March2000


	MARCH 2000

A Day Late...

3-11-00

Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or know how life (or the spirit) enters the body being formed in the womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

Where does life start? Is it determined by man or by God? Surely, as we see many people quibbling about when life starts, do you think that it is within a man to understand the profound nature of life as it is conceived?

I read a note today from a very good friend alerting people to write and confirm a company's "pro-life" stance on a post-conception/pre-pregnancy pill. I was glad to lend a note, and I will forward the total information along once I have researched the whole ordeal in full.

But the thought itself - the thought of treating the very most tender and precious beginnings of life with contempt because 'we did not plan for it' - makes me somewhat ill and very sad. I cannot quite understand this world's obsession with control. Surely we all know that when we feel most in control - we are definitely running low on it somewhere - and soon our little world will come crashing in. Who is it that plans for life - who can understand the juggernaught of complexity that each day - hour - minute brings to our feeble and simple minds? It is as if we take 1% of this world and try to control it - and the other 99% is simply ignored until it hits us one day like a Louisville Slugger. You know what I mean - those days where a loved one passes away, a tornado hits, you get married, you have a child... You can plan all you want, but when life, especially unplanned life, makes its entrance - it always takes center stage - with a spotlight :)

I was not a planned child. I am actually a one in a billion by all odds and statistics. There is not one rational reason why I should be here writing you today. But my Lord does not exist in the rational minds of men. He often exists in that 99% of uncertainty that we cannot seem to get our minds around. He is the Life Bringer - the Life Giver - and the Life Taker. He is in control - and therefore - I am. I am because He is the Great I AM. Truly, I cannot understand how He put my spirit in this body I call home. I can understand that the One who gave me life can have a home in me - and that I can grow and develop into the person He has created me to be. Without Him, I would not be here. Without Him, there is not one reason to grow. Without Him, death would be a vacant hole at the end of my life - a tiny period instead of the roaring and powerful exclamation point His creation in my life deserves!

Without His control in my life, my life would not be a life worth living nor a life worth giving. I try as I may to divest myself from control - of myself and of others. And here again we meet with this idea of man trying to control life - even human life.

I know that my life and my growth as a human being started the moment I was conceived. Without conception, you cannot become pregnant, and therefore you cannot be born. If we eliminate conception by chemically aborting cells, we have stopped the growth of an already developing human being. When we eliminate the sanctity of conception, we invalidate our own small, humble, but oh so required for every member of the human race, beginnings - as no life, no thought, no action begins without first being conceived.

Truly, if we begin to attack the very beginning - where will it end?

Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Highway to Heaven...

3-12-00

Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

Have you put your best foot forward lately? Do you know where you are going - much less the path that you are journeying upon? Is God's Word *really* a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path?

If you take a second to look around, does the path that you are walking look like everyone else's? Are your goals the goals of this world - money, popularity, power, control, strength, or possessions? If you have not received the saving knowledge of Christ, then surely your goals and perceptions will fall in line with the way of the wicked. I pray this is not so...

If we are one with Christ, however, then the Way of Holiness is ever real and encouraging us forward. The problem that believers face along this Way, is our ties to our old nature. That nature is comfortable with the vices of fools and prefers to walk in its own manner, time, and accord. If your path is anchored to any worldly thing - then you are either turned about-face and walking the wrong way or you are balancing precipitously on the edge of the Way of Holiness. Of course, this should not be so...

So what do we do when we are staring our old nature in the face or teetering on the verge of temptation? Call on the first name of the nature of Jesus Christ - for it was He who told us that He IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

We must humble ourselves and turn towards our loving Saviour. Confess to Him your weakness that He might strengthen you through the knowledge of His Word (i.e. read and *know* His Word). Acknowledge the access and place He has given you in His Kingdom and your desire to walk in the Way that leads to Life Eternal. Thank Him that there is a Way for your to come to Him - that even though it is a narrow way - it is a 'HIGHway' --- and know that Jesus has the only map that is forever TRUE - and - worth reading :)

There is a Way of Holiness - and you shall know it when you know God.

Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

Who do you trust in the middle of the storm?

3-17-00

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; 21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: 22 "How long will you simple ones (The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote one who is morally deficient. Morality here denotes the ability to know and choose between right and wrong in any and all situations.) love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? 23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. 24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, 25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, 26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you-- 27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. 28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. 29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, 30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Proverbs 10:25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

I had a dream about something very near to what Proverbs 10:25 is talking about while I was in college. I dreamed that this large black ominous threatening - and all those other dark and foreboding words - was coming down over Southwestern University. I was surely frightened and therefore I began to head back to my dorm (I guess I was more curious than scared, otherwise I would be running, wouldn't I :) Anyway, as it came nearer, I realized that it was the storm of the almighty hand of God - "24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand... 27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you."

Like huge fingers, this black cloud would descend on groups of people and they would shout and scream and run in terror. These men and women cried out for help to a God that they did not know. "28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. 29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, 30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;"

I realized that as these fingers of judgment dipped down upon people, those who did not know the Lord, who had rejected Him - they were fearful for their lives. Because they did not know their creator, because the life they lived was for only a short time and they did not believe in the promise of eternal Life through faith in grace - they did not understand the wisdom of God's Storm.

Some, however, stood still. "33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Those who stood fast knew the fury of the Storm had only blessings for those who believed in the One who controlled the Storm. There was no fear or doubt, because the safety of the Lord resided in their hearts.

However, my friends, there were some who did stand still in the middle of the Storm - and yet - were devoured like those who ran in fear. I am still not certain why this was, but I presume that there are those out there who think and feel like they believe in the Eternal God, yet have never received His Grace. They have stood on their high moral ground, or religious traditions, or high theology - but they never stood before the Living God who embraced them as His child. As they stood there, they reminded me of religious shells with no Life on the inside - like the Pharisees of old. They feared the hand of the Lord, but their pride was too strong to let them run from the danger they faced - or - run to the Saviour they needed. They wore the pride of obeying the 'law' - but never knowing or loving the 'lawgiver'.

I hope that you are not standing there, looking at the storm and thinking that either there is no hope - or - that you are worthy as a result of your own strength. Neither attitude will allow you to stand up under the Storms that will come in your life. Only when your relationship with God is one that lends faith and confidence in God and His Safety will allow you to weather any storm that He sends your way. And they have come... and they will come again...

When they come again - when you see the dark clouds descending upon you - do you know the Master well enough to call to Him, and in calling Him, that he will know your voice and respond to your plea? Do you know that the Storm that rages around you, that makes you begin to fear, can be calmed? Or, more often than not ... that the Storm *within you* can be calmed - just by His voice...

Luke 8:24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

Psalms 107:29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

Oh, may we all call upon the Lord in confidence that He will hear those who believe in Him and received the gift of knowing Him.

The storms may come.
The storms may go.
But there is but one Saviour,
that we must know.
In Him there is
both calm and clear.
And to know Him,
is to Know No Fear.

May Christ Jesus be your Peace in the middle of the Storm,

Creation...

3-18-00

Isaiah 45:18 For this is what the LORD says-- he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-- he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other."

Have you ever created anything that you really loved? Have you ever put all your heart into a project? Have you ever invested all that you had into the future of another person?

Like our Father, we are creative beings. We have all, in one capacity or another, been given the gift to form new things out of old - to rework, rewire, and remold old into new. When we do this, do we not invest some of our life into that new creation? And when we achieve the completion of this new thing, do we not like to share it with others?

How much more, then, does God form new out of old - even out of nothing! And when He does these new things, does He not invest Himself in the process? We can look around our universe, our planet, our towns, our families, and we can even look at the very unique creation of our very own thumbprint - and we will surely see God's Creation. He did not create our planet solely for His own delight, but also that we, His children might inhabit and delight in it. And we delight so greatly in this created universe because He is here, too. We know that the One who created all things has invested His Life, and therefore we are assured that He is with us always - from beginning to end of everything He has created.

Psalms 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

If we can be assured that He has created all that we know, then does it not stand to reason that His hand was also in the making of our hearts? And if our hearts have been damaged or destroyed, is he not the One that can create a new heart within us - one that knows, loves and obeys the creator of all? Our hearts are surely nothing so grand as the universe and all of its expanse - so our hearts must be so tiny and easy to repair for our Creator. As we are His Beloved, we can be sure that in His Kind and Skillful Hands, our hearts can be healed and purified. Why do we not go to our Creator when we need to be re-created (as into the likeness of Christ)? If we trusted in the loving kindness of our Creator, then we would surely make a beeline for the inner courts of the Almighty. But, as we are so very human, this , sadly, is not always so...

My friends, I contend that, no matter how hard we try to ignore it or forget it or even fight against it, God is always faithfully working in the hearts of all who bear His signature of Creation. For those who see the creation and still do not believe in the Creator, He continues to call out to them from His creation - that they might Know Him. For those who delight in the creation, but even more, stand in awe of the Creator, He renews a steadfast and pure spirit to those who praise, love and know Him. It is simply not enough to know of the One who has created all that we see - we must actually Know and be united with the One who Creates All things and is The Lord of All Creation!

Create in us a unified and clean heart, and dwell therein all of our days, our Lord, our Creator...

May we all be made new in Christ Jesus,

Christ Flowing...

2 Corinthians 1:5

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Ever think that you suffer too much for Christ? Maybe we hold on to the concept that we are to be loved and that there should be no harm done to us? Shouldn't it be all blessings and stuff???

We as believers have been destined to continue in the sufferings of Christ as a result of our Love and Obedience to Christ. When He lived in His body, Jesus bore the sufferings of all men. Now, the sufferings of Christ continue to flow through us - His Body. We are called to suffer as Christ for what is Holy, Goldy, and the result of Jesus' Will for His Body (individually and unified.) Just as Christ suffered as an innocent, we, too, should be found innocent in our suffering for Him.

1 Peter 2:20

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

1 Peter 3:17

It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

We bear the weight of suffering, as we progress through our own sanctification as we are conformed into the likeness of Christ (1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.)

We also suffer for our world's reception to the calling of their King - Christ our Lord - that they, too, might believe, confess of His Holy Name, and Know the Living God who brings forth Salvation by His Grace. (2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But *join with me in suffering for the gospel*, by the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.)

And why should we believe that we should be exempt from suffering? Do we not bear the Name of the One who bore suffering for us - even to the point of shedding His Blood as an innocent man - so that we might not ever have to suffer the wrath of God?

1 Thessalonians 5:9

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But as we have been identified by others as bearers of the Name of Jesus Christ - we shall surely suffer as Christ did from the hands of those who would still crucify Jesus again today, if they had the chance.

Luke 9:22

And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

The spirits and attitudes of those who killed Christ still abound today - and praise God if we suffer for doing what is right in God's eyes and wrong in the eyes of a blind world. It is a gift to be found worthy of bearing Christ's name and His suffering...

1 Peter 4:16

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

Philippians 1:29

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him...

1 Peter 2:19

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

So do we want more suffering in our lives? Of course not. Yet, the more that we are conformed to likeness of Christ, we will see that our sufferings are as valuable as Gold. And when we learn to treasure our internal and external sufferings, then we know that we have learned to lean into God's Loving arms so that we might know His comfort and allow Him to take the brunt of our pain. Christ's suffering surely does flow into our lives as we experience Life in Him. And even as we encouter deeper and deeper flows of suffering in Christ, we also encounter the forever depths of His Grace, Love, Faithfulness, and Great Comfort.

Romans 5:3 ...., but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So, if you are in the midst of the flowing of sufferings for Christ, know that His Flow of Comfort - of Hope - is within reach... we just need to let go of the steering wheel as we swerve from the sufferings we see in the center of our path :) When we let go - we will *not* be disappointed... because His Comfort will not only flow into our lives as a result of our suffering - it will overflow if we set our hearts on receiving His All Sufficient Grace...

Hallelujah!

2 Corinthians 1:5

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Blessings in Christ Jesus, by whose Name may we gladly suffer,

First Love...

3-22-00

1 Thessalonians 2:8

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

Where is the line between our lives and the life we lead presenting the gospel? When we go out to share the gospel, do we also share our lives? When we present the gospel, do we not present our lives as testimony as well?

Many times it seems that Christians are in a hurry to get out there and evangelize. However, it seems that when Christians rush out and do 'evangelism', we often forget to include ourselves as part of the whole equation. If an evangelist gets up and speaks, the relationship that forms is one sided. We might know him from a distance and can receive the gospel that he preaches, but we rarely are given the chance to actually know the evangelist as a man - simple and with no stage. Are we so caught up with the 'duty' of spreading the gospel that we have forgotten that our gospel - Jesus' Good News - is about building relationships with God and man and growing disciples in Christ - and not - about making quick converts due to furious efforts to 'get people saved'?

Notice that Paul says that he 'delighted' in sharing the gospel. Delight is rarely a word that I would use in the same sentence as evangelist. To the average evangelist, at least that which I see in the United States, I may ascribe words such as duty, work, pressure, desperation, uninformed and unprepared outreach. Delight is not a word that I would use - except if used when they see the thousands that come up for the alter call.

But here we can see that Paul is talking about those in Thessalonica who he, by the calling and Grace of God, delighted in spending time with, discipling, and truly knowing. He actually knew them and loved them - not for attending a rally or for raising their hand to accept the gospel - but because they were beloved of God... Paul not only shared with the Thessalonians. church body the Gospel of Jesus Christ - he also shared of his own life, the life that he received through the Grace of Christ Jesus.

Paul invested His life into the body of believers of Thessalonica - and he was delighted to do it. And what was the result of this 1st century 'evangelism' as he shared the Gospel as an apostle? He became close and endeared to those that it resulted in the bearing of his witness to the serving and loving presentation of Christ's body on earth. Truly, God gave Paul knowledge and a great love for the gentiles that was impossible during his life as Saul. That great love of Paul was surely the great Love of Jesus Christ working in him. In response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul made dear and lasting relationships based on our Father's Unending Love that encouraged others to delight in sharing their lives and the Gospel of their Lord. There were no alter calls or hollow relationships. There were only hearts that reached out in compassion and love and mercy as they delighted in Christ.

Note also that Paul says that he *first* loved them. Reason with me here. This means that most likely, the Thessalonians to whom he speaks were not believing - as they had not heard or received the Gospel - and yet he loved them and had a growing relationship with them. He then, after coming to know them and love them, delighted in sharing the Gospel - which truly is the deepest part of Paul's identity as he was called by God to be an apostle and share the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul simply and graciously loved first.

So when you think about sharing the gospel, do not present it without a soul or an existing relationship - for it is supposed to be your delight to share the Light that resides in your soul. Sharing Christ and yourself is the result of Christ's investment in your life. It should be our delight to invest our New Life in Christ to those we know and love in Christ. As we walk with Him and our relationship with Him deepens, we grow in our delight for what He delights in - and He surely delights in His creation - His people.

Psalms 149:4

For the LORD takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

As we reach out, we, too, must take delight in His people. Why? As we are conformed into the likeness of Christ, we will super-naturally be anointed to love as He loves and to share in relationships as He shares. So, if we are truly conformed into Christ-likeness, by what measure will we know that we are acting in accordance with the Will of God and not our own? Read Zephaniah 3:17 below. If this verse is etched in your heart of hearts and this is how you see and respond to the world around you, then you shall know the delight that Paul had in Thessalonica.

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Are your friends so dear - are your family members so dear - are the people with whom you share the Gospel with - so dear to you that you delight in them and rejoice with singing over them for what Christ is doing in them? If you do, then truly, the Kingdom of Heaven is near. If you do not, then we shall all rejoice over you, knowing that Christ will teach you how to share both the Life of the Gospel and your own... if you desire to know Him and delight in His ways.

1 Thessalonians 2:8

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

I Love you my dear friends with the Love that is in Christ Jesus,

Reality Check...

3-23-00

Colossians 2:17

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

What is your reality founded on? When troubles and triumphs come, do you look to the world to understand them - or to God? If we are to know God and to Love Him, then our reality must be the reality of Christ Jesus - and nothing else...

The following is something interesting that a very dear friend sent me. Take a look at some of the things that it says and see where your world view comes from. Does it come from this world's point of view - or - does it come from the Truth - Jesus Christ's Perfect point of view?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.

Or is it scary?

Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God).

Funny how a thousand 'jokes' can be sent through e-mail and they spread like

wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace.

FUNNY, ISN'T IT?

Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.

Are you thinking? ---------------------------------------------------------------

If we are to live in this world, we must not be like this world or view it from the perspective of this world. Rather, we must know that we belong to God and seek to know the reality that He has already set before us. This reality can be easily summarized - as our Father has so eloquently delivered it...

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

Therefore, view this world as one who has put to death the things of this world and has risen with Christ and can view this world through His Truth Filled Eyes...

Colossians 2:17

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

By the Love of Jesus Christ,

Daddy...

3-24-00

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, <"Abba,> Father."

Do you feel that your beliefs make you a slave to doing what is right? Does it seem that you are battling to do good because you fear the punishment of a wrathful God?

How awesome is it to know that when we truly believe in Him - in His Name, His Word, His Power - His Almighty Loving Kindness, Grace and Mercy --- that we become sons and daughters of the Living God! And the Holy Spirit that we receive as a seal - a guarantee - of our eternal life with our Father - brings us freedom! Freedom from looking at the commands of God and fearing the Father's Hand. Instead, His Spirit gives us the authority and grace to look upon our Father's Face, to sit on His lap, to be enveloped in His arms. When we look intently on the face of the Living God, and not simply our version of God, we have no fear of the law or of punishment. As we are able to Know Him, then we are able to walk in the freedom of knowing that when you are following in Jesus' footsteps, we are no longer distracted by those things which brought us fear before. Upon believing, the only time that we shall encounter our prior fears is when we step out of the Will of God.

Like the prodigal son, when we step away, then we shall reap our own rewards (curses) for our disobedience through and by the world that we sought to embrace again. But just as the prodigal son went and wasted all the was given by his father and was able to return again, we, too, can come home if we have walked away from our home in our Father's House.

If you have walked away,

if you have set your priorities on something less than your Father and His Grace,

if you are wasting the gifts that your Father has given you,

if you have been disobedient and want to return to your Father -

if you really want to give up the mess you have made,

the pain you have brought upon yourself,

the guilt you bear,

the shame that scars you,

the hate that dwells within you,

the pride that crushes you,

or to simply give up on your desire to control your life -

IF you REALLY want to return to the Loving Arms of Our Father...

You CAN.

Brothers and Sisters - repent with me with a contrite heart before your Lord and Holy Father. Cry out to Him in Desperation - confess that you have gone astray - confess the very thing that has burdened your heart for so long...

Oh, Cry out "Abba - Father - Daddy!!!"

Cry out to your Daddy in Heaven - who is greater than any man on earth, who is an always and forever - an unswervingly -

perfect,
loving,
forgiving,
merciful,
gracious,
comforting,
kind,
generous,
never leaving or abandoning,
always present and benevolent,
deeply caring Daddy of all who delights in His people...
and who will assuredly come RUNNING to greet you EACH and EVERY time you return...

Your Heavenly Father will come running to you with all of the goodness that dwells in Him and He shall lavish upon you His Merciful Love. He shall never tire of welcoming you back and he shall never tire of waiting for you if you are gone. Our Daddy is always faithful to His children, even when we are faithless.

Our Daddy is faithful to forgive His children - each and every time. If this is not so, then the cross is a lie. If you do not believe in His Forgiveness, then you must cry out even greater for an understanding of the cross and what was done - DONE - once and for all and for all people. He is faithful and merciful and will forgive all and welcome His children in. Your Daddy in Heaven Loves you - always...

So let us not look to the rules to govern us - which can make us fearful, but rather reverently and anxiously seek the Face of your Heavenly Daddy who IS LOVE and who will cast out all of your fears as He wraps you in His arms and welcomes you home - to your home with Him - with Him who calls you His wonderful and beloved child.

Our Daddy, who is in Heaven - and here with me now

Worthy and Awesome is your Flawless Name of YAHWEH - of Yeshua

Comfort me in your arms and call me your own

Holy Spirit come and with your Perfect Love cast out all my fear

Help me rest in the knowledge that you are faithful to forgive

And rest in faith that you will always and forever by my Loving Daddy

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, <"Abba,> Father."

Peace and Grace to you all in the Holy Name of our Daddy,

No Excuses...

3-25-00

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Sometimes have a hard time believing that God is real? I am sure He never has a problem believing you are :) Are we so introspective and prideful that we try with vainglorious effort to figure out for ourselves what life means from the inside-out? Are we each and every one the center of the universe and by which the universe gets it's reality?

Certainly, no man has ever understood or created anything out of sheer nothingness. Everything that we see, hear, touch, smell, taste, or understand is simply a re-hashing, re-evaluation, mutation, augmentation, or cessation of something that already existed. What we see is simply what has already been before - with either greater shadows or light cast upon it.

Yet, the creation has always been there since the beginning of time. Our planet, our solar system, our very existence is an act of purposeful creation. With purposeful creation there must logically be a Creator - a Super-Designer. One who created our DNA so that if one single cell were taken apart and laid end to end, it would go around the world 7 times. That same One must also be the One who created us to each have around a trillion or so of those same cells. The same One who gathers those cells together into such a fashion that organs are made. The same One who gives reason to having organs at all. The same One who makes certain organs see, touch, taste, smell, hear, and understand the big ball of mud that we stand on and the same One who created those senses. And does that One have a name???

The One is Yahweh - Jeshua the Christ...

All of our senses accept the intricate, delicate, precise, and supreme work that God has created... - so then why can we not accept the Creator who has revealed Himself through all that He has created? Truly, any reasonable person would recognize and admit the handiwork of a Supreme Being who could do such things. And for such things to work in such balance and harmony, would such a Supreme Being create disharmony and imbalance by not revealing Its true nature to the things It has created? Would it not follow that such a Being would welcome relationship with the whole of the creation - especially those parts that can experience the creation and long to find the creator? So what are we waiting for - has not the Author of the Universe spoken?

Psalms 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

And how do we find this God who IS?

Luke 11:9

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

So now, we are both without excuse from the knowledge of the creation and of the Creator. We know from the creation there is a Creator - and that Creator has revealed Himself to us as Yahweh - as Jesus Christ. Our Creator has not merely given us over to our own delusions of creating our own version of who this Creator is, but rather, He has revealed Himself to all men who were willing to listen to His Voice and to search His Face. Even more so, He has exercised His Supreme Creativity and has revealed Himself as Jesus the Christ - the anointed One who created man in His image and came down to shed His blood for us that we might be re-created, re-born, into that same image of God that He had originally created in Adam and Eve. It must make sense that, if we have strayed from our original design, and in our lives we have surely seen that we are incapable of existing perfectly in that design by our own power, then there must must be a way back to the original design if there is a Creator who first made the Way - and who must also be able to show us the Way back.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

He set His creation before us so that we know we have...

no excuses...

He walked this earth as Jesus Christ so that we might know we have

no excuses...

He has revealed himself in your life in one way or another that you might know you have

no excuses...

He has set my hands in motion tonight that that we might know we have

no excuses...

Yet He loves us so much as to never force us, but will forever reveal to those whose eyes are opened that we have

no excuses...

Colossians 1:13

For God the Father has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14 in whom (Christ Jesus) we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him (Jesus) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him (Jesus) and for Him (Jesus).
17 He (Jesus) is before all things, and in Him (Jesus) all things hold together.
18 And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church; He (Jesus) is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He (Jesus) might have the supremacy.
19 For God was pleased to have *all* (not some or part, but ALL) his fullness dwell in Him (Jesus),
20 and through Him (Jesus) to reconcile to Himself (The Father) all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His (Jesus) blood, shed on the cross.

There is no place in His creation to run that His blood cannot pursue... and there is no place in His creation that His blood has not touched. Those who believe, love, trust, and delight in Him are stained in a Glorious Crimson - forever. Those who deny the Creator - even in light of His Creation and His Son - will never return to their Creator's bosom and know the Love of Eternity that within His Loving Arms. They too shall be red, but it will be the red face of embarrassment and shame, knowing that they had seen every sign and every wonder and every created thing that pointed back to their Creator, yet they denied Him --- even though they had no excuses...

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Father, help us in our disbelief. Show us the wonders of Your Hand that surround us every day. Help us to see the evidence of your creation - of your Loving-Kindness, Mercy and Grace. Lord, even in our belief, open our eyes to the truth of your creation around us so that we might always be in awe of your handiwork and not so engrossed in our own. Teach us that having a relationship with our Creator is the Only Way to return to Your original purpose and plan for our lives. Help us to open our eyes to your creation that we might know you more and love you with greater love - as we begin to see Your fingerprint on each and every page of our lives --- that You have created...

Oh, that we might be called the handywork of our Holy Creator,

May nothing be hidden in me...

3-28-00

Psalms 40:10

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

Friends -

May the Light of Christ shine through you abundantly today,
May your mouth be aroused from its slumber that you might speak of our Father's faithfulness and salvation,
May all the barriers that hide His Loving Kindness and Truth crumble to dust - as you walk with your Lord and Saviour

--- TODAY!

Grace and Peace be upon you all in Christ Jesus,

Escaping the darkness...

3-29-00

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

May we all follow in the Light who is Jesus the Anointed One,

you are my disciples if...

3-30-00

This is a long one, but it may just reveal your own heart... May the Lord speak to you and encourage your heart in Love...

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

We see people all around us who take on the identity of that which surrounds them. Sometimes the identity fits, and sometimes it too tight or too baggy. Their identity is who they have been told that they are - and that if they walked in that identity, they will receive the rewards of being of that name, rank, culture, skin color, etc.

And yet, concerning our personal identity, who by their own measure can justly and rightly identify themselves of their own distinctive virtues that no other man has? Almost all that we are has been given unto us by others. Even the 'self-made man' was given form and environment by parents, teachers, and friends. Our first and original names are not of our own choosing - and even if we changes those names, the first names will never leave our own minds.

I recently watched a special done by a black American college professor. He desired to go back to his 'roots' in order to trace his 'identity' from Africa. As an American, and a history professor, he saw the mixed identity of blacks in America. In the past 30 years or so, black men and women have endeared themselves to the concept that they are African - and thus African American. In an idyllic manner, many have sought to find their roots - both cultural and familial - in Africa.

The professor decided to trace his roots and wound up on the East coast of Africa, so he started there. As he traced through his heritage, he found that the black men and women of the Eastern African coast did not call themselves African - but instead called themselves Arabs. Even as their skin tells another story, almost all of the inhabitants trace their roots to the Arabs who long ago came to conquer them in the name of Islamic belief. Of course the professor was quite surprised that these very dark men and women regarded themselves by another identity - other than the African identity that many black Americans so aspire to attain - as they hope to pull themselves from an identity that others and they themselves see as wounded, poor, or destitute. Both the 'African' Americans and the 'Arab' Africans hope to attain a new standing in society by aligning themselves with a group whose identity has greater worth and respect.

At the end of the professor's journey, he finally came to the place that his ancestors were enslaved and sold in East Africa. What he found was not what he expected. He met the great, great granddaughter of the man who more than likely enslaved and sold his great, great grandfather into slavery. Standing before the professor, in the same home that enslaved and oppressed his ancestor, was a young black woman. You see, to her family, it was a matter of power and wealth - not a matter of skin color.

What the professor realized was that whatever the circumstances that led up to his birth and growth of a human being cannot be changed - even as we might try to augment or deny our background. But what we do today - how we are seen as individuals today - is largely based upon worldy external circumstances of which we have no real control over. We can try to give ourselves a better standing by aligning ourselves with a group, a cause, or a culture - but that will never change who we are deep down inside. People may call us black, white, American, Indian, rich, poor, strong, weak - or whatever identifier they choose - yet in spite of those identifiers, most of which we have no influence over. Thus it is surely right that it is only our hearts that God looks upon as the identifier of who we are.

Proverbs 27:19

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

God looks upon the heart. This is the center of our identity. If our hearts are given over to Him, then He is our identity. Unlike an external identity that men place on each other - or themselves - this 'change of heart' is truly the eternal changing of identity. We who believe have changed identities from that of men with dead hearts of stone to men with Living hearts flowing with the River of Life! Hallelujah! No longer are we bound by our ancestors, our features, or our position - but we who believe are bound to the identity of Our Creator, Our Father, Our Lord, Brother, and Friend - Jesus Christ...

So how does this fit in with today's verse?

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

You can put on as many 'outer garments' of identity as you want, but until you change what is in the inside - you will still be the same wandering soul --- just in a new package.

The heart of the ones who believe in Jesus, however, is based in Agape Love. Our heart's identity is that of Christ our Lord - who is the Love in our heart. Our heart's identity is an internal identity that is not shaped by this world's influences, our outward appearance, or our upbringing. Rather, we have an identity that shines from the inside out...

And just as we have received Christ's Love, our hearts are called by Christ to reach out in Love for one another with that same Love of Christ. When we Love each other, our Love reveals Christ in us. In as much as Christ's Love defines our heart of hearts - we will be classified by this world and other believers by what they see in us. Jesus says if we Love one another, then all men will know that we are His disciples. In other words - how others view our Love toward each other and towards them will shape how they identify us. Sure, we can call ourselves disciples based on our belief in Christ - but how many of us are being called disciples by other Christians AND by non-believers.

This is surely the greatest test of where we are in our walk as disciples - to hear what non-believers say about our Love. Do they see Christ's Love in you? Do they comment about how full of Grace and Mercy and Love you are? Even those who are your enemy should and will remark about your Love - if Love is evident and remarkable in your life. We are not to be known as disciples by our color, our t-shirts with slogans, our individual faith, a cross around our neck, our attendance on Sunday mornings or bible studies - but we will be known as Jesus Christ's disciples by how we Love, Treat, and Delight in our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

So, in a nutshell - how deep, wide and great is the Love you share - not by what you see in yourself - but by what others see in you... ???

John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Agape Love to you all in Christ Jesus,

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