Ugly


IMG_0252

IMG_0252 (Photo credit: Kaj17)

Ugly has nothing to do with a skin.

A worm’s appeal’s slim, but not to him.

If we looked much closer to what lay within,

We would see that ugly is based on sin.

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All men think they will cause great peace.

By virtue of law they fashion release.

But laws never tame the inward beast.

They end up prescriptions, subjecting the least.

————

With counsel and money we purchase an island.

While ownership’s granted to those of the badland.

The rest simply claw at their best with their hands,

To protect their small slice of their “beautiful” brand.

————

What is needed is rule from an unchanging source.

Not likely an out come from a people so coarse.

All day we build fences, divide, and much worse.

While wearing our best as we ride our proud horse.

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Rest assured nothing‘s done in the blackness of night.

There is One who sees as if in a stark light.

Grace is extended toward this world’s plight.

While man debates what is wrong or what’s right.

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There is a day, set in stone, just ahead,

Where God will judge the living and dead.

And after the speaking of what must be said,

Destruction will fall on sin’s ugly head.

————

Far better to learn what is right; what’s true.

Then to have the Lord summon His Law against you.

We’re welcome to keep truth quite strongly askew.

But a price has been paid to blind ugly’s view.

————

A darkness will fall and all guilt will remain.

A fire consumes all that’s sin and not tame.

Your beautiful division, full of pointing and blame,

Will eat at your heart with an endless great shame.

A Letter to My Brothers of Flesh


human dimension

human dimension (Photo credit: ηeliʘ)

Dear Man:

You sigh with deep concern about what you see around you.  Your nerves are constantly tense because of what you perceive coming upon the entire world.  I am one of you, and I have seen it coming for quite a while.  I have a message for you that you might not have allowed yourself to realize.

Listen to the noise in the world now.  Watch as men frantically strive to right the ship of humanity.  It lists precariously to port.  Yet, instead of removing the excess cargo men keep adding to it.  In their lazy approach they have not evened the load within the ship.  And the lazy have drawn up their chairs on the port side of the deck to watch the commotion.

We are about to undergo a very deep trouble.  Finances will collapse around our ears.  Poverty will strike the richest among us.  Drought, disease, war, earthquakes, storms, and intemperate climates will embrace our waking from sweat laden beds.  Violence will become the norm.  And death will become desired by millions.

From centuries past man has thought he can create his own world.  And we are reaping the result of their foolish and greedy ambitions.  While we should be turning from the very building blocks of sin that has caused the present problems, we are doubling down on their ambitious greedy ways.

I am one of you.  I have no right nor need to accuse you of anything.  I will suffer along side my brothers of flesh.  But this is the message:  “There is no remedy for what is about to happen.”

I desire you peace.  But not the peace of man.  I desire you that certain peace of Jesus that soothes the nerves, heart, mind, and soul, despite the conditions around you.  This is what I desire for all men.  Just as my Father in Heaven has desired it for all men through out every age.  But now we must endure the results of godless ambition.

Come share with God’s people in the eternal life after this place of testing.  Enter in.  Allow God to prune your greedy heart until greed is just an unwelcome nightmare in your past.  Get clean now, despite the circumstances that are unfolding before our very eyes.  Only those whom God teaches to become like His Son will enter into eternity free of condemnation.  Beware!  It is not religion God is looking for.  It is a transformed life He rightfully demands.

By His Grace.

“To StayGo Please.”


A pair of In-N-Out cheeseburgers.

A pair of In-N-Out cheeseburgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Standing in line at a fast food place, a person considers what they want to eat.  When it is their turn to render their order they are asked if they want this order to go or to eat in.  For most of us this is a no brainer.  But I confess that sometimes I have to think it through.  “Do I have time to just sit here in the noise and prying eyes to eat this?”  I rarely sit at a table to eat.  Usually I brave the spilled drink and dripping catsup behind the wheel of my car.  Somehow the meal tastes better if I sit in the car (alone).

An object lesson is about to unfold here.

Christians go to the Lord to appropriate a certain peace from being near the Prince of Peace.  Much like ordering a meal, we encounter the Lord to gain what we don’t have.  We spend a few coins of faith and receive a bounty of peace on our plate.  With a good sized drink of hope, we walk away from the “counter” of prayer to live our lives.

There are three kinds of “eaters” in this parade of prayer.  There are those who will sit near the place of “order”, eat what they have been given, enjoy the company of others, soak in the ambiance of the place, then go out into the world to accomplish what that “meal” dictates is true and good.  They are in the presence of that “Great Cloud of Witnesses”.  And they love their company.

There are those who make the order “to go”.  They cast up words to the Lord just like you would order a meal at a fast food place.  Once they get what they wanted they grab the bag and head for the door.  They’re so busy that, even as they eat it, they hardly notice the flavor.  To them this meal of peace and hope is just a function of their busy lives.  Though they are fed, to them it’s just an ordinary meal.  Somehow they have missed the fellowship aspect of prayer.  And they’re not putting themselves in a position to encounter it.

Then we have a very curious group.  I suspect there are far more of this last group than the other two.  They ask and receive just like the others.   But they differ because they are a mix of  “stay and go”.  They order to stay.  So they get the tray and all its fixings.  They sit for a moment, take a bite and a sip.  Then they grab their stuff and head for the door.

These people know the place was prepared to give comfort and joy to those who purchase here.  They feel compelled to listen to the beautiful music.  They let their bodies enjoy the soft seats, clean tables, beautiful lighting, and the aroma of joy this place provides.  But they don’t feel worthy to remain.  It’s kind of like they don’t really belong here, yet they know they should.

They are caught between accepted and rejected.  And their lives are filled with a curious internal war.  They believe what the Lord has said regarding His forgiveness.  But they are so filled with sinful tendencies that they have a seriously hard time associating that promise to themselves.   Bottom line, it is a certain love for sin that causes this turmoil.  But there is a certain love for the things of the Lord too.  There’s no need to judge them.  They do that to themselves all day long.  And, in the end, God will determine their standing.  I sense it will go well for them.  But there are questions, aren’t there.

I would love to be of that first group.  I loathe being of the second.  Yet I sure enough find myself part of the third.  I guess we all encounter the Lord of Peace as we do.  We work hard on remaining in His presence while we eat what He provides.  And who knows, He might even come around the corner while we’re there and sit with us a while.  Those who leave stand no chance of that happening.  Perhaps this is what the third group is looking for.  “Maybe if I sit here I’ll catch a glimpse of He who provides.  Maybe He will smile at me.  Maybe He would even come and sit with me.  I’m just not absolutely sure He loves me.”  Isn’t this what goes through the mind of most Christians?

How good it would be if we all just sat to enjoy what He has provided.  But this isn’t the usual manner of faith in this world, is it.

Peaceless Peace


prayer..

prayer.. (Photo credit: aronki)

The morning before dawn greeted me with a nightmare.  My belly complained to me with heart burn.  And the prospect of prayer before dawn beckoned to me.  For these reasons I left the restless place of sleep and came to seek the Lord’s face.

Knives were used against me in a dream.  It was ordered from a man that I should die.  And that man’s people hunted me down.  To my shame I tried to hide, but I was found.  I asked why.  But none of them answered with respect.  Violence covered them with dedicated violence.  And they cut at me.  In the end hatred consumed them and the final thrust of a knife was more than I was willing or able to dream.  So I woke.  The heartburn caused me no peace in my body.  And now my soul was troubled at the dream.  So I rose and came to seek the Lord’s face.

But in prayer there was no peace to be found.  No understanding came to me.  I confessed what sins I could grasp.  And my mind searched quickly through the day before to see if the Lord would shine a light on any of them as the reason for this “empty” place of prayer.  Nothing was found to separate me from His presence.  And I considered the meaning of this violent morning of peaceless turmoil.

I asked to be dressed by His Grace so that I could serve both He and man.  And I received what is true.  All good things come from God.  We are utterly empty of any means to provide what God alone holds in His Holy hand.  All things good remain in His hand.  What shall we give to purchase God’s blessings?  He will give what He will give.  And if He retains a certain peace, which we have come to expect, what shall we do to gain that which belongs to the Living God?  Who are we to demand?  It is God’s Holy Right to do as He pleases.  And with this peace has come.

It is not the peace I was looking for.  I came to seek those things He has given in the past.  But I found a place different; a peace has come which is fragile and somewhat unsure.  I had sought something deeper and more filling.  But two things came to me that I have known.  It is by faith alone that we will be saved.  Each day has its own trouble.  And I have remembered freshly that it is God who retains the right to teach as He sees fit.

May His will be done forever.  He is the Holy God of Israel.  We serve as we are given.  And all that is given comes dressed with His perfect wisdom and understanding.  Even in an unsettled emptiness I will serve Him and I will not complain.  Who am I to order the Lord to feed my perception and expectation of His perfect ways?

By His Grace.

What is Coming, Our Response.


Rising or setting sun - NARA - 557629

Rising or setting sun – NARA – 557629 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shadows, Against the Setting Sun

You perceive and are concerned at the approach of what is coming.  What is appearing is new to the earth’s people.  No one has ever seen what is about to unfold.  Yet all of God’s people sense a new and darker night.

All around you is terror, the blackness of sin. The whispers of troubles are like the buzzing of flies around a carcass; though you are not near enough to see them you hear them.  The smell of blood is so pungent, it is even heard in your ears; thick and palpable.

Steady and unceasing they come.  One by one the stolid are crushed by the laws of lawless men.

Wickedness assails your walls and laughs, that they enter what is sacred.  They rip at what has been respected.  And they mock at what has been plainly understood as Holy in ages past.  With gleaming eyes of joy they marvel at the ease of conquest.  It has become their day to shine in darkness.

It was spoken of them by all the true prophets of God centuries ago.  And now they appear on the horizon as shadows, in the brightness of the setting sun.  As shadows they advance, mute before God, all the while screaming wickedly vile words to men.  They appear before us now.  As the sound of an approaching army’s feet can be heard before they crest the hill.  So these men are but a precursor of the lawless one.  He must come, for our God has given him his proper place at the proper time.  The shadow of the lawless one now fills the land.

Your children huddle against you and cry with bone felt terror.  The mother of your children quakes and trembles.  And the father looks about anxious at the advancing horde.  With perplexity; they pester like gnats, with perplexity.

God’s people stand unsure of what is coming.  For no one of us have seen this before.  The weak capitulate, for they did not gain strength. Blind in their way, they give in to wicked words.  But the strong will see the hand of God redeem them!  With wisdom and understanding He will redeem them.

By command of law they order the end of sacrifice to the Living God, through Jesus.  But they will not prevail.  Those whom He has loved will not leave His side.  These are blessed to endure.

Fear not!  Our God has eyes to see.  Do not be amazed at their bold folly.  Though they tear you apart, they simply render what is God’s to God.  He will take care of you forever.  And He will soon enough respond to the wicked who have sent you to Him.

Stand with strength at the onslaught of wicked men.  Lies are their gods, and they worship them with a fever.  They will not stand before the God who will take you as His very own.  He has promised salvation to all who call upon His Holy name, with a holy faith in His Son Jesus.  He does not lie.  And He is not powerless.

Strength my brothers!  Flex your tired limbs.  Prepare yourself for the sake of your children (either by blood or by Spirit).  Cause them to know what “The Faith” really is.  Increase yourself in “The Way” for the sake of His Holy Name.  Honor His gift of salvation before men.

Prepare, for the day is approaching with speed and certainty.  If you wait too long there will be no time to prepare.  And you will be caught in the whirlwind of the wicked many, who even now, are plotting your ruin.

At the sound of a trumpet they will break their amassing.  And they will be sent out to deliver evil in every possible form.  Death goes with them.  Prepare.

As it always was, it will be forever.  Those who put their trust in the Living God will flourish under trial.  They will rise up as victors at the sound of His voice!

You who are not prepared and have not taken understanding from the Lord, now is the time to rectify what is lacking.  When it appears in full bloom it will be far too late to fortify your faith.  You will become paralyzed with the fear they have come to inflict.

Do not mistake their ability, they do their duty to their master, the liar, exceedingly well.

Do not think to yourself that you can hide behind the word “Jesus” as men who stand before advancing lava with a cross.  It is that very string of letters the wicked are coming to destroy.  They will seek to wipe out His Holy name from this earth.  But all they perceive is a word.  Of the Spirit, they know nothing.  And when they are finished with that task they will turn their blood thirst on one another.

They have come to perplex.  But they have been born from that same weapon.  They command all to lie, for they are liars themselves.   A confession of faith without the resulting actions of the proof of a holy life, is but waste into idolatry.

Rise up and serve the Living God in truth, wisdom, and the Spirit of God.  This is the proof He is looking for.  This is the Spirit within His people.  This is the saving religion of Christianity.

With their lies comes a fake (ungodly) sincerity.  They work the works of their own imagination, perceiving themselves to be godly.  Do not be fooled.  He who serves the Living God does the works of the Living God.  He who does not, stands against Him.

Stand the ground He has given you to retain.  And do not be swayed by their apparent “righteousness”.  They are liars who promote the welfare of man, while they have no regard for the Living God.

Do not be fooled by the sweetness of the incense they carry.  It is a foul smelling incense created at the imagination of man’s desire to rebel against the will of God.  They seek their own glory; an abomination before the Most High God.  It is folly they burn as if to a god.

They repel at the mention of His Holy Name.  His name sickens their heart.  For they consider their ways far more entrancingly beautiful.  They are like men who saw their way through the fortress wall, thinking a window, with a breath taking view of their gore, is better than the “perceived safety” of “The Way”.  All the while they hire the enemy to do the work for them, and how glad he is to help for a price.

“Peace.  Peace”, they say.  But they will not promote true peace of God, nor allow others to obtain it so as to live by it.  Peace is found in obeying the will of the Father in heaven through Jesus, the very thing they detest.

Do not stand with them, nor welcome their words.  We live by a far greater Word.  They will be shown and known by the message they bear.  Prison, public rebukes, out-casting, and even death are their weapons of choice.  And they will retain the power to carry them through for a season.  Do not be fooled, nor allow yourself to continue sleeping.

Remember the true word spoken to us:  “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.”  (Mark 13:22)  The Lord Jesus has told us ahead of time what will come.  And now we are seeing it unfold.

Fear belongs to the wicked.  Strength remains in those who put their trust in the Living God’s Son, Jesus.  There is a peace which passes all understanding.  This peace is received from He who is Eternal Peace.

Though the wicked call on His name, they use only their lips, for their hearts are as hard as stone.  They do not receive what they desire so they contrive their own methods of “peace”.  It will not satisfy their thirst for the wickedness of self glorification however.  And they will grow restless to the point of riot.

This word is sent out to encourage, strengthen, warn, and define limits.  God divides what is His and what is not.  If you read this and are unsure of where you stand with Him, I encourage you to make every effort to enter in now.  There is a day coming when the door will be shut.

24 “Exert every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, let us in!’ But he will answer you, ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from! Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves thrown out. 29 Then people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and take their places at the banquet table in the kingdom of God. 30 But indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”  (Luke 13)

Beware.  Identifying yourself with the religion of man (even if it comes dressed as Christianity) does not identify you as belonging to the Lord Jesus.  There is a distinct difference between traditions of man and the Spirit of the Living God.

I can do no more than post this message.  I ask that it be passed to those who might benefit.  Or at least the summation of this message would do well in the hands of those blessed with understanding.  May God grant that it is a cool drink of pure water to a parched people.

Night is falling upon the world.  And what a dense black night it will be!  And may He grant wisdom to understanding for those who lack knowledge in the Spirit of God.  Amen.

He Is . . . . What Man Cannot Speak.


StJohnsAshfield StainedGlass Baptism

Image via Wikipedia

I want to write about how beautiful it is to know the Father through Jesus.  But there are no words.  I want to show what He means to His people.  But what action can rightly display the Love He is?

We are saved by God’s Grace, through The Faith; and this is not our own, it comes from the Heavenly Father lest any of us should boast.  A man might walk into a cathedral and marvel at the works of art he sees.  He might feel his heart melt with the music.  And he might even fall on his knees in reverent awe at the inspiring envelope of “sacred” symbolism.  But all this pales into oblivion compared with the glory that God reveals in 5 minutes of silence before the Throne of the Most High God.

Forgiveness is the beginning.  A removing of our recognized guilt.  This is a real experience.  But there is vastly more.

He is peace.  And when we rest before Him through the sacrifice of Jesus, this peace becomes ours in some tiny measure.  He has been peace from ancient days.  And He will forever be that same peace.  He is peace to all who obey what they know about Him.  No matter how slight our understanding might be.  To obey is to enter in.

How wonderful to know the blazing Glory of God through eyes blinded yet full.  What words are there to describe what the Spirit reveals?  Even in our prayers, we are told we do not know how we should pray.  But the Spirit utters to the Father the things of our heart.  And the answer comes to us in words we cannot speak.  Yet, somehow the Spirit of God interprets for our tiny minds.

Oh God, our God of Love, Hope, and Righteousness, praise is Yours everlasting!  For You alone are peace and life.  To You we offer all we have.  Please come take what we thought was ours.  Replace our treasure with that which is Yours.  May Your Holy and Good will be done forever!  Amen.