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~

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~

The Case for a Personal Leading from God

Or, God as Pilot (Note: There is no CO-) By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them.... - Exodus 13:21
  A few days ago, on FaceBook, I posted a sign I had seen in my Internet travels. Essentially it said when we ask God for answers He gives us one of three choices. Those Choices are, A) Yes B) No or C) I have something better in mind.

I've been thinking about that. I am thinking I believe it is true. I also came away with a verum prior, a prior truth. For most Protestant theologians of the 15th through the 19th century truth is built on truth. There is always something that preceded what we now believe to be true. Ultimately, this truth would find its way back to the source of all truth, God Himself.

 In this case, though I am sure those are the three end results of our queries of our Heavenly Father, what I believe to be a prior truth or, perhaps condition would be a better word, is that most of us are not prepared at all for Him to provide us, directly, with answers. Therefore, we substitute a more practical methodology.

At one level our ability to hear from God is tied directly to this question, "How are you at waiting on God?" And then, how do you determine if God is giving you the green light to move forward?

Most believers make the mistake of employing the double column list method where, by adding up all the pluses and deducting the minuses they conclude that God has given them the green light as affirmation outweighs the negatives. If they are sophisticated in this methodology they even conclude under what terms they should move forward.

The actionable reality of this method is this, several factors go into making a decision from the Lord but all of those factors are based on present reality (historical evidence as we interpret it) and not based on the Principles of the Kingdom of God and God's Rule.

I'll make this brief where it deserves much more information; but, here goes…

When we bring a matter before God it's important to do at least three things.

1. First, you should gather facts. Even the great Master Himself (er…Jesus) said a man counts the cost before He moves forward in a life decision. Fact gathering allows you to determine all the realities of a given situation. However, this does not ultimately drive a godly decision, but it can put a stop to it. For instance, if you were planning to build a major roadway and you knew the only way to move forward was to build it through a native people's homeland your decision may be made in advance. (Principle: care and concern for others and their interests should be the greater interest…providing there was no greater or appealing solution they would value.) But the principle is solid; God would not lead you to enter into unrighteous ventures that are harmful to others.

2. Is the Holy Spirit guiding you in your decision? If the Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm - Psalm 37:23. George Mueller cites that the steps are also "by the Lord." As a connected aside, God puts hedges around us, but many times we bull our way through the hedges under the guise of tenacity and perseverance. This too is unrighteousness. One wise brother in Christ stated that the greatest success we can have is to know when it is time to pull the plug rather than keep forcing a situation. Not all of life's circumstances are eternal. The problem is, because of a lack of time we have had with God, we are not familiar when He personally speaks into our heart. We lack His vision and an eternal perspective on the matter at hand. Practice the presence of God! And, that means actual extended periods of time on your knees, walking alone, looking skyward. It means learning from those who do practice His presence and stay in it themselves.

3. Has the action you believe God wishes you to take been confirmed? God has placed others around us to be used as holy sounding boards to our lives and to our actions; to confirm decisions and keep us from the deceit of our own seeming self interests. Paul, in speaking forcefully to the Corinthians once said these words, By the mouth or two or three witnesses shall every word be established - 2 Corinthians 13:1b. This is God's way of keeping us within the hedge of His protection and within earshot of His guiding voice.

I once read these words: "Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser." - anonymous

To this day I remember them nearly daily simply because I am so poor at listening to God. In my haste I go on before Him. In my pride I believe I can figure it out without Him. May you and I both today both slow down, calm down but most all all bend down and listen more often all the time to His guiding voice. It is why you will have the Holy Spirit forever within you; so you may walk with Him and hear His voice. (Yes, forever…check out your New Testament…)

I remain...

InHISgrip,
  ~J~

In The Face of Betrayal We Found Grace

...Peace be with you! - John 20:19

How would you respond to a group of friends, those who followed you as a teacher, mentor, and more if having poured your life into them, teaching them all you know for three plus years, only to have them disband though you had instructed them otherwise? What would you say to them after you were reunited for the first time? I'd be cynical. I'd use sarcasm. I might want to speak with them one at a time and enumerate their failings.

I'll tell you this, at the very least I'd make sure they felt shamed by their lack of loyalty and commitment. After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, He appeared to the disciples. His first words to them were, "Peace (Grace) be with you!" The word grace means "unmerited favor." When someone loves you unconditionally, without regard to your behavior in return, it becomes a powerful force in your life.

Such was the case for the disciples when Jesus appeared to them. They could have expected reprimand. Instead, they received unconditional love and acceptance. He was overjoyed to see them. They were equally overjoyed to see Him.

And in this, Jesus created a teachable moment. Jesus understood that the disciples needed to fail Him as part of their training. Quality, wise, understanding Coaches are just like that. For the Apostles it would be this failure that became their greatest motivation for service and one of the things they would use to illustrate God's amazing love personally. Failure allowed them to experience incredible grace for the very first time and grace would transform them from men into men of God. Have you experienced this grace in your life?

Have you extended grace to those who have hurt you? Can you let go of any wrongs that have come through friends or associates?

The grace you extend may change their lives-and yours.

 I remain... InHISgrip, ~J~

Oh You Beautiful Mess Maker!

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. - Proverbs 14:4

When I was a 7 year old we moved to a brand new neighborhood. It was a brand spanking new house! One of my favorite things was to play in streets filled with red clay from the land, plastic pipe and wood and other building materials as bulldozers would be left behind for us to play on. The job site was a beautiful mess from a 7 year old boys point of view. There was always all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The houses looked ugly; all of their insides were exposed as they were being being pieced together. It was good for us that this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the homes were gorgeous. The landscaping looked like they came out of a home-design magazine. Everything would go from "MESS!" to clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.

I am sure you get the picture. The Christian life is just like this. Often we must go through s messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in chaos (Or, at least it feels that way to us). It is in these times that God builds out new aspects of His human tabernacle. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal the Father aims at is for his kids to exhibit greater Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of breaking away what is not "of Him" and replacing it with new appliances and buildings; all that is not of Him replaced with all that is "of Him!"

It can be a painful process. But when the pain and messy start be lifted up! A brand new awesome wing of who you are will be coming forth. Years ago a song was penned that had this lyric line:

Sometimes a shadow dark and cold - Lays like a mist across the road - But be encouraged by the sight - Where there's a shadow, there's is light

Where there is a mess there is, out of the midst of it great beauty, power and strength

It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant and useful harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.

One other thought, those messes are not just created unilaterally and they are not cleaned up and that order is not just built in this world by one man or one woman. God creates or allows the messes to come through people. He uses people to build order. In the midst of the beauty of building he encourages us to gather to ourselves others in the building process. At Vision Reach we would love to be on your team. We would love to be your coach, your encourager, your exhorter; someone that helps to keep you on task and on purpose.

Join Cindy and I today in the adventure of an eternal lifetime!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Reflecting the Glory of One Whose Glory Should Be Recognized

They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. - Psalm 145:11-12

How do you measure your effectiveness in God, or should you even be thinking like this? I know it is quite popular to use a sense of reasoning about our spiritual "walk" like this:

God loves me and is all knowing. Because He is all knowing and nothing about who I am or what I do affects His love for me can I disappoint Him. After all, He knows me. He knows who I am and what I do. He made me! Therefore why should I even worry or even worse, feel guilty for being the person God made me to be


The early Church turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective? Was it their theology? Was it great preaching? Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus? Was it an attitude reflected in the above paragraph? Could we validate that kind of thinking by any historical analysis? The answer to the last 2 questions is a simple no.

This little Bible morsel speaks definitively. It creates prophetic clarity that in a future time, God's people, would espouse a mighty message that created widespread knowledge of God, His glory and kingdom. I suggest this happened and can happen and it is what makes the the Bodies of Christ effective.

I am also convinced that it is at the core of God's heart. It is quite simple. God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual. When this happens, the world is automatically changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world. The world "sees" God as He is.

I am also convinced we need to better understand words and their Kingdom meanings; vocabulary, if you will, from God's perspective. The Bible uses words like love, obedience, serve, servant, suffer and I am sure we flavor their meaning based on who we are and not what the Scripture clearly states what is truthfully meant; what is their fulness from God's perspective. Here is one we don't get easily: We serve a jealous God. He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone. (Check it out - It says it right there in that Big Black Book) God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them and more than this to illustrate so we can get our tiny minds around his enormity. He does it. It is His doing. We might be arms and legs and a mouth in the process but it is His plan and His power that accomplishes. Why? That we might, in turn, understand just how little we make of Him and how tiny is the full grasp of our understanding about Him. And, more to the point so that through us His glory shines and people are drawn to Him!

Father God has visibly expressed His power and control and strength since the day He created man. His glory is His own. Only He can have it and express it. However, our God and Father desires to reflect His glory through you and me, so that all men may know of His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His Kingdom and, in their knowing they would embrace their God-given and provided right to be on the inside of His love, affection, glory, grace, mercy and all of the other overly abundant joys His own should experience.

The apostle Paul understood this principle: My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" ( - I Corinthians 2:4-5.

If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why. Of course, you also might want to study the concept of God's Glory so you would recognize it should it be expressed in your life. It might not be precisely what you are thinking at this moment. Just know this, He has promised to use you and me to mirror who He is if we will walk in obedience to His commands.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6

That is an If/Then statement. There is in fact an our part and His part. You embrace it or you don't. Which will it be?

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! - Luke 11:9-13

As challenging as it is for you and I to understand, there is a truth here that says God does gives us a part in our relationship with Him. We get to learn, grow and become more today than we were yesterday. We are no longer under a shadow of guilt. It is not our lot to constantly wring our hands and wonder if God is pleased with us however. To do that we make His sufficiency, His power in us, His saving and redemptive skills weak. No, we just need to know we get to partner in growth so that who we are in Him shows clearly to the world naturally and draws all men to Him.

It was on my heart today...I hope it blesses yours...I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Does God Have Motives?

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. - 2 Samuel 22:20

I have the opportunity to hang around nonbelievers all the time. I love it. I also choose to hang around believers online that quite often disagree with me deeply. Often, when I engage this group the reason I do so is called into question. At first I became righteously indignant. Well, I did until it had nothing at all to do with righteousness and more about my just wanting to be right. I work on it daily now and attempt to do what Paul encouraged us to do...I believe the admonition to "try the spirits" and to "check our motives" whether they be of God can be viewed as two sides of the same coin.

Questioning someone's motives for their activities can become an overriding response to those with whom we interact. Wrong motives can result in broken relationships, poor business decisions, patterns that lead to alienating ourselves from others but also from right thinking and good judgement. Often, when we practice junior psychology on others we skim the surface of their intentions. Often they don't fully understand why they do what they do. I am of the sincere and biblical opinion that most often, without the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit to our spirits do not know the motive of another person. It is wrong for us to assume what their motive is until we have confidence that we know their intentions. When we respond or react prematurely, we become judge and jury over them. We were never given either office.

God has a motive for every one of His children. His desire is to bring us, as the opening verse states, into a spacious place. He wants us to go beyond our borders of safety and security so that we might experience life at a level that goes beyond ourselves, and our narrow perceptions. What do you think of when you think of a "spacious place"? No limitations? A large, grassy field? Open air? Perhaps the evening sky? These are positive images. They can be quiet, serene, and massive!

Sometimes these spacious places, simply by their size and the spark of creativity that the Holy Spirit lights up, encourage us to step out in faith into areas where we've never ventured.

Sometimes we need to be rescued by the Lord...

When Peter walked on the water, God was inviting him to a spacious place. He went beyond the borders of his boat and ventured into a whole new world. He didn't have complete success in his venturing out, but it was a process that would lead him to the next victory in his faith walk with Jesus. Stepping out leads to criticism. Stepping out will also lead to blunders for both those watching and those attempting it. Sometimes failure is what is needed in order to move us to the next level of faith with God and just as likely, when we are struggling with our faith we move out into the great unknown without great direction. What I am learning is for some they must be willing to fail and let God rescue them. Doing "something", "anything" is better than the place they were at.

I have concluded that the Lord delights in the process of His kids going forth into spacious places, into big projects and growing. He also embraces and I am sure, as only God can delights when we learn the lessons of "great going" with "great listening" to His voice. But in this God has a motive for each of us. Generally speaking His motive for His children is always loving. And, as I watch others grow and go one thing becomes evident on that subject: In the going He is always desiring to bring us to a new level of trust and dependence on Him so we become more deeply involved and intimate with Him!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

What Is the Breadth and Width Of Your Life's Calling?

If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. - 2 Corinthians 1:6

"God must love you a lot! He doesn't allow someone to go through the kinds of adversity you have experienced unless He has a special calling on your life." Those words were said to me by two different pastors at two different times when I had gone through a place that was a desert place in my life. If you have walked in the Christian life and have had struggles with work, relationships, family, friends or perhaps what it is God wants to do with you I bet you have heard them or some form of them also. Later I would learn another related truth from a respected man of God - a man who lives in another country, a man whom God uses throughout the globe. This man would say, "The depth and width of your faith experiences are directly proportional to your calling." What were these men of God saying? What were they getting at?

They were describing a process of preparation that God takes each of His leaders through when He plans to use them in significant ways. In Full Gospel circles a "faith experience" is an event or "spiritual marker" in your life about which you can say, "That is where I saw God personally moving in my life." It was usually preceded by a place in your life where you either thought or said, "God! Why is it that I cannot figure out what you want to do with me or why you are putting me through this?"

The time I speak of though is an unmistakable event in which God reveals Himself personally and in a very intimate manner to you. It was the burning bush for Moses; the crossing of the Red Sea or the Jordan River for the nation of Israel; Jacob's encounter with the angel with whom he wrestled and sustained a life changing injury. You get the drift. It was the feeding of the 5,000 for the disciples. It was Thomas putting his hands in the wounds of Jesus Christ and it was Paul blinded on a dusty road in the Roman Empire. It was the time when you saw God, and His reality for you might as well have been face to face.

If God has plans of using you in the lives of many others, and you need to know if you are reading this I can nearly guarantee it, you can expect that He is going to allow certain faith experiences to come into your life in order to build a foundation that will be solid. That foundation is what you will be able to look back on to keep you faithful to Him in the times of testing. You will hold on when Satan attacks viciously. Each of us must have personal faith experiences in which we experience God personally so that we can move in faith to whatever He may call us either into to to do to further the Kingdom of God and rightly honor and worship Him. Do you need a personal faith experience right now in your life? Be careful what you ask for but pray that God will reveal Himself to you. He may not do it in some manner you might otherwise think conventional but He delights in doing just that.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Judgments vs. Judgmental

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven - Luke 6:37

I must tell you all that I enjoy Os Guinness and this is one of the reasons. He brings the Bible alive through the practical applications of it. I believe that is a better concept of theology than simply, "the fact." The story below is a good example and it had me thinking this morning. Have you ever made a judgment about a person or situation only to discover how wrong you were in your assessment? Such was the case in a story told by Os in his book, The Call.


"Arthur F. Burns, the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve System and ambassador to West Germany, was a man of considerable gravity. Medium in height, distinguished, with wavy silver hair and his signature pipe, he was economic counselor to a number of presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan. When he spoke, his opinions carried weight and Washington listened.

Arthur Burns was also Jewish, so when he began attending an informational White House group for prayer and fellowship in the 1970s, he was accorded special respect. In fact, no one knew quite how to involve him in the group and, week after week when different people took turns to end the meeting in prayer, Burns was passed by-out of a mixture of respect and reticence.

One week, however, the group was led by a newcomer who did not know of Burns' status. As the meeting ended, the newcomer turned to Arthur Burns and asked him to close the time with a prayer. Some of the old-timers glanced at each other in surprise and wondered what would happen. But without missing a beat, Burns reached out, held hands with others in the circle, and prayed this prayer: 'Lord, I pray that you would bring Jews to know Jesus Christ. I pray that you would bring Muslims to know Jesus Christ. Finally, Lord, I pray that you would bring Christians to know Jesus Christ. Amen.'

Burn's prayer has become legendary in Washington. Not only did he startle those present with refreshing directness, but he also underscored a point about 'Christians' and 'Christianity' that needs repeating regularly. It highlights another important aspect of the truth of our personal understanding of the idea of purpose: Purpose reminds Christians ceaselessly that, far from having arrived, a Christian is someone who in this life is always on the road as 'a follower of Christ' and a follower of 'the Way.'"*

We often worry about whether we are acting as fruit inspectors (You will know people by the fruit they bear in their lives) or if we are simply judging them out of a religious or worse, self-pious unloving, ungracious spirit. Perhaps from this, and before you and I judge a person or situation, maybe we should consider that our judgment might not be an accurate assessment of the situation and certainly might miss the greater blessing that is associated with a person.

I remain...
InHISgrip
~J~

Isn't Faithful Like Loyal & Aren't They Both A Ton of Work?

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." - 2 Chronicles 15:1, 2

I am really struggling here. There is a whole bunch of believers these days that are attempting to embrace a God who flows naturally out of personal paradigms in their life. The emergent movement has spawned groups that, though they do not willingly embrace the overall pseudo-non-theological premise of conversation and dialogue based on a lack of foundations it is having an odd effect. May the outcomes be better than the beginnings.

 

But first what is a personal paradigm? An example might be a friend and you are talking about godly things and you say, "I think that God will let you know when He's ready to let you know." The key words there would be, I think. That is a personal paradigm. You aren't validating your thoughts against anything. You aren't speaking or indicating you are being lead by the Holy Spirit. You are not designating your thoughts as the Bible's position on the issue. You are merely stating an opinion. Now, depending on how valued your advice is to your friend, they may just take it as Gospel. You may in fact be all the Jesus they know. Right or wrong they view you as their spiritual guidepost. You are their moral compass. And that kind of response to them, well, it's sad to me. It's also dangerous for you.

 

In the verse above Asa was the king of Judah for 41 years. That's a long time. He was known as a good king who served the Lord with great zeal. He reformed and restored godliness to Israel as the direction the nation would pursue. He broke down idols in high places that were worshipped. These were foreign gods brought in by the insurgence of other people's into the lands. He did other moral and cool things as well such as doing away with male prostitutes. And check this out, he even removed his own mother from being queen because she worshiped an idol. The Scriptures say that as long as he sought the Lord, the Lord prospered his reign.

 

However, Asa was not totally faithful in his calling. There came a time in his life when he made a decision to no longer trust in the God of Israel. He lost his confidence in God as his deliverer. Later in Chronicles we would find the prophet Hanani come to Asa to inform him that God's blessing was no longer on his life because of an ungodly alliance he had made.

 

Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war - 2 Chronicles 16:8-9

 

We all are susceptible to do the very same things with our spiritual lives. Many of us are so constantly self-observing that we read, and listen and embrace and heap to ourselves teachers whose thoughts and concepts and attitudes speak to us and validate our current emotional state. But do they provide to us the kind of childlike love that Jesus came to restore to us when He gave us back our Father God? Do they help us hear Him early in the morning? Do they open and reveal the Bible to us in such a way that it provides guidance for our ability to try the spirits and voices?

 

We should press into God and align ourselves with those who are God pursuers; who seek to Love God - Who Love Others by their actions and words - Whose discipling power is energized by the Holy Spirit because it brings forth life and not just more dialogue. We should not simply be spinning our wheels and validating our weaknesses and the path we have pursued to this moment in time.

 

I read a series of blogs over the last two days of whining baby Christians. Pointing to a past of teaching, discipling and training that they say, 'wore them out,' and 'caused guilt and shame.' They describe their church experiences as if they had been tied to a chair and water-boarded spiritually. In post after post they validated the horrors of their Christian history. Apparently God was not sovereign in their lives. He missed them. They were not on His radar.  Whatever happened to the words of Paul where he indicated that all the things he had gone through were meant to provide goodness, grace, power, teaching and all God things for himself and his readers? Ah! If you ask some of these they would say, "I think he got sidetracked in his pursuit of God by thinking he could please God and his zealousness got him in trouble."

Ya. Uh huh. THAT's what happened.

Wake up believers. Get a grip! The God who loves and saved you is speaking to you. Pursue Him. Follow Him. Expect to hear and be guided by your Heavenly Father as you follow Him.

 

Look, there are no guarantees that if we began well we will finish well. The life of Asa tells us this. It is only through God's grace that we can be faithful to our calling. But being faithful to it means we actively pursue it. This is the God who said, "You will find me when you seek me...with all your heart."

 

And, make no mistake of it. You have a calling. Each of us is capable of falling away from that calling in God. God gets great joy in answering the prayers of the week. You don't have to come up with some slick teaching out of your own paradigm that justifies why you feel the way you do. Pray that God will keep you faithful to the purposes He has for your life. Engage your fellow believers in your quest to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might! Reach down and help another. There is ALWAYS someone who needs Jesus love as it comes from you. Our Father strengthens those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. And that is not how I feel. Ask Asa...I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

 

Yes, You Have a Calling on Your Life!

But the Danites had difficulty taking possession of their territory, so they went up and attacked Leshem, took it, put it to the sword and occupied it.... - Joshua 19:47

 

This, I believe, is one of the greatest struggles every maturing Christian has in this life and that is the challenge of realizing what God has presented, promised and purposed for us in our lives; to take their inheritance in the land. The gifting, skill-set, and godly passions of your life are first realized and then must be taken hold of. It is the one thing that God abundantly uses that the enemy grapples with us about. It is also the thing that most easily sways us from a path of rightly dividing the word of God (the Bible) and God's voice.

 

What is the spiritual inheritance God has reserved for you? When God told the Israelites they were going to be given the Promised Land, it was not a walk in the park. They would encounter 39 battles in taking the land God promised to them. The devil and the natural enemies of godliness arrayed themselves against God's people. Obtaining the land, the blessing, the gifts of God, took a joint effort between God and the Israelites to engage and battle the enemy that maintained control of the land. The gifts, the creativity, the ingenuity, the crafting, the power of God for and in them were all used to conquer the enemy so they could occupy the land.

 

God has given you and me a spiritual inheritance that must be won in the heavenlies. We fight it in our spirits and our minds. A dear friend and mentor once counseled me after watching my life over a period by saying, "The Lord has given you a spiritual inheritance. That inheritance lies in your ability to speak into the lives of people. You are called to caring and close relationships. YIKES! And, if you know me you know why I say, yikes. However, I have found they were right. And, because my purpose, the land God wishes me to occupy lies in relationships, that is the place the enemy attacks most. The devil would use my past against me. He would use my personality to keep me from fulfilling the purposes of God for me. He would take my emotional proclivities and place them at the forefront of my decision-making processes when it came to people in my life. The enemy always attacks us in the area where we are to receive our inheritance or with the things God truly wishes for us to give up to Him for His glory. Invariably these are the places in our lives where we will find our greatest joys in God once they have been given over and back to Him that we might gain great joy in our service to Him through their use and that includes our emotions, gifts, skills, and all the other objects our God has placed in our life to conquer the land we've been promised.

 

Guys, you and I must walk in faithfulness and obedience to His righteousness in how you deal with the things that God has equipped you with to fulfill His specific call on your life. That call, in large part, is your inheritance in Christ Jesus!

 

I hope these words speak to you as the wisdom of God. The Lord has proven these words to be true in my life I can tell you.

 

What is the spiritual inheritance He has reserved for you? What is God purposing for you, first, today? I can tell you it was for you to start this day and proclaim His Lordship in your life and over everything that you do. It was also to give you a sense of duty, presence in the land and purpose for your life and for you to take steps, every day, to take more and more of the land He has promised to you. In your case that land is more and more of the life, the ministry and the purposes that you and you alone were given by God to occupy!

 

What areas of your inheritance must you take possession of today? What is it your God wishes for you to take back, in His name and for the Kingdom of God? The enemy of your soul does not want you to take possession. If you are frustrated in life then look up! Be glad! You are engaged in the battle. Put on your armor and begin walking in obedience into the areas God has called you to possess. Let's keep one another in prayer about this and together conquer in the mighty name of Jesus! I remain...

 

InHISgrip,
~J~

When the Minutiae Does Count - Life Virtually Always!

Who despises the day of small things? - Zechariah 4:10

Over the last several  weeks I have been working on developing a new tract of thinking as it relates to Life Purpose Coaching, my own franchise consulting work and the purpose for the individuals who are God's people; heck, even the individuals who currently are not God's people.

The reason I make that second statement is that none of us get's to any of our favorite words without our getting to the place where we understand we were made to enjoy a life-long and intimate relationship with God. We do not get there by doing "good work." We can take care of our families and our responsibilities and excel in education and vocation and we will not get to happy, joyful, fulfilled, complete, satisfied or any other superlative that is associated with those if we do not start with the premise that I was made to worship and adore God and take my greatest joy in Him forever. So, it's quite a thing isn't it if you do not even recognize Him at all.

All of this has me reading particular books and authors and points of view. Many of these I have read more than once. And I am now in the process of "splitting hairs" at a very finite degree. I have had to show discipline and in a life that is ordered like mine where my time is often mine to order indiscriminately it isn't always easy.

Life is filled with daily routines and many of them we are not big fans of; I am sure you are the same way. We do things we don't necessarily enjoy but we do them because they need to get done. In my current project that is precisely where I am at.

To cap this thought quickly for you the landscape against which I am thinking has to do with great expectations for God. Attempt great things for God - expect great things from God. But apparently the Holy Spirit is in the details. The great things are, at this moment in my life, a whole bunch of little things.

Every now and then, God takes us to the mountaintop to experience His presence in a dramatic way. This is not the norm. It was not the norm for those in the Bible either. Moses spent 40 years in preparation. Paul spent a great deal of his life working toward the wrong purpose until a dramatic event changed his life. For Paul, after that change he then spent years and years apart from the church and people so Jesus, through the Holy Spirit could speak to Him in an ordered way and provide you and I the great church teachings we depend on for our structures as New Testament Christians. In the case of Jacob he  spent 20 years working with his hands for his once and future father-in-law Laban all for the love of a girl; but, more than this all for the cause of a people.

God uses the tiny details of our lives to develop character qualities that He plans to use at the appropriate time. Often the small things and yes, the things we despise are the very tools for immortality. In the small things we develop trustworthiness in our relationship to Father God. He learns He can depend on us. We learn we can handle them in patience and endurance.

Here's the key: The day-in and day-out grind of working life molds us and makes us into what God desires. God is preparing you for something far greater. That isn't a question. It is a fact. For now, however, you are learning the daily lessons of small things. I'll make you a deal. You pray that I remain faith and I will pray that you will be faithful by those little things as well. Let's not look for the devil in the detail. May we find the Spirit of the Living God in every instance of our life.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

What Steals Your Personal Peace of Mind (& Heart & Soul)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me - Psalm 23:4a KJV

Today I counted...

I counted how many times some small thing stole my peace of mind away from me. I enumerated each time something in the world around me caused me to lose my grip on this fact:

God is on His throne which is in my heart and yet as close as He is I lost touch with Him and made this earthly minutiae, this temporary interruption, this less than significant obstruction greater than He and bigger than what He had given me to do.

In the battles we face in every day life most of us need to confess, right now, that those battles are over next to nothing. It's not monsters that sidetrack us from following hard after God and enjoying, praising, loving and worshipping Him in our everyday life. We are thrown off course by small things. We might even be embarrassed if our friends and family knew just how easily tiny things keep us from enjoying our God and living our faith. Moreover it is self defeating. Why? Because what we tend to forget (or perhaps never even knew) was that our peace is actually a weapon.

Daily life creates many opportunities to rob us of our peace. Cash flow concerns, deadlines, relationships, something not where it belongs, someone doing what we believe they should not - all have been designed by a very creative enemy of your soul to drape stress on us like a heavy wet blanket. The Biblical axiom we must embrace is this: Our confidence in the God of peace declares that you are not falling for the lies of the devil. He cannot take from you what God has given you. You can hand it over however and often we give up this eternally valuable gift for NOTHING!!!


All of us desire more control. The way we gain it is to lose ourselves in God's rulership in our life. We gain spiritual authority in a similar manner. You see the first step toward having spiritual authority over the adversary is having peace in spite of our circumstances. When Jesus confronted the devil, He did not confront satan with His emotions or in fear. Knowing that the devil was a liar, He simply refused to be influenced by any voice other than His Heavenly Father's. Jesus' peace overwhelmed satan; His authority then shattered the lie, which sent demons fleeing.

There is a place of walking with God where you simply fear no evil. David faced a lion, a bear, and a giant. In this Psalm he stood in the "shadow of death" itself, yet he "feared no evil." David's trust was in the Lord. He said, "...for Thou art with me." Because God is with you, every adversity and adversary, both real and imagined that we face will fold before you in victory as you maintain your faith in God!

In this Psalm David continued, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" (Ps. 23:5a). The promise is this, as you live in God's rule, in the Kingdom, with a grateful and remembering heart, the battle we are in will soon become a meal for us; an experience that will nourish and build us up spiritually and emotionally.

Only true peace, God's peace will quell our fleshly reactions in battle. The source of God's peace is God Himself. God is the Gospel...HE is the good news and HE is the peace. If anger, bitterness, frustration or fear has been knocking at your door, begin to face them with God's peace. It is God's secret weapon to destroy the hinderances of our life.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Reflecting on the Impossible

But He answered, "You give them something to eat." - Mark 6:37a

As I was in my study on Mark 10:46-52 in preparation for this weeks message on blind Bartimaeus, I ran back across the feeding of the 5000. And, it sort of struck me as funny. Jesus turned to a group of outcasts, and dropouts and gave; them the aforementioned command, "Feed all these thousands dudes!"

Has anyone ever asked you to do something that seems totally ridiculous? The very suggestion of their instruction may have brought laughter or, once you realized they were serious even anger for proposing the idea.

I imagine that the disciples may have felt this way when Jesus responded with this direction when they asked Him how they were going to feed the 5000, who had stayed around to hear Him speak (and heal and amaze). The disciples, showing a high level of practicality, suggested a logical answer to the problem, "Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat" (Mk 6:36).

But, as you may have guess that wasn't the answer Jesus wanted. He saw the need of the people. He had compassion on them. He wanted to solve the problem with a Kingdom of God kind of response; a response that would bring honor and glory directly to the Father and not obvious and common sense.

So, Jesus asked them what they had in their hand. And, if they were confused and perplexed and certain their leader was 2 bricks short of a load for previous wild thinking and actions this simply sealed the deal.

Jesus' point was is this, often what we already have in our hand is what Jesus wants us to use to solve our problem and to provide the solutions to what is proximate to our current situation but, perhaps more than this, it is the solution to those to whom God has put in our care. We must add hearing ears (What is God telling you to do?) to our faith to what we already have in our hand. Then we will see the gospel of the Kingdom manifested to solve problems in a supernatural way. Then we will see our God show up mightily.

Jesus wanted to meet a need in which God would receive the glory. Sending the people away did not meet that overarching goal or their immediate need.

Do not settle for the gospel of salvation only. Jesus came that we might experience the gospel of the Kingdom in its fullest sense. Our job is to look past our logical reasoning and see how God might want to solve our problem in a supernatural way. After all, we are the generation of "greater works than those that I have done will you do..." Perhaps we need to sharpen our spiritual ears and start expecting it!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Unmet Expectations

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. - Philippians 1:20

Last night I read an article (more like an interview on the run) of Charlie Sheen. Essentially the interviewer asked Sheen as he looks back on his life if there were things he wished he had not done. Smugly Sheen retorts, "Have you even been paying attention to my life? Why would I want to have given up any of that? I wish I wouldn't have gotten so much heat for some of the less fortunate things that people misunderstood but hey...hell no; it's a good life just as is!"

Well good for you Charlie. But, I look back on my life and there are things I wished I had done differently. How about you? Have you ever had expectations that did not get fulfilled? Perhaps a coworker let you down. Perhaps you were trusting God for something in your life that never materialized. Perhaps you became devastated by an unmet expectation that you felt you were entitled to. Or, perhaps YOU let you down in some way that as you look back you now realize colors your life in a way that embarrasses you or brought dishonor to the cause of Jesus Christ and your walk with God.

Expectations can be a difficult trap for each of us if we are not fully committed to God's purposes in our lives.

The verse I've based this little devotional on was written from prison by the Apostle Paul to the people of the region of Philippi. Paul had an expectation. He anticipated that his life would bring glory to God, whether through his continued ministry or his death. His joy in living was not based on his expectations getting fulfilled, but on remaining true to the purpose for which God made him. God's glory and honor must be upheld regardless of the things about his life. The glory of God was preeminent.

Yesterday I vented a distasteful hurt to a loved one. Guess what? I regret it. GASP! What? John? You should have no regrets. Oh, but I do. When we react to circumstances with bitterness and resentment as a result of unmet expectations, we are saying that we know better than God, and that God has made a mistake in not meeting our expectations. We have to look past the history and into the face of God the Father. We must recognize Romans 8:28, "All things work for good to them who ADORE God..."

The process of resolving unmet expectations may require full disclosure to the individual who was the source of the unmet expectation. In my case this is true. It also means communicating how the unmet expectation made you feel. This is not to make the person feel obligated to meet the expectation, but simply to provide a place where reconciliation and healing can occur. If God was the source, then it is important to share this with the Lord. However, once we have done this we must let go of the situation and allow God to work in our hearts the grace that is needed to walk in freedom from the pain of the unmet expectation. If we do not do this, we will allow the seed of bitterness and resentment to enter in. This seed of bitterness will create leanness in our soul (we get skinny responses from God and have a thin and narrow relationship with Him instead of the fulness of His presence in our lives) and eventually will spread to others in our actions and in how they pick up the hypocrisy of our faith. God is either good all the time or He is not. What is it with you and I?

Last night I had to ask myself is my God in control or are people's actions and reactions to me going to drive my emotional and spiritual health. Perhaps you need to ask yourself today if you have any unmet expectations. How have you responded to them? Have you processed this with the Lord and others who may be involved? These are the steps to freedom from unmet expectations.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Just How Much Has God Told Us?

And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?" Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again." And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. - I King 17:20-22

I am still thinking through what I am about to share with you. The record of my thinking on this is not complete. In the aforementioned little verse we have a first time account of God raising the dead. Previous to this He had taken Enoch straight to heaven alive but this was the first time the truly dead are truly brought back to life.

So here is my question: What is Elijah thinking here? How does he dare ask God to do such an unprecedented thing?

You see, Elijah could not go back through the record like some astute and learned prophet (or teacher, pastor or theologian) and try to find another instance of resurrection and say, "Ah! Precedence recorded in the Scriptures - there's a situation like we have here in the present time. You see? God did it there. He will do it here.”

How much do we use precedent to determine what we commit God to doing in our current circumstance? How much have we limited God in our practice by only what He has done in the Bible? And worse yet, in precisely the way He did it (Anyone have an Alabaster box of oil around anywhere? Anyone?)

You see guys God never claimed to provide a written record of absolutely everything He has ever done. And I believe He has left the record incomplete, so to speak, so that we will not trust in the past but in the God who is fresh and alive and creative and real; able to meet today's need today and He can do it in unprecedented methods today. If He wants He can inform you to use Crisco or HoneyTime Honey!

Elijah had no, "God by the numbers" manual to follow. Instead, he relied on his relationship with his Heavenly Father. Elijah's ability to receive direction from God singularly and directly was his spiritual "trick". We should call this faith. However, we don't. We call something else faith. We call faith what we don't know but hope for and maybe it will and maybe it won't happen Elijah had only his faith in the living God. But, in Elijah's case it was a practiced faith. He had spent hours in prayer, reading, fasting, focusing and more than these, meditation and listening so that when the time came Elijah KNEW what God wanted to do.Why? Because God told Him.

Don't you wish at times that you had a book where you could look up "healing," or "impatience," or "forgiveness"? Okay. "What to do when I'm (without forgiveness, in need of healing, lack patience) in the face of testing": here are steps one, two, three, four, and five. And in case of severe emergency: six, seven, and eight.

Ta da! You'd have the answer!

Or, what to do when death comes: Steps A, B, C & D. If it is the dearest friend you've ever known:and F & G. If it is your own child: then E and H and possibly I.

But my loved ones there's no such manual. And for this we should be grateful! We should raise our voices and shout to the heavens! We should dance and laugh and sing HIS praises!. Why? Because it means He must speak to us, with us and through us individually. It also means we must read, pray, sing, praise, glory and meditate on and in Him.

Thankfully, in His Word God does include principles to follow in most crises, but not a precise procedure in difficult or impossible situations. He lets us know that our relationship with Him should cause us to have certain character attributes. We know how I spirit should respond. But Jesus came to restore our ability to hear and receive from our Heavenly Father. God leaves us on the cutting edge of today so that we will trust in Him and the principles in His great and gracious Word and those principles will drive us to Him...personally...throne room of God stuff...in HIS presence. That's all we have but isn't THAT amazing? And my loved ones...get into that...get into your intimate relationship, like Elijah with the God of the Universe but also of your life because one thing I am learning, day-by-day as I grow in my life in Jesus is this: That's enough.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Knowing That You Know That You Know That You, For Sure Can Know!

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. - Isaiah 28:16

Our Christian walk can be organized, dissected, implemented, executed and defined in oh so very many ways can't it? The many great teachers and preachers, writers and speakers who have changed my perspective is now reaching small population center size.

This morning I was feeling less than uninspired so I took a short walk at which time God gave me a lil sumpin' sumpin' and I think it was more for me than you but I hope you find it useful. IF you are one of those people who loves notes, organization, order, etc. it just might ring true for you

One way that I realized I view my walk with the Lord has been "life stages." Mine seems to have been made up of four distinct and progressive parts. I get this from some language I had been reading as the Church on Rogers has been going through the Life of Christ in a series of messages I titled, "Hello! My Name is Jesus".

Jesus, in explaining the life of true faith compared our growth and development to building a house. First, we must prepare to build by laying a solid and sure foundation. That foundation is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Any foundation other than Christ will not stand. (I Corinthians 3:11)

Second, as we begin our walk of faith with the one true God, we realize the trials, testings, miracles, and challenges in life are designed to provide "faith experiences" that demonstrate tangible evidences of His work in and with us; Moses' burning-bush experience, Peter's walk on the water, Joshua's parting of the Jordan River, John's son Chuck being run over by a car at 16 months, Cindy's mysterious illness, etc. These experiences built faith. The depth and width of our calling is directly proportional to the faith experiences He allows in each of our lives. But, and more than that, they grow and develop our spiritual character as we allows the Holy Spirit control during those troubled and oft heart-wrenching times. So, the message we embrace, the lessons learned and the love, grace, mercy and compassion received from the throne of God create in us "God capacity". We become more in Christ. As my friend Os Hillman would say, "If God plans an international ministry with you, chances are you will experience a higher degree of faith experiences compared to another." Why? It is likely you will need to look on these to ensure your calling and provide testimony to His work in your life.

The third stage deals with motivations. "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord" (Prov. 16:2). What is the motive behind my actions? Is it only financial accumulation? Is it to gain control? Is it to create independence? The primary motive must be to glorify God. His leading in you brings honor and glory and power to His name amongst the nations (and your sphere of influence) forever! So, to take such action requires a growing desire to please Him. It takes obedience to Him.

Finally, the actions we take are ever and increasingly God lead. We find that more of what we do, we turn over to Him. We wish a life that in all aspects is less separated into spiritual and carnal or into church and real life. We realize everything we do, in every breath we take is an offering of love and gratitude to the one who gave me life!

Here we must ask, "Do we have the skill, quality, and ability to enter into new and ever-increasingly bold activity?" So often we have not trained ourselves adequately to be successful in our endeavor. You would never want someone working on your teeth who had not been trained and certified as a dentist. Before you begin your next project, ask yourself these four questions:

1. What is the foundation this project is based on? There is only one - Jesus!

2. What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicate His involvement?

3. What is my motive for entering this activity? Am I doing this or can I do this to My Heavenly Father's Glory?

4. Do I have the skill, quality, and ability to accomplish the task? Am I prepared mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually?

Answering these questions will tell you whether God will bless your daily activity. I hope this gives you some good stuff as you go through your week.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

I'm Free! I'm Responsible! Er...What!!!???

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision - Joel 3:14

It seemed so simplistic I had to look it up. Sure enough this quote is credited to George Bernard Shaw. He said, "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." Over the last several weeks, months I suppose, we have watched and listened, prayed and echoed our positions as our government wheels turned slowly on huge matters of importance. We must fight the urge to pass the buck. In a day when most people easily hand off responsibility...push it downline, Mr. Shaw's words bite and sting to those with conscience; to those in whom the Holy Spirit is at work. .

True leadership carries with it a few privileges and perks, but living with the responsibility of that task makes a reserved parking space and your own bathroom pale into insignificance. I want even start on government. Government is out there somewhere...we don't really touch, taste, walk and talk it.

But this one might hit home...

Conceiving children is (and should be) a moment of sheer ecstasy, but rearing them as a loving and caring parent represents years of thankless responsibility. Our society, many societies are rift with the fruit of both legislation and morality that passed that buck along. The results of which are tragic.

Running an organization that gets a job done, leaving those involved feeling fulfilled and appreciated, can be exciting, fun, and with the kind of "stretched" feeling of accomplishment, but it's a nightmare unless the details of responsibility are clearly set forth and maintained. It's disheartening and often fatal to organizations when the buck gets passed downline, through the executive ranks, mid-management, workers and down to the new kind in the mail room to ensure the important work gets done.

Big projects and meaningful achievements may be conceived by visionaries and dreamers but its the doers that ensure the right activity is executed that "get 'er done". It is not by armchair generals who watch and frown from a distance but by brave troops in the trenches, not by fans in the bleachers but by committed coaches and players on the field, not by those who stay neutral and play it safe but by those who get off the fence of indecision, even though their decisions are occasionally tough and unpopular that make our country go, our businesses succeed, our teams victorious.

"...for the Day of the Lord is at hand in the valley of decision!"

Chuck Swindoll relates this story he saw in the Wall Street JournalAll this reminds me of a full-page advertisement I saw in the Wall Street Journal:

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Sometimes the decision to do nothing is wise. But you can't make a career of doing nothing. Freddie Fulcrum weighed everything too carefully. He would say, "On the one hand . . . but then, on the other," and his arguments weighed out so evenly he never did anything. When Freddie died, they carved a big zero on his tombstone. If you decide to fish, fine. Or, if you decide to cut bait, fine. But if you decide to do nothing, you're not going to have fish for dinner.

We have been studying the Life of Christ as told by Peter (and probably Luke a bit) to the Gospel writer Mark. If The Church on Rogers has learned anything during this study it is this: God has a different set of definitions for words we commonly use. Here is one of those occasions where we have a great paradox. You see, you and I might conclude, thinking in earthly terms and not in Kingdom of God terms, that pure liberty would mean pure choice to do anything or nothing. But that isn't God's view.

In the Kingdom economy the secret of true liberty as we pass through this earthly life, is responsibility. And that calls for decisions, decisions. Tough decisions. Lonely decisions. Unpleasant decisions. Misunderstood decisions. Courageous decisions. First, personal then actionable community decisions.

As I recall, Jesus rarely missed a meal because he just couldn't decide...He often had fish for dinner. Our friend Freddie Fulcrum should have read more Jesus...less Drucker or Tom Peters or whoever else is popular in the business world... perhaps.

With me, this week, commit to action lead by taking responsibility for the things God has put in your hands to do. If you have a job excel! If you are a parent realize you are accountable for the actions, welfare, growth, and most importantly spiritual welfare of your children. If a husband, to lead your household in a godly fashion using the gifts God has given you. And if a citizen, then to do all in your power to uphold the principles of a higher Kingdom; integrate those in your decisions to talk but more importantly to act in accordance with your responsibilities as a member of your nation...decide with me to be a decisive Christian... I remain

InHISgrip,
~J~

Takin' It Easy - Not So Biblical After All

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!- Psalm 90:12-17

This last week, at my favorite coffee house, as I prepared my lesson for Sunday, a group of 4 walked in, ordered their drinks and sat right across from me and my Mac. One gentleman of the group just started shaking hands with all the patrons. He must've shook hands with a half-dozen folks he’d never met before. Then he looked at me, and with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, walked over, bent slightly at my table and whipped out his hand in my direction. I grabbed hold, smiled and realized that this was a working mans hand! It was a hand you could strike a match on, toughened by decades of rugged toil.

"And a great day to you sir," I said. "You look like a man who enjoys life. What do you do for a living?" I inquired of my brand new friend.

"Me? Well, I'm a farmer from back in the Midwest. It is what I do and I guess I have gotten to be pretty fair at it."

"Really? I guess I'm not surprised, since you've got hands like sandpaper! Those are some tough hands!" "Ya, well son, yours aren't so much but you look like you pluck on that gizmo there pretty good. What do you do?" After sharing with him my work and passions he patted me on the back and said, "I like it!"

He then laughed . . . asked me a couple of insightful questions, then told me about his plans for traveling with his new girlfriend (and he winked). "She's the young one over there at the table."

"What did you do last week?" I asked.

His answer stunned me. "Last week I finished harvesting 90,000 bushels of corn," he said with a smile.

I then blurted out, "Ninety thousand! How old are you, my friend?"

He didn't seem at all hesitant or embarrassed by my question. "I'm just a couple months shy o' 90." He laughed again as I shook my head. Wow!

the man in front of me had lived through four or five wars, the Great Depression, seventeen presidents, ninety Midwest winters, who knows how many personal hardships, and he was still taking life by the throat. I had to ask him the secret of his long and productive life. "Hard work and integrity" was his quick reply. "Be honest, do what you say and do more than they think you can. That's all."

As we parted company, he looked back over his shoulder and added, "Don't take it easy, young feller. Stay at it!" This wisdom from a ninety year old to a fifty pluser...truly.

The Bible is filled with folks who refused to take it easy. In the Old Testament is the story of a man named Caleb, who, at age 85, attacked the powerful Anakim in the hill country and successfully drove them out (Josh. 14)? Or Abraham, the Father of our Faith, who had a baby (well, actually Sarah did) when he was "in his old age" . . . he was 100, she was 90 (Gen. 21)? Or Noah or Moses or Samuel or Anna, the 84-year-old prophetess . . . significant people, all.

Age means zilch. Wrinkles, gray hair, and spots on your hands, less than zilch. If God chooses to leave you on this earth, great. If He makes it possible for you to step aside from your work and move on to new vistas with fresh challenges, that's also great. Be sensitive to the spirit to expect to be doing more in your future, not less...

And whatever else you do, don't take it easy!

"No disease is more lethal than the boredom that follows retirement" (Norman Cousins).

As I typed this I wasn't sure of the deep spiritual truths other than I just was inspired by it and felt for someone out there who's butt might have grown a size or two in the past year or so, take heed! Death waits at the door, spiritually and physically of those who quit on life and godliness!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Permission Is A Good Thing

You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs." Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead."

In my devotions recently I was struck by the whole of the few verses you read there.

The size, breadth and depth of the two conversations are staggering in the gap of their proportion. God first speaks to Moses and God gives Moses instruction. God gives Moses marching orders and it is God who explains to Moses the outcomes and what will be Moses' future mission.

Then Moses, and for most of us this would be a peculiar thing goes back to his father-in-law and asks permission if he might go and change the future for all humanity for all of time.

Doesn't that strike you as amazing? Let me tell you folks if God is giving me instructions I am not sure at what level of humility I am asking another human, even a dad-in-law (and mine was a great man) if I can do it!

Moses, approached his father-in-law Jethro and asked permission to return to Egypt.

Now I am sure that Moses didn't tell Jethro everything at that point, but he let the man know there was something stirring in his heart. After years and years of virtual silence about his life and background back in Egypt, Moses said to Jethro, "It's time for me to go back. There's some unfinished business that needs attention. Is it okay with you?"

When you have heard the voice of God calling you in a new direction - confirming that direction through His personal leadership and directive actions to you; perhaps even through events, and through the wisdom of godly counselors - the result of that thought process needs to be communicated with the important people in your life, family, mentor's, your pastor.

I believe that this is especially true if you are young. Why? Because your family has not had the benefit of your personal sign and wonder; the voice of God in your ear or heart, the burning bush. You've heard God's voice; that's not true for them. They may not know or understand what God has said to you. They still feel like you should be going in a previously agreed upon direction. You need to give them a heads up. More than this you need to encourage their lives with your revelation! Without this it will seem to them you have lost direction and that you are talking about a whole new set of plans apart from the life they envision for you.

These kinds of major course changes can seem upsetting, or even frightening, to those who care about you, especially parents. You need to be gracious enough to give them some helpful information on how God has changed your direction. They need to understand your conviction and, if they are godly, be allowed time to let the Holy Spirit work in them as well.

This exchange between these two men leads me to two principles worth your thoughtful consideration. First of all, when God crystallizes a plan for your life, perhaps nudging you in a new direction, be extremely sensitive how you communicate that to others. Don't assume they know all you know about the process. Don't expect them to greet the idea with immediate acceptance and open arms. Give them the courtesy of time and space to think things through. Communicate your thoughts with tenderness, care, and understanding.

The second thing to notice is that this plan flowed. When you are in the center of God's will, my friend, it flows. It doesn't have to be forced. Moses said, "Jethro, may I go?" And Jethro replied, "Go in peace." Moses could move into what would prove to be a difficult ministry knowing things back home were just fine. But, for Moses, he was now a "sent one." His mind and perspective were sharp and clear. "What to do next" would flow from his marching orders.

It is a very humbling experience to be moving in the direct current of God's will. Why humbling? Because at all times you realize just how much bigger the task is than you are. But it can also bring fresh assurance. It is the assurance that you were raised up, had come through the blood of Jesus Christ, ordained, and sent for such a time as this!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~