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 

Bernard of Claivaux - "Loving Self for God's Sake"

A few months ago Park Chapel leadership hosted a counseling seminar that taught that all feelings/emotions are preceded by thought. The point was that if we program and work on our thoughts our feelings/emotion will follow. He also taught that emotions were caused by our thoughts and that we acted on our emotions and not by our thoughts. Thus, the diagram is as follows:

     Thoughts to -----> Emotions to -------> Actions = positive or negative results

Let me start by pointing out that I think this may be true 60% of the time, but I will never advocate that it would be the norm beyond that. There are times that we feel and then think. I agree that it is possible to program the mind with habits and disciplines so that thought might influence emotion, but that feelings come after thoughts is not an absolute...

UNLESS...we add the dimension of "Spirit" or as Bernard of Clairvaux labels, "love" to the beginning of the equation. Thus, the equation would change with the new variable added would be this:

    Spirit to -----> Thoughts to -----> Emotions to -------> Actions = positive results

The variable of the Spirit or the Holy Spirit added to the equation grants a "loving" aspect to our living. God's Spirit changes the result every time. Bernard discusses how "true love does not seek its own interest." Thus the stages are to first, "love self for self's sake," second to, "love God for self's sake," third to, "love God for God's sake," and fourth to, "love self for God's sake." It is this fourth stage that compels us to strive and work through the other stages. It is also a reality that we live the vast majority of our mature Christian existence in the third stage of loving God because God deserves our love. Yet, there is occasion that the fourth stage of loving our self for God's sake is achieved and the result is the completion of the second equation mentioned above at the highest level.

I like to think of this fourth stage as when the Spirit jumps over thought and directly touches the emotion. It is the pure essence of God's will in our prayer and the pure delight that satisfies the soul. These moments are events that catch us, take our breath away, and then reveal God's perfection in the here and now. It is hard to explain in words but I can describe it as joy, contentment, and memory all in one essential event that may last for hours but seems like just a few seconds.

The first time this happened to me, I was hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in October. I came to a bend and clearing as I was praying and meditating when the foliage and cascade was in full roar of Fall color. It was a God moment of loving self for God's sake. Another time was when I held our first born child when he was about three months old. His eyes and mine were locked for what seemed like just a few moments that were truly hours. Another time, was when I was in prayer for our third child that was dying from heart complications. He eventually went to heaven, but I cherish that time when God was ministering and loving on me in groans and whispers. There are many times these are moments that are hard and difficult, yet in each occasion of this fourth stage I have been blessed with God returns satisfaction, contentment, and joy.

These times do not happen as often as I would like, but when they come it is truly a monumental occasion that I never forget. The moments that we are "entirely transfused into the will of God" are beyond my feeble words, but each event truly influences that equation of proactive living.

Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections...shepherd to many

Jonathan Edwards was a theologian and Christian preacher. He was also a Godly man that had a heart for the people he was blessed to serve. (For more on Jonathan Edwards click: Jonathan Edwards) Edwards lists and describes nine affections that Scripture encourages us to have: holy fear, hope, love, holy desire, joy, religious sorrow, gratitude, compassion, and zeal. It is these affections that Edwards describes as motivation or as he labels, "the Spring of Action." These affections cause us to move and take action for the purpose of participation and engagement into our typical activities.

The three that I have found most often in my life are holy desire, gratitude, and zeal. First is holy desire. From a very young age, I have had a strong desire to know Jesus more. I think it comes from a healthy church family and healthy Christian family. I also know that my parents were models in this area for my sister and I. I want to be known as being a good person that was good because of his love for God. That was not something intrinsic to me, but something that the family demonstrated to me and what I see as holy desire. I truly desire to be holy, set apart for God and God's purpose.

The second is gratitude. Again, I tribute this to living in a family that did not have large amounts of wealth, but was very wealthy in graciousness. We had very little when I was growing up, but mom and dad always made a way to give and to be gracious. I remember after school in my Jr. High years going to the local food bank Monday through Thursday to restock the shelves. The food bank closed at 4:00 PM and we would work to fill the shelves from 4:00-5:00 PM. It was a large food bank in Central CA. It was good exercise for me as I was the one with the dolly and bringing in the boxes of canned goods and such. I also remember that Mom was actually on staff at the food bank as the purchaser, so we had an investment in the working. My parents were "go the extra mile" people and they demonstrated to us a graciousness that has become a normal for us as adults. Most evenings we would leave the food bank and go to the church for a meeting, bible study, or some event that always took us to another level of giving and graciousness. Through all of those experiences, I do not have one memory of my parents complaining about it. In fact, I look on these days very fondly.

The third is zeal. I think this is somewhat natural to my DNA. I am a pretty driven person. I easily become zealous about something I am passionate about. I praise the Lord for good mentoring, solid teaching, and godly people around me that have helped me to grow in a Godly zeal for the kingdom and for the advancement of the Gospel. It is evident in our marriage and children, but the recognition goes to those that thought enough of me to invest their time and effort so as to guide me in a zeal for God's Spirit and Kingdom.

I think I would like to see holy fear grow more in my life. I have loved the Lord in all that we do, but I could grow in areas that show more respect and discernment in listening to the holiness of God in every part of my life. I also want to be known as a person that loved. I want to love on others. I possess a desire and zeal that engages the flesh to leave compassion and love behind.

In all these things, I truly see these affection in a new light and will seek to discover them in more of my everyday life. You Know I Love Ya, Don

Capturing the Essence of the Guidance of the Holy Spirit!

I discovered a poem that spoke to me and it captures the essence of the Holy Spirit's guidance. It is from Morning Star Poetry and I trust it speaks to you as well.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Oh blessed trinity
One living God divinely three
King for eternity

You make of me Your dwelling place
You guide me in all truth
Anoint my life for serving You
Erase my sins of youth

Pour into me and fill me up
Your love I can’t deny
You search me through and know my thoughts
Of Christ You testify

You teach me how to yield each day
And make the holy choice
My breath of life, flow through me now
You are my still small voice

You know me more than I myself
And lead me by the hand
You counsel me in ways of life
To help me understand

Bestowing me with gifts unearned
Defending me from sin
Like mighty wind, expose my guilt
Restore me from within

My praise for You will never cease
Be my one desire
I’m sealed until redemption day
Warmed by holy fire

You claim me as a child of God
Always there to witness
You comfort me and ease the pain
Healed by Your holy kiss

Renewing as the latter rain
Your love is so immense
Regenerating hearts for Christ
With fruitful evidence

The stamp of Your eternal pledge
Proves purchase at a price
Your gift of grace is free for all
By faith in Jesus Christ

I am wanting to hear and listen to the Holy Spirit everyday. It is my prayer, my goal and my passion. A Christ-follower desires "everything" God has to offer. Seeking the Holy Spirit is the only means possible to achieve success in knowing God.

You know I love ya, Don

Drunk, Intoxicated, Completely Immersed....in the Holy Spirit!

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:15-18

Ephesians 5:15-18 is my reading for today and I did a search and discovered a great devotional by Ronald Ovitt. He writes:

We don’t know much about the Holy Spirit. We get saved, understand that we have the Holy Spirit and then get busy with life. We never take advantage of the relationship that we have with the Holy Spirit. But we cannot afford to be passive any longer. We were not meant to function without the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says we should be “filled” with the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? The key is in the comparison to being drunk on wine. There is only one way to get drunk. You get drunk by being “filled” with alcohol until the amount that you consume has you under its influence. This is not a casual drink that is in moderation. This is in excess to where you become drunk. So what is he saying about our life in the Spirit?

Paul says let us have the same insatiable appetite for the guidance and fellowship of the Holy Spirit that a person does that chooses to get drunk on wine. When we meditate on God’s word, pray and commune with the Holy Spirit, we will begin to be “filled” or “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit’s leading in our daily living. It is interesting, however, that the tense is not a “one time” filling, but actually means “be filled and keep on being filled.”

You do not get drunk on wine once for the rest of your life. The effect of the wine soon dissipates. To continually be drunk you have to continually drink the wine. Although the Holy Spirit does not leave us, in order to stay “filled” or influenced by the Holy Spirit, we need to continually stay in communication and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Isn’t it time that we begin to experience all the ways that the Holy Spirit wants to help us?

I agree with these words. We are to listen to the Holy Spirit in our daily living, yet we choose to ignore the Holy Spirit and do not understand what He says when we need it. The reason we do not understand is because we do not know Him nor do we listen to Him in the daily journey of life. If we fellowship His God's Spirit, we will hear His voice and receive the guidance He offers in good times, bad times, hard times, and typical times. He wants to have a relationship with His people. Do we choose to have a relationship with Him?

You know I love ya, Don

The Comforter in our Sorrow!

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. -Joshua 24:15 (NIV)

There is so much sorrow in the this world. We experience it everyday, sometimes in a closer reality than others, but it is there. Why? Because we live in a fallen world. Filled with personal sin that so easily entangles us and separates us from the God and Savior that loves us so much.

Sandra Kirkland writes:

AS a home health nurse, I am privileged to provide care for people who are desperately ill. One of my patients is a 92-year-old man whose worn-out heart continues to work only because of the intravenous medication I administer every day. Another patient is a 32-year-old quadriplegic who struggles with frequent infections. And then there is an 86-year-old who has recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

While I was driving home after a long, tiring day, I thought about the people I had seen and felt the weight of their sorrow. But as I drove, I looked out at a moonlit sky; the moon was bright and beautiful. In the midst of my concern, the Holy Spirit said to me: "Yes, there is terrible sorrow, but I am there also, to bring joy." I saw that it is the Spirit who inspires the old man's grandchildren to bring him the fresh catfish he loves so much. It is the Spirit who moves the friends of the quadriplegic to take him on the outings he enjoys. It was the Spirit who brought the cancer patient and his loving wife together. The Holy Spirit is the joy in the midst of their sorrow.

I appreciate Sandra's words. It is the Spirit of a Mighty God that carries us, gives us strength, and comforts us in our deepest sorrows. I know I could not be the person I am without the Spirit. Join me today in giving thanks for such a comforter. You know I love ya, Don

United brings Him Glory!

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6

Have you ever served on a team or committee that has a hard time agreeing? Maybe it is only a team of two and it is still hard to find common ground? I don't know about you, but I have and it is very difficult in our society to find a common thread of united purpose. There is usually a great deal of compromise and people have to give and take and over-all the final product is just o.k. with everyone, instead of it being a spectacular final production.

This verse speaks to me about unity and the power of the Holy Spirit in uniting Christ-followers for the purpose of glorifying God. We are all very different and have many opinions and thoughts. Yet, when we unify our hearts, minds, souls, and our strengths for a "God-Calling" the results are amazing.

I often tell my church choirs that we are to sing so that it sounds like "one" voice. Why? First, it is pleasant to the ear and understandable to those listening. Second, it is a testimony that a diverse people with many opinions and bias backgrounds are working toward a single goal....glorifying the God they love. With all the diversity and lack of unity in our world today (just look at Washington D.C.), getting 30-40 people on the same page to sing and praise the Lord is a miracle of the Holy Spirit.

I love my job and I am very thankful for the service God has allowed for my journey...I am especially blessed by the willingness of Christ-followers to work together in "UNITY" while allowing God to encourage all of us to bring Him glory, honor, and adoration.

You know I love ya - Don

P.S. I don not believe in coexisting...there is only ONE way to true unity and it is through the power of the Cross and Jesus Christ. It is amazing when Christ-followers open their eyes and hearts to His love...anything else is just getting along.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

James MacDonald states it this way in his book, Downpour, “The Holy Spirit want to be continually filling you, empowering you with all the intensity and life and joy that is His to Give. It’s like putting your hand under a stream of water rushing out of a faucet. We have to be willing to reach out and surrender our hands to the water.”

There is a story of a group of preachers that were looking to hold a preaching revival and they wanted to get the great revival preacher, D.L. Moody to come. One of the younger preachers stood up and said, “Why do we need to get Moody? Does Moody have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” One of the other preachers, stood up and said, “I’ve seen and heard and even shared a meal with D.L. Moody. It is not that D.L. Moody has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on D.L. Moody.”

My friends, by surrendering our will to God is how we lean over talk with Jesus. In our surrender we share in the comfort, the promise, the assistance and the power of the Holy Spirit. You and I must surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to have a monopoly on our lives. It is through that release we will truly live.

Releasing to His Power,
Don