“Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’” (or within you) Luke 17:20-21

We were at an Atlantic Ocean Beach hanging out with family. To some folks, a beach is a beach is a beach. But being raised near the beach, we know the difference. It’s been reported that there are about 50 words in the Eskimo language for snow. In Florida, when it comes to a beach… we just call it a beach. Even though we know there are differences.

One of the kids filled a bucket full of sand and water. When we tried to dump it out, it stuck to the bucket and wouldn’t come out without a lot of persuading! The sand is different over there. There, sand packs so tightly that they actually drive cars on the beach! One doesn’t dare do that on a gulf beach, unless one has a special vehicle or tires. It’s just different!

But sitting there looking out at the water, from where the sun rises, I noted the same ‘awe’ that I experience here where, on the water, the sun sets! There is a special spirit that resides at the beach. And even folks who don’t believe in God can sense it. ‘I’ know what it is, because I recognize the touch of my Father’s hand. Since He’s the One who made it!

It is hard to imagine not knowing God personally. In fact, I don’t even have to go to the beach to sense His presence. I can sit in a dark room, or simply close my eyes, and see Him with eyes that, many in the world, choose not to see! He is here… NOW! I don’t even need to go to see something different, because he lives inside of Me. Years ago I invited Him in.

When Jesus said today’s verse, He was standing in physical from among men. Today, I can read His words and KNOW He is right here, in MY spirit, in His Spirit. Someone who has not been born of the Spirit wouldn’t know what I was talking about! But it doesn’t allow them an excuse for unbelief. All it takes is to look around and see the handiwork of the Creator.

So as spring rolls into summer, and you find yourself looking around, why not seek the One who made it all possible and ask Him to show you Himself with Spirit eyes! Then you will never be alone and in the dark again. Don’t you see?

“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for ‘people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.’” 2 Peter 2:19

What does one DO with little kids in the summer? The idea wasn’t the first time for our Daughter and their family, because they had annual passes. So we piled into the car and drove the kids to the Zoo. The talk was, “what do we want to see first?” And, “What are you most excited about seeing?” For me, I didn’t remember the zoo being that expensive!

The kids were excited, as we passed by birds, snakes, monkeys and lions. I noticed a zoo representative, posters and a theme at each stop asking for money to help the planet, protect the environment, and stop the extinction of almost all the animals represented in the zoo. Money would make the difference! Then we entered the Giraffe exhibit.

For $5 we could purchase 2 leaves of lettuce to feed the giraffes up close and personally. 5 leaves were on sale for $10. As I looked around and saw the animals grabbing for the food, I wondered what might really be going on. Having an eternal eye, I know that Jesus created all the animals on earth, and I know on the New Earth, all will be present. But then I saw people.

This world offers LOTS of things for people to be attracted to. Hobbies and vacations are fun, but the real danger lies in the dangers and people pushing them on a day to day basis. Satan is very good at drawing people into habits and addictions that do NOT promise long and lasting life. But ensnare people into lifestyles of slavery and even death.

Looking around the zoo, I wasn’t sure if God was trying to show me something or if I was just overcome by the heat. What I saw was bars, chains and fences (slavery), high prices for low cost goods (extortion), and a dependence upon other beings for life’s basic needs (welfare). On top of it all, if I would give them money, I could help perpetuate the entire system!

Naturally this is likely a crazy description of a zoo. But when applied to people, we can see in our world the same system that the devil is laying upon the souls of people in our world today. How we see it may make the difference in how others will be treated… forever. How do YOU see it? Do YOU offer people the freedom that comes only with Jesus Christ?

“I have no greater joy than to hear (& see) that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

They don’t look like they looked the last time I looked. Don’t sound the same either! Last time we came up to see the grand-kids of our youngest kid, her youngest took a little while to warm up to us. Yesterday, her and her mom tried to jump us from behind a door. They were all smiles. Now, when I lean in and focus, I can usually make out what she’s trying to say!

It’s about a 4 hour trip to their house, so we don’t see them very much. Talking on the phone, even on ‘face-time,’ isn’t the same. Personal face to face and hand to hand is a lot better than through a cell phone anyway. Now that they just got out of school, we have the chance to see them and get to see how much they’re learning and growing. It’s a process called ‘Life!’

We came here after Church yesterday, where our Jesus Family gets to gather together every week. There, we get to see and have a hand in teaching and watching the growth of our spiritual family. There’s a good comparison between the 2. In seeing and talking to fellow believers, I can see who’s growing and how far they’ve come in their growth in Jesus.

Reading God’s Word and telling each other what He’s been doing in our lives, along with spending time together, is God’s way of growing His family here… for there! As we gather together over time, we’re not supposed to look the same as we did before. Growing up and maturing is all part of the business of God. The more we grow the more we look like Him.

How are YOU doing in the growing up process of Jesus Christ?

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13 (GNTD)

“Yea Yea… I know… Philippians 4:13.” I carried that Bible verse on a band around my wrist for years. But now.. being stuck in traffic.. AGAIN… I did not find the words very comforting. “I” had planned on being at my destination to have FUN an hour before I had gotten stuck in traffic. MY wants and MY needs were screaming loudly over the verse. I was not happy!

I could expect a traffic jam at that particular time of day in a city like Los Angeles or New York. But I was in rural Florida… AND on a 4 lane road! WHAT THE HECK! As my mind drifted to a proper punishment for the Highway engineer who thought up the idea to change all the exits on I-75, I was NOT thinking about that verse.. or honestly… even God. I was very upset! UGH!

I don’t know WHERE I got the idea that being a Jesus guy should mean that the spiritual gifts of love, joy, peace and patience should be on “auto-load” when I need them. Why don’t they just take over BEFORE a problem hits? Then I’d never have to ‘lose it!’ But alas… the comforting promise eluded me in my time of need, as my emotions avoided God’s terms.

Reciting Philippians 4:13 all by itself doesn’t really help unless I grab the promise through the backdoor of Philippians 4:12! At least that is what I’m getting. I DO know what it is to be in need and to have plenty. But it is OBVIOUS to me that I have NOT LEARNED the ‘secret of being content!’ At almost 69, it seems late to go back to school… but obviously… necessary.

I have discovered that ‘learning’ and ‘discipline’ seem harder, now that I’m older. I make assumptions often, and think I know more than I do. I find that I presume that, since Jesus and I are good buddies, I’m SURE He’ll take care of me in this and EVERY situation!” Then I find myself in a desert AGAIN… with no trace of His footsteps! That’s ‘learning 101!’

Walking with Christ means moving WITH Him. Far too often I don’t. Instead of watching HIS steps, I just assume he’s got MY back. Having found myself ‘stuck’ FAR too often, maybe it’s time I focus on verse 12 instead… and do some learning. How about YOU? Are YOU stuck and expecting something more than a jam? Are YOU trying to drag Jesus along behind YOU?

Take notes! Cuz maybe He’s trying to teach you (as well as me) something! 

“The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Ephesians 5:23-25

For 2 weeks before school let out, I barely had any good time with her. Katie was busy with school. On the first day out of school, she showed me what was most important to her by taking the whole day to clean the house. After that, I couldn’t find half my stuff… then received explanations as to why I should put things in a different place! And I LOVE her!

Oh… I drive her crazier than she drives me. Every time I get behind the wheel and she is passenger, her experience becomes like the fastest roller coaster on Earth, through the literal horror show of hell. She freaks and corrects… to no avail. “Don’t worry honey, I ain’t kilt ye yet!” I laugh, then yell at the next guy who cut me off. She still rides with me.

Marriage is the craziest idea on the planet. That is… next to spawning and producing children that will, one day, go off and get married… we HOPE! But when we both have free time from the work and cares of the day, we prefer to spend that time with each other. Even if she’s sitting at the beach in the sun… and I in the shade. Together.. we make US.

Marriage is what marriage is because marriage is a SYMBOL of what Jesus Christ is to US. The entire point of the existence of mankind is that we ARE… and WILL BECOME… “The Bride of Christ!” THAT is God’s plan. And THAT is what Jesus Christ Himself… WANTS! Sin, bruises, bumps, fails and all. HE wants to BE WITH ME ALL THE TIME! And I… with Him.

I have never experienced the loss of my spouse. But I know those who have. It is horrific. BUT!!!! And I say “BUT!!!” because I know my wife very very well. I know if there were ever a behind the door meeting and she was forced to choose between me or Jesus, I’d be GREATLY shocked and severely disappointed if she chose me! I know she feels the same.

My point? What do YOU want MOST in life? Do you Love God more than ANYTHING? And do you love everything MORE… because you love God. I like to say.. if you don’t like spending time with Jesus and His people HERE… you’re going to HATE Heaven! Are you happily chained to the God who loves you? 

“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:26

It was Memorial Day and we were at the beach. Taking a mask and snorkel, I swam around the shade of the boat docks, avoiding the hot sun, while looking to find fish that I could try to catch later. What stood out were the literally MILLIONS of tiny minnows doing the very thing I was. Except these little guys, all grouped together, were swimming for their lives!

Katie and I had been sitting on the beach when, over by the dock dozens of different kinds of birds were diving for breakfast! Now, from under the water, I could tell that bigger fish were trying to gulp down minnows. Through my mask, I saw minnows swimming in unison in kind of an underwater ballet. I was mesmerized by their ability to swim together.

The reality of what I was seeing made me smile. God had actually made those fish to be breakfast, lunch and dinner for the birds and fish around them. When I later told Katie, she smiled and started to sing “The Circle of Life!” Cute! The many minnows swam and stuck together through it all. And all the while, they were being attacked from every side!

Believers in Jesus Christ often have to be reminded that to actually ENTER the club of being God’s kids, we had to pay a price. And that price is… death to ourselves. When realizing we are sinners and slaves to sin, people try a lot of different things to survive. But ultimately, death always wins. It’s after THAT, that being God’s kid makes all the difference!

The world, the flesh and the devil are the 3 deadly creatures working overtime to take me out. Being part of Christ’s church lumps me in a group that makes me a target. But it is only by ‘sticking together’ that I have any chance of making it alive to Glory. That is just how God created us to be. By believing, dying to our own selves and taking on His, we swim and live.

Are YOU a minnow in a big sea that only sees you as bait? Have you surrendered YOUR life to Jesus, the ONLY one who can save you? If so, then being part of His Church will feed and protect YOU, as we swim together… for LIFE! SO come on… Jump in!

“…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4

I was sitting in the setting of the ‘car wash’ yesterday, when the rumble and noise surrounding the car let me know, “it’s started!” Now I can’t imagine anyone doing anything for those few moments, other than to watch the water spray, soap and scrubbers travel the length of the car to get rid of dirt and grime that has collected on the car. I sat like a big kid… mesmerized!

At one point, my brain actually got scrambled when, KNOWING that I was sitting still, it appeared, and even FELT, like ‘I’ was the one moving! In fact, I checked to be sure the transmission was in ‘Park’ and not in ‘Drive!’ The feeling was surreal. It really seemed that I was GOING somewhere. Instead… that somewhere was going OVER ME! It was weird man.

As I reflected on my life in light of reading today’s verse, I have to admit… I don’t really FEEL like I’m much of an overcomer. Lately, it seems I haven’t made much progress against the evil one, or even the ones bent on swimming in His evil. It is easy to feel like the kid standing on the corner, failing to sell newspapers, crying out… “DANGER DANGER… READ ALL ABOUT IT!”

The older I get, the harder it seems to find people who REALLY want to understand and see the big picture of our real position as sinners in a world dominated by the evil one. Sometimes it FEELS like I’m making progress, but then I realize I’ve been tricked into thinking that ‘I get it…’ when IT has gotten hold of ME! That is until I read today’s verse in CONTEXT!

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.” Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

In reading and meditating on this verse, I can see that I have been duped into believing that I am a winning warrior, just home from victorious battle at the front. The TRUTH is, I am at present, a wounded yearning soldier who tires from endless warfare. That is until Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, tapped me on my heart and bid me to ‘look forward’ while reading!

This Earth is WAR. We do NOT have His promise that we will SEE what WE consider victory, HERE! In fact, many a saint has died feeling like a loser. But look closely. The New Testament commands that we LOVE JESUS CHRIST! HOW HARD is THAT? The Word goes on to tell us that we WILL overcome the world when Jesus comes to this world… for us. Yearn On!  We’re still making progress and the cleaning cycle isn’t over yet!!

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.” Proverbs 23:7

I wanted to mess with my neighbors, so I called and teasingly accused them of murderer! “Did you cut that passion vine out of your back yard? Because if you did, you HAD to have killed some caterpillars, since they love that stuff!” I was fishing for a story on the idea of today’s Bible verse. In reality, my idea was a dud, because they hadn’t cut any vines.

I share a weird sense of humor with my neighbor. We tell goofy and ridiculous jokes and stories that some would shake their head at and even get offended. My goal was to talk about the Matthew 5 chapter where Jesus implied that if you think something in your heart.. you are just as much a guilty sinner as if you had actually done it. In God’s eyes that is.

Butterflies love passion fruit. But so does my neighbor. Unfortunately, caterpillars eat the vine before the vine can produce any fruit! Teasing him was just a way for me to give him a call to say hi! I know… weird huh? I have to agree. So I need to renew my mind to be a little more creative in speaking with my neighbor. I’m sure I’m not very clear here. But while I was thinking about this, Katie said, “Oh this is SOO good,” and forwarded it to me. I found it amazing because THIS is what I was actually trying to say!  So I’ll let Christine say it.

Transform Your Thinking

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2, NIV).

Renewing your mind is such a vital part of experiencing what God has for you.

• Instead of yelling at your spouse when you’re frustrated, you will be empowered to arrest those thoughts and speak the truth in love.
• Instead of falling into a pit of discouragement when you make a mistake or someone forgets to invite you to a party, you will find grace for yourself and others.
• Instead of eating junk food when you feel lonely, you will experience the boldness to reach out to God or a friend for comfort.

As you transform your thinking and align your thoughts with God’s Word, you will be able to make the most of the good times and walk through the difficult valleys, keeping sight of God through it all.

TODAY’S REFLECTION
How do you need to renew your mind and your thinking today? How can you encourage others?

What to be blessed today?  Lora suggested last night at FLAP last night to read Psalm 103 to hear God’s blessings toward us. I’m off for another root canal! How about you read Matthew 5 and Psalm 103?

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15

Known as the ‘Green and White Game’, the new Football players and Cheerleaders for next year, got together for an initial event, to look at what next school season might be. My Granddaughter Gema, a cheerleader again for next year, made OUR appearance a joyful expectation. As the football players played, the cheerleaders cheered. AND they did what they are called to do… Cheer and stunt!

I was there for Gema. But the game had its appeal as well. At one point, I heard my daughter holler out, “she did it!” But whatever she DID… I had missed. “What’d she do?” I asked. Cori replied, “she just did her back handspring! You didn’t see it?” I hadn’t! I was watching the football game and hadn’t even noticed the cheerleaders doing something different. I’d missed a reason I’d gone.

“Oh Yea! It was good too!” my daughter added for good measure. And the only thing I could do, was take her word for it and believe it! It’s the exact same situation with today’s Bible verses. They make up an important reason for WHY I am… where I am. AND what I’m supposed to BELIEVE about it. Go ahead. Read it again! Several times! Jesus died for my sin, then destroyed the Law as well!

It is important that I understand that the penalty for my sin was removed. But to make sure it could never show up again, God destroyed the very Law that defined what sin was! Then afterward, having done that… He goes on to describe ME as “alive in Christ!” I have discovered that, far too often, I miss that point. God is on the sidelines of my life, boldly cheering me on, while I often hang my head.

What I see ISN’T what’s going on. What I miss can easily be the absolutely most important play in the game of my life! When failure to perform to a perfect standard, it’s easy to feel defeated and blue. Today’s verse makes me realize that, in my Father’s eyes, I am ‘PERFECT!’ It is THAT perfection that, when focused upon, gives me REAL reason to “ACT like a Child of God!” Got that? Now don’t miss it!