“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” John 1:18

Arriving home from church and pulling into the driveway, I was was overcome with guilt because of lawnlessness! Walking into the house I shut the door with the final thought, “but it’s Sunday… a day to rest!” The excuse seemed to do the trick, until I saw the weather forecast calling for several days of rain. When the clouds started rolling in, conviction turned to motivation and got me up and out to cut my grass before the rain came. Before too long, I I was Willified!

Willie is pretty much the neighborhood lawn guy, and maintaining the yards on both sides of me. Over the years Willie has become my friend. I’ll often hear him outside on his mower, stop what I am doing and take him a cold drink so he can take a break and WE can talk about out mutual favorite subject… Jesus! Even though Willie is an expert in lawn care, he has NEVER criticized my lawn. He doesn’t have to. Being between 2 Willie maintained lawns is conviction enough! Which was WHY I was cutting my grass on Sunday! My yard was not even CLOSE to Willie standards!

I read that If God were to sit for a portrait, the painting on the canvas would be of Jesus. The Bible verse today tells me as much. Because of sin and failure, there was NO way I could measure up to God’s standards. So when I could not reach His level, He came down to MINE by sending His Son. Now, Jesus’ purpose and goal is to make me a perfect replica of Himself… to turn me into a Child of God, remade in His image.

Godliness (God-like-ness) is an inside job. It is not just an outward appearance. Liquid is defined as a substance that takes the shape of its container. But liquid can STILL be foul! God is interested in my heart condition as well as my outward appearance. I have to admit that, having Jesus Christ INSIDE me and other believers living AROUND me, there are times I become convicted of UNgodliness. Which is the FINAL step before my cooperation in allowing Jesus to work on ME.

The idea that I can KNOW God and that I can be transformed to LOOK like Him is not foreign. All religions make that claim. But there is ONLY ONE method where the process of Godlikeness can be completed. And it begins with the Person of Jesus Christ! And even Willie won’t find fault with that!   

Got Godliness?

After last Wednesday’s Bible Study at church, there was some confusion and questions about where we’re are going with what we were studying.  This devotional I received today sums it up perfectly and better than I could right now.  This is not me… this is Jesus call to His church on how we are to live. Enjoy!

After his resurrection, Jesus sends us all out to do what he did: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21 NRSV). And he gives us his authority to do it: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go” (Matt. 28:18-19). Why else would he have given us his authority if we weren’t supposed to use it?

The attitude of so many Christians today is anything but fierce. We’re passive, acquiescent. We’re acting as if the battle is over, as if the wolf and the lamb are now fast friends. Good grief—we’re beating swords into plowshares as the armies of the Evil One descend upon us. We’ve bought the lie of the Religious Spirit, which says, “You don’t need to fight the Enemy. Let Jesus do that.” It’s nonsense. It’s unbiblical. It’s like a private in Vietnam saying, “My commander will do all the fighting for me; I don’t even need to fire my weapon.” We are commanded to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We are told, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him” (1 Peter 5:8-9); “Fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18); “Rescue those being led away to death” (Prov. 24:11).

Seriously, just this morning a man said to me, “We don’t need to fight the Enemy. Jesus has won.” Yes, Jesus has won the victory over Satan and his kingdom. However, the battle is not over. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:24-25: “Then the end will come, when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” After he has destroyed the rest of the Enemy’s works. Until then, he must reign by bringing his enemies under his feet. Jesus is still at war, and he calls us to join him.

Taken from: 

Ransomed Heart Daily Reading <dailyreadings@ransomedheart.com>

“No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.” Isaiah 64:7

It was time for my normal checkup with my doctor and I had a few questions for him. I always look forward to seeing him because I am blessed to have a doctor who is also my friend. That means I can trust him to be honest with me. Soon, I was in his office and bantering with the nurses. I love that place and hardly noticed when they took my credit card for prepayment!! I did NOT expect what happened next!

I heard his voice before I saw his face. Unlike a dog that cowers and shakes at the vet’s office (could they be smarter than me?), I was jovial and was glad to see my friend. As we talked I asked him my questions. “My wife says I get lethargic too often, would B12 shots help?” His reply was direct. “Do you want what I think or the medical facts?” I soon learned that I am just plain old and lazy and that there is no magic shot for that! I told him that I guessed there was no need anyway, since I take multi-vitamins everyday. His next words shocked me!

My doctor friend told me, with a smile, that I was killing myself! He could see I was shocked and doubtful so he got up, went to his cupboard and pulled out several articles to prove his opinion with fact. Taking multivitamins, especially after 65, kills you sooner! I said, “Well it’s a good thing I’m only 64, you just saved my life!” He smirked cuz.. that’s what he does! For my last question, I lifted my shirt! “What’s this!???” He immediately responded, “WHOOOAH!”

I became nervous when he looked at the sore on my back and said.. “don’t touch it” and reached for some rubber gloves. My brain quickly put 2+2 together and I said… “Don’t you DARE tell me I have shingles!” He said… “you have shingles!” Friends don’t lie to each other! When I reminded him that HE had given me the shingles vaccine, he said, “That’s why it is so small!” GREAT! I guess there’s no warranty on vaccines!

I am honored to have been called by God to represent Him to people. I love Him very, very much and want to share facts, AND my opinion, to anyone who wants to listen. It is a fact that God loves us and wants a close relationship with us. It is also a fact that sin is the disease that prevents relationship from happening. It is my experienced opinion AND Biblical fact that when anyone ‘strives to lay hold of God,’ He will come in love and bring His promises with Him. But WE are the ones that must ask Doctor God for His help… first. No ask or seek? No get or find!

The time for putting trust in my friend the doctor came quickly. What would I do? Well I’ll tell ya! I drove home, walked into the house, went straight to the cupboard and threw those dang killer vitamins into the trash! THAT is called exercising my faith! Now…What will YOU do with God’s words? Remember… to see His face you must first must choose hear His voice!

“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.” Matthew 13:25

They used to call a person who tends plants a husbandman. The job entailed the care for the GOOD plants, and removal of the BAD ones… weeds! Looking out the back of the house along the fence, there was a war going on which now required a husbandman. Since I am the husband… that would be me!

YEARS ago my bride saw a viney plant, with yellow flowers, covering a portion of someone’s yard. Since we had a small unsightly part of yard, she plucked a piece and planted it. BIG mistake. 20 years later, that vine grows over the back fence and even throughout my grass. Last year, while wanting to attract butterflies, she discovered and planted a passion vine. Not only does it smell great, it attracts butterflies AND produces great tasting fruit. But now, these 2 vines are at warring for fence dominance! Their collision silently called for a simple husband….man. An inter’seeder’ if you will. I stepped forward.

I say ‘simple’ because in this case, I didn’t have to be very smart about plants. Which is a good thing, since I’m not. Even ‘I’ could EASILY tell the difference between the two competing weeds. The job? Rip out the bad and secure the good. Simple, right? Yes… but! When temperature collided with humidity and it felt like 107 degrees, the easy task turned into hard WORK! Which made me think about Grampa Adam and his TERRIBLE decision. After all, this is all HIS fault!!

God had placed Adam in the garden to ‘rule and reign.’ With 1 caveat… “Don’t eat ‘that’ fruit!” Adam did and got what he deserved. But THAT is not the story! The story is about GOD… not Adam! God had intended man to do a job, which forced GOD to become the Husbandman. He had created man to co-rule and reign with Him, and BY GOD THAT was what was going to happen…even if it killed Him! Flash forward!

The Church and mankind today are a bunch of simpletons who have forgotten God’s original plan. Hence, non-believers don’t care and believers don’t care enough. God even sent His Son on a deadly rescue mission to get us back on the track of working His garden! Yet it seems, all we want to do is go back home and get some rest! And the weeds continue to grow!

God is PASSIONATE about us, friend. And NOT for the purpose of saving us for Heaven where we’ll get a harp and wings! He created us to rule and reign WITH HIM. Not just THERE… but HERE as well! There is a WAR going on and we have a job to do. But how many of us really know what that role is? And… how many of us really WANT to know?

“For through him (Jesus Christ) we both (Jews & Gentiles) have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Ephesians 2:18

In front of my house is a palm tree. Palm trees need trimmed once a year. Over the 30 years I have lived here, I have noticed there is a direct correlation between that tree’s height and my age. The older I get, the taller the tree becomes! I have an extension ladder that used to reach to the top. Then I started putting the ladder in the bed of my truck. When that didn’t reach, I bought an electric saw on a pole which I STILL had to use from the extension ladder which was set in the bed of my truck! I noted yesterday… that I need a new plan!

You may tell me I’m too old to climb ladders! And you are partially right. But my sense of ‘do it meself’ hasn’t gotten any sense… yet! Some may sat that I should just HIRE someone to do it. And yes I have. But tree trimming businesses come and go, and yesterday I was not in the mood to rid myself of $40 and the time to find someone. So I thought and thought and… BING!!! I found a solution!

Our church is building a building, and inside that locked building is a tall extension ladder that has been sitting there for a LONG time. I don’t know whose it is, but I know WHERE it is. Since I am the Pastor, I am one of only a very few people who have access to the inside of that building by way of a key. And that key is in my truck. As soon as the idea hit me, I was headed to the church, in my truck, with the key to get into God’s building! Why? Because I CAN! I have ACCESS!

Earlier yesterday, I was talking with a member who has an aluminum business. Having been in that business myself years ago, we started swapping ‘ladder’ stories. Funny stories that left us BOTH happy to even be alive! But it didn’t deter me from my plan. I am now delighted to tell you that the ladder reached, the tree got trimmed and that now, I have a different story to tell.

I am NOT the ONLY person who has access to the church. But I AM 1 of only 3 people who can be called, should anyone need to get into that building. You can say that to know me is to have access… MAYBE! In other words, as long as our goals are the same (to build the church) then I will gladly open the door for you.

Before Jesus Christ died to save mankind from the death of their sin, NO one had access to His Father… God. But because His Son paid the price, we ALL now have access to His Father. But ONLY with the key of the Spirit. God’s saving mission depends upon the lost WANTING to be found. We know God desires ALL to be saved. But NO ONE can be rescued if they don’t WANT to be… AND in HIS WAY! The question is, are you willing?

I already know that some folks may be thinking I used my special access to take unfair advantage in order to borrow a ladder I never owned. And all for my own personal interest! To those folks I say… YUP! And if you think THAT’S crazy, because of my special relationship as a son of God, HE has given ME free access to eternal life, the keys to the Kingdom AND a seat WITH Him to Co-reign it all! Are you Jealous? Don’t be… YOU have the same access as I…if you will only take advantage of His offer!

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8

I mentioned the other day that I had finally gotten around to cleaning off my desk. Now, as I sat there, I could at least SEE the desktop, which honestly made me smirk with a little pride! Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to the stuff I had stacked upright at the BACK of the desk. If the stuff on the top had been my ‘GET TO’ pile, THIS area had become my ‘DON’T EVER FORGET’ collection. As I gazed at one particular envelope, something in the back of my mind sent an alarm to the front… and I freaked!!!

You know how it goes because all of us have done it. I held in my hand a bill that was SUPPOSED to have been paid a MONTH ago! In the 30 years I have live in this house it only happened 2 other times. Once, we came home to no electricity. Another time… no water! BOTH times I felt like a fool trying to EXPLAIN myself to the people in charge of collections. Even as I tried to excuse my failure over the phone, I could sense them rolling their eyes and thinking, “yea, yea Mr. Loser… I’ve heard that one before!” Regardless of the excuse, I had become a bona fide ‘infractor!’

I clearly remembered paying this months bills WEEKS ago. But for some reason I had ‘held off’ on this one. OOPS! And SILLY! Because with online banking, paying bills in 2019 is rather simple. When the bill comes, I can easily ‘log on’ to my account, enter the amount and hit ‘Pay!’ I can do it from my phone, and for MOST accounts, I can even set up ‘Auto-pay’ so I don’t have to SEE a bill to worry about forgetting. Then my thoughts turned to goats!

In the Old Testament, payment for sin came like my utility bills… varying and often! One sin may require the blood of a dove. Another a goat… or even a bull! One thing was for certain, no matter how much blood you paid, you were guaranteed MORE would be required… and SOON! My silly mind tried to figure out how the Israelites might have worked out ‘Auto-pay’ for goat sacrifices… which became too gruesome… even for me! Then I thought of Jesus!

When Jesus Christ died on the cross over 2000 years ago He “Paid In Full” ALL of my debts! Past, present and future! Which takes ‘Auto-pay’ to a whole new level! Did yo uget that? Jesus paid ‘ALL of my debts,’ except ONE! As I wrote that, my head dropped in sorrow because, loving YOU is an outstanding debt that I have, too often, forgotten to pay! But as quickly as sorrow came…it went! Because my loving Lord assured me that there will be NO ‘Past Due’ notice with this debt. His love to me, and THROUGH me will NEVER be shut off! It’s as if He hands me His credit Card and says… “Let me help you with this!” And friends… that is one card you NEVER want to ‘leave home without!’

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:43

Yesterday, I was sitting in a room full of pastors and leaders as they talked about their various ministries in the community. I was setting beside a ‘priestly’ friend of mine and did what I USUALLY do in settings such as this. Instead of listening to every word of the speaker, I leaned over, tapped my friend on the shoulder and asked him a question. I KNEW I had committed a grievous error when the next words out of my mouth were, “HUH?” I felt like a dummy!

I own a REALLY nice set of ‘state of the art’ hearing aids. It took a long time for me to realize that I needed them and even longer to finally make the appointment to get them. Their expense ALONE should be a painful reminder to ‘never leave home without them! But I have… far too often! Then, when I am in conversation, just like Pavlov’s dog, my head immediately drops in shame when I HEAR the word “HUH?” escape my lips. What kind of fool forgets something so important? You guessed it!

I try to rationalize my forgetfulness. It is true that I DO spend a LOT of time alone…studying, praying, working around the house or church… resting! When alone, I don’t NEED assistance in hearing MYSELF! I hear ME ALL the time… and sometimes I nauseate myself! But when I KNOW I am going into a meeting or to talk with someone, I NEED to have those hearing aids if I want to listen and communicate well. Nodding yes to an unknown statement someone said, in counseling, can be a VERY bad thing! I know… I’ve done it!

When I read this verse today I smiled. It is a good one to me because, to some people’s chagrin, ‘I’ am one of ‘The Righteous’ this verse talks about. And one day ‘I’ will shine like Jesus says. But this verse starts with the word ‘then!’ Which means it is connected to a something before it. So I looked it up! Verses before this one say, “at the end of the age… the Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Do you hear that?

Children are good a playing the ‘nya nya’ game…a Japanese term for the sound of a cat. “Nya Nya.. my house is better than your-ors! My daddy’s stronger than your-ors!” The purpose is to make the other person FEEL bad… even if the statement isn’t true. But THIS verse isn’t meant for comparative purposes. It is a FACT of judgment that should give even the NEWEST Christian a supernatural motivation!

EVERYONE has ears. That is the point Jesus is trying to make. If we HAVE them… He EXPECTS us to make USE of them! To LISTEN and APPLY what He, the Lord of the Universe, is saying. The war of the universe is raging and casualties are stacking up! If I have been redeemed, I have no right or time to ‘nya-nya’ ANYONE. The Business of the Father MUST become MY business. And HIS business is to seek and save those who haven’t heard the Good News yet. THAT would make ME…a HEARING AID! To forget THAT… would make me a fool!

Would you try something? Silence your phone, turn off the music, and set a timer for two minutes. Sit silently until the alarm goes off. I’m happy to wait on you while you try this.

How was that? As I was writing this, I tried it myself and was reminded once again how difficult silence can be. We are not comfortable with silence, but silence is so powerful.

Through the team at EmotionallyHealthy.org, I learned of a fascinating example that brings out tremendous emotion in me every single time I watch it.1

Researchers brought in sets of parents and adult kids to have them experience the power of emotional silence. They were brought into a sterile room, one parent-child pair at a time, and were asked to stand facing each other for four minutes. Perfectly quiet, perfectly still, with no distractions for four full minutes. Of course, when NBC aired the project, they didn’t show the entire four minutes, but they did show the powerful emotions that rose to the surface simply because of the space provided by silence.

A mother told of how she looked into her son’s face and thought about the moment he was born.

A son told of how much gratitude he felt, thinking about how much his mother had sacrificed for him.

A father told of how much potential he saw in his daughter’s future.

It’s such a simple but profound concept. Why? Because we are not comfortable with silence, yet it is so powerful!

Emotionally healthy leaders turn down the noise low enough and long enough to allow space for curiosity.

As difficult or uncomfortable as this might be, it absolutely requires the habit of getting quiet. And it can’t be a onetime thing. It must become part of your daily or at the very least weekly routine in life.

Silence is scarce. Honestly, it might even be nonexistent. When was the last time you sat in complete silence? Having five little kids has made silence an absolute impossibility. My wife and I have actually contemplated having our kids’ hearing checked because they’re so loud. Honestly though, I can’t make a commute without listening to podcasts or music. Sitting quietly in my car drives me nuts! And that’s not because there’s anything wrong with silence itself. No, it’s because we’ve never been trained to appreciate silence. For most people, it’s an acquired taste.

Appreciating silence is especially difficult when I’m by myself. And those moments are rare given my wiring and personality. Times of solitude are times when I most desire sound. If I make time in the day to go for a run or a walk alone, there’s no way I’m going without my phone. I have to have some sort of sound in my head.

Let’s look at someone who, having more leadership power than anyone who has ever lived, made silence and solitude a regular part of his life.

TIME IS NOT A GREAT EXCUSE

In Mark’s account of the life of Jesus, we find his perspective on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. And in only a handful of verses, Mark shows us how crucial silence and solitude were in the life of Jesus. If God incarnate needed silence and solitude, I’d say you and I should pay attention to our own need for these things as well.

Starting in Mark 1:14, Jesus walks into Galilee and starts preaching. He goes throughout the town telling people about the good news He has brought with Him.

The Kingdom of God is at hand. — Mark 1:15 ESV

This is big news! Immediately, people start following Him around, trying to hear more. As He traverses the town, Jesus starts calling His disciples. Like Oprah handing out free cars, Jesus points to Simon Peter and says, “You get to follow Me!” Then to his brother Andrew, “And you get to follow Me!”

They immediately drop what they’re doing and follow Jesus. Why not, right? Next time we see them they’re at the synagogue. Think of this place as a mix between the town center and the church. It was the Sabbath, so everyone had gathered to hear the teaching. Now, you have to picture this. Those gathered have priests who teach them every week — the same way a church would have a regular pastor giving the message. But suddenly, this complete stranger gets up and starts right in on what He has to say.

Did the priests ask Jesus to teach? Did the people know He was coming? I have no idea. But I can’t help but picture Jesus bursting through the doors and walking straight to the front. I don’t know if that’s exactly how it happened, but regardless, Jesus teaches in a way the people have never heard before.

To me, this is the strangest part of the story. What did He teach? What did he say? I can’t imagine! But whatever He said was powerful, because the people were astonished. Then things get even crazier.

While Jesus is teaching, a man with an unclean spirit starts yelling at Him. Jesus gets heckled! Again, was this a regular church attendee? Or was this guy new too? We don’t know. All we know is that Jesus casts the unclean spirit out of this man. What?

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen comedians roast hecklers — it can be pretty funny — but that’s nothing compared to Jesus. This man is yelling at him, and Jesus says,

Be silent, and come out of him! — Mark 1:25 ESV

And — bam! The spirit leaves. This has already been a big day for Jesus. Even reading about it has me a little exhausted. But wait, there’s more!

Jesus leaves the synagogue and goes to the house of Simon’s mother-in-law, who happens to be very sick. Can you imagine Jesus coming to your house the one day you’re sick in bed? I’m picturing Simon’s mother-in-law sniffling with puffy eyes and Kleenex scattered all over the bed (I know Kleenex hadn’t been invented yet, but just follow along). This is the scene Jesus walks into. And what does He do? He heals her. Of course.

In an instant she goes from lying in bed to bustling around the house making dinner and serving them. News of this miracle spreads quickly, and people line up outside the house asking Jesus to heal them. Mark tells us that

the whole town gathered at the door. — Mark 1:33

And Jesus heals one after another after another. Now, I would think that after that type of day, Jesus would probably sleep in. Seems fair, right? Nope. We read,

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. — Mark 1:35 ESV

This story fascinates me. Not only does it paint this incredible picture of Jesus bursting onto the scene, but it also reveals His character in cool and subtle ways. Moreover, it shows us the value of silence and solitude.

If Jesus knew and acted on the importance of getting away, getting alone, and getting quiet, shouldn’t we?

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” Proverbs 25:1

It had been a while since I had cut grass on that lot and little while since it had been cut by another. That amount of time, coupled with the time of the year, helped me forget about the hidden nuisance that occurs there. It is one of Florida’s unwelcome features and comes in second, only to fire ants. This time of year the seed heads of sand-spurs pop up, proudly stick out their prickly tongues and seeming say… “Haaaaaa…Did ya miss me?!” I immediately stopped the mower, went to get gloves and trash can, then got down on my knees to diligently search!

Sand-spurs are good hiders. In a green yard full of numerous types of grass, one would never spot them. But when left to grow for too long, and especially in the fall, they seem to pop up quickly. They have barbs like fishhooks that, when mature, easily catch onto clothing to be transported to another area where they can grow and reek havoc. From the center root they send out shoots that creep under and through the other grasses, then pop up like a demon from hell. The only way I have found to get rid of them is to get down into the grass, follow the shoots and then pull up the heart of the root. Doing this GUARANTEES some pain! But if left alone to mature and drop, bare feet have no chance against a sand-spur’s sting.

Where do thorns, pricks, mosquitoes and wasps come from? Were they part of the original Garden of Eden or added later after Adam and Eve fell? It is difficult to know for sure. Though, in my Bible reading, I have come to my own conclusion. But even the right answer does nothing to alleviate the sand-spurs sting. Besides, there are better questions that we can ask of God that can help us stand up to the REAL pains of this life. But one must WANT to search to find the answers.

God hides! That is TRUTH! Many verses allude to the fact that God never leaves or forsakes us, but He DOES conceal and hide truths from us. Why? Well, if you know ANYTHING about love, you know that its initial appeal causes pursuit. To grow deeply in love requires getting down into the roots of our hearts to discover intimate things that can be built upon. Problems between spouses can occur when either partner, or both, don’t care to invest and go deeper into the relationship. Sadly, a heart left alone will typically produce thorns instead of flowers.

The Bible tells us that we will find God when we seek Him with all our hearts (Jeremiah 29:13). It is a call to intimacy and desire, where God hides, just waiting to be found. He is NOT an easy lover and demands time and effort to see His glory. He created women with this tendency… and it is NOT a bad thing. His purpose is to ask… “how much do you REALLY want and desire me” It is a call to get on our knees and diligently search!

I have had numerous burrs under my saddle throughout my life. Questions for God that I wanted answers to. Like, “What did Jesus mean when He said we would do GREATER things than He?” And what’s all that business about ‘asking in faith… believing, and you will get what you ask?’ I wrestled with that one for 21 years before I got my answer. But it only came through time and pain as I continually sought it out.

God’s Word is a mysterious treasure trove of wisdom, help, strength and courage. It supplies the seeker with everything they need in this life to get through struggles and hardships… AND to grow closer to HIM. But to gain its prize, one needs to stop, get down on knees and put time into searching for it. And yes, there will be pain! Are you with me?