Author Archives: cameron

¿Qué quiero para ti?

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¿Qué quiero para ti?

       Si pudiera querer algo para ti, ¿qué querría? En Romanos 12 y 13, Pablo nos presenta una lista de cosas buenas que debemos desear para nosotros mismos y para los demás.

Parecería que la mayoría de nosotros estamos principalmente preocupados por lo que querríamos para nosotros mismos, pero pensé que era una buena pregunta, “¿Qué quiero para ti?” He estado reflexionando sobre esto esperando que pases por aquí… Dios se preocupa por los detalles de nuestras vidas, deseando que todo dentro y alrededor de nosotros se transforme… ok, dicho esto, esto es lo que quiero que hagas, con la ayuda de Dios. ayuda por supuesto:

Tomatu vida cotidiana y ordinaria: dormir, comer, ir a trabajar, tu mundo de trabajo diario y tu vida cotidiana, y colócalo ante Dios como una ofrenda. Aceptar          lo que Dios hace por ti es lo mejor que puedes hacer. Me gustaría que no te adaptaras tanto a nuestra cultura como para encajar en ella sin siquiera pensarlo. En cambio, me gustaría que fijaras tu atención en Dios. Serás cambiado de adentro hacia afuera. Quiero que reconozcas lo que Él quiere de ti y respondas rápidamente. Ahora hay una palabra para hoy: Responde. Me gustaría eso para todas las personas, en todas partes: Responde. A diferencia de la cultura que te rodea, que siempre te arrastra a su nivel de inmadurez, Dios sacará lo mejor de ti y desarrollará una madurez bien formada en ti.

Viviendo, pues, como tú, en pura gracia, quisiera que no te malinterpretaras como alguien que lleva su bondad a Dios. No, Dios te lo trae todo. La única manera precisa de entendernos a nosotros mismos es saber quién y qué es el Señor, por lo que Nos dice y lo que Hace por nosotros, no por lo que somos y lo que hacemos por él.

Al ver que un dedo cortado o un dedo del pie cortado no significa mucho en sí mismo, como una persona independiente que no forma parte de nada más, nosotros tampoco. Nadie es luz para sí mismo. No somos nuestro propio principio y fin, ni somos nuestra propia madre y padre. Ya que nos encontramos formados en todas estas partes excelentemente formadas y maravillosamente funcionando en el cuerpo de Cristo, quiero que vayas para adelante y seas para todo lo que fuiste creado, sin envidia ni orgullo, sin compararte con nadie más, o tratando de ser alguien que no eres. Estoy bastante seguro de que cuando agotamos nuestros dones, dándonos títulos que van más allá de lo que Dios dijo que éramos, podemos encallar fácilmente, preguntándonos cómo llegamos allí. Quisiera que nunca te perdieras en la arrogancia de considerarte demasiado alto, o de compararte con los que se alaban a sí mismos. Ya conoces a los que… se miden a sí mismos usándose a sí mismos como su estándar, e incluso se comparan entre ellos, déjame decirte que… eso solo genera muchas personas heridas. Simplemente no vayas allí. Créeme, estuve allí, hice eso, yo pasé por eso, no quiero volver a experimentarlo.

Si predicas, predica fielmente el corazón de Dios, nada más; si ayudas, ayuda de verdad, no tomes el control; si enseñas, apégate a tu enseñanza; si brindas orientación alentadora, ten cuidado de no volverte mandón; si te ponen a cargo, no manipules; si te llaman para ayudar a personas en apuros, mantén los ojos abiertos y sé rápido para responder. Ohhhh… Ahí está esa palabra otra vez: Responde. Hay una diferencia entre ser mentor y hacerse cargo de alguien. Hay una diferencia entre dejar que la gente te ponga en una posición para ayudarlos a navegar en lugar de dejar que la gente te convierta en la fuerza direccional dominante en sus vidas. Hay una diferencia entre alentar a las personas a hacer lo correcto y exigirles que hagan lo que se les dice y luego marginarlos cuando no lo hacen o lo hacen a su manera, cuando dices o cómo dices. Si trabajas con los desfavorecidos, no te dejes irritar o deprimir por ellos. Mantén la sonrisa en tu rostro.

Quisiera que ames desde el centro de lo que eres; no finjas. Huye con todo lo que vales del mal; aférrate a la querida vida y al bien. Sean buenos amigos que amen profundamente, y aquí hay uno bueno:

…. trata de practicar tocar el segundo violín, significa básicamente lo que Dios dice: “No hagan nada por egoísmo o vanidad; más bien, con humildad consideren a los demás como superiores a ustedes mismos.”

Quiero que sigas adelante y no te quemes; tómatetu tiempo y aprende a descansar, manteniéndotelleno de combustible y ardiendo. Esta alerta como un siervo del Señor, alegremente expectante: Responde. No te rindas en tiempos difíciles; ora mucho más. Es muy fácil ayudar a las personas necesitadas y ser ingeniosos en la hospitalidad.

Dios siempre se preocupa por los detalles de nuestras vidas. Lea su Biblia, el Señor tiene muchas cosas de las que le gustaría hablarnos.

Soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo en Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi.

Fe

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La fe es no tener conclusiones. La fe no es ser apto. En nuestra versión occidental del cristianismo básicamente se nos alimenta con una línea de pensamiento que dice: “Si tienes fe, tendrás respuestas y conclusiones. Si tienes fe, prosperarás y nunca sufrirás, y si eres pobre y sufres, obviamente no posees la fe para levantarte por encima de todo. Y si estás enfermo o eres pobre, es tu propia miserable falta de fe lo que te mantiene allí”.

Eso simplemente no es cierto. El sufrimiento es una parte importante de la vida cristiana tanto como no sufrir y siempre nos estamos midiendo unos a otros en cuanto a quién es más pecador, más bendito, más cercano a Dios (o no) que nosotros. Siempre midiendo. “Tal y tal deben ser más pecadores que yo porque tienen muchos más problemas de los que jamás pensé tener. No veo qué podría estar mal con ellos, pero míralos, las cosas no están bien con ellos”… y las cosas están bien conmigo, por lo tanto, debo tener más fe y más favor con Dios con menos pecado en mi vida que mis vecinos”. Eso simplemente no es verdad.

Los judíos de Lucas 13 parecían sentir que a las personas malas de poca fe les pasaban cosas malas, y a las personas buenas que tenían mucha fe les pasaban cosas buenas. Esto se llama teología retributiva, que dice: “Si soy bueno con Dios, Él será bueno conmigo, y si las cosas no me salen bien, seguramente debo haber hecho algo mal”. Haz el bien, obtienes el bien, haz el mal, obtienes el mal. Jesús dijo que eso no es absolutamente cierto. Job era un hombre justo según Dios (Job 1: 8) y no había otra persona en la tierra como él, sin embargo, sufrió muchas cosas desgarradoras. Jesús fue el hombre más justo que jamás haya existido, jamás existirá, y sufrió cosas desgarradoras en el corazón y el cuerpo, cosas terribles también. ¿Fue que eran pecadores o su falta de fe lo que causó su sufrimiento? ¿Abraham se fue sin saber a dónde iba porque no tenía la fe desarrollada para obtener ese nivel de respuestas y conclusiones? ¿O Dios simplemente estaba siendo ambivalente con él, molestando a Abraham?Tupodrías pensar que es una tontería, pero bueno, he conocido a más de un creyente que me dijeron que tendrían que “trabajar en su fe para obtener el nivel de respuestas que querían”?.¿“Trabajar tu fe”? ¿Cómo haces eso? La fe no viene en spray de Fe instantánea en latas delSupermercado, o en bolsas y todo lo que tienes que hacer es agregar agua, y listo, tienes un poco más de fe. Viene en algo mucho mas diferente a eso.

¡Que no tengamos respuestas no significa que no tengamos fe!

En Hebreos 11, ¿Tuvo que esperar Sara 10 años después de que le fue profetizado que tendría un hijo porque no tenía fe o porque era pecadora? ¿Los primeros héroes de la fe fueron martirizados porque no tenían la fe para escapar de la persecución y de alguna manera merecían morir porque eran infieles y pecadores? ¿No tenemos respuestas a preguntas importantes porque no tenemos fe? ¿O no somos capaces de llegar a algunas de las conclusiones necesarias de la vida muchas veces porque no tenemos nada de fe? Muchas veces no sabemos lo que Dios está haciendo, pero estamos obligados a confiar en Él hasta que Su propósito y dirección sean claros. Muchas veces no entiendo, pero estoy dispuesto a creer y esperar porque creo que Dios tiene razón en todo lo que hace.

¡No tener respuestas no significa falta de fe!

Estar dispuesto a esperar en el espacio intermedio de no tener respuesta es fe, y en ese espacio de espera sin respuesta ni conclusión, Dios crea la fe. A veces, esperar es como exhalar y esperar demasiado para inhalar, y crece un dolor y una urgencia que comienza en nuestro cuerpo… a veces esperar es como el dolor entre una exhalación y una inhalación.

Los consejeros de Job NO estaban dispuestos a vivir en un espacio sin respuestas y sin conclusiones, y hoy en día, muchas muchas personas equiparan “tener respuestas” con “tener fe”.

Los amigos o consejeros de Job le dijeron a Job (Job 8:20) que, si confesaba que estaba corrupto y en pecado, en poco tiempo Dios le daría bendición y prosperidad y volvería a estar en la cima del mundo. Pero Job se negó a violar su firme adhesión a su código moral de honestidad si admitía algo que no era cierto solo para evitar el que sufrimiento, aunque no tenía ninguna respuesta. La fe y la alegría no se agarran y se poseen admitiendo errores que no ocurrieron, como tampoco el no ser responsables de nuestros actos y ser indiferentes generan verdadera felicidad.

Tener fe no significa tener respuestas, sino más bien estar dispuesto a confiar en Dios y vivir en ese espacio de tiempo sin respuestas y sin conclusiones. Tener fe a veces es como estar en ese espacio de espera entre una exhalación y una inhalación, el espacio sin respuestas y sin conclusiones, y para mí, siempre siento que no hay suficiente aire y que me estoy muriendo.

Confiemos en Dios que es completamente digno de confianza. Él es fiel y justo, e incluso cuando no sabemos las respuestas, Dios todavía está con nosotros los que creemos en Cristo, y podemos estar seguros de que nuestras respuestas llegarán en el momento adecuado, en el mejor momento, en el tiempo de Dios, y será suficiente.

Quédate quieto en el tiempo de espera, aprovecha ese tiempo en lugar de resentirte por tener que esperar. Es estar en el momento de Dios cuando estemos entre una exhalación y una inhalación, confía en él, ¡Él está construyendo una fe extraordinaria en ti!

Soy Porter Social para el Ministerio Viviendo En Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi  

Looking For Jesus

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Lately i’ve had many things on my mind which i’ve been discussing, on and off with the Lord, like “the value of church”. Think about it, we go to a central location with other people whom we suppose are somewhat like minded for about an hour to an hour and a half on a particular day of the week, and for some it’s twice per week if their lucky enough to have the opportunity. We sing together for a while, and somehow in that space of time folks are supposed to get it together enough to corporately engage with the Lord and be passionate and raise their hands … for 20-40mins. We sit down, pass the hat to give tithes and offerings, then we listen to someone expound on the scriptures while we nod our heads understandingly, maybe even take a few notes for some undetermined time in the future to be reviewed. There is an offer for prayer if anyone wants it, at which time we gather our stuff and go home. My question to myself was, “Is that really church? Is that what God had in mind when He said in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Yet, on the other hand Acts 7:48, “Howbeit the most High dwells NOT in temples made with hands. . .”, and “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells NOT in temples made with hands,” Acts 17:24.

i’ve been think about what we’re supposed to be doing, and considering the question to myself which is, am i accomplishing the purposes of the Lord in the time frame known as “all my days”? i’ve been part of fellowships that met for the corporate church body meeting on Sunday, and they loved being together so much that when the service was over, they just all continued church at someone’s house, many times the fellowshipping of the saints continued on into the evening. Now see, to me, that’s church, that’s the model of communal table, house to house, believer to believer that was spoken of in Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20. But what is this other thing we do where we meet for a short time then just leave, some going away so fast it seems they can’t wait to be somewhere else … what is that?

i believe that we’re looking for Jesus. In all our congregating short or long, singing high or low, hanging out, and studying, we’re looking for Jesus, looking to connect with the Lord somehow. We’re not sure how to get “there”, where ever “there” is, hopefully it’s “somewhere” and it’s definitely better than “nowhere”. The topic on the table is titled “looking for Jesus”, and how are we going to do this? Sticky statement for pondering: If we look for Him, He will find us.

Isaiah 58:9-10, “Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live production for your edification, think-worthy conversation addressing life in Christ about 3” below the surface of your presentation face. And in case the idea of “presentation face” is perplexing, what i mean is that everyone has a “face” they give to the world around them, and then there’s the real face where they live, the one which presents the reality of where we really live in all our concerns, confidences, fears, difficult questions, yea … all that, i reckon you get my drift.

Come go with me. By the way, your comments are welcome…i don’t mind. i think i’ve been hammered so much, there isn’t much that could slap the Holy Ghost smile off my face anymore, or, at least not nearly as often as in days past.

Where’s Waldo?, as taken from Wikipedia, is a series of children’s books created by the English illustrator Martin Handford. The books consist of a series of detailed double-page spread illustrations depicting dozens or more people doing a variety of amusing things at a given location. Readers are challenged to find a character named Waldo hidden in the group. Waldo’s distinctive red-and-white-striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses make him slightly easier to recognize, but many illustrations contain red herrings involving deceptive use of red-and-white striped objects.

i think, part of our going to church, initially, was looking for Jesus like people search a picture, looking for Waldo. We look, trying to focus, our mind wanders a little looking at the different characters doing things in the illustrations, then we re-focus, undertaking a renewed effort to find the character Waldo.

In our search for Jesus, some just get tired after a few days, others seem to last longer, yet there are those who find, what i call, a “passion trail”.

i have asked myself a pretty pokey question many times when i feel my interest fading a little, “Just how interested are you in connecting with God?” To be honest, as if there’s any other way to be, it’s a great question, but i rarely like my answer. Am i just peeping around the corner at him….am i facing Him but looking more at the ground or other places, am i looking for Him with anticipation, or is my search just a passive looking around like watching a video while simultaneously playing on my phone?

1 Chronicles 15:29, “and as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window…”. Where the English word there is “looked”, in Hebrew it speaks of a very different heart posture than merely openly gazing like looking out across a meadow. It literally means to “peep at” or to “to lean out and gaze from a high window, as surveying a spectacle”, looking with interest while staying out of sight.

The “high window” says to me she was looking down on David from her high place of dignity. Not eye level, but peering at him who was “down low” implying a sense of he was somehow less than. i wonder how often i look for Jesus from the elevated platform of my own making, and rather than really chasing after Him, i peep at him from around the corner of my high place? Is this a question you’d be willing to entertain, and if you did, what is your answer to yourself?

Michal’s attitude towards David dancing before the Lord spoke volumes of her heart towards the Lord. The Hebrew word used in reference to Michal in 1 Chronicles 15:29, is the same word used of Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30 in that she peeped at Jehu, gazed down at him from her high window. She lost her life from that high place she had gotten for herself. i would imagine Jezebel, like Michal, had a habit of looking down at the little people from a place where she could see them but the people couldn’t necessarily see her.

1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Let yourself be known to the Lord, expose to Him your heart, mind, and body. His mercy endures forever and there is no way He’s going to hammer you. He thinks you are beautiful. How bad do we want to find Him? He’s not going to allow Himself to be found so easily, as long as we peep at Him through the curtains of our high windows. Our purpose and reason is not to discover our purpose and reason but to discover and apprehend Jesus, and it is nigh impossible if we’re always hiding and looking down on the little people.

           Psalm 38:11, “My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.” Matthew 27:55, “There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,”

Both scriptures pass along to the reader a sense of looking on and observing… it’s more than gazing from a high place, but an earnest, continued inspection. The whole mood is one of interest, not just passive observance, but being attentive to what was going on to understand the situation, yet not wanting to get “too involved”. Do you see it? It is still from a distance, not wanting to exactly be involved altogether. Sort of like watching a friend get arrested … you dare not get directly involved, you’re not completely removed with indifference, but not exactly over there intervening and preventing harm to your friend.

In Matthew 27:55, the women had been attendant to Jesus, they were following, but they didn’t dare get too close lest they incur the wrath of the Roman guards who were doing the crucifying in case they get a beating for appearing to intervene, or worse, get crucified themselves for good measure.

Are we seeing Jesus in our lives but we’re not getting too close? Maybe we are afraid of being known, fearing maybe others will see us for who we are and they won’t like us so we hold ourselves at a distance, being careful to not get too involved. Maybe we don’t get too involved with the bankrupt and blind, the poor and prodigal sons lest some of their bad juju rub off on us. i mean, the attitude is like, “i hope all those homeless guys come to know Jesus, but, well, i’m not sure i want to shake hands with a really smelly guy with bad teeth, wild hair, and unknown sticky stuff on the side of the hand he wants to use to shake hands.”

i’m looking for Jesus, however i have to get there, and i pray God will give me courage to go where i need to be in order to connect with Him. How important is it to you to find Him? How far are you willing to go to find Him? Many folks only seem to look for Jesus in the obvious places, looking in the ground floor windows which are easy to get to, knocking on the doors which aren’t behind fences. In their quest for the Lord they seek Him among people which look clean, nice, and friendly.

And then last Monday, the day after traditional church, there was the homeless man, standing at the red light, holding out his hands or holding up a sign, asking for handouts. As is our custom, we cast our eyes away from him. It’s a pretty uncomfortable moment, isn’t it? We say within ourselves, “We gave at the church already, gosh.” So in the moment, we stopped looking at Jesus standing there, with His hand out.

i think a lot of the church is looking for Jesus, but it’s from a distance, sort of aloof from really being involved. I don’t know what we’re going to do next week in worship. Maybe as it turns out, we’re much more interested in feeling spiritually high and lifted up than we are in actually seeing Jesus in his actual “glory.”

Matthew 25:35-46, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus is being painfully pointed here. Notice, He called the first group brothers, but there was no such relationship mentioned with the second.

Mark 1:37, “… Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”” In Luke 2:49, when Jesus was in the temple and His parents were looking for Him, He asked, “Why were you looking for me?” i believe He knew the answer to the question and His question was meant to inspire them to examine their own faith concerning His true identity. The Greek word for “looking” used in both scriptures doesn’t mean looking, as in peering at, but looking in the sense of seeing with their eyes with the intent of seeking and searching to apprehend.

Today, in this season we live in, whether people admit it or not, everyone is looking for Jesus, seeking to connect with Him, just like in the days when Peter said those words to Jesus, “everyone is looking for you”. i’d say nothing has changed much since then. Mankind still acts the same as they did back then, and we’re all … still … looking for Jesus.

There is a different sort of looking for Jesus found in Mark15:43where Joseph of Arimathea was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, in other words not only was he seeking the Kingdom, but it’s a word which also implies he was looking in earnest and waiting with confidence. It was the passion of his life to find Jesus, and when he did he was bold and courageous to request the body and prepare it for burial.

Some folks seem to think the Lord is typically found in real big fancy places with mega seating, and mega sound systems run by mega technicians, managed by mega pastors and mega in-house mega marketing committees. Others think He’s found in old beautiful stones of ancient places, all with incredible art and high arched ceilings. They say God is surely in this place considering all the prayers that have gone up from that old stone building. Well, in that case, the county jail is probably twice as spiritual as the big beautiful churches. Think about this, prison and jailhouse walls are saturated with the prayers of desperate people who pray day and night, 7 days/week.

In another way, according to Paul, “high and lifted up” is precisely where God is not to be found, maybe we find Him among the lowly and down trodden instead of among the “high and lifted up”. We often find Him in unexpected places, sometimes He is looking at us out from under the eyelids of the most unlikely people. Some folks are always looking for Jesus in wondrous signs and others think they’ll find him in glorious wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:22-23, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”

Now in Hebrews 11:26 there is another interesting use of the word “looking” which i think is relative to understanding this thing we do, “looking for Jesus” and what does it mean for our lives? To me, it’s important we understand our “looking for Jesus”. It is obsessive, and passionate, day in and day out. It seems important to know something about how we do it and why. Don’t you think?

Can we shape our “looking for Jesus” habits to be more productive? In Hebrews 11:26, Moses is spoken of as having considered the reproach of Christ a greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, because he was “looking to the reward”. The word “looking” is unique here in that it means Moses looked away from the riches of Egypt, he looked away from everything else and fastened his eyes on the Lord. And because the word “looking” is an imperfect tense it wasn’t a onetime thing, it was a continual and repeated action. There, right there is a major clue in not only how we “look for Jesus” but also how we successfully find our savior.

Then in Hebrews 12:2 Paul uses a Greek word for “looking to Jesus” that’s not used anywhere else in the Bible, only there. It’s a two-part verb, the first part meaning a separation from the whole, and the second part means to see with the eyes, to see with the mind, to stare at and discern clearly. It is not only a physical action but a mental action, both. The Hebrew equivalent means to “experience by perception, BEHOLD!”

Peter uses a different word for looking in 1Peter 3:12 and again in vs 14, but in this case the translators called it “waiting for” because this concept of “looking for Jesus” comes with the idea of confidently watching, looking for and anticipating.

Now you see, that’s how i want to go about “looking for Jesus”, with all breathing, all my thinking, and all my feeling. That’s it right there, “experience by perception … BEHOLD!”, turning my eyes from this world and fixing them on Jesus and the Kingdom of God. That’s looking for Jesus to me. Yea.

Another example of how i want to “look for Jesus” is in Jeremiah 13:16, “Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.” The phrase “look for light”, meaning we wait, collect with expectation, anxiously looking for His return, weaving together the facts and stories of God while waiting in anticipation. i don’t know about you, but to me that is fascinating.

Isn’t that sort of what we do while we’re “looking for Jesus”? We wait, we collect information about the object of our affection while waiting in confident anticipation of finding our beloved, touching Him, seeing His eyes. We know if we find Him, He will have found us first, and as long as we can see Jesus, everything will be ok.

Don’t we review the facts and stories of His exploits in our minds, and we retell to others the great things He has done? When we review we also relive the moment and emotion of the memory. It’s not like we are alone in our memories of His great deeds either. When we re-live the stories and weave together facts we’ve gathered while “looking for Jesus”, suddenly the memories become Holy Ghost charged, He assists us in our remembrance of Jesus. God inhabits the praise of His people. i figure, besides learning how to renew our minds, when Paul wrote those famous words in Philippians 4:8-9, he knew it would be more than just renewing, he was encouraging us to re-weave together the stories of Jesus which would inspire us to continue, with diligence, our pressing on “looking for Jesus”.

When i think of noble things, my highest dream is of Jesus. When i review what is just, pure, and lovely, my highest memory is of Jesus. When i put together the facts i’ve found while “looking for Jesus”, it’s not long before i began to sense God’s riveting virtue, redemptive goodness and, before i know it, anything praiseworthy starts coming to mind…shortly, a little fire is burning in my heart and my mind follows after. His presence draws all things together in His wake, and the hem of His robe and the glory of the Lord fills the temple. If we look for Him, He will find us. Do you get it?

i can’t speak for you, but i want to find what i’m looking for. i don’t believe i’ve ever met anyone who was searching for something they didn’t want to find. What person searches for something they earnestly don’t want and truly have no interest in? No one searches for what they do not want in the same sense that no one knowingly and willingly dies for a lie.

Our purpose and reason is not to discover our purpose and reason but to discover and apprehend Jesus. We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people who will believe in their heart and confess with their mouth Jesus is Lord. We have tasted and have seen, therefore we search and “look for Jesus” because there is no one and no thing who satisfies our souls and makes us right before God.

How do we “look for Jesus”? We call out to Him with our voice and actions, we pour ourselves out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted. We praise and worship Him, we study to find Him in scripture for He is revealed in the Bible and inhabits the praises of His people, “If you look for Him, He will find you.” We look for Him with the seeing of our eyes and the vision of our mind and heart with the intent of seeking and searching to apprehend. To see what we see, we’ve got to be interested to know what we’ve found.

We look for Jesus in earnest and wait for Him with confidence. Finding Jesus is the passion of our lives, and we are bold and courageous to break out of our church model to be where He is. i will break your rules to touch the hem of His garment if i have to, but i must touch Him above all things. i will lose my titles, platforms, and positions of honor, i’ll call Him Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, or all of the above, whatever it takes to get close to Him, using everything i am to know Jesus. Are you willing to walk alone in the wilderness to find Him, or maybe sail violent seas, or camp in a desert place that’s just dry as far as you can see in any direction because the Lord said “wait here”, willing to look away from everything else and fasten our eyes on the Lord?

We are “looking for Jesus”, so we wait, collect details of His presence with expectation we will see our Savior, we anxiously look for His return, searching the sky for the fulfillment of His promise to return for us who love Him. We relish weaving together the facts and stories of God, recounting His extraordinary exploits.

The only way we’ll stand is on our knees with our hands raised, being strong and courageous to attain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ.

This could gloriously go on and on, so i’m going to say “think about it” and bounce. Think about it.

Mark 16:6, “And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.”

i don’t know how to tell you how i feel in my “looking for Jesus”. The closer He gets to all things, the more all things become like Him. You don’t need to go out and look for a guru that claims to have some special revelation. You can find everything you need to know about God in the pages of the Scripture, the Holy Spirit will guide you on a path, especially for you, to find Him whom you seek. As you pray and study His Word, you can begin to know Him, and He will begin to work in your life, He will open your eyes to see Jesus. It may be a glimpse here and there, but every time we see Him, we are changed from glory to glory, when we see Him, we shall be like Him.

One-way Jesus, He’s the only one i could live for. i tried the others possible gods and found, conclusively, they are all lifeless hulks of imagination and stone, and were so corrupt they were no one even the worst of humanity should follow after.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, broadcast from the deck of a rural cafe at the end of Old Field Road which overlooks the beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant.

Are we “looking for Jesus” like someone who simply has a passive regard for what they see, or are we looking for Jesus with eyes wide open, gazing at Him like looking at something amazing? Are we watching for Him with anticipation, looking with eyes, mind, and heart, straining to hear the wisdom of God’s heart. We all are looking for Jesus in one fashion or another, whether we know it or not….He is the desire of the ages and one day, every eye shall see Him and none can turn away.

Be strong and courageous this week, take your time, breath easy, one step at a time, it’ll all come around. Amen, and amen.

 

 

Oración contestada

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Oración contestada

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

La oración es la respiración de nuestra vida espiritual. Una vida cristiana sin oración es como no respirar y esperar seguir viviendo. La oración es nuestro salvavidas hacia Dios, es algo que nosotros, como cristianos, debemos hacer con regularidad, incluso de la misma forma con la que tomamos aire. Un hombre sabio dijo una vez: “… La oración es el aliento de un alma recién nacida, y no puede haber vida sin ella”. Muchas personas hablan de tener una “vida de oración” tan casualmente como hablan de respirar, pero es no es solo alguna estructura o forma de nuestra vida espiritual, sino lo que hacemos que mantiene nuestra vida en Cristo. Es un estilo de vida, no solo una “cosa” que hacemos.

Hay muchas ventajas de vivir bajo la bandera del amor de Dios, uno de esos maravillosos beneficios es la oración contestada. En Mateo 16:9-13, Jesús describe cómo orar y qué orar. En la oración reconocemos la paternidad soberana de Dios cuando decimos: “Padre nuestro, que estás en los cielos”. Podemos alabarlo por su nombre porque Su nombre representa Su naturaleza, alabamos Su mismo ser cuando decimos “Tu nombre es santo, sagrado y apartado” o “Santificado sea tu nombre”.
En nuestro tiempo de oración usamos ese tiempo para la confesión, el arrepentimiento o la búsqueda del camino a casa, el perdón, etc… y pedirle a Dios su gracia en nuestras relaciones con otras personas. Nuestro perdón por los demás va de la mano con el perdón de Dios por nosotros. Salmos 103:3 “El que perdona todas tus iniquidades, el que sana todas tus dolencias, Quien redime tu vida de la destrucción, Quien te corona con bondad y tiernas misericordias”. Si esperamos que nuestras oraciones sean contestadas, una de las claves es que perdonemos a los demás, como podemos ver en las palabras de Jesús en Lucas 6:37 “…Perdona, y serás perdonado”. Probablemente, una de las oraciones más poderosas a las que alguien podría expresar es una sola palabra a Dios:”Ayuda”. Y no podemos estar repensando Su respuesta. Muchas veces le hacemos una pregunta al Señor, lo que dijo fue “No Ahora”, pero lo repensamos para que signifique “no”. Amigos, no “no”, sino “No ahora”. Se paciente y escucha el resto de la historia que Él te quiere contar. Es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo, pero es sabiduría.

A través de la oración nos alineamos con Dios y Él nos mantiene en el camino de Su bondad y propósitos, nos mantiene en Su poder y unción, y nos defiende del mal. Él responde a nuestras oraciones cuando pedimos ayuda y en él nos encontramos con “bondad y nuestra fortaleza, que es mi refugio y mi libertador, mi escudo y Aquel en quien me refugio” (Salmo 144: 2).

Tenemos la garantía de que Dios nos escuchará y nos responderá en 1 Juan 5:14,15: “Y esta es la confianza que tenemos en él, que si pedimos alguna cosa conforme a su voluntad, él nos oye. Y si sabemos que Él nos oye en cualquier cosa que le pidamos, sabemos que tenemos las peticiones que le hayamos hecho.” En Juan 14:14, Jesús dijo: “Si algo pidiereis en mi nombre, yo lo haré”.

En el Salmo 86:7, David dijo: “En el día de mi angustia te invocaré, porque tú me responderás”. Esto sigue siendo verdad para nosotros hoy. Puede que no responda en el momento cuando queremos que lo haga, pero RESPONDERÁ.
Oración contestada, nuestras peticiones que presentamos ante el Señor serán y son atendidas. Es una característica de nuestra relación con el Dios Todopoderoso que es completamente única dentro de CUALQUIER sistema de creencias. El universo no responde a las preguntas de la gente. No tiene voz, ni ojos, ni oídos, ni compasión, ni piedad, ni juicio, ni propósito, ni sueños, ni ideas, ni personalidad. El universo es sordo, ciego y mudo sin la capacidad de rescatarte en tu momento de necesidad. Pero Dios, nuestro Dios, no solo nos da esperanza, misericordia, propósito, sueños, ideas, nos escucha y nos ve, Él tiene todas esas cosas y más. Sus oídos atentos siempre están escuchando, e incluso responde nuestras oraciones. Estas son algunas de las cosas que Dios nos da a sus hijos, con abundancia.
1. ¡Dulce hora de oración! ¡dulce hora de oración!
Que me llama desde un mundo de cuidados,
Y me ofrece en el trono de mi Padre
Dar a conocer todas mis necesidades y deseos.
En temporadas de angustia y dolor,
Mi alma a menudo ha encontrado alivio,
y a menudo escapó de la trampa del tentador,
¡Por tu regreso, dulce hora de oración!
Si le preguntas a Dios, Él te responderá. Pruébalo, habla con Jesús, Él tiene exactamente lo que necesitas. El Señor siempre actuará para tu beneficio, te escuchará cuando llames y te responderá.
Soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo En Su Nombre.
Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

Living Like Jesus

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Living Like Jesus

And they all sang, “i just want to be like Jesus.” It was a glorious thing to sing, and i believe everyone was truly sincere. Yet, i’m certain if we want to live like Jesus, we’ve actually got to know something about Him, more than only what we’re told from the pulpit on Sunday. We’ve got to dig in our Bible to read, and we’ve got to pray and be involved with God to know His attributes, preferences and standards in order to actually live like Jesus. If you think it’s impossible to live like that, let me assure you that if you’ll try, God will meet you on that path and empower you to live as you’ve only sung about and wished over.

We are so often implied to by Hollywood, advertising, our state and federal government, and self-help guru’s, that if we’ll just imitate highly respected, highly motivated role models, we’ll get life back in good working order. It’s like telling people that some form of good works will get us living the high life, and nothing could be further from the truth. We’re told saying right prayers making sure to end our prayers with some magic words will do the trick. When i was a new believer a man told me that if i didn’t end my prayer saying, “In the name of Jesus”, God wouldn’t hear me, nor could He hear me. That’s foolishness. We’re told if we do the right things, long enough and loud enough, that will somehow meet the qualifications of being a good person, God will approve of us, and that will be sufficient, implying if we try hard enough it will be good enough. That’s foolishness. That’s not what God said at all, and we would know that if we’d read our Bible. We’re told that if we’ll “just do the rules”, keeping these high days, and eating that certain food, saying those special words in a special way, and using the more technically correct names, that will be enough to live the life of Christ or that somehow, it gives us an extra-special connection with God. Again, that’s foolishness. Galatians3:21, “For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” It’s not.

No amount of good works or religious deeds or ceremonies can ever save anyone. If grace did not come by Jesus Christ then grace did not come at all. No one can earn salvation, and yet it’s available to everyone, not because we went and got it, but because Jesus gives it.

We are told that if we’ll just change our behavior, supplying all our own effort, life will change. While that may be a little true for a short while, really, it’s nothing lasting. God says He, Himself will give us the power to change, and it’s not just change He’s after but a complete metamorphosis, a total transformation. We can’t rescue ourselves…. power for salvation and transformation come from God alone. Bottom line…if God doesn’t give it, we don’t get it.

i believe too many are spinning their wheels trying to transform themselves into some semblance of Jesus, but it never really sticks because without the power of the blood of Jesus in our lives, our inclination is to always revert back to our original state of godlessness. We have to let the Lord do it in us. The power to change is from God living in us, Jesus Christ living in us, and that power comes from Him, not from within ourselves. It is totally His work and nothing we, by any means, can take credit for.

We live like Jesus by worship, and that means not by simply lifting our hands and dancing around, but in how we lead our lives, how we present ourselves, as seen most evidently in our conversation, conduct and character. That is worship…it’s when you adore someone so much, you emulate all things about them.

We live like Jesus by prayer. Philippians4:5-6 reads, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer is integral to the cultivation of our relationship with the Lord, and honestly, we won’t get far without it.

We live like Jesus by studying our Bible. Jesus knew, He KNEW the scriptures, in fact He WAS and IS the scriptures. He used the words of scripture to resist temptation and said in Luke4:4 we don’t live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God. To live a spiritually upright life requires we get spiritually upright nourishment.

We live like Jesus by connecting with the Body of Christ. i didn’t say to necessarily attend a brick and mortar facility, i’m more saying we have to connect, position ourselves to have deep and meaningful dialogue with people who are honest and transparent. i believe we learn from those interactions about how to express ourselves, how to employ our giftings, and how to appreciate others who may have gifts different than ourselves. For all our criticism of the church, God loves the church and created the entire concept for more than just preaching the gospel but to help us grow.

Want to live like Jesus? Choose to be patient, to be considerate, extending yourself to others. Take time and make time to pray. Read your Bible, Jesus has a lot to say about our conversation, conduct, and character.

The Lord our God is the one who created man in His own image. We were designed to not only look like His image but to also reflect His heart. He’s the only who can finish His work in us, not just for change but for transformation.

What do you think?

Thanks for listening. i’m Social Porter with Living In His Name ministries

Misericordia y Perdón

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Misericordia y Perdón

Conocí a un joven el otro día, cubierto de tatuajes, tranquilo, con una vida turbulenta y caótica… en problemas. En su cuello tenía las palabras “No Esperes Misericordia”. El tatuaje me recordó las palabras de alguien que lleva una ofensa interminable; alguien que posiblemente haya experimentado algún tipo de condenación de alguien importante en su vida en el pasado. Aprendió el estilo de vida de “Sin Misericordia” en alguna parte. Tal vez aprendió que nunca debe esperar misericordia para su vida, acciones o reacciones y, como resultado, no debe dar misericordia. ¿Dónde aprendemos estas cosas?

A veces nos tratamos bastante mal. Estoy agradecido, muy agradecido de que Dios Todopoderoso nos extienda misericordia. Empecé a pensar que si un hombre no conoce la misericordia, probablemente tampoco conozca el perdón. La palabra hebrea para misericordia denota la compasión de Dios que nos evita la destrucción o destinos tristes similares. Si Dios no nos extendiera misericordia y perdón a través de Cristo, todos estaríamos condenados desde antes de nacer, pero gracias a la misericordia de Dios, hay esperanza. Jesucristo dio Su vida y resucitó de entre los muertos por amor, y también por misericordia, por un mundo agonizante y sin esperanza de vida. Por la misericordia de Dios, a través del sacrificio de Jesucristo, “para que tengamos vida, y que ellos la tengan en abundancia”.

¿Estás ofendido? Las personas ofendidas tienen una postura de ojo por ojo, tienden a no tener piedad de sí mismos ni de los demás. Y lo que es peor, parecen ser buenos con andar ofendidos, día y noche. Tienden a ser personas enojadas, insatisfechas y sensibles, en general. Muchos de ellos parecen ser las personas más insultantes, degradantes, crudas y groseras que he conocido. Ni piensan en insultar a los demás y menospreciarlos, pero dígales algo sobre su actitud. Amigo, es mejor que tengas cuidado porque las personas ofendidas parecen listas para morder a cualquiera que los desafíe. Siempre tienen un gruñido en la garganta por algo. Creo queal final, se trata del ego, individualismo y un sentido de derecho.

¿Llevas las piedras de la ofensa para arrojaren tus bolsillos, esas piedras extra para tirar, útiles que se adaptan perfectamente a tus manos? ¿Nunca te has preguntado exactamente quién te ayudó a elegir esas piedras perfectas para lanzar? Bueno, no fue Dios, te lo aseguro.

Por increíble que parezca, la ofensa tiene facetas, a las que llamo “caras” y hay cuatro “caras” de la ofensa:

  1. Número de infracciones: Los hombres pueden perdonar algunos, pero no son propensos a perdonar con mucha repetición.
  2. Número de infractores: Los hombres pueden perdonar a uno oa unos pocos, pero cuanto mayor es el número de ofensores, menos inclinados están los hombres a perdonar.
  3. Tipo de infracción: Los hombres limitan el tipo de ofensas que perdonan, siempre que no les cueste mucho y sea para su beneficio.
  4. Grado de infracción: La gente perdonará una ofensa si es lo suficientemente pequeña como para no causar ningún daño a ellos mismos. Muchos parecen sentir que no les importa nada de lo que sucede, siempre y cuando no les suceda a ellos.

Y quiénes son los Amigos de la Ofensa: la amargura, la ira, la confusión, proyectar sombras y vilipendiar a los demás. Vienen de visita, pero luego no se van, y cuanto más se quedan, más se atrincheran. ¿Viven en tu casa? ¿Los invitaste un día cuando vinieron de visita, pero ahora no se van?

Efesios 4:31 “Quítense de vosotros toda amargura, ira, ira, gritería y maledicencia, y toda malicia”. En la traducción de la Biblia “El Mensaje”, Hebreos 12:15 señala que las semillas de la ofensa crecen, “malas hierbas de amargo descontento. Uno o dos cardos que echan semillas pueden arruinar todo un jardín en poco tiempo”. ¿Cómo crece tu jardín?

Las personas que cargan con una ofensa no conocen el perdón como Dios se lo ha extendido, y como resultado no hay mucha misericordia en ellos para ellos mismos ni para nadie más. Sin Misericordia, significa una vida predestinada a la condenación. Podemos apoyarnos en la misericordia o en la condenación, pero no puedes estar en ambos campos al mismo tiempo, la amargura te partirá por la mitad.

Quiero que todos sepamos que “Dios es pura misericordia y gracia; No se enoja fácilmente, es rico en amor. No reprocha y regaña sin cesar, ni guarda rencores para siempre. Él no nos trata como merecen nuestros pecados, ni nos paga por la totalidad de nuestros errores”. “Así que gracias a Dios por su maravilloso amor, por su misericordia milagrosa para con los niños que ama”. OH, cómo nos ama a ti y a mí.

Misericordia… eso suena como algo que quiero. ¿Y vos?

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para Living In HisNameMinistries.

Traducción por Alfredo MagniSozzi

Seasons: Part Two

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Isaiah29 uses the word “frame” in reference to the potter who shapes the clay.

A little recap from Part I is that the idea of “framing of the seasons”, means God squeezed into shape & formed the seasons which would squeeze into shape and form the things of the earth that were in each season, including us, the people.

The Lord marked the seasons with the moon in Psalm104. The weather warms, the daylight hours get longer, things begin to grow, thus we call that season Spring. We use the phrase, “i feel like i’ve been pulled through a key hole”, implying an occasion with a reason and a cause of testing that was tough, but the good thing about that is we took the shape of the key hole, along with the tumblers and slots….squeezed into shape & form due to the season we’re in. We often feel we are caught in a pinch point, but maybe it’s really the Lord re-shaping and squeezing the clay into someone more representative of His heart. Every season has two paths, and often, we don’t see the results of the season we’re in until later, in another time.

Everyone has had, are in, or will have “seasons of storms”….it is trying and scary, true, but it should also be remembered that the very nature of a storm is transient. As has been said before, not every blue sky is from Heaven, nor is every storm from hell. There are “blue sky seasons” just like there are “stormy weather seasons”…..it all builds us into God’s people, who are coming into the likeness of the Son.

Psalms 74:16-17 speaks of the framing of seasons; Genesis 2:7 refers to God’s fashioning man from the ground, He “squeezed” man into a shape & form in that season of forming; Psalms 95:5 is an expression of the things God made, squeezed into shape, form, and function. Like when God made water. He decided how it would act under numerous circumstances, how far it would go and where…design parameters, He gave it form and resolution, He framed it, like a potter. He framed, squeezed into form & function every other thing on the earth and they all have a design specific to them defining how they act, how far they go, what they react and don’t react to. God framed them, in His season of design and implementation, as in “…in the beginning”.

In Daniel 7:12 says, “…yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time”…. for occasions with a reason and cause, to be enacted in specific spans as measured with time.

Just like there is the “Rule of First Mention”, “Law of Opposites”, and the “Law of Reaping & Sowing”, there is the “Law of Seasons”.

Among many seasons of life, there appears to be a set of four that are connected…forming a season, seasons themselves, time, and times, and there are five that follow wisdom, Character, Authority, Ministry, and Money, and they have a specific order. All are gifts from God alone, but it requires “a season”  and “seasons” to bring them to fruition in our hearts.

Godly Character without wisdom is not possible, considering encountering Christ is definitely a character building, all time life changing event. And if Jesus is the very personification of wisdom, then how do we rub shoulders with God and walk away without wisdom?

Another small recap is that authority without Godly character is like grave dirt in your food, and can be degraded by sin and poor choices with the deterioration of ministry soon to follow. Ministry without authority is not empowered to do the work, and assigning ourselves a title does not gain us the authority we wish we had. Authority, real make-a-difference authority is given by God, and contrary to popular belief, we can have no tangible ministry, but still walk in God’s authority.

When the season of learning to wield authority righteously and as holiness does it’s work, even when that season is in process, the Lord will make a way for us to put our hand of authority to ministry. That is, unless we have another idea other than God’s idea….like giving ourselves titles which are not in keeping with our gifting.            Another view of the season of authority and ministry:   Authority is to ministry, as a frame is to a picture. Authority frames ministry, but ministry never frames authority.

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. For a while, 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” (a verb, Gen2:24)) and the woman” desires” (a noun, Gen3:16). Authority frames the beauty of righteous influence. Ministry desires and literally runs after authority, craves authority and loves to be under 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.            Authority follows character. It seems then, the Season of Character is a constant, God calls us from cover to cover of the Bible to come up to a higher standard of righteousness. Like the phrase in Rev11, the Lord says to us, “Come up here”, for immature character is a poor container for authority.

What part of us is developed when God asks us to practice “personal holiness”? i think character, and a Godly person who has many “seasons” under their belt is said to be “well seasoned”. We can observe the seasons changing by getting up to a high place to see the tops of the trees, similarly, from a high place, i can see my life seasons changing me by my dark hair turning gray. As my wisdom and character grow, my body dies a little more, till now my whiskers are white and i’m finally settled enough to enjoy quiet contemplation with my wife in the fall of our lives. Well seasoned indeed.

Without God’s wisdom we just look like dull river rock set in tarnished brass. It would appear the Season of Wisdom and Character are always in season, but seasons of ministry and exerting authority seem to come and go….and the season of money definitely seems to fly on the wings of the wind for most of us.

For man, where is the beginning, the place to begin his journey? The fear of God and wisdom is always the beginning place, and all things in God’s creation have a “Season of Beginnings”. There is a “Season of Rest”, and one of Fruitfulness. We have the “Season of First Things”, like Genesis, and a “Season of Last Things”, like Revelation. Of course there are many other seasons of beginnings and endings for us to ponder, like the phrase, “in good season” as in a timely manner, a man for all seasons, business in the off season, and even seasons or cycles of the heart.

Everyone is invited to partner with God for Him to take us in and out of His seasons of our design and destiny, to form us and mold us, squeeze us into shape and function. What season are you in?

i’m Social Porter with some thoughts concerning Seasons.