THREE MINUTE ADVANTAGE

 

Storms last night.... Wind, rain, rain and then wind. People on television providing information as to what was going on. They could not change anything or make the storm change direction. All they could do was keep up with it and give information as they gathered it. 

One local station's weather phrase is "We are your three minute advantage." What that means is that their radar is advanced enough that a 3 minute heads up can be sent out to alert folks of the coming storm. Three minutes...not a very long time is it?

Even with all our technology, the storm still rolled through. Damage was done to towns and communities. At the time of this posting, I'm not sure if there are any deaths or not. I pray that there aren't.

So what would you say if someone gave a warning about an impending event? Would you be grateful to know that such a cataclysmic event was coming, but that you had advanced warning so as to prepare for it.

What if I said that such a warning was not a "Three Minute Advantage," but was hundred upon hundreds of years old. That mankind was given notice of what was going to transpire as well as a way to escape the destruction brought on by this event.

What might this be? The return of Christ. Now I am not here to debate anyone's view of what the Word said, but I do believe that we can all agree that Jesus is going to return.

Revelation 22:12 - And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to give to every one according to his work.

He's coming back to reward everyone according to their work (deed, actions, choices, behavior). My mind goes to Romans 6:23 /  "For the wages (that which we have earned) is death. Wait a minute! Don't we all die at some point? We do, but this death mentioned in the Romans passage is what is referred to as the 2nd death, or a separation from God. Since God is the source of all life, then the 2nd death would be cut off from that life.

All throughout the Scripture there are prophetic verses concerning the return of Christ, so it isn't as if we were not told of what is to come. I guess the question of the day is, "What are you going to do with these words of Christ Return?"  Do you turn to Him for salvation, restoration and new life? Or do you continue on in the path you have chosen, ignoring the call to prepare yourself.

Food for thought on a Thursday.

God on you....

Michael b.

HOPE

 

I have had the lyrics to a Mark Heard song running around in my brain for a few weeks now. Can't seem to shake it, nor do I wish too. Simple words.....easy words...But sometimes it is the simple words that carry the most power. The simple words that God speaks through to bring hope and light to a soul in darkness....

"When the weight of this world crashes down on you, He will listen to you. When your sky turns black and your thought's turn blue, God will listen to you. He will listen to you. Always listen to you. He understands how His children feel, He will listen to you."

More than just listen, He will act on the words of our prayers. He will move upon the pain we feel inside when we turn to Him. How empty and dark is a soul that chooses to wallow in the darkness of self despair. Sometimes life drains us to the point that we can't see beyond the pain and darkness. But there is this spark of light.... a small flame that draws our attention and whispers to us  that "There is hope." Hope that sees beyond our situation. Hope that comes with healing to take away the mental anguish of the bondage we find ourselves in.

Times like these call for an honest cry of out heart. Not some "King James / Old English" prayers. But a prayer than may simple consist of two words..."Oh God...Oh God...Oh God.." Such prayers come from within, and it is our pain that God hears behind those two simple words.

I found myself in Lamentations this morning, in some verses that I have read numerous times.

Chapter 3:19-24

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I HAVE HOPE.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions NEVER fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, " The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him."

Maybe someone needed to read this today because of the things that are happening in their life. I know that these words spoke to me, as I remembered that God is greater than any situation I may encounter today. God is greater than my past. I recall His love, AND I HAVE HOPE.

God on you....

mbb

HOW LONG LORD?

 

Will He Really?

We read the words.
We ponder them in our minds.
We long for it in our hearts.
But do we truly understand what is being said?
What you may ask?

Revelation 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely, I am coming quickly."

This is not some random statement that is intended to make us feel good or give us goose bumps. It is true. Not only are the words true, but the intent of the message is true.
Jesus will return.
I do not say these things to elicit a response or a nod of your head, no...I say them so that you may ponder them and hide them in your heart.

Jesus' mother, Mary, is said to have treasured all the things the angel spoke of concerning Jesus' birth, in her heart. She held on to them not to give herself worth, but to give herself hope. She was an outcast due to her pregnancy. She needed hope.

Notice the verse in Revelation 22:
A.) Surely.........
This is certain. It will happen. His return is not contingent on anyone or anything. God the Father holds the key and at the appointed time, he will turn to the Son and say, "Go and get your bride."

B.) I am......
We have heard that name before. I AM.
But here it isn't a name but the declaration of an event.
I am.....

C.) Coming......
To us.
From Heaven.
He will come and if you think now is a strange time, wait until this takes place. Nothing will ever be the same, and I'm alright with that.

D.) Quickly.......
N0t based on earthly time.
According to the Father. He has appointed everything in its own time.

Are you ready?

mb

DO NOT FEAR

 

John 14:1
"Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe in Me."

Seems to be a season of great uncertainty in the lives of many I come in contact with.
The uncertainty of what to do....
Where should we go from here?
What is waiting for us out there?
Live has seem to reach a point where God is "stirring the nest", or making things uncomfortable. so that we will move forward.
A time between season's in our life.
We don't know what to do next, so we hold on tightly to where we are today. We find ourselves growing anxious and confused because we won't turn loose and take that step into the uncertainty that lies before us. 

To me, and believe you me I haven't arrived at some sort of being a expert on this, every moment should be steeped and focused as like the words of John 14:1 . Our belief in God and His faithfulness should permeate every decision we make. Our energy should be poured out on hearing Him and following what we are told. If you really want to get down to it, all life is uncertainty. We do not know what is coming next. Here, this morning, sitting at my computer, I have no idea what truly will happen today. Oh, I have a schedule to keep and places to go, but no knowledge of what will interject itself into my day. I have to trust God.

Now, think about this? Why would Jesus say those words we read in John 14:1? Why would he make such a statement about "troubled hearts"? Because He understood the human condition. He knew how the human heart works, that it is has a natural penchant to be troubled by the future and the uncertainty of life. He knew that left unchecked, the human heart would be fearful to the point that it would put a halt to everything. He knew that this was a dangerous way to live and that it could eventually become a prison that kept us in bondage. 

God never called us to live life on these terms.
Trust and obey....
Trust and move forward....
Believe and be free.....
Don't let fear and uncertainty lock you away from the blessings of God.
Hold to God's unchanging hand...

48 YEARS AGO

 

On this day 48 years ago, my son Chad came into this old world.

48...doesn't seem that long.

Time has a way of sliding through our fingers like water, doesn't it?

Last night, as I sat across the table from my son, I had so many memories that came flooding thorough my mind.

"Weeble's Wobble but they won't fall down"...

Chad sitting in the floor playing his "Peoples" as he called them.
Reading him his favorite story "Grover And The Leaky Faucet".

You better not skip a page, a line, or a word because Chad knew the story by heart, and if you did not read it correctly he would stop you and say, "That's not right."

Years passed and "Peoples" became flesh and blood friends.
Chris Beshears, Shannon Bowen, John Works, Cory and Terry Michael Elrod.

All part of the gang that terrorized Greene Street (not really, they did what boys did).

There were bottle rocket battles on the 4th of July....

Attempts to roll yards during Halloween...

All the things that make up and define the life of a boy.

But like all boy's, Chad grew to become a man. And what a man He has become.

Loves his wife...
Loves his children.

Provides and takes care of them.

Yes, last night was super special to me as I sat and watched my son interact with family.
Chad exemplifies the love a father is to have for his wife and his children.

I remember when my son was saved...

I remember when he came to his mother and me and told us that he was

going to go to Ukraine for the summer to help start a youth group for a local church there.

I remember the faithfulness that God has shown to my son...

The grace and mercy that has followed him through the years.

Oh, like all of us, Chad has had his struggles, has fought his battles, and has turned to God for strength.
through it all, Chad has carried a heart that will not give up.

So on this day, this proud father proclaims his love for his first born.

On this day, this proud father wishes him the happiest of happy birthdays.

Thank you for being the man you are...
And know that I love you and am proud of you...

love

Dad

FOCUS

 

Found this posting from 2014, and what caught my eye was in the opening line about the "rumor" of war in the Ukraine. Couple this with the list of insane stuff that was going on in 2014 and it reads like today's news. 

I need to remember that God is in control of the events taking place around us today. As Jan Markel reminds us from time to time on her podcast...."Things aren't falling apart...they are falling into place.

mbb

*******************************************************************************************

II Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Dark Times out there....
Rumor's of war in the Ukraine...
Economy is up in the air, much fear over what the future holds.
The government has lost their collective common sense, and they rule as though they answer to no one.
Now you take all this mess and top it off with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, you got yourself a wing-doozey of a life.

I think it would be safe to say that such a lifestyle would be steeped in hopelessness. Without hope...without something to lay hold of, such thoughts of suicide would seem plausible as a way out from dealing with everything. Suicide is not the answer. How about life...
Real life...
Abundant life...
Life like you've never tasted before.
Not church life...
or religious life...
But life as it was intended for you to have.
Life found in Christ.

What is the one word that is used over and over in recovery? 
POWER! That is why I love this verse from II Chronicles. Did you catch what was written? God wants to show Himself strong to those whose heart is committed, or loyal to Him.  Strong equals Power. This isn't some sort of mental exercise to give the illusion of hope. It is the real deal - God invades your life - gives to you the ability to walk out that which you never have been able to in the past. That is real recovery. It's more than the absence of drug's and alcohol. It is the presence of God in you and in me. 
If you take something out, you have to put something back in it's place. If I am giving up my D.O.C., then something must be put back in that empty void that exists inside me. That something is Jesus!

When you search yourself looking for answers to the way out of your addiction, you can't find any. Oh, you've tried to quit a million/gazillion times, and failed at each attempt. You've tried this plan...and you went to this rehab....you took this medication...and you tried this form of recovery and each time you failed. Why? Because you are trying to run the show. You are trying to call the shot's. Trouble is, you can't be the problem and the solution at the same time. It doesn't work.....it never work's. But when you've had enough suffering....when you've had enough self-inflicted pain....when you're sick and tired of being sick and tired...then you're ready to recover. Message Bible puts it in pretty clear language if you read Matthew 5:3 --- "You are most blessed when you come to the end of your rope...for there, there is less of you and more of God." I can't really begin this journey in recovery and relationship with Jesus until I get me out of the way. That is a hard lesson for some to learn. In fact, some never learn it. Buried a lot them over the years. 
I can't do this....
I believe God can....
That is the simplicity of this new life I talk about every day.

God on you...
mb

MIKE-BITE "Giving Thanks"

Taking a look at Psalm 107 and the truth of who God is, and why He is worthy of our praise and gratitude.

 

THE SIMPLE ACT OF GIVING THANKS

 

Psalm 107:1 / Give Thanks unto the Lord.......

Seems to me that the act of giving thanks has to be based on a person's life and their view of God. Not all thanks comes from a happy place. Not all thanks comes from a place where rainbows are rampant and unicorns are not unusual. Sometime thanks wells up when the day's are darkest. When the pain is at its peak. When you feel the most alone. Those are the times we  need to shake off the grave clothes of this world, lift our arms to heaven, and with a shout that comes from deep within cry out "Thank You Lord!"

Our gratitude should not be based on the state of our life. By that, I mean the material situations we find ourselves in. Plenty of money.....good health.....great relationships....nice house to live in.......a great job...and on and on and on. Such is not the basis for the kind of Thanks I am talking about. Nothing wrong with having a comfortable life. But sometimes this comfort becomes more important and stands in the way of our relationship with God. We sometimes use our state in life to view ourselves as being "alright" in the eyes of God. Truth be known, as I've heard it stated before..."I am a great sinner...and He is a Great Savior." Everything else is just gravy.

Let gratitude and thanks be the compass point you look to today as you pray. Don't let the dark voices of this world lull you into grumbling and complaining about your life. Find one thing that you can look to God and say, "Thank you Father!".

If you continue on in Psalm 107, the rest of verse one gives an explanation as to why we should give thanks.  "For He is good; His love endures forever." This doesn't mean that His actions toward us are good (we know they are)...but that He IS good. He created the act of goodness. He defined what it means to be good. He IS good. Present tense, right now kind of God. Sure am glad it doesn't say, "He WAS good." or He WILL be good."

His love endures forever! Endures means to outlast. Outlast what? Anything that comes against Him. Any theology...any ideology...any political  view that seeks to overthrow the very idea of God. His love is forever and amen. Here again, as we are called to give thanks, we must know why we are giving thanks. What is in our hearts that lift us to this point where we need to verbally communicate our feeling and fears to this God who loves unconditionally and without fail. One of most favorite saying comes from a good friend of mine. She was teaching on the love of God and made the following statement. "God loves us just the way we are....but He loves us so much He does not want us to remain in this state." His love to us is the fuel that moves us forward in life.

So on this Tuesday morning...why not start you day off with a big ol' Thank You Lord!"

God on you...

michael b

BEING THE CHURCH-----NOT DOING CHURCH

 

Psalm 8:6-9
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands. You have put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field. The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the sea.
O Lord, our Lord...How excellent is Your name in all the earth.

The passage from Psalms kind of jumped out at me this morning.
According to the best as I understand it, we have been given dominion over the work of God's hands.....
Does this mean the physical world that we see?
Yes...
Does it mean the Kingdom work that is going on around us?
Being the people of God, interacting and moving according to His plans....?
I think maybe it does.

In Matthew 4:4, we are called to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God....In other words, there is spiritual nourishment that sustains our lives when we not only hear, but do the Words of Christ.
Exercise in the Kingdom would include taking what we hear God say, and then being responsible for seeing it carried out.
Feeding the hungry....
Praying for those we are directed to pray for.
Visiting the ones who are in jail or prison.
Healing the sick....
Raising the dead....
And finally, according to Matthew 11:5, preaching (proclaiming / declaring) the incredibly good news that there is freedom from the bondage of this world in Jesus.

God did not give us dominion so we could be a passive church.
God did not tell us to feast and live on His word, so we could occupy a seat at church.
He did not call us to be a spectator watching others do the kingdom work.
You need to understand the place I'm coming from, when I say these things.
I do not believe in simply being active for activities sake.
What I am saying is that we all, if we truly believe and are followers of Jesus, have been given dominion and authority, backed with His POWER, to infect....effect...and affect our corner of the Kingdom.
Kind of a Matthew 25 mandate to do the works of Jesus.

We have a call not to be religious so others will see Jesus....
We have a call to be His body, or corporate gathering of people each trying to hear what they should do.
It is a life of taking risks....
It is being at the grocery store and seeing that women in a wheel chair and suddenly you have this faint thought, "I need to go pray for her". But you pass it off because that just isn't you. Well, what if it were God? What if that was your assignment for the day? 
You think to yourself, "I wouldn't know what to pray!"
If you ask God, He just might tell you.
Maybe she needs an encouraging word from you.
Maybe, just maybe, God wants to heal her....you never know with God what is going to happen.

What's the worse that could happen?
You go over and let her know that God has put her on your heart and you'd like to pray for her. If that doesn't scream the "LOVE OF GOD", then nothing does. It is the mystery of God's Kingdom...the not knowing in advance but willing to take a risk. Stepping out there to speak truth and love.
I have seen people do that and stop potential suicides.
Simply because they thought they heard God say, "Go and pray for that person". The person they were suppose to pray for was contemplating suicide because they thought that no one cared and they had nothing to live for.
This isn't some kind of made up example to get you to believe in what I'm writing. I have witnessed such by a man who had an encounter that he had no way of knowing that God speaking through him would stop a suicide. The man was simply following through on what God had told him to do, which was go over and talk to this man who had caught his attention.
That is what we were created for.
That is what we have been called to do.
Walk in the authority and power of God.
Think on these things...
And watch for appointments today that God may set up for you.

God on you...
mb

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

 

Luke 23:34

And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Hanging on the cross, his body racked with pain, the first words that Jesus says is about forgiveness. How incredible is that?

Jesus could have prayed that His enemies be instantly put to death.

He could have prayed that the earth open its mouth and they be swallowed into hell.

He could have prayed that they all be placed on crosses and made to suffer as He was. Instead, He prayed that they would find grace in the eyes of God, and that God would forgive them for their sins.

Jesus demonstrated what He had been teaching His disciples all along. That we are called to respond differently than the world does when we are wronged. Jesus modeled a lifestyle that was not bound by the dictates of this world, but rather by His father in heaven.

On the cross, Jesus practiced what He preached. Jesus loved His enemies, blessing those who cursed Him. Doing good to those who hated Him, and praying for those who despite fully used Him and persecuted Him. Jesus demonstrated something that we all need to realize today. Contrary to the writings of modern day psychologists, man's two main needs are not "security and significance," But rather forgiveness for sin and redemption from sin.

Think on this today....

Romans 4:7 -

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Ephesians 4:32-

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

He is risen!

mb

WHEN THE DARK MIRROR BECOMES CLEAR AND YOU SEE YOURSELF

 

John 8:31-32
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

Why is it we, as Americanized Christians, always see ourselves as being part of those who fall under the "free" category? We've been set free by the truth (isn't that what the verse says in John 8:32?). 
Why is we never see ourselves as not being completely free from wrong concepts, ideas and world views that we have allowed to form in our minds and  hearts. We tend to use ourselves as the measuring rod for all scripture. Heaven forbid that we should still have anything wrong with our ideas or understanding of Scripture, or who God is, or what His desire is for us. "It doesn't matter how flawed my stinking thinking is....I'm under grace." We would have a hard time admitting that maybe some of our thoughts about God...relationship with Christ....church and what it truly is suppose to be....may not be completely in the scope or territory of right. Just saying...

After all we have a study Bible (even though we don't really study it)...The complete Time/Life Worship series on CD...even though we don't listen to them.....And we put $5.00 in the offering plate every Sunday without fail. How could we ever see ourselves as not being free? I mean come on! We've been saved. 

Well, salvation is not the end, but only the beginning. Jesus never called people to "take up your cross and sit down and figure all this stuff out on your own." Didn't happen. Life/relationship with Jesus was about movement and following Him. It was a life of obedience, and such translates into our time and space the same as when He spoke the words back in Luke 9:23.  Maybe I should expend myself on learning to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.....and then do what He tells me to do.

Following Jesus isn't about me coming up with my own translation of what He said in Scripture. It's about me allowing God's Holy Spirit to translate it for me. Isn't it funny how we try to upgrade scripture? We try to move Scripture into the 21st Century and make it relevant. We take Scripture and place it under one of three categories.
1.) It's  metaphorical /  God didn't really mean what He said...He's just putting it into a symbolic gesture so we could know what's going on.

2.) It's an example / God is trying to show us a deeper truth (sometimes the deep things of God are really not that deep. We want them to be so we can claim ignorance.

3.) It's true/  He said it....now go live it. What's more relevant to all who have been saved, than the simple call to follow? What is more relevant than the standard of obedience that we all have been called to embrace. 

Relationship with Christ is not a spiritual free-for-all where we get to pick and choose like ordering from a Chinese menu. It is a life of denying self in order to embrace a life found in Christ. Not popular, but none the less true. You see, I've been directed down a rabbit trail that I never really wanted to go down. I'm seeing the religious me, and it's not a pretty picture. First off, I never considered myself to be religious. Let's clarify that term....religion. Religion is humanity expending themselves in order to get to God. Rules are drafted on how to accomplish this closing of the chasm between God and us. Some how we have created an american version of the life of a pharisee we read about in the New Testament. Religious rules have a tendency to fall into a long list of "DO NOT'S". 

Somehow, with all the "Do not's", we wind up thinking that if we act a certain way, talk a certain way, then we are Holy and therefore, by sheer deduction, worthy of God.  I found that I had certain views of the Kingdom and of God that did not line up with what Scripture said. So for the better part of the last 48 hours, I have been undoing, reading, and re-thinking some of my belief's. 

I have come to a conclusion:
The tug of religion upon a heart, is as bad as the tug of sin. Each one seems to pull you away and get you caught up in things that have no relevance to a real relationship with Jesus. To me, the scary part in all of this, is that religion could be the most dangerous of the two. Religion leaves one with a wrong impression that they are holy and godly. When in fact, all that has been learned is how to jump through the hoops that are placed in front of them. God help us all!......m.b.

What is the central focus and theme that should be found in every church?
The instruction and teaching of the Word of God.
The teaching and instruction of what it truly means to be a disciple.
How to live as Christ would have us do.
I'm not so sure that I have always allowed that to be central to what I do.
I think maybe the church is afraid to let the Word stand central to who God has called us to be, as a people of His possession. 
It might be that we need a balance between Word and Spirit. Sometimes we allow the scales to be tipped one way or the other.
I'm not one who puts the Holy Spirit on the back burner at the expense of the Word. Nor am I going to be silent on the Word so we all can experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Both are yoked for the benefit of the church. The Spirit opens my heart to the truth of the Word. The Word validates the voice of the Holy Spirit. Can't really have one without the other. Was that clear, or did I muddy the waters? I don't know that I'll ever get this relationship thing right until I find that balance in my life. 
Trying to live a life of the Word without the Spirit is a dry, dead existence.
Trying to live a life of the Spirit without the Word is living with no foundation. Everything is based on feelings. Pretty soon the "Feeling" replaces the daily discipline we are called to follow. Such will lead us into dangerous territory. 
Bottom line....
We all need to take a look at what we believe.
We need to know if it is true or not....
Then we need to be about the business of living under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks for letting me ramble this morning.

God on you....
mbb

REMEMBER

 John 15:20 /  Remember the word that I have said to you......

After getting word of the death of Gary Brooker (lead singer and founder of my favorite band, Procol Harum, I have been "binge" listening to their catalog of music. I have listened at home....in my car as I drove....in my office. I have had a continual flow of their music playing. And with each song, there came to me memories. Things that were a part of my life at the time I first heard the music.

Thoughts of our first apartment after Vicki and I were married, drinking coffee early in the morning with "Whiter Shade of Pale" playing on the stereo. Driving somewhere together and having the 8-track blasting out "Repent Walpurgis". The thought here, as I write this, is that music is a powerful force to bring up memories---both good and bad. How many stereo's did I sell during my time with Radio Shack, using the song "Wreck Of The Hesperus."? All memories that I revisited through the music I heard.

So what about the power of God's word, the Bible? Does it contain the same power to remember. Well, I do know that the Holy Spirit uses the printed word of God as a kind of mirror to see myself as God sees me when I read it. The remembrance of all God has done brings up a whole bunch of "Thank you's", Certain passages draw me to give praise to God for not leaving me in the state I was in years ago. But through His glorious gift, I was saved

Now, if secular music has the power to bring memories, what about worship music? I mean the type of songs that get all down inside you taking you from the mountain top to the valley of emotions. Worship songs that God uses to grab your heart and uncover our need for Him. Now I know that everyone reacts differently to music. I do know that we have such a thing as preference. Preference in the style of music.....preference in the sounds that make up the song, and maybe even preference as to the vocal style that sings. But no matter which, we need to find the worship that draws us into the presence of God.

The power of memories can be the fuel that God uses to push us forward. The good and the bad in our lives serve a purpose. The bad drops me to my knees in gratitude for who God is to me. The good lifts me up to move forward in places I never could get to on my own, in my own strength.

Memories may seem like a little thing, and we may not give them as much credit as they deserve, but in the hands of the Holy Spirit, memories keep us grounded, and urges us to not give up. So, what do you say? Do we move forward today and make some new ones? I think maybe yes.

God on you...

Michael b.

ASRISE O' LORD....ARISE!!!

 

Arise.....
Arise Oh Lord.....O Jah, let God arise.
If ever we needed to see Jesus, today is the day.
If ever we needed to feel the presence of God....today is the day.
So I will wait for you.
I will wait.

Jesus knows all about our plight and current state.
He has heard our groaning and crying out to Him.
He is not slack or late in answering our cries....
He understands what it is like to be shunned by others.
Isaiah 53:3
He is despised and rejected by men.
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him.
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Even in all of this, He never turned His back on us.
Us....the ones who used His name in a way that did not honor Him.
Us....the ones who laughed and sneered when we saw or heard someone preaching on a street corner, warning us of the dangers that lay ahead in this life.....and into the next one.
Us....who thought ourselves to be above such religious drivel.
Us....who gave no thought to anything other than what would feed our own appetites.
We are the ones Jesus never turned His back on.
In fact, He gave His back to His accusers to be beaten and reduced to human rubble.
I am the reason Jesus went to the cross....
He wasn't weighed down by the weight of wood....
He wasn't bent over because of the burden of the cross....
It was my sin.....
And your sin......
That is what bent Him over in agony. Paying a price for a debt that was mine and mine alone.
It was the sin of the world, placed on Him that brought the most pain.
It was the awful realization that God the Father had turned His face away and darkness covered the earth so as not to see what was taking place.
He gave His life.
He chose to surrender it to the Father and cry out..."It Is Finished!" Loosely translated...."Paid in full." The sin debt was satisfied.

So now, here, today...
I ask you, Lord, to arise.....
Arise in our homes....
Arise in our hearts....
Arise in us and let us follow you this day.
I do not know what lies ahead.
I'm not sure what is out there waiting on me.
It could be that this is my last day here on planet earth.
If that be the case, then let it be said that "he died following".

God on you....
thanks for stopping by the Greene Street Letters.
mb

MIKE-BITE -- "God IS love....not God was love

 

WHAT DOES YOUR HISTORY SAY TO OTHERS?

 

Psalm 107:43

Those who are wise will take all this to heart. They will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.

Lives today are so rushed and self-centered that many never stop to take stock of the journey they have been on, or think of the people they may have come in contact with and the impact they may have had on their lives. Yet, in the scripture from Psalm, we read that our history, our journey will reveal a lot about what we believed and who we believed. King David wrote that those who take the word of God to heart will see the love of God woven all throughout the history of Israel. In the good times as well as the bad, God was there. The people may have thought that God had deserted them, but the truth was he had not.

So what do people come away with when they look at your story or your "history?" Do they see the faithful love of God in every day and event that you have faced? Do they see the promises and protection that God may have extended to you when you were going through trials and tribulations? Or do they see you making decisions and carrying them out in your own strength, ignorant of God and his desire to guide you. Our past speaks volumes and reveals where our allegiance lies. I love what the apostle Paul writes in II Timothy 1:12 ----And this is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. Did you catch that? Paul said that he knew "Who" he believed in and relied upon................he didn't write, "I know WHAT I have believed."

Our history, our journey through this life should reflect the love of God as we grow in him daily. How is His love reflected? Through my interaction with others and the way I treat them. God loves me so I can love others. Not the syrupy, mushy, goofy kind of love the world has to offer, but real, dynamic AGAPE-unconditional love that covers a multitude of sins (At least that is what the Bible says). God-love that changes my corner of this planet one heart at a time.

That is what life is all about. Letting people see and read your history so that they can see the faithful love of God. Remember.............your life may be the only Bible that others may see.

God on you......

mb

POSER'S? OR THE REAL DEAL?

 

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
I have a picture of me when I was 4 years old.
I'm standing in the back yard with a pair of my father's work boots on.
They come up to my knees and are huge.
I remember clumping around in them trying to be like my dad.
I was trying to imitate him, be like him, walk like him.
Paul wrote in Ephesians we are to do the same thing except that the imitation we reveal comes from an inward change not just outward behavior.What wonderful words when Paul wrote "Be Imitators of God!: 

In the verses from Ephesians, Paul refers to believers as "dearly loved children". Now some could take offense at that but it is really a wonderful label.
We are to be "child like" in our relationship with God, not childish.
Children have a wonderful capacity to believe what is told them.
We should do likewise in this relationship. Take God at His word and simply be who He has called us to be.


You see, I have this kind of warped view of how thing about imitating God should work.
I have never believed that God has called us to "Do" first.
He has called us to "be". We are referred to as human beings, not human doings. Stay with me here. If I concentrate and expend my energy on being the man God has called me to be, then the doing will follow. This doesn't meant that I spend months or years on learning how to be before I ever do. No! The doing follows as you grow in God. Whereas you use to fear sharing your story with others, you will suddenly find a boldness and a willingness to incorporate what God has done for you into your conversation.

Somehow our thinking has been twisted. We bought the idea that if we "do" a bunch of stuff, then God will look at us like we are really growing when, in fact, we have not changed or grown in Him. Wouldn't you be really bummed to have spent your entire life running around making apple pies for God only to discover that God doesn't like apple pies? Sure you would. But what if you spent your life becoming the person God has always wanted you to be? That would be worth the time and energy as you allowed the Holy Spirit to truly guide you.
As Paul wrote......
"Think on these things."

God on you...
mb