2020 Hindsight

Growth is possible. It becomes probable when it is intentional.

Our Gratitude List

"That's not fair!" Somebody, somewhere is probably crying these words right now. Somewhere in the soul of every man, woman and child is a deep longing for justice, but how do we satisfy our longing for justice in such a broken, often morally deplete world such as this? God is faithful to answer... I am enjoying a time of fasting prayer. The Lord is faithful to increase my awareness of His closeness in this season. In particular, the Lord gave me an important lesson, which came in the form of an image of the "scales of justice." It has to do with balancing truth (or "rightly handling the word of truth" ~ 2 Tim. 2:15 ) and grace ("...it is the gift of God...." ~ Eph. 2:8 ) . We have all likely heard the axiom, "Speak truth in love." After all, people do not care what you know, unless they know you care. The word of God (absolute truth) is a two-edged sword and it can hurt the Body if given without healing and saving grace (unlovingly). I aspire to make it a practice in my personal relationships to refrain from confronting anyone with their sin, unless and until I have gone to the Lord and laid my life down once again, repenting of my own sin, surrendering all malice, forgiving the other and humbly asking my Lord's permission and power to speak truth in love. Conversely, I would also be remiss to not do the same prior to offering someone charity and kindness , lest my impure motives spoil what could otherwise be a bountiful harvest. (See Hebrews 10:8-10 .) Imagine, if you will that Jesus sits at the fulcrum of the scales. He is solid, stable, immoveable, strong and secure in that place. The world is represented by the horizontal arms (lever) of the scales. We, as believers in the world, are free to move to, from and across the arms at will. Let's say, for the sake of this illustration that TRUTH resides in the pan suspended from the left arm of the scale and GRACE resides in the right-hand pan. As we move across in the world, seeking to share the truth and grace of God, some are inclined to walk out onto the arm of truth while others are more inclined to walk out onto the arm of grace. Truth-walkers value knowledge most, and grace-walkers value forgiveness more. I submit to you that the safest AND most effective place to "call home" is in the center with Jesus. Only He can keep the scales balanced. As He sends the grace-walker out, He will send a truth-walker out also, keeping the scales of the Kingdom perfectly balanced. In some instances, the grace-walker and truth-walker are one in the same person. Our Lord keeps the Church centered on Him and in balance for the most beneficial, effective and fruitful work of His ministry. He does this in the eternal, meaning He is not bound by time and space. The danger for individuals comes when one does not find center and rest in Him: learn His ways, move in His strength and wait for His timing. You see, I believe our relationship with God is moment-by-moment. Let us not get so caught up in our own interpretation of the vision that He has placed on our hearts and minds, so as to lose balance and fall right off, rendering ourselves ineffective for the sake of the Kingdom... ...But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. ~ Hebrews 10:39 Jesus, a pure and innocent man sent by His Heavenly Father, Creator of the universe, willingly took on our sins, suffered, died and was buried, receiving the punishment that we deserved, but could not bear. Three days later, He rose from the dead, overcoming sin and death for our sakes. That's grace! But He did not stop there. When Jesus left Earth to sit at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit was sent to be our comfort and our counselor, guiding us into all truth and empowering us to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls and heal a lost and broken world. That's love!

Did you ever meet someone who reviles someone else so much that they will not even listen to a word that person says, much less give them thoughtful consideration? Or if the disdain is especially intense, the "reviler" only listens to soundbites or third-party snip-its of the other's words and draws conclusions filtered through their own ignorance of that person's "why" or "how" and becomes indifferent to their opponent and reacts to them with spiteful judgement and without regard for the other's perspective. That person has not love; only indifference. There are some who hold God in this regard. Gone unchecked, prejudice and bigotry begin with misunderstanding, regress to indifference and in some cases explode into violence. Nothing changes if nothing changes until one willing mind opens the way for truth and grace to flow. (See Romans 12:2) That kind of mind renewal requires a conscious decision to think differently. In every interaction we choose either love or indifference. And in the case of a toxic pattern developing in a relationship, we may need to choose self-love for the greater good of the relationship and to bring about much-needed change. That is what God does here: Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. ~Proverbs 1:28 Read that verse in context. Who are "they" and why won't God answer them? Seek to understand why God, who promises to never forsake you*, would say that ? Is God being ambivalent and random in His word? Read the entire first chapter of Proverbs and find out what in the world would cause a good God to essentially ignore ones who diligently seek Him. Go ahead. Read it. I'll wait... What did you learn? Put it in the comments. *Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~Hebrews 13:5

Am I righteous enough for God to answer my prayers? Yes... and no. Apart from Christ, no, but in Christ, YES! Let's assume ALL Christians talk to God. After all, it is one of the perks of being part of the family. Our Dad has an open-door policy and welcomes our daily communion and constant communication with Him. (See Luke 18:1 ) Even some non-Christians seek a divine, all-knowing power to whom they can make their requests known (See Isa. 45:20 ). It is all about the relationship, really! Talking to God is like talking to your spouse or child or parent or sister or friend. It is one of the things that make a relationship, a relationship. What would our relationships feel like if we never talked to one another? Pretty empty, lonely, even non-existent, right? So, we talk to God. We call that prayer. ...and God answers. The Bible says so, right? Well sort of. There is a qualifier - a condition. You will find it here: Ps. 4:3 , and here: James 5:16 , and here: Pro. 28:9 , Isa. 1:15-16 , Mt. 6:5 , and here too: Mark 11:24 . Did you catch that? What is the qualifier God sets for answering our prayers? We must be "godly" and "righteous." I think Matthew gives the best clue about effective praying in the 21st chapter and 22nd verse. Look it up and note what it says, "...if you have faith." The godly and righteous believe. Can we conclude that righteousness, obedience and faith are somehow linked and effectually synonymous or in the very least mutually dependent upon one another? It seems so. According to the writer of Hebrews 11:1, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." What are those things not seen? In most cases, the "things not seen" are the very things we are praying for, right? We seek God for answers. We seek His voice, His input, His action. This morning I heard something interesting: "If you desire to hear the audible voice of God in your difficult situation (or anytime), try reading the Bible OUT LOUD." "Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47) The problem is not that God doesn't speak or guide or light our way. The problem is that we do not often WANT to hear and obey certain things... things like ALL TEN of the commandments. Sure 5 through 9 may seem doable (sometimes, maybe...?), but what about 10 or 1? How about when God tells us that fornication and adultery (sex outside of marriage) are dishonoring to Him? ( 1 Cor. 7:2 ) or telling that white lie? ( 2 Peter 2:1 ) Is one sin any less heartbreaking to God than another? Do we even think about God's heart breaking as we act on some sort of deceit, laziness, lustful desire or greed? We say, "but I am just human." Then we further justify ourselves by saying, "I must protect my pride, satisfy my flesh or fatten my pocketbook dishonestly," BUT... Jesus raises the bar even higher. He says things like what He said in Mt. 5:28 . Go ahead and look it up. [or just click here.] I'll wait. Remember, praying is the divine interaction between man and God. What we often forget is that God gets to be God - ALWAYS. Our conversations with Him go two ways and yet, He is still God. He has our answer, whether we want to listen and take His advice (obey) or not. Did that pinch...? Just a little? Or a lot? There is good news! Jesus lived a perfect life in a human body. He is the only purely holy and wholly pure man to ever walk the earth. His assignment? Jesus, the totally innocent Son of God, WILLINGLY died a criminal's death. Yes, He was willing and He knew that THIS was His purpose on earth. His excruciating and sacrificial act removed from us the weight of sin, then as only God could do, He rose in power from the grave in three days and overcame the penalty for our sin, which is death. ( Romans 6 is a great read!) The good news doesn't end there. Jesus is still praying for those who draw near to God! See John 17:9 and Hebrews 7:25 . He still prays for you and me. He has His Father's ear. After all, He is seated at the right hand of the father in Heaven. Here is what Jesus has told His Dad about us: "The glory which you have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them and you in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent Me, and loved them, even as you have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which you have given Me, for you loved Me before the foundation of the world” ( John 17:22-24 ). That's right. We are covered. By the Blood of the Lamb. By grace. By God. Simply BELIEVE. Tell me how your prayers have been answered in the comments below. The world needs to know the word of your testimony! "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." ~ Rev. 12:11 ESV

My muse of Hebrews 9 (As a suggestion, read Hebrews 9 in the Bible.)

Personal reflections in the book of Hebrews, chapters 7 & 8.

A life surrendered to Christ means that we are open and obedient to divine course corrections, even when we don't understand.

My muse of Hebrews 6 (As a suggestion, read Hebrews 6 in the Bible.)