Author Archives: cameron

Character Led of Accomplishment Driven

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Go out Hwy 25, turn off the main highway at Old Field Road and go all the way to the Stone Bridge, there make a left on a well tended driveway and go to the end. Past the gently sloping fields on the right and the big trees on the left, you’ll come to a cafe with a bright door of sorts … an entrance to other places. i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late night, cascading banks of the Okluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the river’s edge, and every evening is pleasant.
So glad you are here this evening, we always enjoy spending some time with you in contemplative conversation. Speaking of contemplating, i’m still learning to sip life, taking time to taste, rather than gulp and swill. One time my son and i stopped at a burger place to eat. As we unfolded our lunch i watched as my darling boy, before my very eyes, turned into a total animal and consumed that large double cheeseburger in about 4 bites. i’m not even sure he chewed it. As i was incredulously watching him i asked the Lord, where did my son learn to eat like that? His reply: From you. “Oh,” and then i remembered my mother nearly threatening my life if i didn’t slow down eating. The Lord continued on speaking to me saying He wanted me to learn to sip life and enjoy what He gave me instead of being such a predatory consumer. i’ll admit, it’s been a real struggle to be so controlled, but i’m beginning to realize how much i miss when i don’t take my time to enjoy the details of people and life.
All week, it seems, almost everyone i’ve met was in a hurry to do something, or go somewhere. A line by the White Rabbit from the book “Alice In Wonderland” comes to mind, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late,” as if they’re about to be late for something, somewhere. There are days when it seems faster isn’t fast enough, like everyday life is driving us and we are just along for the ride. The world around us has a need for hustle and hasty commotion it seems. No time to pause, no time to pray, we must produce and accomplish in order to feel like good people who have value in our society. In order to keep up with production. Our life theme has become, “I’m late, I’m late, I’m oh so very late! No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.”
Our topic is are we Accomplishment Driven or Character Led? That’s a real can of worms. Everyone has a drive of some sort, in one fashion or another, for better or worse. What is it which motivates you, what or who drives you?
i think most would agree God is always working to increase our “C.P.F.”, our character, disposition and frame. Personal holiness is another way of saying “character”, and in light of that i’ve wondered how many of us take seriously our practice of personal holiness. Is personal holiness our ability to get it right and effectively constantly toe the line of the grid of some moral code? i say, no, that’s not it. At … all. i don’t know about anyone else, but it is important to me. Now i’m not speaking of an obsessive view where we are so focused on ourselves and getting life right, we lose sight of the Lord, being all focused on getting life right which only ends wrecked in a ditch someplace. You know, rule keepers never win, not really. So, again as to “getting life right”, well, that’s not it. Toeing the line of a moral code only gets us being rule keepers, and, sadly, this is something i know, again, rule keepers never win. If Jesus doesn’t care our sins then there is nothing.
As we were talking during the music moment, one of the patrons was saying that in the western church we all seem to be in production mode, and, in general we have a built-in bias against anything that’s not full-blast production. We are taught do good, get good. If we do a good job, we keep getting paid, and if we do a poor job, our employer quits paying us. When we were in school if we made good grades, people seemed more inclined to like us, if we made poor grades we are subtly shunned to only have similar friends who also made poor grades. In Christianity it’s called “retributive theology”, again, do good get good, do bad get bad.  We think we’re “good people” because we’re being productive. We feel good about life when we have days in which we appear to ourselves as movers and shakers … you know, really “making it happen” so to speak. Corporate world seems to always stage everything for measuring efficiency and productivity and then at the performance review your value is based on your production numbers. Teddy Roosevelt said that “comparison is the thief of joy.” It seems we’re always measuring and being measured. Is being employed by a church any different many times? How many got saved? How many re-dedications were there? How many healings and deliverances? What were the numbers? Were there any membership applications? It’s a way of measuring our effectiveness. i can not begin to count the number of pastors who were specifically hired to get the church numbers up, and were let go when it didn’t happen.
Here’s a sticky statement we all need to hear: Being in leadership in the Body of Christ is stewardship, not ownership. Did you get that? Stewardship not ownership.i have wondered if maybe the reason David got himself in hot water with God in 2 Samuel 24 was because he sent Joab throughout the land to count the people, after all, political arithmetic comes along with other policies when you’re the king. Maybe it was pride in that it was David measuring how well he was doing and how powerful he was. i’m sure someone more astute than myself would have better answers probably. Don’t get me wrong, it can be profitable to know how effective our efforts are … but unfortunately we also use those numbers to judge if God is in the house or not. We think “lots of people = God is here”, “not many people” = God is not here, and that is just not true. i would far, far more be involved with a spiritually effective church than a socially successful church. Every day, all day. Is being productive and having accomplishments really what constitutes character and being a “good person”? Being productive and accomplishment driven caters to a society which is always measuring our personal value based on what we have accomplished, and if we are judged as being productive, others call us “a good person”, and in God’s economy that holds about as much water as a colander. Some of the world’s most intelligent people with great accomplishments under their belt have also been among the most horrible. And on the other side of that nor is ignorance and being unschooled a prerequisite for poor character and being a criminal. Do you believe you’re a good person? By what standard did you decide that? How good is good enough and how bad is too bad? How much sin are we willing to live with? Again, how wrong is too wrong, and how right is right enough? We can not live on the grid of a moral code, always toeing the line of how well we are keeping “the rules”. Piercing questions for sure.
When trouble comes, and Jesus did promise that in this world we would have trouble in John 16:33, how often have we heard someone say, “What did i do to deserve this?”, or, “He was a good person. He didn’t deserve to be so sick.” As if there are others we judge as definitely deserving some horrible illness? “She was so pretty! She didn’t deserve that!” What? If she was not pretty and was quite the opposite, then, yes THEN would she have been worthy of unkind circumstances? The victim in our heart blames God and cries out, “Why would these terrible things happen to me?”, and “Why would God let this happen to me? I’m a good person!” Whether or not we are “a good person” seems to be a very troubling question in our hearts. So i am compelled to ask again, by what standard do we decide if we are good people or not? How did you come to that conclusion? What’s your evidence?
Are we always measuring ourselves and others, fretting over where we rank on the average “goodness” scale as to whether we are “good people” or not? Godly character supports the generation of righteous people, and declaring ourselves a “good person” only qualifies us in the eyes of the world. You were qualified to receive every blessing of the Lord by being made right with God because you accepted Christ as your Savior. The Father declares those who beieve “righteous” because of the death and resurrection of the Son. Did you get that? It’s because of the Son, Jesus, not because we keep rules, observances, holidays, or traditions. You don’t have to do anything other than to “believe in your heart and confess with your mouth (Romans 10:9) in order to qualify for being righteous. This is not retributive theology, do good – get good, do bad – get bad. It’s a gift! God’s love isn’t based on a merit/demerit system, and neither is character gotten on a similar system of measurement and production. 1Thessalonians 1:3 says hope inspires endurance, love prompts us to labor, and faith produces accomplishment, faith, hope and love are FIRST. If i turn that around it means, production never creates faith, labor never prompts love, and endurance does not come before hope. Listed by importance, our Godly character should always precede work and production.
Religious people seem to have a propensity to play in the merit/demerit system, but that isn’t love, hope, or faith. We, who hold Jesus as Lord and Savior can’t remain the same in our religious struggle between grace and doing the law, and i’ve wondered in my own life where i draw the line when it is too painful to remain the same. It would seem many today want to play both sides of the line on law and grace. When it suits us we quote the O.T., but when it more makes our agenda work, we abandon the old and quote the new. We can’t be in both camps. i’ll say this about that, if it doesn’t change in the new testament, then it still stands from the old, and i think that’s a good rule.
Are you a good person? Can we be productive enough to qualify for “being good”? How did we come to that conclusion? Knowing we can’t be 100% good, how good is good enough? 85%? 92%? You know, the closer we get to 100% the steeper the curve gets and the more unobtainable the standard of “Good person” becomes. Like C.S. Lewis said, “i would not have known what a crooked line was if i didn’t have some idea of what a straight line was.” In order for us to “fall short” in our own eyes, we must have, somewhere within ourselves, some idea of what perfection is.  The “self-goodness” measurement seems to be very subjective. Genesis 3:11 “And God asked of Adam, “How do you know that?”” In other words, where’d you get your information? What does God say? Oh and you KNOW He’s got something to say about this. Sure, we all know our righteousness is as filthy rags, gosh haven’t we had that pounded into us, but there’s more to it than just the negative, there’s a positive also. Being Defined by the Divine is where our real answers are about being a good person and having Godly character. Character inspires us to be productive, but being productive is not the measure of our character. Even people with terrible character can be productive. i really believe God has our answers on this. It would seem in our society we have been seduced into thinking if we do our job well, perform what is asked of us accurately and on-time, pay our bills, take care of ourselves and families, be measurably productive, that if we do all that we believe we are people of good character. i think we live in a culture that’s obsessed with wringing an external result from everything we do, and we measure our character accordingly. But that … sense of accomplishment … is that real character?
God’s idea of accomplishment and man’s idea of accomplishment are greatly different. Afterall, James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person accomplishes a great deal”. Let us remember that the measure of our accomplishment is according to God and His purposes, not according to men. God sees us through the Blood of Jesus. IN Christ, “i am a good person”, and “in” is “in” and we can’t be anymore “in” than “in”. But the scales of men for weighing and measuring accomplishment and the value of people … is almost certainly subjective, fluid, and often undefined. If the scales of men are fluid and mobile, then your value, in the eyes of other men, is also fluid and mobile, meaning today you are seen as a “good person”, but tomorrow, ahhh, tomorrow could be an entirely different story. Today you’re given all sorts of kudos, tomorrow you may be back in the dog house.
Listen: You are qualified to be completely forgiven. You are qualified to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. You are qualified to receive healing. You are qualified to get prayers heard and answered all by the benefit of being washed in the blood of the Lamb and believing He is who He says He is.
   According to God, accomplishment, or being measureably productive, does not constitute high character or being a good person. It is not in how many houses we build, people we feed, ministries we start, or how well we do the one we’ve got. Character is not created by the mighty empire we’ve built, are building, or didn’t build. Character should drive our works, not our works driving our character. And i’ll tell ya’, either we drive or we are driven, but one way or another somebody is going to drive. Even a serial killer can accomplish good things, consistently, so having good, measurable accomplishments is not a sign of “being a good person”. Jeffrey Damer was well thought of by some of his neighbors. They all said he was a nice fellow, at first. Yea, sure, he ate a few people but he was productive and pleasant.
What was Jeff qualified for then? Ok, so let’s practice some good boundaries. That was him, and for you who are in Christ, this is you: You are qualified to prosper. You are qualified to speak the gospel. You are qualified to live with God in Heaven. You are qualified to do what-so-ever God has asked you to do with all power and authority. If He has called you, then you are qualified to go forward in His Name, and you don’t need any man’s endorsement in order to do God’s bidding. You may say, “But mister, you don’t know me. You don’t know what I have done.” You’re right, i don’t know you and i don’t know what you’ve done, but i know me and i know what i’ve done and i am here to testify, Jesus changed my life and destiny. What did that well known preacher say? “You can either be a man of your history or a man of your destiny, what’s it gonna be?”  In Ex3:11, Moses was admitting to feeling like a nobody. He said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”. He was saying that any fame or social credibility he may have once had was gone. But God said, “Your objection is overruled! I will be with you.” The calling upon Moses was not based on his credibility but on God’s. The Lord didn’t want Egypt or Israel impressed with Moses, He wanted them impressed with Himself, the Lord.
Jesus paid the price to qualify you. Right now, because of Jesus’ blood, you qualify for all of God’s blessings. Stand up church.
i am intentionally posing these ideas and questions in hopes we, as the people of God, will have these kinds of conversations and dialogues with our friends and neighbors, to meet them where they are, engaging them on their ground, in terms they will understand. Of course, we must continue to hold the standard of God’s values as our own, but also willing to engage people beyond the safety of our church walls. Let us open doors, don’t close doors. The Lord poses us questions, not because He’s ignorant, as if needing an answer, but to bring our issues to light to be resolved. i believe ALL of God’s questions are to draw us into a personal and relational conversation with Him.
i’ve thought to myself and said outloud to the Lord, “People will probably think i’m crazy if i tell what’s in my heart. Lord, I can believe in you myself because you’re revealing yourself to me. But i’m always hidden away in a safe place. Of myself i am unremarkable and alone in some back room where no one sees, entertaining no risk of reputational degradation. I’m a no-name nobody and nobody’s going to listen to the words of a nobody, especially if it’s a nobody like me, claiming to be speaking for God!” His reply to me is still, “I am with you. I want Egypt and Israel to be impressed with me, not you. Don’t be afraid, just tell it. I will be with you and your unremarkable mouth.” After many years of being encumbered with the constant downward spiral in my thinking, i finally said, “Ok, if You say so.” And out the door i went to whatever God would bring my way. You know, it all worked out just fine once i turned down the volume of my constant self-criticism.
The persistent measuring of whether we are “a good person” or if we are “qualified enough” inspires us to lower our eyes below the Lord to man’s weights and scales, influencing us to be someone we’re not. The world’s standards influence us to re-evaluate ourselves based on measurable production, according to corporate standards. A young man asked me this with a sarcastic tone in his voice, “Why do we want Godly character??”
   Godly character, personal holiness in balance with our God-given-gifting, re-enforces God’s work of expanding our persistence, competence, and confidence in Christ, empowering our inner fortitude, and develops our social skills, which we are so desperately in need of. Godly character brings us upgraded, upgraded, upgraded self-esteem and a sense of being anchored, taking us beyond our perceived sense of limitations. Don’t we know well the world and the devil love to constantly remind us of our perceived limitations.
When we worship the Lord in spirit and truth, there comes the lack of a quantifiable result. Did you get that? When we worship the Lord, we’re not in just a good place, but a God place which cannot be measured. Don’t worry if others don’t sing, raise their hands, or bow down. You do it because you do it and you didn’t ask anyone if it was ok. If we are just following along, standing when we’re instructed, singing, giving, and sitting when we’re told to, where are you in all that telling? Stand, sing, give, and sit because it’s the right thing to do at the feet of the Lord, not because someone told you to. We all need to know at the core of our person, it’s always the right time to do the right thing. Worship allows us to tap a more meaningful place which satisfies core needs and reveals the authentic person behind the masks of job and accomplishments. Here’s a sticky statement, remember: Godly conception gives birth to Godly perception, and righteous imagination gives birth to righteous understanding.
    Are you tired? Worn out? Are you weary of trying to produce enough good works that you might qualify for God’s blessings? Are you burned out on religion? i think there has been a mass exodus from organized-to-pieces Christianity, because the Jesus people met when they got saved, is not the Jesus they met when they got to church. The Lord says, Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Think about it.
i’m Social Porter and thank  you for joining us here at Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late night cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.
If you get the opportunity, go to livinginhisname.org where there are other good things to hear.
You were qualified to receive every blessing of God by being made right with God by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to do anything else so you can qualify. By the blood of Jesus, you are qualified to be completely forgiven, qualified to be filled with the Holy Spirit, qualified to receive healing, and are qualified for your prayers to heard and answered. As we all go our way this week, present God’s character to others, His character in us is the fruit of rubbing shoulders with God, not the performance identity of a job, or the presentation identity that we display to others. Every day with Jesus is a day of defining, moments which bring us solid, consistent definition in a very fluid, mobile, and inconsistent world.
Have you been arguing with God over your qualifications because maybe, in your eyes, you’re not productive enough? If so, remember God’s call on you is not about you. It’s about Him. And the question is, are you willing for God to use you to show the world how impressive He is?
Drive carefully, and allow the Lord to birth in you the courage to dream, believe, and imagine…you were born for it. i’ll talk to you later. Peace my friends, peace, in the name of Jesus.

Provision

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Pro-vision holds hands with vision the same way a thesis is an early discovery process for purpose, with pro-thesis being the Greek for purpose, whose root word is thesis. “Pro” meaning “look ahead”, and “provison” meaning the “look ahead sight pro-viding all the things which advance the vision”. It is a word God uses in the sense of bringing something into being with the consequence that it’s existence is a certainty. His pro-vision is the guarantee of establishing His vision
i do believe though, we often mistake God’s vision as an idea of how it’s going to prosper ourselves, and we take His pro-vision as the things He’s giving us to make us wealthy, comfortable, and living a life of convenience. That’s NOT what He means. He does love that we would do well, of course, but His idea of prosperous and our of prosperous are pretty different. The Lord’s vision for us is to be reconciled to Him, to be healthy and whole, mature, and be filled with the Spirit, bearing out all the fruits and gifts of the Spiri t… that’s the vision. His pro-vision is about what He provides us in order that we would prosper His vision. We take the wealth of God’s provision and tell ourselves, “it is all for me”, building ourselves large homes, buying huge amounts of property, fancy cars, flashy clothes, when in truth, all along, sometimes, if not often, it all amounts to a misappropriation of His provision. The Lord makes us prosperous not to prosper ourselves but to advance the Body of Christ, yet i do believe many of us have gotten lost in our own self-centered ways, with self-centered meaning, to be centered and focused on ourselves … excluding God. Our weight is far more shifted toward ourselves then toward Kingdom purposes. Shift your weight friends.
The eyes see and the soul encourages the little eyes to see again. The mind wants, and the more it sees the more it wants until the heart follows suit and then … gradually, almost unnoticeably, we have lost our relish for righteous things and our relationships with other people have been set adrift, little by little by little, because of the destructive trajectory by which all began in a very subtle place. Many of our errors begin in subtleties, such “small little seemingly nothing things” that don’t appear to make a difference in the now, at the zero point, but out at a distance and over time, the error is staggering. It’s like the teenager that finally decides to take a hit of meth to just try it out for the first time. The first experience is so amazing they decide they’re going to have to try it again. Then again. Shortly, they’re hooked, always trying to relive the original high that will never happen again, ever. Almost all addicts spend all their time chasing that first high. It all began in the turn of a thought in their head that THEY wouldn’t be like THOSE others, that THEY would be able to just try once and stop, that certainly their lives would never turn out horribly like the infamous THEY.
In light of all that, it’s a provision all right, but the question is … who made the provision? It wasn’t the Lord. In light of that, we can safely say the vision behind the provision was one of hatred towards God with a full heart of destruction for mankind.
Arthur Bert used to say “Where God’s appointment is, therein is the provision”. Before the Lord made an appointment for you, He already possessed a vision of what He wanted to happen. With His vision of your destiny, in His “looking ahead sight”, He prepared, in advance what you would need to accomplish what was a necessary. This is why it’s easy to say that while you are on your journey, God is already up ahead waiting for you, just up around the bend. This is why it’s easy to say “the Lord has prepared a table before us”, because in the Hebrew word for “provision”, it comes to us with the idea of “prepare”, as in “from His provision we prepare a meal”. From His provision, the armies of the called prepare for intercession and action. From His provision, we prepare a timely word to the body of Christ. From His provision, we prepare to feed the multitudes of starving and excluded people. He extends us the vision of bringing medical aid to remote places, He makes the pro-vision of supplies, doctors, nurses, vehicles, fuel, food, plane tickets, border passes, and necessary facilities in order to advance the vision, so when we finally get to our destination, we use His provision and prepare to serve with all our heart. David meant something far, far larger than just getting to eat a great meal when He said, “You prepare a table before me.” With provision comes preparing.
In Rom13:14, Paul writes to “make no provision” for the flesh. In other words don’t use, not one ounce of your “looking ahead sight for the things which advance the vision of sin” which so easily besets us. The Lord’s provision is always tied to His providence, and to use our gifts to advance the vision of ourselves, again, is a misappropriation of God’s provision. i do not want to be an embezzeler of Kingdom wealth. Let us see His vision, use His pro-vision, as a noun, be guided by His purposes which are set in front of us, and prepare, as an action verb, preparing the way of the Lord, making His paths straight.
What do you think?

029 Wees Outentiek

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Wees outentiek, geloofwaardig, eerlik en opreg.

“Titus 2:1 “Maar jy moet die dinge onderrig wat ooreenstem met gesonde onderrig, wat die karakter en regte lewe behels wat ware gelowiges identifiseer.”

Paulus het vir Titus opdrag gegee om gesonde onderrig toe te pas en die mense te leer hoe om reg te lewe, volgens God se Woord, sodat hulle as ware gelowiges in Christus geïdentifiseer kan word. Een van die grootste behoeftes van die kerk vandag is geloofwaardigheid. Ons, as gelowiges, word dikwels meer geken deur die wêreld,  vir waarteen ons staan, as waarvoor ons staan. Ek het na die stad toe gegaan en ‘n klein opname onder jong mense gedoen en was geskok om te ontdek dat baie, die kerk van vandag, beskou as bedrieërs, swendelaars, leuenaars, manipuleerders, egbrekers, ensovoorts. Ja, dit is die woorde wat baie gebruik het. Lewe ons die ‘wet’ of leef ons op aarde soos in die Hemel? Ons moet elkeen ‘n uitsonderlike lewensstyl kies wat die karakter en eienskappe van Jesus Christus weerspieël.

Wanneer ons ‘n Christelike “bumpersticker” op ons motor sit, juweliersware met ‘n kruis dra, of t-hempies met Skrifte dra, kan ons gerus wees dat mense kyk … hulle is op soek na egtheid. Ons moet die mense van God wees, nie net soos die mense van God lyk nie. Ons moet Jesus Christus weerspieël en die mense wees wat Jesus so graag wil hê ons moet wees.  Kom ons leef ‘n lewe wat die onderrig van die geloof mooi maak. Miskien moet ons studeer om te leer wat die einskappe van God is, en dan ‘n koers uitstippel om aanpassings in ons lewens te maak om die stralende goedheid van God te weerspieël. Kom ons besef dat dit dalk ‘n rukkie kan neem om eg en deursigtig te wees voordat ander begin glo in ons geloofsbewerings en ons ernstig opneem. Dit is nie genoeg om net rond te loop en Skrif aan te haal nie, die wêreld wil resultate sien wat ooreenstem met ons bewerings.

‘n Pragtige prentjie in die Skrif word gegee in Titus 2:1, waar ek glo dat een siening van die skrif ‘n beeld is van ‘n krans om die nek van elke gelowige in Christus Jesus. Daardie krans kan baie dinge verteenwoordig, maar vir hierdie bespreking, kom ons noem dit gesonde onderrig. Die idee van ‘n krans is ‘n oorwinning of kroon, maar dit is ook een van ‘n pragtige versiering om ‘n venster met ‘n uitsig. Elke gelowige is soos ‘n venster met ‘n uitsig, en die vrug van die Gees, heiligheid en Godsaligheid versier daardie venster, soos ‘n krans van genade. Daardie krans is vir elke gelowige, en daar is geen kantlynbankie vir die onbevoegde spelers nie. Elkeen is op die speelveld, self al dink jy nie jy is nie, luister na die Here… jy is. Hoe lyk jou krans?

Watter nut het dit om ‘n “Jesus is lief vir jou” stieker op jou motor te hê en dan padwoede te beoefen, of om onbeskof te wees teenoor mense met ‘n slegte houding, voor jou kollegas, of selfs waneer jy buite sig is van ander? Ons houding is aansteeklik. ‘n Paar goeie vra wat ons, onself kan vra, is : Wat vang ander mense van ons op?  Wie se lewe weerspieël ons wanneer ons daardie soort houding vertoon? Die bybel is ons finale maatstaf wat ons Gedrag, Karakter en Geselskap betref. 1 Timoteus 3:15 – “Ek skryf sodat jy mag weet hoe om jouself in die huis van God te gedra, wat die kerk van die lewende is, die pilaar en grond van die waarheid”. Hoe ons BINNE die huis is, is hoe ons BUITE die huis moet wees. Dit is ‘n ernstige misverstand van die Liefde van God wanneer ons “op ‘n Sondag na die Hemel toe gaan”, en dan die res van die week “soos die hel” leef. In jou gedagtes, hoe lyk dit as jy die  soort persoon sou wees wat heilig en soos God is in jou gedrag ? Sien jy jouself rondloop met ‘n gloeiende gloriekrans, wat lang gewade dra, heeltyd heilig opgetrek en altyd opkyk? Of dalk net ‘n gewone mens wat eenvoudig eerlik en eg is? Die Hebreeuse woord wat vir “heiligheid” gebruik word, impliseer sterk dat dit beteken om “afgesonder” te wees, of geskik vir ‘n spesifieke doel. Kom ons wees nie ontrou aan God se ontwerp nie.

Ek moedig ons almal aan om ons lewens te ondersoek en seker te maak dat die manier waarop ons lewe, sover ons kan, die Here te verteenwoordig.  Dat dit wat ons sê, geloofwaardig is. Wees eg.

 

Vertaling is deur Chané de Clercq

Do The Right Thing

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2 Thessalonians 3:13 “But as for you, brethren, don’t grow weary in doing good.”

i know we all understand how hard it is to do the right thing especially when it seems justice would be better served by doing the wrong thing. Doing what is right occasionally or for a short while doesn’t bring the breakthroughs we need in life, and don’t you know, so many, many people need a breakthrough of some sort. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 exhorts us to not just do the good and appropriate action only when it suits us, but to continue doing the right thing, and sometimes we’ve simply got to do it over and over and over and over before we see results. Anyone who has ever trained a pet knows they have to be consistent and repeatable, doing the same thing repetitively in order to communicate what it is we want the pet to do, or not do. Isn’t it also true with our kids? We can’t just tell the truth within the sight and hearing of children, they need to see us being honest over and over so they get the idea that not only are we, the parents, honorable and honest, but that they should act similarly to our actions, hopefully even surpassing us in doing right.

How do you act when you’re just worn out with the behavior of other people? It is the truth, people can be very irritating, but if you’re listening, then you’re a people too. What is a right action to you? When you’re in the grocery store, there always seems to be someone who is shopping as if they are the only person in the world, and i must admit, there are times when i feel like just yelling at them, telling them to “Move!” But that wouldn’t go over well i would imagine neither would my actions likely garner the results i was hoping for.

When we feel ourselves becoming impatient and fatigued in our well doing, go to God and wait on Him to give us fresh strength so we are enabled by His grace to press through to a righteous conclusion. James 5:13 says if you’re suffering then pray, which implies to me prayer is the beginning place to resolve any and all of our problems. We really need to learn to pray. And by the way, the word “suffering” there is not just any old suffering, but is in the idea of diseased affections, noise in your head, and even enduring hardship.

Doing what is right when we don’t seem to be getting right results is not easy, especially when all the little details seem to be against us. When a farmer plants seeds in the ground, he must keep a patient watch over it all until there finally come sprouts and eventually produces a harvest. It is a process that takes time and effort. If the farmer gives up on his garden and stops caring for it, he will miss the harvest of all the hard work.

One of satan’s favorite things to do is to try and get us to give up! However, God tells us to endure, persist, continue, and finish. The Lord teaches us to be long suffering, patient, determined, and steadfast. Everyone loves the gifts of the Spirit as seen in 1Corinthians 12:4-10, so let us also love the fruit of the Spirit too! (Galatians 5:22)

i heard someone say in their experience, though maybe limited, they found that often have to treat people right for a long time before there is a beginning to being treated the same way. For me, often, i have to do the right thing with a right attitude for a long time before i start getting right results. There it is and it’s the truth. Just as natural seed finally takes root and the beginning of a plant breaks through the ground, we too will see breakthrough if we continue to do the right thing, regardless of what others do.

People frequently give up too easily, i know there certainly have been times when i have. When our feelings quit on us, we tend to quit too. But after living through a lot of thick and thin, i have learned that i can feel wrong and still choose to do what is right.

Jesus said in Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

1 Peter 3:11 “Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil“.

One sign of spiritual maturity is the ability to live beyond our feelings. When only our feelings are the engine which drive our train, we’ve got real trouble. People who are spiritually mature live by decisions made based on God’s Word, not on how they feel. C’mon, risk with God again and let us pour out our well doing to our neighbor. i believe one of the things most missing in the church today is simple hospitality.

Let me encourage us all: Don’t give up; keep on doing the right thing regardless of the world around you.

When It Is Just You

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More people than we can imagine can hear the roots of loneliness creeping through them when the world is hushed at four o’clock in the morning. When it is just you and no one else is around, the room is quiet, and night has settled in until the morning, when it’s just you, how do you spend your time? Silence in itself isn’t good or bad…what we do with it and why is where our challenge is.

For me, silence wasn’t easy. When i was a teenager i used to take LSD and amphetamines just to slow down what was going on in my head. For years i just talked and talked, often not really saying anything, but gosh, there was just so much in my head, and often it was all sssooo loud. Oh, i was smart, plenty smart, i just couldn’t pay attention. Honestly though, it was easier to make my mouth move than it was waiting for God to speak to me. Of course, we all know though, if your mouth is moving, your ears aren’t listening. i had ideas about why the sky was blue, where do dreams go when they’ve been played out, where do we go when we sleep, and every pointless, endless thing you can imagine, even how God and i should resolve other people’s problems, worrying out loud to Him about this and that, and to tell you the truth, i was arrogant in that i was sure God would agree with me. Ha! Boy, now that’s arrogant isn’t it? i had to-do lists, and don’t-do lists running through my head, but rarely did i actually do anything on those lists … just lost in the swirl of constant chatter, instead of peace and quiet. It was easy for me to buy into the incessant noise in my head, after all, it’s all there was. But to sit and listen? Well, now, that felt just unnatural, and even when i tried to listen, the chatter and banter back and forth in my brain was like a massive river that rolled on and on.

One day, while walking in the woods, i shared my agony with God, knowing silence and stillness were things I needed to practice, but the volume of different voices in my head was truly over whelming, and the farther i walked in the silence of the deep woods the louder it all got. i remember saying, “Just turn it all off Lord! It’s just too much and i don’t know who is you and who is me!” At the crescendo of all that, I felt God’s gentle encouragement: “Shhh … be still. It’s okay to be silent. You don’t have to say a word.”

And then all went quiet in my head.

It was truly a miracle and God was teaching me something. His direction to be quiet was about more than resting my mouth. It was about resting my heart. The idea of resting, from God’s perspective, didn’t mean necessarily to relax and lay my body down, but more to cease from my own actions, motivations, and obsessions. I understood this when I read Psalm 131:2, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul.” God wanted me to understand true rest, His rest. And i’ll tell ya’, i don’t believe anyone can truly quiet their soul by themselves. It’s a God-thing.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. With great intention and God-strength, I slowed my 90-mile-an-hour thoughts and parked them during my alone time with the Lord. I fully believe He gave me the power to put the brakes on my racing mind, hard as i tried i couldn’t stop it by myself. Sometimes this required me writing out my to-do list prior to our time together. Or re-adjusting my priorities. Vacuuming was not as important as listening to God when it was time to listen to God, and i say that because, often, when it was time to pray i would suddenly be inundated with thoughts about other things i simply “needed” to do … right now! So that brings me to this evening’s topic: When it’s just you, how do you spend your time? Think about what you spend your time thinking about? What occupies the bulk of your days?

What a beautiful evening. i stayed a little longer this evening knowing you might stop in on your way home. Oh, i know, it’s late, but, well, you’re part of the late night crowd, some who simply can’t sleep, others, like yourself, just like staying up. There was quite a crowd here earlier but it looks like they’ve all found their way to another place and it’s just us out here on the deck overlooking the river. Either way, i’m glad to see you took the time to turn off the main highway, went all the way to the end of Old Field Road in order to join us here at Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late night cascading banks of the Okluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant.

 

What is going on in your head when it’s just you and the room is so quiet you can almost hear the air molecules swishing in your ears? I realize this story is one i’ve told before, but i want to tell it again because it just hits on so many facets of where people really live.

The other day a friend of mine and i went to visit an elderly lady in a nursing home. We go sometimes to pray, and visit those who can’t get out. It’s a good work. But that day we went to see a lady we’ll call Gladys. She was very pale, skin as thin as parchment and you could see even the small blue veins in her arms, face and neck. When we walked in Gladys had her eyes closed, thinking she was just resting her eyes i spoke to her, fully not expecting her to respond. To my surprise, keeping her eyes shut, Gladys said she was awake. i asked her how she was and she said she was just laying there waiting to die. She said she fully expected to be going home with the Lord at any moment, but that she’d been waiting for a year and wasn’t dead yet; she didn’t understand why her heart just kept going, but she was willing to wait it out. We chuckled with her. it was humorous maybe, and even though we chuckled, it wasn’t funny. i asked her why she was laying there with her eyes shut, after all it was a beautiful day. She said she was tired of looking at the walls and there was nothing left to see and she was just done.

Regardless of the news of the hope of some great economic recovery, i think there are many people who just sit in the dark, don’t know what to do with themselves, and are just waiting for something, who knows what, just … something. How do you spend your evenings? Are you occupying your time with something good? Maybe you spend your time screaming in all caps at people on Facebook? Do you spend more time thinking about the evil of darkness than the goodness of God? i really don’t know what to say to people who say they are believers but seem to know more about darkness and everything the church is doing wrong than about God and what the church is doing right. The evening is for your rest, but for many, your time of rest has turned into a lostness, or purposelessness. Where are you? Where did the “you” go from a good while back when you had ideas, and plans…. visions, and dreams?

God is reminding us in the deep hours of our being by ourselves, “I’m here. I love you. I don’t mind if you need to stay up crying all night long, I will stay with you. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I am stronger than depression, more powerful than the worst storm in your head, and I am braver than loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.”

Where is God in your life? Maybe it’s time to include the Lord in your life again.

Oh, and on a side note, much later, after Gladys passed away many months later, i found out some well meaning person who felt they had a prophetic gift had prophesied over Gladys and told her the Lord said her time was short. My heart sank when i heard that. Well, at that cruel word in the name of the Lord, Gladys decided that if she was going to die, she need not even try to continue. She didn’t die from some disease or complication, it was just shear, simple failure to persist.

 

What do you do with yourself, when it’s just you? Do you zone out in front of the TV, tap the keyboard at your computer for hours till your even more bored than you were when you started, long worn out on being generally fatigued and disinterested, just marking time? Bored bored bored. Or maybe you make yourself numb somehow so you don’t have to think about tomorrow or yesterday? What else could you do besides pondering the conflict around you – or the emptiness many seemingly spend so much of their time thinking about? What or who takes up the bulk of your mental real estate? What can you do to help yourself? Again, think about what you spend your time thinking about.

After seeing Gladys i think the Lord called me into a time to consider what i do with my time. Feeling i didn’t have any good answers, i turned to God in prayer and asked Him what He thought i could do with my late night hours when the world around me seemed to be going to sleep, but yet there i was, awake, with smoky, formless thoughts swirling around in my head enough to keep me awake. The Lord had me open my Bible, (chuckle), there’s a novel idea for most of us, open your Bible….anyway, sometimes when i don’t have a clue where to read, i do something i call my “lucky dipping Bible verse” where i close my eyes, flip the pages, and put my finger down. It’s definitely not a good method, but i think most of us would be lying if we said we never tried that. It’s sort of a “grab bag” for something meaningful. i usually don’t, but this time, for funzies, i did. i thumbed around through the pages looking for some direction and i came to a pause on Philippians 4:8.

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. Don’t be anxious about anything, don’t fret or worry. In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

It’s wonderful what happens when the Lord displaces worry at the center of your life.

After reading that, God had my attention and some things clicked in my head. Continuing on with Philippians 4, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”

i wouldn’t want any of us to get to a place where we’re closing our eyes to the world around us because our hearts are just too tired and sad to want to see it all anymore. God can, and does, open our eyes to His wonders and works. Have you asked Him to change your perception, to lift your thoughts from the failing world around you to live in a brighter place? God has an adventure for all of us. When is the last time you had an adventure with God?

He LOVES adventure, after all, adventure was His idea. We all love that God invented flowers, but i’d like to add that He invented stormy seas as well as beautiful sunsets too; billowy clouds were His idea, just like freezing temperatures and winter was His idea. He’s a very diversified creator you know. God wants you to take to the high seas with Him, just like He wants to sit with you and smell the fresh mowed grass in the evening too. God is able to occupy all the time you will give Him. He is the source of creativity and when mankind fell to sin in the garden, creativity did not leave us, we just ignore it a lot of times. Creation was His idea, which is why He is called the Creator. We all need to ponder the good things of Who He Is, not just What He’s Got. i fully believe “Who God Is” will fill all our senses, and we will not have minds that ponder into oblivion the dim, the ugly, the hopeless, the endlessly mundane boredom of this fast fading world. Look at Jesus, the Light. He will fill us with so many ideas and adventures, we’ll never be bored again. Would you be interested in that?

 

For many, life seems hollow and lonely, despite all the drugs, despite the bright dazzle of purposeless “parties”, despite the false grinning faces we’ve learned to wear. And when at last we find someone to whom we feel we can pour out our soul, we stop in shock at the words we utter. For some it’s been so long since our inner person spoke its own reflections and considerations out loud for our own ears to hear. The words just seem rusty and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark – inside place – for so long. For many living in isolation, their voices are unpracticed and sound like dusty dry newspaper from lack of expression. Don’t mistake me by thinking i’m just being negative here, because there is joy, fulfillment and companionship, of course – but the loneliness of the soul, for many, is persistent, horrible and overpowering.

When it’s just you, and you alone, where do your thoughts go? For me, i tend toward prayer. i’m amazed at what God has done in me. Prayer just seems to happen, always rolling around in my head. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says to “thank God without ceasing”, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to “pray without ceasing”. That’s great to say, but how do we do that? i’ve come to the conclusion neither of those are a thing we can do in and of ourselves, so it must be a God thing you know, a gift for which i am very grateful. How do we “pray without ceasing”? Well, i think, we don’t, God does. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit that we would do this. Song of Solomon 2:2, “… I slept, yet my heart was awake…”

i’m certain, the Lord of all Heaven and earth loves adventures with us. At different times along the course of our lives, and you’ll never know when, He opens doors of unique opportunities, experiences, and even brave appointments. Remember that show from years ago, Mission Impossible? Every week the episode opened with a secret agent listening to a tape and some anonymous recorded voice would say, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is…” And then the voice would describe some wild assignment that was so dangerous there was little chance of success or survival.

Today, for you and i, we can choose to accept God’s adventure, some name it “callings”, or we can walk away. Yes, the choice is real. We can walk on high seas, treading darkness under foot, doing exploits for the Kingdom in the Name of Jesus, or we can just close the door, living safe, making safe words, safe music, safe relationships with safe people, but what will you tell your grandchildren when you’re old and should be full of stories to delight their ears? Don’t close those doors of possibility with God. Step through into the place of more and let Him dazzle you with His imagination. If you don’t step through those doors with the Lord, all those memories which could have been yours will only be an option you didn’t take, and you’ll never know the beyond of beyond.

 

For years i was perplexed how i was supposed to “pray without ceasing”, but over time i find Jesus is first and foremost on my mind, day in, day out. When i wake in the night, as soon as i’m aware of being awake, walking to the bathroom, i notice Jesus is on my mind. When waking up in the morning, Jesus is first and foremost on my mind, first thing, first thought. Going to sleep, Jesus is on my mind, last thing, last thought. He is there, even when i’m occupied doing something that’s not gospel related, just living in my everyday-walk-around life, thoughts of Jesus are drifting through everything i think and dream. Even when in error, Jesus is first and foremost on my mind. Not my efforts, but by God’s persistence has He made my mind stayed on Him and established my heart by grace. By my rearview mirror i can see the evidence. What can you see in your rearview mirror? Years ago i asked the Lord to give me one magnificent obsession, something i could just throw myself at with all my heart. Well, He did just that. His name is Jesus.

i used to try and make myself think of no one else, and would worry that i was messed up because thoughts of Jesus didn’t consciously preoccupy my time the way i thought they should. But when i relaxed, breathed in and out and just let God-life happen in me and around me, i noticed He was there, first and last, foremost, all the time and i didn’t have to make something happen, it was already happening. He is truly the first and last, my best thought in the beginning and end of the day.

In order to be clear, let me say that Jesus is not an entertainment source. He is not going to tap dance for us, or create an endless array of circus performances just to keep us occupied. He wants our time and attention. The last words of Philippians 4:8 are “think on these things”. In other words, occupy your mind with what is true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. The world has a long, long list of things to occupy your mind with and we can all rest assured, that if we don’t focus on Christ and that He is seated at the Father’s right hand in heavenly places in governance of the entire universe, if we don’t rest our eyes on Him, the world will have an agenda for us. If we’re not resting our eyes on the Lord, then who or what are we resting our eyes on? If we are not practiced at Godly things, then we are becoming practiced at worldly things. What is your practice, in the late hours, when it’s just you and God? What is your habit in the evening? Let us all think carefully about how we invest our time when we are alone. My friends, don’t let your eyes get used to the dark. Think about it!

 

i’m Social Porter at Small Potatoes Audio Works for Living In His Name Ministries, broadcast semi-live from the late evening cascading banks of the Okluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

We extend our thanks of support from Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, McDowell Electric, Paul at International Tile, Allan, Kevin, and Tommy of the Mebane Freedom League, Paul at WK Studio’s, the Tip Top What Not thrift store on 4th street in Clineville. Do stop by and enjoy the glad tidings with Jeff and Karen and the wonderful baked goods at Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

If you get time, go to Living In His Name.org, there are other things which could prove to be of interest for you to see and hear.

Enjoy the remainder of your evening, let Jesus give you the rest your heart needs. Take the time to cease from your own activities and let Him occupy your thoughts as you go your way. Read a book maybe. Hey, now there’s a novel idea! There are adventures beyond your imagination of which God is the inspiration to the writer. Some people say they only read Christian books, only listen to Christian music, or only buy Christian art. Well… how do they know who is a believer or not? There’s a lot of music written by bonafide believers which doesn’t even have any words. There are many many artists who are believers who do amazing art and carvings, illustrations and literature but you’d only know they were believers because of the excellence of their work and the testimony of their mouth.  Sure, many books are self-evident, but others, not so much. If you don’t like that particular book, put it down and try another one. Trust that God will lead you out of seclusion and into better places if you’ll give Him the opportunity. Get out of your chair, move off the couch, get up and go out “there”, beyond your doorstep. Don’t allow yourself to just sit around, letting the blood pool in your body because you’ve been motionless for so long. Let’s not be Gladys. Come go with me, i’m going up to the high places where all the idols have been torn down, and the air is clean. Be strong and courageous, lift your hands, and thank God for His goodness towards us this week.  i look forward to talking to you again …. soon and very soon we are going to meet the King. Amen.

He Is Jesus

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His name is Jesus. He is the tree planted in living water, He is the one who yields fruit in season and out and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does … prospers. Can there be any seed God plants which does not grow? Can there be any dream He gives which He does not frame, build, and bears much fruit? He is the completion of redemption and the balance of reconciliation.

He is the One who gives us images to familiarize us with Himself. He is God who whispers us to sleep when we are restless, then rustles His God-fingers against the earth until it rains love in our lives, making wet parched hearts to sing again, even in the moments when we would have preferred to stop living.

Jesus is the one who knows your stories before you are born, who draws you into the truth to meet your self, to resolve yourself, and to love Him without fear. He is God who walks without moving, He dreams without sleeping and calls us, each to Himself without speaking. Psalm 32:8 says He guides us with His eyes. He is the One who has been speaking to you before you knew it was Him speaking to you, long before you knew Him as you know Him now. Remember. His intent was calling you, even when you were a child. He is there. It was Jesus all along.

Every time we bump the life of another, Christ is spoken in our moment of connection, He is the One who overcomes our inertia, our “indisposition to change”, our resistance to a change in direction. He is the picture that is beyond the frame – He knows no limitations of righteousness and is the unfailing brightness of reality which no eye can perceive and is infinitely more than words can describe.

Many times we don’t need someone to bring us BIG change, we just need a firm foot provided us so we can set our foot against it in order that we can find purchase to change direction.

Ultimately, it is the foot of the Savior, who in His mercy, provides us a  stanchion … even when all our closest, most relied on friends have gone, Jesus gives us the pinion to hold us fast to His Heart, even when we are dangling from a reverse-inclined sheer rock cliff, Jesus is there with us, and He is busy working on our behalf, driving pinions, making pivots, throwing us ropes, pulling us close to His heart, never leaving us or forsaking us. He is there!

Jesus is the One who celebrates with us, Luke 15:10 “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

He Is God who pleads on our behalf, like in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

He is the One who weeps with us when we weep, John 11:33-35, “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.”

Our God is the One who goes on adventures with us. In both Matthew 14 and Mark 8, the disciples were in a storm and Jesus was with them. Jesus was the one who calmed the storm, He is the one who walked on the water, and He is the one who raised the dead.

i am like a blank page, and He is the letters, like blue water touching white shores by the Tree of Life at the Crystal Sea, standing up like figures between water and air. He is like a shining hand writing shimmering words upon my heart, writing silver thoughts, God thoughts shining. He is God who sparks ideas in me, and God who dreams His dreams upon creation like an open hand offering His hope and salvation. Jesus is the All in All, abundant, and beyond our beyond.

Jesus, our Lord, He is the song of songs who has been sung since before the foundations of the world were laid. He is the one who teaches us how to break the rule of silence imposed on us by sin for us to praise Him with lips pressed tight out of fear and a soiled conscience. Teach us to break the rule of wounded silence Lord! He is always present tense. He Is … present tense in the past, He is present tense in the now, and He is … present tense in the future. He is because – He is God and there is none like Him for He truly is the One and Only. Isaiah quotes the Lord saying, “If there were other God’s, I would know them, and I don’t know of any other. I AM.”

Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” By Jesus Christ came grace, and by grace i know Jesus is The One, and there is only One. Before i knew Him i was silent because my master was sin whom i had to obey. i lost my voice to death. But now, because i have known, do know, and will know Jesus, i am free, silent no longer and am only a slave to love, the Christ of God who first loved me.

The Lord will gather us who are His, and oh, what a day that will be. He will call our names, and we will respond like letters with multidimensional value, we’ll respond to the call of God like golden words with syllables of silver, turquoise and jade. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” We will tell our stories, He will unlock our mysteries and we will shine with the Light of our resurrected Savior when we all sit down to recline and dine with our Savior who Forever lives. Jesus, “He is God”. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, God, and there is  not another, nor is there one to come after Him. In Himself, Jesus is sufficient. He eclipses the speed of light, able to be in the past, the present, and the future all at the same time. He is able to move backwards and forwards in time at will, for He is beyond time and space, He is God. He is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the infinite King of the Universe with no up, down, left, right, front or back. He is God.

Song Of The Morning

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i remember, when i was very small, waking up one winter morning and looking out the window. It was very early, just in the edge of daylight, and as i looked around at the world outside, from the inside looking out, the snow was heavy on the trees. Everything was white and fresh and new. There rose an excitement which caused me to jump and run around the house looking out all the windows at the spectacular world that had appeared sometime in the night.

Looking back in time, as best i can remember, it was the first time i realized how much i loved the morning. In my little boy world, i decided that from then on i would be the first in my house to see and live in all the newness which had never been lived in before. To this day, i love the mornings more than anything, and i still rise very early with an excitement, walking through the house quietly while everyone is still asleep, peeping out the windows, breathing in the freshness of the morning. There is something amazing about it all, it’s mesmerizing to me and i just can’t help it.

When we talk about the morning, we associate daylight, breakfast, coffee, going off to begin the things we begin every day, but what was God’s idea about it? Did He speak something into the morning that would impact all mankind as long as there is the dawning of a new day, before the end when all things will be revealed?

Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, broadcast live from the deck overlooking the Ockluhwahhah River. i decided to begin the program this early so i could listen to the symphony of the morning as the sun arose. There is such thing as the “song of the morning” you know. Sun rise is just as spectacular as the sun set. Sun rise sings of a new song, a new day dawning, washed fresh from the night, beautiful in its rising grace. Put your ears on and go with me this evening to discover what God has in mind when He uses terms we’ve all but washed the meaning out of. i’ll be right back.

           There is something wonderful about the rising of dawn out of the end of night, that very important time of day when the rising morning light of the new day plows under the end of yesterday. Standing early in the morning, watching the day come to life, i feel … alive, breathing, as if being drawn toward the threshold of Heaven’s gate…So here i stand, poised, watching … waiting … anticipating the morning song…the song of the morning … it’s almost like a symphony that starts as soft as a whisper … so softly, you’re not sure you’ve actually heard anything. The dawn seems to pick up speed towards its arrival, night is driven back, and sure enough, the symphony of the rising light is actually there and growing in volume. If you listen it can be heard, that is for those who have ears to hear. It is real, it is the song of the Heart of The Father for all mankind, every day, to be inspired to “return”. The idea of repentance is partly to change your mind concerning salvation and to believe that Jesus really can deliver and save, but God’s idea of repentance is not just to change your mind concerning the salvation offered through Christ, but more to come home. In order to come home, we must realize we have left home and are not at home in this world.

In the morning … there’s just something very important about “in the morning”. It’s like really important stuff always seems to happen at that time. We set off on a trip in the morning, we pray “first thing” in the morning, we begin another day “in the morning”; our thoughts seem more fresh and crisp in the morning – and yes, i know you night owls out there may debate that, but watch the witness, there is something about the way God designed us to operate that is somehow integrated with the rising dawn called, “in the morning”.

All creation has a part of the chorus, just like the various instruments of an orchestra.  Each has its part to play in the symphony of praise to God. Let all creation sing to God, in the morning.

Psalm 148:1-5 “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.”

You know in your heart it’s a good idea … so c’mon, come let us return to the Lord.

           Built into the “morning” is the call of God to every person. Within each morning is His intent towards us causing a rise in people’s hearts to return, to come home to Jesus.

Some of the following may seem repetitive, but i believe it’s all worth saying as often as necessary until we get it down in our hearts. Know what i mean?

In the Hebrew word, “rain”, there is the hidden and revealed source of blessing, men may not know where the sprinkling comes from, but when the sprinkling on the earth is revealed, man is inspired to return.

In the “morning”, there is the rising of the light, the plowing under of the evening … the morning is like an emissary of Holiness, top and first of the day … in the newness of the morning, again, man is inspired to return.

When it “rains” in the “morning”, it is a double pull on the hearts of people, and i don’t know about you, but i get a peculiar longing in my heart. The world may not realize it, but every morning, the appeal of the Lord to return is for everyone, everywhere, calling us to come home.

On that note, some may say returning to God is a fluid process, and the returning heart can arrive home by many different ways, but we must ask ourselves a very necessary question: How does the Lord say we come home? God is very specific about this and it is not flexible. Twice in John 10 Jesus said, “I AM the door”. In John14 Jesus said, “I AM the way, the truth, and life, and no one comes to the father except through me.” And then the passage through to home becomes more defined when Jesus narrows it down even further by saying, “If you have known me then you’ve known the Father” implying that if someone does not know Jesus then they don’t know the Father and can’t reach the Father without going through the son. Returning home is a nice romantic thing to dream about, but it’s more stringent than simply doing however you want, believing whatever suits you, based on what you think or the rumors you’ve heard. God was very specific about who shall return and how they’ll enter into Heaven. Very specific indeed.

Once God has spoken …. once His words have left His mouth, they continue to be spoken. That is amazing! i’ll say it again, Once the Lord has spoken, His words do not stop being said, they will continue until the end when all things will be revealed.

“Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning that is happening before our very eyes; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain upon the earth.” i’ll say that with slightly different words, Let us be steady and ready to study God. Let us be eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. God is here! He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground.

In every pleasant thing God has created, know that not only did the Lord make it for us, but there is a subtle call to us all. And yes, i realize i’m using the phrase “call to come home” and “call to return” repetitively, but it’s so important that we hear and understand what the Lord is saying. So much of everything in the world has diluted God’s intent, that in our present system of words and definitions, we easily lose sight of His love.

We are called upon in Philippians 4:8 to think on whatsoever things are lovely … in the word lovely there is a call of the Lord to let go of the hindrances of this life, focus your attention on Jesus, and return to the God of our fathers. When anyone walks into a garden and it’s just busting with brilliant flowers, doesn’t there rise in your heart an inclination to marvel? The call to return pulls at our hearts even when we look at the night sky and gaze at the moon.

The Lord’s longing for us to be restored can be found in almost every part of creation. Many don’t see or hear, but it is there. Will we respond to His ever-present call? Either we do or we don’t…there is no sort of, pretty much, or for the most part. It’s a persistent call, an unrelenting call to all mankind, generation to generation, every morning, every evening, every flower, every waterfall, every mist, and every drop of rain which falls, the Lord beckons us to come away with Him, and sing the song of a rising new day.

Many seem to not be aware of the universal call of God…. not knowing what the longing in their hearts is about, but the longing is there none the less. Every time we watch it rain, every time we are mesmerized by the moon and the stars, every morning with the rising of the sun and the dew is fresh on the grass, mankind experiences an unidentifiable desire for restoration and recovery … we yearn to return to God.

The beauty of the morning is always striking and the birds announce the arrival of the new day which wraps our world in wonder. Even when things are bad with us, every morning, we start again with the thoughts of possibilities, thinking, maybe this day will be different. Hope rises on the wings of the new day, joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 90:14, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of the morning saying: “I see the spectacle of morning from the hill-top over against my house, from day-break to sun-rise, with thoughts which an angel might share. The long slender bars of cloud float like fishes in the sea of crimson light. From the earth, as a shore, I look out into that silent sea. I seem to partake its rapid transformations: the active enchantment reaches my dust, and I dilate and conspire with the morning wind.”

It was the habit of the hero’s of our faith to rise at the break of day to meet with God. Abraham and Moses rose up early in the morning to stand before the Lord. God sent Moses to stand before Pharaoh in the morning. Joshua, David, Job, Isaiah, Daniel, Jesus, and the Apostles all saw something important about starting the day off by meeting with God in the morning, when the sun begins to crest the eastern sky. They all had a habit of making the Lord the first one they spoke with every morning …. it was a first fruit offering; they gave God the honor of first recognition, first address, and first notice. after all, He is the alpha and omega, and multiple Bible heroes honored Him as the first and the last. And you? Who do you honor with your first and last words of the day? We say Jesus is first in our lives, so in light of that common declaration among believers, who is the first person you speak to every morning?

In the morning the brilliant blue larkspur and orange nasturtium blooms seem to glow in large beds against the sunny side of my house, and the swarms of yellow butterflies in continual motion speak of God’s kiss of affection for those who heed His call of grace. Art cannot rival this grandeur, this God-made pageantry of many colors … at the vision, i’m drawn up in worship of the Lord by the rising light of day. With the morning, every morning there is oneness in the house, God’s holiness rising as an emissary who is first and top of the day – the morning is divine.

Jesus, crucified in the evening, was found to be resurrected in the morning of the third day. As published in 1931 by English author Eleanor Farjeon, her lyrics about the most significant morning in history spoke of the resurrection of Christ: “Morning has broken, Like the first morning, Black bird has spoken, Like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing, Fresh from the Word! Sweet the rain’s new fall, Sunlit from heaven, Like the first dewfall, On the first grass. Praise for the sweetness, Of the wet garden, Sprung in completeness, Where His feet pass.”

In John 21, after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, maybe the apostles didn’t know what to do next, so, they decided to go fishing. They set up their nets, launched their boats and they worked all … night … long. They knew how to accomplish their trade, but there was no benefit for their work at that point, and fishing like those guys fished was indeed hard work. In the morning, that’s right, in the morning, Jesus met them and directed their work. In the morning God showed up and they were fruitful. And notice, the Lord could have shown up at any time, but He chose the morning, when the light plows under the evening and begins anew. i’m telling you, i don’t know what it is, but there’s just something very important about meeting with God in the morning, it sets the tone for the day, it seems to put things in order and in a righteous array. All i can say is, on the wings of the morning, in the early morning light, the rising day brings the mercy and goodness of God which extends beyond the vanishing point. Think About it!

To recap a bit, indeed, there is something wonderful about the rising of dawn out of the end of night. It is a very important time when the fading darkness transitions into the new day. When the Lord divided the light from the darkness in Genesis 1:5, and there was evening and morning, the first day, but when He named the morning, i believe God’s heart was infused in the event. Morning comes everyday all around the world, and the Lord imparted to the rising light which plows under yesterday, to be like an emissary of His Holiness, top and first of the day, in the newness of the morning, man is inspired to return. Come let us return to the Lord, for He will raise us up to live before Him, and He will send to us the rain in the morning, watering the earth.

Psalm 143:8, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation from the deck overlooking the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant.

Be strong and courageous this week. Try rising early to meet with God. Make Jesus the first and last person you speak to, Honor Him who died and rose from the dead so you can have life, and have it more abundantly.

Pray for your neighbors and friends, take God at His word – cover to cover; breathe easy and hold the line. i’ll talk to you next time, amen.