NarcissUS- bow to JESUS.

(Note: This was written in 2009 for use in a Sunday School lesson but the lesson here is still the same. America is still a very narcissistic place- and so is the rest of the world. Too often we exalt humanity and look to ourselves for answers instead of acknowledging our need for God. Only He can ultimately solve all the problems that still plague us.)

https://web.archive.org/web/20090622043828/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30312181//

Wow! Read this article- it's really eye-opening. And it's so true! America has become incredibly narcissist! The very fact I'm posting this on a social networking site attests to that! (At least this isn't MYSpace- that even has it in the name) But this is evident in reality shows, in Youtube, in people stupidly buying houses and other things they really can't afford and then finding themselves in piles of debt and so many other examples. Everything is such a me-driven society. Man- people called the '70s the "Me Decade"- and some say the '80s carried it even further. No question- the 2000s onward has 'em both beat. This is also why I hate the status thing and I especially hate Twitter- because Twitter expounds on and exacerbates the main feature of Facebook that I hate- the whole status thing- it just seems like there's still this concept of having to share with everyone all that I'm doing every moment of the day because I need attention and hey, I deserve it. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but it is a danger one can fall into. This is also why I pretty much never have any kind of real life update on my status unless it's really something pretty important that I want to share with everyone.

Just look at what God says about this. Pride is the original sin! In Proverbs 6:16-19, where The Lord tells us 7 things that are detestable to Him- haughty eyes are the very first one! "But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' " (James 4:6) Or just read the book of Obadiah. "Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares The Lord. (Obadiah 1:4) 

Here's what Jesus commands us to do instead- "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4) And then keep reading from there about how Jesus, though He was God, didn't consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself of all but love and bled for Adam's helpless race (okay- that last part's from one of my favorite hymns "And Can It Be?" by Charles Wesley :-)).

But look at what Philippians 2:21 tells us- "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ." - WOW. Isn't that true of all of us? This should not be. The interests of Jesus Christ should be our foremost interests- make Him our highest joy and He'll take care of the rest. "Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in The Lord.' " (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Daily Struggle

       Do you ever have that experience of going from a spiritual high to almost immediately after a spiritual low? I mean, just after reading The Bible and spending some time in prayer and really being wowed and excited by the passage I read, I find myself slipping into totally the opposite direction with flipping through Youtube video clips from shows that can generally be clean but also slip into foul territory at times unfortunately.... 
        That's one of the worst problems with having literally millions of video choices at hand, between the Internet in general and all the many channels on cable, etc. There is always a responsibility to be careful of what we take in and one I continually have to keep guarding myself on. I do generally try to be cognizant of this and steer clear of things I know are not wholesome at all, but I also know there are times I've allowed myself to watch things that I've immediately regretted and never desired to see anything afterward. And I have gone to Jesus in repentance and asked His forgiveness and I know He's faithful to do it- but I hate to keep running into this scenario so many times in life....
         The spiritual answer behind this is defined for us in The Bible, of course. It's just like Paul talked about in Romans 7:15-25- I know the good I want to do, but it's the bad I don't want to do that I wind up doing. I still need The Holy Spirit to keep working in me and guiding me to the right thing. As Ephesians 6:12 makes clear, the struggle is real. ("For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.")- That's exactly why we need the armor of God strapped on each day for spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:13-18 go on to tell us more about this- the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes prepared with the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith to extinguish those fiery darts of the enemy, the helmet of salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit [i.e. the Word of God] and we need to be praying at all times in the Spirit.
       What else can we do in the fight? Certainly pray without ceasing and ask for God's help in standing firm- and resist the devil, as James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9 teach. And when we do fall, remember God's promise in 1 John 1:9 to be faithful and just and forgive us and cleanse us of all our sins when we confess them to Him. "I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)

A Prayer for the National Day of Prayer

      We have undertaken this voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia (and westward, ho!) for the honour of our King and Country- (and ultimately) for the Advancement of the Christian Faith and for the Glory of God. In the Presence of God and one another, we solemnly and mutually convenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick- for our better Ordering and Preservation and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. (In other words, we pledge to do unto others as we would have others do unto us, as Jesus told us in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. And since He is The One we look to order and preserve us and further those ends we mentioned earlier, we look to obey Him and love Him with all we've got and love our neighbors as ourselves, like He said in Matthew 22:34-40). Signed November 11, 1620 Anno Domini (in The Year of our Lord). IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN.
(Adapted from The Mayflower Compact; agreement between the settlers at New Plymouth)
      Even our earliest historical documents from the founding of America have been, essentially, prayers to God and a resolution to, by His Grace and Strength (Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 2:8-10) follow and obey Him in the establishment of our country and government. William Bradford recorded this for us; I think he would join in that same prayer today.

        Most Gracious and Just Lord Jesus, we beseech You today on this National Day of Prayer to forgive us of our sins, cleanse us anew, restore the joy of Thy salvation and renew a right spirit within us. May Your Love and Truth be evident to all by the presence of Thy Holy Spirit in our lives and thus, may we see You bring many sons to glory through Your working in and through us as You choose. Thank You that You still hold the whole world in Thy hands today and the leaders of the world will ultimately bow to Your will. Even as they plot and scheme, You The Lord Who sits in Heaven laugh- You alone know what is to come. Even as Nebuchadnezzar came to learn, may all our leaders know that You alone are God- no plan of Yours can be thwarted. I give You honor and praise, The Most High God who is glorified forever- Your dominion is eternal and Your Kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. You do as You please with the powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back Your hand or say to You, 'What have You done?' Everything You do is right- all Your ways are just.
        I put my hand over my mouth for the times when I have spoken of things too great for me to understand- You are God in Heaven and I am just man on earth, whom You made a little lower than the angels- what am I that You think of me? Yet even when we despised and rejected Thy Son, You loved us anyway with an amazing ferocity that leaves us astounded and astonished. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and rose again. You have proven Your love for us so wonderfully in the salvation You have provided. Thank You for Your justice that punishes evil and Your Love and Grace that forgives us of all our sins when we come in repentance. Sanctify us and set us apart, Lord- may Your Holy Consuming Fire be rekindled within us. Move in us and let us know Your love and presence. 
       I praise You for Your goodness and all Your promises that You surely keep. I believe; help Thou my unbelief. Help me to walk confidently in faith knowing that You never leave me or forsake me. Thank You for always being faithful even when I'm faithless. I know that there is no good in me on my own; my only Good is You. May I continue to become less as You become greater. Shape me to look more like You each day. I trust You. Lord Jesus, I know You will keep me from stumbling and present me perfect in Your glorious presence by Your virtue on that day. Even when I feel distraught and down on myself and worries and fears of past sins and my own foibles and failings come to haunt me, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me- Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. You are always with me. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of The Lord forever. I would rather be a doorkeeper in Your House, Lord, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. 
      With the faith of a child, I believe You and Your Word and thank You for Your blood shed for me and Your broken body that took my punishment. By Thine stripes I am healed. I praise You that You are no longer dead but You are alive forevermore- and because You live, I will live also. Hallowed be Thy Name, Our Father in Heaven. Thy Kingdom come- Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.Give me this day my daily bread and forgive me of my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me.And lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. For Thine is The Kingdom and The Power and The Glory, forever and ever-In the precious Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

(Read The Mayflower Compact here- http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp
And read The Bible here- http://www.Biblegateway.com )

:-))

A Prayer of a Ragamuffin

        "We seem to have concluded that God chooses to only use spiritual giants, the highly gifted, multi-talented, faith-filled people of this world, and not spiritual pygmies like me and perhaps you. But frankly, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, God has a well documented history of working through the broken vessels of this world, the 'scalawags and ragamuffins'. For just one example, even after committing adultery, which led to murder, David was called by no less than God 'a man after His own heart.' "- From "The Art of Helping Others" by Douglas C. Mann

:-)       I'm so glad that God loves to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. This way, it's easier to not get confused and think that the extraordinariness was anything from the person; rather, it's all from Jesus. I know I am just a ragamuffin in desperate constant need of "the reckless raging fury that they call the love of God" (as Rich Mullins put it). And I know that Jesus makes beautiful things out of the dust of me. As I have heeded Your call to "come and know Me better, man" (like James 4:8 might read in the Dickens translation ;-)), thank You for knowing and loving me, even though You know all about me and how much of a stingy, rotten, foul, greedy (and badly dressed ;-) Scrooge I am on my own. Thank You that just as Scrooge was changed by his supernatural encounter with ghosts, You have changed and are changing me by my supernatural encounter with The Holy Ghost. Thank You for salvation. Savior please, keep saving me. I have been saved, I am being saved and I will be saved- not by anything that I am or anything I've done- only by Your grace and favor. Help me to trust You more and stand firm in faith, not shaken by insecurities, worries and doubts from my many failings. Cleanse me from sin, wash me clean and keep me walking as before when I first made my good profession of faith in You- it's You who enabled that and led me to that and You who have maintained and continue to maintain everything- thank You for choosing to use ragamuffins like me. Hold me, Jesus and use me to encourage others to You too. Move in me because I'm nothing without You- there's no way I can make it without You or do anything without You. And whether I ever feel anything or not- whether I ever see a burning bush not consumed or a wheel turning within a wheel- like You said in John 20:29- blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. I trust You whether I see or feel any further confirmation or not- I trust You are there and working- Help me to be found faithful. Thank You for loving and using vain and weak things like me to confound the wise of the world. (1 Corinthians 1). Help me to walk confidently in the dark with Your light as my candle on a stand, glowing for me and all others so we can all glorify our Father in Heaven.
          John 15:5- Amen. I am nothing without You, Jesus. Galatians 2:20- I am crucified with You, Christ- I no longer live but You live in me. Colossians 3:1-4 - Help me to keep my mind on Heavenly things and not just earthly things, Lord. I have died and You are my life now. Live in me as You please. I need You to live and move in me because I have flunked this thing called Life so many times- it's the same result any time I do anything on my own strength. It's all on You, Lord- and I know You got this. And I know You've got me because You are faithful and I have trusted and still trust You to be there for me and hold me now. Thank You, Savior and Friend. Help me to show my thanks by my life.
        Galatians 5:1-12- It is for freedom Christ has set you free- stand firm and don't be burdened again by slavery. - also John 8:32-36 - If The Son has set you free, you're free indeed. Ephesians 6:1-20- walk confidently with the full armor of God on fast- belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet prepared with the readiness that comes from The Gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, Sword of The Spirit (i.e. Word of God) and pray and supplication at all times. Be bold and make known the mystery of The Gospel. (It's crazy but God loves us like crazy and did something crazy to prove it- Romans 5:8- Jesus' death and Resurrection forever declare the eternal love of God for all people.) Philippians 1:27-30 -whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of The Gospel of Christ. Don't be afraid- keep standing firm and contending for the faith of The Gospel. It's a sign to the opposition that they'll be destroyed but that we will be saved- and that by God!!! It's ALL by God- yet He still works in us too. It's been granted to us by Christ to not only believe on Him but to suffer for Him too. (Philippians 2:1-13) Be like Jesus in your attitude- humble and like a servant. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God The Father and every knee will bow to Him. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling- but remember that it's God who's working in us to will and act according to His good purpose. Philippians 3:1- Finally, my brothers, rejoice in The Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. (Boy, do I need that safeguard over and over and over again.) Colossians 1:17- He (Jesus) is before all things and in Him all things hold together. (He created it all and holds it all together!!!) Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ. Keep reminding me of Your truth and Your love over and over and over again- it's always new and incredible and refreshing- let it flow out of me to be a fragrant aroma to others that draws them to You.

A Prayer for the New Year

"And even though I've never seen Your face- I'm missin' You. 'Cause somewhere behind those stars is Someone who belongs to me and I know in my deepest heart- there's a place for You. Until I find the place You've made for me, I'm missin' You."
- "Missin' You" by Chris Rice
...........
"I'll be running to Your throne with every nation, tribe and tongue- To Your arms I'll fly, I'll gaze into Your eyes- then I'll know as I am known- and Your praise goes on."
- "And Your Praise Goes On" by Chris Rice

:-)
I love You, Jesus. Thank You for loving and knowing me. Help me as I seek to know You better, Lord. (1 John 4:10-11 and 4:19, 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:9-13) Help me to be more like You each day and to represent better to the world what Your kingdom of peace looks like even as we anticipate and pray for You to come and bring Your kingdom of peace to earth one day. (Revelation 21:1-5, Revelation 22:20-21). Help us to continue in the struggle and through the suffering, knowing You went through far, far worse for our sakes- and knowing that the suffering is not worth comparing to the glory coming. (Romans 8:18-30, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 5:1-11) Help us to wait with patience and to endure with joy and peace, the joy and peace that only You give. (Nehemiah 8:10, John 14:27) And help us to never tire of doing what's right. (2 Thessalonians 3:13). It's all for You and for Your glory (1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:23)- and by Your strength alone. (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) Use me to bring Your Name glory and to help show others Your love so that they may come to know and follow You too. (2 Peter 3:9, Acts 4:20) Thank You and praise You for all Your many blessings and the comfort of knowing You are in control always and even in the midst of Your righteous justice, You also remember Your lovingkindness that is better than life and Your steadfast everlasting love that never fails. (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalms 136) And thank You for family and friends that help encourage me along the narrow path. (Psalms 133, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24) Thank You for never abandoning us and for always providing for us and for leading us all the way. (Hebrews 13:5, Philippians 4:19, Psalms 23) :-)
Love,
Thy faithful servant I fain would be- Lord, I believe- help Thou my unbelief- Thank You that You never let go (John 10:28)
Yours- Nathan.
(Romans 14:8)

The Father's Enduring Love

      ( I keep doing this. I read books. And then I get knocked over by The Lord's Spirit and I just want to share the truths He's reminded me of again once more. And then what is intended to be a paragraph or so becomes another blog entry. :-) (That's a good thing in some ways though, as I'm always glad to have more devotional prose to add, if just for variety's sake if nothing else. More so than that, this is also all written on the spur of the moment, straight from the heart.) (Hopefully, not that other pieces aren't- but not everything is composed in the span of one sitting, as this piece was.)
As always, if anything in there is downright awful- it's me. If anything good- it's all God. :-) Thank You, Lord Jesus, for the ability to write and the reason to do so.)         
        I've never been one that's good at picking favorites. But I will say that while I love every single verse of The Holy Bible, these two are some that I particularly love and find incredibly moving and overwhelming every time I read them. First, in a succession of parables from Jesus, we hear about the lost sheep the shepherd goes to find, the lost coin the woman goes to find- and then the lost son the father goes to find. (Jesus mentions the father saw him from a long way off, indicating that he had been looking for him.) And we hear these beautiful words in this parable-
        "And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)
My other Bible verse I want to share gives us the picture of how God did exactly this for us.
        "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
In these two verses, we get such a great picture of God's amazing grace! That is something that we gloss over too often and let it become so old and comfortable to us that we forget the astonishing wonder of it. If we were to really sit in silence and ponder the intensity of the love God has for every single person, we would and should be truly overwhelmed and bowled over. This is why Charles Wesley's "And Can It Be?" has always been one of my favorite hymns. "And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's love? Died He for me who caused His pain- for me who Him to death pursued! Amazing love- how can it be? That Thou my God should'st die for me!"
        But praise God- it's true! I can't and don't understand it- I don't know why He'd want me or any of us- but somehow He does. No matter how many times we sin and mess up and fall down in the mud and slime again and feel broken beyond repair- before we can even make all our vain acts of penitence and apologies for the trillionth time- God still is the God of the impossible who can put right broken hearts and repair His creation to what we are meant to be all along. (Matthew 19:26- impossible for us- we can NEVER do it in our own efforts- and we NEVER have to. God alone has done it and it's done!)
We need only receive His love shown for us through His death and Resurrection and fall weeping at the feet of Jesus once more. Absolution comes before apology- forgiveness offered before repentance- grace before good works. And any good works we do are really His work in any case. Ephesians 2:8-10 gives us such a wonderful model when we read it together. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
       When His amazing grace and love washes over us and washes us clean, the only appropriate response is immense gratitude which demonstrates itself in a changed life. This is not of our own power- this is a miracle that happens when we are emptied of ourselves, as Christ emptied Himself (see Philippians 2)- and we are cleaned out of all the corrupt, sin-sick encasing that is our old identity and we are filled instead with the wholly pure life-giving Holy Spirit, Who is our new identity in Christ. We have died and now it is Christ who lives in us and through us. (Colossians 3:1-4) God our Father mercifully takes Ezekiel's dry bones and clothes them with flesh again and makes them alive- just as He does with us. (see Ezekiel 37). We're not perfect yet, but we're being made perfect as we progress from justification through sanctification to glorification in Heaven.
         "Ask people what they must do to get to Heaven and most reply, 'Be good.' Jesus' stories contradict that answer. All we must do is cry, 'Help!' God welcomes home anyone who will have Him and, in fact, has made the first move already. Most experts- doctors, lawyers, marriage counselors- set a high value on themselves and wait for clients to come to them. Not God. As Soren Kierkegaard put it,
          'When it is a question of a sinner He does not merely stand still, open His arms and say, 'Come hither'; no, He stands there and waits, as the father of the lost son waited, rather He does not stand and wait, He goes forth to seek, as the shepherd sought the lost sheep, as the woman sought the lost coin. He goes- yet no, He has gone, but infinitely farther than any shepherd or any woman, He went, in sooth, the infinitely long way from being God to becoming man, and that way He went in search of sinners.'
Kierkegaard puts his finger on perhaps the most important aspect of Jesus' parables. They were not merely pleasant stories to hold listeners' attention or literary vessels to hold theological truth. They were, in fact, the template of Jesus' life on earth. He was the shepherd who left the safety of the fold for the dark and dangerous night outside. To His banquets He welcomed tax collectors and reprobates and whores. He came for the sick and not the well, for the unrighteous and not the righteous. And to those who betrayed Him- especially the disciples, who forsook Him at His time of greatest need- He responded like a lovesick father."
(from "Lovesick Father" chapter of "What's So Amazing About Grace?" by Philip Yancey, page 55. Copyright Zondervan, 1997.)
         Praise and thank You God, my lovesick Father, who dares to love and embrace sin-sick, adulterous betrayers and doubters like me. Thank You for continuing to love and be faithful even when I'm not. Thank You for loving this sojourner and wanderer and ragamuffin. Thank You, Lord, for Your everlasting love! (Jeremiah 31:3) I am overwhelmed every time I think about it and Your amazing grace! As we embark on this Lenten season, may Your incredible sacrifice of love continually be impressed upon our minds and hearts and may Your bread and wine fill us so much that we find contentment solely in You. May Your living water well up in us and overflow to others so they may experience Your love as well. May our ill-gotten gains and evil escapades taste like only the gravel in our mouths that they always are every time. (Proverbs 28:21, Proverbs 30:7-9, Proverbs 27:19-24, Proverbs 26:11, Proverbs 23:1-9, Proverbs 20:17) I am so sorry for the many times I have been what I should not be- but thank You for loving me as I am and not as I should be- because none of us are as we should be. But just like You shaped Rich Mullins and Brennan Manning before me, You're still shaping me too. May Your amazing grace continue to shape all of us Your children into the people of God you want us to be.
          "Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared. I wait for The Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for The Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in The Lord! For with The Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities." (Psalms 130)
         "Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:25-26)
           "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.' " (John 6:68)
            "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalms 84:10)
           Heavenly Father God, Lord Jesus Christ, Counselor Holy Spirit- Blessed Three-in-One -may those prayers truly be true of me and all Your children. I need You every hour and I love You because You have first loved me with such wonderful love, incredible mercy, longstanding patience and amazing grace! Thank You.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLW9egHQWAE

(A song of benediction from one of my favorite Christian songwriters ever. I can't wait to meet Rich Mullins in Heaven one day and be "Growing Young" with him there as we worship The Lord Jesus Christ for eternity together. I must also acknowledge Brennan Manning and thank him for letting the Holy Spirit speak through him in writing "The Ragamuffin Gospel". I can't wait to meet him in Heaven one day as well. And I must give thanks as well to Philip Yancey for letting The Holy Ghost move in him as he wrote "What's So Amazing About Grace?" Whether in exile or exodus, I would love to meet him one day too.)

God's Child in The Temple (song)

Childhood is such a creative and imaginative time, full of wonder and growth and learning. Children get plenty of nicks and bruises along the way of learning, but eventually they take those experiences and get shaped to be the grown-ups they become in the end. "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." (1 Corinthians 13:11) In the same way that we grow physically from children to adults, we grow in the faith spiritually from newborn babes to mature believers in Christ. (1 Peter 2:2-3) Just as The Bible tells us through the gilded pages, we must learn to grow more and more like Jesus. And if God's Child's in the temple and in the Scriptures and in prayer, how much more must we be!

"God's Child in The Temple"
(parody of "Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/7/2015)
(Luke 2, 1 John 1:6, Acts 4:27, 1 Samuel 2:26, 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Peter 2:2-3)

Manger- where they laid down God's own Child
Saviour- dressed in swaddling clothes- meek and mild
Go on, bro- Luke 2 is just what this is based on
Mary and Joseph- they gave Him- for presentation

God's Child's in the city
God smiled on ol' Simeon
Saw God's Child- Anna's on (the) scene
Yeah
God's Child got a blessing

So long! He cut loose out on His own
Young Boy! Feast is done, they take off for home
When Jesus is found, the priests all stop and stare
While search is going down, they gawk- tween Jesus schooled 'em there
Yeah

God's Child's in the city
God's Child has gone missing
(They're) runnin' wild and looking for Him
Yeah
God's Child's in Dave's city

When He's found at God's House, baby- they balk at this stunt
"Knowest thou not My place must be (My) Father's House?"
(Dad's on the brain for Jesus) God's Child's on a mission! God's Child's in the city!
God's Child- He went missing! (Found Child) Found God's Child- just look in temple
(Found Child at the temple) God's Child 's in (the) vicinity!
(God's Child left with family) God's Child left with family
(God's Child was submitting) God's Child was submitting
(Grew wise and in favor) Grew wise and in favour
( (So) God's child- grow like Saviour!) - (So) God's child- grow like Saviour! (Oh!)
(God's Child!)
.........................................................................................................................................

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

       I recently saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" again for the millionth time or so. (I love Indiana Jones! :-)) One line I always find interesting is the way Belloq describes the Ark of the Covenant. "Do you realize what the Ark is, Jones? It's a transmitter! It's a radio for speaking to God!" Of course, while it's true the Ark did house The Lord's presence in the Old Testament during Moses' time, it wasn't really how the Israelites prayed to God. They had to go through the High Priest to make sacrifices on their behalf and they would hear what God said to Moses. It was a much different process than the direct access we have today with God through Jesus Christ! As 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us, there's one God and one mediator between God and man- Christ Jesus.
         I heard a great sermon at church a few weeks back about the power of prayer and God's ability to do anything! In thinking on that, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 came to mind, wherein we are commanded to "pray without ceasing." 
Of course, the question often arises, "How do we practically obey this verse?" While we may not be able to devote 24 hours a day to praying and nothing else, we can devote every second we're alive to be in a continual mode of prayer. I think of it as an ongoing conversation with God- He's always listening and He's always speaking to us when we listen to His Word in The Bible. 
And while we're praying, we should remember that Jesus invites us to ask anything in His Name and He will do it. But there's a caveat to John 14:13- first, it's anything asked in Jesus' Name and also, it's so that The Father may be glorified in The Son. Thus, it must be something that will glorify God and in His Name. (It's not an invitation to bring your Christmas list to Santa Claus or put money into the vending machine to get whatever you desire.)
       And if we do what Jesus said in John 15:7, we'll find our desires matching up to God's desires. So what does a guy like me need to do? The dude abides.  :-)  (And no, I haven't seen the movie that line references- I just knew the line and threw it in for fun.)
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7)       Probably the number one thing I'd say about prayer- be totally honest with God. Jesus already knows all your thoughts anyway. (Psalms 139). 
One of my favorite quotes on prayer from Jimmy Abegg-
"But what God wants most is honesty, for us to open our hearts and come to Him without pretense or posturing. Some of my most powerful prayers aren't even couched in 'proper' language. Many of them I wouldn't dare pray aloud in church. But they are honest cries from my heart. Sometimes the best prayers are something like this: 'Oh my God, Help.' "         
          So don't be afraid to pray big prayers- God is able to do abundantly more than we can think or imagine! (Like Ephesians 3:20 says) It's interesting that we particularly tend to discard modern day examples of healing. (Probably because of some phony faith healers out there who do run scams, sadly.) But this doesn't mean God can't do it and doesn't still do it as He so chooses. (Check 1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - The Spirit gives some the gifts of healing and some the working of miracles- among many others. The caveat with that is that these gifts are to be used for the glory of God alone, not man's glory- going back to John 14:13.) 
         Jesus told us that with faith the size of a mustard seed (which is quite tiny indeed), we can speak to a tree and tell it to plant itself in the sea and it would obey us. We can make mountains move- by faith in Jesus' power (not our own power). And it's always according to God's will. He reigns sovereign and supreme. (See Matthew 17:14-21, Luke 17:5-6 and Romans 9)
Psalms 103:3 says that The Lord heals all our diseases. God is plenty capable of bringing physical healing- if He chooses. But we must also remember 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, where Paul was tortured with a thorn in his side- three times he pleaded with The Lord to remove it, but God didn't do it. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (And, as we can see in 1 Corinthians 1 and numerous other places in the Bible- check out Gideon's Thermoplyae-style battle in Judges 7 where 300 Jews fought humanly-impossible odds and won with The Lord's help...plenty of other examples- basically, see the entire history of the Jewish people- God loves to take what the world loves to despise and hate and shame the strong and bring to nothing all the puffed up folks- so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.)
As Job reminded us, The Lord gives and He takes- blessed be the Name of The Lord. Ultimately, we trust His will and His eternal love for us above our own feelings and desires. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (Job 13:15)
In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13, The Lord Jesus gives what we know as The Lord's Prayer. The disciples asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" and He demonstrated a structure for us to follow. In it, we see some important elements of prayer- adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication and intercession.

(As written in Matthew 6:9-13 ESV)
"Pray then like this:
 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.' "
     
         And of course, we have powerful pictures from The Lord Jesus about the way God answers our prayers. No good parent gives their son a snake when he asks for a fish or a scorpion when he wants an egg. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our kids, how much more will our good Father give good gifts- like the Holy Spirit- to those who ask Him? Be bold and persistent in prayer- knowing that we can be confident in God's goodness. Ask, seek and knock- it will be given, you will find and the door will be opened to you. Persistence pays off, whether it's a friend coming at midnight begging for a loaf of bread or a widow pleading with a wicked judge to grant her justice in a case. Seek the Lord in the prayer closet- not making a big show of it for a reward, so that someone thinks we're oh-so-holy- but in secret where God sees what's done in secret and meets us there. (See all of Matthew 6 and Luke 18.) We have an audience with the God of the universe who is eager to bless us with things we need and answer our prayers according to His will- we only need to come to Him!         
        So, how do we keep praying to Jesus and trusting Him without ceasing? Well, we do sometimes falter in trust and faith and obedience and God is willing to forgive us when we truly repent. (Luke 17:4, 1 John 1:9) But with every breath He lends, we breathe in and keep focusing our mindset on Him (Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 8:1-11 [particularly verses 5-8]. As Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord formed us and breathed the breath of life into us. We keep breathing that borrowed air and breathe in both life and New Life- physically and spiritually. (Also check Job 33:4 and Isaiah 42:5 and Acts 17:25) "As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit." (Job 27:3-4) "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) 
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." (1 John 4:13) The Spirit of His power strengthens us in our inner being (see Ephesians 3:16) when we let Him. 
Our every breath is a prayer to God- we keep the phone line open and never hang up- we keep a running text message or instant message chain with Him going- we can even communicate telepathically because He knows all our thoughts- and His Spirit brings to mind His Scripture (when we know it and listen to His voice). (Psalms 139, Psalms 94:10-11, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, John 16:13-15 and John 17:17 and John 14:6)
"It is The Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." - Jesus Christ in John 6:63

Hearing from God

     I just ran across this blog post online at random (it came up because the search engine couldn't find what I was looking for and substituted another search term instead)- and I was interested to read through it. What do you think about it?
http://prophetgene.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-to-hear-from-god-for-yourself.html

(Note: I am not totally sure of the beliefs of the writer but I gather that he's a Christian. I am wary of the fact that he calls himself a prophet. Not that I don't believe we can't have prophets today, since 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 clearly says that God appoints some to be prophets. However, if we do have prophets today they may not find it to be as exciting as being a prophet in Bible times since they would have no new word to say from God. Therein lies the danger- the prophet's words must be in congruence with what The Bible already says. Galatians 1:8-9 is quite clear on this- cults have been founded this way that have led many astray from Christ. Also see Deuteronomy 18:14-22. This applies for whatever messages one might feel God reveals in times of solitude and quiet.)
    The article advises on how to hear from God and I don't think there's anything wrong with it- I would simply call it prayer. It sounds much like what Jesus taught in Matthew 6:5-15- find the prayer closet and spend some solitude with God. It's an interesting topic to me because I don't feel I've ever had some of the signs and wonders some Christians have claimed- I haven't heard the audible voice of God speaking and I haven't felt His bodily presence and I haven't heard His calling.
         I don't want to invalidate or begrudge those who do have these experiences; I acknowledge that God can speak to people in any way He wishes to do so and that He does choose to speak to people in different ways. (For instance, He came in a still small voice to Elijah but He had the voice of a trumpet and the sound of rushing waters when giving the Revelation to John on Patmos.)
      The reason this is a particularly poignant and important issue is because it seems that these physical signs are impressed by some as evidences of God's work in one's life and even of one's assurance of salvation.
     I sometimes get this same impression from reading various Christian theology books. For instance, some of the stories related by Bill Bright through Campus Crusade for Christ ministries strike me of this nature. (i.e. Particularly when people speak of seeking the joy of The Lord as a feeling that one is supposed to feel immediately at the point of salvation or shortly thereafter.) To be fair, Bright's famous 4 Laws also clearly specifies that salvation is about faith, not feelings. Feelings are like the caboose of a train- they may or may not come- but the train runs on the engine (i.e. our faith in Christ) and will run whether or not the caboose is there. (I just saw a train go by the other day that had no caboose.)
        But to juxtapose with all this, Jesus Himself told Thomas after he made his confession of Jesus as Lord and God- "Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29)
            I also recall to mind the video my brother shared with me a while back about determining the will of God. That approach seems like it depends more on diligent studying of God's Word, prayer and seeking the wise counsel of Christian friends- and then trusting God and making a decision. (i.e. a little more emphasis on the rational and reasoning aspect of things.) This approach seems to rely a little more on the mystical and spiritual side of it. I think both are important and I don't mean to negate either one, but how do you keep a balance?
      (And to be fair, I also don't always like what seems like a "pat" answer to me when I hear teachers telling me not to worry about God's will for my life and just do God's will today- i.e. obey the commands- Do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, honor thy father and mother, etc.
 That's all well and good- and of course, we should do that all the time. I can seek to do that each day (and I do seek to do that), but I still am left wondering, "What job does God want me to have for a career?", "Should I even try to find a girl to date and get married?" "How do I choose which girl to pursue as they are some different girls that I have liked and think could be good choices?")

(I should also point out that there could be some bitterness or frustration attached with those questions as from my point of view, it's easy to look at pastors like David Platt and Francis Chan and think, "Well, sure- easy for you to say. You're already in a good place where at least you have a wife and children. You have someone to share your life with in the physical sense- someone to come home to and do things together with- and children to raise in the knowledge of The Lord and love. You have a good career going. You may not be a millionaire, but I feel certain you've got a lot more income than me. You have gotten books published and you seem to have the freedom to be able to fly around the world and go places." [Keep in mind, this is just the idealized view talking. I know in reality that their lives are quite hard with their own challenges. I know it's certainly not an easy thing to lead any church and it's not always easy for them to determine all that God would have them do either. I know having a wife and children, while it may bring some pleasures, also brings plenty of responsibilities and hardships as well. I know that every job has its downfalls as much as its upsides. I know money and travel and property and such do not bring lasting happiness.] I'm really not saying this out of jealousy or a lust for money or anything- at least I don't think I am. It's just my honest observations and sometimes that's how I feel- and it gets frustrating when it doesn't feel like I'm where I want to be in life- but at the same time, I only have a basic idea of that and I don't know for sure where that should be- just that it should be different from here. (This is one of the problems with living by yourself for so long- I know God is always there with me of course- but it also becomes easy to be self-absorbed or just clouded in your judgment and view because you don't have the interaction of others to counterbalance things. (Proverbs 27:17)
            So I'm not naive to think that life will be perfect if I can just find that right girl and get married and have children to raise and have a different job. As I've said before, you could check off every item on every bucket list in the world and it still would only be a drop in the bucket before you kick the bucket. So the bucket stops here. (um, like, the whole book of Ecclesiastes. and Philippians 3:8-21.)
           So while I do look to Jesus to be my fulfillment and not all these other things- I'm certainly not perfect and I definitely still struggle with that. Ultimately, I just trust that Jesus is enough and that my faith has found a resting place in Him - not in device or creed- it is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me- and He lives again and because He lives, we shall live also. And I do strive to find my joy in The Lord and let the joy of The Lord be my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
        All I know to do is keep falling back on Jesus and following and obeying Him and trusting that He's saved me and that He's there and He's loving and good and kind and just and that He knows my needs and that all these things shall be added unto me if I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
          So I'm not sure how this email became so convoluted and probably way off topic, but that's some of what I was thinking on today- as well as things I've thought on many times before. (part of the whole working out your salvation with fear and trembling thing, I think. Philippians 2:12-13) And of course- Habakkuk 2:4 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 say it best, I think- the righteous shall live by his faith, not by his sight. And as Jesus says in John 14:1- "Don't let your hearts be troubled- you believe in God; believe also in Me."
       This is also why I really love songs by Rich Mullins and Chris Rice that express some of the same things I've felt and grappled with really well:

("Live by Faith" by Chris Rice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKsZRN3wU8Q
("Big Enough" by Chris Rice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B98ycm5kH0E
("Smell the Color 9" by Chris Rice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNUmoSHavLc
("Naive" by Chris Rice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrZStqTyHPo

("A Place to Stand" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwtIV4n_t2Y
("Be With You" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZY9L1lGsSQ
("If I Stand" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jj0ZTzgmGM
("My One Thing" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aqP-A4tKCA
("Where You Are" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvU8iQ40Ti0
("The Just Shall Live" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdPnxQvCEXQ
("The Maker of Noses" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdspZ8Dexv0
("Somewhere" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tizfraZZAo
("Hold Me Jesus" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9T3tL5U67w
("Let Mercy Lead" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1QqrOfO3E0
("Land of My Sojourn" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SvR1rO_Ku0
("Hatching of a Heart" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLvWaYXUwcg
("The Breaks" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaxxhNf7P5I
("Sometimes by Step" by Rich Mullins)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXdrzzDZuLk

(And I could keep going with Rich Mullins songs.....and with Chris Rice songs for that matter.)


And since I was quoting from it earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuP2jBTNfXM
("My Faith Has Found a Resting Place")

..................          
All the way my Savior leads me...

Nathan