Feeling Salty

This weekend, Pastor spoke on God's dealings with us as His children. The crux of the message was that God is interested in the present-future, not the present-past. To summarize this concept, people are very much hung up on their past, which prevents them from walking into the future that God has ordained for them. God said in Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you..." to which we add "...and if I can ever get past what I've done, I'll walk into that destiny."

God does not deal with the past of His children in a judgmental way. He has already judged our sin completely. Paul said,

Php 3:13-14 MKJV
(13) My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before,
(14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Very few of us could boast a past as abysmal as Paul's. Read about him - he wasn't nice.

As this word was being presented to us, the Lord brought me a thought that I'll record here, so as to share and not forget.

We are to be salt and light. (Matt 5:13) I've never really understood the detail of Lot's wife until now. She is a picture of a redeemed Christian that is hung up on the baggage of her past. She was truly redeemed - she was out of harms way. But she could not let go of her past, and she became a pillar of salt. Still salt, yes, but now a motionless pillar, unable to distribute but only available as an example from which people could take as they needed or desired. People, that is about as lame as your ministry can get, but if you are a child of God, you will minister in some way - even if it's from example.

God is interested in what you are - and what you are becoming in Him. This is your testimony. He isn't interested in what you've been - that's old news. He is a God of new wine. We are to become more like Jesus every day. This gives much value to the gift of prophecy - for this is the right-now word about your future. Embrace the plans God has for you, and "forget the things behind" that have only served to weigh you down.

The Divine Mirror

The results of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant appear to mirror each other. Here is a very simplified example:

In the time of Moses, if you had leprosy and you touched someone, that 'someone' became unclean. However, Jesus implemented a mirror image that showed Him touching a leper, and the leper became clean. See the mirror?

Here is a much more complex example:

Lev 14:35-36 MKJV
(35) and if he that owns the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, A plague is seen by me in the house;
(36) then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to see the plague, so that all that is in the house may not become unclean. And afterwards the priest shall go in to see the house.
(48) And if the priest shall come in and look, and, behold, the plague has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean because the plague is healed.
(49) And he shall take two birds to cleanse the house, and cedar-wood, and scarlet dye, and hyssop.
(50) And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
(51) And he shall take the cedar wood, and the hyssop, and the scarlet dye, and the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times.
(52) And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedar wood, and with the hyssop, and with the scarlet.
(53) But he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field, and make an atonement for the house. And it shall be clean.

The "house" in this case was a real house, or stone dwelling. But it's also the same word for 'temple', which Jesus used interchangeably with our 'physical body'. Basically... this could be a passage about our physical body being sick with a plague. So what just happened?

The body is sick so the priest comes:

1. the house is cured
2. the sacrifice is made, while the plague is carried to the Dead Sea
3. the house is anointed

Jas 5:14-15 MKJV
(14) Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
(15) And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.

The body is sick so priest comes:

1. the house is anointed
2. the sacrifice has already been made (Jesus), who carried our sins as far as the east is from the west (notice Lev 14:49: cedar, scarlet, and hyssop), but is here claimed by the prayer of faith
3. the house is cured

More Fulfillment

Joe 2:28-31 MKJV
(28) And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions.
(29) And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days.
(30) And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
(31) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of Jehovah.

This is a graphic depiction of what will go on right before the end of the age. Luke quoted part of this in Acts. It is undeniable that the Spirit of God is truly being poured out right now. People who are relatively new in the faith are having visions and are walking in the prophetic. People of other faiths are having dreams that reveal the identity of Messiah, Jesus. This is happening to ALL flesh.

What about the rest of the passage? We do see wonders in the heavens, regularly now. Meteor showers, comets, strange activity with the sun, eclipses... just a lot of interesting heavenly activity. Blood and fire and pillars of smoke? We certainly have all of this we want. There is a volcano that is right now creating the fire and pillars of smoke, and is also blotting out the sun and turning the moon colors, depending on where you live. These are all very definite clues, and they are most-certainly being fulfilled right now.

It's a bleak passage, but there is really nothing more than needs to happen before we can put a check mark beside it as being 'fulfilled'. It lacks nothing. So what is next?

The Office of Minister

For many of us who have grown up in church or who are actively involved, going into 'full-time ministry' has always been a VERY pleasant thought. Working with like-minded people, most of whom you are probably good friends with, doing lunches, meetings, missions, etc... together, is appealing. However, after taking inventory the reasoning behind this appeal can be somewhat sobering.

We like to hang out with people who are like minded in faith and vision because it's easier. We like the thought of a non-stress work environment. After all, I'm not responsible, necessarily, for those I work with if everyone is already a believer - right?

In some ways, trading in the corporate office for an office down at the church would be much like taking a soldier off the battlefield and putting him or her into the recruiting office. You get to talk about conflict all day long, but you don't have to endure any. (No offense to recruiters - most have done their time!)

I'm not saying there isn't a place or purpose for this, but no wonder it's not God's will for everyone to work in the church office! We need soldiers doing ministry on the battlefield. We need office leaders who will pray for their company's success and for the salvation of their peers. We need people who live it and walk it - outside the church walls.

If your dream is to work for the church - don't abandon that. But meanwhile, keep hammering where you are, because you are the minister on duty. You are gate that heaven has opened for others - today - right now! Don't discount it! You hold a very important office!

One World Steps

BRUSSELS (AP) — EU transport ministers vowed Tuesday to reform the continent's patchwork air traffic control system into a seamless European airspace and to establish binding rules to determine when volcanic ash makes it too dangerous to fly.

At an emergency aviation meeting, they vowed that the airspace reform was "a top priority" to reduce any possible future travel chaos caused by volcanic ash.

God promised that at the end of the age, there would be a one-world system enforced on most of the world (Rev 13). We've been seeing steps made towards that for quite a while now, but to me this is quite a large step. It is amazing to me how God pushes His agenda when it's time, and that which would otherwise take decades occurs in a matter of weeks.

In this case, one volcano in a historically volcanic nation at the top of the world creates such havoc that world governments vow to join forces in order to deal with the mess it causes. That is classic. One volcano...

God doesn't have to work up much of a sweat, does He?

Nothing Left on the Third Day

Lev 7:18 MKJV
(18) And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of the peace offerings is eaten at all the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed to him who offers it. It shall be an abomination, and the soul that eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

The book of Leviticus is difficult to read, but it gets infinitely more interesting when you start to run everything through the Jesus-filter. All of the Tanakh's references to sacrifice somehow point to Jesus, and this is no different.

It was Jesus Himself who said:
Joh 6:54-55 ESV
(54) Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
(55) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

In the case of verse 18, none of the sacrifice could be left by the third day. Is this a clue that Jesus raised from the dead on the very dawn of day three? After all we know that He bore NO iniquity whatsoever.

Who offered this sacrifice? Jesus Himself, for He laid down His own life, and He is our high priest. What kind of sacrifice did He make? All of them including the peace offering - rolled into one. Everything required by God, Jesus fulfilled.

So what?

We, too, are to render ourselves living sacrifices. We, too, are to be resurrected on the third day - because He was. We are at the dawn of the third millennial day since Jesus went to prepare a place for us. The question is, which part of the third day does God check to see if there is any part of the sacrifice left?

The Seventh Continent

As you may have gathered, I have been on an Antarctica kick lately. I'm fascinated by the place - not that I'm all geared up to go. I've often wondered why God would make such a huge place, and it be uninhabitable by man. It's an off-the-wall question, yes, considering the obscene enormity of our universe, which is also mostly uninhabitable. But Antarctica is different. It figures into our human equation.

We live on one of 7 continents. Is 7 just a random number, or does it figure into one of God's patterns? There are 7 days in a week, only there is one day where there is to be no work done. It's a rest day - off limits - or so was the design. In the days of Moses, to do work during this day meant death.

Antarctica is much like a Sabbath continent. It's solitary. It's quiet. It's off-limits. It's white, pure, pristine and unspoiled. Some would even say 'sterile'. For humanity to even begin to encroach upon Antarctica requires a maximum effort and a willingness to risk death. History testifies of the brutal sacrifices people have made in order to simply explore it. For many of the early explorers, you can still visit their huts that are still completely stocked with food, hanging meats, and other supplies. Food does not rot there - it mummifies. Wood petrifies. It's a land outside the rules of any other land. It almost seems 'holy'.

Peeling a Growing Onion

The following is a segment from the Antarctic Journal back in January of 2003. The comments by this scientist are very interesting.

Dr. Barth Netterfield, a cosmologist with the Long Duration Balloon Boomerang project gave last nights lecture on the universe, the beginning of time, where we’re headed, and things everyone wishes they knew but don't. Our universe, he said, went from a singularity (which we don’t understand) to a beginning (which our physics won’t explain) to plasma, hot and dense. It is composed now of normal matter (about 5%), dark matter/particles (about 35%), and something they are calling dark energy because they don’t know what it is (65%). The dark energy is forcing it to expand, and it is cooling as it expands. That expansion is accelerating and will continue to do so forever until it approaches a state empty of matter. It is a Euclidian universe, not curved or bent or closed, and now some 14 billion years old. It was cosmology for the novice, told with such graphic examples that I didn’t glaze over in frustration at the abstract mathematics of it all. When someone asked him to give us perspective on how much we know about the universe in comparison to Galileo, he said it was like an onion. You keep peeling layers off but the onion keeps growing larger. "The more we learn the more there is to know." Which is why we are here in Antarctica.

"The more we learn the more there is to know." Who does this remind you of? Isn't it amazing that what He designs is also a direct reflection of His nature?

Wash It, Then Burn It

Lev 1:4-9 LITV (4) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it is accepted for him to make atonement for him. (5) And he shall kill the son of the herd before the face of Jehovah. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall bring near the blood and sprinkle the blood on the altar all around at the opening of the tabernacle of the congregation. (6) And he shall skin the burnt offering, and shall cut it into pieces. (7) And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. (8) And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall arrange the pieces, with the head and the fat, on the wood on the fire, which is on the altar. (9) And he shall wash its inward parts, and its legs, with water. And the priest shall burn as incense the whole of it on the altar for a burnt offering, a fire offering of soothing fragrance to Jehovah.

This is an incredible passage. It immediately raises questions, most of which begin with 'why'.

Why did he lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice? In the Old Testament, the priest transferred the sin of himself or the people upon the sacrifice by laying his hand upon his head. If you do a search on this throughout the Old Testament, you'll notice it was NEVER good when God's hand was upon a person or a people. "...and God's hand was heavy upon Pharaoh."

In the New Testament, when the priest laid hands upon someone, life was transferred. Healing. What (who) was the difference? Jesus. It was truly a divine reversal. To that point, the Law stated separation from lepers. Grace stated healing for lepers. Again... Jesus!

Next... WHY! Why cut a sacrifice into pieces, take the legs and take out some of the inner organs... wash them... and throw them on the fire? Because any sacrifice to God must be clean on the outside AND on the inside. No dirt! No sin! Again... lets shift to the time of Jesus.

Joh 13:6-10 LITV
(6) He then came to Simon Peter. And that one said to Him, Lord, do You wash my feet?
(7) Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing, you do not yet know. But you will know after these things.
(8) Peter said to Him, You may in no way wash my feet to the age. Jesus answered him, If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.
(9) Simon Peter said to Him, Lord, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.
(10) Jesus said to him, The one having been bathed has no need other than to wash the feet, but is wholly clean. And you are clean, but not all.

Do you see it? It's the same picture. We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. Peter was such. But Peter had need to be washed - by the Priest. Peter was already clean on the inside - as only Jesus can make us. So Peter says, "If you must, then, Lord wash all of me!" And what did Jesus say? "Peter... I don't NEED to wash all of you. Only that which has been in contact with the world." The feet!

Don't miss the point, though. It wasn't really about Peter's gnarly feet. It was a demonstration to Peter that once made clean by Jesus, we are truly clean. However we can all get pretty dirty in our worldly dealings. The trials of life hammer us... get us down... make us... tired. They drive wedges between us and God that keep us from drawing near to Him. You might call them 'virtual wedges', because nothing truly separates us from God once we are His. It's a perception that the enemy uses. The cure? To get our feet washed. We do this for our brethren because Jesus did it for us. We are... priests.

Ponder

The devil really doesn't care if you had great services on Sunday at church. What he cares about is if you pour any of that out at work on Monday.

Not About Us

Exo 40:26-27 MKJV
(26) And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation in front of the veil.
(27) And he burned sweet incense on it, even as Jehovah commanded Moses.

This was the first point that Moses or the Levitical priesthood had ever burned incense to God, per God's instruction. I would imagine that out of all the unpleasant business the priests had to tend to, burning incense was a favorite task. It was peaceful. It didn't involve blood. It smelled GOOD. Do you think that there were ever times when the priest thought, "Hmmm, I think I'll skip the incense today." Or, "Lets change this stuff up some... I'm getting tired of the same old smell."

No.

God had already warned the priests, "You shall offer no strange incense on it" (Exodus 30:9). The message was clear. God said, "This is not for you. This is for ME." The penalty for not doing it God's way was NOT GOOD!

And yet, we treat worship the same way. If it's the same song as last week, people get offended. If it's too heavy or too light, people find a different church. If someone plays an instrument... or someone doesn't... for some reason we take that as a burden upon ourselves. What a backwards way of thinking! Shame on us if we ever do this! "It aint about you or me, so get over it and worship Him!"

You Hoarding Sand?

Exo 38:24-26 MKJV
(24) All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
(25) And the silver from those numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and seventeen hundred seventy-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary;
(26) a bekah for every man, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand, five hundred fifty men.


SJ (8:21:04 AM): one... the people were loaded. Dude, that is a LOT of gold.
Mills (8:21:18 AM): yeah i thought so
SJ (8:21:36 AM): they got the gold from the Egyptians... right?
Mills (8:22:12 AM): ummm... for some reason I always though they got some from Egyptians, but the rest was given to them in the wilderness
SJ (8:22:41 AM): as far as I know... they got it all - Exo 12:36 And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they granted their request, and they plundered the Egyptians.
Mills (8:22:52 AM): okay
Mills (8:22:59 AM): tracking
SJ (8:23:02 AM): may I ask...
SJ (8:23:10 AM): why??? so they could buy sand from the hyenas?
Mills (8:23:44 AM): hehe... for the Ark
Mills (8:23:47 AM): ?
SJ (8:24:00 AM): you got it.... for serving God. That's the only reason.
Mills (8:24:02 AM): the tabernacle
SJ (8:24:23 AM): same reason He gave you and I a $5 raise last year bud
Mills (8:24:34 AM): got it
SJ (8:24:46 AM): we're in the desert... kinda... anything we buy here is going to be sand

He Doesn't Want To Hear It

Exo 34:2-3 MKJV
(2) And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me in the top of the mountain.
(3) And no man shall come up with you, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mountain. Also do not let the flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.

It's a confusing thing to read a verse like this. Is God just picky?

Remember that God had just sent Moses down with His instructions, and before instruction could be delivered, the people fell into a grievous sin of idolatry. Do you think God wanted to see those people? What were they worshiping? A cow. Do you think God wanted to see cows?

Remember, too, that this was before the perfect propitiation for sin - Jesus - had been sacrificed. God's anger burned!

Even now, God sees His people but now He sees the blood of His son. He does not see their sin! But guess - who - comes - along - to remind Him? The accuser, the devil. However, Jesus, at His right hand, reminds the father that we are His, and although the devil has his chance now... his time runs out. The Father will not permit Him audience forever! He does NOT wish to be reminded of anything, nor will He be! For those under the blood of Jesus, He has blotted out their sin! That is good news!

Groveling For Gravel

Exo 34:1-2 MKJV
(1) And Jehovah said to Moses, Cut out two tablets of stone like the first. And I will write upon the tablets the words that were in the first tablets which you broke.
(2) And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me in the top of the mountain.

The first time Moses had ascended the mountain, God carved and inscribed two pieces of stone with His instruction to His people. Moses trekked down the mountain with this 'embodiment of the Law', and shattered it out of righteous anger over the sins of the people.

If the significance of this is not starting to become apparent - Jesus is always the stone and He fully fulfilled the Law. He was sent 'down' and broken over the sins of man. But that isn't what I want to dwell on.

Ever since the broken body of Jesus, people have gathered at the foot of the mountain and groveled for gravel - the broken pieces of Truth. Religious groups cling to their one little piece (which DOES have truth on it) while unwilling to climb the mountain - alone - and receive again the WHOLE truth of Jesus from God Himself. If we want the entire picture - or at least all we can handle of Him - we have to embrace a personal journey with God. We cannot lean upon the teachings of others and expect to walk in any kind of power or revelation. See, when Moses returned the second time - he glowed. Yes, he had to cut the stones himself - the second time. We are required to 'work out our own salvation with fear and trembling'. We cannot adopt for ourselves the relationship that others have with God. It's easy to identify who glows, and who is carrying around a chunk of gravel.

The Holy Arks

The Ark of Noah, and the Ark of the Covenant, and the mind… are all the same. The similarities between the three are striking.

First, let’s notice the choice involved. Noah had a right to refuse to build the ark. It would have cost him his life.

Moses had a right to refuse to build the Ark of the Testimony, but this, too, would have cost him his life.

The two physical arks hold the means to life. They are very nearly a means to an end – a means of arriving at a different level. Noah’s ark brought all that was required to start a new life. Because of his ark, he and his family lived out their lives in a different environment. With the Ark of Moses, the people also had a means to live in a different environment! What did this ark hold? Their instructions for living (Torah)! Their sustenance (manna)! Their promise (Aaron’s budding staff)!

The two physical arks were HOLY. How so? By definition, holy means: Set apart to the service or worship of God. These two arks were of one purpose – to preserve the people. The Ark of the Covenant was the very seat of God! But without God in our midst, we will not be preserved. Once God closed the door to Noah’s Ark, the rains came. When the rains came, you can bet that many, many pounded on the sides of the wooden ark. It was Uzza who put his hand out to steady the Ark of the Covenant, which killed him. The arks were holy.

Noah’s ark was pitched with pitch – inside, and out (Gen 6:14). The Ark of the Covenant was coated with gold – inside, and out. In the midst of both was wood (flesh). It might be said that it is not about the flesh… it’s about the ‘covering’. It’s not just about the appearance from the outside… but what about the appearance on the inside?

From the Ark of Noah went forth a dove. Yes, peace was ‘released’ from this ark. Israel, too, had peace because the Ark of the Covenant went before them. God’s Presence with His people will always release peace to His people, because He is Peace.

Now… our mind. We also must choose to renew our minds daily to conform to the likeness of Jesus:

Rom 12:2 ESV
(2) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

If our minds are conformed to the mind of Jesus, then we carry the means of life. This is not just a key to get us into heaven. This is something we can give away! Noah was said to be righteous. His family was ‘never’ described this way. Because of the righteousness of Noah, his family had life. He gave it away!

Our mind is holy.

2Ti 2:20-21 ESV
(20) Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
(21) Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

The scripture says that as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. (Proverbs 23:7) We can only release what we carry. If we have peace in our hearts, then we can impart peace, just as the dove flew from the ark.

Being pitched on the inside and the out, once we have made our mind to think the thoughts of Christ, we are designed to rise above the troubles that come our way. Do we avoid them altogether? No – we feel the rain, and the waves, but we do not perish because we are pitched – inside and out. In Genesis 7:18, it says the ark floated “upon the face of the waters”. The Hebrew word for float is ‘al’, which is the same word that is used in Genesis 1:2 when it said God’s Spirit ‘floated’ over the face of the waters. If we dwell in the Spirit of God, we dwell above the chaos, and we wait upon His WORD to come and create peace where before there was none. Can we sleep in the boat with Jesus?

Blessings today!

Psalm 110

Psalms 110:1-7 HNV
(1) The LORD says to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet."
(2) The LORD will send forth the rod of your strength out of Tziyon. Rule in the midst of your enemies.
(3) Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array. Out of the womb of the morning, you have the dew of your youth.
(4) The LORD has sworn, and will not change his mind: "You are a Kohen forever in the order of Malki-Tzedek."
(5) The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath.
(6) He will judge among the nations. He will heap up dead bodies. He will crush the ruler of the whole earth.
(7) He will drink of the brook in the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

There are scholars who believe Psalm 110 coincides with the year 2010. Whether true or not, it's a captivating Psalm - full of Prophecy. The Psalms 110-116 could indeed describe a 7-year period of rejoicing in Heaven, and not-so-good times on earth. Let's just examine it briefly.

Vs1: We know that Jesus will sit at the right hand of the Father until the Father says... GO, Get your children. I will now make your enemies my footstool.

Vs 2: The Rod of Strength out of Zion - a name for Jerusalem - is a picture of the rule of Jesus from the holy city. This is a future reference that would begin during Millennial Reign of Jesus. Yes, He will reign in peace, but that does not mean He will not have enemies. Even though Satan will be bound, people will still harbor evil thoughts.

Vs 3: This is quite captivating. I can't tell you dogmatically what it means, but I know what it says to me: God's people will be with Jesus during His day of Power. In Holy Array - means dressed for the task at hand, which is to return with the King, voluntarily, to watch the General reclaim what the enemy thought he would never lose - the world. "You have the dew of your youth." Perhaps this speaks of a glorified army following the King. An army who now has eternal youth and strength.

Vs 4: The beauty of the scriptures and the Hebrew language is that it is living, so may or may not say many things at once. This verse apparently is speaking of Jesus - the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. But it was just speaking of His people, who are... guess what... high priests in the order of Melchizedek because we are descended from Jesus!

Vs 5: Once again... the Lord is at your right hand. Yes, He is!

Vs 6: He will crush the ruler of the earth - this is the devil. His time is short.

Vs 7: This is a cryptic verse: He shall drink of the brook in the way. The Good Shepherd always finds water. The brook is the water and replenishment of the Holy Spirit. He shall lift his head; or He will lift His head in victory. The lifting of one's own head is a tout of victory.

The entire Psalm seems to indicate that the Father sends the Son to do a new thing. War. With Him are His holy ones... and the war is marked by total victory. This does seem to indicate an Armageddon reference. We'll study the following Psalms further.

The Power of a Choice

God wishes to be loved by choice. He created angels - magnificent servants - but they were not created in His image. Man was His masterpiece. Why did man make the choice he made in the garden? Why did he survive the choice?

The answers are many, depending on the scholars you listen to. I believe that along with the wonderful power to choose, coupled with a finite mind with limited perception, Eve was deceived by the serpent who could not stand (and still can't) anything that is made in HIS image. Why did Adam follow Eve? Maybe he, too, was deceived. Maybe he loved Eve, and was afraid of losing her, so he followed her lead to insure they would not be separated. It's conjecture. I certainly would have considered it.

But even today, we have multiple trees in the garden. Most are good. Some are evil. God is a god of reward, and there can be no reward if there is no choice. We who are in Christ live in this blessed limbo of choice: good choices yield reward; bad choices yield no condemnation. Yes, there are consequences, but no condemnation. That is good news!

This presents another scenario. The very presence of God inspires - even demands - worship. Ask John, who fell at the Glorified Lord's feet as though dead. Ask him if that was a simple act of reverence. I think not. The reason that God does not manifest Himself 'more' in our worship is because if He did... we would have to worship Him. The very stones would cry out - as Jesus said.

God doesn't want forced worship any more than He wants forced love. He wants us to desire Him. Is it possible that if everyone were worshiping Him with all their heart, He would manifest Himself more often and in more power? After all... if we all freely give everything to Him in worship, then our choice has already been made.

Give It Away

Luk 17:33 LITV
(33) Whoever seeks to save his life, he will lose it. And whoever will lose it, he will preserve it.

Pastor says that you only get to keep what you are willing to give away. It's yet another irony in a bible full of ironies. We must die to live. There is fullness in denying the flesh. That which seems right only leads to death... ironies. So if I love my life, I will lose it? John said it like this:

Joh 12:25 LITV
(25) The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to everlasting life.

What exactly does this mean, then? Because I had a great time at the lake yesterday.

It means that if we are living for anything other than God's purpose in our lives, we are in danger of taking nothing permanent - or of value - out of this world. We will lose it - whatever 'it' is. Some people speak of legacy. What kind of legacy are we leaving? Is it a statue in a museum that tells 100 visitors per day how many yards I ran in my career? Or maybe it's simply my child, who is on fire for the Living God and tells everyone at school about Jesus. That - has - value!

I've heard the argument made that God gave Jesus for us, yet He didn't really lose Him, because He knew He could raise Him from the dead. What a horrible thought to think (I'm guilty). Yet God received Jesus again to Himself only because He was first willing to give Him. This is why Isaac came back down the mountain with Abraham. This is why the one servant was called 'evil' when he buried the money entrusted to him. Here is what the master said:

Mat 25:27-28 LITV
(27) Then you ought to have put my silver to the bankers, and coming I would have received my own with interest.
(28) Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

There is no reward for no risk. We have what we have so that we can give it away.

He Didn't Come to Bring Peace

Mat 10:34-35 LITV
(34) Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
(35) I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a bride against her mother-in-law.

We think of Jesus as a peace-maker. We think of Him as non-confrontational, meek, maybe even timid. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What a statement! "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

As Christians, we think of Jesus as being our peace, and He is! But we have a somewhat flawed view of peace. Jesus was talking about Shalom - the Hebrew word for peace. Yes, Jesus was thinking Hebrew, even if it was being recorded in Greek. Shalom does not mean the absence of conflict, but rather that nothing is missing or broken. Wholeness. Nothing...is missing... or broken. Peace.

Think about it. That's not what we want when we ask for peace. But that's the peace that Jesus promises. Does that mean He doesn't provide rest from conflict? No! But when we ask for 'shalom', we are asking for the ability to sleep 'through' the storm. Good stuff! That is His promise to us, and yet, He said He didn't come to bring 'shalom' to the world, but the sword.

Jesus came to draw a line. The one side is for God, the other is for ourselves. Do we live for God? Or do we live for ourselves? The presence of the line brings the sword - conflict. It creates rifts in families, relationships with co-workers, friends, you name it. Can you see why Jesus did not apologize for this? It's the line that presents the choice that we must all make.

But realize this: no matter which side of the line we find ourselves on, there is conflict. Why not choose the side that offers 'shalom' in Him. The other side only offers death.

An Unusual Disappearance

Mat 27:51-53 And, behold! The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were sheared, (52) and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose, (53) and coming out of the tomb after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

This was quite an event that must have caused a huge stir in Jerusalem! Can you imagine? The earthquake cracked open all the tombs and all these dead people start walking out of them! After Jesus is resurrected, all these previously dead folks start walking through the city.

How is it that only one apostle wrote of this event? Only Matthew! Were the others so aghast?

Remember, Jesus was our First Fruits, and upon His appearing to Mary, He instructed her not to touch Him. But just a short few days later, He told Thomas to come forward and feel His hands. What changed?

He ascended - secretly - to heaven and presented Himself in the Temple of God as First Fruits, as all priests do on that day. But a First Fruits presentation is a 'bundle'. He took those who had resurrected with Him.

Funny, though, that there is no mention of them rising with Him. In fact, there is no mention of them again. Why? Because it's also a picture of another event that will happen secretly - the rapture of the church. The First Fruits is one thing - a guarantee that there will be more harvest coming.

After the rapture, the powers that be will do their very best to not mention the event if they can help it. After all, an informed public is very difficult to control.

Don't Leave Your House Empty

Mar 9:25-27 LITV
(25) And seeing that a crowd is running together, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, Come out from him, and you may no more go into him!
(26) And crying out, and convulsing him very much, it came out. And he became as if dead, so as for many to say that he died.
(27) But taking hold of his hand, Jesus raised him up, and he stood up.

I fear this relays a fundamental truth to us. If the evil was eradicated from the world, much of the world would have no life or movement at all. Things would grow deathly quiet. The only life this person had was demonic - to the point when it was cast out, the person appeared dead.

But then Jesus raised him up, and he stood. This is the Hope of Glory, when we are all raised up and we stand. Right now, evil is a present reality. We coexist with it. Jesus did what He commands us to do - run it off. But once we do this, we have to ask the Spirit of God to fill the void. Jesus later offers a warning:

Mat 12:43-45 LITV
(43) But when the unclean spirit goes from a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest and does not find it.
(44) Then he says, I will return to my house from which I came out. And coming, he finds it standing empty, swept and decorated.
(45) Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and entering dwells there. And the last things of that man become worse than the first. So it will be also to this evil generation.

Very Little Things

Mat 10:30 KJV
(30) But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

This is a verse we could all memorize with little effort. It's good to remind ourselves that God does care about the details of our lives. He cares about the little things.

Science states that the average person (with hair...) loses 50 to 100 hairs per day. That is a LOT of accounting on God's part. He has to update the hair-ledger every single day on you. Meditate on this. It feels good.

Who Sustains Who?

1Ki 17:9 LITV
(9) Rise up, go to Zarephath that belongs to Sidon; and you shall live there. Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you.

Elijah had been camping by a brook, being fed by birds, waiting for God to give him instruction. Have you ever been in that spot where you knew it wasn't a long-term deal? This was such a spot.

When Elijah arrived at Zarephath, he met the "commanded" one, the widow.

1Ki 17:11-12 LITV
(11) And she went to bring it. And he called to her and said, Please bring me a bit of bread in your hand.
(12) And she said, As Jehovah your God lives, I do not have a cake, only a handful of meal in a pitcher, and a little oil in a jar; and behold, I am gathering two sticks and will go in and prepare for myself and for my son; and we shall eat it, and die.

This brings a question to mind. Did she know she had been commanded to provide for Elijah? Did God make a mistake?

1Ki 17:13-14 LITV
(13) And Elijah said to her, Do not fear, go, do according to your word, only first make me a little cake of it, and bring to me and afterward prepare for you and for your son.
(14) For so says Jehovah the God of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be consumed, and the jar of oil shall not fail, until the day that Jehovah sends rain on the land.

Who provided for who? Did the widow provide for Elijah or the other way around?

When God puts it in our hearts to provide for someone, it just might be in our best interest to jump on it. This shouldn't motivate us beyond simple obedience, but a very notable thing happened to this widow. She didn't run out of bread - at all - during a period of time when NOBODY had any bread!

Let us recap: God commanded a widow that didn't know she had been commanded. God sent a prophet who had just been on a camping trip where all the hot dogs and buns were provided by the birds. The prophet operated out of faith because 'he had already' heard from God. The widow had to work a little, and gave her "widow's mites" to the prophet, so to speak. The little she gave became sustenance for her and her family during a famine.

By the way, Zarephath means 'refinement'. How does this refine us?

Are You In Revival?

Revival is such a great thing. Growing up, it really wasn't, so much. It meant going to church 6 times a week instead of 3. For a 10 year old, that's not necessarily great news. But revival has come to mean something different. It means people I see have a twinkle in their eye. It means life is spoken, not death. It means there is always hope.

Find a church that is having a 'revival', and ask a member how it's going. You might hear some different answers. "Well, we had 2 people healed!" Or, "we had 12 people confess their sin and repent." Hallelujah! That's all great stuff. But is that how we are defining revival?

Does revival depend on sin? Is sickness a prerequisite for revival? What if nobody at the meeting had needed to confess? What if everyone had been healthy? No revival?

Revival, by definition, means to bring into a state of living from a state of unresponsiveness. Ideally, a spirit-filled life should experience revival one time, and then continue perpetually in a state of Spirit-filled life. Ideally. It's no easy task when the enemy has your number.

That's why Jude told us to pursue the faith. Contend. Battle for it with the knowledge that the enemy wants to rip down what you have built.

Jud 1:3 LITV
(3) Having made all haste to write to you about the common salvation, beloved, I had need to write to you to exhort you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.

Living in revival means we have to be purposeful about placing ourselves in a position to receive spiritual nourishment. What does that mean for you?

The World's Focus

Gen 41:15-17 ESV
(15) And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
(16) Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."
(17) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile.

God's Kingdom is a wonderful place in which to walk - a place to power, signs, and wonders. Christians who walk the Kingdom walk do so in authority and boldness - much like Joseph did. But as we see with Pharaoh, the world isn't really interested in God.

What the world is interested in... is the interpretation of its dream. "Before you tell me about the source of the solution to all my problems, give me the solution."

This is really how Kingdom works. In my best estimation, that was the design. If you love people unconditionally (yes, we are instructed to do this) then they are attracted to God, our source. If we flip it and preach to a world to come to Jesus in hopes that they will join our little Sunday club, with such perks as... Friday night bible studies and Tuesday night pizza followed by visitation!!! Sounds great. The world will NEVER be attracted to that.

Love - is what the world needs. Love is the only net that will hold. First interpret the dream. Then, tell them about the Interpreter.

There Was A Day

There was a day when - if people were hurting, or scared, or downcast, they could go to a place where there was a tent set up. It was an elaborate tent, surrounded by curtains of rich color and meticulous workmanship. They could look upon the tent, see the priests coming and going, see the sacrificial smoke rise and the fire fall, and know that God lived there.

There was a day after that - if people were hurting, or scared, or downcast, they could go to a building made of hand-chiseled stone. It was adorned with marble and gold and it far out-classed any other dwelling known to mankind. Still, they could see the sacrificial smoke rising and the fire falling from heaven and they could know that despite all else, God had not abandoned them. He still lived there.

There was a day after that when people did hurt, and were scared and downcast. They were oppressed. Some were possessed. Some were dying of diseases and others were just being killed by occupying armies. And Jesus walked among them. And people could see His sacrifice... and people could tell that the fire of Heaven came down upon His life and they could know that despite all else, God was 'with them'.

There was a day soon after that... that God left. And people were scared and downcast, and they did not know what was going to happen.

Then God came back - on Pentecost. And EVERYONE who was waiting for Him, received Him in power and boldness and there was renewed faith and triumph.

And here we are today. People are scared and downcast, and God wants everyone to know that because His children walk the earth, that He is with them. He wants everyone we come into contact with to know just how GREAT Jesus is.... not because we are preaching incessantly, but because we are loving people as He loves them. The question is this: does the world realize that God loves them? If not, is it His fault?

The Call of Leadership

Exo 34:30 JPS
(30) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

There are few things more frustrating than feeling the call of God on your life but not being able to act on it. So it is with leadership - for we are all called to lead in some capacity. Most of the frustration occurs at a young age, when the call is fresh and our experience is still small. This word is one that I hope will foster patience as well as reassurance.

Moses did not want to lead. He wasn't called to lead his son or daughter... or Sunday school class... he was called to lead all of God's people. That was no small thing! Now, Moses might not seem like a good comparison if you are really itching to lead. Here is the lesson:

Although Moses was an Egyptian prince, he wasn't wearing a crown when he led Israel. Had he worn a crown... they might-well have stoned him. He didn't have a diploma. He didn't have a kingly scepter or signet ring. He glowed. He glowed... and people were freaking out.

If you spend time with God, you will have your own glow. People will know it. If you don't spend time with the Lord, people will know that, too. It's not even difficult to discern. Beyond all the talk, people know by the glow. It's the glow that brings authority. It's the glow that fosters that leadership, whether you are 16 or 60.

Elijah stood in the presence of Ahab. Ahab had a crown, but Elijah had the glow. What was the result? Heartache and resentment from Ahab - authority and victory for Elijah. Seek first God and His Kingdom, and you will walk in ALL the authority that God has entrusted to you. It is God and God alone that promotes a man.

Numb

I went to the dentist yesterday. That is always exhilarating. I had some fillings to get done, this time on both sides so I got shots on both sides. Needless to say... numb. That's a strange feeling - when your tongue goes to sleep and everything just seems to die in there. Like most dentists, mine allowed me to just sit there for a while, waiting for the drugs to kick in. During that time, my main concern was that someone was going to ask me a question. The last thing I wanted to do was say something.

Doin' okay? Yep.
How we doin'? Good.
Not going to warm up today, is it? Ummmm mmm.

The truth is... my mind was telling me that if I had to talk, things were going to get ugly. I can't feel my face. I'm pretty sure I'm drooling. Just leave me alone. But then a miracle happened - quite by accident. I don't even know what was said to me, but I spoke a complete sentence. It was almost unslurred to the extent that I wondered if the assistant even noticed. Then I spoke another one. That is CRAZY! I can still talk! I felt like Nicodemus. How can this be?

Our pastor says this, and I have found it to be invaluable. When we lose passion (ie. feeling) we fall back upon discipline. Our Christian walk should be about passion. It should be heart-driven! But there are times when the enemy gets a shot in. We deflate. We wear down and out. It's during these times when we fall back upon what we know how to do. Get up. Go to church. Pick up the bible and read a chapter. It doesn't seem meaningful at the time, but it keeps the spark alive - or perhaps even fans the flame to life again.

If you are numb, keep doing what you know how to do, even if you don't feel like it.

Shaken and Stirred

Heb 12:25-26
(25) See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven,
(26) whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will not only shake the earth, but also the heavens."

Today is a day where things are being shaken. A CNN report just came in stating another 7.2 magnitude quake in Chile, with nearly a 7 aftershock just moments later. The earth is shaking like never before - don't let anyone kid you. This is significant as a sign of the times - a birth pain, and a physical representation of what is happening in the spirit.

People are being shaken to their spiritual core. The worldly are wondering. The spiritual are curious. The Godly are hungry.

Now is no time for passivity. Be deliberate in your spiritual walk. The Kingdom of Heaven is one that is ours by right - but must be taken by force (Matthew 11:12). You can not stumble into a throne room accidentally, sit down, wave a scepter and expect to be taken seriously even by your peers, much less your enemies. Someone with designs on the throne will come in and REMOVE YOU. Is this your plan?

Act 4:31
(31) And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.

Quiet

One of the most challenging verses in all of scripture to me:

Psa 46:10a
(10) Be still, and know that I am God!

I often struggle with finding quiet. When my girls are sick, everything I hear is a baby crying. I hear it when the cat meows. I hear it when the ice maker knocks. I hear voices in the fan. I simply must learn... to be still.

Stillness is not easy to achieve. Honestly, there is for me a discipline to reaching it, which is why I'm not so good at it. Turn off the blasted TV. Or... at least turn off the world. Replace 'noise' with God. That can mean a book, a praise song, or a sermon. It's a conscious effort to do this, but boy does it bring peace!

Seek righteousness. It begins in the mind. It's not unlike a diet. If you haven't won the diet war in your mind, you can give up losing any weight. Look what righteousness brings:

Isa 32:17-18
(17) And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
(18) My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

When I think of eternity, I often think of the endless praise service, or the party, or the breaking of bread with brothers and sisters and with the King. But I can guarantee this about the coming, fulfilled Kingdom of Heaven: it will be peaceful. There will be places of silence. There will be places of awe and reverence. It will be a kingdom of rest.

The Abominable Shepherd

Gen 46:33-34
(33) And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
(34) that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.


There is a call going forth to those in the church to lead in a way that has been lacking for years. The call is to be shepherds - spiritual fathers. One of the last things Jesus told His newly restored disciple, Peter, was 'feed my sheep'. This lit a fire in Peter that still can be felt - as we are a result of that fire. The world despises a shepherd - let there be no mistake. The worldly view states that the strong survive and the weak are eliminated. The shepherd's view is that not a single sheep is lost. The world has not made it profitable to be a shepherd. Being a shepherd is a call to sacrifice for the sheep.

For Christians, this means a sacrifice of time, energy, resources... our very lives. We pour this into others so that others will surpass us in our own walk. The shepherd's walk is the servant's walk. Jesus lived it. Jesus expects us to do the same.

In our Christian walk, despite the "level" of maturity, if we are not pouring into someone else we are wasting the breath God gave us. We are ignoring His commission. There is no reward for playing it safe. The one who dies with the most bible verses memorized does NOT win. But the one who impacts others for the Kingdom of Heaven will revel in victory for all of eternity.

Egyptians despised shepherds. Yet Egyptians had cattle. Egyptians had a great need for that which they held in disdain. The world is no different. If we live our lives as we are called, the world will not likely sing us any praises, but at the same time, our mark will be indelibly felt.

Gen 47:5-6
(5) And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brothers have come in to you.
(6) The land of Egypt is before you; cause your father and your brothers to live in the best of the land; let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know men of ability among them, make them chiefs of livestock over what is mine.

Mud

When Jesus walked, He did many amazing works of healing. Yet He rarely did the same thing twice. Sometimes He spoke (Matthew 8:13). Sometimes He did nothing (Luke 8:47). Sometimes He did the touching (Luke 22:51). Sometimes He spit and made mud.


Joh 9:6-7
(6) When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay,
(7) and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

What would have happened to Galilee and Jerusalem had Jesus only healed by spitting in the dirt? I dare say that part of the world would have been bought by tourists desiring the healing dirt of Israel sitting on their shelves at home. But Jesus was not 'figured out' that easily. He mixed things up.

The Lord knew what we would do. We would forsake the relationship and just buy the dirt. We had done it before. The people of Israel were being bitten by serpents. They were dying in droves. God told Moses to make a brass serpent and put it on a pole so that the people could look upon it and be saved. The people were more than happy to oblige. Consequently, they did not see the serpent as God's mercy upon them. By the time King Hezekiah was in power, the people had enshrined the brass snake and were burning incense to it. This is what we do. We worship the mud.

Are there jars of mud, or brass serpents, or pastors, or denominations in our lives today that have become our God-replacements?

Extend The Olive Branch

Pro 16:7
(7) When a man's ways please Jehovah, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I don't have a lot to say about this that it doesn't say for itself. This precept is profoundly apparent in my life today. Most of us have enemies. Some are people we have done wrong. Some are people who make everyone their enemies. Whether justified or not, God works this miracle of peace into our existence.

Make an effort to show God's love to someone whom you love, but don't like, today. Blessed are the peacemakers.

It Is Written

Mat 4:1-2
(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit up into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil.
(2) And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards hungry.

After reading this passage, it is very easy to surmise that Jesus was weak and hungry after fasting in the wilderness for forty days. What a time to meet the most devious of all beings - the devil. Jesus 'entertained' the devil for a while. When the devil would tempt Him, He always replied with 'It has been written'.

Mat 4:4
(4) But answering, He said, It has been written: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every Word going out of the mouth of God."

for it has been written: "He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You on their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone."

For it has been written: "You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve Him only."

Still, few of us take much stock in learning what has been written. Our reasoning is that we no longer need to memorize the text because it's legalistic to do such. Or, it's not applicable to our walk today. Or, we might even say that Jesus had it easy, seeing as He was the living Word it was natural for Him to quote it.

It is also easy to skim quickly over the fact that Jesus fasted - often. It could be said that this was what made Him strong - not weak. Perhaps the devil sees things from a fleshly nature - how ironic. The worst possible time to tempt the Son of God, hungry or not, was at the conclusion of forty days with His Father. Do we utilize this weapon of fasting against the enemy? Fasting... committing the Word to our hearts...

For those of us who like excuses, it really doesn't matter which one we choose. It's possible we just aren't ready for an encounter with the enemy.

Signs Will Follow

Mat 2:1-3
(1) And when Jesus had been born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men arrived from the east to Jerusalem,
(2) saying, Where is He born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.
(3) But Herod the king having heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him.

After Jesus was born, He upset things right away. Scripture says 'all Jerusalem' was troubled. Wow! And He hadn't even learned to walk! This is significant because it reiterates a truth about who He is, and about who WE are. Jesus was the one the enemy had warred over and worried about ever since the Genesis 3:15 prophecy.

Joh 11:47
(47) Then the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled a sanhedrin, and said, What are we doing, for this man does many signs?

Certainly things did not improve for the enemies of Jesus. Everywhere He went He stirred things up. For the religious, the biggest problem seemed to be the signs. Miracles. It isn't difficult to get past any message that lacks power, but it's incredibly difficult to write off anyone whose message is accompanied by signs of great power. Religion in itself has no power, so it is offended by such a display.

Mar 16:17
(17) And miraculous signs will follow to those believing these things: they will cast out demons in My name; they will speak new languages;

Jesus said that the same signs (even greater) would follow those who believed and abode in Him. He did not say the signs would have to be sought after. He did not say the signs might happen to a few. He said signs would follow. Miraculous signs will follow - if.

All This Begatting

These are some observations about the text in Matthew Chapter 1. In this lineage of Jesus through Joseph, I found some things I had not noticed before.

Mat 1:5-6
(5) and Salmon fathered Boaz out of Rahab, and Boaz fathered Obed out of Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse,
(6) and Jesse fathered David the king. And David the king fathered Solomon out of her who had been the wife of Uriah,

Boaz fathered Obed out of Rahab, and David fathered Solomon out of Bathsheba. However, Bathsheba was not named. Admitting my ignorance, I would assume this has something to do with the sin that was committed.

From here, my thoughts went directly to what God Fathered... His church. The seed was Jesus (Matthew 13:37), and the mother, it could be said, would be the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). Interestingly enough, the Holy Spirit (Ruach ha Kodesh) is 'feminine' in the Hebrew, while God the Father is a masculine, and obviously Jesus the Son was a male. Why, then, might Jesus have to go away before Pentecost? (John 16:7) Because the seed is never visible at conception.

This analogy is offensive to some... but I do not think anyone would argue that the church was birthed on Pentecost. To the offended parties, I would ask, from whom was the church birthed?

Remember this, too. God IS a god of patterns. He created male and female and instructed them to be fruitful and multiply. Dwell on this.

The Vineyard of the Kingdom

Mat 21:33-44 HNV (33) "Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country. (34) When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit. (35) The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. (36) Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way. (37) But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.' (38) But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and seize his inheritance.' (39) So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. (40) When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?" (41) They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season." (42) Yeshua said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?' (43) "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit. (44) He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whoever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."


Jesus spoke constantly about the Kingdom. In Matthew alone, kingdom is mentioned in 53 different verses, and multiple times in some of those verses. Many of those times, Jesus likened the Kingdom to a vineyard. Why a vineyard?



A vineyard is a place of FRUIT PRODUCTION. Other than that single point of fact, there doesn't seem to be a common rule about vineyards. The rules are up to the Master - or Owner. Lets take a look at what Jesus said about this particular vineyard - the Kingdom.

• God is the Master of a household. It was He who planted the vineyard. Eden was this way - a garden. The Kingdom is this way.
• He set a hedge around it. This was a protected vineyard. Eden was this way. The Kingdom is this way.
• There was a wine press in it. That means that within the vineyard - and the Kingdom - are all the tools needed to produce the final product.
• There is a tower within it. There is always a method for seeing what the enemy is up to. What would that be in the Kingdom?
• It was leased to farmers. It wasn't sold - it was leased. God set Adam and Eve to work. He said, "Be fruitful and multiply." What did he ask for in return? All the fruit, or a small portion? How does the Kingdom work?
• The Master went away to let the workers do their work. Why? Conceivably, He had work to do of His own.
• When was He to return? When it was time for harvest.

From this point, the problems were not the enemy outside the vineyard. The corruption came from within the vineyard - the servants themselves. If you'll recall, the serpent was 'in' Eden.

This Kingdom is BIG, and it is DEFINED by fruit production. It's a kingdom where the laborers are expected to be fruitful, and to give the master his due. I believe it's interesting that the evil servants were producing fruit (or at least trying to), but desired to keep it all for themselves.

Settling Too Soon

(Num 32:1 HNV) Now the children of Re'uven and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock: and when they saw the land of Ya`zer, and the land of Gil`ad, that behold, the place was a place for livestock;

When I was in high school, I had plans to go to the Naval Academy. I was into the military thing - loved ships and jets and the thought of driving either... for money... quite a bit of money. Then I discovered guitars and rock and roll and how intricately woven with females that scene was. When it came down to decision time, I decided that Gilead was a place for guitars, and I had a multitude of guitars. Silly, looking back. I don't spend my life in regret because God allowed me to choose and He was with me, just as He was with Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

But God's intent for Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh was not based on what they had in the desert (cows). It was based on what He had for them in the Promised Land (unknown). They chose door number one and inherited a place for cows, sheep, and goats. A fine inheritance, if you are a bovine.

Incidentally, the desert 'was' prime pasture land. If it was green, it wasn't given to the goats - it was farmed. These folks settled in the desert. Was there water near by? Yes... but it was still desert. Do we settle before we reach the Promise Land?

Vanity "Fail"

Jer 2:5 HNV
(5) thus says the LORD, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

Somewhere along the line, everyone who has ever breathed oxygen will stand before God in spirit. I say this somewhat flippantly, because it is simply impossible for us to imagine what this experience might be like. We know that John did it - in the spirit - and "fell at His feet like a dead man".

John knew Jesus, personally. No man was closer to the King of Kings while He walked the earth than John. John fell - like a dead man. Meditate on that for just a minute.

For some, this experience will be even more terrifying. Exponentially so. You might say that every horror conceived by man could not be condensed into such a horrific moment as the one in which an estranged man stands before Holy God. When that happens, the question might be asked, "What unrighteousness have you found in Me, that you have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and have become vain?" There will be no one dare answer that question.

It is a good question, though. At some point, love was not enough for someone. Kindness was met with suspicion. It happens every day. Someone turns their face away from God because they simply cannot believe they owe Him anything - much less everything. When self preservation is the only thing - it fails. It is vanity.

Mat 10:39 HNV
(39) He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

Devouring the Holy

These are perilous times. Most nations are not doing well - few are thriving, if any. We have seen prosperous times in the last couple of decades, but those seem very distant. What gives?

There is a precept in scripture that basically says that how well you deal with Israel determines how well you live, thrive, and prosper. Most of us are familiar with the passage in Genesis 12:3 which says God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel. Jeremiah gives us another reason blessings and curses fall:

Jer 2:3 HNV
(3) Yisra'el [was] holiness to the LORD, the first fruits of his increase: all who devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come on them, says the LORD.

Israel was God's First Fruits! All First Fruits given to God are Holy, and if you devour that which is Holy, you had better be a priest - also Holy. If not, then evil comes, according to the word of God.

David stumbled into the tabernacle - starving - and ate the shew bread that was reserved for the priests. It was holy to God - set apart. But David's life was spared because He, too, had set himself apart for God. He danced into Jerusalem wearing a linen ephod (priestly garment), an early picture of Jesus - both king and priest. We were also made kings and priests by God, a HOLY nation. We must bless Israel, God's First Fruits, because we are growing upon them. They are the stump which sprouted that we were grafted into.

The nations act in ignorance. They are like children in a lion's den - captivated by something deadly. We, as Christians, are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of Israel. Lets be diligent in doing that! Be blessed!

God Is Moving

Act 1:4 MKJV
(4) And having met with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father which you heard from Me.

We hear this expression from time to time: "God is really moving there." Maybe you're speaking to someone at work or at the game, and the conversation turns to church. One person is a churchgoer, the other is looking... and one says to the other, "You should really come visit my church. God is really doing a huge work there."

That sounds a bit pretentious. Oh really? God is doing something at your church and not at the church on the next corner?

Believe it or not... that might be the truth.

Jesus told His disciples to not leave Jerusalem because something amazing was going to happen in their midst - there. Had any one of them decided to leave - even for a good cause - they would have missed what God would do. It's not that God couldn't have poured His spirit out at the synagogue in Capernaum... it's that He didn't. Not then, and probably never.

The point is this. If God isn't doing a tremendous work at your church, why don't you go to where He IS doing a tremendous work? Are you waiting for Him to come around again? What if He doesn't? When you overhear someone say that God is 'doing a wonderful thing there', inquire. Find out where and go there!

God Is Never Worried

Worry is like hunger. It comes, and it goes. And it occurs just about as often.

How will I get through this meeting?
What if this is more than just a cold?
What if that's not heartburn?
Did I leave the iron on?
Did I leave the faucet dripping?
Do we have enough gasoline to make it?

This is about 20 minutes worth of worry for me. I don't even consider myself a worrier. Mostly, I tend to keep an even keel. But still, some of these things are important. Even if I'm not worried about 'me', I do have a family and I worry about 'them'. There is no end. Really.

Except that I have this huge desire to be like Jesus, and Jesus never worried. Isn't that something to think about?

Jesus never worried. Not about Lazarus. Not about Judas. Not about the cross. Not about if his precious mom would survive the entire experience. This is unbelievable. But true.

Worry is a sin, and Jesus had no sin. So what IN THE WORLD is the key?

1Jn 4:18 HNV
(18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

This verse reads in this way: If I really loved - perfectly - I wouldn't fear, and therefore wouldn't worry. I think this is an improper translation.

How about this: if we knew Him as we should - because He IS perfect love - then we would have no fear. In your worst time, imagine that Jesus Himself was sitting right next to you. He could answer all questions in your mind, and you could read His expressions. During the diagnosis when most people would crumple in terror, you could look over at Jesus and He could shrug as if to say, "That's nothing. They think they know, but I have the final say." No fear.

Yeah, that would be nice, but....
But, I haven't read my bible in 2 years. I haven't been to church since Easter. I haven't prayed since I was a kid. Understandable.
Okay, well how about this: I pray every night and every morning, but 'this' morning... I missed because I got up late. Or, I've read the bible through 15 times but I'm taking a little break this week because I've been sick. Understandable.

In both cases, we deprive ourselves from our source of strength. Our lifeline. If I haven't sat in silent meditation and prayer enough to hear His voice, then I may not have enough Love to cast out all my fears. That's just the way it is.

Reaping 100 Times More Than You Sow

Gen 26:12 HNV
(12) Yitzchak sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. The LORD blessed him.

Most of us who regularly attend church hear about reaping more than we sow. Scripture speaks of it a lot. For me, particularly, this is easy to overlook and I blame it on our modern era of wealth. When I think of reaping one hundred times what I sow, I think of going down to the hardware store, buying $200 worth of seed, planting it on a lot and reaping $20,000 in produce.

Except that doesn't just happen. If it were that easy, we would all be farmers.

Isaac (Yitzchak) planted 1 corn stalk. 100 came up. Explain that.

It isn't explainable. It's God. God blesses in this way. This is a profound blessing from following God!

So how much are we reaping? Is it more than we can carry? If not, let's examine what we have been sowing.

The Fire and the Knife

Gen 22:6 HNV
(6) Avraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Yitzchak his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.

In every sacrifice, there are two elements. A knife, and fire. The knife is for killing, while the fire is for transforming. This entire process is a picture of a redemption plan.

To enter the presence of a Holy God, we cannot bring our sinful flesh. The knife puts an end to the flesh, and the fire transforms it to smoke - or spirit. Remember, it's a picture. Ultimately, pictures were only a reminder to God of what He must do to restore us completely - and ultimately - He did it, through Jesus.

The problem with the angels that sinned is they have no blood to shed, nor do they have a transformation to make, for they are already God-like in that they are spirit.

Killing time is a real phenomenon. We can really waste it away. But when sacrificed to God, it is always transformed into something beautiful that we would not trade. Finances are no different. Talents are no different. Anything can be wasted. But when sacrificed to God, something beautiful always comes of it.

Swept Away

Gen 19:12-15 And the men said to Lot, Have you anyone here besides yourself? Bring your sons-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whatever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. (13) For we will destroy this place because great is the cry of them before the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah has sent us to destroy it. (14) And Lot went out and spoke with his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Get up and get out of this place, for Jehovah will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked to his sons-in-law. (15) And when the dawn rose up, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, Rise up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

This is a sad story of a man named Lot who was so mired up in the world that it nearly cost him everything he had - including most of his family. Sodom was a wicked city, but it had attracted Lot from the beginning because of the opportunities it represented. There is little doubt that Lot thought he could remain set-apart, or sanctified, in the city. The argument could certainly be made that he had succeeded in that. After all, he was a judge. His opinion mattered, right? Only it didn't. His neighbors despised him. His daughters had married men who were wicked. Lot had at least two daughters (who were there), but had others that were not. When the time came, only those still living under his roof escaped the city.

Many tout the cost of living a life for Christ. Persecution! Ridicule! Maybe worse! But Lot ended up with only two daughters in the end. Even his own wife could not let go of the city within her soul.

I still take great comfort that God allows the righteous safe passage from judgment - if he will. Not only that, but God allows the righteous to bring 'whoever' and 'whatever' they have with them to safety. What grace! But in the end, each must make up their own mind.

How mired up in the world are we?