Telling Me So 1

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so..."
A famous theologian, towards the end of his life, was asked by students, what the most important  thing he had learned in his Christian walk was.
His simple and profound answer is what was stated above:
JESUS LOVES ME.
Of all the wisdom and knowledge imparted, throughout the seasons, and the weathering of life's storms, this one thing remains, and is the core paradigm that all of my thoughts about God, who is my Father and Bridegroom, my Cornerstone, my beginning and my end, and everything in between.
Jesus loves me, and I can love because He loved me first, and the realization/ revelation of this changes everything, how I think, feel, act, He is the greatest love of my life, of our lives, beloved.
Today embrace this one thing, cling to it, and never release your hold on it.
JESUS LOVES US.

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.    
Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”  
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.    
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.    
The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  
 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.    
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;  
 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.    
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.    
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.    
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1, 4, 8, 9, 14, 17, 22-24, 26, 29 NIV84)

On our Thanksgiving holiday we can easily get wrapped up in the process.
There is food to prepare, and people coming and going; football games,
Black Friday sales, the reason we gather can be lost.
We have a God who delights in us, whose mind is always on us.
He desires, more than anything, for us to love Him as furiously as He loves us,
and to fear Him as a child fears a good father.
His goodness surrounds us, and we may be aware of so many things to thank our Abba for, and  barely scratch the surface, never knowing the depth, height, width, or length of  His love.
Beloved, make everyday, every moment of each day, Thanksgiving.
He is more than Worthy.

Reminders/ No Separation

"What, then, shall we say in response to this?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–
how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
 It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
Romans 8:31-39

Life can, at times, bring us down when our flesh gets the better of us.
Anxiety and depression are at all-time highs, with mental health care professionals counseling record numbers of people, with record numbers of anti-depressants being prescribed.
People seek peace, comfort, counsel, and joy in things other than the only source- God Almighty, the One and only, but there is none! Nothing can separate us from His love-nothing! Remember that we are always on His mind, beloved, and how He loves us! He is for us, not against us,  He didn't spare His one and only Son -for us!  Jesus is at the right hand of our Father, interceding for us!
Today, remember that we are more than conquerors, and what our inheritance is- because of the work He finished on the cross. 

Words 290

"If a man makes a vow to the  Lord , or  swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall  do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. "
Numbers 30:2

"But  whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected  in him. By this we know that we are in Him.  He who says he abides in Him  ought himself also to walk just as He walked. "
I John 2:5, 6

If it's not in writing, it's not..."

Ever heard this before? One of the most basic principles taught in law schools, is this very concept, the ideology that the spoken word, (hearsay) "doesn't count". In this post-post-modern culture we live in, many believe that lies don't count. They say:"it's negotiation", or "everybody does it".
But this is not how the Lord wants us to operate; we are to let or "yes" be yes, and our "no" be no, and promises made verbally are meant to bind! Such things are recorded in the heavenlies and forces moving in our lives are affected by how we respond to the things we say, and promises made or even implied with the intent to make another person believe we were promising something.
My father who was not a believer taught me that when you shake hands and commit yourself verbally- technically what lawyers call hearsay- that you have committed yourself .
Beloved, as believers, let us not be part of this world, operating duplicitously,
Let your word be your bond.

Divine Protection

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him,
for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” "
Psalm 91:11, 14-16

On November 12, I was traveling during a dreary and stormy morning with my wife and one of my daughters on a Tennessee highway. It is our habit to always pray for the Lord's traveling mercies and His protection all around us. The traffic was fairly heavy in both directions, when all of a sudden  a car going the other way hydroplaned, doing a "NASCAR" spin, and left the road, crossing the median - headed right towards our car! As that spinning car careened towards us, Lisa shouted "JESUS JESUS JESUS!" and suddenly the out of control car collided with a wire cabled fence. Pieces of that car and other debris were flying towards us and a few small pieces glanced off our vehicle, but we had been spared! Praise Him!
There are so many forces operating, both in the natural-and the supernatural. Jesus tells us that whatever we bind on earth is bound or loosed  in the heavenlies- the supernatural, and vice versa . Matt.18:18
We each have been afforded so many situations where our Abba has extended His divine protection,  more than we can count or realize...today beloved, call on Him who is our divine Protector !

On Fire

“I baptize with  water those who repent of their sins and turn to God.
But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Matthew 3:11

You have a beautiful custom home that is just perfect: 4000 square feet, media room, granite counters, professional chef's kitchen, beautiful master suite and bath ... there's just one problem-it is engulfed in flames and you have just 60 seconds to grab what you value most-what would you take?

Now apply this to your entire existence: not just your house and all it's stuff, but your life; your entire paradigm. In contemplating this scripture :" He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire",  Abba is clearing speaking to us: I am igniting you and now, right now, choose rightly the things that are most valuable.
Fire has many purposes: Illumination, refinement, purification, and as His holy fire burns in each of us, it accomplishes all this and more.
When we surrender, He comes..."But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap."
Malachi 3:2

Pearls/Garage Sales 209

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. "

Matthew 13:45, 46

"The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. 

The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." 

Revelation 21:21

I have been thinking lately, meditating on the true value of knowing Jesus, and all that entails.
The metaphor of the merchant- those who are seekers of things of value, the Pearl-Jesus himself, and finally the realization that His real true worth outweighs the value of everything else.
The rich young man in Matthew 19 could not recognize that he was face to face with that Pearl, so tightly was he clinging to his stuff. I am sure that he recognized, perhaps too late, that all the things he valued that held sway over him were worthless in the end. Many of us live in a materialistic consumer oriented, western society of relatively rich men and women who are clinging so tightly to their stuff, that many would not be willing- let me restate that-are not willing- to get rid of them in exchange for the Pearl.
Paul found it, counting everything else as loss, he recognized that it wasn't an even trade!
The life he walked away from, and the things his contemporaries treasured was really just garbage.
His prayer for the Ephesians and for us?

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength" 

Ephesians 1:17-19

Jesus is our all-in-all.
The twelve actual gates of the New Jerusalem are each one enormous pearl, a metaphor for Jesus as the Gate. Without receiving Him, without selling off every other part of the idolatrous paradigm  to invest in the Pearl of great price we cannot enter in, cannot begin to know the incomparable depth and riches of the revelation of the knowledge of Jesus.
Beloved, is it time for your garage sale? 

Stirred and Shaken 153

He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give... I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” "
Matthew 28:18-20

I am having my tables turned over-again, and I will try to explain here what I'm feeling.
Two weeks ago I was given a book entitled Radical, by Pastor David Platt, which I highly recommend.
I must confess that I feel both encouraged - and indicted.
  The premise is that we are commanded to make disciples, that we are not here to accumulate material wealth, the American dream- that God's purposes for us are clear. I was unprepared for the depth of the challenges that are put forth, which are right out of the Word....that all believers are to be missionaries,whatever their harvest field is.  We are not here to fulfill an empty American dream that has linked the Gospel to amassing stuff while the world is full of those who have not heard the Gospel, who are sick and hungry, and dying without ever having a chance to know Jesus as Messiah.
I am sold out, love sick for Jesus, don't care about excess accumulation, and we have always been givers, share the Good News often, but I still have children still to raise, and a responsibility to  support my family, and dealing with recovering from a long hospitalization ...my struggles are dealing with the feeling  that I could do more...that I need to do more to share the Gospel, to make disciples, to be more and more radical. So I ask God as I continue to be stirred and shaken: Lead and guide me, empower me with your Holy Spirit, help me not to fear the unknown or be tied to stuff that may be holding me back.
I don't know if you have had any of these questions, but I am confident that as we move forward seeking Him that he will direct our steps towards radical biblical Christianity

Not By Might 269

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. 
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. 
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. 
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. 
Because I live, you also will live. 
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 
“All this I have spoken while still with you. 
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, 
will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
John 14:15-20, 25, 26

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. 
Zechariah 4:6 

"It's the real thing" - Coca-Cola slogan

I can't do anything in my own strength.
By myself, operating on my own, I'm just floundering about,
just barely treading water enough to keep my head above water.
In myself all I can think about is-myself.
Without Jesus, without being filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit who is my Comforter, Teacher, Director, Reminder, there's only the daily grind as motivated by the concept of "self": what will I eat, drink, wear, sleep, earn, buy, sell, live- my strength and power is as nothing.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is the only way we can fulfill our purposes and find meaningful abundant life in Jesus the Messiah- without Him we can't even remember what Jesus told us (Jn 14:26). So why are so many Christians wary and fearful of allowing themselves to be filled with the Spirit?  Yes, it will be different, and even unpredictable at times because we hand over the "helm" of our lives to the Holy Spirit. We learn to hear the voice of the Lord through the Spirit:
"This is my way, walk in it.", not the voice of the accuser who wants to keep us captives.
We learn to move from the comfort zone, and we are enabled to love those who we may have despised, judged, or hated, as we realize how we are furiously we are loved, even when we despised ourselves.
Beloved, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit praise the One who fills you, and pray for the filling of those who are not. To those who are not yet filled, fear not, release the false sense of control you have  to God who is sovereign and desires to fill you up with the good stuff, the real thing, His Holy Spirit.