Putting Your Trust in A Cloud? Seriously?

So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. ~ Number 9:21

Imagine living with the uncertainty of this situation. One day you work at getting your yard planted, redecorating the living room and adding on a family room. The next morning a signal is given and you have to start packing boxes and loading up the SUV and move. Your personal ability to plan your life is totally gone.

Perhaps however is the greater temptation to move when the signal (the cloud) did not move because you felt it was time to move.

For the Israelites, a people of a Promised Land, and with all the moving in their history, perhaps the grass was no longer green. Perhaps the water was not easily accessible any longer. Perhaps the bugs were a problem or it was too humid (ergo, the bugs). Whatever the case, they were strictly prohibited from moving if the cloud, the presence of God, did not move.

This next part is the hard part. Mostly because it is not part of our spiritual tradition typically nor of our American culture. It is still the same today. We are not to move unless God, in the form of the Holy Spirit. instructs us to do so. We are not to make that business deal on the basis of whether or not it makes sense, but on the leading of the Holy Spirit's "cloud" in our life.

The Old Testament was our tutor according to what we are taught in the New Testament. Israel, spiritually, was following a literal cloud. For you and I it can be a difficult process to move only when we are directed, and to remain if we are not. Why? Because we are not used to following an inner version of "The Cloud." And even more of a challenge with no practice to hear and follow the pressure is always upon us to move, to plan, to act from external forces in our life. How much do you think this happens in the Church, the Body of Christ today? I'm guessing a lot! And to add fuel to the fire this might be even more true when our personality and preferences meet the timing of God.

God's kids learn over the course of a lifetime to move when God says move. But we need to embrace the spiritual fact that Jesus came to recreate that ability and for this to occur.  It is a sign of hope and an act of faith when, in complete surrender and dependence on God's Spirit to direct our steps we gain the confidence and then have the ability to act out of watching the Cloud and then moving to follow it.

Ask God today if you are sitting under His cloud. Or, have you moved when He said to stay put. Have you even considered God providing you with personal leading? If not you have much to question about your faith.

May our anthem be:

In the glory of your presence
I find rest, for my soul
In the depths of your love
I find peace, makes me whole

I love, I love, I love your presence
I love, I love, I love your presence
I love, I love, I love you Jesus
I love, I love, I love your presence - Anthony Skinner, I Love Your Presence

The more time in His presence you spend, the more familiar to His call, His voice you shall become.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

The Leader Who Waits…The One Who Lingers & Even Meanders!

So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir. - Genesis 33:14

Our work often determines that we move at a pace that can put incredible stresses upon people and relationships. We all have our own pace. I like speed. It speaks efficiency and tells me that I am more competent for my ability to move quickly. I like feeling like I am competent. I also get annoyed when things do not move at my pace and in my direction.

In the Old Testament there was a certain man who would one day be known as Israel. His name was Jacob. Jacob was a man who learned to manipulate and control outcomes. He even stole the birthright of his older brother, Esau, through trickery. The Bible speaks of Jacob as a man who strived with God. That means he tried to push God along like a child wanting to leave one place to go to another, Jacob would "pester" God.I am sure those around him would say that Jacob had a knack of forcing issues to his advantage. Because his motives were selfish and greedy took years for God to break down all the rough edges of Jacob so that he could be worthy of becoming the patriarch of the 12 tribes of Israel. God saw something in Jacob that He could use.

Robert Hicks, in his book, Masculine Journey, describes five biblical stages of manhood that must be passed through before a man becomes a mature man of God. I like the idea of this. It's linear. My experience however is that God is not linear in His dealings with me; at least not necessarily. Nonetheless, one of those early stages is known as the "warrior stage." In this stage of manhood, the man is known by what he does, what he accomplishes, and he is primarily defined by his performance. It can be a tumultuous time for the man and those close to him. It is often signified by broken relationships because the goal is often about him, his needs, his goals, his aspirations, his work and this phase is most about about the goals and not the way the goal is accomplished. Yesterday I had the chance to meet with a man who was through this phase. You can tell. He was not driven in the conversation. But, he did talk about this phase without naming it; a time when he was dogged and relentless in his pursuits.

In an effort to get to the point I have shown a time when Jacob had successfully passed through these five stages based on the verse above. It takes someone mature to be able to "move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children." Leaders who never come to understand this may be successful materially but fail at the most important aspect of leadership-leading at a pace that his followers can maintain and where they feel an integral part and also accomplished. The lives of men are full of wives, children, and workers who cannot keep up with the pace of leaders and are left behind with broken dreams, broken hearts, and unfulfilled promises.

Are you a person who is more concerned with outcome than how you achieve the outcome? Can the people around you describe you as someone who leads at a pace that ensures respect, admiration and an observed value on what is also important to those around you? Ask the Lord for the ability to be a godly leader who understands the condition of those left in his charge and stop to observe and best understand the pace in which you can lead without alienating those for whom God has made you accountable.

I remain…

InHISGrip, ~J~

O' Where O' Where Has My God Gone? (In the mirror or to the heavens?)

God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. - Psalm 53:2

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. – Jeremiah 29:11-14

As a pastor I am a blessed man. I have men in my church that seek after God's heart. As a pastor I am a challenged man. I am challenged not just because of my own shortcomings and inadequacies (the Lord knows) but also because I have men in my church who seek after God and their desire for more of God encourages me on to more of Jesus Christ in my life and less of me.

My men are not my primary motivation for my growth, when I have growth in my Christian walk however. Though these good, godly men keep me on my toes, encourage and exhort one another and bless me with their dissatisfaction with just remaining where they are in their maturity, they are but one tool and not the chief tool God uses to provide my own impetus to be the man God has created me to become.

Late in His three year ministry Jesus explained about an element of His own personal joy and the reason He pressed on through all of life's difficulties. Now, to be sure, Jesus wasn't speaking about a singular joy. Clearly there are kinds of joys that we experience. But each joy is the end-game satisfaction of a more complex series of events and our obedience to God the Father in those events. We see this in John 3:25-28 where John the Baptist, as the forerunner to Jesus, indicates the joy of having been tasked, by God, as the one to announce Jesus' coming. John preached it and saw that it was fulfilled. To that John would say, "Therefore this joy of mine is now complete." John was to receive more eternal joy later.

What I am thinking here is what Jesus expressed in John 15:8-12 when He said, "By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruits and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

To have the love of Christ permeate my body, soul and spirit and to be privileged to express it to others and share it's healing, peace and personally satisfying provision is what must drive you and I on into more of Jesus and less of me. Jesus, with great love and care, had been given instruction from the Father. The instruction looked past the discomfort and disharmony. It looked beyond heartache and the physical abuse that would follow Jesus in the same way that training is embraced by a great athlete so that they may reach to the goal; realizing that both Father and Son loved and had as their center attention mankind. Jesus, with love in his eyes for His Father, accepted the task at hand. Here in John 15 Jesus is passing on the lesson of eternity to us instructed us to do likewise, Abide in my love If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, just as I have kepty my Father's commandments and abide in His love."

Has God gotten your attention. Have you become one who is a seeker of God? The Lord delights in seeing those children of His who truly understand the meaning of life and why there is only one thing worth seeking and that is God Himself.To follow after Him and pursue living the life you now have in this earthly domain in a way that pleases Him because He instructs it was precisely the message Jesus was attempting to convey to His disciples on that day 2000 years ago.

Life on planet earth has been cruel of late. But that isn't God's main concern. It isn't supposed to be mine as it relates to "me" either. I know when I've not been pursuing my God and Father. The cares of this life, the urgent over the important, and the petty irritations begin to affect me. I become emotional. Guys these are the symptoms of a life that has not been seeking God; praying, reading, meditating, waiting on Him. Can you relate to any of this? Is this sinking in with you? These would be questions, our Savior would pose to us. We need to ask them of ourselves daily.

If we understand that it is only in keeping the only two commandments Jesus gave us, to love God with all of our hearts, mind, body and soul and to love others with that amazing, self-preserving, "give-me-joy at all costs" love we provide to self we will have our wish and desire; pure joy.

If you are toiling and fretting over what will soon be dead and gone where are you getting your spiritual strength? What will you pay to get your joy back? We need to set self-preservation boundaries in our lives. We best preserve and serve self when we seek Him! That means time spent with Him and His tools. This is the great challenge in a world that screams for our attention and threatens us with ruin if we do not oblige them.

Create a schedule of time to be with your God, His Word where you meditate, listen, and hear! Are you committed to developing that intimacy with your Lord that He so desires so that YOUR joy as John 15 says will be complete? If not, ask Him today to help you. This is the longing of His heart. Ask Him to make it the longing of your heart. Then you will demonstrate to Him that you understand, and you will be a seeker of God. I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

 

 

The Master Maker of All Things Good...

Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. - Exodus 31:1-5

So I got up this morning and I was thinking back on all the great pieces of art that the Lord has allowed me to play as a guitarist. I have had several Gibson guitars, a Martin, a Taylor, and 3 Fender guitars (all American made). In addition I had a Swedish handmade Hagstrom, a Guild and an original Epiphone (before Gibson bought them and took them to Korea to be mass produced.)

God entrusted me with many fine instruments. And, in some cases I did not do very well by the work of the fine men and women who created them. This morning as I looked over at my Black Fender Stratocaster Ultra I realized how someone's gifting had changed my life and created in me a whole new reason to glorify God.

In the little verse above we have an example of a man called of God to perform for the Kingdom of God. Bezalel was called by God to perform a most important work for Him. I am sure that Bezalel believed that he was naturally gifted with his hands to make fine crafts with gold, silver, and bronze. In his original thinking this man may not have associated his artistry with God's work. But the Scripture tells us that God chose Bezalel and filled this dude with HIS own Spirit to enable him.

Does God call men and women into their vocations to fulfill His purposes - to fulfill that which needs to be accomplished throughout the world? Have you ever thought about how many occupations there are in the world? How did that balance of interest among each human throughout the world happen? Did it just happen? Was it by chance that we have only so many doctors, only so many accountants, only so many geologists? Now, I realize that mom's can call doctors. And I know that dad's can push hard for sons to become engineers but nonetheless everything that needs to get done (Well, quite most of it) seems to.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ your interest in your vocation if understood rightly in the light of scriptures should not be born of your own making. Certainly whatever it is that you do would be best done should the work of it be given to God as an offering. So many believers and even pastors have made the mistake of encouraging us who have a deep desire to walk with Christ in our profession to pursue vocational ministry. To remove us from the world at large where the greatest harvest is yet to occur would be to remove us from where God called us. Do not take this bait. Serve the Lord in the place where He has gifted you and called you. Where is your skill? Where is your passion? Marry those two things and expect God to honor the work of your hands.

I almost made this same mistake when God drew me to Himself when I was 18 years old. I concluded that I must be called to be a full-time pastor. I took steps to fulfill this by leaving my job and entering a Bible school for training. Upon completion, I took a job as an assistant pastor in a church. But God's mercy allowed me to be removed from that position only a few short years into it. I was "forced back into business," where God wanted me in the first place. It was a great lesson. I was never cut out to be a "conventional" pastor in a church, but a "pastor" in the community; to include business, and church, and teaching, training, and applying the growing knowledge God was giving me from His word to be more directly applied to everyday life.

If you struggle today with who you are in Christ and what you do it isn't necessary. Give God what you do now. Expect Him to move you into the place where you affect more for His Kingdom and watch Him work.

One day our friend Bezalel was merely a recognized skilled and talented goldsmith. The next day he was GOD'S goldsmith. Let's all get on THAT bandwagon.

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~

Christmas As A Distraction to Your Worship of God

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. - Philippians 4:4-7.

The Christmas season (lack of weather withstanding) is upon us here in Mesa, AZ. Thanksgiving is past and Christmas looms large. I am into the holiday season only from a seasonal perspective. This is the season and I am present and accounted for. The events of the last few weeks have created in me a sort of writers block I suppose. With the loss of my brother and a few days later the only father I have known for the last 35 years, I am just a bit numb about it all. I am self-absorbed. I keep hearing Jesus say, "Let the dead bury the dead," but I struggle with it.

However, I must admit, every year in November/December, I have creative challenges. It has come earlier this year.

I am distracted from loving the Lord.

On the local scene many have sent Christmas cards and letters in addition to working through the annual Christmas gift buying frenzy, which began with black Friday morning for many at midnight. I stayed at home on Friday but did venture out on Cyber Monday to buy a Christmas gift or two via the Internet. The gift has already arrive and it seems surreal.

There are so many distractions during this time of the year. The echo of, "Jesus is the reason for the season" somehow echoes in a thin and hollow fashion. I am not focused on adoration of my King. We want to spend time with our families, show them gifts and time to express our love and they want to spend time with us. I just talked with my daughter-in-law Elisha. Amongst other things the season brings she reminded me that for many this involves traveling great distances and several days of time.

There is the preparation time for the family time and of course the buying of gifts. Often there is also the necessity of the preparation of food for the holiday meals. Along with all of that, there are the church events from nativity reenactments to Christmas programs. There is also the hectic pace of school activities where there is almost always a Christmas program of some kind and basketball or other sports activities adding to the frantic expedited pace of our busy lives. In honor of my King I have put honoring Him on the shelf for a couple of months...not cool

For those schools that have band programs or vocal programs there will very likely be some special presentations during this time. It all makes for a much busier pace of life for parents many of whom are working their regular schedules and will have an office party or two and other extra events along the way too.

Bless you Lord - I raise you up...

I am sure there are many other things that could have been mentioned that complicate our lives during this time of year. We talk as if life used to be simpler but even Mary and Joseph had a few complications getting ready for the first Christmas. They had to deal with the societal pressure of Mary being pregnant out of wedlock. Then the tough decision to have and keep the Promised Child. Joseph had a tough decision to make but he did make it and made the right one. Then, the teenage couple (at least Mary) were forced to make a difficult trip. As if that wasn't bad enough it came during the very last of Mary’s pregnancy. After they arrived in Bethlehem, they had one more little problem: there was no room in the inn. Jesus had to be born in the stables, which many believe to have been just a crude cave.

Oh, Lord Our God - You are majestic - You are our health and wealth...our very portion...we worship you...

(or do we...?)

I hope that you will not become distracted from the reason for this season my friends and family. The many events of the Christmas season are not the goal. Getting through as many as possible without the need to maim, kill and destroy should not be goals. Remember HIM whom to know is life eternal during this season where we desire to honor HIM>

Include your Father God in your daily lives. Let us rejoice during this time and remember the true meaning of Christmas. There may very well be additional complications and challenges, and yes distractions ahead for you. They may rise up on the left and on the right. They may come at you head on…but remember that the Lord can give you “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” to “guard your hearts and minds.”

Daddy God would have you to rejoice in the midst of the Holiday distractions and in doing so honor Him. As the apostle Paul puts it, and he surely had his share of distractions, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

I remain, joyfully...

InHISgrip,
~J~

A Shortage of Manna (Stores) in the Nation!

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow My instructions" - Exodus 16:4

When God took the nation of Israel through the desert, God really took them through a tough place. It was barren. It was dry. It was lifeless. It was desolate. (I think we're getting the picture aren't we?)

In all of this we could see that there was one thing the people simply could not do without God: They could not provide sustenance for themselves.

They could not plant. They could not cultivate or fertilize. They could not harvest. They could not manufacture. They were on the move. The territory they crossed and time in which they did it created a scenario where nothing but complete dependence on their Father God was the rule.

It was the difference between life and death.

God gave them food, manna, one day at a time. The manna would spoil the very next day after God gave it and so they could never store it.

Bummer! There was no manna store from which we could stock up! They couldn't start a manna business to capitalize on all the free manna. There was no "freeze dried" manna. No "Dream Dinners" manna prep business.

I believe this is a picture of our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father. We need His constant guidance. He is the bread of life. Jesus came to reintroduce us to the source of satisfaction for our souls and only the Heavenly Father's manna satisfies. But that manna is daily. You starve your souls, steal your own peace and joy and provide yourself with a giant case of the stupids when you deny your daily feeding.

Some would tell you that this is merely a picture of times when God takes you through rough places. Hey! I imagine there was some beautiful places in that desert. I live in a desert. I know how it can be amazing. They had good days and they had bad days, Israel did...they were people, just like you and I. So, no. This was not a picture of seasons in your life. This was God attempting to condition His people to trust in Him; confide in Him and allows Him entrance into their lives daily.

And, this is just the way you and I are today. The songwriter wrote, "We need thee Lord we need thee - EVERY HOUR - we need thee." The songwriter was accurate.

Recently I heard a Baptist preacher on the radio letting his listeners off the hook. "God does NOT have a specific will for your life!", he boomed. "I defy anyone to show me anywhere that God provided direct and personal leadership apart from his law!", he said. Well Pastor Bubba...every law of theological assessment screams at you that each and every Old Testament writer and character's life was a picture of how we, today, with the Holy Spirit within and the work of Jesus Christ finished without (outside of our own life) has given us back to our dad...and we can now go directly to Him for leadership and guidance! To be sure that guidance might be soft as a whisper. It may be a word spoken into our hearts but it should be daily and we should get used to it...no...we should anticipate it...without it we are directionless.

Do you find yourself in the desert? Then recognize your Heavenly Father, He is forcing you to depend wholly on His provision? If you have ALWAYS felt this way to some degree (good days and bad days but generally without guidance for your life) pray that you will learn the lessons God desires you to learn by beginning to give Him time each day. Pray. Read the Bible. Meditate. Spend time with other believers and share. He will begin to build into you a great freedom that is based on your capability to hear His voice. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. But many of our definitions are, as my granddad would say, "catty wampus." to the eternal ones definition.

Remember that this dry empty place you are going through can be just a season. You do not need to be there forever. And, His manna sustains and is really the best of all meals!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

It's Been Your Experience - Is That Right - Hmmm...

Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp - Numbers 14:44

The people of Israel were brought out of Egypt to enter a new land-the Promised Land. It is a little simplistic to say that this land was handed over to them freely. The Fact is, if you read the accounts of their travels the "giving" of it required the removing of peoples who were occupying them that had made themselves God's enemies. The removal process would be through land fought battles. The battles required a partnership between God and the Israelites. As long as the people worshipped, listened to and remained faithful to God, they were victorious.

In the above scripture Israel was camped at Kadesh Barnea. This was near the border entrance to the long-awaited Promised Land. All the hardships of their journey from Egypt were now culminating at this important geographic crossing point. However, as the story goes, only two men, Joshua and Caleb proclaimed in faith and belief in the promise of God, that it was possible to take hold of the land. These two men alone, out of 10, were the only ones who believed it feasible to take the land and conquer their enemies.

What of the other scouts? What of these other spies?

The other scouts added the enemies strength without consideration for God's strength and promise; they saw all the dangers and refused to take the risk. Or, to put it another way, they refused to trust their God. The people of the camp of Israel shrank in fear because of the majority report from the other 8 naysayers. The Jews made a choice. They would not enter in.

God was angered at the people for their lack of faith. Moses had to intercede on behalf of his Jewish brothers with God. Eventually the Jews understood their error but by then the season of God's favor had passed. Moses attempted to let them know it was no longer "ok." But they thought their repentance was enough to right their wrong with such a loving, kind, merciful and benevolent God.

The Jews presumed a simple, "sorry" was all that was necessary to make nice-nice with God.

Again, Moses informed them they were deceived in their presumption of God's favor. They went to battle against the Amalekites only to be soundly defeated. Those who returned did not understand why they lost the battle. Hearing God's voice and understanding His wishes for our lives is personal and it is corporate. You and I have a life mission. We need to hear God on that. We are also to be a part of a body of Christ, a church and that church is to have a mission and fulfill it in God's timing and according to His will. We need to know what it is.

My loved ones and friends, it is important for us to know whether we have God's hand upon our endeavors. Presumption leads to failure. God's favor leads to success. Our daily walk, our prayer, worship meditation, study will lead to a life where we become familiar and where we anticipate and receive His guidance. Ask God to confirm His hand on your endeavors and expect it...

Ultimately Israel got to this point...If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here-Exodus 33:15

...and so should be our thoughts and prayers with God as well...I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Ah! You're Just Seeing Things!

And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha - 2 Kings 6:17

Everyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of all things baseball. One of my two favorite all-time baseball movies is the movie Field of Dreams. Kevin Costner plays the part of an Iowa farmer that had a vision to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield.

Part of the romance and mystery is this: he did not know why.

What he did know was that he was to do it. Much to the chagrin of his neighbors and extended family, he built the baseball diamond in the farm community. As the story continues, one night some players showed up. The man realized these were no ordinary players, but were actually the great players from the past. When the skeptical family came to view this phenomenon, they were unable to see what the farm owner could see. This made it even worse for him. Now he was really a lunatic in their eyes; having plowed under valuable farm land he needed to pay the bills and feed his family.

This fictitious story has a spiritual application for you and I. First, if God tells us to "build a ball field," we should do it. It is not for us to determine the reason we are instructed to do it. Once we are obedient, God steps us through obedience, one foot at a time in front of the next. Because He is a personal God He will allow us to see what others cannot see. It is His personal vision for each of us who names Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It's also a kind of rite of passage for those willing to risk their reputation for God's purposes. As our walk and trust levels rise in our faith my dear friends and family God increases the spiritual senses to levels we never knew before. If you continue to walk in faith those around you will observe this. You will become a spiritual beacon in ways you had not considered. As in the movie mentioned above, "They will come" to you for wisdom, truth, and a touch from God.

Do you want to see what others cannot see? Let me put it another way: do you wish to see more for what God would do in and through your life? If so, it will require a level of obedience that will go beyond human reason. This last week I read an article that showed the path from agnosticism to faith to world-wide power with God for over a dozen men (Wilberforce, Tolkien, T.S. Eliot, and C. S. Lewis to name a few). These men all claimed they got there because Christianity was the only reasonable explanation for the world, their lives and the future. Each however proclaimed it was a step of faith that caused them to realize just how personal and loving God was.

Your faith and God's personal command to you may require risk and ridicule from others. But you will see what others cannot see and it will be an eternal adventure! I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Being Lead to Fail - What's That All About?

The Lord said to Moses, 'When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.' - Exodus 4:21

Recently I took on some work where I became an employee. It didn't last long. In part it was frustrating because I believed I was being hired to do something I had done successfully in previous work only to find my new boss stymie my efforts at every turn. He said I'd be responsible for this but in truth it was not at all that way. Perhaps you've had a similar experience. You believe you know what to do but as you are in the doing of it your superior is thwarting your efforts, making it impossible to succeed.

Moses must have felt this way after God told him to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release the people of Israel. God had told Moses, I am going to give you the power to release the children of Israel by the miracles I will do through you." But that was not the whole story. He also told Moses that Israel would not be released by Pharaoh because God was going to put a hard heart in Pharaoh.

Now, what is THAT all about?

A relationship with Jesus Christ that is growing and maturing also means we become more aware of God's purposes and plans with our personal lives. I have had this experience. As a matter of fact, one way I test my walk with the Lord is to determine if I have a sense of His working with and in me as He had instructed me. I also know that I can expect roadblocks to God's plans for my life.

Rule #1 - It is NOT a straight line - It is NOT from God's mouth to my ears...

It took years of plodding along before the light came on as to why there was such a distance between what God called me to do and the manifestation of that calling. A few weeks ago I talked about David and how he was anointed as a young man (12-16) but it was years before that calling was actualized in his life. For David, this was in part because of God's unfolding plans in the lives of others (It is NOT all about you or all about me) as well as David's own lapses in faithlessness.

Rule #2 - God always has a bigger picture He wishes to unveil


The story of God and His relationship with the Children of Israel must last for thousands of years. That was a purpose Moses would not quite have a vision for and yet God did. God wanted greater glory from the situation. God also wanted to deal with Egypt by sending specific plagues. He wanted a deep and abiding lesson in righteousness and the consequences when it was not present.

Rule #3 - God will always keep His promise but do it in the course of a process.

In this case, for Moses, the process built character in him and tested the old guy to see if he would stay the course.

Guys, there is a time for everything. If God has called you to some endeavor and you are frustrated that it has not manifested or it continues to be beset by setback after problem know that times of preparation and simmering are required before the vision can be achieved. All of the above three things will be in play. Seldom does God call and manifest or deliver the promise simultaneously. You got your preparation and you got your God testing. Most of all is this, you will always have your relationship building between you and God that must take place. Once the Father is satisfied you will see the vision materialize.

So, today with me, let us seek God's face to know who He is so He can reveal to us who we are and the vision for our lives can be made clear to us...so we can get on the road.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Duking It Out With God

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor - Isaiah 61:3b

The people in my household are used to hearing this kind of chatter from behind the doors of my office, "God, is this the way You treat someone who is faithful to You?"

I have replicated this kind of "dialogue" with God in many scenarios; in my office, the car and I've yelled it out loud on the top of the mountain pines in Pine, Arizona a place 100 miles north of Phoenix where we have a family cabin built by my father-in-law. (I did this thinking no one but God could hear me.)

"I've waited and waited and now this! I despise and loathe You, God! I have had enough!" I have used those words. I've done it and then simply broke down and cried because I was at my wits end.

It was cleansing at one level. It is the relationship I have formed with my Heavenly Father at quite another level.

And so, as I sat there among the trees, in the middle of this scenic spot, listening to the wind through the trees and deciding what else I could say to God, I found myself in a state in which I was not quite accustomed...I was speechless. I was ticked-off. I was confounded by my life. I wondered if He was ever going to listen to me again (I had proof He had in the past - so I was not in a state of God denial). If my God was listening, I was sensing He really wasn't honoring my commitment to Him. Somehow the honor and worship I bestowed on Him was boring Him and my faith and obedience weren't cutting it.

I sat, walked, stood, shouted, stomped and cajoled God for hours wrestling internally with my sense of "aloneness" and lack of direction in this time of trouble.

Finally, without answers and sensing that God wasn't about to blurt out anything, I turned to head back to the cabin. Part of the time I had been sitting on an old scrub oak tree that was broken at the base and laying horizontal (mostly) to the ground. The tree had an arrow tip at one end that pointed toward the base of another huge busted down pine tree. With hands on hips, as I surveyed the scene I was about to leave a quiet whisper of a voice inside my heart of hearts said, "Today you are like this broken oak. You both stood tall and proud once but not now. But, my son, unlike this oak your brokenness is needed so you may become this large oak tree you will see when you turn around."

Now, the area I was at was filled with trees. Most of them pine. A few trees were scrub oak...not very majestic really. However, as I turned and looked eye level from my current position and straight out, there it was, the most majestic of all the trees in the area, almost out of place and standing alone in the center of my line of site a mighty oak tree.

It has been months and even years and my life has passed with many struggles. But God is true to His word. From from that day He began to replace the pain and disappointment with an inner joy that only His grace could provide. It came as wisdom from His word, the Bible and His words into my heart replaced my grasp on a world view of life that measured success comparatively by what friends, family and colleagues had and were doing.

So my loved ones and friends tell me about your struggles with life and the events surrounding you. Are you wrestling? Do you feel, perhaps in part, that God has deserted you? Let me suggest some things to you.

1. Be honest with God! He is the kind of Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations.

2. Realize that He won't always change things that aren't to your liking but His purposes will be accomplished and peace will come if you trust Him.

3. Trust Him this day with those things that are most difficult in your life. For me, it is providing for my family and ensuring that I live a life that is productive in my community and in and around my family. You better, as I had to, find out if those were his priorities or if they are something else.

God can handle a good shouting at - He can handle a good wrestling match - He simply does not wish to handle no reaction at all.

I remain, more tightly than ever...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Becoming A Draft Day Favorite

...Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel... - Zechariah 4:10

When I was a boy growing up in Calumet City, IL it may take a bit of work but we could nearly always put together a game of pick-up baseball (3 player teams and even two player teams worked.) basketball and even football. On the "big teams" days when we could get 3 or more per team, two captains would alternate making the best choices among the neighborhood gang to make up the two teams. In baseball I was a lock for one of the top two first picks. It took awhile for me to be selected in the top 5 in basketball though (and the loss of about 20 lbs.)

What I do remember was how good it felt to be valued by others for what they perceived I could contribute. Conversely, it was a feet-shuffling, uncomfortable feeling when I was "down the line" and not chosen in one of those prime spots. For some of the neighborhood kids, on really big days it was possible to not be chosen at all.

Such was the case for Zerubbabel. He was a man chosen by God to rebuild the temple. God saw something in Zerubbabel that He could use for His purposes. The people also recognized that Zerubbabel was a man in whom they could place their faith. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people - Haggai 1:14a.

If you are part of the remnant of those on this earth who name the name of Jesus Christ, God is calling you out. Believe it or not, right where you stand, right now, YOU are being selected. You are first! It isn't tomorrow. It isn't when you get it all together. He wants you now. You have a place in His work. You are a valuable, eternal asset immediately. I want to make a couple of points about this calling to you.

1. Do not let the business of your current work sidetrack you from the importance of God's agenda for you. I hope you can recall the day Jesus Christ and your life in Him became apparent to you. If you have to think about it I suggest you write it down so that the next time it isn't so hard. Remember, from that day on God's call on your life and the eternal work of the Kingdom of God and your place in it took preeminence. If this is the first time you have gotten that memo then think of it as you just got it in the mail, in your locker, to your E-Mail account and delivered in person by the King of the Universe personally!

2. Remember that your leadership in your home is an important part of that calling. Your personal selection to God's team means you must take your position and have yourself equipped to do the work. You will put on love, grace, peace, mercy, godly knowledge and a desire to ensure that everyone who comes into your territory, every ball shagged in your part of the field is done so cleanly and every opportunity to shoot or hit is done so to make sure you optimize the opportunity. Be prepared.

3. Preparation means you do things to make sure you are ready for the game. You have already been chosen. Make sure you can perform. For the Kingdom of God team it means you pray enough (which is constantly be in a state of prayer - I Thessalonians 5:17), read God's word so you know the plays (2 Timothy 2:15), talk team strategy with the rest of the players on your side regularly (Hebrews 10:25), wear the team uniform which is the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Hear me my friends and family, Satan's strategy is to keep us distracted with the urgency of the moment versus the importance of eternity. He wants us to stand out in right field and gaze at the ant hill instead of keep our head in the game!

Ask God what your priorities should be today. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Make His priorities your priorities. Serve your head coach, Jesus Christ, with fervor, fire, determination and power. It is the calling of your team to take the championship but we have got to be prepared!

I remain...

InHISGrip,
~J~

I Got Nothin' Left...(of my own)

The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength - 1 Samuel 2:4

There is an oxymoron throughout the Bible. It says that brokenness is strength. Virtually every great name or significant life eschewed in the scriptures was an individual who was first beaten down. The lessons of leadership often were not learning how to lead in small things and then bigger and bigger things. The lessons of leadership were often, prison, beatings, running, poverty, servanthood, slavery and mocking.

How can this be? The Strength of Brokenness. How can brokenness be strength? This week in my life would be a lousy one to ask me the question so I write this in faith.

If you read the Bible at all you realize a methodology that is in action. God takes our sin and our weakness and turns it into strength. If Satan and his minions (the demons) are attempting to destroy our lives God will often let the destruction go and go and go.

There does however seem to be a dividing line past which they can't act and, if we are His people; a man or woman who has committed our life to Jesus Christ beyond which our brokenness is received.

In order to use men and women to their fullest extent, the Lord has to break His servants so that they might have a new kind of strength that is not human in origin. It is strength in spirit that is born only through brokenness. This is the place where we discover our birthright DNA and His rulership in our life is not just available (after all it was always there) but it is a point at which we most readily receive it.

Saul was a self righteous Pharisee heading off on a mission to beat down Christians when he was broken on the Damascus road. Peter was broken after Jesus was taken prisoner just before He would also go to the cross. The Old Testament Jewish saint Jacob was broken at a place called Peniel. King David was broken many times. One of the last of which (apparently most of us are more stubborn over our sinful desires than we care to admit) after his many sins relating to nothing more than simple lust over a woman named Bathsheba. (This begs the question when you can have anything, how far will you go to have what you shouldn't have? Ask Adam and Eve when you get to heaven.)

The list could go on of those the Lord had to break in different ways before they could be used in the Kingdom. And before he could pour out abundance to or through them. It also apparently includes me; over and over again.

What should become obvious to us through this constant snapping and cracking and popping of our spiritual framework? Here's one...when we are broken, we should see the frailty of human strength and come to grips with the reality that we can do nothing in our own strength. I've experienced this part. What follows, as memory serves, is that new supernatural/eternal strength emerges that God uses mightily.

Oh ya...there is that whole thing about God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

As type this I am broken once again. Here is what I am telling myself right now, "Do not fear brokenness, for it may be the missing ingredient to a life that emerges with a new kind of strength and experience not known before."

Pray for a broken and contrite heart that God can bless. Pray that you get the lesson quickly.

I remain...(it's all I have left)

InHISgrip,
~J~

Flopping Over - Hands Lifted - Lord, I Give Up! (Again)

But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold - Job 23:10

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call - Tommy Walker

I was recently sitting with a business leader as he described a question he poses to Christians that work with him and partner with his business. "What if there were two doors to choose from; behind one door was the complete will of God for your life and behind the other door was how life could be according to your own preference. Which door would you choose?" My response to him made him pause. I don't like the choices. I want one door. The one He instructs me to go through is the one I desire to go through. I want that day to come. I want it sooner than later.

Most of us struggle with the idea of being led by God completely. Most of us cannot even conceive of such a thing. We are so far from God's leading our lives that it only makes sense within the hallowed walls of the building where we meet to hear someone encourage us to allow it to happen. It's a lot like reincarnation, a lot of people talking about it but we don't see anyone doing it. (Er...no, I do NOT believe in reincarnation.)

If we think deeply for a moment about it yes, most of us desire to follow God, but few of us will do it at any cost. We do not really believe that God loves us to the degree or that He provides that level of direction for us individually.

But there might be a great reason for this. How about this one; that we are willing to give Him complete permission to do as He wills in us.

If we desire to fully walk with our God, there is a cost. We may give intellectual assent and go along with His principles and do fine; however, if we are fully given over to Him and His will for our life, it will be a life that will have adversity and none of us are looking for more of that!

I'm not going to sugar coat this. The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve true, forever, God is please with me, the world take note of it, greatness without having their sinful will broken. Sinful will is me wanting what I want, when and how I want it. (Imagine stomping of feet, holding of breath and a red face here)

The process of giving our lives over to Jesus Christ is also known as the breaking of our wills. It is designed to create a nature change in each of us, not just a habit change. The Bible used circumcision to exemplify this. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal. I am not a personal fan of any of those things.

But if God has plans to greatly use you, and He does, in the lives of others, you can expect your trials to be even greater than those of others. Why? Because, like Joseph who went through greater trials than most patriarchs, your calling may have such responsibility that God cannot afford to entrust it to you without ensuring your complete faithfulness to the call.

By my recent experience God really loves me. And, apparently I have asked for a major measure of opportunity. (Although I am not recalling this...hmmm) He has much invested in you and I and it is in fact on behalf of others. He anticipates the day He can speak through your life to a greater degree than through another. The events of your life would become the framework for the message He wants to deliver using us as the amplifier.

Look guys, we need to stop fearing a bunch of stuff. We need to quit fearing His path for us. We need to stop fearing that the whole Christian, walk-with-God/Led-by-God experience is a fable. Enough! Geez! C'mon already! Embrace it. God is prepping us for eternity. We have plenty of time to walk in total abundance and bliss and what will be akin to perfection for then. Get with the program, the training is now and the need is in this world we are in and that need is NOW!

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all - 2 Cor. 4:17

Let's believe God! Pray a prayer of surrender today...I will be on my end...and I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

May I Lean A Bit While Standing?

That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies... - Joshua 7:12

Fifty six years of living have taught me a couple of things about my work life and ministry. First, it doesn't matter if you are the most talented or the most skilled. Secondly, your plans and procedures can be flawless as well.

It will all fail if you have a break in your ranks.

This is what God was attempting to convey to General Joshua when he attempted to confront a smaller and less capable regimen at an area called Ai. This was Israelis' second battle in the land called "The Promised Land. (Funny...God "gave it to them" here they are battling for it...hmmm - God apparently defines give differently than we normally do. NOTE TO SELF: LEARN GOD'S DEFINITIONS!)

So, have you ever had a post event quarterbacking meeting? Isn't it odd? We try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor. We seemingly review all aspects of our performance, the coordination and organization of the components and the personnel used to see what in the world happened!?!

Well, for the people of Israel, it was not easily observed. The outcome was whacked (they lost miserably) However, everything seemed just as it should be from the General's perspective. And, in what seems to be the case, as an afterthought, when his army was handed their lunch (er, soundly beat up), he cried out to God, It was deep. It was spiritual. It had all the markings of a man of faith and power...NOT!

Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? - Josh. 7:7a

That's my boy Joshua! Truly a man of faith and power! No, how about, Joshua, human being who had gotten full of himself and assumed his relationship and that of Israel after just one victorious battle. How about Joshua, he who had forgotten what was important to God, (promises made) and assumed on God what he should not have assumed at all.

Israel got a punch in the gut because God could not bless them. You see, one dude out of the many had violated the covenant with God. God said, do not take any possessions from the first battle, but one person failed to live up to this, and the whole army suffered.

Israel broke ranks spiritually. And kids, God works through groups of people and not just individuals. You are not just responsible for you - no, you are or supposed to be part of a body of believers all marching to God's tune.

Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from satan and the world system. Evil then gains an opening to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness.

In this instance, believe it or not, Israel broke down in an area of moral purity, their commitment to a promise to God. At that break sin establishes a stronghold. To use another example, should we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others (Are there limits to loving relationship in the Kingdom of God? Is their feuding in God's Kingdom?) If we become possessions or greed/money-focused, we will fall into a "power of positive thinking" deception (There is more to this but not the space here to get into it).

We must find the break in our ranks, confess and heal the relationship with God thus shattering a vicious cycle.

Today, with me, let's examine our armor. Look first to self and then to your body of Christ. Job One must be to ensure we are not susceptible to attack and defeat. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation and your chances of success will be infinitely greater. I remain...

InHISgrip,

~J~

Mixing Your Work & Your Calling

'Your servant has nothing there at all,' she said, 'except a little oil.'" - 2 Kings 4:2b

The Old Testament scene we are looking down upon here is this, a woman had her husband die. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.

"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.

"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."

Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.

When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left - 2 Kings 4:7b

We work too hard at keeping the different areas of our life separate from one another. Division and balance are neither exclusive or mutual and God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources. She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith was mixed with the practical step of looking at her personal resources as a source of commerce; to sell what she had in order to receive her needed income. Her obedience to God and her step of faith provided more than she anticipated. She was able to pay her debts and live on the money derived from the sale of all the oil.

We should expect our God to work through and in our work and through commerce to provide for our needs. It is wrong to place total trust in a job or a career without faith in God. More than that God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God honors.

Right now I have a problem that is perplexing to me. Are you in the same boat? Do you see no way of meeting your need?

My friends and loved ones let me suggest that God may have already given you the skills and talents as well as the natural resources to meet your need. However, He may be waiting on you. What is He waiting for? Your quieted spirit listening to His direction so He can provide guidance to you to mix believing in your relationship with Him, with faith to create a good result.

Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. It is what I am doing today. Let's be willing to take the next step...together!

I remain...

in

HIS

grip!

~J~

Reflections: What God Sees in the Mirror of Your Heart

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

I have just spent 10 days at conferences with some of the brightest business minds. Two things came to mind as we went through sessions on systems, marketing, influence, and financial success. Those two things were:

1. We must all be accountable in order to stay the course

2. Test & Measure Your Efforts

So, it came back to me, how do you measure our effectiveness in God, or should we even be thinking like this?

The early Church, Peter, Paul, the other apostles, their converts, those guys n' gals, they turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective in their compelling dissemination of the Gospel message?

Was it their theology?

Was it eloquent preaching?

Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus?

The Scriptures are clear as to what made the early Church effective. It is at the core of God's heart, and it is quite simple. Ya wanna know what it was?

God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual.

And kids, let me tell you, when this happens, the world is dynamically impacted and eternally changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world.

We serve a God is is determined for the success of the race of humanity He created. It includes a plan that makes the central elements of success also the cornerstone of that success. What does this mean to you and I? It means He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone because no one else's glory creates and sustains vibrant life!

God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them. He hedges His bets! But, if you have the winning hand why would you fold in favor of something less?

He has overseen the affairs of man since the day He created man and, well, actually even before then. His desire is 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 be drawn back into a child/Father relationship with Him.

The apostle Paul was all over this foundational concept. Paul said, 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 - 1 Cor. 2:4-5.

You wish to understand a clear cut method to know if you are pleasing God? Here is how you can know. If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why.

You will know why. If you ask sincerely the Holy Spirit will reveal precisely where He desires to lift you up and create victory within you that God's amazing and awesome glory can be reflected through you!

Join me today, a moment of thoughtful silence, asking the Father what do I give over to you Lord that will give you more space in my heart of hearts...together, arm-in-arm, let us march through the Gates of Hell, into the glorious presence of our Daddy in victory!

I remain...

InHISgrip (but slightly more broken)

~J~

Are We Self-Made or Is that Un-Made?

You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me" - Deuteronomy 8:17

Over the weekend a friend moved into their beautiful new home here in Mesa, Arizona. While we were trying to manipulate some large piece of furniture we had an exchange where the phrase, "Can I ask you a question?" came up. It gave rise to his sharing with me a story that, as an 11 year old in a grain field in Wisconsin he asked that very same question one day to his father. His father's response was, "No!"

He never asked him another question. Ever.

I would say that the hurt his father caused, the hurt this man felt, created a person that was so deeply offended that the concept of self-made man, or, man's man has been his creed. He might feel it deeper than most.

The unapproachable father...

We've all heard someone say, "He's a self-made man." What are they saying in this statement? Usually it is a statement about the determination and the strength of purpose and character someone has shown in the pursuit of their goals, their lifestyle or position? In my friends case he worked hard because often, having gleaned the bare essentials of the information needed, he worked alone and learned the hard lessons in solitude.

Many a person has achieved success through honest hard work. There is a sadness to the story above though isn't there? That little story provides us the backdrop to perhaps create an understanding of those who have a perception that has both strengthened them but perhaps also hindered them in their walk in Christ.

I often smile and many times laugh when someone looks at my resume and exclaims, "My! You've done so much! This is amazing!" They don't know all the people it took to make my resume look like it does; literally hundreds and probably thousands.

There is a danger for any of us who may have achieved significance through our work. That danger is the belief that we achieved it through our own efforts apart from God's grace and mercy. When we're convinced of this and embrace it as a core, personal belief, we internally embrace a kind of personal entitlement, rights and privileges. We have earned and feel we deserve all we have and usually more than that as well!

In the life story that Jesus told of the prodigal (St. Luke 15:11-32), we find the wayward son had a brother. Once the prodigal came home, was restored in his relationship to his father, this other son refused to celebrate the return of his once lost/now found brother's return. After all, he had been the good son. He had stuck it out. He stayed behind. He had never demanded anything of his father. He gave self and not a godly heart and heritage for the reasons he was faithful to his responsibilities. Why was he not being given or why had he NOT EVER been given the kind of attention this loser brother of his was now receiving?

What was his problem? What problem does anyone face who thinks it is their work, their effort, their character, their integrity...?

In the case of this brother he couldn't embrace mercy and grace. He didn't get his brother's failure and the pain of falling into a lost, separated and sinful life. This personal pride kept the "good brother" from experiencing God's real grace and learning a lesson in love; how to extend grace and kindness to those who do not deserve it and see how it miraculously changes lives!

Do you want to know how legalism develops? Have you heard that term in your church or amongst your friends. Well check that story out about the Prodigal Son and his brother. Legalism is the outcome of the continual practice of taking for your own personal credit and comparing it to the actions of others. Comparing ourselves to what others have and get versus our much more righteous life and position is what creates the growth and development of a cold heart and an insensitive attitude toward others who may have stumbled in their lives. This same "righteous" brother did not truly understand the love of his father apart from works; for he felt he gained acceptance only by doing his job.

Is that how you view God? If so, shame on you! Your God is not the father who said, "NO! You can't communicate with me. Do better! Do more!"

Mmmm...no, your Father sent His Son - Jesus and paid off your debt and you did NOT deserve it, nod did I...nor do I deserve His grace and mercy daily though it is there.

Do you feel accepted by God, regardless of what you do? Perhaps a family culture of, "do it yourself, by yourself, for yourself" is the way you were raised. In the breadth of our lives and the narrowness of the calling that God has placed on your life there are dangers, minefields to avoid.

Today, with me, let us be encouraged and realize that God has gifted us to accomplish anything and incredible mighty things! But these are done through and with His grace, and, as His kids, not by our works.

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

Walking in the Ointment!

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.... - 1 Samuel 16:13

I recall hearing these words of a country pastor at a David Wilkerson rally as a teenager (Anyone remember The Cross and the Switchblade?), "God desires that you always walk in the ointment!" I recall thinking to myself, "Ewwww!!! God!!! C'mon! - not that!" Well I have since learned there are differences between the ointment that my grandma used to put on everything that ached (and that made me wish I had no olfactory senses) and God's unique and unusual calling in the life of one of his kids.

The anointment or anointing is to be desired by Christians. God does have a plan for your life. It is that you lose it in His and that you do it when He touches you, gives you not only direction but power!

So the question is, how has the Holy Spirit of the Lord rested on your life? And a follow-up, can you recall when God's Spirit began demonstrating His power through you? When was it? Where was it? How did it express itself?

David knew the day the Spirit of the Lord began a special work in him. God's Spirit is different from most leaders. Instead of seeking power and control, He led, provided inner guidance, wisdom and direction in response to a felt and physical need. Instead of being a perfect person, the spirit revealed to David and David learned from mistakes and acknowledged them among those to the nation of Israel.

DAvid caught on. Do not place confidence in your own abilities. And he sought wisdom from the only real wise one and sage, the Lord God Almighty.

Because of his learned sensitivity to the leading of God on his life, this anointing, David never lost a battle. It was true that he failed God by sinning with Bathsheba and by numbering the troops after God told him not to specifically, but King David learned from each misstep. He took his medicine. Sin cost him dearly. But, the Spirit of the Lord never left David. The Holy Ghost never left because David was always tender, sensitive and had his heart and ear bent toward God. David's pride was never greater, in his human mind, than God's call.

So, as Vizzini says in the Princess Bride, "So, now it comes down to you and now it comes down to me." You, if you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior you have a calling on your life. How are you responding? Tender? Sensitive to God's Spirit? You need to know God will not allow that Spirit to rest on us if we are prideful. If we seek to control outcomes and manipulate out of our need for power or yes, even our of our insecurity. Servant leaders are aware they're only a clay pot in the Master Potters hands. They serve a purpose. They are pliable. They don't value themselves more than they ought but realize that they do have eternal value as long as they stay in HIS grip.

King David's heart, though he was imperfect, belonged totally to His God. Today, with me, let's once more give God our all and commit to having a hearing spirit so the Great Holy Spirit of God may begin His job of leading us into all truth and the adventure of an eternal lifetime!

I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~

God's View of Our Earth Shattering Differences

Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart - Proverbs 18:18

(You might want to categorize this under things that might surprise you about God.)

We prayed about it. We discussed it. My friend had one desire; I had a different one.

"Okay, let's settle the issue the way the early Church settled matters when an agreement could not be achieved. Let's flip a coin."

"You must be joking!" my friend lamented.

"No, the early Church cast lots often to determine a course of direction or even select the disciple who would take Judas' place."

"Okay," my friend agreed.

We flipped the coin and the matter was quickly settled.

In the Old Testament there are many examples of casting lots for determining a decision. We hear little of this method today. Most of us do not want to release the decision process to this seemingly "flippant" process; yet the Lord says, The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Prov. 16:33).

Flipping a coin is the equivalent to casting a lot. It removes our own opinions and leaves the final outcome to the Lord. Pray before you take such an action. It will surprise you who is willing to submit a decision to the Lord and who isn't. It removes the element of control from both parties.

Having shared this with you I believe that God revels when His kids get together, use their creativity and create solutions together that are greater than either one would have created alone. I believe in unity in The Spirit in the bond of peace.

I believe the Lord would first have us make decisions through agreement and continued prayer for the decision. However, there are times when casting lots, short-straw/long-straw can be the not just the quickest and simplest resolution, but also help us keep God's perspective on the value and importance of earthly things compared to godly. Casting lots removes each person's temptation to lord it over the other.

Move on! Cast the lot and settle the dispute. The relationship is what matters as long as godly principles and commitment to Jesus reign in the day you can do this with the Lord's blessing. I remain...

InHISgrip,
~J~