Bitter Water

I just can't seem to get that passage from Exodus 15 out of my mind. Perhaps God still has a lesson for me and I haven't learned it yet.

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Exodus 15:25-26 NIV

Now, I am not all that smart. And I had to dig a little into the commentaries to gain some insight as to why this passage was speaking to my heart. And here is what I found. The evidence and speculative conclusions may point to a tree with some chemical properties that enabled the wood or its sap to render the bitter water sweet.

Maybe it did, or maybe it didn't. Maybe, as one lady in my Bible Study says, “It was God's will.” Maybe it was just another plain old garden variety miracle like the one at the Red Sea a few chapters earlier. The point is that the water became sweet to drink.

Now, here is the part that I failed to fully grasp earlier. The newly sweetened water had a medicinal effect as well as a refreshing effect. In fact, it had a “cleansing” effect. One of the commentaries noted that there is research to indicate that the water acted as a laxative and purged the Children of Israel of some internal gastrointestinal parasites that caused weakness and was marked by dysentery.

So, here is the point.

Are you ready for this?


Not only did God want to get His children out of Egypt. He wanted to get Egypt (or at least its ill effects) out of his children!

OK, that's may be a little gross and out of place on a blog about holiness. But maybe not once you let the thought sink in. At Marah, God provided just the right medicine to prepare His children both physically and spiritually for the long hot march to Sinai.

So what does that mean to me?

I think it means that when I have tasted the bitter waters of sin, shame and suffering I can have them sweetened by the wood of Calvary's cross. And that wood can bring refreshing, cleansing and healing to a sin sick soul. It can cleanse the outside. And it can cleanse the inside from the stain of sin. So that, just like the Children of Israel were cleansed of the internal parasites, God can cleanse me from the sinful nature that causes me fall into sin.

And that dear friend, is holiness.

Adoration as a Spritual Discipline

Adoration was the topic again the other night as a group of us met to look into the book, Disciplines for the Inner Life. I won't take the time here to reiterate the summary that our leader provided on his blog. Rather, I want to provide my thoughts on this topic.

First of all, the words "adore" or "adoration" do not appear in the Bible. At least not in the KJV. Adore does appear in the NIV. But it is in Song of Solomon and the context is not exactly what we were looking at. However, the concept of adoration of God is found throughout the Bible. But how do we get a handle on what it means to adore God?

My thoughts kept coming back to a truly secular example. I am not a huge art fan. But I enjoy some of the paintings of the masters. The modern stuff doesn't really do anything for me. In 2002 I was on an extended business trip in Europe. I had the good fortune to have a free week-end to spend and I spent it in the town of Antwerp, Belgium. This town had a beautiful old cathedral called the Cathedral of Our Lady. Inside near the altar was a triptych painting by Rubens. The theme of the triptych was Jesus being carried. In the small panel to the left Jesus is carried in Mary's womb as she visits her cousin Elizabeth. In the small panel on the right Jesus is carried to the temple by Mary and Joseph. The central panel has Jesus carried down from the cross.


I stood in awe in front of the painting. The subject, the beauty, the scene and the passion captured by Rubens caused me to stand in awe and adoration of that beautiful work of art.

There is nothing that painting can do for me. And there is nothing that I can do for that painting. And perhaps that is where the secular analogy breaks down. But I stood in awe of the painting because of what it was -- a fabulous and priceless work of art.

When I think of God and what adoration has to do with my relationship to God I find that my adoration is based upon who God is. It is not based upon what he has done, can do, or will for me. In short, it is the only reasonable response when I truly see God for who he is.

What does adoration mean to you? How does adoration manifest itself in your personal relationship with God?

Worshipping or Murmuring

We have been diligently going through the beginning of the Old Testament in our Bible Study on Sunday mornings. We began in Genesis. Which is a good place to start, I suppose.

Last Sunday found us in the 15th chapter of Exodus. The week before the Children of Israel were miraculously delivered from the advancing army of Pharaoh. God parted the waters and Moses and the people walked across on dry land. Not wet, sticky, messy, get stuck between your toes mud. But dry land. What an amazing deliverance.

It is in this passage that God places a test before the people. This is not the post to debate whether or not God tested His people back then, or tests us today. All I know is that the Bible says that God said to them “if you will listen... do... and obey...”, then God would do something.

Whenever God tells us what to do we always have a choice. And that choice really demonstrates a lot about us and about our character. If we obey then we see God's hand upon us and our faith in Him grows. The next command will be easier to obey because of our obedience to the last command.

But many times we do not obey. At least not right away or not cheerfully. This is certainly true of the children of Israel. God had delivered them from bondage, slavery, Egypt, Pharaoh and his armies. And the bulk of the 15th chapter of Exodus is all about the spontaneous worship that erupted from the mouths of the people. They celebrated the horse and the rider being thrown into the sea. They sang praises to God as Miriam leads the ladies choir in echoing the praises of the people.

They leave the worship service and go three short days into the wilderness of Shur. And there they found no water. Their physical natures were being tested a little due to their thirst. They began to murmur and grumble about the lack of water. And that brought about a question about their spiritual nature.

Were they going to be a worshipping people who occasionally murmured? Or were they going to be a murmuring people who occasionally worshipped?

That question is relevant to me today. And it is relevant to you.

What is my spiritual nature?

Am I a person who truly “listens, does, and obeys” but someone who occasionally doubts and murmurs when God does not respond immediately and as I think He should? Or am I a person who consistently doubts, grumbles and murmurs about my lot in life and who only occasionally stops and worships the God of all creation?

When time passes slowly

Last week I posted about the passing of time and how it seems to be moving at a very quick pace these days. And I realize that this is not the case for some. Although scientifically we know that time progresses at the same pace for every one and every where. And we know that time seems to go by at a different pace depending on our age.

Do you remember as a kid it seemed like Christmas would never come? In fact, 10% of your life span so far would would go by until the next Christmas. While for me, it will only be 2% of my life so far until we gather as a family again to celebrate Christmas. So there are comparative and perceptual differences.

So what do we do during these seasons in our life when time seems to go by slowly?

I am afraid that my answer to that question is more simple than it is easy.

Psalm 27:14 says:

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

But what do we do while we are “waiting”? The Bible is not all that specific about what to do while we wait on the Lord. But the Bible does speak to these times.

The prophet Micah has words of encouragement to the people of Israel. He says:

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light
Micah 7:7-9

What a great encouragement that God is near even when we don't feel it. He hears my cries, even when I feel they are just bouncing back to me from the ceiling.

Consider this passage containing the Apostle Paul's prayer for some whom he cared deeply for.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:9-12

He is praying for them to be filled with knowledge of God’s will for them in their present situation. He prays that they would lead a life worthy of the Lord. He prays that they would both be and do things that would be pleasing to God.

Then he prays that they would be empowered or “strengthened” from a divine source. Thus the strength would not be according to our weakness, but that it would be according to His power, from whom it is received. When God gives he gives like himself, and when he strengthens he strengthens like himself.

The purpose of this strength was for enduring difficult time and suffering what may come their way. Paul prays not only that they may be upheld in their trials, but strengthened for them. For you see, there just may be some work to be done or lessons to be learned even in the midst of our suffering. And those who are strengthened according to God’s glorious power are strengthened, with a sufficient measure of patience. A measure that includes not only bearing patience, but waiting patience.

The problem is that we could never do this by any strength of our own, but only as we are strengthened by the grace of God. And in the end it is God who will get the glory. But it is you and I that will get the grace, mercy, blessings and all kinds of things from God that we can’t see right now through the pain and tears.

This has been on my heart for the last few days. I believe that there is a reason. I don't have to know it. I just have to write it.

Less Like Scars

Gerry Cheevers was finishing his great NHL career and was the goalie for the Boston Bruins the first year I was in college. His trademarked goalie mask is easily identified by even moderate hockey fans. It was a simple face contoured fiberglass mask. What made it so memorable was that it had hand drawn "stitches" all over the front of it. Each of these sets of stitches was drawn in place by Gerry himself, or the longtime Boston Bruins trainer, John Forestall.

They represented each and every puck that hit Gerry's face mask during practice or in a game. John Forestall would calculate the damage that each shot would have inflicted on Gerry's face and diligently drew the approximate number of stitches the doctors would have used to close the gaping wound the puck would have undoubtedly inflicted upon him.

That mask had character.

Driving to work this morning I was hit by the power and message in the lyrics of this song written and sung by Sara Groves. So I called my office phone from my cell phone to remind myself to find these lyrics somewhere on-line.

I really enjoy Sara Groves voice and vocal style. She sort of reminds me of Norah Jones who I really like. I like the "jazz" sound of many of Sara Groves' songs. But that is not really why I liked the song. These lyrics really spoke to me and framed some of the thoughts and feelings that have been somewhere in the back of my mind for years.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Less Like Scars
by Sara Groves

It's been a hard year.
But I'm climbing out of the rubble.
These lessons are hard.
Healing changes are subtle.
But every day it's...
Less like tearing more like building.
Less like captive more like willing.
Less like breakdown more like surrender.
Less like haunting
more like remember.
And I feel you here.
And you're picking up the pieces.
Forever faithful.
It seemed out of my hands
a bad situation.
But you are able.
And in your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars and more like character.
Less like a prison more like my room.
Less like a casket more like a womb.
Less like dying more like transcending.
Less like fear, less like an ending...
And I feel you here.
And you're picking up the pieces.
Forever faithful.
It seemed out of my hands
a bad situation.
But you are able.
And in your hands the
pain and hurt
look less like scars.
Just a little while ago.
I couldn't feel the power or the hope.
I couldn't cope, I couldn't feel a thing.
Just a little while back.
I was desperate, broken, laid out.
Hoping you would come.
And I need you.
And I want you here.
And I feel you...
And I feel you here.
And you're picking up the pieces.
Forever faithful.
It seemed out of my hands
a bad situation.
But you are able.
And in your hands the pain and hurt.
look less like scars.
And in your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars.
And in your hands the pain and hurt
look less like scars.
And more like character.

I need to be honest here. I am certainly not suggesting that I was able to see the character building as it was happening in real time. In fact that is the point. Some of it was not apparent until today. But, like Sara Groves says, "healing changes are very subtle". But they are happening. God is trying to mold us and make us what He wants us to be.

And here is the key: God is "forever faithful".

I can't (or don't want to) go in to any more details. But I can say at least one thing at this point in my life. God is forever faithful.

Passing of Time

Is it just me, or was it just a few weeks ago that we celebrated our Lord's birth? And then last week was the glorious celebration of His resurrection. Right?

Time is flying by! I can't believe it sometimes. Perhaps the the reason that the passing of time is on my mind is that this week-end was my birthday. Well, actually it was the 46th anniversary of my one and only "birth" day. but you get the point.

My firstborn is almost 23 years old. My youngest is 20. How did that happen?

I don't know for sure why this birthday has me being a little reflective. But it does. And this passage is on my mind:

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to You; human existence is but a breath.” We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.
Psalm 39:4-7

Maybe all of this reflection is a byproduct of the Spiritual Journaling that I am doing as part of some accountability activities that I am doing for my best friend Dave. [By the way, Dave, how are you doing on your journaling?]

But this I know. I am only here for a short time. And I am focused on the only things that I can really have any influence on. And that is my Spiritual legacy.

How will my kids remember me in another 46 or 47 years? What will they tell their children about me? Will it have had an eternal impact? What will they say about “Dad”? What will they say about “Grandpa”?

I know what I want them to say. I want them to be able to say that I was a man of God. A man who honored Him in all he did. A man that was an attractive example to his children of what it meant to be a Christian.

So back to the passage above. It reminds me that a lifespan is short and fleeting. And it reminds me to put my hope in the Lord. So that is what I am doing. I am keeping my hope in the Lord.

So what about you? I don't know when your birthday is. And I don't know how old you are. But I can tell you that time is zipping by for all of us and I want to encourage you to put your hope in the Lord. Or, keep your hope in the Lord.

And whenever your birthday is... “Happy Birthday!”

Solitude

There is a big drive for solitude and meditation in Christian thought today. I have run into that train of thought in discussions with many of the guys I interact with as part of my Christian walk. It also came up in discussions at a Bible Study that my wife and I are enjoying.

Morton T. Kelsey says the following in his book, Adventure Inward:

“As long as my mind is raging with thoughts, ideas, plans, and fears, I cannot listen significantly to God or any other dimensions of reality.”

I have postulated in times past that there are some generational aspects to how we, as individuals, worship God in the quietness of our own hearts. Many times I have heard this time of devotion referred to as a “quiet time”. But, like many folks in the younger generation, I can’t stand it when it is too quiet. My daughter is typical of many. She can study, watch TV and listen to her iPod while talking to me on her cell phone. I can’t do all of that like she does. But I need some kind of background noise.

I am not a big fan of quiet “quiet times”. The joke in my family growing up was that the reason I never wanted to be quiet or alone was because my conscience would speak to me in that solitude. And that was not a good thing because of all the misbehaving and trouble I got in!

But there’s that word -- Solitude. Is solitude a requirement in order to have intimate times with God? I don’t think so. At least I hope it isn’t. Because I despise solitude. I find nothing inherently Holy in quietness and solitude.

Music is one of the ways that I worship and reflect on God in times of personal devotion. The Holy Spirit speaks to me most frequently through the words of hymns and, more recently, even some contemporary Christian music. My new Zune has become an integral part of my “quiet time”. Although it is not all that quiet. You can’t listen to “Then Came the Morning” by The Cathedrals with the volume on low! You have to let that one play at a volume in your earphones close the decibel level of a 747 jet taking off from Bush Intercontinental Airport.

So, here is one more thought to share with you. It is from Andrew Murray’s book, With Christ in the School of Prayer. He says:

The desert initiates us into the life of the spirit by helping us to discover who we most deeply are. To follow Christ means that we must let go of excessive attachments to passing pleasures and possessions, to ploys of autonomous power, to tangible goods as if they were ultimate. Christ asks us to abandon our idols, whatever they may be, and to love Him with our entire being.”

I couldn’t agree with that more.

I just think it is a little easier with a soundtrack of good gospel music!

What do you think?

8 Gig oughta be more than enough...

I finally bought myself an MP3 player. In typical fashion for me, I over-analyzed it and nearly did nothing at all. But, I talked to some Ipod bigots and they convinced me to give the Microsoft Zune a try. So, I bought the 8 gig version thinking that would be more than enough for me.

Well, then I bought a ZunePass and got unlimited downloading of songs and podcasts. Now I have more than 20 gig worth of old gospel songs and bunches of contemporary Christian songs that my daughter hopes will expand my mind. I also have downloaded soundtracks to musicals I was in nearly 30 years ago. Plus, I downloaded some classic rock and roll from my teen years (Ssshh, don't tell my Mom and Dad about that last part)

Here is a little window into the world of my Zune.

Feel free to check out some of the stuff that I am listening to at http://social.zune.net/member/kjkb2tx2

I am probably the only guy you know with 33Miles, Cathedral Quartet, Electric Light Orchestra, Antonio Vivaldi, and the soundtrack from Annie Get Your Gun on the same Ipod or MP3 player! But that's just me!

Currently I am listening to the following contemporary Christian artists:

33Miles
Aaron Shust
Brian Littrell
Casting Crowns
Charity Von
Charlie Hall
Chris Tomlin
The Fray
Jadon Lavik
Jars of Clay
Jeremy Camp
Jeremy Riddle
Kutless
Lincoln Brewster
Mat Kearney
Matt Redmon
MercyMe
Paul Baloche
Paul Colman
Robbie Seay Band
Sanctus Real
Shaun Groves
Skillet
Switchfoot
Third Day
and
Todd Agnew

So, what is on your MP3 player? What Christian music is on it? Is it old stuff? Is it new stuff? What are some of your favorites? I am open to your suggestions. After all, I have unlimited downloading with ZunePass! And I have come a long way from The Cathedral Quartet!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Words by Isaac Watts
Music by Lowell Mason

Serving God or Knowing God? - A Generational Thing?

Sitting in Bible Study Thursday night my father-in-law made an interesting comment. He was commenting about folks in his day who initially were excited or energetic about their personal relationship to the Lord. This comment was made in the context of discussing sanctification. He said, "Many folks start out wanting to really serve the Lord." He said it emphatically with his arm raised and a little fist pump for emphasis.

I thought about that...

Then it hit me. This is yet another generational difference in how folks perceive the Gospel. And it not surprising. His generation is the one chronicled so well by Tom Brokaw in his book The Greatest Generation. That generation had a mindset and view of the world that lead them to service as the pinnacle of demonstrating ones devotion to something.

As I look at this present generation, service does not seem to be the pinnacle. That is not a value judgment, just an observation. Many folks today view "knowing" God as the key thing in their relationship. Here is what I see. In times past folks began serving God before they really knew God. Knowing God came later as we gained more and more experiences with God and trust in God as He led us day by day.

Today, the opposite seems to be the norm. Today it seems that the desire is to know God first. To try Him out and get to know Him first before there is a real commitment to a lifelong relationship and service. Again, not judgment here. (Although it sort of sounds like one!) Just an observation.

So what does that mean for me?

I am not sure. I grew up both serving God and knowing God. That was just the way I was raised. Unfortunately, neither of them are requirements for a relationship with God, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. What he required of me was that I acknowledge that I was a sinner, that I confessed those sins, asked for forgiveness, and turned to Him and began walking with Him in an obedient and personal relationship that has now stretched for almost 40 years.

At some point in there, and I can tell you the time and the place, I finally dealt with the issue of control in my life and with what Wesley would call the "bent toward sinning." It was at that point that I was serving a God that I knew intimately. Not only did I know Him. He knew me!

Any thoughts or comments that you would like to add?

Mike & Mike in the Morning ... ESPN Radio

I hear that tag line every morning. I hear it about 20 times each morning in the car on my way to work. In fact, I really look forward to hearing it each day.

Not these words actually. But rather what they represent. Those words are the words that Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic use to signal a commercial break for their popular sports talk program.

I have made Mike & Mike a regular part of my morning routine for the last 13 months. And I really miss it when I can't listen to them on my way to work.

That's just the way it is with my quiet time with God... Oh wait... What I mean is... That's the way I wish my quiet time was... You know, a standard part of my day... Something I don't miss... Some thing I look forward to... Something I can't wait for each day... Well, I am glad at least that no one else ever feels that way...

What??? You mean you feel this way, too, sometimes?

Lord, rekindle that fire in me that draws me into your presence with great anticipation. Amen

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10 NKJV

Sitting Outside in the Dark

The following quote from Annie Dillard's book, Teaching a Stone to Talk, struck a chord within me this week. She says,

Experience has taught the [human] race that if knowledge of God is the end, then these habits of life are not the means but the condition in which the means operates. You do not have to do these things; not at all. God does not, I regret to report, give a hoot. You do not have to do these things -- unless you want to know God. They work on you, not on Him.

You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require nor demand it.

Alas, that is how we view Holiness sometimes. We view it as a series of habits or do-s and don't-s. We think of it in terms of the things we do, or at least should do, that will make us Christlike.

We think God wants us to go to church. -- God wants us to be in His presence.

We think God wants us to sing hymns vs. contemporary music. -- God wants us to worship Him.

We think God wants us to do good works. -- God want us to love one another as Christ loved us.

We think God wants us to give 10% of everything we earn. -- God wants us to give it all to Him and allow Him to use it to build His Kingdom.

We think Gods wants us to DO a bunch of stuff. -- God wants us to know Him intimately. And that may mean sitting in the dark sometimes.

Faithful is He

It is sometimes easy to have faith at the start of a long journey. There is excitement and anticipation. Energy levels run high. And it is certainly easy to have faith as you near the goal or the end of a long journey. But what about the long stretch in the middle?

That is where I see myself and many others these days. At nearly 47 years of age I am far from the beginning of my journey. And hopefully I am reasonably far from the end of my journey as well! So in this middle of the journey I hold on to Scriptures like these.

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

I Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

Spring Cleaning

It is that time of year again. At least it is down here in Houston, TX. It was 81 degrees today. It is time for a little spring cleaning.

Recently I had to clean my office at work. It desperately needed it. I had let over 6 years of papers and trade publications pile up and completely obscure most of the work surfaces in my office. So, I did a little spring cleaning.

We were able to reclaim the front room in our home that had been used by our son for a business that he operated out of our house. It is now clean and in the process of being redecorated to suit my wife’s taste. So, that was a little more spring cleaning.

My brother recently began blogging and I looked at his new blog. It was incredibly neat and clean. I looked at mine. Hmmh. Not so much. I must confess to a little “blog envy”. Mine was cluttered by a lot of extraneous “counters”, maps and other widgets that I have added over the last few years and don’t really need or even use. So, I did a little spring cleaning on the blog. (I know, it probably needs some more cleaning!)

Then it hit me.

Are there things that I have allowed to clutter up my life? Are there little extra “widgets” that take my focus off of Jesus Christ? Not that they are inherently wrong. But do they keep me so busy maintaing all those little extras that I slowly lose focus on the main thing. So, I am doing a little Spiritual spring cleaning. I am looking to simplify my Spiritual focus and get it solely and squarely on Jesus. I think that makes sense. That is even Biblical.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:23-24 RSV

What happens when we pray?

I am involved in a “Bible Study” on Thursday nights. We are using the book, Disciplines for the Inner Life by Bob Benson, Sr. and Michael W. Benson. I am not sure that I understand all that the Benson’s were trying to do when they wrote the book. But that’s OK. The book includes tons of “meditations” or passages from various Christian writers and thinkers.

In this week’s readings, I found the meditation by Emilie Griffin, Clinging -- The Experience of Prayer to be the most thought provoking in a Spiritual sense. She says, “What happens to people who pray is that their inward life gradually takes over from their outward life.”

That sounds very much like a Wesleyan understanding of Holiness and Sanctification. Isn't that the way we as folks who proclaim Holiness understand Sanctification to be? Isn’t it the Holy Spirit indwelling us and causing us to live outwardly in a way that reflects that we are inwardly being progressively made pure?

All I know is that I am thankful to God for His Holy Spirit who came to indwell and guide me day by day. I am thankful for the process that began so many years ago.

What do you think?

Walking versus Posing

If I'm not walking, then I'm just posing.

I guess I need to be reminded of that from time to time. This is especially true in terms of my Faith. I am reminded again of the differences between “Saving Faith” and “idle faith”. James 2: 14-26 reminds me of several kinds of Faith.

There is an Intellectual Faith found in verse 17. Here it talks about knowing the concepts and knowing the lingo, but not putting it in to practice. There is an Emotional Faith found in verse 19. Even the demons have an emotional response to Jesus. These are tragic examples of dead faith or idle faith. Then there is a Living and Active Faith as found in verses 21-26. Abraham and Rahab are great examples of a living and active faith in action. They are recorded in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. Here is what it says about them and some others.

• By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
• By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
• By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
• By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
• By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
• And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Now look at all of this in light of Titus 1:16. “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” These are very strong words, wouldn’t you agree?

Here it is clear that profession of faith by itself is an intellectual or emotional response. Without evidence of God at work in our lives there is an implied denial of God’s power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Without steps of Faith (actions) and walking in obedience (actions) we are just standing still. We are going nowhere. We are just posing.

Great Post on Another Blog - "Bad Enough"

I am very fortunate to have several men of God who I interact with on a frequent basis in my secular employment. One of them I work with as a colleague. Several others I interact with due to the nature of my job. One of them blogged on the topic of Sin the other day and I have been thinking about it for several days now.

Rather than try to take a similar look at the same topic, I am just going to recommend that you visit his blog and view the specific post that I am referring to. The name of his blog is The Bear's Den and the post that I want you to read is entitled Bad Enough.

I know we share some of the same readers of our blogs. But some of you have probably never visited his blog from the link on my blog. So here is a chance to visit a Brother in Christ's blog and have a chance to have his post minister to you the way it ministered to me.

What are your thoughts?

Talmudim or Disciple?

Am I a “talmudim” or a “disciple”?

Is there a difference?

Well, first let’s look at a disciple. What is a disciple? A disciple is a student of a particular teacher or leader. Jesus had disciples. He said “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:27 KJV. So, it must have been something worthy of seeking after, otherwise Jesus would not have put such a qualifier on it.

So, then, what is a talmudim? A talmudim was a very close follower of a rabbi. Many referred to Jesus as rabbi. So that is an appropriate way to look at it. Biblical history tells us that talmudim would walk behind the rabbis and follow them wherever they would go. Now think for a minute about the conditions of the Judean desert. Hold that thought and I’ll come back to it in a minute.

So how do we get a better grasp on disciples and talmudim? Well, the best way might be to compare them in this way. Many religions and philosophies have students and disciples. And they are ardent and fervent.

Consider some of the great Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates. They certainly had followers who wanted to be like them. They wanted to learn everything that Plato and Socrates knew. They wanted to absorb all they could from those great minds. They were disciples.

Now contrast that with a talmudim. He wanted not only to know what the rabbi knew. But he wanted to be what the rabbi was. Now there is a subtle yet undeniable difference. And that has great application to us as Christians and those who would seek to be Holy. I don’t want just to have an intellectual relationship with Jesus. I want to live my life for Him. I want Him to come and live inside of me. I want to be like him in all that I do.

OK, remember up above where I told you to hold the thought about following a rabbi around in the desert? Well consider the following Jewish saying:

The best English translation may be this. “May you be covered in the Dust of Your Rabbi!”

That is an odd thing to wish upon a friend. But back in the time that Jesus walked the earth it was a well wishing. To wish someone to be covered in the dust of their Rabbi was to wish them to become as righteous in the sight of the LORD as he appeared to be. Talmudim ~ Disciples of a Rabbi would walk behind him as they traveled along. In the Judean desert he was bound to kick up plenty of dust.

So I say to you in love this Hebrew phrase:

Halevai Sh'titkasea ba-avak shel harav shelcha Y'shua ha Maschiach!

May You be covered in the Dust of Your Rabbi Jesus the Messiah!

And your response as a talmudim is to answer:

Heve metabek bafar chamim!

May we be covered to obtain His Righteousness!

May I be covered in the dust of His Righteousness.

When we pray

What happens when we pray?

Emilie Griffin says the following in her book, Clinging - The Experience of Prayer.

"What happens to people who pray is that their inward life gradually takes over from their outward life."

I think this is one of the keys to understanding the life of holiness. So often we feel the need to struggle and strain to produce holiness from the depths of our being. Like it was there all along. We just needed to squeeze it out. But that is not the way it is. Rather, as we pray and seek holiness, the Holy Spirit begins to change us slowly from the inside out. And the end result is that we are not squeezing holiness out of ourselves so much as allowing it to flow from our heart that has been changed by God.

How does this fit with your understanding of Holiness and Entire Sanctification?

It reminds me that I must maintain a residence in my heart fit for the Holy Spirit to dwell. Only then will I be able to live a holy life. Only then will people see Jesus in me.

Victory in Jesus

I wonder if anyone else ever feels this way. Sometimes I get a little discouraged. Sometimes I feel like the whole world is a New England Patriot and I am just a Miami Dolphin. (And I’m not talking about the ’72 Dolphins!)

My apologies to those of you out there who are not fans of professional football.

Sometimes I feel like I am in a battle and the score is Discouragement – 21 and Kevin – 0. And Discouragement has the ball on the 3 yard line. But then I read I something like:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 15:57 NCV

or:

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

I John 5:4 NCV

We have just come through the season that celebrates the long awaited Messiah. The score was Roman Empire – 35 and Jewish People – 3 (to keep using my football metaphor.) Yet Scriptures like the ones above point to ward a time when we have ultimate victory over discouragement, sin, death and hell. We overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist made that proclamation and promise a central theme in his ministry. Just re-read Matthew 3:11 and other Gospel accounts of John’s ministry.

So the score can be misleading. 21 – 0 doesn’t tell the whole story. The game is far from over. Satan must have thought it was a blow-out that Thursday and Friday before Easter!

I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.

I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro't
To me the victory.

I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there
The song of victory.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

Victory in Jesus by E.M Bartlett