SEIZED BY THE POWER OF A GREAT AFFECTION

 

Over 100 years ago, people in the south, who where in a relationship with Jesus Christ used the phrase, “I was seized by the power of a great affection.” (Google it) Brennan Manning quoted it often. I was seized by that power In 1978.

Let’s face it, 2020 sucks. But we need not live in fear. We must come to grips with the fact, whether we believe it or not, God is in control. He’s allowing all of these things to bring the church closer to Him, individually, and corporately as His Body.

We MUST NOT blame God, or see Him as the master of puppets behind all this craziness. If we indeed have spiritual eyes we will see the truth of Satan’s assault on our country and the world today: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus in John 10:10

The heart of God is to give us a full and abundant life. What a glorious promise! But we are in a sin-sick world in which Satan (for now) has limited freedom to accomplish his purposes of stealing, killing, and destroying.

There a so many voices (Christian and Secular) today screaming for our affections. But God’s Word is truth. Not believing it is truth doesn’t change the fact that it is.

• If we’ve been seized by this power, then we can relate to this passage from Isaiah: "Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:5

Have you really seen the King with your spiritual eyes?

• If we’ve been seized by this power, then we MUST live by this rallying reminder from the Apostle Paul: "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”   Titus 3:1-3

We MUST pray for this country’s leadership.

• If we’ve been seized by this power, we will not be blinded by the truth of these verses that are holding our country captive: "He (God) said, “Go and tell this people: “ ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10

We MUST understand that the church is under attack. We MUST be praying for the church.

• If we’ve been seized by this power, we will acknowledge that God is the only One to be feared (revered) and stop worrying about conspiracies: "Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” Isaiah 8:12-13

There are so many conspiracy theories out there. We MUST pray for God’s truth to be revealed. Pray for discernment.

• If we’ve been seized by this power, we will experience TRUE FREEDOM to love and work for a free world. And yes, I’m an idealist.

“Freedom belongs to the core of the spiritual life; not just the freedom that releases us from forces that want to oppress us, but the freedom also to forgive others, to serve them, and to form a new bond of fellowship with them. In short, the freedom to love and to work for a free world.” Henri Nouwen

There are many in our culture and the world who consider Christians a disease. There is an old Russian proverb: "Those who have the disease called Jesus will never be cured.” In Jesus name, may we never be cured!!

Father's Day 2018 - A Redemptive Legacy

Matthew's Father's Day Gift

       On June 17, 2018, I celebrated my 32^nd Father’s Day. 32 years! Where has the time gone? I remember as a young parent people saying, “Treasure these days, they go by so fast.” Well, they were right!

My Birthday April 2018

This particular Father’s Day was a special one. It was the first time since 2007 that I was able to spend it with all 3 kids together. We were all at Rebekah’s (the oldest) home where she and my 2 grandkids made an amazing meal. Rebekah made home-made manicotti that would have made my mom proud! Ryan, my 9-year-old grandson, made a stuffed pesto parmesan mushroom appetizer that were addicting! And Lucy, my 11-year-old granddaughter made a mouthwatering dessert that was her dad’s grandmother’s recipe—Honey Bun Cake. And Pegeen Donohue had shipped, all the way from Brooklyn, authentic Junior’s Cheese Cake!

Such a memorable dinner. But that’s not all…

My son Matthew (the middle child) bought me a beautiful wooden cross with 3 nails and a gold embossed leather plaque of The Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic. And my youngest Emily gave me her extra sky miles to cover a trip to meet her in Spain when she’s there next year! I am truly a blessed man.

But that’s not what this story is about. It’s about Redemption.

Redemption 1 – Epiphany

When I arrived at Bekah’s on Father’s Day, my beautiful blue eyed, freckled faced 11-year-old granddaughter Lucy came up to me, gives me her usual huge and long hug, and as I kiss her on the top of the head she says, “Happy Father’s Day Pop-Pop! You know, if you didn’t have mommy, mommy wouldn’t have had me!” 

       Well, at that moment I began to get a little misty eyed as it hit me somewhat as an epiphany-like runaway train, “This little girl is a legacy. She is a part of me. She could have been aborted. * My grandson is a part of me. My children and grandchildren are truly flesh of my flesh!”

Ryan...my brilliant and hysterical grandson!

That night as I went to sleep, I started to cry in thanksgiving to God for blessing me and truly being a redeeming God. He doesn’t just redeem us when we come to saving grace. He continually redeems our life situations, forgives us, fixes our screw-ups, and beautifies our lives.

I was so overwhelmed from the day that as soon as I got home I texted Bekah to thank her for the beautiful day she planned and executed. She responded the next day: “I hope you had a good day, Dad-eh!  You deserve so much more than I was able to do for you!”

And then I responded, “All I deserve is all I have in you...a beautiful and amazing daughter. You have given me more than I could ever hoped or dreamed! I love you so much.”

Redemption 2 – The Pregnancy

*Here’s the redemptive part of the story. Back in July of 2006 my wife at the time and I were starting a church in NYC. Our oldest daughter, Rebekah, was at home between her sophomore and junior years at the University of South Carolina.  One morning she comes downstairs to my basement office to share some information with me that would forever change our lives as a family.

The evening before the core of our church group went out to celebrate our first missionary who we were supporting and sending off to Mississippi to help in post-Katrina endeavors. When Rebekah came to the basement she asked if I wondered why she didn’t have a drink the night before. (Deep inside I knew what was coming next.) Then, as her eyes welled up, she told me that she was pregnant. The next thing she told me was “Daddy, if there is one thing you taught me, abortion is not an option.” My first reaction was not of judgment or condemnation or anger. I told her that I love her, support her and that we will do whatever we can do to walk with her through this. Next, I called for her mom, she came downstairs and I told her what was going on. She became flush, speechless at first, and let’s just leave it at, well, her reaction was a bit different than mine. She just needed a bit more time to soak it all in and in time became very supportive.

Ryan and Lucy  at Vow Renewals
in 2014

“I’m gonna be a grandpa!” Once it was decided that Bekah was going to keep the baby, exciting but stressful days were ahead. We found out that Bekah was pregnant with a girl and her name was going to be Lucy. Bekah had broken the relationship with the father (Brandon) before she knew she was pregnant and then both recommitted their lives to Christ separately, without the other knowing. To make a long story short, she and Brandon got back together and got married in May of 2007, renewed their vows in 2014 and have an awesome life together and added my amazing grandson Ryan in 2008!

Redemption 3 - Lucy

When Lucy was born (March 6, 2007), we were in New Jersey and Brandon was in Air Force training in Florida and couldn’t be there for Lucy’s birth. I knew at that time, that I wanted to be called Pop-Pop by my granddaughter. Anyway, when the time came for Lucy to enter the world, her mom and I were in the delivery room with Bekah. Now let me tell you something. It’s one thing to be there when your wife gives birth and you watch as your children are born. But it’s another stratosphere when your daughter gives birth and you watch as your grandchild is born!! I had the privilege of cutting Lucy’s umbilical cord and being the first to hold her after her mom held her. As soon as I held her I sang this song, “Pop-Pop loves his Lucy.” I would swipe my index finger under her chin and sing Pop-Pop-----loves------his-------Lu-----cy…and then with that last syllable, pop her on nose!

Dad's Day at school. Filled in
for dad while deployed.
(She wrote "Lucy Loves her
PopPop" on the tie!

Almost every time I see Lucy, I still sing her the song touching her beautiful blue-eyed freckled face! And now she sings back to me, “Lucy loves her Pop-Pop,” and pops my  nose at the end! The amazing connection I have with my beautiful granddaughter is indescribable.

Redemption 4 – The Confirmation

            Before I started writing this blog, I asked permission from Rebekah if I could share her story. She said, “Of course!”

            She then asked me if she ever told me how she found out she was pregnant, and I told her no. She proceeded to tell me that she was out one night with a bunch of high school friends who were home for the summer and she told them she was “late.” One of them had a pregnancy kit in her purse so they went to the bathroom and discovered the news.

            Bekah was the driver for the evening. As they got in her car, the song, “High Tide or Low Tide” by Jack Johnson and Ben Harper was playing on her CD player. It was a song she already had on her mix-CD. (It was written by Bob Marley.) Here are some of the lyrics: I heard her praying, praying, praying / I said I heard my mother / Her praying, praying, praying / She was praying in the night / And the words that she said, the words that she said / They still linger in my head, linger in my head / She said : "A child is born into this world / He needs protection" yeah / God, guide and protect us / When we're wrong, please correct us / When we're wrong, correct us / And stand by me / In these high seas or in low seas / I'm gonna be your friend / You know that I'm gonna be your friend / Any so in high tide or in low tide / I'll be by your side / You know that I'll be by your side / I said I heard my mother / Her crying, crying, crying / She was crying in the night Here's a video of that song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsCDIiq0AsQ&list=PL7XmsnF-_mwIPIcSbDrlc-QYSmyfThicu&index=103&t=0s

            Well, it was at that moment Bekah started crying and realized that no matter what, she was going to keep her baby. Thank God for His redemptive timing! 

Redemption 4 Conclusion - A Happy Father’s Day Legacy

            My kids have never doubted my unconditional love for them. I have always attempted to go the extra mile for them. I never applied the additional pressure on them that they had to act or be a certain way because I was a pastor. I always thought that was unfair. Unfortunately, people in the church would apply that pressure on their own. My kids always knew I had their backs and that I was always there for them; emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I spent the quality and quantity of time with each of them individually to build relationships. I always believed that that rules without relationship leads to chaos. My biggest weakness as a dad was that I was somewhat of a passive father, not in terms of emotional passivity, but more-so in terms of discipline. I always struggled with the fine line between trusting them and giving them freedom as they entered their teenage years. Where I failed was to have the courage to uncover and acknowledge the sins of all three of them. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, it was really passivity. Dysfunction often begins with a seemingly insignificant transgression or habit that remains unaddressed. On the surface, it might have seemed like it was no big deal, but as it snowballed it obviously was. Everything appears unaffected by sin. But unresolved evil ultimately leads to consequences that fester, causing more and more complications. As a passive and permissive parent, I fear I may had aided in producing children who knew about God but didn’t really know Him. Praying with them, limited family devotions, going to church, and doing all the “Christian things” doesn’t always guarantee that children growing into their adult years will become truly devoted followers of Jesus. We can show them the way, but can't force them into the truth. They have to find Jesus and His reality on their own.

We do what we can as parents. We love our children unconditionally, mercifully, and compassionately. We teach them the best we can, and “let them go.” For me, that has been the hardest part. This is the part of the redemptive process when we get to that point and realize that they were God’s children before they were ever ours. Our children are on loan to us. So, we trust that as they grow and make their own decisions, that God will hold them in the palm of His hand. They can choose to be guided by His tender touch and grasp or jump “free” of His grasp into their own devices and come to the realization that there is no true freedom without Him.

When I had that thought, “This little girl (Lucy) is a legacy. She is a part of me. She could have been aborted,” it pierced my heart. This, my readers, is what true redemption is all about. Life isn’t perfect. There never is a promise that it will be. BUT GOD. BUT GOD’s love is greater than all our mistakes. BUT GOD knows what we need even though we may not get what we want. BUT GOD heals…our relationships, our pain, our mistakes, our poor judgments, our past, our brokenness. BUT GOD… “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

And for all of my children and grandchildren, may they always remain in the true freedom grasp of the loving Savior who lived, died, and rose again, not only to redeem their souls once, but to redeem their lives every step of the way.

Pop-Pop Loves His Lucy!

Peace and Unity?

Enough with the religious fluff, legalism, showmanship, politicizing, racism, and the like. “The devil’s trademark attack is to draw us away from the simplicity of faith in Christ…Satan’s strategy is to use the educated elite, the mind manipulators, and the brilliant thinkers of history to lure people away from simplicity of devotion to Christ and biblical authority.” Chuck Swindoll

On the same hand, we have some amazing Christian minds from history and today who were/are educated, brilliant thinkers, and non-mind manipulators, who intelligently lead people to this simple faith in absolute truth.

2 Corinthians 13:3-4 “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.”

I never post anything political or controversial on Facebook because I don’t like the hatred that is expressed and spewed by both Democrats and Republicans, diverse ethnicities, Christians and non-Christians, etc. I appreciate good, hearty debate if exercised in love with the end desire being peace and unity. It just never appears to be that way. One of the things that really bothers me is the Christian who criticizes without praying for the person they judge. If they do, you would never know it by the things they post. Is it really too hard to pray for our President and other Republicans, that God would give him (them) wisdom, clarity, and proper judgment, instead of ripping him (them) to shreds like the media does? Whether you agree with him or not, God is using our President. Would it be too difficult to pray for the former Democratic Presidential Candidate or other Democrats that if it’s God’s will, and they stand for godly principles, to be put into office? The bottom line: Do we pray for peace and unity on all sides or just for “my side?” Jesus said, “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44). He took no political sides, when it came to paying taxes, He even said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:21)

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God…The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good.” Romans 13:1,4 God even allows evil rulers to reign to show countries and the world how deprave mankind can really be which proves our desperate need of Him and godly leadership. King Saul was dethroned by King David because David was a “man after God’s own heart.”

No matter what our belief, our political authorities have been placed there by God. So, if we really believe this and have attitudes that actually abide in this reality, maybe, just maybe, we will begin to sow the seeds of peace and unity through our prayer life for this divided country.

Don’t be deceived, remember, “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 Let none of us be deceived by the sound bites the media continually force feeds us. So much stuff is taken out of context (on all sides). All the while, we may never know the absolute truth or motivation. Yet we get sucked in. King David had every right to retaliate, spew dissent and hatred when being hunted by Saul and later by his own son Absalom. But he always submitted. Always trusted that God was in control. Psalm 115:3 says it well: “Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.”

Like I said, I’m really getting sick of all of hatred spewed on Facebook. When I read this quote by Thomas Merton, the truth hit me like a runaway train: “Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself. He is not at peace with himself because he is not at peace with God.” If only we would see this truth as the reason for so much tension in this country it would drive us to our knees! We would tremble at the reality of it! We’re so busy complaining that we’re forgetting our mandate to be those who bring reconciliation between God and man.

Where is your energy being spent? Tearing down or building up? Like Jesus, be used by the Spirit to change a person’s heart, then the mind will change. Jesus told us our energy should be spent on going into all the world and making disciples (Matthew 28) and that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit would come upon us so that we would be His witnesses in our community, in our country, and around the world (Acts 1:8). That is awesome energy spent!

These turbulent days it’s difficult for me to have political conversations because people tend to judge, jump to conclusions, make assumptions, with no resolve the result. And those, my friend, are what sow seeds of disunity. The only way we will find unity, unconditional love, and peace with fellow man is when we are truly at peace with God through Christ. And sometimes finding that peace with God is submitting to the plan of authority He has ordained whether we like it or not. And either way, we must pray for our elected officials not to do what we want, rather what God wants for this country. 

You see, Jesus is the unifier, yet our culture looks at Him as the divider. He is the healer, yet our culture looks at Him as the disease. He is pure love, yet our culture looks at Him as the root of hatred and religious bigotry. He sees no color, died for all tribes and nations, yet our culture considers Him the western white man’s bigoted god.

As the Unifier, if we all look to Him, and allow His Spirit to illuminate our hearts; we therefore cannot, will not, and would not, be able able to respond by hatred causing discord and disunity. Our only response would be love causing peace and unity.

Read these almost prophetic words by the Christian mystic Thomas Merton over 50 years ago:

“It always gets back to the same thing. I have dutifully done my bit. I have been “open to the world.” That is to say, I have undergone my dose of exposure to American society  in the ’60s—particularly in these last weeks. I love the people I run into, but I   pity them for having to live as they do, and I think the world of U.S.A. in 1967 is a world of crass, blind, overstimulated, phony, lying stupidity. The war in Asia slowly  gets worse—and almost more inane. The temper of the country is one of blindness, fat, self-satisfied, ruthless, mindless corruption. A lot of people are uneasy about it but helpless to do anything against it. The rest are perfectly content with the rat race as it is, and with its competitive, acquisitive, hurtling, souped-up drive into nowhere. A massively aimless, baseless, shrewd cockiness that simply exalts itself without purpose. The mindless orgasm, in which there is no satisfaction, only spasm.”  May 27, 1967

MORAL COMPASS

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MORAL COMPASS

In God's eyes we are all equal. But sin makes us unequal. As Christians, we are not better people, just unequal. Forgiven. Because we either believe and live like Jesus has redeemed us or we don't. And if we do, then He is our moral compass. And if we don't, our moral compass never stops spinning...no direction of right and wrong. That is the difference.

The problem is our culture has so muddied the reality of sin that we have gotten used to the darkness...not unlike dusk when the darkness gradually creeps in and we just accept it. If intended to reflect the nature of God, man is to be judged not by how he compares to other humans, but how he measures up to the Divine Standard. And remember God loves us for who we are, not for what we do. He also loves us as we are, not as we should be. We need to stop trying to measure up and start resting in the arms of His love. That doesn’t mean we don’t continue to live in a sinful state. Come on, if we’re honest with ourselves we still sin. What it does mean is that we must admit (confess) our sin, continually walk in forgiveness, and stop condemning ourselves! Romans 2:4 - “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” Oh the blessed mercy of God!

Here’s a prophetic verse, written about 600 years BC, that expresses God’s mercy and love in such a powerful way that expressed the heart of God back then, and was fulfilled in Christ Jesus: Zephaniah 3:17 — “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Did you get that?!!! Yes…He’s alive. God’s not dead or some figment of some religious nut’s imagination! He takes delight in you…unconditionally! We should never fear coming to Him no matter how dirty we think our souls may be. He rejoices over you  and me with joyful songs! It’s as if God is singing love songs to us! Unfathomable but true! Crazy? No. Relentless? Yes! That is my Jesus! All proven over 2000 years ago on the cross of Calvary.

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17) If we really believe in Him, we will surrender to His compass. And that, my friend, is neither political or religious.

Putting Humble Back in Humility

Take a Bite of Humble Pie

A recent article in Rolling Stone magazine sparked a fire in my heart regarding humility. It’s a cover story regarding an in-depth interview with U2’s Bono. In the context of humility, Bono says, “Humility is a genuine sense of your place in the universe and understanding that it is OK to play a quiet, supportive role in the lives of others. Greatness as a person comes from not pursuing it.”

If you think about it, what Bono says really ties in with what the Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:5 – “And all of you, serve each other in humility, for ‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’” Also, with what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4 — “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

At the same time, I’d been reading the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. I’ve probably read the account well over 30 times and have heard numerous sermons about his life. The one thing that stuck out to me this time around was Joseph’s humility. Joseph is an interesting study. As we read the entire account (Genesis Chapters 37-50) we see that Joseph was a shepherd, a slave, a convict, and finally a ruler…in that order. He was the 2^nd youngest of 12 sons of Jacob. He was his father’s favorite (even though most parents today say they don’t have favorites!) and that didn’t bode well with his other brothers…especially when his father gave him that special multi-colored robe. It says in Genesis 37 that his brothers couldn’t even say a kind word to Joseph. It seems like Joseph was young and naïve without much of a filter. It also seems that God had to purge Joseph of his youthful zeal by allowing the events that followed in his life to bring humility and dependency.

I also sense that Joseph got a life-lesson in pride when he shared his dream with his brothers: “Listen to this dream,” he said. “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!” (Genesis 37:6-7) Hmmm…maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to share that with older brothers who didn’t like him that much in the first place! When he shared the dream with them, they obviously weren’t very happy about it! They thought he was saying that he would rule over them. So, they decided first to kill him, but upon further thought, realized it would be better to sell him into slavery. Maybe, just maybe, if Joseph wasn’t so proud to share that dream, and he didn’t learn humility through many trials over many years, his family would have never been blessed the way they were by the end of the story. Truly God’s ways are not our ways.

If we fast-forward Joseph’s story of slavery, imprisonment, false accusations, integrity, positive attitudes, humility, non-vengeful behavior, leadership, dream interpretations, and obedience, we see how he reacts to the way his brothers formerly treated him and how God used it all for the blessings of his family when God raised him up to be the most powerful man in Egypt, save Pharaoh (Genesis 41):

Genesis 50:19-21 — “¹⁹But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? ²⁰You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. ²¹No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.”

Wow…talk about humility!! Through all his years of humiliation and ultimate exaltation, Joseph was able to say to his brothers with all integrity and humility, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

Chuck Swindoll once wrote about greatness and humility, “Greatness is not revealed in one-time grand actions but in daily positive attitudes. If you’re under the impression you are going to be great because of some great action but you harbor wrong attitudes, you’re in for a terrible jolt. Greatness comes from a sweet spirit, humility, forgiveness, and support for fellow human beings.”

One of the things that I learned about humility a long time ago was this: As soon as you realize you’re humble, you’re no longer humble…pride creeps in to make you proud of your humility. Once again, “Greatness as a person comes from not pursuing it.”

Some humbling thoughts…

•  2Samuel 22:28 — “You rescue the humble, but Your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.”

• Proverbs 11:2 — “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

• Proverbs 15:33 — “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.”

• Luke 14:11 — “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Jesus

• Colossians 3:12 — “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”

There are stories after stories in the Bible of how God blesses and restores those who humble themselves before Him. Listen to what God does for those who are humble: He leads, rescues, hears, guides, cares for, supports, crowns with victory, is gracious to, fills with fresh joy, blesses, provides inheritance of the earth, exalts, delivers from enemies, and ultimately enables one to see God!

Brennan Manning once wrote, "What is humility? It is the stark realization and acceptance of the fact that I am totally dependent upon God’s love and mercy. It grows through a stripping away of all self-sufficiency."

Those statements beg a few questions: Am I absolutely, totally, unequivocally, dependent on God’s love and mercy? Do I really understand the depth of His absolute and unconditional love He sacrificially expressed to me on the cross? Do I really believe that His mercy far outweighs and removes all the sin-soaked stains in my life? Are His love and mercies really that simple?! “Simple?” you ask. Yes, they are that simple. Yet so very profound. Oh friend, let those truths soak in!

And what about all my self-sufficiency? Am I really willing to “put on the altar” all the things I am naturally good at in order to allow His power to work in and through me so that my weaknesses shine because only He can get the credit and the glory?! Oh yes. I would much rather be an empty vessel for Him to fill, an empty canvas on which He can paint, a lump of clay that He can mold, or a piece of dirt that He can breathe His life into.

Yes Lord, strip me away from me to total nakedness only to be clothed with the person of Jesus. No matter how cold it gets. No matter how much I try to cover myself. No matter how much I try to draw myself to the wrong fire of desire.

Please God…be patient and let not my self-sufficiency clothe me with garments that will get singed or wear out. Only in my nakedness will I be truly humble. 

God Desires (even) Me

Song of Songs 7:10 I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

How long will it take for me to realize that God really desires me?! After all, I belong to Him, so why not?! Why not realize this glorious reality? Is it pride? Is it guilt? Is it a feeling of unworthiness? Is it that sense that God is so big and I am so miniscule that He should even give me a second thought? But He does! (Psalm 8:3-4 – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”)

You see, if you re-read all of those questions, there is a thread theme. Me. It’s amazing how I can turn even His furious love for me against me because of me! How idiotic! How ironic! How “I!” Self-effacement and the feelings expressed are just those; selfish feelings of deception that would lure me away from the intimacy that my Savior longs for. The only One I should be seeing (and others seeing in me as well) is Christ. If I truly “clothe myself with Christ” (Romans 13:14), the only reality of what I should see is Him. Not a mask. Not a costume. Not some false religious garb. Rather a consummation. A filling with the Holy Spirit so powerful that the most religious and the most irreligious of people will see Christ in me, the hope of glory.

It’s usually during those dark times when those questions are asked. When is seems like the Light is dim, when prayers are stale, when faith seems somehow muted, and when no matter how hard I try to climb the ladder to a right relationship with Him, I keep falling off. But God doesn’t want me to climb. Climbing will just weary me. Climbing is just being religious. He just wants me to rest. Rest in Him. The only place He wants me to climb is on His lap to a place of safety, as a trusting son would climb upon his father’s lap. The Father longs for me to see His Son, by His Spirit, in me. Fully engaged. Fully intimate. “Look me in the eyes”, he says. Hear me when I say, “My desire is for you…you are mine.” And now, with tears, as I look in His eyes, I begin to understand what is perfect trust, peace, grace, mercy, unconditional love, protection, care, nurturing, and everything I truly need to persevere in this crazy life…this crazy world.

Now I see, I truly “belong to my beloved.”

October 22, 2017 - Door of God's Mercy

“But when we accept ownership of our powerlessness and helplessness, when we acknowledge that we are paupers at the door of God’s mercy, then God can make something beautiful out of us.” Brennan Manning

Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Desperate. Thirsty. Hungry. I doubt many of us want to be paupers at anyone’s door. But to be the pauper at the door of God’s mercy is the soul who cries out, “I need a Savior!” Not just once when one comes to a Jesus moment in life; but in every waking, redeeming moment. God is a redeeming God with every breath we take and offers mercy with every screwup we make. But pride keeps us away from His door. It’s the old “I can do this my way, thank you very much.” We don’t want to admit our poverty. Yet in all our poverty are His riches.

If we are desperate for peace, clarity, and direction; He will grant them. If we are thirsty for life, fullness, joy, love and grace; they are all within our reach. If we are hungry for truth, intimacy, mercy, faith, integrity, and esteem, He will graciously fill all those needs and desires. But first we must come to Him as paupers, empty of self to be filled with the Spirit. Then, imagine what it will be like when God opens that door of mercy?! Only beauty awaits. After all, Jesus turned all earthly values upside down. The spiritually poverty stricken, filled with the richness of His presence, are the ones for whom those doors to the Kingdom of Heaven are opened even now!