Been a long tie since I have written anything at all. I wish I could say I was on some lengthy sabbatical or quest to seek and find the Lord. If only that were the case, but ti be sincerely honest, I have just sort of been meandering along in life. I have done some great reading, definitely increased my knowledge of who God is, and His character. But mostly just caught up in life, you can almost smell the putrid stench of a luke warm life.You know, the one that Jesus so elegantly and descriptively talks about spewing out and casting away. Yeah, that's kinda were I was, notice I said was. The Lord has been ever so gracious to reignite a spark and hunger for Him that is becoming greater day by day. For that I am thankful for, and I pray that hunger only grows in me, and I pray for an unsatisfiable hunger and thirst for the Lord that cannot be quenched. In Jesus' name AMEN!
Now, about that title, what are we fighting for? That question arose in my mind and resonated within my heart, after reading an article about the courts allowing two steel I-beams in the shape of a cross remain at the 9/11 memorial. No, before I go any further, let me just say this, I am all for it being there, I totally understand the symbolic hope that cross brought many who were directly affected by the events of that day. I am not attacking the meaning of the cross! The story just stirred in my soul something that I have long talked about with people in my small group of friends. What I am questioning is the many, many similar battles we have fought along the way. The ten commandment battles, the various statues, pictures and figures we fought so fervently to keep on the walls of buildings, in books or talked and taught about in our schools. We have won some and lost some. That is were in the question doth arise. What are we fighting for?
The cross, the pictures with ten commandments, the pictures of Christ or even the scripture quotes, does having them on a wall make us anymore a Christian nation, than say Iran, okay, perhaps a little extreme, but at the same token not so much. Look at this way, merely possessing a bible, does that in itself make you a christian, a follower of Christ? (Let me make a small disclaimer, not judging, not condemning, speaking to myself here as well.) The answer to both questions is absolutely not. Although, possessing a bible, or having the things mentioned in the first sentence in Iran will absolutely get you beheaded.
You see, here we find ourselves on dangerous ground on many, many levels. First off, the, cross, unless we as a church are making aware it's true meaning is simply two pieces of steel, or wood joined together. Secondly, that cross, physically speaking does nothing, without the actions, through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, of us as followers of Christ. Same goes for the commandments, the scripture quotes and all else. Here is were the danger is, we have come to allow the symbolic things, as a nation and church, to become the focus, rather than the real call, the upward call of Christ. After all Jesus never told us go and put the commandments on the wall, go and place a cross where ever you can. As a matter of fact, everything He said for us to do, meant we are to be is bearers of the cross. The other danger is this, every time we fight these rulings and win, we chalk it up to free speech and free religion, and I support both, but we all we really accomplish is just that. We also now open the door for say, Islam to place a copy of the quran in a court house, or in one case a university is now being forced to place an atheist as well as an islamic statue next the christian memorial.
Here is my point,if we would fight half as hard on behalf of the sanctity of marriage, against abortion and immorality, for families, orphans, the poor, the sick and the broken hearted, and not rely on politicians to do it we could make some real change. Sadly though, I fear that we are a very short time away from loosing the last standing ground we have. Our nation is about to abolish the only leg we have to stand on,with supreme court upholding the legality gay marriage in Alabama, it is surely the sentiment and desire of the courts to make it legal on federal level as they draw near to making a ruling on it. So let's see here, as a nation it is legal to destroy life, and the sanctity of marriage is no longer held to the view of our Lord, oh and for those you that wish to say, and this is my favorite, "Jesus never spoke on homosexuality" I say this, you are right, but HE defined marriage as the union between a Man and a Woman, He even quoted his own words from Genesis 2:24 "man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.".
I close in saying this, the prayers of a righteousness man avails much, that is your weapon, that is your battleground. No matter how many crosses they take down, no matter how many posters they take down, no matter what they do, they cannot remove Christ from you, they cannot separate you from His love, grace and mercy. But know this if you want to truly know Christ, picking up the cross is part of the fight we must fight. Want God in this nation, God must first be first in our hearts, the church as a body must universally fight for the truth. We must fight the good fight. How do we do that, we live out what Jesus told us to do Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with everything you have in you, and love your neighbor. At the end, the buildings will fall, the crosses we place will no longer exist, but He will remain, His word will remain.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Does HE know me??
Purpose, a word that can drive anyone to excitement and fill one's mind with anxiety if pondered to long. Many will spend countless hours, days or even years trying to first find and then fulfill theirs. Often from purpose, a cause is derived. That cause will consume us, drive us and many times cause us to wonder why every other God fearing, Jesus loving Christian isn't standing right beside us, fighting the same fight we are fighting. Speaking, sadly, from my own experience and thoughts.
Over the last few years, we sought after God's purpose for our lives. And then, two years ago the Lord was gracious enough to just simply open one little door, one little opportunity to serve Him and others in a way we had not considered, in a way we had not planned or conceived in our minds. But that one opportunity would ultimately set before us our cause, our very purpose for this season of our life or perhaps our whole lives. After all, I can only speak for this moment, this day. You see that opportunity brought the very essence of God's love for us into a divine reality. It was a tangible and real experience of His mercy and grace. At that moment the word became expeditiously real, James 1:27( Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ESV) became our purpose. 6 months later, I arrived home from Ukraine with our 14 year old daughter. Our hearts were stirred and we were moved, but why wasn't anyone else? Why wasn't everyone jumping on a plane? After all, the scripture is clear, right? Consumed with purpose, overwhelmed by the cause, resentment towards the world, towards the church will set in. Thankfully I have a mighty God, who can set things right.
Let's look at one thing first, You can find reference to helping orphans and widows all the way back to exodus in the bible, perhaps even further. So, for anyone to say they are not called to help orphans and widows, they are mistaken. In fact many nations were warned of, or received judgement from God for not seeking justice for the fatherless or pleading the widows cause. We all have specific calling and a specific gift, but we are all called to help those in need. What we do for the least on earth, is ultimately how we are treating God(Ref- Matt 25:40).
But, my point tonight is this, find your purpose, find your cause. But you must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. You can only find your purpose in Him, for He has predestined you with a purpose, with a plan for your life, after all He knew you before you were in your mother's womb, He knew by name and had numbered already the hairs on your head. But you have to find your identity in Him, in Christ first. Then, and only then will you find your purpose. We can do all kinds of things that we think we are "called" to do, but if we are not seeking God first, we are treading on dangerous ground. Jesus was very clear in Matt 7:21-27;
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' 24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."(ESV).
We must ensure it His will that is being done not our own. I want to encourage you submit to Him, seek His will, cry out to Him "Here am I Lord, send me". If you pray that with a sincere heart, without doubt, I guarantee He will answer that prayer. He will answer you with His purpose and will for you, He will give you your cause. I no longer question what others are doing, simply what I am doing, I now take time to seek the Father and sure I am within His will.
Well I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you. May He cause His face to shine upon you. I pray the Lord reveal Himself to you, that He will encounter you, that He will lead you through all you do. In Jesus' name, AMEN!
Over the last few years, we sought after God's purpose for our lives. And then, two years ago the Lord was gracious enough to just simply open one little door, one little opportunity to serve Him and others in a way we had not considered, in a way we had not planned or conceived in our minds. But that one opportunity would ultimately set before us our cause, our very purpose for this season of our life or perhaps our whole lives. After all, I can only speak for this moment, this day. You see that opportunity brought the very essence of God's love for us into a divine reality. It was a tangible and real experience of His mercy and grace. At that moment the word became expeditiously real, James 1:27( Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ESV) became our purpose. 6 months later, I arrived home from Ukraine with our 14 year old daughter. Our hearts were stirred and we were moved, but why wasn't anyone else? Why wasn't everyone jumping on a plane? After all, the scripture is clear, right? Consumed with purpose, overwhelmed by the cause, resentment towards the world, towards the church will set in. Thankfully I have a mighty God, who can set things right.
Let's look at one thing first, You can find reference to helping orphans and widows all the way back to exodus in the bible, perhaps even further. So, for anyone to say they are not called to help orphans and widows, they are mistaken. In fact many nations were warned of, or received judgement from God for not seeking justice for the fatherless or pleading the widows cause. We all have specific calling and a specific gift, but we are all called to help those in need. What we do for the least on earth, is ultimately how we are treating God(Ref- Matt 25:40).
But, my point tonight is this, find your purpose, find your cause. But you must seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. You can only find your purpose in Him, for He has predestined you with a purpose, with a plan for your life, after all He knew you before you were in your mother's womb, He knew by name and had numbered already the hairs on your head. But you have to find your identity in Him, in Christ first. Then, and only then will you find your purpose. We can do all kinds of things that we think we are "called" to do, but if we are not seeking God first, we are treading on dangerous ground. Jesus was very clear in Matt 7:21-27;
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' 24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."(ESV).
We must ensure it His will that is being done not our own. I want to encourage you submit to Him, seek His will, cry out to Him "Here am I Lord, send me". If you pray that with a sincere heart, without doubt, I guarantee He will answer that prayer. He will answer you with His purpose and will for you, He will give you your cause. I no longer question what others are doing, simply what I am doing, I now take time to seek the Father and sure I am within His will.
Well I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you. May He cause His face to shine upon you. I pray the Lord reveal Himself to you, that He will encounter you, that He will lead you through all you do. In Jesus' name, AMEN!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The Parenting Trinity...
OK, so, before I go into this blog let me put a disclaimer. I am not a theologian, I am not a doctor, psychologist or hold any professional degree of any sort. I am simply a follower of Christ, a husband and a father. My inspiration and thoughts are derived simply from spending time in the presence of the Lord, doing what He has called me to do, and from being with my family. So basically, I do not proclaim to an expert at anything, these thoughts are my own revelation, take them how you want.
So, The parenting trinity you ask? First thing I thought when those words came into mind was, Lord you are going to have to shed some light on this one for me. And as usual, He did, as He faithfully does time and time again. So what does it mean? Well here we go. God, as we understand in our limited human comprehension of God(Yes, I've been reading Tozer), is three persons in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God in His mighty abilities functions simultaneously every second of every moment of everyday in all three persons. Mind blower I know. The discussion of the trinity can be for another day, I am simply going to show how God has shown me relevance of that in my life and in parenting. You see, as parents, and in life in general, we have to learn to operate in the same manner. Now, before you accuse me of saying we can be God the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, I am not. I am simply saying we most be like Him. After all, aren't we taught in the scriptures that we are being transformed into a new creation, that we are made in His image and likeness, that we are to die to self, to daily pick up our cross and follow Jesus? So you see, if we are to be like Him, we must act and operate like Him. So, there will be situations in parenting, where we will have to learn to operate in one of those attributes. First we'll look at those three persons, and define, to the best of knowledge and abilities, the characteristics of each.
First, the Father, when we see God as a father in the bible, we find some very distinct traits that He brings. Love, wisdom, truth, justice,righteousness all which mean that the father is wise, honest, just, and righteous. We also see that the father brings correction, discipline and judgement. But you see, He doesn't bring just one at time, each characteristic comes simultaneously with the others. And the last three cannot come without the others.
Second we have the Son, now how can a "son" have a role in parenting, well we are talking about the attributes of the Son (Jesus), displayed in His teachings, actions and even now in His current role in our lives today. When we see or hear Jesus, we see first and foremost Love. Then we see mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, peace and joy all leading to redemption, rescue and ultimately salvation. Again all these traits operate together. You cannot separate one from the other. To do so would say that God is not omniscient, infinite and almighty. As parents these are things that reinforce the actions of the Father.
Third we have the Holy spirit. I had to park here for a little while, but it came to me. Joy,peace, love, kindness, gentleness etc. All of these are what gives the warm and fuzzies! The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our interpreter, our very connection to God. This is the very one that Jesus said who come after He ascended to be with the Father. Without these attributes it is impossible to enact upon any other level of the trinity. You will find you will need these attributes, the Spirit, in order to funtion in the role of the "father" or the "son".
Every situation in life is unique, and has it's own special way it needs to be dealt with. As those situations arise, you have to make a choice. Am I going to respond like the world, though the word says I am in this world, but not of this world(just sayin')? Should I respond like the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? Now hears the ultimate answer, all three. Easier said than done, believe I know, and have failed the test over and over again. But I am learning that even though a situation may call for more emphasis on one particular attribute, you will need the other two to bring forth resolution to your circumstance.
In closing I'll say this, if we are made in His image and Likeness, and if we are being put to death daily and being made to be more and more like Him, it is safe to say that we have the ability to function as He does. For Him, God, He cannot be any other way, He cannot change because He always remains the God who was, is, and is to come. We on the other hand can, must change. We must learn to function as He does. What better way to model to our children, if we begin to function in the same way as God. He clearly sets the example for us, by demonstrating His love, by being the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. He shows and tells us through His living word that to be like Him is the only way to live.
Love In Christ
Be Blessed!!!!
So, The parenting trinity you ask? First thing I thought when those words came into mind was, Lord you are going to have to shed some light on this one for me. And as usual, He did, as He faithfully does time and time again. So what does it mean? Well here we go. God, as we understand in our limited human comprehension of God(Yes, I've been reading Tozer), is three persons in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God in His mighty abilities functions simultaneously every second of every moment of everyday in all three persons. Mind blower I know. The discussion of the trinity can be for another day, I am simply going to show how God has shown me relevance of that in my life and in parenting. You see, as parents, and in life in general, we have to learn to operate in the same manner. Now, before you accuse me of saying we can be God the Father, Son or Holy Spirit, I am not. I am simply saying we most be like Him. After all, aren't we taught in the scriptures that we are being transformed into a new creation, that we are made in His image and likeness, that we are to die to self, to daily pick up our cross and follow Jesus? So you see, if we are to be like Him, we must act and operate like Him. So, there will be situations in parenting, where we will have to learn to operate in one of those attributes. First we'll look at those three persons, and define, to the best of knowledge and abilities, the characteristics of each.
First, the Father, when we see God as a father in the bible, we find some very distinct traits that He brings. Love, wisdom, truth, justice,righteousness all which mean that the father is wise, honest, just, and righteous. We also see that the father brings correction, discipline and judgement. But you see, He doesn't bring just one at time, each characteristic comes simultaneously with the others. And the last three cannot come without the others.
Second we have the Son, now how can a "son" have a role in parenting, well we are talking about the attributes of the Son (Jesus), displayed in His teachings, actions and even now in His current role in our lives today. When we see or hear Jesus, we see first and foremost Love. Then we see mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, peace and joy all leading to redemption, rescue and ultimately salvation. Again all these traits operate together. You cannot separate one from the other. To do so would say that God is not omniscient, infinite and almighty. As parents these are things that reinforce the actions of the Father.
Third we have the Holy spirit. I had to park here for a little while, but it came to me. Joy,peace, love, kindness, gentleness etc. All of these are what gives the warm and fuzzies! The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our interpreter, our very connection to God. This is the very one that Jesus said who come after He ascended to be with the Father. Without these attributes it is impossible to enact upon any other level of the trinity. You will find you will need these attributes, the Spirit, in order to funtion in the role of the "father" or the "son".
Every situation in life is unique, and has it's own special way it needs to be dealt with. As those situations arise, you have to make a choice. Am I going to respond like the world, though the word says I am in this world, but not of this world(just sayin')? Should I respond like the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? Now hears the ultimate answer, all three. Easier said than done, believe I know, and have failed the test over and over again. But I am learning that even though a situation may call for more emphasis on one particular attribute, you will need the other two to bring forth resolution to your circumstance.
In closing I'll say this, if we are made in His image and Likeness, and if we are being put to death daily and being made to be more and more like Him, it is safe to say that we have the ability to function as He does. For Him, God, He cannot be any other way, He cannot change because He always remains the God who was, is, and is to come. We on the other hand can, must change. We must learn to function as He does. What better way to model to our children, if we begin to function in the same way as God. He clearly sets the example for us, by demonstrating His love, by being the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. He shows and tells us through His living word that to be like Him is the only way to live.
Love In Christ
Be Blessed!!!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Before the Judge....
Well, here I am in Ukraine. I've been here for three weeks. If you are unaware, we are in the process of adopting a 14 year old girl. After three weeks and a massive of amount of time spent with the Lord either praying, listening or studying His word, and after huge portions of revelation I, tonight, am consumed with the simplest of revelations.
You see, tomorrow is the day that we have come half way around the world for. Tomorrow is the day that we have endured heart ache, tears, trials and an enormous test of faith, patience and love. Tomorrow we go before the Judge.
First, let me give you a short recap of today. Today was a great day, another day of great progression in our bonding as a family. That is until one little disagreement, and suddenly I am faced with some rejection. I stood my ground as a parent, and though the whole thing is silly, and really, all will be fine, after all God has given me NO REASON at all to doubt Him or that this is His will!
Now, on with the good stuff, and this is gonna be a short one, after all, I did say this is the simplest of revelations. You see, tomorrow, I go before the judge and plead(intercede) for this child, I will ask the court to take on her "burden"(though she is in no way a burden). I will take responsibility for her life. And despite feeling a little rejection tonight, My love for this child is no different than the love for any of my children. That very love is what will continue to plead for her life before the judge.
So here's the revelation if you haven't already figured it out....Jesus was beaten, insulted and rejected as the Son of God, as a Saviour and as a King! Yet the very next day He picked up His cross, carried it up the mountain and gave His life on the Cross. Three days later he rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven, and now He sits at the right Hand of the God, the Judge, and pleads for our lives. Why? It's all about LOVE! That is the reason I am Here today!!
You see, tomorrow is the day that we have come half way around the world for. Tomorrow is the day that we have endured heart ache, tears, trials and an enormous test of faith, patience and love. Tomorrow we go before the Judge.
First, let me give you a short recap of today. Today was a great day, another day of great progression in our bonding as a family. That is until one little disagreement, and suddenly I am faced with some rejection. I stood my ground as a parent, and though the whole thing is silly, and really, all will be fine, after all God has given me NO REASON at all to doubt Him or that this is His will!
Now, on with the good stuff, and this is gonna be a short one, after all, I did say this is the simplest of revelations. You see, tomorrow, I go before the judge and plead(intercede) for this child, I will ask the court to take on her "burden"(though she is in no way a burden). I will take responsibility for her life. And despite feeling a little rejection tonight, My love for this child is no different than the love for any of my children. That very love is what will continue to plead for her life before the judge.
So here's the revelation if you haven't already figured it out....Jesus was beaten, insulted and rejected as the Son of God, as a Saviour and as a King! Yet the very next day He picked up His cross, carried it up the mountain and gave His life on the Cross. Three days later he rose from the dead, He ascended to heaven, and now He sits at the right Hand of the God, the Judge, and pleads for our lives. Why? It's all about LOVE! That is the reason I am Here today!!
Monday, June 25, 2012
I dare you to Declare Isaiah 6:8
Isaiah 6:8 says, And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, " here I am, send me"(esv). Almost a year ago Amy and I begin to declare this very thing in our lives. We would cry out in prayer and in our worship, "here we are Lord, use us for your kingdom and glory. Here we are, send us!". The Lord did not hesitate to answer that prayer. It was not long before we were consumed with a spirit of adoption, and our world, our lives were changed. We were introduced to our daughter and are now more than half through the process of bringing her home from half way around the world.
Through this entire process the Lord has brought me into some of the deepest revelations of Him, of His character, of His heart, of His word and most of all His love, His agape love! But through it all one continuous theme has constantly come to the surface. You see the Lord has equated our journey with Abraham, mainly Abraham and Isaac, a father and a promise. After all we faithfully declared "Here we are, Lord send us, use us" right?
Let's start with Abraham and Sarah, here they are getting up in age and still waiting on a promise from God, a son. And like most of us we believe in the promises that God has for us, we even have the faith that the promise will come. However, the thing we lack is the patience and trust. We somehow tend to think we can make the promise happen better than God can. But what ends up happening is instead of Isaac(the promise), we get Ishmael. So, the Lord has sent on this journey, and many times we have had to repent for trying to create our own way to fulfill what God has promised, or trying to do it ourselves and not trusting Him, not waiting on Him.
Now, Abraham and Isaac. Can you imagine the joy Abraham had every time he looked at his son Isaac. Knowing that Isaac was a gift from God, he was a fulfilled promise of the Lord. He had to have been one proud papa! Then, one day God says bring him as a sacrifice to Me, put him on the altar and kill him as an offering to Me(paraphrasing Gen 22 of course). And Abraham, being the man of God that he was, says yes Lord, I'll do it, I trust you. Here is Abraham saying here am I, Lord send me! God, however wasn't satisfied with a simple yes Lord, I'll do it. So Abraham gets Isaac, they grab all the stuff for the offering, Isaac carries it on his back up the mountain(without complaining). They get up there, prepare the altar, Abraham puts his son on the altar, pulls out the knife, then God says Stop! You see, through this whole journey we have been both Abraham and Isaac. God called us on this journey, and when the call came we said yes, here we are, send us Lord! But he didn't hand us everything then and there. We had to be Isaac and push on and carry our part of the offering, we had continually offer our worship and ourselves to the Lord. And now, as we are so close to the end of this part of the journey, I feel as though we are Abraham, yet it's a lot harder to pull that knife out, at times we want to try to find another way to fulfill God's promise. But I have to tell myself, it's not up to me, it's up to God!
So, I dare you, declare it "Here am I, Lord send me"! But as you do remember the Promises of God, as His word does not come back void! He is faithful, even when we lack faith. And sometimes we have the faith, but not the trust. Sometimes we have faith and trust, but no patience, that's when things really get mixed up because we try to do it ourselves. Look around in the journey that God has called you on in your life, see if you are Abraham or Isaac, or look to see if perhaps you may have maybe created an Ishmael, your own version of what God wants for you. It's OK, we all do it, but remember that your Isaac will come! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5
Through this entire process the Lord has brought me into some of the deepest revelations of Him, of His character, of His heart, of His word and most of all His love, His agape love! But through it all one continuous theme has constantly come to the surface. You see the Lord has equated our journey with Abraham, mainly Abraham and Isaac, a father and a promise. After all we faithfully declared "Here we are, Lord send us, use us" right?
Let's start with Abraham and Sarah, here they are getting up in age and still waiting on a promise from God, a son. And like most of us we believe in the promises that God has for us, we even have the faith that the promise will come. However, the thing we lack is the patience and trust. We somehow tend to think we can make the promise happen better than God can. But what ends up happening is instead of Isaac(the promise), we get Ishmael. So, the Lord has sent on this journey, and many times we have had to repent for trying to create our own way to fulfill what God has promised, or trying to do it ourselves and not trusting Him, not waiting on Him.
Now, Abraham and Isaac. Can you imagine the joy Abraham had every time he looked at his son Isaac. Knowing that Isaac was a gift from God, he was a fulfilled promise of the Lord. He had to have been one proud papa! Then, one day God says bring him as a sacrifice to Me, put him on the altar and kill him as an offering to Me(paraphrasing Gen 22 of course). And Abraham, being the man of God that he was, says yes Lord, I'll do it, I trust you. Here is Abraham saying here am I, Lord send me! God, however wasn't satisfied with a simple yes Lord, I'll do it. So Abraham gets Isaac, they grab all the stuff for the offering, Isaac carries it on his back up the mountain(without complaining). They get up there, prepare the altar, Abraham puts his son on the altar, pulls out the knife, then God says Stop! You see, through this whole journey we have been both Abraham and Isaac. God called us on this journey, and when the call came we said yes, here we are, send us Lord! But he didn't hand us everything then and there. We had to be Isaac and push on and carry our part of the offering, we had continually offer our worship and ourselves to the Lord. And now, as we are so close to the end of this part of the journey, I feel as though we are Abraham, yet it's a lot harder to pull that knife out, at times we want to try to find another way to fulfill God's promise. But I have to tell myself, it's not up to me, it's up to God!
So, I dare you, declare it "Here am I, Lord send me"! But as you do remember the Promises of God, as His word does not come back void! He is faithful, even when we lack faith. And sometimes we have the faith, but not the trust. Sometimes we have faith and trust, but no patience, that's when things really get mixed up because we try to do it ourselves. Look around in the journey that God has called you on in your life, see if you are Abraham or Isaac, or look to see if perhaps you may have maybe created an Ishmael, your own version of what God wants for you. It's OK, we all do it, but remember that your Isaac will come! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The straight and the narrow
Long time, no blog. To say that I have been preoccupied is an understatement. For those wondering, the adoption is moving along quite well, as we will mostly likely be going to pick up our daughter in right around a month. And I have a blog coming on that soon, but first, I want to just share the amazing insight the Lord has given me today. Now keep in mind, and take this from the perspective of a wise "Father" just kind of giving His son some loving correction to get him refocused on what matters. So here it goes.
So today as sat in my truck at lunch time, I decided to just kind of sit and relax and perhaps see if the Lord had anything He wanted to tell me(although I was really just kind of hoping to play some games on the computer and chill.). I looked across the street from where I was sitting and began to look in the woods, which surround a beautiful lake and reservoir(I'll get to that in a minute). As I looked I noticed what looked like a small pathway through the woods. Now even though I can't see it, I know what is on the other side, a beautiful lake and just amazing place to relax. Now the Lord began to show me how He has shown me the path, He has told me where it leads, even though I can't see it, I know it's there. I couldn't help praise Him for giving me such a beautiful explanation of faith. He also showed me to trust Him, and continue to follow the path, even though I can't see where it leads, I know where it leads, and I know He has cleared the way. So, in my usual way I said Thank you Lord, that was awesome, Love ya, thanks! Then He said, I'm not done yet.
Then He tells me to look in front of the path, and what do I see? I say well Lord there's some pretty thick brush, a huge ditch, a fence, another ditch and oh yeah, a road(which by the way, will take you to the lake, but it'll cost ya). Let's start with the road, broad is the way that leads to destruction(Matt 7:14, I believe). But also, He showed me the road is man made, and how many times we, I, try to build our own path, instead of following God's path. Then He showed me with the fence that many times we put obstacles up in our own lives that keep us from accessing the path that God has laid out for us. Then there is the brush and the ditches, and those are just weapons of the enemy, which if we stand on the Word of God cannot prosper against us as children of God.
But the one thing that He showed me and this brought it all home for me, was one simple thought, stay focused on Him and His plan for your life. You see, the last thing He showed me was this, as I looked again at the small path,and really just focused on it, I could not even see those things, and ultimately, to get to the path, I could cross the road, climb the fence, cross the ditches and fight through the brush, or walk to the entrance and just follow it the way it was intended to be followed. And that's the straight and narrow, if we Focus on Him and follow His direction and leading, then when the obstacles come, whether we make them or the enemy, they are all easily surmounted with Christ.
So today as sat in my truck at lunch time, I decided to just kind of sit and relax and perhaps see if the Lord had anything He wanted to tell me(although I was really just kind of hoping to play some games on the computer and chill.). I looked across the street from where I was sitting and began to look in the woods, which surround a beautiful lake and reservoir(I'll get to that in a minute). As I looked I noticed what looked like a small pathway through the woods. Now even though I can't see it, I know what is on the other side, a beautiful lake and just amazing place to relax. Now the Lord began to show me how He has shown me the path, He has told me where it leads, even though I can't see it, I know it's there. I couldn't help praise Him for giving me such a beautiful explanation of faith. He also showed me to trust Him, and continue to follow the path, even though I can't see where it leads, I know where it leads, and I know He has cleared the way. So, in my usual way I said Thank you Lord, that was awesome, Love ya, thanks! Then He said, I'm not done yet.
Then He tells me to look in front of the path, and what do I see? I say well Lord there's some pretty thick brush, a huge ditch, a fence, another ditch and oh yeah, a road(which by the way, will take you to the lake, but it'll cost ya). Let's start with the road, broad is the way that leads to destruction(Matt 7:14, I believe). But also, He showed me the road is man made, and how many times we, I, try to build our own path, instead of following God's path. Then He showed me with the fence that many times we put obstacles up in our own lives that keep us from accessing the path that God has laid out for us. Then there is the brush and the ditches, and those are just weapons of the enemy, which if we stand on the Word of God cannot prosper against us as children of God.
But the one thing that He showed me and this brought it all home for me, was one simple thought, stay focused on Him and His plan for your life. You see, the last thing He showed me was this, as I looked again at the small path,and really just focused on it, I could not even see those things, and ultimately, to get to the path, I could cross the road, climb the fence, cross the ditches and fight through the brush, or walk to the entrance and just follow it the way it was intended to be followed. And that's the straight and narrow, if we Focus on Him and follow His direction and leading, then when the obstacles come, whether we make them or the enemy, they are all easily surmounted with Christ.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
God or the United States?
You know, sometimes it just amazes me the way people react to someone when they choose to follow God, and do what He has called that person to do. I am also amazed at how many people hide behind the title "American", or think that good deeds and acts should remain within the confines of the United States. I mean let's be totally honest, and not hide on what happened 236 years ago. Yes it is safe to say this country was founded on Christian ideals and principles, but truthfully, can we honestly say that today, as a nation, we are a Christian nation. Those, like me, who are after God and His perfect will and heart hope and pray that the church will again rise up, and God is restored as the head of this country. We hope and pray that the church will repent and God will withhold His Judgment that is most assuredly impending. But honestly, can we say we are a Christian nation?
What brings on this tirade, this seemingly harsh rant, let me just say this, I am in no way angry, I am not defending and I am not attacking anyone! In fact I am just merely speaking freely what is on my heart and what I have observed as we embarked on this amazing journey to bring a child, a child that we have come to know and love just as we love our naturally born children, into our home. Most people have been supportive, most have been encouraging. But some have been offended. But as Jesus once said, I will shake the dust off my feet and keep moving. (Not an exact quote, but you get the point.) Some people ask, there are lots of children here, why not from the United States? Others say, "It’s not fair to your children". And some even think it is wrong because we have to raise money. All valid questions and points, but they fail to take into account one BIG detail, one small tidbit of information, the simple fact that we DID NOT PLAN THIS. True, we have wanted to adopt, and we always said we would once we were ready, we said the child would be from the US, and we would not disrupt our birth order. Guess what, God, yes God, had another plan.
When we met this beautiful young girl we fell in love with her. We knew over the time we had with her that she was going to be a part of our family. God had put a love in our hearts that was birthed within His heart, and He placed it in ours. We love our unconditionally, just the same as we love our other three. The fact of the matter is, my heart broke immensely as we got to know her, and even more so when we had to watch her get on a plane, and return to her home country. Every day, a part of my heart breaks because to me, one of my children is half way around the world, living in a place of uncertainty. Her desire is not just to have a family, but be in our family. So this is not a blind adoption, we know and love her, and she knows and loves us!
With that being said, what makes the US so special, that its children take precedence over the rest of the children of the world. Last time I checked, the Word of God that is, we are all children of the same God, the same creator. In fact, a founding document of this country states that to be true, I believe it says "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."- United States Declaration of Independence. Nowhere in this statement does it specifically limit those rights to Americans. My belief in God, and my belief in that statement written as the opening statement in the very document that declares our freedom, is why I am trying to bring this child into my home. I am simply doing what God has called me to do! There used to be an old saying, "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the call". Through this journey we are on, I am watching God qualify His call for us to do this every single day.
I love the Lord, and I love this country, otherwise I would not have served it as I did. But you see, there is one who is greater than this nation, He is the King of Kings, and He is the ruler of all nations and one day, every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord of all. "As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord". We will acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He alone will direct our paths. It is our submission as a family that has brought us on this journey.
Love in Christ
J
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