Daily Archives: June 13, 2011

Shoot for the Floor and That’s What You Hit.

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Patio with stone tiled floor, Hawaii.

Image via Wikipedia

What right does someone who is yet not Holy have to speak of Holy things?  He not only has the right to speak of such things, he has an obligation.  After all, which of us has attained to the Holiness of God?  And what athlete trains with tinker toys when working toward fitness demanded by the olympics?  And if a thing is not yet perfected in it’s invention, do the inventors refuse to speak of the “ideal” product?

So what shall we conclude?  We are forced to say that to speak of anything less than Holiness will only cause us to approach the “something less”.  We attain toward that which is our ideal.  And we accomplish that attaining according to our desire. 

Let people speak of anything less than the Holiness of God  as their desire, and something less will be the outcome of their endeavors.  In short, we become more and more like the One we hold as our target.  The Christian world will often be caught holding up a small slice of Christ’s expectations for His people.  And to this standard the general Church aspires.  Items in the Christian experience such as mercy, generosity, prayer, truth, and a sinless obedience to Christ, are sincerely admirable.  But the over all goal is to give our best shot at becoming Holy.  And what shall we reply to the statement, “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”  (Leviticus 11:44)

May all God’s children aspire to what is “other” in this life.  The rewards of Christ hinge on our being separate from the world.

 

By His Grace.

Estranged, But Never Alone.

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Alone he sings

I find something rather puzzling in my experience of Christ Jesus and His “Called out ones”.   I stand alone as though I were cast out from everyone in Christ.  And there’s no doubt that the non-believers hold me in contempt.  The latter is as it should be.  The former gives me a bit of pause.  I accept the Lord’s leading without reservation.  And I’m not here to gripe about what I receive.  But, as much as I try, I can’t seem to gain acceptance from God’s family. 

If I were face to face with my brothers and sisters, there would be no indication that I don’t fit in.  But in the “real world”, (that is, outside the traditional Church environment) I walk alone.  And regardless how I try to “fit in”, there are no companions in The Faith to walk with.

This is a curious plight.  I don’t feel slighted in the slightest.  And I hold no one at fault.  But, for the life of me, I can’t find an explanation.  I might point out my quirks.  But everyone’s got them.  About the only thing I can look to as partially to blame is my focus on what is Christ Jesus.  Perhaps I would have better fit in in another part of history. 

Regardless.  I do enjoy a vibrant life in the Lord.  And perhaps it’s proper that I should feel shorted in anything else.  I will take what is given me and rejoice in this estranged life.  For God knows all.  And He is able to save by leading us into the life of His choosing.

By His Grace.

Time

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Slow Time in Wrist Watch on Dry Leaf

Image by epSos.de via Flickr

You have today.  And even “today” is a generalized word.  You have the “now”.  You do not own what happened.  And you do not own what is to come.  It is like time is a wind which blows against your face.  You have the movement which touches your skin, and no more.  What is behind you only carries your scent.  What lies ahead only holds a promise.  You have the moment only.

Reach back one second and grasp anything.  You can’t.  You have regrets you call your own.  But you can’t hold them in your hands.  And you can’t change their outcome.  Reach ahead and embrace what is coming.  You can’t.  You have promises you can see coming.  But you don’t own them yet.  And the best you can do is prepare to embrace what comes.  What you’ve done is done.  The past is a recorded and untouchable testimony to the life you’re leading NOW.  And the future only promises something is coming. 

But there is something you can do for your “time” situation.  You are invited to own what comes.  You don’t need to simply hope.  I testify to everyone (as do all Christians who weather life in Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit), that you don’t need to encounter life as a rock or a tree.  You can know that what you encounter has purpose and eternal meaning.

Right now, you search yourself for the strength to encounter the next moment.  And you know that you prepare and fight the “now” without a firm grip.  Jesus has done what you are trying to do in your own strength.  And His promise to guide you is real.  The fear of what you’ve done.  And the fear of what is coming are both too much to bear.  You can experience the freedom from fear that you’re holding too tightly. 

Simply turn your life over to the one who has made the promise of eternal life.  He has promised from Heaven and He cannot lie.  You don’t need to be tossed back and forth from what is coming and what has gone.  You can experience the freedom you’re looking for.  It’s found in Jesus, the Christ of God.

By His Grace.

Why I blog

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pen and paper

Image by LucasTheExperience via Flickr

Some write in their blogs about themselves.  Their intent is simply to be heard.  Some write in their blogs about various aspects of life.  Their intent is simply to voice their opinion.  Some intend to teach.  Some intend to point at the faults of others, or the system of life we embrace simply because it is the accepted norm.  Some write in their blogs because they are being friendly, or even because they have a specific hatred.  So why do I write in my blog?

There must be honesty in this answer.  So, in certain ways, I must agree with all of the above.  These are motivations for writing.  And I admit that they appear in my blog from time to time.  But they are not the central reason why I write.  More than any other reason, I write my blog as a testimony to the Lord Jesus.   I don’t write to change lives, so much.  Though it would be nice to know that I have been used to help another find a solid relationship with the Creator.  I write about the Lord because I want to leave a legacy on this earth as one who encouraged the hopeless to consider their plight with open eyes.

By HIs Grace.

Agree?

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Photo of the Praying Hands statue in Web City,...

Image via Wikipedia

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 18:19)

I’ve been in Christian gatherings where a request was presented by someone.  And it was the decision of the leader of the group that we should pray for this request.  Though I had some reservations regarding this request, I did not voice my reservation.  I allowed the people to pray without contention from me. 

I consider this text above.  And I look to some of the things current in my life.  One statement stands out in my mind, as if it were screaming.  God is not stupid.  He is not blind to our hearts.  And He is the absolute authority.  What should I do in regard to this statement (God is not stupid)? 

Should I risk offending my siblings in Christ by voicing my concerns?  Should I politely dismiss myself from the prayer?  Considering the offence such a dismissal would cause, there is only one possible answer: “No.”  And James wrote well, in regard to this.  “. . . judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.”  The ones asking for prayer have a valid need.  Just because I don’t agree, doesn’t mean an answer should not come from God.

But should I expect that their prayer will be answered?  Perhaps.  What of the cases which appear between my companions in this life and myself?  When I have a need and bring it to them?   What if they don’t agree with my assessment of the need?  It would be my desire to receive an answer from God.  And an answer which supports my personal view would be nice. 

In the end, I am forced to accept that I might not know the whole implications of what I desire to appear.   So I am forced to accept that the answer to my prayer desire might be “No”.  Humility simply teaches that we are to bend our appreciation of life and truth toward the will of God.  After all, who knows better? 

By His Grace.

As You Wish

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storm cell #9

Someone who calls themselves an athiest has posted the following: “Yes it is possible there is some god like being out there but it would be so far from our ability to understand that it would be a waste of time trying to. ” (I have been blocked from making any further comments on their blog. So I won’t give credit to the author of this quote)

I find this interesting for one reason. This person makes the admition that there is a possibility for the existance of God. But considers chasing after this thread of possibility a waste of time. Fine.  Is it appropriate to dismiss any possible hope simply because we can’t have it all?  And has that author considered the meaning of the word Grace? 

It’s much like saying, “I don’t know how to build a house.  So I’ll just live out here on the grass.”  We are warned that a simplistic approach to God is unwise.  Wouldn’t it be better to at least apply the same primary truths to our search for God that we apply to our own physical world?   But his (I assume it’s a he) approach is to dismiss the entire thing.  It is a choice one can make.  But I can’t possibly agree that it’s the best approach to God.

If we consider the worst case sinario of man’s descriptions regarding God and what His demands are, we are put to a serious task of bending our lives toward His nature so as to avoid any possible eternity in hell. Now, don’t we do that with storm warnings? We hear it on the radio or TV. We look out our window and see no sign of the warned storm. Should we just ignore the warning? No one will ignore it. They will make choices in regard to the warning.  And in the above quote I suppose we can surmise that this person has made a choice. 

But look at this person’s comment. This one decides that chasing after further knowledge is a useless cause. Ok.  Then, when it comes to teaching anything at all, this person must accept a “no response” from those who read his posts.  After all, isn’t that what he is doing with any possible knowledge of God?  Fine. Another quote comes to mind, “As you wish”.

By His Grace.