In preparing for Sunday morning Bible class, I read again what is often referred to as The Beatitudes. These verses of scripture record teachings of Jesus that seemed to be such a list of contradictions.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”(Matt. 5:3)
How can you be blessed by being in an obvious negative situation?
How can you be happy by being spiritually poor? And what does it look like to be poor in spirit?
It is a common thing to find the Christian way of life in complete contradiction to that of the natural world. Spiritual and natural rarely, if ever, follow the same course.
Eternal kingdom values and temporary worldly values are so very different.
The kingdom of God is nothing like any kingdom of this earthly realm. Wealth and power are important in our world. But what we consider wealth and power are only deceptions. ANY amount of prosperity here fails to measure up to the hope and joy found in utter dependence on God, rather than any outward circumstance.
The way of the world says ‘feel good about who you are, be confident, be assertive…even aggressive”.
Jesus’ way is to embrace the truth about who I am, a spiritual beggar incapable of fixing what is wrong deep within my spirit.
In accepting that truth about myself, I find myself blessed beyond measure, called a daughter of The Most High God, a citizen of His kingdom, and standing as an heiress of the eternal kingdom of heaven.
The more I know the character and love of Jesus, the more I realize the absolute poverty of my own spirit. How merciful He is to extend such grace to this spiritual beggar.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Hallelujah....
The word hallelujah is a command to praise the Lord. The word is derived from the Hebrew words hālal and Yah .
Yah is a pronoun for God, a shortened form of Yahweh, which is often translated "LORD."
hālal is a verb that means to praise, to commend, to boast, to shine. The word most often means praise and is associated with the ministry of the Levites who “…were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD. They were to do the same in the evening.”(1Ch. 23:30)
The Levitical priests were God praising, worship leaders.
You and I are not Levites, but we too are …. “ are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
We should be God praising, Jesus loving, worship leaders.
And, Jesus Himself said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. “(Mark 16:15) The Message reads: “Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.”
Hallelujah. Let’s praise God. And let’s speak His praises to any and every single person whom will listen.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Alētheuō....
.....It's a Greek word.
Paul uses the word in his letter to the Ephesians in talking about the nature of the Christian church and again in his letter to the Galatians, challenging and correcting them in some of their conduct.
In both cases it is translated into our English word ‘truth’.
Eph 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
Gal 4:16 “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
It is hard to speak the truth in love. It is easier to speak it in anger. I’ve done both so I speak from experience.
Speaking truth in anger has no care for the damage it may do.
Speaking truth in love is concerned about the healing it might bring.
I have friends who will speak the truth in love to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to hear it.
I have friends who hold back from speaking the truth to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to speak it.
I am thankful for those friends who don’t want to hurt me with the kind of truth that is not fun to hear.
But I am doubly thankful for those few who will speak the truth to me in love, and challenge me to change a wrong attitude or action.
And when they do, I want to respond in the same way. In love.
Paul uses the word in his letter to the Ephesians in talking about the nature of the Christian church and again in his letter to the Galatians, challenging and correcting them in some of their conduct.
In both cases it is translated into our English word ‘truth’.
Eph 4:15 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
Gal 4:16 “Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?”
It is hard to speak the truth in love. It is easier to speak it in anger. I’ve done both so I speak from experience.
Speaking truth in anger has no care for the damage it may do.
Speaking truth in love is concerned about the healing it might bring.
I have friends who will speak the truth in love to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to hear it.
I have friends who hold back from speaking the truth to me. Sometimes, it’s not easy to speak it.
I am thankful for those friends who don’t want to hurt me with the kind of truth that is not fun to hear.
But I am doubly thankful for those few who will speak the truth to me in love, and challenge me to change a wrong attitude or action.
And when they do, I want to respond in the same way. In love.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Intend...
Webster says “To mean; to design; to purpose, that is, to stretch or set forward in mind.”
As I have my quiet time this morning, I have come across the same theme, the same message.
Nobody intends to screw up their life.
Nobody means to have their once wonderful, romantic marriage turn sour.
Nobody means to become financially destroyed.
Nobody means to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.
The list could go on and on and on. Nobody means to be a sinner.
I don’t mean to be one, but try as I may, I am one.
Thank you again Lord, for your forgiveness, for your outstretched Hand, Your Spirit within me that enables me to learn from those things and move forward. Thank You for Your amazing ability to bless me even out of my own poor decisions and wrong attitudes….when I truly repent and turn AWAY from them, and TO You. Thank You for the amazing way you have used those things to grow my faith in You. How I love You for that.
The book of Joshua gives an example of provisions and protection that God put in place for people who had ‘didn’t intend to’ things in their life.
"A person shall escape for refuge to one of these cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and lay out his case before the city's leaders. The leaders must then take him into the city among them and give him a place to live with them.
"If the avenger of blood chases after him, they must not give him up--he didn't intend to kill the person; there was no history of ill-feeling.
He may stay in that city until he has stood trial before the congregation and until the death of the current high priest. Then he may go back to his own home in his hometown from which he fled." (Joshua 20:4-6)
God’s Heart has never changed. No matter what wrong thing has happened to us, no matter what poor decisions we have made, no matter how devastating the consequences of those choices, His Heart’s desire is to restore us, heal us, and use even the wrong thing.
He is God. And He can do it. WANTS to do it…
But we have to make the move. We have to turn and go to Him. He is our city of refuge.
He is our Healer.
As I have my quiet time this morning, I have come across the same theme, the same message.
Nobody intends to screw up their life.
Nobody means to have their once wonderful, romantic marriage turn sour.
Nobody means to become financially destroyed.
Nobody means to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.
The list could go on and on and on. Nobody means to be a sinner.
I don’t mean to be one, but try as I may, I am one.
Thank you again Lord, for your forgiveness, for your outstretched Hand, Your Spirit within me that enables me to learn from those things and move forward. Thank You for Your amazing ability to bless me even out of my own poor decisions and wrong attitudes….when I truly repent and turn AWAY from them, and TO You. Thank You for the amazing way you have used those things to grow my faith in You. How I love You for that.
The book of Joshua gives an example of provisions and protection that God put in place for people who had ‘didn’t intend to’ things in their life.
"A person shall escape for refuge to one of these cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate, and lay out his case before the city's leaders. The leaders must then take him into the city among them and give him a place to live with them.
"If the avenger of blood chases after him, they must not give him up--he didn't intend to kill the person; there was no history of ill-feeling.
He may stay in that city until he has stood trial before the congregation and until the death of the current high priest. Then he may go back to his own home in his hometown from which he fled." (Joshua 20:4-6)
God’s Heart has never changed. No matter what wrong thing has happened to us, no matter what poor decisions we have made, no matter how devastating the consequences of those choices, His Heart’s desire is to restore us, heal us, and use even the wrong thing.
He is God. And He can do it. WANTS to do it…
But we have to make the move. We have to turn and go to Him. He is our city of refuge.
He is our Healer.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Truth...
"....the truth will set you free."
The words of Jesus, recorded in John 8:32.
There are many ways to be enslaved.
There is only one way to be truly free.
There are often very difficult choices to make, often many hard things to admit and deal with. The enemy is always on the scene to accuse and shame.
Satan offers many counterfeit choices. He is the father of lies. He encourages us to live in his lies...he shames us, encourages us to hide the ugly truth. As if that changes it somehow....
Jesus never shames. His Hand is always extended. His desire is that we live in truth. In freedom.
But He will not accept anything but absolute truth from us. He forces us to be truthful with Him....and with ourselves.
" So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
What lie do you hide? What shame do you live with?
Will you be free today?
The words of Jesus, recorded in John 8:32.
There are many ways to be enslaved.
There is only one way to be truly free.
There are often very difficult choices to make, often many hard things to admit and deal with. The enemy is always on the scene to accuse and shame.
Satan offers many counterfeit choices. He is the father of lies. He encourages us to live in his lies...he shames us, encourages us to hide the ugly truth. As if that changes it somehow....
Jesus never shames. His Hand is always extended. His desire is that we live in truth. In freedom.
But He will not accept anything but absolute truth from us. He forces us to be truthful with Him....and with ourselves.
" So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
What lie do you hide? What shame do you live with?
Will you be free today?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Future....
Do you wonder about it? Ever wish you could see into it?
There are people who claim to do that, and people who pay money to hear what they have to say.
I think most of them are just great con-artists, people who have formulated some general scenarios to spout, most of them pleasant of course…
But I think some of them may have some power. Power from a power source that is certainly not of God. Evil in fact.
Scripture has quite a bit of advice about this kind of thing. Simply put… just don’t have anything to do with it. If it is not clearly of God, just don’t go there….
God has given His Word, divinely inspired and recorded, preserved and kept thru the ages.
He has given His Spirit to aid in understanding it, recalling it, and applying it. He reveals His truth to us, layer after layer, if only we go to Him with an open and honest heart, asking and expecting.
We pay no price. He has paid the price, and it was great.
Oh I’ve heard the argument… “I don’t really believe it, it’s just fun…harmless fun.”
Well, maybe you think so. But God seemed to take it pretty serious….
“….. he consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.” (2 Kings 21:6)
……serious enough to be in a list like this: “ Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD..”(Deut. 18:10-12)
Make no mistake, God is God. There is no other.
But Satan is real, and though his trump card of death is defeated for the child of God thru Jesus Christ, he is real and he is dangerous.
He is not harmless.
And he is not fun.
Don’t fall for the deception that dabbling in his realm is recreational. He intends to steal, kill, and destroy you. (John 10:10)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Fathered....
One of Webster’s definitions is ‘he who creates’
Today, I went to a baby shower. My nephew has fathered a child. We are all excited, my sister especially. This will be her first grandchild. It is a boy. My nephew and his wife are anxious to see and hold this new creation. They are to be the parents, not just children of their own parents.
Fathering doesn’t stop there. Planting the seed is the easy part. It’s the rest of the story that is challenging. In fact, the rest of the story is the most vital part.
Those of us who follow Jesus call God our Father.
God most certainly created. Everything. You. Me. And little Eli, yet to be born from his mother’s womb.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”(Jer. 1:5)
And He continues in fathering us.
Just as little Eli will be nurtured, so does God nurture us.
Jesus Christ ushered in our birth….our new birth. The most vital birth.
“…what counts is a new creation..”(Gal. 6:15)
“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Being born a human child starts the process. Our parents love us and guide us along the way as we grow up, teaching, mentoring, correcting, disciplining.
Being re-born and becoming a mature child of God is also a process.
In a perfect world, human fathers always do the right thing. (…sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world, not since Eden.)
“ Flesh gives birth to flesh…….
but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”(John 3:6)
“ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”( 1 Peter 1:23)
Thank You Father…..for continuing to father me. For nurturing, teaching, mentoring, correcting, even for the discipline.
And thank you for this new life coming into our family. Bless these young parents, give them wisdom and guidance as they take responsibility for this tender new life.
Today, I went to a baby shower. My nephew has fathered a child. We are all excited, my sister especially. This will be her first grandchild. It is a boy. My nephew and his wife are anxious to see and hold this new creation. They are to be the parents, not just children of their own parents.
Fathering doesn’t stop there. Planting the seed is the easy part. It’s the rest of the story that is challenging. In fact, the rest of the story is the most vital part.
Those of us who follow Jesus call God our Father.
God most certainly created. Everything. You. Me. And little Eli, yet to be born from his mother’s womb.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…”(Jer. 1:5)
And He continues in fathering us.
Just as little Eli will be nurtured, so does God nurture us.
Jesus Christ ushered in our birth….our new birth. The most vital birth.
“…what counts is a new creation..”(Gal. 6:15)
“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Being born a human child starts the process. Our parents love us and guide us along the way as we grow up, teaching, mentoring, correcting, disciplining.
Being re-born and becoming a mature child of God is also a process.
In a perfect world, human fathers always do the right thing. (…sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world, not since Eden.)
“ Flesh gives birth to flesh…….
but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”(John 3:6)
“ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”( 1 Peter 1:23)
Thank You Father…..for continuing to father me. For nurturing, teaching, mentoring, correcting, even for the discipline.
And thank you for this new life coming into our family. Bless these young parents, give them wisdom and guidance as they take responsibility for this tender new life.
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