Training Ground for a Deeper Faith!

Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it." I think we can take it better those who don’t know the Lord because we have Him and a future hope on our side to give us grace to endure. We are made new again when we receive help for our weakness.

A man visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The farmer giving the tour then took the man to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. "These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks," he said. "You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper and deeper into the soil in search of moisture.

“Now my trees are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these trees are finding moisture at a greater depth."

When we receive help for our weakness, we find our moisture, blessing, help, and strength in the Lord. Our lives on Earth are a training camp to ready us for Heaven. Don’t make a terrible ending to your life’s journey by giving up --- Finish your God given course well. Meanwhile, don’t desert your post, stay in the word and make your life Christ-centered. 

You know I love ya, Don 

Resolved to Remain Faithful!

Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine…”

verb (used with object), resolved, resolving : to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something)

The Babylonian strategy was to take the brightest and best from each culture and make them Babylonian in their thinking and Babylonian in their religion.

Daniel and his friends are humble enough and smart enough not to balk at being renamed, they know that sticks and stones and Babylonian spears can break their bones, but changes of names couldn’t really harm them.

Whereas, when it came to their eating habits, that was another story. Long before we knew about germs and microbes and the nature of diseases, God knew. So He forbade the nation of Israel to eat certain foods that were prone to disease, if not handled right. Foods like pork and crustaceans. Foods that King Neb was likely to serve for dinner.

In addition, the Babylonians had a practice of offering their animals to their gods as sacrifices before they ate them. So for Daniel and his friends wanted to stay away from eating any meat that had been offered to idols.

Daniel was definite about his conviction to maintain inner purity! As we live in a world prone to seek out the mediocre, I pray we resolve to not defile the inner purity we discover in Jesus. You know I love ya, Don

I am not simply surviving!!!

Last November, marked my 20^th year as an ordained minister. When I was new to ministry, some one patted me on the back and gave me this advice, “Just do the best you can.” This is neither biblical nor is it helpful advice. My mentor and good friend over heard her advice and said to me… “She means well.”

I have had some of the best mentors a person could ask for in my Christian walk. These faithful saints have taught me about being a believer…the truth is that living for Jesus is not about doing the best you can, Being a Christ Follower is not just survival. Living for Jesus is more than just “getting by with the best your can” mentality. Living is passionately taking hold of the truth and letting it set you free from the burden of life. Living for Jesus is trusting Jesus and it is obeying Jesus. Living for Jesus is the best identity a person can hope for.

This text reveals to us that we are all on level playing ground when it comes to sin and  living for Jesus. It is not about how good we are…it is about His goodness within us.

Building within us the goodness is to examine our actions as they relate to God’s desire for us to live a life of righteousness. God is the ultimate authority when it comes to what is right and wrong. God is the source of all good and truth in the world. He is right in all things. Our righteous acts cannot make us righteous.

From a Christian perspective, righteousness is defined as being in right standing with God because of Christ‘s death on the cross. Righteousness can only come from God through Jesus Christ. If we pursue actions and activities that line up with God, then this is a righteous way for a person to live their life.

Being righteous is living in honor, integrity, respect of those around you and demonstrating love. A righteous person is willing to sacrifice, willing to avoid thinking only about themselves, while striving to enhance the lives of those around them.

I don't want to be known as a believer that is simply surviving or doing the best I can...I want to be known as a follower of Jesus that is passionately following Jesus.

I pray you will join me...You know I love ya, Don

Remain Faithful!

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Remain faithful… “Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land”- Leviticus 26:1

“Remaining” is a hard task in the world in which we live. The world is faster and smaller than ever before. It will change in an instant. Your job is to connect with your roots and “continue in a specified condition.” Does that mean we do not change, absolutely not! In fact, you are expected to change and adjust. Yet, you are also to remain faithful. Faithful is defined as “consistently loyal: consistently trustworthy and loyal, especially to a person, promise, or duty.” You are to be consistently trustworthy to your Creator and to the truths you have learned from your parents, your school experiences, and to the principles that you have learned in your education.

The key to maintaining the essence of life is to refrain from making false truths (idols of metal or money, stone, or artwork) while at the same time adjusting to the increased communication, new science breakthroughs, and more effective rhetoric. To “remain faithful” is to continue in the specific condition that you are a created being, there is a God and you are not Him.

Why does God make this a life principle that will guide us to greatness?

My grandfather was a great man of integrity and faith. He was a man of few words. He spoke maybe three to four sentences a week when I was growing up. I can remember from a very early age that he would say, “Don, you remember who you belong too.” He was saying two things… First, in this family we are connected. As a member of life you are forever connected to this family and community. God is saying the same thing…you are connected to your Creator no matter if things are good or bad. You are to refrain from wrong living, and embrace right living.

Secondly, my grandfather was saying, “Remember what you do reflects on us.” That is also true of your relationship with your family and your connection with the world in which you live. What you do out there is a reflection of those of us in here. God is saying the same thing … what you do reflects on your Creator, use your talents wisely!

God is telling you to remain faithful so as to encourage you that He has your back and that what you do is a reflection of your relationship with him.You know I love ya and remaining faithful through it all. Don

Working out what is being worked within!

Salvation is ongoing and it must be worked. This is not that our salvation comes by something we do. Salvation comes through belief in Jesus and him alone. What it does mean that our immersion in Jesus is from head to toe and we are to be completely covered in Jesus throughout all our lives.

Jesus went to the cross once and for all…our response is to strive and seek to be more like him all that we are, all that we live, and all that we do.

This text is often misused to instill fear into people, warning them that it means that they can lose salvation. What does it mean to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Paul can hardly be encouraging believers to live in a continuous condition of nervousness and anxiety. That would contradict his many other exhortations to peace of mind, courage, and confidence in the God who authors our salvation. The Greek word translated "fear" in this context can equally mean "reverence" or "respect." Paul uses the same phrase in (2 Corinthians 7:15) where he refers to Titus as being encouraged by the Corinthians’ reception of him “with fear and trembling,” that is, with great humility and respect for his position as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul himself came to the Corinthian church in “weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), mindful of the great and awesome nature of the work in which he was engaged.
The sense in which we are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling is twofold. First, the Greek verb rendered “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition." We do this by actively pursuing obedience in the process of sanctification, which Paul explains further in the next chapter of Philippians. He describes himself as “straining” and “pressing on” toward the goal of Christ likeness (Philippians 3:13-14). The “trembling” he experiences is the attitude Christians are to have in pursuing this goal—a healthy fear of offending God through disobedience and an awe and respect for His majesty and holiness.

"Trembling" can also refer to a shaking due to weakness, but this is a weakness of higher purpose, one that brings us to a state of dependency on God. If you have ever watched the Olympic games, you see athletes working so hard their muscles are trembling with strain. I wonder how many of our spiritual muscles actually strain? Obedience and submission to the God we revere and respect is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2) and brings great joy.

Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.” We work out our salvation by going to the very source of our salvation—Jesus Christ and  His revealed Word of God—wherein we renew our hearts and minds, coming into His presence with a spirit of reverence and awe.

Working it out what God is working within ... You know I love ya, Don

Salvation is to continue ... on and on and on!

It is interesting that the Scripture does not view salvation as a noun. In fact, this text views salvation as a verb…salvation is to be active and transforming and making adjustments in the lives of God’s people. Salvation has some sort of expectation or results in mind. It is not terminal…but ongoing.

To continue is to keep going: to last, or make something last, beyond the present or throughout a period of time… it is to not stop: to keep up an activity or state already begun.  It is to continue…Paul tells the Philippians to cling to humility and to embrace the attitude of Jesus and then in response to humility and attitude…he says to continue in Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue”

There’s an old story about Dr. Benjamin Warfield. He was a theology professor at Princeton Seminary. While he was still at the height of his academic powers, his wife got sick. And she became an invalid. He took care of her for ten years. During that ten-year period, he never spent more than 2 hours away from his wife. Even though she was handicapped, she still loved to read. And so Dr. Warfield would sit at her bedside day after day. And read to her. He was always gentle and caring with her.

One day, someone asked him, "Have you ever thought about taking your wife to an institution?" Then you could write bigger books and have a bigger ministry." But Dr. Warfield said, "No way. My wife is my ministry. I will never leave her side. I am going to love her and take care of her as long as God grants us life."

That’s how the Lord Jesus feels about us. He will not walk away from us. He will not abandon us. He will not throw us away like yesterday’s news.. He will minister his love and his compassion to us just as Dr. Warfield did for his wife.

This is also a prime example of what it is to continue in the Christian faith…we are to press forward…push onward…and to continue…even when life seems to over whelm us.

Hebrews 12:1-3 outlines it with; “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Salvation is to continuous processes... You know I love ya, Don

Tears & Weeping turned to shouts of His Faithfulness!

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. -Psalm 126:5-6 (NRSV)

Alice, Matthew and Karen have planted flowers around the house this year. On a sunny day in April they filled the pot with soil, planted the seeds according to the instructions, and set it on our deck and around the yard. Over the coming weeks they faithfully watered the plants, anticipating a colorful display of flowers. Slowly, we saw the transition from seed to seedling to bud to flower (or veggie plant). It's hard to fathom how such a rich tapestry of color could come from such an unspectacular beginning. Seeds that were no more than gray flecks were the genesis of a rainbow of color -- green, blue, red, orange, and yellow.

The flowers remind me of the words of Psalm 126 -- that our sorrows can be the seeds of joy, an un-wonderful beginning that brings a wonderful crop. The psalmist sings of God's redemption in bringing back captives and restoring their fortunes, taking them out of their captivity and deprivation. In sadness can be seeds that God will cultivate to grow a rainbow of joy.

I think this verse brings comfort in transition, loss, and in change. We will always miss Nicholas and as I have written in the past, Nicholas will always be our son...we will thirst for Him until we see him again in Glory and there is great comfort in knowing that we have a treasure in heaven with the name, Nicholas. We have also started considering and praying about adoption again. We are not sure where God is taking us on this journey, but we know that the desire to continue to add to our family is still there. So, we sow in tears and strive to please the God we love. He is faithful and we stand convinced that He will bring joy and a renewed strength in life through our relationship with Jesus. Until then, we enjoy the sights and smells of the flowers as a reminder.

You know I love ya, Don

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

"I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Psalm 138:2

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee:
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

"Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed thy hand hath provided—
"Great is thy faithfulness," Lord unto me!

—Thomas O. Chisholm

I have been singing this most of the day...God's is so faithful. Thank you, Father for being so faithful to us. To you alone goes all the glory!

Nobility is the Goal!

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Do you ever feel like you are on a road to destruction? I most certainly do. Oswald Chambers writes in "My Utmost for His Highest these words in response to Matthew 7:13-14...

God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus; He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practised. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practising or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practise in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.

Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many "sons" unto glory, and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milk sops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.

Working at being "noble" with you. You know I love ya and stay on the straight and narrow path...it will be worth it. - Don

Docking in God's Refuge!

1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth. - Psalm 31

I woke up this morning with a head cold. I also woke up thinking of this scripture. I am not sure if that is related, but it works. My nose itches, my eyes are watering, and my throat is scratchy. (No, you cannot catch it through your computer.) My day is filled with things to do and NOW I have a cold.

I find comfort in God's refuge. Knowing that I am sheltered in the arms of God bring protection. I can figuratively dock my boat in His refuge and the waves of life will not toss or bring turmoil. It is also reassuring that He will never let us be put to shame and that we can be delivered in his righteousness. I understand why Jesus quoted these words while hanging on the cross.

Whatever life throws at us (even head colds)....we can always take refuge in God's abundance and grace. "Thank you God, for loving me today and providing me a refuge in your love, grace and power. May I never take you for granted and always remain faithful to you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

You know I love ya - Don

Faithfulness

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”- Deuteronomy 7:9

Faithful...if you watch much T.V. or Movies loyalty and faithfulness is often compromised. Most everything that comes out of Washington D.C. is promises that are compromised. I was driving last night and found myself going 75 in a 70 zone, thus I was not being faithful to the law. So, what does it mean to be faithful?

Faithful is:
1 : full of faith
2: steadfast in affection or allegiance : loyal
3: firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty : conscientious
4: given with strong assurance : binding faithful promise>
5: true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original faithful copy>

(These are from Merriam-webster site.)

God is Faithful...He is steadfast, He is firm in His promises, He is given with strong assurance, He is true to the facts/standards, and He is full of faith. I wonder what means for God to be full of faith? Then I read the passage above...He has faith in me. He has faith to keep His relationship with me pure and holy. He will love me beyond my abilities to be faithful to Him. He also has complete assurance in my future and complete hope in what is yet to come in me.

This truth is medicine to a sick world...a sick Christian Community....a weary Christ-follower...a simple believer like Don Crane. The awesome REALITY is this applies to EVERY Christ-follower.

You know I love ya - Don