Long Obedience in Life!

In life....we learn living is not easy....We start off with many dreams and those dreams give opportunities to more dreams and then we grow up into adulthood and we realize that life isn't all about dreams but that the real world needs people to do things other than your dream....Life in reality is not a reality show.

The question that is often raised is: Where is God? Where is God in all this mess? Where is God when I was suffering? Where was God when I lost my job? Or my house was robbed? Or my spouse left? Or when my children started drugs? Or when my baby died? Where was God in all this hard times?

God is still exactly where he has always been. He wants you to know that he has brought you through your suffering and struggle so that you can meet him at the Cross. He knows it is hard and he know that life has not been easy....he does know that life has been necessary so that you know that faith is the only way to survive. 

 

God intends every type of suffering and hard times to sanctify us. The scars of life establish hope for our future. The scars of life drive us to cling to sanctification. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man, after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness....It is at the cross that hard times come to a DEAD END!

It is our faith that is realized at the scar on the cross... we are renewed by what Jesus did on the Cross. “A believer's awareness of justification, peace, and access is made authentic in our suffering...in our scars.”

Let's consider Romans 5

     Justified through faith:

          Peace through Jesus

              Access through grace (favor)

                     Rejoice in the hope of the “glory of God” = the cross

Every Christ-following believer should have hope because of the scars of justification, peace, and access to grace. The suffering...the scars call to us...the hard times come to a DEAD END at the cross because they motivate, they produce, and they mark Christ-Followers for the purpose of SANCTIFICATION!!!! ( the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man, after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.)

We are working through the long obedience in the same direction together...you know I love ya, Don

A Long Obedience in Love!

A few years ago I read a book titled, "Crazy Love," by Francis Chan. He talks about how infinite God is and how Crazy in Love with us that God is. I encourage you to go to www.crazylovebook.com and watch the video on the Awe Factor of God. You will be amazed at how vast our God is and that He loves you. The same Jehovah God that created us, died for us. It is amazing to know without a doubt the love of God and then experience His vastness. All I can do is bow in reverence and worship.

Lets consider the worship truth, God is holy. A lot of people say that whatever you believe about God is fine, so long as you are sincere. But that is comparable to describing your friend in one instance as a three-hundred-pound sumo wrestler and in another instance your friend is a five-foot-two, ninety pound gymnast. No matter how sincere you are in your explanation, both descriptions of your friend simply cannot be true. There is only One God that created us, died for us, and redeemed us.

The preposterous part about our doing this comparison to God is that He already has revealed His name and identity. We don't get to decide who God is. Exodus 3:14 states, "God said to Moses, 'I am who I am'." A few chapters later, God tells God chosen people to be Holy because He is holy. We don't get to change these truths.

To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. Because He is set apart, we will never be able to fathom all that He is. To the Jews, saying something three times demonstrates its perfection, so to call God, "Holy, Holy, Holy" is to say that He is perfectly set apart, with nothing and no one to compare Him to. That is what is means to be "holy."

Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can't contain Him. Personally, I am glad that I can and do worship a God that is beyond my ability to exaggerate! He is bigger than my feeble mind...His set apart from all my praises, yet chooses to dwell among the praises of His people...He is more powerful than any issue this world throws my direction.

We are all on a journey that is a long obedience in the same direction. I want to be devoted to love on this journey ... not just to love the things I am devoted to, but to be a person that is devoted to loving God and others. You know I love ya...Don

Faith....not insurance, but assurance of the what God can do.

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39 (Amp) 

Increase our faith so we may see
What you’re doing in our lives
And all that we’ll accomplish in you
So our faith begins to rise

We need to be reminded, Lord,
Of the small mustard seed
And how the same amount of faith
Moves mountains if we believe

As we walk in pure obedience
With confidence in you,
Our faith begins to grow and flourish,
Bearing more abundant fruit

We must go beyond the limits
Of our comfort zones,
Our faith is activated at those times
When we walk into the unknown

For it’s when the safety net is gone,
We realize we need our Lord,
When there’s nothing left to fall back on,
We must lean on God much more

And faith is released in our hearts
As we bend our knee to pray;
We shall be strengthened as we walk
And commit to Him each day.

© By M.S.Lowndes

This  a great poem that reminds us of the power that faith grants every person. 

You know I love ya. Don

 

 Click for more of M.S. Lowndes poetry

An Appearing Presence!!!

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus...And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"- Philippians 2:5 & 8

Jesus was found in the appearance of a man. He was God, yet God chose to be revealed in the appearance as a man. What does it mean to appear? Remember the old saying, "appeared out of no where."

I recall an Elder at the Gethsemane Church of Christ is Mechanicsville, VA. His name was Carlyle Williams and He gave some of the best communion meditations I have experienced. He was also very light on his feet. He would always volunteer to lock up the church at the close of services. So, in this older building and with the lights off I would be leaving the church. Then, appearing out of no where, Carlyle would step up behind you, your heart starts to beat a little faster because of the awareness that there was a presence very close. Carlyle startled the blood right out of my heart many times. He would apologize every time, but he was and I am sure still very quiet on his feet.

When Paul tells us that Jesus appeared as a man, I believe we are to learn that Jesus was the very presence of God. God appeared out of heaven as a man and just like becoming aware of Carlyle presence, so we are also to be aware of God's presence in Jesus. The presence of God in Jesus is one of humility and obedience. It is a presence that draws people closer together, unifies the heart in worship and then scatters people to talk more about the presence in their life. Jesus' presence is the awesome appearance of God.

Paul starts the passage with the declaration, "we are to have the same attitude." Our presence should be one that is known to others as humble and obedient. A presence that thinks of others needs and approaches the need with solutions even if the need is met by a sacrifice on our part. The Christ-follower's presence should be known as a radiant reflection of Jesus.

"Dear Lord, help me be a presence in the world I live. I plead for you to help my unbelief and reveal yourself to me and my family in a way that draws us closer to your presence. Allow us the joy of being obedient in serving others needs while living a life of abundance. I ask for these in Jesus Name, Amen."

It is a joy to study the word with you. You know I love ya, Don