Kindness

 Kindness is not only what we do, but how we are and why we do what we do. As example, it is a kindness to listen, and a kindness to bury the dead. It’s the kind of virtue which affects everyone and was considered part of the Knight’s Code of Chivalry. When a judge passes sentence, it can be done with kindness, just like when a parent disciplines a child, it should be done with kindness.

Be kind to yourself … the Lord not only calls us to be kind to our neighbor, but also to ourselves. Think about it: if you had a friend who spoke to you the same way you speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend? So many of us are very unkind to ourselves. We condemn ourselves in the mirror with demeaning names which no one hears but us and God. The Lord doesn’t talk to you that way, so, why do you? Or maybe you imagine He speaks to you in a contemptuous voice but it’s not true. That’s the voice of hell or maybe your mothers voice, but it’s not the Lord. Maybe some of us have an attitude that says, “if i were God, i wouldn’t like me either” … but that’s not what the Lord does … He is kind and His kindness changes us.

It is a kindness to keep our word … not keeping our word is a subtle betrayal which isn’t something only common to enemies … it happens with the greatest frequency and impact with those closest to us. It is kind to be loyal, and kind to be honest yet still practicing kindness in our being honest.

Ruth kept her word and went with Naomi out of love. Boaz recognized her action as goodness in Ruth 2:11-12 and calls it kindness in Ruth 3:10, “Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.”

Wisdom says it is cruel to defame your family name and alternatively is a kindness to morally and ethically restrain yourself for the sake of a good name.

Webster’s Dictionary defines kindness as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. To me, when the world defines any of God’s attributes, it rarely is long enough, wide enough, or deep enough to accurately portray His Heart.

Simply put, Webster’s definition isn’t enough, the Lord’s kindness is bigger than that, it’s a personal quality, a character attribute of His in which we participate.           Contrary to the doom-sayers who seem to just love the concept of God as a finger pointing, raging, accuser, He is quite the opposite … God is kind, hospitable, and generous, even to sinners. He is also considerate in that if He were demanding and line drawing, as it was in the days of the law, none would survive and we would have no point in being born except to suffer and die, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Friends, let us see that the kindness of God leads us to repentance, Romans 2:4.

The topic is the Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness. It’s a huge topic but a very important one considering it reveals the heart of the Lord and is a gentle but indepth look at another of God’s details.

           Ruth 2:20, “Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!”

Surely we all know God shows His kindness to His people, but even to the dead? And who are the dead? Are they simply the ones who don’t breathe anymore? Just because people breathe and choose doesn’t mean they are alive. Living things begat livingness, and dead things begat dyingness.

Kindness is the power to lift up the fallen ones and those who are near to fainting in the heat of battle … it is having grace in the palm of your hands to pass out like candy from your pockets. Now that is so good, i’m going to say it again because i really want us to get it. This is truly important that we grasp this: Kindness is the power to lift up the fallen ones and those who are near to fainting in the heat of battle … it is having grace in the palm of your hands to pass out like candy from your pockets.

James 2:15-16, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you don’t give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” Doing life like that sure makes us look pious, but kindness isn’t about how you look, and is evident in how we treat others.

Here’s another angle from God’s perspective: Kindness is an action where we extend our hands of grace to others. Do you hear it? Extended hands of grace. Is that you?

Although … it’s good to practice when we don’t feel like it because “the rules of getting it right” say we should, but it’s best when it’s a condition of our heart that performs acts of hope, help, rescue and deliverance. There is a marked difference between good and best.

i think most of us practice kindness when we’re feeling pretty good … that’s easy. Being kind to those we think “deserve” kindness, or what i call “privileged compassion” is effortless, meaning it is easy for us to be kind and compassionate to someone who we think deserves it. In an incredible scene from the 1998 film Pleasantville, the father of the TV-perfect Parker family returns home from work, comes in the door and says the magic words “Honey, I’m home!”, conjuring up the vision of a smiling wife, adorable children, and dinner on the table.

This time, though, it doesn’t work and his words just echo down the empty halls. No wife, no kids, no food. Confused, he repeats, “Honey, i’m home!”, as if he must have said the magic words incorrectly. Long silence, still nothing. After he looks all through his empty house, he wanders out into the rain … while standing there in a soaking wet suit and tie, rain running down his face, he mournfully questions this suddenly strange malfunctioning universe, saying with profound bewilderment, “Where’s my dinner?”

We can feel bad for the man, he is pitiful … afterall, sarcastically, he’s worked hard all day and it pulls at our heart strings to see his world falling apart … he is so privileged and deserves kindness, right? Just like any hard working man, he just wants his dinner. Sometimes we easily practice misplaced kindness and compassion.

Kindness is not the stooping down toward the underprivileged from a privileged position because we are so “up there” and they are so “down there” and we are lowering ourselves in arrogant condescension to help those poor lesser beings. It is not a reaching out from our high platform to those who are less fortunate below. It is not a gesture of pity for those who fail to make it in the upward pull. On the contrary, kindness is going directly to those people and places where the disqualified, the poor and prodigal sons are and building relationships there.

We somehow conclude, by our own judgment using our own weights and measures, that the lifelong repeat offender deserves far less kindness than the person who’s only messed up their life a couple times. Many are inclined to practice kindness towards a fuzzy cute animal, but when it comes to other people, like the bankrupt and blind, it seems our hands are often pretty empty, if not just plain old closed. You know what i’m talking about, and it’s not about boundaries, it’s about how we lean in our heart towards God. When it’s part of our makeup and rises out of the overflow of our heart, even when we are down and broken, kindness still comes easily to our hand. Let this stick to you: Godly kindness flows out of the abundance of our heart, as it flows out of the abundance of God’s heart.

           Can we be kind without being compassionate? i believe it is not possible to act kindly and not be compassionate, unless it’s a total fake, like someone running for a political position and who needs to look kind today for the purposes of getting votes tomorrow. Doing acts of kindness and lacking compassion is no kindness at all but deception.

From the Hebrew words for kindness and compassion, there are, amazingly, words of grace which are linked by grace. Kindness is so intrinsic to the very character of God, that within the very word kindness is written the Names of God, which are powerful to break down strongholds and overcome darkness in high places. Within the word “compassion” there is the action of God for the sake of the Son, Jesus. Do you get that? Kindness and compassion are powerful to breakdown strongholds.

In 2 Chronicles 10 the people were burdened and grieved over taxes and governmental abuse, so the king took counsel with the older wisemen. They told the king in vs. 7, that if he would speak kindly to the people, and give them gentle words they would gladly serve him forever. Kindness and compassion are powerful persuaders.

i consider kindness and compassion like brothers, a team, verbs at their root which grew up to be masculine nouns … they go together and wherever you find one the other is nearby. When we practice kindness it is like we are giving to others the support which the Lord extends to us. Kindness describes an inward heart that bows before the Lord. i believe compassion and kindness drive each other … they both jump start, encourage and help each other, both being seen and unseen, revealed and concealed. When the “brothers” are concealed from others except for the recipients of their benefits, it is called “secret treasure”.

Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” i say, if you can’t find your heart, go look to see where your treasure is, and i guarantee your heart is laying around there somewhere.

Kindness is concern for our neighbor … .it knocks on the door to check on others, visits the invalid, the widowed and shut-in … it is being compassionate toward the needy. Kindness, out of compassion, gives of itself to others and helps to bring them into a redeeming relationship with the Lord.

Now as the Hebrews see it, and from God’s perspective, in the middle of the word for kindness is the root word for “goodness” which is an inspiration for repentance. Ha! Now isn’t that interesting! That the Lord accepts our repentance is a kindness, afterall, His kindness leads us to repentance. When we practice kindness and compassion, goodness, the goodness of God is enlarged in the eyes of the world, and as we know the goodness of God is like an axle to a wheel, it is central to everything which goes on with the wheel.

Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love your fellowman as yourself.” By observation, i believe long standing isolation neutralizes… literally opposes life …  it interferes with our relationship with God … . kindness and compassion work to relieve the agony of those who feel abandoned, rejected, isolated and alone. With compassion always at the side of kindness, the truth will always prevail. Jesus was compassionate and kind, He prevailed and was more than a conqueror. He is the living personification of truth, kindness and compassion … they are alive because He is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father Almighty.

Kindness and compassion always end up pointing to the King of Kings, are always inclined to teach others of the Lord’s purposes. They both are a thing of the heart, and if it’s faked, it’s called betrayal. Funny how when someone fakes kindness or compassion, others just seem to somehow “know” it’s not real and they tend to hold the poser in contempt. Even the world resents false compassion and kindness.

Kindness is NOT random, it isn’t something that just sort of “happens”, nor is it done without method or conscious decision. According to God, kindness and compassion never “just happen”, in fact, nothing “just happens”. i kind of doubt there is any such thing as “random kindness” because actually, kindness is very purposeful and intentional. There is only one God and His name is Yahweh, Father, Son, Holy Ghost and it is a kindness that we are included with Him.

            Where to begin with practicing kindness? How about being kind to ourselves as a place to start? When we are demeaning to the person in the mirror it’s more damaging and long lasting than if someone punched us in the face. I really do believe that. That sort of self-talk can whittle you down to your core, and make you believe things that are simply NOT TRUE. All because you told yourself such darkness, and allowed yourself to believe in the foolishness the enemy has gladly doled out. If God has thrown our sins as far as east is from west when we’ve accepted Christ’s atonement for our sins, why do we keep reminding ourselves of all our wrong? Is God’s goodness to us just too good to be true? Is it a point of us not having any worth? God says we were worth dying for, and who am i to re-decide what God has called truth?

By no means am i saying we should let ourselves off the hook of being responsible for our actions, but when we have made things right between ourselves and God, be at peace with others as much as is possible, and stop beating yourself up, stop doing penance. Stop it! Be kind to yourself. If you make a mistake, stop cursing yourself in the mirror. Think again, if someone spoke to you like you speak to yourself, how long would you let that person remain in your life? Don’t you know the enemy loves, i mean, LOVES it when we are stuck on what a failure we are instead of how blessed we are in Christ. Jesus has paid our debt, and the enemy wants you to bleed and bleed and bleed until he decides you have bled enough. Did Jesus bleed enough for you? And if He did, then be kind to yourself and move on. Did Jesus suffer enough for you? If He did, be kind to yourself and move on. Did Jesus die enough for you? If He did, then who is it who reminds us hourly of all the things we have done wrong? It’s not God, that’s for sure.

Byron Wicker writes a weekly article usually. One week his article was titled, “Judas Come Home. All is Forgiven” … i remember thinking it was such a peculiar thing to say. The article was partly inspired by a book titled, “The Gospel According To Judas”, by Ray S. Anderson. Pastor Wicker wrote, “I did not even get past this first sentence in the prologue when I read what the author was telling me. I saw it in the men’s restroom in a restaurant in San Francisco, printed in block letters with a blue felt tip pen across the top of the mirror: JUDAS COME HOME – ALL IS FORGIVEN!”

“When I read that phrase it was like someone stuck a red-hot sword into my heart. All the memories from my own “Judas days” came into my mind. I remembered the feelings of rejection, loneliness and not having a place I could call home. I also begin to think about all the people I knew who had lost face in the church and suffered rejection, shame and eventually left.”

“Then I heard a whisper from Heaven saying to all the Judas’ out there, “Come home all is forgiven, I love you”. That little phrase really broadened my revelation of the Father’s heart and love toward us. It made me want to go to everyone I knew that had stepped into dishonor, lost face and run way and tell them, “Come home, all is forgiven, the Father loves you.” This is what Judas was trying to tell me – it was about how big the Father’s heart really is.”

“In the epilogue of the book Ray gives us a wonderful picture of the love and grace of the Lord. The Lord says, “My choosing of you counts more than your betrayal of Me!” Through His grace I discovered that the calling of God by which we become children of the kingdom does not rest upon our faith alone, but upon His faithfulness toward us.”

When you look in the mirror, do you see the eyes of Judas, the eyes of a traitor, a failure, the eyes of a reprobate staring back at you? That’s not what God says about you. We need to get this DOWN IN OUR HEADS, the Lord says we are a new creation in Christ in 2 Cor5:17, and “new” means “new”, not mostly or pretty much. The Lord says again in 2Cor5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Is it still considered kindness, not when it is a free offering on our part, but as a demand of obligation by someone else? Maybe, but i question how long can we sustain forced kindness when it’s not what’s in our heart? It is a kindness the Lord includes us, the greater includes the lesser, and we are to live a life of kindness and compassion in the same way Jesus did. Not because we “have to” as if someone demanded it of us, and not for the reasons of “following the rules”, being legally bound due to an obligation of some sort, but because kindness and compassion are intrinsic to our character.

Psalm 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God full of kindness, compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

           Colossians 3:12-13, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another…”.

The apostle Paul linked kindness to compassion and humility; it’s linked to enduring with each other and not thinking more highly of ourselves than we should …  to being graceful to each other , exercising forgiveness. Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit, one of the ear marks of how we know we are in the beloved. Some think of themselves as true believers yet don’t display, as an inner reflection of their true selves, any of the signs of true kinship in Christ. Now, you may think that is an odd thing to say, but there are many in the church who, by their actions and attitude, you might never know they are believers. So, i figure the following is a pretty good question: How should kindness be “shown” or proved without works? You know how James 2:26 says faith without works is dead, well i say that, additionally, kindness without works is dead also.

Having a heart in which mercy resides is kindness. Luke 1:78-79, “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.”

Do you know what your “epistemology” is? Epistemology is the study of knowing “what” you believe, “how” you came to that conclusion, and “why” you think it’s the best perspective. We can’t come to own solid epistemological doctrine by only looking at what suits us. If we’re truly interested in what God has to say, we’ve got to look further than our own rhetoric. If we never look beyond our own backyard, our own backyard is all we’ll ever see and we’ll never see the green shoots of grace at our neighbors’ house. Knowing the heart of the Lord and understanding the fruits and gifts of the Spirit is part of our epistemology. i want to know what the Lord means when He says “kindness” is part of our character … it’s is more than just being “nice”.  “Nice” is very subjective, so “kindness” must be defined by someone higher and bigger than ourselves, and i don’t mean your pastor, i mean the Lord, who IS the standard.

The Lord not only empathizes with us, He sympathizes with us. Not only does he help us when we are down and out, but He joins us in our troubles to bring us out. Isaiah 63:9, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.”

The Lord’s kindness is from everlasting to everlasting, like His mercies never come to an end. Isaiah 54:10, “For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.”

i know two values that occur in the mystery of suffering: the first value is that all things get reduced to their lowest common denominator, and the second is that in the school of affliction, God turns our pain into kindness and compassion if we’ll let Him.

Honestly, i heard a man pray this morning thanking God for his suffering and the lessons he’d learned. It frightened me for a moment, but really, if that’s where we have to go to know the Lord, then that’s the best direction any one could ever take. The Lord is compassionate and kind to us and will not grind us to powder with trials. Think about, and even, amen, that’s a big “think about it” right there.

The caste system was originally based on someone’s idea of the necessary steps in order to be holy. From what i’ve read, there wasn’t much kindness and compassion, it was stiff and stringent, and there was often a lot of self-administered affliction. i’ve never read that Jesus ever did anything like that. He was kind to Himself and to others, and that very same kindness restructured the lives of others. We need to learn how to “sing the tears” of compassion when we extend our hands of grace to the needy. We often affirm our friendships with cards & trinkets of endearment, but our time would certainly be better spent if we maintained those relationships with the kindness of time given, gentle words, and encouragement.

This fruit of the Spirit, kindness, our extended hands of grace is essential to our character, it is foundational to whatever impact we make, everywhere we go, green grass grows. Practice, practice, practice, and the more often we are kind and compassionate, the more often we will be kind and compassionate. It’s not just doing or saying nice things, it is the contents of our heart given away in the action of our lives.

Drive carefully this week, be kind to yourself and your neighbor. We’ve tried being harsh and accusing to ourselves, and thus far, it’s not gone well. Let’s try something different like kindness and compassion, speaking words of peace and encouragement to the person in the mirror instead. Rejoice, Jesus knows your name, and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen and amen.

The sky is clear, i mean not a cloud in the sky this evening, just blue and blue as far as you can see in any direction; as to God’s brilliance about His color – blue – it’s the color of the sky, ocean, sleep, and twilight; blue supposedly symbolizes the Virgin Mary, and a pure blue is the color of inspiration, sincerity and spirituality. It is often the chosen color by conservative people; blue is calming, which easily makes it a wonderful color for the sky, in your house, or even a good choice for pajamas. Dark blue speaks of truth and moderation. If i were to give someone a blue iris it means their friendship is very important to me. Wednesday’s color is blue. Wow, wasn’t God brilliant to create a visual treat such as blue sky and put it in the heart of man to need His vision.

There is a deep feeling of renewal these days seeing the grass starting to come alive, little buds on the trees, and the smell of warm days ahead in the wind. From here i can easily see the river, casual, deep and clear, moving slowly past us on its way to another place.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast of cool jazz and think-worthy conversation from the late evening, cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

This evening is devoted to Words Of Praise. i know this may seem strange to say, but when i was a boy my mother would add oats or bread crumbs to hamburger when she made meat loaf. It was filler used to make it larger than it was, similarly i felt like i used filler in my prayers to fill up space in order that my praise and prayer time would be larger than it was. i felt like i was just saying the same words of praise over and over. Father God, Father God, Father God this, Praise you Lord, Praise you Lord, Praise you Lord that, etc etc  …yea, me and all my repetitive terms and phrases. i slowly began to realize, what was once well meant praise was now just filler when i didn’t actually have anything to say. Sometimes i used my repetitive little phrases as place holders so others would know i was still speaking and to not butt in, like saying “uh, uh, uh” over and over till i thought of something else to say. Other times i told myself i was just being passionate, reasoning that, “It’s just the way i pray” without considering the mindlessness of my own mouth. i want all my words to have value, and if i’ve got nothing else to say, i need to learn that it’s ok to stop praying or praising. i’d like to have no useless filler in my mouth.

Actually though, no matter how i cut the mustard, the repetition was still filler for when i didn’t have anything to say…they were more products of my prayer momentum rather than anything of value. i began to wonder, how would my prayer life sound if i didn’t use any filler words and instead, cut to the chase with real heart words? i thought …. “you know, i don’t talk to anyone but God like this, why do i talk to Him with such chanting litany, as if He’s entertained by my “much speaking and repetition”?”

In my heart was a pressing urge to ask the Lord for new words. So, i went on a quest, starting with prayer, asking the Lord for more creative words, asking if He’d help me word-craft my prayers in order to be more effective. i felt like i had gotten stuck in the rut of just using phrases i’d heard at church or from other people, and i wanted to do a better job of expressing myself about the King of Everlasting. i went to digging through my Bible to see how the hero’s of our faith prayed. i figured it wasn’t like my prayers weren’t effective, but i wanted to be …more creative. Do you get where i’m coming from? As i studied how people of scripture prayed i noticed, it wasn’t recorded anywhere that they used any kind of repetitive phrases, they said what there was to say, and left it there, their prayers were good enough as they were and didn’t need to be embellished with repetition. i wanted to use inspired words to describe the landscape of Heaven, His heart, His intentions and the beauty of the everlasting love of God. This evening, i’d like to make a stab at giving us all other words to insert into our prayers. What’d ya’ think? Come go with me, let’s see where this goes.

Hold your ground and keep your peace.

James 5:16 “….The prayer of a person living right with God, possessing the rightness of character, is productive and is something powerful to be reckoned with.”

And with that in mind, i’d like to make a stab at some words of praise:

“You Lord are God, You are one and are three in the One; You are always God, i am always me and there is never a time i am You, and never a time You are me, although, You live in me and we go together, You are distinctly You, and i am distinctly me. Your name is clear and originally Yours. As our resounding and resonant Hope, You have sharp and recognizable ideas with well defined, unmistakable hopes and dreams; i am completely caught up in your clear and obvious purposes. i will never be the same, thank you Jesus. Your attributes make You and all You do recognizable and distinguishable – You are not hidden to the eyes of any who would look to see. Cause us to see you Lord.

Your love sweeps me from everlasting to everlasting, from the beyond of the beyond you have reached to us, having become the profound bridge between the finite and infinite; You built the blood bought bridge for us who are finite, to go across the asymptote, the untouchable line, to You, Jesus. You bridged the gap making it so we could touch the heart of Forever.

You invigorate me and set me on fire with passion and compassion about Jesus and the people of this world, believers and not, to 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.

You have made me, who was a twisted, deaf mute, to be an artful conversationalist, living to fulfill Your Word, no longer a betrayer and covenant breaker, for now i am an encourager of others in prayer, bringing home the lost, and building disciples. You, yourself, are my path, You are the Singing Light, the Brilliant Sky Who rains upon me, the Radiant Gift who lives in me in Splendor; i say loudly, let all the earth declare Jesus is our Living Poem who lifts the corners of our mouth, and the Light who poured Himself in a cup to refresh our thirsty hearts. Taste and see the Lord is Good, for He is good, and there is never a time He is not good. Lord, let your goodness go before me and after, like a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Bless Your great name, for You alone are worthy to be praised.

The sheer craftsmanship of the Lord is breathtaking, revealing a kind of artistry that has never been seen before by any, anywhere, anytime in history or the future of forever; He is the EverLord and OneKing; Praise You Jesus, i love Your clean lines of clear design, the interplay of light and dark; You offer a myriad of possibilities in a centimeter of space as a delight in structure, composition, and texture. i am awed by You God. There is indeed none like you.

i am inspired by the Lord’s play with perspectives, His jostling with angles, combining foreshortened, exterior scenes with larger, emotional interiors, setting my expectations of Him on it’s head so i see, and see again His multi-faceted marvels. “You, Lord, are the prince, originator, and end-all of multi-dimensional work in the true sense of the term. You are life in layered, split-images, resonating with multiple meanings — complementary, sometimes seemingly contradictory but never opposing. Brilliantly executed, unfailingly interesting. You alone, Lord God Almighty, set the course and mission of imagination, You frame our dreams and cause us to think of you like romantic poets; from You come the vision and words of praise. You answer my prayers for better words to praise you with by causing me to see the world new every morning through Your eyes, and i remain, every time, always, truly “wowed” by You in body, mind, and spirit, for all my breathing is before the Lord.”

“Your vision plays in me day and night, dreams and visions which are saturated with texture, the borders of your purposes are bursting with design themes and everything born of you explodes with this – heroic and repolarizing power. You alone Oh Lord of the Starfields are the artist and the art, being the perfect marriage of things seen and things dreamed. In Your presence i can’t help but fall face first to the ground. Oh my, Your inexorable and inescapable presence defines me, for all my days are before the Lord!”

“You call and we become. In Your call is the design and purpose given to whom so ever and what so ever you call. As you called the Light, it was, as you called the dark – it became, as You gave Adam the power to name the animals and whatever they were named they became their name, so you called me and i was, i am, and by the Blood of Jesus i ever shall be. By Your Love and wisdom the universe began and will end, for Your Love is merciful, necessary, relentless, determined and forever, and the qualities of Your persistent, wonderful love pursue me day and night, for goodness and mercy shall follow and apprehend me all the days of my life.”

All too often it seems we quickly run out of the few praise words that we have learned in church and revert back to the language of complaining, running down our list of wants, wishes, ideas, and repetitive words. We need to expand our praise vocabulary. i may not get it right in this program, but i’m trying, so please bear with me:

“Lord, you are for us, not against us. Don’t we know, You applaud us when we run, consoling us when we fall, and cheer us when we rise to try again. Your heart is towards us, never holding us who love You in contempt. You Lord are the strength in the deep roots of trees as you are the strength of my roots which run deep in you. Your creation is straight forward and built without forsaking the character traits that give us our individuality. Everything You have said and done is meant to communicate the opportunity open to all the universe – a glistening path home to You, the very path which was left behind by men, You framed with love and grace, swallowing up death and dying, and then rose up in resurrection that we would have life more abundantly. In sin all things pass away, and in You, all things are redeemed and made alive again. Lord…. we extend our hands to You, palms up, declaring the name of Jesus, the Word; our praise is our sacrifice, professing and confessing You, it is our entrance into Your presence. i confess, i have been delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of Your love; i confess i am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me; i raise my hands and confess, my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus; i concede and declare, by the stripes of Jesus I am healed.

By Your name you stabilize me, never letting my mind lose it’s balance, in You is the miraculousness of existence and definition of form. No one can prevent me from carrying you in my heart where i go. No one can rob me of Your name; in You i always stand victorious. i never have to meet you in my sanctuary and then leave you behind when i go home; where ever You and i go, we make green grass grow, the rhythm of my heart always steps and breaths with You. You alone, oh Lord have given it to me to believe and Act. You have caused me to know You, and i have the promise of knowing You more. i can say with confidence i know God and He knows me. i know the kind of lyrics You like; i know what sounds become resplendent in your mind and i’ve felt your feet jump and whirl. Thank you Lord for the renewal of words of praise in me, for all my days are before the Lord.

You Lord have put Your words in my mouth, words that are the sharp edge of lightening and the soft middle of clouds, they are the patterns in the praise You have taught me how to articulate back to You. The glint in the eye of my God becomes the vision of truth in my heart, sprinkling the air with the effervescence of peace and the power of praise. Praise His Name, for i will never forget where i was, i will always and forever be taken over with Your dreams and frame of the Kingdom of Heaven, the dream which you imagined first in me. You gave me a dream, a night vision, and i saw You whirling under a soft bright rose that hung from an invisible stem in the sky. Then i saw You charging on a horse which was so white and oozed valiance; You stood in the stirrups and declared the charge with the voice of ages, cracking the universe; riding as the very definition of glory and fierce power, You were robed in light, with a brilliant white shirt, a vest of purest blue, and pants so red i thought they had been dipped in blood, and Your name was called “The Word Of God”.

The thunder of Your coming raged at the edge of the horizon with all of Heaven’s infinite army with You; then i heard someone say, “Behold the charge of the Light Brigade, led by The Light Of The World.” And there was rolling thunder, i can still see the rolling wave as it crackles across eternity.

So in my vision in the late night, i changed into my best clothes in hopes of joining in your dance, in hopes of riding with You in the Charge Of The Light Brigade in the Name of God Almighty. i couldn’t help but weep at the glory of Your charge from beyond the edges of the horizon. You are the EverLord, the Dancing King, the Singing Light. i saw you dancing near the roof of the world, calling for me to join You. i thought, Lord, i can’t get there unless You bring me to you, for i am thousands away it seems, and unless You bring to me to you, i can only be where i am seeing what You have given me to see. Draw me near to You, for You have unfurled my heart, healed my wounded wings, and called me to step high above this broken universe, finding my footing in your presence upon cosmic yellows, dazzling blues, blazing greens, and deepest purples, finding my rest in the warm breeze of your incomprehendible peace. You are a refuge for all the lost and hopeless, the aimless and crushed, the lonely and sad, all the “whomsoever’s” can come in to the harbor of peace in the city of refuge. The sun and planets are humbled at your rhyme and rhythm, your stride in stride… the stars and stones only wish they could move like You. You call them, and they sing on Your behalf. My mighty wonderful Jesus, all my days are before the Lord. Amen. Think about it.

Psalm 148, “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.”

Tonight, i made a stab at new words, at least from me, of praise for our God and King. i apologize if my words fall short, it’s the best i could do.

i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name Ministries.

i hope maybe you’ll try out some new words of praise in your prayer time. Think about your “filler words” and ask the Lord to give you new, creative words. i wonder, how would your prayers sound if you cut to the chase and left out the repetition? Would it be a less effective prayer, or would it be more effective when you left off the hype. Watch the vision, listen carefully, i bet it won’t be long until He begins to increase your spiritual vocabulary. Be strong and courageous, hold the line, and i’ll talk to you next time.

During a pressing need to sound spiritual among other spiritually knowledgeable people, i’ve used the word “purpose”, as in praying out loud, “Lord, help us that we would be more involved with your purposes.” But, here lately, the Lord has been addressing my little, undersized ideas of what i think He means versus what He really means, thereby giving me clarity on how my perception of Him needs a course change. Sometimes, it’s only a course change in small amounts, and other times it requires i shift my weight all together.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” That’s according to God’s will, which includes His preferences and standards. And YES, we can know His will. In fact, there are several places where scripture says, “and this is the will of God…”

What was Paul referring to there in Romans 8:28 when he uses the phrase “the called” and then uses the word “purpose”? From God’s perspective, what does He mean? And i ask that because the Greek word in Romans 8:28 translated “called” is a different word than “called” in Romans 8:30, and is different again from “called” in Ephesians 4:4. Don’t take my word for it, look it up and do a deep dive to understand. What do you make of that? In the mean time, ponder on this as to the nuanced differences: Romans 8:28: called is in a descriptive identifier of believers enjoying God’s providence. Called in Romans 8:30: as a saving summons. And called in Ephesians 4:4: which is more identifying some believers whom God gives a vocational summons and designation.

Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior are referred to as “the called.” In Matthew 22:14, Jesus teaches that many are called—in the sense of being invited to the King’s feast—but few are chosen. Only those who respond properly and fully embrace the King’s provision are accepted at the table.

There is a meaningful distinction between the general “calling” (invitation) in Matthew 22 and the specific designation of “the called” in Ephesians 4. Furthermore, while all believers are Christians, God specially designates and equips certain individuals for a particular vocation, as described in Ephesians 4:11. I find no biblical support for viewing these individuals as holding formal “offices,” but abundant support for seeing them as gifts from Christ to His Church—people who walk in a divine calling and vocation.

I see it this way: the day I accepted Christ became my “naming day”—just as Adam named the animals and they were defined, so we too are named and defined when we answer God’s call. To accept that call is to be set apart for a higher purpose than our own.

The word “purpose” (Greek: prothesis) literally means “to set something before” our hearts and eyes, much like the showbread was placed before the Lord in the tabernacle. See Romans 9:11 or Ephesians 3:11. It shares the same root as our word “thesis”—a statement or proposition that is put forward to be upheld and proven. God’s “prothesis” is not just a vague wish — it is a firm, declared intention that He has set forth and is committed to fulfilling. God’s use of the word purpose, “prothesis” is both a resolved decision and a call to action, blending the idea of intention, presentation, and sustenance. Isn’t that interesting!!

I used to think of purpose as something already resolved or decided. But in Scripture, God’s purpose is both a divine conclusion and a call to action. It is drawn from His heart, aligned with His standards, and presented to us as a resolution we are now commissioned to carry out. In short, purpose is a God-given conclusion and resolution to a matter that demands we take action to accomplish. Did you hear that? A “conclusion and resolution of a dilemma that we take action to accomplish.”

We are “the called” because we have a new purpose after we have received the invitation of God to join Him in His works, gladly stepping into our place in the Kingdom. We are named and designated by God and we hold His preferences and standards in front of us to accomplish with all our breathing, and thinking, all our feeling, and strength. All, not just 10% as a minimal tithe, but all. We bide our time, patiently, with full expectation, trusting and knowing the Lord will do all He says. The word “wait” in Romans 8:25 is a “now” word as a statement of fact in real time. Now, now, now, and never becomes “then” until the end of all things, which exclusively conclude at His feet. All my days are before the Lord, and all my days will conclude at His feet, regardless of if i like it or not.

Seeing as how we are the ones named and designated by God, the called, who hold His preferences and standards in front of us to govern all we think and do, His purposes, and seeing as how we know all things conclude at His feet no matter how we cut the pie … knowing these things, how will we walk out our days, knowing every moment and every split second of our lives will ultimately rest before the great high King of Heaven? Oh, and you know there is a difference between God’s plans and God’s purposes, right? There are the nuances between the overarching “why” (purpose) and the specific “how” or steps (plan). Can we really, truly, actually, actually, continue to ignore the call, the pressing invitation of God? Oh sure, most of us have responded, but what of the rest of the call which is a call to action? What will we do with the rest of His calling? Just because we forget to remember the Lord, and just because we ignore until we no longer hear God calling to us doesn’t mean His calling has ceased. How arrogant of me to think just because “i” can’t hear God it surely must mean He isn’t speaking, or just because “i” don’t believe must mean it isn’t actually true. God did not cease to invite us, we are the ones who simply can’t hear and don’t respond. It’s like the people who say God doesn’t speak anymore. Ha! That’s such narcissistic, arrogant, foolishness.

Here’s what we’re going to do. Because the Spirit makes intercession, we will stand in our designated place at the call of God and make intercession. In Romans 8:27, the words “make intercession” real time verb, the Holy Spirit is the one taking action, and He’s doing it now, now, now. Because God hears the faintest cry for help, He will not only hear but He will respond. Because the Lord opens His mouth and does justice and stands for right morality, we will stand in our designated place, holding His preferences and standards as the governor for all we breath and do. We will open our mouths for justice, doggedly standing up for right morality. We will stand with Him, proud of our blood bought heritage. As the called of God, STAND! And after you’ve stood all you can stand, stand therefore.

What do you think?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

Hey now. i want to talk to you for a minute. We men seem to often have a really tangled idea in our heads about our wives. As if you couldn’t have guessed, this is mostly directed to men, but if anyone else is listening, please continue. If you are married or have a girlfriend, this program is directed at you, and myself, of course.

Instead of seeing yourself as the king, as the “head of your house”, as if you are someone to be served because you are, “the man”, we really need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us, as the husbands we are. The Lord is our example, and i feel certain His desire is that we act like He does. God never shoves or deceives us like some bully, and your wife is no one to push around and manipulate either. Think of yourself as a frame and she’s the picture. The job of a frame is to give definition to the boundaries of the picture, and i don’t mean boundaries in the sense of the ones you set for her, so much so that she can’t even put pictures of your kids on FB, or else you will relentlessly emotionally hold her in contempt (yes, i’ve met a few men like that. What a shame). Who do you think you are to think you can control someone like that? In secret, you don’t control yourself like that, yet you’re OK with making the effort to control her like that. And i realize she does this and she does that, but this isn’t about her, it’s about you. Regardless of where she is, the question is, where are you?

Your wife is someone to guard closely and retain a watch over, someone to hedge around, protect and attend, attend meaning to nurture, like someone growing a garden, not hang her out to dry when you are displeased. Oh, i get it. Some of us men think her job is to please us and she should fear us if we are displeased. It’s not all about you. Jesus died for your sins and designated you to be the head of your household for teaching, defining by your right actions, with kind honesty, and tender transparency. Adam, regardless of any unknown reasons, when God came around calling for them in the garden, what did Adam do? He said, “It was the woman you gave me,” he threw Eve under the bus as the reason for his own actions. “It was Eve’s fault” huh? And we’re still throwing Eve under the bus too! Often, we men make rules for them we, ourselves, aren’t willing to keep. That’s a bit hypocritical, don’t you think?

Sure, i realize some women are difficult, just like some men … they’re all just people. But, what if she feels isolated and alone because you don’t talk to her, and because you control and even tell her where she can go and who she can talk to? You KNOW she thrives on communications and dreams of right authority. She’s the one who came to the table with dreams of “the one”, and most men seem to have a dream of “this one” and “that one”. You restrict so much of what’s going on with her, and act more like a jailer than a husband who cultivates a garden. Well, let me ask you … what is it about her that scares you so much? Are you afraid she’ll have an idea before you do, and then you won’t appear as the head of the household? It’s not her fault you’re uncomfortable in your own skin. God said we ARE that person, so in light of that, we’ve got to become better leaders if we’re going to lead.  Why are you so threatened by her? Is it her emotional momentum that throws you off? It’s not her fault you are pressured by her emotions, it’s you who aren’t secure in yourself, and rather than you step up, you demand she step down. Friend, you don’t have a wife problem, you’ve got a YOU problem. Is it possible she isn’t out of control, but you’re the one upset about things you feel challenge your masculinity? C’mon my friend, you’re the husband of one wife, a father, or at least a potential father, of children, and a soldier in the army of the Living God who is listening to hear Him breathe. i believe in you. God believes in you. But being a soldier and father shouldn’t oppose each other, in fact, one should help the other be a better leader. Stop using her as an excuse for your behavior.

And from another angle, years ago i was reminded by religious higher-ups in their quoting Ephesians 5:25-26,  “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” That’s the truth for sure, it is part of the husbands responsibility to give his life for his wife as Christ gave His for the church, but the unspoken part is that it’s her job to not take advantage of him, manipulating while he is laying down his life. Yet, again, this isn’t about her, it’s about you.

Authority and influence are like man and wife. A verb needs an object to act on, making the noun the beautiful bride of the verb. The noun can stand alone but is always more beautiful and complete when the verb describes it, like a frame borders and supports a picture. Marriage of a man and a woman are like the marriage of authority and influence. The man is the authority and the woman is the influence … he has a verb in his middle and she has a noun in her middle, the man “cleaves”, “cleave” being a verb in Genesis 2:24, and the woman “desires”, which is a noun, Genesis 3:16.

Authority frames the beauty of righteous influence. Right ministry desires and literally runs after authority, craves authority, loves to be under right authority, and is most comfortable when fully yielded and exposed to the right authority. When a man and woman waltz, the man is like a frame, framing the picture, the woman. The woman is like a picture, made beautiful by her frame, the man. Rather than put your hands around her neck to control her, why not you be the one to stand up and be counted as honest and transparent, and grow her and your family like a man working to prosper them, not control them? Isn’t that fabulous idea?

What do you think?

There comes a time in the lifespan of any believer when there seems to be no wind, no inspiration, no motivation, we don’t know what to pray, and maybe even all purpose for praying is a vacuum of sorts. Sometimes, for many there grows an odd dulling of colors like purpose that’s been cloaked. In the doldrums, where there is no wind, and no wave, the sun is up yet you’re going no where it seems. Where are you, and where is God you wonder? Thinking back, even your achievements seem hollow, relationships distant, and you feel the infinite smallness of yourself as the enemy of your soul whispers to you that nothing matters, and there is a numbness in your heart that makes morning coffee odorless and flat. Out of the blue, for no reason i know, i awakened one morning to be exactly there, where ever “there” is.

Oh bother, what to do, what to do?

When i was young, more than once i was told i was too much of a dreamer. Even then i can remember thinking, “i’m supposed to not be a dreamer, but how does the future happen without a dream?” Yea, more conflicting words in my head. There was a civil war in my head between dreaming and how to live with conflicting words, like “what will people think of you?”, and, “If things aren’t moving in your life, you must be on the outs with God.” Those words were like ropes binding my feet, and i got stuck at the intersection of condemnation and freedom. It feels like having God open the prison doors but then not being able to move beyond the same open door because of all the negative leaning “what if’s”.

Everything in life nowadays seem so instant, and when we have to wait, into our heads comes the words of some well meaning person saying, “Something is wrong. It shouldn’t take God this long to reply. Something is wrong!” Oh and don’t you know it’s easy to glibly tell someone that the Lord will reply “in the fullness of time.” But before you get all wound up, think. How long did Abraham and Sarah wait for the arrival of their promised heir, Isaac? God first revealed to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations when he called him to leave his country and go to the land God would show him. Abraham was 75 years old. Fifteen years later, when Abraham was 90, God renewed his promise. Ten years later, at age 100, Abraham and Sarah finally had their son. That’s a total of twenty-five years before “the fullness of time.” 25years! Usually, if we have to wait 25 minutes, we start having anxiety about why “nothing” is happening. So, let me ask you my friend, is nothing happening? How do you know what God is doing where you can’t see? In the book The Shack, there’s a scene where Papa is laying in a lawn chair in the sun. Mack comes by and makes a smart remark, something like, “Oh, i see even God has time to lay in the sun,” wherewith Papa squints up at him with one eye and says, “You have no idea what i’m doing.”

When i’ve gone to the Post Office and there’s a long line, it is not unusual to hear someone remark that the clerks are oh, so, slow. The anxiety of waiting triggers people to look around for someone to blame for being inconvenienced because they are having to wait. Occasionally, i have chimed in saying, “I’m in this Post Office every day, enough so, that i’ve done time studies concerning the average time each person spends at the window. i can assure anyone that it’s not the clerk who is slow, but more us who aren’t prepared.” Silence and blank stares typically follow. We seem to need to blame someone when we are inconvenienced because it doesn’t appear anything is moving along.

At the end of the book of John, Peter and the guys decided to go fishing, maybe because they couldn’t think of what else to do, so they just went back to work. After all, it appeared nothing was happening.

In Acts, How long did they wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit? Remember, Jesus had said to them, “I send the promise of my Father on you, but stay in Jerusalem until you have been clothed with power from on high.” How long did they wait for this mystery to occur? Fifty long days. Don’t you think there was a lot of questioning, like, “Why do we have to wait like this?” i’d bet they thought all sorts of things. “Did e miss God?” “Did we misunderstand Jesus?” “Maybe that wasn’t really Jesus.” “i’ve got stuff to do, why am i sitting around here, waiting on the wind to blow?” In Acts1:4 the Lord said, “Do not depart”, in other words, “Don’t quit your mission. Be still.” He knew they could easily get their shorts in knot, lose sight of their mission, and wander off like sheep which see no reason to keep standing around, reasoning within themselves that Jesus went to the Father, and it appeared nothing was happening. “I guess it’s over. Oh well. Might as well go home.”

While we’re waiting on “the fullness of time”, metaphorically feeling like we’re in the middle of the ocean with no tides, and no wind, consider to yourself: In our impatience and need for things to move in order to feel like God is doing stuff, we don’t notice the small things if we’re always in motion. Although we are often unwilling to wait on the Lord, He is wisely giving us time to take care of the “back office stuff” which often goes unresolved because we’re so occupied. We easily miss the beauty of the day, or the little endearing words of our children, a spouse or friend. In our anxiety of waiting, those types of things are SO easily missed. Maybe we should take advantage of God’s opportunities which include waiting, rather than resenting our having to be still. Let us stop fretting and comparing ourselves to others who seem to be “moving faster”. Stop trying to force outcomes through our own strength. Remember, the theme of waiting in the Bible is portrayed as “hopeful endurance” where God refines our character and prepares us for “what’s next”. A few minutes, hours, or even days will not make much difference in God’s economy and deliberately slowing down allows us to get into step for what the Lord is doing next.

What do you think?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

Jesus said, “The poor will always be with us.” My idea of poor and God’s idea of poor don’t line up well many times. Somehow, i’ve gotten it in my head that to say someone is poor, immediately into my mind springs the vision of someone who lives day to day, has no property or possessions, with their only collateral being the clothes on their back.

Poverty is more than simply not having stuff. God’s use of the word varies, but much of the time it strongly asserts the idea of emotionally and spiritually thin and deprived of righteousness, afflicted in our thinking, defenseless against unprofitable decision making, destitute of good ethics, morals, and principles. To say someone is poor also includes being absent of spiritual prosperity, vanished strength, missing courage, and so absent of spiritual gifts that we cry out to God. That is poor, as in not fruitful. And the greatest poverty is “without Christ”, poor, in the sense of being far, very far, if not straight out absent from God. With God is prosperous, without God is poverty in the fullest extent of the word. Poverty is definitely having to do with social and economic conditions, but i believe the Lord is additionally speaking to something much broader than simply not having stuff.

In order to understand prosperity, we also have to look at poverty and i believe the Lord has laid out what His idea of prosperity is in order that we would also understand what it does NOT look like. There is a difference between being humble with few possessions, and being afflicted and deprived, socially defenseless and subject to oppression, victims of infringements. To complicate the issue as to the difference between humble and poor, Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. In English, one idea of poor is to have no possessions, but yet, He said, “blessed are the poor in spirit.” What in the world is He talking about?

In the case of Matthew 5:3 “poor” means “to bow down timidly, as in someone who is beggarly and understands they are so destitute, that God alone is their only hope and help. That could be someone who has nothing or someone who has everything, both ends of the spectrum can be poor. It’s a picture of being humble in our spirits, so if we put the word “humble” in place of the word “poor,” the meaning becomes clearer. In other words, when we come to God, we must realize our fallen state, along with our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we do, it certainly restricts any prosperity He would extend us. Can you imagine trying to give someone a gift, but they are busy saying they don’t need it because they can make do with what they have? The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. The Lord does hold up a cautionary flag about being empty and impoverished in our souls, and urges us to pursue spiritual wealth instead.

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” When we feel cold and uninspired, when we can’t seem to find our heart, i say go find your treasure, because i guarantee, your heart is laying around there somewhere. Look at what you value and you can get a good idea about what is most important to you.

Another common view of “the poor” is someone who is paralyzed by feeling useless, worthless, and unworthy.

“i’m just a poor old sinner man, just pumping out sin all day long, even in my sleep. i sin when i’m awake, sin when i don’t mean to, and sin when i’m asleep. It’s just hopeless, what’s the point?”

i feel quite strongly that to rise above that is not about building up our self-esteem, recognizing our own excellence. That’s not what God says. The Lord didn’t say “stop putting yourself down because the truth is you’re so well spoken and important”. He said, “Stop looking at your own corruptness and look at me.” If you’re always looking down, all you can see is the ground. The Lord made our mouth and He promises to help us find the words which make a difference. Look at Jesus and live. The answer to thinking too little of ourselves isn’t in thinking too much of ourselves. Being poverty stricken is every bit as poor as lounging in elevated self-esteem, they are both poor.

Consider: There are two types of poverty here: there is the poverty which settles upon someone who won’t work, and the kind which is upon someone like an orphan who has no recourse but to beg. In Mark 12:42, the widow gave one sad little copper coin, which was a beggars tithe, possibly being seen by others as pitiful and poor. But from God’s vantage point, the one who judges according to the heart, she was richer than all the rest put together. She was a picture of prosperity from God’s view of things.

In John 12 a woman poured very expensive ointment on the head of Jesus, and rather than appreciate the value of the gift from her heart, Judas Iscariot scolded her, suggesting she “could have” done this, and “should have” done that. He was basically saying her gift was a waste and she was just stupid. God saw differently though. He knew her humility and understood that she did what she did in worship and praise of God from whom all blessings flow. The critic of her actions was actually the one who was poor, and he was also the one who held the money. That’s pretty arrogant for the guy with the most money to complain about someone’s gift to God only because it deprived them of adding to their own money bags.

The poor will always be with us, not just the ones who don’t own anything, but also those who are far from God without right principles, good morals, or excellent ethics.

What do you think?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.