"Um. This is it?"

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 ¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

 ¹¹ The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
      Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
      Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  (1 Kings 19: 9 – 13)

And we read this:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me”.  (John 10: 27)

Looking for God in miracles and answers to prayer?  Perhaps you are the miracle and the answer to prayer.  The greatest prayer I’ve ever prayed had my feet attached to it.  We seek something great from God.  But among His promises we find Him telling us that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  (John 16: 33)

It may well be a terrible falsehood to believe every prayer man has will be answered by action from God.  The prayers which meet with the Father’s will are already answered before we ask.  The prayers which do not meet the Father’s will cannot be answered.
Wouldn’t it make sense, then, to learn the Father’s will?  Partial knowledge always produces a partial product.  Who would buy a new car only partially produced?  Imagine a new car dealer with his lot filled with auto parts.  How effective would that dealer be?

Lastly, on this subject, I am reminded of a scripture: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14: 6)   Jesus is the key.  There is no other way to the Father.  Yet when we have Jesus, we have the Father also.

By His Grace.

This is a true story told by one of the first missionaries to enter Russia:

In Russia before the Berlin Wall came down and freedom to worship freely was against the law, many Christians were forced to get together in secret to worship the Lord. One group of Christians were gathered together in a simple house studying the Bible when suddenly the door was thrown open violently and three Russian soldiers burst in with rifles. One of the soldiers bellowed out that anyone who wasn’t a Christian could leave immediately but anyone who had come to worship God should stay.

After a moment of silence many of the people filed out of the house leaving a few people behind. One of the soldiers closed the door behind them and locked it, then the soldiers all put down the rifles and explained to the remaining few that they also were Christians but they only wanted to worship with true believers. Could you pass such a test of your faith?

Found at:  http://www.inspirationalstories.com/2/229.html

By His Grace

I’ve lived my life on the outskirts of society.  Having been taught from an early age that I do not belong in this world (and that teaching continues to this day).  There is no depression within me regarding this anymore.  I find it comforting.  Let me expound on this just a bit.

There is, and has been, a place where the name of God has supreme love and importance.  In this place it is no shame to bring Him and His ways up at a dinner.  It is no shame to mention the name of His Son, Jesus.  In fact, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are about all you’ll hear in any gathering.  This place has been before the creation of the world and will be after this world is gone.

I thank the Lord that He has not allowed me to “fit in”.  And I will make no plans to assimilate into society.  As it is with all God’s people, I take specific pride in being shunned because I don’t talk like the world.  I reject the idea that this world is an important place, unless what you mean is that the world is important to test the souls of those who live here.  New clothes, new cars, the latest fad, sports, creating a great personal empire, and the flexing of power (regardless what power means to the world), these things have absolutely no draw to me anymore.  It’s not as though I woke up one morning and decided to think like this.  But the more I consider the reality of eternity NOW, the more I see the folly of temporary desires.

There were many years when all those things and so much more held my attention.  Those years are now counted as my shame.  In that place where God is singularly important resides my desire and hope.  Jesus is my God, savior and friend.  I count no man as pure or honest unless we consider his honesty and purity to reside in Jesus his Lord. 

This world is fast becoming a place where everything is true in it’s own right.  This too I reject.  There is one truth, God’s will.  All other ways, things, and attitudes belong to this world and will pass in time.  To be sure, I don’t hate the people of this world.  I hate the lies the world adopts.  And I see so very many accepting partial truth, partial God’s will.   Each man’s work will be shown for what it is.

This post will ruffle feathers.  It’s impossible to find the desire to care what people think of this post.  The Godly people will know what I’m speaking about.  The world will read this and consider me a fool.  My response to being labled a fool is:   “You’re absolutely right”.  I am a fool who trusts in the one source of wisdom.   “Woe to you when all men speak well of you,   for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets”. (Luke 6: 26) 

I must admit, many speak ill of me for things I’ve done.  But I find those same people strangely silent when I turn my life around and speak the things of God.  Some would say, “From one extreme to another, why can’t you just mellow out and get in the middle of life”?  Go ahead and stay in your middle.  I have no problem with that.  It’s your life.  But no matter how much I searched the Bible, I didn’t find God saying it was a good thing to be luke warm. 

So I welcome being on the outskirts.  The Lord I serve was crucified because He didn’t fit in.  How should I expect anything more from the world?  By His Great Grace, I will live in that place where He is not a shame.  It is His place.  And, as I read it, all who are ashamed of Him in this world, will be rejected for eternity.  So let me share in His “so called shame”.

By His Grace