Reality 


Side with one political group, you’ll be happy for a little while.  

Gather certain friends around you, they’ll give you comfort for a little while.  

Bank on staying young all your life, you’ll be delusional for a few years.  

Things change.  Disappointments come.  The next guy gets his chance to be happy for a little while.  

Happiness in this world is like a crazy Bluejay.  He flies from one branch to another, blessing the place he stays for a little while.  But then he gets hungry for something “other”.  The branch where he was, springs back to its original position; empty and waiting for another bird.  

But in Jesus, you’ll find the potential to be at peace forever.  The winds of change can’t destroy his faithfulness.   And those who place their full trust in him are never put to shame or brought to ruin.  

It all depends on what you want, doesn’t it.  You want all the temporary chaos?  Graced by occasional happiness, like icing on a muffin.    Or are you looking for something endlessly permanent.  

Don’t just, “try Jesus”.  Put all your trust in him and you’ll see that what I’m saying is true.  

You always have the option to fail and be miserable; you can always go back to living a useless life.    You will not always have the option to take the beautiful life he offers so freely.  

Think about it.  

Rot and Corruption


I have seen the body of an animal reduced to bones and fur within the space of two days, by the bugs along a stream.  That’s not a place where I’d choose to sleep the night.  You would be swarmed within the space of an hour.

As I consider this, I am put to remembrance of the souls of men.  The decay of a rotten soul draws the attention of many.  Yes, man is dead, even as he lives, if he refuses the life that God extends through Jesus.

Sleep in this world of destruction, if you have no will to notice the swarm which stands against you.  Or listen to the wisdom of God to turn away from those places where a man should not “sleep”.  Come away from the muddy, unpalatable and slow-moving water of lies.  Answer the call to climb the mountain of God which leads to the living place of rest.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”(John 3, ESV)

Owners of Decay, Owners of Eternity.


The prosperity of riches, among Man, is defined by those things a man might acquire. And so they bear their proper name.   Easily lost or destroyed by rust and various decay, such things have no right to bear the name “prosperity”.  For no sooner are they acquired (or even desired), they begin their demise.

Penniless paupers are those who desire only the things of this world.  But rich are those, and beyond voicing, who place their desire in the things of eternity.  This “hope” in Christ we own, is riches unspeakable.

Let the unbeliever ridicule the Christian.  Let them hope in every possible “value” in this world.  They stand as proud owners of decay.  But let understand sink in.  The Hope we own in Christ is given to us by He who is endlessly true.  Such a One cannot give any decay to anyone.  What He gives is a faith that cannot possibly die, except that a man might rise one day to choose doubt over belief.

Yet he who owns Prosperity of Eternity owns what is absolute.  This one is rich!  He is rich beyond his ability to know, yet he believes.

Doubt belongs to the owners of decay.  Belief is received by He who extends eternal riches.  Believe and prosper.  Doubt and remain a pauper.

Growth in Christ (recovery from chaos)


No one sins all the time.  That’s just not physically possible.  Every man has a lucid moment from time to time, at least.  And because of the weakness of the body, sleep must come.

When you have those lucid moments, make the best of it.  Search out the message of the Gospel, and do it quickly.  Just as the chaos of sin cannot last forever, our lucid moments pass even quicker. 

Just as a man who wakes after a night of heavy drinking finds himself pondering what happened and why, such thoughts are signs of a lucid moment.  Treat them as a welcome friend.

Raise whatever faith you have to the surface of your conscience, and believe.  You may not have the answers.  But then is the time to approach the One who does.  And if growth is to become a part of our experience, the answer must be found in the Christ of the Living God, Jesus.

Every man is like a disturbance at the bottom of the sea.  At birth the seafloor rises in a certain place.  Then as the man grows and does the good things of God, his disturbance becomes a mound.

If the man will train his soul to listen to the words of God, eventually the nature of what he, is breaks the surface of the waters.  This “breaking forth”, lends itself to all manner of Life.

Dust in the air settles between the cracks of rock.  Storms whittle down the sharp edges, causing the filings to fill in the gaps.  The birds of the air come and deposit a few seeds.  In time, the man becomes more then a disturbance in the sea; by his nature he lends himself to the utility of the heavens.

The growth at the bottom begins when the lucid moments of a man are captured for “Good” intent.  I will admit that there are far more mounds that never break the surface of the sea, than are those who become useful to God.

And don’t we see this played out in creation, in the fact that there is more space of water on the earth than land exposed to the air.  More places for slime and few places of dazzling beauty.

But now in the emergence of the man above the surface of the waters, there comes many a travail.  Parts of the exposed land occasionally break off and fall back into the sea.  Part of the work is wasted.  But that should not stop the land from taking its rightful place.  And what broke off was not firmly committed to what must become.  Good riddance, c’est la vie.

If the use of your lucid moments has allowed you to rise above the nature of man, use them all the more as you aspire to become a place of Life.  Why remain a desolate island?

Do not let your failings cause you to plummet down under the waves.  The target here is to work diligently to produce more lucid moments than moments of chaos and decay.

If you will apply the forgiveness of Christ, as it is found in the Bible, you will find your self overcoming guilt, and far more quickly.  This does not erase what was lost.  But certainly provides more vertical growth.  And every square inch of attainment offers more potential for Life.

If you believed at the outset, if that belief has caused you to break into the air, why can’t that belief cause you to reach for the heavens?

Those who shrink back because of the storms of life, will not find themselves pleasing the soul of Jesus.  But those who believe that he cannot lie, will prosper according to the wisdom of God.  Lucid moments of righteousness will begin to grow in the place where before was nothing but chaos.

Think diligently on these things.  Apply this with diligence.  And you will find yourself growing in Christ exponentially.

When you find yourself having sinned before the Lord, in the ways you had learned and the habits you had developed, grab a hold of your belief which you had at first.  And do not delay!  When the next lucid moment comes to your mind and heart take hold and grow!

I could have held the following for another post.  But it fits so seamlessly here.

Many think that they should punish themselves after a moment of insane chaos, called sin.  Such self abuse may or may not be useful.  And I have come to understand that sometimes self abuse is only a continuance of the sin we have just committed.

It is necessary to let Jesus be God.  Who could possibly know better what is necessary and useful after restoration of lucid thought?  Should it be the one who is prone to moments of insanity, or the One who knows the very elements of righteous eternity?

I cannot speak about this to those who have not developed a relationship of communication with the Holy Lord.  A man cannot rely on his own heart to determine what should be done next.   It was, after all, your wicked heart that caused the sin and decay to abound.  Is it reasonable to trust your judgement now?

And what has been the outcome for others may not apply to you.  Prayer is necessary.  With a calm heart full of belief, wait and listen.  In reverant prayer, confess your situation to God.  Ask Him to show you what you must now do.  He will certainly respond.

Be careful not to let anxiety overwhelm you.  Anxiety is a form of self abuse.  And the best of lucid moments teach us to be at peace and trust the Living God in Christ.

If you want biblical proof of these things.  Read the story again of what David did following his sin with Bathsheba.  Take special note of how he received the judgment of God against him for his child of sin.  How is it possible that we should be any different?

By His Grace