He Governs

Posted on July 31, 2024 by cameron

From the desk of Larry Foldoe

The trusted delegates and scholars were in a struggle. There was so much disagreement, clashes of opinion and heated discussion with little resolution to their task. After more than three weeks of closed-door meetings, these men representing the thirteen colonies had made little progress in creating a government that fit their needs. It was then that the elderly Benjamin Franklin rose to his feet and spoke these words to the chairman and assembly: “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” With those timely words, Franklin urged for a motion to start every morning with, “prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations.”

We need to understand that this same man in his youth was known as a Deist – that is, he believed that while God created the world and men; He, like a clock-maker, wound it up and left it on its own. Obviously, the latter years and certainly the most recent of them – those of the revolutionary war with its many harrowing escapes and incredible victory – adjusted his theology.

Perhaps there are some of us Americans that need to have our theology adjusted, too. For truly an act of God saved Donald Trump from certain death. God does govern in the affairs of men. He does raise up or bring down whom He chooses to paraphrase Daniel 2:21.

Lately I have pondered another verse of scripture that warns us about the deception of a hands-off theology. Peter says, “Know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3-4)

It is interesting that Peter saw this attitude of the world as a characteristic of the last days. And dare I say, it is this very philosophy that grips our age right now. It slams its fist onto the desk of academia and will tolerate only evolution as the explanation of our origin. Its cruel mandate – survival of the fittest – has been used to justify racism, oppressions, murders, and genocides. It has even bullied its way into Christian seminaries and we are expected to accept millions of years of death by claw and fang as a creation God could pronounce “good.” This “all things continue as they are” kind of reasoning has stripped our past, removing the miracles from the Bible, and robbed our future, “where is the hope of His coming?” Instead of love, beauty, peace and wisdom being our beginning we have ignorance, violence, and death. And finally, since they have removed from the Bible the supernatural activity of God, how can there be faith that He is going to return?

How can such a twisted teaching of the Bible happen, or worse, why is it popular?

Peter goes on to explain it is because of their “lusts.” That coarse word is the sum of desire; a desire that must be satisfied above all else. In the original Greek it can even mean a strong desire for the good of someone or a noble cause. But here, Peter is speaking of selfish desire: i.e. to have money, fame, power, and most certainly sex.

So, when and how did we modern people take God out of the picture? It came principally from across the ocean, from the land of Martin Luther, Germany. It was in those proud seminaries founded by the great reformer’s predecessors that an intense scholarship of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament developed into what became “higher criticism” – a lofty examination of the ancient writings that casts doubt upon the long-held veracity of the Bible – claiming that the scriptures had been edited over time and that those events recorded as supernatural were “myths.” Thus, began an academic tide of unbelief that swept European universities and seminaries and finally the world. It was said you could walk into those institutions and hear faith breaking. Those that held to the Bible being true in all that it told, were labeled “fundies” because of the fundamental beliefs they held. This theology, without faith in God’s miracles, found itself helpless to withstand the social Darwinism of the Nazi party that said a human was nothing more than soil and blood, and justified unleashing the hell of World War II. The tyranny and the horror of that war and many others is the final outworking of the attitude Peter warns about.

Now we are heirs of this modern thinking. We must be careful to see where the slope begins because the change is so subtle. What can we say but first of all, these mockers were following their own lusts. One of the greatest deterrents to evil in a society is the arm of justice that stretches from God himself as His word, His laws and the judgment that befell those who defied His rule. This is a very important and real part of the divine record. Throw away the flood and violence to your neighbor is excused. Remove the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah and rape with sexual perversions are allowed. (The deniers hide from the public the evidence of archeology; the fossil record of a world-wide flood and brimstone-burnt cities near the Dead Sea of Israel.)

The Bible proves that God is active and involves Himself in human experience. Not only does He use the Bible examples and law to guide nations, but He has given the miracle of conversion in Christ to transform each individual. How desperately we need this change! Though we have a noble beginning, from our creator – a conscience acting as a compass to guide our will – it is often ignored or even rendered inoperable as a matter of choice to do evil. Paul wisely observed, “… their conscience has been seared as if with a hot iron,” (1 Timothy 4:2) making them no longer sensitive to its gentle impulses.

These evil men, having freed themselves from their guide, they will now teach that there is no judgment of God on the wicked, no fear of divine justice, since all things continue in a regular way. This further implies that God is an absent creator-father, or worse, is indifferent to the fate of his children. What mockery of the long-suffering love of God who is withholding judgment until every belligerent heart has had opportunity to respond to him! Is it any wonder that these ‘teachers-become-leaders’ cheer and promote a fatherless society; and a humanity that will chide and silence any talk of a returning savior and restorer of a broken world. It’s hard to believe that it all can begin with the lie that all things continue as they have from the start.

Aw, but God has been present and has blessed our country, answering the prayers of those first state delegates, giving them opportunity and prosperity that has created a free nation of middle-class owners – a free people with a government and constitution that is the envy of all free-thinkers in the world. Sadly, in this century we have had leaders/politicians that have circumvented and reinterpreted much of that important document to suit their own designs, leaving us with an enormous national debt, a poorer middle class and a looming threat of world war. Their governance has increased social woes that amount to more crime, confusion about gender, and rights for artificial intelligence we are rapidly developing. And though the instigators of all this madness seem to have no fear of God entering the arena, He indeed has. The eyes of many have been opened. With the miraculous preservation of the life of one leader espousing common sense in the face of hatred you now hear, “God turned his head, he was spared by the hand of God.” “God sent an angel to protect him.” “It is by the grace of God that he is alive.” If the civilized world was shocked by the gunshots of the assassin, they are even more stunned by the multitude of voices declaring the truth of God’s obvious protection.

God, our loving father, has caused a shift in our conversation, our faith, and our thinking. Assured of His undeniable presence, there is now a growing hope for a brighter tomorrow and the chance to create a better legacy of freedom for our children. You see, it matters if you believe that God governs in the affairs of men.

Larry Foldoe

El Desánimo

Posted on July 30, 2024 by cameron

Llega un momento en la vida de cualquier creyente en el que parece que no hay viento, ni inspiración, ni motivación, no sabemos qué orar, y tal vez incluso todo el propósito de orar es una especie de vacío. Oh, molestia, ¿qué hacer … qué hacer?

Cuando era joven, más de una vez me dijeron que era demasiado soñador. Incluso entonces recuerdo haber pensado: “Se supone que no debo ser un soñador, pero ¿cómo sucede el futuro sin un sueño?” Sí, más palabras contradictorias en mi cabeza. Había una guerra civil en mi cabeza entre soñar y cómo vivir con palabras contradictorias, como “¿qué pensará la gente de ti?” y “Si las cosas no se mueven en tu vida, debes estar fuera del camino de Dios”. Esas palabras eran como cuerdas que ataban mis pies, y me quedé atrapado en la intersección de la condena y la libertad. Se siente como si Dios abriera las puertas de la prisión, pero luego no poder pasar de la misma puerta abierta debido a todos los pensamientos negativos de: “qué pasaría si”.

Todo en la vida hoy en día parece tan instantáneo, y cuando tenemos que esperar, en nuestras cabezas vienen las palabras de alguna persona bien intencionada que dice: “Algo anda mal. Dios no debería tardar tanto en responder. ¡Algo anda mal!” Ah, ¿y no sabe usted que es fácil decirle a alguien con ligereza que el Señor responderá “en la plenitud de los tiempos”? Pero antes de que te pongas nervioso, piénsalo. ¿Cuánto tiempo esperaron Abraham y Sara la llegada de su heredero prometido, Isaac? Dios primero le reveló a Abraham que él sería el padre de muchas naciones cuando lo llamó a dejar su país e ir a la tierra que Dios le mostraría. Abraham tenía 75 años. Quince años después, cuando Abraham tenía 90 años, Dios renovó su promesa. Diez años más tarde, a la edad de 100 años, Abraham y Sara finalmente tuvieron a su hijo. Eso es un total de veinticinco años antes de “la plenitud de los tiempos”. ¡25 años! Por lo general, si tenemos que esperar 25 minutos, comenzamos a tener ansiedad sobre por qué no sucede “nada”. Entonces, permítame preguntarle, amigo mío, ¿no está sucediendo nada realmente? ¿Cómo sabes lo que Dios está haciendo donde no puedes ver? En el libro La Cabaña, hay una escena en la que el Papá está acostado en una silla de jardín al sol. Mack se acerca y hace un comentario inteligente, algo así como: “Oh, veo que incluso Dios tiene tiempo para acostarse al sol”, con lo que Papa lo mira con un ojo y dice: “No tienes idea de lo que estoy haciendo”.

Cuando voy a la oficina de correos y hay una larga fila, no es raro escuchar a alguien comentar que los empleados son muy, muy, lentos. La ansiedad de la espera hace que las personas miren a su alrededor en busca de alguien a quien culpar por las molestias que les causan porque tienen que esperar. De vez en cuando, he intervenido diciendo: “Estoy en esta oficina de correos todos los días, lo suficiente como para haber hecho estudios de tiempo sobre el tiempo promedio que cada persona pasa en la ventana. Puedo asegurar a cualquiera que no es el empleado el que es lento, sino más bien nosotros los que no estamos preparados”. El silencio suele seguir a eso. Parece que necesitamos culpar a alguien cuando tenemos inconvenientes porque no parece que nada esté avanzando.

Al final del libro de Juan, Pedro y los chicos (los discípulos) decidieron ir a pescar, tal vez porque no se les ocurría qué más hacer, así que simplemente volvieron a trabajar. Después de todo, parecía que no pasaba nada.

En Hechos, ¿cuánto tiempo esperaron la venida del Espíritu Santo? Recuerden que Jesús les había dicho: “Envío sobre vosotros la promesa de mi Padre, pero quedaos en Jerusalén hasta que seáis revestidos de poder de lo alto.” ¿Cuánto tiempo esperaron para que ocurriera este misterio? Cincuenta largos días. ¿No crees que hubo muchos debates y preguntas, como: “¿Por qué tenemos que esperar así?” Apuesto a que pensaron todo tipo de cosas. “¿Extrañamos a Dios?” “¿Entendimos mal a Jesús?” “Tal vez ese no fue realmente Jesús”. “Tengo cosas que hacer, ¿por qué estoy sentado aquí, esperando que sople el viento?” En Hechos 1:4 el Señor dijo: “No te vayas“, en otras palabras, “No te desvíes de tu misión. Quédate quieto.” Sabía que fácilmente podían hacerse un nudo en los pantalones cortos, perder de vista su misión y vagar como ovejas que no ven ninguna razón para seguir paradas, razonando dentro de sí mismas que Jesús fue al Padre, y parecía que no pasaba nada. “Oh bueno, creo que se acabó. Más vale que me vaya a casa”.

Mientras esperamos “la plenitud del tiempo”, sintiéndonos metafóricamente como si estuviéramos en medio del océano sin mareas y sin viento, piensa para ti mismo: En nuestra impaciencia y necesidad de que las cosas se muevan para sentir como Dios está haciendo cosas, no nos damos cuenta de las cosas pequeñas si siempre estamos en movimiento. Aunque a menudo no estamos dispuestos a esperar en el Señor, Él sabiamente nos está dando tiempo para ocuparnos de las “cosas de la oficina trasera” que a menudo no se resuelven porque estamos muy ocupados. Fácilmente nos perdemos la belleza del día, o las pequeñas palabras entrañables de nuestros hijos, un cónyuge o un amigo. En nuestra ansiedad de espera, ese tipo de cosas son muy fácilmente perdidas. Es fácil pasarlo por alto. Tal vez deberíamos aprovechar las oportunidades de Dios, que incluyen esperar, en lugar de resentirnos por tener que estar quietos. Unos pocos minutos, horas o incluso días no harán mucha diferencia en la economía de Dios; y reducir deliberadamente la velocidad nos permite ponernos al día con lo próximo que el Señor está haciendo.

¿Qué te parece?

Gracias por escuchar, soy Social Porter para el Ministerio Viviendo En Su Nombre.

Traducción por Alfredo Magni Sozzi..

FotS: A Fountain of The One

Posted on July 29, 2024 by cameron

Peace

i find the Lord often uses contrasts to teach us about Himself, and how to conduct ourselves worthy of our calling in Christ. Frequently the best way to understand God’s perspective about Shalom peace is to also investigate the striking opposite which is the world’s version of peace … which ends in chaos, turmoil, and strife.

Lately, i’ve been thinking about the disparity between indifference and peace, which oftentimes look the same if we don’t do a closer inspection … Frequently the gap between peace and indifference is just a blur, but other times the difference is in perfect focus and you somehow “know” when you see real peace. Ahh, real peace…everyone wants it, but doesn’t know how to get it.

Nevertheless, not everyone sees the sharp line between real peace and the blur of indifference, often seeing only the blur. i believe much of the church doesn’t seem to want to discuss these issues, and i’m not making light of that, but these questions and their answers are vital ones. How many times do we judge, of ourselves, that we have peace based on outward facts but inwardly something is wrong? … truthfully, facts have no feelings, they just are, and there is a distinct difference between facts and the truth. Real peace isn’t based on worldly facts but on Christ who is the truth.

Peace, real shalom peace is only gotten one place in the universe. Many search for fulfillment, happiness, and contentment in material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, etc. But those things do nothing to fill “the hole in our soul” which only GOD can fill; those things only serve to distract and prevent us from finding true peace…the shalom that can only come from Him who created and put all things into place. Peace is from the fountain of the heart of The One, Jesus.

Recently, we’ve been discussing God’s details and how when you love someone you know their details and what they’re about. This evening’s production is about one of the Lord’s details, the Fruit of the Spirit: peace, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.

We often use the word peace, sprinkling it around as if we’re sprinkling salt on food, so in a way, it has been used to both greet people or say goodbye, but it means much more than simply “be well”, “hello”, or “goodbye”. It’s more than feeling good or a lack of violence.

i don’t want to write, yet another article about peace … they are, after all it seems, dime-a-dozen. i don’t know about you, but i want to know what the Lord means when He says the things He says. i recognize, to a limited degree, what i think, but above what i think, what God thinks is vastly more important. i want to look between the words and see the white letters surrounding the words to see the long halls of wisdom in God’s library. Ecclesiastes 7:12, “For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.”

Jeremiah 30:5, “GOD’s Message: ” ‘Cries of panic are being heard. The peace has been shattered.”

Peace … everybody wants it, they’re all looking for it, wishing for it, dreaming of it. Many have been so long without it, it just seems like a faint thing in a dream from long, long ago. We have all been at war so long, we’ve never known anything other than war. War in our spirits, war in our minds, war in our bodies, war outside and inside. We so long for peace, but i think maybe true peace, as God intends it, is something most of us can’t relate to. What would it be like if there was no more war? Can’t imagine it maybe? Yea, me either. War is all i’ve ever known and honestly, i don’t know how NOT to be at war. Either i’m arguing with someone in my head, or i’m in a conflict in the physical world about something. To not be at war would mean … to have peace beyond our understanding, and it’s not just the volume of chaos and war around and in us turned down. The peace Jesus was speaking of means, no more war in ourselves, and i can’t hardly related to that. i’ve experienced that peace a few times, and it was exclusively God for it to happen. Only Jesus can give us perfect peace and take the war out of our lives. Some think that if the government would be at peace then everything would be a-ok, others believe that if everyone would quit eating meat, give up heating with petroleum, or save the whales, maybe the world would be well on its way to peace.

Jeremiah 6:14, “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!‘ When there is no peace.”

Worse still, the world, as a whole, has been getting incrementally less peaceful every year, and it’s not just nations with an army … there are some nations that don’t engage in any military actions and appear peaceful … but their inner turmoil is off the charts. Oh sure, they post really beautiful tranquil pictures, but underneath the tourist pictures comprising a false face, people are starving, warring, and being lonely to death every day.

The peace of the world is extremely dependent on feelings, people seem to need to see it to believe it, and they always want to manage it. The peace of the world doesn’t allow for trouble … and it, ultimately, fails every time, and it never fails to fail. The world’s peace deceives people into thinking that life is manageable. Since death entered the picture at the fall of man in the garden, the world we live in is a hostile environment. We may live in manicured neighborhoods, but under the influence of sin and death, the ill will of this world towards the Lord and righteousness is still, subtly there. The world offers no lasting peace but in it’s place it is merely the turned-down-volume of war, and if there is any semblance of peace offered, it is at a price that eventually requires more than anyone can pay.

The contrast is that God’s peace, shalom peace, is dependent on Jesus alone and trust, doesn’t need to be seen to be believed, makes room for trouble, trusts God to manage everything, and always endures. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Notice that Jesus “gives” peace, meaning it’s not something we can go out and get … it is a gift of God, and “giving” is part of God’s tradition.

Peace, as the world knows it, seems to be when all things around us are quiet … we feel outward safety, or there is a momentary lull as turmoil and chaos seem to not be camped out in our living room … for now. Many feel peace is when they have what they want … but even when we get what we think we want … worldly peace is still a fading thing. Peace, as the world knows it, is fleeting, here and gone again, elusive, like a lump of gold, hard to get and hard to hold.

i think many alcoholics and drug addicts continue being addicts to escape the pain of the chaos and strife in their life … they inebriate themselves into a stupor where there is false calm, fake safety, and fictitious peace … peace born in a lie is no peace at all. It seems to be like saying to ourselves, “If i don’t notice the badness in my life, it’s not really there,” that is until that same badness grabs us by our lapels and demands our attention … oops! There goes the peace!

Not talking to your spouse or not dealing with your problems just to “keep the peace” is no peace either … it is just an exercise in pain, the game of who can careless, the most, the longest. Not addressing our lack of peace is only a band-aid. Psalm 119:165, “Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to be offended.” Here are some sticky words, God-peace does not hold an offense.

If your life, inside and out, if we were at peace with God and the world around us, what would that look like? If war is all we’ve known, then war is all we can imagine. Can you picture no war? Can you even imagine such an amazingly, wonderful thing? Can you envision how you would look to yourself in the mirror … with the at-rest look in your eyes … Imagine, even though the world around you is exploding, yet, you are at peace in your heart and mind … How does that look to you?

Shalom peace doesn’t mean violence is absent.

God’s idea of “vision” is to possess one mind with one purpose, and di-vision is to be split into disunity. Do you get it? 1 Samuel 17 opens with a vision of two armies poised to go to war, the Philistines on one mountain, and across the valley, Israel on the other mountain. 1 Samuel 17:4, “And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was nine feet, nine inches tall.” This guy was huge…. he was a loud-mouthed, arrogant giant of Gath with too many fingers, too many toes, and really bad teeth.

i believe most everyone would agree with me, the champion from Gath was a terrifying person to behold…there was just something insane and violent about him, and i think we can safely assume the giant probably loved fighting and blood and had a really bad temper… i also believe he was used to getting his way, no matter what. So, do you know where a 400Lb gorilla sits? That’s right, anywhere he wants to, and don’t you know Goliath probably invoked the 400Lb gorilla rule all the time. In vs 45 David declared, “I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” A man without God’s peace would have easily been defeated by simply observing the giant who wore what seemed to be impenetrable armor, a massive helmet, and carried terrible weapons. i’m sure to Israel, Goliath looked like their idea of “insurmountable odds”.1 Samuel 17:24, says, “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.”

David had none of the weapons or armor Goliath had. He was small and Goliath was huge; Goliath had a violent and terrible reputation, and David had a reputation of herding sheep … BUT … David had something Goliath did not. David had God’s peace, shalom peace, and would not be moved from his trust in God. Even though the battle was set in a wide array, from mountain to mountain … from David’s platform of peace, the entire battle was drawn into a well-defined, sharp focus.

Hear this: When we live with God’s peace in our hearts, it draws all things into their correct perspective, flattens out chaos, and dispels fear. God’s peace gives us confidence, it breeds trust and faith in the Lord. God’s peace renews our vision, sharpens our focus, and will see us through all our trials. That’s why God included it in the list of fruits of the Spirit.

When Saul scoffed and said, “You’re just a kid! And you’re gonna go fight a giant? HA! Surely you jest!” David told King Saul straight out in 1 Samuel 17:36, “Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Twice David defined the champion of Gath as one who defies the Living God, so it wasn’t just a physical battle, it was spiritual too.

Now i’d like us to see something here. i believe David possessed God’s supernatural peace … he was focused and clear-thinking. David walked out on that battlefield like a boss … no armor, no helmet, just a sling and 5 stones, one to kill the giant, and 4 for a backup … he went out there like he OWNED all the land where he set his feet. He was confident and had the razor-sharp focus that comes with shalom peace … there was no blur of indecision or shadow of turning. Even though David was surrounded by warriors and war, and threats of every imaginable violent scenario from all sides, in his heart of hearts he was in perfect peace … God-peace.

Here it is again, so listen: Shalom peace brings all things into alignment, and draws everything into its proper God context; it sets the correct horizon and focal point and is the only vanishing point based on God’s Che’sed, which is never vanishing … peace is part of God’s mercy and grace beyond the vanishing point. God’s peace is defined as God Himself, He is the pivot and pinion, and peace is part of the Fountain of His heart on which we hang our lives in confidence and assurance, never failing and always in shalom peace by the blood of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit: peace, sets us apart from the world … light years apart.

Got shalom peace?

Before David appeared on the scene that day, the rest of Israel, although they wore armor on the outside, were naked and afraid on the inside, and because they were naked and afraid on the inside, they were not at peace … all they could see was the terrible war around them and the possibility that they were going to die, violently. War was all they saw, war was all they had ever known, and to imagine anything other than conflict and war was truly beyond them.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” Of all the people on that battlefield that day, it appears David was the ONLY one who walked with a sound mind.

Peace… God’s peace, is one of the elements of the platform on which we plant our feet and live our lives… it is one of the ways we know we are in the fellowship of the saints.

Everybody wants it, but in the world today it would appear not many have it.

Is 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because their trust is fixed on You.”

A key word there is “fixed”, and being “fixed” on the peace of God comes through trust in Him, it means rooted and grounded, firmly persuaded of interest, and that nothing can separate us from it; “fixed” on the covenant and promises of God, which are unwavering and sure; “fixed” on the faithfulness and power of God to make us righteous.

“Steadfast” is the other key word – meaning to be established and stand up straight … as in “Steadfast” on Christ the Son of God and Savior of men; “steadfast” upon Jesus … as in laying the whole stress of our salvation on him; “steadfast” and “unmoveable” concerning His righteousness for our justification; anchored on His blood and sacrifice for atonement, pardon, and cleansing; “steadfast and settled on his fullness for the supply of our wants, and on His power for our protection and preservation. That all describes how it looks to live in God’s peace, Shalom peace. Doesn’t that sound attractive to you? It does to me… and my having experienced peace as the world gives, well… it simply isn’t enough.

i believe i understood the peace of this world was insufficient before i knew Jesus, but i didn’t know then like i know now just how insufficient worldly peace was. Now that i know Jesus, i can say without a shadow of a doubt, His peace passes all my wildest dreams and far beyond the heart of my own understanding. Why wouldn’t someone want something like that and be willing to leave the world behind to have it? It is bewildering to me the people in church who do not understand the difference between worldly peace and God-peace.

In fact, having met quite a few people who often seem to respond with something like white noise as to what they believe and why … i often wonder why they even go to church. How do they survive without God’s peace? Psalm 62:8, “O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

For me, i can’t live without His peace, i really and truly can’t make it, and i have sincerely tried. While amid some very terrible situations, His peace was all that held me in place.

And you? Do you hold the elusive peace of the world which is like a vapor, only taunting your heart but never leaving you satisfied? Or is your heart established, and held upright by shalom peace? Philippians 4:7, “… and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Real peace, lasting peace, satisfying peace ONLY comes through Christ … there is indeed only one way, and that is through Jesus.

According to God, peace is directly connected to very vital things which we all want, worldwide, believers or not.

God’s idea of peace, shalom peace, has “Ha’Shem – The Name” built into it. Looking at the root Hebrew word for peace…Shin, is the first letter, and, among other attributes, it represents Yeshua and the names of God. i believe if we want to thrive and prosper spiritually, we must emulate the attributes of the Lord. 1 Cor 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”, and, Ephesians 4:15, “God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.”

Also, the first letter is a picture of two opponents standing on each side, and Christ the divine mediator standing between them, the peacemaker of harmony and peace.

The second letter, lamed is about learning and teaching, in that we can’t teach others about peace unless we, ourselves, have first learned about peace … and if we are going to learn about peace then we must learn about Jesus, the sole possessor of real peace in the universe. Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Lamed is in the belly of the word denoting direction, goal, and purpose, three key elements of hope. Purpose inspires hope, hope inspires faith, and as we learn of Jesus and emulate His ways, we come to greater peace from glory to glory … as Jesus has it, not as the world gives. In the Lord’s gift of shalom peace, the more we “hold our peace”, as in possessing it as a precious stone, the more we gain a heart that understands wisdom. The more we are at peace, the more we are at peace.

The last letter in the root word is final mem, which speaks of an underground stream and completeness. Colossians 2:10, “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” According to Isaiah 26:3, those who trust in God will be kept in perfect peace, peace which will run in us like a deep underground river that finds its way into all we do. Our God-peace is hidden in our hearts and revealed in our character and actions. Even the world knows when it is in the presence of divine peace, and they marvel.

Our God-peace glorifies the Kingdom of the Almighty. Psalm 145:13, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Letting our peace flow to others is like the constant outpouring of His open hand of blessing, along with His merciful closed hand which holds back judgment. Our shalom peace seeps into all the open places and corners of our lives, running down our chins and onto the floor, oozing under the doors and makes wet the hem of our garments… it influences the world around us. All the more reason for us to find the darkest places around and then go be there, letting our light shine in being consistent and repeatable, kind and longsuffering, for the sake of the gospel. Think about it.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

When the Lord uses certain words together it implies they connect … like the words “wind” and “water”, “love” and “joy”, “grace” and “peace”, etc, etc. i believe these connected words are intentional.

The peace of God is integral to so many important elements of real life. He connected truth and peace in Zech8:19, and life and peace in Mal2:5. In Psalm 85:10, the psalmist writes that righteousness and peace have kissed, they have embraced and go together. Long life is connected at the hip to peace in Prov 3:2, with glory, honor, and peace going together in Rom2:10.

In 2Corinthians 13:11, 2Thessolonians 1:2, and 1Timothy 1:2 love, grace, and mercy, are all linked to peace … peace being the common denominator between them all. Friends, God is revealed in our well-practiced Shalom peace which gives us the power to break the grip of our wildest fears, to still the upheaval of our heart, or to hush broken-hearted sadness – it invites mercy to forgive sin, and life to overcome the fear of death.

Peace, not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives … it is peace which is real, sincere, and never hypocritical. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “I said it, I meant it, and this is no kidding around.” What Jesus offers us to not only have but to live and walk in every day, is beyond the beyond and stretches into eternity … and He’s giving it to us. He’s not just talking a good line, or wishing it were so. Peace is the fountain of the One, The Name, Yeshua, Jesus our Savior.

Be strong and courageous, drive carefully. Pray for your neighbor and think about what you spend your time thinking about. How do you spend most of your time on what thoughts? Shalom my friends and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen.

FotS: Fierce Determination To Not Be Moved

Posted on July 29, 2024 by cameron

Longsuffering

And there i sat, day after day … the sun came up and the sun went down … the seasons came and went … days went by … waiting to hear from the Lord. Three years and not a word, not even a whisper in the tree tops … oh yea, there were dreams of destiny from time to time but they were dim and fleeting. Do you think God tests you so He’ll know what you’re made of, or, so you’ll know what you’re made of? Do you think the Lord took you to the desert to die just for the sport of watching the light slowly go out of your eyes? Nope. It is my hope we know Him better than that. Is it really being abandoned, isolated and alone, or is it time alone with God to build faith for our future destiny? Remember … while we are in difficult circumstances and we’re practicing our longsuffering, Jesus did say, “Always with you” and “Never forsake you.” Ever. Longsuffering.

It most certainly, never, never, never is the Lord to leave you with no promise and no support. Ever. And He ALWAYS keeps His promises. Always.

Abram believed God, and became Abraham, God’s covenant partner. The Lord had Himself a man who would believe for the impossible.

One of Abraham’s first impossible situations was that the Lord was going to bring His only Son through the line of Abraham … but then, Abraham needed a son, and he didn’t have one.

In this case, God waited until the situation was impossible before moving, not being the God of the final hour but the God of “right on time”. God promised to make Abraham the “father of many nations,” yet Abraham didn’t even have a son … not a one … let alone enough to make a tribe, much less many nations.

Abraham’s situation looked so impossible, he couldn’t see how God was going to do it. It says in Genesis 17:17, “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”” The word there for “laughed” isn’t meant as a gentle chuckle, it means literally that they “giggled and chuckled incredulously”. The Lord’s promise seemed so outrageous to them it was laughable. Yet time went by and God did the impossible. Sarah did in fact conceive, and brought forth Isaac, the son of promise.

God waited. It probably seemed like forever from the time God made that promise, until He brought forth the son of that promise. The Lord is longsuffering, and it’s one of our fruits of the Spirit. He is always working behind the scenes on our behalf, and just because we don’t see His working doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Longsuffering – patiently enduring while diligently clinging to the promise that God will do what He said He would do, and when He does, it will be a testimony to all who see. In the meantime, we develop an understanding of the Lord, coming to a better perception of what is in our hearts along with knowing God’s details. Longsuffering.

i believe Abraham understood that his God was the God of the impossible. Even when he went to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, he was expecting God to do something miraculous. Even though the Bible is silent about this, i’ve wondered, what did Abraham expect God to do? On a side note, when the Bible is silent about things, we can speculate for sure, but the fact still remains that we can’t build sound doctrine from a platform of silence. In the meantime of waiting for God to accomplish His word to us, we must hold the line and not faint, believing the Lord will do all that He has said and more.

Maybe Abraham expected God to raise Isaac from the dead, i don’t know … but whatever he expected, we do know Abraham said he and Isaac would both be coming back as noted from Genesis 22:5.

Abraham knew his God was more than able to take care of any impossible situation. Isaac was the son of promise, and no matter what, God would make His promise come to pass.

What impossible situation are you facing today? i’m sure some of us have waited for, what feels like a ridiculous amount of time. Are you determined though, to follow the Lord regardless of how things turn out? Remember, God is still solving impossibilities for us, just like he did for Abraham.

A dear friend of mine said he and his wife were in a terrible fix, although, by the skin of their teeth their needs were being met with nothing to spare, all in all, they didn’t feel like the Lord was anywhere to be found. He felt exhausted and his wife was near to fainting. He said they’d been desperately praying for months and months, that they had diligently fasted, fervently repented, declared good things, rebuked unseen bad things, claimed promises, and that his hope and faith were worn down to dried out bones. Yet there he sat and nothing had changed. One day i called him and he said for months he’d been begging the Lord to come and save him, then in a most pitiful voice he said, “I feel like a little boy at the orphanage waiting for his father to come pick him up, and day after day, no one shows up and there is just the sound of wind, empty halls, and rain against the window panes.” i wept.

From where i was sitting, even in all of his terrible circumstance, at the core of his person was a little light of hope that kept rekindling itself somehow, like a flame bound to a coal and it just refused to go out. He kept holding on to the Lord knowing that man, himself, can fix nothing and really only God could help. Often, we all have nobly said that we “know” only God can fix things, but yet, often, we are a nervous wreck and can’t sleep because what we say we know and what we r-e-a-l-l-y know are two different things. Mind you, my friend didn’t do anything wrong. He’s not a crook, or a liar, he’s not a manipulator or a transgressor … he’s not greedy and stupid … and i’m saying that for any listeners who would feel the need to go down the list of sins as to why unfortunate things happen to good people. Some would easily throw out a “one scripture fixes all” statement, but that doesn’t help. “One and done” isn’t a good answer.

i’ll tell you what i see, and i hope my friend is reading. i see a man and woman who are longsuffering and holding on to Jesus, knotting their hands in the hem of His garment for all their worth, determined to go with the Lord; i see two people who keep waiting on the Lord because they truly believe Jesus will come and lift their hearts, and He will; i see two people who are kind and gentle, smart and intuitive who love honesty and truth; i see the fruit of the spirit in them and it’s how i know they are in the fellowship of the saints. i know they don’t feel much like that considering where they are right now, and i understand that when we get in a terrible spot and see no way out, life seems impossible. But, it doesn’t matter, in the moment, how we got there but more that God knows exactly where we are and He will come and rescue us.

Friends, you who are in desperate places, i admire your patient endurance and your determination to not be moved, your longsuffering, for it’s not a test so God will know what you’re made of, but so you will know what you’re made of for the purpose of going where people are the most desperate and giving them hope.

Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of offense and personal challenge which does not hastily retaliate or run swiftly to chastisement; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God,

Exodus 34:6, “And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,”

i believe the Lord wants to develop the grace of longsuffering in our lives. i must say i’m not, by any means, thrilled at learning this grace, nor am i enthusiastic about, metaphorically, being at the bottom of the ocean in order to learn to trust God for my breath … but … IF God really does know best, IF He really is who we are following, then learning longsuffering isn’t about enduring a situation, but more about clinging to Jesus. The Fruits of the Spirit are more than a thing to do but someone to be. If it’s just a “thing to do” it just diminishes the vastness of God and reduces us to rule keepers. The heart of the Lord is that we’d be changed.

Getting wisdom and grace are often acquired through trials and difficulties, typically through situations rife with unfortunate circumstances and not something we would wish on anyone, but truly, it is wisdom and grace possessed in no other way except to “go through” deep water with the Lord. Often, we find ourselves in great distress because we have heard from the Lord and then WE re-decide His directions, and then we re-decide our re-decision when the path is too steep to continue. It’s like the Lord asks us to climb a mountain. We sing our best worship songs and strike out on the upward trail. Hours later, when we’re hot, tired, and thirsty … we’ve stopped singing and are out of breath. Then half way up the mountain, we re-decide everything and invent a word from the Lord saying, “Things aren’t well with me, i believe the Lord wants me to go back down.” Longsuffering says we stay the course and rely on God to do what only God can do. i realize that is easy to say, but once again, when deep water is coming over the side, the wind is howling, and ocean spray is stinging our skin, it’s not so easy to be the heroic figure standing tall and strong as we may have imagined … unless … in our times with the Lord we have learned longsuffering. We truly love the idea of being a hero, but the reality is, staying the course, being determined to stand strong, and finishing the race actually is the stuff of heroes.

Through the trials which we have walked, fixed firm in our hearts that the Lord is with us, He will never leave us, and that we will follow after Jesus no matter what the storms do or how limited our understanding and vision are. Longsuffering says that we’ve learned to restrain our inclination to knee-jerk reactions and doesn’t abandon our mission without careful consideration of the circumstances and confirmation from the Lord.

Colossians 1:11, “… strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;”

In the Old Testament, many times patience can be used where the translators used longsuffering, the intent of the word changes, some, based on the words before and after it’s usage. But in the New Testament, especially Colossians 1:11 and 2 Timothy 3:10, patience and longsuffering are used in the same sentence, revealing to us that there is a difference.

Patience is a hyper persistence to abide in Christ while waiting on God, and longsuffering is long passion with fierce determination to not be moved. Now that’s a really important definition to hear, so i’m going to say it again: Patience is a hyper persistence to abide in Christ while waiting on God, and longsuffering is long passion (to breath hard after) with fierce determination to not be moved. As with kindness and compassion, which are both masculine nouns, here we have another righteous noun pair, longsuffering and patience, which are feminine nouns … they are like two sisters who go together. If we find longsuffering acting in our hearts, we can rest assured patience is very nearby.

There are quite a few pairs which the Lord has put together and don’t act independently of each other. To name a few, hope and purpose, kindness and compassion, and longsuffering and patience.

If Hope comes to visit, make two beds in your spare room because her sister purpose is staying also.

If you set a place at the table for kindness, set two, because his brother, compassion, expects to join the party too … from God’s perspective you can’t have one without the other because, for example, kindness without compassion is called deceit.

If we set sail with longsuffering, patience insists on being at the helm also. Patience says i will abide in Christ while we wait, and longsuffering says i refuse to budge from my place of forbearance while patience does her work.

i figure since God is longsuffering, it makes perfect sense to me that if the Spirit of God dwells within us then He will begin to demonstrate or manifest His characteristics within us as a fruit of the Spirit. Some church folks think when the Lord inhabits their heart, somehow their journey will be blue skies, gentle breezes, moonbeams and merry-go-rounds, and that’s simply not so. i don’t believe the idea of longsuffering and patience is in our nature unless it’s to get something we want, in fact, i’m pretty sure that mankind, left to their own thinking, is nothing but a downward spiral and we exclusively need Jesus to find the updraft necessary to fly beyond the gravitational pull of this world. In our society we tend to split things out into their own little categories. It is a method used to measure how well we’re doing, it makes a calculatable outcome easier to predict with a measurable probability of success. God sees the fruits of the Spirit quite differently though.

2 Timothy 3:10, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance”.

Paul doesn’t just equate purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance as separate things, but as a lifestyle and doctrine that define us. Again, fruits of the Spirit aren’t merely a thing to do, but someone to be. Longsuffering, along with the other fruits of the Spirit, are more than just beliefs we hold. Literally they are principles of governing policy. Longsuffering and patience are part of what governs our appetites. Be honest about what is really in your heart: Who or what governs your appetites, and do you know what, how, and why you allow those things or that person to define you?

Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Is longsuffering essential? i believe, Yes.

Longsuffering and patience are among the things which are indispensable. They are principle among first things. Necessary because Christ has forgiven us, therefore we must be longsuffering and willing to forgive each other.

Colossians 3:12-13, “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: kindness, compassion, humility, longsuffering, bearing with each other, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as God forgave you.”

Longsuffering is necessary for maintaining the unity of the body of Christ in order that we would walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, Ephesians 4:2-3, “ … with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Without longsuffering, the transgressions we commit against one another will quickly destroy the very unity for which Christ died. If we watch the congregation more than we look at Jesus, anyone could easily find enough offense to lose their footing. It is easy to find fault with other believers, but it is God in us to be longsuffering and patient.

Longsuffering and patience are supremely necessary for those who would be in leadership. In the days of the Roman Empire, soldiers were often not paid in currency, but with salt, thus the phrase “worth your salt” is more easily understandable. So, as a leader who is worth their salt, we must have longsuffering and patience with people. Those in leadership will often find themselves first to start because they’re leading the way, and last to finish because they’ve stayed behind to ensure everyone got across to safety. i marvel at how often the very sheep you help are the very first to bite, and we must be longsuffering and patient with our people. And yes, sheep bites hurt. No servant of the Lord can faithfully correct those in opposition, without the character quality of longsuffering and patience.

2 Timothy 2:24-25, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient, in humility instructing those that oppose themselves…”

One time, foolishly, i put a tablespoon of fresh Oregano in my mouth … it was so overwhelming i quickly spit it out and immediately tried to wash the taste out. It was horrible. Well, like many seasonings, i don’t think anyone would want to put them directly in their mouth, even so, they are needed to bring out the best flavor of everything else they come in contact with. So too, no one i know enjoys the bitter taste of affliction or trial yet they are necessary if we are to enjoy the righteous fragrance that longsuffering and patience rewards us with.

A man was walking through the grocery store with a screaming baby in the shopping cart. A woman nearby noticed that time and again the man would calmly say: “Keep calm, James. Keep calm, James.” Finally, in admiration for the man’s longsuffering and patience as the child continued to wail, the woman walked up to him and said: “Sir, I really admire you for your patience with baby James,” to which the man replied, drawing himself up to full height: “Madam, I am James!”

i believe longsuffering and patience are like the ballast in the bottom of a ship, they keep us from going belly up when the wind is howling and a stormy trial is at hand. When you’re running against the wind, and the darkness is closing in, your trust in the Lord, and willingness to be longsuffering and patient will always bring you to a safe haven.

If we don’t learn anything in our afflictions, it’s just stupid … there is no point in useless suffering … people who don’t learn anything in their afflictions seem to only have old age and dying to look forward to, and honestly, we shouldn’t worry about getting old, it doesn’t last long. Galatians 3:4, “did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing?” If we’ve thought our terrible situations are all for nothing, we are wrong … we are always changed when the Lord walks with us through our afflictions.

Longsuffering and patience don’t happen overnight, nor is it without cost, but God has a purpose in developing them in us. James 1:2-4, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”

Be strong and courageous, let God do His work developing the fruit of the Spirit: longsuffering and patience in you. You will be more at peace and so will everyone around you.

“May the LORD bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.” Amen.

FotS: Illustrated Righteousness

Posted on July 28, 2024 by cameron

Among all of the things we all do, everyone does a good thing here and there, obviously some more than others, even the worst of people do something good from time to time, and i suppose it also depends on how you define “good”. But i suppose when we speak of scripture and take into consideration what God calls “good works”, the longer i look at it the more obvious it is that the Lord considers there to be a wide difference between doing good things and having good works.

Is it possible that the difference is a matter of the heart and not the deed which was done….that the difference isn’t in the action but from what foundation the action was performed?

As the day is drawing to a close, where are you on your “at rest” meter? The Lord rested after seven days of creation and meant for us to have times of rest also. If we are always in production mode, always under the weight of “getting stuff done” we will burn out, possibly even imploding. It seems so many are under the constant weight of taking their children here and there – being driven by the needs of those around them who don’t seem too concerned for anyone else’s welfare; or maybe there’s pressure at work to accomplish more than what we’ve signed on for – like an overbearing boss who micromanages everyone and everything, we must endure their poor management style because we need that job really bad, so we endure for the sake of a paycheck. We need rest or we will be wounded. Remember, if the devil can’t prevent your going forward, he’ll get behind you, put his foot on your back, and shove you faster than you can go. He thinks it’s funny to see you fall, laughing at your pinwheeling arms and legs while falling forward to skin your hands and knees. i think it’s good to know when to say yes, but also equally important how and when to say no also. You get my drift?

This evening’s topic is “Illustrated Righteousness”, or “Good works”, what does the Lord mean when He uses the word “works”, and is there a difference between doing good things, and maintaining good works? Come go with me this evening, put your ears on, and i’ll return after a short, but pleasant break.

God and the Bible are our reference, first, last and always. The Lord alone is our standard, and any other standard is only a degraded version of the truth. God points us to the Bible and the Bible points us to God. Christ and the Bible are our reference for morals, principles, and ethics, together they are our guide on how to think and conduct ourselves in conversation and the act of living…SO….in light of that, by the law of first mention, the first time the Lord mentions “labors” or just “work” is in Genesis2:2, where He uses “work” and “rest” in the same sentence. From that simple example, i take it that if we speak of our “works in Christ,” we must also discuss our “rest in Christ.” If we work we must rest, and when we rest, the intent is to take a time of repose, to gather ourselves in devotion to the Lord, replenishing our stores in preparation to surge forward again in the Name of Jesus.

What is your idea of what the Lord means when He says something is “good”? When He used the word “good” in Gen1:4, saying, “And God saw the light, that it was good,” i see it as an incredible word. It can be a noun, a verb, an adjective, masculine or feminine, single or plural. Just amazing! Upon dissecting the word, to the letters, God’s idea of “good” is like “Favor from the margins”…now i really like that – “favor from the margins”, from edge to edge, running down, and overflowing. In reference to all His works, His plans accomplished and yet to be, Christ and the resurrection, “favor from the margins” means, “In our link to God, the cross of Christ, there is hidden Shalom, like a fountain in the eye of the landscape of all that’s in the House of the Almighty.” Within the word “good”, there is an arm and hand which sew seeds, growing the Kingdom of God, so we all can watch and see it grow and know that the Lord is God. Friends, i think that is a definition worthy of serious consideration, so here it is again…. through the cross of Jesus, God’s goodness is centerpiece in the landscape of Heaven, by which we sow seeds of righteousness, growing he Kingdom of Heaven.

So much of our definition of good is so, SO very subjective, meaning it is our version of it all. Often we lower God’s standard to be something we find more, how should i say, “more palatable”, and easier to perform, and then we use our idea of “good” as a standard to measure ourselves by. Eventually, we decide, according to our own twisted standard of “goodness”, that we are good people, and it’s not right.

Good works is “illustrated righteousness”, it is the planting of the seeds of the Kingdom of God.

Steve Hill of Steve Hill Ministries wrote: “Many Christians are heavy and cast down, principally because they are idle and selfish. They often feel that the active, benevolent spirit of watching for opportunities to do essential service to our fellow-creatures is no more than menial. What good does it afford to merely believe in doctrines which are then put to no good purpose? Usefulness is the very excellency of life. No man, in the real church of Christ, lives unto himself. Every true Christian is a tree of righteousness, whose fruits are good and profitable unto men. He is glad to help and to comfort others. He is diligent and industrious. He speaks to edification; dwells in peace, gentleness and love. He reproves what is wrong by an excellent example, and recommends, by his own practice, what is pleasing to God. Our good works express mercy, and are thus expected to be performed by believers insofar as they are able, in accordance with Matthew 5:7.” Do you see the heart posture in Mr. Hill’s words? He said, “Reproving what is wrong by being an excellent example, and recommends, by his own practice, what is pleasing to God.” Our expression of mercy is one of God’s key attributes – mercy is considered as foundational “good works” and sets an example by our outward practice. The Lord has defined what is good, and His requirement of each of us is to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?

Around 1607, a painter named, Caravaggio, did an extraordinary painting depicting the seven works of mercy which are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material welfare of others. The painting portrays feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, burying the dead, giving shelter to travelers, comforting the sick, and freeing the imprisoned. Those works of mercy are termed by the Lord as “good works”. They plant seeds of peace and impart the vision of clear water flowing from the eye of the landscape of the Heart of God.

1 Peter 2:12, “..but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evildoers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming.” What that means is that the works of mercy, the good works God motivates us to do, are works which are observable, they are righteousness illustrated so everyone can watch and see, that they would come to the knowledge that the Lord is God. Fathers, don’t just tell your children how they should be, God calls you to BE the man who is an example of how they should be. You want them to be different, you be different. Don’t just tell them about justice, kindness, and honesty, live your life according to the standard of the Lord and let them see you demonstrating how they should live their lives.

i am compelled to ask myself, “do i have works of mercy in my life?”. We all should take some personal inventory after looking at Caravaggio’s work. Is the righteousness the Lord says is within me visible, or am i busy wearing a disguise so i fit in with the rest of the world? And you? Where do you fit in this?

i want to paint with words something visible, something seen with our internal eyes when i speak of “good” and “goodness” with the end point being a better understanding of “good works”, or “righteousness illustrated”.

John 10:32, while being persecuted by the Pharisee’s Jesus answered them saying, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father…” He demonstrated good works, and He didn’t just talk about what He might do if He had time, or what He would do, maybe, sometime in the future… He did the works…He got up out of His chair and took action, just like the Lord is God of action, and there is nothing passive and uninvolved about Him. Titus2:14 implies that not only was Jesus zealous for good works, but we who are freed from iniquity, should also be zealous for good works.

The actions of the wrongness of character and a bruised conscience are visible, and even when done in secret they somehow have a way of finding their way into the public eye. Sort of like when i was a child and fell on some glass. A doctor got most of the glass out and then sewed me up, but over the years, occasionally, a little piece of glass would suddenly appear at the surface of my skin from time to time. Sin is that way just like good works are that way. It may hide for the moment, but our works, evil or righteous, have a way of coming out. “Illustrated Righteousness” is visible, and even when done in secret, they can’t stay hidden. 1 Timothy 5:24-25, “The sins of some people are obvious and go ahead of them to judgment, but the sins of others follow afterwards. Likewise, good deeds are obvious; and even when they are not, they can’t stay hidden.”

Here’s an example of the attitude behind good works. One day, while discussing cruel merchandisers, skimmers, scammers, and fleecers of the innocent, a good friend of mine said, “I don’t think I’m the “best” example of a human on this planet, but I “trade” too… we all do. If I’m trading with somebody I don’t know, I want to trade profitably, but I don’t take advantage of people. As for people in my “circle”, I NEVER profit from them. That’s WRONG.” That is good works, and it’s not just a physical action, but more an attitude which propagates good works. Can you hear what i’m saying about this?

i think we can assume there are believers who are full of good works, like the disciple in Acts9:36, it reads, “In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.” The woman’s name literally means “the gazelle” and i take it she was devoted to illustrating the righteousness of Christ in her heart and was known as a graceful person.

Not only were we created to “illustrate righteousness”, but God has actually prepared in advance good works for us to do. Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s poetry, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

All our spiritual advantages are from God. We are his workmanship, His poem, not only as people, but as saints. As believers we are a new person by the blood of Jesus, and are born again by His will, by the influence, action, and application of the Holy Spirit. We were created to illustrate righteousness; we were designed to be fruitful. The seeds of righteousness, wherever God has planted them, are the seeds of His character and they will grow good works. We are not saved by our good works, but the good works are evidence of Christ in us.

Can the Lord plant anything which will not grow and be fruitful? God has appointed to us the knowledge of His will, and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we live out a life of illustrated righteousness that we would glorify God by exemplary character, conduct, and conversation. Titus 2:7-8, “…in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility and sound speech that cannot be condemned…”.

i believe from the Lord’s perspective, “Good works” come from the hands

of the righteous. Even sinners do good things, but no where does God call

the works of the unredeemed “good works”.

The fruits of righteousness is “good works”, and by His grace, we are

adorned with “good works” that the people of God may be perfect, thoroughly

furnished with the ability to illustrate God’s goodness. “Good works” do not exist unless, bottom line, unless we DO something, we must make a move and move the ball, or else “good works” don’t happen. In fact, nothing “just happens”. “Good works”require heart and motion. Think about it.

Some would say doing something good is the same as good works, but the Lord considers works done by the hands of the righteous as “good works”. In order for righteousness to be illustrated, we must be righteous to begin with, wouldn’t you say? It’s not about doing something good or not, it’s about the platform doing something good springs from. It’s a matter of the heart, not the action. Our actions don’t make us right with God. Romans 10:9, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Confessing and believing in Christ gives us the righteous platform we need in order to do good works. People, by themselves, without Christ are not enough, that is why “good people” don’t go to Heaven….there aren’t any. Romans 3:23, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

In our link to God, the cross of Christ, there is hidden Shalom, like a fountain in the eye of the landscape of all who are in the House of the Almighty.” Within the word “good”, there is an arm and hand which sews seed, growing the Kingdom of God, so we all can watch and see it grow and know that the Lord is God. Our good works are an expression of mercy, one of God’s key attributes – our illustrated righteousness is considered foundational “good works” and sets an example by our outward practice.

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, believe.bellaillume.com, and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Let your light shine this week, put your feet in motion, get up from your chair and look for a way to illustrate the good seed God has sown in your hearts. We are to live out an illustrated life of righteousness. Get it in gear, the world is watching so give them something to see…let them see your illustrated righteousness.

Be strong and courageous, take your time and listen for the Lord. Amen.

Attributes Of God

Posted on July 21, 2024 by cameron

Why study the Attributes of God? Daniel 11:32 says that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

Omnipotent

Omnipresent

Omniscient

Immutable

Eternal

Faithfulness

Love

Goodness

Holy

Impartial

Incomprehensible

Infinite

Jealous

Justice

Longsuffering

Mercy

Righteous

Self-existent

Self-sufficient

Sovereign

Transcendent

Truth

Wise

Wrath

Foreknowledge

That is just a few for His attributes are myriad as He is infinite and many faceted. God is infinite in the sense He has no up, down, left, right, front, nor back, six directions all at once, all the time.

Along with these attributes, 7 are immutable (unchanging) characteristics of God: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness.

There are attributes of God that He does not share with us, they are exclusively His, and His alone. Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omnipotence are 3. Although, in their personal form, as in the attributes of His personality, they are exclusively His, God does give to us a certain sense of participating with Him in being Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent, in that we, as believers can forgive sin which is dealing with someone’s past, or we can speak a prophecy of destiny over someone as God gives it to us, thus dealing with someone’s future.

God’s attributes in us are the core features of His heart which builds us as leaders and His people. His attributes are our defense, they are our calling, they are our strength, and our prayer declaratives. His attributes are what make us to be the people of such exemplary and godly conduct, conversation, and character, that others want to be like us, the exemplary people called Leaders. Eph5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” We are more able to deal with sin, not by discovering and handling the attributes of sin and iniquity, but by discovering and handling the attributes of God. Our destiny more readily comes into view when we handle the attributes of God

2Cor10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God”. Where do we get these highly effective weapons? In the Christ of God, because His attributes ARE the weapons of our warfare!

Through the understanding of God’s attributes, the difficulties of providence (hard questions), which seem otherwise unsearchable, may be somewhat resolved into this—God intends in those hard questions to show himself, to declare His glory, to make himself to be taken notice of. “The fall of man was permitted, and the blindness that followed it, that the works of God might be manifest in opening the eyes of the blind.” (M. Henry)

Of what do we reckon the armor of God is made? What sort of material is it made of that it would withstand the attacks of the enemy? The material our armor is made of, i believe, is the very attributes of God Himself! Eph 6:11 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” Eph 6:14 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;”

Omnipotent

The quality of being all-powerful, normally understood as the power to perform any action that is logically possible and consistent with God’s essential nature. Omnipotence is one of the traditional attributes of God, exclusive to God, an attribute He does not share, except metaphorically or indirectly. Omnipotence means God is all powerful and has unlimited authority & influence. He has the ability to do whatever His will dictates as He sees best. Man may have the authority but not the ability to carry through. The term “omnipotence” is not found in scripture but clearly is declared in scripture, Matthew 19:26, Job 42:2. His unlimited authority & influence is seen in His act of creating, Psalm 33:6, in His relation to man, in His ability to sustain all things, and over satan. Jesus said “All authority (exousia = authority and power to act) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Mt 28:18).

Many attempts to analyze this property have been made, centering on the “paradox of the stone”—a vivid illustration of the logical difficulties raised by omnipotence. The paradox of the stone begins with the question “Can God create a stone that he cannot move?” If so, there is something God cannot do (move the stone). But if God cannot create such a stone, then there also appears to be something God cannot do. The source of the paradox is the question as to whether it is possible for an omnipotent being to limit itself. Example of paradoxical questions like “This product is new AND improved!”, or “We need scripted spontaneity!”, or “This sentence is false.”

See Luke 1:37, Jeremiah 32:17,27.

Conclusion: There is nothing that God cannot do except that which goes against His nature. God alone has the power to conquer sin and death. He even created Satan who disobeyed and fell, therefore, He has power over him. He promised to give us the power to overcome the world.

Omnipresent

The quality of being present at all places—one of the traditional attributes of God. Omnipresence is an attribute which is exclusively God’s, and He does not share, although we do possibly enter in metaphorically or indirectly, this characteristic is exclusive to Him. Those who believe God is independent of or unaffected by time extend this concept and think of God as present at all times. Traditional theists (theist -believer in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the cosmos) do not think of God as occupying, or having the character of space at all and therefore do not think of omnipresence as existing or being everywhere at the same time as in His physical presence, but as God’s being present at all places by virtue of His knowledge and power to act. God is aware of what is happening at every place and has the power to act directly at any place. Which is your view? Does this impact anything we hold as true?

See Psalm 139:8, Jeremiah 23:23,24.

Conclusion: There is no place to go where God is not already there.

Omniscient

The quality of being all-knowing. This is one of the traditional attributes of God. Omniscience is usually analyzed as knowing the truth value of every proposition. Controversy has centered around the compatibility of divine foreknowledge with human free will, though many defend the claim that there is no inconsistency. However, some argue that God’s omniscience does not extend to all future actions, either because the propositions about such actions are as yet neither true nor false or else because it is logically impossible to know their truth.

See Isaiah 46:10, Romans 4:17.

Conclusion: God knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen, although His knowing is not His determining. He knows when we do things for the wrong reasons and when we do things for the right reasons. All things we do should be to serve Him and bring glory to Him.

Immutable

Consider what thou owest to His immutability. Though thou hast changed a thousand times, he has not changed once; though thou hast shifted thy intentions, and thy will, yet he has not once swerved from His eternal purpose, but still has held thee fast. – Charles Spurgeon

The immutability of God means that God is unchanging. More specifically, “God is unchanging in His character, will, and covenant promises. Theologically, immutability is defined as ‘that perfection of God by which He does not change in His being, perfections, purposes, or promises.’ God is a spirit, whose being, wisdom power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. Those things do not change. A number of Scriptures support this idea (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Ps. 102:26; Mal. 3:6; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 6:17-18; and Jam. 1:17 “”the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning“).

Conclusion: When things are going bad I won’t blame God, asking why He has changed and doesn’t seem to be living up to His promises. Since He doesn’t change, I will look at my life and see where I have deviated from the path He wants me to follow. I will change my direction toward the right way and follow Him.

Eternal

Eternal refers to the endless past, the unending future, or to God’s present experience of all time. God has no beginning as man can understand beginning and no ending either, but God exists now and knows both the beginning and the end as we perceive them.

As someone has said “God is the great I Am, not the great I was!” A W Tozer adds that, “In God there is no was or will be, but a continuous and unbroken “is”. In Him History and prophecy are one and the same. Whatever God is He is infinitely.”

The great Puritan writer Stephen Charnock wrote that, “The eternity of God is nothing else but the duration of God, and the duration of God is nothing else but His existence enduring.”

See Isaiah 57:15, I Timothy 1:17.

Conclusion: God has always existed and He always will. Nothing can resist Him and nothing will ever be able to bring an end to Him.

Faithfulness

Spurgeon: “So great that there has never been an exception. Through the ages, our God has had billions of people to deal with. Yet there does not stand under heaven’s cover, or above the stars, or in hell itself a single soul who can say that God is not absolutely faithful.”

2Tim2:13 “If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.” (Amp)

Heb10:23 “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.” (Amp)

Conclusion: Whatever God says He will do, He will do. Therefore, when He says those who believe in Jesus shall have eternal life, you can rest assured that will take place. Just as sure is His providing a way out of temptation, protection from the flaming arrows of the enemy, and Satan’s eventual demise by being thrown into the Lake of Fire forever.

Love

אָהַב, aleph, hey, beit. “Love” is spelled, “הַאָהַב” which is pronounced, “Ahava” and is made up of three basic letters, “אָהַב”. Aleph, the sound made before a sound is made – intent, “hey”, the letter representing God’s creative power … it is said that the “breath of His mouth” refers to the sound of the letter Hey – the outbreathing of Spirit. And “beit”, “the House”.

Not only is love giving, but the actual process of giving develops the very connection between the giver and the receiver. God is the source, and not only does He possess it, but He shares it with us, for us to share with others.

Love, therefore, needs to be prevalent in our lives if we are to be called Christians. For how else can love be the greatest of Christian virtues if non-Christians cannot see love being demonstrated in our lives.

Love, the very nature of God, and the greatest of the Christian virtues. Attributes of love include patience, kindness, protection, trusting, hoping, and persevering. Love is not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, a recorder of wrongs or does it take delight in evil.

The theme of the entire Bible is the self-revelation of the God of love.

In the heroes of the faith, love was a passion with them of such a vehement and all-consuming energy, that it was visible in all their actions, spoke in their common talk, and looked out of their eyes even in their commonest glances. Love to Jesus was a flame which fed upon the core and heart of their being; and, therefore, from its own force burned its way into the outer man, and shone there. Zeal for the glory of King Jesus was the seal and mark of all genuine Christians. Because of their dependence upon Christ’s love they dared much, and because of their love to Christ they did much, and it is the same now. The children of God are ruled in their inmost powers by love – the love of Christ constrains them; they rejoice that divine love is set upon them, they feel it shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them. He has kissed us with the kisses of His mouth, and killed our doubts by the closeness of His embrace. His love has been sweeter than wine to our souls. (C. Spurgeon)

See Romans 8:35-39, I John 4:12-16.

Conclusion: God loves us more than we can ever know. However, His love for us is to fill us so much that it overflows from us to others, so they can begin to know and experience God’s love. Yes, He sent His Son to die for us, but He did so for others as well.

Crown Him With Many Crowns, The Lamb upon His throne.

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns, all music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing, of him who died for thee,

and hail him as thy matchless King, through all eternity.

Goodness

The goodness of God is a life-transforming truth, and is one of His 7 immutable characteristics. He is Just, but His Goodness makes His Justice, righteous! His “rightness of character” is the source of His goodness. These two hold hands, and we never get one without the other. We cannot be “Good” without being “Righteous”.

“This aspect of God is one of several important features of His character: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness. The classic text for understanding the significance of this word is Psalm 136 where it is used twenty-six times to proclaim that God’s kindness and love are eternal. The psalmist made it clear that God’s kindness and faithfulness serves as the foundation for His actions and His character: it underlies His goodness (Ps. 136:1); it supports His unchallenged position as God and Lord (Ps. 136:2, 3); it is the basis for His great and wondrous acts in creation (Ps. 136:4-9) and delivering and redeeming His people from Pharaoh and the Red Sea (Ps. 136:10-15); the reason for His guidance in the desert (Ps. 136:16); His gift of the land to Israel and defeat of their enemies (Ps. 136:17-22); His ancient as well as His continuing deliverance of His people (Ps. 136:23-25); His rulership in heaven (Ps. 136:26). The entire span of creation to God’s redemption, preservation, and permanent establishment is touched upon in this psalm. It all happened, is happening, and will continue to happen because of the Lord’s covenant faithfulness and kindness.” The Complete Word Study Dictionary

Our personal goodness is not constant, it appears and leaves as the morning mist even though God desires this from His people more than sacrifices. He is looking for people who have a marked devotion to worship, who would perform deeds of faithfulness, and kindness, the Lord desires people who will maintain covenant loyalty and responsibility so that He can build His righteous community.

Don’t Quit!

Posted on July 19, 2024 by cameron

Don’t give up, we’re too close to going home and now is not a good time to quit.

The news media reports so much discouragement, it’s seems difficult for most to escape the landslide of bad news. Sometimes it just seems there is such a continuous stream of lies and misleading information, more than a few folks have simply turned off the news. i doubt it’s because they’re burying their head in the sand, it’s just they don’t know who to believe anymore nor do they actually know what is true from listening to the present day news services. i think, by far and large, many feel like understated, nameless, mundane employees, bunker dwellers caught in the downward spiral of a collapsing world.

i have a call in my heart today, one that says “Don’t quit”. i know it’s our choice as to whether we keep on with the Lord or not, and i understand well that any of us can give up on our relationships and simply wander off into the wilderness. But we’re so close to the finish line. We are each in this race, we’re on the track. Our feet are moving, we’re in the game and we’re just inches from the finish line and God is bringing resolve near to our hands, and now, at this time, some of us want to quit? Please don’t. God has destiny for you and it’s just inches from your hand, just up around the bend. Keep putting one foot in front of another, keep reading your Bible, keep praying, don’t quit. We’re almost home and this is no time to stop reaching for Jesus.

Sometimes things go wrong, and life seems like an uphill climb, it’s inevitable these things happen to us at some point or another. When our money is low, what we owe is overwhelming; when our loyalties seemed to have become obligations, and our breath seems in short supply; when we feel like life and circumstances have just pressed us down flat, let me encourage you, don’t quit, now is not the time to quit.

In Acts 27:24, Paul recounts a visitation from an angel, “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.” Let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop, be patient, you’ll see, God will turn things around for you. Stand firm and refuse to be moved from your position of faith. Look yourself in the eye, and tell yourself in the mirror every morning, saying, “i will not be moved from trusting God”.

i made an attempt to start a tri-county pastors prayer group once. i knocked on every ecclesiastical door i could find, called anyone in leadership that would pick up the phone, asking them that if there was a pastoral prayer group in the tri-county area, would they be willing to attend? All i met or spoke to said that if such a group were formed they would, indeed, like to attend. Amazingly though, none offered to help, none offered to facilitate, none offered any encouragement. By far and large, they just stared at me or i was met with something akin to white noise. After 2 months of asking, knocking, and chasing the area’s leadership, i became discouraged and went home. i felt worn out by the lack of response. Time went by and i moved away to another town. Many months later i returned to the area to visit friends, and on Sunday i visited a local morning church meeting. At the end, the pastor announced a tri-county pastors prayer group and if anyone was interested they were invited to attend. i was so surprised i almost fell out of the pew. The elderly pastor came back to me, graciously shook my hand, smiled, and said, “You quit too soon. You gave up son. You had everyone’s interest, and your line of questions woke people up and gave them hope for unity and harmony. But you quit before you saw the fruit of your work son, and just went home. Don’t quit, don’t give up.” i openly wept. He paused, his chin trembled slightly and his eyes misted a little, then he said, “You can’t just quit, son. Not now. We’re too close!”.

So i’m sharing with you those same words, Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You can’t just quit. Not now. You’re too close and you’re almost home.”

What do you think?

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