Year: 2016

Enabling

​So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:23‭-‬24 NLT

Sometimes the best help we can offer someone is to let them fall.
Yes, our heart wants to help,  to lift up, to serve and meet the needs of those around us – but being an effective servant of the Lord requires discipline and discernment in addition to sacrifice. 
Many lessons are taught best in the fiery trials of life experience. Telling someone what is best just doesn’t seem to prove as effective of a teacher as letting someone encounter the consequences of their poor choices. 
We can’t be afraid of our children being mad at us over our making good patenting decisions that are in opposition to their “wants” but are in line with what they actually “need” – and we can do more harm to them if we protect them from the consequences before they have the opportunity to learn the correct lesson. 
God is not an enabler of sin. Jesus Christ didn’t come to forgive us so we could just keep on sinning with no consequences. No, the Bible teaches us that the church will be judged first,  and that teachers will be held to an even higher standard. Biblically speaking, Jesus is not the way to avoid facing judgement – He is the way to prepare us for the judgement that lies ahead. He is not our “get out of hell free card”, He is our “prepare us for righteous living” guide and comforter. 
His rod and His staff,  His correction,  is meant to comfort us and teach us those hard lessons that are quite contrary to our carnal, worldly, selfish nature. He doesn’t say come step into an easy, leisurely,  prosperous life – He bids us to come, bear our cross,  bear the burdens of others, lay down our lives, and follow Him. 
It sounds scary. It sounds painful. It sounds like foolish sacrifice. But its rewards are unexplainable and immeasurable – when we aren’t seeking the rewards with our eyes but we are willing to seek Him with our hearts and lives. He is actually revealing Himself to us through these fiery trials and challenges and temptations – and we choose either spirit or flesh truly is the desire of our heart by what we choose to cling to. 
Yes, He let us fall. So that He could raise us back up. So that we like Christ can be raised to life. Have you been raised to life? Is your faith being tried and tested so it can be proven trustworthy? Will your life today serve and honor God in grattitude for the new life you are given? Will your light shine brightly against the darkness? 
Or are you still outside the gate, feeling separated from the Lord? He hasn’t left you abandoned. Cry out to Him and listen for His quiet,  peaceful voice. Search Him out in the Word of God. Seek His face in prayer and He will reveal Himself to you,  friend. And be prepared for the lessons, the change, the trials that put you in opposition to the normal flow of the world.

My God is my Search and Rescue team.

​You brought me up from the grave, O  Lord . You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord , all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalms 30:3‭-‬5 NLT

Joy in the Lord.

Peace in the storm. 

The Love of Christ. 

These can be had regardless of circumstances or season. They are the result of faith instead of doubt, obedience instead of rebellion, repentance instead of sinfulness,  Kingdom living instead of worldliness, sacrificial service to others instead of self worship, generosity towards others instead of selfishness.
Yes,  His ways are so much different than our own. 
If you are struggling today – whether it is struggling against temptation, struggling financially to make ends meet, struggling spiritually with doubt, struggling emotionally with depression – He will lift you out of the depths. Take your worries and concerns to Him in the brokenness of heartfelt prayer. He has not forsaken you, little flock. Turn back to Him. 
And if you are stuck,  trapped, and feel like you cannot make the journey back home to His house. If you feel lost and as if you don’t even know the way back, cry out to Him. He will leave the 99 and come for you.  He will rescue you, even from the depths of darkness. Cry out to Him from your heart. Your humble brokenness is the only sacrifice you need bring to the altar,  child. It is the only thing of any value we have to offer to the creator of the heavens and earth who will open His arms to us and shine down upon us His blessing and favor.

Enter into the Chuppah

​One thing I have desired of the Lord , That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord , And to inquire in His temple.

Psalms 27:4 NKJV

“The chuppah is a tapestry attached to the tops of four poles. The word chuppah means covering or protection, and is intended as a roof or covering for the bride and groom at their wedding.

The chuppah is not merely a charming folk custom, a ceremonial object carried over from a primitive past. It serves a definite, though complicated, legal purpose: It is the decisive act that formally permits the couple’s new status of marriage to be actualized, and it is the legal conclusion of the marriage process that began with betrothal.

Chuppah symbolizes the groom’s home, and the bride’s new domain. More specifically, the chuppah symbolizes the bridal chamber, where the marital act was consummated in ancient times.”

Yes, our baptism in Christ is our chuppah, it is our covering that allows us to enter into and dwell in the house of the Lord. It is this simple but beautiful transition from our old life to our new life that allows us to gaze upon the beauty of the Word of God, to get to seek Him, find Him, and know Him personally in prayer and in our daily lives. 

And is there any better place to dwell than in the shelter of His tabernacle set upon the solid foundation of Christ?

In our lives today,  let us dwell with the Lord and find comfort in His faithfulness,  His righteousness, His mercy,  His love. Lord, come live with us and walk with us today. Even as we plan our steps, let them be established and set firm upon the way by the Lord. Don’t let us turn aside to other distractions. Don’t let the enemy steal away the joy and purpose that the Lord has for us today. Let us dwell with the Lord continually,  without ceasing. Amen.

Enemies? My People?

​Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to  perform. Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your  arrows on Your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O Lord , in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.

Psalms 21:8‭-‬13 NKJV

Enemies of the Lord. Don’t we have to admit that we have walked amongst that camp? That we have stood in the darkness of rebellion against what we know is good and right? Haven’t our actions, words, and thoughts betrayed our love of self and this world over God’s way?

Betrayed God, forgive me for willingly rebelling against your commands of life. My sin has turned light to dark and twisted what is good;  all feels lost, and I am in deeper than I know. But I thank you that even in my sin and shame, you continue to call my name. Amen. (BC 14)

But aren’t we now walking in a different life? A blood bought life purchased at the cross with the most expensive and valuable of sacrifices poured out for our salvation, for our redemption,  for our reconciliation into a new life, a new calling, a new purpose for Christ to live in and through our lives? 
Yes,  haven’t we set our eyes upon His Kingdom because the veil is torn and the purposes of eternity prove more weighty than the worries, temptations, or desires of the moment. Lord, thank you for restoring our sight, for setting our feet upon the solid foundation of Christ the cornerstone, and for offering us the opportunity to build upon it,  through your love and righteousness to be manifest today in our lives. Remind us that our reasonable service is simply a grateful response to the love that You have extended to us, and that we are purpose built to deliver to those around us. Remind us,  that we are your people. Show the world that we are your people in action and love, not just in hypocritical words. 

And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

Isaiah 51:16 NKJV

His Mercy Endures Forever. My mercy?

​Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He  is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalms 136:1 NKJV

His MERCY endures FOREVER.
If you ever forget this, read Psalm 136. Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15:11-32. 
And we are meant to follow in His example. Extend mercy, friends. Forgive that unforgivable thing that was done to you. Be merciful towards those who do not deserve your mercy. Extend love to those who will not love you in return. Offer truth and salvation and wisdom to those who will even refuse it and mock and ridicule you. 

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:12‭-‬13 NKJV