There is a place, it is just like a location, that I call the place of peace in God. This place has substance, it takes up space, although that space may not be what we call space. Yet then again what we call space is mainly empty, as in outer space is mostly the void between things. And maybe the place of peace with God is like that, in that He fills the gap. It is like the often quoted verse about God being in the midst of the two or three people gathered in His name. God comes and is between those who gather in His name (in our midst), this provides us what we need in addition to God in us, God between us. But that is another blog.
The dwelling that is “Peace with God” can be entered into. It becomes real to the open hearted. To all who enter this place, a lightness, a glory that comes down and then lifts up, manifests. The human heart is warmed, encourages and satisfied. This has little to do with your morality or maturity. It does affect them in that you have a stronger desire to be mature and moral. You want to be more like Him. Yet being in the place of peace is not obtained through merit. The space is a part of God’s nature and exist no matter what we do or what we are like. It is a part of His loving-kindness to all generations.
Let me try to be honest, the type of honesty that causes discomfort. This “free to all” peace is entered into at a great cost. I could go into a lot of details, but let me simply say that the cost of peace is rejection. Sound to cool to be true, I know. Not what you expected to hear?
The “cost of rejection” is not a price to be paid to enter, but the price to be paid for entering. It is like you get in for free, but being there cost you something, and what the peace with God cost you is rejection from the world. People, all sorts of people, good Christian people will reject you. The church is full of people, just like worldly people, who want you to be a christen as long as it serves them. But if you enter into a place where then cannot manipulate you, lay a guilt trip on you, control you; then they do not like you being in that place. They will call “peace with God” of the Devil.
Jesus told us that if they accused Him, they would accuse us.
The cost is also the easiest method of entrance. Easy being “straightforward”, “unproblematic” not easy as in, “easy”. If you will except rejection without trying to defend yourself, without arguing in your mind, without holding onto thoughts of self-justification and self-worth; you will be at the threshold of a new and amazing place. Once at the door give no thought, literally, to anyone else but God. Even if it is just for a “half moment” be in that place with Him alone. In time the amount of time you have in the place will grow as discipline works in you so that you can share in His holiness.
Oh, sharing the holiness of God. That is amazing. It is like flying through a verity of storms and weather formations, only each one refreshes and encourages. It is like ……
But first let the Peace of God dwell in you fully.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Spoken well of by God
In Eph. 1:3 we read
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Three different root words for blessed are use in this one verse. The second is from the foundation of “spoken well of”, God our Father has spoken well of us. What kind of blessing is that? How does that encourage someone who is needing money, help in restoring a marriage, assist in defeating depression or despair?
What the mystic comes to learn is that what God speaks and what exist in the realm of God are very close. They are not the same, often requiring our agreement or maturity to come into being. God has chosen a divine partnership ever since the garden that allowed mankind to either have the wisdom to name all the animals or the folly to turn our backs on God is disobedience.
So if you are like me, you want your blessing. You want to know what God is saying about you, the good things, right! We want to know what a loving God is thinking about fallen and broken humanity that is trying to serve and obey. We want to know the love of God that invades the darkness and critical spirits of this fallen world and speaks a truth and grace that is beyond our existence. We want a word from the Lord. A word of hope, peace, joy, patience and kindness.
The pathway of knowing what God is saying is through Jesus Christ alone. (You will read that in the rest of the Eph. Passage). It is not a matter of just having a gift or insight. In Christ Jesus all things are summed up and all the mystery of God is concealed and revealed. As we truly come to abide in Christ Jesus we come to know the words of the Lord for us. This is not an intellectual reality, but a reality that encompasses our entire being. We become consumed with Christ Jesus within and our outer man is being transformed to be a dwelling place of His delight. In the end, we ourselves are becoming an expression of the Lord, a living word of the Father on the earth.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Contact
The word “Christ” means “anointed. Something that is anointed has oil smeared or rubbed over it to consecrate it for service. Often in the Bible we read the phrase, “Lord Jesus Christ”. As I break this down I come up with “Master, Controller (lord) Jehovah is salvation (Jesus) smear or rub with oil, that is to consecrate to an office of religious service (Christ “anoint”).
Something or someone that is anointed has to be touched by heaven. You and I, who are called to be Priest to the Lord, need this contact. We need to be anointed. In fact we cannot do our job as a priest until we have something that connects us to God and separates us from the world. Until that happens we are just “talking about God” and are not “testifying about God”.
We, you and I, are also the oil poured out upon this world so that all we contact have the opportunity to be in contact with heaven. In a life that is often focused on getting, we are agents of giving. The calling of priests to the Lord presumes God freely has something to give us to give away. Is it not easy to fall victim to a “need to get” mentality? Today as I live, I am going to try to believe (have faith) that God is going to contact me, so that I have something to smear all over others. I think I’ll take some paper towels along.
Something or someone that is anointed has to be touched by heaven. You and I, who are called to be Priest to the Lord, need this contact. We need to be anointed. In fact we cannot do our job as a priest until we have something that connects us to God and separates us from the world. Until that happens we are just “talking about God” and are not “testifying about God”.
We, you and I, are also the oil poured out upon this world so that all we contact have the opportunity to be in contact with heaven. In a life that is often focused on getting, we are agents of giving. The calling of priests to the Lord presumes God freely has something to give us to give away. Is it not easy to fall victim to a “need to get” mentality? Today as I live, I am going to try to believe (have faith) that God is going to contact me, so that I have something to smear all over others. I think I’ll take some paper towels along.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Conflict and God’s Government
A conflict can be called a war, a clash of ideas, a struggle with opposing forces or a mental battle within ones self. It seems strange, but God rules through conflict. God, in the beginning created “light” to conflict with the darkness and thus established His method of ruling in our world.
If you are looking for the government or rule of God to be one of just ideas or principles, you are going to miss a great deal of what God is doing in your life and in the world. God does not just come to you with the idea of holiness or justice. God comes and conflicts with your ideas, actions and emotions. God takes some of the weight of eternity and pushes upon your mortal being some of His glorious weight. This conviction is more than just “reason”. God makes us miserable, nervous, perplexed.
We live in a time when the rule of God is reduced to a suggestion from a whippy God. Some would have you believe that you can offend God and all you will get in return is “easy forgiveness” whenever you decide to return to the Lord. God is full of forgiveness just as He is full of justice, truth, discipline and authority. In God, you cannot separate His love from any other of His attributes. The Lord God is one…. which means He is inseparable, having no parts, but that is another section.
The word “holy” has a base meaning of “other”. This “other than we are” sets us up for conflict in the rule of God. We have a leaders, authority, director and guide who is “other” than us. God is not like us. God conflicts with us. Even if we had never sinned, we would conflict with God who is uncreated and never made.
So – if you are not in conflict, you are not in a good place!!!! God disciplines those whom He loves and if your life is “easy” then you should be scared. Yet we all must also know that being in conflict is not a bad thing, it is not having a bad life. Just as the dawning of the morning brings hope for a new day, so does the light of God shining on our darkens release to us the true hope of eternity. Why long for the verbal blessings and praise of men when the conflicting power of God is the doorway to enjoying life eternal now. If you want to mature in Christ Jesus, you will need to get way beyond the emotions connected with conflict and “feeling rejected and unloved”.
If you are looking for the government or rule of God to be one of just ideas or principles, you are going to miss a great deal of what God is doing in your life and in the world. God does not just come to you with the idea of holiness or justice. God comes and conflicts with your ideas, actions and emotions. God takes some of the weight of eternity and pushes upon your mortal being some of His glorious weight. This conviction is more than just “reason”. God makes us miserable, nervous, perplexed.
We live in a time when the rule of God is reduced to a suggestion from a whippy God. Some would have you believe that you can offend God and all you will get in return is “easy forgiveness” whenever you decide to return to the Lord. God is full of forgiveness just as He is full of justice, truth, discipline and authority. In God, you cannot separate His love from any other of His attributes. The Lord God is one…. which means He is inseparable, having no parts, but that is another section.
The word “holy” has a base meaning of “other”. This “other than we are” sets us up for conflict in the rule of God. We have a leaders, authority, director and guide who is “other” than us. God is not like us. God conflicts with us. Even if we had never sinned, we would conflict with God who is uncreated and never made.
So – if you are not in conflict, you are not in a good place!!!! God disciplines those whom He loves and if your life is “easy” then you should be scared. Yet we all must also know that being in conflict is not a bad thing, it is not having a bad life. Just as the dawning of the morning brings hope for a new day, so does the light of God shining on our darkens release to us the true hope of eternity. Why long for the verbal blessings and praise of men when the conflicting power of God is the doorway to enjoying life eternal now. If you want to mature in Christ Jesus, you will need to get way beyond the emotions connected with conflict and “feeling rejected and unloved”.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hard Word or Work Hard
Yesterday I was installing electrical conduit and wire. I would call it “hard work” because I am not familiar with all the methods of bending pipe and configuring circuits. Later yesterday I was mowing yards, this is “working hard” but not hard work.
What I was thinking about was those times when we are “working hard” at “hard work”. I know some people who just seem to shut down when one of the “work” and “hard” words come together. Some people just don’t like one of them (like “hard work” or “working hard”). Other people don’t like either of them and start to implode.
Those who work hard at not “working hard” or “hard work”, seem to activate an aggression switch in me. It is like seeing a clay pigeon target fluttering across the sky at a gun range. It seems only natural to shoot at it/them. I seem to quickly judge how hard they are working at figuring out how it cannot be done or how hard it is to do it and if we should not stop doing it until someone finds a better way. Or wait until someone else does it! Like the guy watching me.
So in the desire to deepen my life, I am going to try and understand and appreciate those who are “hard work” and “work hard” allergic. I am going to use my abilities and see if I can learn to ……not I’m not!
Dear God
HELP
What I was thinking about was those times when we are “working hard” at “hard work”. I know some people who just seem to shut down when one of the “work” and “hard” words come together. Some people just don’t like one of them (like “hard work” or “working hard”). Other people don’t like either of them and start to implode.
Those who work hard at not “working hard” or “hard work”, seem to activate an aggression switch in me. It is like seeing a clay pigeon target fluttering across the sky at a gun range. It seems only natural to shoot at it/them. I seem to quickly judge how hard they are working at figuring out how it cannot be done or how hard it is to do it and if we should not stop doing it until someone finds a better way. Or wait until someone else does it! Like the guy watching me.
So in the desire to deepen my life, I am going to try and understand and appreciate those who are “hard work” and “work hard” allergic. I am going to use my abilities and see if I can learn to ……not I’m not!
Dear God
HELP
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
In High Demand
I am in one of those seasons of “high demand”. I am right now in the Prayer Room (not praying) but using my blog to sort through several of the voices I hear in my mind. These are not “God speaking to me” voices, but “me speaking to me” voices. If you don’t have these don’t worry, you’re not missing much.
But I have been stressed by all the things that I “could do”, “should do”, “must do”, “ought to do” and “might possible do”. It feels a lot like driving in Chicago traffic, talking on the cell, eating a subway sandwich, listening to Reed’s DVD, praying in the spirit and daydreaming all at the same time. Don’t ask me how I know it feels like that. But it does.
I want to please the Lord in all regards. I want to make my life count, not for something, but for God. I want to stand before the eternal one and have Him smile and give me the redeeming hug of brotherhood. To hear Him say, “Well done, you mystic redneck, you did just want I wanted”! I don’t want others to look at my life and say it was a success, I want my Dad in heaven to approve. So how do I/we do that.
I spent a lot of time trying to sort through the truths of the Scripture and find a list to help me manage my life. Then in the prayer room (while I was praying) I felt the Lord toll me “not to manage my life”. I felt the Lord saying to me that He would manage my life. That my part was to love others and listen to Him closely as to what I was to do or not do. I know that “God wants me to….” Has been misused in the past. But just because it has been abused doesn’t mean it is not the way of life.
We don’t need God to tell us to get out of bed or stop eating ice cream after the second bowl. We have a responsibility to manage life on some level. But the level is always, always subject to the will of God who is in heaven. It is a delightful burden to live in such a way as to bring about on earth as it is in heaven. So the next time you find yourself life me… Trying to help 3 National Prayer Movements and 4 local church prayer events, 4 city wide prayer efforts, help the neighbors roof, 5 lawns to mow, a church to remodel, a home to build for a “dropped” Katarina victim, a son who wants to go fishing and play catch, friends who need help moving, a bathroom that need to be cleaned and a book that calls out to be read; just listen.
My Dad in heaven deals with much more than this on a daily basis and His “never in a panic” way of doing things enables me to do my part – love others. I think I’m gonna pray the prayer of THANKSGIVING FOR AWAILE.
But I have been stressed by all the things that I “could do”, “should do”, “must do”, “ought to do” and “might possible do”. It feels a lot like driving in Chicago traffic, talking on the cell, eating a subway sandwich, listening to Reed’s DVD, praying in the spirit and daydreaming all at the same time. Don’t ask me how I know it feels like that. But it does.
I want to please the Lord in all regards. I want to make my life count, not for something, but for God. I want to stand before the eternal one and have Him smile and give me the redeeming hug of brotherhood. To hear Him say, “Well done, you mystic redneck, you did just want I wanted”! I don’t want others to look at my life and say it was a success, I want my Dad in heaven to approve. So how do I/we do that.
I spent a lot of time trying to sort through the truths of the Scripture and find a list to help me manage my life. Then in the prayer room (while I was praying) I felt the Lord toll me “not to manage my life”. I felt the Lord saying to me that He would manage my life. That my part was to love others and listen to Him closely as to what I was to do or not do. I know that “God wants me to….” Has been misused in the past. But just because it has been abused doesn’t mean it is not the way of life.
We don’t need God to tell us to get out of bed or stop eating ice cream after the second bowl. We have a responsibility to manage life on some level. But the level is always, always subject to the will of God who is in heaven. It is a delightful burden to live in such a way as to bring about on earth as it is in heaven. So the next time you find yourself life me… Trying to help 3 National Prayer Movements and 4 local church prayer events, 4 city wide prayer efforts, help the neighbors roof, 5 lawns to mow, a church to remodel, a home to build for a “dropped” Katarina victim, a son who wants to go fishing and play catch, friends who need help moving, a bathroom that need to be cleaned and a book that calls out to be read; just listen.
My Dad in heaven deals with much more than this on a daily basis and His “never in a panic” way of doing things enables me to do my part – love others. I think I’m gonna pray the prayer of THANKSGIVING FOR AWAILE.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My Hard to Love List
I thought I would make a “hard to love” list of people who are hard for me to love. I would choose the kind of person that is all messed up, so much so that it poses some difficulty for me to love them.
Does God ever mess with you?
So I went to make this list, right. My goal is improvement and Godliness through the observation of faults and weakness in others. Can you see where this is going?
No matter how novel, I can’t seem to get to God through picking apart other people. My Father in heaven simply wants to work in me until His love flows freely through me – no goodness of others required.
I guess true Christlikeness is loving “hard to love” people easily. “Easy” being with restraint, not as “easy” being without effort. Picking up the cross is a labor intensive ordeal, especially if you are large. The measure of the natural man determines the size of the cross.
So I got my list now! The “hard to love” people are me. It’s hard to know what is in your heart and still love or like yourself. I guess I will need to trust God that He too is Christlike, loving those who have issues.
Dear God, I and a few others close to me, were wondering when you would be done transforming me into the image of Christ. We all hope that it would happen any time now.
Does God ever mess with you?
So I went to make this list, right. My goal is improvement and Godliness through the observation of faults and weakness in others. Can you see where this is going?
No matter how novel, I can’t seem to get to God through picking apart other people. My Father in heaven simply wants to work in me until His love flows freely through me – no goodness of others required.
I guess true Christlikeness is loving “hard to love” people easily. “Easy” being with restraint, not as “easy” being without effort. Picking up the cross is a labor intensive ordeal, especially if you are large. The measure of the natural man determines the size of the cross.
So I got my list now! The “hard to love” people are me. It’s hard to know what is in your heart and still love or like yourself. I guess I will need to trust God that He too is Christlike, loving those who have issues.
Dear God, I and a few others close to me, were wondering when you would be done transforming me into the image of Christ. We all hope that it would happen any time now.
Friday, August 1, 2008
I don’t want a know
There are a lot of things that I do not want to know. Over the last 3 weeks I have been stressed and pushed in ways that I would never choose. I have faced pain, conditions, emotions and situations in which I would never choose, if there were not chosen for me. Yet God in His goodness chooses to prepare me for life yet to come. I would choose to live a life and not know what it is like to see your Dad suffer, your friends confused or be pressured to perform beyond human possibility. I would choose to live a life where I do not fail to meet the desire of others and thus escape all the negative emotions that failure brings.
But God, that big God of endless wisdom and love, has other plans. He acts upon my life so that in things yet to come I am prepared. My preparation is not just so that I have an easy life, but rather so that I have a glorious life. To achieve “glory” I must transcend the natural and enter into “Kingdom living”. Supernatural living requires a little more pressure and endurance than life in the “easy button” mode.
Let me rant and little more on what I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know that I can be tired, weary, even at the point to exhaustion and still apologize, still be kind and still ask for forgiveness. I tend to like having reasons for misbehavior or ungodly living. I don’t want to know that I can pray when I don’t fell like praying and help others when I have no energy to help myself. I don’t want to know that I can love when I am hated and give to others when I have nothing to give. I don’t want to know these things but God has been doing the “I am your Father” thing and in His love disciplining me into a greater maturity than I desire. He is acting for my good. I don’t feel it is good. I am taking this on faith. I am in a “trust God” mode and trust not yourself mode.
I found myself in a rage today. It was like a fit of anger on “RED BULL”. But then I heard the calm spirit of God in me asking, “why are you mad”. At first this challenge made me madder! “Just look” at …… Then it hit me. I had stuff I could get mad about but it was not worse today than any other day. The stuff was just like “other day stuff”. I was more tired, stressed, perplexed; but the issues were all the same. So I took about 15 min. and cooled off. Then I apologized for being angry. Once I asked for forgiveness, I felt better. In fact obedience with the Lord felt better then the joy of being mad because I was tired. Maybe light is better than darkness, but we men tend to love the dark more.
So.. when filled with life and ready for a fit
Don’t give in
Don’t try to quit
Turn to God who you really what to avoid
And allow His grace to fill your
VOID
If living for Jesus was easy everyone would be doing it.
But God, that big God of endless wisdom and love, has other plans. He acts upon my life so that in things yet to come I am prepared. My preparation is not just so that I have an easy life, but rather so that I have a glorious life. To achieve “glory” I must transcend the natural and enter into “Kingdom living”. Supernatural living requires a little more pressure and endurance than life in the “easy button” mode.
Let me rant and little more on what I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know that I can be tired, weary, even at the point to exhaustion and still apologize, still be kind and still ask for forgiveness. I tend to like having reasons for misbehavior or ungodly living. I don’t want to know that I can pray when I don’t fell like praying and help others when I have no energy to help myself. I don’t want to know that I can love when I am hated and give to others when I have nothing to give. I don’t want to know these things but God has been doing the “I am your Father” thing and in His love disciplining me into a greater maturity than I desire. He is acting for my good. I don’t feel it is good. I am taking this on faith. I am in a “trust God” mode and trust not yourself mode.
I found myself in a rage today. It was like a fit of anger on “RED BULL”. But then I heard the calm spirit of God in me asking, “why are you mad”. At first this challenge made me madder! “Just look” at …… Then it hit me. I had stuff I could get mad about but it was not worse today than any other day. The stuff was just like “other day stuff”. I was more tired, stressed, perplexed; but the issues were all the same. So I took about 15 min. and cooled off. Then I apologized for being angry. Once I asked for forgiveness, I felt better. In fact obedience with the Lord felt better then the joy of being mad because I was tired. Maybe light is better than darkness, but we men tend to love the dark more.
So.. when filled with life and ready for a fit
Don’t give in
Don’t try to quit
Turn to God who you really what to avoid
And allow His grace to fill your
VOID
If living for Jesus was easy everyone would be doing it.
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