+ 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (NLT) "And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen." Did you catch it? Paul is encouraging the believers to continue in the pouring out of their lives in love. We all know about the times that Jesus specifically shared how the greatest commandment, even about the Law of Moses, is to LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and to LOVE your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:34) How far we stray from this reality of faith! How many churches make the Gospel all about the style of music they play, or the color of the carpet-or my personal favorite, the version of Bible you read. That's a deal breaker. No, Jesus on more than one occasion stressed what the hinge of the door of salvation was-love. To love God, and to love others. Now while many a church is debating whether the keyboard is worse than a drum set there are many Christians who are working on their spiritual complexion. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not just harping on churches. I love church. I love the body of Christ; there is just the reality that many who claim to be part of this body are actually currently taking a saw-zaw to their ankle. I don't feel too horrible about calling out the pride filled Christian because I've been there. I've been self focused and misdirected. But God's grace and loving family have helped me realign my own focus. Like I said, we as 'the church' can get so wrapped up on achieving holiness that we forget the reason that we are to be holy. God called us to be holy-for he is holy. But his holiness draws the lost to repentance. It's always about others; it's never been just about you. We have to stop getting so caught up in fixing ourselves that we stand right in front of a person and watch them crumble, and we never lift a finger from our own face to help them. I want to propose to you that you should stop fixing yourself. Some friends and I have been discussing this and it just keeps coming up. Now this isn't to say that we ignore our own problems, Jesus also addresses hypocrisy. Yes grow, be challenged and address the issues in yourself-but not at the expense of the people in your life. If we would open our eyes, if we would stop looking in the mirror then maybe, just maybe, others would have the chance to see the piece of God you've been so zealously polishing and hording. If you read the scripture I mentioned again, it says that God is working out love in our life, so that it over flows—and as a result we become strong and blameless and holy. And isn't the Bride of Christ supposed to be spotless and holy? How else are we ever going to get there without love? Love other people today. Let God do a work of holiness in you. He calls us to be holy like he is holy-and he is love, as a result, God will see us as holy.
God did it again. You know, when he sneaks up behind you and puts his finger on that one lesson that you've learned one thousand times before-but got so busy and distracted that your forgot it again? Yeah, he did that to me. I was reading during my God time and came across a verse I had already underlined in my Bible. This means of course that I at some point found it profound and wanted to remember it. However this day as I read over the verse one single phrase stuck out.
As a Result
“Summer Air from Somewhere”
Summer air symphony outside my window,
Riding on the fresh after breath of the moon.
What if I could catch you in a jar and study your unique tune?
Who is it that directs with sounds so sweet?
Do the stars twinkle to keep the time?
I wonder whether the crickets know their strings were assembled by the Divine.
The breeze that builds the acoustics so resounding,
Helps to amplify the trees rustling percussion.
Me? I am just a passerby who paused as I sauntered past the amphitheater.
This one located at the somewhere along the intersection between dream and thought.
I marvel at the harmony so true-
A sound hardly touched by ivory and wood.
This summer's symphony will soon give way to autumns textures and colors,
A canvas composed of artistic picture rather than a midnight song.
No matter the lyric, artistry or allure-the author tis all the same.
He is the one who sings the melody, a thread woven through all our joy or pain.
Heavy notes of love and faithfulness-so soothing for one to hear.
So whether you sleep, wake or rise-
Remember who you are in this grand composer's eyes.
End the question of the summer air from somewhere-the source is deeply known.
When it next comes to mind-take the time,
To listen to that which is sung around the throne.
A summer air's song from somewhere.
The Door Unopened
As usual, I have found a new meaning in a portion of scripture I've never seen enlightened before. A new dawning of understanding came over me as I was reading through the ministry of Peter and his adventures in Acts. I found myself reading the account of when he was in prison and has a miraculous release from his bonds. I previously blogged about how God spoke to me having a grasp on the vision for your dreams and future in "Following your vision out of the prison." This time around through Acts God placed his finger on another arena entirely. He was making my throat close and heart pound at the question-do you love me enough to wait for me? You see, once Peter was lead out of the prison in Acts 12, we then see him coming to the home of friends who were interceding on his behalf while in bondage. Now this is one of those instances that this narrative of Peter may not have been inspired by the Spirit for this exact illustration-but God wanted to speak to me, and I believe you, on this subject-and this particular passage is what he used. As Peter arrives at the door, the people inside are praying their guts out for him. They want him to just magically show up. They are praying a prayer that most in the back of their m inds may be thinking, if ONLY he would just miraculously show up at our door-if ONLY God was supernaturally deliver him! And then, the most amazing thing happens. As the people in the house are eagerly and ardently seeking God for Peter to be with them-a knock on the door is heard. A young gal runs to the door-looks to see the answer to her prayers-Peter at the door. So what does she do? Does she burst open the door like an excited grandmother receiving her check from Publisher Clearing House!?! No…she runs back to the room where the others are and declares "He's here!" How odd. Think about it, the answer to her prayer is there, but she is more excited to tell others about it then to experience the miracle. The thing God showed me was what made my throat close a little. Take this and make it an analogy of your spiritual life. As I looked at it in this filter-I am the person in the house, praying and praying for God's presence, for an encounter with him, for a flicker of his voice, for a sense of his beautiful face. We pray, we cry, we eat dirt in our 'prayer closet'. Then at the first sense of his presence-when the goose bumps rise on our arms we think mission accomplish and leave our room after a time spent in the word and think "mission accomplished," but we just heard a knock, recognized Jesus and ran off telling everyone how huge our God time just was. How often do we turn away before really ope ning the door to let the Father enter his Temple? How often at that first little sign we boast to others of the righteousness we feel we're experiencing- but Jesus is still outside the door waiting? What if we opened the door to him fully when he knocked, when he came as we so ar dently prayed for him to come? What if God actually came to the door with intentions of going inside? The Word says in Revelation 3:20 "Here He doesn't want you to run away at the sound of his voice and think that is all there is. He wants to spend time with you- he wants to be nourished with you. Imagine that, we are certainly strengthened in his presence, but he finds joy, fellowship, and yes strength and delight in spending time was us to! How much more could we be used, how much more of Jesus would we know if we opened the door? Then look, really look at what the Word says after those inside FINALLY open the door for Peter… "Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed." (Acts 12:16) The pastor at my church said something this last week that made me catch my breath, one of those confirmations from God- "The degree of value you place on the presence of God determines the measure of access you have to the impossible." We should jealously guard our time with God-value it, make it a priority and never underestimate what God has planned for you. Do now allow this to lay guilt on you, may it place you in holy dissatisfacti on with your time with God. May you hear his continuous knocking, his calling to us-his yearning to answer your prayers-and let him in. Let his presence saturate your life. Lord teach us to wait on you, may we not sell ourselves short so that we run and get all self-righteous about the whisper we heard from you when you want to fellowship and have a conversation with us. God we want to see you face to face-give us the patience and endurance and expectation to walk forward and open the door. (Photo by Linda Sannuti- check out her awesome pics at http://linda-sannuti.artistwebsites.com )
I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."
The Joy of “Cross-Eyed” Retrospect
I've been reading through Job. Quite an interesting book that I could say a lot about, but I want to narrow my thoughts to one particular portion of this theologically challenging correspondence. I'm not here to debate whether God ever allows painful things into our lives or how Satan can enter God's presence like that, no; I'm just here to share with you something that God brought to light for me recently when I was reading Job. If you have ever skimmed over Job or heard a pastor preach on it somewhere, I'm sure you know the gist of the story. A wealthy, faithful follower of God all the sudden has tragedy strike and looses everything that ever meant something to him. All the while his friends, maybe well meaning, try to get him to admit some hidden sin that would explain what he was going through, and Job declares he is innocent. Many times we uphold the idea that Job was so righteous never getting upset with God through all this…and I have to ask you if that's how you view Job-have you ever read his letters? The Book of Job is full of Job's honest and heart-wrenching prayers asking God why this is happening. He seems to feel insignificant in God's sight, otherwise why would this be happening? It is as if he questions how God views him, but all the while Job understands the power of God, if you have the time; it's a complex book to read through-but it's amazing what you'd find. The portion that struck a chord with me was found in chapter nine, one of Job's responses to his friend… + Job 9:32-35 32 "God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. 33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. 34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. 35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength. What a vivid picture of a man who is lost in his sorrows. All Job can see is how despised he is. The only thing he can comprehend is how god MUST be angry with him because of all the horrors he was going through. And then his line is nearly heart breaking. He details the need for a mediator. He just wants to feel heard by God, to understand why he is dealing with all the pain that has latched itself to his life. All he sees is his sinful state, he knows that he couldn't ever come to God in that way, but what he hasn't understood yet is how God wants Job to come even in this state. It's reminiscent of the cry of Isaiah when he realizes he is ruined for his sins are in the presence of the KING. (Isaiah 6) Have you ever felt the distance from God when you needed him the most? Ever felt that what you've done is so wrong that God couldn't want you to approach him in this muddied state. I know the feeling, praying the same thing over and over with seemingly no response-if only there was someone who was there…someone who could be in God's presence and state my case, intercede for me. But there is. That's just it, we DO have a mediator, and we can turn to Jesus. Job lived thousands of years before Jesus came in the flesh. In fact, many scholars believe that Job was the oldest book written; chronologically it would most likely be intermixed with the book of Genesis. If he only had the ability to see the sacrifices as an image of the coming Savior, but Job lived before Moses' time, this could be why we never see a reference to God's provision for the people of Israel that is looked back on by so many other Old Testament books. Just imagine it; Job's only context of god is however he had revealed himself to him in a clear and personal way. Job, even a in his distress while questioning God's love for him still understands pieces of his character. What would I have reacted life if I wasn't able to look back to the cross? The people of Israel could look forward knowing God was a deliverer. They had a picture of it, they had been promised a redeemer. They had the cloud and pillar of fire, for all we know about Job, he had no such physical manifestation of God. He was only able to respond to God through hi innate desire for purpose, love and connection. We don't know how he first came to know God-but I can't imagine how I would've been able to respond if I couldn't look back to the cross. Job saw his sinfulness, and he felt inadequate to state his case before a Holy God, and all he wanted was somehow to feel like someone was listening to his plea. As I read this, I was deeply convicted. All those times that my prayers seemed to hit the ceiling, as they mingled with my tears…I had the immeasurable blessing to be able and look back on the cross. My Mediator was listening; my mediator was lifting up his own prayers on my behalf. Job eventually came to the realization that God was there-but what would I have done in that situation? How grossly my trust in God would've been in comparison with Job's. We have it clear and laid out, that even in those hard moments-our sacrificial mediator is interceding on our behalf. + Hebrews 8:6 But our High Priest has been given a ministry that is far superior to the ministry of those who serve under the hold laws, for he is the one who guarantees for us a better covenant with God, based on better promises. I guess I want to encourage you, take a lesson from Job, his life crumbled and he still held to a God he had never seen. We have access to a text that tells us all we need to know in order to get close to a REAL and PERSONAL GOD. We can look back at the cross. We have the assurance that our God brought the mediator-what measure of trust it took for Job to trust God to come through centuries down he line. The Hebrew people looked forward with verbal promises spoken. Next time you feel your life is crumbling, maybe that's today, remember that you can turn to a God who has already come through for you. How can we not trust him when he has placed Jesus always in the throne room to intercede? I don't know if your heart was pricked by the example God brought to confront me. All I know, is that next time I'm feeling like my life has taken on a new pain, I have no excuse to not present it before God and KNOW he hears, just look back . See the cross. See your mediator always before the throne.
A Word for Those Afraid of the Flame
I find comfort in the reality that we serve a God who doesn't hesitate to help us live up to what our highest potential is. Our God wants to see us walking in all he has for us-the processes however to training ourselves to run that race in a way well done-that's not always a path marked with rainbows and puppy dogs. Sometimes leaving our fluffy little house of pillow soft friends and candy sweet words can hurt like a bee sting in the ankle. But one thing I know is that when we find ourselves in those painful situations-our God can work all things for our good (Romans 8:28) I also know that God can often call us to move beyond the boundaries of our comfortable routine. And I have personally experienced what happens if you too long resist that leading. When I ignored God calling me to change an area in my life, or to address a distraction-eventually I was able to ignore his voice speaking to me about that issue. When we do that we are pulling away from God's growth process for us……with all this and more weighing heavy on my heart at this week's Sunday night prayer service, I felt God speaking to me. I felt convicted at his words-and I know that he wants YOU to hear this too. Please don't push away God's leading anymore in that area that is on your mind right now…please read this word with an open heart to hear what God may be speaking to you, and if your palms get sweaty and your heart beats a little faster-remember that we can only ignore God's voice so long until we become experts on the phrase "those who have ears but cannot hear" +Hebrews 12L29-28 (NLT) Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire. "My child- you have strayed from my fire. The answered prayers were hot and burnt a sensitive place on your heary. Did you see that as you pulled away- I wouldn't continue to purge with out your wiling submission? Come close again-I've removed chains but there's more. Let me burn away all that lies in the dark corners. Come further still. You see the pain. You hear the anguish-will you still choose to draw near? Will you let me come as close as I desire? Dear one, do not draw from a shallow account. Deeper, closer I call you to carry a cross-but not alone. But you must take it up with eager focus. Not a cross of a task, not of a call, not of a ministry, but a pursuit; a passionate pursuit of me. No other cross will be heaver for the weight of your soul is in every splinter of the wood. Every heart beat for me is another step closer to the flame. Come take a closer walk by the fire. The chains do not just break, in my presence they are melted into holy ore. From the ore I forge anew the sword of the Spirit that come from the lips of the King to battle on your behalf. Closer I call you to the flame. Forever Faithful is he called, the One who holds out his hand to you, has He not been there before? Does he not know the price? Does He not offer a cry at your pain? Come and turn to the flame to be cleansed and strengthened. He who has called you is faithful, he will do this." +James 4:7-10 (NLT) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to god and God will draw closet you, wash your hands, you sinners; purify you hearts, you hypocrites. Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laugher, and gloom instead of joy. When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor. When you ask God to help you grow and declare that you want him no matter the cost-he will answer that prayer, my question for you today, and it's a question that I had to review once more for myself is this, am I willing to receive the answer to my prayers? Will I draw close to a flame that will burn me, but also keep me soft clay to be molded at the hand of the Potter? Be willing to embrace the healing pain of letting you're selfishness be seared away from your spirit. This is more than lofty words and fancy talk. God can lead you day by day from the decisions you make to the thoughts you think. He wants to be so intimately involved in your life, he wants you to be able and sense his voice when he speaks to you. But he leaves the decision in your hands; will you pull away from the flame-afraid of the healing fire? Or will you walk into it, knowing that the ONE who had been there before will hold your hand as you are renewed. I pray that you embrace the devouring fire of our Holy God and carry it with you where ever you go.
