Tag Archives: Lord

Refinement Requires All!

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cigarette

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What have I learned from the past month?  I’ve learned that if I wish to obey the Lord in certain issues it will take everything I am.

I believed I was told to accomplish a personal refinement.  Through a week and a half I allowed myself to endure for His name sake.  For the next three weeks I suffered under horrible desires.  I watched curiously as my mind and body screamed to partake, lest this refinement became more powerful than they.  Anger, confusion, the seeds of hatred germinating, and complete frustration (almost to the point where I couldn’t control the sound  of my voice betraying my inner turmoil.)

Then finally came the wall.  Continue to endure under this pressure and become an angry man, or relent for a while and regroup later.  I have chosen the latter for a while.  So what have I learned?   Did I give up only to never try again?  Am I under a curse because I wasn’t prepared to endure?  I am compelled by the Love of God in Christ Jesus to say “no.”

I have learned that, while salvation by the blood of Jesus is offered to all who believe, there is an “extra” offered to every believer.  The cost of this “extra” is enormous!  And it will cost us the following:  Dedication toward accomplishment regardless the experience.  Continual honor given to the One who calls us toward what is Holy.  A willingness to suffer beyond our perceived ability to endure.  And, quite possibly, a willingness to abandon our present life’s duties for a season.

I said to myself, “You have what it takes.  Why are you faltering like this?”  But what was I to do with the building anxiety, anger, frustration, and lack of will?  I consider that I might have succeeded if I had just pushed one more day.  But what I have done is what I did. 

The glory due those who wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb is well earned.  Those who over come will be blessed with honor, as the One who bestows this honor is blessed with eternal joy.  Yet, there will be few who find that honor bestowed upon them.  Why?  precisely for the experience I related above.  The battle is harsh and demanding.  And I now know how horrible the battle can become.  And after typing that last sentence, I laugh at myself.  What do I know of suffering for the sake of His Holy Name?

Father in Heaven; Holy Father of Life and life,  I give you praise for the intense place of testing You have created for man.  And I give You Glory for the Perfection of Your Holy Son!  What wonders and marvelous power He embodies!  That He should suffer without fault in this place where I now walk (or crawl on my belly).  You are Glorious!  And Your way is above us as the farthest star in the universe is removed from the chair I now sit in.  May Your Holy Will be done forever!  You Are God!

By His Grace.

“Mine! Mine! Mine!”

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Adam & Eve in garden of Eden

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The seagulls in “Finding Nemo” said, “Mine.  Mine.  Mine.”  Children fight over what they want.  Men kill and cheat to gain what they can’t keep.  And death claims desire.  “All you had.  All you desired.  All you didn’t get to own.  All these belong to someone else now.”, says death.

When God made Adam, He made him so that His Son could testify to those who had never seen His Father.  Adam was created so that his offspring could receive the glory of faith.  The world belongs to the Lord of all.  Yet men act as if the world were the beginning and end of life.  They say to each other, “Give me what I want and I’ll step aside so that you can have the remainder.”  Scratching and clawing, they advance on the things at their hand.  But this is not the purpose of life here on this earth.

They deny the very existence of the God who made them.  They rebel against every law established by man and God.  Yet they claim that they have the right to partake of everything available to their grubby hands.  Yet, this is not the reason for life here on this earth.

God is glorious and beautiful!  Yet few men understand the reason for their lives.  There are those who do testify to the “something More”.  Yet they are laughed at and mocked as stupid. 

May the Lord, who has made all that is, be glorified, praised, honored, and served for eternity by those who are learning to love Him through blind eyes.  May all who worship Him in truth, yet stumble like blind men in a plowed field, receive the grace and mercy He promises in Jesus. 

Let those who hate God continue to hate Him at the appearing of His Son.  Let those who suffer receive the promises of His perfect hand.  Let those who desire to do right be blessed to do what pleases Him.  And may all my brothers and sisters be inspired to reach for that “something More”.

By the Glorious Name of Jesus these words are written.

Amen!  Amen!  And Amen!

By His Grace.

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What is the answer?

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Clock

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When you went to bed last night, was the day over?  Had the day become history?  And had all the worries of the morning become written down in your experience of reality?  Yes.  These things are true.

It is also true that when we die our life in this bag of flesh will become “over”.  Our testing will have become history.  All our worries will become written down in our experience of reality.  Yet.  All these things are true.

Speak to yourself.  Ask yourself this question out loud:  “Is it too much to ask to obey the Lord for the short years He has given you to live?”  And listen closely to the answer you give yourself.  Your flesh will balk about that.  “I don’t want to obey!  What?  Are you stupid or something?”  What will your soul speak to you as an answer? 

 

By His Grace.

Almost Home!

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...Hope...

God has granted you a soul within a body.  With this granting comes restrictions and expectations.  But also with this granting comes a wonderful promise. 

We are created to do the will of He who made us.  We are not created to seek our own pleasure.  And there is an accounting at the end of this place of testing for every soul created.  “How did you do with what you were given”?  This will be the question.  Did you seek the Lord of Life who made you?  Or did you vent your strength on everything selfish and evil?

Now, during our testing in this body of flesh, we are tempted to count our days as too much for our ability to handle.  Not one of us has gone without that thought.  But what should be our response to such a thought?  Shall we say we are too weak?  Shall we say we don’t know what to do?  Shall we say there are no answers to our deepest request for strength, wisdom, and dedication toward God’s demands?

Though we often resort to such foolishness, it is not God’s desire that we lose our hope like that.  We are born, just a few years ago.  We now live somewhere in between that initial place and our death.  Ah!  Our death.  The end of the test!  For those who commit themselves to the task of serving the Glorious God of Eternity, death is a friend and a release into a magnificent reward for service well accomplished. 

So take hope!  Lift up your eyes!  Strengthen your walk!  You are almost HOME!  Keep the faith and do not fail to give Him the Glory He deserves.

 

By His Grace.

You Obey as You Love Me.

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Granite

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As I walked along the path prescribed, I listened to the One above.  He walked along the top most part of the walls which encased my way.  The walls are built of every material known to man.  And as I looked up them, the materials became mixed together to form harder and more awesome materials. 

I remembered the day the Lord told me to climb to my left.  I looked at the mountain of sand and thought, “How could my tiny legs ever surmount that mountain of sand?”  I remembered how hard it is to walk in sand.  But the Lord told me to climb.  And, since I was desiring Him, I climbed.  Having reached the top of that mountain of sand, I thought to myself, “That was the task?  But it seems so simple now”. 

There have been many “climbings” since then.  And each one appears to be impossible at first.  But when the climb is accomplished, the task appears to be much like an evening stroll down a shaded and level path.  But it’s the initial view that is daunting. 

These climbs appear to be more and more difficult.   And the recent one was worst of all.  But isn’t that what I’ve said about every one of them?  The wall became like steel mixed with granite.  The mix was like nothing I had ever imagined before.  The surface of the wall was smooth as glass.  And the height was beyond my ability to see.  He said to me, “Climb this wall on your right”. 

Every time I tried, I would lose grip and come back down to the place of starting.    One day, after He had bid me climb again, I asked Him, “Why can’t I seem to obey what you ask?  You do not lie.  And there is no guile in You.  So why can’t I obey?”  His response was interesting and simple.  “You don’t Love Me”, He said.  “If you love Me you will obey My every command”.  This set me back a bit.  I pondered this for days.  Then it came to me.  I have been trying to do this so that I can accomplish His commands for myself.  Now I see it!  I will love Him! 

I thrust out my hand toward the wall with a vengeance.  My teeth set against each other hard.  My eyes blazing with intent.  And to my surprise, my hand penetrated the wall up to my knuckles.  I had a hand hold!  Up I went.  Hand over hand.  And my feet penetrating the glassy mix of stone and steel.  Sweat became like rain.  But my heart did not tire. 

I have reached the top now.  I know there are more climbs to endure.  But the key to this one was astoundingly simple, yet impossible to detect.  When I love Him, I can obey with ease!

By His Grace.

An Unsettling Dream.

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"Landscape with the Dream of Jacob"

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Dreams are always of interest to everyone.  Sometimes they mean something specific.  Most of the time it’s wise to consider what we had to eat before we went to bed.

I had a dream just before I woke this morning that has rattled my world.  Yet, in pondering its potential, I have come to a Christian conclusion. 

In the dream I did something.  I don’t know what I did.  But the effects of my action (or non-action) was too much for those who know me to bear.  I heard one person I know say, “That’s it!  I can’t take any more.”  And that person turned and walked away.  The others who knew me followed suit because the first person was more dear to them than I.  Evidently, I had one more obligation to accomplish near one of those who knew me.  When I was finished I asked that last person to help me dump remaining items into a sack.  After some painful deliberation on the part of the last person, he held the sack open for me and left.  I walked out the door into the street and felt the finality cover me like a tidal wave. 

When I woke, I wondered if this were a warning of something to come.  I thought about the Lord’s Right to be Lord God.  That nothing we desire is really ours to own.  In all things God’s will is to be accomplished.  And I accept anything that comes from His hand.  He is God!

Sadness resounds in my soul like a great bell on a hill.  I don’t know if this dream will come to pass.  But it’s caused me to ready myself for anything.  I give up willingly.  In fact, I place myself before Him with eager willingness.  I want God’s will to be accomplished in me regardless the outcome or my perception.

In considering the dream and the possibility that it is a warning of something to come, I am brought to another item of interest.  Many would fight to hold on to their place in this world.  But the servant of God should not be like that.  It is our duty under the Blood of His Son, that we should walk without blaming others for our situations.  I thought of Stephen, in the book of Acts.  He had done nothing wrong.  But the Jews were determined to kill him for his testimony for the Lord.  While they were stoning him he asked the Lord to forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing.  God was accomplishing something wonderful with every rock that impacted his body.  After he said this his soul was taken from his body.  With this in mind I post the following as a testimony to the Glory of God:

Father, You are Lord and God of absolutely everything in heaven and in earth.  Time is yours.  And in this place You have required us to endure testings of various kinds.  It is to You alone that man and angels will answer.  And You demand that Your people walk in obedience to Your Glorious will.  I ask You, Father, to hold nothing against anyone on my behalf.  Everything I have or own is not mine.  They can take nothing from me.  For I give it to You.  Even my desire to be loved is Yours to hold and do with as You see fit.  You are God!  By the Beautiful Name of Your Son Jesus I present this prayer.

By His Grace.