Side by Side Hand in Hand

1 Peter 2:9 But 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;

First came Israel… a chosen race – a royal priesthood – a holy nation… a people for God’s own possession!

And then came the rest of us… Roman 11:17… you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,

FYI!!!!! Israel has NOT been replaced by us as some would have us imagine! God… does not change His plan (no variation or shifting shadow – James 1:17). 

Do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, REMEMBER that it is NOT YOU who supports  the root, but THE ROOT SUPPORTS YOU! (Romans 11:18)

The Root – GOD – supports BOTH! So… when God speaks to Israel… He is speaking to the WHOLE tree. As a branch (wild, no less) grafted in, we do not become the “boss” of the tree nor can we decide which nutrients we “want/don’t want” from the root.

Rather, being the one late to the party, we should look to and learn from all that Israel has been given, taught, trained up in, as God’s First Choice… our brothers/sisters… from another mother, yes… but from our same Father in heaven! Our Daddy is not bigger than Israel’s Daddy – He IS the Daddy of BOTH OF US! I would venture to guess this is exactly why His Word is filled with the truth about sibling rivalry… He knows us so well!

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

The pure milk… grafted in to a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10). God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… has caused us to be born again to a living hope… to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away (1 Peter 1:3-4)

 

1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world (those NOT grafted in) does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)

Yeah, I don’t understand the hatred either, but I’m not surprised by it, nor willing to grovel or chase their approval/popularity. I am a Jesus Freak and chase Him (if He wanted groveling I would do that too)

With no groveling required…

2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 

Now for this very reason, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

For this very reason… because we ARE grafted in… because “WE ARE FAMILY”!

It makes me sing! It makes me dance! It makes me proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light!

Are you grafted in? Our family not only has the biggest olive garden, we specialize in all the finest fruit (you will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16) through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; Galatians 5:22-23)

***Knowing them by their fruit is not permission to judge nor a ruler by which to measure… it is the call to love, encourage, and pray for our orchard mates and those we’d like to be orchard mates with! ***

Are you in our orchard? 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

You will be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession… You will immediately be… GRAFTED IN!

Welcome to God’s Kingdom… and all the brothers and sisters say… “AMEN”

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

 

 

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 

I am not a deep thinker. I am a girl who is entertained for a moment then scurries off to the next best moment. I love bling, I oooh and ahhh over all the beautiful things my eyes are drawn to. For me, life has mostly been defined by seeing, “What you see is what you get!” If things sparkle, they are good. If things don’t… I’m usually not interested.

Pretty shallow…

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, 

Not so invisible when you desire to see, but hidden to someone who only has eyes for the diamonds already mined, polished and presented in lavish settings. Clearly seen and understood requires an eye for the potential, the evolution of the whole, rather than just the right here – right now.

Add to my need for immediate gratification, religion (talking about God) convinced me that HE was not someone who would satisfy my desires, much less let me be who I was (even if He did create me). Sooooo… I refused to clearly see and therefore had no understanding of our GOOD GOD!

No understanding… no concept of need.

No need… no pursuit.

No pursuit… no sight.

No sight… no faith. How right was my “friend” when she spoke the beginning of the end of my life heading to hell, “You need Jesus!”

O taste and see that the Lord is good;

He didn’t come with bling. He came with the truth of who I was and where I was going.

He didn’t come with instant fun and games. He came with the challenge to pursue intimacy and eternal fellowship.

He didn’t come with a package of don’ts. He came with the excitement of who God created me to be and always knew I would be, because He was there when the breath of life was blown into me.

He didn’t come with immediate perfection. He came with a lifetime of training me up in the way I should go.

I tasted… and I am beginning to see!

Job 37:14 “Listen to this, O Job Mary, Stand and consider the wonders of God. 

Two years ago we tasted and saw Alaska. A place made from the ice and snow grinding the rocks of the earth into soil, then receding so the seeds dropped from the air and the living sea grasses are tossed up, out of the water, to begin new land where all sorts of creatures will be raised  up, live and thrive by the GRACE of GOD.

Job 38:4-6 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 

This year we tasted and saw Hawaii. This too, a place made from an unimaginable evolution. Lava, the bowels of the earth cooked and spewed out with a fire that turned it liquid. Cooked and cooled, time and time again, until an island was formed (and more still forming), the new land sowed with the seeds for what so many call paradise. A joyous mixture of color and texture and natural beauty that requires participation above and beyond just watching. Whereas I would see the WORK required to enjoy, the people of this great land see LIFE – ABUNDANT LIFE in its offerings.

We’ve seen the Grand Canyon, a place only the finger of God could imagine and carve into this unimaginable display, and supply it with creatures He made specifically to enhance and enjoy its design. Like the first garden, He gives it to man/woman to populate, raise up, live and thrive.

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.

Taste and See… though I am only beginning to clearly see and understand God’s attributes… His eternal power and His divine nature, I have tasted His love and see the future and hope in Jesus…

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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

As shallow as I am, even I can taste and see how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 

Even I, who is mesmerized by bling – beauty – ease, can recognize ABUNDANT life for those who participate with God in LIVING the life He gives… even if it comes in a form I would not choose for myself.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure

His eternal power… His divine nature… His plan… His work… His will… His good pleasure…

John 10:10  “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Even I, want ALL of that!

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!… Bo Yeshua!

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

 

 

 

 

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

Simple? YES!

Easy? NO!

Cheap? HELL NO! …when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

HOWEVER!!!!!

IT.IS.FINISHED!

I woke up this morning with the feeling that “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise”. The unfinished dream, (I NEVER remember dreams), the cold/flu that came out of nowhere last week and won’t leave, the struggles of friends and family that leave me scratching my head saying, “Where did THAT come from?”. I KNEW I SHOULD get up and prepare to MEET WITH MY PEEPS… it’s Website Wednesday… I have been waiting ALL WEEK to find out what I would blog about this week! (Whether you all know it or not, I’m your biggest fan! For everyone who is a subscriber or just happens to read today’s words, I thank God for each and every one as He and I sit together and speak of putting His song in each of our hearts, His Word posted on its doorposts, and His name always upon our lips.)

This morning though, I didn’t WANT to begin! This morning, I couldn’t imagine the message when the world felt like it was ready to toss its cookies and it would NOT be pretty!

Lord, WHAT is going on?

He smiled and said, “Passover is on the way… just days away… What do you THINK is going on?”  Observe and Remember!

Passover… “Let My people go!” (Exodus 7:16) 

Passover Lamb… “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John1:29)

Jesus said…  “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. 

IT.IS.FINISHED!

Satan is MAD AS HELL (also I suspect, scared as hell!)… his minions fear for all that they are, all that they never were, and all that they will never be… the gates of his kingdom are on their final attempt to prevail against the judgement of God and rewrite the FINAL THROW-DOWN.

We often think of Armageddon as the final battle between Christ and Satan. I disagree, the final battle between Christ and Satan happened at the cross… Jesus WON… IT.IS.FINISHED!

Armageddon is the final battle between the earth and Satan who has been its prince” since he stole it and its princely title from Adam/Eve. When mankind, each and every one, have made their choice, and the declaration of that choice is clearly posted for all to know and see, THEN COMES what we have always imagined as the bloodiest – the hardest – the most costly battle of God’s Son versus Satan, the REAL ENEMY of God.

We imagine there is still something for God to win/loose.

Or at least Satan wants us to imagine that there is still something to win/loose.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.

Revelations 19:20 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

The battle taking place on this planet called earth, is NOT between Satan and Christ, the Son of God. The battle is between Satan and man/woman. DECLARE Satan your god or face the fury of hell!

I’m sure, some of us would like to continue to believe we have no skin in the game… “all of this folderol is a story from the pages of the longest running science fiction promotion brought to us by religion”.

I’m sure, some of us pray our choice will never come up for public scrutiny… “not sure I could speak with the voice of a martyr”.

I’m sure, all of us would just like to forget all this ugly stuff and get ready for the Easter Bunny… “so much to do and so little time to do it”.

Passover is on the way… Observe and Remember! “Let My people go!” (Exodus 7:16). With those words this morning, Jesus cleared the chaos and confusion. What do I think is going on????

Satan is observing and remembering and sees his future palace abyss (Revelation 20:3). He knows, he’s always known, IT.IS.FINISHED!

He is LIVID… he is SCARED… he is IN his FINAL DAYS! His end is imminent!

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

ONE… And Done! He is RISEN indeed!

Yep, the battle between Jesus and Satan is finished… WINNER DECLARED… God!

Spoiler Alert! There is no pay for view event still to happen. But…but… but… the heaven opened –  their armies assembled… 

READ ON! …the beast (the Anti Christ) was seized – thrown alive into the lake of fire

an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand) laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; 

ONE… And Done! …Revelation 20:7-10 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them (“poof”). And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

I just have to shake my head, smile, and wonder WHY am I always “surprised” when my spiritual eyes are opened and I notice the spiritual realm experiencing shaking – warfare – chaos – confusion.

Ephesians 6:12 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. 

The GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD is on the marquee and it begins with Passover… need I say more??

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

 

1 Kings 19:11-13 So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 

Speaking with God, was proclaimed by our “expert” talk show madam, as insanity. Actually, she was specifically diagnosing those of us who believe Jesus walks with us and talks to us. She was saying that those who talk to God are normal, but those who HEAR God talking to them, are… well let’s just say… are insane.

After being taken to the woodshed, she admitted she didn’t have a clue so many would be offended. Unexpectedly, the brave woman, was bruised and bloodied after a playground battle in which she so joyfully brandished her sword of foolishness.

Unexpectedly, she heard the people of Jesus, who quietly go about His business of relaying His words of GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY (not the same joy…), raised up and unashamedly  proclaimed, “He speaks! If you don’t hear Him, you’re not listening!”.

Unexpectedly, this woman, of more glee than joy, was completely unaware she might be walking on God’s holy ground. I’m hoping she, unexpectedly, maybe for the first time, heard for herself the voice of God.

As a Jesus Freak Christian, a grafted in Gentile, a child of the most high God… I KNOW the voice of my God!

He could be in a great and strong wind. His voice would rend the mountains and break into pieces the rocks before the Lord… but no, the Lord was not in the wind.

He could be in an earthquake… but no, the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Or a fire… but no, the Lord was not in the fire.

Then, there was… A sound of a gentle blowing… 

When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.

Elijah had run for the hills in fear… been fed and sustained by God, Himself… cried out over and over again for deliverance (even death) from these days of severe threat to his life by JEZEBEL!  (I mean he was being threatened by a very bitter woman).

Elijah was definitely talking to God about his predicament. He wasn’t claiming that he didn’t deserve such suffering. He was just saying how completely worn out He was from his battle with his enemies (1 Kings 19:4-5)

Did he, as someone might joyfully proclaimed, fall into insanity because he expected to hear from God about his situation? Do we, after bearing our heart and soul to Father in heaven, expect to also hear from Him?

May I just say… it would be insane to seek God for His answer if we didn’t EXPECT and RECEIVE His answer!

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. 

Maybe some of the Joys of this world aren’t familiar with the Lord who delights in loving-kindness, justice and righteousness. Maybe some of the Joys are too busy boasting of their own wisdom, might and  riches to understand and know the GREAT I AM… Who IS, WAS, and always WILL BE.

For those who believe in and love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5) Elijah teaches us about SEEKING – HEARING – FOLLOWING God.

Elijah sought the Lord… “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” He knew God would be there. And behold, the Lord was passing by! Even when God wasn’t in the dramatic and harsh elements, Elijah kept looking for Him. He KNEW God would speak to him so he PREPARED to listen.

He recognized God’s voice in the midst of all that was happening before him. Those winds, and earthquake, and fire,  probably reminded him of and felt exactly like the fear and threats that sent him running to the hills! In the midst, he didn’t run from God! He ran to God… when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.

And behold,  a (REAL – LIVE – LOVING) voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah KNEW him and was KNOWN by Him! And then… Elijah did what God told him to do… immediately and without doubt. (1 Kings 19:15-21)

Oh, for joy to come in the morning… if only you would seek the God of Jesus Freaks all over the world… if only you knew His voice… if only  you listened when He speaks (because He is speaking)… if only you followed His Words… “for the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

However the Word of the Lord comes, whether in a hurricane, an earthquake, a firestorm, or a gentle blowing, it comes to all. Those who KNOW and are KNOWN by our God who SPEAKS it, HEAR it!

Call us crazy… we will be the ones… Singing praise to the Lord, we His godly ones, and giving thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:4-5)

A shout of joy in the morning and blessing for a lifetime!

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”

The Voice of God is speaking! Are you listening?

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

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

Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”— that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 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; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 

If you… What are my OTHER options? Luke 18:18-21 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit (to receive an allotted portion… the portion assigned to me *Strong’s Concordance) eternal life?”

If you… But FIRST! – Matthew 8:21 Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”

If you… Not now! – Luke 14:16-24 “A man was giving a big dinner, and  he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’

Have I hit upon the “goto” excuse to delay your eternal life choice yet?

Sometimes we make it sound as if the choice is our’s alone to make, that it doesn’t affect anyone but me. That the worst consequence is just a delay. It’s JUST a religion – it’s JUST a mindset – it’s JUST a personal belief.

We want to think that this “spiritual thing” is JUST a phase of life with no REAL STRUGGLE required. Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead… quick and easy peasy!

And… it is QUICK… with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation… Right Here! Right Now!

But easy? Should it be easy? After all, confession is more than speaking a few words, or promising a few things that you may or may not fulfill when the time comes. And believing? Way more than childish declarations tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (Ephesians 4:14). It is speaking the truth in love, growing up in all aspects into Him (Ephesians 4:15). It is laying aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and being renewed in the spirit of your mind, and putting on the new self, which is in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Yes, it will begin “Right Here! Right Now!”

But what really begins is A Wrestling Match like no other, just as in Jacob’s (and now our) life!

Genesis 32:24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak

Not only do we wrestle with ourselves (the laying aside and putting on a new self is a sometimes VERY BLOODY match), we wrestle with all who enter (at their own risk) into our wrestling ring. When we ask God into our ring – Right Here! Right Now! – through our believing and confessing heart, we enter into an eternal wrestling match with…Elohiym (Strong’s Concordance)… the God of Israel! (Genesis 32:28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.”)

Jacob, became, right then and right there, the example of being in, what we call a RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

This is how God does life!

Wrestling (like parent with a child NOT enemies)… When he (God) saw that he had not prevailed against him (Jacob), he (God) touched the socket of his (Jacob’s) thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he (God) wrestled with him (Jacob). 26 Then he (God) said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he (Jacob) said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:25)

Obviously this match did not cause Jacob such great fear that he refused to wrestle. Nor did it cause Jacob to hate the One he was wrestling with. In fact, it caused him to know he was in a special place – the place of seeing God FACE TO FACE… (so Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” verse 30)

A real life relationship with the REAL God! (Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping (He was “touched” – no doubt it was real) on his thigh. verse 31)

May I just say… EVERY relationship is a wrestling match! Or should be! For if it isn’t, it is nothing more than empty words and empty promises. A living arrangement that requires very little “like” much less love.

EVERY relationship requires a battle, both within and without, to establish the boundaries of and the land on which the living together will take place. Most of us would like to live ALONE without the necessity of wrestling, however the nature of each individual is a WRESTLER! Alone or with another, WE WILL WRESTLE! We may not call it “wrestling” for that indicates fighting with the possibility of violence, “WE” are BETTER THAN THAT! “WE” are lovers not fighters! “Some” might even declare us better than, more loving than, more caring than, GOD – after all – He ALLOWS bad things to happen – we MAKE LAWS against bad things happening while ignoring the truth that bad things happen when LAWS (especially God’s laws) AREN”T FOLLOWED.

I think we truly despise wrestling for the results, i.e. consequences of the match. We despise the RISK of the MATCH.

There is… wait for it… a winner AND a looser. Someone gets AND someone has to give. Someone rules AND someone serves. We wish to be DECLARED the winner without the risk of loosing.

With God, there is no question of authority… He created – we became the creature.

With God, there is no question of power… He speaks and IT is done.

With God, there is no question of consequences… His word NEVER returns void.

With God, there is no question… He is the way, the truth, the life.

We don’t often dwell on the worst risk of all… We loose!

With God, there is no risk… We Win!

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him

God desires to declare us WINNERS! Might be saved… might not perish… might have not just this “life” but have an ETERNAL abundant LIFE…

All for the price of the other thing we despise but cannot escape – RELATIONSHIP.

For richer, or poorer, in sickness, and in health, till death do us part, we are NEVER alone. Whether we acknowledge another “sharer of our life” or not, we share this land we call earth with billions of other “us”. Whether we wrestle with them or not we are related to each and every one of “us” by being alive on this earth.  When we do wrestle with another “us” it isn’t always fun, or pretty, or successful. Heck! When we wrestle with ourselves it isn’t always fun, or pretty, or even successful (even when we pretend it is).

When we wrestle with God, it is sometimes painful, often times ugly, but successful? ALWAYS!

When you confess with your mouth (HE IS LORD) and believe with your heart (HE IS GOD) you, right here and right now, hand Him the invitation to reside and the power of attorney  over the residence.

Like Jacob, our choice has been made and we should,

• expect and invite wrestling
• stay with the match until we are blessed
• rejoice that we SEE GOD FACE TO FACE and we live to tell about it!

Right Here! Right Now! The wrestling match begins…

For it is God who is at work in (and outside of) us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 

Spoiler Alert – We win God’s good pleasure when we lose our will to “DO IT MYSELF!”

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

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.