John 8:12 (KJV)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
This was said to the wider audience directly after Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery, “…Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
Therefore, this was said to show the power of His presence in our lives. He is not in our lives to point out our naughty; He is in our lives to show us how to come out of our naughty. He is the light (understanding) of life. He shines the light on the broken reasons; the dysfunctional ploy sin allures us with.
It is seeing the depravity, the shame, the bondage, and the blindness sin serves that we are able to make better choices. He becomes like the Christmas angel to Mr. Scrooge. He becomes the light of life in the darkness of our lives.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
COVENANT COMMUNITY IS RELATIONAL
Galatians 2:9-10 (NRSV)
“9 and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.”
When Paul began his ministry to the Gentiles he had approval from those over him in the Lord. Therefore, he not only answered his call, he also had covenant community agreement with his ministry. The request his covenant community gave him to remember the poor; he kept, everywhere he went he constantly sent offerings back from the mission field supporting the poor in Jerusalem.
“9 and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
10 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.”
When Paul began his ministry to the Gentiles he had approval from those over him in the Lord. Therefore, he not only answered his call, he also had covenant community agreement with his ministry. The request his covenant community gave him to remember the poor; he kept, everywhere he went he constantly sent offerings back from the mission field supporting the poor in Jerusalem.
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
GENERATIONS DRAWING NIGH
James 4:7-8 (KJV)
“7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
“7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Single mindedness will come as the hearts of the Father’s
and the children become one. The devil
will flee when these two hearts and minds come together; drawing nigh to God
will bring our heart and mind together. This is the revival God is calling for
Monday, November 24, 2014
A TASTE FOR GOD
Acts 16:15 (KJV)
“And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”
Do you reckon Lydia was serious about getting the wisdom God had worked into those folks? She had a taste of God giving her a taste for God. To give space in her home was a sure sign for the price she was willing to pay to have a steady diet of increasing her understanding and passion for God.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8). I know what this would mean if somebody wanted me to test their “Nanner Pudding.” Once you get a taste of God; from then on, you will have a taste for God.
“And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.”
Do you reckon Lydia was serious about getting the wisdom God had worked into those folks? She had a taste of God giving her a taste for God. To give space in her home was a sure sign for the price she was willing to pay to have a steady diet of increasing her understanding and passion for God.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Psalm 34:8). I know what this would mean if somebody wanted me to test their “Nanner Pudding.” Once you get a taste of God; from then on, you will have a taste for God.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
THANKFULNESS
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
The work of becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus is a work of reconciliation. Every change being made in us reconciles the twistedness life’s circumstances and episodes have twisted in us. This is a work of untwisting what has been twisted.
These changes take place as we increase our capacity to receive the Father’s love. We cannot manifest His love until we first receive His love. It cannot manifest unless His love is all up in us reconciling all that is broken and dysfunctional. His love brings forth the new creature we are becoming as we put who we have been in our rearview mirror.
And, how can we encounter this and not want others to encounter it too. It is in this grateful thanksgiving we receive the ministry of reconciliation. Our whole character and movement becomes a ministry of reconciliation to others.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
The work of becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus is a work of reconciliation. Every change being made in us reconciles the twistedness life’s circumstances and episodes have twisted in us. This is a work of untwisting what has been twisted.
These changes take place as we increase our capacity to receive the Father’s love. We cannot manifest His love until we first receive His love. It cannot manifest unless His love is all up in us reconciling all that is broken and dysfunctional. His love brings forth the new creature we are becoming as we put who we have been in our rearview mirror.
And, how can we encounter this and not want others to encounter it too. It is in this grateful thanksgiving we receive the ministry of reconciliation. Our whole character and movement becomes a ministry of reconciliation to others.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
JESUS IS WALKING IN OUR MIDST
Revelation 2:1 (KJV)
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”
Jesus is more present than we could ever imagine; He is constantly walking in our midst reading us. The lampstand in the old covenant was a figure of the true in the New Testament; it was “one beaten work of gold” (Exodus 25:31-36). Nothing tied on, screwed on, or attached; He is one with us and we are one with Him.
There are seven continents on this planet; therefore, the seven churches of Asia are a paradigmatic presence in Asia representing the presence of the church in the world today. Jesus still walks in the midst of His church as He continues to globally read our strengths and weaknesses. What would He have to say today about the church in each continent? Their strengths and their weakness in the Revelation dealt with the way they acted and reacted to their surroundings. How are we acting and reacting to our surroundings? What is or not our practices today. Practice is a manifestation of our passion and beliefs. What are our passions and what are our beliefs?
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;”
Jesus is more present than we could ever imagine; He is constantly walking in our midst reading us. The lampstand in the old covenant was a figure of the true in the New Testament; it was “one beaten work of gold” (Exodus 25:31-36). Nothing tied on, screwed on, or attached; He is one with us and we are one with Him.
There are seven continents on this planet; therefore, the seven churches of Asia are a paradigmatic presence in Asia representing the presence of the church in the world today. Jesus still walks in the midst of His church as He continues to globally read our strengths and weaknesses. What would He have to say today about the church in each continent? Their strengths and their weakness in the Revelation dealt with the way they acted and reacted to their surroundings. How are we acting and reacting to our surroundings? What is or not our practices today. Practice is a manifestation of our passion and beliefs. What are our passions and what are our beliefs?
Friday, November 21, 2014
THE TIME IS AT HAND
Revelation 1:3
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
The most important time in our lives is “the time at hand” (the time we hold in our hands). That which we hold in our hands may not be the most important time of all times; nonetheless, the time in our hands is mostly important to us. How we handle it is mostly important because we will be held accountable for this time given to us by God.
There is nothing we can do about the past and we cannot reach into the future and expect the now to take care of itself; the only moment we have and can own is the moment we hold in our hands. Therefore, the time is at hand for us to take hold of the Revelation and live in the awareness of that Revelation. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
Jesus did not stay dead and He will not stay gone. His appearing is immanent and will bring a culmination to all things (Ephesians 1:9-11). All things will be reconciled in Him (Colossians 1:20). As I see it, this is the crux of it all; although we have been allotted a certain amount of time, the end of time or “the end times” is ultimately in the hands of our heavenly Father; “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:32-33).
Once again, the moment we are responsible for is the time we hold in our hands.
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
The most important time in our lives is “the time at hand” (the time we hold in our hands). That which we hold in our hands may not be the most important time of all times; nonetheless, the time in our hands is mostly important to us. How we handle it is mostly important because we will be held accountable for this time given to us by God.
There is nothing we can do about the past and we cannot reach into the future and expect the now to take care of itself; the only moment we have and can own is the moment we hold in our hands. Therefore, the time is at hand for us to take hold of the Revelation and live in the awareness of that Revelation. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
Jesus did not stay dead and He will not stay gone. His appearing is immanent and will bring a culmination to all things (Ephesians 1:9-11). All things will be reconciled in Him (Colossians 1:20). As I see it, this is the crux of it all; although we have been allotted a certain amount of time, the end of time or “the end times” is ultimately in the hands of our heavenly Father; “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:32-33).
Once again, the moment we are responsible for is the time we hold in our hands.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
DID YAH SLEEP GOOD?
Jeremiah 31:25-26 (KJV)
“25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.”
True repentance “genuine change” is like waking up from a great night of sleep; refreshed, replenished, oh yes, a new day get it on thing....
True repentance brings about a new day, a new start, a fresh vision for life. At this point, it is no longer what we have been running from; it is now where we are running to. Jesus! is the New Covenant, the new day, new and living way, and a brand spanking new wine skin holding brand spanking new wine.
Always wondered what “brand spanking” meant. It is like “Way O Biggin,”well, true repentance with Jesus is all that and then some. He done come up in here and made a way where there was no way, we have been looking for a way out; and all the time, He is the door leading us into the best life we could have.
Hope you had a good night sleep. Think of it this way, it is not going to get any better until we can lay down and really rest, knowing we have a better life to live all up in Him.
“25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.”
True repentance “genuine change” is like waking up from a great night of sleep; refreshed, replenished, oh yes, a new day get it on thing....
True repentance brings about a new day, a new start, a fresh vision for life. At this point, it is no longer what we have been running from; it is now where we are running to. Jesus! is the New Covenant, the new day, new and living way, and a brand spanking new wine skin holding brand spanking new wine.
Always wondered what “brand spanking” meant. It is like “Way O Biggin,”well, true repentance with Jesus is all that and then some. He done come up in here and made a way where there was no way, we have been looking for a way out; and all the time, He is the door leading us into the best life we could have.
Hope you had a good night sleep. Think of it this way, it is not going to get any better until we can lay down and really rest, knowing we have a better life to live all up in Him.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
TURNAROUNDS
Acts 9:17-22 (KJV)
What a turnaround Paul’s life had taken. Yeppers turnarounds do happen. True life encounters with God changes people from the inside out; everything changes. The way we see things change, we see people differently, even ourselves differently; as we go about living the turning takes place.
“…turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God” (Jeremiah 31:18). Yes, God knows how to turn things around. Let Him begin the turning in you.
Paul was persecuting those who had encountered God with a surety he was right in what he was doing until He encountered God Himself. Turnarounds take place in the places of surety as much as they do in places where we are unsure.
What a turnaround Paul’s life had taken. Yeppers turnarounds do happen. True life encounters with God changes people from the inside out; everything changes. The way we see things change, we see people differently, even ourselves differently; as we go about living the turning takes place.
“…turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God” (Jeremiah 31:18). Yes, God knows how to turn things around. Let Him begin the turning in you.
Paul was persecuting those who had encountered God with a surety he was right in what he was doing until He encountered God Himself. Turnarounds take place in the places of surety as much as they do in places where we are unsure.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
HEAVENLY PLACES
Ephesians 1:3-6 (KJV)
“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ...
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ...
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
We need to desire things God desires; this is the real essence of holiness and sanctified living. Sanctified living is a manifestation of a centered believer; a believer that is at peace with God, themselves, and others.
From someone who is accepted; it is our deepest desire to see others accepted. We are not the elder brother who has done everything right for all the wrong reasons. There is a glory (revelation) in His grace giving ability where there is no ability when it is praised and elevated.
Recognizing those operating without a net comes into play as we offer and construct a net for them. This kind of centeredness gives courage to try and try again until it works.
From someone who is accepted; it is our deepest desire to see others accepted. We are not the elder brother who has done everything right for all the wrong reasons. There is a glory (revelation) in His grace giving ability where there is no ability when it is praised and elevated.
Recognizing those operating without a net comes into play as we offer and construct a net for them. This kind of centeredness gives courage to try and try again until it works.
Monday, November 10, 2014
IN THE PEACE WE FIND PEACE
Jeremiah 29:7 (KJV)
“And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
Many voices speaking many things and out of all the voices; God says, “…seek the peace of the city.” The essence of God, His position, His presence is more important than reasons for tragedy, misfortune, or displacements. If we can find Him the reasons no longer matter. Just to have Him is to have peace; whether we have answers or not, He is home away from home and the resolve when there are no answers. When we cannot change where we are is when where we are changes us.
“And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.”
Many voices speaking many things and out of all the voices; God says, “…seek the peace of the city.” The essence of God, His position, His presence is more important than reasons for tragedy, misfortune, or displacements. If we can find Him the reasons no longer matter. Just to have Him is to have peace; whether we have answers or not, He is home away from home and the resolve when there are no answers. When we cannot change where we are is when where we are changes us.
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