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

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

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

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

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

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

Hold your ground and keep your peace.

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

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

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

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

You invigorate me and set me on fire with passion and compassion about Jesus and the people of this world, believers and not, to have a heart to inspire the world around me to live restored, reconciled, and redeemed lives which will bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What was Paul referring to there in Romans 8:28 when he uses the phrase “the called” and then uses the word “purpose”? From God’s perspective, what does He mean?

Those who hold Jesus as Lord and Savior are “the called”. Matt22:14 says many are called, but there is a difference between “many” who are called, as those who have received an invitation and those who are labeled “the called”. Many are called but few are designated and named. Being believers makes us not only Christians but also in the sense of someone who stands in an office, invited and designated. i think of it as…. the day i accepted Christ was naming day, like the time Adam named all the animals. It was naming day, a day they were designated. To accept the call of God is also to be named, and it means we set another purpose other than our own before ourselves. The very word “purpose” literally means to set something before our heart and eyes, like the show bread was set before the tabernacle. Prothesis is the Greek for our word “purpose”, and stems from the Greek root word wherewith we get our word for “thesis”, and a thesis is a statement put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. i believe i often think of purpose as something resolved, but in this case the word comes as not only something resolved but calls for the addition of an action verb. So not only is a purpose drawn from God’s preferences and standards, but is a conclusion to a matter for us to take-action to accomplish. Did you hear that? A “conclusion and resolution of a dilemma that we take action over.”

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

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

Here’s what we’re going to do. Because the Spirit makes intercession, we will stand in our designated place at the call of God and make intercession. In vs 27, the words “make intercession” is a “now” verb, and it means now, now, now, now, it does not stop being “now”. It is a word which isn’t episodic or an event, it is an action with an on-and-on motion. Because God hears the faintest cry for help, we will not only hear but will respond. Because the Lord opens His mouth and does justice and stands for right morality, we will stand in our designated place, holding His preferences and standards as the governor for all we breath and do, and we will open our mouths for justice, doggedly standing up for right morality. We will stand with Him, proud of our blood bought heritage. As the called of God, STAND! And after you’ve stood all you can stand, stand therefore.

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

Instead of seeing yourself as the king, as the “head of your house”, as if you are someone to be served because you are, “the man”, we really need to start seeing ourselves as God sees us, as the husbands we are. Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”.  The Lord is our example, and i feel certain His desire is that we would act as He does. God never shoves or deceives us like some bully, and your wife is no one to push around and manipulate either. Think of yourself as a frame and she’s the picture. The job of a frame is to give definition to the boundaries of the picture, and i don’t mean boundaries in the sense of the ones you set for her, so much so that she can’t even put pictures of your kids on FB, or else you will relentlessly emotionally hold her in contempt. Who do you think you are to think you can control someone like that? In secret, you don’t control yourself like that, yet you’re OK with making the effort to control her like that. And i realize she does this and she does that, but this isn’t about her, it’s about you. Regardless of where she is, the question is, where are you?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh bother, what to do, what to do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you think?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you think?

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

Church. What is this thing we do?

Not too long ago, someone in a group conversation asked, “Do i really, truly, have to go to church?”

There were many replies.

Many people quoted a scripture or two, others reasoned out loud to the question asker, “yes, you MUST attend church.” Eventually, i posed the group a question from another angle. i asked, “In light of all the responses to the question, i’d like to pose another question. What is it that we say we MUST attend, what is it we are attending? If we’re going to say we MUST attend, i think it would be good to know more about it. If we think we MUST go to a meeting consisting of a prayer, fast song, medium song, slow song, another prayer, take up some money, another prayer, a sermon, and some closing prayer, what is it we’re doing?” Someone quickly quoted the scripture in Heb10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Out loud, another soft spoken fellow said, “That’s a great scripture, but does it mean we are supposed to be connecting with one another and God, or does it mean we should attend a brick and mortar facility in order to qualify as having “gone to church? Do we attend in order that everyone will tend to think well of us because they could somehow quantify our commitment, with our feeling approved of and being counted among the church metrics by which leadership is judged? If we count the 10 minute conversation before and after, and be in a group of people for a very predictable program as satisfying our need to connect, we are wrong. i’m not, by any means, not saying to not attend, i’m just asking if attending a brick and mortar facility is really what that scripture means?” The room came to a halt. The silence was deafening.

Friends, i’m not saying don’t go, don’t read something into what is being said here which is not there. i’m only posing why we feel compelled to go to a brick and mortar facility and call it connecting with God and others? i would never, ever, suggest to not go, because surely we should … i’m just asking us to explore, within ourselves, what we go for, how we came to that conclusion, and why we think we’re satisfying God’s request to not just do a rule but more better, to connect? The idea in Hebrews 10 isn’t some rule to go to church or else, “you’re out of fellowship with God”, or “obviously, there’s sin in you life if you don’t go,” all said with the smug, religious face of disapproval. God never made it a rule that we must go to a building somewhere … we did. Just because we go to church doesn’t mean we are “in fellowship” with others. The idea of Hebrews 10 is to connect, be involved with meaningful, Kingdom advancing conversation which “works out our salvation with fear and trembling”. The idea of church is God’s vision, and fellowship is His idea of pro-vision, meaning anything which advances the vision. The idea of church is to advance God’s vision of being able to relate to Him, to find out where He’s working and join Him there, and learning how to walk in His preferences and standards. Each person is responsible for how they do all that. i didn’t say, “go or else”, i asked why, and encouraged us all to participate, not simply attend. Some think “attend” means show up and be counted, but God’s idea of attend is to participate, cultivate, and be fruitful, like someone who cultivates a garden.

Some of the very best church i’ve ever been involved with was at the jail. Everyone who comes to church there is wearing a prison jumpsuit. Everyone who comes to church there is at the end of their rope in one way or another. We are all as honest and open as we know how to be. i used to think the reason many people actually did well in jail was because it was a regimented environment, a place of some semblance of order which they didn’t have in the world beyond incarceration. A few months ago, the Lord opened my eyes to see, that was the far lesser reason. The reason many did well as far as advancing their relationship with God … was … because … they were connecting, and staying connected to other believers who wanted, on some level, to lead a different life besides the one which got them in jail. They were connecting, and many were even prospering! Oh yes, there are, indeed, many people in jail who know God’s word quite well in fact. At church in jail, they weren’t attending a brick and mortar facility because they were keeping a rule, they were there because they needed to connect. We say we are no longer under the law, but then we go and create for ourselves little unwritten rules, then attach penalties for ourselves when we don’t do the rules. God didn’t say keep the rules and persecute those who don’t, but consistently connect with other believers. For many, not going to church doesn’t mean we are out of fellowship, that doesn’t mean don’t go, that means be brave to explore and be honest about why you do.

Many months ago, i asked a man what he was doing for church. He said he was going to his house and it was wonderful. My religiousness crept into my mouth and i implied that if he wasn’t going to church then he must be on the outs with God and there was probably hidden sin in his life. Man! i’m such a Pharisee sometimes! He smiled and said, “I didn’t say i was out of fellowship. i simply said i don’t go to a brick and mortar facility. i still tithe, i still study the Word. i still worship. i still pray alone and with others. i’m not out of fellowship.” i asked him why he didn’t go, wherewith he said, “i’m tired of the show, and i was desperate for real, in-depth fellowship with believers who were interested in working out their salvation with honesty, transparency, fear and trembling.”

And you know that little group over there or that one on the other side of town which you declared, “That’s not church”, has got to be one of the most ignorant things i’ve ever heard. i thought, according to the Bible and God that church was something about when Jesus said, “Where two or more are gathered, there I AM”, and about the community who gathers before the Lord. So not, according to you, small groups all over the world, in your most perfect judgment, AREN’T churches? What will we tell the secret churches in China or Iran or Africa?

Again, i never said, don’t, i only posed why. Is this a scary question? It should be, because it challenges the little religious habits we’ve created for ourselves, called them God, and then measured ours, and everyone’s quality of God-life by how well they keep the rules. Sort of a terrifying question for many i would think. It certainly was a challenge for me. Actually, sometimes, still is.  My lack of understanding the Lord, my religiousness and need for rules and penalties cuts the legs out from under my relationship with God.

What do you think?

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

Counsel And Exhortation (the doctrine of Instruction)

           Proverbs 12:20, “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, But counselors of peace have joy.” It seems these days there’s a lot of people who like to offer lots of counsel, whether or not anyone asked them for their counsel! For me, i’m still working on filtering the words I let into my mind and heart, i’m learning, sometimes hourly, how to constantly guard my heart by not allowing poor counsel to stick to me.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation just for you wherever you are. The days in which we live are increasing in darkness and increasing in light as the in-breaking Kingdom of God invades this downward spiraling world. Let us exercise our minds to consider carefully the counsel and exhortation of God. Again, friends, lazy thinkers don’t get far. We desperately need a standard. Let us study the word of the Lord, not so we can strut around because we know some-thing, but so we can go in peace because we know some-one, THE someone who is above all and supersedes the authority of all kings and princes of the earth.

This evening, the doctrine of instruction and is the last of a four part series, the doctrine of influence – or impact and significance; the doctrine of impulse – being inclination and motivation; the doctrine of direction – our set and bearing; and now counsel and exhortation, or the doctrine of instruction.

What is good counsel and right exhortation, and why do you trust the people who give that to you? What’s your epistemology, or what you believe, how you came to that conclusion, and why do you think it’s a good idea? And we can be mad and offended that we would be asked such a pointed question, but in the end, the question still stands, what do you believe, how did you came to that conclusion, and why do you think it’s a good idea?

i must admit, i’ve allowed a lot of words take up way, I mean waaaaay, too much space in my head and heart from people who didn’t have joy or peace in their lives, and honestly, i question if they really possessed the desire to allow the Lord to be the motivation of their words. Maybe the words I chose to let take root in my mind and heart have been there way too long without my questioning the wisdom behind them. Here are two phrases for us to ponder concerning how we hear God: cognitive bias and incognitive bias. Those two addresses the little conscious and unconscious preferences in us which turn the word of the Lord in to something God never intended.

We all have the counsel of other people rattling around in our heads, and the truth is, we can only grasp just so much of it all. i am a finite person with finite thinking abilities and typically only function beyond finite when Jesus, the infinite King, is involved in my life. i think we have to remember that all those words in our heads, they take up space, and it truly is space which belongs to God’s word and His counsel. Friends, in a world which wants to overwhelm us with godless counsel, vision, and exhortation, we should determinedly strive for God’s counsel, vision, and exhortation to flood our mind and heart. I want His words to define my life and my choices. We are either defined by the world, or defined by God, either way, we WILL be defined by someone or something, and i believe God’s defining is the best choice.

Because i am human, much of the time, i must admit, i’ve let other people’s counsel influence my thinking. On a side note of sorts, i have thought that many people often give counsel to others that is really meant to make the advice-giver feel better about a decision they made to make themselves feel important. If advice comes from a self-serving place, it’s end is nowhere i want to be. Pride and entitlement will always put us in the wrong place.

i am always making war on my own religiousness, and as a result i’m getting better at hearing my words before i give my words. i don’t want to join the ranks of those who seem to have the gift of unsolicited counsel and hand out advice in order to sound good or appear important thereby getting credit for themselves. We want to hand out Godly wisdom, Godly counsel, and Godly exhortation at the right time to the right person, for the right reason.

John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

And if you’re wondering just exactly what things the Lord has spoken to you, i suggest He has been speaking to you l-o-n-g before you were aware He was speaking to you. Think. Remember when you were a child and you would suddenly have moments of clarity about doing the right thing, possibly feeling the sudden necessity to tell the truth, or a sudden urge to be kind, or maybe, just maybe, you would find yourself with wisdom to not do something dangerous or harmful to others. Where do you think those motivations came from? Do you think the devil would prompt you like that, or maybe it was just the shear excellence of character you possessed?

Maybe, but i’d rather cast my vote for the Lord intervening in your life. He was the one counselling you, even before you believed. If you were interested, you could ask Him to show you the times He intervened and counseled you before you were aware God was even God. You know, these ARE the days that if you ask Him, He will reply. Here’s another idea: for those who are believers, the Holy Spirit is so close to us, He gives us ideas and we think we thought of them.

Good counsel and wisdom is like gold, and many times it’s just hard to get your hands on. When we find a friend who has Godly exhortation brimming in their pockets, we need to hold on to someone like that. The Lord put that person in your path for a reason. Oh and remember, Godly exhortation doesn’t mean just hearing positive, pleasant words which confirm your personal agenda. Listen and think about what was said. No one said we have to receive everything anyone says. Whether or not we allow someone else’s counsel to persuade us is absolutely our responsibility. It is up to us as to the counsel we allow into our hearts, and we should take all words captive, and consider them carefully before we let them roll around in our heads. There are a lot of people who may feel they have a “word from the Lord for us”, but, again, it is our responsibility as to whether we let them stick to us.

Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Here’s an expansion of that verse: Friends, this is good and right counsel, anything or everything that supports and confirms the cross, whatever lets the glory of God in the door or your house bringing freedom, everything that points to the righteousness of the Lord, all that inspires us to be crowned with His goodness and is clean and sound doctrine, everything or anything which is hospitable and pleasant, all right action making you favorably mentioned and well-spoken of, whatever is of substance and inspires you to be willing to righteousness, if there is anything which causes you to open your hand to the poor, to share your bread with the hungry and downtrodden, consider and think on these things which you have seen of me, and practice them all as your life’s action items. If you do this, the God of peace will be with you.

If the words rolling around in the hallways and rooms of our mind don’t meet the criteria of good, lovely, commendable, honorable, upright, clean, and faithful, then we’ve got to show those words their exit, not even being allowed to stay hidden for a secret time in the future. If someone in your life fills your ears with unkind criticism, manipulative or coercive word patterns, and we do have to learn to see the patterns, don’t even stand still to listen. Ask the Lord to show you any truth in them, then give them the boot out of your head to the trash can. If internet videos or TV shows fill your thoughts with ideas that don’t honor the beauty of marriage, kindness, honor, and respect, don’t even stand still to allow it in your eyes or ears, ask the Lord to purge them from your mind and replace them with His perspective.

Whatever counsel fills your mind, may you only give heart-space to that which brings the joy and peace of the Lord. No one is smart enough to run their own lives. We all need the Holy Spirit to guide and help us discern all that is passing in front of us, trusting only that which would draw us nearer to Jesus. Again, as was in a previous program, if it leads us to God, it must have been sent by God, for only the Lord can lead us to Himself.

Why don’t we receive or accept the counsel of the Lord more often? Isn’t that just a perplexing question? Well, it is to me anyway. Often in my life, God has extended me His counsel and exhortation and reasons unknown to me, i was indifferent in my heart, cold and distant to the love of God. i’m supposed to be this long-standing believer of the gospel of Christ, yet i can sometimes feel the dark edges of unbelief crowding out faith and common sense. It isn’t that the Lord doesn’t give us His wisdom, but i think we wash back and forth in the flow and tides, in the time and seasons between interest and disinterest. His hands of wisdom and supply are consistently open to us, but why we don’t take from His hands more often, accepting what He gives to us, i honestly don’t know, unless it is, again, unbelief which works in us somehow. i don’t know what is going on in my heart sometimes, and i do understand the eternal importance of heeding the Lord, but why, oh why do i, sometimes, become seemingly indifferent? If you were honest with yourself, does that ever happen to you? Can you relate?

In the world we live in, living and dying is just part of life. Everything which draws breath finds it’s end, even the things which aren’t born, like inanimate objects, they eventually decline and are reduced to rubble, ceasing to be as they were if given enough time. We celebrate the birth of one, and mourn and grieve at the death of another. No one can outwit death. Yet, living in our hearts is Jesus Christ, who faced down death, hell, and the grave, He didn’t just outwit death as if He might fail at some great game of chance, no, He championed over death from before the beginning, and put His foot on the neck of death at the end. Jesus literally used death to defeat death.

If, living in our hearts is someone so great as Jesus Christ, what is our problem with receiving and practicing His instruction? Lack of clarity? Is it really God who is not clear or is it us in our misunderstanding, our incognitive biases, or being indifferent?  Is it our own unbelief that we simply can’t hardly believe God could be so good to us, or is it that we claim God doesn’t make sense so, without in-depth investigation, we just go our way in our own little world, flipping our hand up, saying over our shoulder, “What ever!”? Is it shear rebellion and we don’t really care sometimes? Maybe we’ve spent so much time chasing answers that make no difference and can’t be found that we are exhausted somewhere deep in our souls, using that as a reason to not hear God’s counsel and exhortation? Tom Skinner wrote, “I spent a long time trying to come to grips with my doubts, when suddenly I realized I had better come to grips with what I believe. I have since moved from the agony of questions I cannot answer, to the reality of answers that I cannot escape . . .”

Psalm 16:7, “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.” i thank God for His counsel. Yep, i’m saying this again: Nobody, nobody is smart enough to run their own life. i find that statement to always be before me lately, and it doesn’t mean i need some man or woman to tell what to do, it means i need God’s wisdom, counsel, and exhortation in order to do life. That phrase is the counsel of the Lord, it’s an exhortation to seek Him out and ask His opinion about everything, above anyone else’s counsel. Jesus said, to come to Him as little children, He didn’t say come to Him and be childish, but come as little children, meaning wide eyed with wonder, willing to sit with Him and listen to what He has to say. Again, i am not smart enough, and do not have what it takes to run my own life, so after having failed time and time again because i ignored God, finally, only in the last few years do i feel like i’m listening to God’s counsel more than ever before. And you know, things have started going really well. Storms have come and gone, but inside me, things are well with my soul.

We need to depend, exclusively on God’s direction, His counsel and exhortation. No one else knows what He knows, sees what He sees, nor loves and cares for us like our God. Jeremiah 10:23, “I know, O Lord, that the way of a man is not his: neither is it in a man to walk, and to direct his steps.” i think, even from hundreds of years ago, even then the wise and insightful knew, they knew, nobody is able to run their own lives. We need help, we need God’s counsel and exhortation. There is truly no other help beside the Lord, and fortunately for us, He is also the best help there can be.

i believe most people probably ask for the Lord’s guidance and exhortation, and they’ve got a list of wants and self-determined needs they fully believe are of the utmost importance, in fact their list becomes the primary focus. i’m not saying they aren’t concerned about others, or the things on their list are unimportant because they are, nor am i saying most people aren’t concerned about situations beyond their own door step. What i am saying is their own personal list, typically, is a priority above everything else. God’s counsel becomes something people want for their own happiness and fulfillment so life will just flow along smoothly like riding on a long straight stretch of smooth highway. And who wouldn’t want that? i doubt anyone prays for dark storms and a dangerous path with any sincerity. And if they do, i don’t think that prayer will be prayed more than once. Life is difficult enough without asking the Lord to purposely make our way dangerous and heavy with trials.

This may seem a little abrupt to some, but, if we’ll look at the subject of most passages of scripture where the Lord gives us His direction and His will, well, you’ll see that our own happiness and all those details we are so often occupied with are secondary. Our pre-occupation, selfie-focused-leaning typifies the shallow thinking of a society that is truly out of touch with the purposes of the living God and how He works. Some believers may think i’m being negative, but look up, beyond where your own feet are. Look and think. What do you see of the world around us, including church? We are a consumer-oriented society bent on our own convenience, comfort and pleasure, and God has much greater goals in mind. Actually, convenience and comfort have become and idol to us.

What do we get in God’s counsel and exhortation? i suppose first it is important to say something about what it is. It is more than mere words formed by our lips and air. They are words infused with the very person of Christ, meaning His counsel is alive and active. His counsel and exhortation is something we must take action to grasp and hold to our heart, something from the Lord we consume in order to redeem and elevate our fallen state. His counsel and exhortation is offered to us to not only lift us above a fallen world and to achieve the purposes of His heart, but also for us to offer to those who don’t know Jesus yet, it is wisdom for, what some would call, the “fallen sparks”. To “consume” counsel means we take it into ourselves and digest it. God’s counsel may not go far on our behalf unless we accept and do something with it. We may not like His wise counsel, but it is always the best option, every time.

The way the Hebrew word for counsel is spelled points, once again, to prudence, seeing life with both eyes, employing practical common sense, taking the trouble to think out what you are doing and what is the likely outcome. Wise counsel is not necessarily built on a lot of words, wise counsel is like “the little which holds much”, it is a ray of light to separate some things and other times God’s counsel serves to connect others. The Hebrew word for counsel points to three nouns, thought, speech, and action, where thought sets the scene and how we relate to the world around us, speech expresses our thought and inner feelings, and action means we put the counsel in motion. Another angle on counsel is concerning us passing out counsel to others. Consider this, and if you hear nothing else, hear this: our lips are a natural boundary, and it is an act of leadership on our part to regulate what comes out of our mouth. Do you hear me? James 3:5, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” That scripture is no fooling around.

The counsel and exhortation of the world, even when it looks positive and encouraging, due to its unrelenting vacuum and void of God, eventually leads us down to the pit. With the counsel and exhortation of the Lord we gain a hand up, a grip and firm path to set our feet on, for all the promises of God in Him are yes and in Him, amen, all His counsel and exhortation work to the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. Without His counsel and exhortation there is no hand up, nothing to grip to nor any firm path for our feet.

In the O.T., under the law, the exhortation of the Lord was typically a warning, words filled with the idea of “watch out, be careful, and don’t”. In the N.T., under grace, exhortation is comforting, consoling, encouraging, and usually refers to the pursuit of Christian ethics in day–to-day living. It is letting God’s counsel, the heavenly perception that is most precious, be connected to our heart. Friends, let the Lord’s counsel and exhortation in the door of your house, yield and allow His words to persuade you.

As believers we are to live godly lives here and now, and there is supposed to be a noticeable difference between our former behavior and our present existence.

The Lord counsels us to recognize we were sometimes darkness, but now we are light in the Lord, meaning now that we are children of the Light, then walk like children of the Light.

So, is the Lord, God or not? Say? Yea, i’m asking you. Say? Is the Lord, God or not? If He is, then act like it.

Friends, God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness, and if we disregard God’s counsel we will soon come to growing shadows in our lives. We are counseled and exhorted to love the Lord with all our breathing, all our thinking, all our feeling and all our forward momentum, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, which means we have to learn to forgive ourselves that we would also forgive our neighbor. For the glory of God, just like Jesus welcomes us, we should welcome one another, walking in wisdom toward those outside the House of God, and make good use of our time, practicing our prudence. Learn to be the kind of leaders who are always gracious, well acquainted with the values of the Lord so we’ll know how to answer those around us.

The counsel and exhortation of the Lord is to treat your employees, friends and family well, be kind and generous to them. God is generous and we should be generous also. Open your hand in prosperity to those whom you serve and who you are served by. God’s counsel to us is – if we know anyone in missions or serving in the field in another country or even in your own town, watch the vision of the Spirit, be watchful in your prayers for them, be consistent and repeatable to speak to the Lord on their behalf that He would open doors for them to speak the gospel, declaring the mystery of Christ, that they would be clear, and speak as they ought to speak.

This is God’s counsel and exhortation: pay attention to your own salvation, and do it with dedication, reverence and sensitivity to God’s leading. And when you’re in your work-a-day world, do it all without whining, grumbling, and complaining, dreaming of being somewhere else, wishing God would do something other than what He’s doing. Friends, be morally whole with solid integrity, righteous and just in the eyes of God and the world, as children of God, spotless in the middle of a crooked and twisted people. If we’ll do that we’ll shine like the sun. Above all, the ultimate counsel and exhortation of the Lord is from John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Think about it friends, roll all this around in your head and think about it.

The entire Bible comprises God’s counsel and exhortation to us, it is a written version of our “doctrine of instruction”. Think about it, what an incredible book. Don’t get me wrong here, i still have plenty of unanswered questions about it, but those questions are true “feather-weights” compared to the “heavy-weight” truth about this supernatural book. Consider this:

Its is 66 different books which were written by at least 39 different authors, separated by as much as 1600 years or more, in different cultures and in three different languages. It is the bestselling book on the planet, ever. We have more evidence that the Bible we have today is what was written originally than any other historical document of its age or older. The Bible we have today actually has far fewer translational errors than other works which aren’t as old.

Science continues to prove (rather than disprove) its historical accuracy. And its central theme remains clear: The heart of God wants to know and be known. He loves mankind and wants to redeem men and women to Himself. It tells us how to live, how to separate out real from unreal. It gives us everyday life directions on how to best succeed, find joy and fulfillment, and live with power and healing. It gives us hope in the face of death, peace in times of trouble, and leads us to Jesus who died and rose from the dead that we would be free and have life more abundantly. Friends, it contains the best set of blueprints for building a home, a marriage and family that I’ve ever seen. Cover to cover, it is God’s written counsel and exhortation for us to live by.

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

Support for the program came from Winfield at Miller’s Laundry, Valley Hill Barber Shop, Longview Video Works, The Mebane Freedom League with Allan, Kevin, and Tommy, Little Laurel at Jump Off Rock Gift Shop, and the fine folks at Tempo Music. Let’s not forget our dear friends, Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

God’s counsel and exhortation is extended to us because the Lord our God wants us to succeed, Jesus gave His life so we could live, becoming shining lights in a dark place. Yahweh is on your side, every day, all the time.

Be strong and courageous this week. Stand your ground and hold tight to the Word of God. In the light of the face of Jesus, there is life, and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain. Drive carefully, practice your prudence with diligence and i’ll talk to you next time. Amen.