GOD LOVES THE WORLD

Saints, we need a clear understanding about how we should relate to this world we inhabit. The Apostle John states in John 3:16, “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”, whereas this same John writes in 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” And James, the brother of our Savior states for the record in James 4:4, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”, calling those who befriend the world adulterers. These passages pose a dichotomy which can only be understood if we understand the “world” God loved is a different world then the world He commands us not to love. God loved the perfect world He created but hates the corrupted sinful world humanity turned it into through willful disobedience. We must take care to keep the distinction between God’s perfect original creation and man’s twisted sin-laden representation of it, when we study scriptures. We should, as Randy Acorn recommends, add the worlds “as it is now, under the curse” whenever a passage is referring to the world after the fall of mankind. For Example:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...

Do not love the world, as it is now, under the curse, or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, as it is now, under the curse, the love of the Father is not in him.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world, as it is now, under the curse, is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world, as it is now, under the curse, makes himself an enemy of God.

And do not be conformed to this world, as it is now, under the curse, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For the wisdom of this world, as it is now, under the curse, is foolishness with God.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world, as it is now, under the curse, lies under the sway of the wicked one.

For the form of this world, as it is now, under the curse, is passing away.

GOD HATES THE WORLD

AS IT IS NOW, UNDER THE CURSE

AND WE SHOULD TOO

(1 Jn. 2:15; James 4:4; Jn. 3:16; Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 3:19, 7:31; Jn. 5:19)

THIS ELECTION IS NOTHING IF NOT A HARBINGER OF THE TIMES

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one (i.e., the antichrist) will be revealed.” Saints, it is the Spirit filled Church that “restrains” the lawless spiritual erosion at work in the world, to bring about in God’s timing the revelation of the antichrist and all the “End-Things” God has foreordained. It is God who places leaders in power, to fulfill His purposes: Obama won in 2012 because it was God’s will. Our country’s moral and spiritual values are steadily eroding, our culture is clearly left of center, and America is now humming, if not marching to the drum beat of the secular progressives. It now may be impossible for a truly conservative person to be elected president.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” Things are going to get worse as more and more people are blinded by the god of this world, despising good, loving pleasure, turning away from the path of righteousness to pursue Fool’s Gold -- the cares, pleasures, desires, and riches of secular earth life. Many “professing” Christians are void of the implanted Christ-Life, never having presented their bodies as a “living sacrifice” to God: Never having allowed the Holy Spirit to take control and transform their nature into the nature of Christ. They are Christians in name only, wearing the label but not possessing what they profess, and their numbers will grow. There will be a great falling away -- we are already seeing it -- the love of many is growing cold, and powerless forms of “godliness” abound.

Saints, our great Eternal Hope should deliver us from all despair. We have known this time would come for God’s word clearly tells of it. Well... now it is here! Spiritual erosion will bring persecution, and persecution will bring a great harvest for God’s Kingdom, and soon... very soon, we will all go home to be with Daddy. But for now, we have work to do. It truly is an exciting time, so... don’t get distracted... don’t fall asleep... keep your lamps burning brightly… be saturates with the Holy Spirit of God… set your mind on things above. Be something different: Be Salt! Be Light! Let people taste and see the goodness of God’s Kingdom flowing out of you... like a river of living water. And... Let it flow 24/7...

(2 Thess. 2:7-8; 2 Tim. 3:1-5, Matt. 24; 12)

BE SALT…

BE LIGHT…

AND... LET IT FLOW 24/7...

BONHOEFFER REVISITED

When Christ calls a man, He bids Him come and die. The essence of discipleship is revealed in understanding Grace: Specifically, what Grace cost God, and what Grace will cost all who answer God’s call.  

Cheap Grace is the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner... the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance and conversion, baptism without church discipline, discipleship without obedience, communion without confession … profession without possession. Cheap Grace is Grace without discipleship, Grace without the Cross, Grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate... Grace without transformation into Christlikeness. Cheap Grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin that frees us from the slavery and toils of sin, but a cheap covering for sin with no contrition required and no deliverance from the bondage to sin expected or desired. Cheap Grace is the Grace we bestow on ourselves.

Costly Grace is the Treasure Hidden in a Field... the Pearl of Great Price, for the sake of which a man will gladly go and sell all that he possesses. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye or cut off the hand that causes him to stumble. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves all to follow Him. Costly Grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. It is costly because it condemns sin, and it is grace because it justifies the sinner. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is Grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it compels submission to the yoke of Lordship... transformation into Christlikeness, and it is Grace because His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of His Son -- we were bought at such a horrific price -- and what cost God much cannot be cheap for us. And, above all, it is Grace because God did not reckon His Son too dear a price to pay for our life. Costly Grace is the Grace God bestows on us by the Incarnation of Christ... Christ in me, my only hope of glory...

WHAT COST GOD MUCH CANNOT BE CHEAP FOR US

FAITH: “LORD INCREASE OUR FAITH”

If there is one answered prayer that would radically change and eradicate the spiritual limbo of the typical Christian it is “Lord increase my faith”. Everything, right up to and including pleasing God, falls in this basket. We all want more faith...  right! The Bible speaks of four ways faith comes: First, we are given a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3). Second, faith comes by hearing the rhema word of God (Rom. 10:17). Third, our faith is increased as we move from “unprofitable servants” to “faithful servants” (Lk. 17:5-10; Matt. 25:14-30). Fourth, our faith is increased from praying in tongues. WHOA! You mean the very substance of our hope... the evidence of the unseen Kingdom... our faith, will increase when we speak in tongues? Yes! Jude understood this:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20). Jude had just chided the apostates, ones “not having the spirit” (verse 19). When he opens verse 20 with “But you”, the implied sense is you who have the Spirit, “beloved”, the “divinely loved ones”. “Building” is the Greek word epoikodomeo which means “to build upon, to erect a superstructure”, with the implication this is a spiritual structure. “Building” and “praying” are both in the present participle, denoting continuous action. “Faith” is anarthrius, lacking the definite article, which means it is not referring to “faith” as a system of beliefs, but rather the quality, character, and nature of our personal faith in God. “Most holy” qualifies the faith as coming to us from God and revealing God to us, the means by which we are made righteous and enabled to overcome the world. “In the Holy Spirit” is both locative of sphere – “within” – and instrumental of means – “by the means of”. Simply put, this phrase means “prayer within and by the means of the Holy Spirit” – literally originating within and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The word picture painted by Jude is of a superstructure, like the metal girding of a skyscraper, being built up by our supernatural “Tongue” prayers. This is a spiritual superstructure of faith, reaching heaven... supporting our spiritual life. It is though provoking, this picture of building up a superstructure of faith to support our spiritual building, when one considers we are referred to as “living stones being built into a spiritual house” by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:5).

“PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT”

MEANDERINGS ON GOD’S WILL

Case Number One: Some saints see God’s will as all inclusive, where every life choice... every decision great and small, is fore-ordered by God who moves us by His Spirit in everything we do. Some see the command to “walk in the Spirit” as a mandate supporting God’s all inclusive will... but the context in these passages is clearly the enmity and warfare between one’s old carnal fleshly nature and the new indwelling “Spirit” nature of our Lord. “Walking in the Spirit” is clearly a mandate to become Christlike in thought, word and deed. This case presumes we are hearing the voice of the Lord 24/7, and differentiating distinctly His voice from the din that surrounds us, a challenge for even the most mature Christian.

Case Number Two: Others see God’s will as a series of parking lots where every major life choice has spiritual parameters defining God’s will -- the parking lot boundaries. Once the parking lot is entered God’s will is satisfied and the choice of parking spots is left to us.

Case Number Three: And still others see God’s will more in a spiritual sense, involving one’s calling, ministry, and spiritual gifts.

For example, does God want to choose our spouse, city, house, occupation, job, church, the car we drive, where we have lunch, what shirt we wear, etc. Or, does He want to choose the city we live in, the parking lot, and allow us to choose the house... the parking spot  -- does He want to choose our occupation, the parking lot, and allow us to choose our job... the parking spot, and so on. Or, does He only concern Himself with our ministry and Kingdom activities, leaving all other choices up to us?

Every saint has righteous works foreordained by God: In the first case these works would accompany the choices God makes for us, so anytime we missed God’s choice we would miss the Kingdom works He had planned around that choice. In the second case God, in His infiniteness, would assign righteous works to our parking choices within the parking lot boundaries He establishes for each of our major life choices, to fulfill His purposes. Of course, this is not a challenge to our Father, who knew the choices we would make before the foundations of the world were laid.  And, what becomes a parking lot or a parking spot may very well differ between saints just as God’s righteous works and plans for them differ. God often guides us through granting or withholding favor, opening and closing doors of opportunity. In the third case, if we miss God‘s will concerning calling, ministry, or gifting, we would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. But Case Number Three is really a subset of Case Number Two, another major life choice... another parking lot. If we use God’s word as a roadmap for our life we will find all His parking lots and be at peace with the parking spots we choose -- even if we have to walk a little further then needed at times... that’s OK...

Psalms 37:23-24 says “The steps of a good (i.e., righteous) man are ordered (i.e., directed and established) by the Lord, And He delights in his way … For the Lord upholds him with His hand.” God gives wisdom to all who ask, wisdom to find the right parking lots, and wisdom to pick the best parking spots. He delights in the way we take -- busies Himself with our every step -- holding our hand all the way.

FIND ME IN THE RIVER

My heart aches... but faintly. I love You, desire You, want You... weakly... waveringly. Even the pain of my denials, denying by my actions that which I profess, even that pain is so faint... more discomfort then the heart-wrenching anguish that should accompany my betrayal... the anguish of true love torn asunder. My knowledge of You is nothing, my wisdom even less, as I look without perceiving, hear without understanding... seeing nothing as it truly is... blind to the beauty in You. Eternity... what is light. Earth-life... what is dark. Stories remain stories, void of living water, unable to penetrate my dry and thirsty soul... unable to circumcise my heart with the scars of divine invasion. Your Cross is a picture... my cross a facade. My tears... when they do come, are sweet emotions... moving reminders of Your sacrifice. But not, sadly, the tears of sharing in Your suffering. Heaven is a fantasy with no transforming power, The Way a mystic road... the stuff of midnight ramblings. My heart is cluttered, wanting to be free to soar with You… wanting to drown in Your love... ever wanting... while contending with lovers less wild. I call Your name with sincerity, but do not know its face.  All I am... all that resides in me, is far, distant... removed from Your heart. But You beckon me to come... the scepter is raised once again. Lord, I am nothing... I have nothing... I know nothing... I am at best despicable... I deserve Hell. All the something I thought was me...  all that I held to be important, simply dissolved before Your radiant beauty... leaving me naked... possessing nothing... poor for words... empty of all... needy and alone. Even so my Lord... great lover of my soul, You call me... naked and wrenched as I am... You call me. You will not leave me here fatherless... You beckon me to come. May I find You in my nothingness... in my poverty... in my barrenness, as I cast myself on Your unfailing love, clinging to the hope You’re not through with me yet. Where else could I go... Whom have I but You...

WHEN WE CAN’T FIND GOD’S GRACE...

IT WILL FIND US...

MY TWO CENTS ON CHRISTMAS

Christmas is secular. The birth of Jesus is sacred... Holy: God clothed His only begotten beloved Son in flesh to dwell among mankind. It is OK for saints to celebrate Christmas -- even though we are three months or so late in the date – even though it is commercialized to the point of vulgarity. The world invented Christmas and picked the date so what can we expect. But it is more OK to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and absolutely essential that we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord. The God-Man came to earth for one omnipotent purpose: To die and be resurrected. In death He put Death in its grave destroying the hideous sting of death. In resurrection He gave His children -- the saints who call upon His name -- their hope eternal... to live forever with Him in a far better place. This has been God’s ageless plan since before “In the Beginning”… to redeem and restore His creation... to rescue a people bearing His likeness.

Beyond the decorated tree, gift giving, the carols, the mistletoe and eggnog... let’s remember the sobering reality of the human condition: We are, each one of us, either Eternally Saved in sacred betrothal to our Lord and Savior, or Eternally Lost... blinded by this world of dark deception that draws our misplaced love. And, the God who died to give us the Blessed Hope of eternal life with Himself in paradise... this same God holds our last breath in His hand, yearning for indifferent hearts to heed His call before their last breath is released. This Christmas let us kneel in awe of the God-Man who loved the unlovable and did the unthinkable, that “filthy rags” – like me and you -- might have the humanly unattainable. He asks us to give in submission to His Lordship that which we cannot keep – our life, to gain that which we cannot lose -- His Life. To the Saved... rejoice, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven! To the Lost… know this: God is ever ready to save to the uttermost those who call upon His name... the name of Jesus! Life... True Life – eternally abundant life – is a free gift of God’s amazing grace, available to whosoever will put their faith and trust in the God of undisputable love. We can receive God’s gift of salvation life anytime… anywhere, for it can only be accepted as a gift with one’s heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MAY GOD’S GRACE…

 AND PEACE…

 SHINE UPON ONE AND ALL...

PUTTING IT ALL INTO PERSPECTIVE: GOD DID NOT PLACE OBAMA IN POWER, WE “THE PEOPLE” DID

"For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Rom. 13:1): “Authorities” is not referring to individual personalities but to the offices of civil authority. Human government is a divine institution brought into being by God after the Flood for the regulation of human affairs. The incumbents in the offices of civil authority in a democratic society are “ordained” by their constituency… by their vote. God did not place Obama in power, we “the people” did. ”Spiritual erosion is rampant, moral values are quickly dissolving into extinction, evil of the most vile nature is commonplace and growing more evil with each passing day, and the anti-God agenda of the world is accelerating – all under Obama’s watch. Nowhere is the connection between sowing and reaping so clearly evident, as in electing officials: We sow our vote and reap the consequences. Saints, we need to lay our pocket-book aside and vote for the person who best embodies our faith-values, letting godliness trump rhetoric.   

The 2016 election is really just a timing issue with God who uses the good, the bad, and the ugly to accomplish His purposes at His appointed time. God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen by His creation who has willfully rejected Him for the lesser god’s of this world -- manmade gods -- so mankind is without excuse. Our loving Father’s longsuffering patience -- grace to mankind in salvation -- will not suffer much longer... judgment is at hand. The wrath of God will come against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of mankind... it will come! Things are predestined to go from bad to worse in any case... it is just a matter of time – and God owns time! The world is on a head on collision course with the God it chose to ignore. Saints who read God’s word know this. God chuckles at man’s vain attempts to derail His plans. We are living in the times of the signs: So if another one like Obama wins this next election we should understand God is simply announcing His end-time agenda is at hand. And, though evil will seem to prevail, a great harvest of souls into God’s Kingdom awaits. Saints, we are much closer to hearing the trumpet of heaven sound than we thought… and harvesters are needed... So praise the Lord...

LET GODLINESS TRUMP RHETORIC

LIFE AMONG THE THORN BUSHES

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the sower parable which, if taken together, paints a complete picture of the different heart responses to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Of the four heart-soil types presented, the one most representative of the body of Christ today is the thorny-soil-heart. Now I know the answer that gets the smile, the buzzer and the prize behind door number four is the good-soil-heart, but this simply is not true.  Just look around at all the “western cultural Christians”; in fact, maybe we should look at our own heart. The four characteristics of Thornbushers as documented in the gospels all deal with the allure of the world: 1) The desire for riches. 2) The desire for worldly pleasures. 3) The desire for non-spiritual things. 4) The preoccupation with the cares of this life. Life in the thorn bushes divides our mind, distracts us from God’s purposes, makes us vulnerable to temptation and sin, and, ultimately, chokes out the living word leaving us worried, unstable, and anxious. Thorn cluttered hearts have good intentions but they are deceived, thinking they can concurrently abide in Christ and abide in the world... the very thing He died to save us from. If we think of love for God as a canoe and love for the world as a canoe and then try to float the river of life with one foot in each canoe... well, you get the picture.

Our spiritual quest begins in the thorn bushes of life in this world, where the desire for pleasure, riches, "other” earth bound things, and the cares of this life -- worry about our stuff -- will, if left unchallenged,  slowly “strangle the divine seed birthed within. Thornland… the world, is suppose to be a pilgrimage into transformation by way of jungle warfare: Diligent study of God's word fuels the Spirit's work within, equipping us for spiritual battle, and setting in place the foundational cornerstone of our faith walk – transformation into Christlikeness. Our pilgrimage is not out of Thornland for we are to be “in” the world but not “of” the world. Our pilgrimage is into Christlikeness where we learn to live overcoming lives among the thorns.  But some of us have given up our pilgrimage. We no longer are seeking a city not made with human hands. We have become enthralled with lovers less wild. Failing to study to show ourselves approved – failing to submit our Self to the Lordship of Jesus – failing to drag Self to the Cross – failing to be conformed into the nature of Christ, we have become property owners in Thornland, and built our homes there. Though we still profess our Christian faith we do not possess our Savior’s nature, looking much more like Thornland than like Jesus... wearing His lapel pin without emulating His lifestyle...

EndNote: The Sower Parable says the thorns of our desires for the things of this life choke the word of God. “Choke” here is to literally choke by suffocation and is Luke’s word for suffocation by drowning. The thought here is of a fragile new spiritual creation being suffocated to death, drowning in a sea of competing carnal interests... the thorns of our desires for the world. The thorny hearted are addicts with hearts and minds set on the enticements of life in this fallen world. This worldly mind-set effectively neutralizes... suffocates, the renewing of the mind on things above which is so essential to ongoing spiritual transformation. We literally strangle the voice of God! The thorny heart’s mantra cry, “Your Best Life Now”, is most prevalent in the church today, contradicting and ignoring the Father’s eternal plan for “Your Best Life Later.” Thornbushers foster much more than demonic “toe-holds” allowing strongholds -- fortified fortresses of thoughts -- to rise mystically within the spirit realm of their hearts, becoming slaves to the very things they yielded to and providing doors of ready on-going access to the world’s temptations. “Do not love the word or the things in the world” is a command in the present imperative, indicating continuous action will be required to defeat our Self’s desires for the world... the alternative is drowning...

WEARING HIS LAPEL PIN...
WITHOUT EMULATING HIS LIFESTYLE...

LIVE IN ME, AND I WILL LIVE IN YOU

We may not always sense the presence of the ever present God who has promised never ever to leave or forsake His children... but He is present. We experience God’s presence through our emotions... our feelings, which also respond to life’s circumstances, coloring in the feelings we place on events. Most of the time God’s presence is in the background of our consciousness, an abiding peace and contentment... sort of a fearless “OKness” that we get so accustom to we fail to consciously recognize it. Like our wedding ring, glasses, or a mole on our arm we often fail to consciously recognize God’s presence... for He is always present! There are times when God’s presence moves into the forefront... foreground, of our consciousness... times of worship when we are deliberately focused on His presence... times when His pursuit of our heart bursts into our conscious thought, but much of the time we attend to life unaware of God’s breath on our neck… His arms surrounding us….

A sixteenth century “Christian” coined the phrase “The dark night of the soul” referring to the experience of God removing His presence from an individual. One can only surmise how it would feel to suddenly lose God’s moral compass, lose His peace and the joy of our blessed hope in Him, the heavens becoming brass, our spiritual senses dull... our love and affection for God gone blank... fellowship, worship, study, prayer of no interest. I question whether this is the experience of a person in covenant relationship with the God who simply won’t leave His children... and thus the “quotes” around “Christian” as the person who coined this phrase. The dark night of the soul may very well be of the soul’s own making, and, therefore, a volitional act rather than a divine imposition... wholly preventable by human choice. We must remember God has promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him, and to be found by those who diligently seek Him – even to reward God seekers!. David prayed that God would not remove His presence, constantly seeking the face of God... living in a state of worship. The Apostle Paul made it his determined purpose to “know Him” – the Greek here denoting intimate relationship -- placing intimacy with Jesus as the singular driving need of earth-life... counting the “things” of life as dung. Brother Lawrence practiced the presence of God during the mundane things of life, looking for opportunities to engage God... making Christ the center of everything in his life. Jesus said it best, as captured by the Amplified Bible:  “Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. Live in Me, and I will live in you.” If that sounds like a conditional promise of His presence... it is! Perhaps if we modeled our pursuit of God after the words of Jesus and these godly men, God’s “background” presence would become a “foreground” reality...

DWELL IN ME, AND I WILL DWELL IN YOU

LUST OF THE FLESH… LUST OF THE EYES… THE PRIDE OF LIFE…

The world beguiles, and the devil tempts, but it is the flesh that wants and wants and wants. When Jesus said “he (i.e., the devil) has nothing in Me”, He was saying the devil and the devil’s world system has nothing He wants or desires. After Jesus’ forty-day temptation in the wilderness, at a time when He was weak and vulnerable, satan tempted Him through three broad categories of human wants: 1) He endured physical temptation – the Lust of the Flesh for physical appetites. 2) He endured material temptation – the Lust of the Eyes for material wealth and prosperity. 3) And, He endured emotional temptation – the Pride of Life for power, position, and prominence. Notice that Eve struggled with these same three wants, failing miserably to control her desires and casting all of mankind into the malignancy of the fall. Notice her words relative to the forbidden fruit: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (i.e., Lust of the Flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (i.e., Lust of the Eyes), and a tree desirable to make one wise (i.e., Pride of Life), she took of its fruit and ate.”

Human wants must be evaluated and understood within a world view that honors the supremacy of Jesus and His teachings over all else. In light of this, Jesus’ desire for bread was perfectly normal, just not at satan’s price. Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world fell on deaf ears finding no associated desire in our Savior’s heart.  Jesus had already taught that the desire for riches and pleasures and the things of this life would choke out… suffocate, His words in hearts captivated by these wrong and foolish desires (i.e., The Sower Parable). And Christ repeatedly warned how difficult, if not impossible, it is for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God. Satan’s desire for a demonstration of the power and privilege of Sonship by jumping off a pinnacle was really a temptation to sin against God: Our Servant Master’s humble heart was free from any prideful need to prove His position of prominence and power in the Godhead.  

All human “wants” will fall into one of these three categories, thus the scriptures state that Jesus, in His three-pronged temptation, was tempted in all ways the same as we are -- through the same areas of human weakness and vulnerability -- and yet without sin. It is the human “wants” that make the world’s produce alluring and desirable, thereby giving power to the devil’s temptations... the battle is won or lost with our “wants.” The enemy is the “wants” we allow to permeate our heart, causing us to crave the things of the world and making us susceptible to satan’s temptations. The real enemy is Self… our carnal nature -- what the Apostle Paul called our Old Man -- the fleshly nature that never stops wanting. We were born a “Wanter” with a nature set on things below… the loves of this life. Through our rebirth into God’s Kingdom we are, for the first time, freed from enslavement to Self’s desires – freed to choose. This is the freedom to choose submission to the Lordship of Christ over Self-rule. The freedom to put Self to death daily – “I am crucified with Christ” – that the implanted Christlife might burst forth within. When Christ comes alive within, His nature will permeate our mind setting it on things above. We will overcome satan’s temptations when our “wanter” is aligned with God’s heart and we can say with Jesus “he (i.e., the devil) has nothing in Me.”

“HE (i.e., the devil) HAS NOTHING IN ME”

THE SON SAID IT, THE FATHER COMMANDED IT, AND THE SPIRIT WILL EXECUTE IT...

The Holy Spirit’s job is to manifest Christ in us: To change our natural virtues, our natural traits, qualities, and characteristics, from our Self-nature of the seed of Adam to His Divine-nature of the seed of Jesus. The Spirit is a master craftsman, not a cobbler. He never just patches up our natural virtues with a little bit of Christ sprinkled here and there. “You shall be perfect”: There is no ambiguity about our need for spiritual maturity… no wiggle room here! The Son said it, the Father commanded it, and the Spirit will execute it... in willing hearts. Our natural virtues can never come close to the virtues demanded by the Godhead: Our Self-serving love is not even a cheap imitation of God’s self-sacrificing agape love, yet we cling to our natural virtues -- Self loving itself -- all the while proclaiming Christ is our Lord. But, Jesus knows what is in the heart of man... God knows our hearts! So, we must learn to draw our nature from the reservoir of the resurrection life of our Savior, to bring every part of our nature into harmony with the implanted Christ-Life... to put on Christ. Woven within this “learning” are death, submission, and renewal, the processes of spiritual transformation. These are not painless processes, but so very rewarding for Self-willed stubborn folks who seem hell-bent on misplacing their love on trinkets of wood, hay, and stubble. Remember, our Self-nature is programmed to love the world, the same world we are commanded not to love -- the same world predestined to burn! Be thankful for God’s patience... and determination, therein lies our Blessed Hope...

Author’s Note: As with most of the thoughts I share, this “song” is for me. I am traveling the road of Transformation at a snail’s pace, catching fleeting glimpses of what could be... should be... if I could just climb up on my cross and spread wide my arms. Don’t pray causally for God to reveal His heart to you, for we cannot see His heart without seeing our own, and recognizing just how far short of His transforming glory we have fallen. While I am most concerned about an experience... signs, wonders, miracles -- the felt presence of God -- God is whispering “Son, I need to talk to you about your heart.” The greatest sign of spiritual maturity... of pleasing God, is not spiritual giftings, ministries, or signs following. It is Love, Joy, Peace... the Fruit of the Spirit, offered in a cobbler of obedience, passion, and sacrifice. God’s presence is drawn to Godliness like metal to a magnet -- abiding where His nature is strongest -- but... Christlikeness is my weak suit. Like I said, this song is for me...  but if the shoe fits...

THIS SONG IS FOR ME

DANGEROUS FAITH, ADDICTIVE LOVE

The first century Christians lived their lives with every step moving forward and with every fiber of their being fighting for the heart of their King.  Jesus had become the all consuming passion of their lives, producing a dangerous faith, full of raw power, and capable of choosing revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm watered down religion.  They were called to live in this world as citizens of an entirely different kingdom.  The “Good News” can never be separated from Jesus’ invitation to “Come; Follow Me”. Jesus never lied about the danger or cost of being His disciple:

* “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves” (Matt. 10:1, NLT)

* “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Lk. 9:23, NIV)

* “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life.” (Lk. 9:24, NLT)

* “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process.” (Lk. 9:25, NLT)

* “If you want to be My follower you must love Me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.” (Lk. 14:26, NLT)

* “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk. 9:27, NASB)

* “So no one can become My disciple without giving up everything for Me.” (Lk. 9:33, NLT)

* “A servant is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted Me, they will persecute You.” (Jn. 15:20, NKJV)

* “When the world hates you, remember it hated Me before it hated you.” (Jn. 15:18, NLT)

* “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.” (1 Jn. 2:15, NCV)

First century Christians loved God! This is not a simple platitude but a life-changing fact. They had beheld His great love for them, and in this “beholding” they had become loving, expressing God’s love through passionate sacrifice and servant hood.  They knew that love and sacrifice are inseparable in God’s Kingdom... We need to know that too...

“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself”: We must lay aside as the world’s dung our desires and plans. We must make it our determined purpose to know Him... ever pressing toward the high calling of intimately knowing Him. “And take up his cross daily”: We must crucify our Self and Self’s self serving interests daily that the implanted Christ-Life can germinate and spread like yeast throughout our being. “And follow Me”: We must walk His narrow-gated difficult way, our face set like a flint on things above... demonstrating our love in passionate obedience... for without obedience there is no love. Deny... Crucify... Follow...This is the “meat and potatoes” of Kingdom life, a life of Dangerous Faith and Addictive Love...

JESUS NEVER LIED ABOUT THE DANGER...

OR COST...

OF BEING HIS DISCIPLE