October 11, 2023

A Non-obvious Encounter With God

Is God real?

The natural approach to the concept of God often leads to the search for the super-natural, that is a super-event that is still along a natural continuum, a sign, an observable phenomenon, something bound by space and time that we can perceive with our five senses.

But, God is spirit. (John 4:24)

An authentic encounter with God is often non-obvious and imperceptible to the natural eye because it’s spiritual.

“Philip said to [Jesus], ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father?”‘”
—John 14:8-9

An encounter with God is a committed, consistent, all consuming burning that transforms us.

“And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'”
—Luke 24:32

“For our God is a consuming fire.”
—Hebrews 12:29

We can know and experience God.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
—John 10:10

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
—John 17:3

Everyone who does is transformed by it. No one who sees Him remains the same.

“You must be born again.”
—John 3:5

It’s a miraculous reality unbound by time that always is; before you were born and after you die.

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world”
—Ephesians 1:4

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
—Ephesians 2:4-7

That’s spiritual. That’s supernatural.

It is real.

It’s a reality on a higher spiritual level, that’s not always obvious on this natural one, but its effects are (Galatian 5:22-23).

October 10, 2023

When The Flower Passes

I constantly struggle, especially as I age and face the certainty of death, with the feeling that what I am doing isn’t big enough, isn’t grand enough and that I’m a failure.

Perhaps that’s another way of saying that I’m seeking approval or recognition.

Honestly, I’m not sure, but it is a lie that’s blocking love and needs to be purged. This is why I must continually expose my heart to the Word of God to search such things out.

When I brought this to God, this is what the Spirit gave me.

A meditation, a poem:

When The Flower Passes.

A flower,
stretched toward heaven,
taking in the Son,
passing Him on,
so others would live,
pleases God,
and that is enough.

September 27, 2023

I Am Accepted In The Beloved

I am accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)

This is what we’re built for,
This is humanity’s greatest suppressed desire,
This fills the God-sized hole in each of us,
It is the reason for our social bent,
To be accepted truly, purely, safely, irrevocably, ultimately by the Father.

I am accepted in the beloved.

To really recline in that I need two things:

to be completely satisfied with being accepted by the Father —alone, to be perfectly content and full of joy with the Father’s acceptance whether anyone else accepts me or not,

and to understand that I’m accepted on the basis of His goodness, not mine.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

I cannot mess this up.

There is nothing I can possibly do to mess this up.

Oh, what amazing grace! Praise your name God our Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Hallelujah!

This is at the heart of righteousness.

Righteousness is having a right relationship to everything.

This reality, that I am accepted in the beloved, changes my posture.

Accepting it changes how I relate to everything. It makes righteousness possible.

It allows you to stand tall and stand firm for what is good and right, like a mighty tree that gives shelter to others and feeds them with the fruit from The Tree Of Eternal Life who’s leaf never fades and is always in season.

Consider Jesus.

This cradle of absolute safety was established so that you could be conformed to His image without fear of failure or rejection, so that no matter what happens, Jesus is the result.

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ;”
—Philippians 1:6

I am accepted in the beloved.

Rest in that, and be transformed by it.

September 21, 2023

Keep Going Where?

People often say, “Don’t give up. Keep going.”

But, “keep going” where?

My answer: to God;

To more conformed to the image of Christ, to experiencing the Kingdom of God to a greater degree by helping others to experience the Kingdom of God to a greater degree, to deeper and sweeter communion with the Beloved…

When I feel like giving up, this is why I will keep going: I am going to God, my treasure, my help now and my hope for eternity.

September 21, 2023

What Am I Doing?

Lord, I’m overwhelmed and feel so turned around. What am I doing?

**Excuse me as I encourage myself in the Lord.

Where am I going?

The Kingdom of God, where Christ reigns, who makes God all-in-all, so that all of God’s children can dwell in safety together.

What am I doing?

Glorifying God, destroying the works of the devil, shining the light of Christ by administering the Gospel in word and deed, giving life by His Spirit, ushering all that the Lord our God will call into the glorious Sanctuary of the Kingdom of God through Christ, and teaching others to do likewise.

How am I doing it?

Obeying the heavenly vision by God’s grace —the strength He provides (heart, knowledge, power, people, resources), laying aside this world; allowing Christ to be manifest through me by dying: the emptying of myself (power, possessions, pursuits of pleasure and popularity, and my person), taking up my cross (our weapon —the ultimate implement of our struggle against sin; taking what God purposed, what Satan mean for evil, but what God is using for good to save people alive) and following Jesus to the Kingdom of God, fighting toward His beloved —my fellow disciples, walking as He walked, starting where He placed me (my garden: my marriage, my family, my work, my community) unto the uttermost parts of the world.

In summation: I am making war against every challenge to Lord Jesus’ rule, taking and securing territory for the Kingdom of God according to Christ’s example, starting with my heart and in my home.

People are the fields where this war is waged.

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
—Luke 17:20-21

So, focus on eternal, life-giving connections with people to the glory of God. That’s how I take territory for the Kingdom.

My work, my marriage, my parenting, my resources —everything, are Christ’s and are merely means to facilitate advancing God’s Kingdom.

Now that the Holy Spirit has helped me get my bearings again, I can sit with these thoughts and emotions, bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and evaluate what lie(s) I may have embraced that gave rise to the anxiety such as “I’m holding my own world together.”

Lies block love.

But, perfect love casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18)

I don’t have all the answers, I still have problems, but I have peace that the Good Shepherd will guide me through them all.

#perfectourlove

September 20, 2023

Placed In The Dark

Sometimes, God will put me in the dark to show others in the dark The Way.

“Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” —2 Corinthians 1:6

Those with a heart ready for heaven, who love God and are called according to His purposes, glory in their suffering, rejoicing to be counted worthy to suffer for His name.

“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” —1 Peter 4:16

And for those, like me, who are not there yet, God uses all things, including that same suffering to get you there. Instruction in the Light and lessons in the dark facilitated by the Holy Spirit is how I’ve gotten this far.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” —Romans 8:28-29

“Though He [Christ] was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” ——Hebrews 5:8-9

“Why Lord?” is an excellent question, if I’m listening for His answer.

I have not already attained but I press.

#GloriousSuffering

September 18, 2023

The Goal Is Not Good But Life

The goal is not to be “good”, the goal is to be life-giving.

“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
—1 Corinthians 15:45

To be sure, good is life-giving but which you set your heart on to pursue, drastically changes the outcome.

There’s a great difference between wanting to look like Dad versus wanting to be like Dad.

Because we, as Christians, often pursue presenting some perception of God’s person (“good”), rather than pursuing God’s heart and purposes (life [John 10:10]), we get religious, which results in a lot of beautiful dead things (e.g. buildings, rituals, programs, gestures, etc. [1 Corinthians 13:1-3]).

The goal is life.

If you’re thinking how only God can give life and we cannot do that, you’re on to something.

Furthermore, life is the result of God’s glory. So, the ultimate goal is God’s glory.

Both are something that ultimately only God can do [John 12:28, 1 Corinthians 12:3].

“No one can say Jesus is Lord [glorify God] except by the Holy Spirit [God]”
—1 Corinthians 12:3

We can only hope to make ourselves available for His use, which requires emptying ourselves of everything: possessions, pleasure, popularity, power and even our person.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
—2 Corinthians 4:7

That’s ultimately the lesson of the Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler [Luke 18:18-27].

The goal is not to be “good”, the goal is to be life-giving.

We cannot do it.

But, God can, through us.

“But [Jesus] said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.'”
—Luke 18:27

Rather than just signaling virtue and having an appearance of righteousness (paying tithes, going to church, being a “good person”, etc.), seek God’s heart to produce life in others.

Seek God on how to allow God to give life through you.

So… how’s your garden? [Genesis 2:15]

September 16, 2023

Same Suffering Different Outcomes

If I go to church,
If I pay my tithes,
If I do good things,
bad things will not happen to me.

That’s not true.

That’s witchcraft.

You can be perfectly in the will of God and suffer the same conditions created by original sin as everyone else:

need – 2 Corinthians 6:10, 2 Corinthians 12:10
hunger – Philippians 4:12,
sickness – Philippians 2:27, 1 Timothy 5:23
distress – 2 Corinthians 6:4
disaster – Acts 27, Romans 8:35
injustice – 2 Corinthians 6:5
crime – 2 Corinthians 11:26
violence – 2 Corinthians 6:5
torture – Hebrews 11:37

death – John 19:10

The difference is, for those who belong to God and are in His will, our suffering —our grappling with the various manifestations of death caused by original sin, produces life.

So then death is working in us, but life in you.
—2 Corinthians 4:12

#GloriousSuffering

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So then death is working in us, but life in you.”
—2 Corinthians 4:7-‬12

“But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”
—2 Corinthians 6:4-‬10

September 8, 2023

The Romans Had It Right

I believe God timed Christ’s incarnation when He did because the Romans had it right.

That’s how sin should be treated: as rebellion against the Kingdom, it should be violently confronted, purged, exposed, humiliated and killed without mercy.

That’s how I should have been treated as an enemy of God’s perfect order.

But, God.

Thanks be to God for Jesus who not only came to restore that kingdom order but served my sentence, paid the required penalty (in order for God to be just) and took my place on that cross so that I could be with God!

He didn’t have to do that. He could have just re-established His perfect order without me, but He chose to save me at an exorbitant expense that I was not worthy of.

Thank you, Father God.

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” —2 Corinthians 5:21

Now, that I, with great joy, accept Jesus as King, I should treat sin the same way the Romans treated rebels. I’ve been far too gentle with such an insidious and deadly threat to my life, the lives of everyone around me and even the order of creation.

I repent.

It’s past time to cut off hands and gouge out eyes (Matthew 18:8-9). I need to be violent with my sin and overthrow every threat to Jesus’ rule, He who is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

September 8, 2023

Overthrow Idols

We are cruel, oppressive, incompetent rulers on the throne of our lives (we are cruel and oppressive because of our incompetence).

A heart ready for heaven knows this, vacates the throne, offers it to Jesus because it sees He alone is qualified and it violently overthrows anything that even suggests to take His rightful place.

“You are not [oppressed] by us (Christ’s ambassadors), but you are [oppressed] by your own affections.”
—2 Corinthians 6:12

I can’t help but think about the thief on the cross who initially mocked Jesus but was eventually emptied. The Holy Spirit brought him to a place of recognizing that he justly deserved his condemnation as a rebel against the State and recognized that Jesus was rightful King of a Kingdom where he wanted to be,

“Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” —Luke 23:42

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” —Luke 23:43

That is ALL that is required to be saved, for the Holy Spirit to open my eyes, to bring me to a place where I confess my rebellion against God and my need for Jesus, God’s Christ, the blessed and only Potentate, who alone can reconcile me to God and restore God’s wonderful kingdom order to my life and all of creation.

I believe God timed Christ’s incarnation when He did because the Romans had it right. That’s how sin should be treated: as rebellion against the Kingdom, it should be violently confronted, purged, exposed, humiliated and killed without mercy.

That’s how I should have been treated as an enemy of God’s perfect order. But, God. Thanks be to God for Jesus who not only came to restore that kingdom order but served my sentence, paid the required penalty (in order for God to be just) and took my place on that cross so that I could be with God! He didn’t have to do that. He could have just re-established His perfect order without me, but He chose to save me at an exorbitant expense that I was not worthy of. Thank you, God.