Side by Side Hand in Hand

Exodus 17:15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner;

When you’re called – Own It!

When you’re tested – Own It!

When you’re sold into slavery – Own It!

When you’re fired up – Own It!

When you’re wrong – Own It!

When you’re wronged – Own It!

When you’re instructed – Own It!

When you’re tortured – Own It!

Just Own It!

This is not a normal directive people want to hear when they  come to you for encouragement, sympathy, or peace. When dramatic trouble happens, we desperately need to share it. We want everyone to FEEL our pain, thinking that the shared “freak out” will calm us, the victim. We really want someone to take it from us with  their magic words of healing. At the very least we want to be on the center stage of their thoughts, prayers, and activity.

I think most of us would love to be able to give them what they want. We’d love to be declared the savior. We’d love to think we could handle the events MUCH BETTER than they are.

There are just two things I want to point out before you go about throwing down the gauntlet, “Own It!” to every victim of today’s troubles (don’t worry there will be plenty to practice on each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34)… we already DO own it.

Whether we want to or not, we really do OWN our days. Whether we realize it or not, no one else can live our day for us. Owning it is NOT the new directive for encouragement,  neither is the building an altar and hanging a banner.

As Adam’s children we all, everyone of us, believe we have the right to be in control (own) of living life the way we demand. When Adam and Eve attached blame, they were not giving away their altar building permit  or the authority to name it and claim it. Through blame, they were simply trying to FIX the evidence in their favor and mitigate the consequences to someone else.

Our inheritance from Adam… is an altar dedicated to me.  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, she took from its fruit and ate; and she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

They taught me how make it my own. The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Genesis 3:7) It’s ok this will work – just a minor glitch! In fact, maybe we open our own House of Design. (Thousands of years from now our product will work well for those who fear the destruction of the planet and wish for a Green New Deal.)

They even showed me the best bet was to proactively mitigate the consequences by re-telling their story. It was theirs but they didn’t own ALL of it!

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden… 

God: Where are you?

Adam: I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself. 

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

Adam? Maybe, BUT… the woman YOU gave me… Eve?… the serpent deceived me…

They owned everything but the WHOLE TRUTH.

THEY were LUSTING (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life) to fill their own altar with all things they considered worth having, NOT lusting for ALL THINGS GOD. They built their altar and named it “Adam and Eve Rock and Rule!”

PLEASE hear me… I am not saying that all trouble that attacks me is my fault, or is punishment for some sin I have committed.  But I am saying… all trouble is a result of giving evil access to God’s possession.

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… John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

When Adam and Eve ate from the tree the knew good and evil – and the difference between the two. Before they ate they only knew good and lived in a world where evil was not allowed – a perfect world!

We live in a world that is groaning with labor pains to be re-born perfect again. Until that time comes (and it will – God promises), there is more than enough TROUBLE! Let’s Own ALL of It! Let’s do what Adam and Eve didn’t do. Let’s build an altar and name it… The Lord is My Banner!!!!!!! 

Even after Adam and Eve gave evil access to God’s Kingdom (which is the reason they HAD TO be sent out of Paradise… Perfect Goodness could not live with evil & protection was necessary to prevent them from eating from the tree of life, making this event eternal), I believe, had they acknowledged the difference they now knew between good and evil, and  knowing,  they chose and confessed with every fiber of their life, to love and serve The One and Only Perfect Good God, evil would have been defeated.

Had they owned the knowledge the fruit of the tree provided, their banner would have said, “The Lord is My Banner!”! Victory over the enemy of God and His possessions, would have been theirs!

As an encourager, I can not promise a happy, healthy and wise life. I also cannot judge and condemn anyone for lack of such a life (John 8:7 “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”). But I can say to myself and others, especially in time of trouble and stress… Let’s Own It… Let’s Own ALL of it!

When you’re called, like Moses – Own It! He built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner;

When you’re tested, like Job – Own It! He did not sin nor did he blame God… He worshipped Him, “ Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21-22)

When you’re sold into slavery like Joseph – Own It! He did his best and became the authority second only to the king. When it came time to reveal the truth, he did not boast of his own hard times or his hard work to succeed. He said to the brothers who had done the dirty deed, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

When you’re fired up – Own It!… check out Daniel!

When you’re wrong – Own It!… check out David!

When you’re wronged – Own It!… check out Jesus!

When you’re tortured – Own It!… check out Timothy and Paul and Peter and James and John!

You get the message. After the shock of hitting a brick wall in life… start building your altar! Not an altar to display the drama nor to display your war wounds. Build an altar to display whom you love and serve!

We all build altars and they do indeed bear evidence of whom they are dedicated to. Make sure in the midst of your grief, and suffering, and confusion, you NAME IT with the only NAME that loves you enough to SAVE YOU!

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. 

Own It! Build It! Name It!

The Lord is My Banner!!!!!!!!

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

1 Peter 1:2-3 As newborn babes, long for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow toward salvation—

When I think of Side by Side and Hand in Hand, I mostly think of people just like me. Those with the same lifestyle, those with the same leanings toward life, those with the same maturity in the different areas of life. I don’t normally think of standing side by side or hand in hand with babies, or for that matter, children.

I am an encourager by gift, but I have often thought of this as only useful for counseling and/or solving problems. QUICKLY!

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man/woman of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work… QUICKLY!

This week, I was reminded (by the Holy Spirit) that NOT EVERYONE grows up quickly. Yes, yes, everyone must be born again and GROW UP… (John 3:7 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’…but I sometimes believe and act like this should only take a minute.  I celebrate EVERY new birth. But I forget  the months in utero and the labor pains it probably took to get here, I immediately begin to prepare a meal of, what some may call, college prep courses.

Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:13-15

Does what I intend to be encouragement, actually hinder the children from coming to Jesus or staying close to Him?

Say it aint so!

Long for pure spiritual milk! Yes, to encourage them to grow toward salvation, but NOT by putting them on a torture rack of NOW YOU MUST know the Christian rules, follow all of the church’s regulations and memorize entire books of the Bible. Because, somehow stretching them beyond their capacity to learn, ordering them grow NOW, rather than patiently WAITING, allowing them to grow at the pace God knows they need will result in my job being done quickly, so I can move onto the next big baby.

Might be quicker and easier to force growth, but force without grace and mercy, is guaranteed to leave wounds and scars, not to mention bitterness and possible PTSD memories which could cause unintentional behavior in their future fellowship with God.

For the sake of Encouragement 101, I humbly realize, as the Holy Spirit gently reminded, I needed some MIND RENEWAL, on the subject of caring for God’s children! And so…by the mercies of God, I presented my body a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is my spiritual service of worship. And I will not be conformed to this world, but I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) 

I needed…

A Renewed Position… not to be an authority on Child Rearing but a child of God who wishes to serve my siblings.

A Renewed Service… not to BE THE BOSS of them but to be an example of why I love God with my whole heart, my whole soul, and my whole strength.

A Renewed Life-Style…  a living and holy sacrifice (Romans 12:1), with the word of Christ richly dwelling within me, that I might, with all wisdom and teaching, admonishing myself and others, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in our hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)

Our Triune God is the ONLY perfect adult in the room. I am NOT! I never get His permission to bully my sibling or scare them into obedience with a false narrative of what their Daddy will do if they mess up. I only get to love them as I love myself! It isn’t the first time I’ve needed my mind renewed nor I’m sure it won’t be the last time!

But God!

Having…  purified my soul in obedience to the truth, leading to sincere brotherly love… 

I once again know it is God’s good and acceptable and perfect will that…

We shall love one another fervently from a pure heart.

We have been born again—not from perishable seed but imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:22-23)

Having tasted the kindness of the Lord. We come to Him, as living stones, being built up as a spiritual house—a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:3-5) 

With Lots of Babies in the House, let me/us always remember that the first and immediate need is pure spiritual milk. The purest of which is knowing God and seeking first His kingdom. 

No matter what age we are, newborn, toddler, teenager, semi-adult parental unit, or almost older than dirt such as me, we are God’s children IF we have believed with our heart and confessed with our mouth that JESUS IS LORD.  Let us then remember who we are Standing Side by Side with. Let us then remember who we are Hand in Hand with.

Whether encouraging one another, or teaching one another, reproving one another, or just plain worshipping God with each other, let us always remember who we are talking to.

Whether talking to or about ourselves or any of our siblings, (regardless of age and/or position in our community), let us SEE THEM for who they/we are.

We are chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,

so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light;

We were once, not a people, but now we are the people of God ; we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

There are Lots of Babies in the House! Let us encourage/feed them with the purest of milk. The milk of God’s love! They are longing for it!

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

 

Matthew 19:16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Making plans for eternity… sounds like a plan!

What good thing shall I do?  We learn in just a little while that this young man is wealthy. Likely he is able to purchase whatever his heart desires and he is definitely looking for that ONE thing that will complete (make his life, forever PERFECT) his search.

I’m sure no disrespect is intended (along with no respect either) when he sidles up next to Jesus and calls him, “Teacher” (not Lord, not God, not someone to worship). I’m sure he has been listening as he mingled in the crowds surrounding Jesus. I’m sure he noticed that the “Elite Crowd” (the Pharisees) were attempting to shut Jesus down and I’m fairly certain he gave no regard to his own judgmental attitude toward this motley group of Jesus Freaks.

Matthew 19:17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? (In other words, Jesus knew this young man was not seeking salvation but was seeking confirmation that he was already perfect with maybe just a little tweaking.)There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

I’d venture to guess, he is sure and certain he has whatever it takes to compete, win the race and gain the winner’s crown and scepter. 

There is only One who is good…and it is NOT YOU! but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments… this reminds me of when Jesus spoke to Jacob awhile back… “Let’s Rumble  Wrestle!”

Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?”

Matthew 19:18-19 And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”I find it rather interesting that of the ten, Jesus focused on the commands regarding this young man’s peers – his neighbors.

I don’t believe Jesus was elevating these, I believe He was starting with our inability to accomplish even the simplest of the commands. I believe He was pointing out our inability (and you thought Jesus was just talking to/about this arrogant rich boy) to comprehend how far we miss the mark with ourselves and others much less WHO OWNS the mark we are commanded to shoot at and hit.

Matthew 19:20 The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” How many times have you heard someone say or you yourself have said, “I’m a good person! (with the secret additional phrase… How dare God not do for me as I demand!”)?

I’m sure he – you – we are VERY SINCERE in our assessment.

Unfortunately, we wrongly assess the bullseye of the target to be set by man, preferably using ME as the model of perfection. Wherever my shot lands, it is righteous because I meant for it to be perfect!

RIGHT???????

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

WRONG!!!!!!! There is only One who is good… ONLY GOD is perfection and HE SETS and IS the righteous bullseye for all His commandments.

If you wish to be (complete)perfect in all you think, say, and do, “Go”… “Sell all your ways and means”… “Give earthly treasure/and Get heavenly treasure.”

And then…

“Come, follow Me” the Author and Perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. He had invested everything in himself and his requirement for the happy, wealthy, wise life he desired to lead.

There are so many of us just like this young man. We set our requirements for the life we desire to live, believing that we can/should/will have it all. Everything is FINE (so proud of our accomplishment) until, heaven forbid, SOMEONE or SOMETHING threatens our perfection, like telling us to give it all away.

If I just weren’t SOOOOOOOO healthy, wealthy and wise.

**(This month I have tasted the fruit of this statement by DOWNSIZING – decluttering my life! It is the bitter fruit of grief, as I recall the memories of fun I have had in collecting the stuff and worrying I may need more of it for my future life-plan. CONFESSION…  have been tempted to turn and walk away from this particular mission prep God had given me to do.)**

Matthew 19:24-24 Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

Good thing I’m not rich, huh?! God evidently doesn’t make it easy for the “Successful People” to help Him with His Kingdom business.

Matthew 19:25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 

NOT GOD, IT IS WE who don’t make it easy!!!!!!!!!

God doesn’t require us to give up ALL of our earthly wealth, nor does He require we never have more than just enough. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:25-32, “He’s a GOOD GOOD FATHER (also a song by Chris Tomlin – which I’m quite sure he got from Scripture)!” And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

!! Observe and Remember! God is good all the time and all the time God is good (from my favorite movie, “God’s Not Dead”)!!

God is SO VERY GOOD, He does not wish for any to perish because the heart  chose it’s own king and refused the One True King. The STUFF of happy, healthy and wise is not the danger, it’s loosing eternal life with God because the stuff was used for the heart choose an evil king.

Laying down OUR STUFF to RECEIVE HIM and His world to some is more grief than they care to bear.  But yet each of us, every man/woman/child must enter through narrow gate. We are indeed rich because God made us into His image and blew into us His breath of life. 

Regardless of our circumstances, our environment, our friends, our enemies, EVERY man/woman/child is just a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:6-7)… I’d say that is pretty rich… But with the gift that no other creature (including the angels) has been given (Free Will)… I’d say that is pretty powerful… we must choose the narrow gate to enter. We must choose to seek the ONE we LOVE which is for some, easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than to enter the kingdom of God.

NOT POSSIBLE! “Then who can be saved?”

Matthew 19:27 And looking at them Jesus said to them (shaking His head I’m sure), “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Having a hard time squeezing through the eye of a needle? Enter in to God’s kingdom… 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. (Revelation 3:20)

Be. a. doer. of. God!

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

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. 

What is love worth to you? What a question!

Fickle might be an answer for some. It depends on cost versus profit. Too rich for my blood budget. I stay away from investments that will break my bank. No guarantee, unmanageable! I don’t have the time nor the will to give it the attention it demands. Even the phrase, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” (the poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson), would be, judged by some, poetry for the idiots who do not know any better!

Not everyone has such negative views as to the value of love, but I would suggest we all tend to answer first from what it means to and for me, AND THEN possibly what our love means to others, those who receive or those who wish to receive.

It’s in our DNA! The first Adam sinned and we became the ME MULTITUDE! We learned, followed, and practiced his heartfelt sin of all things ME.

Matthew 6:21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Lust of the eyes??? It looks pleasing!!!

Lust of the flesh??? Good for food!!!

Pride of Life??? ABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE!!! (and happy, and healthy, and happy, and rich, and, and, and_____)

I believe the original sin was and is The greatest sin against LOVE. And I believe, in order to sin and/or continue to sin, we must change both the definition of and the value of LOVE. For, the value of LOVE is only set by and enriched by its definition.

Love is…

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;

Doesn’t describe many of us or our siblings, huh?

But it does begin to describe God and His actions toward His creation, especially the creature made in His image and the one who received His breath of life.

God IS Love! Knowing each and every one of us before we were anything but His thought (Psalm 139), He chose to take us from just a thought to giving the world this gift called you… this gift called me.

KNOWING that not all would agree with the term gift, God KNEW the the plans He has for the gifts He gives and the world He gives them too.Isaiah 55:11 So will My word (each and every creature is His word of love… He spoke and it was so – Genesis) be which goes forth from My mouth (He breathed into us His breath of life); It (this gift of life) will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Love IS God giving and its value is returning to Him in victory.

This weekend was the celebration of God’s ultimate victory over death (the wages of our sin called ME!ME!ME!) True to our earthly nature, some of us have taken this celebration of God’s LOVE, devoured the truth of the victory of The Resurrection (proof of death’s defeat), and degraded the value of God’s gift to bunnies, chocolate, pretty clothes and churches, calling the whole thing “Easter Worship”.

Is this really the value of LOVE?  ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. (Matthew 15:8-9)

I’m here to tell you, if this is the value of your LOVE, it is worthless. If your Love’s definition is a circus, counts me out! Your bunnies of lies  will only propagate, your chocolate will turn bitter with age, your pretty clothes will be nothing but dirty rags when the work of relationship needs doing, and the churches that worship the ways of the world will never provide a safe haven from evil.

I’ll confess… my love can be just as shallow… For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. (Romans 7:19) 

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. (Philippians 3:13-14)

I do not love like God… BUT that is my upward call! I FORGET my way of life and love and I LOOK TO GOD to direct, define, and value LOVE.

I want to love His way and I want to know love like He knows love. (“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. Isaiah 55:8)

What is the value of love? What is its worth to me? It is worth loving the Lord my God with my whole heart, my whole soul, and my whole might… and then (and only then will I be able) to love my neighbor as myself. Deuteronomy 6:5-6

Love is worth it all!

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

And when you’ve PRESENTED the WHOLE of you… you will know the true definition and value of love!

YOU WILL KNOW LOVE! And it will be for eternity!

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

Matthew 6:5-8 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.  “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The other day as I was using my mobile phone, the Holy Spirit called me (actually He was calling me OUT for my growing addiction) and asked me to text Him my “groanings” – Romans 8:26 the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

He got my attention! How do I pray?

If I were honest with myself (“which I always try to be” says the “Boy in the Striped Pajamas”) I am very shallow in my prayer time. Though I may not be using my phone to contact Abba, I tend to use the spiritual lines of communication in much the same way.

Emails are for those times when I don’t necessarily need an immediate answer, because we all know that this form of communication sometimes is known as “snail mail”. Do you believe there are SOME people who have a thousand or more pieces of mail in their inbox? Not that God is likely to be this way, but just in case there are too many prayers in the que, I write these prayers in my journal for future use.

Text messages are my norm. Quick, to the point, with an emoji to highlight the mood I am currently experiencing. I don’t use the one letter method because I am slightly afraid the answer will come back the same way and I won’t be able to translate.

Yep, text messages throughout the day is my normal way to communicate with God. Of course then this requires me to continually check my messages to see if I have received the answer – the answer I am expecting.

As the Holy Spirit spoke about communing with God, I realized, I need massive training in prayer!

Starting with…

When you pray, Go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

Sounds like FaceTime, but as the Holy Spirit reminded me, there is no distance here. It is FACE TO FACE time! It is eye to eye time! It is heart to heart time! What is the reward? Certainly it is the answer to your prayers but it more than that, it is the answer to God’s prayer. Intimate, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23) time. Making memories time, like those moments when my babies would crawl up on my lap and try to get all the way inside me. 

I know, I know, some of us pray for AN ANSWER (or what is the use of praying?) and I am sometimes the loudest beggar in this playpen of life. However, I am reminded of all those times in childhood when I missed and/or ruined a potentially wonderful time with my parents by demanding my own way. When all was said and done, the THING I was sure would make my life PERFECT IN EVERY WAY, became nothing but a cold, gray, useless thing, that now needed space in the backpack I carried, known as “My Life, My Way”.

But God… being our perfect Abba, knows that finding Him IS LIFE and He wants to be found!

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. 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.’

 

When we pray is when we search for ABBA with all our heart!

So, now that we found ABBA (right there… in our inner room… NOT necessarily a closet), HOW do we pray? Definitely not for the purpose of impressing others – they love to stand and pray– nor going on and on and on – they suppose that they will be heard for their many words – just secret words out of a heart in need. A heart in need of the greatest thing we all seem to lack on this earth… the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. In this world there are so many things to pray for, for ourselves and others. There are so many things that cause nothing but anxiety, it causes me to be anxious in determining WHAT to ask for first!

So many things… I’m thinking there is only one that I have found answers every one of my prayers. Not to be repetitious but I am planning to pray this over and over, for me and for you..

Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of my/your heart may be enlightened, so that I/you 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 (in other words – the answer to this prayer will always be “Yes and Yes”)

I know you know the Holy Spirit didn’t really ask me to text my groanings (they are too deep for me to know them anyway), but, He did train me up in the way I should go on praying! I also know it’s only the beginning (I’m just a baby!) but I’m ok with that as long as He remains my Trainer! If I don’t know the right words or prayers to speak… the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but 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)

The one thing I always try to remember when I find myself less than the good (perfect) girl I want to be, and, when I’m am being honest with myself, I try to remember God’s eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in His book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139:16) God saw me and you, chose me and you, made me and you, LOVES me and you, with all of His heart!

God so wants to bless us, He directed Moses to direct Aaron (“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them’) to pray for this very thing…

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord  lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’

God ordered this, “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” (Numbers 6:27)

And since I and you are coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, I and you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

Since I want to practice the training I am receiving from the Holy Spirit…

I invoke Abba’s name upon you (without emoji) with His blessing… The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.’

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

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

Am I always ready?

To make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account?

For the hope that is in me…

I would like to claim YES, I am ALWAYS ready. But alas, the I in me, knows it would be a fib. I, the one who writes this blog, is not a quick thinker. I love, love, love to have fellowship with my brother and sister hearts who sanctify Christ as Lord of our hearts. I am ALWAYS ready for a sibling love fest!

But a defense… an account… a face to face, live, question/answer session with anyone who asks me about the who/what/where/when and how for the hope that is in me? I am hardly ever ready! I am “Moses Ready”. Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

After all these years, it is still very embarrassing when I have to confess I’m NOT ready for prime time! Just like Moses, my first thought when I receive direction from God, is all about me. All about the me that I am right now! All about the me that just needs a little tweaking by God to make me who He’s always known me to be. 

Just a little tweaking… get ready, Mary! No, not GET ready…

BE READY!

Sanctify (set apart as or declare holy; consecrate – “New Oxford American Dictionary”) Christ as Lord in your heart! Not just a little piece – your WHOLE heart!

Then… when you are asked to give an account for the hope that is in you… make a defense (1. the action of defending from or resisting attack – 2. the case presented by or on the behalf of the party being accused – “New Oxford American Dictionary”).

Always ready to… WHAT!?

I have always been under the impression that this verse is evangelism 101. Always be ready to spread the gospel, the good news of great joy, to people who have come to hear you tell it! But the word here is about being taken to court as the defendant. You’re on the witness stand,

“Mary, tell the court WHY Christ is the Lord of your heart. What is the this hope you hold for your future?”

DEFEND your hope! In the world’s court which is not a court of love. It is a court of hate… John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 

We are at war! If truth be told, THIS is what I (and many of our dearly beloved) are not ready for. We sit in our pews with the masks of “happy! happy!” on, thinking that this is the life  Jesus died to give us.

Yeah, I’m always ready for The Good Life!

Unfortunately… I’m almost never ready to RUMBLE! See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

In this world of hate, there is a great need for an account for the hope that is in you, just know, though it is fighting the good fight, it is a battle against evil, who wishes to devour goodness.

Therefore, Suit Up! take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13) 

Stand Firm! 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. (Ephesians 6:14-17)

Speak the Word which is Christ Who dwells within! For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)

Yet, with gentleness and reverence! When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

I’ll admit, it’s not a testimony of peace and harmony and pretty pictures and health and wealth and happy happy. If that is the HOPE that is in you, I strongly suggest you not try to defend yourself and/or the god of such hope. If that is the promise you base your defense on, join the world. For the time will come (it’s here and it’s now) 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. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

But if your testimony is Christ is Lord no matter the who/what/when/where/how… if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

You will ALWAYS be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you!

You will be Ready to Rumble!

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

 

Romans 8:28-30 And we know (true even if we don’t know) that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Predestined… God has a plan! (For God so loved the world)

Called… God has a desire! (that the world might be saved through Him)

Justified… Not judged! (For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world)

Glorified… God has a goal! (but that the world might be saved through Him.)

How can we NOT KNOW?

I’ve been wondering this lately and definitely walking a fine line between judging and trying to understand why some “get it” and some don’t.

What makes the difference in a soul that sings with joy when God is in the room (where two or more are gathered in His name – there He is) and the soul that only wishes to escape His presence in their life? If God wishes for none to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) and will take all the time needed (not slow but patient), how can there be anyone who perishes for lack of knowing God?

1 Corinthians 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 

Does not accept, all sounds foolish, CANNOT understand!

A natural man. A man/woman who only have eyes for the things that make sense to them. A person who might attempt to hear the testimony of God but decides in the end it is only foolishness, wishful thinking, fairy tales, myths in the making, because after all NONE of it has caused him/her to believe.

But God… said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; (Genesis 1:26)

And He… formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

Without judging, sometime between the time God saw their unformed substance; and wrote in His book all the days that were ordained for them, when as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16) and when they became an adult, and did away with childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11)

They chose whom they would serve… even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21) 

The REASON a natural man/women/child, CANNOT know God! It’s not just rebellion, or a mindset that needs changing. It is a stone cold heart! Romans 1:22-23 Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 

I am devastated by this! I can speak words of Scripture all day long. I can tell my testimony every day until I am no more. I can (AND DO) pray that if not me, that God will send His workers into the harvest.

But this one… the one who’s soil CANNOT fix their knowledge of God…(Matthew 13:3-9  “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.) Nor their hearing fix their understanding of God… He who has ears, let him hear.” 

THIS ONE has to be a God fix! Ezekiel 36:26-27 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 

Maybe we all, everyone of us, must have God’s fix first!

Maybe someone was devastated when my heart of stone was revealed!

Maybe, as encouragers, as evangelists, as preachers, as neighbors, we should all be devastated and seek God first for a new heart in those we wish to “Go and make disciples”.

It certainly is a fine line between loving and judging, but Scripture says… If we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved; 

For it is with the heart a person believes… What kind of heart are we working with? A heart in the process of turning to stone, one finding a reason/excuse to close ourselves off from God’s Spirit?

Check the heart! Do you/they KNOW… it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) Do you/they LOVE His presence? And with the mouth he confesses (Romans 10:9-10)… We speak of who and what we know!

Check the Testimony! Do you/they KNOW… that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Check the works! We will be able to tell… For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)

I pray each of us will do the heart check… Come On… Pray THE BEST PRAYER EVER with me…

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. 

And then WE WILL KNOW the ones, those He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

To God be THE GLORY!! God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!

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

 

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. 

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; (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Love is not… about LIKEY LIKEY! Likey Likey, being ALL ABOUT YOU ME!

It is the “Selfie” of the soul. It is everyone and everything that my “I”(no, not EYE although it is the first to see the potential) approves as useful and/or pleasant to behold.

Likey is my word for all those things/people that I claim to love, yet have no intention of serving – only being served.

You won’t find LIKEY in the dictionary (in fact as I type, spellcheck wants to correct my obviously unintentional mistakes… so many red lines!) and I really REALLY don’t care. There are so many words in our language today that have been skewered to the point of having no meaning or incapable of making any sense. Overuse of a word can depreciate its impact but using a word with no regard for true context, DESTROYS the meaning, the value, the impact, and thus becomes impossible for others to translate into meaningful communication. Which, if the truth were told, might be the ultimate goal of evil… divide/isolate/easily take captive and/or destroy (hmmm – sounds familiar in our present day politics).

Please don’t misunderstand. The words that have been abused and skewered have not become BAD words. The words themselves remain the same even when they are misconstrued. Love and like do not change simply because I and my fellow citizens may be experiencing our own consequences for attempting to build the _”Mary”_ version of (feel free to fill in the blank with a name of someone who MIGHT be in a similar process of renovating or reconstructing) the tower of Babel (see Genesis 11).

Whether or not I have been doing my own tower maintenance, this week, God “woke” (!rabbit trail! stay on point, Mary) me to the true usage of love. It seems that, Not only do I apply it using my own definition (which is so full of anything and everything), I apply it as a bun to wrap around my “nothing burger”!

Yes, I have read the Scriptures and have been trained up in God’s school of Love. I KNOW God IS LOVE! But knowing and doing are the two sides, forever bonded together, of Free Will (freedom to choose), the gift of an Image Bearer of God. I choose to know and I choose to do. But… may I share a little secret with you? I am NOT yet PERFECT! And this may be even more shocking… neither are you!

I use this disclaimer, not as an excuse, but as a reminder that  being “woke” by God is not about being perfect and in need of a deserved stoning (though He is the only one without sin that has the right to throw the stones). God is not in the business of punishing the imperfect, He is in the business of perfecting the imperfect whom He created to be perfect (whom we were for a minute in Paradise). A process He does not expect to be finished this side of His Kingdom.

No matter how many times, or how many ways, or how many  tests are necessary, God does and will, train me up using His definition… His intentions… His Word spelled L-O-V-E.

God is love!

The one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this…

Love is perfected with us!

Certainly not my tower of Likey Likey babel! We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) 

We are inhabited by God… 1 Corinthians 6:17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Still free to choose to know and do…but just so you know… you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16) 

God doesn’t make us be play nice… or take away His love from us when we don’t know and do TRUE love. 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. 

I have to be wiling to DELETE my likey likey version – you know the one that is all about me me me me me – and constantly PUBLISH God’s version all over my “selfie space”.

How do I do this?

1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

It’s not about me… it’s all about God in me!

Just REMEMBER… you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20 )

Never fear love… but always obey!  1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. 

Just Do It… but do it with love!!

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

 

2 Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 

Speculations and Lofty Things… I sometimes have to giggle at myself when I put on my “It’s All About Me” self and look into my magical mirror.

“How did I get so perfect?” Perfect enough to see all of the flaws I DO NOT have! But, then again, I’m looking for YOUR flaws to compare with my flawlessness.

Paul knew this about me… 1 Corinthians 4:3-4 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, He knew it about all humans – even the important ones… or by any human court; He especially knew it about himself… in fact, I do not even examine myself. 

I don’t always giggle… because,”BOY!HEH!”, I can STILL be seriously excellent at KNOWING IT ALL!  For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted;

Speculations and Lofty Things… Who DO we think we are?

 

Psychologists would probably diagnose  me as having a Narcissistic (an excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one’s physical appearance – according to dictionary) Personality. As, I believe most of us in this world today would deserve the same diagnosis.

When Jesus came into my life, He diagnosed my problem as the same SIN nature as and from those whom I inherited it, Adam and Eve. Sin, the core and basis of all narcissism… Lust of the flesh… Lust of the eyes… Pride of Life… (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, she took from its fruit and ate (Genesis 3:6-8). Adam and Eve, the first man/woman created represented all men/women/children to come. They were the first from whom all the rest of us descended. They were the prototype.

Adam and Eve, who had access and full permission to enjoy the perfect garden that existed to abundantly sustain all of creation, chose to eat from from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and their eyes were open. One of only two trees that were NOT to be consumed by humans… the Tree of Life (eternal life) and the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil (God and false god – i.e Satan – an angel who decided he could be God).

Well, we might ask, “WHY WERE THESE TREES THERE, if we weren’t suppose to enjoy them?” Why tempt us poor little innocent victims? If something is so dangerous for someone you claim to love, why would God allow it in His kingdom? I’m just saying… maybe judging God a little????? Because I certainly WON”T BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE for just weeds in HIS garden!

Who do we think we are?

Interestingly enough, before Eve considered disobeying the rules of Paradise, Satan led them to question the goodness of God and lied to them about the consequences of choosing to make up their own rules.

Hello… I was wondering… Genesis 2:1-3:5 “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

He said/she said… The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

!!SURELY not… The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing (note that this isn’t just knowing about – this is being fully aware of who, what, where, when, how, why –  in other words – knowing = in control of) good and evil.” 

Just one little apple… 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

Who wouldn’t want to be all they could be? She took from its fruit and ate. She never intended to make Satan her god or replace her Creator God, she just wanted her full share of the god-pie with a little help from her partner – Adam.

And thus, mankind’s nature changed from God-centered to ME-centered and the world no longer had The Perfect and His Perfect Image Bearers, to sustain and care for it.

The world is now in the hands of Satan to seek, kill, and destroy, God’s now IMPERFECT image bearers who falsely believe we still hold the keys (knowledge is power) to the kingdom.

Knowledge is power…They KNEW God! They knew God in ways you and I can only imagine. They walked with Him… and talked with Him. They learned from Him and ruled His creation with Him. They had full access and full permission to enjoy all the fruits of God’s Paradise EXCEPT for two trees, both of which were they were fully informed/trained/warned about. They were created in the IMAGE OF GOD (just as we are) and given the gift that no other creature (not even the angels) was given – the gift of FREE WILL… the ability to decide and choose the path and therefore whom we wish to follow (i.e. love and cherish).

True, before their sin they did not “know” evil. They did not know evil hated them. They did not intimately know the difference between good and evil. They did not know the consequences of being spiritually separated from the The Image they bear.

They did not know they would no longer be able to go out and come in… the keys to God’s Kingdom remain with God.

Adam and Eve found out who they were, apart from the goodness of The Perfect… the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked (no place to keep the keys)… they hid, rather than seeking Their Perfect God, they attempted to excuse (the woman YOU gave me!), cover themselves (with vegetation), and bully (he/she DID IT!) their way back into their former position of royalty in creation.

Who do we think we are?

Do we think WE ARE NAKED! We will one day be clothed again in perfection but until that day, along with the image of God, we bear the imperfection that still chooses wrongly. The perfect gift of free will, groans within us as we battle against an enemy who wishes to steal, kill and destroy us. Though God had EVERY RIGHT to revoke our ability and freedom to choose between good and evil (for that really is the only choice), He did not. He still willingly allows us to CHOOSE whom we love and therefor whom we serve.

Whom we serve and love is the essence of who we are. NOT who we THINK we are, but WHO WE ARE.

Choose you this day whom you will serve… Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. 

Until heaven comes… take every thought captive… if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Who Do I Think I Am?

This one thing I know take every thought captive to it…

As long as I remain hidden in Christ, I am no longer naked! 

Still imperfect… but… not naked!

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

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. 

WHO is the REAL ME?  Alien? Sinner? Slave? Enemy? All of the above?

Romans 7:21-23 the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 

It’s  true! I once WAS LOST… It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (1 Timothy 1:15)

But now… I’m FOUND!

1 Peter 2:9-10 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; 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. 

Who is the REAL ME?… Saint? Holy Temple? Chosen Race? Royal Priest?

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)

A NEW creature! I was only just getting a handle on the old junk in my trunk! I knew (and loved) this sinner for my predictability, my spontaneity, my lack of obsessive perfection. Quite frankly, as long as I was handling my own “destiny”, I posed no threat to those who feared I might compete with their settled doctrines of life.

Though I don’t much like the label “sinner”, I do not know what other label describes the difference between Old Mary and the New Mary.  When I became a Jesus Freak, I did indeed choose to… lay aside the old self with its evil practices, and put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created Mary… (Colossians 3:9-11)

I did indeed choose Jesus but beholding new things coming???Sometimes I see in a mirror dimly…

I confess, whenever I read the word “new”, I actually picture a “revised” version. A version that I recognize as ME. A version that I insist upon retaining copyright authority over. A version I insist must not stray TOO FAR from the stunning original! A version that I and others demand an immediate, perfect, and complete representation of the final new Mary creature… when in fact…

This NEW creature is one I have never seen before. A creature I have no idea how to create and one which I will not see fully and complete until we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Until then we are growing… always growing… into the REAL ME!

What starts with our choice, Romans 10:8-10  “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.

Causes a new life to be triggered,John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Triggered! As in BABY! As in helpless! As in need of… EVERYTHING!

Here’s the part I want desperately to get! Here’s the part I desperately want all of us to get!

Babies don’t raise babies! Abba raises babies!

You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

If I am to Grow into the REAL ME, I need to be raised and cared for by The REAL ABBA!

I need to STOP re-raising my sinner self and BECOME, from cradle to grave to resurrection, Abba’s Love Child!

But the basic nature of a child is to take control of the world they wish to have, from the very first words we speak, “NO! I DO IT MYSELF!”.

Whether we are examining ourselves or others, we seek immediate gratification for our soul which tends to see as Eve saw…the tree is good for food, and that it is a delight to the eyes, and that it is desirable to make one wise (Genesis 3:4)… having “examined it thoroughly”, we do as she did, we take and eat of it,  as well as share it with Adam so we won’t be the only one in trouble when caught doing the wrong thing.

The basic nature of God is reconciliation… 2 Corinthians 5:17-19…God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

Reconciliation that completely changes us…

Romans 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 

Reconciliation that takes possession and creates the REAL ME. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

The REAL ME (and you, and you, and you) which was made in the Image of God is growing into the Image of God, and will become the spitting Image of God!

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