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Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Interestingly, verse 1 of this same Psalm says, “O Lord, You HAVE SEARCHED ME and known me.”

You even know, “when I sit down and when I rise up;”

You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all.

And still…

You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. 

To Know Me IS to Love Me! Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Not because I’m so amazing to know… but because God, the Creator, made man in His image – according to His likeness; (Genesis 1:26)

The everlasting way… God’s image – God’s likeness;

It has been said that everyone (every person) – every HUMAN BEING seeks two things in life… to be loved and to be significant in his/her existence… to be known and to be gifted by love in, and with the knowing.

I would sum it up as To Know Me IS to Love Me!

To know… not just the facts/details, but the passionate pursuit (the desire/love) to know all there is to know about you/me for no other reason than we exist, with no intent to leave nor forsake “continuing to know” you/me.

To be known… not just a “position” held in this life (which is based on opinion/judgement) or the possible profit to be made, but the PERSON all of creation waits eagerly (Romans 9:19) for.

Not only do we want to be acknowledged that we exist – we want our existence to be meaningful to those who know us.

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”… the essence of God…  TO KNOW (intimate sharing of all that we were/are/will be) and to BE KNOWN (intimate transparency to withhold nothing of who we are in order to contribute all that we are). This, in my estimation is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – knowing and being known BECAUSE we are loved by Love Himself!

As usual, mankind screws it up with lust not love. Lust… the reason/season for everything I am and everything I do… me – me – me.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. We seek lust not love (Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise) And because lust is never satisfied, our desire to be known as the ONE who OWNS THE TREE, will never be complete. If the only love you know and recognize as “true” love is man’s version, you will always be foolishly starving to know and be known.

You ARE known and you ARE loved because you ARE the Creator’s Special Creation. Whether you believe in God and submit to His power and authority over every created person, place or thing, GOD IS!

Mankind, every man/woman/child, is made in His image, according to His likeness, but He is NOT (nor CANNOT BE) made by man.

To Know Me is to Love Me! If God, the Author and Creator of all that is to be, knows you… YOU ARE KNOWN… and therefore… SIGNIFICANT.

You are loved whether you know God or not because He KNOWS you. You are so significant to Him, He pursues you and your contribution to be part of His Kingdom. However… the only way to KNOW love is to KNOW the God who IS LOVE.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

He knows each of us intimately (Psalm 139), so intimately there is not a cell, or hair, or thought, or action that is unknown by Him, nor any that causes Him to forsake His pursuit of us. He does not wish for any to perish!

The only way to perish is to refuse to believe, to willfully remain ignorant of the truth. Jesus said… “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;  and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:32)

Free from lust… free to know others and be known by others… free to love others and be loved by others.

Free to bow our knee (together) before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name (Ephesians 3:14-15)

Free to ask for and be granted, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner man, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:16-17)

Free and rooted and grounded in love, that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:17-18)

Free to be filled up to all the fullness of God! (Ephesians 3:19)

To Know Me is to Love Me… To Know You is to Love You… To Know God is to Love God!

Ephesians 3:2-21 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory…

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Cupid’s Satan’s arrows…

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust… Formed just for you

James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived… pregnant… burned and burning!

it gives birth to sin;… “born to rule”

and when sin is accomplished… taken the throne!

it brings forth death… the late-term abortion of you! 

It’s just a LITTLE lie sin. It didn’t HURT kill anyone. I can stop anytime I WANT to with just had a little more willpower and a little less temptation.

We’d like to believe that evil and his desire to kill and destroy (not just a little poke and a lot of frustration) is just a childhood storybook character that parent’s and pastors use to “scare” us into obedience. Just as we would like to believe that God is a myth we can choose to discredit with no real consequences.

Here’s the BAD NEWS… Though you might be able to convince yourself that the only GOOD that happens in our world, is by luck and/or self-sufficiency, you cannot “wish” or “imagine” or “avoid” the EVIL that happens over and over again all across the world, all day long!

Not only do we take lightly the sin which results, but we fail to recognize the coming destruction that evil desires. “Oh sure there are “bad” (those who aren’t us) people… BUT… they probably only became bad in frustration/martyrdom to fighting for their FREEDOM to BE WHO THEY ARE. Stop harassing them with all the rules and regulations designed to make them OWN their choices.”

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan is our enemy and he HATES us… EVERYONE of us! Even as evil is whispering sweet nothings in our ear, declaring he’s on our side, he will DESTROY us and our life the moment he is allowed to. Of course we still insist God (if He cares) or SOMEONE protect us from any and all harm and destruction to us and our stuff, OR ELSE we will blame you for all of it.

We would very much like to distance ourselves from the evil potential that resides in us by making ourselves & our “friends” VICTIMS. However, the very same victim (poor poor me) can turn and strike our neighbor with the venom of hatred and bigotry, simply because they disagree with our profound opinion. Should all else fail to enforce MY law (I’m always right), I will indeed use every means at my disposal to put all the evil (especially mine) on the back of any and all SCAPEGOATS who cannot/will not answer back, and send them to be sacrificed on the altar of evil.

Satan makes us imagine he is harmless, only offering us his version of innocent truth, that WE CAN BE (not just – like) the god of our choice. “Don’t listen to God (the One who with His word created you and blew into you His very breath of life), He’s afraid you will replace Him when you figure out how ‘cool’ you are!”

Satan (EVIL) is never going to tell you or show you the results of serving him… he is already defeated and we have it on the authority of God, that he will reside eternally, never to come out again, in the pit of hell.

In the meantime… The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Here’s the GOOD NEWS… Evil doesn’t have the power to MAKE us like him, nor does he have the authority to choose his followers. We have the ability and authority to choose!

In order to fulfill and preserve the irrevocable gift of FREE WILL, God has given to mankind, He has also allowed our FREE WILL (the ability and responsibility to CHOOSE between good and evil) to be tested – to be trained up – to be USED.

Thus, Satan has a limited opportunity to “help” us choose. From the beginning, his weapon of choice is TEMPTATION. “Show them something useful/pretty/powerful, and watch them BURN when God finds out they’ve not only looked and touched, they have eaten its fruit and are now pregnant with Satan’s prodigy (hatred) which will rule the heart of those who give it a nursery.”

Here’s some MORE GOOD NEWS… No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) 

God is not waiting to “find out” what you have done! He KNOWS and He PROVIDES! But don’t imagine that the way of escape provides a way of NO PAIN – NO CONSEQUENCES – NO OWNERSHIP. The choice this gift bears is eternity – once this life of flesh ends, the choice made is eternal. If your eternal home is not that important to you, let me tell you it is THE ONLY THING on God’s heart!

Free Will is the gift that separates man from every other creature. It is the gift that bears the image of God… the ability and authority to choose WHOM we live for – WHAT we do for them -…and most importantly… in whose kingdom we will eternally reside.

God – Who is the giver of every good thing and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:16-17)

Satan – a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour

Self – The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. (Luke 6:45)

Which treasure have we hoarded? Which treasure will we bring forth? The choice is certainly a temptation! An enticement… sometimes a battle that ends with our deepest scars.

There are those of us who would prefer that God take away all the evil (if He cared enough for us…). Unfortunately, we (mankind) used the eternal gift of FREE WILL to give evil a position of influence in all of creation. Only God determines when He’s satisfied that all His fearfully and wonderfully made sons and daughters have chosen the Best and will return to spend eternity with Him.

In the meantime… Buckle Up Buttercup…

Joshua 24:15 If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, (the Giver) choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served (the roaring destroyer) which were beyond the River, or the gods (yourself and your peers) of the Amorites in whose land you are living;

The flaming missiles are here to stay, after all it’s the only thing our defeated enemy has to fight with.

The temptation itself is not the sin. It can do no harm if YOU do not give it the flesh to burn. But don’t be naive, the BURN is beyond anything you can imagine. Not a sunburn (from the flames) but a burn that scars and leaves shame in it’s smoldering wake.

If we are going to “Burn with Desire” let it be for Our Only. One. True. God., with His love filling our hearts, and His armor in place for battles we will indeed face.

Ephesians 6:14-17 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Luke 8:16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.

Well, some of us do try to “hide” our light – or at least change the bulb to a lower wattage. We’re like the kids who turn on the flashlight UNDER the covers so Mom and Dad don’t discover us disobeying their wishes.

And then there are those who covet ALL the light. They believe they ARE the light even as the light is distorting them into strange looking aliens. They hold their spotlights right up next to their faces, never realizing we can no longer see the REAL THEM. Maybe that is the agenda, they would rather be anyone or anything other than who they are.

Jesus did say, “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17)

NOTHING HIDDEN… will not become evident! NO SECRET… will not be known! All will come to the light!

It is in our nature to put on a show. We love the DRAMA!

ACT I… Let the show begin!

We ate the fruit of knowing good and evil and found out  that WE are capable of loosing everything we have grown to love. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked (without covering) (Genesis 3:7) “Fake it till you make it” (an English aphorism which suggests that by imitating whatever, a person can realize “it” in their real life – Wikipedia summarized) becomes our PLAN… they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings… yep, we can FIX THIS!

Ah, but we still KNOW we’re naked on the inside…

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (no surprise here – any other time they would have been right there with Him).

Oops, the God who made us, will not be fooled. He will KNOW!

So… if we can’t fix it… if we can’t fake it… let’s hide it (it is our real self – the one we know even when we don’t know).

ACT II… Hide and Seek! And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden (fig leaves must have been the “camouflage” of the day).

Not a GAME!

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

Adam, the first actor on the great stage of life, before the audience of One, begins the script we all – every human since him – memorizes and repeats at every showing of our life…

I HEARD the sound of You in the garden, and I was AFRAID because I was naked; so I HID myself. 

Notice, no where in Adam’s discourse is the “truth” that Adam/Eve DISOBEYED THE ONE COMMAND they were given. Nor did he willingly stand before God with the innocence or confidence he always had before. Mmmmm… No, “Here I am! I’ve been waiting to walk and talk with You!

Interestingly, God didn’t react with immediate condemnation nor did He allow Adam to escape from confession. God KNEW what Adam/Eve had done the moment they did it. Scripture doesn’t say but I imagine all of heaven and earth felt the effects of the sin that set all of creation GROANING and SUFFERING (Romans 8:22). The sin that replaced God’s provision with our desire for Satan’s temptation. The sin that established an illegitimate government, provoking a lifetime battle between good and evil for power and authority. A battle that mere humans, who are only flesh and blood in this, unequipped and without weapons to fight for the eternal lives that God’s breath blew into us.

ACT III… The Cost!

The sin we giggle at, “Adam/Eve ate AN APPLE?!”, ushered in a struggle that ONLY God will win (For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places – Ephesians 6:12) A struggle that will not end until God is satisfied that ALL He calls will come to Him and His Kingdom, and that NONE shall perish (spend eternity in complete darkness – without any good – only evil) if God is allowed His desire. – 2 Peter 3:9

No, Adam/Eve didn’t JUST eat a piece of fruit. They made their “confession” of faith by tasting & swallowing & sharing the provision they considered worthy of THEIR decision to pursue. I don’t think they were intentionally choosing Satan over God, they were choosing THEMSELVES over His command. They just didn’t realize the consequences… naked… stripped of innocence. They were focused on the “positive” results of their choice, they “saw” that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that it was desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:4). Knowledge of good and evil? HA! We know EVERYTHING! Everything being what will make ME happy – healthy – wise.

Yet when it was Showtime, Adam didn’t jump up in excitement and tell God how wonderful it was to be informed. He did express the truth of what his sin caused inside… naked & afraid… but he wasn’t yet ready to OWN IT.

Who told you, you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?

Adam’s script… The woman whom YOU gave to be with me, SHE gave me from the tree, (mumble, mumble and I might have had one bite)

Woman, what is this you have done? 

Eve’s script… The serpent deceived me, (mumble, mumble and I SAW things and I might have had one bite, but I GAVE it to Adam right after)

Consequences! JUST an apple! NOT MY FAULT! What’s the harm?

Yes, what’s the harm in a little theatrics?

Well… ahem… it’s not all about me/you/us!

It’s all about the audience. The audience that isn’t visible to our human eyes. The rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. All competing for the throne. Good and Evil. All pursuing the capture and annihilation of the other.

Evil believing that the “death” of God’s creation will mean the DEATH of GOD and God KNOWING evil’s head was CRUSHED BY JESUS at the cross and its complete demise, with all of its body of demons and the demon possessed, will be FOREVER THROWN IN THE PIT at the final curtain. (Notice Satan is never given the opportunity by God to “explain” or offer excuse. His end is guaranteed – there will be no “salvation” for enemy of God!)

It’s Showtime!

Step into the spotlight and tell us your story. Just be you… we will see the rest. Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? What’s your fruit of choice? Fruit from God’s abundant provision? Or fruit from the poisoned (intimate knowledge of good and EVIL) tree? Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Who’s the Director of our show? Who’s the Producer?

Matthew 7:17-18 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Who’s the one you will perform for?

It’s Showtime!

Just know that God is always in the audience. And He is ALWAYS watching to see your light shine!

If He sees His Son in you… you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9)

Light up your stage with the spotlight of your “knowledge of GOOD”…

Confess your citizenship and faithfulness to The God above all gods…

Proudly display your banner of salvation – Jesus, King of the world (and me) whom He came to save…

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill – let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5;14,16)

Strive to be the actor that shines his/her light on The One True Star of every show!

I guarantee a KNEELING OVATION – at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)

It’s Showtime!

This little light of mine, I’m going to make it shine…

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

I know… cheesy right? Valentine’s Day… Love is!

Well… so be it… cheese is good!

In 52 days I will be celebrating our 45th anniversary with my Sweet Boy and our 7 (3 plus the some of the one’s we have stolen from other mothers) kids.

This morning he and I are celebrating the love that has been GROWN by GOD when He witnessed and honored our desire to become one, in 1973 – where two or more are gathered in His name… Matthew 18:20! This morning my Sweet Man blessed my socks off with a feast of the sweet, sweet fruit of the journey we –  the two of us (plus One – there He is in our midst) are walking/sometimes running/always dancing, with the Holy Spirit mapping it out for us.

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. (It seems the Holy Spirit likes CHEESE too!)

Evidently he walked Don to the store so that as I came out to get my coffee I would find the BEST CARD EVER and a “FUN SIZE” of THE BEST CANDY EVER MADE.

Love IS…

In my “more immature days”, I would’ve been more on the LOVE ISN”T/DOESN”T (jealousy, bragging, arrogance, unbecoming actions, seeking my own greedy wishes, provoked to anger cause I didn’t get what I wanted, holding a grudge until whenever, and of course rejoicing in my unRIGHTeous to MY WAY) side of Valentine greetings, but today God whispered His Way (Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts…) and my heart received the truth.

Truth be told, BOTH Don and I have shared MANY immature days along our road. Being like Adam and Eve we have both greedily eyed the forbidden fruit and “just KNEW” it was good for food, a delight to the eyes, desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:4). Just as Eve did, I tempted the hubby, and he poked me with the stick attached to it! But WE BOTH ate of it…

Forty Five years… what a miracle! Left to our own devices we would have been KICKED OUT of the land of marriage oneness. But God… had other plans!

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

He took our word vow of desire (you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me) and then He listened to us.

So began God’s training plan… for a time such as this.

Love God’s Way!

Love is patient! Years and years of patience. Don began with way more patience  than I had/have. All he requires is a subtle eye roll (yes, I do catch him rolling his eyes sometimes) to get through the impossible expectations. I on the other hand sometimes require a hissy fit(thankfully they are fewer and farther between these days).

Love is kind! I held myself (and others) to a standard of perfection. It took 44 (going on 45) years for Don to convince me he sees me as “amazing” and “fun sized” (my new favorite description of my not so perfect size) – “perfect” for our “unpredictable world”.

And to think…Years ago I COULD NOT WOULD NOT pray for God to make me the wife Don wanted… so I prayed for God to make me the wife He wanted me to be. Turns out God is making us (game still on!) perfect for each other! You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart… go figure!

Love rejoices with the truth! Both of us have met the God who IS LOVE (He so loved us – He gave His son) and believed. We know the truth and the truth has set us free… 

Love bears all things! Like labor and delivery, given a little (sometimes a lot) time and we hardly remember the weeds and thorns…

Love believes all things! The BEST is yet to come…

Love hopes all things! We are so very blessed and we HOPE for many more years of the blessings… the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Love endures all things! Together… Is it just me or do agree it’s God’s grace that we are rarely/if ever overcome with the weight of the world, at the same time?

I didn’t get my Love a card or gift today, amazingly I am the one in this twosome that often forgets to add the sugar and spice. Graciously, Don isn’t one who keeps a spreadsheet of who gave what and how many times. My Wonderful Valentine is a giver through and through… always sweet even when his gift resembles frogs, or snails, or puppy dog tails (**FYI** according to Wikipedia – 19th century nursery rhyme – maybe by Robert Southey). He loves giving… TO ME (eat your heart out girls).

I am blessed this day and everyday God has made for me (my number is written in the Book of Life)! If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)

I am REALLY NOT bragging though I have a lot to brag about if I were… God has given me Himself for all the days of my life for He will never leave nor forsake me.

He has also given me… the Love of my life… the Head of my household… the One who stands between me and my enemies… maybe not always the Firecracker but definitely the Sparkle of my life.

OMG… Don IS my bling!… and we all know I LOVE BLING!!

But NEVER bragging… ALL of this has been to say…

Love never fails! Because the God who IS Love NEVER FAILS…

Zephaniah 3:17 Adonai your God is in your midst— a mighty Savior! He will delight over you with joy. He will quiet you with His love. He will dance for joy over you with singing. (from the Tree of Life Version of the Bible)

Happy Valentines Day…

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.”

Whoa! Elijah wasn’t dying BUT his man Elisha was going to be without him none the less. A man whom he watched and waited on, a man who was given amazing powers to care for the people of Israel. A man whose shoes Elisha was going to try to fill.

A man who just finished making a path through the Jordan river. Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. (2 Kings 2:8)

A man who was preparing Elisha (and Israel) for a time such as this… life going on without him. A man, I believe, who wanted NO grief or fear left behind because of his passing.

Ask, Elisha!

So. he. did.

2 Kings 2:9 And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

What God has done in and through your life… I want a double dose!

2 Kings 2:10 He (Elijah) said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”

Seeing is believing? What you see is what you get?

2 Kings 2:11 As they were going along and talking, (life didn’t stop while they waited for THE EVENT) behold a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Did you see it Elisha?

2 Kings 2:12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more.

What does one do with that?

Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. (2 Kings 2:13)

What must have been going through his mind?

He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And he also (wait for it) struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. (2 Kings 2:14)

Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?

When Elisha struck the waters… he was saying, RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!

And when Elisha “crossed over” he was saying, “He’s my God now!”

2 Kings 2:15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. (FYI this was not worship it was acknowledging the office of Prophet of God)

Now, MOST of us do not hold the Office of Prophet. And a significant number of us would not CLAIM a relationship with God that even comes close to the kind Elijah had with Him.

For MOST of us, death comes BEFORE the chariot of fire and horses of fire are sent for our spirit. And, the great majority of us are barely able to contend with our own lives such as they are, without mentoring those who wish to be our mini me’s.

But if we could be like Elijah… “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.

Or if we were as observant as Elisha… “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”

Would we have the AUDACITY to ask for such a hard thing?

In times of the grief of “loosing” our loved ones or the time of preparation when we are the one they are loosing, we seek… ?COMFORT… ? MORE time… ? LESS suffering… ???

What will I Ask…

How about a DOUBLE PORTION of THEIR relationship with God?

Can I observe a relationship so strong with their Lord and Savior it makes me JEALOUS of their friendship?

Am I aware and IMPRESSED by the miracles God has done in and through their lives.

When I look behind the curtain, into the spiritual, do I see the chariots and horses of fire – the limos being ordered and prepared for every believer whose name is written in The Lamb’s Book of Life?

Am I telling us that we can not grieve? Am I demanding that we show no concern for the present state of affairs? Am I imagining that a relationship with God (even the best of the best) means blood, sweat and tears are minimal?

MAY IT NEVER BE!!! Both Elijah and Elisha were human… they suffered, sweat and cried… they were prone to fear just like us… they enjoyed and counted on the company of their earthly companions.

All I am saying (not the song) is SHOW & TELL like Elijah and Elisha did…

Elisha was told that IF he SAW the REAL DEAL, his request would be given… a DOUBLE PORTION of what God could and would do.

It worked so well for himself, that later on he used the same blessing for his servant, who was caught up in fear. “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”(2 Kings 6:15)

Don’t let the scary times of today, keep you from fighting the good fight of faith! “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16)

2 Kings 6:17 Then, Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eye and he saw; and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Elijah KNEW his God and he passed it on to his mini me…

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

YEAH!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

For those brothers and sisters in the Lord, whom we KNOW see beyond the thin veil of this temporary place, please… Ask what you shall do for us before you are taken from us.

For those of us who are temporarily left behind… ask the “hard thing”… “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 

Let’s ASK… Let us ALL pray…

Ephesians 1:18-19 (we) pray that the eyes of (our) heart may be enlightened, so that (we) will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Luke 19:5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

We may not be in a tree when Jesus finds us but I believe He says the same thing to us when He finally catches our attention… HURRY… COME… TODAY… I must stay at your house.

I was not in a tree. I was digging a hole. I thought I was so smart – and powerful –  I could “make” people bend to my will. I had the powerful tool of manipulation and like Zaccheus (he was a tax collector who collected a “small” portion for himself from the people he called his neighbors), I was going to use it on the people from my community for the benefit of ME.

My story is a story about as long as 32 years. A story where I was my own heroine, I made up my own game (and the rules) and I determined that I wouldn’t stop, even to the point of death, until I WON!

Luke 19:2 And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. 

Zach didn’t “look” wrong, however he probably knew he was doing wrong somewhere in his deepest part. At least, that day, there indeed was a desire to find Jesus, so strong he climbed a tree to see Him.

God’s desire exploding in man’s heart!

God created us and placed within us the evidence of Himself and the temple He wants He wants to build for Himself. Until that place is filled with His presence, whether we admit it or not, we KNOW there is an empty spot within and we strive to fill it (usually with all the wrong things).

When Zach heard Jesus coming, the empty space within Him demanded to SEE Him.

I was digging my grave… I was “ready” to fight to my death (boy, wouldn’t they be sorry) for my right to live as I wanted to! When a friend who wouldn’t play my game by my rules, told me Jesus was coming… “You need Jesus!”… the empty space within me demanded to SEE Him.

Just call me Zach! Jesus found me in my self dug grave and said… “hurry and come down up, for today I must stay at your house”

Just like Zaccheus, I’m sure, though some might say “she’s a good person”, most would begin to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a woman who is a sinner.” (Luke 19:7) 

Just like Zaccheus, I wasn’t alone – the table is FULL!

Mark 2:15 And it *happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 

And the church “fathers” ask…

Mark 2:16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” 

I have to admit… I asked the same question! “Why me?”

Then you look into His eyes and everything but Him becomes sooooooooo unimportant… You want the money? “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” (Luke 19:8) You want my life? (As a disclaimer, I wasn’t as quick to give to Jesus, it took me a FEW days of having Him at my table.) I don’t have riches, all I have is this hole I have been digging.

Luke 19:9-10 And Jesus says… “Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” 

#metoo? EVEN me???????

Mark 2:17 And hearing this, Jesus says, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Yep, if I were listed in the dictionary, right next to me would be the label “sinner”! The perfect definition of my life! Just throw me in the LOST pile…

But God…

Luke 19:10 The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. 

Make that the LOST and FOUND pile…

Why me?

And Jesus says… “Because God, Our Father, told me to!”… And I am JUST LIKE HIM! We are on the same page! “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 5:30)

Thank God, Jesus lives in my house!

He is not done with me yet, He is building a temple within me that will be worthy of God, Himself. Building such a temple takes time and masterful attention to every detail. But God… with me trembling in awesome fear of His power and might… it is God who is at work in me, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

How about you?

Has your empty space, designed to be God’s temple, DEMANDED to see Jesus yet?

Have you climbed a tree, or dug a hole, or swam the deepest waters, to catch just a glimpse of Him?

Jesus is calling!

“Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”

Be.Like.Zach.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

Revelation 7:9, 11-12 After these things I looked, and behold, a vast multitude that no one could count (definitely not alone in this… just sayin!) —from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues—was standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands and all the angels were standing around the throne, along with the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen!”

Yesterday I was called “spoiled”… and… I AM! I am showered with gifts (thoughts and things and bling) and blessings (grace and forgiveness and love) that I don’t deserve, I haven’t earned, and I couldn’t buy even if I had the funds to do so. I am loved… WELL!

I am loved so well that my heart sometimes swells to the point of pain – treasured pain.

I am spoiled by my God – I am spoiled by my lovey (husband) – I am spoiled by my children, my friends, my extended family… I AM SPOILED!

Normally this would have a negative connotation (i.e. rotten) but I choose to proudly wear it as a Badge of Wonderful, because with my badge I am boldly proclaiming my HEARTFELT GRATITUDE.

And soooo…

I was contemplating the word (words) of thanks/thanksgiving…

It seems to me that, like love, there are degrees of sincerity – the amount of covenant reciprocal investment embedded in the words thank you.

One can “like” something &/or someone and mean only that they have an affectionate response to… some Bible Dictionaries use the Greek word phileo. Or, we can “love”, placing a deliberate attachment for and a covenant promise to place and hold the person, place or thing in a position of honor. A place that includes use of and benefits from all my worldly goods… this greek word is agapaō… a word that describes a willingness to sacrifice to or for the loved one.

Thank you and/or all other verbiage used to express gratitude, can (and I believe does) express the same degrees sincerity/amount of covenant reciprocal investment.

I can (and often do) say thank you from my head not my heart. As a spoiled child, I still have the nature to make everything about ME, which in turn causes me to “like” anyone or anything that satisfies MY desires and or affections. Sorry to say, when my heart is filled with myself I can really only squeeze in a small space for covenant investment toward someone or something else.

But…

When the eyes of my heart look outward and SEE THE SPOILER, I can begin to prepare a place for him/her. A place of honor – a place of willingness to invest myself. A place that is not shallow pond of “liking what I see”, but a “deep, unending, growing realization of WHO I see. A place that inspires AWE of “Why me?” A place that is pressed down, shaken, full, and overflowing of GRATITUDE of the HEART!

A place that DEMANDS a little more than words of thanks.

To God, who is The Spoiler (my Spoiler) above every spoiler, the place in my heart demands… falling on my face before the throne and worshiping My God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to my God forever and ever!

To my other spoilers, who give from God’s provision (whether they know it or not) in their lives, my heart demands all except the worshipping. My heart demands an amen… me proclaiming the truth of you… with blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor… giving you the power and might to touch my life in ways that fill my heart with the essence of you.

This is HEARTFELT GRATITUDE which NO WORDS can adequately express!

When I am wearing my Badge of Wonderful called “Spoiled” and not adding “rotten” to it (eyes on me), I am being changed. God is… taking the heart of stone out of my flesh and giving me a heart flesh (Ezekiel 11:19)

I am spoiled!

Psalm 139:13-18 God formed my inward parts; God wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are God’s works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from God, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; God’s eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in God’s book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are God’s thoughts to me, O God!… He gives me all my other spoilers… How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

To my Spoiler and all His fearfully and wonderfully made assistant spoilers He has put into my life, I place you in my heart with the deepest covenant reciprocal investment of thanks and love I can give!

1 Timothy 4:4 For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

You are received with all of my HEARTFELT GRATITUDE!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

Joseph had a dream… his brothers had a plan… but God determined the outcome.

Thank You Father!

What a mess we would be if we truly and totally suffered the consequences of our sinful nature. If God truly was a remote and passive viewer of this world, would we even have survived one generation much less thousands of generations? Consider Cain and Abel (the first sibling rivalry – Genesis 4). Cain killed Abel in the heat of jealousy and anger, THEN realized he just might need God’s intervention. He begged God for mercy after blaming Him for the punishment he brought on himself. He KILLED someone (never mind it was his own brother whom he grew up with and shared parents with)!

Even way back in the day, before the “civil law”, he would have had to “run away’ from his crime of murder. Like the natural law of gravity, the law of reciprocity – the law of creation – the law of motion, demanded an equal and opposite reaction to every action. I call it the “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you” law of human nature.

Throughout history, we have had our share of Abels, who quietly did their business and lived a life of love, gratitude and worship for their Creator God. And, throughout history, we have had the equal and reactive Cain’s who had no other thought except love of self.

Two siblings with two different hearts of love. Love of God and His plan to create and fill this world with all of His wondrous creation for all of His wondrous creation. Love of self, Satan’s twisted version of love – the equal and opposite reaction (hatred) to God, who IS Love – the enemy’s plan to destroy God’s creation and His plan. 

I’m telling you, if God had stepped away in disgust and/or boredom for what His creation had become, and left us with only our version of “brotherly love”, we would have been done for! Scripture and History is filled with “Man Plans/God Fixes.

Take the famine of circa 1700 BC or so… where the fix, God’s intervention, began twenty plus years in advance

Genesis 37:2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. 

Oh, oh… tattletale!

Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 

Spoiled brat!

Genesis 37:4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms. 

Alone in the playground.

Genesis 37:5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 

Ok, we’re done… When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death… now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”(Genesis 37:18-20) We must love our brother to death!

Reuben intervened (for his own sake with Dad) on the irrevocable piece of the plan (let’s not kill him) so they threw him in a pit and sold him to the traders passing by for twenty shekels of silver. (it’s how Joseph, a seventeen year old sheep herder, got to Egypt in case you were wondering)

Act I Scene 6: “Now we show and tell Papa, the truth according to the evidence. Convince him we are innocent and we have overcome our only hurdle to a better life. Life without the brother who tormented us with his “wicked” ways. Things can only be better!”

Life did go on. Normal, if not pleasant/happy for the boys. Sad and lonely for Dad. Joseph? From slave to prison to second in command over all of Egypt in thirteen year! Now he isn’t just the dreamer, he’s the interpreter of Pharoah’s dreams and along with the interpretation, Joseph is given a plan to save the people from famine.

What are the odds?

His brother’s had a plan to rid themselves of a thorn in the flesh, God determined to save His people from death and annihilation. The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because of the famine was severe in all the earth. (Genesis 41:57)

Hey boys, what do you think of the spoiled brat now?

We want to pretend that mankind – man and all his siblings –  is the author and creator of any and all success! WE are in control… WE determine who is for us and who is against us… If you are not FOR us then you are AGAINST us and you must BE GONE!

Including God. If God does not follow our rules – our wishes – our commands, then He must go! We sacrifice Him (or believe we do) on the altar of our imagination, or as some call it, our perception. We declare God to be a myth created by an overactive imagination. Our perception convinces us God is no more real than a genie in a bottle. We live as if PERCEPTION IS REALITY. Of course, both, imagination and perception, are equally susceptible to the EYE OF THE BEHOLDER… We waffle back and forth depending upon what my eyes want to see today. I can “imagine” you love me (how can you not?) and at the same time “perceive” that you are not showing love to me, all based upon the reality that love means never making me unhappy.

Joseph’s brothers believed they had created the reality that life was better without Joseph. Their perception was they were “thankfully” rid of him forever. They thought, as they ate their cake of making their life so much happier, that they would always have their cake of self-love to keep their life happy. What they didn’t know, 27 years earlier, was a tsunami of famine was headed their way and JOSEPH would be needed for them to even have a life… oops… who knew?

Once again God intervened…

I can only imagine what the brotherhood thought when they discovered that THE MAN in control of whether they could feed their family or not was the brother they failed to love.

Genesis 45:1-3 He (Joseph) could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried… he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it (possibly ready to attack the people making their beloved so unhappy?)… “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”… but his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

SPEECHLESS!

If anyone says, “I love God,” (you know they claimed this – they were raised in the family of Jacob/Israel) yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” — 1 John 4:20-21

We call a lot of things love. We do a lot of things for the good of our fellow siblings. We would never purposely harm our “brother/sister”, especially if we knew how SPECIAL they were, we would love them like God loves us!

Probably not! Probably more like Joseph’s gang of brothers… you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

Oh by the way… Joseph’s original dream was that his brothers and all of his family would bow to him. THEY DID! A dream come true! Thank God! He does indeed have the whole world in His hands and He plans to keep it that way!

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. (By the way; may not look like Our Big Brother Plan – just sayin!)

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

Scripture says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Romans 10:9)

However… without TRUST there would be no fruit (active participation – OBEDIENCE) on our tree – no “food” to sustain us in the seasons of famine. The house may be built on our belief in Jesus Christ, but I’d venture to say there would be no insulation in our walls, no stability when the wolf comes (and he will come) to blow the house down, and definitely it will not be turn-key ready for abundant life!

Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches… 

Man says… “Fake it until you make it” (or something like that), but Scripture says… You will know them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:16)

Fruit… the produce of the tree.

The fruit of the tree of faith is the active/ready-willing-and able participation to DO what the Word of God declares (not suggests) needs to be done. The ready – willing – and able comes from the fertilizer of trust.

Yes, for some, maybe even most “trees” it takes years to produce fruit, but anything less or none at all is… wait for it… hypocrisy!

A hypocrite, just a decorative tree, maybe pleasing to the eye but useless for sustenance. A bunch of logs! Matthew 7:3-5 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log (useless tree) that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log (useless tree) is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log (useless tree) out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

First just let me say that I don’t really consider it possible to separate  FAITH from TRUST, however for the sake of discussion some would say that salvation only requires BELIEF and of course confession of said belief.

I agree (see Romans 10:9 above)! However…

Believe in your heart is NOT the same as telling someone what they want to hear.

And, what is it that you believe?  That God raised Him from the dead? Really? Then “SHOW ME THE MONEY”!

Show me your fruit…

Romans 3:20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

But, what use is it , my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works (James 2:14) Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17).

Before we get into a yelling match… Mary, YOU CAN’T have it both ways! Yes I can!

Works of the Law in Romans, are tasks done out of, and only for, a sense of obligation… not cheerfully given (2 Corinthians 9:7), because the HEART declares it a MUST, without grudge or under compulsion to do so.

Unlike works of the Law, done for meeting unspoken expectations (which are similar to meaningless repetition or the religiosity Jesus speaks against in Matthew 6:7), works of Faith are done because the heart of a born-again believer BURNS with passion TO LIVE what it KNOWS to be TRUE.

*** Works of the Law done by the heart possessed by God Himself, are equally works of Faith by the heart born-again as a Child of God and grafted in to the family (Israel)/possession of God***

That fire in our heart is fueled by… TRUST!

I can believe words. I can believe someone is who they say they are. I can believe a promise made… for a while. But when tested? Will I believe with all my heart?

Good question!

An even better question is, “Will you test (actively prove your own confession of belief) what you believe about God and His Word, knowing He will not fail?” Or are we so afraid of being embarrassed that we build a fake fire of “religion” fueled by the logs of fear? No wonder we are sometimes thought of as hypocrites, rather than putting the fire of embarrassment out, we build it bigger, and brighter, and hotter, with the logs of fakery, the “Do as I say, not as I do” logs.

The passionate fire of TRUST, built with the logs of wisdom and understanding or the passionate fire of FEAR built with the logs of our own understanding. What’s in your house of faith built with?

the room of our house are filled by knowledge or filled with pretentious idols?.

Knowledge comes by testing the truth to be true, not by putting a pretty but false face our own storybook.

Testing is accomplished by TRUST, the active proof of my own confession of belief. Not the smoke and mirrors of accusation and slight of hand of a wanna be magician.

John 8:31-32 … “If you continue in My word, then your are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” TRUTH, not an opinion – mine or your!

DO NOT lean on your own understanding… I think the greatest mistake made in our world today is the trust in “EL NATURAL” Plant the seed and whatever comes up is wonderful (organic and original) and meant to be. If any tweaking is needed we turn to the expert Google to give us the perfect fix, recipe or truth.

Even our churches are caving to the idea that we don’t have to do anything but say the word and God will (or at least He BETTER!) give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37).

Without  knowing Him or reading His Word for ourselves, we CLAIM our position as son/daughter WORTHY to inherit God’s Kingdom.

Childishly we believe we KNOW all we NEED TO know and therefore God is obligated (if He wants us to continue believing in Him)…

As I said in the title, trust does not come naturally! But childishness DOES! 1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child; immediate gratification of all that is, was, and will be! When I became (an adult) I did away with my childish things. Well, some of us haven’t.

Truth is not a child’s toy, it can not be molded into whatever hot mess the eye of the beholder imagines.

Belief without faith, is not a safe and secure environment for training up a child (or anyone else).

Faith without trust is an unknown stability of a foundation, ripe for the enemy’s weapons of mass destruction.

Trust without obedience (actively putting our WHOLE self, body, soul, and spirit on the high-wire of life), does not produce the passion fruit of faith.

I’m not trying to take a spec out of your eye, brother/sister, I’m simply identifying the fruit of a Jesus Freak tree…

Faith without trust (proof of our confession/word) and obedience (proof of our trust)… without demand for God’s obligation to our wishes and plans… does not yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (the RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God – Hebrews 12:7-11).

FAITH… Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 

TRUST… Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;

OBEDIENCE… Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

Trust does not come naturally and it doesn’t always make me happy – healthy – wealthy – wise! But it will ALWAYS be… healing to our body And refreshment to our bones. (Proverbs 3:8)

“Trust and Obey,  for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus,  but to trust and obey.” (song by John H. Sammis 1846-1919)

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Job 1:6-7 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

Anytime Satan is at the party, WE LOOSE!

He approaches in innocence (just roaming and walking).

Job 1:8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

Proudly God (the bragging rights of Daddy) points out the character of His child (His DNA), shining so brightly that none seeing him could miss who he belongs to.

Satan, who has heard so many of these “My Child” stories, mumbles from his evil heart… “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (Job 1:9-10)… not DNA – SPOILED BRAT more likely!

Such a negative opinion!

And it/he hasn’t changed! The accuser of the brethren (night and day – Revelations 12:10), because he knows he is on his last hurrah, he is even more hell-bent on destroying the creation God loves. Today he stands before God’s throne saying the same things about us that he said about Job.

In our hung over state of celebrating THE END of the year or anything begging to be TWEAKED, we begin to imagine something even better – a PERFECT year, or person, or feeling, or world. If only…

We begin to hear and consider a view of truth that is separated from God. We begin to hear the accusations spoken before the throne of heaven by our expert accuser and we begin to repeat them to ourselves and others. Instead of reminding the accuser that his time is short, we panic and allow his opinion of us to DECLARE our guilt and enter his SLAVERY – Egypt style.

Exodus 1:9 Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.

Exodus 1:10 Come, let us deal wisely with them, (or else)…

Exodus 1:11 So they appointed taskmasters (FYI these were fellow Hebrews) over them to afflict them with hard labor.

This, my beloved bros and sisters, is reenacted every New Year’s Day with each and every New Year’s Resolution! We VOW to become (in the NEW YEAR) everything we are not now. WE  BECOME the taskmasters of ourselves and others in the family of God.

It’s all in the Art of Temptation… Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) Make “them” think they “Better Watch Out”…

Court is in session and the Judge is ready to bang the gavel!

He KNOWS (sleeping, awake) – He KNOWS!

So… BE GOOD FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!

Every year, my enemy offers me the apple of taking the law into my own hands to avoid THE Judge who will surely make me SUFFER a life sentence of HARD SLAVE LABOR. Every New Year, I start to fall into temptation and every New Year, (I know I will) sooner rather than later, I will FAIL at being the perfect defendant with no need for mercy and grace.

And EVERY year (New or otherwise), God saves me and leads me out of the Egypt I keep trying to return to.

Yep, Satan is still the accuser and is still accusing the brethren before the throne night and day… his end is coming but only God determines the date and time (Mark 13:32).

Yep, it’s still and imperfect and groaning world! Until we are finally “revealed” as God’s sons and daughters, we look like (and sometimes act like) useful slaves who manage, like taskmasters of old, the hard labor of ourselves and others.

But God… is with us! Yes, He is the Judge but He is also the One who LOVES us and CLAIMS us as His own!

When the accuser steps to the podium… Jesus RISES (He sits at the right hand of God) and DECLARES us FREE! Because of His victory over all that stands between God and us, God ORDERS Satan to shut his mouth and get the hell out of heaven (he falls like lightning – Jesus watches – Luke 10:18).

What should we do (New Year’s or ANY other day) in return?

Observe and Remember!

Observe that God is NOT in agreement with the accuser… he was not asking Satan for a tattle-tale report of Job’s lifestyle. In fact He was bragging about and in love with His boy! Observe that God is NOT worried that He will be embarrassed by His creature/creation’s failure to be PERFECT. Observe that God is in control and Satan will not be allowed to devour and/or destroy.

Observe that in the end it is NOT about Job (or me – or you)… but about God and His life in us (God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life – Genesis 2:7).

And then… REMEMBER… it was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

In MEMORY of all that you have observed and been blessed with… become His child – who races to Him rather than back to Egypt… become His child – who seeks Him rather than a child’s childish way… become His child – who does not fall for the temptation but turns to ABBA for every need… Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Who better than the One who knows every cell, every fearful and wonderful thing about you (Psalm 139)?

This year, instead of New Year’s resolution, I will be lifting my New Year’s Life resolution Banner… for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13).

I am a Child of God!

No more listening to or giving attention to the whispers of a future has-been accuser – I declare the Word of My Father… “Not by might  nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

There Was a Day…

This IS THE day… which the Lord has made;

After all… EVERY DAY… Father Knows Best!

Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Happy New Year!!!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.