There are only two reactions possible for this occurance: fear or joy. The reaction is dependent on whether one knows the King personally or not. All know His absolute power. All are subject to Him. This King, nothing can be hidden from.
Who has cause to fear Him? There are those who have slandered Him: denigrated Him. Some have used their strength to work against His expressly stated will and purpose. The evidence backing His claims to be the ultimate authority have been made public and have always been transparent to everyone. Anyone arrogantly dismissing the facts, as just so much garbage, has ample cause for trepidation. Vengeance is the province of the King, and this One surpasses them all.
Who will rejoice at the sight of His face? Only those who have already made their own personal surrender to His leadership, and live to work His will. Only these have personal experience of His mercy, His kind generosity, His love. They have come to know His heart. He is no suprise, no unknown question. What He is, is security and blessing beyond compare! His name is Jesus, the Righteous King!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Consequence of Complacency
So why is it that God allows evil? One big reason is so that evil can do it's "perfect work." After all the information He's given us and all the work He's done for us, He still wants His chosen ones, that have chosen Him, to be thoroughly convinced He's got the best deal. So He allows the opposition to field their options, dressing them up as best they can. He allows the other voices which opine that there are many viable alternatives.
But....He is still God, not all of the other pretenders. All ideas have consequences, even seemingly ephemeral ones. Take, for instance, this idea that everybody has a right to "their own truth." One who cannot be bothered to investigate the claims of any purportedly transendant truth, because it might contradict their cherished principals of self gratification, would also be mortally offended by the "violation" of the inner sanctum of a third party with the same inconvenient and unwelcome facts. The more important the subject, the more of a no-man's land it becomes. Within the shelter of political correctness, complacency has fattened itself to the point of insensibility. A self satisfied society, under the banner of pluralism, has allowed the enemy in.
Without the walls of truth to defend us, we are already destroyed. Love's biased mandate cannot be heard by deafened ears. Another yammering, raised to a cresendo to drown out all others, has rushed in to fill the void left by morals. Rigid legalism is what always replaces the freedom of living in Christ's love, and all roads without Christ Jesus lead to one place: the bondage of slavery!
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage”.
But....He is still God, not all of the other pretenders. All ideas have consequences, even seemingly ephemeral ones. Take, for instance, this idea that everybody has a right to "their own truth." One who cannot be bothered to investigate the claims of any purportedly transendant truth, because it might contradict their cherished principals of self gratification, would also be mortally offended by the "violation" of the inner sanctum of a third party with the same inconvenient and unwelcome facts. The more important the subject, the more of a no-man's land it becomes. Within the shelter of political correctness, complacency has fattened itself to the point of insensibility. A self satisfied society, under the banner of pluralism, has allowed the enemy in.
Without the walls of truth to defend us, we are already destroyed. Love's biased mandate cannot be heard by deafened ears. Another yammering, raised to a cresendo to drown out all others, has rushed in to fill the void left by morals. Rigid legalism is what always replaces the freedom of living in Christ's love, and all roads without Christ Jesus lead to one place: the bondage of slavery!
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage”.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Beware the Soft Answer!
"A soft answer turns away wrath." Prov. 15:1 For those who do not care to know or understand Christ, this is a test. A soft answer is not an attempt at appeasement. It is not a weak and inferior one trying to pacify the strong. No, rather it is the response to anger of one who's total confidence is in another. It is the result of the superior, empowered position of secure acceptance, the accepted one passing on reassurance of the same. He is God's hand at work.
If the angry one decides that he does not wish to set aside his grievance by way of forgiveness, does not grasp the extended hand of fellowship to live on the common grounds of humility and peace (and Jesus is the ONLY peace), then he has committed himself to a hell past his worst nightmares, the overwhelming flood of unending retribution, which he, himself, has chosen. In the interval of space and time between the indrawn breath of commiting the sin, and it's release of inevitable judgement, is a pause to give room for repentance. During the pause, the believer, as an extension of Christ Himself, carries the burden of the world and it's sin. Those to whom Christ has so graciously imparted His righteousness, He also graciously allows to suffer for Him. The believer's anguish, weakness, and tears, is the Lord praying with and through His people. God is reclaiming His lost creation. An unrepentant sinner is owned, by his debt, and will be held over for judgement and punishment.
If the angry one decides that he does not wish to set aside his grievance by way of forgiveness, does not grasp the extended hand of fellowship to live on the common grounds of humility and peace (and Jesus is the ONLY peace), then he has committed himself to a hell past his worst nightmares, the overwhelming flood of unending retribution, which he, himself, has chosen. In the interval of space and time between the indrawn breath of commiting the sin, and it's release of inevitable judgement, is a pause to give room for repentance. During the pause, the believer, as an extension of Christ Himself, carries the burden of the world and it's sin. Those to whom Christ has so graciously imparted His righteousness, He also graciously allows to suffer for Him. The believer's anguish, weakness, and tears, is the Lord praying with and through His people. God is reclaiming His lost creation. An unrepentant sinner is owned, by his debt, and will be held over for judgement and punishment.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Keep Watch!
Luke 21:34-36
King James Version (KJV)
34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Do not be fooled by the wiles of a world without Christ. Care and circumstance conspire to draw our time and attention away from Him, and that is no coincidence. The only way for mortals to prevail, in a spiritual battle, is to pray for the Lord's will to be done. His will must be our focus, because only He is strong enough to win.
What is it that the enemy seeks to distract us from that is the will of God concerning us? To believe and then to tell others His good news! These are the tasks appointed to us!
A famous evangelist once voiced the opinion that so called christians who do not give voice to the faith by telling others, are not so much christians as they are frauds. What is a watchman good for, except to warn others of the coming judgement and give them the information they need to escape it? If others do not believe, then their destruction is on their own heads, but the one told to watch would be guilty of an even greater crime in failing to warn them. This watchman is quite obviously not convinced of the truth or urgency of the message! He has not kept watch as instructed!
King James Version (KJV)
34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Do not be fooled by the wiles of a world without Christ. Care and circumstance conspire to draw our time and attention away from Him, and that is no coincidence. The only way for mortals to prevail, in a spiritual battle, is to pray for the Lord's will to be done. His will must be our focus, because only He is strong enough to win.
What is it that the enemy seeks to distract us from that is the will of God concerning us? To believe and then to tell others His good news! These are the tasks appointed to us!
A famous evangelist once voiced the opinion that so called christians who do not give voice to the faith by telling others, are not so much christians as they are frauds. What is a watchman good for, except to warn others of the coming judgement and give them the information they need to escape it? If others do not believe, then their destruction is on their own heads, but the one told to watch would be guilty of an even greater crime in failing to warn them. This watchman is quite obviously not convinced of the truth or urgency of the message! He has not kept watch as instructed!
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Form of Godliness......
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but… http://bible.us/2Tim3.1.NIV"
First you must study the authentic before you will know what is counterfeited. What does godliness look like? Obviously, as the name itself implies, it is having God's character. God is love. Love is trusting, giving, sharing, supporting, empowering. It is self sacrifice. Even bruised, battered and bloody, love is forever unconquered but conquering. Love returns good for evil and the truth for a lie. Love maintains gentleness in the face of mistreatment. Love is the ultimate in patience, waiting for reciprocation as an occasion for celebration.
How is it possible to falsify such profoundly beautific character? What could possibly manifest the outward signs of godliness, yet be corrupt, hateful, and unloving at it's core? What has deceived supposed christians into falling into line to achieve it's goals?
Tolerance is the catchword of today's society, the sole principal upon which is built all that has the appearance of morals, yet remember, tolerance means how much pain you can stand and how well you can hide your hatred. It speaks of how we must allow the evil, no matter how murderous, to remain beside us, permitting it's pride to stay intact. This is not love, where we conform to other's expectations out of fear. It is not love to keep silent while death and destruction work their whims. Look closely and see that tolerance is only an empty shell, loudly proclaiming a worthless, fruitless mimicry of the gold standard which is the character of God.
First you must study the authentic before you will know what is counterfeited. What does godliness look like? Obviously, as the name itself implies, it is having God's character. God is love. Love is trusting, giving, sharing, supporting, empowering. It is self sacrifice. Even bruised, battered and bloody, love is forever unconquered but conquering. Love returns good for evil and the truth for a lie. Love maintains gentleness in the face of mistreatment. Love is the ultimate in patience, waiting for reciprocation as an occasion for celebration.
How is it possible to falsify such profoundly beautific character? What could possibly manifest the outward signs of godliness, yet be corrupt, hateful, and unloving at it's core? What has deceived supposed christians into falling into line to achieve it's goals?
Tolerance is the catchword of today's society, the sole principal upon which is built all that has the appearance of morals, yet remember, tolerance means how much pain you can stand and how well you can hide your hatred. It speaks of how we must allow the evil, no matter how murderous, to remain beside us, permitting it's pride to stay intact. This is not love, where we conform to other's expectations out of fear. It is not love to keep silent while death and destruction work their whims. Look closely and see that tolerance is only an empty shell, loudly proclaiming a worthless, fruitless mimicry of the gold standard which is the character of God.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
What Have You Done!
The anger has taken over. It has seized a life all it's own.
A harvest of bitterness, for selfish seeds we have sown.
A litany of accusations, follow us into our dreams
when weariness is no longer the refuge, from reality, that it seems.
For our collective failures, none of us want the blame.
We seek to defer, to others, the misery of our shame.
So, willfulness, or self expression, by any other name,
the excruciating results of them remain the same.
This morass of condemnation has no escape and no way past.
"Who would even choose to be a part of it?" incredulously asked!
If we could but lift our eyes, we could see, His sympathy and sorrow,
in the eyes of the One, whose image we have borrowed.
The first thing we see, is that He, is familiar with shame and condemnation.
His rejection and His sacrifice, in history, was done.
He voluntarily suffered the ultimate in pain
to which we cry "What have you done? What did you hope to gain?"
THIS is the logical conclusion, of our choice, made stark and bare.
It was the death, of God Himself, that He accomplished there!
So grim our loss, of the Source, of all love and gentleness!
If we can, or will, survive His ending, is anybody's guess!
But how else could such Mighty Majesty descend to the depths of our hell?
Burst open the doors of our prison, with the good news, of our deliverance, to tell?
A destiny of death and dark despair are all that we have lost!
When He showed disdain to count our shame and rained contempt on anger's cost!
This is a God without barriers. save the will of His loves object!
He can change the foulest violator, if he is but willing, HIS love and mercy to reflect!
By which we cry, "Most Precious One! Look what You've done!
Our darkest destiny, exchanged, for the inheritance of favored sons!"
A harvest of bitterness, for selfish seeds we have sown.
A litany of accusations, follow us into our dreams
when weariness is no longer the refuge, from reality, that it seems.
For our collective failures, none of us want the blame.
We seek to defer, to others, the misery of our shame.
So, willfulness, or self expression, by any other name,
the excruciating results of them remain the same.
This morass of condemnation has no escape and no way past.
"Who would even choose to be a part of it?" incredulously asked!
If we could but lift our eyes, we could see, His sympathy and sorrow,
in the eyes of the One, whose image we have borrowed.
The first thing we see, is that He, is familiar with shame and condemnation.
His rejection and His sacrifice, in history, was done.
He voluntarily suffered the ultimate in pain
to which we cry "What have you done? What did you hope to gain?"
THIS is the logical conclusion, of our choice, made stark and bare.
It was the death, of God Himself, that He accomplished there!
So grim our loss, of the Source, of all love and gentleness!
If we can, or will, survive His ending, is anybody's guess!
But how else could such Mighty Majesty descend to the depths of our hell?
Burst open the doors of our prison, with the good news, of our deliverance, to tell?
A destiny of death and dark despair are all that we have lost!
When He showed disdain to count our shame and rained contempt on anger's cost!
This is a God without barriers. save the will of His loves object!
He can change the foulest violator, if he is but willing, HIS love and mercy to reflect!
By which we cry, "Most Precious One! Look what You've done!
Our darkest destiny, exchanged, for the inheritance of favored sons!"
Monday, August 1, 2011
Winning by Weakness
I was touched recently, by a song by Guns N Roses. I felt the man's pain and sadness when he pleaded, "Look at the world we're killing, look at the blood we're spilling, just like we've always done before." Unfortunately, his conclusion and answer to the dilemma was simply "I don't need your civil war!" Did he think that there would be no dying if he did not fight? Does he think that evil will not fill any vacuum left by cowardice? Violence always reigns supreme in this world, this culture, and this mind set of entitlement. It will attempt to swallow up, and still not be satisfied, anything not already committed to God. Fear and anger seek to overwhelm rational thought and be our primary motivators. They demand our obedience!
There is something, not of this world, that is stronger and more compelling than both. Faith is our desire for, and trust in, Jesus. It endures, no matter the test, for His love is our motivation. Love is not something that can be forced. It surrenders willingly that which is needful for the sake of another. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "No man can take my life. I lay it down willingly." The greatest courage of all is demonstrated when we turn away, by our free choice, from self gratification to choose giving up to His love. It may cost us everything, even our life, but it will proven to be worth it!
Choosing to face fear with meekness and vulnerability just seems so counter intuitive, but everyone has had the experience of the "lump in the throat" because of a demonstratively genuine gift of love. (DO NOT try this without God's help!)
I have seen true love, proven through self sacrifice, and have had that reaction of identifying with the giver and receiver. So it is that we will conquer, if we humble ourselves and become weak, to surrender to Love!
There is something, not of this world, that is stronger and more compelling than both. Faith is our desire for, and trust in, Jesus. It endures, no matter the test, for His love is our motivation. Love is not something that can be forced. It surrenders willingly that which is needful for the sake of another. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "No man can take my life. I lay it down willingly." The greatest courage of all is demonstrated when we turn away, by our free choice, from self gratification to choose giving up to His love. It may cost us everything, even our life, but it will proven to be worth it!
Choosing to face fear with meekness and vulnerability just seems so counter intuitive, but everyone has had the experience of the "lump in the throat" because of a demonstratively genuine gift of love. (DO NOT try this without God's help!)
I have seen true love, proven through self sacrifice, and have had that reaction of identifying with the giver and receiver. So it is that we will conquer, if we humble ourselves and become weak, to surrender to Love!
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