Tag Archives: hiding

Questions

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They say, “yes”.  

“We live in a land of shadows.  Reality and forever is beyond our comprehension.”  


They say “yes”.

“Eternal reality has come to walk among us.  He brought the incomprehensible to live in our language.”


They say, “I’m not sure”.

When the Lord promised to bring beauty to the ugly.  Though true light was brought to us we prefer to live in shadows.  


They say, “I don’t know”.

When they wonder, “Does this apply to me”.


It applies to everyone. How are you not included? And if we have been included, how can we possibly remain silent and timid?


Is it wicked for a man to eat a marvelous meal in the comfort of his home while the beggars crouch around his steps?

The Rocks Will Cry Out

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I wake to consider the things of the Living God’s Holy Son.  No matter where I look among the things of God’s Holy wisdom, I find no fault.  Yet why should this amaze me?

To the things of man I look, and I find no righteous faithfulness.  And isn’t this the cause of my amazement?

Consistency abides in the Living God, toward life and all things good.  Consistency abides in the camp of Man’s horror, toward rebellion and all things wicked.

What has God done but we should despise him so?  What has Man accomplished that we should revere him in fear? 

How is it that the people who call themselves Christians suppress the beauty of the One who offers them life; those who give God praise in secret yet seal their mouth when they walk among the dead.

“I have riches”, they say.  The faithfulness of God in his promise is that sure, yes.  But don’t the rocks along the Way of Glory also have the blessing of God to lay unmolested?  There they are lay, prepared to do his will. And surely if the people had not given praise to the Living God’s Holy Son, the rocks themselves would have cried out the words.  Are we no better than rocks strewn along the path of life?  Are we like rocks which adorn a valley of death, fruitless and simply a nuisance ( dressings which mark the barren land).

“If God will touch us, we will serve him.  If God will drive back the wicked we will speak and walk among them.  If he will drive them back beyond a stone’s throw, we will proclaim the words of life.  As long as there is no threat we will be brave.  Yet if he will not cause the wicked to recede, we will continue to praise him in secret.  I will leave the fearsome work to those who desire to die.”  Is this what we say by our actions?  Will not God protect those the march ahead in faith?

But clean yourself.  Primp and prune your feathers.  Lining every hair in its proper place.  let every thread of clothing be presentable and immaculate.  Let your life be dressed with all the things that cause Man to nod in appreciation.  If you hide the Light of Christ,  you are no different than the rocks along the Way. 

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Is it too much to ask? 

Is it unjust to require us to join Jesus in his suffering?

Is the shame of righteousness too much to bear? 

Is the Cross of Christ too heavy to share? 

Then what can possibly be our lot? 

When we appear before He by whose Blood we are bought?

Errant Blind Souls

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If I could train my foolish brain to recognize people as errant blind souls wandering in a suit of flesh, I believe forgiveness would flow like a river.  Though there is forgiveness as I live in Christ, it is often by compulsion.  It’s rarely the first thought.

I think about the reason for this inability to perceive correctly and consistently.  I think it has something to do with the deluge of trinkets and baubles which mask the true Man. 

Perhaps it was slightly easier in early Christianity, where there were less objects of affection to be had.  I can’t possibly know, and I don’t think anyone will ever be able to say for sure.  Only God truly knows.

Pride certainly holds a relevant kingship when it comes to masking the true soul of a man.  And doesn’t pride come in such a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and intensity?  But Pride’s robe is made up of all the things a man may amass to declare his kingship over his own soul.  To get to the heart of a man you have to slice through the garbage.  Undoubtedly, recognizing people as blind errant souls gets far more difficult as the abundance of wealth gathers to hide them.

And I think it’s appropriate here to mention that the abundance of things that hide a soul need not necessarily be costly items.  There is the wealth of social alienation.  This alienation relies chiefly on violence as its display.  From ignoring to  physical violence, such a man says, without speaking, “Get past this if you can”.

Regardless all these things, it is to the Christian’s benefit to perceive his fellow Man as an errant blind soul (just like himself).  Certainly something worth thinking on.

From my own perspective, here is a small list of shills people use.

Politics
Religion
Social position
Tradition
Jokes
Rude behavior
Foul language
A pleasant countenance
Apathy
Social intelligence
Clothing
Makeup
Race
Creed
Exclusive clubs
Deviant behavior
Drugs and alcohol
All manner of things that can be bought

All these things mask the true Man.  Who is capable of perceiving past these things on a consistent basis?

15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.” (John 8)

My memory is renewed to consider that God in Christ alone is able to reach any soul.

The Proud and the Weak

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“God and religion are useless to me.  They are for the children and the weak.  I’ll take real life.  Keep your “holy” garbage out of my sight.  All it does is weaken my resolve to survive.”

And another:

“I can’t move!  I’m afraid to think for myself.  I’m afraid to accept the promises of God, for I fear it will ask too much of me.  Keep your “holy” words far from me.  I would rather hide here in my darkened cave, than turn and face what you call “light”.

Isn’t that what you say?  Perhaps you don’t say it in words.  But your actions are clear.

Weak, you say?  My friend, you have no idea what strength it takes to believe.  And what good would it do to try to explain to you how much strength it takes to submit to the Living God’s Christ?  You know nothing about overcoming sin.  And you are not able to conceive what difficulties await every moment, as His people walk “The Way”.

No, my friend, it is you who are weak.  Look how you suffer under the burden of expectations.  Look what the world demands of you.  Look at your inability to perform with consistency.  Look at your own fear level.  You’re the one who’s weak.  The very fact that you stand with bravado, tells me how weak you are.

I’ve lived among the drunks.  I’ve lived among the proud.  I’ve come to recognize the signs of fear.  The cocky one who brags about all the things he can do.  That’s the one whose the weakest.  The strength of his life is found in his violent hands and quivering lips.  You call that strength?

And you who cower in a corner.  You who keep the windows of your life closed.  How utterly helpless you are to go outside anymore.  You turn away from Christ.  You turn to religion, in its various forms.  You keep to yourself, the things that are true and eternal.  If indeed, you have them at all.

You who cower look at the victorious and moan.  You think you can’t achieve anything.  How utterly weak are you?  But at least you recognize your weakness.  You are not like the proud, you don’t brag about your weakness.  But you have it just the same.

The proud.  The fearful.  Both miss the central point of the Gospel.  “I will be your strength!  It is I who will lift you up.  Humble yourself before Me, and in due time, I will lift you up.  The weak will become strong.  The proud will be humbled.  The Way of the Lord shall remain, narrow and Holy.”

The proud looks to weakness.  The fearful looks to strength.  Both fear to move, lest what they love is crushed.  The proud fears to lose his strength.  The fearful fears to lose his excuses.  But The Way of the Lord moves through the sea of men, unscathed, unhindered, eternally set, and arriving at perfection.

Put down your pride.  Put down your fear.  Stop groveling in your putrid mess.  Look up and believe!

I See Your Fear

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I see you everywhere you go.  I do not judge you, but I see the signs of your fear.  You hide behind your things, so sure that no one notices.  But even a man like me see through your charade.

You have become so adept at hiding from truth, that you wouldn’t understand it if it were explained to you.  Why?

You’ve heard the saying, “He’s bought into the things of this world”.  But that isn’t true, is it?  You haven’t bought into anything.  You’re simply afraid.  Why?

You’ve got your music, your favorite  television shows, your job and aspirations.  You have your friends to hide with.  You have all those trophy trinkets you’ve gathered.  And in spite of all these things you don’t know the truth.  Why?

The truth is not hidden.  It’s just that you refuse to look.  It’s so easy to think of yourself as a good person.  But if you stood before God you would know better.

Do you think you will stand the judgment of God without the help of the Lord Jesus?  My friend, you don’t know the living God.  And you don’t know the Lord Jesus.

God is the very truth you are hiding from.  Yet he is a truth that never ceases.  This is why you are afraid of him.  This is why you love lies more than truth.

But you will meet him very soon.  If you hide in this place, where truth is but a shadow, what will become of you when there is no place left to hide and truth is no longer the shadow?

Yes, I see how you push others around to get what you want.  I see how you manipulate truth with lies.  But my friend, you will not push God.  And He will laugh at your attempts to manipulate His truth.

You love your excuses.  Why?  Isn’t it because they help you hide?  In a great variety of ways you say, “I am this way because. . .”  And you fill in the blank with any number of reasons.  Why?

You don’t have to answer to me.  I couldn’t help you if you did.  And what good would your confession be to a mere man?  Your confession would only become another tool to hide behind.

I will tell you this in the form of a warning, but remember I am not judging you.  You’d better get it right with the Holy Lord Jesus.  He’s not that cute fuzzy little teddy bear you’ve heard about.  He is a blazing fire of righteousness.

No one on earth is beyond his willingness to have compassion.  But he absolutely hates lies.  He will put up with your faults if you are willing to learn.  But this offer is only extended while you are still here.

So that brings up the old question.  How long do you have yet to live?  Perhaps 40 years?  Perhaps 10 seconds?  Regardless the time, when you leave this place you are immediately under judgment.

Don’t listen to the liars my friend.  There is no such thing as a good man.  You will not receive eternal life for the good things you think you’ve done.  It’s either His way or death.

And as a passing note, dear friend, it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not.

By His Grace

Caught Dead

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A mass murder can shield himself from detection as long as he does what is expected of him by the society he lives in.  He doesn’t need to lay aside his desire for destruction.

Isn’t it interesting that man can disguise himself so very well?  You see a woman dressed beautifully.  What’s inside her soul?  Who can tell?  Even if she makes a misstep in her language, who’s to say it wasn’t just a mental lapse.  And a man may have all the trappings of a beautiful example of humanity, yet hide hideous desires just under his skin.  How many women can testify to that?

The point is, you don’t need to be a holy man to receive the accolades of holiness from men.  They can’t tell what you are on the inside.  But you can.

Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to deliver your soul to the judgment seat of purity.  But why not?  You will be required to give complete account of your integrity to the Sovereign God.

It is the man of integrity that can rest assured that he is as people perceive him.  He doesn’t need to hide anything.  He can live his life in peace.  That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a righteously doing man.  It means he’s embarrassed at his short comings and tries hard to learn to do what is right.

What is integrity among men?  Isn’t it a mouth that confesses what lay hidden from others concerning him?  Isn’t it the man who has presented his soul to the judgment seat of purity and truth?   Isn’t integrity a state of being?

We think it is too much to be expected to be holy people.  So we give up.  Instead of continuing trying to obtain something more, we learn to hide behind our skin.

Who will be the one who receives the “Well done” from the Lord?  Isn’t it he who is caught dead trying to obey?

May the Lord deliver the fullness of this message to whoever reads it.