Have you exprienced the LAW?

"Laws were made to be broken."  That is what the world says.  But in the kingdom of God, the kingdom we represent, laws were made to be fulfilled; to be completed.  It was meant to reveal something.

The LAW of God is nothing short of the demonstration of His

Love
And
Willingness.

Were it not for the law of Moses we would never have known the willingness of Our Father to fulfill it.  Were it not that the commandment required a sacrifice for sin we would never have known the willingness of the Father to send His only begotten Son to die in our place.

The LAW of sin and death demonstrates the Love And Willingness of the Lord to bear our sin and take our death.
The LAW of righteousness demonstrates the Love And Willingness of the Lord to place us "right with Him", to make us righteous.
The LAW of Christ, which we fulfill when we bear one another's burdens, demonstrates the Love And Willingness of Christ to be there in our time of need.
The LAW of Grace demonstrates the Love And Willingness of our Lord to pour out to us all of the good that we could never earn.

Praise God that we who love Him have the privilege of keeping the LAW.  We can hold on to, take care of, cherish, and protect the Love And Willingness of Christ to be our all-sufficient provider and ever-present help.

When viewed from human to divine, the law may seem a burden to great to bear.  And in fact, it was.  It was so great a burden that we, in our flesh could never have kept it.  We could never have, nor can we now, fulfill it apart from the work of the Cross.

But when viewed from the divine to the human, the LAW shows us just how much he Loved us, And what He was Willing to do...

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only gotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Let us experience His Love And Willingness in a new way and let us share that experience and demonstrate our Love And Willingness to be the hands of God to a hurting and lost world.


SDG

Running on empty?

I wonder if it makes me a bad Christian when I feel like Job.  Does my faith-o-meter drop when I feel desperate?  When I get really angry at God and say things like, “Don’t talk to me right now, I don’t want to hear what you have to say, I just need a little time to myself” am I less holy?  Or am I being true to my own self?  Am I being honest with my humanity?  Am I acknowledging just how fallen I am?  What is it?  What is it that made the psalmist say things like, “This poor man cried” or “How long Oh Lord will you stand afar off?”  I find myself wording it more like, “Are You serious?” “Is this necessary?” “What the hell is going on?”  I find myself venting.  I find myself silent. (Those of you who know me well should at this point be thinking, “Him – silent – this must be serious”)  And it is. 

I have come to realize that the Christian walk often leads us down paths that hurt.  Not that Jesus wants to hurt us… I am not saying that.  What I am saying is that, if we are to be like Christ, if we are to share in His suffering, if we are to do greater things than He has done (His promise to us) then we are going to find ourselves going where only He would go.  We lose a lot. It hurts. We ask that cups get taken away.  We are despised by people we love.  We are rejected and ridiculed.  We find ourselves draining the gas tank and running on fumes.  And then, empty.

Running on empty is a strange saying.  It is oxymoronical.  You can’t do it. 

We need to get refilled.  I know I do.  I know that in the flesh I can only give so much and receive rejection in return.  In the flesh I can only smile for the camera so many times before my face hurts and “showing my pearly whites” turns into “baring my teeth” in my heart.  You just want to lash out.  You just want to bite. And a “biter” is only one letter away from “bitter.” 

What would He say to me when I finally get over myself and listen?

“It’s okay.  Get angry at me.  I can take it.  Say what you need to.  I have heard it all before.  Get through the pain, so I can get through to you.  I am here. I haven’t gone anywhere.  It doesn’t make sense to you now.  You won’t understand.  But I will give you peace that passes understanding.  Be honest with me.  Be honest with yourself.  I know the truth in your heart already. I know you love Me.  And I love you.  Who do you think gave you emotions?  Who was it that knew you before you were born?  None of this has taken me by surprise.”

Maybe. 

Maybe He wouldn’t say a word.  Maybe He would just wrap His arms around me. 

Maybe he would send me to the support group of the saints where they would share their stories:  Joseph in his well, Jonah in his wale; David in a cave, Daniel in a den; Job and his loss, Jesus and the cross.  The list goes on.  And we are on it.  We might not want to be.  But if He is going to use us to lead a nation, to love sinners, to face the rulers, to sleep with lions, to lose all we have, or even lose our lives… if He is going to finish our faith… it is going to hurt.  We are on the list.  Our names are in the book.  We might not have “signed up for this” but this is what it takes. 

To be gold tested in fire… the heat has got to be turned up.  Get rid of the dross Boss.  Rip off the band-aid.  Do something.

Oh wait… You are.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  Romans 8:16-18

Only followers of Christ could say “thank you” in never-to-be-understood circumstances.

I pray that we all find our tanks refilled, and that, even in times of confusion, rejection, and loss, we keep our eyes toward heaven, weather the storm, and walk on water.

If the boat was never tossed in the waves, they would have let Jesus sleep in the hull.

Awake!

SDG

The wind across the water

           I was at the park with my daughter when she was only a few years old.  We had brought her fishing pole with us.  There wasn't a hook on it.  Just a weight.  She had been getting really good at casting.  So we walked down by the pond, sat under the trees, and pretended to be fishing.  She averaged about 2 casts a minute.  Not very patient.  But it was fun.  Then something happened that opened my eyes.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Nothing I hadn't seen before.  Just something profound.  The wind moved across the water.  But the way it moved was inspirational.  It came from three different directions, causing ripples galore.  Trees swayed.  My hair did a dance. (back when it could!). And my daughter shivered.  But as quickly as it came, it went.  And it left me wondering.  In amazement.

            This is truly how the Spirit moves.  Powerfully, yet gently.  Swaying the trees but not braking the branches.  Quietly.  Invisibly.  You can't hear the wind itself, nor can you see it.  You can only see the effect of its power and hear the responses of those things it touched.  The leaves.  The water. 

            How do we know the Spirit is there?  How do we know It is working?  The same way we know the wind is there.  We see the people moving who have been touched.  We see the responses of those around us when they hear the message of salvation.  When the Spirit moves, there is power.  It comes quickly.  Quietly.  From every direction.  It causes ripples.  Makes hearts move and respond as the leaves to the breeze.  Sometimes it is gentle.  Like a spring breeze.  Other times it is fierce.  With the power of a storm.  But above all, it cannot be stopped. 

Raise your sails.  Let the power of the Spirit be the force that moves you.

SDG