Was it that he was, in one moment considered to be of noble birth and then when captured, considered a slave of Babylon? That would be a rude awakening for anyone!

And then of course we have Jesus, speaking of noble birth, who laid down his divinity to come to us as a baby, grew to be a man, to walk among us and to “seek and save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). 2 Corinthians tells us “…that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus, the “sinless” one, the only person on earth who could have “lorded” His position over us, the only one who was qualified to condemn, judge and throw the first stone, chose instead to show mercy, compassion and forgive us all… the prostitutes, tax collectors, murders, adulterers, thieves… all of us who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

As Tom and I were talking about this, the word “intercession” came up.  Jesus intercedes for us at the throne of God. David interceded for his people as a king of Israel.  Moses interceded for his people and so did Daniel.  They saw themselves as “one of them”, not above or below them but they could relate enough with the struggles and the sin that they had compassion and sent up heart felt intercession on behalf of them. Could it be that this too is apart of humility? Having empathy and compassion for those around us enough to intercede for them?

Now, here is another thought. Oswald always talks about God’s nature in me, that He speaks to His Spirit who is in me.  Here is a quote along those lines: “There is no possibility of questioning God when He speaks, if He speaks to His own nature in me. Prompt obedience is the only result. When Jesus says, "Come," I simply come; when He says, "Let go," I let go; when He says, "Trust God in this matter," I trust. This work of obedience is the evidence that the nature of God is in me.” (My Utmost for His highest, November 17^th)  So, the thought is, since Jesus is “gentle and humble at heart” and His Spirit is in us, and if our desire is “more of you Lord and less of me”, then could God be working the attributes of Christ in us as we yield and die to ourselves? Could it be that Christ’s humility surfaces in us as we surrender our will and ways and allow Him to be Lord of our lives?

Ok, this is where I will stop and allow God to continue to reveal His heart and His plan for humility to me/us.  Thank you for indulging me this time to hash this out a little more.  What are YOUR thoughts regarding humility??  How do you see it and how do you think it is attained? I would love to get different insights, thoughts and perspectives on this.

Oh Father in heaven, please help us to focus on Your truths and Your Kingdom principles and ways and not the worlds.  Lord, show me what true humility is and what it looks like.  Help me to rid myself of pride, arrogance and self-righteousness and instead, embrace true humility which brings you delight.  Thank you Lord for Your Holy Spirit that will continue to teach and show us how to walk in Your ways and in Your humility.  I pray that you give us the courage and the strength to follow in Your footsteps.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

Upside down: The “deceitfulness” of wealth

"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the … deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." Matthew 13:22

In my last "upside down" blog I listed the above Matthew scripture but focused on the "worries of this life" but now, I will be hitting the other aspect that “chokes [the word] making it unfruitful” in our lives, which is the "deceitfulness of wealth".  This little phrase needed a blog all its own :) I think the key word here is "deceitfulness"!!  Not that "wealth" in and of itself is wrong but that it can be "deceitful" if we do not place it in the proper place in our lives. Another scripture to note along with this one is: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil...." (1Timothy 6:10) It doesn't say "money" is a root of all kinds of evil, it says the "LOVE" of money is the problem. The bottom line is, when MONEY becomes my focus and becomes an idol to me (definition of “idol” is anything that you look to as a source other than God), then it takes the place of God in my life and then the “deceitfulness” of wealth will cause me to start making decisions based on money, either the abundance or the lack of, instead of what God is telling me.  Money can still be a problem to those who don't have it as well when all their attention and thoughts are consumed with the lack of it or how to get more. Again, the problem is where we position it in our lives. (“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21)

At this point you’re probably wondering "so where's the upside down aspect of this??” Well, we were all raised in this "world" and, from what I read in the Bible, God's view of money and the world’s view of money are polar opposites, “upside down” from each other you might say. If you think about it, money plays a very large role in today's society.  We earn it, save it, invest it, raise it, spend it, give it, and steal it… It dictates what we do, where we go, what we have, where we live, who our friends are... Just to name a few of the ways money can consume us. So, it makes me wonder how much of the "worlds view" do we still retain once we are adopted into the Kingdom.

Ok, this is where it gets a little sticky. Am I saying that God is anti money or wealth?  No, I really don’t think He is but God would not have put this scripture in Matthew (and many others like it) if our focus on wealth was not a very likely problem or issue for us. Before I go any further I want to step back a minute and look at the word “deceitfulness” or deceit again. Here is a definition I pulled off the web: Concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading.   What I get from this definition is that we can very easily be blinded and not see, or even be aware of, the “distortion” or “hold” that money can have on us.  Are we being mislead and deceived as to what importance money should have in our lives?  This reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy that tells us to "... love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul ... lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them..." Deuteronomy 11:13-16 (NKJV).  Basically what He is saying here is, “keep your eyes and your love fixed on ME because Satan will do whatever he can to mislead, distract, distort and confuse you to get your focus off of ME and onto something else” (i.e. other god’s/idols) and to be honest here, “money” is a HUGE distraction for many.

I believe that God truly does want to bless His people and sometimes He uses money to do that but I think where we go wrong is when we think it is for us alone and we HOARD it for ourselves with the “we earned it, we deserve it, it is mine to keep!” mentality (James 5:1-6).  The more I get to know God the more I understand that He wants us to be “conduits” of His blessings to others, and not to keep it for ourselves.  He says to us in Matthew 10:8 “…Freely you have received, freely give.” The “temporal” blessings of the Lord should be freely given out because they were freely given to us and basically are not ours to begin with and will not go with us when we die.

Another aspect of wealth is the thought that, if we have enough saved for our future, we won’t need to rely on God any more.  Of course that is not a “conscious” thought for most of us but, if you really think about it, isn’t that what it boils down to?  We don’t want to have to trust God to provide for us in our every day life.  We don’t trust that He will give us what we “want”… so we take it upon ourselves to store away for the future… just in case God gets too busy or doesn’t provide when we need or want something. I think we should read Matthew 6:25-34 on a regular basis as a constant reminder of how God desires to provide for us.  Remember when the Israelites were in the desert and God provided manna for them every morning? He told them not to pick up anymore than what they could eat that day or it would rot and be covered in maggots (eeewww). He wanted them to learn to TRUST and rely upon Him to provide for them each day, one day at a time. “… give us this day our daily bread…” Not only that but their shoes and clothes did not wear out either during the entire 40 years they wandered in the desert!! I believe that He STILL wants to do these things for us and wants us to trust Him for our daily bread, our manna… not to store up for tomorrow, like the world does, but to rely on Him for all our needs every day… one day at a time.

When we store up for ourselves for the future and are not a conduit of His blessings, it corrupts and stagnates us and we stop relying on our heavenly Father and instead we start looking to “money” as our source. I heard someone refer to the Dead Sea in that regard.  There is no outlet (flow through) so all the fresh water that comes into it stagnates and becomes useless for anything to grow and flourish. I think it is the same way for God’s blessings in our life.  If there is no “outlet”, if we are not conduits of His blessings, then the blessings stagnate and we become useless, not growing in Him or blessing others and then we can become corrupted in the process. Kind of like the maggots in the manna.

Just so you don’t think I am making this stuff up, I have listed some scriptures on riches, wealth and treasures below so you can get a really good idea of how God feels about this:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:19-24

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry...” Luke 6:24-25

“Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them this parable. “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' “Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:15-21

“Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’" Matthew 19:21-24

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” Luke 1:52-53

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver… You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1Timothy 6:6-17

And if you want even more, see also:

James 1:9-11

James 2:5-7

James 5:1-6

So, to wrap this up, I think we can safely say that the “deceitfulness” aspect of wealth is that we believe that these blessings are “ours” to keep, hoard and store up for ourselves so that we don’t need to look to God anymore.  This is “upside down” from what God desires for us. He asks us to look to HIM, and Him alone, for ALL of our needs to be met, and for us to be a “flow through” to the people around us so that He can be a blessing to others with the blessings He gives to us.

Father, I pray that You would give us all a revelation of the areas that money (or the love of it) may have gotten a hold of us and allowed the enemy to deceive us.  Please reveal the truth of the deception as well as the truth of Your desire to provide for us in all ways one day at a time.  Help us to trust You more and more for our daily provision and learn to look to You for all of our needs.  Please take the blinders and veils away from our eyes and help us to see clearly any deception Satan may have convinced us of, in Jesus name, amen.

“You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” Revelations 3:15-18

The "POWER" of Prayer...

I am still on my quest for a deeper understanding of prayer.  I have felt for awhile that I am missing something important...  I am still not sure what it is but I feel like the Lord has been giving me little glimpses here and there as I continue to ask, seek and pursue Him regarding this.  I have come to a place in my walk where I truly believe that prayer is not so much for me to beseech Him with requests (but that is certainly a part of it) as it is for ME to spend more and more time with Him as my Father in heaven.  Time for me to get to know Him better and get a better understanding of who I am and who He designed and created me to be. But again, I keep getting this feeling that there is still so much MORE to prayer than what I am understanding now…

I felt like I got one of those little glimpses the other day when I was reading the True Vine and Andrew was talking about "saving" prayer and that the fruit of our abiding is having the heart for men and their salvation.  I started thinking about that a little more and felt like maybe this is a place where we can get a little stuck.  If I go out to "save" man kind based on the "Great Commission" then I am probably motivated by a "commandment", a "law", a "duty" and a sense that it is my “job” to do this saving work… (Stay with me here).  But I have come to believe that it is NOT my job to "save" mankind but that is solely the work and "job" of the Holy Spirit working through His body. My job is to do the first and greatest commandment, to Love God with all my heart, mind, body and strength, love my neighbor as myself, to ABIDE in Him and just be the branch and to "seek first His Kingdom" and I am certainly finding out what a full time job that is in and of itself!  

When I was meditating on this, I heard the Lord speak the word "Compassion" to me.  Then I thought of all the scriptures in the Gospels that say that Jesus had "compassion" on the people he healed and ministered to. Then I realized where I fall short… I can't give what I don't have!!  When I abide in Christ and I am the branch I am supposed to be, I am then filled with the sap that is needed to produce HIS fruit.  When I am abiding, the Holy Spirit fills me up with Christ and HIS love and compassion for the lost and then I am compelled to "go out" with an entirely different motivation!! I am compelled to LOVE them because I have Christ’s COMPASSION for them. This is not something I can manufacture on my own. I am then serving the lost as Christ served them and loving them as Christ loved them, which at that point comes as natural as breathing, and then the lost are drawn to the love of Christ through me.  

So, now I can come back to my original point.  When I have Christ’s love and compassion I believe that also changes my PRAYERS for the lost and the compassion infuses the prayers with power!  I am driven to my knees with the heart of Jesus and I pray and intercede for them with HIS love and compassion welling up and pouring forth from the depths of my heart.  I now have what I need to bear the fruit that Christ desires from me in prayer. Until I get THERE, I don’t think my prayers are nearly as fruitful and powerful as I would like them to be.

Just for emphasis, here are some scriptures I found regarding Jesus' compassion:

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34:6-7 

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Matthew 14:14

“Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.” Matthew 15:32

“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” Matthew 20:34

“Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.”I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Mark 1:41

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” Mark 6:34

“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.” Mark 8:2

“So he got up and went to his father.”But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:11

And here are a couple verses that tell us to clothe ourselves with His compassion and to serve others with what we have been given!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Philippians 2:1-2

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

September 16th Oswald:

"... Prayer is not simply getting things from God… Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray..."

Father, I thank you so much for your Holy Spirit and the insight that He gives me into Your heart.  I pray Lord that I would have YOUR love and compassion for the lost and for those you place in my life.  Help me Lord, once again, to set aside my selfishness, laziness, pride and arrogance and embrace Your “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Fill me up with these things so that they spill out on to others and flow out as naturally as breathing.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Upside down: The WORRIES of this life…

“The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

When I read the parable of the sower (or the soils) it makes me think of another upside down way in which we think.  The world is constantly promoting worry, anxiety and fear in almost everything it does… The news stations thrive on getting people worried about today, tomorrow and the future.  It’s how they get people to watch the programs they have to offer because “fear” increases their viewers and ratings. They thrive on it! From Political unrest, weather and natural disasters, crime on the streets, traffic accidents down to the latest deal or sale that you just can’t miss or you will be left behind.  But God so clearly says NOT to worry but to believe and trust in HIM for all things and in all situations!

I have heard so many people over the years express how “worried” they are over their children and the child’s life choices.  They worry over their travel, their jobs, their health… pretty much anything that their child experiences, they worry over it.  They express this “worry” as if it were a badge of honor and a duty for them to do!  If we don’t have children to be worried about, we worry about our jobs, spouses, family members, and/or our health. Sometimes, even if everything is going well and there is nothing obvious to worry about, we will worry about that and what might be just around the corner or some possible tragedy that might happen in the future!  It’s almost as if we feel like it is the “responsible” thing to do… If I didn’t worry about it, then people will think I didn’t really care!

Why do we feel that it is necessary to worry so much?  Does it change anything? Does it make things better? “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)  Haven’t we heard that anxiety, worry and fear are major causes of health issues?  Where does this come from anyway and why is it so much a part of our Christian lives?  I know many people do not really want to worry or be afraid but they don’t know how to stop.  We could probably come up with a multitude of reasons why we worry but if we boil them all down to the “core issue” they would all reveal the same thing; our lack of trust in God and His provision and goodness for us and our lives.  If we really trusted God with our life, our children’s life and everything else, then we wouldn’t have a thing to worry about.  This concept brings me back to the Garden of Eden and the first sin… wasn’t it Satan’s cunning and subtle approach that got Eve to doubt God’s goodness?  “Did God really say…? For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5) I believe Satan is still at his same old tricks, causing us to fear and doubt God and believe that He is holding something back from us… and we continue to believe the lies of the enemy over what our Father in heaven says.

This is what our loving and faithful Father says to us:

“…why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:27-34)

“Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? …But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom…” (Luke 12:22 – 32)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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. (Philippians 4:6-7)

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1John 4:18)

In addition to those, how many times throughout the Bible do we read God, the angels and Jesus say “Do not be afraid”!!? I believe He repeated it over and over again because God knew that “fear” would be used by Satan to “choke” out the Word “making it unfruitful”. God is trying to get us to look to HIM, to believe in Him, and not to believe the enemy whose plan is to cause us to “fear” and doubt God’s goodness. Can you hear God’s voice saying, “look at ME my child, and do not fear! I’ve got everything under control!”

Ok, now let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  If we really think about it, we usually don’t trust those whom we do not “know”… right? So, if we truly KNEW God…  not just knew OF Him but, really and truly KNEW Him, who He is and knew His heart, His faithfulness, His trustworthiness and His love for us, I don’t believe we would be afraid anymore.  Do we really believe that our Heavenly Father loves us and will care for us? I think it is easy for us to “say” God loves us, but do we really believe it?? I believe that our knowledge of God, through our pursuit of Him and our relationship with Him, is the key to removing all fear from our hearts and our minds. It’s not about reading the Bible more, praying more or serving more, but about truly desiring to know Him and “intentionally” investing the time to search out the scriptures that speak about His faithfulness, His love and His desire for us… like you would pursue any relationship that is important to you.  Then ask Him to reveal the truth about Himself through His Word. Then, when the Word is planted in our hearts, it will grow and flourish and not be choked out by the cares and worries of this life.

Father, I pray that we would set our hearts upon truly getting to KNOW You and understanding Your love for us so that we can begin to trust YOU more and more and trust Your faithfulness and provision for us as Your children.  Help us to remove the lies we have believed about You and replace them with the truth of who You are.  I pray that You would give us a greater revelation of Your love for us so that YOUR perfect love will cast out ALL fear.  In Jesus name, amen!

I see things UPSIDE DOWN

Over the last couple of years, as I share my life with others and they share their lives with me, I am struck over and over again as to how we, as Christians, see things upside down!  What I mean by that is, the more I get to know God and His Kingdom principles, the more I am seeing that the things I have believed most of my Christian walk are not at all what God is asking of me and they are actually backwards and/or UPSIDE DOWN from what He desires from me.

About 3 or 4 years ago, our friends Al and Cindy, introduced us to a Derek Webb song called “What is not Love”, or “I see things upside down”. I have pasted the lyrics below for you.

What looks like failure is success                               

And what looks like poverty is riches

When what is true looks more like a knife

It looks like you’re killing me

But you’re saving my life

[Chorus]

But I give myself to what looks like love

And I sell myself for what feels like love

And I pay to get what is not love

And all just because I see things upside down

What looks like weakness can do anything

And what looks like foolishness is understanding

When what is powerful has not come to fight

It looks like you’re going to war

But you lay down your life

What looks like torture is a time to rejoice

What sounds like thunder is a comforting voice

When what is beautiful looks broken and crushed

And I say I don’t know you

But you say it’s finished

(I have tried to find the song to attach for you but could only find the lyrics.  If you ever get a chance, I would strongly encourage you to listen to it, it is very powerful!)

So, with this intro, I will start off with the first of a series on this topic.  Recently I was talking with a friend and she was sharing with me that she sometimes has conversations in her mind about what she would say to non believers if she ever had an opportunity to talk with them about the Lord and the truth of the Bible. Basically, she is mentally preparing herself for a verbal debate that may or may not ever happen.  Can you relate with that? I certainly can! I remember having those same “mental” conversations myself!  Usually after I had an unexpected conversation with a skeptic and then afterwards, thought of all the things I WISH I had said and rehashing in my mind over and over again how it should have gone!  I always felt so LAME in my responses and wished I had better answers and comebacks so that they could “see the light” and be convinced of the truth of the Bible and of Jesus by my words (insert “angelic” “ah-ha” music here).  I think the “key” aspect here is that these were “my” words…  And as I am thinking about this now, it sort of resembles the same trap I keep falling into in my marriage, with ME trying to FIX my husband!  I am continually trying to get him to “see the light” with my convincing words and see that “I” am right and he is wrong… which, for some reason, NEVER seems to work out the same way in reality as it does in my mind… (What’s up with THAT anyway :)

So, back to my point, why do we feel like it is “our” responsibility to “save” people and what does the Bible say about these things?  The following are some scriptures the Lord has brought to mind regarding this:

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Not through “Linda”, Tom, Bob, Sue, Jane or Mary… but through Jesus. And again, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” (John 6:44).  This says that unless the Father draws them, there is NOTHING we can say, or do, that will convince people of the truth of God.  It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them of their sin, drawing them to God with the revelation of their need for Him in their life.  This next scripture has become one of my life verses: “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” (1 Peter 3:1-2).  This scripture always convicts me!  The “without words” part is SO hard (especially in marriages)!  Not to mention how FAR I am from the “purity and reverence” part in my life!  This scripture pulls out and emphasizes the key aspect which is, that we need to LIVE the life OURSELVES, loving those around us as Jesus loves us (“Love each other as I have loved you” John 15:12), and then letting God do the rest. Don’t get me wrong here, I am not saying that God will never use us to speak words of truth into the lives of others, but I think that we tend to lean very heavily in the “words” department and not the “behavior” department.

Ah, but do I hear you saying, what about Matthew 28?!: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20).  Did you catch that?! How many times have we been taught that we are to make “converts” of all nations?  Why are we taught that it is our job to “save” people…??  It so clearly says to make “disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey”. The way I now see this scripture is that God draws people to Jesus and we are to disciple them. And, so now you may be asking “how do we do that?” I would offer up at this point, drawing from the 1Peter 3 scripture, that it is our LIVES and relationships with others that reveal God’s power.  It is HIS faithfulness and love being revealed to those who are watching and seeing the transforming work of God in our lives.  One of my favorite sayings is; “Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words”!  I love it!  We have it backwards when we try to convince others, with “words” to have faith and to live a Godly, Christian life when we don’t/can’t/are not able to “live” it ourselves…

     If the truth be told, I think we would rather spend our time "arguing and debating" with people about the Bible than learning to love them and build relationships with them, which is so much harder to do and requires a whole different skill set! The scripture that comes to mind now is: "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone..." (2 Timothy 2:23-24). I think it is also because it is so much easier to see other people’s “sins” and issues than our own! And, let’s face it; it is also easier to try to fix other people instead of working on fixing ourselves.

     Our lives should be such an example of Christ’s love, compassion, kindness, mercy and grace (just like HIM) that it draws people to us and makes them want to know what we have that they don't.... so they will come to us and say, "what must I do to be saved!" (Acts 16:30). But, it takes a LOT of work, pain and humility to yield and surrender our “stuff” to God and allow Him to remove the things that keep us from Him, and allowing Him to transform us. When we are able to do this, this next scripture applies very nicely: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1Peter 3:15).  Did you pick up the “everyone who asks” part here?  When God is drawing people through us, they will be compelled to ask us so we don’t have to go to THEM but they will come to us.

What did Jesus say would be the way people would know we were his disciples? "…Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35).  A very important thing to note at this point is; we can’t give what we don’t have.  Until we allow Jesus to transform our hearts, minds and our lives, with His love, compassion and grace, we won’t have it to give to others… “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33).  If we keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to make the needed changes in our hearts and lives He will do the rest through us.

 I will leave you with one last, but very familiar scripture: "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37-39).

Lord, help me to focus on YOU and what You have asked me to do and not take upon myself the things that are not my job. Help me to just be the BRANCH and not try to do Your job. Please give me Your perspective and help me to see through Your eyes.  Most of all Lord, help me to keep my eyes on You, the author and perfecter of my faith, and allow you to transform me and fill me with your love, grace, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control so that it will overflow onto those You put before me.  In Jesus name, amen.