A Tale of The Advocate and the Accused

"For Christ has entered into Heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate." Hebrews 9:24

"All rise." The assembly rises as the Guilty Accused enters with head hung. But beside them walks the One Who Pleads on behalf of all the Guilty. The Just One speaks and proclaims "All the sin before my eyes is to much. I have promised to destroy the wickedness of all so it shall not enter into my holy place. I wont break my promise, my heart breaks, but you must pas the cost of the life you've chosen to live" The Accused nods in agreement and understanding, for all the Just said was true. "Present your Defense." The Accused steps forward but can't even look into the One Just Judge's eyes that brim with tears over the chosen fate of the Guilty. The Accused crumbles to the floor in pain as their very heart breaks inside them for how they've grieved their Father.
At this The Advocate steps forward. As He places a steady hand on the shoulder of the now shaking Guilty he begins, "just One, all you've said is true. The cost must be paid according to the ancient covenant. But I call to your remembrance the BLOOD shed on a hill one fateful eve not so long ago. Behold evidence 316." At this the assebmly seems to stand still as the arch angels present a pile of what seems to be grave clothes. "Behold Just Father, the garments of my resurrection. Do not forget your covenant with all the accused. If they believe in their hearts and declare with their mouths that I, Your Son, am Lord and Redemer- will you not turn Your anger from them? Here I present the solution. If my beloved Guilty one signs their life to the pursiuit of your heart- to be a servant to our ways- my BLOOD and that of the new covenant shall cover them. The cost has already been paid, if they so choose to embrace it."
The Just looks to the Accused who still, ashamed at their filth, covers their face. "Child, dearest child, Your Advocate's case is approved! Sign your name dear one! All debts have been paid. Take the gift in your hands." Accused tries to stand to sign, but can not. The Advocate comes and lifts them to their feet to help them to the table to sign. As the Advocate helps them stand they sign it. The Advocate declared,"Now speak, I loose your lips Child!"
The Accused begins through their tears,"My life, heart, future and hopes are yours and in your hands-you are LORD and REDEEMER!" In a flash of light a dark forms seems to be pulled from the body of the Once Accused and is thrown to the opposite side of the room. The assembly watches as the form is nailed to to the ancient tree that once held the Advocate. The ear spliting sound of stone pounding iron breaks across the room then silence falls. As the once acused now looks to the Just they see that the sound was His gavel, the sound of a covenant approved. Sound of debt paid.
Once Accused runs to the Advocate's arms and begins to thank him. "Dear child, you have been Redeemed. I loved you all to much to let you suffer the fate you so readily seemed to embrace. Thus the Just Father and Judge created the altar and sacrifice! Now, to seal this forever." The Advocate reached out his hand and placed it over the Redeemed's arm. With a warm spark exploding within their arm the Advocate removes His hand. "Here, now, my name is upon your arm. For you are MINE. Now all will know you belong to ME."
At this the Just Father and Judge reaches out to the Redeemed. "Come into my arms and know that you are forgiven. Now your burden is broken and your yoke can be light!" They embraced and Redeemed stepped away.
"Hear this now, write this in the ancient book. This child once accused and guilty, has had their debt paid and is Redeemed by the BLOOD of the Perfect Sacrifice and by the TESTIMONY of the Advocate!" A great cheer was raised through out all of the assembly. "Now belvoed go tell the other guilty of all you've seen and heard. Remembering always the cost paid for your second life you now live. Walk in our love and lead others to the day of their case with our Holy Advocate. You my lovely, now know the path that leads here well! Now go and win the prize- you are Redeemed!"

"That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him...Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." Hebrews 4:14,16

Live to make "wet eyes proud"

Wet Eyes- an excerpt from "When God Writes Your Love Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy

Wet eyes are watching you! The moist eyes of Jesus, tenderly longing for you to let go of your life and hold fast to Him. His eyes are gentle as they see you stumble and scrape your knee in sin once again. He doesn't kick you when you're down, but rather he carefully stabilizes you with His mercy and grace, and helps you to your feet. He is so patient when you falter, and is ever faithful to forgive you.
His eyes are smiling as they find you longing to please Him.
Just as the little three year old child picks up a crayon and scribbles a masterpiece for his earthly father, so you scribble your very best rendition of a life honoring to your Father in heaven. And even though He might not be able to tell if it is a picture o Him or a hippo, your little scribbles of love mean everything yo you God.
His eyes are also full of pride as they observe you trusting Him. He, more than anyone, knows how difficult it is to stand against the tide. He simply wants an ordinary person to trust His nature and character, and to test His perfect faithfulness. And as Oswald Chambers has said, "If we deliberately choose to obey God, then he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power."
Wet eyes are watching you. The caring eyes of heaven have spent too many years burning with tears of pain over your life and mine. Let us choose today to bless God's heart with the gift of loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let's make those wet eyes proud.

Wow. I don't know about you, but those words touched my heart. God most definitely is using his children today to speak God inspired truths to his people. That made my eyes wet!

I just finished reading Driven By Eternity by John Bevere before reading this book by the Ludys. After that book God really challenged me to examine my heart and its motives. I began to question some of the things I've done and whether I had done it with a heart wanting to please God.

But I so do. My hearts cry is to live in a way that brings a smile to my Father and Lover's lips. And one line that particularly pricked my heart strings was where it says "His eyes are smiling as they find you longing to please him." He sees our hearts, and has seen how desperately I've tried to walk in his ways. He is so quick to forgive, I can't wrap my mind around it-I can only ask him to conform my mind to that of his! As I was listening to the simple truths revealed in the excerpt above God spoke something to my heart, and I feel like some of your hearts out there-in big wide cyber space- need to hear these same words from your father. Remember that he is the one who says "I have set the stars in place and I am the one who says to Israel 'You are mine!" (Isa. 51:16)

This same living and loving God spoke these tender words from his heart directly to mine and wants you to hear them as well, read it slowly and let him play the heartstrings of your beloved heart.
"I watch as you carefully try and draw a picture of life as you see it outlines in my word. Then when I see you color outside of the lines I fell a prick of pain because I know youre trying-but I have to show you that you messed up. I tell you in the most loving way because I don't want you to think I don't like your picture, I just want you to have the best picture possible. How my heart swells with love and pride as your tender heart receives my discipline and instruction; as you erase your mistake and try again. Such a beautiful picture you draw. Little do you know that this one picture of life you diligently work on is just one piece of the much bigger picture I have written on the hearts of my beloved children across time."

We can't accept our Daddy's love and forgiveness then rub his good name in the dirt. We must see the error of our ways and begin to live to make our Daddy's wet eyes proud. Run home to his open arms. When we fall, don't assume we have no hope. Jesus' name holds all the hope we need. His hands contain all the strength we need. And Jesus' heart is exploding with all the love we could ever need. Let him wrap you in his merciful arms and then begin to live in order to make His eyes brimming with tears proud.

"He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him." -Psalm 103:12-13

Dont Blink

This morning at my church Pastor Jon continued our series-Relationship Revolution. PJ spoke on parenting. Why would I decide to blog after hearing a message on parenting? I'm not a parent. No but I have them and I know A LOT of kids who have them, or the lack there of. He shared how quickly your kids can grow up. Well me, I'm on the reverse end of the spectrum-I'm the kid. The one who grows up in the 'blink of an eye.' All the days of being little and having no responsibility are gone. Youre only little for a short time, enjoy it while you can, be thankful for the little things. While my parents have watched me grow up fast, all the time I have with them has gone by fast. Im graduated and going to college, when did that happen? Over a short 14 or so years I've went from the little kid in sunday school to God blessing me with an awesome church where he's implemented me as a leader and drawn me deeper into his arms than I ever thought possible..who blinked? Was it me or my parents?

I don't want to ever come to a place where I take God's blessing for granted. Lately some of those blessings hes been dealing with for me, are my parents. They are AMAZING!!!! God is so great to bless me in this way. So that is one of the first things I got out of the message.

Pastor Jon also shared some things that some jr highers shared anonymously in relation to their parents. They said how much it hurt when their mom or dad dissaproved, or things like "my parents say I never tell them that I love them, but I do and they just never listen." Things like this. Their notes broke my heart. As I was thinking about that, and how many hurting people produce hurting kids God spoke to me. While any parents makes mistakes, God's grace covers all mistakes, but you have to go to him and repent and turn from your sinful ways. So for the kids and teens and now adults who have had hard relationships with their parents I pray for! God will fill the needs in his children's lives. Those whose parents werent always there, whose dad left, whose mom never listens, God will bring others into you life! If the parents dont come to a place of humbling themselves before God and heading down the right path God will bring those role models, the ones who will invest their time, love and heart into these hurting kids. God is the ultimate Father to the fatherless. He is so merciful that he hears the 14 year old daughter's cries for a father that loves her, and he comes in to fill the need then puts a godly man of integrity in her life to show her that she deserves better. The son that tries his best to impress his father but just gets beat later that night is restored to his Heavenly father and sees that he doesnt have to follow suit, he can break the cycle. God will hold up the weak, there is always hope in him, but he wants us as christains to do our part.

God spoke to my heart through the Jr Highers comments. He said "You hear that, you say you want to be the face of love to the people around you? You want to reach out with my hands, have my heart? This breaks my heart. My children are hurting and you can be one of those who fills the void." yeah. Soak that in. Every kind word I say to the hurting, every hug and smile is a balm that can be placed on their hurting hearts. God wants us to reach out, why not start out with the ones you see every week. While I cant be a mom to these people, I can love on them. I can let God work on my selfish tendancies and show my to love even more unconditionally. God please do that!

In conlcusion, if you can, jump on itunes.com and search for Resurrection Life Chruch of Richland and listen to these messges. God is awesome. I am going to be thankful for the little things and not take it all for advantage. I'm going to look at the Jr Highers in a different light, not in a pity, but genuine compassion and love knowing that God can use me to heal the hurts they have. Lastly, I'm not going to blink.

God, I can hardly find words to tell you whats on my heart. Thank you for how youve spoken to me and numerous others on all of this. HELP me to be more thankful, more selfless. God I SOOOOO want to be someone to love on those who are hurting. Help me to not get selfish and prideful, let me always look for ways to be used by you. Ways to make the lasting impression on the people around me. Ways to tell others about you, to leave a lasting legacy. Help me to store up gold and silver not just stray. Lord you are so loving, so merciful, thank you that we can always be redeemed in you..God no words can say it better than THANK YOU. Use us God!