Category: Fate

Blessings At The Bottom Of The Barrel

March 2, 2023

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 1 Kings 17:12

No doubt you are familiar with the idiom – the bottom of the barrel. You know that place where life’s circumstances and conditions cannot get much worse. A place known for its darkness, emptiness, futility, despair, and the list goes on.

One dictionary describes it this way: “The location of persons or things of the very lowest quality, the least desirable, the dregs”.  -The Free Dictionary

Here are some words that might describe what it feels like when placed in life’s proverbial barrel bottom:

Stuck
Hopelessness
Suffocating
Frustrated
Irritated
Depressed
Anxious

Can you relate? Have you been there? Are you there now? It is interesting to note that the Lord oftentimes places us in impossible situations, at the “bottom of the barrel” if you will, to learn something about Him, and to also learn something about ourselves.

As the saying goes, it’s not over until God says over. And the saying holds true today. When life’s situations and circumstances speak the impossible, it’s time to allow God to step onto the scene and see what only He can do. And God is the God of the impossible.

We’ll look into the lives of two people recorded in the Bible as perfect examples of being pushed to life’s bottom. Let’s see what they experienced and how their ultimate survival can teach us a life lesson. One was a widow woman and the other was a king.

From Emptiness To Blessedness 

Her name is never mentioned. She was just a poor widow woman with a son who lived in a town named Zarephath. That’s all we know about her. Yet, God decided to use her life to tell the rest of the world that His miracles are real and they are ordained only through His command. As the story unfolds, Elijah is instructed by God to visit this woman because God had a mission for the prophet to accomplish:

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 1 Kings 17:9

Notice what the verse says. It says that this mission to provide food for the servant of God, from a poor woman, was “commanded” by God himself. This is where the paradox of the whole situation comes in. God is instructing a man who has nothing to go to someone who has nothing left to give. That’s not the way it works, right? It’s all about the law of supply and demand. You give from your surplus to receive someone else’s excess. But this is not the way God works. God works in the supernatural. God can take nothing and make it everything. This is exactly what he did for a poor woman who was down to her last scraps of food:

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 1 Kings 17:12

This widow woman was living at the bottom, at the very end of her existence. There was no 401k plan to bank on, no pension check coming in the mail and no secret cache of cash under the bed mattress. Nothing. But she gave anyway. Despite the risk involved, the widow woman obeyed the man of God and gave everything she had. Her faith was activated. Her faith propelled her to trust God. And God saw it, God honored it, and God blessed it:

For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. 1 Kings 17:14-16

And it’s not always about giving monetarily. The giving of one’s time. compassion, love, care, concern, and forgiveness also apply here. When these things are given from a seemingly empty well, God can only respond with His favor and blessings:

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:  And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:10-11

Scattered, Scarred and Recharged 

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22:1-2

Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. 1 Samuel 23:13

You know the story. The young boy with a penchant for strumming a stringed instrument, singing to the God he loved while on the job tending his father’s sheep. The true rags to riches story. But it was not always rainbows, guitars, and Cadillacs for the young man. He faced his enemies, a lot of enemies. Even after being anointed the next King of Israel, he paced the earth awaiting his calling’s arrival.

The king in power did not acquiesce without a fight (nor does the god of this world). There were many days scorched by the heat of uncertainty, protected only by afternoon clouds laced with doubt. And the expansive, stary night sky only mocked him as he pondered the absence of God, the God he knew who created all things. But he kept on. The lessons he learned years ago burned something in his spirit that the God he loved would not fail him. He read about it, he sang about it, and he wrote about it:

A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Psalms 103:1-4

So, he kept running for his life, life at the bottom. Until God showed up. And he did. His Lord did not fail him and restored everything he seemed to have lost:

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:4

God Will Meet You At The Bottom

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

There is something noteworthy about the above scripture that can slip by undetected. It’s Jesus’ remarkable ability of discernment, that out of a crowd of several thousand, he knew exactly how far, how much sacrifice some of them had made to “tough it out” with him in this wilderness situation. Apparently, some had sacrificed more than others. Some had endured more hardship to travel and hear the Master speak than the fellow across the field did. Was this a test? No doubt it was. He was testing the determination of this crowd to see who would leave the creature comforts of home aside to be near this talked about miracle worker named Jesus Christ.

And Jesus knows how far you’ve traveled. He sees your sacrifice. He knows how far you may have fallen into the dregs of life and how far down you may have descended. With Jesus, it’s never too far because he is waiting for you where you are, at the bottom of your barrel.

Just when you think you’ve hit the bottom where there is no hope, God shows up and changes the whole situation. Just like he did in this situation with a hungry crowd of people far from home with nothing to eat. And just like he did for a poor widow woman and for a homeless king wandering in a wilderness. Nothing is ever the same after God touches it. Ever.

What is the common thread in each of these two examples? Three things – attitude, attitude, attitude. It’s all about our attitude when sitting at the bottom. Because altitude is determined by attitude.

We cannot ignore three aspects of going to the bottom of anything – you did not voluntarily go there, you did not want to stay there, and certainly, you did not want to return there. That is until you discover the miracle reserved only for those who go to the bottom and patiently wait for God to show up.

Here are some takeaways from observing two lives traveling along their path of faith:

God knows exactly how far down you’ve gone.
God is there at the bottom.
God is not too aloof or distant to not travel to the end with you and for you.
God will take your emptiness and turn it into His blessedness.
God will teach you lessons at the bottom that will later take you to the top.

It is not over until God says it’s over. Even at the bottom of the barrel.

In the barrel or out of the barrel – Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name. Amen

By Invitation Only

February 17, 2023

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

By Invitation Only – you have seen the phrase before, and no doubt have been on both sides of the equation. You have either been honored to be the recipient of an invitation to attend a special event or on the other hand, been overlooked or ended up on the shortlist just as easily. I have experienced both scenarios – elation in one case and feelings of rejection and forlornness in the other. Did you know that entrance into God’s Kingdom is also ‘By Invitation Only’?

Yes, the call is to all, however, not all of God’s invitations are created equal. We will look into five invitation types – the forged, the lost, the ignored, the neglected, and the arrived. Let’s dive into this.

Every Good & Perfect Gift Comes From God

Let’s lay some foundation before moving along. And that is this: every good and perfect gift comes from only one source – God:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

What are some good and perfect gifts? Here are some, you may have others to add:

The desire to love God
The capacity to reverence and fear God
The desire to pray
The desire to worship, praise & offer thanksgiving to the Lord
The desire to repent and keep a repentant heart
The desire to be faithful to the house of God
Faithful in giving
Faithful in reading & studying God’s Word
Showing compassion to others (the poor, widows, orphans, disadvantaged, abused, weak, and the sick)
The desire to be a servant
The desire to seek God’s will
The desire to see fellow brothers & sisters prosper, mature, and advance in the body of Christ
The desire to see me as the lesser, and others as the bigger

And the list goes on. The point is all of these gifts come from God. We can’t “take credit” for any of them. The very desire to “will” the work of God originates from the Lord. There is scripture to prove the statement:

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

From here we can understand that it is God who is the source of all things good and perfect. The only good in us comes from God. We are not good within ourselves. It is said that we cannot even get good enough for God to accept us. It is a futile endeavor to think we can. The real conflict is not God accepting us, it is us accepting God! Okay. let’s really go over the edge here. There is a popular song in the Christian worship space with the following tag line:

“I am who you say I am. You are for me, Not against me”.

Okay, that is great. But is not the following line even greater?

“You are who you say you are. And that’s all I need to know!”

Revelation has more staying power than affirmation. Let’s move along.

You may ask: What do you mean by all this? Let’s look at someone in the Bible who thought he could position himself to where God had to accept him, accept him for his own goodness. And this is the first invitation type and it belonged to a man named Cain,

The Forged Invitation

And in process of time, it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. Genesis 4:3

Most know the tragic story of Cain and his brother Abel. God established his standards for what constituted an acceptable offering – a living sacrifice. Abel offered “the firstlings of his flock” as his sacrifice (acceptable) while his brother Cain offered “the fruit of the ground” (unacceptable). And Cain became offended when the Lord let him know his offering was unacceptable. The result? The rejection enraged him to the point of taking the life of his brother.

What was Cain’s problem? His problem was he attempted to forge his own invitation to Heaven. He sought to make it to Heaven on his own merits, his own goodness, and on his own terms. God was not fooled.

This was not God’s only encounter with forgers. Jesus experienced them during his earthly ministry. The rich, young ruler was one and Jesus’ run-ins with the Pharisees and Sadducees comprised the list of the other forgers. These people thought they knew the way to eternal life better than God did.

Before plowing into the next type, it is worth mentioning that the next four are all derived from Jesus’ parable about the seed. This parable is essentially a window into how the Word of God, the “Invitation” if you will, is received and ultimately handled by its intended recipient.

The Lost Invitation

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. Luke 8:5 

Here the invitation did not even make it to the intended recipient. The word was disconnected from its target, was lost in transit, and never delivered. How can this happen? First, it was not communicated. The Apostle Paul addressed this phenomenon in The Book of II Corinthians:

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 2 Corinthians 4:3

The Word, God’s truth was not delivered. In the next verse we can also see that even if a delivery attempt was made, there is an enemy who can make it appear invisible. The capacity to see and understand the invitation to eternal life is compromised to the extent that it’s as if it was never delivered.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:4

When they went to look for mail in their proverbial mailbox, God’s love letters sent personally to them, their unbelief caused them to see nothing but dark, empty space.

The Ignored Invitation

And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. Luke 8:6

Here we see the invitation is making some progress in its delivery route. It was actually received and read, as it “sprung up”. The word’s effect upon the heart began its work. However, that work was cut short. Why? Because it was not taken seriously. The reader’s indifference to the meaning and importance of the invitation’s message caused it to be ignored.

Like when you receive mail and stack it in a pile to be read at a later time because it lacks the distinction of bearing something important. It could be the name of the deliverer, the appearance of the envelope or packaging, the stamp is watermarked and is not one personally licked and applied, or it is not certified mail that required a signature. Or the mail was opened, however, its contents were deemed unimportant, of no value, irrelevant or immaterial. So, its contents were not taken seriously. For these, the gospel was just not attractive and did not grip the heart.

The Neglected Invitation

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. Luke 8:7

Again, the message gains more traction here. The invitation was delivered, it was read and even taken seriously at first. The date and time of the event was penciled in on the calendar. It was determined that this event would not be missed. The RSVP line was filled in and the invitation was placed on a desk to be sent back. However, between the ’emotion’ surrounding the excitement and anticipation of the future event and the grating of time, something tragically happened. The thrill wore off, the joy dissipated, and the invitation’s aura paled.

Why? Things got in the way. In fact, another event happened to coincide with the date and time listed on the invitation, and it was decided this other affair would instead be attended. The Apostle John tells us exactly what happened here:

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Revelation 2:4

Left thy first love. This will snuff out good intentions every time, especially with things concerning eternal life and the kingdom of God.

The Arrived Invitation

And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. Luke 8:8

Lastly, here the path of the invitation has run its course. It was read, and understood, its impact clearly appreciated, and the event contained in its contents was ultimately attended by its recipient. The gospel for these folks absolutely swept the reader “off their feet”. They simply fell in love with Jesus and remained obedient to God’s word! Such will it take to make it into the gates of Heaven.

It has been said that Heaven’s invitations are not what is most important. The most important element in arriving at eternal life is showing up with the boarding pass. And Jesus stands at its gate to collect our invitation:

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Luke 13:24

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9 

In Conclusion

We have discussed the circuitous and meandering path God’s call and His invitation to eternal life can take. Not all of the invitations God sends out are received and respected. Many are offered an invitation, but as we’ve seen. not as many are faithful enough to show up at the boarding gate with the pass in hand. May we not become weary in well doing but persevere through these trying times to hear those comforting words of the Master – enter thou into the joy of thy lord. welcome in thy good and faithful servant!

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. John 6:65

So Come Lord Jesus

November 18, 2022

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20

So Come Lord Jesus

Have you ever experienced a situation or situations in life where you just wished Jesus would step on the scene? Or, after confronting a major trial or test your hope was for the Lord to simply call you home? If you have not, you have possibly known someone who has. Being exiled on the Isle of Patmos, no doubt the Apostle John was living there at the time of the writing of the Book of Revelation. It is in these situations where the heart can boldly cry out “So come Lord Jesus!“.

These four words are the last few words recorded in the Bible’s final book, And the very last four words written right before the book’s ending “grace benediction”. This should tell us something. And it does. What exactly is the Apostle John telling us here? Basically, the phrase is a plea: “Jesus, we desire your presence, are eager for your return, and hope you will not delay. We can hardly wait any longer and will not be disappointed if you come right now!”.

To be confident enough to say that means one thing – you are ready for the Lord’s second return to earth, which is a core theme communicated in The Book of Revelation. Jesus stresses six times in Revelation the urgency of being ready for his Second Coming with his phrase “I come quickly” (Rev 2:5,16, 3:11, 22:7, 12 & 20). Jesus alludes to the critical importance of readiness in these three words. In short, because of the almost mysterious nature of Jesus’ Second Coming, he is implying to “Be Ready“.  Be ready all the time and be ready at all times.

There is an underlying theme to this concept of readiness that we can sometimes miss. It is the element of timing. Specifically, our reaction to the timing of Jesus’ return to earth. And there is no better example to illustrate its significance than in one of Jesus’ well-known parables, The Parable of the Ten Virgins.

Timing Come Down to Two Things

Before jumping into the heart of the matter it may be worth mentioning or refreshing our understanding of the definition of the word “parable”. Here is one of the best descriptions of what a parable is: “A parable is an earth-based story that describes or illuminates a heavenly truth”.  With that under our belt let’s jump into this.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins is recorded in Matthew chapter 25. Here is a situation where ten virgins are awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom. Jesus alludes their anticipation (Mat 25:1) to the arrival of the kingdom of Heaven, or the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth. As the parable unfolds, we are told five of the virgins are equipped with lamp oil (symbolizing the Holy Spirit) with five of the virgins lacking that oil.

Let’s digress here for a moment. There is nothing more deadly in Satan’s arsenal than his attempts to hinder, suppress and impede God’s mission on earth by blocking the flow of the Holy Ghost through the Body of Christ. For it is the Spirit that energizes the Word of God in one’s life to ignite living faith into action. Okay, let’s move on.

The virgins are then unexpectantly jarred in the middle of the night by the shrill – “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Mat 25:6). The five wise virgins prepare to take their already lit lanterns to go and meet their bridegroom. To their dismay, the foolish virgins find themselves in a quandary as they have no light source to make that journey. And their attempt to harvest oil from their prepared companions fails.

In the end, the foolish virgins arrive too late and are rejected from entering the marriage banquet. And again, we hear the familiar words of Jesus: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Mat 25:13). What was one key differentiator (other than preparation) that determined the final outcome of the two groups of virgins? The answer is – timing.

For the wise virgins timing meant absolutely nothing. They were ready and prepared at all times. It was inconsequential to those virgins if the bridegroom came at midnight, 4am, 9am, a week later, six months later, or six decades later. The timing simply did not matter to them.

This was not the case for the foolish virgins. Because timing meant everything to them. Their marriage (salvation) hinged on them either being called to the marriage banquet in the middle of the day or by perchance, they happened to have lantern oil on the night the marriage cry was made. Depending on the timing, they would either be saved or find themselves facing God’s judgment (Mat 25:12). In the final scheme of things, timing will either mean nothing or timing will mean everything at the Second Coming of Jesus!

The Right Mind, At All Times 

To continue on this thought of timing, let’s turn our attention to how it not only impacted the lives of Jesus’ parents but also everyone who would read Luke’s account of Jesus’ initiation to the Temple at Jerusalem. There are two people recorded in the New Testament that have always stood out as personifying what it means to be consistently ready and zealously cognizant of the time in which one lives. Furthermore, given the role they would play in the Saviour’s introduction into the Jewish faith system, it was critical that their reaction to God’s timing be perfect. They are Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

We are introduced to Simeon in Luke chapter 2 (vs 25-32). No other account of his life is recorded in the Bible. He was simply a man described as “just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel:” who God had chosen to reveal the Messiah to before he died (Luk 2:26). Another aspect of Simeon’s life is given to us. He was sensitive to God’s Spirit and yielded in obedience to the spirit’s leading:

And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Luke 2:27

Is that not all that God really needs to advance his Kingdom, willing and obedient vessels? Apparently, it was all that Simeon needed for the Lord to use him. The Lord chose this common man to prophetically announce Jesus’ Messianic role as the Savior of the world (Luk 2:28-35) as Joseph and Mary brought him to the temple. What a profound mission God called Simeon to fulfill. Since he was queued into God’s spirit it did not matter to him when the Lord prompted him to visit the temple. Simeon was ready.

Another humble and nondescript person used at this same instance in time was Anna the prophetess. We read about Anna in Luke 2:36-38. What was exemplary about her life? She devoted her entire life to temple service, night and day, with prayers and fasting:

And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day Luke 2:37

Now that is living a life of total dedication to God. One could say Anna and Simeon had the right mind, all the time. God’s timing was immaterial to them because they were perpetually tuned into their faith in God’s word and the leading of the Spirit. Notice that they both arrived at the Temple exactly at the right time. That was not coincidental. Nothing happens happenstance in God’s kingdom. And nothing happens without prayer, fasting and sincere devotion to God’s work on earth. It just cannot be done any other way. The Bible gives us real examples through the lives of Simeon and Anna that that is how God operates.

Time Remains to Get Ready

God is faithful, merciful, longsuffering, gracious, loving, and passionate about His church. Jesus’ primary mission on earth was to destroy the works of the devil (death – I Joh 3:8) and to bring salvation to lost humanity. You might ask: “What does all that mean?” It means that until Jesus returns, there is still time to find lamp oil, become a wise steward and be a useful vessel for God to use in these endtimes we are living in. The Lord is forever bidding for people to come to the soon marriage supper of the Lamb (Joel 2:28; Luk 14:23; Rev 22:7).

If you find yourself under the weight of the “spirit of the age” or incapacitated by past abuse, failures, mistakes, shortcomings or sins, bring them to Jesus who is both ready and willing to hear your sincere prayer and give you the strength you need in your day of trouble! (Psa 37:39, 46:1)

Refuse to quit. Your breakthrough is just one prayer away. And with God, His timing is always perfect. Be ready for it!

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matthew 24:44

An Eternal Salvation

April 15, 2022

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Hebrews 5:9

Precious things are worth fighting for. And what can be more important or essential in life than something that is endless, things that transcend both time and space?

What are such things? Two things are God’s word (Mat 24:35) and your soul (I Joh 2:25; I Joh 5:11, Rev 20:12-14 & Rev 22:1-5). God’s word and your soul are eternal. And the salvation God planned before the world’s creation was designed foolproof and for everybody. Let’s take a look.

Better Than God’s Good – God’s Best

God does not operate in the cheap, convenient or shallow. And his salvation is no different. When you get a glimpse of what God sees when he looks at your soul made in His image and destined for eternity, you will see something both spectacular and shocking at the same time. You will see a cross on a hill in Israel named Golgotha. And you will see a perfect, pure, precious and sinless Lamb crucified on that cross. That’s what God sees when He sees the value and significance of a soul destined for eternity.

What is the purpose of all this? The purpose of God becoming flesh and embarking the journey we know as the ‘human experience’ was to show Heaven something about Himself they had never seen up to this point. Angels never glimpsed it. Fallen angels and the principalities and powers in heavenly places never saw it. Even earth’s inhabitants had never laid eyes on what God was about to reveal.

Before we embark down this path of thought, there is something about creation that needs mention. And that is this – creation is speaking. The heavens and expansive galaxies in faraway places in space are saying something:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,” Psalm 19:1-4

What are they saying? Or in general, what is life saying? Life is saying one thing: “We are made with God’s best and we demand God’s best to exist”. If Jesus had never existed to bring to this earth love. hope, promise, light and purposeful life, it would have been necessary for us to imagine him or at the least fabricate something to mimic and substitute what he has to give. Why?

First, nothing or no one else can solve the profound puzzles and mysteries of life like the arrival on earth of a Savior who made bold proclamations such as: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Joh 14:6). “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. (Mat 11:28) “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise”. (Luk 23:43). And: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life”. Joh 6:47-48

Jesus’ words produce in the soul an attraction to things beyond the gravitational pull of earth’s “weak and beggarly elements” to things otherworldly, grandiose and everlasting.

Secondly, there is something that grates and abrades within our soul that cries and screams for things grand, majestic and wonderful. Our soul has an innate propensity to engage with the eternal. Just as the above scriptures in Psalm 19, creation speaks in wonderment of God’s majestic and creative power. And so does our soul. Our soul screams out: “Where is my Creator, where and what are the deep things of God, what is my purpose in the scheme of things and the reason for my existence?”

And God answered, and today He still answers these questions.

Now going back to our thought thread. What is it that God was yet to reveal? He allowed humankind to wait 6,000 years to reveal one thing. He waited to reveal ………………

Himself.

God slipped on the outer human garb we know as skin and entered this earthly stage. It was Him. The remedy was not a semi-god, a demi-deity, a Jesus. Jr. or a virtual revelation of himself.

Why did God do it this way? Because the lostness and depravity of the human soul both demands and commands its deliverance from something unlike anything ever created. Our miserable, broken human condition beckons and screams for things supranatural and supernatural because of the God-given sphere of eternity nestled within our human heart (Ecc 3:11) (the Hebrew word “world” is translated: continuous existence, perpetual, everlasting, indefinite, unending future, and eternity – Strongs).

The eternal soul’s dilemmas demand an eternal solution. The soul craves the connection of eternity lost when Adam sinned, which through the passage of time propagated the curse and all the emotional and mental burdens of being alienated from God.

In its quest to be healed, the soul’s lost condition demands the best God can offer. And what is God’s best?

God’s best is Himself. God came himself to give himself. This is what true love demands. Everything. Nothing short would suffice. Nothing else would do what needed to be done to secure for us an eternal salvation.

Reconciliation & The Power of the Blood

And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: Leviticus 16:20

Leviticus chapter 16 records the sanctification of the Tabernacle’s Holy Place and Most Holy Place by the high priest on the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament. It is interesting to note in this scripture the expanse of what the sacrifice’s blood reconciles. The animal’s blood reconciles or absolves sin’s affect from the outer court (location of the altar), through the tabernacle, and all the way to the most Holy Place. The blood was complete in reconciling the sins of those at the door of the outer court all the way to the High Priest who entered the presence of Almighty God in the heavenly realm.

As it was under the law of the Old Testament, today the precious blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover the sins of anyone who asks for forgiveness at an altar of repentance (the OT altar), all the way to those “in the church” who commune with God in the Spirit (tabernacle of the congregation and the holy place in OT terms), in the Holy Ghost, the eternal Spirit of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:11).

If the blood of bulls and goats could move the sins of Israel forward one year, how much more can the precious blood of Jesus cover our sins today?

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14

When Jesus, the supreme High Priest without beginning or end (Eternal, after the order of Melchezedick Heb 7:1-3) applied his blood to Heaven’s mercy seat, our salvation was forever sealed for eternity. As the earthly high priest applied the blood of animals to appease God’s wrath upon sin for one year, Jesus shed his sinless blood for all mankind – for all time. And unlike the earthly high priests who rehearsed this ritual annually, Jesus once and for all offered his blood for the remission of sins never again to be repeated:

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;” Hebrews 10:10-12

In Conclusion

Whether one finds themselves under the weight of unrepentant sin as a new believer (at the altar) or “in the church” tainted by sin (from the altar to the most Holy place), the blood, and only the blood of Jesus will reconcile us to the God who inhabits eternity.

The mark of true love is true and total forgiveness. Jesus’ primary mission was to give the gift of forgiveness to the unforgivable. You are no more like Jesus then when you unconditionally forgive. A minister once said: “To give is to be like God. To forgive is to be more like God”.

May we be “more like God” on this Good Friday, and every good day. And in doing, secure an eternal salvation.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Isaiah 51:6

Love – God’s Greatest Weakness?

August 28, 2021

For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. 2 Corinthians 13:4

Weakness – dfn. lack of physical strength; lack of power, influence, or strength of character; a weak point in a system or somebody’s character. (Source: Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

Can God be weak? Is it possible for the great God of glory to exhibit any weaknesses? Or can God “choose” to be weak to achieve a much greater purpose and cause? One thing is certain and one thing we all agree upon is that love is weak. Love does not operate from a position of power or strength. Love assumes the position of weakness, giving instead of taking and being the recipient of pain versus the one causing the pain, And the list goes on. That stated, how do we respond when the Bible says that “God is love” (I Jn 4:8,16). If God is love and love is weak then what does this say about God’s person, nature, and Being?

As we probe this a little further we will find out that God does and always has a plan. And His plans are perfect. And His plans have always centered around one goal and purpose – to show all of creation how magnificent, how wonderful, and how glorious He really is (Ps 145:10-11, Is 6:3, Col 1:16, Rev 4:11). And we will discover that this whole subject of weakness has an astounding ending. Let’s dive into this a little.

 The Progressive Works of God

In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth in a miraculous display of creative power. We know that, but what we sometimes forget or do not think about is that these acts of creative power were not conclusive.  After each day of creation God said that “it was good” six times (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21 & 25). The number ‘six’ is the number of man, the number of incompletion. This tells us something. It tells us that God had something else planned that would supersede His “good”. What is that? The answer is God’s ‘best’. God said that His acts of creation were good. What God did not say was that He was “finished” with His work of creation. It would take 6,000 years before He would say that his work of creation on earth was “finished”.

God’s way of revealing His character and will through HIs sovereign acts and ways is progressive in nature (Is 28:10, 13). His plans unfold the way photographs were originally made. Photographs used to be formed after light-sensitive photographic paper was immersed a chemical bath called a “developing solution” after being exposed to a light source projected through a film negative. Images would slowly emerge over the paper’s surface while the solution swished over its surface until the entire scene photographed appeared. Such is the revelation of God, a step-by-step progression of events unfolding to culminate into the complete understanding and knowledge of all that God is.

Progressive Steps – A Man, A Family, A Nation & A World

God’s first step in revealing His character and nature started with a single man, Adam. Adam, the first created being made in God’s image was his first choice to begin exposing who He was through communication and fellowship. Adam failed in fulfilling all that God planned for him because of disobedience. So, as God always does, He moved on. God then chose a family to work with and continue to unfold his perfect plan and will. The man was Noah and he found grace in the sight of God (Gen 6:8). The Lord worked through Noah and his family to preserve a remnant of mankind from judgment (the flood) looming over earth’s inhabitants. After Noah and his offspring fulfilled their God-given role He moved on to something bigger – a nation.

The Lord chose the people of the nation of Israel (through the faith of Abraham) as the next step to reveal His will. The Lord started what would be a journey of almost 2,000 years to prepare a people who would glorify Him and be a witness of his power, mercy, goodness, and grace to a darkened world. Again, the plan fell short of its intended expectations. Israel would eventually become divisive, indifferent to the ways of God, and fall into relative oblivion amongst the nations of the earth.

After failing to achieve perfection yet again, God in his last and final attempt to fulfill His perfect plan decided to take matters into his own hands. This final plan would supersede all others in scope and power and go beyond the limitations of human futility, family frailty, and national hostility. God’s final and perfect plan would encompass the entire world and involve all of Heaven, including Himself!

But God faced a dilemma. Because of the nature of this final plan Heaven could not be its launching pad or its operations center. Why? Because this plan demanded a part of God that He had up to this point not revealed. This final plan demanded God’s total and complete commitment of His love and forgiveness only attainable through profound weakness. And He was up to the challenge.

Earth – The Manifestation of God’s Greatest Weakness, The Perfection of God’s Magnificent Power

Heaven is a place of eternity and timelessness where demonstrations and exhibitions of God’s glory, might, and power are on full display. Heaven is not a place for weakness. When God determined it was time to manifest and reveal the most glorious aspects of His character, nature, and being He would have to do it at some other place and in some other form. And He did. It is the place we know as planet Earth. God designed earth for two purposes; to heal the breach of sin in Heaven (Lucifer’s rebellion) and on earth (Adam’s fall/man’s sin) and to reveal to all of Creation the glory of His character and the manifestation of His greatness weakness – His love. To gather together IN ONE “all things in Christ” (Eph 1:10).

He began the process on earth as a child in the “likeness of sinful (weak) flesh”:

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke 1:30-33

God himself stepped beyond the curtain of Heaven’s glory and power to become weak, weak like you and me. However, he did it unlike you and I. He became flesh and lived without committing sin. Jesus was truly the Lamb of God. Perfect. Sinless. Blameless. Guiltless.

First, we need to ask a question: Was Jesus really weak?

He became sin who knew no sin (Is 53:12; II Cor 5:21)
He laid down his life so others might take their life up (Luk 22:19-20; Rom 8:32; I Jn 3:16)
He chose death so others might have life (Joh 10:15-18)
He became poor so others might be rich (II Cor 8:9)
He relinquished his God-given power so others might be empowered by it (Mark 5:37-39; Joh 7:37-39; Acts 1:8, 2:38)
He was a lamb before a merciless company of fearless beasts (Is 53:7; Mark 15:32)
He was speechless and defenseless while being falsely accused (Mark 15:3-5)
He loved and forgave the who betrayed him (Mark 14:18-21;  Luk 22:47-48)
He loved and forgave all who hated him and were ashamed of him (Luk 23:34)

Can we conclude that Jesus indeed chose weakness over power? Is that not how true love is supposed to work?

God’s plans are foolproof. If he fails to accomplish something one way, He will always have something operating behind the scenes that will come through when needed.

Satan thinks he has it all figured out. He believes his dominion over the world is unchallengeable, his death threat forever intact and his plan of deception and destruction over mankind unequaled. Being the father of lies (Joh 8:44) he is the chief deceiver, deceived, and dead wrong.

There is one thing Satan never experienced in Heaven nor will he ever understand about God. And that is: God’s weakness and the profound love of God birthed in that weakness. Satan and his hordes of fallen angels are completely dumbfounded by continually being defeated by the power of God’s love. God’s love has the capacity (unlike any other agent known on earth) to attract the human soul beyond sin’s gravitational pull and cause it to fall in total surrender before its Creator. As one lady radio announcer phrased it: “God’s love is the most compelling force in the entire universe”. It most definitely is.

And here is how. God’s power is perfected in weakness:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

The word “strength” in this verse is the Greek word “δύναμις” [dunamis] which is translated into English as “force” or specifically, “miraculous power”. The word “dynamite” is derived from this same Greek word. What does this all mean?

This tells us that God, in the most infinitely weak form possible, came to this earth in the “likeness” of sinful flesh to perfect His power. God became infinitely weak through his death on a cross so that He might become …………. infinitely powerful! So powerful in fact that Jesus is now worthy to receive all of the fullness of God’s glory, might, and honor – “even in him” (Eph 1:10). Now that is something to get excited about.

God’s perfect will was to manifest Himself in weakness as the Son (flesh) of God on earth to offer salvation to a fallen world through his sinless blood and give the hope of eternal rest (life) to those under the power of sin and death by the god of this world. It was through this sacrificial act that God revealed to the world the most magnificent and profound nature of His person being – His deep, profound love.

From “It Is Good” to “It Is Finished” – Jesus, Our Seventh Day Of Eternal Rest

As mentioned at the outset, God said after each act of creation the words “it is good” (6x). This tells us that God had one more act of creation to perform – an act to bring everything full circle and complete His final, perfect plan waiting to unfold from the beginning of time.

God in the Old Testament rested on the seventh day from His work of creation (Gen 2:1-3) and also reserved this day for mankind’s physical rest (Mar 2:27). In the New Testament, Jesus offers those who believe and trust in him a new life with a new beginning (2 Cor 5:17).

What was that final act or work of perfection God needed to perform?

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34  

The death of Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of God and Savior of the world was God’s final ‘work’ that fulfilled the Father’s will and ‘finished’ His creative plan on earth:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30 

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (the Gospel) ushered in the promised spiritual “rest” through the infilling of the Holy Ghost, prophesied by Joel and fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost:

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joel 2:28-29

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Isaiah 28:12

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:9-11

We are entering 7,000 years, or 7 days of creation, since Genesis 1:1. The second coming of Jesus Christ to earth can be seen as the seventh day from creation offering mankind the gift of eternal ‘spiritual’ rest (Mat 11:28-29; Heb 3:11; Rev 14:13).

In conclusion, God’s perfected power is expressed and manifested in the form of the God-man Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of that perfected power and rules “at God’s right hand” in the seat of Heaven having all authority and power over all of Creation (Rev 1:12-18). All because of weakness and all because of love. God’s love. For God is love.

Be Blessed & Be Free in Jesus’ Name. Amen

(Credit: Photo of baby & finger)

What Will You Allow God To Birth In Your Nightmare?

February 28, 2021

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. Genesis 37:5

Someone once said that God’s blessings are not all bright, shinny objects. There comes a time, a place and a season one MUST endure (call it a nightmarish experience) for God to reveal the mighty handiwork He ordains specifically for your life. The experience will either make you or it will break you. It will either make you ‘bitter’ or it will make you ‘better’. But, let it be known that if you endure the nightmare, God has waiting for you on the other side something that will change your destiny. It will change your perspective on God, on life, on yourself and on your world. The question is: will we allow God to produce the  miracle in the middle of our nightmare? Will we trust Him to take our horrendous dark night for the purpose of birthing a masterpiece, a work of beauty?

We will look at five specific examples, the life of Joseph, Abigail, Peter, a personal story, and the life of Jesus Christ to see how a nightmare can birth something miraculous beyond human calculation. Let’s take a look.

Sweet Dreams Become Bitter Nightmares – The Life of Joseph

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. Genesis 37:7  

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. Genesis 37:9 

The young man (seventeen years old at the time) was meek, kind, gentle, humble and called of God. The lad’s name was Joseph. One would think given these “blessings” all of life would be well – no pain to endure, no difficult life situations to navigate, no enemies, no perplexing circumstances to set one off the trajectory God ordained. That was not the case. In fact the opposite was true. Joseph’s call became a caldron of turmoil before birthing the life-altering actions it was designed to produce.

Joseph’s dreams caused him rejection by his brothers (Gen 37:18-28), placed him on the auction block of slavery (Gen 37:36), shackled in the prison house of false actuations (Gen 39:20), and marginalized and brushed-off for his spiritual insight (Gen 40:23). Through it all Joseph allowed God to bless him on three levels; personally (Gen 41:38-45), relationally (Gen 45:3-15; 46:29-30) and generationally (Gen 47:5-11). The Lord restored his personal life, his family’s unity and his nation’s sovereignty by faithfully traversing the dark roads he was destined to travel.

Abigail – From Disgrace To The King’s Place

Abigail learned of the plot to annihilate her husband Nabal, his entire household, including herself. David and his ragtag army of misfits were headed her way and they would leave no life untouched by their wrath. But, unlike her husband, Abigail was a godly woman who feared the Lord. Instead of being fear-struck, she found courage and hope in God’s faithfulness, and by faith, humbled herself before David with a freewill offering of food and provisions. Her prophetic and anointed words concerning David and God’s will for his life (I Sam 25:24-30) were  God-sent (I Sam 25:32) which he desperately needed to hear at this dismal juncture in life.

Abigail endured her nightmare. Her faith enabled her to persevere through the darkness. What was her “silver lining” in the pending catastrophe? She became the wife of the King of Israel. The pain Abigail endured from living in a very difficult situation was now comforted by looking daily at the face of her child, Chileab (meaning ‘like his father’ or ‘everything of the father’), born in Hebron between her and David. While Abigail lived a past shadowed by disgrace, she now lived a life surrounded by royalty as the king’s wife.

Peter’s Test In His Own Personal Nightmare

“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” Matthew 14:30

The account of Peter’s walk on the water to meet Jesus on a stormy sea was an unforgettable moment for him and for those who would read about it as recorded in Matthew chapter 14. It was truly a supernatural manifestation of God’s power in one man’s life.  But, was there something else going on here that Jesus was setting out to accomplish? Was Jesus looking to use this moment of drama and near catastrophe to send a test of faith to his fresh band of disciples to expose who would prove to be the most passionate and faith-driven?

One thing we do know is not much is recorded about Peter or his life before this supernatural encounter of walking on water. But afterwards, Matthew has much to say about him. Could it be that God was waiting to see by using the sea to test and identify true faith? How much faith does it take to walk out of a boat and onto the sea in the middle of a raging storm? It would appear a whole lot. But, there is a key point here that needs recognition. It is faith. What happened when Peter stepped out of that boat to walk towards Jesus on the sea? He gave up all control. Peter relinquished his own control over the situation, and by faith, trusted Jesus to take control. And what was the target of satan’s attack against Peter? It was his faith in God (Luke 22:31-32).

Peter’s test of faith in a time of great darkness was the key God would use to birth his future special role in God’s salvation plan (Mat 16:17-19). By trusting in Jesus’ ability to deliver in impossible situations (Mat 14:28), Peter would have the faith to fulfill God’s will for his life. This faith would later come to good use at a most critical time and place – the beginning of the church age on The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36). It was engrained in Peter’s mind that no matter what may come in life, or death, Jesus’ word is true and Jesus would back it up. Even when prompted to walk on the sea in the middle of a raging storm.

New Life From A Nightmare

(Note: the following is connected to a post entitled “Worship On This Mountain” written back in August 2019.

While sitting at the red light it took some mental gymnastics to decrypt the vanity license plate on the car ahead. But, after juggling around the seven-lettered puzzle piece it was too real and almost too coincidental – LVNTMRE. Living nightmare. Which was a fairly accurate description of life for the past eight years or so. But, as it turned out God has a plan even living there.

The beautiful newborn child pictured above was 3 weeks old when this photo was taken. Logistically-speaking, she has neither a mother or a father. She is our first grandchild. She is healthy, beautiful and complete. But, you do not know the “nightmare”, the story behind her entrance into this world. The circumstances surrounding her birth are nothing short of miraculous. Her 9-month journey was atypical of the way most children enter this life. This little girl was born in a very difficult situation and under horrendous circumstances. Some of the more personal and sensitive details (and they are numerous) are excluded. You see this child was born by a parent addicted to crack cocaine, nicotine and alcohol (and other drugs). But, God reached His hands into a nightmare situation and brought forth a living miracle. The neonatal nurses at the hospital knew her background, read the blood work results and were on the lookout for withdraw signs. They were very minor.

This was all because of prayer coupled with the cooperation of one special family member. Prayers by her family and prayers from the body of Christ were heard and answered on her behalf and turned a certain tragedy into a wonderful treasure. God reached His hand into a pit of darkness and brought forth precious life. And all life is precious because it is created by God.

Even in the belly of hell Satan may challenge, but he cannot overpower God’s sovereignty. Jesus is the God of light, life, and love. Jesus is the giver and taker of life. When Jesus commands, hell listens, even when the situation dictates otherwise. Don’t loose your hope in the midst of your nightmare because He just might be planning to produce a living miracle in its midst.

And now we will save the best nightmare for last.

Jesus Christ – He Experienced His Own Nightmare 

His life was perfect. He never sinned, his heart and mind was pure, he always handled himself gracefully and tactfully when faced with hate and injustice. His name is Jesus Christ. History documents his life. Jesus indeed walked the dusty, earthen paths and roads of this earth. Jesus lived for one purpose – to heal, to love and to set souls free from the curse of sin. But, even Jesus encountered his own nightmarish experiences.

“And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.  And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Luke 23:32-34

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Luke 23:44-46

What did Jesus birth in his darkness? He birthed our healing (Is 53:5) and He birthed the church, God’s church, the highest life-form on earth, the body of Christ. God has free will and can choose to be whoever He wants to be. Yet, he decided to be love and be known as the God of love (I John 4:8, 16). And there is “no greater” way to display this love than to lay down His life for sinners, a people who don’t deserve it and can never do anything to earn it. God’s love is a gift. A gift to humanity. And Jesus endured the darkness of sin so that we might have the choice to embrace that love and be birthed into his kingdom.

Jesus endured the cross’ pain and shame to usher into the world salvation for mankind through the new birth of water and Spirit (John 3:3-8, 7:37-39; Acts 2:1-4, 2:38; Rom 8:11). Jesus did it for you. God knew before creation that he would walk through this darkness (I Pet 1:19-20; Rev 13:8) and face the ‘nightmare’ on Golgotha’s hill. Jesus became sin for us who knew no sin that we might have a hope for something beyond the end of this life journey.

What Will God Birth In Your Own Nightmare?

No one really knows the totality of our life like God. He even knew before your birth the number of hair follicles that would be on your head (Mat 10:30).  And no one really understands life’s nightmarish experiences you are going through, have gone through or somewhere down the road will go through but God. Are they to punish, callously inflict pain or purposelessly cause undue burdens upon your life? Never. We must come to an understanding of this. Whatever you go through in life is meant to better you, make your faith stronger, recharge hope, and most importantly to rekindle love – our love for God, love for our neighbor and love for ourselves.

We must allow the nightmares God sends into our life to produce their intended miracle, turn the mess into a masterpiece and birth the  impossible out of the darkest of nights. Only God, only Jesus really understands the whole picture of your life. This is mentioned because God has sent you or will send you a nightmare to birth in you a miracle. What the enemy meant for evil, God desires to turn it around for your and His good. Why? Because God is glorified through the fiery trial of your faith (Rom 4:20; I Pet 1:7). There is nothing that defuses the devil’s machinery of mayhem more and completely blasts his apple cart of destruction and wickedness apart then when someone endures a nightmare experience while maintaining a right attitude by praising and magnifying the Lord in its midst. Do you know what that does? It shows whether it is the god of this world with the lower-case ‘g‘ or the God of Creation with the upper-case ‘G‘ that is really running this thing we know as life.

All Nightmares Eventually Come To An End

There is one thing that ends all nightmares every single time. Nightmares end upon one condition – when you “wake up” and open your eyes. The nightmare looses its power and grip when the person under its control wakes up and sees the light of day. Jesus is the light of the world (John 1:9, 8:2, 12:46). Jesus is the peace and comfort in life’s darkest moments. And Jesus came to heal the mind’s blindness caused by the god of this world (II Cor 4:4) and enlighten your vision to who really is the One in control. If we allow him. Jesus will take our worst nightmare, turn it around, and produce a work that will amaze you and those around you.

What miracles will you allow God to birth in your life like he did for Joseph, Abigail and Peter (and Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Samson, Hannah, Ruth, Esther, Peter, John, Paul, Barnabas, the blind, deaf, dumb, the bruised, the broken, the DEAD and so many others)? And who knows, you just might be next on His list!

Only Jesus can turn a LVNTMRE (‘Living Nightmare’) into a LVMIRKL (‘Living Miracle’).

May God Bless You & Keep You!

Almost

September 3, 2020


Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Acts 26:28

Almost (ôlˌmōst) adverb Dfn.: not quite, very nearly. OE – ‘for the most part’. Source: New Oxford American Dictionary

Almost. Almost home. Almost finished. Almost made it. Almost Heaven. The word almost may be the one word of all words to avoid in life. It doesn’t mean we didn’t try or failed to start. It just means we didn’t quite ‘for the most part’ finish the job. Almost.

The word is not a part of Heaven’s vocabulary. There are no ‘almost’s’ in Heaven. But, there very well may be a lot of ‘almost’s’ in Hell. Yes, Hell. Jesus talked more about it than we’d like to admit.

God’s people (as recorded in the Old Testament) understood the word quite well. In fact, they patterned their ‘religious’ life around ‘almost’. They built worship centers around Israel in homage to its false promises:

Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. I Kings 12:28-30

No need to travel all the way to Jerusalem, waste time, endure discomfort, exhaust funds and resources. Just reaching the city named ‘Almost’ is just as good as making it to Jerusalem.

Almost will be just fine. God “knows our heart”. Just going through the ritual is enough. Check the box, stamp the paper, punch the ticket or scan the barcode and we are good. Almost. No need to attend church, pray, make financial commitments, sacrifice needlessly, deal with unrepented sins, selflessly serve others, stand for sound doctrine or be embarrassed and stigmatized as being called one of those ‘Jesus’ people.

Almost speaks of compromise, lack of zeal, lukewarmness, dispassion and indifference. When total commitment is not our first choice, almost is an acceptable option.

Oh, Jesus, help us to not settle for anything less than your very best:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

There are many notable ‘almost’s’ in this life. Here are a few:

Two brothers sold their business for $2.7M in the 1950’s. Today the business generates over $5.9B in sales annually. Who were they? Richard & Maurice McDonald the original owners of the first McDonalds fast food restaurant.

Today he would be worth $95B. Instead he sold 10% of his share of the company for $800.00 after just 12 days as the number three man. What was the company? Apple

In 2010 Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga had pitched a perfect game with one final batter to face with two outs in the 9th inning. The last batter was called safe at first on a clearly misjudged ground ball call by the first base umpire. It has been named the ‘Almost Perfect’ baseball game.

Professional golfer Scott Hoch in the 1989 Masters Tournament was 2 putts away from wining the championship. His first putt brought him closer to the prize. How far away was the ball from the cup? Two feet. He missed his on second putt attempt.

Just One More Step

She was seriously ill and had been for over twelve years. Neither the doctors or the money spent on medicinal herbal remedies could solve her dilemma, a non-curable blood disease. But, then she heard about a peculiar man named Jesus who was reported to be healing people like her of even worst ailments, even raising the dead!

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, Mark 5:25-26

If he could do that surely he could handle her problem. She heard he was nearby. She had nothing to loose and determined not to live any longer in an almost situation. All she needed was to take one more step closer to her needed miracle:

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. Mark 5:27-28

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34  

There was an Internet video posted today about a woman on the state of Alabama’s Ten-Most wanted list. She was a drug addict and chained to a lifestyle of criminal activity to support her habit. After being incarcerated many, many times she hit rock-bottom and prayed to God that He would deliver her from the drugs. That simple prayer of repentance forever changed her life. God answered her in that prison cell and took the desire away. She lost the desire from that moment on and never looked back.

If that is not amazing, this is not the end of the story. Many years later she recognized someone on Facebook who was in need of a kidney transplant. The man was a now retired former police officer who arrested her many times during her life of crime and drugs. The Lord spoke to her and said she had the kidney he needed. After contacting the man and having compatibility tests run, her kidney was a perfect match and became his organ donor source.

Just One Prayer Away

You could be one prayer away from your needed miracle. One prayer away from receiving Heaven’s long awaited answer. One small step of faith short of seeing God walk through the door and forever change everything.

You are one prayer away of turning an ‘almost’ situation into an ‘absolute’ situation.

By God’s grace I will keep praying that prayer. Will you?