• "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life..."

Listen to the words of King David in Psalm 23 NLT:

1The lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the lord

forever.

King David had some really, really bad days and some really, really good days.  He knew that everyone has different kinds of days and even varying seasons in life.  Yet, it is interesting that his confession was that "goodness and unfailing love would pursue him all the days of his life."  Many years ago there was an emphasis, even over-emphasis some would say, on the "positive confession."  Yet, we see in the Scripture and even in the medical field that our words can help or hurt us. We can set things into motion in both the positive and negative.  We can even change the atmosphere around us with our words and accompanying attitude. I have a "natural tendency" to drift toward the negative in my thinking and my words.  Here is the question.  Does imbalance toward being overly positive or overly negative cause the most harm?  Of course thinking and speaking negative things causes the most problems in life.  A person can be having a "bad day" and circumstances can change and they immediately feel better.  What has changed?  Circumstances may have improved but the major change has been in thinking and speaking.  Let us begin to practice our walk with the Lord speaking like a child who has the best Parent in the world. (Because we do!)  My cup overflows with blessings.6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the lord

forever."

If you can't build it, you can't maintain it.

I'm writing this to leaders of all genres.  My arena happens to be the Church but it applies to all leadership roles.  My title, "If you can't build it, you can't maintain it", needs to be explained.  I used to think there were builders and there were maintainers.  After all there are differing gifts and varying measures of those gifts.  The Scripture bears out the different levels of "talents".  However, after all these years I have come to realize that everyone has to be able to build.  It is fruitfulness.  Healthy people reproduce!  I have watched some take the safe road and try to simply maintain an organization with the idea that they would just put in their time, make sure they left it as good as they found it and all would be well.  Not so!  I have never seen that work in any field.  It is of necessity true  that all groups and living things must have a maintenance program ongoing.  However, if the primary leadership is consumed with that effort the group will deteriorate.  Where there is fear of failure in leadership, failure will surely come.  Fear of failure stops faith for success.  You cannot have both.  All leaders must decide they are willing to risk the safety of today in order to reach the new horizons of tomorrow.   A decision to stifle those visionary ideas because of timidity and fear will not only cause failure but it also creates a roadblock to other new visionary ideas.  That is why successful people become more successful and often patterns of failure reoccur.  There is a principle in the Christian walk that you will get more as you use that which you have, and you will be led into future success by being obedient to walk in your present instruction.  Too many timid souls want a guarantee of success before proceeding.   There are no such assurances.  Faith is a life on the edge.  From that edge one can see the possibility of rising to new levels of accomplishment but one can also see the troubled shoals strewn with the shipwrecks of disaster.  Where then is the comfort to take the leap of faith into the unknown?  It is in a moment by moment relationship with Jesus that is on speaking terms.  Jesus is not only in the  church business He is the greatest specialist in all walks of life and in every enterprise.  Let Him lead you today.  He is speaking!

The Glory

The word "glory" is defined as very great praise.  We human beings either struggle with 

glory or desire it when we shouldn't.  I remember vividly when, as a young upstart minister,

 someone came to me after I had just preached in a service and made some complimentary 

statement about my sermon.  I was very uncomfortable with it and honestly didn't know what

 to say.  I said what I had heard other preachers say when in the same situation.  "To God 

be the glory!"  Even saying it felt wrong somehow because honestly, the compliment  felt

 good but I could never admit that.  After that I tried a number of phrases and none seemed 

any better.  Finally, I prayed and asked the Lord, "what would be a good thing to say when 

complimented for service."  I heard a very liberating answer. "Why don't you simply say 

thank you?"  Wow!  Kinda weird!  Yet, often our struggle with compliments over service can 

be the evidence of pride itself.  The fact that there is a struggle says a lot.  The absence of 

struggle and the clear understanding that we are vessels filled with the life and ministry of 

Jesus can really be a safe and secure place in the love of Jesus.  

On one occasion Jesus said, "Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you."NLT
Jesus said to us, "as the Father sent me so send I you."  God the Father does intend to
allow his glory to touch us and work through us as a way of glorifying himself.  When the Lord heals us or blesses us in an extraordinary way, we experience his glory.  Then our living testimony of His blessing reflect and directs the glory back to God.  It has been said that the Lord is like the sun and we are like the moon.  We have no light in our humanity but as redeemed humanity we reflect the light and Glory of the sun/Son.  Settle in your heart that there is nothing of any value in your own being. All that we have that is good comes only through the indwelling Christ.  With that knowledge we may relax in His Presence and allow the glory to fall us and reflect from us.  

“When we could no longer endure…”

What a negative confession!  How could any Christian who understands our authority in Christ make such a statement?  Who said it?  Well, it was the one who wrote about half the New Testament, the Apostle Paul.  Actually, he says it twice in just a few sentences.  You may read about it in I Thess. 3:1-5.  There are times in every life when after we have done all we know to do things still can be difficult.  Things can even be hard to endure.  We may even fight as hard as we know how and still lose a battle! That doesn’t mean you have done anything wrong.  It might even mean you are doing something right!  One of the most misunderstood concepts in the Church is that if things get hard we must have missed the will of God.  Not so!  That is not validated in the Bible.   On the contrary difficulty can often be a sign that we are on the right track and the enemy is attacking our advance upon him.  Remember, spiritual warfare is a real thing and Satan is in the business of resisting those who are advancing the Kingdom of God.  You may say, “Well I’m just working a job, and raising a family as Christians.”  I know and that is Kingdom advancement of the highest order.  Warfare happens most often in the home trying to live for Christ.

When Paul makes these statements it is important that we understand what he did and what he did not do.  He first and foremost, did not quit!  As a matter of fact his concern did not seem to be for himself but his focus was caring for the Church.  There is a real key here to victory in a bad situation.  The protections of our own interests and ourselves seem to work against us in spiritual warfare.  Spiritual power is released when in the middle of a mess we choose to focus not on our deliverance but on finishing the Kingdom task.  It is in that posture that we discover the Kingdom breakthrough and hopefully our own deliverance as well.  While it is fun and it feels good to choose to believe that hardship can’t touch us as Christians, it is not Bible Truth.  We are in a war.  In any war there are battles that are won and battles that are lost.  For us the great motivating force is that we know the war has already been won by Jesus.  We simply remain in the battle and focused on the prize, the Lord Jesus himself. 

Preach the Word!

2 Tim. 4:2"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

  3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine..."

When Paul writes his letters to his spiritual son Timothy, he stresses the need to protect the church from teaching that strays from the Truth of the Word of God.  In their day the danger was heathen practices, false gods and religions that were seeping into the church.  In both letters Paul describes the conditions of society and even a faltering church and the need to remain steadfast in the belief systems established by Jesus and the Apostles.  His answer to false teaching and deception, "Preach the Truth!"  You might say, "well, what else could the Church or preachers preach?" A quasi gospel is one that is apparently truth but not really.  Several times in the last few months people have approached me after I finished preaching and they all said something like this.  "Thank you for preaching the Truth."  At first I didn't think much about it.  Then as I began to hear it more and more in different places as I was traveling I began to wonder what it meant.  Could it be that they were all just using the same phrase to flatter me?  I began to think it might be much more than that.  What if preaching from the Scripture as the central focus of my sermon was unusual or different from their normal diet in that Church?  That would be alarming!  After all, when most of us were ordained by some spiritual authority we made a vow of sorts.  Like to taking the oath to join the military I raised my right hand and vowed to protect the nation and the constitution.  When I was ordained into Christian ministry I vowed to "preach the Word!"  Could it be that there is a trend away from preaching and teaching the Word of God in exchange for natural recipes of self improvement?  I surely hope not!  

The Word of God, the Scripture, is not boring.  It is a life force that, when preached with conviction, releases a life changing supernatural power that "converts the heart".  

Self improvement lectures motivates from without but the Word of God motivates and changes from the inside out. Even reading the Scripture in a group setting imparts the very life of God.  However, before one can preach the Word, one must know the Word.  Paul in writing to this same son Timothy also said in his letter, 2 Tim. 2:15 "

 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  You cannot rightly divide the Word until you have studied the Word.(KJV)  

May we place a fresh faith upon the Power of the Word as the force that accomplishes the work.  While we may impress with our oratorical abilities, at the end of the day nothing is changed.  The preaching of the Word on the other hand releases an inescapable power that remains with the hearer long after the service ends.  

To my knowledge I haven't reprinted outside articles in my weekly blog.  This article was so illuminating that I felt to share it with our "gentlemen" readers.  Of course, ladies may enjoy it as well!

Gentleman

Today, we use the word 'gentleman' very casually, without understanding the depth in its meaning. Any audiences, large or small, are addressed by the terms ladies and gentlemen. On looking at the real deep meaning of the word 'gentleman' we realize how carelessly we use it. The word 'gentleman' has evolved over a long time. The word is associated with esteemed values and principles that should be possessed by a man to be called a gentleman. The connotation of the word 'gentleman' has changed over time. It once implied a man of conduct, a man of virtue while it has become an everyday word of the present times.

Gentleman's Characteristics
Being a gentleman does not depend on the social standing of a man. It is his behavior, which makes him a gentleman. According to an old story, a woman had requested the king to make her son a gentleman. The king had replied to her saying that he would only be able to make him a nobleman and only God would be able to make him a gentleman. During the Shakespearean Era, a man who bore a coat of arms was considered a gentleman. During the olden days, wearing a sword was one of the visible characteristics of gentlemen.

With the passing time, the word 'gentleman' began to be linked to a wider range of characteristics. Today, one may associate a gentleman with gentleness. But the real significance of the word was a man's characteristic of gentility. A gentleman is one who treats others, especially women with respect. It is he who bears great regard towards womanhood. It is he who understands her and treats her honorably. A gentleman is characterized by his courtesy and concern towards women. He gives ladies their due respect and acts with humility. It's the decency in a man's behavior that characterizes him as a gentleman.

A gentleman is someone who does not take an undue advantage of his power or the weaknesses of those around him. He is a man who does not compel others to do anything against their wish. A gentleman never offends others physically or mentally. He never inflicts pain. In a broader sense of the term, a gentleman is the one who cares for the people around him, helps them with their problems and strives to remove every obstacle that impedes their lives. Easing and comforting everyone around remains the major concern of a gentleman. He is thoughtful and has foresight. His wisdom helps him stay away from blunders.

Other characteristics of a gentleman include his humbleness, his prudence, his calm, his patience and his principles. A gentleman never boasts of himself. He is merciful and tender. He can keep his cool in all types of situations. He never looks at people with prejudiced eyes. He refrains from getting into conflicts or debates. He keeps himself away from badmouthing people and making unreasonable allegations. He dislikes gossip.

Above all, a gentleman bases his thoughts and actions on healthy philosophical principles. He submits to pain and understands that certain things in life are inevitable. He accepts death as a part of destiny. He adheres to righteousness throughout life.

"Stupid Is As Stupid Does!"




In the words of Forrest Gump, "stupid is as stupid does."  Christians, just like non-Christians, can do some of the dumbest things.  The real public relations problem for the Lord is that often those dumb things are done with a follow up comment, "God told me to do it!"  The phrase, "God told me..." can be a defense mechanism for rebellious and/or immature people.  It isolates the person from correction, they think.  Evidently the Apostle Paul was dealing with just such issues in the church at Corinth.  In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul deals very specifically with the audible public gifts of speaking in tongues with interpretation and prophecy.  In our day as in their day these guidelines need to be followed.  Listen to Paul in the following verses.  I Cor. 14:23 "Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all.25And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you."




Paul makes it very clear that when these gifts are in operation, it is important for the common good that there is an order and propriety to their function.  Later in this chapter Paul even says that when a person says, "God says", the other prophets who are present must judge it.  This would include preaching as well.  This propriety represents to us the character of a safe and orderly God.  His heart and requirement for accountability should not be seen as a domination so much as guidelines to liberation. It should work far beyond verbal gifts and even beyond the church gathering.  No one is to be above judging and correction if necessary. That would cover the spectrum from the pope to the pew.  While it is wonderfully true that we can all be used as redeemed vessels to speak on God's behalf, it is also true that we can all miss it!  Yes, we can and probably have all said and done "stupid things" in and around church circles. I know I have, many times.  There is even great freedom in knowing that!  We hold this treasure in earthen vessels so it is a part of the process of the function of the "earthen vessel church."  Insecurity doesn't like to be told that it is wrong.  Security and maturity are sisters that respond to correction with gratitude and grace.  





Overcomers

2 Peter 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

The Apostle Peter tells us that in the last days there will be powerful false teachers who will have such power that they will be able to lead believers astray and actually "overcome" that person.   The word "overcome" is defined as: "to defeat, beat, conquer, trounce, thrash, rout, vanquish, overwhelm, overpower, get the better of, triumph over, prevail over, win over."  The late Minister Derek Prince said, "we will either be overcomers or we will be overcome." We will live our lives overcoming obstacles, false teaching, false prophecies and other forms of spiritual warfare or we will be ourselves overcome.  

Jesus said in Revelation 3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."  Again in Revelation 2:26 Jesus said, "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—"  It has been said that the Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.  They don't give trophies for those who start a race.  They only give rewards for those who finish.  Jesus says we must overcome to finish.  That means we will be challenged, even attacked.  We must overcome the temptations, challenges and attacks.  It is a war in which we are engaged.  In war there is a phrase called "the fog of war".  Regardless of the training in objective and tactics, once the bullets start flying and brothers in arms start falling, the fog of war sets in.  Confusion seems to be the only thing that is certain.  D Day was a prime example.  Almost everything went wrong that could go wrong.  Yet, in the midst of the fog of warfare people who overcame stabilized themselves and returned to the truth of their training.  They didn't allow themselves to be overtaken by all the "what ifs and yeah buts."  They made a decision to believe in and practice their basic training.

We are in a spinning world of chaos and confusion.  It may even look as if what we have learned as foundational Christian teaching isn't working.  It's all the fog of war!  For centuries and centuries the Church has been bombarded.  It has looked bleak time and again.  Yet for those who chose to believe and live by the Truth of God's Word regardless of circumstances, they overcame and gained their place among the overcomers that have spanned the ages.  

Rattlesnakes in the House!

I can't get released from continuing to address the end time scourge of false prophets and false teachers.  Those who know me know that I am a reasonably positive person.  I don't enjoy going on this long on what might be considered a negative topic.  Yet, I still feel a need to address this critical topic.  In the event that you may think I'm putting too much emphasis on it, let's take a look at the following instructions about false teachers:

2 Peter 2:12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.17These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 18For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. 

Notice the last sentence.  "for by whom a person is overcome."  False teachers have power.  Their lofty words and enticing promises are alluring.  The Word says people will be "overcome and brought into bondage."  These people are confessed believers.  Many of them will be church members.  I see these last days false prophets and teachers as demonic raiding parties attacking those on the borders of the church, the outskirts.  They are distant church members who have withdrawn from the safety of the inner sanctuary of the Church family because of disillusionment, disappointment or wounds.  They haven't dealt with their offenses as Jesus has told us.  They are distant, festering and vulnerable, easy pickings for the devil.  Don't set yourself up for deception.  

Go to those with whom you are at odds.  Discuss your concerns with your leaders.  And when you see and discern false prophets and teachers working their way into the life of the church, treat them like a "rattlesnake in the house!"

Safe Grazing!

Matthew 24:11"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Again this week I am returning to Matthew 24 and specifically focusing on the term "false prophets".  What a frightening term.  Yet, we dare not wish it away.  Why?  Because Jesus used it!  More and more I am trying to keep in my focus, the Words of Jesus.  While I hear the words, teachings and commentaries of Godly men and women, I'm trying to keep those words in my peripheral vision.  I want only the Words of Jesus to be my guiding light.  1 Timothy 4:1 tells us, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons." NLT
"Teachings that come from demons."  Hmmmm, how is that possible?  It is possible because God's word tells us it WILL happen.  It is not something that could happen but will happen.  As we said last week, this downward spiraling process will occur among church people,  not in the world.  

What will these false teachers and false prophets look like?  They will be very attractive people.  I mean that with and emphasis on "attractive".  They will be attractive to Christians.  What would make them attractive?  Their words are enticing to the "itching ears" of believers who do not have a solid foundation, others who have a root of bitterness toward the Church and those that are just plain gullible.   Their teachings will have attractive elements of Truth but will be off base just a little in the beginning.  One of the things that false prophets will do is to undermine the mission and  the authority of Jesus' Church.  The Church was and is being built by Jesus.  He said He would build it.  It is his idea, it has a family structure given from his throne.  It has his mission at its core.  It is centered on Christ and magnifies only Him.  False prophets slowly lead believers away from Jesus and His Church and toward a promised kingdom that is supposedly much more advanced than the church.    They carefully criticize the true Church and church leaders while building their own kingdom and feathering their own nests.  Sound familiar?  It should because it is the same spirit that was in Absalom.  He sat outside the gate of the real Kingdom and declared he had a better idea.  He cast doubt on the credibility of his own Father, the authority structure set in place by God, and led a group of people to disaster.  Such will be the end of those that are captivated by false prophets and teachers.  We must endure till the end!

Make sure you are in a God ordained local church.  By the way, there isn't a perfect one.  Make sure that your primary spiritual diet is not coming from outside the protection of the Church.  If a sheep starts graving too far from the fold it becomes vulnerable to wolves. May God grant us wisdom!

Should We Be Surprised?

Matthew 24:11"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

It is really quite amazing how many Christians seem surprised by the deterioration of our society. Jesus has given us very specific insights into the last days.  While some preach and teach that the Church or the Kingdom of God will take over and set up a new utopia upon the earth before Jesus returns, Jesus didn't preach that.  Jesus said that "false prophets" will rise up and deceive many and from that deception a "growing cold" will occur.  Where will these frigid waters flow?  In the Church!  Only that which has been hot can grow cold.  The world won't grow cold because it has always been cold.  We must understand that at the core of this weakening of faith among the church is precipitated by false prophets and teachers.  This less than Truth teaching will result in a breaking down of the foundations leading to uncertainty, chaos and lawlessness.  From lawlessness comes backsliding.  

The good news is that regardless of circumstances around us in the world or even in the church, there will be a group that will "endure to the end".  Some have called this group the remnant.  The remnant term has been used for generations.  While some discredit the concept, to me it seems that is exactly what Jesus is saying will happen.  Then Jesus said in verse 14, "and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."  This remnant or this "enduring to the end" group will be the ones that will preach the gospel of the kingdom and usher in the Second Coming of Jesus.  

Christian Behavior

Why do we do the things we do?  This question has been debated by philosophers throughout history.  Some would say that we live our lives based upon things we were taught as children by our parents, teachers and for some, the Church.  Our conscience was shaped and trained by early instruction.  Then we eventually go through an adherence to that formed conscience or a resistance to it.  Most form patterns of living their lives just doing what they "like to do" as their circumstances allow. Some people only eat meat, potatoes and desserts.  If you don't believe it just look around casually the next time you are in a restaurant.  See what the majority of folks eat. They eat what they want!  I know that sounds silly because after all, isn't that what we all do?  Not really.  I will order just what I want on occasion, but mostly I will eat a mixture of things I want to eat and things I need to eat.  Every time I go through a salad bar (which is a choice in itself) I will always come to the broccoli bowl.  Hmmmm....choices!  Should I lessen my enjoyment of my salad by adding broccoli?  After all, I really don't like it.  Most of the time I end up adding it and eating it because it is good for me even if it isn't good to me.  Also how much I eat is a part of that "choice process."  So what then is motivating "what I do?"  What is behind my choices?  Knowledge.  Knowledge narrows my choices.  Of course, that is true only to the degree that I have disciplined myself to follow knowledge in daily life choices. Then there is knowledge that comes from knowing the Scripture and more importantly having what the Bible calls the mind of Christ.  1 Cor. 2:16 tells us that "we understand...for we have the mind of Christ."  Having the mind of Christ is synonymous with the knowledge of the Scripture. Only those who have received Christ as Savior and Lord have this new dimension of knowledge called the Mind of Christ.   Yet, this increased knowledge for living life successfully requires a choice.  We may reject it and do the opposite while Truth is screaming on the inside to do right.  God has given us that ability to choose or reject.   

So, we are back to our original question.  "Why do we do the things we do?"  Our actions are determined by our level of knowledge and our choices regarding that knowledge.  As true Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have the innate ability, unlike the world, to not only make the right choice but to remain faithful to that choice.  Actually, the simple natural action to choose rightly activates God's power to strengthen our faithfulness.  

Resuming Blog

I am looking forward to resuming the blog next Monday, August 18.  For several weeks I will deal with current challenges in the Christian life, obstacles to our success and our call to be 
OVERCOMERS.  I hope you will join me next Monday.  Encourage others to sign up to receive the blog each week. 

Thanks and Blessings!
L. A.

Taking The Summer Off!

I am taking the summer off from blogging.  Have a wonderful summer and rejoin me in the Fall!

Love and Blessings!

L. A.

The Release is found in Rest

The concept of living in the state of rest for the Christian may be the most challenging discipline of all.  Our natural man is a working man, a self sufficient man.  He rises to every challenge with a plan of action to bring a solution to every situation.  When you add the gift of leadership to the picture you have created a person for whom the demeanor of rest seems nigh impossible.  With a hunting dog like a retriever, when the bird falls every fiber of his being wants to run and do what his instincts and training have prepared him to do.  Yet, the hunter sees from a different vantage point, one which the retriever can't see.  The dog's very existence could be dependent upon his obedience when the gun is fired.  If he simply runs on instinct he could run into danger.  He must put his instinct and training under the command of the master who must give the command to retrieve.  He must sit and rest at his master's side even if it means the command to retrieve never comes.  It is an unnatural thing.  When the gun powder is in the air and the bird falls back to earth everyone agrees with the instinct of the dog to rush and retrieve.  The other hunters agree, the other dogs agree but the retriever has been trained to only move when his master has given the command.  While his sitting may be painful and though every muscle may quiver, he must sit in rest.  If the command doesn't come then he must learn to find his peace and fulfillment, not in the accolades of peers but in the approval of his master.  

There are puzzling examples in the Scripture that appears to be contradictory at first glance.  Jesus is asleep on the boat in the middle of a great storm and his disciples awake him and question his concern for their lives.  Jesus rebukes the storm and then the disciples for their lack of faith.  Then, in the garden the night before Jesus was arrested he finds his disciples sleeping and he rebukes them for resting!  What is the difference?  On the boat when Jesus was sleeping, he was asleep and at rest in faith and doing so in the will of God.  When the disciples were asleep they were doing so in disobedience to His Word and in a state of depression and anxiety.  The difference is found in the will and Word of God.  While there is a place of rest where we can learn to abide, we must remain alert even in our rest.  We must rest in faith and be ready to obey, not the crying out of our natural man, not the demands of men, but the voice of our Master.  There may be times when the order doesn't come and the crowds are stunned because Lazarus dies.  Yet, in the timing of the Lord he will rise.  The release is always found in rest.  

Laughing With Jesus

Relationships go through a number of steps as we get to know each other better. We first meet people and we are usually friendly but not too warm.  We are a little reserved at first.  We evaluate the other person in an effort to get to know them and decide at what level our relation finds itself.  We walk away from an encounter processing and we usually make a decision if there will be any future reaching out to the person.  Are they similar to us in attitudes or beliefs?  Did we find them interesting or intimidating?  Often we will get in our cars and we may say to our mate, "I really liked them, maybe we should get together."  Or we might say, "don't even think about it!"  However, when relationships grow they evolve through relational processes.  We move from the first meeting to a second meeting where to get to know them at a deeper level.  If it all goes well true friendships follow.  One of the signs for me of real friendship is the comfort level of the friendship.  Am I comfortable with the person or is it just tolerable?  I think one of the deeper levels of friendship is humor.  How much do we laugh together?  I don't mean social or party laughter, I mean real enjoying each other's company laughter.  The better the friend, the more the laughter!  Oh, I know true friends also share pain and disappointment.  That is a part of real relationships too.  But I'm talking about healthy laughing and joy!  Who do you laugh with?  Certainly your personality has a lot to do with it.  It seems to me that the freer and happier a person is with their own identity, the freer and happier they are with others.  Those kinds of folks are fun to be around.  I have found in the last decade or so that Jesus is much more like that than I first thought.  He is my Savior, my Lord, my Healer and my Deliverer.  Yes, I'm not taking away from that but He is also my Friend.  My relationship with Him has come to a place of great joy and laughter!  Yes, I laugh with Jesus!  If you think I need to see a Doctor after hearing that, just leave me alone and let me enjoy! :) Why did it take me so long to learn to laugh with Jesus?  I think it was because I didn't know Him that well.  I knew Him within the religious confines of knowing "God".  He certainly is God!  He is also a joy to be with.  At times I weep in His presence and at times I laugh and rejoice in His presence.  I think one of the reason we enjoy the company of some more than others is that we believe certain people like us more than others.  I have found that Jesus likes me quite a lot!  Oh, yes, he loved me so sacrificially that He gave his life on the cross for me but...He also likes me a lot too!
He likes you a lot too!  The next time you pray or worship, just go ahead and drop the religious walls that keeps you from intimacy with Him and dare to enter into a special place of friendship with him.  As the relationship deepens, before long,  you will find that you too will be laughing with Jesus!

Barking At The Moon!

So much energy is expended complaining about the deterioration of our society.  Oh, don't get me wrong, it bothers me greatly.  I am angered by the Supreme Court striking down laws that citizens have voted into place in various States.  I am bothered greatly when people are penalized for making statements and ordered to take sensitivity training when others can say about anything about a Christian or the Church and it seems it's just fine.  Why, I even remember Jane Fonda in an enemy camp speaking against our Armed Forces and it was legitimized as freedom of speech.  What about us?  What about our freedom of speech?  Truthfully, we are never going to bring much change ranting from our position.  We are a minority and it seems to be shrinking.  The more we become angry and the more we cry out, it seems it only works against us.  What are we to do?  How do we make a difference?  There can be only one answer, "live the Gospel!"

I heard just today that as many as 250,000 people are becoming Christian each week in China.  It seems that the government there is softening a little and it is not because of public outcry or marches in the streets.  Why?  Because society there is seeing that these Believers are better workers and citizens.  That speaks loudly!  I'm not saying that we shouldn't be involved and thank God our system here in the U.S. allows us to be involved, vote and bring influence to bear through our process of government.  However, living the Gospel is much more powerful than demonstrations and outcries.  We must train our people that it is not enough to act like Christians, we must actually live and be what we say we believe out there in the workplace.  When everything seems to be against us we must stop barking at the moon and make a difference through living the Gospel and follow the example Jesus set for us.  

Feelings Are Real

Heb. 4:15 "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."  

When we read this verse in the King James version it says that our High Priest (Jesus)  is touched by the "feelings of our infirmities".  He is touched or He feels what we feel.  He feels the feelings of our infirmities.  that word "infirmities" or "weaknesses" literally means in the body or the MIND.  As a matter of fact most of our weaknesses originate in the mind or our thought life.  While we strive for perfection in our walk with Jesus, "we hold this treasure in earthen vessels."  While we don't want to give ourselves excuses for not improving, we still need to walk in grace toward others and ourselves. Too many people seem to extend grace and forgiveness externally more than internally.  I believe that the time it takes to forgive oneself says a lot about our level of maturity in Christ.  I'm not talking about cheap grace here.  Grace was terribly expensive, but it was paid in full by Jesus and His efforts, not by ours.  The quicker we forgive ourselves the more we understand the forgiveness of God.  How quickly should we forgive others?  Instantaneously!  How quickly should we forgive ourselves?  Instantaneously!  The "feelings" that we need to take some time to forgive so that the person being forgiven learns their lesson are not feelings of God.  We are playing God trying to "teach them a lesson."  When we delay forgiving ourselves we are in the same way denying the forgiving power of Jesus.  Jesus paid it all!  Certainly, "Godly sorrow brings repentance" but that doesn't have to be a protracted process and certainly not a process brought about by human works.  Forgiveness is a miraculous act of great Grace that comes from Jesus in and through us externally toward others and internally toward ourselves.  While we are talking about feelings, feelings have nothing to do with forgiveness.  Forgiveness is an act on our part, an act of obedience that releases the supernatural power of forgiveness.  Feelings follow obedience and not the other way around.