Mystery

Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1Corinthians 15:51-54

Recently I went to Beechgrove (aka Alexander) Cemetery with my history-buff sister.
It was a cool autumn afternoon, a breeze was gently blowing and as we walked the leaves on the ground crunched underfoot.  We moved among the tombstones, looking and reading, sometimes brushing aside moss and mold. The earliest grave I could find dated to the beginning of the 19th century. My sister meandered one way, me the other, and as I did I observed that some had lived long lives, others very short, many as children.  I thought of the brevity of  life here, as truly we are just passing through, and the hope, even more than that-the PROMISE-that we have as believers in Jesus as Lord.  As I walked I quietly rejoiced as I considered the unavoidable fact; my body will one day wear out or fail, but I will put on immortality and take up residence in the mansion Jesus has prepared for me, and so will all who have received Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus is Lord over death too! People are always looking for a hero…well, He is the greatest “superhero” of all time. If you have a fear of death you needn’t have-as long as you know Jesus, really know Him, meaning that you chose to follow Him, receiving and believing.If you are reading this and you have put off becoming a believer now is the day of your salvation.Don’t procrastinate making the most important decision you will ever make.

Gimme Shelter 264

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
Psalm 18:10

Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I take refuge in You.
Psalm 143:9

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1,2

Where should we go when things don't happen as we imagined or as we planned?
Where should we turn when we have troubles, when life deals us lemons, when our jobs, friends, family, our government perhaps even our own bodies fail and disappoint us?
There is only one place, one person, only One Solution-the Lord Almighty!
He's our only, our everything, all there is, and all we need... our Rock, Redeemer, Savior, Deliverer, Provider, Healer, Counselor, Abba, Master, Lover, our Bridegroom.
So, why pull our hair out with worry?
Beloved, go to the Rock that is much higher, deeper, wider, and longer than we can imagine.
Gimme shelter Jesus!

Little Things

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..."
Zechariah 4:10a

Life begins with a fertilized egg, two cells doubling over and over, taking shape as nourishment is provided, according to God's purposes and divine instruction: some becoming massive creatures.
A seedling in its proper environment eventually can become a towering redwood.
Yet early in their existence they may have seemed inconsequential to some,
overlooked by those who were larger and more mature.
David the shepherd certainly felt this; those around him only saw a ruddy nuisance of a boy,
God however saw the heart of a future king.
A trembling downcast Gideon tried to hide from the LORD's angelic emissary who came with empowering and wonderful inspiration.
Timothy struggled with poor self-esteem as he dealt with the disrespect from those who may have been older, but not wiser: "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity."
I Timothy 4:12

Don't despise small beginnings, whether they be your own or those of others you know, who may need your encouragement. I say this to you as I move in earnest towards the publication of a devotional that I know was God ordained and initiated, that has been in my own heart as I struggled with this small beginning.

What "small things" might you have in your heart, beloved?
..."the LORD rejoices to see the work begin..."

First Things First

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." 

Col. 1:15-20

In our theology we recognize that Yeshua is preeminent. Most of us acknowledge the things that Paul expounds here in the book of Colossians. These things were revealed to him by none other than Holy Spirit, they were not the teachings of men. I have a confession to make here. I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and while everything inside me proclaims  PREEMINENCE!, I face a daily struggle that starts with the moment I awaken each day. Unless I start with giving Him my first fruits and my best-devotions as soon as I wake up, before anything- I find that the burgeoning list of things on my daily TO DO LIST will get the best of me. Before I even realize it, I find that I may have deferred my crucial one-on-one prayer time, losing an important aspect of preeminence for the day- my utmost for His highest. Thankfully His mercies are new, not just every morning, but every moment. He stands at the "door" of our hearts, knocking, waitng for us to stop an re-organize our priorites, to place Him in the only position He is worthy of: First of everything. If you have struggled with ordering your steps, beloved, know that God is the creator of eveything including time management. Ask Yeshua, and He will help you to fulfill that desire of your heart to keep first things first.

Faith For Yourself? 158

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

And lean not on your own understanding.”

Proverbs 3:5,6

I was speaking to a friend this morning who confessed his difficulties believing God’s promises for himself. I identified with him immediately because at times, I suffer from the same faulty thoughts and emotions. When faced with certain trials I would wonder if there would be light at the end of the tunnel, if that certain situation might ever change.

I had the faith to believe - for others - but not always for myself.

 The faith to believe for everything comes straight from God’s Word. Unbelief and its evil twin, discouragement smell like smoke; they come from the pit of hell, from the author of lies.

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing (straight) from the Word of God.

Here are just a couple things that the Lord wants to tell you:

“You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”

Phil.4:13

“Fear not, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

Beloved, God has you in the palm of His hand;
read His promises and declare them over yourself.

Have faith in yourself -God is more than able!

Spiritual Algebra

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

Where does faith come from, and why is it necessary to please God?

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the Word of God.”

Romans 10:17

What does Holy Scripture say about His Word?

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God from the beginning.” John 1:1-2

So…having faith pleases God because you are hearing/listening to His Word, which means that you are actually hearing Him.

Beloved, faith doesn’t make things easy, it just makes them possible.

The Knot At The End of the Rope 140

Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?
 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:27-31

Have you ever felt this way? 

The feeling that you are alone, like a castaway on a deserted island, or adrift in the middle of a vast expanse of ocean, screaming at the top of your lungs, "HELP !", but you feel that no one is there to hear you?

Have you ever felt so weary, so exhausted,  that it is all you can do to draw a breath, that every step you try to take as you plod forward is as if your legs are 1,000 pounds of concrete ? The feeling that your prayers, your cries for help, are going unheard and unheeded, the words bouncing off the ceiling, like a rescue flare fired into an unseeing sky?

These painful emotions, are not from God; they are not the reality of God's Word. While we often may not understand His ways or thoughts, they are times when we may feel He's not paying attention to us, that He's unaware of our trials or circumstances. Suddenly He extends His scepter of grace, mercy, and love to us. As we reach out to touch it and begin to give Him thanks, even when we don't know what we're thanking Him for, we suddenly feel faith and hope dawning on us. Joy fills us, replacing hopelessness; weariness suddenly is supplanted by unexpected strength.

If you feel like you are at the end of the rope, hang on. 

Our hope and faith, beloved, is not unrequited. 

Hope in the Lord!

Beyond Understanding 177

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ NIV

"Trust in The Lord with all your heart, 
and lean not on your own understanding."
Proverbs 3:5,6

Grace Center Pastor Jeff Dollar spoke about the dichotomy that exists in our thinking and understanding of Scripture. He cited Proverbs 3:5-6 and brought up a simple, but profound point:
There are going to be many times in life when we have no real choices but to trust our Heavenly Father, when nothing that we have learned experientially makes any sense!
The "debris" may have hit the proverbial fan, our comfortable rationale for life
(especially as citizens of a generally comfortable American/Western lifestyle) may have been blown to smithereens, and suddenly we are faced with a towering question mark.  Our minds may be reeling, grasping for something, anything that makes sense...in other words some sort of an explanation to help us to understand, but the understanding at that moment may very well not be there. That of course is the whole point, isnt it? The Word reads: "...Lean not on your own understanding", meaning we are not supposed to understand, what we are supposed to do is trust Him!
Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, Redding CA said:
"In order to have peace that surpasses understanding we have to give up the right to understand."

Beloved, when you are tired, afraid, and shaken,
if you feel like you are between a "rock" and a hard place,
that rock is in actuality THE Rock.
Don't exhaust yourself further, trying in vain to understand the "whys",
instead heed the advice that's in our Owner's Manual, the Bible:
"Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you."

Discoveries 173

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
1Corintians 13:7

We can love, because God loved us first- inspite of ourselves.

After many months of trying to arrange a visit to our house with the express purpose of helping us with painting and renovating the exterior of our house, my sister and brother in law finally were able to come. We were so looking forward to it, but I must confess that there was a certain degree of apprehension, and at the risk of speaking for them, the apprehension was unanimous.
I was the youngest of my siblings, and my sister Jodi was able to "escape" the nest, getting married (that's another story altogether) when she was 18, and I was 9.
There was a half of a generation between us, and we barely knew each other.
Of course, we knew the facts about each other and our spouses, but really didn't know one another. There is familial love, the kind that people have for their relatives, because it's family,  but I'm not sure that we could say we "liked" each other. There is not a great deal that we had in common... especially regarding the unmentionable paradigms (politics and religion).
Lisa and I are quite a bit different from Jodi and my brother in law, Kurt.
Light years apart in fact.
Although unspoken, we determined, and I felt they did also, not to allow these different paradigms and philosophies to keep us strangers. We would be together under one roof for 3 days (Kurt's 3 day rule, not to overstay a welcome or allow stress to arise).
I desired to have the kind of love Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 13 govern and nurture our time together. I didnt want our individual opinions to get in the way of relationship. Opinions can act as wedges that split relationships, becoming nooses that choke off life, preventing love and acceptance from flourishing
There was quite a laundry list of things we needed done, and because of my disabilities, I was not able to help. Kurt started some days before 6am, and persevered, sweating it out in the summer Tennessee heat, Jodi and Lisa, and even 10-year-old daughter Elli was painting and helping as things progressed. There was time to get to know each other in greater depths, and to love and appreciate one another. Kurt is a writer/blogger, and an excellent storyteller; we got to gather around and listen to a few of his great stories.
Kurt ending up breaking his 3-day rule. When they finally departed we had enjoyed each other for 6 days, and we have finally kindled a meaningful relationship. It was the longest we had ever been together, just us, and we all really enjoyed each other.
This is how love operates.
It covers a multitude of differences, providing a rich "soil" for relationship and respect to thrive, in spite of differences.
God is love, and real life is found in loving Him, and loving other people the same way Jesus did.
We hope to have a chance to visit again soon with Jodi and Kurt, not a perfunctory "have-to' visit, but an opportunity to share life together.  

Simplicity #79

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them."
Psalm 34:4-7 ESV

I've been listening to podcast sermons of Bethel's Kris Valloton's..."Valley of Dry Bones", "How Revival Ends", among others. Thank you Kris...

As is my custom, transparency is the best policy so here it goes.

Life has a lot of challenges. Seriously. So many things in the natural that can cause fear, cause us to be overwhelmed. We have bills to pay, jobs to do, children to raise and sometimes worry about. The news brings us mostly bad reports, locally, nationally, and globally.  People we have looked up to have fallen, distrust and mistrust seem to be everywhere.

I have been dealing with illness and pain, fear, and a sense of overwhelming. 
My quiet time has sometimes been elusive, things popping up and stealing the precious time I had planned on spending with my Abba. Joy has been hard to find and harder to keep. 
There is a direct correlation between what I've been dealing with, and what I've fixed my attention on- problems or the Problem Solver?

Where can we-I- turn, who can we trust, and who will deliver us-me, both now and in the future?
The answer is simple, and it is always before us, just as His Presence is always as close as our hearts' tenderness -or hardness.
The Lord- He alone is God.
The answer is found in Him alone.

Jesus said, "Come to me...all of you who are worn out ...come as simple children, all of you, every one of you, all who are overwhelmed, afraid, exhausted of your own strength. 
Cast all your cares on Me because I love you and care for you. 
I am bigger than all of your fears and anxieties, much bigger than every storm that swirls around you.
Seize the Joy that I am serving up to you, on a platter of praise and thansgiving. 
My Peace that passes all understanding means just that- Peace I give you, without wasting time and energy on understanding things bigger than your mind., and it is more than enough."

The Boat #80

"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep." 
Matthew 8:23, 24 ESV

Lately my thoughts have been drawn towards suffering. No one likes to suffer, and the reasons and causes for the tremendous scope of suffering we might endure are vast. So why suffering?
I was talking with a brother in the Lord a couple days ago who is really ill, and dealing with all the suffering that goes along with serious illnesses. I remarked to my brother, "We are in the same boat..." talking about my experiences with illness and suffering .
The words I spoke set something off in my spirit that has been reverberating since then.
Jesus' disciples had followed Him onto the boat, expecting a pleasant time, not such a frightful storm! They had listened to his incredible teaching, watched Him perform miracles, but they were not prepared yet for actually being thrust into a tempest -because they followed Him! I believe that later on, after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, that this experience came to their minds. I believe that it was a metaphor that Jesus used to show His followers- all of us who have proclaimed Jesus as our King- of the storms and trouble that would come, sooner or later, with varying intensities and manifestations.
Aren't we the same ?
We are all in the same boat, trouble will come, and perhaps even now has.
This is not His last word though:
"And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."
Matthew 8:26 ESV
Suffering-all of it- regardless of intensity and scope- is producing in us an "eternal weight of glory" that we who endure and hold fast to Jesus will soon taste.
Below is a quote from a Chinese brother, Zhang Rongliang, who has endured great suffering:
"Suffering challenges so many people in the world. Without suffering how is it possible to taste the depths of the goodness of the Lord? After tasting it how then can one be obsessed with worldly desires?"

Meadows and Minefields

"Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; 
You make my lot secure. 
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 
Surely I have a delightful inheritance." 
Psalm 16:5, 6 NIV

This is not our home; we are only passing through this world sojourning through this race we call "life" towards the finish line.

Some days and seasons are like a pleasant walk through a country meadow on a spring day.
Imagine 70 degrees, and in this meadow there are fragrant flowers blanketing its entirety.
You can walk with surety, just knowing that there are no holes to fall into and twist your ankle, nor rocks to stumble over.

But there are other days and seasons that feel like we are passing through minefields.
The path is difficult and treacherous, and there is the smell of battle and cordite (an explosive) that our spirits are sensing. There may be smoke so thick that we may not be able to see other brothers-in-arms, nor our Leader, and yet we must know deep in our hearts that we are not alone.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 
John 16:33 NIV

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3 NIV

Beloved, through meadows and minefields let us fix our gaze on Him alone, listen only to His voice, following Him,  believing with joy the report of the Lord! We will triumph ;our real reward lies on the other side of eternity and we shall be there sooner than we may realize!
Maranatha!

Feasts, Holidays, & Testimonies

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were bapized into Moses in the cloud and the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not pleased for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness."

1 Corintians 10:1-5

Israel's Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron, is a couple days away. 
Its purpose is one of remembrance, as evidenced by the name of the annual event. I was reflecting today on the importance of remembrance as I talked with some friends. I commented on the shortness of my own memory when I amy be caught up in the throes of a hardship.  
When someone asks us about a particular event in our own lives, it is a most excellent time to give our own testimony. 
When this happens to me I am hit with an "ah ha moment" -the remembrance of just one of the so many times when God has shown up, and I find myself repenting for  worrying, complaining, or unbelief, or all of the above.

The children of Israel had their first borns spared fron the angel of death, passed through a parted Red Sea, watched as Phoroah's horses and riders were drowned as the sea crashed down on them, saw the shikinah glory on Moses' face, followed the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, enjoyed supernatural sustenance for 40 years, traveled in clothing and footware that never wore out, and when they obeyed God they triumphed over enemies...and yet they complained endlessly. That generation died in the desert, their children were those who entered the Land. Joshua and Caleb's names and actions are remembered, but the other 10 spies and their memory vanished as a result of their unbelief and disobedience, as did their families.

Communion was created especially to frequently spark our memories regarding what Jesus accomplished for us:

"And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you,; do this in remembrance of me."
Luke 22:19

Every holiday, the Feasts, communion, Shabbat, as we listen to, or tell someone else our own histories (His-stories)- testimonies, let us remember and revere what, rather, Who we are focusing on: God in all His manifold greatness and lovingkindness.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Rev.12:11

Refreshment #81

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus." 
Acts 3:19, 20 NIV

Repentance, specifically the active and unending need for repentance, has been reverberating in my spirit so strongly as of late.

Oswald Chambers, writing in MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST on this very day:
"Co-Crucifixion. Have I made this decision about sin - that it must be killed right out in me? It takes a long time to come to a moral decision about sin, but it is the great moment in my life when I do decide that just as Jesus Christ died for the sin of the world, so sin must die out in me, not be curbed or suppressed or counteracted, but crucified."

Brother Yun, in the very first chapter of LIVING WATER, writes:
"You see, we are all called to run a race for Jesus, and repentance is the starting line of that race. It’s futile to try to run the race if you never made it to the starting line to begin with! This
is the problem with many believers today. They are trying to follow the Lord, but they have never truly repented and surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. The result of the false gospel so prevalent today can be seen in churches full of halfhearted Christians whose lives are still centered on selfishness and the principles of the world."

I heard this clearly, Holy Spirit to my spirit: "Hugh, repent and turn to Me...remember that there is nothing you have done that is unseen by Me, there is no such thing as a 'secret sin', for I see you in your entirety, when you walk uprightly and when you don't..."

Jesus' death on the cross and the finished work of that cross, and the grace lavished offered to us does not negate the need for repentance.

Brother Yun continues:
"Repentance is both the first step to walking in the kingdom of God and the key to continuing in a place of obedience and submission to the Lord. The very first message Jesus proclaimed in His ministry was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matt. 4:17). Without a deep experience of repentance in our lives, we will continually struggle with basic sin and never mature as believers."

I know this post has more content today from other men of God than myself, but their thoughts and great truths reflect this message that is burning in my heart and soul.

Beloved, let us repent, and keep repenting...so times of refreshing...grace ...may come.

Warnings/ Encouragement #161

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "
Matthew 6:22, 23 NKJV

Jesus said it.
He warned us.
Our eyes are the windows into our souls, and the lamp of the body. We have to be vigilant, because what we allow to enter into us is brought in primarily through our eyes.
The Lord gave us eyes, which are truly remarkable in their design and engineering, as a blessing.
He intended us to be able to experience all the beauty of his creation, and to be used as part of the holy vessels - us- for holy purposes. He also gave us necks that can rotate (towards or away something), eyelids that protect our eyes from both environmental dangers, and spiritual dangers.
We live in a perverse and wicked generation; technology has given us instant access to so many excellent things- the Bible online, for example, but there is a great darkness, a terrible poisoning, that can be crouching just behind a few keystrokes of a smart phone.
I speak of pornography here.
Once the eyes of a man allow pornographic images into his mind and consequently his soul, there is more often than not an unholy hunger that is unleashed.
I know of what I speak.
Part of my testimony is that after many years as a believer,  I became addicted to pornography. My connection to the Holy Spirit was severely impaired, as He cannot dwell in an unrepentant vessel filled wth darkness.
I am not alone...it is estimated that over 70% of professing believers have pornography addictions/habits. Take a good look around at church .
That means 3 out of 4 men in the average congregation.
Great men of God are falling because of this, because the eye went unguarded.
There is no area of a man's life that remains undarkened by this habit. How he views his marriage or relationship with women, how he physically sees and or looks at women, lust is in itself adultery and furthermore blows open the door to adultery. "So as a man thinks, he becomes." A man overtaken by this addiction does not consider how this would affect those around him. I wrote a blog after having a vision of a field full of straight furrows, where the tractor or plowman had then gone off course and cut through the other furrows, damaging them. The Lord showed me that the plowman was a backslidden person had had turned to the left or right in sin, and his actions had damaged the lives  and the Walk (causing tremendous damage in their relationships with Jesus) of those who were in his sphere of influence.
 Be vigilant, and diligent, beloved.
Guard your eyes, and therefore your hearts.

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:20, 22, 23, 25-27 NKJV)