Category Archives: Encouragement

Preparation

by

0


Is there a sane man who will go out to cesspool, cover himself with filth, then go immediately to be seated as a royal guest at a royal banquet?  Don’t men go through all pains to clean themselves in the best of possible ways?  Don’t they make every effort, lest even a hair be out of place?

The royalty of men is not to be compared to the royalty of the living God.  Many men think they will be seated at the royal banquet of God; the wedding banquet at which no sin will sit.

“Come and let us reason together, says the lord.”  There is a promised dressing for the most earnest of men.  For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  But how shall a man dress himself today?

There is a Royal Proclamation to be made in this place.  How shall a man proclaim what he is not willing to hear?  And if he has not allowed himself to be dressed for royal proclamation in this place, how shall he expect to be dressed in the royal garment of the Royal Banquet?

Preparation is now.  Preparation does not begin at culmination.  They are two distinctly different times and places.  Is there more that can be said?

It Matters Greatly

by

0


When one stumbles openly he does not stumble alone.  A sin is done in the presence of many, ( small or great) and the great clamor arises.  A spiritual noise is heard.  A frothing of the water comes to be.  Many who were watching stumble also.  Our foolish example has caused the fall of many.

It is wise to watch ourselves for the sake of many.  Some believe it is their choice to obey or disobey.  In one sense they are correct.  But every unholy disobedience that is done in public is sure to cause many others to stumble.

One may say this is not new, this is well known.  If that is true then why do so many cause such an uproar?   Why is there such turmoil in the family of God?  Every man is not his own keeper.

Love does no injury to his neighbor.  Love considers his brother’s welfare as primary over his own.  Selfish behavior does not care.  Selfish behavior does not even consider.  And so it is necessary to speak of these things.

This is not an attack against anyone.  I mean only to waken understanding.  The age we live in is full to overflowing with wicked behavior.  Many Christians have adopted such teachings as their own; as they have received the teaching, so they do.

Consider those who once made the good confession.  (No names or actions are necessary here.)  You saw them stumble.  You felt the sorrow in your soul.  And if it did not cause you difficulty, you knew well, it did not land so softly on others.

The obvious admonition is to watch ourselves.  What we say matters.  Where people can find us matters.  What they see us doing matters.  What music we listen to matters.  What we let our eyes see matters.  As a man is, so he teaches.

Eyes in the Night

by

0


I rose before dawn, as is the habit the Lord has taught me.  My little dog lingered with me while I dressed.  I asked her, “Do you wanna go out?”  Her excitement answered in a mute yell.  Down stairs we went.

Now, it’s not my habit to turn on the porch light when I let her out.  But darkness seemed really dark this morning.  And it’s not my habit to go out and stand on the porch when she ventures to the grass.  But I did both this morning.

We stood there in the silence of 4am.  But a soft “huff” broke the silence.  I thought it was a deer, sounding her alarm.  Then it came again.  “That’s not a deer.”  It was too short and lacked the same thrust of larger lungs.  As I listened, four glowing eyes came racing across the tiny road and were headed down the drive way right toward my little dog.

It was the fox!  And not just one, there were two!  With their razor-sharp teeth and trained violence of a hungry warrior, they intended to consume my dog.  She wouldn’t stand a chance.

Without a thought, I flew up my arms to out stretched position and gave a loud “huff” (somewhat like a growl).  I no longer saw the eyes.  They had turned faster than I could blink.  I heard that familiar scream they make.  Both of them screaming in fear as they turned like lightning and ran away.

No fear attended my dog.  Only a slight startle at their screaming retreat.  She came up to me and just sat waiting to go back in.  She was done.

No fear attended my mind or heart.  The Lord had given me immediate wisdom, strength and peace.  He had waken me for this display.  He had wakened my dog’s desire to go out.  She doesn’t always want to go with me on those early morning excursions.

He had brought us to the place of confrontation.  The foxes were ready and hungry enough to challenge the presence of a man.  My little dog was ignorant of their bloody intent, enough to remain still.  He caused me to know exactly what to do and at what moment to do it.  Then He dressed me with understanding as I peacefully sat to consume my first cup of coffee.

There is a hungry bunch of foxes who prowl throughout the world.  As He has protected me and my dog this morning, He protects all His children all night and day long.  HE  IS FAITHFUL.

Praise came from me as understanding came from Him.  Fearlessness is the outcome of such teachings.  But it is not the fearlessness of a warrior.  It is that lack of fear a child has when daddy is walking with him.

Praise God for Jesus, His Righteous Christ!  Let all creation praise the One who has overcome.  God alone is good and true.  His Holy Living Word is fully dependable, true, faultless in righteousness, full of mercy and love.  The Living Word is the very meaning of “Grace”.  May His Holy will be done forever.  Amen!

Eyes of the Soul

by

0


I wake this morning to remember that God IS.  Eternity is the “now”.  A pastor once said to me, “This life is not a dress rehearsal.”

Men think there will be a place where eternity begins for all men.  Some to own disgrace and punishment for the life they have willingly led.  Others to receive the completion of the promise of God to transform into perfection.  Truly, there is such a  place.

But is this place different; this place of testing and “Work”?  Is not the Glory of God among us?  Isn’t that the meaning of Immanuel?  We wake to serve as servants of the Most High God through Jesus His Holy Son.  We have slept to hear in dreams the things of Heaven.  We have slept through the night to “see”.

The soul is tied, till death, with the weakness of the flesh.  Which man can find the seam between his flesh and soul?  Blindness covers us in this place of flesh.  But faith has eyes for the soul to see.

Those who love wickedness, love wickedness.  They are relegated to the eyes of flesh.  But those whose eyes of faith are opened are relegated to eyes of faith.  I am not speaking of the faith of men; the faith that hopes without knowledge and does not know “The Way”.   I am speaking of The Faith which is from the Glorious Throne of God through Jesus, His Christ.

Allow yourself to use the eyes given by Holy Grace.  How shall a man walk The Way without stumbling?  It is far to narrow for the flesh to continue in.  The wakened soul alone can walk The Way of God.

My eyes do not work very well.  One eye is far more powerful than the other.  One eye looks slightly up and outward from the other.  When I need to see clearly (not perceiving as vagaries; a meld between the two directions of vision), I close one eye and perceive without deviance.

So it is with the meld between soul and flesh.  Let us close our fleshly eyes by selecting the eyes of the soul.  Let us focus our intent on what is Holy and brings Glory to our Father in Heaven.

Bring Glory to The Son of God.  Bring joy to our brothers and sisters, who belong to the promised redemption.  Let us witness to the world by walking through this place with the eyes of the soul.  God has opened what was before sealed.  Let us use those eyes with deftness.  Let us walk in The Way.

Missing the Marriage

by

0


I drove last night, thinking about the things that happened in my life.  Working over time lines and seeing stability or disrepair.  I saw far more of the latter then I did the former.

So I looked for the things that are good, that I might bring peace to my mind.  I found very few of them, but they did show the sovereign God working in my life.  So I took what peace I could, from what is true, and moved forward with an amazing thought.

My daughter was married in Oregon during my first year as a truck driver.  All I knew was to steer the truck; a complete and utter rookie.

I knew virtually nothing about logistics; how long will it take to get from point A to point B, when to take breaks, and when to drive like a madman.  So I relied very heavily on the dispatcher.

I let her know months ahead of time that my daughter would be married on a certain day.  The company was very friendly and assured me that I could be there.  Regardless that we drive the entire United  States, no matter where I was, I was sure she would direct me to Oregon in time.

As it worked out, that did not come to pass.  I found myself in Tennessee one week before the wedding.  Still, a week is a long time, so I did not panic.  I got the load to New Mexico.  There was no hope.  There was no fear.  I knew I was headed home.

Then I got a load to the east!  I don’t remember where.  All I remember is that I did not take the load.  Instead I made my own load and headed into panic and rage.

I remember sending many messages, of rather crude intent, when I realized I could not make the wedding.  I needed to vent my rage.  To their credit, they got the message quickly.  They eventually got me to Oregon, two days after the wedding. 

The understanding of a few was that I did not want to attend.  Some uninformed minds decided I had stayed away on purpose.  My daughter, graciously, did not utter such things.  It was a strained time of visit.  And after three days, I went back out on the road.

In the reflection of this experience last night, I remembered how I felt.  I remembered the rage.  I remembered the lies that some embraced in regard to my integrity.  Then I perceived what is truer than I.

Aghast as I was at the loss of my daughter’s wedding, I thought of a wedding that is far more precious.  The living God will give his one and only Son to a bride.  And there is nothing that can keep the sovereign God from attending.

She is my only daughter.  He is His only Son.  By the grace of God she will have married only once.  Is not grace that God will marry his Son once.  Divorce is an option among men for the sake of the hardness of their heart.  It is not so with the righteous God and his Holy Son.  The vow he makes will be literally eternal.

There were many who attended my daughter’s wedding.  And they graciously related the experience to me as they could.  With pictures and words and a piece of cake, I swallowed hard to let my imagination be there.

Two questions come to mind in regard to this astounding revelation.  Who are those who are of the Bride of Christ?  They will marry him once for eternity.  And to be married to the Husband of joy and peace is unspeakable.  It is impossible that the threat of being a widow should ever enter their heart!

And the other thought is akin to the first.  Who are those who will not be married to the sovereign God’s Son?  What rage they will feel!  For they were kept from that place by themselves.  They have decided that the pleasures of this world are far greater than to be married to the Holy Son of God. 

There will be no place of reminiscence.  They will never share in the glory that belongs to those who become the Bride of Christ.  There will be no pictures.  There will be no relating the experience.  And there will be no piece of cake for them to swallow hard. To whom should their anger be directed?  But how can any anger be righteous?

With these things in mind what is the comparison we might draw, between the suffering of this place and the joy of being Christ’s bride?

Have we given all we have to gain what will never be taken away?  Do we truly count the sufferings of this place incomparable to that which is promised.  Or do we willingly make compromise and excuses that we will surely come to regret?

May God’s will be done!  May He bless understanding to all his people.  May the sleeping eye come awake.  For many who now believe they will be of the Bride of Christ have fooled themselves to great loss.

When?

by

0


When does the grace of God appear to a man in the form of forgiveness for his sins?

The very moment that man decides in his heart to humble himself before the Most High God, confess his sins and ask for mercy.

The question is not whether God delays.  The question is does the man believe.

God asks, “Do you want to be well”.  Be ready to take up your mat and go home.