Next man / woman up!

A willing life...

Can it be said I have a willing life? 

Does God have to force me into a corner before I will serve Him? 

Does He have to make it easy? 

Must it be something I personally enjoy before I will obey God? 

Will I answer the call in tough times? 

Am I a man of ease?

Sometimes, a very small testimony will send us searching deep within: "...and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the LORD, with 200,000 mighty men of valor." (2 Chronicles 17:16 ESV)

To review: 

--Amasiah: a man. 
--A volunteer: a willing man. 
--The service of the Lord: a willing, surrendered man. 
--With 200,000: a willing, surrendered man of fellowship. 
--Mighty men of valor: a willing, surrendered man of fellowship with the men of God.

Am I willing? Willing for what? 
Am I surrendered? Surrendered to whom?
Am I in fellowship? Fellowship with whom?
Am I valorous? Valorous for the what?

O Lord, make me a willing, valorous man, surrendered to You, not frozen in fear, but mighty in conflict against the sin in self, brave in standing for others, fearless in Your will, counted with those who love You and others, no matter the cost.

Let's talk about Jesus.

Talk about God = fine.

Talk about Jesus = uh oh.

I believe the only way one can know God is through Jesus.

I believe God desires to reveal Himself in truth to the nations.

I believe God is willing to receive people to Himself through Jesus.

When we talk about God / god without being clear exactly what God / god we are talking about, we leave room for people (and ourselves) to believe it to be the God our own understanding, and possibly own creation, rather than Adonai ha Elohim (the LORD, the one true God).

"God also said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel, ''The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.'" (Exodus 3:15 ESV)

If we do not have a revelation worldview -- that is, that we have received revelation from God, particularly through HIS WORD -- then we will create a false god and live life revealing that false god to the world in our words and actions.

When I talk about God, I am talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I am talking about Adonai (LORD = YHWH / Jehovah) ha Elohim (the one true God). When I talk about God, I am talking about Jesus --- God come to us in the flesh. When I talk about God, I am talking about I AM.

When God gave Israel the Law, He spoke to Moses in this way... "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Exodus 20:2 ESV) That is, God said, "I am Jehovah, your Elohim..." In a very specific way, God was saying, "This is not some god. I am THE only real and the one true God."

No one minds when we speak about God in generalities, because then we can fill in whoever that god is with whatever we feel like filling it / him / her with.

When we have a revelation worldview, we are left to receive God as HE IS, not as we want Him to be. When we do not receive the revelation of the one true God, we make Him to be whatever we want Him to be, and thus create a false God.

Now, let's talk about Jesus! You know who I am talking about, right? He is the One True God; the Express Image of the Father! All other gods are false.

Do you hear Him?

Real proof of knowing...

Don't settle for knowing ABOUT Jesus. Know HIM. IF someone knows Jesus, they will be different for it.

One's character will be different if one actually knows Jesus. One's actions will be different if one actually knows Jesus. One's priorities will different if one actually knows Jesus. 

Consider: "As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!' But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'" (Luke 11:27-28 ESV)

In the vernacular -- a paraphrase -- the woman said, "Wow, Jesus, You're awesome! Mary is really blessed to have carried YOU in the womb!" 

Jesus immediately indicates that it's not physical proximity to Him that makes the difference, but obeying Him. 

Whew. 

No one was ever more physically close to Jesus than Mary, His mother, yet Jesus clearly says the blessing is for those who hear God's word, keep it, and make it their way of life. This is the difference between having information and experiencing transformation. 

Jesus did not diminish His mother, but He does elevate His disciples. He is saying it's more important to be His follower than it is to be His mom. If Jesus would say that about His mom, whom He remained concerned about EVEN AS He was being crucified, how much more would Jesus say to us that knowing about Him is not as important as obeying Him. Obedience is more important than information.

Lastly, the woman who exalted Mary did so because she was astounded by the teaching of Jesus. Yes, it IS a blessing to hear the word of Jesus, but the true blessing doesn't come just from hearing. The blessing comes from obeying.

Many love the experience of hearing preaching, but few embrace the blessing of application. Real proof that we know Jesus, and the real proof that we have really received the word of God is living it.

Do we praise the wicked? Are we apathetic about doing what's right?

Never enable someone to do wrong or keep doing wrong...

It's easy to see what helping someone who does something huge is wrong. For example, it's easy to see it's wrong to help someone get away with murder. "If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him." (Proverbs 28:17, ESV) That's a no-brainer, right? Right. 

What about the more subtle ways of helping people do wrong? 

Edmund Burke if often quoted as having said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." 

Sometimes, frankly, our apathy promotes wrongdoing. 

Added to that, when we fail to do what is right in the sight of the Lord, we actually praise others who are doing wrong. We may say, "I've never killed anyone!" but to gossip is to join with the lawbreakers who have killed. "Those who forsake the law praise the wicked..." (Proverbs 28:4a, ESV)

We need to be proactive in making disciples! (ref. Matthew 28:18-20 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9) We need to not only NOT enable the wrong, we need to do right ourselves and teach others to do the same.

Edmund Burke; credit: Wikipedia

Them eating it is more profitable than you mowing it. ;)

It's all connected...

Stewardship of the earth is wise and just, and we'd do well to understand our very often, very wasteful, destructive ways work against us. Though the license of waste seems to be the path to enjoyment, it goes against what is natural, what is right, and what will serve our own interests in the long term.

Look at the wisdom of Scripture...

"When the grass is gone and the new growth appears and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field. There will be enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household and maintenance for your girls." (Proverbs 27:25-27 ESV)

Grass and growth leads to clothes, milk, and food. If we fail to steward well what God has given us, it affects everything!

Let us look well to all things about us.

Not new and improved, but dead and made something else entirely...

No excuse in ignorance and the radical break from the old life...

There's a lot to be said of Ephesians 4:17-24, but I want to touch on two things I thought of as a brother preached on this passage today. 

Before the first thing, the passage: "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV)

First, when I read the phrase "...because of the ignorance in them..." I do not think of someone who simply does not know something. This ignorance is willful. Frankly, I think of Romans 1:19-21. There we learn that God has showed up and showed out very plainly and very clearly. It was not that someone could not understand; it is that someone refuses to understand. In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul continues, "...due to their hardness of heart." There you go. People see God --or, at least they see something beyond the confines of simple human experience-- but they don't want to recognize it or honor it or give themselves over to it. Though God makes Himself plain, they refuse God. 

I know that feeling! I know that fact! I would say I believed God existed my entire, cognizant life -- from toddlerhood! I believe He existed, but I did not yield to Him. I WOULD NOT yield to Him! I dare not claim it was ignorance of His existence! It was preference for my will! 

So many, I believe, are just like that. 

Secondly, I believe there is something in us that knows to honor God means to willfully choose a radical break from our former way of thinking and living. The "Gentiles" Paul refers to cannot be explained by simply saying "non-Jewish." Paul is referring to a fruitless way of living and thinking that is not under the covenant of God, directed by the way of God, empowered by the Spirit of God and being lived for the ends and glory of God. 

When a person is "saved", they are adopted into true Israel and the entire course of their lives is to change, not just the end of their future. It is a complete release of futile living; self-centered and self-oriented living. Instead of being centered on self and sensitive to self, the redeemed person becomes centered on God and sensitive to the leading of God and the needs of others.

There's no fooling around, mingling things of the old life with things of the new. There's no cross purposes, only purposes of the Cross. 

Make no mistake, the redeemed no longer claims ignorance or indifference. They are made alive by God and are about His business. It's radical in the world, but it's just normal in the Lord.

Most of the time we talk way too fast and think way too little.

Letting the Spirit's patience work in you...

"What your eyes have seen do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?" (Proverbs 25:8 ESV)

Of the verse above, Warren Wiersbe said, "The minute we hear something that disturbs us, how easy it is to become angry and to rush into the matter without thinking or praying. The wise thing to do is to think the matter through and wait upon God. This does not mean we look for an excuse to pass over some sin, even though love does cover a multitude of sins."

Even in issues not concerning sin, the same approach seems very wise. It's not always a matter of sin that disturbs us, but also issues of uncertainty, large decisions, imminent change and even more.

My spirit is gripped by that small phrase "...do not hastily..." We tend to wrongly think waiting means inaction. Waiting is refusing to move wrongly and only being satisfied with God moving. Waiting is also the constant action of prayer and the wise actions of searching God's word, practicing repose and communing in anticipatory fellowship with God.

What are you facing right now that needs wisdom and the decision of God?

"...do not hastily..."

Get with God...

Wait WITH God as you wait ON God.

Do you have a void?

There is a danger and a delight in spiritual possession... 

There is historical and biblical evidence of the normalcy of spiritual possession. Here in the “Western world,” in our post-enlightenment era, we typically scoff at the supernatural, or we turn it into some goofy horror movie. 

Truth be told, spiritual possession is real. Jesus spoke of it, telling the following story: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45 ESV)

So, there's the danger of spiritual possession. Demons CAN and do possess people. AND, IF a spirit goes out of a person, it can come back and find a MORAL person who is spiritually weak or spiritually alone and that spirit comes back with MORE spirits! 

That is the danger of having a spiritual void in our lives! We are open for our dead spirits to be defeated and possessed by stronger, living spirits. Moral excellence, IF one can attain it, or some variety of it, will not alone insure one is safe from spiritual possession. You do note, from the words of Jesus in Matthew 12, that the spirit left and the person put things in order; they “got their life right” as we like to say. Life “right” or not, where there is no stronger, righteous spiritual power abiding, a still strong UNrighteous spiritual power can take over even a moral life.

This is why we need to delight in possession! We need to delight in being possessed of the Holy Spirit! The Apostle John said, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 ESV)

Friend, let us look to ourselves today. What spiritual power rules us?

IF you love the Bible, and IF you love people...

For WE who CLAIM to love the Bible...

It says a great many things. It constantly reveals how messed up WE are and how good God is. It reveals that HE is holy, and without Him, we are hopeless. 

It should be much read, and more lived. 

Its full counsel should be oft considered before being some quoted. 

I find many things that trouble me, and it's mostly not the things I don't agree with others about, but the things I too often agree with myself about. In the Scriptures, I am constantly challenged
...admonished
...humbled
...broken
...found unworthy and wholly needy. 

But, when I am reading God’s word, even in the issues I don't agree with others about, I am careful to make sure it's not my preference that I feel is violated, versus my adherence to truth. You see, I long to agree with God, and I've come to understand it's not about me agreeing with you or you agreeing with me, but us agreeing with God. 

That's a struggle. I recognize that it's a struggle. I confess it. Even when I know what God says, I often struggle to make it a reality in my life. 

So, to my beloved brothers and sisters, when you find yourself loving the Bible and disagreeing with someone else, consider the following (I've listed it in a few translations and a couple paraphrases, so, perhaps, I'll find the one each of you likes best)...

 “correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,” (2 Timothy 2:25 ESV)

“with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,” (2 Timothy 2:25 NASB)

“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” (2 Timothy 2:25 KJV)

“instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25 HCSB) 

“Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25 NLT)

 “Be humble when you are trying to teach those who are mixed up concerning the truth. For if you talk meekly and courteously to them, they are more likely, with God’s help, to turn away from their wrong ideas and believe what is true.” (2 Timothy 2:25 TLB)

God is right. About what? Yes. Everything.

May we be gently instructed by Him, and may we wish the same for others. Be blessed, beloved friends.

I find myself singing about God's grace very regularly...

Grace greater than all our sin...

Let's begin by reading this account from 2 Kings 4: "Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, 'Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.' And Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?' And she said, 'Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.' Then he said, 'Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.' So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' And he said to her, 'There is not another.' Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.'" (2 Kings 4:1-7 ESV)

The Old Testament is full of shadows, pictures and likenesses of Christ. When the Messiah did come, the only folks who didn't recognize Him for who He was / is are those who are refusing to look. 

I love this story from 2 Kings 4. Debt was nothing new, nor was taking children --or even adults-- as workers (slaves) to work and pay off the debt. That's what was happening here. God sends vessels of grace! 

Do you see a picture of Christ in this? Consider Romans 5:20: "God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant." (NLT)

No matter the debt, Christ has paid. 

No matter how many vessels are brought to Him, He can fill them. 

No matter what bondage the enemy brings, Christ can ransom any and all out by His finished work of grace. 

No matter how long this world lasts, as long as people are coming to Jesus, His grace will be enough. IT WILL NOT RUN OUT! "God's wonderful grace became more abundant!" More vessels? More grace! 

What shall we do? Like the woman did at Elisha's word, we take Jesus by faith. That woman didn't work for that oil. It came to her by grace. In the same way, we cannot work for salvation; it comes to us by grace. Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," (Ephesians 2:8 ESV) We work in thankfulness because grace has come, but we cannot work to earn our salvation. 

Grace is enough and there is enough grace! 

The grace that has come to us through Jesus IS greater than all our sin!

Are you checking off the boxes?

Don't simply go through the motions...

Reading Proverbs is healthy for many reasons, and one of the main reasons is how wisdom engages with everyday life. For example...

"To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." (Proverbs 21:3 ESV)

Many people assuage their own consciences with "check box" living. In other words, they do certain things with the attitude that says, "There, I did that. I'm okay." 

It's like saying, "I may do some wrong, but I do more right than wrong. I mean, hey, I go to church, I help who I can...I'm not as bad as some people."

What God desires is that we do what is right in His sight AND helpful to mankind AS we enjoy fellowship with Him. He doesn't want us to assuage our aching conscience alone. He doesn't want us to simply go through the motions. God desires we walk with Him, and to serve our fellow man for His glory and their good. 

Often, it's the self-centered life who wants to check things off just to feel okay. God calls us to the Him-centered and others-served lifestyle. Don't you see that, dear friend? That's it's better to do what it right to others than to simply do something just to calm our own conscience. 

See? I told you; wisdom works to winnow chaff from our ways!

Take stock and look up...

Being where I am...

I don't hang out much in my heart and mind with who I used to be. I was called out of that, and delivered from it. Sure, it has some history lessons for me, but I'm a new creation, born again from the womb of heaven. Yes, I have regrets, but even if I lived on the coastline of the Sea of Regret, I would never swim or sail; I wouldn't even twinkle my toes in Regrets pulsing tides. I'm up on The Rock now; I've found solid ground, and here I stand.

I don't rest too much in who I am these days. I'm pressing on. Sure, the trail is rocky, dusty, winding, and, above all, narrow, but it IS the upward way. It's the Transformation Trail, and with Jesus, I walk. I do celebrate that I am where I am, especially when I juxtapose what the Spirit has done in my life against what my flesh was doing in my life, but I don't hang out here. More than my celebration of me, the Trail keeps leading me up to Him who is at work in me! The Transformation Trail winds along in conjunction with the Worship Walk. I stay hungry for Bread, thirsty for Living Water and I yearn for good, solid food as I journey.

I am excited about who I'll be. Yes! The believer that does not long for completion hasn't taken a long look at the brokenness of the world -- THEIR brokenness -- and hasn't taken a look at what will come. And, no, I don't mean only heaven the place, but heaven the experience; the height of which is being in the very presence of God. WOW! I'm excited about that! But, I don't hang out on Heaven's Hallway a lot these days. Why? "Why?" is a good question. Simple; if I'm here, if my body has it's by God's good pleasure, and I want to be in this moment with Him. I want to be present with Him now, and useful now. I want to be a Knight in the Order of Onesimus, both noble and useful.

So, Lord, teach my heart to hang out in Presence Place, even as I long for Heaven's Hallway. Teach my heart to both live in Presence Place and trek up Transformation Trail and Worship Walk. Teach me to be in the now with You...teach me to abide, that I may experience You, and be fruitful for Your glory. Keep me from the ebb and flow of Regret's crashing waves; put me on the marble floor of Presence Place, and teach me to dance.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)

"Onward, Christian soldiers..."

We need more martyrs and less trouble starters...

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ESV)

"The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Romans 13:12)

"Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29)

We need to get about the King's business, and we need to do it without the weaponry of the flesh. To add wrong weaponry in the challenge of wickedness is to add to wickedness, not defeat it.

Lord, raise up Christian soldiers, and give us the spiritual sense to fight the good fight with divine power and righteous weaponry. First, Lord, give us the wisdom to look within, and war well there, taking our own thoughts captive to Your obedience. Then, Father God, give us the strength to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Make us heralds of Your word and trust You to use it for Your glory and the good of You Church.

Many need the Comforter.

It's not that raucous, unrecognizable thing we need when we say the Spirit of God is missing among the hearts of men. It's the likeness of Jesus we do not see enough.

He did not jump about wildly, nor did He speak in words unknown, but it was no mistake when He was present. When the Lord Jesus said the Spirit would come, He said, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16 KJV). This promise was to those who will "keep" His commandments (see vs. 15). And, the promises of "another" means one just like Jesus. In other words, the Helper -- the Comforter; the Spirit -- is exactly like Jesus.

Among us today, being made present in His people, we need Jesus. 
I need Jesus.

In me, I need that Spirit to make me call out, "Abba, Father." 
In me, I need that Spirit to deliver Jesus to my need and brokenness. 
In me, I need that Spirit to be defeating death...
.... and ... delivering Life. 
In me, I need Jesus.

In me, I need that Spirit, who is just like Jesus, to love me just like Jesus loves me.

In me, I need that Spirit to chasten me when I'm wrong, heal me when I'm broken, forgive me in my sin and send me in this world.

In me, I need that Spirit to give me compassion for the hurting...
...love for the unlovable...
...truth for the blinded...
...tenderness for the broken...
...firmness for the railing rebel...
...love for the railing rebel...

In me, I need that Spirit to give me wisdom in the place of my ignorance...
...light in my darkness...
...the way in my floundering...
...righteousness in my taintedness...

In me, I need that Spirit to give me the character of God in the place of my ruined self.

I need Jesus. 
Our community needs people filled with the Spirit, that Jesus may walk the streets of Roxboro, roam the roads of Person County, stand strong in living rooms, and lead families to love and enjoy God forever. 
We need Jesus.

I'm not afraid to say I need Jesus. 
I'm not ashamed to say I need Jesus.

Are you?

No man can tame the tongue, but the Spirit can.

The need for a powerful filter...

The Apostle James said, “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:7-8 ESV)

The part that grips me this morning is “...but no human being can tame the tongue.”

I believe that. No one can. If a tongue is tamed, whether for a moment or for a lifetime, it is a work of God.

And, listen, don’t pick quiet a tongue as a tamed tongue. We all know that among few words there can also be wrong words.

What then?

We need Holy Ghost help.

First, restraint. Spirit, hold back my word until I have sought Your help.

Second, redirection. Spirit, take my mind to scriptural precepts and principles and promises that match my thinking with the Father’s revelation and mind.

Third, attitude and method. Spirit, help me not just to say what is wise and what is right, but to speak saltily, with Your gentleness and Your timing and Your wisdom. Help me not only to not be careless, but careful, caring, and kind without forsaking forthright, forthcoming, and truthfulness.

Father, I am a man, and I believe You when you say no man can tame the tongue. I believe YOU can tame my tongue. I submit to you my speech and attitude and believe You for power and growth.

Abundantly!

perissos...

That's the transliterated version of the Greek word found in John 10:10 that we translate as "abundantly."

Perissos. That word means, "more, greater, excessive, abundant, exceedingly, vehemently."

Or, perhaps we might say over and above OR more than is necessary OR superadded...

Don't you find great encouragement in John 10:10? I do!

Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10 ESV)

See it? It declares the intentions of the enemy of man and the intentions of the Lover of our souls.

If you'd allow me a paraphrase of the latter part of the verse, I'd say it could sound something like this: "I came in order that my followers might have a constant stream of life and that they have it continuously all around."

It's the promise of an uncommon life to those who walk with the Master.

English translators choose "abundantly" from the Greek, "perissos." "Abundantly" has its own very interesting etymology. It comes from the Latin "ab," meaning "away," and "unda," meaning "wave." It carries the idea of overflow! It carries the idea of a river, out of the banks, flowing strong and steady.

Here's what's on my mind... Jesus is the source of the overflow. That's simple. I won't have the overflow without the source!

Not only is Jesus the source, He is also the fulfilling presence and power for a full life. Perhaps Victor Hugo tapped into this idea in "Les Misérables" when he said, "To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to live." See, what Jesus is offering is FULL LIFE!

As the source, and the fulfilling power, what Jesus promises is overflow! Jesus calls us to the much more, far more, more better, more remarkable, surpassing, superadded, superfluous Life that IS Him.

YEAH! Praise God! Amen! I will take some of that perissos life!

Consider Jesus.

"Consider him..."

There it is; it's enough, too. Consider Jesus. Yes, consider His moral teachings. Consider His miracles. Consider His parables. Consider His leadership skills. Consider His character. Consider how Jesus treated women, children, and men. Consider how Jesus acted toward those who considered Him an enemy. Consider how Jesus believed in Creation and marriage and prayer and...well, everything! Consider how Jesus believed the Bible. On and on...

"Consider Him..." Yes. Do that. Consider Jesus. Make sure the following consideration is high on your list of things to consider.

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." (Hebrews 12:3 ESV)

Jesus "endured" death on a cross, but more, too. John Gill said Jesus "...endured such contradiction of sinners against himself; against his person, they denying his deity, and speaking against his sonship, and against his offices; mocking him as a King, deriding him as a prophet, and treating him with the utmost contempt as a priest and Saviour; and against his actions, his works of mercy to the bodies of men, when done on the sabbath day; his conversing with sinners for the good of their souls, as if he was an encourager of them in sin, and a partner with them; his miracles, as if they were done by the help of the devil; and against the whole series of his life, as if it was criminal."

All that to say, "Consider him..." and don't give up. Don't ever give up! Believer, stand firm! Believer, hold fast! "Consider him..." and do not grow weary in maintaining your confession, seeking His abiding presence or in doing good works.

Yes, "Consider him..." and remember it was for His church that He suffered so; Jesus willingly endured it all for we who believe.

Beloved friend, consider Jesus...and you hang in there, you hear?

Jesus is the Coming One who came (and will return)...

The Coming One has come...

I love this passage: "Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?' And Jesus answered them, 'Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.'" (Matthew 11:2-6 ESV)

Let me say a quick two thoughts on doubt before I share what is really in my heart today. First, is John wrong to doubt? No. Remember, John has been preaching (a) repentance because the Kingdom is at hand, (b) make straight the paths for the coming Messiah, and (c) bear fruit in keeping with repentance. John did not back up from this message and he was in jail, about to be executed. Sure, I'd have some questions too. John is very human. He is losing his life for what he believes and has done, and he wants to be sure it's legit.

Secondly, John sought Jesus for and in his doubt. He didn't listen to the whispers of the enemy. He didn't turn away from Jesus. He turned to Jesus.

Of course, there's much more helpful thoughts on doubt, but I want to talk about the Coming One.

It's how Jesus answers John's doubt that intrigues me today. Jesus is gentle, yes, but it's the affirmation that HE IS the Coming One that delights my heart.

We know chapter and verse, but Jesus IS The Word. Jesus answers John by quoting Isaiah. And, to be sure, Jesus' quotation of words is matched by His effectiveness of action. Jesus points directly to the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1 and following. There, Isaiah prophesied on the coming Messiah. Jesus basically says, "I'm that guy. I am the Coming One and I am here. That Coming One is here before you."

Then, the proof is in the pudding. Jesus does all that stuff. No one is like Him!

We often imagine God is asking us to have blind faith. What He gives us is plain evidence, and from there, we can live out reasonable faith in extraordinary ways.

Jesus is the Coming One and He has come! He is the once and returning King! He will return!

My eyes of faith see it, but the evidence before me confirms it. What Jesus did in His earthly ministry is but a foreshadowing of healing and freedom that is to come.

Indeed, the coming one has come, and He will come again…

Are we even listening for God to speak to us?

Call and response...

When God called Samuel, at first, Samuel couldn't hear God because he didn't know God. The Bible says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him." (1 Samuel 3:7 ESV)

I wonder who today is in the same situation? God has something for them to do, but they don't know Him, so they aren't hearing Him.

God kept calling Samuel. He will call many times! At some point, we have to say, "I am listening, Lord!"

That's what happened in Samuel's story: "And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant hears.'" (1 Samuel 3:10 ESV)

And when God calls someone, it's because GOD is up to something! The story continued: "Then the LORD said to Samuel, 'Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.'" (1 Samuel 3:11 ESV) God doesn't call His servants for them to be famous, or for them to be all-stars. God calls people because HE is doing something, and HE is the star of the unfolding drama. Even if His servants get notoriety, it's so they can deflect the praise and glory to God.

Are we listening?

Can we hear?

Will we answer?

Will we give God the glory?

God's glory humbles a person...

When we engage with God, or even if we engage with His glory or one of His creatures cloaked in glory, we are humbled to the point of weakness.

Consider Daniel's testimony of such an encounter from Daniel 10:8 (in a few different translations)...

"So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength." (ESV)

"So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak." (NLT)

"Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength." (KJV)

IF a man or a woman sits in a lofty tower of his / her own self-esteem, and never leaves the fortress of his / her own perceived greatness ... if we imagine we have a goodness of our own doing or a rightness that puts us above others ... if we deign to think we are impenetrable and untouchable or that we can pull ourselves up by our own boot straps or that we can ever even be self-made or self-sustaining... we have not encountered the living God.

God's glory humbles a person. If we have never been humbled, we might well wonder if we've ever encountered Him. If we are never humbled in the exercise of our religion, we may be going through the motions and missing out on Him who makes it all move.

Steward stuff.

Be the funnel...

Do you window shop? There's nothing inherently wrong with window shopping. The problem comes when such looking around stirs within us distracting longing for more and more and more. The problem comes when the desire to obtain interrupts contentedness, clouds discernment, or corrupts stewardship.

The thing is, our culture cultivates a longing eye. We are always being told we need something or the next thing or a better thing. We often think being happy will happen when we buy, trade for, build, beg, borrow, or steal the next object.

Do these things, in all practicality, become the idols that we bow to and beg from? We bow with our time and resources and beg from them happiness.

Listen, friends, I'm not concentrating on the negative; it just "feels" that way because so much of our culture and age is about hunting for and acquiring stuff. We even build extra rooms and extra buildings and extra businesses for our STUFF!

It seems like "getting" is the blessing. The difficulty for us is that much of what runs with culture runs counter to God's wisdom, will, and way.

Consider this wisdom: "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." (Proverbs 11:25 ESV)

See it? According to this proverb, the pathway to being blessed is not getting, but giving. Real prosperity does not come from being the marketplace's closet; it comes from being God's funnel.

Do you want your prayer life to grow and deepen?

A lacking in one's prayer life...

It's not a shame to confess that your prayer life isn't what you know it could be. Let's face it, we ARE talking to God, and that can be intimidating. It can also be awkward. It can be a bit fretful, wondering if we are doing it "right" (as people often say).

I'd say anyone humbling themselves to talk to or listen to God in prayer is already on the right track. Amen?

But, you know, it's okay to confess that you want your prayer life to change ... to grow ... to become more intimate, or effective. It's not only about "right", but about growth.

Some disciples came to Jesus and asked for help in their prayer lives.

"Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.'" (Luke 11:1 ESV)

These guys saw a qualitative difference in what Jesus said and the fellowship He enjoyed, so they asked Him for help. They wanted what they saw Jesus had!

I find it interesting that Jesus doesn't start talking about posture or location or the kind of clothes someone wore. Jesus immediately leapt into intimacy -- "Our Father..." -- and theology (all that follows). I don't even think it's about form; Jesus spoke intimately with the Father about things important to the Father and things one should be concerned for about one's self. Jesus seemed to stress intimacy and theology.

That's important! A believer is called to abide (see John 15). A believer is empowered by the Spirit to know God as "Father" and call on Him as "Abba" (see Romans 8:15). This should drive our intimacy.

Secondly, theology IS important in prayer. Many times, we believers (first) miss the intimacy, and we also ask God for things He'd never grant. That's why knowing what God's will is so important!

Lastly, the joy of knowing God as Father should lead us to know we can ask whatever we will, or vent, or cry, or jump for joy in prayer, and we should. God can handle our wrong prayer requests, but we are the ones that miss out when we do not intimately connect with the Father.

Do you need to grow in your prayer life? I know I do.