Man Of Many Sorrows

Richie Furay, guitar player and singer/songwriter of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and many other bands, now a pastor in Denver, sings about an aspect of being a follower of Christ that many had just soon forget.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10-11, " I Want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I Want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead." King James version reads that Paul wants to enter into the fellowship of suffering that Jesus went through. Doesn't sound like a fun place to be, does it? But yet this is where we find the real life and Power Jesus spoke about. Suffering is a part of life. Now don't think that I'm saying we should all run out and suffer for Jesus if we want to prove our love for Him. I'm not. But what I am saying is that when suffering comes because of our choice to follow Jesus, we need not run, but embrace it and allow the Power of God to take us through those dark times.

This song, to me, portrays a view of Jesus that you may not  find in many churches. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief.  We don't talk much about joining in to the fellowship of his suffering. Not very popular. We don't hear much about how he learned obedience through his suffering. 
He was a man of many sorrows.
I would like to say enjoy the song, but I don't think we are suppose to.
I think the song is to wake us up to a truth that has been hidden for many years.

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Today....Just Today

4:33 A.M.....
Coffee perking (yes Virginia...we still use a percolator) in the kitchen.

Rhythmic sound of "Swoosh-a-chug" rolls through the house, as the old percolator will soon render that dark brown liquid that opens my eyes and my mind to greet another day.

Another day...
I do not know what this day may hold, but I do know that whatever is out there, God will be with me. He will be there to either deliver me or take me through whatever situation awaits me.

I want to simply make it through this coming day.
Not give into any darkness that seeks to draw me away from this relationship Jesus had given to me. To recognize the protection Jesus affords all who come to Him, so that if today is "The Evil Day" I will stand, and, as Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, "Having done all simply stand". Stand my ground. Not give up. I may not make much spiritual progress today, but at least I will not give any ground to the enemy.

I want to laugh today.
Vicki and I may not have a lot according to riches of this world, but we are just silly with laughter. Always been that way. This house has had the sound of laughter rolling down its halls, bouncing off its walls ever since we moved in back in '83. Of course the old adage "Laughter is the best medicine" is not far from the truth. 

I want to see Jesus today....
I believe that if you look hard, you can spot Him as you move through your day.
Oh, He doesn't look anything like all the pictures that have been painted.

In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about meeting the needs of people. He says, "If you done it (served) to the least of these my brethren.........YOU HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME. Call me on this if you want to, but I believe that we have been called to help those who truly need help. I don't believe that we have a calling or an obligation to help those who don't want to better themselves. Such as what we offer to them isn't help...it is enabling a lifestyle that is not pleasing to the Father.

I want to make it home tonight.
To come into this home and shut the door on the world.

To share a meal and conversation with my wife, and have gratitude that God has given me one more day. Then as we drift off to sleep at the end of the evening, I want to thank God for Who He is, this being the last thought before sleep overtakes me.

God willing, I will get up tomorrow and start all over again. Such is life with the Bynum's....  Such is life on Greene Street.

God on you....

mbb

"I Once Was Blind....But Now I See!"

This is not going to be an anti-intellectual rant.
I am not going to rail against debate or thoughtful insight into the Word of God.
It will not be a declaration against college or seminary or Bible institutions.
IT will be a posting for the simple statement that we do not know everything about Scripture. There I said it.
I love studying the Word of God as much as the next fellow. In some ways, probably more. I spend a great deal of time studying, reading, cross-referencing different topics and subjects. But in the end, it all comes down to "who" I know.

Kind of like the man who was blind that Jesus healed (John 9:1-11)
This man has an encounter with Jesus.
Jesus spits on some dirt to make mud.
Rubs on the eyes of the blind man.
Tells him to go and wash it off at the pool of Siloam.
The man does....
Voila'....eyesight.
Well, this upsets the theologians and scholars of the day. We would call them the Pharisees (part of the religious ruling council of the Jews).
They didn't really care about the man. They were upset that Jesus had violated the Sabbath. Never mind that a man could see and thereby become a productive citizen, he was healed on a day when nothing was suppose to take place. A day of rest from work.
The day was greater than the man.
Preserving the day was of more importance than a man being restored.
These Pharisee's lit into this now restored former blind man like scum on a pond.
"Who is this man who healed you? Where is He? How did he do this?"
Isn't that just like people who doubt God's power? Looking for an explanation on "how" it was done rather than celebrating the fact that someone who was blind is now capable of seeing.
After much badgering, the formerly blind man makes an incredible statement of faith.

John 9:25 - He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
He said, "You can argue all you want to about who and how but the bottom line is that this man took the time to heal me. I was blind but now I see. I don't understand it. I don't have a reason for it. I just know what the truth is.

That is where I want to live.
I may not be able to give word to the why. But the simple fact is "I was blind but now I see."
Wow! Thank you Lord....That no matter what our lot is in life today, you are God and you are at work in the midst of every trial, tribulation and persecution. I may not understand the whys and the wherefores, but I only have to understand the outcome. That something greater than myself intervened in my life and I am in a state that I was not in prior to the intervention.
I was blind but now I see.

God on you..........
mb

I Am A Hater!!

I don't know if I should say this or not.
It might offend some who read this posting.
My words might seem harsh...
Well, here goes.
I am filled with hate this morning....
I know....
I know...
Religion tells me that such is wrong.
Religion tells me that I should be filled with love, but I'm not.
I am filled with hate.
How could this be?
Well, believe it or not.....Christ actually called us to be filled with hatred.

Romans 12:9
..........."Hate what is evil....cling to what is good."
There I said it.
I hate "what is evil".
I have seen the destruction caused by evil.
I have seen men and women die too young because of evil.
I have seen families ripped apart by evil.
Is it any wonder that I hate it like I do?

The evil we see in this world today is a by-product of sin.
Society doesn't want to believe this.
In fact if you start talking about sin....the darkness of the human heart....that each of us are born with a sin-nature, society will label you as a religious kook.
A right wing whacko.
But the Holy truth is, Jesus came to save us.
He died for us, paying a sin debt that I never could pay to escape the consequences of sin.
Like the big book of A.A. says...."God did for me what I could not do for myself.'

Evil is a part of this world.
But evil is not the preeminent power on this planet (even though at times it appears to be).
God is still ruling....
His plans don't always look like what we think they should.
His ways of defeating evil don't always line up in the way we think they should.

Romans 12:17
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

One last thing....
Evil spelled backwards is LIVE.
And that is exactly what Christ has called us to.
A live that is lived out in the freedom that only He can bring to us.

God on you...
mbb

Changed

The following was written back in 2014 by a young man who was in the program at Rapha. It is his own personal experience of life before running into Jesus.......
And life after his salvation experience.....


The words turn to ashes in my mouth as I try and reformulate them to something with impact.
And I say, "Come down from your cross."
I know everyone needs saving...
Why don't you save yourself, to save me the satisfaction of saying "No" so everyone can let go of this silly superstition.

It's running rampant on the planet and I've failed to make contact.
So You contacted me, and it wasn't long distance. It was extremely loud and incredibly close.
Close enough to hear you even when you whispered.
A whisper so loud it could shatter bone and yet, at the same time, mend a broken heart

You couldn't stand the separation. You loved me when I was falling apart....for that, I am grateful.
I used to be so hateful.
I never cared one bit about who laid the foundation.
And me, just like Job with my questions, You came back with an answer very clear.
To put it all out there, made me take a second look.

I understood that I don't have to understand it. And would you believe it if I said that it helped me.
It's really not so crazy when I think on it.
I mean I was crazy anyway in the asylum of my flesh....
Crazy thoughts of where I would die and that I would soon decay, but the SON rose up this morning and for now it truly is another day.
Another day of life.
A life that I'm living because you're living with me...
Living in me.
Because of you, if I want it, I can part the sea...
I don't have to see...
I only have to be.
Here in the moment...
One breath at a time, as you take my breath away in the face of creation.

God on you....

Offensive To The Mind

The Jesus I believe in is a radical person...
He isn't a syrupy rendition, almost cartoon image of what the world tries to portray him as being.
His being radical comes from the economy of heaven and the Kingdom that every believer is to live by.

The world declares that "nice guys finish last"....
Jesus declares that "The last shall be first in the Kingdom."
The world proclaims that "it's a dog eat dog life".
Jesus commands that we are to pray for, and bless our enemies.
Society lives by the law of image.....it's isn't who you truly are on the inside...it's all about the way people see you....the image you project.
Jesus said that whatever is in the heart of man will be revealed by the words he speaks.

Everyone has an opinion about Jesus and who He really is.
Trouble with opinion is that they are usually wrong.
I say that because the Jesus I have chosen to follow is also very offensive.
He offends the minds of those who have rejected Him.
He stands as an eternal "thorn in the side" of those whose minds and hearts are cold and dark because of sin.

In our country where the majority opinion has warped and twisted the very fabric of truth....Jesus does not and will never compromise the truth of God the Father. We somehow think that the deeper we go into sin the more enlightened we become. That we are attaining a higher level of existence, shaking off the chains and bondage or religion to embrace the freedom that we all long for.
How blasphemous could such thoughts be! You see, such thoughts and collective behaviors are not new to our country or society. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:22 - "Professing to be wise, they became fools."

Yes sir, my Jesus is offensive to those who live by the law of self.
Jesus said that He was "the way....the truth....and the life", that no one (and who falls under "no one"?  EVERYONE!) could come to the Father except through Him. So what does the world do?  They proclaim "Oh! That can't be. There are many paths to God." Really? I don't think so. We wish there were. We don't really want there to be only one way. That is such narrow thinking. Ideas that are antiquated and out dated.  I've had people tell me that they could not believe in a God who is so narrow minded and strict, that there was only one religion in the world that offered a way to Him.  

We all want that "loving, sweet Jesus", and He is that. Scripture says that God IS love. Not that God loves....or God has love....but that at the very core and heart He is love. But it also says that He is a God of judgment. Romans 1:18 reads, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth (hold down) in unrighteousness." 

I fear for those who rail against God with their words, fueled by sin and unbelief. Why do I fear? Because with every tick of the clock, they draw closer to eternity. Once death has taken hold of them, there is no more opportunity to repent, confess, and believe the truth of Jesus. They cross over into eternal damnation and separation from God. Oh, they will be believe the truth once this takes place...but it will be the agony of seeing what they have thrown away because they rejected God. Realizing that God had offered them the greatest gift of all time......salvation and deliverance from sin.

Now I know that I can't change anyone....
No matter what I write or teach, I have no power to change a mind or heart.
Only God has that ability.
John 12:32
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

John 12:46
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

Revelation 22:12-13
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

Do you really Know Jesus?
If not, today would be a really great time to turn to Him.

God on you...
mbb

Keep The Door Shut

Romans 13:14
But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.

Most do not consider themselves to be evil.
Oh we may think bad things about others, but we do drop money in the red pot outside of Wal-mart at Christmas in order to kind of cancel out those bad thoughts. We can't really be that bad.
For the most part, I think most do keep themselves in check when it comes to evil.
When we do indulge in something that we know is contrary to the Word of God, we are good at explaining it away. "Oh compared to someone who is a drug dealer, I'm not that bad. Or, "There are other things I could be doing with my money, I'm not hurting anyone."

That is a red flag in my own life.
When I start trying to justify what I am doing, that is coming from my own nature and not the leading of God's Holy Spirit.
I'm sure that Judas thought to himself that he really wasn't doing anything wrong when he agreed to identify Jesus. Notice the word I used? IDENTIFY! In Judas' mind, he wasn't betraying the Son of God, he was merely identifying Jesus for the guards. It is a slippery slope when we begin to rationalize and compromise the things of God.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to man, but it ends in death
Guard your thoughts today.
Don't be mislead by your own intentions that are not in line with God's will.
(O.k. ...one more time in case you missed...here is God's will for your life....OBEY!)
So I need to spend my energy on hearing God and then doing what I am lead to do.
One last thing.
God will give you great grace to mess up if you are trying to carry out his will.
Did you catch that?
There is grace when you are truly trying to follow God.
There is no grace when you seek to carry out your own will using God's name.
Wow!

God on you............
mb

Step # 11 And Prayer

Luke 11:1
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray......."

I love this verse....
Jesus is praying...
Evidently the disciples have been watching Him....
Now these guys already knew about prayer,after all they were Jews who went to the temple to pray.
But there was something different about how Jesus prayed, and the results they saw after He prayed.

You see, when Jesus prayed, He was not simply filling the air with flowery words, as if to impress those around Him. He was carrying on a communication with His heavenly Father. He was also listening for what the Father had to communicate back to Him. In other words, Jesus was not going to approach His day in a helter skelter kind of attitude. A "lets-make-this-up-as-we-go" attitude that relied more on self than on hearing directly from God the Father. You want to know the funny part in all of this? Jesus expects us to operate in the same manner. Oh, I know!!!! We have a gazillion excuses as to why we can't. But those excuses fall by the wayside when we discover that communication from us to God is exactly what is on His heart.

If you are familiar with the Twelve Steps of A.A. then you know that prayer and listening is the heart of any recovery. Found in Step # 11, we see that this is the ongoing dynamic that fuels this new life that has been found in recovery.

Step #11 - We sought through prayer and mediation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Now, coupled with this incredible call to action, I want to share something with you.
Michelle Hicks, who is the music minister at Northside, put something in last Sunday's bulletin that is very much at the heart of what I am writing about. In fact when I read it, I I automatically thought about Step # 11.

"Prayer does not give you spiritual power. Prayer aligns your life with God so that He chooses to demonstrate His Power through you. The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change your circumstances but to prepare you to be involved in God's activity.  Prayer is designed to adjust you to God's will, not to adjust God to your will. If God has not responded to what you are praying, you may need to adjust your praying to align with God's agenda. Rather than focusing on what you would like to see happen, realize that God may be more concerned with what He wants to see happen in you."

Take this to heart and look at the your motives and intentions when you pray. After all the focus of our new life is to find God's will for us, as well as receive His Power to live it daily. Sounds like a good deal to me.

God on you..
mbb

Following Him The Right Way

(From GSL /  Sept. 2015)

John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you of things to come.

I have trouble with this verse....
I have a problem with this verse...
What's my problem?
Either it's true......or it's not.
I think maybe it IS true.
That being the case, why do we not rely on this behavior of the Holy Spirit.
Why do we look to others to tell us what we think we should know?
Not discounting the words or insight given by God to others, but we seemed to have become a people who act on what others tell us, or have written in a book, or have sent out on a download or Cd.

I do believe that God speaks...
But our job, when we hear someone else declare what God has said, is to hear God for ourselves.
We never, never, never should take as the gospel truth the words of others without seeking confirmation from God.
Don't ever take what is written here or what you may have heard me say in a meeting, until you have tested it for yourself. Weigh it. Discern it. Sift it. And let God either confirm or deny what you have heard or read.

Seems to me that the office of prophet has come back in vogue. Actually it never left, but it seems to have garnered some popularity.
Several voices out there claiming to occupy the office of prophet.
Several voices out there giving prophetic words.
People hear these words.
People grow fearful and began to act according to the fear has come upon them.
Let's take a look at how the prophetic works.
Now before I go any farther, let me say that I do believe that God raises people to speak on His behalf. I am in no way speaking against those who act in such a manner.

in the Old Testament, God sent specific individuals to speak of the need to repent, to listen and follow the instructions He was giving. To not do so usually resulted in judgment coming to the nation. Why would God speak in this manner? Because not everyone had His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given only to those God deemed necessary to direct His people, Israel. The Holy Spirit would come upon a Jeremiah, or a Isaiah. Malachi, Amos, Jonah, Samuel....and the list goes on and on. But bottom line was that the Holy Spirit was only available to those God chose to give Him to.

Fast forward to the New Testament.
Acts Chapter 2....
Day of Pentecost.
Did you ever open a jar of pickles?
The "Whoosh" of air as the lid is taken off...
The breaking of the vacuum seal.
It was kind of like this when the Holy Spirit entered into our "Vacuum" time and space.
Remember those present in the upper room described it as a mighty, rushing wind.
God twisted off the top of our jar and the emptiness was filled with His presence.
What does all this mean?
It means that we all have access to God's Holy Spirit.
As such, we should be a people not driven by fear and words...
We should be a people who, when we hear a prophetic word, should be down on our face seeking God to confirm what it is we should be doing.
We are not to be a people driven by fear.
Fear causes us to be selfish and seek only our own comfort and protection.
Fear drives....
The Holy Spirit informs and leads.
Quiet a difference, wouldn't you say?
Don't allow yourself to be caught up in the many words that are being spoken by well meaning people about the future. Seek God for yourself and ask Him to reveal what it is you should be doing.

Time for us to seek God in ways we never have before.
Think on this today...
Chew on it and ask God to show you truth...

God on you...
Michael b.

Remembering The House Of Blue

The verse from Ecclesiastes has always fascinated me. The seemingly foolish task of throwing bread into the water, and it returning after a period of time seemed out of place. For the most part, it would seem that the fish or other aquatic life would have eaten the bread, so that there would not be anything to return. But according to ol' Solomon...the bread will return and you'll find it.

Put this in context of scripture and kingdom work, and what I think he is saying is that when you feed someone the "bread" of heaven...the word of God, you may not know who "eat's" of it and who doesn't. There is a trust that you have to have that causes you to be obedient, allowing God to work through what has been spoken to and over people. As a friend of mine use to say when I was teaching out at Rapha (a local drug and alcohol treatment center).."We have good seed to give people...what they do with it is between God and them." In other words, we are called to simply share the truth and good news about Jesus.

Well, with this in mind, I had some bread come back to me last night. I spoke over at Catalyst Recovery, and the message was well received. People came down to the front for prayer and do business with Jesus. After the meeting was over, as I was headed out, I spoke with several people. Some thanked me for the message. Others asking for prayer. As I neared the back door a lady came up wanted to know if she could as me a question, to which I replied, "Yes, of course".  

She asked me if I use to speak at a meeting that was known as THE HOUSE OF BLUE. I replied that I had not only spoken there, but had started the meeting and was pastor over it. She began to share her story with me. She said that she could not remember what year it was, but  that she and her husband had attended one time. Tears began to fill her eyes and she told me that she wanted to thank me because of the message I gave that night, she had been set free from darkness and oppression that had followed her around for years. She had been abused by her father, which only sent her down a path of darkness to escape the pain. On the particular night she came to the House of Blue, she told me that I had we did not have carry this burden and secret any longer. That Jesus was fully ready to take it from us if we would confess and release it to Him.

She went on to share how her husband had passed away in 2013, and that she was raising their five daughters. Life has been hard since his death, but she told me that she could not imagine life today if she'd not been freed from all the bondage she had been in.  I asked if I could pray for her again, to which she heartily replied, "Yes!". So as we stood there together, God's Spirit came upon her and she received words of encouragement and grace. We parted company and as I walked out into the night to my car, I thought to myself, "God! You are just something else. You know that?" To grant me a gift...a token to let me know that something You said through me years ago had produced change and Fruit of Your Spirit in the life of someone who had no hope." 

But that is how God is, isn't it?
I think maybe yes.
So this morning, I am a little encouraged that what we did years ago had some fruit to it in the lives of those who attended.

God on you...
mbb

Kingdom Values

Matthew 6:21
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I wish I could explain the process of having a message to give each week @ VRC, but I can't.
If you step back and try to analyse it, try to arrange it so that you could make sense of the process, you'd be working at that for a long time.

Sometimes God will speak through a verse that seems to jump off the page.
He will use something someone else says to me, or something  I hear in a message I'm listening to.  You never really know at first is what you picking up is really going to be the central point to whatever God is giving you to share. For me, every message has to begin with my own life. What does it say to me. Is God pointing out something in my own life that is lacking, something He wants to show me.

Tomorrow night @ VRC, I'm going to be sharing "things that I value". By things, I mean those intangible attributes that we should recognize in our own live that fuel us to follow Jesus.  Now it would be easy to say, "Why I value God!"  which might not be a bad thing. But we're going to take a look at behaviors and beliefs that reveal the truth that we do value God.

We will only give attention to the things that we value. That's why the passage from Matthew spoke to me. I had to ask myself, "What is it I value in the Kingdom rule of God in my life, that shows that I do love God?" If I were to write down all my activity of a week, and take a look at where my time was spent, I would get a good idea of what I value. Let me add one thing.....Subtract the time you spent on the job because that is a given. I think maybe a better way of measuring would be to take a look at where the majority of my thoughts, coupled with the actions I gave myself to would be a better measure. 

The Matthew 6 passage reveals a great truth.
Where my heart is.....
Where my thoughts are....
These guide me in my daily pursuit. If you back up to Verse 20, you will read where Jesus commands (not hints at, or suggests) that we are to store up treasure in heaven. I've said over and over that when we come to Christ and are saved, we have to learn to live on the economy of heaven, not the one here on earth. In other words, what we value and consider to be important will change. 

I guess I could close by saying, "What's in your wallet?"
I think God would want me to say, "What's in your heart?

God on you...
mbb

Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

As a follower of Jesus, I have been called to and given the incredible task of being the one who institutes peace. One who "Makes Peace". One who shall be called a Peacemaker.
How can I be a peacemaker if I am not at peace with my God and myself? How can I be a conduit for the Spirit of God to flow through if my heart is always in turmoil?

I look around and see, read, and hear divisive, angry words. 
Angry at the President.....
Angry at certain ethnic groups....
Angry at life in general....
To be honest with you, it's enough to make me angry.
I wonder how God views all of this behavior?

In the Ephesians passage, we read that our words are to be uplifting and encouraging. I like one particular translation I have reads...."That our words may give grace to the hearer". So, do I shy away from this behavior God has called me to, or do I embrace it asking only for the right words to say?  I want His peace in me.....the kind of peace that is not driven by the outward situations and circumstances we face daily. The kind of peace that is constant, providing a firm place on which to stand as I face my day. 

Peacemaker....
I like the sound of that....
Ain't there yet, but I am pressing on to see that this becomes a part of me.
Have a good day...
And, oh yeah.....be at peace and give it away to others.

God on you...
mbb

Where Is The Conviction?

(Reprint From September 2010)

When did everything change?
It wasn't like it was a sudden thing where we suddenly woke up and we didn't recognize where we were or what was going on.
But when did change sneak in?
I was listening to some mp3's I had downloaded last night.
There were sermons from A.W. Tozer and Duncan Campbell. 
Leonard Ravenhill and Vance Havner.
All through out the messages, I found a word kept coming up over and over.
They repeated it with great passion and fire as each man spoke the truth of God.
What word you may ask?
CONVICTION!
You don't really hear much from the pulpit or the television about conviction any more.
I even went and looked up the definition of conviction.
Webster's defines conviction as judgement or guilt against a criminal defendant.
That's pretty harsh language there especially when you tie it to a message being given in church.
Yet in John 16:8 we read these words:
And when he (The Holy Spirit) comes, he will CONVICT the world of its sin. and of God' righteousness, and the coming judgment.

When the Holy Spirit is sent (He came on the day of Pentecost- Acts Chapter 2), He will come with a mission. His first work will be to convict the world. Using the definition of Conviction...that means the Holy Spirit will come to reveal to man kind the judgment or guilt that they stand under. In other words, the Holy Spirit will open our spiritual eyes and ears up to the fact we are condemned. We carry around a sentence of death, that being the 2nd death or eternal separation from God. The Holy Spirit's purpose is to make us aware of our need of being saved.

Today it seems that the church merely wants to woo people in and not offend them or hurt their feelings and hope that they have some sort of experience with God. It's like the church wants to set the stage and make everything comfortable where people can come and meet God. None of that "Fire on the Mountain, thunder and lightning, God is in the  house stuff".  When in reality, the only way people can truly be brought into awareness of God is through the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Coming to God is not a mental exercise.
Coming to God is not a choice made by a heart that is not broken.
Coming to God is not an appeal to the flesh to turn....
Coming to God is a direct movement as a result of being broken by the Holy Spirit. 
Broken by realizing that without God you are doomed.
Broken by realizing that without God you are destined to Hell. Hell is your reward for a life live in rejection of God.

"Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God!"
God's favor rests on those who look within themselves and find nothing by emptiness and loneliness. Coming to the realization that they are spiritually bankrupt and in poverty. When you reach that point, the Holy Spirit will direct your heart to the glorious truth that now, for spiritual poverty, you can enter in and possess the Kingdom of God's rule. That your life can be lifted from the ash heap of humanity and seated in the heavens with Jesus Christ.

Conviction! What a beautiful word.
May conviction fall upon the church of Jesus Christ.
May conviction fall hard and heavy and the aisles run wet with the tears of those who are broken, crying out, "What must I do to be saved!"
Let it be so Lord...

God on you....
mb

Mundane...What A Beautiful Word

1. Mundane...what a wonderful word.It sounds like a symphony to my ear. A song to my heart A respite to my soul. The Mundane.  I don't want to live in that place for any length of time, but when it appears, I embrace it. 

What is the definition of this word?

"Lacking interest or excitement...dull"

Looking up the definition, I found a whole list of synonyms for the word "mundane".

Are you ready?  Here goes.

Humdrum, dull, boring,

Tedious, monotonous, tiresome.

unexciting, uninteresting, common place.

Routine, everyday, run-of-the-mill.

To some folks such an existence would drive them crazy.

To me it is a lull in the storm.

A chance to gather my thoughts.

An opportunity to draw aside and spend some time with God.

Quiet time.

Restful time.

Recuperative time.

If you were a soldier who was in a war, you'd get time to

leave the battle front, get to the rear for some R & R.

Rest and relaxation.

Mark 6:31, we read where Jesus is speaking to His disciples:

"Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest

for a while."

When we hear the word rest, we automatically think physical rest.
We do need this.
But sometimes we need rest for our soul, our spirit, our heart.
We need to simply "be with God".

To nourish ourselves on His Word.

To spend time in communion, talking with God.
More importantly, we need to listen and hear with God is saying.

Living through the mundane times doesn't lessen the call of

God on your life.

You don't get a pass when you seem stuck in time.

Like Paul, find the secret of being content.
You can do all things....exciting or mundane...

through Christ who strengthens you.

So while some have hatred for times of "mundane-ness"

Not me.
I look forward to them.
I am like a child on Christmas morning.
What does the Father have in store for me in the coming season?

If I have learned one thing, it is that the devil wants to focus your attention of

what you don't have...........and what you aren't doing.

Beware of phrases that come out of your mouth like

"My life is so dull"

"I don't ever get to do anything exciting".

You may be falling prey to having your attention slowly removed from

seeing Jesus clearly.

Don't know if what I've written this morning makes any sense or not.

May simply be the ramblings of a geezer.
Take it and see what God would say to you.

I think I'll have a 2nd cup of coffee...

Looks like it's going to be a dull day.

God on you..

mbb

It Is Such An Ugly Word If You Aren't Ready

Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit......
Not a word that is often used when referring to someone who is struggling with addiction.
Commitment is not something that is often found in that persons life.
Why?
Because failure has been a constant friend and companion as they have journeyed together on the road to destruction.
Lack of commitment is a common denominator among most alcoholics and addicts.
It has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with the mental and spiritual beating they take for their lifestyle choices.
The devil attacks daily using shame and guilt to keep them under submission.
Guilt is aimed at what a person has done. All the lies they have told. All the relationships they have destroyed.
Shame is directed toward who they have become, the person they are. No mother sets out to raise a child who grows up to be a liar, thief, manipulator, or sexually immoral. Yet these are a part of the character makeup of most who travel down the addiction highway.

I can't give you a theological or scientific explanation as to what happens when a person finally decides to commit to God in this process of recovery. I know that it begins with God's Holy Spirit bringing that individual to a place where the real truth is known in their hearts. They are either going to change or they are going to die.  Behind the idea of death is also the understanding that a choice made on this side of eternity affects their existence on the other side of eternity, so there are a lot of factors at work here.

That is why I love the verse from Psalms.
Commit....make that decision under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Make that commitment to not just quit using and drinking...but a commitment to God.
A commitment to turn will and life over to His care. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but it sure has to be better than your today.
Once that commitment has been made and you start this recovery journey, you will find that the desires of your heart begins to change.
You no longer will desire those things that use to cloud your mind and bring you into one bad choice after another. You will find that you will begin to desire what God desires for you.

This idea of commitment carries us into a new community of people.
Some refer to this community as "Church".
I find life in such a place. I learn how to love others and be loved by others.
I find a place where my hunger for God's word can be fed. Where I can be equipped to carry out Step#12-- taking the message to others. 

In my commitment to God, I learn to leave everything with Him. In turn, God is trusting me, or rather entrusting me with more than just sobriety. More than just having a new life that is free from addiction. He has placed me in a geographical location to establish His kingdom rule. That is, I will go out everyday and be ready to share with others. Tell our story! Simply share with others what God has done to you and through you. Isn't that what Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8? "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be MY witnesses. I think it is. You see this Higher Power that we find in Step # 1, 2 and 3 does more for us than enable us to be clean and sober. We are infused with His perfect love. I don't have to tell my story. I want to tell my story. I wait for God's direction when I meet others and simply follow His lead when the moment is appropriate. All part of this commitment to new life and new relationship with Jesus.
How cool is that?

God on you....
mb