“Drawing my life from Jesus…?”

It seems as though our lives are plagued with this constant roller coaster flow of trials and blessings, heart aches and joys.  We can feel we are standing on top of the world one day only to plummet to the bottom of the ravine the next.  So when things are good or I am experiencing spiritual highs, I tend to want to soak up a large reserve of the spiritual closeness and power to hold in store so I can make it through when the next valley comes.  The thing is, God has been showing me that even in my best times of worship, or my greatest times of Biblical revelation, the blessing the Spirit pours out upon me is only intended to fill me up "in that moment" and is not intended to carry me over for days to come.  Like manna God fed the Israelites with while in the wilderness; it only lasted for a day, so it had to be gathered fresh and new each morning.  Yes, unlike manna Jesus is the bread that if we eat of, we will never hunger again. (John 6:35)  But we must feed on him continually, not just once a week, or once a month at special worship services.  We tend to have a "spiritual retirement mentality."  We want to get our needs met, build up storage, and retire. (Sit back and spiritually relax for a while.)  Like the rich fool in the parable in Luke 12:18-19 who said to himself, “This is what I'll do, I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and goods.  And I'll say to myself, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat drink and be merry."  It is right and good to rest in God’s grace and goodness, and we need times of spiritual rest and rejuvenation; but we are never to retire from our spiritual fervor or stop eating the bread of life, even for a short season.

We see the same idea found in John 4 where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well.  In the course of the conversation, Jesus tells her, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.”   Her reply to him was, "Give me this water so I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."   Jesus truly is the “spring of living water” that wells up within to bring eternal life so that we will never thirst again.  But Jesus did not tell this woman that she would not have to draw from that spring of water.  He just said it would not be necessary for her to ever be thirsty again.  Although Jesus offered her the gift of eternal life, she, like us, would still need to draw life from Jesus, the source of life, every moment of every day.  Not just once in awhile, or at a special meeting, or even once a day during private devotion time.  We must continually draw our life from him, moment-to-moment.  

In John Eldridge's new book, “Beautiful Outlaw” he makes the following statement. "Jesus has no intention of letting you become whole apart from his moment-to-moment presence and life within you."  Go back and read that statement two or three more times and let it soak in....  Jesus has no intention to let us find healing or fulfillment from any other source besides himself.   We must draw our life from him, and him alone, moment-to-moment.  The question then that is purposed before our hearts is this, “Am I truly drawing my life from Jesus and Him alone, or am I drawing life from some other source other than Him?  Am I attempting to find fulfillment, security, joy, or healing from places other than Jesus?” 

The gospels recount the story of a young man that is often dubbed the “rich young ruler,” who is doing just that.  He comes running up to Jesus, kneels before him and asks, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  To which Jesus replies, “You know the commandments: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor you father and mother.”  The young man confident in his religious service replies, “Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy.”  Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said, “Go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven.  Then come and follow me.”  At that the man’s face fell.  He went away sad because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:17-21)  Jesus didn’t tell this young man to sell his belongings because there was something wrong or evil about having money or being wealthy.  Nor did Jesus ask him to give his money to the poor because that is the only “Godly” use of money.  Jesus requirement for this young man to sell all that he had and give it away, was to “expose” his soul's “true” source of life and security.   The problem this young man had, and the thing he lacked, was not in his actions, but was in his heart.  This young entrepreneur was drawing his life from his wealth and the social position it afforded him.  He was also no doubt drawing his security and his joy from them as well.  He went away sad because if this man were to do as Jesus had asked, he would be giving up his source of life, and that was something he obviously was not yet prepared to do.  His religion had always caused him to live a good life, but to solely draw his life from Jesus, and abandon all other sources of life to go and follow Jesus, was just too much.

What about us?  Are we drawing our life from our possession or social standing?  Are we drawing our life from our careers or even our benevolence?   Is our security and joy tied to money, whether we have any or not.  Is our esteem based in our intellect, or the approval of man?

A loved one of mine was struggling with finding time amongst the hecticness of life to draw from Jesus as she felt she should.  She understood the importance of it and her heart truly desires to do so, but didn’t feel like she was able to find the time.  I have good news for her, and for you.  If we have truly been born again and thus have “the spring of water that well up to eternal life” within us; then drawing our life from Jesus is not as complicated as we might think, or as mystical as “religion” would make it.  Yes, just as Jesus told the aforementioned “rich young ruler,” we must turn our trust away from the earthly things, and turn our trust toward Jesus.  But having done that, we have the “spring of life” within us and can draw from that life at any moment of our day, no matter what we are doing.  --- When you're fixing your car or mowing your lawn, speak to him - "Jesus, I draw my life and my joy from you."  --- When you are preparing dinner or washing the dishes, whisper to him - "Jesus, I draw my life and my healing from you."  --- When you are arguing with your spouse or correcting your children, cry out to him - "Jesus, I draw my life and my wisdom from you." 

Drawing our life from Jesus is not a posture or a work; it does not need to be done at a special building or at a special time.  It is an attitude of the heart, mind, and soul.  It is total dependence upon Jesus for every breath, ever need, every longing.  So what are you waiting for?  Draw from Him!  Cry out to Him!  He has been waiting for you!

"Jesus,  I abandon all I have ever trusted in before!  Jesus, I now draw my life from you… and you alone!"

“Breaking Into Prison”

In the book of Acts chapter 16, we find the apostle Paul and his sidekick Silas caught in the middle of a very riveting tale.  They were out preaching the gospel when they encounter this slave girl who was possessed by a demonic spirit that enables her to fortune-tell.  She followed Paul around for many days shouting after them.  Troubled by the situation, Paul cast the demon spirit out of the girl in the name of Jesus after which, she could no longer fortune-tell.  The owners of the slave girl having lost their source of income became very angry with Paul and Silas and stirred up the city against them causing them to be severely beaten, thrown into the inner prison and their feet fastened in stocks. 

I don’t know about you but if this had happened to me I would probably be sitting in that dungeon cell sulking, asking God “why” he had allowed such a horrible thing to happen to me while I was out doing “His” work.  My prayers would probably be very “ME” focused, pleading for freedom to escape my dreadful situation.  

We find a different spirit in Paul and Silas however as we pick up the story here starting in Acts 16:25, “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”  In their midnight hour, in the middle of their unjust imprisonment, in the middle of their pain (their backs black and blue, swollen, and bleeding from the rods they had been beaten with) in the middle of being rejected and looked down upon by their peers; we find Paul and Silas singing, worshiping, and lifting up prayers of praise to their God.  Their focus wasn’t upon their wounds or upon their present prison, but their focus was upon Jesus.  Their gaze was upon the one who had come to take their wounds and captivity upon himself at the cross. (Isa.61:1-3)  Their eyes were not upon what they could see or how they felt but were upon the unseen realm of the spirit.  No one, including the most faithful of Jesus followers, gets through this life without wounds and imprisonments but be assured that the other prisoners are listening, watching to see if our response to our problems is pouting or praise, worry or worship. 

The most incredible thing happens next in Acts 16:26, “and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.”  In the middle of their praise and worship God causes a great earthquake; the prison doors were opened and their shackles fall off.   Our immediate thought is that God had come to set them free.  But as you will see in a minute, God had not come so much to break them out of prison, but God had come to “break into their prison.”  He had come to break into their painful circumstances bringing His glory and presence.  Praise and worship in the midst of our pain will capture God's heart and he will come in power to break into our situation, bringing with Him peace, comfort and revelation of His higher purposes. 

 

“When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened; he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.  But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, do not harm yourself, for we are all here!”  (Acts 16:27-28)  The prison doors are opened but Paul and Silas didn’t leave.  If it would have been me, the minute the door popped open and my chains fell off, I would have been out of there.  I would be gone before the guard had a chance to come and shut me back in.  But Paul and Silas weren’t focused upon their freedom, for they must have had a revelation of Jesus that we all need.  In John 10:9 Jesus says of himself, “I am the Door,” and in Revelation.3:7-8 Jesus says He has put before us “an open door that no man can shut.”  Paul and Silas understood that if Jesus is the “door” that no man can shut, they were free men no matter what their physical situation portrayed; all they needed to do was cling to the “Door.”  As the door that no man can shut, Jesus could physically set them free any time He chose.  Therefore they weren’t looking for the escape route but were looking for God’s higher purpose in all that had happened to them.  Because they didn’t go dashing out the first chance they got, as their flesh would want to do, that higher purpose was immediately revealed.

“And he (the jailer) called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved.” (Acts 16:29-30)  There you have it, the higher purpose.  Paul’s temporary physical prison was for the spiritual freedom of this jailer and his entire family.  How many God encounters do I miss because I am so focused on getting out of my personal pain and prison that I miss the purposes God want to accomplish through me to help set someone else free.  When Paul and Silas praised and worshiped in the mist of their pain and prison, focusing on God's purpose of spiritual freedom being of higher value than their own physical comfort, they were shortly physically set free as well. 

The sooner I can learn to stop sulking over my problems, stop dwelling on the whys, and stop staring at my wounds and prison walls; and instead start staring at Jesus, lifting up praise and worship to Him regardless of how I feel.  When I start diligently seeking to know God’s heart and looking for opportunities to meet God’s highest purpose of setting spiritual captives free, instead of constantly looking for comfort and an escape route; then Jesus will come “break into my prison” carrying with Him supernatural peace, revelation, and purpose.  As an added benefit, Jesus will unlock my chains and release me from my prison as well.

“Who Can Separate Us From The Love Of Christ?”

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  For I am persuaded, that neither death, or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come.   Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ the Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 38-39)

As Christians we read these verses and we shout yes and amen, raise our hands, and do a little happy dance, because we mentally ascend to the fact that nothing can separate us from God’s love.   Yet the reality of life is that the “things” listed in these verses do separate Christians from Christ every day.   When the hardships and troubles of life come upon us, they tend to wear at us, often causing us to question God’s love and faithfulness.  They cause us to lose faith in the power of prayer, and the validity of the promises found in the Word.  It is not that these trials “actually” separate us from Christ’s love, but we allow them to move “us” away from Christ. 

Notice the question that is asked at the beginning of this verse.  “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?”   Yet the list is not of “who’s” but of “what’s.”   The “who” wants to use the “what’s” to put a wedge between you and Jesus!  The “who” wants to use the “what’s” to get you to doubt God’s love and faithfulness!  The “who” wants to use the “what’s” to cause you to not trust in the Word!  The “who’s” job is to steal your faith and your peace, and to separate you from your purpose. 

So who is the “who?”  The who is Satan and all his army of fallen angels.  Eph. 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  The word wiles is translated in other versions as “schemes,” “strategies,” “deceits.”  It’s defined as:  tricks, secret plans, plots.  The Strong’s Concordance says the Greek word that is translated as wiles means “to lie in wait.”  So we get this picture of a cat crouched and waiting to pounce on its prey at a moment of vulnerability. When the trials and troubles listed in our key verse above begin to happen to you, Satan will be waiting nearby, scheming and plotting your demise.  Therefore we must, “Be sober and vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) 

Below is a list of the words and their definitions from our key verse. These are tools Satan uses to try to separate us from Christ and His love.  Regardless of the type of difficult situation you are going through; be it a battle with health, finances, disasters, careers, family, or relational, Satan will use it to separate you from Christ “if” you allow him to. 

Tribulations               troubles, afflictions, anguish, burdens     

Distress                     hardship, calamity, narrowness of room    (lack of options)

Persecution                (not just religious, includes things like bullying and prejudice)

Famine                       scarcity of food     (includes a shortage of anything needed)

Nakedness                 complete nakedness   (emotionally naked and vulnerable)

Peril                            danger                        (fear:  real or imagined)

Sword                          judicial punishment

Death                          death                 (loss of something dearly loved)              
Life                              Zoe                   (good fortune: be it ours or others)

Whether your house just burnt down in a fire, you have lost your job, or your business is going bankrupt. Whether you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a terminal disease or your family is in turmoil and falling apart; in these situations the most prominent question in our minds is “Why?”  God, “why” is this happening to me?  God, if you love me, “why” aren’t you helping me?  God, if you care, “why” are you making me go through this?  I’ve been praying, God “why” aren’t you answering?  God, if the promises in your Word are true, “why” aren’t they working? 

God is certainly big enough to handle us asking the “why” questions.  But let’s be honest, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any forth coming answers to why things happen.  Satan’s battle ground is our minds and the longer we entertain the unresolved “why” question, Satan will come to fill our minds with false conclusions like, “God doesn't really love or care about me.”  “Faith doesn’t work.”  “Prayer is a waste of time.”  “The Bible isn’t true.” “You can’t trust God or His promises.”  And lastly these thoughts can lead us to the final question of, “Maybe God isn’t real at all?”   

The Bible says in Romans 8:28 that, “all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  So does that mean that God causes my house to burn down, or gives me a disease for my “good?”  If that’s the case then, “gee thanks God!”  No!  The answer is a thousand times, No!  God does not cause these bad things to happen to us, and people who say or teach sure things are ridiculous.  The trials and troubles that we face each day are a result of living in a fallen and sinful world.  They started in the Garden of Eden and are a consequence of sin and rebellion being released into our world.  God is not saying here that our tribulations and distresses are “good.”  Romans 8:28 is simply saying that God will take every situation that comes into our lives, even the bad things, and He will rearrange them so that “good” will result from them.  When we submit ourselves and our trials to Jesus and trust fully in His Word, expecting a good outcome, God can make good come from “any” situation.  It is never “good” that someone is raped or abused, but many a ministry has been born out of such trials.   It is never “good" that a person is afflicted with disease or has a debilitating accident, but many a life has been spiritually transformed as a result of such distress.  The next verse, Romans 8:29, teaches that God uses these tribulations we suffer so that we will, “be conformed to the likeness of His son.”  In other words, the end result will be that we will be made into the image Jesus.  

Instead of good resulting from our trials, many, many lives and families have also been destroyed by these same painful situations.  Why is that?  As mentioned earlier Satan's purpose is to use them to separate us from God, making us angry and bitter.  His goal is always to steal, kill, and destroy, hoping to conform us into “his” likeness, rather than the likeness of Christ. 

In John 9:1-3 Jesus was asked "why" a man was born blind; was it the result of his sin or the sin of his parents?  Jesus said that it wasn’t either, but that the end result of it would be “that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”  I believe that this is what God desires from all of us.  That when trials and tribulation of any flavor come into our lives, instead of them causing us to be separated from God, the end result of them would be that “God’s work would be displayed in us.”  That we would become more and more Christ like, and spend our lives restoring and healing others, just as we have been restored. While the perils of this life are many, they pale in comparison to what awaits us on the other side of the “jelly wall” (the doorway into the kingdom realm.)  We must learn to see through it with the eyes of our faith, being fully “persuaded” that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” 

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

“Grave Clothes”

Most of us are very familiar with the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Like all scripture this story was not recorded just as a historical document detailing Jesus life and actions, but was recorded to teach us important truth about God’s character and His relationship with us.  The scriptures are full of types, shadows and analogies; this is the case here also.

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave.  It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.  Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid…he (Jesus) cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound with a napkin.  Jesus saith unto them, loose him and let him go.  (John 11:38-44)

When Jesus came to the place where Lazarus dead body was laid, he found a stone lay over the grave entrance.  This stone was keeping death in and keeping life out.  So the first thing Jesus did was command those standing nearby to “take away the stone.”  Once the stone was removed, it would open the way for life to be imparted. 

There is a stone that lies in front of our spiritual grave as well.  It is the stone tablets of the law that contain the commandments of God.  The commandments don’t bring us life; rather they reveal to all how dead we actually are, reinforcing our sinful and dead state.  (Rom. 3-19-20)  They keep us in our grave, heaping us over with guilt and shame, bound by their unattainable dictates. The laws huge weight keeps us trapped behind its confines; for we have no power to fulfill the law’s requirements, nor remove ourselves from its grasp, we are chained in our sin.  The stone tablets of the law stands in the way of eternal life that exists on the other side, where Jesus is. (Gal. 3:24)

 Martha, the dead man’s sister protested the idea of Jesus removing the stone from the grave entrance saying, “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” Martha feared that opening the grave of a man who had been dead for such a long time would release a very foul situation.  Likewise, the religious spirit that engulfs many folks is much like Martha’s comments to Jesus, for they fear the consequences of “too much” grace, and of setting a dead sinner free.  This person has been dead (living in sin) a long time, one look at what is written on the stone will tell you how rotten, foul, and stinky he is.  Jesus, are you sure you want to remove the stone of the law from “him?”  Sure a little grace is great, but we don’t want some stinky dead guy running around here!  You have to keep the stone in place to keep the smell in check! 

Jesus’ reply to Martha and us, was in essence saying, “trust me, the stone must be removed, so that the glory of God can truly be revealed.”   After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, the stone of the law was rolled aside.  Jesus didn’t do away with the law, but he overcame it, superseding it by fulfilling its requirements.  Through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as a substitutional payment for our sin, we can now be freed from the stone of the law that held us in our spiritual grave. Salvation by grace alone reveals the ultimate glory of God.

Once the stone had been removed from in front of the grave, Jesus spoke life into the dead man, calling him out by name. Immediately Lazarus came to life, exiting from the grave.  His life and flesh restored to perfection; no doubt more alive and more whole than the day he was born.  However he was still wrapped and bound in his grave clothes.  I envision the mummy looking Lazarus hopping out of the grave like a rabbit.  His legs tightly bound together so he could not walk normally.  His arms fixed closely to his side, and his mouth covered so his speech was muffled.  His eyes and ears wrapped so that his vision and hearing were impaired.  

When we are born again our spirits are raised from the dead and are made perfect just like Lazarus’ body.   But like Lazarus, we too are still wrapped in our grave clothes.  We are often still bound by addictions, sinful habits, and worldly thinking.  We carry old wounds, accompanied by anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness.  Our face is still covered with the napkin of guilt and shame.  Our hands and feet still bound to our old habits and lifestyles. Our ears cannot yet hear God clearly and our speech often still reeks with death. These things don’t just automatically disappear, though eternal life has been infused into our spirits.  It takes some time and there is a process to our being freed from our burial wrappings.  While our Spirits are made perfect and righteous the instant we are born again, there is a process to having our “minds renewed” (Romans 12:2) and our souls “cleansed by washed with the Word.” (Eph 5:26)  There are instances where people are instantly delivered from soul wounds and old habits, but mostly it is a process that happens over time as we allow the Word to changes our thinking, and gives us understand of God’s grace, love, and power working in us.  God had promised Joshua that every place he put the soles of his feet would be given to Israel to possess.  But Joshua and the Israelites had to cooperate with God to drive the enemy out of their promised land in order to take full possession of it.  If they had stayed at the edge of the Jordan River waiting for God to evict the inhabitants of Jericho before they went into the land, they would still be waiting there to this day.  We cannot in our own efforts remove our own grave clothes.  We need God to do the supernatural in us and though us to be set free, but our part in this process is to believe what the Word says, and cooperate with Spirit’s guidance by doing as He leads. 

After Lazarus had come out of the grave still wrapped in grave clothes, “Jesus saith unto them, loose him and let him go.”   Jesus commanded the people who witnessed life being infused into Lazarus’ body to participate in the miracle by helping to free him from his grave clothes.  It is part of our duty as Christians to help set others free from their grave clothes as well.  Jesus has freed us and healed us so that we can be His hands and feet to a broken and hurting world.  Because of the things that Jesus has brought us through and healed us of, we are able to help others who may be trapped in the same grave clothes that we were once bound in.  We are often afraid to reveal to others our past, because of the vulnerability we feel, and judgment that we fear might come.  But it is our testimony of how and what God has freed us from, that will help set someone else free from similar bondages.  Revelation 12:11 tells us that we overcome Satan by Jesus’ shed blood and by testifying of what His blood has done for us.  “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”

It is the purpose of the body of Christ to help set each other free from our grave clothes, so don’t be afraid to seek out help from other believers who may have been through what you are still struggling with.  Likewise be vulnerable enough to be real, and available enough to be used by God, in order to help free someone else from their grave clothes.  Just like the resurrected Lazarus, we start out still carrying the stench of a dead man, but wind up being the aroma of Christ.

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (2 Cor.2:15-16)

“The Year the King Died”

 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphs…and they called to one another, “Holy holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.  At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.  Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined!” (Isa. 6:1-5)

As a new year emerges upon us we often ponder the past year and reflect over the highlights and low points of the year.  We resolve to make changes that will potentially improve our lives. Occasionally however, things happen that change us and the course of our life forever. Things so profound that we can never go back to who we use to be; we can never again do what we use to do.

Such was the case for the prophet Isaiah, for in the year the King died he “saw the Lord.”  His life was never the same, because “He” was never the same!  His entire life forever altered by this momentary encounter. 

As this New Year dawns I pray that you will join me and thousands of others who are praying, fasting, and seeking God’s face in this New Year; seeking God for direction, seeking God for a fresh encounter of His glory and presence to move among us and upon us.  I pray that our hunger for God presence will rise to new levels, and that the Spiritual springs of the deep will break forth within us, flooding us over with the Holy Spirit; just as the water of Noah’s day broke forth and cover the face of the entire earth. 

I have been revisiting a study I did a while back on hungering for God, seeking His face, and examining the Biblical accounts of people’s passionate pursuit of God.  As part of this study I came to read Isaiah’s encounter with the Lord found here in Isaiah 6.  There are some amazing analogies hidden here that will help us in our pursuit to see God’s face and to be filled with His glory!  Isaiah notes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.”  In the year that the King “died” Isaiah for the first time, was able to truly “see” the Lord.  Why was that? 

A king represents power and authority.  When a king dies it leaves a void that must be filled by something, by someone, for without an authority structure men feels lost and vulnerable, like a ship without a rudder or sail lost at sea, tossed aimlessly by the whims of the wind.  Men must have a power and authority structure of some sort or chaos will soon erupt.  An existing authority figure must be removed before a new authority can replace it.  The old king must die before a new king can take his place.  In the void left when King Uzziah died, perhaps Isaiah heart looking for stability, was turned upward where he found his true authority and King, seated exalted upon His throne.  God had always been enthroned there, but Isaiah had not been able to fully see Him until now.  Isaiah may have trusted in and exalted his earthly king too much, but in the void left by his absence maybe Isaiah began to seek God’s direction, seek God’s face, and seek God’s glory; which eventually lead him to “see the Lord.”

Moses too was an avid God chaser.  When the Israelites cowered away, standing at a distance from the presence of God, the Word says that, “Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” (Ex.20:21)  In Exodus 33, we find Moses seeking and begging God, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory.”  To which God replies “You cannot see my face; for no one may see me and live.”  In essence what God is saying is, “if you want to see my face, you are going to have to die.”  Yet over and over in the scriptures God exhorts us saying, “Seek my face.”  Does God intend we strive after an unattainable goal, or is he bent on trying to kill us???  The latter is the case, but it is not physical death He is after, but the surrender of our souls, (our mind, will, and emotions) the whole of our being relinquished over to His will.   For Jesus clearly states in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whosoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for me will save it.” 

So how does all this relate to our scripture about Isaiah and our desire to see the Lord and experience His glory?  Well let me set up the analogy here.  In Revelation 1:6, as well as other places though out scripture, believers are referred to as “kings.”  In the book of Corinthians our body is referred to as the “temple” of God, (for the Spirit dwells there).  In Ezekiel 3:5, as well as other places, the Word says the “glory” of the Lord “filled” the temple, thus the “train” of the robe that filled the temple in Isaiah’s encounter is the “glory of God.”  So with that background, let’s read the verse again, the analogy here becomes quite simple.  “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.”  (With the king being us) In the year that the king died, (died to self rule and authority, surrendering the throne over to the true King) the way is opened for us to See the Lord and to see the temple (our bodies) filled with God’s glory.   In other words, when we die to self rule, and put God on the throne of our life where He belongs, that opens the door for us to see God’s face and to be filled with His glory.  In the year the king died, I saw the Lord…and the train of His robe filled the temple.

Do we truly want to see God, experience his presence, and be filled with His glory?  If so it is time we get diligent about seeking God’s face and putting to death “our” king, so that the “King of Glory may come in.”  

“Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.  Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Pm. 24:6-8)

Christmas Quote Worth Requoting

“If Christians would spend as much time, energy and money getting ready for the second coming of Christ as they do celebrating his first coming, they would accomplish GREAT things.”  

“His Presents vs. His Presence”

Living here in the western world, most of us have images of Christmas that would include a tree decorated with lights, ornaments, and garland, with lots of presents piled high underneath.  From childhood we are enamored with the vision of an abundance of gifts with our name on them.  Gifts coming in all shapes and sizes filled with every imaginable thing that would satisfy our every wish.  Things that not only meet all our needs, but things that bring us comfort and keep us entertained.  Not only are we enamored with the things in the gifts, but we are also obsessed at the thought of getting them at no cost to us.  That’s why we love lotteries, grants, and other kinds of handouts.   

Unfortunately, this kind of thinking carries over into our Christian walk as well.  We often treat God as if He is our personal genie in a bottle, we expect to rub the lamp of prayer, and out should pop the answer to our every wish and desire.  Like a child at Christmas we will seek vigorously for God’s presents to be piled high under our prayer tree, and like a child we get anxious and irritated that Christmas morning and the revealing of our gifts has not yet arrived.  Sadly, we are much more interested in God’s presents, then His presence. The Bible clearly states that God “gave gifts to men.” (Eph. 4:8)  However, God's presents are not to become a substitute for his presence. 

I love my grandkids immensely, and our tree is piled high with gifts for them.  But if the day should come when instead of running to me with hugs, kisses, and a big “I Love You Papa;” they came running to me, feeling in my pockets, and declaring with a stern tone, “Where are my presents?”  I am quite sure they would cease to receive presents until their love and desire for me, exceeded their desire for the gifts I could give them. 

So the question we must ask ourselves is this, “How much time do I spend thinking about how badly I need God’s presents vs. how badly I need God’s presence? How much time in prayer do I spend seeking God’s presents vs. seeking God’s presence?”    It is right and good to seek God for the answers to our needs.  However out greatest need is not about earthly things, or even the healing of our earthly bodies.  Our greatest need is to have our hearts and souls flooded with God’s presence; to be flooded with His grace, and His love, to know God, and to be known by Him.  When we get enveloped in God’s presence, concern over things and problems will melt away as we marinate in His glory.  There is no substitute for God’s presence, but it doesn’t come without a cost.  We must seek in order to find, we must knock in order for the door to be opened. (Matt. 7:7)   There is no fast food version for God’s presence, but it will be worth the time, effort, and the wait.

“Lord, make us hungry for you!  May we desperately thirst for your presence.  May we aggressively seek your face, and expectantly wait to experience your glory.  Above all else that we do today,  may we seek your Christmas presence.”

“As the deer pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God.  My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God.  When shall I come and behold the face of God.” (Pm. 42:1-2) Amp

O God , you are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for you, in a dry and weary land where no water is.” (Pm. 63:1) Amp

“When you said, seek My face (inquire my presence as your vital need).  My heart says to You, Your face (your presence), will I seek, (inquire for and require of necessity and on the authority of your Word).” (Pm.27:8) Amp

 “I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in his Word do I hope.   I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.” (Pm. 130:5-6) Amp

“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6)

“Acting Like Your Father”

Christmas is that time of year when our minds are scrambling, trying to figure out what kinds of gifts to give to the people we love.  Gifts that would meet our loved ones needs.  Gifts that would bring them joy and speak to who they are.  For some this process is exciting and fun; for others it is frustrating and stressful.  For me, not having very many gifts to give, (as my wife takes care of most of that) Christmas has become a season that I can spend my time reflecting upon the magnitude of the greatest gift ever given.  A gift that came packaged as a new born baby, wrapped up not in gleaming ribbons and colorful paper, but in swaddling clothes.  A gift not place under a tree, but in a manger in a smelly barn.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)   It is one thing for us to give gifts to others out of our abundance, it is quite another to give to someone what we value most.  To give up our most valued treasure.  That is what God did. He gave what he deemed most valuable, His only son in “whom he was well pleased.”  God gave us his best while we were still rebelling against Him. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) 

Not only did God love us so much he gave us his most valuable treasure, but scripture teaches us that Jesus gave us his most valuable treasure as well, his very life.  “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal.2:20)  Jesus considered you more valuable than himself, so he gave his life blood in order to redeem you.  When Jesus was dying on the cross those watching from the crowd made a very prophetic statement, for they said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save.” (Matt. 27:42)  And that was true. He could save us or he could save himself, but he could not do both.  For if he chose to save himself then we would be doomed to eternal death.  Amazingly he chose to save us by giving himself.

Christmas can be a time of physical and financial drain; we can easily lose perspective and get lost in the hubbub of activities. We often view giving as a burden rather than a blessing.  However, try to remember as you go about your Christmas busyness- you are never more like God, you are never more like Jesus, than when you love and when you give.  Love is who God is; giving is what he does.  So when you love, and when you give, you are being like Jesus. Give to your friend; give to your family but don’t forget to give to those in need and those who are hurting, not just those in your neighborhood but everywhere in the world hurting people are found.  Look for opportunities to give to people you don’t even know, just to let them know God sees them and cares about them.  Giving is not restricted to finances, but also includes our time, talents, and energy.  If we are to give as Jesus gives, we will freely give love and grace, forgiveness and encouragement; even to those who seemingly least deserve it.  How can I withhold forgiveness, when God has forgiven me so much?  How can I withhold grace when Jesus has lavished so much grace upon me?  How can I withhold love, when Jesus gave his very life blood for me?

Once you learn to give from a heart filled with love and gratitude, pouring yourself out for others, binding up their wounds and carrying their burdens; then you will be just like your Father in heaven, who is the author of both love and giving.  “For God so loved…he gave.”  Then when your old aunt from Ohio shows up at your house this Christmas, pinches you on the cheek and says in a high pitched voice, “You act just like your father,” you will smile brightly on the inside and think, “That is what I was hoping for.”

“If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:12

“Access”

What thought comes to mind when you think of having “Access?”  Access is a very important aspect of life.  Access gets us into places, and gives us an audience with people, that others are not afforded.  Access allows us to enjoy things that others are not privileged to enjoy.  Access gets us things that others can’t have or reach.   Access can grant to you in a moment, what might otherwise take you a lifetime to accomplish.

There are many things that give us access in our daily lives.  Your keys give you access to your house and your car.  If you are a trusted employee you probably have access to buildings, offices, or equipment that you don’t even own.  Passwords give us access to computer systems from anywhere in the world.  PINs give us access to money in bank accounts even at night and on holidays.  Credit card numbers give us access to purchase products at anytime, anywhere, even when we have no money in our bank accounts.   Student I.D.s give us access to food in cafeterias as well as entrance into programs and ball games which non-students can’t attend.  Your citizenship gives you access to government protections, privileges, and benefits which a foreigner doesn’t enjoy.  

Access is a blessing that is often overlooked until it is denied.  We don’t think much about the privilege of having access to transportation until we lock our keys in our car.  We don’t think much about the easy access we have to friends and family until our cell phone or internet service stops working.  We are not generally all that thankful for having access to the power grid until a storm interrupts the electrical supply.  When the access we are use to is denied, restoring it quickly becomes a top priority.

We all want the privileges that access provide; but…what about God?    Is it possible to gain access to the Lord Almighty?  Is it possible for mere mortals to gain access to God’s power, His grace, His wisdom?   The answer is a definite yes!  “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph. 2:13)   Through the sacrificial death as payment for our sin and through the resurrection, Jesus has made it “possible” for us to have access to God the Father.  But what is it exactly that gives us this access?  Is there a key, a PIN, a password of some sort?  Preachers often have people repeat the so called, sinners’ prayer, as thou it is the password that gives us access to God.  I am not necessarily opposed to repeating the sinners’ prayer, but one can chant the sinners’ prayer until their voice is spent and yet be no closer to gaining access to God than they were before.  Romans 5:1-2 clearly tells us what opens the door of access to God.  “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.”  Faith is the password (so to speak) that provides the access to God’s forgiveness and righteousness which Jesus shed blood has paid for.  Though Jesus has already provided the funds to pay “our” debt, and then fill our account with “His” righteousness, without the PIN number of faith we have no access to receive that transfer.  God’s gift of grace is available to all, but only those who gain access can take advantage of it. 

I have a Dodge Ram 4x4 pickup with a V10 engine.  It has lots of power to get you through the mud and snow, as well as pull a big load.  I can park my pickup in your driveway but if you don’t have the keys, all the power that is available under the hood of that pickup would be of no use to you, because you have no access to it.  Faith is the key that gives us access, not only to salvation, but to all of God’s grace.  “we have access by faith into this grace”  So what then is grace?  Grace is God’s unearned “favor” and “empowerment.”  If you are a Christian you have “by faith” already tapped into grace for salvation, but grace goes far beyond favor and empowerment “just” for the forgiveness of sin.  Grace can empower us to live a holy life, demonstrated by the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal.5:22-23)   Grace can empower us to walk in wisdom and the gifts of the Spirit. (1 Cor. 12)   Grace can empower us to reign and rule in every area of life. (Rom. 5:17)  But grace is accessed “only” through faith!  If we desire to live in God’s favor, we must live and walk by faith.  “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”  (Heb.11:6)

I have a sixteen foot stock trailer that hauls 6 head of cows that I pull with my Dodge pickup with the V10 engine.  I have more than enough power to pull a much larger load of cattle but my trailer doesn’t have the capacity to hold more.  My pickup has the “ability” to easily pull a 24 foot trailer, hauling 12 head of cows, but I don’t have access to one.  Therefore much of the power that is available to me is not being put to use.  Likewise we live far below the power that God intends us to live in.  God’s grace has the "ability" to lift us far above our ordinary existence, empowering us to do extraordinary feats in His name.  To do so however, we must learn to access God’s grace (favor and empowerment) through faith.  By accessing grace through faith, Joshua was able to make the sun stand still in order to accomplish what God had promised He would do through him. (Joshua 10:12-13)    Now that’s tapping into the “access”.

We cannot “make” ourselves have faith; so how do we go about building our faith in order to access this grace?  Romans 10:17 say “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  In order to build our faith we must read the “Word of God” and apply it, not just to our heads, but primarily to our hearts.  We must find the promises of God found in the scriptures, meditate upon them, and speak them over our situations.  Not everything that happened in the Bible is a promise made directly to us, but we can certainly use what God did for others as a foundation to build our faith upon.  We can pray things like, “Lord you healed the eyes of a man born blind, you healed the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years, you raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, so I am trusting in you to heal my child of this cancer.”  “Lord, you turned five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed 5000 people, and you caused Issac to get a 100 fold return on his crop in the middle of a famine, so I too am believing that you will supernaturally provide for my need as well.”  The Word will build our faith in “who God is,” as well as “who we are in Christ;” so that we, like Joshua, can make the sun stand still over our battles and cause the mountains that stand in the way of Gods promises to us to be hurled into the sea.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father.”  (John 14:12)

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is working within us.” (Eph. 3:20)

“The Bride”

Last week my youngest daughter got married.  She was very beautiful, and was beaming with joy as she finally reached the long awaited and anticipated day when she would be joined to the one she loved and adored.  The one she longed to share her days, dreams, and even her very soul with. 

The specialness of that day didn’t just happen.  Months of preparation and planning had gone into what would culminate on this day.  Hours and hours of mental and physical labor were exerted.  Much expense was accrued for decorations, flowers, food, and cakes. 

And the bride herself; Oh the preparations that were made to make sure that she looked perfect for her betrothed.   

First comes the choosing of the perfect dress!  It must be pure white with bead work down the front, and a flowing train. Once the perfect dress is found, it must be carefully altered to fit perfectly, accentuating ones positive features and covering any flaws.  Then there is the vale and the jewelry, again chosen very carefully and purposefully. Dainty bling on the edges of the vale and the gems in the jewelry designed to sparkle in the light with every movement the bride makes. Then there are shoes, and bras, and slips, all chosen to make the bride look her best.  Then as the wedding day draws near, the bride's attention is turned to make sure her skin is soft and clear, and that her hair is cut and dyed just right, and that the perfect perfume is chosen that will linger in the heart and mind of her lover for years to come. When the morning of the wedding finally arrives, there are fingernails to be carefully painted, makeup to be meticulously applied, and hair to be styled to perfection.   After hours of painstaking care and months of preparation, the bride is ready, the marriage supper is all prepared, just an hour more to wait and her dream will finally be a reality.

Why does the bride go to all this trouble, all this effort, all this expense?   Because when the final hour arrives, as she picks up her bouquet and gazes at herself in the mirror before ascending down the aisle, her greatest hope at that moment is to look perfect for the one she loves.  When her bridegroom looks up and sees her standing in the doorway, her ultimate desire is that his breath is taken away by her beauty, and that his heart is melted by her love.  She wants to “be” perfect for the one who has captivated her heart and her life.    

Having been so personally involved in this whole wedding process, I couldn’t help but think about how the Bible refers to the followers of Jesus as the “Bride of Christ.”  God’s desire is that He could present a breathtakingly beautiful and perfect bride to His son, Jesus.  Ephesians 5:27 Amp states, “That He might present the Church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].”  The question for us today is; are we preparing ourselves as a spotless and wrinkle free bride?  Are we clothed in righteousness, pure and white, having been washed in the blood and grace of Jesus?  Have we “adorned” ourselves with the fruit of the Spirit? (Gal 5:22-23)  Have we “altered” our lifestyle to fit perfectly with the masters will?  Are we drenched in an “aroma” of praise and worship that not only saturates the heavens but spills over into the nostrils of the people around us?   Have we taken the necessary steps to make sure our hearts are “soft” and our conscience “clear?” Is our ultimate desire to look and be perfect in His eyes?  Are we anxiously awaiting our bridegrooms return, desiring to please Him and spend our life with Him? 

Maybe we have been distracted and are so enjoying our single life that we aren’t preparing ourselves for Him?  In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a parable about 10 virgins.  Five of the virgins prepared themselves for the bridegroom, and five didn’t.  When the bridegroom finally arrived, the five unprepared foolish virgins got locked out of the wedding, and began pounding on the door and crying to be let in.  The answer they received was chilling.  “Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.”  If we don’t love the bridegroom enough to prepare ourselves for Him, maybe we don’t really love him at all!  Just as an earthly bride painstakingly makes herself ready for her groom, we too should anxiously and diligently be making ourselves ready for Christ’s return.  Let us strive to be perfect for the one who has so captivated our hearts and our lives, that when he sees us on the day of His return, our beauty and love will take His breath away!

“Be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”  (2 Peter 3:15) 

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride made herself ready.  It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”  (Rev. 19:7-8)