Good Friday

So it’s been a while, but I was feeling very contemplative tonight and thought I’d try a free write.

I just came from an awesome play at a local church that was entitled “There is Hope”.  It was a portrayal of a family’s real life tragedy and the hope that can only be found in Jesus.  I guess that throughout the week I’ve been reminded of the familiar story of my Savior and what he did for us.  I’ve come to the conclusion that sometimes we need to be reminded.  We need to put things into perspective.

Life has been swiftly moving along at breakneck speeds with one hairpin curve after the other, and lost in the droning engines and spinning wheels of this race we call life is the simple, quiet truth.  This life has a purpose, we were not placed here to satisfy ourselves, to find pleasure, or to strive to be better than the next guy.  Two thousand years ago, the earth witnessed the life of one man that changed everything forever.  He came and his sole mission was to do the will of God.  Everything he did or said pointed toward his ultimate mission: The Cross.   He never veered from his goal, his purpose was always in view.

The weight of that truth has consumed my thoughts lately.  Is it possible that the most important thing, which should be the most prevailing in the hearts of those who profess Christ, has been explained and rationalized into a tiny corner of who we are, to be retreived only when it is most convenient?  Jesus Christ, he is the Hope of Glory and lives in us!  Why is our light so shrouded by everything else?  The way we talk, the way we treat others, the things we do… they have all covered our lantern’s globe with soot, so that the brightness of the light of Christ is simply not seen. 

It’s time for a change.

Conformed vs. Transformed

Romans 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…

Conform  - Imitation

The word conform as used here, means to fashion one’s self according to, or to form oneself to another’s pattern.  The greek word for conform as used here (syschematizo), is a derivative of the word schema, which comprises everything in a person which strikes the senses: figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life, etc.   When we conform to the world, we attempt to outwardly model what we see or perceive to be the lifestyle of those who walk in darkness.   It’s a funny thing, that we who bear the light and were called to be different, would then disguise our light to blend in and look like those who are ignorant of the hope that lies within us. 

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost –2 Corinthians 4:3.

Some synonyms for conform are: yield, agree, consent, correspond, adapt, adjust, accommodate.   When the bible refers to the world, it is talking about the sinful system that dominates this world as opposed to God’s way.   Romans 8:5-10 explains that the carnal or worldly mind is against God so to yield and adapt to that way of thinking and living is to be against God as well.  Conforming to the world is dangerous.

 

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.  –James 4:4

 

A nonconformist, is one who refuses to conform as to established customs, attitudes or ideas, some synonyms for the word nonconformist are: dissenter, dissident, individualist, and loner.  Jesus was a nonconformist (Matthew 5:38-46), in that he did not allow the prevailing ideas of his day to change who he was and what he came to do.  In order to avoid conforming to the world, we have to know who we are, who we serve, and what our purpose is. 

 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. – I Corinthians 15:58

The bible calls us a peculiar people in 1 Peter 2:9.  Romans pleads with us not to be conformed because we are peculiar, chosen by God.  The greek word for peculiar means “a preserving”.  When something is preserved, it is kept in a way that it can maintain its original state and won’t be tainted over time by outside elements.  God has chosen us and set us apart from the fate of those who do not know Him, keeping us from the deterioration taking place all around us.  When we pattern ourselves after the world from which we were called out, we bring upon ourselves the condemnation that goes along with a life apart from God (Galatians 5:19-21).  Thus we are urged not to conform, but to be transformed.

Transform – A Change

The word transform in the greek (metamorphoo) means to change into another form.  To be transformed is to allow ourselves to be changed.  When we are transformed, it is not something we can do ourselves, but it is the work of the Holy Spirit when we allow Him to change us.  All he needs is our surrender, and he can and will complete the transformation in us.

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

The English word transform is derived from two words:

Trans – across, over

Form – from

This breakdown indicates a conversion, above we mentioned that the world opposes God, so to be transformed, we have to cross over from that side, to God’s side, a completely different way of life.

 

The greek word for transform (metamorphoo) is also the origin of our english word metamorphosis, which is generally a scientific word used to describe a complete change of form, substance, or structure.  Metamorphosis is what a caterpillar undergoes when it becomes a butterfly.  The change is so complete, that once it is finished, the butterfly can no longer return to being a caterpillar.  Once we have encountered Christ, if he has really changed us, we should not be able to return to our former lifestyle.  The former things have been completely removed from our lives so that they are no longer a part of us.

 

Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – II Corinthians 5:17

What is the Transformation?

Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  1 Corinthians 15:51-53

Even as our physical state will be changed in the resurrection, our minds must undergo this change now.  In the rapture, our bodies will outwardly reflect what has already been done inwardly. ( Colossians 3:3,4 Romans 6:3-23)  Also, in the resurrection our transformation will truly be complete.  In our current state, our old nature is dead, but will rise up again if we do not do what it takes to keep him that way (Romans 8:13).  Once we reach our home in heaven, we will no longer have to fight the flesh to live holy.  Our transformation will be complete, and the only nature we will have is that of our Heavenly Father. 

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.  Colossians 3:1, 2

Renewed

The transformation is taking place now, and will be complete at the coming of our Lord.  Romans tells us that in order for this transformation to come to pass in us, our minds must be renewed.

The word “renovation” to me best describes what it means to be renewed.  To renovate means to restore to good condition, or to make new again.  A renovation on a building consists of tearing down everything unsightly, damaged, or unsafe, and rebuilding it newer and better.  Some renovations require gutting the entire structure, which means everything inside is taken out and replaced with new materials.  To be renewed means to be made new again (2 Corinthians 5:17).  So, if our minds are to be renewed, we must allow God to tear down the thoughts that are not pleasing to Him, our ways and our habits that are unsightly and the strongholds that threaten our very lives.  Once those things are removed, He is able to begin a new work in us, building a new mindset and a new approach to life.  Because we have been made new, we are no longer worn or damaged goods, and even those things meant to harm us have been renovated and turned into something useful for the kingdom of God. 

Once God completely renovates us to meet his specifications, anything that remains must be of use to Him.  We have been made new, but we still have adversity and challenges, that sometimes seem very unsightly in our newly renovated structure.  But when we are in the will of God we must know that he is still working and that we are constantly under construction. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose – Romans 8:28

Since we have this great gospel, and have been chosen by God to carry His light to the world, the transformation has already begun in us, but we must be careful not to conform, but to continue to allow God to continually change us into the image of his dear Son.

Maximum Potency

Okay, so I’ve been slacking on the blog front…

This is just a short blurb on something I talked about at church a while back that came back to my mind the other night.  We had a Sunday School program probably about a year ago, and I was one of the topic speakers.  My topic was something like “Reaching Your Maximum Potential”.  As I studied my topic, I looked up the word potential, and as I was reading about the etymology, the root word potent came up. 

The potency of a substance has to do with the concentration of the active ingredients.  The more dilluted the substance is, the less powerful or effective it can be, and the more quantity is required to accomplish the desired result (think liquid laundry detergent, ha-ha).

So, when we talk about our potential, we our dealing with our capacity to do and to be more than we are right now.  We are made of powerful stuff, in the image of the Almighty, who does all things well.  He placed inside of us the strength, intelligence, ingenuity, talent, and skill to do far more than we even imagine.  Those are pretty potent ingredients!  Over time, though, we become dilluted and watered down by events and people in our lives assigned to kill or pervert our God-given inspiration to be absolutely all that we were created to be.   Things like fear and low self-esteem enter our lives and cause us to second guess who we really are, and whether we can really do all that we dream.

So, how do I tap into that innate potency?  Concentration has two meanings that are applicable here.  The concentration of a substance is the removal of all of the fillers and unnecessary ingredients (that laundry detergent analogy again).  In the same sense, we can concentrate our efforts and resources by removing all of the unnecessary things from our lives, resulting in greater concentration in terms of mental focus.  Conversations, friendships, and activities that don’t propel us toward our destiny can all be removed to cause us to be more focused and effective.  Without all of those fillers, I think we will find that though we may not feel we have a lot to work with, the little that we have can be very powerful.  Add to that the supernatural power of God in our lives, undilluted by the many opposing distractions that come to hinder His will, and you have a moutain-moving, enemy-defeating, formula!

I’ll probably come back to this later, because I’m just talking off of the top of my head right now.

Strongholds

The following is an outline for a bible study I taught a few weeks ago.

 

A Stronghold, in the military sense, is:

• A protected area
• Walled and fortified
• A place where soldiers can retreat to in order to regroup and strengthen themselves
• A secure base of operations shielded from the reach of the opposition. 
  • The more secure a stronghold, the more powerful the force within can become, soon conquering surrounding weaker and less secure territories.

 

“Strongholds keep the unbeliever captive, and the believer incapacitated.” (truthnet.org)

 

Spiritually, a stronghold is anything that defies God or the truth of God (2 Cor 10:4, 5).  They differ from outside forces that come against us, because they are trying to destroy us from within.  Strongholds are difficult to conquer because of where they are positioned, and/or how they are protected.

 

Positioned

Anything that is against God that is allowed to take up residence in our lives can become a stronghold.  If we allow it to stay, before too long, it will become a part of us and because of its position in our lives can be difficult and even painful to remove.  The book of Obadiah is a prophecy against the nation of Edom, who were prideful and thought they could not be brought down because of their fortified location (Obadiah 1:3, 4).

 

Protected

The blood of Jesus is able to cleanse and free us from everything that is not like God.  The strength of the stronghold is in keeping itself inaccessible to the Holy Spirit when he comes to free us from its influence.  Since nothing is unreachable to God, the only thing that hinders the move of God when He is ready, willing, and able to deliver, is our own will.

 

God will not override our will, he requires us to surrender it to Him.

 

Defenses: Things that Protect and Fortify Strongholds in Our Lives (Spiritual Autoimmune Disorders)

 

Ø  Shame (Gen 3: 9, 10) Hides from God instead of coming to Him for help

Ø  Fear (1 John 4:18) Tricks the mind into being so afraid of what is unknown, that it won’t let go of what is known, even if it is being destroyed by it.

Ø  Ignorance (Song of Solomon 2:15) Convinces a person that something is harmless by exploiting their lack of knowledge about the danger it poses, or finds an entrance into a person’s life that they didn’t realize was a weakness or opening.

Ø  Pride/Unrepentance (Proverbs 16:18) Deception that causes a person to refuse to heed warning and God’s offer of deliverance (Proverbs 1:20-31).

Ø  Willful Disobedience (Hebrews 10:26)  As God shows us what is needed for our freedom what binds us, if we reject His plan, we prevent His deliverance from reaching us.

Ø  Unforgiveness (Matthew 6:14,15) Also blocks deliverance, because we can’t be forgiven if we won’t forgive

Ø  False Beliefs/Confusion/Delusion (2 Cor 4:3, 4, John 8:32) Prevents us from knowing the truth, which is able to free us.

Ø  Emotions/Feelings such as anger, resentment (Romans 12:19) Harden the heart causing us to resist God’s attempts to free us, because we think the emotion we feel is justified.

 

To Conquer Strongholds We Must:

§  Open ourselves up to God, bring exposure to the things that try to stay hidden (Psalms 51)

§  Identify the stronghold, and what God says regarding that particular thing.  Find it in God’s Word!  (Hebrews 4:12)

§  Make a decision: Oppose it, or oppose God? (Matthew 21:44)  “Mercy and forgiveness now, or judgment later.”(Life Application Study Bible)

§  Oppose it: Allow God to destroy it.

§  Oppose God: God allows it to destroy you.

 

Our Weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18)

• Prayer and Fasting weakens things in us that are not like God and the defenses that prevent Him from completing His work in us.  Allows us to bring our issues to God, and allows God to speak to us and show us what we are to do.
• Faith Opposes doubt and fear.  Recognizes and rejects thoughts and ideas that are not of God.  Trusts God’s leading.
• The Word of God Shows us God’s will, gives our faith a foundation and strengthens our faith, exposes the enemy, gives us ammunition to fight him
• The Holy Ghost Teacher and guide (John 14:26), reveals the truth (1 John 2:27), and alerts us to/keeps us from danger or evil (Jude 1:24), fights on our behalf/makes intercession (Romans 8:28)

 

Conclusion

When we come into alignment with the will of God, we can use these powerful weapons not only to defeat the enemy and pull down strongholds in our own lives, but also in the lives of others and in the Body of Christ.  We have the authority to represent God and His kingdom, and know that we have his backing when we fight the enemy in his name (Matthew 16:18).  Once we take our rightful place, Jesus stands ready to back us up and supply everything we need to do the will of God (John 14:12-14).

 

The strongholds of ancient times have become obsolete because of the advancement of warfare since that time.  Today’s weapons are so powerful and intelligent, a walled city hardly presents a worthwhile challenge.  May we truly recognize that our weapons are just that powerful when it comes to the strongholds of the enemy in our lives, if we only use them properly.

Debt and Bondage

Nehemiah 9: 25, 36, 37

25. And they took strong cities and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

36. Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof behold, we are servants in it.

37. And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

This chapter of Nehemiah brought me a revelation from God.  It provided me an insight that I believe will prove to be helpful to the people of God, myself included.  

I included verse 25, because it provides a contrast of how blessed the Israelites were when they entered the promised land, and how things went downhill not long afterward.  When God brought them into the promised land, they were able to occupy and take up a wealthy lifestyle that they hadn’t even worked to build.  The previous inhabitants had worked and prepared the land, houses, and possessions for themselves, not knowing that their wealth was being laid up for the people of God.  Everything they needed was already there.  It was a land of plenty, a place of more than enough, a place of overflow.  They had reached the place where they were seeing God perform the great things he had promised them.  It was the place of manifestation. 

As they settled in to this new, lavish lifestyle, Israel made a critical error.  This awesome season that likely exceeded their wildest dreams required very little on their part.  The only thing God asked them to do was to be sure to remember where they’d come from and who brought them over.  Though they’d been warned and instructed, the ease of prosperity proved to be a drug, that intoxicated them and caused them to forget.  All of the mighty works that God performed in their journey from Egypt were distant memories that faded more and more with time.  Children were born who had no recollection of the days in the wilderness, and those charged with instructing them failed to do so.  Soon their forgetfulness became rampant and widespread like a cancer.  The nation at large had allowed the core of who they were as a people to be swallowed up by focusing more on the gifts than the Giver. 

And so it was, that years later, they found themselves in ruin, something that had proven to be a cycle with them.  The tables had been turned, and the they were now servants in the land that was rightfully their inheritance.  What had been their blessing was now the source of much sorrow, as they were forced to toil and labor instead of enjoying the promise. 

The Israelite’s tale has more than one modern day parallel, but one in particular stood out to me as I read.   They stated that even their own bodies were no longer their own and that they worked now to accumulate wealth for someone else.   Reading this, I thought about the bondage of debt, and how it creates the exact same circumstance for the people of God today.  God blesses us with great jobs, homes, and other possessions for our families to enjoy, but, as with the children of Israel, we can sometimes forget God and lose focus.  There is no actual pagan king to come in and plunder and devour and lead us away into captivity, but sins like greed and disobedience to God’s leading manifest in one bad decision after another, eventually leading us into the bondage of debt.  

Debt is slavery.  God has blessed us with jobs and careers to provide for ourselves and our families, but we find ourselves working harder and harder and the increase that is rightfully ours is being devoured by creditors and compounded by fees as we struggle to meet their demands.  When we find ourselves in this type of predicament, the prayer that Israel prayed on that day rings true.  A very dismal picture is painted as one struggles from day to day to stay afloat, only to fall further behind. 

But thanks be to God, that he never leaves us without an answer.  This same chapter, in another verse, talks about God’s mercy and the fact that it is the only reason we are not utterly consumed.  If we as people, God’s people, will realize our sin and confess it, God is faithful and just to forgive.  If we will agree to acknowledge him in all of our ways, he will direct our paths.  Just as he led Israel by the hand out of bondage, he will also lead us, step by step, into the promised land.  

When I read this passage, I felt strongly that God is willing and available to help, if we only turn to him.  The trick of the enemy to keep us in bondage is to cause us to think that we got ourselves in, and must get ourselves out.  It’s a perfect deception, because it causes us to keep trying to accomplish the impossible and all of our efforts are sending us deeper still into the bondage we so desperately want to escape.  We don’t have to wait until it’s hopeless, until we’ve tried everything and lost everything.  

Like the prodigal son, I can come to my senses right now and realize that I have a Father who is all knowing, and all powerful, and most of all plenteous in mercy and faithful to answer when I cry out to him.  I can throw up my hands right now, and confess that I don’t know the way to take, and that my way is not working.  I can confess my sin in failing to acknowledge God, and ask his forgiveness.  I can purpose to seek God’s will going forward and ask for his guidance.  Each act of obedience to God is a step towards freedom.

Be the Start of Something Great (part 2): No Limits!

1 Samuel 14: 1 – 23

Today I read this scripture and though I’ve read the story before, this time I saw it in a whole new light.  To give a brief run down of the scripture text, Jonathan, son of Saul and his armourbearer slipped away from the camp where the Israelistes were hiding out during a conflict they were having with the Philistines.  Jonathan told his armourbearer that he wanted to go up to the Philistine camp.  

14:6

And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for [there is] no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.

This, to me, was such a testament of the faith and courage of Jonathan, considering they were only two men, planning to fight an entire garrison of warriors.   Jonathan had crazy faith to believe that if God be with them, they could beat the odds, no matter how insurmountable they seemed.  This story definitely has a powerful life application, because sometimes the things God assigns us to do, can seem quite near impossible.  But if we can open our spiritual eyes as Jonathan did and see God as he truly is, nothing will be impossible.  Jonathan, in his mind saw no limit to what God can do.  He saw Him as he is, having all power, and supreme reign over every single thing that takes place on the earth.  He saw God as bigger than this army that loomed large and fierce before him.  In his mind, God was so great, the Philistine army seemed but a small thing in comparison.

The other noteworthy thing in this passage was the response of Jonathan’s armourbearer:

14:7

And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that [is] in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I [am] with thee according to thy heart.

Behind having their focus in the right place, this was the second most awesome principle of the story.  Though they were only two against a multitude, Jonathan and his armourbearer were unified.  His armourbearer came into agreement with him, and they were of the same mind.  I’m sure there was a lot he could’ve said about Jonathan’s plan and the many apparent negatives and slim chance of victory, but he chose to get behind his leader and work toward the goal he had in mind.  

This speaks volumes about what can be accomplished when people come into agreement and believe God in the face of adversity.  In a way, there is far less at stake for us, to come into agreement in the body of Christ.  Jonathan’s armourbearer had to put his very life on the line to stand with his leader.   Often we only have to resist the urge to complain and just be supportive.  I’ve found that such a small effort on each of our parts can mean the difference between repeated failed endeavors and a successful and healthy church family.  That type of oneness goes beyond just supporting the Pastor, to supporting one another– putting aside our agenda now and then to get behind someone else and help push their project to the finish line.  

So back to the text.  To make a long story short, Jonathan and the armourbearer follow their plan, and begin their encounter with the Philistines.  They slew twenty of them right off the bat, and the commotion that this small slaughter raised, caused the rest of the army to be confused, and they began killing each other.  In the meantime, there were Hebrews who were fighting with the Philistine army that, when they saw Jonathan and the armourbearer fighting, they revolted and fought with them, as well.  The Israelite army that was in hiding in the hills then realized what was going on and also joined in the battle.  The end result was a great victory  for the children of God, all brought about by two guys who believed God and moved in faith. 

That got me thinking, sometimes when we are frustrated at the state of things, we sit back and wait for people to feel how we feel, or for something to come from those in leadership before we take any action at all.  Sometimes the task seems too large for just one person to tackle, so we do nothing.  Jonathan’s account is a testimony of what God can do when one person is not afraid to give it their all and believe God for the rest.  Imagine if your efforts set off a chain reaction, causing those who have been complacent, or have given up, to return and fight because of the small gains they see you making for the kingdom.  Pretty soon, those small gains have given way to something great, because someone dared to believe God and act!

We don’t serve a God who is intimidated by our expectations, in fact He’s waiting for us to raise the bar so He can show us that He is so much more than what we’ve experienced of Him.  What I love about Him, is we’ll never reach His capacity, He always has more to show us, more that He’s ready to do.  The sky is the limit!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Summer and Winter
Springtime and Harvest
Sun, Moon, and Stars in their courses above
Join with all Nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithulness, mercy and love.

I’ve always loved that song. Early one morning during a personal consecration, I started to sing it while getting ready for work. When I got to the second verse, a light went on. It suddenly became way more significant than it had been in the past.

It all goes back to a promise God made way back in Genesis (8:21, 22):

[i]And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. [/i]

When God makes a promise, it’s something that can be trusted above anybody or anything else. This simple promise from God is a testament to his great faithfulness. He said this way back in the days of Noah. From that time, can you imagine how many Summers, Winters, Springs, and Autumns the earth has seen? Can you imagine how many mortals have tested God’s patience and done evil things that could make God want to forget the whole thing and wipe us all out again? I can think of a few situations happening on earth right now that could invoke that type of response from God, and he would be completely justified in his actions.

But God is not a man that he should lie… Wow! Such an awesome testimony to His faithfulness. Can you imagine God applying for a position in your life, in your heart, as your Lord and Savior? His resume would boast of a perfect record since the beginning of never being late. The sun is always up early just like he said. The moon is always where it’s supposed to be as promised. The seasons continue in spite of the degeneration of society and the changing of mankind in his attitude toward God. He’s still faithful 100% of the time. Always does exactly what he says he will do, Almighty, All-knowing, Loving, Caring, Faithful God. Would you give Him the job? Will you?

I can’t help but be grateful to a God like that. I can’t help but realize how merciful he is, and how undeserving I am. When things in life go haywire, as they sometimes will, when friends turn away, and family is not there, God is faithful. He is the unchanging thread in the fabric of our lives that remains from birth throughout. The scenery changes, people come and go, but God is faithful. Funny thing is, He’s all you need.

A Formula for Success

	Psalms 1Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
	But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
	And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
	The ungodly [are] not so: but [are] like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
	Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
	For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. I happened to read this chapter today after prayer, and it really had more meaning than the recited words that I now know by heart.  A lot of us know God’s Word especially those who were raised quoting memory verses and attending sunday school, but the real power of the Word is realized when we begin to really believe what it says.My friend Chevonne wrote a blog about trees and their roots going deep the other day (check it out at http://chevonee.blogspot.com/ ), and as I was praying, I was asking God to strengthen me to stand and help me to be deeply rooted so I won’t falter or give up.  So it was kind of funny when I turned to this passage. There are steps we can take to ensure that we stay on the right path.  I know at times I veer off course and look back in surprise at how easily I had gotten off track.  But God gives us a clear plan to not only stay on course with Him, but to realize sucess and prosperity in our walk with Him.  Matthew tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added unto us.  Do we really believe it? I tell you what if you believe it, the way you live your life will be more out of step with this world, but more in step with God.  Psalms 1 says that the person who chooses not to spend their time in the company of ungodly people or be conformed to the world’s way of doing things will be a happy person.  That person takes pleasure in the Word of God and the things of God, so that is where they prefer to be.  This has to be a decision on each of our parts, because the world offers so much to entertain us and to eat up our time and money, but we can decide that we would rather have less of that and more of Him!  You may be perceived as weird or stand-offish, or even “holier than thou” when you choose to spend time with God rather than wasting time with things that have no eternal benefit, but there is a reward for doing so.  Please note that I understand that all of us being in this world have to participate to some extent in the different aspects of living this life on earth.  I think the difference for the person this scripture talks about is that it is all in perspective.  The most important priority is God; who He is, what His law says, what He is saying at any particular time.  It’s about being consumed with the awareness of Him in everything and a desire to please Him first.  That definitely moves a lot of other foolish, time-consuming things pretty far down on the list. Anyway, back to those benefits I mentioned.  For practicing these simple guidelines for living, the Bible says that as a result, we will be like the tree planted by the water.  We’ll be planted at the source of our life, to receive a continual flow of his Spirit which strengthens us to be productive in the kingdom of God, and feeds and nourishes us to be healthy and strong enough to stand when adversity comes in our lives.  Our leaves also shall not wither, meaning that once planted there, we’ll flourish and thrive, and whatever we do will prosper!  Wow!  I think this is such a simple formula, that it is often overlooked and dismissed, but could this be the key to attaining all that God has predestined for us in this life and in the life to come?  I am convinced that it is.  These are truly words to live by.

A Vulnerable God?

This was a passing thought that I’d like to explore a little more by writing about it.

I think I’m like just about everyone else in the world in that I don’t like being vulnerable. I don’t like leaving myself open to someone else and giving them the opportunity to reject me or expose me in some way. As a result, I tend to be pretty guarded when it comes to relationships. I can hang with anybody on a social level of talking, laughing, and having a good time, but an extremely few, if any get the unguarded version of me.

I wonder, though, if I don’t in some way shortchange myself by screening out the potential hurt and rejection before it has a chance to get too close to my heart. Do I also filter out some good and very real experiences that one can only know by opening up and trusting others?

Following this train of thought I started to think about my relationship with God. I’m learning to trust God more and more each day. I know that He is trustworthy, but I think that because there’s no comparative relationship I tend to do as I’ve done with everyone else in my life. I found myself having to make a conscious decision to trust God and not to shut Him out with everyone else. This got me thinking, if we were made in his image and after his likeness, shouldn’t we follow his example of how relationships should work? What is His example?

I started to think about God’s relationship with us, and I realized that he placed himself in a very vulnerable state in order to reach out to us. What started as a good relationship was damaged when man first rejected God. As a result there was a break-up, a separation. It’s funny to look at it that way, because if God had been one of my friends whose significant other had done Him like that, I would’ve totally understood if He decided to have nothing else to do with her. It would be understandable if God had nothing else to do with us. But he loves us so much! He didn’t occupy Himself with guarding his own heart and shielding himself from the pain of being rejected by those who He had given the very best of Himself. Instead He made Himself vulnerable again, reaching out to us, sacrificing, and causing Himself pain just to have the opportunity to be in a relationship with us again.

Speaking for myself, I could be hurt or rejected like this once, maybe twice from the same person, and then I would withdraw. I may forgive and be cordial, but to let them back into that place of closeness would be very difficult. Still, the Father does it without reservation. He doesn’t hold us at arm’s length when we approach Him. All He requires is sincerity and true repentance, and He restores us and allows us to come back into relationship with Him, without ever bringing up how we’ve hurt Him in the past. By loving this way, He experiences unfathomable hurt and rejection from mankind, but on the other hand He gets to experience the pure love, adoration, and gratitude of those who understand the depth of his love for us. He wouldn’t have one had He not risked the other.

I’m glad God is not like me, but my quest continues to be like Him.

A Sure Sign of Maturity: The Ability to Ignore Ignorance

This is just a quick thought I had while dealing with a particular situation today. The only thing worse than an overtly ignorant person is a person who knows better and still gets drawn into meaningless banter with such an individual. Don’t feel bad if you’ve been there, because I’ve been drawn in more times than I care to remember.

I heard a quote that puts it best, “Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.” –unknown

Harsh? Maybe. True? Definitely. I’m starting to realize at the ripe old age of 31, that there are people in this world who specialize in nothing more than baiting others into pointless confusion, and causing them to leave with a headache, elevated blood pressure, and twenty minutes of their life gone, which they can never retrieve.

There are a lot of things in life that are simply not worth our time, not productive, and that are not a good fit with the direction in which we are headed. Solomon filed these things under the heading of [i]Vanity[/i]. Paul wrote in Philippians that we should focus on things that are pure, lovely, honest– basically, we should think on positive things and avoid dignifying the other stuff by giving it our precious time and attention.

I know that I will be a much better and happier person when I master the concept of simply ignoring the ignorance, specifically the type that only serves to distract and draw me away from what’s really important, while draining me of the valuable resources that should be carefully monitored and used on more worthwhile and profitable ventures.

Lesson for future reference: None of my thoughts are ever really “quick” .