Tag Archives: Grace

A Dream

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English: At work in the metal shop making engi...

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I had a dream that the Lord Jesus came to a place on earth in my time.  He came to a place where men worked with metal.  Other than that, I don’t remember a whole lot about the dream.  But I am struck by something important.

The Lord was very intent on doing whatever He came here to do.  He didn’t come to sign autographs on pictures or baubles and trinkets.  He didn’t come to be lauded as the Lord of Life.  He came to accomplish something the Father had sent Him to do.  He had little to say to anyone.

I am struck (once again) by the single-mindedness of the Lord Jesus.  He lives forever to do the will of the Father in heaven.  We are told that He is not a respecter of men.  Which means that the Lord Jesus will never consider the will of anyone as more important than the will of the Father.  It is to our advantage to remember that with a great clarity.  It is not we who manipulate the Lord.  It is our duty to obey in all things.  We are the ones created.

I believe it will be the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit that will amaze us on the day we see Him face to face.  The Lord is Holy.  That is to say, He is set apart for the purposes eternal.  Though He works with us in our daily lives, He is completely focused on what is perfect and will last forever.

For now we see people dividing the Scriptures as they please.  They pray and speak as if they have some special in-road to the Lord Most High.  In a sense, the Lord laughs at those who make such claims.  For the desires of God are not like the desires of man.

By His Grace.

What’s that Light???

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Star symbol; full star.

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I step out this morning.  It’s cold and a bit breezy.  I should have worn a coat.  But it’s ok.  I won’t be out here for long.

I look up at the sky.  The morning sun is making a difference in the appearance of the stars.  And it occurs to me how the stars dim as the massive ball of fire called our sun comes into view.  Not one of those stars actually dims.  It is the brightness of the Sun to us that causes them to fade from view.

So it is with Jesus.  We do our work under His Glorious rule.  And we continue to work as He allows and directs.  But as we are working, the Lord appears in the midst of our work.  Without our knowing or will, the Lord becomes MORE than we.  This is a sign to us of what will happen when eternity breaks through time.  So, it is wise for us to remember that it is the Lord Jesus who will Blaze with Glory.  We are nothing more than servants of righteousness.  Yes, we have His promise that we will be given more on that day.  But we are simply men.  We are blessed to know His Holy Name.  And we are blessed to serve as we do.  But the one receiving the blessing is always lesser than He who gives it.

By His Grace.

Remembering Who We Are.

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Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, Scion of...

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Two things come to mind this morning that bear posting:

The first is that it is God who raises up leaders of nations to accomplish His will among the world’s people.  And what that man or woman does is a direct reflection of God’s will among us.  This is a hard thing to understand as we see what we have known being undermined or destroyed.  But consider this:

There was a people who lived in America before the “white” man came ashore.  Their culture, religion, and economy were destroyed.  This has been so throughout history.  Those who took over lands and peoples always felt God was “for” them.  The people subjected to a different rule always felt like God had abandoned them.  It appears to be our turn to experience a certain defeat.  But God is still God!  And it is His Holy Wisdom that will rule into eternity.  This is why we are instructed to pray for them, to do good to all men (including our perceived enemies), and to allow ourselves to become subjects of the rulling peoples.  It is pleasing to God that we should live as He does.  What does that mean in this instance?  Remember how He sends rain on the just and the unjust?  Remember how Jesus submitted to the rule of His own people, as well as the oppression of the Roman machine.

And the second thought is to do with Martin Luther King.  I notice how he is being set up as a glorious man.  The people of this world rally together under his name.  How is this?  Shouldn’t the name of Jesus be first on our tongues?  Wasn’t it Jesus who Martin worshiped?  Yet they make all kinds of beautiful noises at the mention of a man.  Figures!

The Lord Jesus will receive His rightful due in time.  But for now, we do not see Him being presented as the Rightful Ruler of all men.  Take heart, this will not last forever.  And those who glorify men will be ashamed when they see Him as He truly is.  Speak!  Go ahead and speak of man as if he is something.  It is God who will divide our words, intentions, and actions.  And it is God who will divide His people’s words, intentions, and actions.  Let us be sober then.  To live as God’s people in a world of chaos and rebellion.  Chaos, because they who do not have God do not have direction or understanding of eternity.  Rebellion, because they deny the name of the One who has made this place of testing.

By His Grace.

Respectful Silence

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Make a salt lick and the deer will die.  They become predictable.  And predators learn quickly to watch that spot.

Salt-lick, Lizawka, Białowieża, Polska

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Learn to love the sound of a barking dog at night.  For that dog will be silent in the morning.

Look at the bare trees in the winter and marvel at their potential for shade in the summer.  For they are engines of beauty at rest.

Take a lesson from the book of Enoch.  He learned to love the hand of God in every form.  Life, death, health, sickness, wise, and stupid, wealth and poverty; God is at work among us all.  Who among us has been able to say, “I made all this”?  Who among us knows what the death or birth of a fly will cause in the end of things?

Grass will green with warmth and rain.  Rocks will break down into sand.  Clouds will pass without leaving anything more than the memory of a shadow.  And sometimes a cloud will wash away even the most firm foundation.  Who can stop what is to be?  And who can cause what is not to become what has been?

God is sovereign.  His name to man is Jesus.  Who can force the Lord to speak?  And who can silence Him when He utters commands?  Be man and be silent in your thinking.  Judge not, the Lord’s ways, and you will not be judged.  Keep your idle heart free from hatred of what is.  Learn to love every aspect of life.  God is not idle.  So be patient.  Be hopeful.  Be respectful of what you do not understand, and wait on the Lord’s powerful hand.  Horror will turn to joy.  And joy will turn to horror.  Listen to the Lord’s commands and live.

 

By His Grace.

A Shred of Faith

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English: Folio 9 from the codex; beginning of ...

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There are times, in every Christian’s life, when faith is so very small.  Those moments come and go.  And the reasons for them vary when we look at it from our perspective.  But in times like those, I take heart remembering when simply speaking the word “God” was nearly impossibly difficult.  And it is good to remember what the Lord said, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.”  (Matthew 12:20)

Take heart!  The Lord knows your name!  And in His promise, He can neither lie nor forsake.  Two other scriptures enter here:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

And:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  (Psalm 51:17)

We are told to tear our hearts, not our garments.  If your heart is broken or shrunken before the Most High God, consider that this is a proper situation for a Living Faith.

 

By His Grace.

Speak Now, or Your Children’s Children Will be Silenced.

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c. 1482

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In response to a lament of the current state of affairs in the world, I responded, “Nothing is ever won by a defensive posture.  Winning requires an aggressive offense.  The more Christians speak up, the less room for the anti-Christian values to prosper.”

 

 

 

Perhaps you think you can’t talk about Jesus in public.  And perhaps you’re right.  Perhaps you know so little that you can’t really add much to the debate between wickedness and godliness.  But consider this:  Every day millions of words are being written and spoken against Jesus and His perfect values among His people.  And every time another word is uttered against Him, space is taken from Christians to speak of what is true.

 

With this in mind, I think it’s clear that if we don’t speak “something”, we are losing ground.  In the end, we will become the hunted.  Though this might be the case regardless how we go on the offensive, we still live in a free society.  You didn’t inherit this place of freedom of speech from those who kept silent in the face of opposition.  Your grand children will not inherit a free society if you keep silent.  What you hold dear is being undermined by those who would be quite happy to see you simply disappear (regardless the method).

 

Either speak now, or keep silent when your rights are taken away.  Do you really think evil will allow you to worship Jesus when they finally take over all the power structures of this world?  Surely you’re not that blind to their agendas.

 

You don’t have to be a “Know-it-All” when it comes to Christianity.  All you need to start doing is mentioning the name of Jesus, virtually everywhere you speak.  The first few times are difficult to muster the strength to utter.  But soon, you’ll find speaking of Jesus comes naturally and easily.  If you can’t speak of Christianity, out of whatever keeps you back now, at least link to it on your facebook page or blog.  And if you don’t use either of those, simply refer to Christian authors often (such as C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Or perhaps John Bunyan’s “Pilgrims Progress.)

 

Speak up folks.  The time for offense is nearing an end.  Personally, I know it’s an opinion, I think we have less than 5 years left to make a dent in the way this world is headed.  My life is full of things that others can attack.  I have not led a godly life very much.  Yet, I will still speak of Jesus, for the sake of His Holy Name and His people.

 

By His Grace.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch ...

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