Enough Room?

“He said to him, ‘Run and tell this young man: Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the number of people and livestock in it.’” (Zechariah 2:4 HCSB)

A few years ago, my uncle accepted a temporary work assignment to Washington, D.C., the capitol of the United States. He rented a small apartment in which to live while working, not wanting to move his family from California. When the United States’ President was to be inaugurated, the nation’s capitol swelled in numbers. My uncle flew into Washington the day of the inauguration. He was able to get a subway ticket that allowed him access to the city, but was too late to be allowed to get off at the Capitol Mall for the inauguration; there were already enough people, and it was closed. Even having a residence in Washington didn’t get him to the inauguration.

We’ve all heard about Joseph and Mary being turned away from countless hotels in Bethlehem prior to the birth of our Lord Y’shuaJesus. There was “no room in the inn” that night. Some day soon Y’shuaJesus will return to Earth and there will be a great feast, to which we’ve all been invited. How many can come and sit at the table with our Lord? How many will fit in the room. How many will fit in the city of Jerusalem on that occasion?

Haven’t you at least once wondered about getting to Heaven’s gate, only to have it close right in front of you, with someone saying, “Sorry, all filled up.”

There are people who might not even try to get to the gate, not want to wait in line. We’ve all heard the expression “there’s no room for sinners in Heaven.” Occasionally in movies, characters will say something like, “Heaven wouldn’t want me!” You know Y’shuaJesus loves sinners, just hates the sin; they obviously don’t.

Another way to look at it is from the perspective of a person convinced he or she must do something to gain access to the Lord. Isn’t there a bit of legalism left in all of us? How disappointed one becomes when the reality of the situation sets in: no matter how hard we try on our own, we can’t do enough to earn the right to enter through the gates, to sit at the table with our Lord at The Feast.

Zechariah spoke to a people rebuilding the temple, rebuilding Jerusalem, restoring worship of G-d. It was long, hard work, and often might have seemed futile to continue. Things didn’t appear to be going well. So Zechariah, a priest and prophet, relays some encouragement to the people. His encouragement is for us, too. There is no limit of the number of people that Jerusalem can hold. It is to be without walls. G-d, Himself, will surround His people, offering the protection and containment they need, and always able to expand so that another Believer may enter.

We Gotta Be There! And we will. We will overcome the odds, by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, that we believe the Lord Y’shuaJesus.

Lord Bless, Keep, and Shine, in and through us today and throughout.

Will You Follow? Would You Have Followed?

“The servant said to him, ‘Suppose the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Should I have your son go back to the land you came from?’ ” (Genesis 24:5 HCSB)

Daniel Britt and Friends is a radio show in which Daniel interviews Southern Gospel singers and groups, and plays their songs. In one show, Daniel played a song about being willing to follow. The artist commented about getting various ideas from comments he hears people make. Certain words or phrases grabbed the artist, and a song is born. One story told illustrated a variation this process. The artist heard a group rehearsing what he heard as the phrase, “Let Him rain!” He commented to the other singer that he liked that thought. He was then informed that the song was “Let Him Reign!” At that point, in this artists mind, a song idea was born, leading him to sing of G-d’s Spirit raining upon us during various times of our lives.

It is similar for me, in that I hear a song or a phrase from a song, and I am led to study or write about it. One of the songs featured that day by Daniel Britt made mention of following our Lord. I tossed around ideas of willingness to follow Y’shuaJesus. I thought about times when I’d yield my will, accepted what I believe is the will of the Lord, and prepared myself to follow, finding later I was not actually be required to go in that direction. Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, though wasn’t required to actually follow through—not that I’ve faced choices like Abraham’s, for sure.

I did a word search in my Bible on “follow.” I thought I might find some instances of Y’shuaJesus telling us about following, and perhaps who or what not to follow. I came first to Genesis and Abraham’s sending off a servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. A passage grabbed me, and I read the story of the servant finding Rebekah, and leading her to Isaac. The story intrigues me; it is filled with inspiration, hope, and life. I marveled at the dialogue between Abraham and his servant. His servant needs to clarify what he is to do if the woman won’t come back with him. Abraham answers simply, confidently, that G-d has given this land to him and his descendents, so Isaac is not to leave it. Furthermore, Abraham declares that the Lord will send an angel before. I marvel that Abraham just knew what was to happen, and exercised his faith with out wavering.

G-d is mighty in His ways, though they are mysterious to me. Yet G-d’s servants can know His will and have confidence in His ability to affect the outcome that He desires, that He wills.

Oh, Lord, not our will, but Your will be done on Earth! Enable us to follow where You lead, and exercise faith and confidence in the doing.

Lord Bless, Keep, and Shine upon you and through you. AMEN!

Longing to be with Y’shuaJesus

“Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith. . .” (Philippians 1:25 HCSB)

Paul wrote to the Philippine Church. He longed to be with the Lord and wanted to share that longing with them. I imagine Paul looked around at the world and wanted to run, not walk, to be with Y’shuaJesus. Paul had good company in this longing. King David knew the longing, he tasted it and acknowledged that being a doorkeeper in the Heavenly Temple of the LORD is better than being a king on Earth. It is a constant yearning to be with our LORD. David also wrote:

“I have asked one thing from the LORD; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking Him in His temple.” (Psalms 27:4 HCSB)

This dwelling in house of the LORD of which David here speaks is both a spiritual dwelling and a future physical dwelling with G-d. David wanted to build a grand temple for G-d here on Earth. G-d said no. It didn’t stop David from planning and preparing for it. And all the while he remained on Earth, I believe David considered the spiritual dwelling with G-d only a shadow of the physical dwelling, and certainly he yearned to dwell with the LORD physically.

The longing, the yearning, of which both David and Paul and many others felt is a desperate thirst and hunger for righteousness, truth, justice, and peace. They know it comes only from G-d through a Messiah. The Messiah is Y’shuaJesus. The intensity of this yearning is satisfied in one of two ways. First, we can leave our mortal shell and rise to be with the LORD. Second, we may be here to see the Lord Y’shuaJesus return to Earth to reign as King.

We live in a tumultuous time. First, we are offered substitutes for Messiah’s Peace. The job of advertising is to make us believe that products produced will satisfy the deep longings within us. We are inundated with short, catchy slogans that make us think we will be better people, more satisfied, more at peace, if we just become someone different, either through products or services. Second, there are people who are misleading us into believing that they will help us achieve the peace and harmony for which we yearn, with out waiting for our Messiah. Y’shuaJesus warned that many would come trying to deceive us. Matthew quotes Y’shuaJesus:

“False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible even the elect. Take note: I have told you in advance.” Matthew 24:24.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘Peace and security. . .” (1Thes 5:3)

Look, I’d love to see peace and prosperity on this Earth. G-d made a beautiful world for us to enjoy. But regardless of what you or I may want, or even what so false teachers are saying, we are not going to have peace and harmony on this Earth until Y’shuaJesus returns to create it for us. We have a corrupt world. I think both King David and Apostle Paul understood that through sin, the world is corrupt. We just aren’t going to fix it. That doesn’t mean we stop trying to live righteous and just lives. Like Paul, we can make a choice to work with others for their advancement and joy in the faith:

“Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith. . .” (Philippians 1:25 HCSB)

And though evil continues to appear to reign, we patiently wait, enduring the yearning, until we leave this Earth or Y’shuaJesus returns. And when Y’shuaJesus returns to Earth, He’s not coming as a small baby wearing a diaper. He won’t ride a donkey again, either. He comes with sword, rides a white horse. He comes not to be a suffering servant, but to be our King. He alone will bring true peace, the Shalom of the LORD.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

While I’m Waiting

“Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.” (James 5:7 HCSB)

A song played on the radio, catching my attention: “While I’m Waiting,” by John Waller. I didn’t catch all the words, and I didn’t write out the ones I did. One segment dealt with service, another with joy. That’s all I recall of the song, and I haven’t heard it since. I’ve thought quite a bit about this topic, though, which seems to present itself to me occasionally. I can get anxious, thinking that I’m doing too little here on Earth. In such times I take solace from James’s encouragement to “be patient until the Lord’s coming.” Take it easy on myself, let the Spirit enliven me, prompt me, into the action He desires.T

There are also times I’m overwhelmed, feeling assaulted, even abused. “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed,” wrote Paul (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 HCSB). In verse 16, we read: “Therefore we do not give up; even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” I suppose that isn’t encouraging, but at least Paul is saying there are greater things at work within me, things that count eternally: The Spirit works within me to renew me, prepare me. Thank G-d for His Word, a lamp and a light. Through His Word I see my feet to avoid stumbling; I see ahead as the path winds away toward our Heavenly goal.

One morning, I read in a devotional reading by Charles Spurgeon, “It is no marvel, then, if I who live the life of Jesus, should be unknown and a stranger here below. Lord, I would not be a citizen where Jesus was an alien.” It’s like we are all visitors in a foreign country and for the moment are not able to get home. To relate it practically to my analytical brain side, I think of the time I traveled from my home in the U.S. to Siberia. There were two languages spoken in Ulan-Ude, one for the indigenous people, the Buriyates, and the Russian, for those descendents of exiled Russians. I spoke neither. I did have an English-speaking person that helped me around. And I had a return flight booked in advance. But what if I’d landed there and found I was stuck there until called to go home? What would I do?

Perhaps I’d find a guide book that would tell me of places to visit. There would be concrete examples of things I could do while waiting for “The Call.” I could hang out with the local people, learn the language, see what I might do as I fit in to their life. Being a foreign citizen, certainly I’d want to follow the prohibitions of my own culture, while respecting those of the local peoples. The activities in which I’d become involved would be a product of my own tastes, personality, and the interaction of the Spirit of G-d within me. For me, who loves to explore, loves to meet people, to interact, there would be plenty to do. I probably wouldn’t read all that much in a guide book; rather, I’d do a lot of wandering around on my own, see what I can see, discovering things for myself without the preconceived notions of what someone else saw and wrote about. But that’s me.

Not all of us have the same built-in temperament, the same personality. What we do, individually, while we wait to go home to Heaven, is a product of who we are, who we are willing to be with the Spirit’s work, and who our Creator wants us to be. There are some general guide lines, to be sure. For instance, Paul exhorts us to excel in everything: faith; speech; knowledge; diligence; love; and in all things be generous. (2 Cor 8:7) James tells us he’ll show us his faith through his action. We are to do all things for the glory and praise of G-d. Y’shuaJesus tells us to make disciples of all people. How we display our faith, how we make disciples, how we love, is a product of our spirit in cooperation with the Spirit of the Living G-d.

Even as individual personalities, we who have accepted the Lordship of Y’shuaJesus, are family. We are the people of the Messiah. We are The Church. While individually we differ, corporately, as a people, we are one in the Lord. We can come together, as family, in worship and adoration of our Lord. We come together to encourage one another in our individual ways, in our unique lives and paths. We who have been sealed, have our names written in the Book of Live, are one people in Messiah Y’shuaJesus.

I pray for patience as I wait on Earth: patience toward myself for I’m a work in progress; patience in you, for you’re a work in progress too. If you want to stroll through the market in AnyCity of the this Earth, that’s okay. Maybe I’ll ride a bus south, to a place on a beach just to see who is there, and what’s there for me. But when we come together, even if I pray in English and you in Igbo or Spanish or Hindi, we praise, we worship, the One, the Only, Father of all, Father of our Lord Y’shuaJesus, in the power and unity of the Holy Spirit.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Teachable Moments

“But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1 ESV)

On morning, while preparing my son’s breakfast, he signed a form he needed to take with him to school. He said, “I don’t like cursive.” This prompted me to talk about signatures being in cursive, or script, as simply convention. I told him that forms often have a line for printed name and a line for signature. I went on to say that I supposed a signature could be a printed name. Why not? Convention or law? I related the case of e.e.cumming, a poet who chose to use an unconventional way to display his name, without using capitol letters. I went on to tell my son, “I suppose some clerk somewhere could say to you, if you printed your name on the signature block, that it is not a signature. Is it really necessary to sign your name in cursive? I wonder if it is some law somewhere. Perhaps it’s not just convention as I’d said.”

“It’s a bit like the Gospel,” I went on to say. I told my son that the Gospel has been interpreted by people throughout our Christian history, and then made into some religious law that seemingly must be observed. At this point, I knew what I was doing. I was connecting the dots to make mental a picture I wanted my son to see. We’d begun discussing signatures, but now were on to things that Y’shuaJesus taught, and how traditions and conventions flowed from them. I concluded the lesson quickly, for sometimes with teenagers it’s better to plant a seed than a whole garden, giving some guidance about looking at the whole of what Y’shuaJesus taught, along with the circumstances in which His teaching occurred.

I suppose this was all on my mind while reading Acts 15. Here we are with Paul and Barnabas when “some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved!’ ” (Acts 15:1) This chapter deals with Paul and Barnabas engaging in serious argument and debate, traveling to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders and consider the matter, and finally reaching a conclusion that would prompt a letter to Gentiles explaining the views of the apostles on the matter.

One thing that struck me as I read this chapter is that the letter begins with “Because we have heard that some to whom we gave no authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts. . .” It was important for the apostles to clarify their position on these matters. It was important for the believing Gentiles to understand this position.

One conclusion that I arrived at, one lesson I desire to impart to my son, is that regardless of who comes to teach us, to demand of us adherence to some law that applies conditions to our salvation, we are to seek the guidance of the true authority on the matter. Since the Apostles are no longer here in this world, we must follow the led of the Spirit of G-d, looking into the Word of G-d, drawing conclusions for ourselves. We must work out our own salvation! And no doubt we do so with great reverential fear and trembling.

Let us seek the Lord, while He may be found. Let us gather together in one voice, in harmony, in the Spirit, rejoicing, praising, awaiting the second coming of our King. He comes with sword! He brings true peace! Hallelujah!

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Restoring Victory

“And I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the stripping locust, and the cutting locust, My great army which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:25 MKJV)

When we were young we dreamed. When we were asked what we were going to be when we grew up, we knew the answer. We grew. We made choices. Our lives made turns. We reacted to events. Our lives again turned. At some point we discovered our lives were not our own.

In a recent interview with talk-show host Larry King, actor/author Sidney Poitier spoke about the things in his life he couldn’t explain. He used an analogy of a man who, after getting into his car, realizes he forgot his keys. It takes 17 seconds to return to his house to retrieve them. At that same time another man miles away is leaving his house. Both arrive at an intersection. The man delayed arrives 17 seconds late, avoiding a collision. Mr. Poitier acknowledges “luck” in his experience of life.

Many people believe they’re lucky. Often some people acknowledge “someone” must be watching over them. We who know Y’shuaJesus know the truth. This truth set us free to live. This truth we share through victorious living. We took to heart what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, and we fled from youthful passions and pursued righteousness (2Tim2:22). We faced persecutions for the righteous choices we made, as was foretold by Y’shuaJesus and by Paul. These persecutions altered our lives. Our lives again turned leaving us even farther from our childhood dreams and desires. Events like the 17-second delay conspired to alter our course for good, but what delays altered it from an outcome that might glorify our Lord? Did we lay aside G-dly talents in our pursuit of purity? Did we turn from G-dly opportunities though misunderstandings? We are not infallible. In turning from youthful passions of the flesh, did we also leave behind passions that were given to exalt and glorify G-d? When we began weeding the garden of our living, did we pull out desirable plants? Were there swarming locusts in our gardens eating talents we could use to bless others?

We are called to examine ourselves. I love how Paul wrote to Timothy, “Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6 HCSB) The English Standard Version (ESV) states “fan into flames.” We are called to sharpen any dulled passions and gifts for the work of G-d.

Thank You, G-d, most gracious and holy. As You say, restore to us the years the locust have eaten, that we might glorify You. Be praised, O G-d. Let us hear Your voice, and courageously follow You. Enable us to keep ablaze the gifts You’ve given, and to live victoriously in demonstration of Your victory. In the Name of Y’shuaJesus, our Lord and Saviour, AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Unforgettable Victory

“The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” (Psalms 34:16 ESV)

Leaving a legacy is a way that we try to express eternalness. We want to be remembered. We want our victories to be remembered and shared with others. We also want to have our loved ones remembered. Here in America, these two desires propel many to publish death notices. While not seen as often here, in West Africa I noticed many one-year-memorial announcements in newspapers and in flyers circulated around. All of these tributes attempt to validate a person’s life. They are paid advertising giving glowing reports of a person’s lifetime of accomplishments. They invite people to share in and celebrate those deceased loved ones’ well-lived lives. We only want to remember the beauty of our dearly departed ones.

But some people act in evil ways, do evil deeds. In 1998, in Ulan-Ude, Russia, I saw a statue of Stalin. It was said to be the last remaining tribute to him. On his death bed, Stalin was acclaimed by those around him. Some years later, a de-Stalinization occurred in Russia and his legacy erased. This erasure of history occurred in Iraq, too. I remember seeing video clips of the statue of Saddam Hussein pulled down after the liberation of Baghdad from his evil reign of terror. We don’t want to remember evil. We don’t want to remember those who commit evil deeds. Psalm 34:16 says the “LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the Earth.”

This forgetfulness can be applied to unpleasant experiences, too. As a child, with three brothers, we’d occasional speak of some rather unpleasant event at the dinner table. My mother would quickly say, “It turned out nice again!” to end the conversation.

Wiping out the memory of persons we consider evil seems scriptural, too. In today’s scripture, the LORD says He’s against those who do evil, and will make them forgotten. Yet at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, there is a plaque quoting Bal Shem Tov saying that which we forget, we are doomed to repeat.

Y’shuaJesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32 HCSB) Matthew Henry comments “Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt, that she might remain a lasting monument of God’s displeasure against apostates . . .”

The writer of Hebrews used reminders of past difficult and unpleasant circumstances to encourage remaining confident in G-d. “Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.” (Hebrews 10:32 HCSB)

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert. Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:5-6 HCSB)

How do we make sense of all this forgetting and remembering? Here’s my take on it: We want to leave a legacy. G-d says if we do evil, our legacy is null and void. Our name, our achievements, will be forgotten. This may not occur until our eternal life with Y’shuaJesus begins. “In that day–the LORD’s declaration–you will call Me: My husband, and no longer call Me: My Baal. For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.” (Hosea 2:16-17 HCSB)

In the meantime, we remember the difficult events, situations, circumstances, that we might learn from them. We remember evil committed by people that we might discern the steps leading up to their turning point. Their lives show their failure, their evil, as warnings for us, that we should not repeat their evil acts, or might see the warning signs of new acts of evil, that we might escape.

Some lessons are simple, not so dramatic as Lot’s wife. G-d is concerned for our welfare, for our good (Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB). Occasionally He offers us a time of rest. Once, I turned down an opportunity of such rest, only later as I stood, freezing, awaiting a train to Paris did I understand what had been offered. I turned down a holiday on the warm coast of France, considering it too costly. I’d miscalculated the exchange rate from Francs to Dollars. I refused the gift of a holiday. I must remember this event, for it provides a lesson for the future. In this case, when the Lord provides rest, seize it!

Thank You, most Holy and Loving Father, for Your word, for Your Son, Y’shuaJesus, for Your Spirit. Empower us to live victorious lives worthy of Your calling, that Your acts in and through us should be remembered, that You be glorified. In the Name of Y’shuaJesus, AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Passionate Victory

“Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” (ESV)
“And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?” (KJV)
“And who is the one who will harm you if you become imitators of the good?” (MKJV)
“And who is there to mistreat you if you become zealous for what is good?” (MRV)
“Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” (NASB)
“And who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good?” (HCSB)
(1Peter 3:13)

I like the comparison between versions. Take a look at these words, which are so alive, so vibrant. Zealous! Followers! Prove Zealous! Are Zealous! Imitators! Passionate! These refer to the object of our existence, doing good, as Paul tells us: “For we are His creation–created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 HCSB)

Now let’s look together at some point on passion toward G-d.

Point One—Consecrated
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Matthew 6:21-22) “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:18)

We simply must set our faces like flint, facing forward, proceeding as we’d intended, as we feel we ought. Like draft horses, we often need blinders to minimize distractions. We proceed in doing the good we intended.

“A divided heart lacks the first element of strength–it is unstable. The men who leave their mark on the world are those who can say: “This one thing I do.” But we need more than concentration, we need consecration. We must not only be united in ourselves, we must be united in God. Let us make the prayer of Psalm 86:11, our own: “O knit my heart unto Thee, that I may fear Thy name.” Yield yourself to God that He may disunite you from the world, and weave you into His own life.” —from a devotional by F.B. Meyers.

Point Two—Obedient
“And she said, ‘According to your words, so be it.’ Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.” (Joshua 2:21 ESV)

“The devil’s in the details,” is an expression used occasionally to remind us that failure comes from the simplest of details.

Look at the story of Rahab. She took the spies as representative of G-d, assisted them, and was promised deliverance from the approaching destruction of Jericho. She was told to tie a scarlet cord to the window.

We might wonder at the simple tying of a cord to the window. Did Rahab also wonder? Perhaps. Yet once the spies left, she tied the cord to the window.

Charles H. Spurgeon asks us in his devotional, “Hast thou been attentive to all thy Lord’s will, even though some of his commands should seem non-essential?”

Point Three—Confident
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)

Is it not a wonderful thing to look with our physical eyes at an empty glass and see it full to the rim with cool, life-giving water? Y’shuaJesus gives us perfect water, pure water, life-giving water.

Do we have the confidence to see with our hearts His water in an empty glass? Confidence comes with experience. Experience begins with trusting in what G-d has done. He is willing and able to do again. We learn confidence from believing the Word of G-d; we also remember His gracious works in our lives.

Point Four—Filled with the Spirit
“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit. . .” (Ephesians 5:18 HCSB)

We can be filled with many things. We can eat a big meal and be filled. But that won’t help us in our righteous works, our good works. We can, like the apostles, fill our boats with fish—-which is to say we can do well at earning a living. We can be filled with rage, as were the scribes and Pharisees (Luke 6:11). Sadly, we can take from the LORD, be filled, but not desire Him. Jesus answered, “I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.” (John 6:26 HCSB) And, of course, we can be filled with fear, as were Y’shuaJesus’s disciples while boating through stormy seas.

To be fully consecrated to the Lord, to be fully obedient to the Lord, to be fully confident in the Lord, we must be “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because [we] will be filled. (Matthew 5:6 HCSB) As were the disciples on the day of Pentecost: “Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different languages, as the Spirit gave them ability for speech. “ (Acts 2:4 HCSB)

Abba, Father, in You is our victory. Let us be passionate in our love and our work today and each day. In the Name of Messiah Y’shuaJesus, Amen.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Imitating Victory

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 ESV)

Paul wrote that he was “the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle. . . .” His basis for that statement was that he “persecuted the Church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:9 ESV) Despite his renegade start as a persecutor of Christians, Paul went on to found many churches, mentor pastors and evangelists, and teach Jewish believers in Y’shuaJesus to accept Gentile believers as one of them. He wrote much of what we call the New Testament as letters to various churches. And we accept his authority to write: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the G-d of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 ESV).

When we practice all that we see in Paul’s life, we will certainly receive the crowns of rewards from Messiah after we leave Earth. But there remains a question about victory today, now, while we live and walk and journey with Messiah. Will practicing what we see in Paul yield victory? We must decide if Paul was truly victorious in his Earthly life. We must decide for ourselves if imitating Paul will bring us victory today.

After all, wasn’t Paul stoned a time or two? Wasn’t he ill to the point of begging deliverance from G-d for it? This illness persisted and was not removed during his lifetime. Paul was arrested, tried, and imprisoned. Paul, himself, admits to problems he faced. “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV) Can we seriously consider imitating what appears to be such a non-victorious life? Or is our impression of victory in this life skewed by a certain world view of life?

There is a world view that says we are only to be content in leisure time when we relax, perhaps in the shade of a tree with a cool drink in our hands. This world view says we are content when we have plenty of choice food and dwell in luxury housing. This world view says we have peace only in specific circumstances and situations. In this world view we are not suppose to be content, not suppose to find peace, in any difficult situation, any perilous circumstance.

Look again at what Paul said about contentment. He is content, he has peace, in circumstances and situations not conducive to such. Either there is a contradiction here or the world view illustrated is wrong. I vote that this world view is wrong.

Briefly, let’s look at a few more points in imitating the victory of the Apostle Paul. We must remember that we live in this world, but are not of it. Therefore, like those how do not believe, that do not follow Messiah Y’shuaJesus, we will experience trials and hardships of various types. Y’shuaJesus tells us about this in one of his parables. “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” Y’shuaJesus says we’ll experience floods that break against our lives. (Luke 6:47-48 ESV)

Perhaps our imitation of Paul is imitating how he came to Y’shuaJesus, heard Him, and followed Him, building a foundation of victory enabling him to express his contentment during his weakness, hardships, and distress. Perhaps when Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus, he forever lost his world view, and when sight returned, all he saw the way of the Spirit of Y’shuaJesus.

Our victory lies not in the ways in which the world sees victory, but in the Lord Y’shuaJesus. Our peace is not found in circumstances and situations of this life on Earth, as a certain world view tells us, but despite them. It is the Peace that passes understanding that fills our souls, our being, yielding our victory—today and tomorrow.

Lord Y’shua grant us understanding of true victory in this life and insight into the victory we have with You forever. Bless, Keep, and Shine upon us today, and always. AMEN

Hopeful Victory

“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.” (Psalms 33:18-19 ESV)

Sitting quietly in the mornings I’m often drawn to the Psalms. One morning, while singing a Psalm, I thought about the way the Psalmists often extols the past successes of the LORD. Often these success begin with creation, continue with past battles in which His people are delivered, and flows into praise of G-d for one or more of His perfect attributes, such as abiding love for those He called to be a people for Him.

A friend, and writer/minister, once wrote of a week of struggles she’d endured. It was a week in which G-d’s truth won, and conquered, current feelings. She wrote, “. . . I am still remembering to rely on the truth more than what I feel. . .” This remembering is what the Psalmist encouraged us to do. They remembered the past successes of G-d, and now were able to be hopeful that the G-d who saved them in the past would once again act according to His divine and perfect plan and save them again. We can remember, too, the way G-d stepped in and rescued us in the past. We can hold to these memories of the past because G-d is able and willing to save us today, too. And in the future we can hope in the LORD to rescue, to save, just as He has done.

In stories I tell my kids, I like to illustrate the power of G-d to not only watch out for us, but to also let us know that He is doing so. I’ve told them the following story on several occasions:

Late in the afternoon, in the north of India, I stood with many Indians waiting for a train north. I read a few pages from Lonely Planet’s guide to India. In one section, it cautioned of the dangers of evening trains north toward Nepal, which was my destination. I grew a bit concerned as night came upon me with no train in sight. I prayed. Finally the train arrived. I boarded and continued to pray. At the next stop an off-duty police officer boarded the train. He traveled quite a ways with us, finally hopping of near a village in which, I suppose, he lived. I took this whole episode as a gift of acknowledgment from G-d that, yes, He was looking out for me.

I tell the story to the kids that they might remember it when they find themselves in a position in which they are concerned for their own safety. It is a way to help them as they grow, until they have their own experience of G-d’s deliverance.

Thank You, LORD, for Your love and the hope in our life well-lived. AMEN.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .