In 2013, the Lord gave me some insight into what He had built into the morning, why daybreak was so valuable, and sunrise speaks of His glory, it became Outposts #92: “The Song Of The Morning”. i wondered at the time, that if the break of day had all this God-stuff built into it then what does the evening contain”?  It is a mystery. The wonders which our God built into the beginning and end of the day are indeed a secret. There are some very interesting hidden things of the Lord that highly affect every human being every day, and they both, daybreak and the setting sun, speak to the general call of God for man to return….. repent and come home.  God is very specific… It’s not just “A” morning, or “AN” evening…. it is “THE” morning and “THE” evening.

Nevertheless, both time frames contain the published truth of God and the concealed truth of God, or, just so i can sound really bright, it would be Deus Revelatus/Deus Abscontitus, God revealed, God concealed. BUT! i believe when it comes to all hidden mysteries of the Lord, He is like a proud father who’s just come in the house and His children climb up and eagerly pull on Him to know what treats He has brought them … oh, and don’t you know, our  Heavenly Father has pockets full of incredible things. When we chase after Him, climbing on Him, hugging and hanging on Him like little kids who just loooovvveee their daddy, the Lord laughs and plays, wrestles, and carries on with us… I believe He’ll reveal to us the contents of His pockets if we are interested enough to chase it.

Morning is mostly a  revealed mystery of God, i mean what the Lord has hidden in sunrise, with a little effort on my part,  He helped me find it. Yes, it took several months to get a little understanding, and if God had not given me understanding, i would not have it. So tonight brings us  not a  song of  the  rising sun, but a poem about the setting sun, the “Poem  Of The  Evening.”  Honestly, i don’t know if i can do it justice, but this is what i’ve got.

When summer evening fades and wanders toward the night, cats sit at the edges of driveways and bushes looking bored, waiting for something to happen. In the evening, if we walk down the street we can look into houses where we see people eating, watching television, … hear people talking … some loud, some soft, some laughing…or not…sometimes their voices echo a little in the street. There are boys planning their next game or challenge of battle… a girl is swinging on the swings, and others ride their bikes up and down in the last slivers of daylight.

The summer evening seems like a conclusion to something somehow…the air is thick over the pavement and steadily cooling under the trees…there are car washers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, plan makers, and lawn rakers, twittering birds in trees settling in for the coming night… occasionally there are echoes of laughing children as moms urge them toward their evening chores. The day is done and evening has come … it’s time to rest and rethink tomorrow. We all started the day with mercies new, living and breathing a new beginning,  but evening, ahhh…evening … it poses refreshing and return, coming home again to find consolation in the sanctuary.

The Lord has built many mysteries into so many parts of our lives which occur daily, and yet, many of us don’t see or hear most of them… just breezing past His treasures, preoccupied with ourselves, without even a noticing glance for the most part. Jesus wants us to chase after Him as He chases after us … He wants us to discover His gems and beauties, His treasures and character for us to marvel at and wonder about, all designed for us to fall more deliriously in love with Him. Due to love, God chased us, his beloved, all the way to the cross, that we could also love because He first loved us. Let’s not be too lazy to dig up our Father’s treasures… after all, do we r-e-a-1-1-y want to know what God says and means, or do we just want to be settled in our beliefs and be right? Tough questions, if we’re honest about ourselves and our motivations.

The evening recites poetry to us, God-poetry concerning the “cause of all

causes”. The close of the day is the ending of daily afflictions in the sense that in Leviticus 14 and 15, there were many situations where someone would become unclean, but in the evening their uncleanness ended. The evening is a time to re-gather ourselves, refresh our hearts before the Lord, rest our bodies, and lay our burdens down. Psalm 103:12, “And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.” We should take note, the day starts in the east like a rising wave in the first of the day, but comes to a close in the west, like the ocean surf roars to a close on the beach.

Day and night, morning and evening are specific time frames the entire world can relate to….all creatures, large and small, all things wide and narrow, all motes, jots, and tittles nearly weightless and less than weightless… participate … like it or not, they are all in.

From the beginning, God divided out time on the earth into day and night, but he also divided out two other very specific time frames called morning and evening. Genesis 1:5, “And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning was the first day.”

 Now, i’m not a professor, nor am i fluent in Hebrew … at best i’m just an “armchair theologian”… but i believe Gen1:5 is a good translation. The Hebrew word for day, “yome” (long “o”), is a different word than morning, “bo-ker” (long “o”), indicative of distinctive and separate time periods, as is the Hebrew for night, “lay-il” (lie-il) is different from evening, which is “eh-reb” (air-reb).

Our word, “day”, that little three-letter word, is said to be the “most important concept of time in the OT by which a point of time, as well as a range of time, can be expressed.” In that verse, Gen 1:5, if we’re willing to believe that not only did God use precise words, but His order of those words were and are very important … it was first light and then it was day. The light was first and set the precedence of… “toward the light”, which should be our leaning toward God for our day, “toward the light” The light leans towards the day, and darkness leans towards the night. The two transition periods were the rising light, called “morning” and the fading light, which is called evening. When we combine morning, day, evening, and night, Gen 1:5 calls that a “day”. What was pondered upon of the Lord yesterday evening… flows into our day like a trickle of water from the subterranean chambers of our mind and heart to be employed in the action of living.

From the “rising light”, or morning, comes the revealed power of the infinite, and rising mercy… Lam 3:22-23, “Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is His faithfulness.” The evening brings flashes of insight and the process of gaining clarification of what was and is truly important, as seen in the idea of “in the evening we consider the events of the day”, meaning we roll them around like a baker kneads dough. Matthew 26:20, “When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.” Evening was a time to, rest and recover, but also a specific time for interpreting, simplifying, refection, and resolving. During the meal Jesus gave the disciples clarification… and there is a real thing called “The Art of Clarification”, which is, for example, when someone makes a statement, and then, if we didn’t quite grasp what they meant, we ask for further insight by way of facts, restating their words a different way, or asking for more context, so we understand, or we expand on our verbal presentation so as to give a clearer picture of meaning and intent. This is what the Lord has hidden in His creation of a thing called “the evening”.

Go with me, and let yourself dream as you imagine the following:

In the evening, a summer evening after a rain shower, the color of the sky is a  brilliant image in the occasional puddles of water at the curb. The sky has darkened to a deep blue and the few clouds are profound rose and radiant flame. The sun is the exclusive bright light behind the edge of the horizon and the moon is only a faint image…. way up high in the evening, the world we see is half-lit and is becoming still with only the distant dog worried by a faraway alarm somewhere. A neighbor is in her kitchen washing a glass, illuminated by the light over the sink, a little breeze kicks up as the thermal currents change the air in preparation for night. There is time, a little time left between the last light and the bridge to night, night being a twist away from the light before morning.

In the evening, a summer evening, color gets lost and the world where we are, submerges in greyscale, in the evening God’s wisdom lurks in our minds as we ponder the day, reviewing our thoughts, the words of others, and tomorrow’s possibilities. Selah.

 In the morning, light breaks through the darkness… we plan for the day, and in the evening we all have the inclination to reflect on the day’s events, taking time to review the impact of where our feet have carried us, hopefully, looking to gather ideas about the next day. Within both the words for morning and evening, the Lord built into them a call for man to return, a subtle but persistent call for fallen mankind to come home. Though the morning is busy converting the past into the future, in the evening, the drawing to a close the curtain of the day, the Lord has hidden poetry to soothe weary minds and hearts….it’s a specific time frame of living poetry where we gather our wits and look to rest…. a time to share and revelate. Amazingly, but not surprisingly, there is also consolation designed into the evening, experiencing God’s support toward those who breathe strongly for sorrow, reconnecting to the faithful and righteous One.

The morning is pregnant with life, with new beginnings, and motivation for a renewed search for the “fallen sparks”, so to speak. Nevertheless, in all those tidbits, what is it that’s hidden in the idea of evening, veiled as a mystery to be discovered? As the morning is pregnant with beginnings, the evening is pregnant with endings…. pregnant with hindsight and insight,  pregnant with re-examination and retrospection. i believe God built into the heart of man the need to discuss and consider his ways in the evening, remembering recent things in comparison to events and conceptions of long ago.

With the evening, comes the power of change. When we review the day, we have before us the opportunity to hear the wisdom of the Lord and make course changes for tomorrow. It might be something as simple as going to work a different way,  or maybe as serious as changing a personal habit toward a  more  Christ-centered end,  becoming like the refracted light of His presence forming the color palate of the Heavens.

The Lord has built into the evening, eyes to see, for we can see in our time of repose at the end of the day, often with the greatest clarity, the events of the day. As to remembering things well, evening is best …. as time goes by, the sun comes up and goes down many times in a row… after many days we attempt to remember a specific event, but time has a way of eroding memory, and many times…. our present life seems to shade or color the memory of the past. But in the evening, in the hours following when those events happened is the best time to consider carefully what our hands have found to do during the day. i strongly suspect one secret to be revealed is that the evening was designed for man to re-find his fading sense of purpose and direction.

The poem of the evening is the subtle call of the Lord for men to consider their ways,  to review their works and come to Him in simple faith, so those who return can become heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Evening’s prose speaks of an end of the day, like morning’s melody sings of the day’s beginning. When the drapes are pulled shut in anticipation of the evening hours, God built into man’s heart the need to reconvene at home, in his sanctuary to review and discuss, reflecting to understand for right perception, like someone searching for water and essential good.

The highest form of charity is when the giver is completely concealed from the receiver, possibly in order not to embarrass the person, as is said, “the concealed gift subdues anger.” The evening was a present to men, a secret gift … a mysterious gift. There is wisdom built into the evening for those who will chase after it, but it’s hidden, as part of the Lord is hidden… Deus Abscontitus God concealed. Wisdom promises godliness to those who hear and hide it away in their hearts.

Hidden wisdom is better than gold. Proverbs 2:1-5.

The evening has a drawing effect … it draws all of us toward the very essence of God Himself, who has concealed a mystery at the close of the day. Mankind naturally tends to want to go home as the day comes to an end, to go home and conclude and ponder. i believe little do people know, but the evening inspires all people to end their work in preparation of beginning again tomorrow.

In Judges 20:26 it says, “Then all the children of Israel, that is, all the people, went up and came to the house of God and wept. They sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening;…” Where the Lord uses the word “evening” where it ends in a Hebrew letter, hei, which colors the preceding word … “evening”. In this case, that letter colors the idea of what to do in the “evening”, meaning it was a time to think, to discuss, to exercise choice, and plan their action.

Let us use our evenings well. We get one per day. Use it wisely. Evening is a gift from God for our rest, consolation, and consideration of where we are and what we’re doing. Evening is divine rhyme and verse from our beloved to us … let us catch His God-poetry and join Him in it, taking up anew “the cause of all causes.”

Every place has its own cadence. Every new home, every neighborhood, and every town all have their own tempo and beat. We may have to be there for a time to recognize it… a week, a month, a year….but their evening accent and flow are there … take note of the rhythm of people around you and how they are investing their time in the hours before dark.

When evening comes, the eyes of men are, typically, reflecting on the events of today and puzzling over what will come tomorrow. Matthew 16:2-3, “He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is

red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” They were using the evening to benefit tomorrow’s agenda, but they weren’t using it to consider their position between themselves and the Lord, which was a much more important consideration.

Evening is a specific period of time to meditate on our affairs and our place in the works of the Lord, as in Matthew 14:23, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” God gave man evening for rest, Zephaniah 2:7, “… In the houses of Ashkelon, they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them, And return their captives.”

What do you do with your evenings? How do you use this specific time period?

Not just “A day” as in this time resembling another time, but “THE evening” which particularizes or specializes a precise time frame. It is a  specific designation of the Lord.  How do you spend your evenings? … consider carefully and spend them wisely.

As this evening comes to a close, consider your position before the Lord. Take care and pay attention to the small things, and make an effort to learn the art of small talk. You know, as Eugene Peterson said, “If we don’t learn how to make small talk, we’ll never see the green shoots of grace growing in people’s backyards.”  Drive carefully, pray for your neighbor, and be at peace. Amen.

i think servants make great leaders! If we are sitting at home studying our scripture, not moving out to where we can give away what we’ve got, what good is the work God does in our heart? What good are our doctrines of faith if we aren’t exercising those doctrines we’ve secured from scripture beyond the church, our safe place to operate? Jesus made Himself of no reputation, He was and is the ultimate servant-leader.

Robert Greenleaf wrote, “The servant-leader is servant first… Becoming a servant-leader begins with the choice to serve and to serve first. Then conscious choice brings us to aspire to lead. The servant-leader is sharply different from the one who is the leader first… The difference becomes apparent in the care taken by the servant first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and the most difficult to administer, is this: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more independent and self-sufficient, more likely themselves to become servants?”

It seems so many either want to stand at the top of the leadership pyramid or want nothing to do with leadership. So many want to be the leader but rarely does anyone want to be the servant…. and i don’t mean “servant” in the sense of being a slave, bowing and scraping, bound and miserable in a dark hole somewhere, carrying a load which causes him to faint, but a servant, as in one who makes provision for others… like ministers, ambassadors, and in the military, a lieutenant.

i believe more servants should come forward as leaders, and that we should be more inclined to prefer servant-leaders… that is probably not a very popular view, especially when so many in the church believe they should be the leader, but have never really given themselves to understanding the concept of being a servant. Since society seems so corrupt, many believe the best thing is to disappear into some secluded place looking to avoid being in the center of things, avoiding leadership altogether. Often, we want to just dispose of any old societies which don’t seem to work and plant seeds for new ones. But, it doesn’t appear much thought has been given to the problem of where the new seed will come from or who the gardener will be to tend it all.

i believe it a trying business for the everyday servant to become a leader, frighteningly vulnerable for the leader to be a servant first, and quite challenging to others that a follower insists on being led by a servant. Hear that and hear again – “frighteningly vulnerable for the leader to be a servant first, and quite challenging to others that a follower insists on being led by a servant.”

How does anyone in leadership understand the needs of the people if that person has never personally known the needs of the people? There is a legitimate need for righteous leadership, and i don’t mean people who simply exercise power and tell people what to do. God has a better idea. i believe, for many, their use of power is to get power, but a true, God-inspired leader uses power to serve the followers, and serves with clear and honest intent.

1 Corinthians 14:7-8, “Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?”

There are some in the Church who say we don’t really need leaders…but just because i’ve been hurt by poor leadership doesn’t negate the need for leadership. Even animals have leaders, and in scripture, the only ones without leadership, were locusts, and they were a curse. The few i have met who say we don’t need leaders, i’ve dubbed, “The NLL’s”, for “non-leader leaders”. They want people to gather but yet they themselves avoid the leadership role although they subtly direct without actually directing…it’s not that they aren’t qualified because they are. There is just something in them which prevents their devotion to consistently showing up and having something prepared, something which prevents them from a consistent and repeatable responsibility to build up people who are healthy, wise, freer, more independent of the world, and more dependent on God… the kind who are inspired to go out, motivating and encouraging others to be servant-leaders also.

i do also ask myself the question though, what’s worse, no leadership or poor leadership? One is an off-key, blaring instrument, and the other is just wind in the tree tops.

In Acts 9, a guy named Barnabas had the nerve to endorse Saul, who was renamed Paul, and from that time on Paul was accepted among the church. In Acts 11, Barnabas, who was servant to the church in Jerusalem, was sent out to, i suppose, validate the happenings in Antioch, which was an 18-day walk from Jerusalem. Barnabas, a servant-leader, found the news to be true of the conversion of many to the gospel of Christ. Acts 11:23-24, “When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” Barnabas promoted health, wisdom, freedom, independence from the world and dependence on God. He was a “good man”, and not in the sense of just doing good things, but “a good man” because of the character of God which was living and active in his heart. He was full of the Holy Spirit and faith, qualities servant-leaders must possess.

We, as followers and servant-leaders need to respect and be loyal only to authority deserving of our allegiance… devotion, and voluntary true-heartedness, are purposely given to followers by leaders in response to the clearly evident servant stature of the leader. Did you get that? Hear it again – “devotion, and voluntary true-heartedness, are purposely given to followers by leaders in response to the clearly evident servant stature of the leader.”

To whom and what, exactly, are most of us pledging our allegiance? Consider carefully and honestly please. That concept is important and precedent-setting in how we, as the church, gel together and act as a coherent group, and these are the days when we really, really, actually, actually need to get this and know to whom or what we pledge our allegiances.

i believe the church needs individuals who are servant-leaders, not because they are smart and have many degrees, not because they are charismatic and can bring in lots of people with lots of money, not because they preach good sermons, make great music, sing great worship songs, or because they have a sense of personal power, but because they are proven and trusted as servants.

In Mark 10, James and John, the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus and basically said, “We want you to do whatever we ask.”… Jesus took a servant’s position and asked them what they wanted Him to do for them rather than be incensed that they would have the nerve to make such a demand. I consider it to be greatly presumptuous of James and John to do such a thing, b-u-t then, i believe Jesus taught them to be audacious in their prayers, and He did say, “… whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son,” in John 14:13… Anyway… then Jesus, being the servant-leader that He was, responded saying, “You guys have no idea what you’re asking.” In verses 43 and 44 He goes on to give them wisdom and some prophecy, saying,” … whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister, and whosoever of you will be the leader of leaders, shall be servant of all.”

Jesus was telling them that they shouldn’t be making their way to the top of the mountain to become the greatest among men, but they should be making their way to the bottom of the mountain to be servant-leaders, supporting and encouraging others… leading from the bottom up, not the top down. Those who lead from the top down stand in sharp contrast to the servant-leader who leads from the bottom up.

Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Many today claim to “further the gospel”… and yet all they seem to do is make a reputation for themselves. Could it be that their idea of “further the gospel” is different from God’s idea of “further the gospel”? What does “further the gospel” look like to you?

It seems, at the core of all the controversy in the world around us, many people seem to only want attention, fame, fortune, and influence. And yes, incredible as it sounds, there are people who see themselves as “influencers”. Many people feel small, minimized, and unimportant, so to have a moment of fame, attention, and recognition is very attractive… but to me, this is not the mind of a true servant. i believe, and this is just what i think, a servant holds in low regard that someone would know their name, a servant does not desire to have others bow down before them … a righteous servant finds joy in service alone. I never said it was easy, but it can be done thru the transforming power of the blood of Jesus. Oh yes it can!

Many years ago, much to my disappointment, the Lord, very plainly, told me to lose my name, to stop putting my name on works, writings, or music… just stop telling everyone who you are, and stop hoping for recognition and validation from other people. He said to tell them who He was, what He was doing, and where He was going, and if i would do that, i would see huge results from the work of my hands.

In Matthew 8 a leper came to Jesus and said that if the Lord was willing, he (the leper) was confident Jesus could make him clean. Jesus, basically said, “Yep! i am willing,” and immediately the leper was made whole. Then Jesus did something so contrary to what others may advise… in verse 4 He told the man, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

In John 7, the brothers of Jesus figured if they were Jesus, they’d be out declaring themselves, making a name for themselves, getting money and glory for all they were worth, so they encouraged Jesus to do the same thing, saying, “no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” Sort of like saying, “You should get some publicity for yourself… don’t you want people to know who you are and be famous?”

From this, i gather, by the example of the Lord, the servant-leader doesn’t chase after fame or fortune. To me, it is enough that the King of the Universe knows my name and counts me as His own. For me, that was not easy to come to, but, to a degree, it is enough that He’s spoken to me. Of course i still struggle because all of the social constructs of today are geared towards getting fame and fortune, and i can’t help but live in the world which i live in. But slowly, i’m losing the need to be recognized. Most times it’s joyful, but occasionally, only occasionally anymore, i feel chaffed to blood a little. It doesn’t mean that we, the servant-leaders, don’t occasionally sit at home alone and bemoan our sad selves because we feel as though no one is listening and no one cares… the fact is… if God has asked you to give of yourself, as He assuredly has, then our approval and endorsement comes from the Lord, not men, and it is sufficient. Not an easy lesson to learn friends, but it can be done.

Let’s get our precedence in the right order as servant-leaders. If people come to your meeting, it’s not because you’ve got something amazing that has been generated of yourself, but because the Lord drew them there. You didn’t go get them, God brought them. Like Tommy Tenny said, “If the Kingdom of God came because we have great buildings, excellent teaching, first-class preaching, rocking-good music, or amazing song choruses…we would have long ago entered into Heaven’s gates.”

If the Lord has given you something to do, do it because He asked you to, not because anyone will recognize or validate you.

Do the numbers. i recently got these statistics from an advertising media expert, so let’s look at the statistics from Face Book… for example… less than 1% of the people we, quote-unquote, “friend” will actually look at what has been published there…. and less than 1% of that 1% will even respond…so IF we’re waiting on someone to give us kudos, unless God brings those kudos around, it’s highly unlikely anyone will endorse us….we must learn that our personal relationship with Christ is truly sufficient to supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory, and that includes emotional and mental needs too. IF we are waiting for the endorsement of men for us to be “OK”, if we are waiting for the approval and affirmation of some “higher authority” to be “OK”, to do what God has already asked us to do, odds are good that we’ll NEVER be “OK”. What more do we need than God’s endorsement? … if He asked us to do something, we HAVE His endorsement. Why do we need another man to endorse us in order to be validated anyway? Think about it. Church, let us be brutally honest with ourselves and get to the root of that.  Stop telling everyone your title or gifting, go and DO it. Stop telling us all God has called you and you are a prophet, or pastor, or teacher and go out into the world and DO it; leave your safe place…and go out to BE and DO what the Lord has asked of you … let go of your name and title and BE the servant-leader the Lord has called you to be. You can do this!

Personally, i’ll testify that i have indeed cried to the Lord, and i do mean with tears, crying that no one was hearing what He gave me… many times it seemed no one cared if they ever heard my name again… that for all the talents He had given me, the whole lot seemed to go nowhere and do nothing. i have cried a river of tears over my sad, victimized self… oh, poor me, huh? … sitting with my feet in the window, weeping, wishing God would do something other than what He was doing.

And why was i weeping? Because somewhere within me was a need to be known and recognized, a need for people i admired, to admire me too. Shortly, i came to a crossroads though, one where i realized that my name never set anyone free, my name never healed anyone, had never parted an ocean, or caused the weather to obey… nor had my name ever liberated anyone from sin. There at the crossroads of reality, i made a choice to be a servant, to lose my name, and promote the welfare, health, and well being of others, and above all, to live out God’s values and standards above my own, promoting, exclusively, Jesus as the Name above all names. If, indeed, there is only one name under Heaven (Acts 4:12), then who am i to tag my name in there in hopes of getting a little credit? Yes, it is a serious struggle, and even, to this day, from time to time, sometimes, i still experience those feelings a little, though only occasionally and with greatly reduced intensity. But what is real here?

My feelings, or the word of God? If we are to be servant-leaders we should not n-e-e-d people to make us feel like a King or Queen, but to make ourselves of no reputation, giving our lives as a ransom for those we serve. (Philippians 2:7)

Now….right there is an interesting word … “ransom”. i have read that the word “ransom” precisely translates from its origin as “To loose from bonds” – which transliterates into English as “to liberate many from misery” and  “giving a gift to secure favor”, and isn’t that what the servant-leader does? Servant-leaders are meant to pick up the work given to them and accomplish their task, without complaint, without fear, and without anger. Seems an impossible task you say? But it can be done. By the blood and resurrection of Jesus we have the power and authority to BE the people of God, rightly representing our King to a dying world.

Jesus is our example: Matthew 12:18-21, “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.  He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally, he will cause justice to be victorious. And His name will be the hope of all the world.”

In the Old Testament, the prophets spoke of Jesus as a servant. Zechariah 3:8, ‘”Hear, 0 Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.”

Please, bear in mind, again, i’m not talking about a servant as in someone who is some servile, spineless, groveling person, doing all that bowing and scraping stuff. Being a servant doesn’t mean you cannot also have a position of authority, name, or even fame… The true Kings and Judges of God in the Old Testament were also called Servants. However, servants do not and shall not (present and future, a statement and a promise) follow after selfish gain, servant-leaders instead follow after peace, compassion, love, long-suffering, self-control, and courage (to name a few) … these are not only attributes every servant-leader follows after, but also the character properties we give to those who follow. God bestowed the title of “servant” on those who were Godly people, ambassadors of the Lord, called and sent to accomplish some service….it was a title that was meant as honorable, endearing, and as an intimate friend. Our faith in Christ as servant-leaders is not a system or a structure gleaned from a book on “How To Be A Servant-Leader in 10 Easy Steps”, no. It’s a relationship of rising fountains of the Lord’s continuous good intent flowing in us who believe.

Every one of God’s chosen were called his servants…if we look at each one’s character, they were all servant-leaders. Genesis 26:24, “I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” Jeremiah 46:27 “But do not fear, 0 My servant Jacob; In Joshua 1:2 God called his man, “…Moses my servant”; 1 Kings l1:38  says,  “….as  David  My servant did…”;        Isaiah 49:3, “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant,0         Israel…”; even Jesus is referred to as  “servant”  in  Isaiah  42:1 and Matthew 12:18, “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.” They were all servants in the sense of “those as meant to serve.”

Job, God’s servant, never cursed God. Joseph, the servant always kept his eye on the prize and never let his circumstances dictate his mood. The disciples sang praises in jail. There is not time to write about every servant of God who faced hardship before accomplishing the task at hand, but all were servant-leaders, as servants who served those within their sphere of influence.

Philippians 2:4-8, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

An attribute of a servant-leader is that they automatically respond by listening first… they know that true listening builds strength in other people and is essential in resolving conflict.

Another true mark is if a conflict arises and needs to be resolved, the servant­ leader understands that the process of change starts inside themselves, not out there in everyone else. We start with a “fearless moral inventory” of ourselves, not our neighbor. Our problem with other people is not other people but with ourselves… it is not a problem of trouble, but how i react to trouble.

Do you have a heart to serve? Read your Bible. If we want to know Jesus, the servant-leader of all servant-leaders, we can start by studying Him in scripture. “Et vobis amicis meis? ubi es?” And you my friends? Where are you?

Let us become not just leaders, serving from the top down, but servant-leaders, serving from the bottom up, encouraging others to become healthier, wiser, freer, more independent and self-sufficient, and more likely to become servants. We may likely have to learn to lead from the back, you know. Stand up church, it’s time to get to your feet.

Let’s step off the dock here and jump right in: What will it take for you to be OK with yourself? We say, “If they’d just…”, “If i could only….”, “If everyone would…”. Shoulda’, woulda’, might’ve….and there’s that slippery little “if”, “if” this “then” that…. “if” is the foundation of imaginary things…. “if’s” are the bricks which build air castles.

A young woman with smoky venom in her eyes, said to me a while back, “I hate that woman! I mean i really really do!” All while staring (maybe glaring) at another woman across the room.  It was just the two of us, she and i for a moment in a room full of people. We had a little history from a few conversations in the past, so i felt comfortable asking, “Why?” Her reply was that the other woman was a purposeful and conscious bad influence on the young men, like dresses too short, leaning over to reveal her chest at the right time then looking up to see who was looking, always in a pose of some sort ….you know the drill. i checked to see if we were both speaking of the same person, and yep, she was still staring at the woman across the room with the same smoky venom in her eyes. i asked her “Why do you think she does that?” Suddenly, she turned and glared at me, saying, “Why do you think?!” and then she added, “You ask too many questions!” and huffed away taking her storm with her. i thought to myself the idea of “why” was a great place to begin a discussion. i thought “why” was a wonderful word which God had given to us to use and explore with. Hmmm…. guess that’s not so for some, huh? It seems to be a very uncomfortable word for some when referring to themselves and their behavior. Tonight, we’re talking about “Why – why why why”. We are uncomfortable with the word as it applies to ourselves, Why is that? Oops! Asked another question there. A few folks have called me the interrogator or the “question asker” when they think i don’t hear. When i was a kid i almost failed the 7^th grade because i was tired of asking questions and being made fun of. My mother, who was also a teacher, when she saw my grades and found out why (oops, there’s that word again), why they were so poor, she told me, to be brave and ask as many questions as necessary to understand. She told me to ignore people who laughed at me and ask until i was satisfied with the answer. Don’t let public opinion make you stupid.

Here at Outposts, we’re a group of individuals called to be in a close relationship with God Almighty, living His Life out loud in wisdom, conduct, and character, in evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in a world of declining values.

Why do i take the time each week to write, produce and publish? Because i am passionate and compassionate about Jesus and people; i have a heart to inspire the world around me to live restored, reconciled, and redeemed lives which will bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus. As to where i’m connected, we are a conversational fellowship living to fulfill God’s Word, not forsaking fellowship, encouraging one another in prayer, bringing home the lost, and building disciples. Our path is Jesus Christ Himself, the Singing Light, the Brilliant Sky Who rains upon us, the Radiant Gift who lives in us in Splendor; He is the Living Poem who lifts the corners of our mouth, and the Light who poured Himself in a cup to refresh thirsty hearts. Taste and see the Lord is Good! Take an “O” out of good and you get God, but He is more than good, He is God and there’s never a time He isn’t!

Some would say “Why” is a word sometimes used too often, as in “You ask too many questions”, but it’s also a word people avoid when it is in reference to themselves. Why, meaning “for what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive?” Asking “why” is intrinsic to being honest, in fact, the Hebrew word for knowledge has six adverbs which are derived from it, who, what, where, when, how, and why. So, i figure, if we want to have knowledge as God sees it, we’ve got to be brave and venture off into the word “why” and all which comes with it.

In referring to ourselves, the word seems to get right down there under the surface of where we live. Do i avoid the inquisition of “why” because i am uncomfortable to see my real motivations, or is it more that i don’t want to be responsible and accountable if i did realize my real intentions? Maybe i’m not sure of my real motivations and i fear someone will find me out.

According to Simon Sinek, there is a golden circle made of an outer circle and two inner circles. Each is labeled, starting from the outside in, “What, How, and Why”. Mr. Sinek says almost everyone knows what they do, only some know how they do it, but very very few actually know why. Why is the fuzzy center which many never quite get to…they figure if they know what and how, then why isn’t all that necessary. Really? God thinks why is every bit as important, maybe even more important, than what and how.

i have come to a question within myself that i find quite ponderous, and that is – WHY is it that asking the question “why”, when it comes to our intentions and motivations, why is it so difficult to face for so many? What is it about ourselves that we fear so much that we hide our heart away, then we cover up our hiding, and then we cover up our covering up and maybe even manipulate the facts of ourselves, all in an effort to avoid the discussion of “why”?  How is it that asking “why” is, often, seemingly a much easier conversation with unbelievers and even criminals than it is within the walls of a church? Honesty is such a difficult commodity to possess it seems. Sometimes, it appears the inquiry into behavior and motivations is far more honest with the world and far more dishonest with believers. i believe that ought not to be so.

What is this very disturbing word, “Why”?

It is a word used as an interrogative pronoun, or, so to say, a word used to set the stage of interrogation, like the words “which, when, what, how, and where”…. we use them in an interrogative styled question, as an example, to glean information, like “What is this place?” or “Where are you going?” Do you get my meaning? In fact, “why” is one of the six adverb derivatives of the Hebrew word for “knowledge”, meaning, to actually possess knowledge as God gives it, but not only as the gift of knowledge He gives, but He also empowers us to be inquisitive to use the words “who, what, where, when, how, and why” in order to glean information for righteous decisions.

Why is used, approximately 600 times throughout scripture. From Matt 1:1 to John 21:25, the word is used 72 times, and 102 times by the end of the N.T. The four gospels have 3779 verses, and in those 3779 verses, there are 630 questions. That means that a little more than 16% of those 3779 verses are questions.

“Why” is a keyword to getting understanding, as the writer of Proverbs suggests in Proverbs 2:2 “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…” i believe we are clueless as to just how clueless we really are, which is probably the reason the Lord calls to us to get wisdom. i figure God’s not calling to us to get understanding and knowledge just to hear Himself talk. Truly, i just don’t think we can get understanding without asking “why”….almost like saying, if you’re not willing to ask “why” then you must not be willing for understanding, OR maybe only willing for enough understanding to make your agenda to work, but not quite enough to actually be accountable and responsible. God wants me to be better than i am, and in order to get there i must ask “why” and answer “why”. And that can feel pretty intimidating, especially when i don’t want to hear the answer.

Take note of God’s teaching methods. Throughout the Bible there is the obviousness of sentences that ask a question, they reflect the clarity of God’s methods of teaching. The idea of asking a question was used so that people would think for themselves, and we can trace this pattern to the way Jesus asked questions. By using the word “why”, the Lord was saying, search your heart; He was saying I want you to see your motives and understand your intents. It was a word He used to prompt us to think, to ask Him for wisdom and understanding.

As we’ve said before, Jesus didn’t ask questions because He was ignorant as if needing an answer, He was bringing issues to light, it was meant to prompt people to “think about it”.  Jesus asked “why” and used interrogative or inter-rotating-type words to lead us to an understanding of our circumstances, to cause people to draw their own conclusions from His parables, or to inspire someone to consider what they were doing … as seen in John 1:38 when Jesus turned and asked, “Why are you following me? What do you want?”

Do we really think He was asking that because He was scared or lost, or was He asking in order to inspire the two disciples to cross-examine themselves so that they would understand more clearly their own motivations? John 10:32, He asking them “Why are you going to stone me?”, do you think He asked that because He was confused and didn’t understand? Not hardly.

Jesus fully understood and knew the people who wanted Him stoned and dead totally didn’t understand the why’s and wherefore’s of their intents and motives. The “stoners” had clarity about what they wanted to do, and they understood the “how” of it all, but they were completely fuzzy as to “why”, and in this case, “WHY” was the all-encompassing, important question.

Is our problem with the word “why” a fear of scrutiny, at our own hand or worse, others? For some leaders, maybe they are weary of constantly being questioned about their motives and intentions, over and over, to the point where they are simply not willing to engage in a discussion of “why” anymore. In game theory there is always the payoff to consider, so…What is their payoff by not engaging with others about “why” they do what they do? The church, most especially leadership, seems to avoid the word “why” as it relates to themselves, as if the word itself were the plague. What is it that we’re afraid of?

Why do you get up in the morning? That may not seem like a nice question, but i do think it’s worth coming to a conclusion about. Why do many people post on Facebook what they ate or where they’re going when no one has inquired as far as we can see? Maybe people feel generally unseen, unheard, and unknown, and no one seems to even be asking after them as to their well-being. i know some folks who, when i asked them that question, said they just felt they needed to keep others posted and updated. i thought to myself, “Who are “others” and why do we assume anyone is interested if we’ve been outside watering the lawn or not?” Do we assume someone would like to know, or maybe we imagine people are interested even though no one has asked us a question? It’s possible a pretty honest answer would be that… i would certainly want to know about me, and i like to imagine others are interested too. Maybe the truth is, we as a nation generally feel abandoned, rejected, isolated, and alone, and we really wish someone would inquire, and if no one has, we imagine what we would say if they had.

We often move from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing, often getting lost in the clearest and never quite making it to defining why, the fuzzy part.

“Why” as in what’s your purpose, what is your motivation? How far apart is our presentation face, our work face, and our real face, and why is there seemingly an unbridgable gulf for many between whom we present ourselves to be and who we really are?

A few years ago i went downtown and took a survey, asking a question that referred to the chasm between our presentation face and our real face. The question was, “If your character met your conscience on the street would they know each other?” Most all the answers in reply to my question were answers to questions i was not asking. Even more amazing, no one replied “Yes, my conscience and character get along quite well”. One fellow said that his character would throw rocks at his conscience, and a young woman said her conscience would refuse to walk on the same side of the street as her character. i realized most everyone knew what they did in life, some knew how they lived their life, but almost none, almost none knew why. It seemed people were somehow a little afraid of knowing why and didn’t even want to talk about it.

What were the things Jesus asked others to consider more deeply by asking them “why”?

In Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing?” God considered it important for us to know why we are so worried about our stuff. We, in this nation, are obsessively concerned about our stuff, all our stuff. Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” Was He asking this because He was mystified by our behavior, or was His intent more that we would consider our intentions concerning our judgments which are aimed at other people? It appears we have a lot to say about what others do or don’t do, but how rarely do we challenge ourselves about our own motivations? Honesty is a key issue with God, but when is honesty just unnecessary bluntness? How about Matthew 8:26 “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” That wasn’t just a question to believers. The grammar there is more universal, as applicable to the “every man” everywhere. How about Matthew 14:31 “…why did you doubt?” In that use of the word “why”, Jesus was asking more accurately, “for what”, or “for what reason did you veer off your faith and re-decide to question God’s intent toward you?” Jesus wasn’t asking Peter because He didn’t know, it was to inspire Peter to look more closely at his own heart and motivations. The Lord’s heart is for us to be transformed, not just change but transformation, and… He wants it to be our idea that we need to stop being like we are and become like He is, because we desire it, not because He mandated. Yes, people can change their behavior without being transformed in their heart. We can mandate addicts stop their addictive, relationship-destroying behavior, but really, the need to stop their addiction needs to come from them because they choose it, not because we require it. We can NOT condemn anyone into being more moral or to possess higher ethics. They may present a face that says they are complying, but their heart is the same.

Jesus is asking us to think about why we have a hard time trusting God, and He’s never “trying to get it across to us”, as if He might fail in His efforts and promises, as if He EVER failed in anything. Why do we have such a hard time letting God be good to us? He was calling us to reimagine what a nation that does not trust God would look like. Why don’t we trust Him? Rom3:4, “God is true and every man a liar.” We are all betrayers by nature, God is the ultimate truth teller, the very personification of truth, but yet we often listen more to the liars than God. Why?

In Matthew 20:6 Jesus asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?” What do you think that was about? Matt26:50, when they came to take Jesus away to be crucified, He asked them, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” Was He feeling like a victim and was playing His victim card, or did He want them to consider their motives and intents, being honest about why they were doing what they were doing? Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they’re doing, and maybe He could have added, “…and they don’t even want to consider what their motivations are.”

Let’s get to the bottom of our reasons and be brutally honest. i believe, simply, that we fear and have a hard time trusting God; simple unbelief. We fear someone will know what’s truly at the foundation of where we really live. What will it take for us to face the long dark of our unbelief and resolve the conflict? Are we willing to investigate, or should we just procrastinate and ride the wave of “mindless good times”, meandering along in a fog? What will we do, O what will we do? If we don’t like what we reap, then let me suggest we change what we sow. Think about it.

This has been another late evening conversation just full of difficult questions….for most, the answers are very uncomfortable in the short run, but totally profitable in the long run. How far are we willing to travel to resolve our issues, or are we satisfied to sit, muddled and clueless as to the magnitude of our cluelessness? Are we a nation that only has eyes to see the short-term profit of things? The answers to these questions bring us strength to pivot and give momentum to our lives for the tipping point toward our destination.

Tonight, i’m bidding us all to take the challenge of digging into the why of our what. Every successful leader and company starts with “why”, not what. Please, be honest with yourself about it all. Open your ears, muster your courage, the phone is ringing, God is calling you. It would be good if we would take His call and answer the phone. Amen.

 God has given Jesus a crown of glory and honor and a good name, and having put everything under the feet of the Son, Jesus has dominion over all the works of His hands, including all animals, creatures, all birds and insects, all things which travel the pathways of the sea, in the earth, under the earth, and all the Heavens above. The name of Jesus is excellent in all the universe! i read once that the Father loves to hear us saying the name of His son… Jesus. His Name in my mouth is like tasting something delicious and sweet. i consider all of the Lord’s doctrines, values, instructions, and requirements … to be right and righteous and no one can bend them to become something other than what they are.

 All things point to Jesus…resonating and vibrating down to the molecular level at the righteous speaking of the Name of the Son, Jesus, the Christ of God. Indeed the Line of Choosing is becoming more evident as the Lord gradually blows away the clouds, which have concealed, until now, the most definitive line that has ever been drawn….the Line Of Choosing…. drawn with the finger of God, etched in eternity.

Eugene Peterson says “I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. 4 Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

5 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods, bright with the dawn of Eden’s light.”

 Jesus is the Lord and God, never merely A lord, or some diminished, minimized version some would call “a God”. We are never God in any capacity and Jesus is always God in ALL capacities. There is never a time He is me, and never a time when i am Him. He is always God, i am never God.

John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.”

Jesus IS The Name, Ha’Shem, Yeshua-Moshe and everything points to Jesus,  as Lord and God, and will not be diminished by the opinions of men.

Today we are each where we are, and some of us may not have much but what we do have we’ve got a lot of it.

 The value of a good name, according to God and scripture, is something worth being ambitious about. A good name commends us to God… and in His eyes, a good name is highly valuable and preferable above money and good deeds. Being wealthy doesn’t get anyone a good name … sure, it may appear a wealthy person is loved and needed, and may even win favor and peace with those who oppose, but in the end, if things don’t go well and all that money goes away, what are the wealthy left with but their name. Wealth does not get us favor with God. Luke 12:15, “And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things possessed.”

As we’ve seen concerning other topics, if we speak of a good name…. in order to see the contrast, we must also, briefly, address the contrary of a good name. If we’ve lived a life and gained a name that speaks of corruption and malice, if the government is oppressive and tyrannical, if a lawyer is known to be deceitful, if church leadership is shown to be corrupt in doctrine or in life, insufficient in scholarly studies, or possibly even downright profane, then people will be afraid to even deal with them.

In 1 Kings 12 there was a guy named Jeroboam who had become king. According to 1 Kings 14: 16, it says that the Lord, “… shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.”

Jeroboam made a name for himself all right, one which no one wanted. Can you imagine that it is written down for all time, forever, that almost every time your name is mentioned, it is followed by, “… who made others to sin”? Obviously, that’s the wrong sort of name any of us want for ourselves, and neither do we want to follow after any leadership like that.

How many kings, queens, or military leaders, how many captains, or government leaders, have been left and deserted to stand alone in their time of great need because they had been too sharp and unmerciful….and even to those who don’t personally know them, their name went before them and set the precedence? That would be terrible!

For those who have gotten an evil name for themselves, it would seem when they die, no one will regret their departure, no one will be sad, and that is truly sad.

Though many in leadership have done a lot of great stuff, even if that person is successful and has many things, if they don’t have a good name, i don’t believe there comes much lasting good with their gifts. Proverbs 22:1 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

So, you and i as believers, and i think it’s safe to assume, we all truly want a good name…. it probably shouldn’t be a name that’s either mispronounced, or one people make fun of, and definitely not a name like Adolph, Jeroboam, Jezebel, or Saddam. The underlying truth is that when we talk about having a good name or losing a good name, in reality, we’re talking about the impressions that people associate with that name – which would be our reputation. i am supposing it’s true that you do want a good name, don’t you?

Proverbs 8:18, “Wealth and Glory accompany me – also substantial Honor and a Good Name.”

 Not only is Jesus a good name, but it is also the Best name. In the Name of Jesus, we live and move and have our being….not in our name, not in the name of Paul, Peter, or John, not in the name of a famous person somewhere or the name of a star or constellation, and neither in the name of the wind or the universe …. but in the Name of Jesus. In His Name we have life and have it more abundantly. His Name alone accomplishes righteousness, His Name, unaccompanied by any other name, changes governments and shifts the Heavens. His Name alone heals the afflicted, the lame, and the blind, in solely His Name is our salvation….it sets things straight beyond the atomic level.

When we speak to mountains and they move, it’s not because we are so great, it is His voice in ours that does the moving, and if they don’t move it’s due to a lack of His voice in ours. Friends, the mountains only respond to the speaking of the Son.

In the Name of Jesus… in His Name…. there is repair for broken minds, cracked emotions, and barren hearts. If we break the Name of the Son of God down to the letters, and then to the letters in the letters, there are endless libraries of wisdom and understanding available to anyone who would know him. Moreover, not just the letters but the “white letter”, which is the part surrounding the letters, there is endless beauty even between the letters of His Name.

 In His Name there are patterns for us to live by:  patterns of prayer, hope, and the pursuit of righteous things; there are patterns of honesty, truth, action,  and devotion. If people need those things in their lives, in the Name of… The One… change to possess those fruits is available. In Jesus, The Name, there is the pattern of the Tabernacle and even the candlestick pattern points to the Son of God.

The Name of Jesus alone shatters discord and confusion from the east, like the rising sun breaking the grip of night,  He is purity incarnate,  manifested in silence and in the rising song of the morning. The universe has no independent power to do anything other than His will…..from His Name flows clear knowledge, wisdom,  and peace.

 In The Name of the One, the EverLord and One King, the Lord will establish the standard on the walls of Babylon; Ha’Shem will make the guard strong and will set up the watchmen.

There is more than a passive vision in His Name, more than just casually gazing at something, more than a casual observation, more than just noticing some detail or watching from a distance. In Jesus’ Name there is clear, sharp vision for whomsoever will see, in His Name is our faculty, vision, and perception.

Acts 4:12 is the truth, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 In the  Name… that is “THE” Name…Jesus, Yeshua-Moshe, there is divine grace and life, in Him is the door of light and life. John  14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Did you catch what  He said there?  He’s saying it wasn’t that  He knew A way, but that He, Himself IS the way,  and that  He didn’t just know  A  truth,  that  He, Himself IS the truth, and He isn’t only knowing how to get A life,  but that He,  Himself  IS the life. That means the path that we should follow is alive,  there is life in the path God has laid out for us, because “THE  NAME” IS  the path. That means the truth we live by is alive, He is the living, breathing, thinking,  action-taking truth….more than just something we know, the truth is a person. Life is more than just breathing and choosing… “the life”, not just A life, but THE  LIFE is a  person and our lives are vibrant and alive because He is vibrant and alive and without Him we would have no vibrancy or livingness. By His Name we move from being inanimate to becoming animated, alive in Him. We live and breathe in THE NAME of Jesus.

 In the Name of Jesus, God dressed the naked…..in His mercy, THE NAME clothed Adam and Eve. In His Name is the whole house, inside and out and there will never come a time when we feel like the walls are closing in on us. Scripture begins and ends with an act of kindness because kindness is at the root of God’s heart… in His very name is spelled out Mercy and  Grace beyond the vanishing point. without God’s mercy the universe would not exist. His name is like a wave rolling out into the universe, the action of beginning, and the wisdom of nourishing us till we are complete. His Name brings all things to completion and maturity.

His Name brings out the songbird in each of us, which is like a bird that is just crazy happy with melody and shines in each of us. There is joy in Heaven for everyone who returns and comes home.

 In His Name we find our righteous attitude, how we lean in our heart toward God, the pitch and yaw of our being. His Name is kindness overflowing and loyalty, Ch’esed, we are redeemed in His Name. In the Name of Jesus we have our pathway and door, His Name affords us the right to choose and there is fresh, every day, the opportunity to return as a penitent who’s come home; In His Name we breathe more than air, we breath divine breath and we find our connection between the world and Heaven procured by the nails through the extremities of Jesus when He was nailed to the cross – behold the nails which act as the link between the finite and the infinite, His Name is the bridge across the asymptote. Let us catch the vision of WHY the Name above all names is a name we should be related to, and why God says a good name is above diamonds and rubies.

 The Name of Jesus is our sustenance and armament, it is the armor we wear day and night which deflects the darts of hell; alone His Name is life and divine grace which satisfies all the law that we would be found alive, clothed, and in our right mind; In His Name we possess our sword and become a container for His goodness which we pour out on the world.

 The Name, Jesus, is the name through which we work and worship, it is our hands, feet and effort, in His Name we have a safe place to be, Jesus is our sanctuary. Isaiah 56:5, “Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters;  I will give them an  everlasting name That shall not be cut off.”

 In The Name, Jesus, there is actualized potential, the tendency for us…each as individuals …. to make reality of what we potentially are ….or… by the power of His Name we are not who we were but who we will be in Christ; in His Name the courage to go forward is there with an inclination to teach others about Jesus, whois revealed to be loved, yet not revealed as a mystery to be discovered; it is a seed, it is fruitful and continues on into forever,  bearing the fruit of the  Spirit in all those who accept the seed of His Name, Jesus the Son, and because of The  Name which is alive in us,  He has poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:6-7.

 In His Name and BY His Name is support from God who is our shelter, it is a pillar for the weary to rest against, shade from the heat of the sun of this life and refreshment while in the battle against evil.  His  Name is  a  shield,  Ephesians 6:16 “… the shield of faith with which you will be  able  to quench  all the  fiery darts of  the wicked one.” With His Name comes our prophetic sight, insight,  hindsight, and words of knowledge which are available to all believers who live in His Name.

In His Name is expression, or “a voice” so to speak….the power to vocalize God’s heart… His Name empowers us to breathe definition and explanation…. our voice is joined with His voice to even speak across continents. Colossians 3:16-17, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

 His Name represents the relentless pursuit of the lost and a door to come home again for those who have wandered away….they have a choice between having strength in Him or being degraded by the world. His Name affords us the option to return….it is first….. top…..the champion which crowns the glorious pillars of the altar of redemption. By the Name of Jesus, who is the Word and the standard, in His Name alone is the divine revelation which is tied to the divine, bottom-line character of God.

John 14:7, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

His Name IS the mark and sign, the monument of all monuments,  a  cross on which the Son of God was crucified for our sins…..the very monument,  whose character was worked in the heart of God from the foundations of the world. His Name possesses all the Aleph-Bet. And, above all and through all, The NAME is the face, embodiment, and personification of love … He IS love and in Him, by Him, and in His Name is love everlasting,  which reveals the  Greatness of our  God and  King Jesus, The Name above all names.

 Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the  LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 34:3, “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 66:2, “Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.” Psalm 68:4, “…sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.” Psalm 72:17, “His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun.” Colossians 1:17-20, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

 i read somewhere that what we do or say usually burns an impression in someone’s mind of who they think we are and what they think of us and our character. It is an impression that is difficult to change or erase from their memory. The value others put on our name often dictates how we will be treated by them. It is possible your name may even affect job placement; i can even testify that my name seemed to dictate how i was treated in school…. it even navigates who will agree to marry us. Others’ opinions and thoughts, when our name is mentioned,  have a  lot to do with who we are, and who we will be. Your name may be very important, but above your name and all names is The Name, Jesus, Son of God, Yeshua-Moshe, YAH. No one may remember my name, but God remembers me and will never forget for my name is written on the palms of His Hands. And you? How is your character reflected in your name to others and even before the Lord?

This has been Outposts, a little cool jazz and some contemplative conversation. This evening’s topic, “The Name” may have been a little metaphoric at times, and i do realize i said the words, “The Name” a lot, but after all, it is a name i never get tired of saying…Jesus, my Jesus.

 Consider His Name …. THE Name….ponder on it, roll it around in your head, say His Name out loud so your ears can hear what your mouth is saying. Not just “Him”, not “the man upstairs”, not just “God”, but Jesus. Psalm 148:13, “Let them praise the name of the LORD, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and heaven.”

Let yourself take a rest this week, find your composure, be careful what you eat lest it steals your health….sometimes we have to give ourselves what we need, not just what we want……think, “what can i do to help myself?”, and take action.