I recently celebrated my 18 year wedding anniversary. There are many wonderful things I could say about my husband, but one of my favorites is that “he knows me well, and loves me anyway.”
My husband loves me even though there are things about me he would probably rather do without. My husband has patiently endured me working through my many flaws over the last almost-twenty-years. When he met me, I was like a wild, unbroken horse. They are nice to look at, but pretty useless for anything else. A wild horse is skittish, untrusting, wary. You can’t lead it, you can’t get close to it, it won’t take anything from you, and it only gives you frustration in return. They have marvelous potential, but you can only harness that potential by breaking them.
My husband has seen me at my worst and he loves me anyway. He knows my struggles, my weaknesses, my wounds and scars and he loves me anyway. My husband has put up with my junk, he has walked through the floods and fires beside me, and he loves me anyway. I love my husband because he loves me well, he loves me the way I need to be loved. In so many ways, God has used my husband to help me understand how He loves us.
God has seen you at your worst, and He loves you anyway. He knows your struggles, your weaknesses, your wounds and scars and He loves you anyway. God has put up with your junk, He has walked with you through the floods and fires. God loves us well, in every way we need to be loved. And even when those human beings who love us well may fail from time to time, even though their love for us isn’t completely perfect in every way all of the time, God will never fail and His love for us IS completely perfect, ALL of the time. In His perfect love, He asks us to turn away from the sin that destroys us and put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ, so that we may walk in restored relationship with our Creator.
God knows you well, and loves you anyway. He showed His great love for us by paying for our sins while we were still sinners, dying a humiliating death on the cross so that we may have eternal life through trust and faith in Jesus Christ.
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! (Rom 5:8,9)
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matt 26:27,28)
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)
Friday, July 31, 2020
God's Perspective
At Joshua Chapter 5, there is a scene that I often contemplate. When Joshua was about to attack Jericho, an angel of the Lord appeared with a drawn sword and Joshua asked him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” And the angel replied, “Neither.”
Neither.
Human perspective is good guys versus bad guys, but God’s perspective is the truth: only God is good. The angel then proceeds to tell Joshua that he comes as the commander of the Lord’s army. The angel is basically explaining to Joshua that he is not there because of man’s interests, but because of God’s. He is not there as part of Joshua’s army, but as part of God’s. A distinction is being made here. When Joshua asks what message the angel has for him, the angel tells Joshua to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground.
Think about that.
When Joshua asks the angel what his message is, the angel draws Joshua’s mind to the truth of God’s holiness, “The place where you are standing is holy” (v. 15). He draws Joshua’s mind away from the good guy/bad guy perspective and puts it on God’s perspective, which is that God is holy and we need to be reminded of who we are in light of that. We need to be reminded that we are all in need of God’s holiness and salvation from our sinful tendencies.
There is a war that rages all around us in the spiritual realm that, for the most part, we cannot perceive except through the actions of its human victims. Dark matter and dark energy compose 95% of the known universe, only 5% of the matter that makes up our universe is visible to the human eye. Thus scientists call the remaining 95% that we cannot see “dark matter.” What scientists don’t realize is that our world runs parallel to a vast reality of what the Bible repeatedly refers to as “heavenly hosts” (Ps 33:6 & 103:21; Nehemiah 9:6) or the "heavenly places" (Eph 2:6; 3:10). Paul plainly tells us that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against “rulers…powers…world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
Whether we like it or not, we are part of this war and it is not a war of human good guys versus human bad guys. It is a war against God’s holiness, a war against God’s interests and there are many people, alas, even in today’s church, that are on the wrong side--having capitulated to their fleshly weaknesses, they continue in sin and reject any true surrender to the Holy Spirit. Quantum entanglement of human with the divine Spirit of God’s holiness-- it will be your only hope in the days ahead. The only armor that can stand against what the Bible refers to as “wickedness in high places” is the full armor of God. Make sure you have it. (Ephesians 6:14-18).
𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮. (Eph 6:10-13)
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. (2 Pet 1:3)
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. (1 Pet 2:8,9)
"𝘎𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, “𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥." (Daniel 12:9,10)
Neither.
Human perspective is good guys versus bad guys, but God’s perspective is the truth: only God is good. The angel then proceeds to tell Joshua that he comes as the commander of the Lord’s army. The angel is basically explaining to Joshua that he is not there because of man’s interests, but because of God’s. He is not there as part of Joshua’s army, but as part of God’s. A distinction is being made here. When Joshua asks what message the angel has for him, the angel tells Joshua to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground.
Think about that.
When Joshua asks the angel what his message is, the angel draws Joshua’s mind to the truth of God’s holiness, “The place where you are standing is holy” (v. 15). He draws Joshua’s mind away from the good guy/bad guy perspective and puts it on God’s perspective, which is that God is holy and we need to be reminded of who we are in light of that. We need to be reminded that we are all in need of God’s holiness and salvation from our sinful tendencies.
There is a war that rages all around us in the spiritual realm that, for the most part, we cannot perceive except through the actions of its human victims. Dark matter and dark energy compose 95% of the known universe, only 5% of the matter that makes up our universe is visible to the human eye. Thus scientists call the remaining 95% that we cannot see “dark matter.” What scientists don’t realize is that our world runs parallel to a vast reality of what the Bible repeatedly refers to as “heavenly hosts” (Ps 33:6 & 103:21; Nehemiah 9:6) or the "heavenly places" (Eph 2:6; 3:10). Paul plainly tells us that we do not war against flesh and blood, but against “rulers…powers…world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).
Whether we like it or not, we are part of this war and it is not a war of human good guys versus human bad guys. It is a war against God’s holiness, a war against God’s interests and there are many people, alas, even in today’s church, that are on the wrong side--having capitulated to their fleshly weaknesses, they continue in sin and reject any true surrender to the Holy Spirit. Quantum entanglement of human with the divine Spirit of God’s holiness-- it will be your only hope in the days ahead. The only armor that can stand against what the Bible refers to as “wickedness in high places” is the full armor of God. Make sure you have it. (Ephesians 6:14-18).
𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘗𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮. (Eph 6:10-13)
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. (2 Pet 1:3)
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. (1 Pet 2:8,9)
"𝘎𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, “𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺. 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥." (Daniel 12:9,10)
Exodus
𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥, “𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, “𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦,” 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴—𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘦. (Heb 12:26-28)
A great exodus is taking place in the church, which should not be confused with the great apostasy. The exodus and the apostasy are not the same thing, but they are indeed overlapping. The end-times apostasy Paul speaks about at 2 Thess 2:3 should be understood in the context of "defection" as described at Acts 21:21. The same word is used there to describe those who forsake the covenant of Moses. Therefore, the end-times apostasy is a defection from the truth, a forsaking of the covenant made with the atoning blood of Christ for remission of sin. The great apostasy is churches teaching that sin is not sin, which ultimately leads to a denial of the Master who bought them by teaching a different gospel (2 Peter 2:1). Claiming Jesus as Savior, yet remaining in their sin and teaching others to do the same, there are many in the church who are a party to that apostasy. You can still be in the institution of the church and be a part of the apostasy. But the great end-times exodus is a different matter (Rev 18:4).
Many in the church seem to think that religion is our destination, that religion is where our faith leads. But they are sorely mistaken. Those who make religion their destination get stuck in it and never move forward in their personal relationship with God. We were created to understand God. Religion is merely a tutor. However, a pupil is not pursuing their tutor are they? No, a student pursues what the tutor is meant to teach. The pupil is pursuing understanding, the tutor is merely a guardian which initially helps to keep us on the path to right understanding. It is a means, not the goal.
When I look at what the church has become today, I see many who have made the means the goal. I see a structural behemoth built by the bricks of man that teeters under the weight of its own misguided ingenuity. There is no life in the means, there is only life in the goal. Salvation and life are not found in the church institution, nor in the people who compose it. Salvation and life are found in the cross of Jesus Christ alone. True depth of understanding of God is found in relationship with Jesus Christ alone.
The church has forgotten that true understanding only comes from experiencing the person of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is our destination, not religion. Genuine trust in Jesus Christ will bring you into right understanding because He is our wisdom. Is your trust in an institution or in Jesus Christ? If the institution falls, would you find yourself falling with it or would you find yourself unfazed because you are rooted in Christ Himself? Or would you find yourself apathetic because you were never truly rooted either way?
God shakes things so that the only thing left standing is what is truly rooted in Him. It is foolish for us to think that the church is somehow exempted from this. If you feel God calling you out and unto Himself, if you feel His voice in your soul calling you into the deep waters, drawing you to Himself in this great exodus, obey Him. Cry out to Him to lead you where you need to go, gathered with others of like mind and heart. It is Him alone Who you need and He is faithful and He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one who comes (2 Thess 3:3).
“𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥; 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.” (John 12:31,32)
“…𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.” (John 6:68,69)
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘔𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” (John 16:13,14)
A great exodus is taking place in the church, which should not be confused with the great apostasy. The exodus and the apostasy are not the same thing, but they are indeed overlapping. The end-times apostasy Paul speaks about at 2 Thess 2:3 should be understood in the context of "defection" as described at Acts 21:21. The same word is used there to describe those who forsake the covenant of Moses. Therefore, the end-times apostasy is a defection from the truth, a forsaking of the covenant made with the atoning blood of Christ for remission of sin. The great apostasy is churches teaching that sin is not sin, which ultimately leads to a denial of the Master who bought them by teaching a different gospel (2 Peter 2:1). Claiming Jesus as Savior, yet remaining in their sin and teaching others to do the same, there are many in the church who are a party to that apostasy. You can still be in the institution of the church and be a part of the apostasy. But the great end-times exodus is a different matter (Rev 18:4).
Many in the church seem to think that religion is our destination, that religion is where our faith leads. But they are sorely mistaken. Those who make religion their destination get stuck in it and never move forward in their personal relationship with God. We were created to understand God. Religion is merely a tutor. However, a pupil is not pursuing their tutor are they? No, a student pursues what the tutor is meant to teach. The pupil is pursuing understanding, the tutor is merely a guardian which initially helps to keep us on the path to right understanding. It is a means, not the goal.
When I look at what the church has become today, I see many who have made the means the goal. I see a structural behemoth built by the bricks of man that teeters under the weight of its own misguided ingenuity. There is no life in the means, there is only life in the goal. Salvation and life are not found in the church institution, nor in the people who compose it. Salvation and life are found in the cross of Jesus Christ alone. True depth of understanding of God is found in relationship with Jesus Christ alone.
The church has forgotten that true understanding only comes from experiencing the person of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is our destination, not religion. Genuine trust in Jesus Christ will bring you into right understanding because He is our wisdom. Is your trust in an institution or in Jesus Christ? If the institution falls, would you find yourself falling with it or would you find yourself unfazed because you are rooted in Christ Himself? Or would you find yourself apathetic because you were never truly rooted either way?
God shakes things so that the only thing left standing is what is truly rooted in Him. It is foolish for us to think that the church is somehow exempted from this. If you feel God calling you out and unto Himself, if you feel His voice in your soul calling you into the deep waters, drawing you to Himself in this great exodus, obey Him. Cry out to Him to lead you where you need to go, gathered with others of like mind and heart. It is Him alone Who you need and He is faithful and He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one who comes (2 Thess 3:3).
“𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥; 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.” (John 12:31,32)
“…𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘰? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.” (John 6:68,69)
“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘔𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” (John 16:13,14)
The Branch
During my prayer time in my barn on the morning of July 13th, I felt the weight of the Spirit descend and everything got still and quiet. My eyes were still closed, I had been weeping in prayer and at once I was drenched in peace. He said, “open your eyes”. So I did. He asked, “what do you see?” And I said, “a branch”. And that was it. I was looking out the barn widow at a branch and I didn’t understand.
In the middle of the night last night when I got up to use the bathroom, I thought about what happened in the barn, me opening my eyes expecting something profound and meaningful and all I saw was a branch. Then it dawned on me that it was a dead branch. I saw a dead branch, but I didn’t think about that when I first glanced at it earlier in the day. So I wondered what that meant and resigned to wait to see if God brought a better understanding.
Today when I first sat down to pray in the barn, I looked out at the dead branch, about to pray for God to help me understand, and I saw something on it that looked like a green leaf. But I knew it couldn’t possibly be a leaf because my husband and I cut those branches a week and a half earlier on July 4th weekend. That branch had been sitting in the full sun in a 100+ degree Texas heat wave for a week and a half with zero rain, and all the other branches in the pile were completely bare or had crispy, scorched brown leaves on them.
I walked out to the branch to get a better look, all the while thinking of the impossibility of there being a green leaf on that dead branch, and that I must be seeing something else. But when I got closer, I saw that it was indeed a green leaf. I stood there in awe, looking at something that was impossible. I thought about what the Spirit said the other day, “I don’t ask you to understand, I ask you to trust.” And it was then that I realized that the leaf I was looking at was on one of the branches we cut from our mulberry tree (Luke 17:6). I went back into the barn and wept, and the Spirit directed me to read Psalm 50. Go read it. That is what He says to us in this day.
This is what was in my heart after I read it:
Like a flock birds yield to the prevailing wind, yield to the Lord, trusting him to carry you where you need to go. The earth is His and everything in it. All the earth yields to His voice, all creation stands at attention to His command. He gives life to dead branches, He is our living water in seasons of drought. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. The righteous man shall live by faith in the Son of God. Those who put their hope in the Lord shall not be ashamed, those who wait on the Lord will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
He calls your name and says to you, “I am here, I am with you.” Will you trust in this in the days ahead? When the Son of Man comes will He find true faith on the earth?
In the middle of the night last night when I got up to use the bathroom, I thought about what happened in the barn, me opening my eyes expecting something profound and meaningful and all I saw was a branch. Then it dawned on me that it was a dead branch. I saw a dead branch, but I didn’t think about that when I first glanced at it earlier in the day. So I wondered what that meant and resigned to wait to see if God brought a better understanding.
Today when I first sat down to pray in the barn, I looked out at the dead branch, about to pray for God to help me understand, and I saw something on it that looked like a green leaf. But I knew it couldn’t possibly be a leaf because my husband and I cut those branches a week and a half earlier on July 4th weekend. That branch had been sitting in the full sun in a 100+ degree Texas heat wave for a week and a half with zero rain, and all the other branches in the pile were completely bare or had crispy, scorched brown leaves on them.
I walked out to the branch to get a better look, all the while thinking of the impossibility of there being a green leaf on that dead branch, and that I must be seeing something else. But when I got closer, I saw that it was indeed a green leaf. I stood there in awe, looking at something that was impossible. I thought about what the Spirit said the other day, “I don’t ask you to understand, I ask you to trust.” And it was then that I realized that the leaf I was looking at was on one of the branches we cut from our mulberry tree (Luke 17:6). I went back into the barn and wept, and the Spirit directed me to read Psalm 50. Go read it. That is what He says to us in this day.
This is what was in my heart after I read it:
Like a flock birds yield to the prevailing wind, yield to the Lord, trusting him to carry you where you need to go. The earth is His and everything in it. All the earth yields to His voice, all creation stands at attention to His command. He gives life to dead branches, He is our living water in seasons of drought. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. The righteous man shall live by faith in the Son of God. Those who put their hope in the Lord shall not be ashamed, those who wait on the Lord will mount up on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
He calls your name and says to you, “I am here, I am with you.” Will you trust in this in the days ahead? When the Son of Man comes will He find true faith on the earth?
All the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; all their hosts will also wither away as a leaf withers from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree. (Isaiah 34:4)
The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 37:31,32)
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth. May our God come and not keep silence; (Psalm 50:1-3)
Drawn To The Ark
One night a couple weeks ago, around 4 a.m. I was roused out of sleep with this thought being put into my mind by the Holy Spirit: “The animals made it into the ark safely because they listened to and obeyed the voice of the One Who drew them.”
To think of animals being led to the ark by God should humble us. Animals don’t resist their Creator, they yield without question, without hesitation. God calls and they respond, like a flock of birds yield to the prevailing wind in unison, allowing themselves to be carried along by its force of direction. Humans on the other hand, are resistant, stubborn. We want to travel our own way, make our own path. This sinful inclination resides in us all and Christ is the only one Who can deliver us from it.
God is the One Who draws us to Himself. He is the One Who begins to stir up dissatisfaction with the world in our hearts. He begins to circumcise our hearts of the “excess flesh” that keeps us blind to our need for salvation. He is the One Who pulls back the curtain of illusion and helps us see and understand our true purpose. I can tell people the truth of Who God is and teach people the truths in Scripture, but salvation itself is a God-to-man transaction. It is a God-and-you meeting that is both arranged by Him and carried out by Him. What is up to us is our response.
How will you respond to God’s call? Will you yield to His drawing upon your heart, like a flock of birds yield to the prevailing wind? Or will you resist? Will you listen to and obey the voice of the One Who draws you to the ark of Jesus Christ, like the animals of Noah’s day obeyed the voice of the One Who drew them? Or will you remain rooted in a world destined for judgment?
We will soon find out how much oil is in our lamps. I asked God to help me understand what lies ahead and He said, “I don’t ask you to understand, I ask you to trust. Speak to the oil.” Ask God to give you the oil you will need in your lamp to lead you to the ark before the door is shut.
Friday, July 17, 2020
Your Beginning Is My End
Death to self is not a pleasant thing. It is an agonizing process, for the most
part. To die to your own perceived rights for the
sake of God’s greater good, for the sake of Christ being formed in you, may sound easy enough, until God asks you to do
it. That is what God asked Jesus to do,
to die to His own right to Himself, handing over His own will to the will of
the Father.
End me
This long, slow suffering
Bespeaks of cruelty
End me
This silent, stealth torment
Bespeaks of savagery
End me
This lonely, painful walk
Bespeaks of desertion
End me
Bring me to the end
Ending me brings
The beginning
The beginning
This resurrection life
Bespeaks of partnership
The beginning
This potter-shaped vessel
Bespeaks of tenderness
The beginning
This fresh living water
Bespeaks of compassion
The end has become the beginning
This death has become new life
My pain has become sweet surrender
You have made me the apple of your eye
Your beginning is now my end
Your promises now line my path
Your salvation is now my story
Your mercy has replaced Your wrath
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
The Measure You Use
God asked me to do something today that was quite difficult. He asked me to write a letter to my old church, confessing my own sins.
A year and a half ago, my husband and I left our church of seven years. Without going into the gory details of all the brokenness, division, and other things that I would rather not describe, I will say that at the time of our departure I felt betrayed and leaving was a welcomed relief. But today, God asked me to write a letter confessing my own wrongs to them. Regardless of what was done to me at that church, the things that were said about me behind my back, the wrongful accusations that were made, the duplicity and the gossip, I should not have carried bitterness and resentment in my heart while I served there. And I did.
What most conflicts boil down to is: perspective. We all have our own perspective of a matter, each side perceiving why they are right and the other is wrong. We build ourselves up and put others under a microscope. But the truth of the matter is that we are all sinners in need of repentance and true examination of heart. We all prefer to see ourselves as the victim, until God starts pointing out our own sins and flaws. Those within the church are in desperate need to fall upon their knees and confess sin-- all the hidden things that we’d rather keep in the closet or in a cobwebby corner. Instead of falling on our knees before one group or another, we all need to fall upon our knees together, side by side, before the Living God Who alone is the judge of human hearts.
For a brief moment as I sat in front of the mailbox with those two copies of my letter in sealed envelopes in my hand, I felt fear and doubt. Did I really hear God correctly? What will happen when this letter is read? Why now, God? After a year and a half, why now? Can’t I just continue on with my life in peace? And the Holy Spirit clearly said, “There is no peace without truth.” And then I dropped the letters into the black darkness of the mailbox’s mouth and drove away.
I look around the world today and I see upheaval and a gross lack of peace. I see people ranting and raving, and without truth, there will be no peace. Truth acts as a light, exposing hidden things. Jesus teaches that we are only able to help others confront their own sin, when we have honestly taken inventory of our own. We must expose our own heart to the light of truth, before we can use that light as a torch to lead others out of darkness.
For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matt 7:2-5)
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23,24)
Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression. (Ps 19:12,13)
A year and a half ago, my husband and I left our church of seven years. Without going into the gory details of all the brokenness, division, and other things that I would rather not describe, I will say that at the time of our departure I felt betrayed and leaving was a welcomed relief. But today, God asked me to write a letter confessing my own wrongs to them. Regardless of what was done to me at that church, the things that were said about me behind my back, the wrongful accusations that were made, the duplicity and the gossip, I should not have carried bitterness and resentment in my heart while I served there. And I did.
What most conflicts boil down to is: perspective. We all have our own perspective of a matter, each side perceiving why they are right and the other is wrong. We build ourselves up and put others under a microscope. But the truth of the matter is that we are all sinners in need of repentance and true examination of heart. We all prefer to see ourselves as the victim, until God starts pointing out our own sins and flaws. Those within the church are in desperate need to fall upon their knees and confess sin-- all the hidden things that we’d rather keep in the closet or in a cobwebby corner. Instead of falling on our knees before one group or another, we all need to fall upon our knees together, side by side, before the Living God Who alone is the judge of human hearts.
For a brief moment as I sat in front of the mailbox with those two copies of my letter in sealed envelopes in my hand, I felt fear and doubt. Did I really hear God correctly? What will happen when this letter is read? Why now, God? After a year and a half, why now? Can’t I just continue on with my life in peace? And the Holy Spirit clearly said, “There is no peace without truth.” And then I dropped the letters into the black darkness of the mailbox’s mouth and drove away.
I look around the world today and I see upheaval and a gross lack of peace. I see people ranting and raving, and without truth, there will be no peace. Truth acts as a light, exposing hidden things. Jesus teaches that we are only able to help others confront their own sin, when we have honestly taken inventory of our own. We must expose our own heart to the light of truth, before we can use that light as a torch to lead others out of darkness.
For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matt 7:2-5)
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23,24)
Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed of great transgression. (Ps 19:12,13)
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