Going on Holiday

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am writing now, because I'm going to my cousin's house for the weekend, and probably won't have time to write while I'm gone.

But that's okay, because this is what I wanted to say.

I have these lovely cousins, see, and I love them so hard.

A long time ago, I was feeling overwhelmed by life, and then I got an invitation to go to their house for a week. I realized when I went that I needed that so much! 

Their house is in the states, so it's far enough away that I really felt like I was getting away from everything that was bothering me, and I felt so restful the whole time I was gone, I just knew God had provided that escape for me.

A while later, the same situation happened! This has actually happened enough times that whenever I feel like I might be getting near the end of my rope, I'm like, "Well, I'll probably get to go to the Russells' when I get there!"

So recently I've been struggling, and it's hard to say exactly how I feel. I don't know if I would describe it as "the end of my rope," because though I feel very much overwhelmed, I do not feel overburdened.

Anyway, they invited me to come for the weekend, and I most gratefully accepted the invitation. I love that God has consistently prepared this home for me as a resting place when I need it. It's just really comforting.

So friends, if this isn't particularly encouraging to you because you have NOT had a resting place, but would wish that you had, take heart.

Know that the same God I serve is the one you serve, and just as He knows what is best for me, He knows what's best for you.

Even better than that, He will never forsake me, and He will NEVER forsake YOU.

For Your Name's Sake

I didn't have a new epiphany this week, but I did remember an old one!

Truth: God is holy, and cannot tolerate sin.

Truth: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Truth: God loves His children and dwells with them.

How can those three things be reconciled?

Christ COMPLETELY paid for our sins when He died. There is nothing we can do that will overcome what He did, He said it's finished. Paid in FULL.

Sometimes though, we think that we can somehow go too far. That at a certain point, God's patience and mercy MUST run out.

At least I do.

I tend to think that every time I sin, I must first ask for forgiveness and THEN Christ's sacrifice will have paid for it, but at a certain point, He must want to stop extending the sacrifice out.

Of course we must ask for forgiveness, but if you were to get struck by lightning a moment after you sinned, and didn't have time to confess, what then? Is Christ's sacrifice not great enough to overcome that?

Of course it is. We're back to the simple gospel, it is not about what you do, it's about what He has done.

Sorry, rabbit trailing a bit here.

Anyway, basically, if this is true, that when you sin you are guilty until He forgives you again, (which according to my logic, He may or may not do) then one of the above Truths must be false.

If sin stays on us (if we are guilty) until God forgives it, then either He can tolerate sin, and is not truly holy, (Truth 1 is a lie) we haven't actually sinned, (Truth 2 is a lie) or He cannot dwell with us. (Truth 3 is a lie.)

But those three statements are all true, and we know that the reason they are true is because of Christ's sacrifice, which again, paid for our sin in full. 

So this idea that we are still sinful after we have believed in Him and His sacrifice for us is wrong.

This is the verse which made this come alive again in my mind yesterday:

Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! (Psalms 79:9)

I'll add some emphasis so you can sort of see what I was thinking as I read this.

Help us, O God of our salvation, (Why?) For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, (Why?) For Your name’s sake! (Psalms 79:9)

We think that God couldn't possibly forgive us any more, because we have really pushed our limits.

But it really isn't all about us. He forgives us because He loves us, so in that sense it is, but why does He love us?

Because of who we are, or because of who He is?

For God to love us beyond all reason says more about Him than it does us, it shows how loving He is, it shows who He is. 

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (I John 4:8)

God says throughout the scriptures that He wants to be known, and in showing us love, He is showing us and those around us who He is.

No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

Psalm 79:9 says that to help us, deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, it will actually glorify His name! It will show everyone how great He is, that He would love that far.

I wrote in my notebook about this,

"To say that He can't love us because of something we did is to make ourselves stronger than God. It is partially for His sake that we should ask for deliverance, because if we love Him, we should desire His good reputation."

It is not that God needs us, or that somehow we can make or break His reputation, but when we allow Him to shower us with grace and forgiveness, we are not only accepting blessing, but allowing others through us to see the majesty of our Lord, which is also helping Him accomplish His greater purpose, because He wants to be known by men.

We Call Out to Dry Bones, "Come Alive!"

I don't usually write til Saturday, (or sometimes Sunday or Monday) but occasionally I have something that doesn't want to wait a whole week.

If you have read my blog much, you probably know that I have done pro-life activism before, and if you know me much at all, you probably know that that is something I am fairly passionate about.

Last night at a bible study, this verse really struck me.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John‬ ‭3:17-18‬)

It seemed to me to speak so strongly about abortion. If anyone has the physical ability to help the children that they see are in need, but they do not, how can the love of God be in them?

(Now as a disclaimer, I do not mean to say that every person must devote their lives to fighting abortion. There are more problems in the world than that, and no one can do everything. Some people are not called to fight those problems at all, but some other form of ministry. However, the church as a whole is not doing NEARLY enough to fight this problem. I think we must examine our motives. Are you not doing anything to help these children because you feel called to something else, or are you not doing anything because you feel uncomfortable?)

Anyway, this morning in church, we sang a song that I have sung before, loved before, but never saw it the way I did today. The song is called Come Alive by Lauren Daigle, and it speaks of revival.
Through the eyes of men it seems there's so much we have lost, as we look down the road where all the prodigals have walked.

For the first time, this verse brought to mind a very different image than usual. It reminded me of a friend of mine who once found out that a stranger was scheduled to have an abortion, and watched as she walked away. Before chasing after her, she said it was like watching a child literally being walked to their death.

One by one, the enemy has whispered lies, and led them off as slaves.

My heart just started to break.

But we know that You are God, Yours is the victory.
We know that there is more to come that we may not yet see.
So with the faith You've given us, we'll step into the valley unafraid.

Tomorrow I'll be on the front lines of this valley, at a high school talking to students about abortion.

We call out to dry bones come alive, come alive.

This was actually one of the most powerful parts of this song, because the idea is that "dry bones," are dry because they have sat. They've been dead for a while. Sometimes pre-born children don't even have bones, but God showed me how dry bones can mean those children.

We are not reviving them from death, we're saving them from it. They are dry because their death is planned before it happens. To the people involved in the killing, they are already as if they've been dead for a while.

We call out so that dry bones will never be dry bones, we call out "Come alive."

We call out to dead hearts come alive, come alive.

Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise! We call out to dry bones, come alive.

God, let us save enough children for an army! And let them be Your army.

God of endless mercy, God of unrelenting love, 
rescue every daughter, bring us back the wayward sons.

Often, when we discuss about abortion, we refer to the pre-born child as a girl. In order to keep establishing humanity, we use words like "she" and "her," instead of "it." The daughter in this verse represents every endangered child. The wayward sons are this culture, which would be so wicked as to destroy its own offspring.

And by Your Spirit breathe upon them, show the world that You alone can save.

Breath is life. Breathe upon them, give them life.

I know this isn't a happy or encouraging post, but the Lord showed this to me in the song, and I wanted to share what He showed me.

As I mentioned earlier, I will be on the front lines tomorrow. Please pray for me and my team. Every Monday we're doing this, so if you would, commit to pray for us, lives are depending on our effectiveness.

Flesh and Blood

“For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.” Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Hebrews‬ ‭2:11-15)

Oftentimes my thoughts are very scattered, so please forgive me if I don't make sense. If nothing from this point on makes sense, at least you will have read some scripture, which is always worth something.

I read Hebrews 2 today, and thought of this.

God is ultimately in charge. If you want to think about it visually like a ladder, God is at the top. He created man, who is flesh and blood, so they are one step down. Because of God they have flesh and blood, just the simple fact that they have flesh and blood shows that they were created of God.

They have children, who are a step down on the ladder from them. The children also have flesh and blood because of their parents, the simple fact that they have flesh and blood shows that they were born of their parents.

For God to put on flesh and blood is an act of amazing humility in itself, because in doing so, He is putting himself on the ladder under His own creation.

Not only this, but think about death.

God is not afraid of death, and death cannot harm Him. There's literally nothing it can do to Him, He would never have a REASON to fear death.

But His children became slaves to the fear of it. His creation was terrified of it.

Not only did He humble himself to the level of a child of His creation, but He allowed Himself to be conquered by the thing that never would have touched Him because He is more powerful than it.

He allowed what His children feared so much to overpower Him, so that it would never have to overpower them.

Obviously, even as a child of flesh and blood, and a victim of death, He still claimed the victory, and still plundered the defeated enemy for his spoils.

Satan's spoils. God's captive children, which He raised up from the ashes of their destroyed kingdom and set on thrones as His heirs.

Let the Weak Say, "I Am Strong."

I wrote this on Wednesday, so it's a few days old, but the truth of it remains. The truth of God always remains.


God ALWAYS comes through.

I've been feeling pretty helpless recently, for a lot of reasons that I won't get into. But this morning, I was just struggling with it again, and praying for help.

I was reading Psalm 70, and praying especially this verse.

“But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” (Psalms‬ ‭70:5)

I have a few things planned for later today, but I anticipate them being a little bit trying, rather than uplifting. I thought about confiding in someone my troubles, but who? And what could they even do?

Then suddenly, I received a text, from a dear, dear friend. We've been through a lot together, and we have often confided in each other when we needed strength, I trust her.

"Maybe," I thought, "she received some divine inspiration to pray for me, or ask how I'm doing."

But no. Her text was a request for prayer. She was having a rough time too.

My first reaction was sadness, self-pity, I guess, that she was not strong enough for me to lean on. My next that I was not the right person to ask, as I had no strength of my own. But something hit me just then, I realized that I was in the perfect position to pray for her.

As someone who was as weak as she was, we could look together for help from the One whose strength never runs out. Verses suddenly came to mind,

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (II Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬)

“Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ " (Joel 3:9-10)

The two of us united in prayer, with the Holy Spirit among us, are the strongest possible team, because in our weakness, Christ is strong.

In all the ways I anticipated Him to answer my prayer for encouragement, I never expected it to be through someone who in themselves, could not encourage me. But this is the power of God.

The Hidden Gospel in Jesus' Teaching

I was at a bible study this past Saturday which was not about Luke 10. In fact, I don't even remember why Luke 10 came up, but it did, and it sparked a really fun thought for me, so I'll share it with you.

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? ” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:25-28)

(I wouldn't have noticed this but for my pastor, so props to him,) The man was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5.

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

What is added?

Deuteronomy does not include "and with all your mind." There is somewhere else in scripture where this shows up though, and that is in Matthew 22.

“Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

It isn't a proven fact, but it seems like this lawyer may have been listening to Jesus previously.

If this is true, I feel like I can actually relate to the lawyer.

Reading the bible, I have often been quite confused by the gospels. When it comes to Jesus' teaching, I found myself often wondering, "What is He even telling us to do?"

Jesus is the core piece of salvation, but though He talked about repentance and such, He didn't really talk much about the actual gospel. It makes sense, because He hadn't died yet, and even when He talked about dying, people didn't understand. So for Him to say, "This is why I have to die, this is how you should respond," (etc.) It would be confusing.

To look at this from the lawyer's perspective, (depending on how long he'd been listening to Jesus) these are the kinds of things He would have heard.

Jesus talked about "the kingdom of heaven." What this kingdom was, or how it would come, He didn't really say.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:7-8)

“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the 
gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

There! He does talk about the gospel! He said, "Repent, and believe in the gospel."

But "gospel" just means "good news." So... What good news? 

It's true that it prefaces it by saying, "Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God..." So maybe they got more detail than was recorded, but if He preached the way it is usually written when He preaches about the Kingdom of God, He probably didn't elaborate a lot.

He talked about a coming judgment, and told them to watch for it with eagerness.

“But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.” (Matthew 11:22)

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—” (Mark 13:33-35)

He taught people about righteousness.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth..." (Matthew 5:3-5)

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matthew 5:20-22)

He taught that He had not come to destroy the law... yet He seemed to sometimes break it.

“When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)

“So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.” (Mark 3:2)

He taught that only those who obeyed His teachings would enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” (John 14:23-24)

But which teachings? ALL of His teachings? Because if that was it...

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

...everyone would fail.

But Jesus doesn't expect people to fail, in fact, He said another time,

"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)


Understandably, the lawyer is confused. But when he asks Jesus to explain Himself, Jesus didn't do it how he wanted. Instead, Jesus asks HIM. "What does the law say?"

The man replies with what Jesus calls the two greatest commandments, to "Love the Lord your God," and "Love your neighbor."

Jesus tells him to go do those. I think it's important to realize why Jesus didn't tell Him, "Just believe."

At least this is why I think Jesus told him what He did. Why are those the two greatest commandments? Why does the whole law hang on those? Because those two commandments show the heart of God.

From the beginning, God desired relationship with His people, He wanted us to know Him, not just know about Him. Love the Lord your God, and you will learn what will please Him. Love the people He has made, and you will learn how to treat them.

The man wanted to justify Himself, it says, so he asked, "Who is my neighbor?"

Did Jesus just tell him, "Everyone, duh."?

Nope.

He told him a story, in which is revealed the heart of God. He tells a story of a man who gave extravagantly for a man who was his enemy. (Sounds a little bit like Jesus, huh?)


Jesus' teaching was confusing. But I think His purpose in so much of what He said was not to teach us specifically how to be saved, but to demonstrate the heart of His Father. He came to be the sacrifice that would allow us relationship with God, but before He died, He showed us Who we would get to have relationship with.

“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 14:9)

Another thing that used to confuse me about Jesus' teaching, was the fact that though He barely talked about the gospel, (and again, when He did, it didn't really seem like the disciples got it) after His ascension, the disciples went out and preached the gospel, fully understanding it. 

How?

When Jesus called the disciples, He said, "Follow Me." What did it mean to follow Him? Literally, follow Him around. Walk where He walked, watch what He did, listen to what He said. Very rarely did He tell them to do things, though when He left, they all went and performed miracles as they had seen Him do.

This too showed the heart of God. He wants followers who will go where He goes, watch what He does, listen to what He says, and do the things that He tells us to do.

It was really cool to skim through the gospels to get all of these references and things, because I started to see themes, and the way they all concluded was beautiful.

Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, and repentance. He taught about the law, and how there was more to it than the Jewish people understood. And then He talked about faith.

“Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.” (Matthew 8:13)

“Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” ( Luke 7:50)

They had missed it, but they needed to know that a major part of God's heart was that the relationship between them and Him be built on faith, as their father Abraham's was, who was originally given the promise. So Jesus demonstrated for them.

After witnessing a continual testimony of who God is displayed in Jesus throughout the first three gospels, I came to John, where Jesus does actually explain the gospel, and it's amazing to read those words coming from the Man who knew He was going to, but hadn't even died yet.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” (John 3:14-20)

Just think for a moment, how hard would it have been to say the words, "Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light," knowing that they were completely true?

He who loved so much that He would give everything for them, knew that they would look Him in the eyes, and still nail Him to a cross.

Wow.

I can't even fathom the kind of love that would extend as far as God's love extends. But Jesus came to be a physical representation, and His Spirit lives in me as a constant demonstration of that love, so that I can begin to understand it.

Because that Love wants to be known. That Love wants to be known by me.

The Love That Turns the Other Cheek

Hello friends!

I had a thing I was going to post about, and then I realized that it is Sunday night and I still need to do some study before that one is ready, so I have something else instead.

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."
‭‭(Luke‬ ‭6:27-31‬)

 I have often heard the expression, "You don't have to be a doormat," used to encourage people to take care of themselves. I agree with it on the one hand, but I have, for a long time, believed that that attitude can be a little bit dangerous.

Jesus modelled for us the life we need to live, and He was not afraid to wash feet. He became humble to the point of dying on a cross for the sake of relationship with people who MOCKED Him.

Jesus did not protect Himself from that, He became the epitome of a "doormat." Those who followed Him also showed radical humility in the way they lived their lives.

Needless to say, I have always read that verse in Luke 6 to affirm my stance on the idea, which I do think still, but I have a new insight on it now.

Imagine this scenario.



I hit you.

You turn the other cheek to me, "Thanks, I love getting hit! Please hit the other also!" You reply.

No. That's not how it works.

Why are you turning the other cheek to me?

Because you are a follower of Christ, and you know that Christ created me in His image. A pure image, a perfect image, a holy image, one that does not strike someone if everything is okay.

Everything is not okay, and you know that.

Instead the scenario is more like this,

I hit you.

You turn the other cheek to me. "I'm sorry that you are hurting, and I know that's why you hurt me. Please hit my other cheek also, if it will help. I want to be the one to bear your burden with you. You took my cloak, allow me to give you my other also, I want to help you."


I had never seen it that way before, but it's more inspiring, I think.

If I am hurt, and because of it someone is saved, I will willingly be hurt.

If I am slandered, and because of it someone grows closer to Jesus, I will willingly bear that shame.

This is what turning the other cheek about. It's not about being trampled on, it's about loving so much that we are willing to be trampled on.

After all, we were the ones who mocked as Jesus laid down His life. If we love like that, we are only giving the kind of love that was already given to us.

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