"Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord God, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die."....."Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive." (Ezekial 18:23-24;27)
When I used to work for my dad at his restaurant, it always felt like whenever I made a mistake, all the countless things I did right seemed to go right out the window. Never did I imagine that God would view us in the same way...were it not for Jesus of course! What was done once, never need take place again. That does not mean that our feet do not get dirty (John 13:10), but our sins were carried once and for all, for all.
It seems to me that living in the time before Christ would have been like a neverending spiritual teeter-totter; one would have to remain vigilant in their heart to make the way for the Lord clean. Similarly now, we strive to remember that it is not our own righteousness that makes us pure, but in who we believe. The mantra of 'guilty until proven innocent' still stands-and our justification died and rose again to prove it!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Our path may be uncertain, but may we take strength in where we end up!
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
I look back on how my nephew grew up around me, and I can only be thankful for how (relatively) well he has turned out thus far. Man that kid was horrible, and I was far from a righteous uncle that 'trained him in the way he should go' when I was younger! I said and did things around him that I thought were really hilarious at the time, but looking back make me wince in sheer stupidity and short sightedness. Fortunately, God is ever faithful, and remembers the prayers of His chosen. Having grown up in a divorced household myself, I relate to him and others who grew up with their parents not talking to each other. It really does have long lasting (permanent really) effects on a child.
When I went to the Michael W. Smith show yesterday, I feel that God gave me a vision that I will one day either adopt a child or children, or be in some place that I will be a mentor to many of them. Kids are so pure in heart, even when they say mean and unfriendly things, that I can't help but take mental notes. I often find myself trying to escape to memories of being a kid again, living a much more carefree life than I do now. It feels like God's way of saying 'I want you to be My child; don't strive for things that are too much for you to handle." Like a child trusts in the hand that feeds them, let us find solace in the power of our Father!
I look back on how my nephew grew up around me, and I can only be thankful for how (relatively) well he has turned out thus far. Man that kid was horrible, and I was far from a righteous uncle that 'trained him in the way he should go' when I was younger! I said and did things around him that I thought were really hilarious at the time, but looking back make me wince in sheer stupidity and short sightedness. Fortunately, God is ever faithful, and remembers the prayers of His chosen. Having grown up in a divorced household myself, I relate to him and others who grew up with their parents not talking to each other. It really does have long lasting (permanent really) effects on a child.
When I went to the Michael W. Smith show yesterday, I feel that God gave me a vision that I will one day either adopt a child or children, or be in some place that I will be a mentor to many of them. Kids are so pure in heart, even when they say mean and unfriendly things, that I can't help but take mental notes. I often find myself trying to escape to memories of being a kid again, living a much more carefree life than I do now. It feels like God's way of saying 'I want you to be My child; don't strive for things that are too much for you to handle." Like a child trusts in the hand that feeds them, let us find solace in the power of our Father!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
For this is why we were created
"How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I am awake, I am still with you." (Psalm 139:17-18).
Tonight when I saw the Michael W. Smith show (which was well worth ushering for in order to see it), Philip Curtis Chapman read this passage, something that he turns to when he is too weary to endure. It is a most beautiful passage; Shakespeare himself would be envious! At the show it was amazing to see how the Holy Spirit began moving through the crowd; at first no one would stand up or really make much noise, but gradually they came to life, both young and old! And this is only about 4500 people, imagine the glory when nation after nation shall confess that He is Lord!
This is a psalm at the heart of anyone who loves God, for they desire to really know what makes God's heart beat. When I was younger and more idyllic, if there was a girl I really liked, I always wanted to know more about how she thought, and why she liked the things she did. Because I just wanted to see what made her happy, and that is the same way I want to direct my heart towards God: what makes Him happy should bring joy to me, regardless of whether it's my favorite thing to do or not (hey, God's not asking us to read a romance novel or anything!). It has been an awesome weekend I must say, and it is exciting to think about the seeds that God has been planting in people's hearts through Coffee house and our fellowship with one another!
Tonight when I saw the Michael W. Smith show (which was well worth ushering for in order to see it), Philip Curtis Chapman read this passage, something that he turns to when he is too weary to endure. It is a most beautiful passage; Shakespeare himself would be envious! At the show it was amazing to see how the Holy Spirit began moving through the crowd; at first no one would stand up or really make much noise, but gradually they came to life, both young and old! And this is only about 4500 people, imagine the glory when nation after nation shall confess that He is Lord!
This is a psalm at the heart of anyone who loves God, for they desire to really know what makes God's heart beat. When I was younger and more idyllic, if there was a girl I really liked, I always wanted to know more about how she thought, and why she liked the things she did. Because I just wanted to see what made her happy, and that is the same way I want to direct my heart towards God: what makes Him happy should bring joy to me, regardless of whether it's my favorite thing to do or not (hey, God's not asking us to read a romance novel or anything!). It has been an awesome weekend I must say, and it is exciting to think about the seeds that God has been planting in people's hearts through Coffee house and our fellowship with one another!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
This place is not our home...no matter how comfortable it seems
"Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said "Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that you have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in your sight, O God; and you have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God." (I Chronicles 17:16-17).
King David, ruler of all of Israel, triumphant over Saul and (soon to be) the Phillistines, and yet he had nothing but humility on his heart. I don't know exactly what David looked like, but I always envision a broken soul coming before God, for he knew in his heart that none could satisfy like the Lord. A lot of times living here I have felt unsure of what to do next, or sometimes even who I am. Perhaps that is why so many develop superiority complexes or arrogance; it is much easier to be assurred in who you are, even if you're wrong! As followers of Christ, we know that it is better to be lost but cling to God, then have our path laid out for us, when it is purely our own design. I pray that whatever we receive, be it home, hearth, happiness, or health, that we see it is the work of the Lord, and not the works of our own hands. David was a man of many mistakes, but in spite of, or perhaps because of, his lack of vision of who he was, he was able to see God all the more clearly. Let us not be deceived by societies' assurrance of self-glorifying self-esteem!
King David, ruler of all of Israel, triumphant over Saul and (soon to be) the Phillistines, and yet he had nothing but humility on his heart. I don't know exactly what David looked like, but I always envision a broken soul coming before God, for he knew in his heart that none could satisfy like the Lord. A lot of times living here I have felt unsure of what to do next, or sometimes even who I am. Perhaps that is why so many develop superiority complexes or arrogance; it is much easier to be assurred in who you are, even if you're wrong! As followers of Christ, we know that it is better to be lost but cling to God, then have our path laid out for us, when it is purely our own design. I pray that whatever we receive, be it home, hearth, happiness, or health, that we see it is the work of the Lord, and not the works of our own hands. David was a man of many mistakes, but in spite of, or perhaps because of, his lack of vision of who he was, he was able to see God all the more clearly. Let us not be deceived by societies' assurrance of self-glorifying self-esteem!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Holy, holy, is the Lord God almighty!
13:3 One of the beast’s 9 heads appeared to have been killed, 10 but the lethal wound had been healed. 11 And the whole world followed 12 the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority 13 to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” 14 13:5 The beast 15 was given a mouth speaking proud words 16 and blasphemies, and he was permitted 17 to exercise ruling authority 18 for forty-two months. 13:6 So 19 the beast 20 opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, 21 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast 22 was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. 23 He was given ruling authority 24 over every tribe, people, 25 language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, 26 everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world 27 in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. 28 13:9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
According to prophetic teachings, in particular that of Jack Van Impe in the documentary „Global ID:666“ (let me know if you want to borrow it!), the anti-christ will arise out of the EU, and most likely will come from the Netherlands or Belgium. He will suffer a mortal wound, but be revived ‘miraculously’ and rule the earth under a ‘peace treaty’ for 7 years. But halfway through, at 42 months, he will command all the earth to bow down before him and worship him. At this point God is said to pour out his judgment upon the earth, with travesty unlike anything before or after.
According to Impe again, the rapture will take place before this 7 year period. Many other sources speak otherwise, that those in Christ will remain on the earth for an undefined period during this ‘peace treaty’. I do not know for sure, I can only trust in the Lord and be aware that these things are coming, but at the same time not worry about them.
We do know that “the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelations 19:20). Whatever comes our way, we must remain faithful that the Lord will not forsake His saints, ‘for they shall lack no good thing’ (Psalm 34:10).
According to prophetic teachings, in particular that of Jack Van Impe in the documentary „Global ID:666“ (let me know if you want to borrow it!), the anti-christ will arise out of the EU, and most likely will come from the Netherlands or Belgium. He will suffer a mortal wound, but be revived ‘miraculously’ and rule the earth under a ‘peace treaty’ for 7 years. But halfway through, at 42 months, he will command all the earth to bow down before him and worship him. At this point God is said to pour out his judgment upon the earth, with travesty unlike anything before or after.
According to Impe again, the rapture will take place before this 7 year period. Many other sources speak otherwise, that those in Christ will remain on the earth for an undefined period during this ‘peace treaty’. I do not know for sure, I can only trust in the Lord and be aware that these things are coming, but at the same time not worry about them.
We do know that “the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelations 19:20). Whatever comes our way, we must remain faithful that the Lord will not forsake His saints, ‘for they shall lack no good thing’ (Psalm 34:10).
7:3 Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one another.
7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind 9 was given to it. 10
7:5 “Then 11 a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs 12 in its mouth between its teeth. 13 It was told, 14 ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
7:6 “After these things, 15 as I was watching, another beast 16 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 17 This beast had four heads, 18 and ruling authority was given to it.
7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions 19 a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. 20 It had two large rows 21 of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.
7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. 22 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 23 things. (Daniel 7:3-8)
I watched the other day a video about end time prophecies, how there are hidden forces going on around the world, and have been for centuries, seeking to usurp our God from his rightful throne as Creator, and giving the glory to the enemy of our souls. “Why do the nations rage and plot a vain thing?” (Psalms 2). Because “men were evil and did not want their deeds exposed (John 3:20).” Nontheless, the prophet Daniel gives voice to this turn of events, purportedly more than 2500 years ago, to Belshazzar, king of Babylon.
The animals described represents, according to Perry Stone, 4 nations in modern times. The lion represents Britain, the Bear the Soviet Union, the Leopard Germany, but the final one is uncertain. Interestingly, the three were mentioned in the order of their rise to power. Also, they represent older nations as well, with Babylon (and Nebuchednezzar’s fall being the wings plucked out), Persia, Greece and Rome, respectively. The final vision, with little horns, is believed to be modern Spain, which, according to Jack Van Impe, will have much more say about military events in the future.
‘Bear’ with me, I pray to get into more of this stuff in the future! God tells us “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4:6), and we should not take it lightly!
7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind 9 was given to it. 10
7:5 “Then 11 a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs 12 in its mouth between its teeth. 13 It was told, 14 ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
7:6 “After these things, 15 as I was watching, another beast 16 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 17 This beast had four heads, 18 and ruling authority was given to it.
7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions 19 a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. 20 It had two large rows 21 of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.
7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. 22 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 23 things. (Daniel 7:3-8)
I watched the other day a video about end time prophecies, how there are hidden forces going on around the world, and have been for centuries, seeking to usurp our God from his rightful throne as Creator, and giving the glory to the enemy of our souls. “Why do the nations rage and plot a vain thing?” (Psalms 2). Because “men were evil and did not want their deeds exposed (John 3:20).” Nontheless, the prophet Daniel gives voice to this turn of events, purportedly more than 2500 years ago, to Belshazzar, king of Babylon.
The animals described represents, according to Perry Stone, 4 nations in modern times. The lion represents Britain, the Bear the Soviet Union, the Leopard Germany, but the final one is uncertain. Interestingly, the three were mentioned in the order of their rise to power. Also, they represent older nations as well, with Babylon (and Nebuchednezzar’s fall being the wings plucked out), Persia, Greece and Rome, respectively. The final vision, with little horns, is believed to be modern Spain, which, according to Jack Van Impe, will have much more say about military events in the future.
‘Bear’ with me, I pray to get into more of this stuff in the future! God tells us “my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4:6), and we should not take it lightly!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
He who will not leave us to be condemned
"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance, let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted. And your first father sinned, and your mediators have transgressed against Me. Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, and Israel to the reproaches." (Isaiah 43:25-28).
In any court of law, evidence must be provided that one may be convicted or acquitted, otherwise there is no trial. How then are we able to escape conviction, is it with works, a penitent heart, or sacrifice? No, although those things have their place, they have no power to redeem us. In our continual clinging to Christ we have forgiveness, and in that alone. Every time we sin, or even reflect on our former sins, we should remember that Jesus gave all the evidence we need to embrace the escape from condemnation that we so desperately needed.
From Adam down, and even those who were righteous in the Lord (mediators) were not enough to argue the case. None of us were there when Christ died, but God was. And the sight of our sins, intermingled with the agony of the death of His only Son, was enough to imprint it upon Him for all eternity. I wonder how we can sin and not see that what Christ did will forever be enough to cleanse us? If it could cleanse the sins of our past, how could it not cleanse the ones we have yet to commit? This is not a recipe for a snowball of sin, but a lifetime of forgiveness. Let us not stay in that rocky soil (Luke 8:6); God wants us to blossom!
In any court of law, evidence must be provided that one may be convicted or acquitted, otherwise there is no trial. How then are we able to escape conviction, is it with works, a penitent heart, or sacrifice? No, although those things have their place, they have no power to redeem us. In our continual clinging to Christ we have forgiveness, and in that alone. Every time we sin, or even reflect on our former sins, we should remember that Jesus gave all the evidence we need to embrace the escape from condemnation that we so desperately needed.
From Adam down, and even those who were righteous in the Lord (mediators) were not enough to argue the case. None of us were there when Christ died, but God was. And the sight of our sins, intermingled with the agony of the death of His only Son, was enough to imprint it upon Him for all eternity. I wonder how we can sin and not see that what Christ did will forever be enough to cleanse us? If it could cleanse the sins of our past, how could it not cleanse the ones we have yet to commit? This is not a recipe for a snowball of sin, but a lifetime of forgiveness. Let us not stay in that rocky soil (Luke 8:6); God wants us to blossom!
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