Three Little Words

Three little words....
They weren't "I Love You!" but the thought behind the three words convey the most incredible heart of love there ever was.
They weren't "I Miss You!" even though the actions tied to these three words show a longing to have relationship.
The three little words were not "You're Really Something"....even though the one speaking them saw a value and worth in us that we still don't see in ourselves.

The three little words are the words spoken by Jesus at the end of the crucifixion.
Jesus, after drinking the wind, cried out..."IT IS FINISHED!" Bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
Every time I read those words, I am filled with the wonder, awe and mystery of this event.
No one killed Jesus.
Not the Roman soldiers....
Not the Roman government....
Not the Jewish Religious Rulers....
Not the crowd who screamed "Crucify Him".
Jesus gave himself up.
Yes, the scourging was horrific.
The anger and hatred that was directed toward Jesus is beyond human understanding.
But through it all, he went willingly, as scripture says...."A lamb to be slaughtered."
And even at the end, when Jesus knew that everything needed to be done to secure humanity for the Kingdom of God had been done............
He gave up his spirit.
He died.
And right before he died.............
He cried out..."IT IS FINISHED".
Everything he had set out to do had now been completed.
All that was left, was for him to die, be buried and be resurrected.
Death was defeated.
Hell was put in its place.
The grave no longer had to be feared.
Why?
Because Jesus had finished the course his heavenly Father had laid out for him to walk.
He had gone all the way to Calvary and taken the full weight and brunt of wrath from Father God,as the sins of the world, for all time) was laid upon the shoulders of Jesus.

These three little words didn't just roll off of Jesus' lips.
They were a definitive sounding and proclamation for all to hear that sin no longer ruled this world.
The stone had been rolled back and now all of humanity was afforded the opportunity to be reconciled and made right before God.
God had solved his own dilemma by paying the price he demanded for sin.

IT IS FINISHED.....
IT IS COMPLETE.....
PAID IN FULL.....

Praise God! What a savior we have.
God on you......

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Jesus--Need I Say More?

Isaiah 53  (Message Bible)
Who believes what we've heard and seen?
Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?

The servant grew up before God-----a scrawny seedling.
A scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away,
we looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried--
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures,
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him----our sins!
He took the punishment and that made us whole,
through his bruises we got healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong
on him....on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered,
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off---
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
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It is all a bit over whelming when I think on the death of Christ.
When I read about all he went through.....
yet knowing he didn't have to, it is a bit overwhelming.
Knowing that Christ made himself a target for the wrath of God to be poured out one him because of my sin....it is overwhelming.
Knowing that with every selfish act I do.....
Every hateful word I say....
Every terrible thought I allow in my mind......
That is reason Jesus hung on that cross.

My sin!
Yet here on this Good Friday, I am overwhelmed at the love it took to walk the path Jesus did.
First off....
Love for his Father that he would carry out his wishes.
Second....
Love for a creation that hates him. Jesus died anyway for those who were yet to be brought unto salvation.
That is real love.
Here on this Good Friday....
And with the coming of Easter this Sunday....
Today I can proclaim with a heart of gratitude, the words to that old hymn.....

My sin, o' the bliss of this glorious thought....
My sin, not in part but the whole....
Has been nailed to cross and I bear it no more...
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! O my soul!!

It may be Good Friday.....
But Sunday's Coming!!!

God on you.....
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Easter 1980

Some things only get better with time. 2nd Chapter of Acts is one of them.
The year....1980. Day before Easter. A Saturday night.
I had finished a hard day at a pizza restaurant at the Gadsden Mall and was now home with my wife.
Sitting in our living room, we were talking about the next day being Easter and what we were going to do. The time was 11:30 p.m.
It was to be our first Easter together since we had rededicated our lives to Christ. 7 years of living outside of God's will had taken a toll on both of us, but now we had begun the journey of following Jesus.
We were in our living room, our sons down the hall asleep in their bed.
We were listening to WDJC, a local Christian Radio Station.
The DJ was sharing about his life, the struggles he had faced and how the faithfulness of God had kept him all these years. His story was intense and it was as if he'd forgotten that he was on the radio. He had become a voice that filled our living room and was sharing intimate details of his life before Christ. The misery and the heartache of all the things he tried to fill his life and heart with, seem to add up and take a toll on his life. The longer this voice kept talking, the more we were drawn into his story.

I remember that his story went on for nearly 30 minutes and the thought of running any commercials or station ID's were discarded. This voice continued to share how Christ had saved him from a life of destruction and a eternity of separation from Jesus. I remember that the voice became extremely excited as he moved into the portion of his story where God became a reality to him. The thrill of his salvation experience and the desire to share his story with anyone and everyone. He spoke of the life he now had with Jesus as his savior and the Holy Spirit living inside him. On and on....he shared. Finally the voice said..."Well, it's 12:01 a.m. .............Easter Morning. Ladies and gentlemen...........He is risen!!!! Our living room was suddenly flooded  with the sounds of Easter Song by 2nd Chapter of Acts. Vicki and I sat there totally mesmerized as the presence of God became a reality while this song played. It was a celebration of the triumph of Christ over death, hell and the grave.. It was one of the most incredible times I have ever experienced. My first Easter celebration as a believer. .
Enjoy this song! More than anything.....Worship while it's playing.
Let the truth of the resurrection become more than a mental piece of information...
Let it become life and healing and truth and love and grace and mercy and freedom in Christ.!
Why?
Because He Is Risen!!!!!

God on you....
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God's Spelunker

I Samuel 22:5
And the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not go back to the cave. Depart and go into the land of Judah."

David's life had not turned out like he thought it would.
Forced to go on the run for his life because of Saul's threats to kill him, David, successor to Saul, had been living in a cave.
Don't you know there was a lot of down time there in that cave.
Down time that actually gave David too many opportunities to sit and think about his situation.
"I don't feel like a king."
"Kings don't live in caves...they live in palaces."
Many months would pass before David took his rightful place as ruler and King.
David never envisioned it to be like this.
He thought back to the day Samuel had showed up at his fathers house.
Samuel was there under direct orders from God to anoint the next king.
Saul had disqualified himself from being king through his acts of disobedience.

David had been in the fields tending his father's flocks that day when his brother came looking for him.
"The priest Samuel is at the house and wants to see you."
"Why would he want to see me?" David thought to himself.
What happened next was forever burned into David's memory.
Samuel praying this powerful prayer over David as he poured oil upon his head.
The understanding and feeling that the Spirit of God had come to David and was now in him and over him.


Eventually time in the cave came to and end and it was a man of God who told David....Do not return to the cave.
The cave was a safe place during this time of storms and upheaval.
It wasn't a perfect place but it was safe.
Only trouble was, he couldn't be king by staying in the cave. David had to leave and face his problems. He had to seek God's help in order to take the next step that would eventually lead to the throne.

In many ways, those in recovery face the same things that David struggled with.
Being in a rehab and going through a program is like being in the cave of Adullam. It might not be the perfect place but it is a safe place. Usually people do one of two things........they want to leave before they are ready........or they want to stay longer than they should. In the Kingdom of God, timing is everything.
David knew that he would not make any progress by staying in the cave.
He knew that there were things (People, places and problems) that were awaiting him and had to be dealt with.
David also knew that he was powerless (think back to his encounter with the giant, Goliath---"I come to you in the name of Almighty God...David knew that any power he possessed was from God).
But David also knew that prayer was the key to his moving forward.
He would seek God's council in every move he had to make.
What if we got a hold of this idea? Seeking the council of God before we made our decisions. I mean what if we truly started to live our lives like this? We might be surprised by what happens.

David heeded the words of the prophet.
He left the cave and went forward to face his problems.
God went with him and gave him instruction every step of the way.
I want to trust God like David did.
David's God was a practical God who delivered him all the days of his life.

Don't stay in the cave...
I know its a safe place but your problems are still out there waiting.
Seek the face of God and listen for his instructions.
Come out and live life to its fullest.

God on you....
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Fireworks That Bring Out The Best Of God In Us

What is the number one thing I hear from those who are working a program of recovery?
"Life is hard!"
What is the number one thing  I hear from those whose struggles aren't found in addiction?
"Life is hard!"
What is the common thread between these two?
"Life is hard!"
You know what? I have found that to be true in my own life.
"Life is hard!"

I like how James 1:2-4 reads in the Message Bible.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Did you catch the way the verses were phrased?
"Under pressure, our faith-life (or what we truly believe) is forced into the open for everyone to see."
Pressure brings out the real "me".
Pressure shows me my real heart. Do I trust God, or has it all been a show and sham.
Pressure is where I find out the truth about myself. I either have changed or I am merely playing the religious game. Also, according to James, we should not run away from those situations and circumstances where we are under pressure but allow God to work through us. When we do, we find that we are being grown and matured to look more like our elder brother, Jesus.

Romans 5:3-5 reads:
There's more to come. We continue to shout out praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy, such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary, we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.

It would be different if God merely took us through hard times, or allowed difficult situations to come to us and we remained the same, as far as our character mattered. But through the hard times, God works in us to change our nature and character. To mature us and grow us so that we learn to rely on God and not be tossed about like paper in the wind.

It is in these hard times that we get a view of God that we don't get any other place.
We see him moving and leading us to become the people of his heart.
The people who will occupy his Kingdom rule here on earth, sharing their story of how this God was the real-deal God who delivered them out of the darkness of addiction and sin.

Far too many people who lay claim to the name of Jesus only live their relationship with him through their mouth. By that, I mean that they only talk about it. They are first to speak up against something or someone, yet let the hard times come and you don't see much of "God" flowing from their lives. The real colors of a follower of Jesus come spilling out when life happens.

Israel, the nation, saw God work in ways and miracles that no other nation had seen before. Yet these God-workings took place in the wilderness places where no one would dare have gone. You know what that tells me? That God does his best work in the middle of our problems and strife. He rises up to reveal himself in ways that we would not see in any other situation. When life is good, we don't really look for God do we? We tend to enjoy the moment and soak up the "sunshine" so to speak. But let the problems start rolling in and our attention quickly turns to God. I don't want to be a fair-weather follower. I want to be the same whether my life is going through a season of not having any problems, or I am drowning in a tidal wave of trouble. I am going to follow Jesus and let him lead me all the way.

Let God work in you today.
Let him grow you and show you how to live no matter what your situation may be.

God on you....
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NOTE: While I use the Message Bible from time to time, I do not recomend it to be used as a study Bible or your primary source of reading Scripture. It is a good paraphrase I like to use to get the feel of how Scripture might sound in our culture tody. It helps me when I teach the men at Rapha to put things in language they can understand.

The Compass Is Broken

What happens when we don't have a moral compass to guide us?
What kind of decisions do we make?
I've kind of been planted in the book of I Samuel over the past few days and, as I read, I see a family sinking down into a dark place.
The father, King Saul, has done wrong in the eyes of God.
God spoke through Samuel, the prophet, and told Saul that his kingdom was going to be taken away because of his disobedience.
David has been anointed and is the "King-in-waiting" so to speak, but this doesn't set well with Saul.
He isn't giving up his throne that easy, even though it was the real-deal-God who told him he was.
So Saul is out to kill David.
Saul lies to his son, Johnathan.
Saul pursues David on numerous occasions and, emotionally and spiritually, wavers back and forth between being afraid of David and then going off on murderous rants and anger filled speeches.

You have to remember that Saul is the King, so his actions and behavior are affecting the people under his rule. (To me this story speaks volumes about the need to be careful who we elect to office)
Here are some excerpts from this morning's QUICK STUDY BIBLE STUDY:

1.) When the vision of Creator God is blurred or darkened by political powers in a nation, all hell breaks loose making it hard to discern right from wrong.
      A.) Truth be known, our government recognizes God only in name. I'm not trying to lump every politician in one big heap. There are some in Congress, in our courts and even in the white house who are trying to follow the dictates and heart of God. We need to be in prayer for those few who recognize God's hand upon this nation as our only means of survival.

2,) When there is no clear vision of God in a home, community, or nation, the immorality of lying becomes a way of life.
     A.) Tell the people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. I think maybe this has even spilled over into the professing church. Speak of material wealth and riches and a destiny that always seems out of reach. Fill the peoples hearts with false hope. God help us.

3.) When there is no clear vision of God in a home, community, or nation, those who honor God will be fed and protected.
     A.) I can attest to this. God has been our portion over the past 15 years. During that time he has met every need (did you catch that? need...not want) we have had. He has been more than faithful and has proved himself time and time again. My hope is not found in the provision of the Federal Government, but in the economy of heaven.

So what does this have to do with us today? In the call to follow Jesus is the moral atmosphere of the Kingdom of God in our homes and our lives. We truly are not citizens of this planet, our home is in heaven.
Larry Norman, in his album Aliens In A Strange Land, said, "The world is in a mess, I wonder who began it....don't look at me, Sir, I'm only visiting this planet."

God, in his infinite love, has called us out of darkness.
The darkness of addiction.....
The darkness of terrible relationships.....
The darkness of our old life style....
To set us in the light of this new way of living.
We no longer have to lie, cheat or steal.
We can live in truth.
Think on these things....

God on you......
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Sunday Musings

John 11:14
So then he told them plainly,"Lazarus is dead."

There are those poor unfortunates out there who spend their lives focused on the thought that "this God I'm being told about is far off and doesn't communicate."
How wrong could you be.
This idea that God does not speak to us is one of the chief tools the devil uses against us.
In fact in Genesis 3, he begins his temptation to the woman with the words..."Has God really said...."
Putting doubt into the mind of the woman about the words of God.

You know, if I couldn't "hear" God, I don't know how I'd go about the business of following him.
That's another point.
Why would he call us to follow if he isn't going to direct us and show us where to go and what to do.
The biggest enemy I have against hearing God is myself.
I tend to over think things. To analyze till I'm paralyzed (Favorite saying in recovery).
In other words, I'm trying to understand with my intellect rather than hear with my heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight.
At every turn....
With every decision....
I take "ME" out of the way and let God guide me.
The hard part is when what God wants conflicts with what I might want, but that does not lessen
the "Getting me out of the way" part.
I listen for God.
I learn to listen for God.
I practice trying to hear God.
And when I hear something, I do it.

Early on, my good friend Jim Bentley had an encounter with God and in the process thought that God had spoken to him that he was to start a church. Through trying to follow what God was saying, Jim visited several men who were leaders in his church and listened to what they said. After a year or so, and through several other events, Jim went to Nashville to meet with John Wimber who was the Pastor of the Anaheim Vineyard Church. Jim explained what he thought God wanted him to start a church, and that Jim wanted to do so under the covering and authority of the Vineyard. John replied to Jim.........."If this is God, it will succeed.....if it wasn't from God, then it will die." I think John's exact words were either it will swim or it will drown. But Jim was left with a decision to make. I will do this and see if God truly did tell me to start a church. Well, 27 years later the Gadsden Vineyard Church is still alive and well. I think maybe God did speak to Jim. And plainly to!

Spend energy learning to hear God.
Tell God that you want to hear him when he speaks.
Tell God that you are ready to learn how to hear him.
Ask God to speak to you in a manner and way that you'll know it isn't just your own thoughts you are hearing in your mind.
You might be surprised at what happens!
God on you....
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Last nights meeting at Rapha was again one of those where God was very gracious.
We had 6 men give their lives to Jesus.
Please pray for these men as they start this new part of their recovery.
Pray that the seed of God that has been planted in their hearts will not be stolen by the enemy or die because of neglect and a return to their old ways.
Right now is a crucial time in their lives.
They have made a decision to walk in a new way and manner.
It is awkward to them as they learn how to follow Jesus.
But with much prayer cover and God's Holy Spirit at work in each of them, I know that they will take their place in the Kingdom.
Until tomorrow....
God on you ...again!
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