'I in them, and You in Me'

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."                                   John 17:20-26

Jesus was never interested in a casual relationship with those of us who are called by His name.  The relationship that He desires, that which He asks of the Father, is much more than a once a week connection.  It’s much more than a monthly communion remembrance.  And it’s much more than the fulfillment of an annual obligation.  Jesus desires a deep abiding relationship…us in Him and Him in us.  The key word of His prayer is so simple and yet so significant.  It’s the word, ‘in’.  So easy to overlook, this ‘in’ speaks of oneness and intimacy.  His desire to be ‘in’ us explains why we’re instructed to consume the elements that represent His body and blood.  We remember what He accomplished on the cross by taking Him ‘in’ us.

This idea of oneness and intimacy is also displayed through the relationship between a husband and his wife.  Ephesians 5:31-32 says, ‘“and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.’

In so many ways, our Lord expresses His love for us and His desire to be one with us, to be ‘in’ us.  His love for us is above and beyond what we could ever deserve.  This love amazes me!  John goes on to say in 1 John 4:13 that we can know if we’re rightly related to Christ by the evidence of His Spirit.

^‘By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit’.

The oneness that we could never accomplish on our own, He does in us!  Again, this love amazes me!

My faith, as small as it sometimes seems, is what makes me accepted into this beloved relationship.  To simply believe (John 6:29) in One who so readily gives evidence of Himself, is such a small step that yields such a great reward.  And by my faith and through my life, He reveals Himself to others who are in need of this great love.

Beloved, you are greatly loved.  You are, have been, and will be the ‘apple of His eye’.  It’s not something you deserve, it’s something He desires!  Walk in this love in such a way that others may know Him.  That they may walk together with us in Him and Him in us!

Be blessed!

Some Things Don't Change

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.    

                                                                                                            Proverbs 22:6

Each generation has a language of its day.  I’m speaking of what many would refer to as ‘slang’.  When properly used, slang terms are the identifiers which state that you belong to a particular group.  These terms distinguish you from your elders and from those too young for the terms to have relevance or meaning.  Some of the terms of old were ‘hip’ or ‘cool’ or even ‘groovy’.

Today, there are phrases like,

            Turn up                        - - -      To get excited or an encouragement to do something

            Ratchet                         - - -      Ghetto, something without class

            Dope                              - - -      Really cool

            Tight                              - - -      Cool, together

            Get Snatched              - - -      Getting in good physical shape

            Get Yoked                   - - -      Getting buff, muscular physical shape

            Giving Me Life           - - -      A compliment, ie – Your outfit is ‘giving me life’

            Lies you Tell               - - -      A declaration that the person speaking is not telling

                                                                        the truth           

            Go Ham                       - - -      Going hard for something, using a lot of energy to

                                                                        obtain something

As I write this, I’m amused by the slang terms of old used to define the slang terms of today. 

And if this were not enough to keep up with, our children have another language.  I call it ‘Tech Talk’.  Our children have multiple venues for keeping in touch with others.  It's called Social Media.  There’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Tumblr, Vine and Pheed.  I have no idea what most of these are and have not used any of them.  I guess I’ve just dated myself.

Some Tech Talk terms,

            LOL     - - -      Laugh Out Loud

            WYL   - - -      Whatever You Like

            ROFL  - - -      Roll on the Floor Laughing

            JK        - - -      Just Kidding

            TTYL   - - -      Talk to You Later

            BRB     - - -      Be Right Back

            FRFR   - - -      For Real, For Real , which in it’s further translation is an

                                    expression of sincerity about that which is being discussed

            ARD    - - -      Aii Ight, which stands for ‘all right’

And the simple one which confused me,

            GM      - - -      Good Morning!

It’s fun learning the language of the young.  And it’s amazing that if you’re not in their age range, no matter how appropriate your usage of the term, it’s not correct if You say it.  I guess after a certain age the tones of our voice change making it impossible to be ‘Dope’ with our kids.

For all that’s changing in our world, I do have confidence in what has not, and will not change and that is God’s Word. Proverbs 22:6 gives instruction for raising our children.  The Hebrew translation of this passage is to, ‘Initiate the child at the opening (the mouth) of his path’.  This speaks of training, beginning at the point when a child is able to choose (between right and wrong), providing direction and instruction consistent with the make-up of the child.  The Hebrew word defined as ‘train up’ also signifies dedicating or consecrating something to the Lord.  We are to teach, guide and direct our children from their very beginnings, enabling them to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong and giving them incentive and motivation to choose what is good and right.  We are to teach our children that there is a God who loves and cares for them as Father.  We are to teach our children the Word, which will serve as a ‘lighted path’ for their lifetime.  Of all the things that change from generation to generation, I am glad for the Solid Rock foundation of the Word which doesn’t change.  Now that’s ‘tight’! 

Be Blessed.

Christ, Our High Priest

I don’t know about you, but I love hearing the Christmas story.  It’s a joy to hear the awesome words of the prophet Isaiah, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.”  And in Luke’s gospel, to read the beauty of the words spoken to Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.”  These stories are majestic proclamations of the coming of a King….our King!  And we, experience the timeless wonder that God, the Father would send God, the Son, as a babe.  The Redeemer of mankind sovereignly placed in the arms of a young couple.  His ways are undoubtedly superior to our ways.

The image of the babe in the manger has literally and figuratively captured our world.  Nativity scenes appear globally in this season.  But this year, for me, it isn’t the presentation of the babe in the manger that has captured my attention, but it’s the presentation of Christ, Our High Priest that has impressed my heart.  The words that leave me awestruck in this season are from Hebrews 10:5 - 7 –

 

     Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did
   not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.  In burnt offerings and sacrifices
   for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- In the volume of the
   book it is written of Me - To do Your will, O God.' "                               

When I consider that Jesus came as High Priest, not attired in costly robes, linens, headdress or ephod, but that He came bare into the world and accomplished His priestly duties bare upon a cross, I’m struck by the perfection of God’s ways.  I sense the magnificence of His deep love and wisdom.  His love expressed in the fact that Christ came to earth for mankind.  His wisdom expressed in the fact that Christ came to serve.  Through Christ, the foreshadows of the Old Testament received new light and our pattern for life was set forth!  Our High Priest has made us to be priests, accepted into the beloved.  And we are a priesthood who serve of the Most High !

     Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler 

     over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins 

     in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.                   

                                                                                                Revelation 1:5-6

I rejoice in this Christmas season that I have been cleansed from a sinful hopeless life.  I rejoice in knowing that my life has purpose and meaning. Christ has made me a priest who serves a holy God.  Amazing Grace!  I’m grateful to serve as He did!  My service is an opportunity, not an obligation.  I’m thankful to understand that service is the pathway by which we are matured, conformed into His image and prepared for eternity!

      And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be 

      in it, and His servants shall serve Him.                                         Revelation 22:3

Oh, come let us adore Him!

Merry Christmas Beloved!

Don’t Shrink Back

^“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”                            

                                                                                                                      Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)

Years ago my husband and I were introduced to a book written by Steve Farrar entitled, Finishing Strong.  The book was written primarily for men and it contains an alarmingly high estimate for the number of Christian men who do not ‘finish strong’.  The purpose of the book is to motivate men to live each day faithfully with the goal of reaching the end of their lives with long-standing, healthy relationships with God, spouse and family intact. After reading this book, my husband and I began a tradition with our children.  Whenever they would come to the end of a project, a school year, a work experience, any type of closure, we would always remind and encourage them with this phrase, ‘Now Remember…..Finish Strong!’  From our own personal experiences, we know how easy it is to start off strong.  It’s a time when you’re riding on the wings of excitement and adrenaline.  But can you press through until the end?

In Philippians 3: 12-14, the Apostle Paul gives us the formula for finishing strong.  He states,

Forgetting those things which are behind!  The failures of our past are the weapons that the adversary uses to make us ineffective in our present.  The dominions of darkness are constantly reminding us of past failures.  This tactic diverts attention and energy from ‘today’.  A healthy response to failure is to learn from our mistakes, adjust and move forward. A constant dwelling upon the past makes you a slave to what was or should have been. Remaining unavailable for the demands of ‘today’ and the promises of ‘tomorrow’ leads to a vicious cycle of ineffectiveness which can last a lifetime.  Our God is a forward looking, forward-moving God.  Spending too much time looking back makes us susceptible to getting out of step with Him.  And let us not forget the lessons to be learned from Lot’s wife.

Reaching forward to those things which are ahead.  Our hope, our faith in Christ Jesus should keep us always forward looking.  We serve a God who can change what “was meant for evil” to good.  Our Lord can restore the eaten away areas of our lives.  We serve a God who turns our mourning into dancing and give us beauty for ashes.  Our God is truly amazing and our ‘today’ should always be energized by the hope of our ‘tomorrows’.  And that hope should manifest in action.  James said, “ I will show you my faith by my works.”  The activities of our day-to-day should reflect a ‘reaching’ forward, a ‘pressing’ forward.  Be very careful of any voice that suggests that you give up or give in.  I have found in my lifetime that that voice belongs to the same one who tried to deter Jesus from His mission, asking Him to turn stones into bread.

I press toward the goal.  Paul had one goal and that was to be identified fully with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our lives today are filled with so many distractions.  This information age with its technological advancements offer so many avenues of diversion.  Paul had one goal and his attention and efforts were focused upon reaching that goal.   That meant that his daily decisions and actions were sifted through the grid of his future goal.  We too must remain focused and consistent in our Christian walk.  Anything that works against our hope should be tossed out.  Our hope, our faith for tomorrow requires a ‘press’ within our today and Jesus encourages us along the way in this daily pursuit.  He has filled us with His Spirit for all wisdom, power and strength.  Because we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who makes us able, our Lord says,

          Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

                                                                                                          Hebrews 10:37-38 (NKJV)

Loved ones, let us not be naïve about the warfare that’s been waged against us.  Let us live with the goal of hearing the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’!  May I encourage you  to always  Finish Strong!

Be Blessed.

It’s Discipline That Identifies You as a Son or Daughter

'..the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son.'  

                                                                                                                                 Hebrews 12:6

Scripture speaks of discipline as a necessary component of parenthood. It is this facet that distinguishes a parent/child relationship.  It is an action borne out of love and care.

When I first became a parent, I had the opportunity to learn this spiritual principle in real time.  When my son was born he was a bundle of sweet innocence and joy.  Yet, all too quickly, as he grew so did his desire to have his own way.  Regardless of my instruction, regardless of right or wrong, regardless of impending harm, he wanted what he wanted.  I watched as my perfect, beautiful, sweet baby boy would try to deceive me.  Initially, I couldn't bring myself to correct him.  He was just too cute and whenever he slept he still looked so angelic.  I even went so far as to pick him up and run if his father tried to correct him. Well time passed and a significant revelation came.  One day he had again disobeyed me, but this time the act was worse than anything he had done previously.  It was at that moment that the Lord whispered, 'If you don't correct him, what happens next will be worse' and I had a 'fast-forward' glimpse of his life. I understood that if I didn't begin correcting him, beginning with that moment, I was contributing to the foundation of an unruly lifestyle. There would be no turning back to innocence.  My son needed a parent who was willing to do what was necessary for his good, so I disciplined him. From those years, I learned that the discipline my children needed would best come from their parents and how unwise it would be to leave their needs to the responsibility of others who did not love them as a mother or father would.  For their protection and well-being I needed to discipline those I loved, because of love.

Spiritually, we became the sons and daughters of God when Christ bore the punishment (the correction) for our sins. As descendants of Adam we were born into sin (Romans 5:12) and born into the debt declared for Adam's sin, which was death.  Knowing our inability to overcome the consequences of Adam's sin, Jesus, God the Son, was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and by His resurrection from the dead He paid the debt of Adam's sin, thereby making we who believe, sons and daughters of God.  God's mercy upon us is spoken of in Psalm 103:10-11.  The psalmist wrote, 'He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities, for as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him'.  Jesus took on the greatest burden of our punishment leaving us with the encouragement as sons and daughters to endure the discipline of being conformed into His image.  What love!

Today many perceive punishment or discipline as cruel or restrictive.  Our societal ill of child abuse has frightened many away from healthy measures of disciplining their children.  I know of a case where a mom was rudely and inappropriately told to leave a store because she was preventing her child from breaking items on the store shelves.  Without thinking, the store management issued a more severe discipline upon the mother than the discipline between the mother and her child. 

In child-rearing, we must remember to view discipline from God's perspective.  Discipline should always promote love and well-being and the disciplinary measures taken should be appropriate to the needs of the child.  It is the measure taken which says, 'You are my child and I love and care about you, both your present and your future!'

Be blessed.

Hear Ye Him!

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

                                                                                                   John 10:27

There is a direct correlation between hearing the voice of God and following Him.  When man truly hears the sweet voice of his Savior, it is impossible to resist Him.  Only the coldest of hearts could possibly turn away.  I remember listening to a Focus on the Family radio program that featured the story of a convicted serial killer who had turned his life around because he audibly heard the voice of God warning him.  Before the police could capture him, the voice of God had arrested him and from that very moment he was a changed man.

We who are seeking Him have many opportunities to experience His still small voice.  He’s speaking to us in so many ways, but our greatest gift is the voice of His word!  Daily we’re able to sit and ‘sup’ with Him.  We get to know Him deeper and thereby know and understand ourselves and our world better.  His word is THE guidepost for our existence.  It heals, directs, loves, clarifies, nourishes, encourages and corrects.

            For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.    Hebrews 4:12                                                                                                         

Today we’re challenged because we live in a world of many voices.  Because of the vast variety of media and social media available to us each day – available each moment of our day – many are distracted away from the simple quiet time of supping with their Lord and Savior.  I’ve watched the latest version of friends visiting one another.  They sit side by side, talking, with each looking at their mobile device.  My, how times have changed.

Also, those of us who are pursuing Him must also be careful of the voices that would imitate of His.

            For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.  

                                                                                                 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Our responsibility is to make sure that everything we hear lines up with the Word of God, in word and in deed.  If someone speaks the truth, but does not live according to the dictates of the Word, then that person is out of order, do not follow them!  We’re so easily swayed by charismatic leaders and the intelligential of the day. And we can also become distracted by those close to us, those who ‘understand’ us and yet not see ourselves being pulled, ever so slightly, away from His guidance and direction for us.  Listening to other voices is spiritual laziness.  Pursue His voice and all that ‘line-up’ according to His voice. 

It’s so simple, live with the Book open, striving daily, with all your heart to do what it says …in every area of your life!  Then there’s the promise,

            And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

                                                                                                   Jeremiah 29:13

There is a wonderful joy in hearing His voice and being known by Him.  And together let's follow Mary's instruction, "Whatever He says, do it!"

Be blessed.

For God So Love that He Gave……

Something in scripture that I found very interesting, was how often Jesus was in the temple treasury (John 8:20; Mark 12:41).  Why the temple treasury?   I was so intrigued that I researched the layout of the temple…..just to assuage my curiosity.   I discovered that the treasury was located in The Court of Women, which was accessible to all who were ceremonially clean.  All would enter through The Beautiful Gate to access the court.  From the Court of Women, the men would proceed to the Men’s Court and from there the priests would enter the Priest’s Court.  So here’s Jesus, in the temple treasury…a place accessible to all ceremonially clean Jews, sometimes teaching, sometimes watching.  I’m reminded that for men and women alike, Jesus came to all who would receive His message.

On one of those occasions, something amazed the Lord.  It was a poor widow giving two mites.   It’s curious that such a meager offering would get His attention.  Jesus saw many others who gave abundantly, but nothing touched His heart like the sacrifice of this poor widow.  He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all, for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”  From this passage, I see the principle that the Lord values our giving when it reflects a sacrifice.  David understood this when he said, ‘I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing’.  This poor widow gave all.  

I sincerely believe that when Christians argue whether or not the 'tithe' is an acceptable New Testament practice they are completely missing the heart of God.  Jesus didn’t ask the rich young ruler to give a tenth of what he had. He asked him to sale everything!  And again, in the early church, the believers gathered as one, giving all their possessions for the benefit of the church.  I believe that what pleases God is the heart that would sacrifice all because without question Jesus sacrificed all for us!

There’s another principle I see in scripture and that is, for God loving is giving and giving is loving.  The Apostle Paul informs us in Romans 3:19, ‘For God so loved, that He gave…’   The Apostle John said, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  There is nothing of Himself that Jesus held back from us.  And the reason given is love.  It’s when we have developed a deep love relationship with our Lord that giving becomes a joy!  We’ll gladly sacrifice all that we have for the One that we love who has given to us beyond measure.

There’s no greater love than when one would ‘lay down his life for his friends’ as Jesus did for us.  John says that it’s by this sacrifice that we know what love is.

Be encouraged in your giving.  Do so with joy, knowing that your sacrifice is God’s love language.  For Him, to love is to give, to give is to love and He gave to us …. ALL !

Merry Christmas !