Rest in Peace

You've heard it, I have too. Just recently I was it again as someone wish the departed "rest in peace". I immediately began to remember the words of Jeremiah which say:

They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,Saying, "Peace, peace, But there is no peace". Jeremiah 6:14.

No there is no peace outside of Jesus the "Prince of Peace". As a matter of fact most Christians fail to dwell in peace in spite of peace being one of the specific named fruits that the Holy Spirit brings with Him when He takes up residence in a new believer.

That discussion I will keep for another time however. Today to focus is on the empty wish of peace for the recently departed.

There will be anything BUT peace for those who die without Jesus! We too easily forget the horrific future of the damned! If we properly understood the ugliness or the horror awaiting our family and friends our prayers and our witness would take on a whole other dimension.

Nor will peace be an issue for the redeemed. The radiating joy and fullness will overwhelm every other sense. Gone are all weeping. Gone are all troubles. Gone are all concerns. Only jubilant celebration and overriding sense of wonder!

No there is no peace except for those who fully understand what Jesus did for us. It is coming to grips with the "desparate-ness" of who we really are and the grandeur of who Jesus is and what He has done that fully sets us free from worry and fret.

Consider an invitation to fall in love with Jesus! He been calling you into the love relationship that He did all of the work for. The only thing that stands in your way are religion and your preconceived conception about God! Flee from these shackles and run to Jesus!

What Do You Want Jesus To Do For You?

Gathered together in the Prayer Room at our church during the ongoing services and praying as the Holy Spirit leads us a guy walked into the room for prayer. After he sat down and we concluded the current train of prayer, I looked at this guy that I have known for some time and asked, did you come in here for prayer?

He responded with the great physical ordeal that he was facing along with all of the possible negative outcomes. After he went on about his issues for a few minutes, I asked him directly; "What do you want Jesus to do for you"

He responded to my direct question by returning to his list of dim possibilities as if I had not heard them the first time.

This told me much. He came in not for real prayer but as a good-luck charm that he could add to his charm bracelet. He was so immersed in his "death spiral" that he couldn't even hear my question. What religious teaching had instructed him to was to wallow in his tough situation.

Jesus simply doesn't care to hear all of the aches and moans. He already knows our troubles far better and we do ourselves. Jesus lamented, one day, "will the Son of Man find faith on the Earth when he returns?" Faith an endangered species today. Far preferable to faith is the certainty of a paycheck, a mortgage payment, dependable car and even a terrible illness.

So let me ask you, "what do you want Jesus to do for you?"

Oh, don't tell me, I can do nothing that you yourself can't to. Just tell Him?

Open For Business

I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Revelation 3:18

For Sale: Pure gold, crystal white garments and precious healing eye salve.

There is only one place where these items can be purchased and the price for each is impossibly high. these will not be found at the local mall or, even, online. They can be purchased from only a single source.

We live in a filthy world. We are surrounded by filth and, unfortunately, the filth doesn't remain on the outside as only someone else's problem. We easily and quickly exchange the things of exquisite value for shiny trinkets of momentary pleasure and fleeting happiness.

Oh, the things our eyes behold. We are flooded with input but seldom do we really see.

Yes, we could use a little updating of our possessions. A taste of true riches perhaps; a brand new "outfit" to dazzle the crowds and/or renewed eyes that see the unseen!

Don't get your checkbook out just yet for, you see, the cost to buy these clarifying and life changing things goes far beyond the mundane of a paltry checkbook. It will cost you absolutely everything! Oh, you certainly can choose to hold onto the things that you think are not worth surrendering for the prize offered. No one will force you to make such a wild and reckless decision. It is only true faith that will compel you to open the door to the wild and recklessness of walking in wealth beyond measure, righteousness overflowing and an insight to a world beyond ordinary vision.

There exists one singular merchant for these fine goods. He has sufficient inventory to meet any request.

Jesus calls: I advise you to buy from Me...

Blessing and Vindication

“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty‑‑ he is the King of glory. Selah” (Psalm 24:3‑10).

We fight so many battles; we carry such heavy loads and, day after day, we seem to get nowhere. Wouldn't a little "vindication" be nice?

“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?" is the question. Surely not me who is so terribly dysfunctional most of the time. Worse, because dysfunction can be excused, I purposely and stubbornly choose my own way most of the time.

"Who may stand in his holy place?" Surely not me?! Nothing as unholy as me and my mind could qualify!

'He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false'

There it is; clean hands, nope. Pure heart; not even close. Let's not even open the "searing by what is false" issue.

Does any of this surprise or disappoint God? No, He is pretty much fully aware of all my issues. He knows!

Hence: Jesus!

If I wasn't so messed up; Jesus would have been unnecessary! If the gulf between the requirements for he who could ascend God's hill and me was not so vast a simple bridge might be constructed.

No, it took Jesus and only Jesus.

On my very best days my hands are not clean and my heart is not pure. But even on my very worst days Jesus is still Jesus and His blood is still pure!

Therefore, the psalmist can encourage us to "Lift up your heads" If we would just simply understand that Jesus and His blood is enough, all of our battles would become His! "He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior".

Agree with Him! Agree with Him about who you really are and agree with Him about who He is and all that He has done to qualify you to walk up that hill.

Worship

Ok, I've had it! I am so irritated over most of the current wave of "worship" songs. Have you ever noticed how many of them come from a personal direction? "I will follow..." "As You respond to me..." The "I" , the "me" and the "us" is just another example of the sickness that is effecting the current church. Listen to current Christian with a critical ear for a couple of days.

As much as this irritates me the continued connection between music and singing and worship is an assault to our God. Almost each week as the musicians "dismiss" the church they make a statement to the effect that the team will continue to "worship" as the people leave. Really?

We have dumbed down the term of worship to the point of it not even being an issue anymore. Where are the protests, does no one care?

One simply can not worship in mass on Sunday if he hasn't personally worshiped the prior days leading up to the gathering. The lack of worship, although a major issue, is not the issue here however. The issue is how the church continues to propagate the "worship is music" message.

My rant is over!

Don't allowt the malaise that is currently going on on Christian radio or in your church deflect your true worship. He is indeed worthy!!!!1

Live Beyond Your Circumstances

For several months now, I have been telling people a brief story:

If, on that day when God came to the Garden of Eden, instead of saying, "Adam, where are you?" he said, "Adam, I know where you are." and He turned His back on mankind and walked away, still:

He would be worthy of all praise

He would be worthy of all honor

He would be worthy of everything that we could offer!

But the truth is, He did seek Adam! How could we give Him less!

This last weekend, God completed the story:

"Adam, where are you?" God inquired.

"My God, why have you forsaken Me? ( "My Father, where are you?")" Jesus pleaded

God did not turn His back on Adam. Instead, He turned His back on Jesus so that He could turn His face toward me!

Still He calls out: "____________, where are you?"

What are you still hiding from Him?

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication (surrender) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:4-7

Too often we hear the last part of the passage regarding "the peace that surpasses comprehension but we fail to realize that there is a precondition.

Rejoice ALWAYS; in EVERYTHING...with thanksgiving; these are the things that guard our hearts and minds which lead to the peace that doesn't make sense!

Rejoice, the Lord is near!

"It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you..."

These beginning words to an old Christian song present a wonderful message.

It is no secret for many reasons not the least of which is Jesus told us! "The things that I do you shall do also and greater things shall you do because I go to the Father..." God has chosen to do much of His work through us. Somehow we must re-awaken to the truth that God desires to pour His power out through us!

Seek all that God desires for you in faith!

Don't settle for less.

The Power of the Word

For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Many are very familiar with this scripture. Knowing about this scripture is far different from knowing the scripture. There exists a serious lack, in terms of time invested, in the Bible by Christians today. This lack has brought sever consequences. Fear, stress, relationship troubles, pornography, impatience, debt, mistrust, insomnia are commonplace in the lives of Christians in current times.

Jesus prayed the following words: "They (the followers of Jesus) are not of this world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:16&17

We are “sanctified”(set apart for God’s purposes) by God’s word. There is no other method available. Jesus knew that living in this world dilutes are strongest resolutions. The “truths” of this world begin to take on an air of acceptability over time. The only antidote for the “truths” of this world are the real truths of God’s world and the only place that we experience God’s world is through His word.

Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is living and active. Clearly then, scripture is not a stagnant document. This is an important distinction because, unlike every other book or document, the Bible reveals its truths in levels.

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

The closer we are to our “natural man” the less likely we are to read the scriptures because we do not “understand them”. The amazing resilience of scripture provides that, even if we begin close to our “natural man” state, the “sharp, two-edged sword begins to speak to our spiritual man.

As our spiritual nature feeds on God’s word, our spiritual nature grows stronger and stronger. As our spiritual nature (faith) grows new levels of scriptural truth open up to us.

It is time to begin again. Pick up God’s word and ask the Holy Spirit to direct your thoughts and reveal His truth.