reverence
When was the last time we stood in awe ~ when the presence of God made us literally forget where we were?
Recently I sat in the theatre with others and was mezmorized by the amazing cinematography of Avatar 2 - Way of the Water. The audience was captivated and there were some amazing images on the big screen. And yet, many treat the presence of God with mundance indifference; more captivated by the artificial. Our reverence for God has been replaced with a yawn of familiarity. His consuming fire has been tamed with the flicker of a burning match. There is no passion, heat, no power, blinding light. Does no one understand the power we invoke when we call on the name of the Lord?
Our churches have become apathetic. We should be shouting from the rooftops about the greatness of God! We should be sharing His love! We should be serving the God of the universe with thundering acts of kindness! Singing praises for all He has done!
Job 26 talks about the power God has over our enemies; that He stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing! He ordains our days and even death and destruction are naked in God’s presence. The foundations of heaven tremble and he stills the storms and tames the monsters. And that’s only a whisper! (Verses 6 - 14)
The realm of the dead is naked before God;
Destruction lies uncovered.
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
So, as we enter this New Year of great possibilities, let us be consumed by God’s holy power to make changes in ourselves and our world. Stand in awe of His presence. That’s a resolution worth pursuing!
shema
I want to perceive the way you perceive.
In 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16, Paul says the thoughts and perceptions of Christ and the Holy Spirit search the deep parts of God and relates it to our spirit. It’s a practice we need to embrace as Christians.
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
LIstening with intention has become a lost art in our world today. When we become in tuned with God and He dwells within us we receive what God gives us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and have the mind of Christ. When we are making decisions, thinking about certain things and are open to the Holy Spirit talking to us, we think differently. God brings us encounters over and over; but are we noticing? are we listening? are we in tuned with the Spirit?
There are times when I listen to some of the notes on my piano and know that it is in desperate need of a tuning. Some notes are pitched correctly, but others are too flat or sharp and the unpleasant sound reverberates through the strings. When the tuner works on the piano, his job is to make sure that each note’s sound is combined with other keys to create harmony.
I want to know that God is working in my life, each moment, each note, each key to create beautiful music with Him. Can you hear the sound of His voice? Are you in tune with the Holy Spirit? Do you have the mind of Christ? Listen.
365
We all know - or at least most of us do - that there are 365 days in a year. But what I bet many people do not know is that there is a phrase used 365 times in the bible. That phrase talks about not fearing.
Recently I read a story about a criminal who was arrested for a crime he had committed. He stood before the king, ready to receive his punishment. There were two choices: he could be hung by a rope or take what was behind a dark, scary, mysterious and tall iron door. When the king asked him what his choice was, he replied, “the rope.”
As the noose was being slipped around the criminal’s neck, he asked the king, “Please tell me what’s behind the door as I am going to die anyhow.”
The king laughed and replied, “it’s crazy, but I always offer everyone the same choice and almost inevitably, everyone chooses the rope.”
The criminal persisted, “So tell me then, what’s behind the door?”
The king thought for a moment and then answered with a simple word, “Freedom".” He continued, “but most people are afraid of the unknown and what’s beyond so they take the choice of the rope.”
Metaphorically speaking, many people walk in their everyday lives with ropes around their neck; whether it be in pain, a struggle or the unknown of the future. According to Alan Watts, “our lives are one long effort to resist the unknown.”
But we don’t have to be spiritually, creatively or emotionally dead to the world we live in. Each day counts. And thus, the phrase from the bible reminds us, '“Do not be afraid” - 365 times. We need to start living our lives that way as a daily reminder.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56:3-4
There are countless other verses - here are a few to get you started for the week and the challenge is to find a new one for each day of 2023!
Isaiah 41:10. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. ...
Psalm 23:4
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 118:6
John 14:27
Deuteronomy 31:6
Isaiah 41:13
prayer
The darkest day of the year is December 21st - Winter solstice, at least for those of us who live in the northern part of the world. Winter officially begins as the day marks the fewest hours of sunlight. Just think how many dark days we have seen over the course of our lifetimes. And yet, we live with the hope of warmer days, a brighter future and as Christians, the hope of eternity with our Father.
The light that breaks through the darkness is found at Christmas when we celebrate the baby Jesus who came to save us. Isaiah foretold of his coming and the Israelites watched and waited for their Savior. Isaiah 9:1-3
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
Advent is that time of the year when we honor, worship and reflect on who Jesus is: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace. He was born to save us from our sins and the darkness of a mad world and bring light and life to all who will accept Him as Lord of their life. Peace, joy, love and hope can be yours when you do.
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws. My sins and past mistakes have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from that past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning or falling back into my old life again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, seated at the right hand of God, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”
presbyopia
There are times when we look through the lens of time only to realize that some of our memories are faded like old black and white photos in our box of mementos. As we age, not only does our memory begin to deteriorate, but as Shakespeare once wrote in his “Seven Ages of Man” - sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything (from As You Like It)
The physical visual condition that causes our inability to focus sharply because of loss of elasticity of the eye’s lens is a condition known as Presbyopia. If you are middle aged, you will need to possibly consider reading glasses and yes, your eyesight with deteriorate with aging. The Greek presbys simply means “old man” and presbyteros meaning “priest or elder” are the origins of the word.
I recently listened to a sermon by Tim Dilena who shared that we need to “open the eyes of our hearts” to those around us. When we see others through our mortal eyes, we have a distorted picture of what a person is really like. When we look through God’s eyes, we can see others as frail human beings that need love, just like we do.
In our Christian walk, there are many times when the lines of our faith are fuzzy, dull or unfocused. We are living in a world when culture can often define our way of living, our attitudes and sometimes even our beliefs. We have lost our first love like the church of Ephesus. Jesus encouraged them to find that fire again and continue where they were doing well. We can see, but we need to hone in on areas that will increase our faith. Sardis and Laodicea, another two of the seven churches of Revelation, were told to find their passion for Jesus again and open their hearts to him. But how? There are numerous biblical principles, examples and parables to guide us, but maybe today, one could start with a single verse:
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8
crazy
I was recently given a book by a friend entitled “The Paradoxical Commandments” by Kent M. Keith. The crazy thing is that he published the book over twenty years ago and yet still today, his work is relevant. His words have been used by Mother Teresa, teachers throughout America and used as a theme to graduating classes at universities. He penned the words in the hope that people would find personal meaning in a crazy world.
Interestingly enough, many of his statements are mirrors of what the bible tells us about how to live in a world that is counterculture. Here they are:
People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
And so, the author shares that if we work to bring hope and meaning to each day, our impact will be powerful and be long-lasting. Jesus tells us that if we find life in Him, there is hope for the future, the present and even from the past. God transforms us, loves us, gives us a purpose and redeems us. So, as believers, our hope is solid - good for eternity. The Word - the bible is relevant to today and crazy as it is - it has humanity’s story - from the beginning of time in Genesis to the end in Revelation. It’s worth the read!
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5