Jesus? Who is that?

Quick- When you hear the name Jesus- What comes to mind? Savior? Teacher? King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Nice Man? Healer? Miracle Worker? Baby in a manger? Peacemaker? Sucker Outer of all fun? Hero? Good Shepherd? Bread of Life? Wise man? Dreamer? Holy man? Lunatic? Avenger? A man on a cross......... Friend? What picture comes to mind? What do you feel when you hear the name? Whatever it is- I venture to guess it is rooted in some deep personal experiences. Maybe in Church- Maybe in a relationship- Maybe in some tragedy- Maybe in some beauty. Whatever we feel, think of or picture when we hear that name- I will also venture to guess- Is incomplete- A very good, but only partial truth. Maybe all the truth we can handle just now.

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God,

and what we will be has not yet been made known.

But we know that when He appears,

we shall be like Him,

for we shall see Him as He is.

Isn't that really what a lot of this life is all about-

Coming more and more to see Him as He is-

In all His fullness-

And as we do-

Being drawn up into Him-

To be united to Him-

Spirit, Soul and Body-

Heart, Mind and Will.

Faith grows and becomes stronger by being challenged-

Is our view of Jesus-

Of God-

Being challenged just now?

It is a good thing- A great blessing- Let's lean into the challenge- He will appear- He will show Himself- He is Faithful like that. Let's look for Him in ways we may not be accustomed to. Let's take hold of all God is revealing about Himself - Even as our pictures of Him are challenged.

Lord Jesus,

Open the eyes of my heart-

Open the essence of my spirit-

To see you in all Your Glory-

And as I see You-

To be transformed more and more into Your Likeness.

Amen

I am still hopeful that part 3 of the Jet Ski adventure will happen sometime next week!

I got no ettiquette.

Juxtaposition- To place unexpected combinations side by side.

Are you impressed?

I went to a luncheon recently that honored a group of people who had reached some milestones. As I sat at my table next to a young lady I had not met before, but had seen around our work place I noticed the table setting. The silver (Plasticware) was wrapped in a napkin there on the table and the dessert was sat out in temptingly ornate style. This arrangement suggested some level of expected formality. Now I have to tell you I am not altogether comfortable at formal meals- For one thing I am never sure at these kinds of functions which place setting is actually my own- Is it the napkin, spoon and fork to my right or to my left? To confuse the issue even more, I am left handed, which seems to throw me off in all sorts of ways. Anyway, I went on to introduce myself to the young lady and explain to her my confusion- I got no ettiquette training- This nice lady mercifully educated me a bit on what was what- At least she gave me enough information so that I did not use her spoon and fork. In my own explanation for my lack of knowlege of the social graces, I am not really sure where the words came from- maybe just wondering aloud- but I can hear myself saying,

"Really I guess I shouldn't worry about all this- I mean how formal do I have to be when the beautiful meal is actually being served on plastic plates."

Ah, the beauty of juxtaposition. Yes there was this sense of formality- But there was also the reality of the common man- The two folded together in an incredible way. Me the common man invited to the table of the ornate. The ornate itself descending to a level that gave me access- Wait- beyond even just access- Actually inviting me to come and to participate- Just as I am- No ettiquette and all. Amazing!

Colossians 1:15-20 (Excerpts) Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation- by Him all things were made- things in heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible....... He is before all things and in Him all things hold together...... God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself.

Philippians 2:6-8 Jesus, being in very nature God Himself, did not consider equality with God something to cling to, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself .

John 1:1 - 2 and 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us

The Ornate opening the way for the common by taking on the form of the common-

Raising the common from ordinary to sacred-

From death to Life.

Thank You Lord Jesus for opening the way to the ornate- Thank You for bringing God Himself into this world to be juxtaposed against all that is broken here in this place. Holy Spirit move in me today and tomorrow and every day after that to live out this same juxtaposition-Move in me to live out the reality of Your Life in this world- Move in me to invite all You bring my way into the Life You have won for us.

Amen

Can I change my heart?

What have I stored up for myself? What is it that I value- that I chase after? What is it that has hold of my heart- That I spend my energy pursuing? Pleasure- Acclaim- Strength- Admiration? How about Position- Success- Power or Respect? Or is it Possessions- Youth- Money or Popularity? I have to confess I have spent no small amount of time in pursuit of these things- and I have even caught a few of them from time to time. When I did catch them there was a time of pleasure- brief as it was- always followed by,"Okay-What Now?' A good friend recently told me about the first time he took his wife fishing. Now, she wasn't especially excited about the prospect of fishing- Did I mention it was part of one of their early anniversary trips? At any rate, the lovely young bride did catch a few. My buddy went on to tell me that upon their return home his dear sweet wife promptly put a pole in the trunk of her car and began looking for fishing holes. From that point forward, it seems every time she came across a a decent looking spot she would stop the car and proceed to cast a few lines.

The story left me wondering- did she catch some fish or had fishing caught her?

I think it's kind of like that with all of us. If you take a good look at what I spend my time looking for- at what occupies my thoughts, time and energy- you will have a very good chance of knowing what has me hooked- of what has my heart.

Matthew 6:19-23 Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth.........but instead store up for yourself Treasure in Heaven.........

For where your treasure is there will your heart be also........

The eye is the lamp of the body....... if your eyes are good your whole body will be full of light........if not, you will be full of darkness.

I wonder then if maybe I can lead my heart by somehow disciplining my eyes-

I wonder if by intentionally training my eyes to look for some things and turn away from others I can somehow deepen the connection between my own feeble heart and God's Great and Powerful Heart. A Heart bursting forth with Unfathomable Love and Goodness.

Maybe it's not too far fetched to say

Blessed are those who Look for God- For they shall become Pure in Heart and shall see God.

Hebrews 12 (Excerpts) Let us throw off what hinders and the sin that so easily entangles......... Let us fix our eyes on Jesus........so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.

Holy Spirit help me- help me to lead my heart after You. Empower me to fix my gaze upon Jesus. Speak to me- speak words of truth and give me ears to hear and a will to obey. Father Thank You for Your great mercy and patience with me. Thank You the strength and desire You give me to fix my eyes on the Author and Finisher of my salvation. Lord, I will do my best to keep my focus on You.

Amen

Wisdom

Have you heard the story about the Preacher who was hired to take over at the Local Baptist Church? It seems after his first sermon on Kindness the congregation was ecstatic- the Search Committee had indeed landed a fine catch. Well come the second Sunday on the job it seems for some reason the new Pastor got to the Pulpit and once again delivered exactly the same sermon on Kindness. The congregation was a little distubed, but no one quite had the courage to say anything. Well it seems that after 2 more Sundays of the same, finally the people could bear it no more and as Baptist are apt to do- They called a Deacon's Meeting to address the problem. As a result, the Chief Deacon was sent to confront the new Pastor over his lack of variety in Sermon topics. Cautiously the Deacon approached the Pastor with those classic words,"Pastor, we've been talking, and the congregation has some concerns. We are concerned that for 4 weeks now you have come to the front and delivered the same sermon week after week- Don't you have any other material?" At this point the New Pastor simply looked at the nervous Deacon and smiled as he said,"Oh yes I have plenty of other material, but I figured it would be good to wait on that until I saw some sign that you all were actually listening to my Sermon on Kindness!"

Proverbs 1:7 "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom"

Isn't this really where we seperate Wisdom from knowlege?

That is that we take what we hear seriously enough that it actually becomes transformative in our lives.

I have come to believe that Fearing God has little to do with being scared. I am not even sure respect is the best way to paraphrase the word Fear. Standing in awe of the One who made us and holds our lives in His hands is closer, but .........

I really believe Fearing God means taking Him seriously. It is the idea that as He speaks, I take what He says and put it into action in my life.

We can become great Biblical Scholars with immense knowlege and a Systematic Theology that stands as intellectual genius, but still have wisdom elude us. I think it was Oswald Chambers who suggested if we really want to know God- we will get a whole lot farther with a tiny bit of Faithful Obedience to what He has already revealed than many hours searching the mysteries of the scriptures and trying to fit them into some sort of workable systematic theology that lines up with our own notions. I may have added a bit of my own mindset there- if so- I will be sure to ask Chamber's forgiveness when I see him.

James 3:13 and 17 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life- by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom." ........

"But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure, then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

Father, rise up me for true Wisdom- for knowlege of You that is transformative. Seal Your Word to my Heart and work it out through my hands. Holy Spirit be ever present in me to remind me of all that has already been revealed. Bring others into my life that will spur me on to Love and Good Works. All praise be to You my Lord Jesus for how You showed me the walking living breathing Wisdom of God. Amen

The Nature of Sin

There has been this thought in my mind for as long as I can remember that Sin- at it's essence- is selfishness- self gratification- even self preservation. That is - preservation not just of the physical self, but the ego as well. I am beginning to wonder and maybe even change my view. Many a man has come to Christ out of a sense of self preservation. When I think of my own committment to Christ- at the heart of it was a longing for a better life- for Self to be in a better position or condition. Oh it had nothing to do with a fear of hell for me- in many ways I felt like I was living in hell already and was looking for a way out. So then- I can see how concern for self ( selfishness in a sense) can certainly lead a man to Christ. Committment to Christ at it's essence is a committment to self preservation and happiness. So then what is all this business in Matthew 16 about denying self and taking up my cross to follow Jesus? And a little farther on Jesus tells me the man who seeks to save his life will lose it, but the man who loses his life for My sake will find Life? I still believe self is at the heart of sin, but maybe not self preservation. Maybe sin at it's essence is more about self reliance and a lack of trust in God's Character. What I mean to say is, maybe a pursuit of happiness for self's sake is not a bad thing- but the problem comes when I begin to believe or act as if I believe I know better than God how to have the Joy I long for and He promises- or I begin to doubt His Love for me- or that He has my best interest in His Heart. Like those in the Garden- I listen to His great enemy and I choose to go my own way in the pursuit of happiness. I separate myself from God- I separate myself from my only source of Real Life and Joy thinking I know a better way- wanting to establish my own sovereignty over my life. In the end maybe sin is mostly about a lack of trust in God's Love for me and His Sovereignty- Some how thinking I can do better by following my own way. Holiness on the other hand is about truly trusting God as I make my way through this world and in this world. Jesus seems to be constantly challenging us to go against our common sense or at least what makes sense in this world and trust Him for our lives- our happiness- all our fulfillment. Go sell all you have, give to the poor and follow Me. If a man wants your coat- give him your shirt as well. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Tough words in this world. Words that demand me to take a stand one way or the other- Am I with Him or will I go my own way? He will not settle for a little religion. Lord Jesus, Almighty God, Holy Sprit- Three in One, Pour Your great Heart into my weak heart today and everyday for the courage toTrust You with my Life. Help me to have the courage to take hold of the Life that is Real Life when everything around me screams noooooo! Make me Pure in Heart Wholly devoted to You. Help me to see Your Faithfulness- Give me eyes to see Your goodness and Love for me. Give me ears to hear Your call to me and a Heart to obey. Amen

Some Thoughts on Holiness

Holiness.........Set Apart for God- for His Purposes. Holiness is not so much about do this and don't do that as it is about the reality that I am not made for this world. I am a stranger here- this is not my home. The more I look to this world for my happiness the more frustrated I am destined to become. God's call to me for Holiness is out of His Love for me. God's call to Holiness is a call to Wholeness- To Life in Him Jesus said, "I am the Vine, you are the branches- remain in Me- Apart from Me you can do nothing. Remain in Me and you will bear much fruit" Holiness is abiding in Christ. It is not following a set of rules. Following rules can not bring life. Jesus offers Life- Full, Whole, Complete Life. 1 Peter 1:13-19 Excerpts Prepare your minds for action.... Set your Hope fully on the Grace given as Jesus is revealed...... As He who called you is Holy, be Holy in all you do......... Be Holy because I am Holy....... Live your Lives as strangers here in reverent fear....... For you know your redemption did not come from the things this world considers precious, but from the Precious Blood of Christ...... A Lamb without blemish or defect (Set apart fully for God's Purpose of Love and Redemption) Living in this world-I need to be reminded of what is real. Holiness is a call to that- what is real- to what is true. Holiness is about a focus on what has substance. Holiness is not achieved by following a set of rules. Holiness is seen in a Life consumed with Christ. Holiness is not as much about separation from as separation to. Set your Hope fully on Grace in Christ. I think this might be the key to personal Holiness- That is- setting aside all my efforts to separate from the the World and begin to focus on separating myself unto God- Fixing my eyes on the Holy One- Jesus Himself. Don't you just love Jesus- The way He Lived- His Compassion- His Strength- His Courage- His Goodness. Perfect Holiness- Perfect Love. In the end- Holiness means being like Jesus. Father God, move in me today to be Holy- to be like Jesus more and more- to do the things He did- To live out His Life in my world. Make me Holy. Amen