Mary, a virgin

     Perhaps this won't be the Christmas story you'd like to read, but I feel that this needs to be said...

    "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth.  To a virgin, espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.  And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou virgin, who art highly favored of the Lord. The Lord is with thee, for thou art chosen and blessed among women.  And when she saw the angel, she was troubled at his saying, and pondered in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.  And behold, thou shalt conceive, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David;".


     It seems, even in the Christian community, that there are many who discredit the virgin birth, or, at least, pass it off as of no value.  But I proclaim to you that not only was the birth of Jesus a gift to all mankind, but also a miracle wrought by our Heavenly Father.  Each of us were born by the will of a man and a woman, and in so doing, conceived in sin: "And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying, Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so, when they begin to grow up sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good."  But the Lord had a plan: "Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God has spoken it;  For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the eternal God, there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish;  Yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen, and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made;  For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice: but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.  Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own blood, which will atone for the sins of another.  Now if a man murdereth, behold, will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.  But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing, which is short of an infinite atonement, which will suffice for the sins of the world; therefore it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice;  And then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the Law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall all be fulfilled; every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.  And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law; every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God; yea, infinite and eternal; and thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name;"


     So, no "human" could fulfill this role, only Jesus: " He was born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  Paul adds concerning this divine nature: "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned; (For, before the law, sin was in the world; yet sin is not imputed to those who have no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. For I say, that through the offense, death reigned over all.  But the offense is not as the free gift, for the gift aboundeth. For, if through the offense of one, many be dead; much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, hath abounded by one man, Jesus Christ, unto many.  And not as, by one that sinned, is the gift; for the judgment is by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification.  For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)".

      Bluntly put, Jesus HAD to be born of a virgin; of a woman, and by the Holy Spirit; half human, half divine.  No mortal could save us from our sins.  And anyone who claims it not to be true, or not of value, have no sure hold on the spiritual destiny of man, nor any grasp of the Divine nature, for IF Jesus were born a human, by the will of a man and woman, he would be born in sin, and there would be NO salvation for any of us!  Praise be to God that "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  We worship a LIVING God, that loves us, and is involved in our daily lives.  We live because HE lives.  Merry Christmas to all, God bless.                                                                                                                                                          

The Kingdom

      
     "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles which thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  John 3:1-7.

     Interesting dialog here.  A man named Nicodemus has a question answered by Jesus, but the question is not given.  What did he ask?  No one knows for sure, but the answer does give shed some light on that mysterious inquiry.  "Except he be born again" was the beginning of Jesus' answer, so it can be assumed that Nicodemus was asking what he must do to enter into God's Kingdom; a question each of us should be seeking daily.  What must we do?  Legally, to receive any inheritance, one must first be an heir.  How does that work?  Let's first consider the Kingdom we seek.

     So, what is the Kingdom of God, or Zion, as used in latter day terms?  To try to define such a subject would be like trying to define God Himself; any attempt at a definition is simply pointless because we would be limiting Him.  Jesus himself gave no concrete definition of this subject, but did leave us many word pictures throughout his parables.  Jesus' use of parables was, indeed, masterful.  Not only did he reveal truth, but he also CONCEALED truth; the truth that was revealed would cause the hearer to seek that which is concealed.  Because the only way to truly "see" the Kingdom is to have it revealed.  The Lord spoke of the Kingdom as a "pearl of great price", "a sower", "leaven", and "a mustard seed" to name a few.  Interestingly, none of these defined the Kingdom, but did give us a vision into the response of the Kingdom in the lives of those whom he referred. 

     My goal, with this thread, is not to define the Kingdom, or Zion, but to place a spark in your heart and mind to seek the reality of that which is promised to return to this world.  Though my few thoughts are limited by space and understanding, I know that the Lord has the ability to transcend this plane of existence and fill each of us with His light and wisdom.  The words of Isaiah speak volumnes of the wisdom of God, and our need to seek Him: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  In the 18th chapter of John, Jesus does give us this nugget during his conversation with Pilate: "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world;".  Two things: first, His Kingdom is not of this world-it is not present here as it is in Heaven.  Secondly, His Kingdom is not of this world-there is no kingdom present that can be used as a reference to His.  Confused?  Don't be.
     Throughout the scriptures, the Lord has given wisdom, and in this vein, I would like to offer three truths that we can glean.  First, the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.  The Roman letter reads "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.".  This spiritual kingdom is everlasting; its roots are in the eternal realm.  Second, Section 102 tells us that "the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and his Christ; therefore, let us become subject unto her laws".  Wait!  The Kingdom is both spiritual AND temporal?  Yes; it has to be!  Because it fulfills a divine concept: you cannot keep a spiritual law without expressing it temporally.  If I tell my family that I love them, without expressing it temporally, such as food, water, love, compassion, etc., it remains only words.  Such is also seen in Heaven.  "For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son".  The instrument of love is sacrifice; something that is expected from all of us.  The third gem is that this Kingdom is a Theocratic Kingdom.  This means that this Kingdom is ruled by a King, and he gives laws to us, but allows us the choice to obey or not.  Sounds a lot like agency, doesn't it?  We too often think that agency is a devise of this world, but it's actually not.  Remember, Satan chose to rebel while in Heaven-the eternal.  The Lord sums it up best: "Even so ye must be born again, into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye may be sanctified from all sin; and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come; even immortal glory."

     A lot to think about; a lot to seek.  But let me leave you with one parting thought.  When we consider Heaven, or Eternal life, we naturally think about the next life.  Death must take us before we taste such glory.  Not so.   John 3:36 reads "he who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life".  The emphasis I'd like to place before you is the word "HATH".  Hath is present tense.  So, if we believe on Him, we don't have to wait until death to begin to experience eternal life; we start to live it here, and it continues with us through eternity.  What Joy!  May we become a beacon of light, a picture of hope, to this dark world.  Behold, He cometh quickly.  God bless.
     

Truth

     "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.  Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault."  John18:36-38

     Was this a hypothetical question from Pilate, or just a moment of frustration?  "What is truth?"  This question has reverberated down through history, but Pilate's question overlooked the fact that many "things" can contain elements of truth, but only one "thing" can BE truth.  Truth must originate from somewhere other than the opinion of mankind.  For example: in the late 1800's, a group of the greatest scientists in the world gathered for a conference.  At the end of the conference, this group of renown men introduced a "truth" to the world- man will never fly.  It was a scientific fact that no bird over thirty pounds could sustain itself in flight.  On December 17th of 1903, the Wright brothers proved this "truth" to be....less than it claimed.

      One of the difficulties of defining truth is that most people today don't believe in absolute truth. The predominate thought is that truth is what you think; everything is relative, which leads to situational ethics-something wrong can be right when you consider the circumstance.  Truth, according to this mindset, is about the world as it "actually" is.  Obviously, when truth becomes fluid, so does untruth.  If you don't believe that there is an ultimate truth, then you can't point at anything and call it wrong.  Such thinking leads to chaos.

     There are 3 accepted theories on truth.  First, there is the coherence theory.  This defines truth in terms of interconnected belief.  It claims a belief is truth if it is consistent with other beliefs we have, or, in other words, there has been a precedent established.  For instance, grass is green so long as everyone else considers the color of grass to be green.  Second is the correspondence theory, which describes truth in terms of relational concepts, or submissions of the real world.  An example of this would be to say that the Seattle Seahawks won Superbowl 48 in 2014. Finally is the Postmodernist Theory.  This theory describes truth in terms of individual perspective and/or community agreement, so it doesn't prescribe to hard and fast definitions, but that truth is a product OF belief- or that truth is constructed by what WE believe.  No wonder our nation is in such a mess.  The Apostle Paul summed it up like this: "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
 

     What do the scriptures say about truth?  Moroni 10:5 states "And if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost; and by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things."  The TRUTH of ALL things.  Consider this definition from Section 90: "truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; and whatsoever is more or less than this, is the spirit of that wicked one, who was a liar from the beginning".  This definition causes us to realize that truth, absolute truth, is eternal in nature.  For truth to be absolute, it must fulfill the three conditions listed; things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.  One might consider truth to be "the sun always rises from the east", but the sun won't always rise, because the book of Revelation states that we will have no need of the sun, or the moon, because "the lamb is the light thereof".  Abraham Lincoln once asked a question of his constituents: How many legs would a sheep have if you called its tail a leg?  Those in company quickly responded with 5.  No, said Lincoln; it would still have only 4.  Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one.  

     I hope the point of this blog is apparent; the ONLY way to know absolute truth-the truth as pertaining to eternal matters-comes only from that which is eternal.  Jesus said "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the light", so absolute truth originates in him.  We have all heard the beliefs of those who are considered experts, which base their understanding of truth upon their own learning, but the Lord calls us to a higher reality, a reality whose roots are based in him.  2 Timothy 3:14 reads "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;".  Add to Paul's words this council from Section 9: "but, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right, I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right; but if it be not right, you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought, that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong;".  Interestingly, the Lord WANTS us to study, and arrive at our own understanding, but after we've done so, He wants us to seek his conclusive response, because  "Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost."

     Jesus said "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free".  What he is stating here is that truth has power!  Truth has the power to liberate (John 8:31-38), the power to sanctify (John 17:16-19), and the power to create worship (John 4:23-26).  And such power is promised to all who covenant with the Lord "Even so ye must be born again, into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye may be sanctified from all sin; and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come; even immortal glory.  For, by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified; and by the blood ye are sanctified.  Therefore it is given to abide in you, the record of heaven, the Comforter, the peaceable things of immortal glory, the truth of all things, that which quickeneth all things which maketh alive all things, that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice and judgment."

     How interesting it is that when Pilate asked the question "what is truth?", he was looking to Jesus, the origin of all truth.  And so should we.  The search for truth IS the search for Jesus.  He is the truth, and the answer to every question.  As we go forth, let us remember the promise of truth the Apostle James offers us: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.  A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."  While this discourse is not comprehensive, I do hope it has opened your mind to the need of seeking truth.  May His Spirit guide us all.  God bless.
 
 

Faith

    

     "For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.  And God also declared unto prophets by his own mouth, that Christ should come.  And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good, cometh of Christ, otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.  Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ."  Moroni 7:21-24

     A question: how many readers live their life by faith?  Answer: everyone does.  You leave your home, drive a car, eat food prepared by someone unknown, etc.  It may not be a Celestial faith you live by, but it is faith.  So, with this understanding, we can move onward.

     What is "faith"?  Defined in Hebrews 11;1, and Ether 5:6 we read "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen".  Some times I like to give this definition: believing in a power you cannot see, to do a work you cannot do.  In other words, recognizing that the power of the unseen, spiritual realm is greater than those things that we see in this temporal  reality.  This belief comes to us as we seek our Lord, and experience the eternal in our lives.  Each experience, line upon line, precept upon precept, raises our awareness of the unseen, and strengthens our faith.  But it's more than blind belief; it has a much greater origin.  We have faith because of HIM.

     Another definition comes from the Greek word meaning faith: Pistis, pronounced "peace-teace.  It defines faith in a unique way: "A conviction in the truthfulness of God".  This takes the emphasis of faith from "us" to God, who is the "author and finisher of our faith".

     Everyone in known by his/her faith, or what they trust in.  For some, it's money.  Others, it's physical strength or power, or intelligence.  But where can such faith lead us?  Certainly not to God.  For faith to be effective and fruitful, it must be based upon He who IS.  2 Chronicles 20:20 reads "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."  No mention of earthly influence in this passage, but God will provide everything we need as long as we believe in him, both temporally and spiritually.  What is the greatest evidence of faith?  A man who is faithful.

     In the testimonies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus shares the parable of the mustard seed.  I won't add it here, for consideration of space, but you are encouraged to read it.  The mustard seed, among the smallest of seeds, becomes one of the greatest of herbs in size.  As humans, we tend to over analyze the mustard seed.  We think, that our faith must be smaller than the seed, because we can't move mountains, or add a cubit to our stature.  This is not what the Master meant with the parable.  His point was this: ANY faith displayed, no matter how small, will unlock the windows of Heaven!  Sometimes, we consider God to be a taskmaster that will not acknowledge our attempts until we reach a certain point in our growth.  Not so!   Consider this passage of scripture from 2 Chronicles 16:9  "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."  He is actively seeking us.

     Why do we struggle in our faith?  To put it simple terms, we too often use faith as a spare tire, instead of the steering wheel.  We want to use it as a "get of jail free" card.  But faith is supposed to lead us to greater faith, not relief from the storm.  Recall with me, this story, from Luke chapter 8: "Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples; and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.  But as they sailed he fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with fear, and were in danger.  And they came to him and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the waters, and they ceased; and there was a calm.  And he said unto them, Where is your faith? and they being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this? For he commandeth even the winds and waters, and they obey him."  Was it a backhanded response from Jesus?  When a great storm arose, and Jesus is on the boat, wasn't it faith that caused the disciples to waken him?  Or was Jesus just grumpy?  Neither.  The point that the Lord is making to ALL of us is that our faith should be strong enough to trust him to take us THROUGH the storm.  This is how faith grows; and it's not always a pleasant experience.  In another story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had their faith proven IN the fire.  Perhaps they, like us, prayed for release of the trial, but God knew his plan would produce a greater faith.

     Faith is living in the reality that while we can't understand all things, God can.  Relying on him IS exercising faith.  Romans 5:1 reads "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;", and 2 Corinthians 5: "For we walk by faith, not by sight;".  By sight, we take knowledge of the visible world; our external senses are adapted to this external, visible world.  They are designed to aid us only while we remain in this tabernacle of clay.  They are not adapted to the spiritual realm.  Faith connects our spirit to our Heavenly Creator.  Only He can breach the gulf between the two. 

     So, when you next consider your faith, ask yourself this question: "Do I believe God at his word?"  If your answer is "yes", move forward, BOLDLY.  This world will only believe what it sees, and we, as the children of God, need to be that example.  We are the canvas that the Lord desires to show to the world.  It needs to see that, not only is God alive, but that He's still involved in working miracles in the lives of His people.  Let your light shine!  God bless.


     

The Spiritual Disciplines

      I believe, at root, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is about relationships;the relationship you and I have with our Heavenly Father, and with each other. Unfortunately, the business of the world around us tends to lend itself to the inability to maintain said relationships, at a deep level, with any one other than those closest to us, including our Creator. This is where the spiritual disciplines become so very important to us. While some might think of the spiritual disciplines as the means whereby joy and laughter are extinguished from off the face of the earth, the Spirit calls us into this lifestyle, and through it, enables us to commune with God. Because of our lack of such communion, we often find ourselves agreeing with the words of Donald Coggan, the Archbishop of Canterbury: “I go through life as a transient on his way to eternity, made in the image of God but with that image debased, needing to be taught how to meditate, to worship, to think.”

Superficiality is the curse of our age. Webster defines “superficial” as “something being on the surface, not penetrating the substance of a thing; shallow, not deep or profound; reaching or comprehending only that which is obvious or apparent.” We might think of a crack on a wall that one would continuously patch over and over again, only to find that the real problem is not the crack, which is a symptom, but that the real problem is the foundation. Until the foundation is made sure, no cosmetic fix will ultimately be sufficient. We, as a people and as a Church, must move past this shallow life, and seek the face of God. This, we achieve through seeking our Lord with everything that we are, aided by the leading and tender prodding of the Holy Spirit.

      THE primary requirement to entering into the spiritual disciplines is a LONGING after God. King David penned the words “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee; O God. My soul thirsteth for to see God,for to see the living God; when shall I come and appear before thee, O God? Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterpouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” The Psalmist reiterated his longing for the Lord as such “Whom have I in Heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”

      Why do we struggle with this? There are two main reasons why the spiritual disciplines are hard to maintain. First, we must be willing to lay down the everlasting burden of needing to manage other lives for them. There is no truth in trying to to compare ourselves to anyone else except Christ. We need to set our own homes in order first. Secondly, the spiritual disciplines remain difficult because they involve a constant, intensive evaluation of our motives throught the light of Jesus. We are not even qualified to judge ourselves. Only as His light is shown upon us, will we see the dark, and even, shaded areas of our motivations. Recall the prayers of the Publican and the Pharisee in Luke 18. The Lord shared this particular parable as an attempt to cause His listeners to realize that He looks upon our hearts, which is the revelation of motive. And, it is only as His light shines upon us, that we may see and deteremine whether our heart is pure, or whether we are servants of ourselves.

      The first of the five disciplines that we would consider is prayer. Prayer is the greatest barometer of Christian commitment because it's completely voluntary. It is the means by which Jesus himself maintained his relationship with the Father, and was unmistakenly recognized by his disciples. In Luke 11, we have an account of the request made to be taught how to pray: “And it came to pass, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” The disciples recognized the power that Jesus displayed was connected to his prayer life, because prayer catapults us into the frontier of the spiritual life; it is the central mechanism which God uses to change US. It is also the first discipline we tend to abandon when we are in transgression (Gen. 3:13+). Prayer is also much more than just the reciting of our concerns to our Creator. When we pray, we are changed, because we commune with Him. This is also why prayer is not monologue-it's dialogue. Let us remember to always give the Lord an opportunity to answer our petitions. He desires to reveal himself to us (II Chron. 16:9).

      The second discipline is fasting. Arthur Oakman once noted that fasting is much more than the giving up of food; it is the arranging of our lives around the purpose of seeking our God. One difficulty with fasting is that we live at a time wheere the doctrine of “instant satisfaction” is prevelent. We want immediate response to our overtures, and if not rewarded, the exercise is considered a waste of time. Another reason this discipline seems difficult is that we are human beings, and need food to sustain our bodies. This one particular venture is perhaps the greatest test of our motives. Too often we find ourselves staying busy to keep our minds from our plight, when, in reality, this discipline should be the means by which we focus ourselves on the act of seeking God. In fasting, we should not focus on the sacrifice, but rather the giving of ourselves to seeking the mind our our Lord. As the prophet Joseph stated in Section 59 : “Verily this is fasting and prayer; or, in other words, rejoicing and prayer.” We cannot allow the physical act of fasting to remain only an outward form; whenever there is a form, devoid of spirit, our offering loses its value (Is. 58:6-9).

      Study is the third discipline in our endeavor to draw near to the Lord. Again, the purpose of the spiritual disciplines is the total transformation of the PERSON. It aims at replacing the old, destructive habits with new, life giving habits. Consider the words of Paul, taken from the 12^th chapter of Romans: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God is.” The mind is renewed by applying it to those thiings that will inspire and transform it. The purpose of instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly in certain modes of thought about God and his creation. To be effective, study can be broken into four stages: First is repetition, the process of channeling the mind in a specific direction, thus ingraining habit and thought. Second, consentration is the centering of the mind and focusing on that which is being studied. Third, comprehension, is the leading of the mind to insight and discernment, which is the gift of the Spirit (John 14:26). Lastly, reflection. While comprehesion defines WHAT we are studying, reflection defines the SIGNIFICANCE of what we are studying. Let us not mistake accumulation of information for knowledge. When we sit down to our scriptures, we do so, not to amass information, but to be changed. The key to this discipline is not reading “many” books but to EXPERIENCE what we are studying (IITimothy 3:14).

      The fourth discipline we use to seek our Lord is meditation. Often, there is a question whether meditation can be Christian. Our scriptures teach us that meditation is not the exclusive property of the eastern religions ( Genesis 24:68, Psalms 63:6, Psalms 119:148, I Timothy 4:15, and Section 76:3e). The eastern religions teach meditaion as the means whereby one empties himself of all thought and separates himself from others. True meditation is the act of filling oneself with the mind of God. One reason why meditation is so difficult is because it boldly calls us to enter into the living presence of God, which is often intimidating to us. Meditation causes us to realize that not only has God spoken to us, through scripture, in the past, but that he desires to address us on a personal level as well.

      Finally, simplicity is the process by which we remove much of the clutter in our lives, and set aside quality time for our Lord. Simplicity is an inward reality that brings about, or results in, a lifestyle that cultivates peace. So many times, we allow the world and its modern conveniences to rule us, not vice versa. Simplicity is the determination to remain sufficiently unattached to this world, so that when the Lord calls to us, we can respond both in mind and in duty. Paul writes to the church in Corinth “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” The complexities of this world, though helpful as they seem, offer bondage, anxiety and fear, while simplicity brings about freedom, joy and balance in our lives. Simplicity is living out the DESIRE to live FOR God.

      It is only as we taste the fruit of the spiritual disciplines, and the renewed nearness we experience with our Redeemer, that we can truly be effective in the work of the restored gospel. As the building of any city begins with one brick, so the future we desire begins in the heart of every believer. We are called to be seekers of He who desires to be discovered. It is only as we give ourselves, unreservedly, to the spiritual disciplines, that our labors will become fruitful in the building up of the Kingdom of God here on earth. To this end, may we labor together. God bless.

A dream of Warning

     “And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven, and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men. And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare; an holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion; a New Jerusalem”  Gen.7:67-69

     The promise I want to emphasize here is: “my people will I preserve”. Most believe that we are living in the last days, and that this world is only growing darker. This is not an excuse to give up, or take up other interests.  This is a day to look up and rejoice, for the Lords coming is nigh.  Those of us who grew up in the RLDS faith recognize, at least in part, the trials that will come upon this world, particularly this nation.        

     I don’t want to spend this blog in a long, drawn out lecture on prophesy, and the latter days.  I do want, however, to focus on one place: the center place.  Section 105:9a-10a reads “Verily, verily I say unto you, Darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth--a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation--and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord.” Who knows how all of this will occur, but because of her sins, Micah 3:12 states that “Zion shall be ploughed as a field”.  

     Honestly, this has never been a pressing issue for me. Perhaps I, like everyone else, thinks about this as something that will happen “later”; that it’s really not my concern. But it has to happen some time, right? If the scriptures prophecy of this, then it has to happen because God has said “my words will not return to me void”.  

     I pray, constantly, for the people of the Lord, and the gospel going out to the nations. The church, in her present state, is a mess. So I am always asking the Lord what I, or we can do.  The Lord seems to give me dreams when he desires to get through to me. I always wake up knowing that this is a message from the Lord.  My Grandfather has come to me in night visions, and every time, they’ve come true.

     A few weeks ago, he came to me again.  In this dream, I began by thanking him for allowing me to bear his name, after which, I asked him a question that I have always wondered about. It seems, growing up, that older people would warn me “be careful what you do; someone in heaven is watching”.  Could those that have gone on really watch us? I asked Grandpa if he could see us; observe us. He answered “no”. Surprised, I asked again “so, you can’t watch us”? Again, he said “no”.  Makes sense.  Why would we go on to our rest, only to have to watch the mess down here?  

     At this point, he turned to leave, so I grabbed his arm and asked him to give me something, some instruction, advice.  He didn’t respond. I asked again, anything.  My hopes were that he would give me some spiritual counsel; what he gave me was not st all what I was ready for. He looked right into my eyes and said “within two years, a great volcano will erupt in Wyoming, setting off catastrophic events across this country”.  I immediately thought about the San Andreas and New Madrid fault lines.  Then another thought hit me: “this will open us up to our enemies”, to which he replied “ yes, and they will come Quickly, led by evil men.”  I awoke in a sweat.

     Since this event, I’ve started researching, and found an enormous volcano beneath Yellowstone Park.  There have been 1400 tremors there in the last two years.  There are many articles dealing with this matter.  I believe we should prepare.

     Anyone who knows me realizes that I don’t seek the spotlight. I’m not a prognasticator of future events.  I only know that the time is near, and that we must prepare. The Lord does not want us to fear, but prepare, in faith believing his words “my people will I preserve”. This will be a time of great confusion and grief. We believers need to stand in the gap and be ready to help. What a day of missionary work it will be!  I only ask that you seek the Lord for a testimony, and set your homes in order.  It’s coming.  God bless.


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     Since I had this dream, I’ve been praying for direction as to what I am to do with this experience.  Do I take it to the church, and risk looking like a fool?  Do I ignore it, and if the calamity takes place, and the people were caught unaware, remaining the eternal fool?  I just wanted the Lords expectation.  
     
     On the night of January 4th, I had another dream.  In this dream, I was at our church campground for a reunion.  One brother called me into the dining hall, telling me I was needed.  As I entered the room, all of the people were surrounding someone. When I entered the circle, there was a woman, laying on the floor with her head propped up against the wall.  I recognized this woman!  Only, I remembered her much healthier; she presently looked like she would soon pass away.  Believing I was sent for to administer to her, I bent over and asked how I could be of service. She then asked me to tell her my dream. Surprised by her request, I knelt down next to her, and shared the dream.  When I was done, she exclaimed “I believe it! I believe it!”  I looked at her, and to my amazement, she looked much healthier; she had, taken strength.  The dream ended.

     As I awoke and pondered the dream, my thoughts were taken back to the woman. I knew her! But who was she? I then felt the Lord speak to my mind, and tell me that she was the Church.  The young girl represented the youth of the Church.  I was going to deal with her, but a more pressing issue came to me: the Church.  If the Church is strong, the problem with the youth will take care of itself, 

     So, forward I go, trying to be an acceptable servant.  I ask for your continued prayers on behalf of all who believe on him.  The field is white, and the harvest great. Let us reap with our might while the day lasts.  God bless.

A modern parable

     There once was a young man who decided he wanted to build a boat. So, he gathered all of the supplies he needed, and set to work. After some time, and a lot of hard work, his creation was finished-a beautiful sailboat. He loved his creation, but he also wanted to know it it would work as he had created it to do. So, on a beautiful Saturday morning, he and his father drove to the lake.
     Upon reaching the lake, they discovered a serene spot where they might test the boat. The water was calm, and the winds light, so the young man set his boat upon the water, and watched with great interest.  The boat looked pristine as it floated along, the wind acting as it’s motor as it filled the sail and moved it smoothly along.  The boy and the father proclaimed it “good”.
     Suddenly, a gust of wind turned the boat toward deep water. Before the boy could secure his creation, it scuttled out of reach, and quickly out of sight. The boy and his father drove all around the lake in hopes of reclaiming the boat, but to no avail.  The boat was lost, and the young boy heart broken.
     Several days past. The boy, thinking he would never see his boat again, was walking past a store when something caught his eye-his boat.  Entering quickly into the pawn shop, the boy pointed at the boat and told the store owner “that boat is mine!”  Much to his disappointment, the store owner told the boy that the boat was his, explaining that he paid money for the boat.  The boy was then told that he could buy it for eleven dollars. That was more than the young man had in his savings, so he set about to earn enough to buy back his creation.
     After two weeks of mowing yards, he finally had enough to redeem is valued creation to himself.  So, he went to the store and placed his eleven dollars on the counter. The shop keeper carefully removed the boat from the window and handed it to the boy.  The boy left the building, clutching the boat with both hands. Once outside, he stopped and looked at his boat. With a tear in his eyes he spoke: “I created you, and then I lost you. I have paid for you, and now you are mine”. That which was lost had been redeemed.
     As we were created at the hand of God, so we were lost. But the love of God sent his son to give his life as a ransom, that we might be redeemed. He created us, and we were lost. He paid for us, and we are his. Let us strive to live up to the sacrifice that was made on our behalf, and seek those that remain lost. We are paid, in full. God bless.

The Inspired Aversion

     As I begin this next post, I need to ask the question: Are you comfortable?  The late poet, Carl Sandburg made an interesting statement about himself that all of us can relate to: "There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud."  An interesting dichotomy, both of animal response, and human tendencies.  I believe, through Christ, we each have the ability to soar beyond our human capacities.  I also believe, that we each have the tendency to wallow in the lowest puddles when we put our trust in ourselves.  This is what I want to consider in this post-being comfortable, complacent.  The difference between the two mindsets above affect us individually, as a country, and as the body of Christ.
     So, what are the signs that I am too comfortable?  First, do you live/worship with high expectations?  Too often we go to church because it's the thing we've always done.  Do we really believe what we worship, or is it just a convenient method of self help?  I realize we all get in ruts, but IF we truly believe something, shouldn't we labor until fruit is born?  
     Next, salvation is called the greatest of all gifts, but this gift is meant to be shared, not kept to oneself.  This leads me to the second sign: have you had a spiritual conversation with a non believer recently?  There is a reason why the gospel is called the "good news"; because it is meant to bring joy into the life of the receiver through the ministry of Jesus Christ.  I've been asked what is the most important part of witnessing.  I know that this is not something that everyone is comfortable with.  My response is always the same: the relationship you have with your Savior.  It's not about making a scene, or being able to out debate someone else.  The power behind witnessing is the relationship you have with Christ.  For example, have you ever happened upon a friend you haven't seen in a while and asked how their family is?  Well, if they're a typical human being, out comes the wallet, and 97 pictures unfold, accordion style.  This is what a deep, meaningful relationship with Christ does; when you meet someone who doesn't know him, something inside of you groans to express itself.  Witnessing is fruitage.
     Finally, do your prayers not make it through the ceiling?  Again, this is another lack of expectations.  I had an friend tell me once, that he didn't believe God spoke to people; that we have his words in the scriptures, and that's all we need.  I then asked him if he prayed.  He answered "yes", to which I then asked him "why?"  He looked puzzled.  I responded by asking him that if he didn't believe that God spoke, what purpose is there in praying if we didn't think He'd respond.  His response: "I need to think about this".  If we truly believe God at his word, then He doesn't change.  Not only does He not change, but He is still involved in our lives, and that He is also providing miracles in the lives of His people.
     I believe that one of the most important cures for these conditions is having a vision beyond this mortal life.  Proverbs 29:18 reads "there is no vision, the people perish". One cannot maintain an healthy vision without actively seeking it.  This means an unrelenting pursuit of our Savior.  This kind of vision keeps us from becoming comfortable in this life, and propels us, spiritually, into the eternal realm. It creates an aversion to this world; an INSPIRED aversion.
     Now, talking about being comfortable in this life can make us feel uncomfortable.  I understand this.  I am one who does not deal with change well.  I should have been a Hobbit.  But the reality of it is this:  God DOES NOT want us to be comfortable!  Consider the following examples:
* Worshipping the one, true God took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the comfort of the palace to the fiery furnace.
* Praying to the one, true God took Daniel from the comfort of his royal home to a lions den.
* Faithfulness to her God took Mary from the comfort of her life and upcoming wedding to being an unwed woman, about to give birth to the Son of God.
* Listening to God took Moses from the comfort of his flocks to leading a nation across the Red Sea.
* Faith in her God took Esther from the comfort of her castle to the scepter, and possible execution at the hand of her husband and King.
* Love for his creation took Jesus from the comfort of His Fathers Kingdom in Heaven to pain and suffering on the cross.
     While I do advocate an aversion to this life, I'm not suggesting that we pass up on joy, or carry a burden of being perpetually glum.  Joy, in this life, does not come from "stuff", but our relationship with Jesus.  While we are here, we are to be positive in our witnesses, and bubbling with hope.  I believe this is what the Apostle Paul meant when he penned "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.  Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 
     In closing, I want to share one last scripture, which is found in the Inspired Version: "And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch."  The key to keeping a living vision is to "look up". Physically, when we look up, all of the things around us become blurry, out of focus.  This is what the Lord desires of us: to live VERTICALLY.  As we look upward, he shall look downward, and our relationship with him will be clear.  May His Kingdom soon be upon this earth, even as it is in Heaven.  God bless.
    
    

God chose my companion

     On this Mother's Day, 2018, I would like to honor my Lord by sharing my testimony of how He provided the best mother and companion I could have ever hoped for.  I was raised in a broken home, so divorce was a real thing to me; it runs deep in my family.  I always hoped to get married and have the "perfect" family, but if divorce was a possibility, then I wouldn't go there.  I shuttered at the thought of being the cause of children growing up in poverty as I did.
     Sure, I dated.  In college, at work, anywhere I found someone that I thought could make me what I wanted to be.  After I was ordained, I tried to limit my dating to church girls, but that didn't last; they were no fun.  After another heartbreak, I decided to examine my relational path.  I realized that my dating was meant to fulfill MY needs; not hers, not Gods.  I knew then that I needed to change my life in a deeper way.
     One night, I offered up some prayer time to my Lord, and in this prayer, I recommitted myself to his work-at all costs.  I decided to give up dating and pursue only Him.  If he provided me a companion, then it would be ok; if not, then I will be as Paul and serve Him until I should pass from this life.  I was good with this, it gave me real peace, and I was blessed by His Spirit.
     Not too long after this commitment, I started "running into" a friend by the name of Karen.  We knew each other through young adult gatherings, and numerous youth ministries.  It seemed any gathering I attended, she was there, and we ended up sitting together.  On occasion, I would call her on a Friday night to see what she was doing.  Usually, I got the answer "laundry", so I knew we had the same social makeup.  One Wednesday night, she showed up at my church and sat with me for prayer service.  I was getting "those" feelings again.  Afterword, we went to Perkins and got a bite to eat, and talked about our lives.  I kissed her hand afterward as I walked her to her car.  Something her was different; or was it?  Now, I'm confused and concerned.
     I went home that night and thought about the conversation I had with my Lord.  I realized that this could simply be a test.  I didn't want to fail this AGAIN.  So, that night, I offered my evening prayer with the desire I had to be in His will, no matter what.  I had to know, is Karen your chosen companion for me, or is my heart simply betraying me again.  If my heart was not in accordance with His will, then I needed to end this relationship before someone gets hurt.  I begged the Lord for wisdom, and he provided it.
     That night, I had a dream.  I was in a church, and people were coming up and congratulating me.  At first, I didn't know why, then I realized I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!  I looked down at my attire: jeans and a t-shirt; not the typical dress for such and occasion.  Then, I realized that I didn't have any rings, so I began walking around the congregation, asking couples if I could borrow their rings.  What a mess!!!  Suddenly, I realized something of great importance: I don't know who I'm marrying.  Oh boy.  In the chaos of this dream, I collected my thoughts and sought out a quiet place where I could be alone.  In a hallway of the church, I asked the Lord "Lord, who am I marrying?"  His response was simple "You are marrying Karen".  I knew then what his plan was for me.  But what about Karen?
     We continued to get closer.  One Saturday evening, I was visiting her at her house.  I needed to go because I was preaching the next morning, and I needed more preparation.  As I left, I mentioned to her that if she ever received a testimony, I had something I needed to share with her.  Little did I know, she already had one.
     After church, she came to my apartment and read her testimony to me, and I shared my experience with her.  We were officially engaged, and I kissed her for the first time.  The rest, as it's said, is history.  We will celebrate 21 years of marriage this year, and I am constantly reminded of Gods love for me through her.  She has provided me two loving children, and a place that I retreat to after work that is called a "HOME".  What a blessing she is to me!
     So, what advice could I give a young person that is single?  It's simple: don't do something about it, do something WITH it.  Use that time to draw near the Lord, and He will take care of your needs.  He know you, He loves you, and He wants the best for you.  Place your faith and your life in His hands, and allow Him to show Himself strong to you.  He WILL provide.  God bless.

HE Knows

     For some, this testimony may be unbelievable, or even a little strange, but I am one who believes the Lord at his word: "I am God, I change not."  If He sent angels to men in times of old, He should still be sending Heavenly messengers today.  While this testimony won't convert any one who is a non-believer, I hope it is a blessing, followed by the impress of His good Spirit, to those who believe.
     In a previous testimony, I mentioned that I was raised in a single parent household.  Although I didn't have a dad, I did have a Grandpa.  I loved him.  I was named after him.  He was open to all, willing to trust anyone, and had a smile that made everyone around him smile too.  He was down to earth good.  He was never a priesthood member, but he was always one of the first to church, helped with offering, and one of the last to leave.  He loved to help; anyone.
     As it was common with northern inhabitants, when you get older, the Michigan winters got harder and harder to endure.  So it was with my Grandpa and Grandma.  They began driving down to Brandenton, Florida for winter.  Every fall we'd have a "goodbye" party, and every spring a "welcome home" party.  After they left, most of my uncles would grow their winter beards.  I always knew when Grandpa and Grandma were coming home; the winter beards disappeared-Grandma didn't like facial hair.  It was always good to have them back.
     In the fall of my junior year, we were getting ready to have the "goodbye" party.  I told my mom that I was going to hang with my friends; "tell them I'll see them in the spring".  In November, my Grandpa threw us a curve ball; he suffered a heart attack, and died in Florida.  I was heart broken.  I didn't get to say goodbye.  A black hole formed in my heart that remained for many years.
     After his funeral, I decided I wanted to be like him.  I began to give more time in service at church, and attend youth gatherings regularly.  I also decided that, one day, I would like to be ordained to the ministry, and serve at a higher level.  In a few years, I was ordained while attending Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa.  At my ordination, my Uncle, who ordained me, mentioned in his prayer that he felt my Grandpa was attending in spirit.  I eventually moved to Independence, Missouri, where I began my "adult" life.
     At first, my intentions were to grow Spiritually, and be of service to the Church.  But, as often happens, I was led into the world.  It began when I got my first credit card, then another, ending with five in my possession.  Coming from a poor family, I wanted my first Christmas to be memorable.  I maxed out all five cards, with a job paying $5.10 per hour.  Ugh; you have to pay that back.  This Christmas became memorable all right; for all the wrong reasons.  I found a better paying job, but was already behind on payments.  I had to go to court with Sears.  I found myself drifting more and more into the world for release.  After a while, I wasn't attending Church, and my prayer life was gone.  I was lost.
     One night, I came home to my spiritual dad Jack.  My mother and I were living in his basement apartment.  I spoke with him about how I let all of my hopes and dreams slip away, and that I now had no hope.  I desired to end my life.  But Jack counseled me from the scriptures, and reassured God's love for me.  He then challenged me to pray that night, and lay my life before the Lord's throne of grace.  So, I tried.  It felt awful.  How does one approach God after you've turned your back on him?  I really didn't know what to say.  I ended the evening with a simple prayer: "help me Lord", and retired to sleep.
     The Lord heard my prayer.  At 3:00 in the morning, I was awakened.  Whether I was really awake, in a dream or having a vision, I don't know.  But my feet were firmly on the floor.  As I sat, staring at the bedroom wall in front of me,  a young man stepped through the wall.  I recognized him immediately: it was Grandpa!!  I had never before seen him as a young man.  His bald head was covered in dark, wiry hair, combed straight back.  He then sat next to me on my bed and we talked.  I don't know how long we talked, nor do I remember what we talked about, but I do remember finally getting to tell him how much I loved him, and how much he meant to me.  What joy!  After a while, he stood and told me he had to return.  I asked him if he would see Jesus when he returned.  He said he would.  So I asked Grandpa if he would give him a message for me.  I told him that Jesus must look at me now in sadness, knowing what I had become after I had dedicated my life to him.  I realized that he must not believe I love him.  I told Grandpa to tell Jesus that I did love him, and that I will change my life-I will become the man I promised him I would become.  Most of all, I told Grandpa, tell him that I care.  He nodded his head and stepped back through the wall.  But, before I could sit back down on my bed, the upper half of his torso stuck back through the wall.  I stared at him; he had THAT smile, only now it radiated with eternity!  He simply looked at me and said "Howard, HE KNOWS".  What freedom!  My guilt was swept away and I was filled.  I had been forgiven, and my soul redeemed from darkness.
     I wish I could say that my path was an incline upward from this point, but life happens, but I still am trying to do my best.  HE KNOWS.  Do you have sin in your life that's weighing you down?  HE KNOWS!   Are you having marriage issues?  HE KNOWS!  Is there something separating you from a deep relationship with him? HE KNOWS!  Jesus is, literally, the answer to EVERY question.  He is "the way, the truth, and the life".  Sometimes, when we feel alone, we need to ask ourselves, who moved?  At times, we feel fear.  But, fear isn't the presence of danger, it's the absence of God.  We need to trust his love in us, and look to him for life.  In II Chronicles, chapter 16 verse 9 we read: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."  He knows where you are, and he's waiting for the opportunity to show himself strong to you.  Won't you let him?  Nothing you have done can separate you from him; you have nothing to hide.  HE KNOWS!!  God bless.     

The Prodigal Son

     Today, I'd like to consider the parable of the prodigal son, found in the gospel of Luke, chapter 15.  I believe that, perhaps, this parable is titled wrong; I believe the title should be "The Loving Father", because while this parable seems to focus on the son, it's the actions of the Father that I believe Jesus was trying to emphasize.  The use of parables by Jesus was always a teaching moment.  But, the interesting way Jesus captivated his audience was amazing.  You see, in his parables, Jesus both REVEALED, and CONCEALED truth; by doing this, his hope was that by each truth revealed, you might be inspired to seek that which is concealed.  And, so it is with this parable.  Let's begin.
 "15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons;
15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods which falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
15:13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in want.
15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.
15:17 And when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee;
15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.
15:20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
15:22 But the father said unto his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet;
15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry;
15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
15:25 Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came, and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant?
15:27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because hath he received him safe and sound.
15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in; therefore came his father out and entreated him.
15:29 And he answering, said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment; and thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends;
15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
15:31 And he said unto him, Son thou art ever with me; and all that I have is thine.
15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was lost, and is found."
     Let's begin at the beginning of this chapter.  Who is Jesus sitting with?  With "publicans and sinners", so, the Pharisee's and scribes begin to murmur about who Jesus took company with.  Jesus, knowing the hearts of those that murmured, and their disdain for the "dregs of society" that the master kept company with, decided that a lesson was in order.  Then, in epic Jesus fashion, he begins the parable with a "shock": the young man asks for his inheritance before the father has died.  This is unheard of! I believe Jesus had the attention of the judgemental few.  He then continued the story of this sinful young man, wasting his all with righteous living.  Another shock, strike two!  Then, after all of this, this young man is left feeding unclean swine in the field of a farmer.  Unforgivable!  Strike three; he's out of God's Kingdom!!
     But then, the young man "came to himself"; the first step in his repentance. He recognized his sin, was remorseful, decided to change his course, and go home.  Lesson for us all: repentance is never a one time thing.  Each of us need to come to the place where we see that we are fallible, and then come to ourselves.  It's a 24/7 job of constantly evaluating our motives.  And, it hurts.
     Once the young man decides to go home to his Father, he first takes responsibility for his sins.  He works out a speech in which he confesses his sin to his Father, recognizing that he is no longer worthy to be called his son, and he relegates himself to being as a servant.  What humility!
     And now to the response of the Father.  The son makes his way home, and the Father sees him.  What is his response?  He RAN to the son.  He didn't need to hear his confession; all he needed to hear was the sand crunching under his feet.  He didn't need to see his sons humbled face; all he need to see was his silhouette on the horizon, and HE RAN to him!  Side note to all parents:  as beautiful as this parable is, we can all see instances in our children's lives where we can relate to this Father.  We all know our kids, just as he knew his.  We can all see when they're about to go astray, just as he did.  The point I'm trying to make is that this Father let his son go, with the DIGNITY to come home.  Trying to prevent problems is part of our job.  But loving them, nonetheless, is allowing them the dignity to come home-just as our Heavenly Father does for each of us.
     And now the Father is glad: "But the father said unto his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet; And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry; For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."  Notice the very specific gifts spoken of: the best robe, probably the Father's robe, represented that "everything of mine, is yours".  Part of the covenant represented in Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36.  The ring represents the authority of the family, just as when Joseph of Egypt was made Governor, the Pharaoh gave him a ring of distinction and authority.  The shoes were representative of the wealth of the family; servants were often bare footed.  And finally, the fatted calf.  To do such a thing was always in order for a great event.  What has just taken place is the Father's forgiving of the son; the son has been reinstated as a member of the family-he has been redeemed!
     While we might understand, in part, of the older brothers reaction, I believe Jesus was representing the Pharisees and scribes in the attitude of this brother; always complaining, believing himself to be righteous, while constantly hindering all others in approaching the Throne of God.  What was began during the captivity of Jerusalem became the means by which blindness would overcome the children of God, even to the crucifying of His Son.
     Now, THE question that begs to be asked: What did the son come home to?  As we've already read, the son wasted all of his inheritance on riotous living, so what will his brother do when the Father finally dies?  Well, any number of us would throw the young bro out on his ear.  But again, the Lord is revealing, and concealing something.  Usually, that concealed portion is that which causes us to look beyond this mortal realm, into the eternal.  And so it is here.  We get all caught up in temporal reward, when we have been promised a mansion in Heaven.  What is the reward that Jesus is calling us to look for?  The answer is simple: The FATHER.  To be in His presence IS the whole meaning of celestial glory.  What a vision!  Proverbs 29:18 tells us "where there is no vision, the people perish".  We go astray because our hearts desire the things of this world more than that of God.  What a wonderful truth.  My prayer is that we will seek Him with all our hearts, so that His Kingdom in Heaven will soon be upon this earth.  To this end, may we labor together.  God bless. 
    

    

Forgiveness

     In my last post, we looked at repentance (please read my post on repentance before reading this.  I now want to turn our attention to the flip side of that coin: forgiveness.  Most time, this is the more difficult of the two.  We expect forgiveness when we ask for it, but when it's required of us, we tend to hold it over the head of our oppressor, or, at least, give a half-hearted "ok", but hold on to the bad feelings that resulted in the offense.
     Forgiveness is not an option either; the scriptures are clear-forgive, or God will not forgive you.  I once had someone ask me "how can I forget, in order to forgive?"  My response was that it's not our job to forget, only forgive.  We often learn by the things we suffer.  Our forgiveness is meant to set the offender free; to give them the opportunity to go forward and do better.  In Section 64, we read this admonition: "My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another, and forgave not one another in their hearts, and for this evil they were afflicted, and sorely chastened; wherefore I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another, for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses, standeth condemned before the Lord, for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men; and ye ought to say in your hearts, Let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds. And he that repenteth not of his sins, and confesseth them not, then ye shall bring him before the church, and do with him as the Scriptures saith unto you, either by commandment, or by revelation. And this ye shall do that God might be glorified, not because ye forgive not, having not compassion, but that ye may be justified in the eyes of the law, that ye may not offend him who is your Lawgiver"  True forgiveness is also fruitage, the movement of the Spirit to do in us, what we, ourselves, are unable to do.  It is a supernatural power that comes to us as we love our Lord, and he puts his love in us.  All gifts from the Lord are meant to be shared, not coveted.
     So, I posed a question at the beginning of my last post: have you ever prayed and felt your prayers stopping at the ceiling, or pray for forgiveness, and know that, by faith you've been forgiven, but still feel guilt?  Repentance and forgiveness are not about forgiving a debt.  This would cause us to look too lightly upon sin.  Repentance and forgiveness are not about ignoring an offense.  This is against the nature of a just God.  Repentance and forgiveness are the means of restoring a right relationship.  For instance: let's say I come over to your house to visit.  While I'm there, I see a fifty dollar bill laying on a table.  When the moment is right, I slip the bill into my pocket.  I justify the theft because I'm in need.  After I've left, you call me to see if I knew where the money went.  I come back, with a sad face, and apologize for taking the money, asking for your forgiveness.  You, as a good Christian forgive me.  Is all done?  NO!!!!  Not until our relationship is restored back to what it was, before the offense!  THIS is the reason we have strife in the body of Christ.  THIS is why we still feel guilt and separation from our God.  Because we haven't spent time developing our relationship, or haven't spent time in restoring that relationship.  I pray the Spirit will fill your heart with this revelation!  Relationships take time and work.  We cannot expect to be one with anyone so long as we fail to work at that relationship.  LOVE is the key. Why is love so powerful?  Because, when you truly love someone, it assesses value to that life.  We each were assessed a value when our Heavenly Father sent his own Son to die for us.  How can we think that anything less is valid.
     This relationship I've spoken of is the qualifying attribute that each of us must strive for if we're ever to enter into that eternal Kingdom.  It's THE means by which we become the body of Christ.  Christ didn't die so that we could go to church; He died so that we could become the church.  May His Spirit unite us to realization that only as we are one, are we His.  God bless.

Repentance

     I have a question for you: have you ever said a prayer, and it feels like it stopped at the ceiling, or pray for forgiveness from God, but then, even though you have faith you've been forgiven, you still feel guilt?  Well, I hope by the end of my next two posts, we'll have solved this puzzle.
     I believe the gospel, at root, is relational in nature.  It's not, so much, the "don't do this, and don't do that", although it is a part of the whole.  It's about a relationship that each one of has with Jesus Christ, primarily, and with each other, secondarily. The two, first Jesus, then your neighbor, while different in many ways, cannot remain separate; they must function together in order to fulfill each individually.   The apostle John wrote "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
(I John 4:20). 
     I'm a simple man; not gifted with great intelligence; I like to keep things simple.  So, I would like to suggest 4 simple steps to repentance, that if heeded, will be a blessing in your walk. The first step is remorse, or sorrow, for sin.   In 2 Corinthians  7:9-10, we read " Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing; For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.;"  Sorrow, while painful, is a true blessing.  It is evidence that the Spirit of God is working in you to call your attention to that which grieves it. It is the Spirit calling us to repentance.
     The second step is vitally important: a frank admission of guilt. The reason for this is because confession is good for the soul.  It also is the fruitage of true repentance. Most people are sorry for getting caught, not for the act.  This frank admission is the "opening of the wound" that truly begins the healing process from within.  In Psalm 51: 1-12, King David makes such a statement before God: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight; that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit."
     Steps three and four go together: stop doing the wrong thing, and do the right thing.  In Isaiah  1:16-17, we see these two steps given: "Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well;".  I call this the "principle of replacement".  Many years ago, I had the "privilege" of getting a root canal.  The bad tooth was keeping me up at night, so I finally decided to do something about it.  As the dentist numbed my tooth, all the pain left me.  He then removed everything in the tooth that was bad.  I thought, for sure, I would finally get a good nights rest.  I was wrong.  Even though the bad stuff was gone, I was left with a hollow tooth that screamed at me every time I breathed in and out.  It wasn't until the dentist filled the tooth, and made it whole, did I find relief.  Such is the case in our lives.  It's not enough to remove that which is leading us astray; we need to be filled with that which makes us whole again.  Another time in my life, I decided I was watching too much TV.  So, I made the decision that I would not turn it on after work that evening.  I ate dinner, got bored, and watched TV.  I didn't have a replacement.  The next evening, I left my scriptures out, and spent time there.  In the book "Ordering Your Own Private World" the author made a powerful statement that has stuck with me ever since: "any unused time will always flow to your weakness".  Truer words have never been uttered in regards of my time management.
      Repentance can be painful, humiliating, and embarrassing, but it is also necessary to enter into the Kingdom of God.  In my next post, we'll look at the other side of this coin: forgiveness.  One without the other is useless.  In order to be truly free, we need to see this process as a whole, instead of a one sided ritual.  God bless.