Side by Side Hand in Hand

Like, Lust, Love… Is there a difference? In our day and time, it appears that there is only degrees of, not true differences, all defined by feelings.

For instance… like is defined as; 1) find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory 2) wish for; want; feel about or regard… as a noun; the things one likes or prefers:

Lust is usually paired with sex… very strong sexual desire: but is also defined as  a passionate desire for something:

And Love… an intense feeling of deep affection: a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone: affectionate greetings conveyed to someone on one’s behalf… as a verb; like very much; find pleasure in:

Granted, this is not a deep study of these words but then does it matter. How often in our day do we find ourself or anyone else concerned with the accuracy and/or transparency of our speech? I would suggest that most of us prefer to decide for ourselves what was meant in any particular conversation we encounter. In the case of like, lust or love, we desperately need to believe that we are likable… lusted after… lovable even if it is just “a little”. So, if we base our definitions on an unmeasurable emotion (a person with NO emotions is COMATOSE) which changes when the wind blows, we can then interchange the three words as the need arises to keep our fan club satisfied and the lie intact that we return in equal amounts, their feelings of like, lust and love in our mutual state of dependency.

I wanted to stay in the very SHALLOW end of the pool of meaning… defining what is, as what I want it to be… in that place where there is no expectation of accountability (If I have to prove my like, lust or love than obviously YOU don’t like, lust or love ME) and the emotional investment (I feel your pain) is only as expensive as what I’m feeling right now.

But… no… I couldn’t stop myself from going to the DEEP, END-less (get it.. shallow end/deep end… just trying to be cute here, people)) source of love… God… He is love… and seeing these definitions from His point of view.

Matthew 22:37-40 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.

In “Vine’s Concise Dictionary” (a dictionary of biblical meanings and word usage), I came across the statement “Love can be known only from the actions it prompts.”  Whether we are talking like, or lust, or love, the definitions based upon degrees of feelings just got rendered empty and useless… the proof is in the pudding… so to speak!

God’s like, lust, and love, is not based on an empty, useless emotional response to some stimuli. When He “likes” (find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory) something or someone, He creates… Psalm 139:14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made. When He “lusts” (a passionate desire for something) He sees the future… Psalm 139:15-16 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. And when He loves (an intense feeling of deep affection)… John 3:16 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.

Is it any wonder that this world, controlled by the enemy of God, is desperately trying to remove God and His plans for His creation. We don’t want things His way! Our definitions are so much easier to “live with”… no effort… no guilt… no sweat… AND… I get to choose! If I change my mind I just change my path. If you don’t agree or have a problem with my choice, well, your wrong! Now get out of my way (I mean out of my life)!

Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And we said… the created being said, “Get out of my life! I can, and will do it myself!” And so… the world turns… and burns with the insatiable desire of every man (woman and child) to like, lust and love ourselves because one just can’t trust anyone else to do it the way we like it. As I said, the proof is in the pudding… the wars, and threats of war, the hatred within even our own households, the refusal to consider any way other than the one I hold, the bullying of each other, the destruction of property without regard for the unintended victim… these make up the results of our human brand of like, lust and love.

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;

Real like (strong desire)… real lust (passionate desire)… real love (intense desire for deep affection) is not about our FEELINGS. They are about OUR ACTIONS toward God and toward our neighbors. If our strong desire… our passion… our goal because of deep affection… is to be patient, to be kind, not to be jealous, not to brag, not to be arrogant, to not act unbecomingly, to not seek our own, to not be provoked, to not take into account a wrong suffered, to not rejoice in the bad news but to rejoice with the truth. If our strong desire… our passion… our goal because of our deep affection… were to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things FOR THE SAKE OF those closest to us and those we share this world with… we would live life fully because LOVE NEVER FAILS! When our like, lust and love prompt actions which fulfill our need and desire to love God and love our neighbor (as ourself), we are at peace with the very foundation upon which we were created… the image of God.

Just one final thought to defining like, lust and love. If you are not afraid of the results, take an assessment of what YOUR actions tell YOU about YOUR feelings. Then ask yourself, “Is this a true and accurate and transparent representation of Who I am and who I want to be?” The proof may be in your pudding…

Whether you like your pudding or not, take it and give it to God. Our Master Chef will not stop until your pudding is perfect.

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

 

 

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

You talking to me?

It’s time… I’m pretty good on the soap box but what happens when my rubber meets a bumpy road? It seems “obvious” what someone else should do… easy peasy… “Just Do It” with a check mark to declare it done.

Come to Me… I’m sending them first, Lord… I’ll be there in a minute! I’m sending those who need Your touch the most, to the front of the line.

Not today… Today, I finally get it! There is no line… and I am not the triage nurse, deciding who is in critical condition and who can wait in the Timid (when you have time, Lord) Prayer waiting room. Today… I’m in critical condition! Today… I am… weary and heavy-laden! I’m just DONE!

And so… I’m putting my money where my mouth is/has been, I’m going to Jesus because He says… “I will give you rest”. Now that… REST… is calling my name.

If I told you what has brought me to this place, you would surely laugh. I’ve laughed at bigger arrows the enemy has fired at me…  there was no way this “little”challenge (who happens to be named Kobi) is going to take down this “blood bought, spirit filled, warrior child”. I am dressed in the full armor of God and I am not taking prisoners! I have a reputation to maintain!

I don’t know who started the rumor but I certainly fell for it hook, line and sinker… the idea that I didn’t have any problems or if I did, I could handle them myself and save the BIG ones for God. REALLY? Cause I’m here to tell you that is exactly why (with a capital I) my week went to hell… I tried and I failed miserably in the “handling things” department.

Yesterday, I was so humiliated and ashamed I thought about shutting down this Ministry of Encouragement. How could I, the one who speaks to abundant life, fail to live in victory? How could I, the one whom people look to for “happy”, be miserable? How could I confess to you that I sometimes suffer a secret weakness of depression? I sometimes throw a fit, stomp my feet, and take my toys home. How could I…

I have spent these last 6 months talking the talk… but WHAT have I been talking about? God called me out… Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” This is what I’m talking about… What are you talking about, Mary?

Have I been indicating that encouragement found in Christ is only necessary until I can take care of myself? Has pride been slowly growing in my soul that I can pretend I am so much more capable than those I minister to? Have I really been preaching the healthy, wealthy, and wise gospel of prosperity based in my  own self esteem?

I didn’t think you needed to hear my problems. For that matter I didn’t think anyone needed to be burdened with my light affliction when their afflictions  are so much bigger and heavier. To be really truthful, I didn’t think I had any problems until, in my humiliation and shame, I realized I AM THE PROBLEM! And… I am neither temporary nor small!

People, I’m going for the gold today! I want full, pressed down, shaken, and overflowing encouragement. I am going to take the talk from the last 6 months and I am going to walk the talk. Today I am going to Jesus and I am going to… Take His yoke upon me and learn from Him… Today, I am walking/running to Him. Today, I will be receiving  His rest!

Will it change last week? Nope. Will it fix the failures that came about? No, but there will be more coming, I’m sure. Will it change those around me because of their sympathy for my affliction? Maybe for a minute…  Philippians 3:13 but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Today… I will be changed… from I-I-I to Him-Him-Him.

I can’t wait… gotta go NOW… Jesus is calling and I’m going to listen!

God willing (and the creek don’t rise), I’ll talk to you next week.

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

 

 

Matthew 16:15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

Who asks this kind of question?

Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter… He did then… and He does today. I don’t know about you but I have a problem with this… because now I have to answer! Do I give the polite, non aggressive “You are my Master”, or do I answer with a convoluted, “You are my everything.” Or, do I just ignore the question and go right to the business of making it all about me?

Don’t you hate it when people put you on the spot? Friends, family or acquaintances, I’m appalled when they want to reveal my most intimate thoughts and feelings… probably because they aren’t always so pretty. I certainly wouldn’t ask them (too risky) what they thought of me. And if they ask me what I think of them, I do not believe they REALLY want the truth because I don’t when I ask. My philosophy to communication… please lie to me, or as my mother used to say, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I’ll just pretend your silence is awe and wonder at having me in your circle.

But Jesus (God) isn’t like that? He tells us the truth and expects us to respond with the same. He asks… and He gives us the freedom to answer. He loves us in spite of our answer and He loves us enough to ask us again and again.

When I was a new-born (born again Christian) I was taught that I only had to answer the “Who do you say I am” question once and it would be good for always. But this isn’t how Jesus works… at least not with me! He asks me this whenever I am making choices about what I believe about Him, about what He does and about what I believe He will do. Growing up, I have realized that abundant life in Jesus is more than THE ONE QUESTION. I have life with my answer to who I believe saves me, but I have abundant life in an intimate growing relationship where all the questions, mine and His, become more and more revealing and more and more demanding of the absolute truth upon which trust and life-changing fellowship is built.

Most of His questions leave me breathless…

John 21:15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus *said to __________, do you love Me more than these?” 

And every answer I give has an equal and terrifying response… “He *said to __________, “Tend My lambs.”

It can leave me a quivering, stuttering fool! But that’s just me…

How about you? Have you ever or do you hear His voice often? Revelations 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Have you ever sat down to dinner with Jesus and asked Him all the questions you have on your mind and heart? You can go to a dinner party (at church or restaurant/bar) and tell all your friends whatever they want to hear, but do you or have you ever sat down to an intimate, safe, loving feast with Jesus? Do you want to?

There have been many times in my life when the answer to that question (dinner with Jesus?) would have been (and sometimes still is if I am extremely committed to MY way)no… no… and no. I have given (from my extensive catalog) every excuse in the book but really when the truth is finally let loose, it is always because I do not want to hear from Him!

Sounds crazy, huh? Since every word that is spoken by Jesus is love, why would I not want to hear His love? Because… are you ready for this?… because I would HAVE (love requires it) to respond! As long as I don’t hear from Jesus Himself, I can respond to MY script of what He says or MY plan action for His imagined call.

I can sit in Bible Study all day long and “discuss” what Jesus means or meant and how I might possibly put these principles into action. I might be praised for my insight. I might even be admired for all my due diligence. And, as long as I am never called out I can even begin to convince myself I am telling the truth to my soul.

But Jesus… when you turn your eyes on Him… when you look full in His face… and when He SEES your heart… the things of this earth grow strangely dim!

STRANGELY DIM… and then… He speaks!

I don’t know any other god who seeks to have a one-on-one relationship with humans. I don’t know of any other god who CAN.

Have you spoken to THE God? The God who pursues… the God who came and paid the price so that He could be with us… the God who lives… the God who knocks… the God who speaks… the God who listens… the God who dines with us.

I can tell you over and over what I believe (and I am deeply moved and grateful when I can) but I want you to speak to God yourself. I want Him to tell you who He is. And after dinner, I want you to answer Him when He asks you, “Who do you say I am”.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

If you dismiss His invitation to dine, please consider that the only one you may be condemning to starvation and a life of dumpster diving with all the other idols and man-made gods, is you.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; 

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

 

 

 

 

Matthew 25:14-15 “For it (the kingdom of heaven) is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 

This is a parable… a comparison made with common place things (definition found in “Encyclopedia of the Bible” on Gateway Bible App). So, Jesus was making a comparison between an owner (God) and His slaves (us). Therefore, we could say, God entrusted His possessions (those attributes that He gave us from His image when He “created us in His image”) to us. Using a dollar value, to some He gave 5 talents (recently I heard a Rabbi say that each talent would be worth approximately $10,800,000), roughly $54 million dollars in value. To others He gave 2 talents ($21,600,000) and to some, 1 talent ($10,800,000).

So, may I say, if God only gave you the equivalent of 1 talent when He “fearfully and wonderfully made you”, you would be worth MILLIONS!

Matthew 25:16-18 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

Which one are you like? It’s an easy reach in comparison if we say, that the investment of the attributes of God’s image that is in us, would be drawing other slaves to serve (and invest) in God’s kingdom on earth. And how would that happen? We would recognize both the attributes and the value and would IMMEDIATELY (with excitement & passion) proceed to invest them as only a unique individual could/would. We would market our “wares” with truth in the advertising of how great our God is and how blessed we are by His provision.

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. NOT pride, but Daddy’s view… “sound judgement” of His child. His “well done” is a pretty high assessment!

The other example we have is the slave who “dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money”. He had his reasons… of course they all blame the master. Matthew 25:24-25 ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground.’ Can I just say… in the politically correct vernacular… well, there are no pc words… this is complete bull-poop. First, if he “KNEW” the master, he would have known the master’s intent. I think he did know and decided that his master would/could make all things grow and profit for himself, therefore, he (the slave) did not have to do anything with what he had been given. He did not have to invest nor even display what he had been given. He had no skin in the game! Maybe, if I were to imagine his thinking, I could see him fearing that the amount given in comparison to the other two was a judgement on his ability and therefor he started this competition way behind. Maybe he feared he was not capable of pleasing the master so he buried the evidence. Maybe, he was upset that he didn’t get as much and was angry enough show his master what he thought of his game (the old “If I can’t win I won’t play”).  Or maybe, he just didn’t recognize the value of the talent he had been given nor did he have the excitement or the passion to find his value in his master’s kingdom.

Whatever his reasons he paid a price for his attitude and investment ethic.

Matthew 25:30 …but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (one of those times “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”??)

The two who did their best…

Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’  

The joy of your master… his kingdom… intimacy/fellowship with him… part of his crowd! Outer darkness… everywhere else.!

You and I have talents… even if I do not think more highly than I should… I know that God has given me/us His attributes when He created me/us and He is always adding to their value and beauty through the furnace of this place we call earth. He has uniquely given and uniquely honed each of us to his gold standard. Maybe you just don’t realize the value of you… Your value is not just a small gold coin… in God’s (Daddy’s) eyes it is priceless! In today’s market, you and I are millionaires!… billionaires!… you and I are worth a lot!

And… we have no excuse… any excuse we might give of valuelessness is an absolute lie. Our perception of poverty, if that is what we think of ourselves, is NOT reality. No matter how many time we tell this lie (“I am worthless”) to ourselves or others  it will not be nor ever become true. Like in Jesus’ parable, the one with the least capabilities was given MILLIONS!

Psalm 139:1-18… read it… bathe yourself in it… perceive this as your reality…

You’ve Got Talent… what are you going to do with it?

As an encourager, we need to learn to value and appraise (not judge) the various talents. Then we will know how to invest and how to give expert advice to our fellow investors.

And even then…  our expert advice… Not my will, Lord, but Yours!

God, You are good all the time… and all the time… You are good!!

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

 

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Definitely NOT the world’s advice… to the world, being weak is for sissies. Being weak makes you a victim – a bloody mess just waiting to happen. And I would agree if it is done purely as an excuse to not stand up for yourself and others. I would agree if it is all about you and your strength, with no inner claim to divine help.

Do you see the secret? “I implored the Lord”… “the power of Christ may dwell in me”… “well content – for Christ’s sake”. No, this should never be undertaken for the sake of a show of religious piety. It should never be done as an attempt to ingratiate ourselves to God. It can never be accomplished outside of a deep, intimate, relationship with the One True God.

I shiver to ask for this kind of intimacy… I know it will be tested. It will be perfected and perfection always requires the furnace, it always requires building muscles, and it will always be the target of our enemy who is angered to the extreme by Emmanuel… God with us.

We have the life of Paul to give us a picture or our enemy’s war against us…

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 

When he was an enemy of the cross, he was the one doing the damage. When he was on the wrong side of our battle he was protected by the army he commanded, to search out and kill the people who walked with Jesus. When he was the bully, he would’ve (and did) laughed at those who believed God in the midst of Paul’s rampage. He was the what our world is becoming today. He made our enemy, his master at the time, happy happy.

Until he met Jesus… and boy did he meet Jesus! Acts 9:3-5 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;  and he fell to the ground (how’s that for taking a bully down without a punch?) and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” (not our standard Sinner’s Prayer) And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,”

Have you met Jesus? Because our rebellion… our independence… our sin is no different from Saul’s. In our rejection of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are persecuting Him over and over!

This Saul, who took evil glee in persecuting Christians,  is the same Paul who gladly boasted in his weakness… He was changed when he met Jesus! Not all of us will be called to experience the provision of God in the same way as Paul (THANK YOU Jesus!) but we all will be changed and we will be trained up in the way we should go (Proverbs 22:6), once we do meet Him.

How will we know we have met Him? Just like Saul/Paul… by the changes in our heart… Philippians 4:11-13 for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Instead of judging God and His love for us by what He gives and does for us according to OUR desires, we know with all our hearts, in all our tears, by every breath we take…that… God is good all the time, and, all the time God is good (“God’s Not Dead”)!

By all means and in everything we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but we are also to give thanks in EVERYTHING (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Everything? Even the hard/horrendous times? I shiver and shake… but yes! YES! But… not because of the suffering but because of what Jesus is/will do with it. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work for good to those who love God… we are thankful that He… God is in control.

What then shall we say to these things (life happenings)?

If God is for us, who is against us?

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?

Who is the one who condemns?

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:37-39 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, or depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

Now that is ENCOURAGEMENT!! A Divine Appointment INDEED…

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

 

 

Luke 2:10-14 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Good news… of great joy!

John 3:16-19 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. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son go God. This is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light

Good news… of great joy!

1 John 4:15-18 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 

Good news… of great joy!

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

Good news… of great joy!

So why do I feel like Lot’s wife… Genesis 19:26 But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Why do I feel frozen? On every side I am bombarded with hopelessness… as a Christian I am condemned as the enemy of all the ills of society because I believe we need Jesus. And on the other side, I am condemned by friendly fire for not boldly and loudly proclaiming that the world is going to hell in a hand basket of sin. I am, so to speak, damned if I do and damned if I don’t. Damned… but not by God. And frozen only when I take my eyes off of Him!

Some say Lot’s wife was wishing to go back to her old life when she looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. That certainly makes sense when we know you can’t move forward until you leave the past behind. However, I like the interpretation that what she was looking back to see was God’s judgement of all “THOSE” people whom she harbored bitterness toward. She did not count herself as blessed to be saved from the destruction but was haughty in her view that SHE and her family were the only ones WORTHY to be saved from the destruction.

I think there are a lot of people… Christians and otherwise… that would qualify for pillar making experts. People on both sides of the line playing tug of war… TUG of WAR… with the world today.

The line… sin… Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 

I know, I know, we don’t like that word sin. In fact just this word will trigger a firestorm of hate that will be used to bully you into changing the words you use… changing the message you speak… or if all else fails, killing the messenger. But guess what… no matter what one does… truth is truth and does not change. The only one who is fooled into thinking that denial is the ultimate weapon to satisfaction is the one who wants to believe it is. Wrapping something up in different paper &/or boxes does not change what is inside… no matter how many times you tell me I’m blind! I may be blind but what you see is not always what you get.

On the other side of the line of sin, are the people with the stones. John 8:7 He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Remember, this was about a woman CAUGHT in adultery and brought into the center of the court. And remember also that this was a setup to test Jesus so that they might have the grounds to accuse Him of being  a heretic. (Note to self, maybe the tug of war is the test so that they might accuse ME of being a heretic… mmmm)

When I look at both sides of the line in the tug of war, I am frozen. I am much like the pillar of salt… saved from sin but reminded how desperate I became when I realized I was headed for destruction. Isn’t it only right to “tell” those where they are headed? Isn’t it only right to use every means to “make them” listen? Isn’t it only right to “kill” the sinner, I mean sin? Salt pillar or stone killer… which should I be?

This week I have come close to being Lot’s wife… But God spoke to me through His Word,  saying…

Galatians 3:1-3 You foolish Galatians Mary, who has bewitched you? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Good news… of great joy! Jesus is my reason! And I won’t look back I will keep moving forward with my eyes on Him!

We have the wrong line in the sand over which we are playing tug of war. It should not be sin… it should be our Savior! And we don’t have to play tug of war because He loves every one of us!

I could list all the sins spoken of in the Bible (of which I am guilty of every one) and are alive and well in our world today, but why? That is the old news… 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come. 

Nope… I won’t get in a shouting match over sin… I will boldly and loudly proclaim only the good news of great joy! Jesus has come to save!

It is indeed good news of great joy and Jesus IS the reason!!

Are you weary of the tug of war this world is playing? Jesus is calling… Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 

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

 

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 

Abba Daddy is not satisfied with just a casual “I’ll see you in church” approach, anymore than an earthly parent would be if we were to stay in our room and only come out when we wanted or needed something. Yeah, they would still be our parents and we would still be their child, but there wouldn’t be any bond that would identify the value of our relationship. The value of any relationship lies in the effort put forth to know and be known for the sake of love. And that effort hinges on the answers to the questions our heart asks. Who do we seek… what do we seek from them… why do we seek them… when do we seek them… where do we seek to find them… how do we seek… and the satisfaction, the filling of the heart when we find them.

Who… I, Mary, seek THE Triune God, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, but not all of us seek the same. In each (and every) individual there is a question of, “Who do you seek?” The answer to that will influence if not define the rest of the heart’s questions. We are seeking, whether consciously or unconsciously, that one person that means the world to us. The person that gives us reason to keep on pursuing them and their acceptance of us until our heart is satisfied and filled with the return of their love to us. Who do you seek… yourself? a parent or parental substitute? a partner?

What…  I believe we all seek the same thing in every search… love! Not just any love but the love that provides security for our heart, so it will not be broken.  Unconditional love… the kind of love that never fails… the love that casts out fear. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Why… This question speaks to the passion and ultimately the commitment we make to our search. If what we seek from them is materialistic, we are much more prone to seek several sources to fill our need. If who/what we seek is secondary to the finding than we will lose sight of our goal and may even become blind and not recognize the prize when we find it.

When… Our pursuit of love is lifelong! There is no shortcut and there is no “been there done that”. Unconditional love is a rare treasure that indeed is worth seeking but the maintenance requires the same passion as the pursuit.

Where… There definitely are places that are absolutely wrong for finding love and there are definitely places where unconditional love can never be found. Our heart has need for us to identify the best places to seek unconditional love so that it does not find a substitute that is not only wrong but will cause great damage and long-term, sometimes life-long scaring.

How… With all your heart! If the pursuit is not worth it to your heart, then we are not talking about the same treasure. If the version of love you find can be easily exchanged, or put aside, or done without, then I guarantee your heart will not be satisfied. No matter how convincing you are with yourself, your heart will never be done pursuing its ultimate love and every sample will be tested thoroughly for treasure status… Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The satisfaction… Just as “the shadow knows”, the heart knows. Your mind might not know what is wrong, your body might be reacting to what is wrong, your plans might be in complete disagreement to the direction your heart wants to go, but your heart rules! It chooses who to pursue… It chooses what to pursue… It chooses when, where, how to pursue… and it knows when it is satisfied and being filled.

No matter your beliefs, your religion, your race, your place in life… every person… has a heart that chooses and a heart that holds it’s owner accountable for finding the treasure and responsible for the condition of its treasure.

If your heart is hurting, check out what it is pursuing and what it is receiving in its pursuit.

Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

And then… There is God…

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. 

Jeremiah 29:12-14 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, 

Are you pursuing Him? God is pursuing you! His RESCUE (the true treasure) of you and your heart’s desire is just a prayer away… God pursues us and loves us with a love without end!

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

 

Luke 8:23-25 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.

Oh Come On! You know you do the same thing… you wake up Jesus! I do… when I am in the midst of the storm, and the waves are threatening to take me under… I yell and scream… “I’m dying here!!

But what do I do when life is just sailing along? Am I just as anxious to talk with My Lord when the sun is out, the sails are taking me where I want to go and I am feeling warm all over? And… if I am talking to Him… is my demeanor just as serious as when I am “perishing”?

My point is not that I/we should be in a continual state of desperation, in fact we can have peace beyond comprehension. My point is the attitude of need my heart has for Jesus. Most of us only get serious when we are at the end of rope… when we have done everything… when our self-reliance has proven itself useless.

And then we wonder why God allows trials in our life! If it is the only time we will look FULL in His wonderful face then I say… It/they are exactly what we need!

I say… God, rock our boat… and our world!

Is that wishing for “bad” things to happen? Hardly!! But when they do… I want every drop of them to be used to show me the love of My Lord and Savior.

Matthew 14:28-30 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” (which He did)

Matthew 14:31-32 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 

I don’t want to look at the wind or the waves… I want to look into the eyes of Jesus!… “Lord, save me!” I want to walk on water! I want to walk on holy ground!

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Without trials we grow complacent (and secretly bored, I think). Without trials we begin to believe we need no one. Without trials that test our faith, we do not  know we lack faith, nor do we search for someone other than ourselves to put our faith in.

Everyone of us has faith in someone or something. We each set our foundations… we anchor them deep… we decide who &/or what we pursue. The trials of life that come against us will reveal upon what ground we have built (sinking sand or indestructible rock), how strong the anchors of our life are, and if they will withstand the storms coming for us… You will know the truth (about yourself and about your choices)  and the truth will set you free!

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

What is complete, lacking in nothing? “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!”

Is your boat rocking?

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

Numbers 13:2 “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.”

On at least this one occasion God gave His people permission to “see” what was coming. They had to choose one from each tribe and each had to be a leader within the tribe. This was not for God’s benefit, this was for us, that we might know, and in knowing, the people would cast out our fear and trust God.

One would think that after all of the miracles all of Israel experienced, they would not need confirmation of God’s plans… Jeremiah 29:11 plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope… but no… trust in God’s plan was not something they did automatically, nor did it come easily, even when required in the desert. Much like our’s today, Israel’s eyesight was clouded by the cataracts of their own deceitful will and self-reliance. Out of the thirteen sent, only 2 saw a future and a hope. All saw the same thing and all reported the truth, but eleven failed to see the hope because their eyes calculated and compared only the strengths and opportunities of the human side of the equation, and concluded that they could not assume victory. In fact they believed they would be defeated.

Numbers 13:27-28 “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. (these were a race of really huge people)

Numbers 13:30-33 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim; and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” 

Only two, Joshua and Caleb, saw God in the details.

Numbers 14:7-9 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Do not rebel against the Lord… Have you ever thought of your lack of trust in what God is doing in your life as rebellion? — Who me?  I have an excuse for that!

Numbers 14:1-3 Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 

Do not fear the people of the land… Have you ever thought that your worst fears for your future is an insult to God? — Who me? I have a reason for that!

Numbers 14:11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

In reading about the journey of Israel, I have sometimes (mostly) judged these “stiff – necked people. I have giggled at their habit of immediately complaining about the discomfort God was willing for them to suffer. I have rolled my eyes at all the times they forgot the things God has done for them. I have become haughty with them, bragging that I would have been/done differently!

Until this reading… God spoke… with all His love and desire for me… “How long will you, Mary, spurn Me? And how long will you not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in your midst? No longer about a distant people in a far away foreign land… God asked me… “What do you do differently when you see giants in your present &/or future?

Busted! I have done and sometimes still do the very same thing they did back in the day! …lifted up their voices and cried …wept that night …grumbled …complained …slandered God with the worst case scenario. Yep… been there, done that… all of the above! Like a toddler screaming over the pain of scraped knees but refusing the loving touch of  a mother’s hand, which may sting for a moment but will both cleanse and heal the wound, I, Mary, have often been that toddler.

How long… will you spurn Me? My heart broke because I finally HEARD the heart of God crying out His pain because of my rejection of Him. I FELT His grief for those times I refused to ask for His solution, the only solution, to all that stood in the way of the promised land. I KNOW His frustration when I turn from a land filled with His perfect will, a land made so that He and I can walk and talk in the garden.

How long… will you not believe in Me? All because there might be a battle I am called to fight alongside of Him.

The giants can be huge and scary… but if we KNOW our God and we’ve SEEN His glory in our lives and the lives of our family, fear can be cast out and trust can become the incense of worship to our more than deserving God.

We have something the Israelites didn’t have when they sent in the spies… God has written and sent to us the end of the story… we know that God wins! …our giants have had their protection removed from them, and the Lord is with us;

Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who is against us?

Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:37-39 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Yes, there will always be giants, but I need only to view them from the shelter of God’s wings. There will always be reports of scary things, but all that is necessary is to lay the reports out before the Lord.

Matthew 28:20 “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

No spies needed… He’s talking to you… Did you hear Him?…

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

 

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 

I don’t believe that we can control what thoughts come into our minds. Some are meant for us specifically and come naturally. I think there are some thoughts swirling in the mist and we just walk into a swarm of them and our minds are assaulted.  Some will come as a result of our environment and most will come because of the lifestyle we live.

Some will fly in and fly right back out without landing or leaving a memory of itself. But if a thought comes in and stays, we then have a choice to make of it’s future residence and authority in our life. If it is allowed to rest, it grows and ripens. If not harvested and properly stored or disposed of, it will indeed begin to rot and taint everything in its presence.

It is wise and solid advice to take EVERY thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) because there are consequences if we do not.

For instance… I have a friend, whom I love dearly, say to me with complete innocence, “Do you really like that color you are wearing?” I said yes and moved on to other conversation. Later, when I was home and happened to look in the mirror, the question came back with a vengeance! All of a sudden it was not just an innocent question but a whole critique of every article of clothing I have ever worn. Rather than disposing of these rotten thoughts, I let them have free reign in my mind and even gave them authority in how I would/will respond to my friend, my shopping choices, my self-image and any other item which might be covered by color and/or the insecurities that I have hoarded.

So what? Well… it became bitter fruit and it’s bitterness indwelt me and changed my attitude, affected my ability to believe the truth, and caused me to adjust my love for my friend and for myself. I loved both of us a little less than I did before. You say, “That’s silly!” And it is, but I guarantee this and even sillier thoughts and reactions to thoughts have happened to every one of us over and over again!

Every thought that we allow to have residence, affects our soul, the center of our life that houses our natures. The place within each of us where all we are is built and maintained. We don’t always get to choose what happens to us, but we always choose how we will allow it to effect our nature. Whether knowingly or naively… we are always choosing who we are becoming and who or what has dominion over our becoming. It is called free will. It is what sets humans apart from animals. Even when our responses and reactions feel like nothing more than instinct… if you are human… they are choices.

In our world we crave FREEDOM! We demand that we be allowed to do or say or think anything we can imagine. If we are not allowed our demands, we scream that someone has taken away our freedom and they MUST PAY! The facts be damned… it is not truth that is necessary, only my perception… MY TRUTH!

Our brains are sometimes the victim of this same craving for freedom. Every thought demands it’s purpose, even if that requires a rewriting of history or an amendment to the core values our soul has written over our life (which again every soul has the freedom to choose and has chosen his/her core values). Every thought has the purpose of being put into practice.

But, without discipline, thoughts are as unstable and unmanageable as emotions. In fact they feed the emotions in order to gain the evidence of their importance. Not every thought we receive is true. And not every true thought is beneficial to our soul. But EVERY thought will have an effect. If given the freedom thoughts demand, our lives would result in chaos.

Thoughts… good, bad, worthwhile, worthless, interesting  or boring, must be taken captive. We must take every thought captive and we must judge them before allowing them access to our soul. You would not allow a thief into your house and give them free access to all your belongings, nor would you allow a murderer to kill or harm someone you love. And yet, we allow our thoughts to do the same to us.

We must seek and study and analyze and know what our soul needs to be the best we can be, so that we may recognize our thoughts for what they are and what they will contribute to or take away from our life goal.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

For me, my soul… my life choices… are to love God with all my heart, all my mind, and with all my soul and to love my neighbor as myself. Your choices may be different… but neither of us will reach the fullness of our souls unless we are pressing forward. Neither of us will gain the prize unless we take ownership and command of ourselves.

Our free will, our ability to think and choose, is not easy to own. Knowing how awesome and fearful the responsibility of this ownership is, I for one want to use only the best tools and resources in order to choose wisely… not perfectly… but always better able to be and become ME, the only one of my kind in all of creation. So…. whatever…

Whatever is true… whatever is honorable… whatever is right… whatever is pure… whatever is lovely… whatever is of good repute… if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise… (please note that this says whatever IS, not your version of it, but what IS) whatever is… is an excellent place for our brains to dwell.

THINK ABOUT IT!!

 

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