The Election Is Over - Now What?

Proving what is acceptable to the Lord - Ephesians 5:10

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

To my Christian friends...we have an uncommon and rare opportunity in our culture. We have the ability to speak into it deeply and openly. Many Christians were shut out in times past and even now our world has shadows and spaces frightening to those of our faith; places where it is not safe. However, here in America (if you are in America - if not, this is a good read anyway!) we enjoy the concept of inalienable rights; the ability to live a life aimed at providing a better future, contentment, goals and happiness.

We just had an election. Many of us are now disappointed. The hope for improvement and change we desired does not seem to be on the horizon; at least it won't be as easy. Our culture, at least through means political, will not get the opportunity to improve as we had hoped. But is the Body of Christ commissioned to improve culture? Is that our commission? Is that our goal? Is that our God-given duty?

I don't think so.

We have been called to "The Way of the Cross." We are to take up our cross and we are to follow Jesus. We are to practice both discipleship (follow Jesus) and denial (do things we find distasteful) all in faith, believing God when He says this is how true change, transformation occurs.

The way of the Cross is not about improvement; not even the much celebrated "continual" improvement. Jesus marching orders to you and I was to create Transformation. This transformation is brought about by a Revelation of eternal and abiding love that extends itself to us from our heavenly Father and in God's plan through us to others. The revealing part, the revelation, was Jesus loved us in ways that weren't cool, fun, personally satisfying from a selfish perspective; Jesus did what was asked of Him regardless of how he felt about doing what was asked. He believed His Father first, He acted on the words given to Him, He did those things - Transformation!

That was the message of God before the election. It is still God's plan today.

We have the privilege, yea verily (I love yea verilys')  opportunity to speak into our culture in a way that most all who have named the name of Jesus Christ before us and in nations around us have not in their time, in their lives, their culture. But in doing so we must take it all by way of the Cross, through the blood of God's Son, the greatest selfless act of love and we must embrace it and realize it comes with a price. Actually, it comes with many prices if we want to break it down...

1. It's slow - Usually change comes one person at a time
2. It's incremental - It doesn't happen everywhere and in all places at once
3. It is humbling - We can't do it in our own power
4. It happens when we first give ourselves over to it and not much around us supports our effort to do that

There have been great revivals. There have been wonderful movements where nations, generally, have had their heart changed and their circumstance along with it turned from cursing to blessing but those instances come through sold out to the cause of God's love and not to a balanced budget.

We won't be met with instant success. We are not instantly believed, and our message and our desire, if it is a right desire, will not always be met with open arms.

God raises up and sets down Kings...and there is but one eternal King who does not fail. We put our eyes on Him and pray for the rest of them and, when opportunity gives us chance, we use the skill, the power, the ability we are blessed with to TRANSFORM our culture...not just improve it...

I pray for our President for whatever he did to bring our nation together previously didn't work. It is time for a new strategy - He, I hope, realizes the TRANSFORMING business has a future...the improvement biz? Mmm...not so much.

I remain...

InHISGrip,

For Such A Time As This - Wait!

So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.  For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. – Esther 4:12-17

I find it manly to read the book of Esther. I think that it's because it has so much to teach me that I know is foreign to my personality. And, as I got to the end I had a revelation. Here it is: Even though what happened in the three days between chapters 4 and 5 is not recorded, (read chapters 4 and 5 to understand the importance of what I am saying.) don't think for a moment that God had just sort of taken a break. Because He is the God of the Universe it is possible that we might think that His time, busy with other things, was simply in a sort of out of sight/out of mind kind of state.

When we think about God we have much to remember.

Like this…Remember, He may be invisible, but He is at work. He is invisible and just because we cannot see Him working does not mean He somehow puts our lives on that back burner. I rather think that's the beauty of His invisibility. He can be moving in thousands of places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control but not just ours but in the lives of millions, literally, millions of other people He loves fully.

It’s a big job remembering that. But, work on it. It shows progress in your relationship with God as your Father.

For you and I, during a waiting period, God is not only working in our hearts, He's working in others' hearts and in our minds and in the minds of others as well. And all the while He is strengthening the lives of all of those who name Jesus as Lord. Remember Isaiah's words about waiting?

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. - Isaiah 40:31

Even though the prophet's pen put these words on the sacred page centuries ago, that verse of Scripture is as pertinent and relevant as what you read in the paper this morning. More than this they are far more trustworthy and eternally more useful to you and me. From this verse we learn that four things happen when we wait.

First, we gain new strength. We may feel weak, even intimidated, when we turn to our Lord. While waiting, amazingly we exchange our weakness for His strength. Just know waiting is both required and imperative.

Second, we get a better perspective. It says we "will mount up with wings like eagles." Eagles can spot fish in a lake several miles away on a clear day. By soaring like eagles while waiting, we gain perspective on our situation. We gain God’s perspective – His line of sight.

Third, we store up extra energy. "We will run and not get tired." That is future tense and it means resting today means the ability to run without fatigue later. When we do encounter the thing we have been dreading, we will encounter it with new strength - extra energy is ours!

Fourth, we will deepen our determination to persevere. We "will walk and not become weary." The Lord whispers reassurance to us. Our spiritual and emotional backbones become like titanium! We begin to partake, take on His power and with His assurance for the task at hand justifiably feel  more invincible.

We'll gain new strength. We'll get a better perspective. We'll store up extra energy. We'll deepen our determination to persevere. All that happens when we . . . wait. Fight like a girl named Esther! Pray! Fast! Fellowship! Wait!

I remain…

InHISGrip,
  ~J~

Yesterday? Tomorrow? Today! - Live On!!!

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” – James, brother of Jesus (James 4:13-15)

I once read Chuck Swindoll say these words, “Snap a telescopic lens on your perspective for the next few minutes. Pull yourself up close . . . close enough to see the real you. From the reflection in your mental mirror, pay close attention to your life. Try your best to examine the inner "you" on the basis of time.” We need to be able to look back on our life. We need to look at our present. We then need to conjecture, based on our current spiritual state, mental state and life disposition that our future might be.

I’m asking you, as did Chuck, to look both back and forward. It is hard. It is hard primarily because we can’t look either back or forward without considering them from our current life situation.

Looking Back. I have found what seems from my narrow and subjective (as well as small sample set) analysis that if you are over 50 years of age you will come to one conclusion that seems universal: LIFE IS SHORT. I think however this is Biblical.

On your own read through Psalm 90 and you will conclude it is loaded with messages relating to the brevity of life. Life is short . . . like yesterday when it passes by . . . as a watch in the night . . . like grass, it sprouts and withers . . . like a sigh, soon it is gone.

If you aren’t feeling it now you will – Yes and amen…Life is short.

Looking Ahead. If you look back on your life and scratch your head and think to yourself, “How did I get here?” you will conclude about the future one overriding theme: LIFE IS UNCERTAIN AND THEREFORE WILL BE UNCERTAIN. “Unexpected." Could be the overarching adjective placed on most all of our future experiences.

Unexpected:

•         Surgery
•         Transfer
•         Accomplishment
•         Loss
•         Benefit
•         Sickness
•        Promotion/demotion
•        Gift
•        Death

·      (Fill in the blank)                                                                   

Guys, our lives are truly uncertain.

We’re left to come back to the nasty now and now. How should we view our “today?”

There are lots of ways to look at life. I prefer the power of God and the realization life is to be lived or feared and therefore since God does not give us fear (2 Timothy 1:7) these are 4 powerful words: LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE! They don’t contradict our behind and forward lessons. Nor do they require us to be Polly-Anna types with rose-colored glasses. But, may I also point out they don’t leave us hopeless and forlorn. For as we look at the present, we discover: LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE!

Since life is short it needs to be viewed as jam-packed with challenging possibilities and mysterious twists and turns. Because it’s uncertain, it's filled with rigorous nuance and the ability to make “on the fly” adjustments. I'm convinced that's much of what Jesus meant when He promised us an abundant life (Gospel of John 10:8-10). We should expect our lives to be abundant with challenges, both positive and negative but also running over with possibilities. We need to see from a position of “the heavenlies” that our lives are filled with opportunities to adapt, shift, alter, and change. Come to think of it, that's the secret of staying young. It is also the path that leads to changing the world for the Kingdom of God.

With each new dawn, life delivers a package to your front door. In the Spirit-filled life you answer that life full of the Power and Potential of God! When you hear that ring tomorrow morning, try something new; have Christ in you answer the door for you.

Life's most challenging opportunities are often deceptively disguised as unsolvable problems. But when the powerful King of the Universe is in charge of problems, challenges… the impossible then huge and massive and amazing and beautiful life, health, power, grace, goodness, mercy and abundance happens! Expect it!

Oh! Once last thing…James didn’t mean to say, “If the Lord wills (which we cannot possibly know or understand) we shall do this (unknowable thing) or that (other unknowable thing). No, it means, “The Lord showed me this specific thing to do and this other specific thing and therefore I will do those things.” Apparently James wasn’t a Baptist! J

I remain…

InHISGrip,
  ~J~

Internal Combustion & the Christian Head!

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light...- Jesus, Matthew 11:27-30

Cindy and I had a moment with some of the most hearthurt (my new word) people in the world. They've been cast out by society. Some of it their direct fault but much of it not at all. They weren't alone. It was just the immensity of having so many tossed off, impoverished, despised, ignored, beaten down...it really spoke to me about...well, me.

What I came to, in part, was this, if you are an adult, in this, the 21st Century, you understand stress and hearthurt; emotional pain that won't just go away. 

If you are an adult and/or have a job and/or have a family, get out of bed, own motorized vehicles, children, pets, etc., if any of that is you, on a weekly basis you face life's unplanned hassles and headaches. They may be as controlled as making daily preparation for our kids and spouse that requires we rise before 6:30 in the morning (controlled?) or as severe as a smashing into a rival soccer mom; your minivan into her SUV. 

It may be a runaway daughter, on the streets, selling her body and deep into drugs.

The size of the strain makes little difference. The result is "trauma." And, all of this explains the ongoing popularity of Valium!

When I think of trauma or heartache and hurt I think of Joe Bayly. The late Christian writer understood trauma. He and his wife lost three of their children: one at eighteen days (after surgery); another at five years (leukemia); a third at eighteen years (sledding accident plus hemophilia). In my wildest and most fearful imagination, I cannot fathom the depth of their loss. In the aftermath of each and then the combination of all of this tragedy, Joe and his wife stood.  Sometimes they were strong, sometimes weak. They had to stand by as they watched God place a period on the lives of their three of children. Can you imagine being close friends or family of the Bayly's? Their anguish was not relieved when well-meaning people offered shallow, simple answers amidst their grief.

H. L. Mencken wrote: "There's always an easy solution to every human problem...neat, plausible, and wrong." I think he had our stresses and pain in mind when those words were penned.

Eyes that read these words might very well be near tears. You are trying to cope without hope, and there's no relief on the horizon. You're bleeding and you've run out of bandages. You have moved from mild tension to advanced trauma or, compared perhaps to what you are accustomed to, it seems that way. 

Listen carefully! Jesus Christ opens the gate, gently looks at you, and says: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls]" - Matthew 11:28, Amplified).

Nothing complicated. No big fanfare, no trip to Mecca, no hypnotic trance, no strategy to get "better" first, no fee, no special password or unique understanding of some enigmatic doctrine. Jesus says, "just come." 

What does He mean? Unload on Him. Unhook the HUGE backpack and drop it in His lap. NOW! 

Does He, the God of the Universe, know what major heart and head hurt is all about? Can He handle yours? Remember, He's the One whose sweat became like drops of blood in the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane. Further, remember He went through that so He could handle yours. It's a mystery but it is a truth. If anybody understands hearthurt, Jesus does. 

He understands your stress...pain...heartache...trauma...Completely.

He's a Master at turning devastation into restoration. His provision is profound, attainable, and right.

Allow Him to take your stress as you take His rest.

I remain...

InHISGrip,
  ~J~

10 Questions That Determine Success...

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,  so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear - Philippians 1:9-15, 

Paul, Jesus Bondservant

I stole the idea (not so much the content) from an article I saw in INC Magazine online...The idea was simply 10 questions that can determine success. So, for the follower of Jesus here are 10 questions you might consider. I am sure there are many others. Hopefully these are a good starting point for your everyday walk with God and your success in this life!

1. Have I started my day today at the Love's source, Jesus Christ-Worship-Study-Prayer-Meditation?

2. Have I expressed the overflow of His love for me to others around me?

3. With Love as a guide, have I determined how I could better the world around me, even if it is some small thing?

4. Am I taking care of my body so I can express my best to the world around me?

5. Am I bathed in an attitude of gratitude (It will determine how I approach adventures, challenges and people)

6. Do I maintain a continual conversation with Jesus throughout the day? (It will determine how I act in private. This is where all my life plans are formed as well as in public where I act them out).

7. Have I thoughtfully approached conversations with others to strengthen and encourage them and provide God the greatest opportunity to work in and through them?

8. As I review in midday, is it clear I am accomplishing God honoring tasks?

9. Not "have I" but whom have I lifted and helped today that is less fortunate than I?

10. What are the stories and exploits I have started, attempted and/or accomplished today; write them down?

BONUS: Was this a "God-sized" day today or what!??!

Here's the thing.  The questions you ask yourself on a daily basis determine your focus, and your focus determines your effectiveness. Do you want to be passionate? Do you want to find your passion? Be fulfilled? Then plug in each day early to your Heavenly Father...Heaven itself, with all its power and lack of limitations will flow in and through you!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
  ~J~

God: Did I Not Make Myself Clear?

Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.  So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.  Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.  And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,  then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. - I Samuel 13:7b-13

Samuel Anointing Saul

In order for this teaching to have a clear foundation there are some things you need to know. First, the prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel and it had now been quite some time. The backdrop is a war is about to start. Saul, now 30 years old is leading Israel into battle against the dreaded Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at a place called Micmash to come against the Jews. A major key to understand is that Jehovah (God) was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel had previously instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash. He told Saul that he would follow in seven days. Once Samuel arrived, as was God's requirement, he, Samuel, would then present a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel to God.


But, as with all great leaders, Saul was beginning to feel the pinch of leadership. The real pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel began to freak out. With such a huge enemy within eyesight, seeing how big and angry they were, the Jews began to scatter throughout the countryside. 
It didn't help that Saul was also afraid. 


To make things worse for Saul, Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. With no more personal strength, fearing the worst, an impending attack, Saul decided he would offer the burnt offering. And, as is the custom of all good tales of victory and defeat, Samuel shows up after he had done this.


..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command -1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation that God had provided previous instruction, we demonstrate the power of fear in our lives. 

Saul's Disobedience - He was NO Priest!

We've all heard it said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." But, is that really true?
Jesus came so that the balance of personal leadership and godly direction would be restored to our lives. You and I can know direction, just as it had been given to Saul. We can know what we are to do. Often we do not seek God's guidance. If that's the case then we make life a crap shoot. 

Samuel Upbraiding Saul

However, often we know how God wishes us to react and respond. We know what results our leadership should create and moreover what atmosphere within our workspace, school, church or other sphere of influence. 


I will give you a hint. What does the Bible say about God, Jesus, love and fear? 


HIS love for you and I cast's out fear. If your leading, decisions, options and actions are fear driven then you have left the great Leader behind as you are attempting to navigate this life. Don't control what God has not given you rule over. Do obey and follow, often patiently for God's timing and command.


Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others? This is a sign of "leadership by fear." How about this, can you, as a leader,  allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't like or that isn't perfect? Are you fearful of failure? Don't be! These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. 
Such a season I've been going through. It drives me crazy. But God is prepping my heart for leadership roles where knowing His direction and waiting on Him is essential. It is the big payoff! 


So, for both you and I lets Pray that God will allow us both to walk in the freedom of trusting in hearing Him, trust Him and trusting that God is also working in and on those around us. 
I remain...

InHISgrip,
   ~J~

I Freak Out! HE Just Handles It - POWERFULLY!

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. - King Hezekiah, Psalm 46:1-11

The backdrop of Hezekiah's writing was the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. Hezekiah was King but only over part of Israel, the Southern Kingdom. It was a time of great social and political stress and strife. The nation of Israel itself was doing "better." After years of following false gods or practicing a form of nationalistic agnosticism Hezekiah, at least in part, have brought revival to the land. 

However, the Assyrians, having conquered and dispersed so many other lands and peoples had set their eyes on Israel and more specifically Jerusalem. The Assyrians were a larger army. They had superior weaponry. They had strategic strength and swagger. Well, you can get more great information on this in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. It is a powerful story. In part and lesson one is that half the battle against any enemy is standing in the confidence of your God, His word to you, His testimony in and through you and His strength; and do so in silence. 

The outcome of these battles and the pursuing Song of Victory that Hezekiah wrote and sung in Psalm 46 gives us great insight into how we handle the problem of stress.

But, let me give you three additional practical thoughts regarding this matter of God's strength through stress, as found in Psalm 46.

First, the personal emotional and spiritual strength God provides to us is immediately available. Our God is ...very present... We must know that our trials are not superficial or irrelevant to God. But they themselves are often not the issue. They are vehicles of grace that God uses to bring us growth and from them comes forth from His people supernatural and massive power and vision. 

We need to learn to see our lives from God's perspective. Superficial problems call for superficial solutions. But most of us live in a very real world. Real life isn't superficial is it? No, real life is headaches and stresses that go deeper than the right top with the right pants and whether a certain color of beige will destroy our family life as we know it should we cover the family room in its utter grossness. 

The stresses of life go right down to the bone. They touch the nerve areas of our security. But God says He is a present help in trouble. He is immediately available. Do you realize that wherever you go, whatever life situation you find yourself in and whatever the time of day, week, month, year, decade it is, you can call and He will answer? He's a very present and immediate help. Along with this is something sobering. If you are not experiencing that question self first, not God. 

We ask the wrong question and we asked it way too often. I have been the worst offender. The wrong question? "God, why is this happening to me?" It is the tone and not the question that is the problem. For me, when I am stressed, the way I ask it is accusatory. I am blaming God for having a blind spot. He certainly must not have seen what was about to come my way. Perhaps He was on break or vacation or worse. If you and I are asking God, "Lord, why me?" It better be because we want to best understand how He plans on using us and to give us HIS vision for what everyone else would deem a major catastrophe in our lives. 

A better "next step" is to fall more deeply in love with Him because daily, you are having a fresh revelation of His love for you! When we start to truly "get" the depth of His love that question will be obliterated from our thinking for we will know He is always in control and nothing has escaped Him at all, least of all our life.

The second thing I observe about God's power in this psalm is that it is overwhelmingly powerful! It's a shelter that can stretch over any stress - in fact God's power is custom made for the stress that you are going through; the army that has come against you is just the stress, the battle that He will either prepare you to fight or that one He will fight on your behalf! 

Of course, the end of the story regarding Israel and Assyria was the triumph of God's people. You could have called it couldn't you? But if you have ever experienced a David whooping a Goliath or a mother lifting a car off of her baby or a people of God crying out for a blessed miracle that would honor their God and King and having it come forth then you begin to understand God's power. 

Furthermore (and number three), His power is not dependent on our help. 

If you are any type of New Testament believer in Jesus you should have already embraced our part and God's part. Our part is to realize He made us, loves us and plans on delivering us. HIS part is to do just that because only He can do it! We're weak, remember? Can we save ourselves into eternity? No. Have you had your walls of fortification pummeled lately? Probably. Have you felt any weakness? I have. The Holy Spirit would say to you, "Child, it's time you say, 'Lord, I love You. Through Your strength I will stand fast and firm! You and I, together, we are enough. Because of your great love Father God I will not fear. I hold on to You. I will count on You to build that shelter, those walls and gates and buttresses and most of all realize the foundation of Your Son Jesus, all of this,  around me and protect me from the darts, arrows, bullets and bazooka's of the enemy.'"

God says, "Cease striving, and know that I am God. Cease lamenting and know your victory is at hand because your deliverer is standing by!"

You and I WE remain...

InHISgrip,

  ~J~

The Stuff Smiles Are Made Of...

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.  I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.  And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.  But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; - Philippians 4:1-10a

How often have you seen a friend, a family member, a complete stranger even who just had this look of joy on their face for no particular reason that you could tell? The look I am talking about might not be one where they are laughing outrageously but you just know that they are more than just "happy". It isn't just the moment that has them pleased (happy from happening or happenstance) with life but it is something bigger than that. They are truly joyful! 

I have discovered that a joyful countenance; that certain pleased, calmly content look, has nothing to do with physical things at all! You can be any age in any type of health and have any type of job or even no job and still have this deep and abiding all over "happy"! It doesn't seem to be a function of where you live. I have seen it in the face of poor Ethiopian children and I have seen it oddly absent from the filthy rich and well-to-do.  I have seen amazingly joyful marrieds and missing as well, regardless of how long or to whom they are married.  

So, what is my conclusion to all of this? Joy is a choice!

Joy is a matter of the spirit of a person. It has shrouded their spirit and therefore that man or woman's soul and their thinking like a beautiful covering. It has affected attitude that stems from one's confidence in God. It illustrates, not God's work in them but rather their time with their Father, God. He is deeply if not fully in control of their world view. It illustrates through visual expression that Abba Father, He, is observed by this one heart to be involved in the happenstances of their life.  If you could see this person yesterday, measure their countenance today and then tomorrow you could know when this recognition of His caring and love was first realized. You would also know just how deeply it is believed by that one person.  

Chuck Swindoll wrote a book some years back called Laugh Again. In it Chuck said these words, "Either we fix our minds on that and determine to laugh again, or we wail and whine our way through life, complaining that we never got a fair shake. We are the ones who consciously determine which way we shall go." 

Joy is not positional. It is not a function of status. It isn't found in education nor lack of calamitous life situations. It is the simple realization because He told me so personally, that God is here, in my life, moment-by-moment and I am in good hands - ETERNALLY! 

Today, my God is living big in my life. Check out my face, at least right now. Hopefully, you will see Heavenly joy. It only comes from one place! 

I remain...

InHISgrip,

   ~J~

Oh That God - His Creation Cracks Me Up!

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. - Proverbs 15:13

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast!" - Proverbs 15:15

I love reading about dumb or outdated laws. They crack me up. Now, I am sure, at one time many of these dealt with dead serious issues but not today. Maybe I find them so hilarious because they are supposed to be so serious. Being built to be as somber as a funeral might be why I find some of them downright hilarious.

Some examples?

A San Francisco ordinance forbids the reuse of confetti. (This will make my son Chuck glad beyond words - Or, at least he would want them cleansed with sanitizer!)

In Danville, Pennsylvania, "fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires." I'd love to be the prophet they hire for that task! In Seattle, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon of more than six feet in length. There goes my Alaska Pipeline sized bazooka - I'll just have to leave it at home, in the closet!

An Oklahoma law states that a driver of "any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in death shall immediately stop . . . and give his name and address to the person struck."

So He Can Handle You!

A piece of noise-abatement legislation was passed in the village of Lakefield, Ontario, which permits birds to sing for thirty minutes during the day and fifteen minutes at night.

But the humor does not stop with our local governments.

Preachers can be an incredibly funny lot as well. And when I study the sermons and read about the lives and lifestyles of the pulpiteers of yesteryear, I confess I often laugh my proverbial tush off! Many of them---deep down---were wild 'n crazy guys! Eh, Gary Johnson?

One pastor, (this is a true story but not Gary Johnson) as he was readying for his message one Sunday morning, noted a man coming early into the sanctuary. As the man drew near to the front the minister noted this man only had one good leg. The man carried a short stool with him. He came down the middle aisle, sat front and center in the very front row, sat down and placed his partial appendage on the stool. During the message, the pastor was really "going to town." He was fired up! He was preaching the joys of commitment and sacrifice in the Christian life. At one point as he concluded he looks up and across his audience, raises his right arm to heaven, makes a fist and says, "Even our Lord had no stool to place his stump!" There was dead silence - turned red as a beet and watched as a whole congregation (including his one-legged visitor) bust out in gut-wrenching laughter.

Such humor is not making jokes out of life; it's recognizing the ones that life just happen to embrace.

Now, you don't have to start reading the comics or watch all (or some even) of those mindless sitcoms. Honestly, most of them aren't even mildly amusing; they are mindlessly crass however. You don't need to start telling silly jokes to each other; although a few are okay. all of the aforementioned comedic methods are external, superficial, and shallow. I'm suggesting depth of joy that is far more significant. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, revealing life through us we can fertilize the garden of our very own lighter heart so that it grows into "joyful!" The way to do that is to have a confidence in the living God, the loving Creator, the sovereign Lord. He was the one that gave us humor and who smiles every time we enjoy His gifts, His creation, His personal invasion into our daily lives.

Christian pastor and writer Elton Trueblood said it like this: "The Christian is joyful, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate. . . . The humor of the Christian is not a way of denying the tears, but rather a way of affirming something which is deeper than tears." It's true JOY COMES IN THE MORNING and our morning began when Jesus invaded our individual lives!

Yes, a few things in life are absolutely tragic, no question about it. Today I suggest though that first among them is a joyless Christian. Don't be that guy or gal. A truly cheerful face comes from a joyful heart, not from a lack of concern for life's tragedies.

Join me, find a mirror, look into it and show all 7 of your pearly white teeth (or more if you have them...store bought or otherwise) and have the courage of your joyful spirit!

I remain…


InHISgrip,
   ~J~

If I Had Known I'd Be Alive! - That Ol' Bible

The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. - 1 Chronicles 13:10

I have always been a reader. I truly enjoyed it as a child. Today, as an adult I can't imagine electing not to read.

The world changes quickly. Innovation and the joining of technologies happens daily. Yet I often hear from business associates how much they dislike reading. I also hear it and even more often from Christians and even those who are in positions of leadership.

True pillars of the faith exist who do not have a habit, a discipline, of reading the Bible. You might be one of those. One such Christian friend and business associate told me that he found it a difficult discipline to master. My response was, "Jim, if you do not get into the Bible; if you do not read from it and yes, do it daily, you cannot know how it is that God will speak into and provide guidance to your life specifically."

My worldview, no, LIFEview on the subject of the Holy Bible has less to do with issues like infallibility and inerrancy and much more on the premise that its constant and continual message is this, God's written Word, as provided in the Bible, is life to our souls. It provides knowledge that leads to life."

The prophet Hosea tells us, My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as My priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. - Hosea 4:6. God has given us His Word that has specific foundational principles. You can't know them unless you read about them. Understanding God's heart, His desire for mankind, the fulness of the message of Jesus Christ must be understood if we expect our Heavenly Father's personal, intimate blessing.

King David forgot to follow what we perceive as a law. But something more than God saying, "I said so!" was at work when God instructed David to allow no one to touch the Ark of the Covenant. "...But they must not touch the holy things or they will die..." - Numbers 4:15.

You might recall the story. When they were transporting the ark, one of the men, Uzzah, seemingly in an innocent manner reached to steady the ark but was immediately stricken dead when his hands touched the ark of God.

This has led to speculation. Did David know this law or did he simply forget? Well, the answer was that David knew it because God had told David directly. Had David failed to instruct Uzzah about this command and thus not take care of one who was put under Davids' care? If Uzzah was aware did he really believe it was a specific instruction from God?

Regardless of the implications we know that David thought it was okay to carry the ark the way Uzzah did. And, because of David's lack of truly "hearing" God a man lost his life for his presumption.

Too many of us take the Bible lightly.

We believe we can violate His Word without consequence. Or, perhaps that its directive instruction is not true or relevant to us or to the time in which we live. But the Bible itself says that the Lord stands by (He is at the ready) to uphold His Word.

The Bible can be life, or it can bring death. When God provides instructions, we need to follow them. The Word of God leads to the personal instruction and direction of God for each of us. Knowing this about God brings reverence for our Heavenly Father. David was afraid of God that day and asked, 'How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?' - 1 Chronicles 13:12

We must all have a fearful respect when, like David, God speaks to us to speak through us. For truly, it is life or death.

Do you take God's Word seriously? Is it life or death for you? Does it even register in your heart to devour it daily and discover how the Holy Spirit will use it to revolutionize your life? Do you feed upon His Word daily so that you might know Him and know His instruction and intimate communication to you?

It is my prayer that you understand God's written word as given in the Bible and that it does what it says it will do…give you abundant life in your daily walk…

 I remain...
 InHISgrip,
    ~J~

Built To Be A Blesser

One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:24-25

God doesn't need your money. If you have lived in and around church enough of your life you have heard this. But if something, so near and dear to our lives and that takes up so much of our thinking and effort isn't consecrated to Him then what have we learned about how much God cares about us?

Like everything else in the Kingdom of God and associated with this earth, the purpose of money is not as straight forward as we might think. We are provided means to live, to trade, to earn and save as a way of serving others.

In our society God purposed that money should be a means to bless and be blessed by others. It is a way to show love, empathy and caring inside the Body of Christ and to the world. But, it is easy to be insensitive in this area. When we are in a season of lack we withhold money that God has designated for someone else.

Why? We argue that we can't give. Of course, then we have the story of the widows' mite (penny) and yet we reason it away.

No, God wants to bless through us, but His desire cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient. Or, to put another way, we can shut off His blessing by a lack of hearing His instructions to us.

This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him. Our Heavenly Father, HIS Heavenly Father had already planned to provide for that man through his boss, the owner. The owner's hesitantly nearly cost him a divine opportunity to be an instrument of God's blessing in the employee's life.

My point? Hearing from God and obeying, is a daily event.

How many people do we let down because we feel the "harvest" God provides is all ours? Or, is it possible that there is a lack in the Body of Christ because we are insensitive to the instruction of the Holy Spirit?

Jesus said that we needed the Holy Spirit to come and that in His coming we would be provided Comfort…Can you see how the leading of God's Spirit provides for you and I and provides entry into God's purpose for, not just our intellectual and spiritual life but for our daily living?

And, just a quick thought on Spiritual Succession. Are we teaching the generations to come to be givers? If not, can we truly say we are following the commission given to us to raise up disciples? Heck, for no other reason than someday you will be old and feeble…TEACH YOUR CHILDREN GENEROSITY!

In the USA the pressure is always to get more; to have more. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God's vessels of financial blessing to others; we will be insensitive to His spiritual leading.

We need open hearts, minds and an adventurers expectation when it comes to just how God will work in your life. We should expect big and unusual experiences. They should be the kind that seem impossible. "But God!" should be the bywords of our daily lives.

Our hands as well as our hearts and minds should be open; open to give and receive. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.

I remain…

InHISgrip, ~J~

Oh God…You're Late!

For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. - Habakkuk 2:3 God has a storehouse of blessings that He has reserved for you and me. Part of growing in our relationship with our Heavenly Father is for you and I to daily better understand HIS timing for events in our lives. We cannot accept as a gift what we do not know exists. Believe it that God has a specific timetable for us. Without knowing His direction for our lives that timetable can be excruciatingly slow and emotionally painful. If you've been churched all your life you might be familiar with the Old Testament figure Joseph. He was the one that had the coat of many colors. He was also given dreams from God (Which ended up being the blueprint for his life). But much was to happen to Joseph before he would take hold of the wonders of God's promises to him. He remained a slave in Egypt and was then placed in prison after being wrongfully accused. That would seem cruel and uncaring of God. While in his distresses Joseph was given opportunities and saved lives. He did those faithfully. Yet he still didn't receive these huge blessings. Why? Because an early release would have disrupted God's perfect plan. God takes time to develop character before anything else. God could not afford to have a prideful 30-year-old managing the resources of an entire region of the world. But, more than that (and Joseph seemed to understand this) he had not sought God about the timing and didn't receive it. Not so much in his life, but in the lives of other Old Testament patriarchs we find God's blessing delayed because they refused to fellowship with Him. Moses was such a case. We have a saying that is quite biblical. God is good all the time! It's true. It's true even when it doesn't appear to be true. Just know that the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him! (Isaiah 30:18) If you are awaiting the fulfillment of a vision in your life, you can ask the Lord for His grace to sustain you. But before you do that, close in the gap between you and God. Walk daily in a way that allows you the chance to learn just how deep, wide and bountiful His goodness is to His children; those who "hear His voice." I remain... InHISgrip, ~J~

Just The Facts or Just the Actions or...Door #3?

I just read John 9 and was reminded that playing with the facts of God's word and understanding God's truth; what He wants to accomplish, DO, with it are two very different things.

The Pharisees do not wish to change the life of a man who is blind (or perhaps know they can't) and so they wish to talk about the circumstance by which he ended up blind from birth.

Jesus would have none of it!

Francis Chan tells the story of the girl told by her father to clean her room. She had until he got home from work; by the end of the day. When dad comes home he asks her if it's clean. She says no. BUT...she has thought deeply about it all day. Further, she has written a proclamation about the advantages of it and its meaning to her and has formed a group of her friends to study the affects of clean rooms on the overall health of households and the environment. 

May it not be so of you and I and our faith in Christ.

Whose fault was it that the man had been blind? Who cares! He is seeing to God be the Glory and that God GETS the Glory!


I remain...


InHISgrip,
  ~J~

And The Crown Is Past or Will You Wear It Proudly?

The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors even to David. - 1 Samuel 28:17b

I woke up this morning feeling as though something my heart longed for was missing. I soon realized it was found in my work; I'm simply not being compensated for my work. I'm patted on the back. I'm given oral accolades but no dinero!

It has affected so much of my life. I should say, I've allowed it to affect so much of my life. It has even created perceived affects that make me question my relationships with the people who profess to love me.

I have come to believe our work, the pattern of our life, including relationships, the Body of Christ with whom we worship, the people God puts in our path, they are all a part of our personal calling.Within our calling is the anointing of God on our life. You might feel more comfortable with your life purpose. It is with our calling where we wear our crown.

When God anoints a person, a pattern of trials and circumstances appears to take place at specific times in their life. God often takes each of us through what I identify as four test forms. He does so to determine how (not if) we will walk out His call throughout our life. Our response to these forms of testing provide a sort of set of gates through which we can advance to the next level of responsibility in God's Kingdom and our relationship with Him. The farther along we get, the deeper the relationship to Him. The more He shines through us and the more we resemble Him.

I am not sure if they are ordered just this way. I can imagine they are not. However, my experience, and my reading on the subject of God's will both biblically and extra-biblically point to these four being present for each one of us who names Jesus Christ as Lord.

Here they are:

Self-Control/God-Control - In the scripture above the one being spoken to is King Saul. He spent most of his time as king trying to prevent others from getting what he had. Saul never reached a place with God in which he was a grateful recipient of God's goodness to him either for the unique relationship he had with God or what God had blessed him with in the natural.

Saul did not live with an abundance mentality.

This might have been because he did not live in a time where this was a popular notion. He embraced the grasping, selfish, "survival of the fittest" attitude. By the way, historically, it has not often been the case in any time where a people felt they were a part of abundance either spiritually or physically. However, Saul was a religious as well as secular controller. This control led to disobedience and ultimately being rejected by God because Saul no longer was a vessel God could use.

Bitterness - Every major character in the Bible was deeply hurt by others that were close to them. Jesus was hurt deeply when Judas, a trusted follower, betrayed Him. Perhaps more hurtful was the way his own family and Peter treated Him however. In the case of Judas, despite knowing this was going to happen, Jesus responded by washing Judas' feet. Every anointed leader will have a Judas experience at one time or another. God watches us to see how we will respond to this test. Will we take up an offense? Will we become jaded toward others? Will a severe hurt drive us to a place where love, caring, concern and the ability to love inspire of heartache plague our lives? Will we retaliate? It is one of the most difficult tests to pass. You will be required, most likely more than once to see yourself beyond your emotional heartache in order to fulfill God's greatest joy and purpose in your life.

Power - Power, and more precisely the lording over through its use, is the opposite of the general call on every Jesus believers life. That call is to servanthood. Jesus had all authority in Heaven and earth, so satan tempted Jesus at the top of the mountain to use this authority, this power, to remove Himself from a difficult circumstance. How will we use the position, influence and a superior advantage(s) that God has entrusted to us? Do we seek to gain more? There is a common phrase in the investment community, "He who has the gold rules." The Kingdom of God, the place where all gold is created and from where it is distributed has a different phrase, "Whomever amongst you that would be first must in fact become servant of all!, With Love & In Truth, Jesus.

He was the ultimate servant leader. Follow that which is contrary to all fundamental leadership training and follow His lead.

Covetousness - Covetousness, greed, is a toughie. The "Big Bucks" naturally has great influence. This influence can be for great good but more often than not with a little comes the pursuit of more and more of it and then its very pursuit erodes a mans moral fiber.

When money is a major or just as often, the primary, focus in our life, it becomes a tool of destruction. It takes the place of relationships. It removes us from spending time in the pursuit of the love and serving of others. When it is a fruit of our labor, it can become a great blessing to both self and others. Many of God's kids started out well - only to be derailed once wealth or frankly any form of affluence (knowledge, social status, things, etc.) became a primary portion of their life. What history has shown us is that there are millions that flourish spiritually in terrible trials; only a few can thrive spiritually with the grasp of wealth.

As the called of God, you and I must be aware when the negative pressure of these four (4) things are present in our life situations. You can be confident that each one of these conditions will present itself as God calls you for His purposes.

Will your love of God and trust in the principles of His kingdom overcome your natural tendencies? Start at the beginning. Ask our Heavenly Father for a double dose of His grace today to walk in light; triumphing over the darkness of things that crave to naturally possess us.

I remain...

InHISgrip,

~J~

Men of God Emotionally Crumble - It's Allowed

>Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.” When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food; but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. - Genesis 43:18-30
You needed to read most of the background story…The scene is a follow-up meeting between Joseph and his brothers; well, more brothers. This meeting included one they had previously and conveniently left home at the request of their father and in guilt over the treatment of a previous younger brother, Joseph himself.

Suddenly, Joseph, this now great man, this strong-hearted and efficient prime minister of a mighty nation, collapsed inside. (Did you read until the very end?)
Had the years hardened him? Had he become less emotional as time went on and he had gone through all the ups and downs of life? Had his time with God prepared him for every situation so that he handled them all with calm and reserve?

Hardly.

No, truly great men and women, no different than you and I, are suddenly seized by those times in life when they can no longer restrain the wellspring of emotion surging within them. There is no composure. Their feelings bubble to the top. That's what happened to Joseph at this never expected moment in his very full life. This was a moment that was truly a kingdom moment. It is at such amazing, blessed times that words fail us. And, completely acceptable, as with Joseph we must get alone to regain our composure. Joseph did.
The Scriptures speak,
Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his bedroom and wept there - Genesis 43:30.

Close your eyes for a moment and picture the scene. With little warning, the handsome, confident leader of millions has turned away from his guests and rushed to his bedroom and collapsed in an uncontrollably sobbing heap! Twenty plus years of pain, heartbreak, loneliness, in a moment, passed before Josephs' eyes. All the loneliness. All the loss. All the seasons and birthdays and meaningful festivals and commemorative times without his family. It was too much to contain, like a rushing river pouring into a lake, swelling above the dam. His tears ran, and he heaved with great sobs. All of a sudden, he was a little boy again, missing his daddy.

There have been times in my own life when I've had doubts, when I've stumbled over great cracks that appeared in my world. Some of those have occurred because of the pain of my past. Many of them because of the pain of my time here and now. I've had those times when I climbed into my own bed and wept, crying out to God. I suspect I am not alone in this. Such times of pain, and despair are part of "Life 101" aren't they? I pray, have you not already done it, realize honesty in your identity, real rather than false or the protection of some kind of super-confident image is more hurtful than it is helpful.

The little verse that is Jude, verse 22 says, "Of some having compassion, making the difference. We can love through it, we can love deeply and in meaningful ways to those with whom we understand. It's comforting to realize we're in good company in times like those that our friend Joseph was going through. Isn't it?

Yes, it is true. Joseph had become a great and powerful man, admittedly, but he was also a real human being with real human emotions, who could step out of the corridors of power and have the strength to weep his heart out. Spending a life that might have destroyed others but spending it in the shadow of the Almighty created just such a man as he.

I remain…
InHISgrip,
~J~