Have you ever received a greeting card with that poem on it? Then you have already been acquainted with the writing of Roy Lessin, founder of Dayspring, a Christian line of greeting cards. But Lessin’s writing goes beyond greeting card theology, he actually has full books with other publishers.
Here’s a short thought for today from a Dayspring email program I once subscribed to that I found in an old email earlier in the week…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
God has a plan for your life. He brought you into this world to fulfill that plan. It is the best plan that anyone could ever make for you. It is a plan that will bring Him the greatest glory and you the greatest good. From the beginning of this calendar year until its end, God is working out His plan.
As you follow God’s plan for your life, you do so by faith. It is important to remember that He is the Guide and you are the follower. He does not need to bring you into His planning room as a consultant to help Him decide what is best for your life. God has called you to trust Him and to take the next step of obedience according to His will. God has said,
“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16 NKJV
Here are some ways that God is working out His plan:
He is your Shepherd—He is leading you. He is your Provider—He is taking care of you. He is your Strength—He is enabling you. He is your Counselor—He is speaking to you. He is your Shield—He is protecting you. He is your Comfort—He is encouraging you. He is your Father—He is blessing you.
As a general rule here, if we “borrow” a blog post, we at least find an alternative graphic image to go with it; but this time around the original picture really belongs with the article. I’ve been reading Dean Lusk’s blog, Every Good Band Deserves Fudge for about four years now; and while I’ve linked to him at Thinking Out Loud a few times, this is his first time here at C201. So, you guys know the drill, you’re encouraged to read this at his blog, where it appeared under the title, Where’s Jesus?
I’m surprised and feel a little silly that I never caught the connection between these passages before. Notice the phrases I’ve emphasized.
Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
If we want to be disciples and servants of Jesus, we have to be where He is. Sometimes that “place” is not a mysterious destination we have to agonize about, asking God if this or that is what He’d have us to do. Often it’s right in front of us.
In a very straightforward manner, Jesus told us just a few of the places we can find Him. Are we there?
You can stop reading here if you’d like, and jump right to criticizing me for espousing some kind of exclusively social gospel. However, this was written to expound on one small aspect of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ, not to say it encompasses everything. Read further for bonus content! These thoughts and clarifications came out of a discussion of the topic via e-mail with a friend.
My friend asked, “So we find Jesus where believers are, right? In these passages then, is Jesus talking about helping only less fortunate Christians? How do you find Jesus among non-believers?” My response was something like this (with a few edits for clarity):
“We find Jesus where believers are…” That’s obviously a true statement, but keeping Scripture in mind (like the passage above, Matthew 25, for instance), “Jesus is not among non-believers” may not necessarily be a true statement. When Jesus is talking in the Matthew 25 passages, the believers He was talking about were the ones He was talking to. He never mentioned whether the hungry, poor, etc., were believers. That apparently didn’t matter. That is, we’re never told in Scripture to screen someone to determine if they’re worthy of our help — if they’re a believer, etc. We’re never told the spiritual status of the guy in the ditch that the Good Samaritan helped, for example. He was just “a man.”
And then there’s a different perspective making a similar point: the Church is the body of Christ; He is the head. (“We find Jesus among believers.”) However, Jesus put Himself among non-believers as a regular habit when He was physically on earth. Eating with tax-collecting scum, defending a sexually promicuous woman who was not a believer, doing things that got Him labeled by the religious elite as a drunkard and a glutton. (“We find Jesus among non-believers.”) Therefore, one way we find Jesus among non-believers is for us (believers) to be where non-believers are.
Again, Jesus told us and showed us just a few of the places we can find Him. Are we there?
I hope none of you feel cheated when I use a video post instead of text, but today I’ve actually got two for you.
The first is Ravi Zacharias shown at his best, taking questions from the audience during what I presume to be a university appearance. This one is on the subject, ‘Are people born to be good or born to be evil?’
Do you feel Ravi answered her question? Or was he trying to answer, ‘the question behind the question?’
The second one is an audio reading from C. S. Lewis. It’s a really great explanation of how God can permit free will even though within the range of that free will we choose that which is not God’s ‘will’ for us.
I would like to be able to memorize this (in more contemporary language) to the point where I was able to present this to others. I’ve listened to it three times now, but would next need to take notes to follow the logic of the presentation.
Interesting enough, the Lewis clip was posted to YouTube on the channel ‘Islamic Worldview.’
I Peter 3:15Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.(NLT)
Today we’re introducing the blog ministry of Scott Daniels at The Rest That Works, where this particular post appeared back in April under the title Breezes.
I’ve been studying the Biblical imagery and language of The Spirit lately and was struck by a quote I came across today from James Caroll:
“There are times whe we stop. We sit still . . . and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.”
The first mention of the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:2 employs the word “ruach” which means breath or wind. It implies movement as part of The Holy Spirit’s very nature. Later, Jesus implied the same thing about The Spirit when he was talking with Nicodemus:
“Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8, NRSV).
When we really look at that passage, it seems to imply that being born again is about paying attention to the movement of The Holy Spirit.
When I think about it, Jesus was always paying attention to the movement of spirit. Often the Pharisees said the right things but in the wrong spirit – they were clearly moving in a direction contrary to love. They were often working through a condemning spirit, or at least a spirit of ill-will. On the other hand, if a prostitute or tax collector engaged Jesus in the right spirit, he was quick to commend them. The direction the spirit was moving in a person meant everything to Jesus.
I’m trying to pay attention to the movement of spirit in me. I know when I am moving in love, and I know when I’m not. It can be tricky when I’m moving in fear; love sometimes involves fear, especially for loved ones. But then, if I’ll stop, remind myself of The Spirit’s presence and God’s love, fear subsides. As I trust The Spirit will work with my sincere desire to be about love, whispers come, not that the immediate situation will always come out perfect, but that God will work with and through hearts moved by love. The Holy Spirit can work with a heart intending the well-being of souls; bringing wholeness through love is what the Holy Spirit is all about.
We can rest in that and work with it.
Blessings in your efforts to rest in God’s love and move with The Spirit,
Scott
…I also enjoyed another longer article at Scott’s blog from April, check out Beyond Doubting Thomas.
George Whitten is the editor of Worthy Devotions, another Alltop – Christianity indexed website. One of the key features at Worthy is the topical index which allows you delve into any one of a wide variety of subjects. For those of you who want to dig a little deeper, Worthy should be bookmarked — use the link at the bottom — in your computer. The title of this post, Kiss the Son, lest He be angry! intrigued me because it’s based on a verse I remember hearing in children’s church many years ago. Now I understand it more clearly.
Psalms 2:10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Revelation 5:12-13 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
In the beginning of Psalm 2, David points out that the kings of the earth are against the Lord and his “anointed” [Mashiach "Messiah" in Hebrew]. David recognized the true authority of God and advises the kings and rulers of the world, as well as their subjects, to “kiss the Son, lest he be angry.” The act of “kissing the Son” would be one of homage to a king, and would indicate submission to the kingship of the Son. Those who are wise will do so before the Son, the Messiah, comes to judge the world!
Men have often tried to appear holy and righteous before other men – but God is seeking those who will worship Him in “spirit and in truth”. This reminds me of a story of Francois Fenelon.
In the 17th century, Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France. On one particular Sunday when the King and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, there was no one else present except the preacher, himself.
“What does this mean?”, King Louis demanded.
“I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the King,” Fenelon replied.
Let’s be sure that our worship of God is true and faithful and that we aren’t trying to please men in doing so. Serve the Lord with a Godly reverence for who He is, and what His Son has done for you, since He is worthy of your worship, and… He is looking at your heart.
For many readers here, catechism is a foreign word.
Dictionary.com defines it as:
Ecclesiastical .
a.
an elementary book containing a summary of the principles of the Christian religion, especially as maintained by a particular church, in the form of questions and answers.
b.
the contents of such a book.
I remember hearing about my Catholic friends — the ones who did not go to Roman Catholic schools — having to go to church on Saturday mornings for catechism classes. More recently, I’ve heard of LDS (Mormon) kids who must be at their local house of worship at 6:30 AM for similar types of instruction.
But probably the most interesting form of catechism is that practiced by the Reformed Churches before congregants in their early teens undergo “Profession of Faith;” the equivalent of Confirmation in Episcopal or Catholic traditions. This instruction consists of learning the Heidelberg Catechism which is written in a style similar to the Hebrew form of instruction, done as a series of questions and answers. In the denomination’s hymnbook, The Psalter, the questions and answers appear in the form of readings that, properly used in worship services, reiterate the teaching throughout adulthood.
1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. Tha I am not my own
but belong –
body and soul
life and death –
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. …
6. Q. Did God create man so wicked and perverse?
A. No
God created man good and in his own image,
that is, in true righteousness and holiness,
so that he might
truly know God his creator
love him with all his heart,
and live with him in eternal happiness
for his praise and glory.
No study of the notion of catechism is complete without a mention of the idea of creed.
noun
1.
any system, doctrine, or formula of religious belief, as of a denomination.
2.
any system or codification of belief or of opinion.
3.
an authoritative, formulated statement of the chief articles of Christian belief, as the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, or the Athanasian Creed.
A year ago, in preparation for introducing the song Creed by Rich Mullins, we talked about the elements of a creed as containing the non-negotiables of the faith. Today we’re re-introducing the song Yes I Believe by John Blake. Although it does use a sort of call and response lyric that is so appropriate to the content, it is more a song of proclamation or affirmation.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ~Romans 12:3b NIV
At 6’0″ I usually find myself in conversation with people not as tall as myself, but in the last few months I’ve noticed that I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable carrying on conversations with people taller than myself, probably because it happens so seldom. Yesterday we ran into Tim, the son of one of my mother’s best friends, and I again found myself registering the fact I had to keep looking up to make eye contact.
I can see how people like myself who are tall of stature might get confused and think that they are somehow ‘taller’ intellectually or emotionally; and there is always the danger of thinking oneself to be ‘taller’ spiritually. Of course, we all know our inward shortcomings and weaknesses, but when we’re out and about with members of the wider faith family, it’s easy to posture. In the key verse today, Paul says we should use ‘sober judgment’ of ourselves.
Another application of this principle is that we look up to God, who scripture tells us looks down on us. This is repeated in various passages; it’s important to remember who is where! One prayer pattern that I learned years ago contains the phrase, “You’re God and I’m not;” or “You’re God and we’re not.” When we come to Him in prayer, we need to remember who is ‘taller.’
Here’s a similar application of how we deal with our own estimation of ourselves from Luke 14. Jesus is teaching…
7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!
10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” ~NLT
A month ago we attended a family funeral. My wife’s uncle passed away and we didn’t realize that some seats were being held for nieces and nephews, so we took a seat toward the back. Her cousin saw us and immediately told us that special seats were reserved for us, and invited us to “come up higher” in the seating plan. We appreciated this, but I couldn’t help but think of this passage as we were walking to the front, and also of the potential embarrassment that could occur if the situation were reversed.
The brand of Christ-following that is portrayed on television is centered on people with very strong personalities and — dare I say it? — very large egos. I think some of this is given away by the very fact these people want to be on television, though I don’t preclude the use of media to share the gospel. But you and I, the average disciple, should be marked by humility; the type of humility that takes a back seat in a culture that wants to proclaim, “We’re number one.”
We serve the King of Kings. We have the hottest news on the rack. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places. But we approach this in a humble spirit, with gratitude that God chose to reach down and rescue us from our fallen state.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. ~ James 4:10 NKJV
Today we introduce you to the ministry of Allen White, who ministers through the blog Galatians419. This post was originally entitled Churning Up Anger: How To Free Yourself. You’re encouraged to read at source and then visit the rest of Allen’s blog.
For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.Proverbs 30:33
The Slow Food Movement is gaining momentum across the U.S. and around the world. People are making the connection — treating plants with poison leads to eating poison, and giving antibiotics and hormones to animals leads to people eating the same. Our food is making us sick.
Now, if you have some great argument in favor of Food Inc, please send your comments to eatmorepoison@galatians419.com. (This is not a real email address, but please feel free to send your complaints there.)
The Slow Food folks believe what we put into our bodies affects our bodies. They prefer organic, grass-fed, free range, cage free, hormone free and overall more natural foods. Don’t be mistaken. They don’t advocate eating cardboard – those are the weight loss people. (Please send your complaints to the email address above).
When it comes to food, we are what we eat. If we put the right things into our bodies, we tend to be healthy. If we put the wrong things in, we can become unhealthy. It’s simple cause and effect.
Solomon applied this principle to other common practices. If you churn milk, you get butter. While we may be eating healthier, few of us are back to churning butter…yet. If you can get milk worked up enough, it will produce butter – not margarine, not fake butter, but the real thing.
If you twist your nose, it will bleed. If you don’t believe me, then go ahead and try this at home. Have a towel handy and maybe some ice. If you try this on another person, then you’ll end up with two effects from this verse – blood and strife.
Anger produces strife. According to the dictionary, strife is “vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism.” Strife is getting someone stirred up for sure.
Now, milk is not volatile. If you stir chocolate syrup into milk, you get chocolate milk, not chocolate butter. If you twist your nose slightly, you might look funny, but you probably won’t bleed. But, keep the towel handy. When you continually activate anger, you antagonize the other person and cause on-going conflict.
I say “active” anger, because I learned from Dr. Archibald Hart years ago that anger is only a present emotion. We don’t store anger up in some vast reserve to be released. If that was the case, we would feel better after we lashed out at someone. That just doesn’t happen.
The Bible tells us, “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26) and when we do get angry we need to resolve things before sunset. We shouldn’t carry the results of anger over into the next day.
Anger isn’t sinful. Anger is an emotion just like happiness, sadness or any other emotion. How we use anger can result in sin.
If we continually keep ourselves worked up over something that happened long ago, we are probably entering into sin. If we can’t get past an issue or forgive someone, we’ve also violated some Scriptural principles like Colossians 4:32.
Much of our anger comes from fear. We become upset when we’re afraid. So, here’s the exercise for today. Set aside a few minutes and ask yourself these two questions:
What am I angry about?
What am I afraid of?
If you can’t come up with a few answers right off the bat, then pray and ask God to reveal these answers to you.After you have the answers, then begin to ask God to help you work through these issues. Read Scripture to give you a truthful perspective on your anger and fears. It can be transforming.
Stumbled on a most interesting website the other day, Blessed Economist. In this recent post Hungry in Christchurch, he summarizes a sermon preached by Bill Johnson in Christchurch, NZ.
In his sermon of the week, Bill Johnson spoke about hunger. He suggested that we get hungry by eating.
He also spoke of remaining hungry while coming into abundance of blessing. Our challenge is remain hungry while being full of the Spirit.
Hunger illustrates humility.
Hunger releases a capacity to dream.
Hunger cause people to move outside the place of safety.
The Lord is releasing a gift of hunger.
The gift of hunger is essential for the next season.
The gift of hunger is a gift for people on whom he will pour out a blessing that is bigger than anything has been know before.
The gift of hunger allows us to receive the blessing of the Lord, while remaining in the right place.
33 He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the springs of water into dry ground; 34 A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
Wickedness causes rivers to run dry and fruitful land becomes a wilderness. The key to understanding this is Luke 1:53.
He has filled the hungry with good things. but has sent the rich away empty handed.
It is not that God dislikes the rich. He cannot bless those who have become satisfied with what they have and do not remain humble. He takes those who have been blessed and returns them to a place of need, so they can re-discover the source of their blessing, which is hunger. If blessing has caused us to wander he, out of mercy, removes the blessing, so that we will return to the source of our strength.
God blesses those who become hungry. In Psalm 107:35-37 this had happened.
35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. 36 There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, 37 And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest. Bill said that Psalm 107:36 is a prophetic decree for this generation. 36 There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place.
The hungry are given the unique privilege of establishing a city. God is raising up companies of people who cry our constantly, “God, save my city!”
The don’t just want individuals saved, they want the systems of the city saved.
The want the way people do life to change.
They want kingdom values to permeate every aspect of life.
They want all interactions, including relationships, business, education impacted by the Spirit.
They want everything to be impacted by his divine order.
God will entrust the destiny of the city to the hungry.
He wants the hungry to define the DNA of the city.
The foundational values will be defined by those who have remained humble, kept connected with the Spirit and the purposes of God.
He wants the heart of the city to be shaped by those who have not become complacent and satisfied with what they obtained.
He wants the nature of cities defined by hungry people.
God will release favour and increase to the hungry.
Their voice will impact the destiny of cities.
Hungry people change the environment they live in.
The Lord is releasing a grace for remaining hungry while being blessed.
When I heard Bill Johnson’s message, I was stunned, because I remembered a description of the first communion service held when the first English settlers arrived in Christchurch in December 1850. The first ships had arrived at the Port of Lyttleton, but the settlers had not travelled over the hills to the site of the new city. On the Sunday, the settlers met in the second storey of a warehouse on Norwich Quay. The passengers, who had climbed upstairs on a ladder, sat on planks on packing cases. Here is the description of the event recorded in “Canterbury Sketches: Life from Early Days”.
The Psalm for the day, the 22nd, was wonderfully applicable to us. These are the verses I refer to, “And there he setteth the hungry that they may find them a city to dwell in; that they may plant their fruits and increase. He blesseth them so that they multiply exceedingly and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.” It seemed as if the Almighty had given us His blessing on our new life and may we not say on looking back through the long vista of years, that He has blessed many of us abundantly, and made us a prosperous and happy people?
The lectionary reading for that Sunday was Psalm 107 and the reader at the service read the same verses about the hungry establishing the city. So verse 36 is not just a prophecy for our generation, but a prophecy for the city of Christchurch.
The city has been devastated by the earthquake and left empty and barren. God is promising that the future of the city will not be shaped by powerful people who have forgotten him.
The future of the city will be shaped by the hungry. Their voice will have impact on the destiny of the city.
God is promising that the hungry will establish the city. He will bless them and their number will be greatly increased.
He makes the hungry dwell there, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place. They sowed.. and planted… that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased.
The kingdom of God will be established in Christchurch through people who are hungry for the Spirit and a revelation of the glory of God.
Today we’re going to talk about prayer not as a nightly upload, but more in terms of a chat channel we stay logged into all day.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Common English Bible (CEB)
17 Pray continually.
Today’s post is from the blog of Christine Sine, who along with her husband Tom founded Mustard Seed Associates. But it’s actually a guest post on their blog by Roy Goble and it kicks off a series they are beginning on prayer. So… I’m strongly suggesting you read this at Christine’s blog Godspace, and consider staying with the rest of the series.
Many years ago, when I was far younger than today, I was interviewing a person for an important leadership position at a ministry. He was about my age and I asked him to describe his prayer life. He answered, “My life is a prayer.”
That’s all he said. I sat there waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t.
Curious, I asked the typical follow-up questions. How do you do that? What does it look like? Are there exercises to follow? How can you attain such intimacy with God at such a young age? I wanted an answer that helped me understand how it was even possible. But he basically shrugged and said, “It just is. I can’t really explain it.”
Frankly, the answer made me nervous about this candidate. A conversation with wiser friends calmed me as they explained how different faith traditions view prayer in different ways. Eventually we hired him and he worked for many years with the organization.
But I still think about his response. Or more accurately, I think about living a life in such a way that it is pure prayer. How is it that every thought, action, and breath reflects such a spiritual richness?
A simple poem by Fr. Gilbert Shaw sets up the question:
Prayer is the turning of our whole mind, our whole being, towards God.
I want that, of course. It sounds wonderful. But how do you get it? The idea of a life that is prayer sounds great but seems impossible. A part of the mosaic within my brain understands that there is no definitive methodology, but my linear side is completely frustrated by that.
This is very Western of me, I’m told. And I agree that it is. But that doesn’t answer my question. Besides, the Western faith tradition has a long history of mystics and poets who found great joy in struggling with the incomprehensible idea of living a life of prayer. Brother Lawrence and his pots and pans comes to mind. Learning from those who walked down this path before me has been helpful … to a point.
Shaw also writes:
The purpose of living is not to learn to make prayer,
but to become prayer; to live in and for God
according to the divine call, wholly surrendered to
the Spirit’s activity in the soul for the glory of God.
That’s somewhat more helpful because it equates the idea with something we become. It’s an action. But what action? I keep coming back to the desire for something tangible. It all seems like hard mental work to figure this stuff out, and I would rather just not think about it.
But then that’s the point where I stop and smile. I have learned that we need to be thinking about it. God likes it when we wrestle with such things.
Over time I have come to understand that this struggle to understand is exactly what God wants. My life is prayer only when it is a life of longing for God. The mental sweat that comes from striving to grow spiritually is part of connecting with God’s heart. And God considers it pure joy to meet us in that place.
Or said another way, what we find to be work may well be what God finds to be praise.
I’ve previously run the poster version on the characteristics of Christ followers, but had never seen one where someone had taken the time to provide scripture links for all the various attributes we hold to as the people of God. So, when I found this at the blog DiveInScripture, I knew I had to reblog it here. (You might want to copy the link and send it to friends. Just copy and paste this paragraph and they can read it at source.)
Loved by God Jhn 3:16 Forgiven Col 1:14 Confessing the Lordship of Jesus Over Our Lives Phl 2:11 Saved by Grace through Faith Eph 2:8 Loving God with All of our Hearts, Souls & Minds Mat 22:37 Born Again Children of God Rom 8:16 Delivered from the Powers of Darkness Col 1:13 Redeemed from the Hands of the Enemy Psa 107:2 Called with a Holy Calling 2Ti 1:9 Created in His Image Rom 8:29 Not of This World Jhn 17:16 Of God’s Household of Faith Gal 6:10 In Love with God 1Jo 4:19 Seeking First His Kingdom & Righteousness Mat 6:33 Abiding in His Love 1Jo 4:16 Healed by His Stripes 1Pe 2:24 Free from Fear 1Jo 4:18 Crowned with His Loving Kindness & Tender Mercies Psa 103 Redeemed from the Curse of the Law Gal 3:13 Free from the Law of Sin & Death Rom 8:32 Heirs of Eternal Life 1Jo 5:11-12 Heirs to the Blessings of Abraham Gal 3:14 Heirs of God & Joint Heirs with Jesus Rom 8:17 Blessed with All Spiritual Blessings Eph 1:3 His Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus Eph 2:10 Strong in the Grace That Is in Christ Jesus 2Ti 2:1 In Rightstanding with God 2Co 5:21 Established in Righteousness Isa 54:14 Living in His Kingdom Col 1:13 Humbling Ourselves, Casting All Cares Upon Jesus 1Pe 5:6-7 Getting Our Needs Met by Jesus Phl 4:19 Able to Be Partakers of the inheritance, Giving Thanks to the Father Col 1:12 Studying to Show Ourselves Approved of God 2Ti 2:15 Awakening to Righteousness & Sinning Not 1Cr 15:34 Commended to God & the Word of His Grace Which Is Able to Build Us Up Act 20:32 Believing God’s Word Mar 13:31 Blessed Because We Hear the Word of God And Keep It Luk 11:28 Abiding in Jesus & His Words Abide in Us Jhn 15:7 Always Meditating on God’s Word Jos 1:8 Living by Every Word That Proceeds from God Mat 4:4 Rooted & Built Up in Him & Established in the Faith Col 2:6-7 Building Our House Upon the Rock Mat 7:24-25 Being Transformed by the Renewing of Our Minds Rom 12:2 Increasing in the Knowledge of God Col 1:10 Letting His Truth Set Us Free Jhn 8:32, 36 Covenanted to God Hbr 8:6, 10 Filled with All Joy & Peace in Believing Rom 15:13 Doers of the Word Jam 1:22 Sons & Daughters of God Gal 3:26 The Body of Christ Eph 1:22-23 Laborers together with God 1Cr 3:9 Servants of the Most High Act 16:17 Having the Mind of Christ Phl 2:5 Walking in Newness of Life Rom 6:4 Led by His Spirit Rom 8:14 Trusting in the Lord Acknowledging Him in All Our Ways Pro 3:5-6 Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ Gal 3:27 Partakers of His Divine Nature 2Pe 1:4 Walking with Love & Living by Faith 1Cr 13 & Rom 1:17 Predestined to Be Conformed to His Image Rom 8:29 Pressing on to His High Calling Phl 3:14 Allowing the Greater One to Dwell in Us 1Jo 4:4 Letting Our Request Be Known to God Phl 4:6 Asking in the Name of Jesus Jhn 15:16 Receiving the Request We’ve Asked For Mar 11:24 Receiving All the Promises of God 2Cr 1:20 Fully Convinced That What God Has Promised He Is Able to Perform Rom 4:21 Believers Mar 9:23 Abiding in His Rest Hbr 4:3 Walking & Acting Like the Word Is True Jam 2:17-18 Holding Fast Our Confidence Which Has Great Reward Hbr 10:35 The Elect of God Col 3:12 Filled with the Holy Spirit Act 2:4, 2:39 Complete in Him Col 2:10 Going in His Name Mar 16:15-18 Strong in the Lord & in the Power of His Might Eph 6:10 Filled with the Knowledge of His Will in All Wisdom & Spiritual Understanding Col 1:9 Not Moved by What We See Rom 4:19 Strong in Faith, Giving Glory to God, Not Wavering with Doubt or Unbelief Rom 4:20 Imitators of Jesus Eph 5:1 Walking As He Walked 1Jo 2:6 Praying without Ceasing 1Th 5:17 Walking by Faith Not by Sight 2Cr 5:7 Casting Down Vain Imaginations, Bringing Every Thought into Captivity to God’s Word 2Cr 10:4-5 Holding Fast Our Confession of Faith Hbr 10:23 Calling Things That Be Not As Though they Were Rom 4:17 Fighting the Good Fight of Faith 1Ti 6:17 Reigning in Life Rom 5:17 Exercising Our Faith & Patience Hbr 6:12 Considering Jesus, the Apostle & High Priest of Our Confession Hbr 3:1 Observing & Doing the Lords Commandments Jhn 14.21 Putting on Love Col 3:14 Loving Our Neighbors As Ourselves Mat 22:39 Walking in the Wisdom of God Jam 1:5 Kings & Priest Rev 1:6 Givers Luk 6:38 Intercessors 1Ti 2:1 Wearing God’s Armour Eph 6:10-18 Doing All Things through Christ Who Strengthens Us Phl 4:13 Daily Overcoming the Devil 1Jo 4:4 More Than Conquerors Rom 8:37 Overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb& the Word of Our Testimonies Rev 12:11 Exercising Our Authority Over the Enemy Luk 10:19 Destroying the Works of the Devil 1Jo 3:8 Convinced That Nothing Can Separate Us from the Love of God Rom 8:35-39 In Everything Giving Thanks 1Th 5:18 Establishing God’s Word Here on the Earth Mat 16:19 Receiving Abundantly, Above All We Ask or Think Eph 3:20 Walking Worthy of the Lord Col 1:10 Telling Everyone about Jesus Rom 16:25 Thinking on these Things Phl 4:8 Giving God All the Glory Rom 16:27 Blessing the Lord at All Times. Continually Praising the Lord with Our Mouths Psa 34:1 Definitely Looking For His Soon Return 1Th 4:15-18
This appeared earlier this week at the blog at Blue Letter Bible, an online Bible search engine, where it was titled, As-He-Is vs. As-He-Was.
As He is. He is walking in majesty in the midst of the Churches. “…who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1). As He was. He was seen in humiliation, and in the midst of two thieves, crucified. “There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them” (John 19:18).
As He is. He is seen in garments of glory, representing the glory of His person. …clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest” (Revelation 1:13). As He was. He was stripped of His garments, and made a spectacle to men, demons, and angels. “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts” (John 19:23).
As He is. His eyes are as flames of fire―reminding us of His all-seeingness. “His eyes were like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14). As He was. Those eyes lost their brightness in death, and closed under the load of sin. “…and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).
As He is. His feet are as burning and polished brass―telling us of His durability and deity. “his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace” (Revelation 1:15). As He was. Those feet were nailed to the Cross. “See my hands and my feet…” (Luke 24:39).
As He is. His voice is as the sound of many waters, reminding us of the power of His word. “his voice was like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:15). As Hewas. His voice was hushed in death. “…they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead…” (John 19:33).
As He is. His hand is mighty to hold, and to help us. “In his right hand he held seven stars” (Revelation 1:16). As Hewas. Those hands were pierced, and nailed to the accursed tree. “…they have pierced my hands and fee…” (Psalm 22:16).
As Heis. Out of His mouth, goes a sharp two-edged sword―telling us of His power to destroy His enemies. “…from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword…” (Revelation 1:16). As He was. He opened not His mouth, but was smitten by the officer over the mouth. “…so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
As Heis. His face is as the sun shining in his strength. “his face was like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:16). As Hewas. That face was marred, spit on, the hair plucked from, and the rude hand of man insulted. “As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance…” (Isaiah52:14).
This post is from C. Michael Patton and Tim Kimberley at the Credo House blog, Parchment and Pen. Click here to read at source, and then explore the rest of the blog.
1 Kings 8:10-11 It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
I don’t know why, but I am possessed by this passage this morning (or as we say in Oklahoma, “this smorning”). Two subjects: 1) the glory of the Lord, 2) the service of the priests.
Get this: the glory of the Lord overwhelmed the service of the priests.
Now this seems unfair to the priests. After all, they are only doing as God had instructed. Why does God come in and mess things up? “So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud.” They could not minister? Their religious candles blew out. The smell of incense was diluted. The ram got loose. The prayers were silenced due to a distracting and overwhelming noise. All that the Lord had been doing through them was brought to cessation as it was replaced with something else. Something breathtaking. Something that buried the service they had become accustomed to.
One priest went to a growing line before the king to log his complaint.
Another priest went home believing this excused him for day off.
Another priest looked at the glory with entertainment, happy to have the monotony of his days interrupted.
Another priest say to his friend, “Don’t believe what you see. This is not how it normally happens. We only adore the normal.”
Only one priest stepped aside to observe and partake in the awe and hope that was coming into being. Only one allowed the curtain to be rent, the locks to be broken, and the glory to be shown.
Theological thought: How often to I allow God to step into my life and do something different, something extraordinary?
How often do you? Or are we too set in the ways that we think the Lord must do things? But sometimes God is not ordinary.
~C. Michael Patton
More at Parchment and Pen: Follow the series Ten Myths About God with Tim Kimberley and C. Michael Patton. When this blog was scheduled they were up to #5, click here to watch.
More about the “not ordinary-ness” of God: Check out the post yesterday at Thinking Out Loud – God Doesn’t Do Boxes.
Today’s thoughts are from Glory To God For All Things, the blog of Father Stephen where it appeared on May 30th. We have much to learn to from our Orthodox brothers and sisters. I encourage you to read this at source — where there are also over 120 responses — and then explore his blog further. I’ve added a video related to his theme verse here..
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psalm 8:4).
The question, “What is man?” written perhaps a thousand years before the coming of Christ, is the bedrock of true humanism, the only form of dignity that can sustain human life. Our modern world continually re-imagines our nature, but God alone sustains it. I can think of nothing more assuring that the speculation, “What is man?” in a heart of wonder. I can think of nothing more terrifying than the same speculation in the cold calculus of the modern state.
Human dignity is among the youngest thoughts on earth and far from universally subscribed. We are daily exploited, murdered and used for unworthy ends. Individuals fail to see their own worth and give themselves over to evil ends. “What is man?” indeed, and why should we consider ourselves to be of any particular value?
To declare that I am valuable because I am myself – is simply a statement of self-interest – an instinct shared by most living things. To acknowledge the value of another because it helps preserve my own value is the same instinct extended through a community. This instinct, surely a part of human life from its beginning, has never demonstrated the ability to lift man above his basest desires.
The question, “What is man,” is an echo or a corollary of the question, “Is there a God?” For if there is no God, then the question, “What is man?” has only the emptiness of an echo for an answer. Human dignity is not self-evident. With reference only to our biology we can say that we are carbon-based life-forms that have self-awareness. We cannot assume that other life-forms do not have self-awareness. The question, “What is man?” is thus no more interesting than the question, “What is a bacterium?”
But the question is itself an inherent part of our self-awareness. We want to know if there is anything of transcendent worth in our existence or is it as simply one thing among the many that exists. The question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” is similar. Does that which exists have any transcendent meaning – anything beyond the ephemera of its ill-fated billions of years (“ill-fated,” for regardless of how you run the numbers, it will cease to exist).
There are many ways to answer the question, “What is man?” All religions do this in one way or another, and the answers are not at all the same. In Buddhism, self-awareness is simply one of many ephemera – having no bearing on the meaning of existence itself.
But the Christian answer is the primary claimant of the modern world’s attention, whether the modern world acknowledges the source of the answer or not. That we are created in the image and likeness of God, and that God Himself has become man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth is the basis of all thought of human rights – the language of consensus in the human community. The assertion of human rights is commonly made today without reference to God. It is thus nothing more than assertion. Human beings have rights because we say they do. Such unsupported assertions only have force when they are asserted by the strong to the weak. This is very much the state of human existence in a secularized world. Rights exist only because a controlling authority enforces such rights. Rights which are denied by a controlling authority have no existence.
Assertions by the West of various human rights, when heard by some non-Western cultures, do not sound like truth claims, only like cultural imperialism. Should women be allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia? The answer depends solely on who is speaking.
World culture at present is not grounded in a civilization. There is no consensus of transcendent values, no true common agreement. The secular triumph of a common Europe, the post-War’s version of the tower of Babel, presently stands ready to collapse as the Eurovision confronts the reality of the Euro. “We share a common currency and a bureaucracy in Brussels,” is an insufficient answer to the question, “What is man?”
Modern, secular culture is derivative. Its values are largely drawn from the treasure of earlier Christian values, regardless of their present distortion. Human rights are contingent upon human dignity, itself contingent upon the creation of man in the image of God. Remove the source and the contingencies collapse (in time). Human rights have already begun their collapse. The concept of rights remain, but they exist only as those in power define them. Thus the rights of women (as defined by the state) or the rights of those with minority sexual orientations (as defined by the state) or other state-defined groups have rights that frequently supersede those of other groups. These rights are arbitrary and represent nothing more than the present state of political reality. As such, they do not represent rights, but assertions of power.
The language of rights continues to have the cachet of the earlier imago dei, but one in which the deity is no more than a function of government bureaucracy (of which the courts are but an arm). The great weakness of our present cultural existence is its lack of foundation outside the bald assertion of power. The two most distorted examples of such power-based cultures were Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union. These two cultures continue to strike most moderns as distorted when they are compared to our cultural memory of the imago dei. But their distortions were justified in the same manner as today’s secularist assertions. Only the present direction of the winds of power stands between modern culture and state terror. The slightest change in that wind can revisit the world with a renewed holocaust. The regime is the same: only the victims change.
The belief that man is created in the image of God yields its own corollaries. As the image of God, human beings are endowed with infinite worth. A human life has value derived from its very Divinely given existence. Our value is not a gift of the state or the result of our own assertions. No one life has greater value than another. Neither usefulness nor talent add value to that given by God.
States (as well as the quasi-states of ecclesial institutions) have sought to reduce these corollaries over the course of the Christian centuries. Thus some have been given greater rights by reason of birth, wealth, race, gender, creed, etc. Each of these assertions of greater rights represent departures from the givenness of the imago dei and a distortion of the Christian faith.
If one human being exists in the image of God, then all human beings exist in the image of God. None of us is more fully the image than another. In Christian teaching, Christ Himself is the definition of the image of God. To the question, ” What does it mean to be human?” Christ is the answer. In Christian understanding, Christ as incarnate image of God is celebrated from conception (the feast of the Annunciation) to His ascension to the right hand of God. No quality of Christ (sentience, wisdom, volition, race, age, gender, etc.) defines or establishes His place as imago dei. He is the image of God. In the same manner, our own unqualified existence establishes us as the image of God.
Only in this fully Christian understanding of man are the value, and thus rights of each human being guaranteed. Only in a culture in which this understanding is agreed and accepted is such value safe and secure. It is perhaps the greatest treasure given to us by God.
There are many modern Christians who have been lulled to sleep by the language of the larger culture, accepting that those who speak of “rights,” actually accept the imago dei. Many Christians have abandoned the public defense of man as God’s image in exchange for a place at the bargaining table of the state’s assertions of power. The state’s ability to assert various perceived rights is not a defense of our humanity – it is its destruction. Our acceptance of the state’s assertion is a capitulation of the gospel. Nothing less than the Divine value of every human life is worthy of the Christian gospel. Those Christians who do not accept such a value have departed from the faith and made common cause with those who would destroy us.
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the moth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightiest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou maddest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalm 8)
Eric Geiger writes one of the many blogs aimed more specifically at pastors, but in this post from May 17, his message is one needed to be kept front and center for all of us. Click the title below to read at source.
The reason Jesus left His disciples on the planet was to make other disciples. The fundamental reason your church exists is to make disciples of Jesus. To the church at Colossae, the apostle Paul wrote a defining statement about his ministry to the church.
“I have become its (the church’s) servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.” (Colossians 1:25-29)
The apostle Paul labored with the energy of Christ to present everyone mature and transformed in Christ. Because Paul was convinced that transformation only comes through Christ, he labored to make disciples of Jesus and not of himself.
For a church to be deficient in discipleship is to be deficient in the church’s fundamental reason for existence. If any organization is shoddy in its core reason for existence, it matters nothing if the organization excels at other things. If Apple is deficient in designing computers, it matters nothing if they excel in outfitting and decorating their stores. If Starbucks is deficient in coffee, mastering the art of creating loyal employees means nothing. To be deficient in your core reason for existence is always unacceptable.
We have learned to do many things as church leaders. We build buildings. We design programs. We challenge donors. We staff our churches. We put on events. We rally people around new initiatives. And as our churches grow, we become increasingly proficient in a myriad of other things from branding to facility management. But are we making disciples? Have we become proficient in many things while simultaneously becoming deficient in the one thing that matters most?
When the apostle Paul felt compelled to defend his ministry, he didn’t point to his savvy leadership, the size of his team, the creativity or innovation in his ministry, his speaking ability, or the number of mission trips he was leading. He simply pointed to the transformation in people’s lives.
“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone. It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God–not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.” (2 Corinthians 3:1-3)
Paul essentially says, “I don’t need a resume that outlines my effectiveness as a disciple-maker. Look at the transformed lives, because those lives are the resume. But please understand, I didn’t write the resume. Christ did. And when He wrote it, He wrote it on the hearts of people.” Transformation is the bottom-line end result of true discipleship.
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Loved by God 
