The Relationship

What state are your relationships in?  Do you have a bunch of “friends” whom you rarely check on, speak to, or listen to what they have to say?  Does that mirror your relationship with Jesus Christ?  He desires to check on you (be with you always), speak to you and to listen to you, but we rarely take the time to hear Him.  We become too busy with work, home, activities, and so many of the worlds distractions that we neglect the one thing that holds all that we need, a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ!

A friend of mine asked me “So why have you been talking to me lately?”  I declared part of my conviction from God that through my relationship with Him, I am now free to have a relationship with others!  He removed the distractions that I had and enabled me to focus on what is really important, but I first had to focus solely on Him. 

What are you focused on and how are your relationships?  Maybe we need to rediscover THE RELATIONSHIP, so we can grow our relationships with others.

Scripture references Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 28:20, Mark 4:9, Exodus 20:3, 1 John 1:7

Are You Becoming Bitter, or Better?

In Genesis 37, 38, 39, 40-47, we find the story of Joseph who as we know was sold into slavery and left for dead by his very own brothers.  It is an amazing story of one man’s determination to take whatever came his way and still look to serve and to honor God in all he did.

Let’s face it.  He had sufficient enough reasons, enough to become bitter: to give up, to become mad, hateful, and resentful: to start to question the who(s) in his life, the what(s), in his life and definitely the why(s).  He could have started to doubt God’s providential care, provision, and ultimately, when the opportunity came for God’s power and purpose to be shown forth in his life, Joseph could have been so bitter that God would not have gotten the glory from the situations and circumstances that GOD had led Joseph through.  And we would not have this incredible story of overcoming.

Thank God, for us, that Joseph did not become bitter, but rather he became BETTER!  He used his circumstances and situations and trusted in God, fully.  No matter what came his way, betrayal of his brothers, enslavement, rise to authority, fall from position because of a lie, being forgotten by those he helped, and then ultimately the rise to power and the opportunity to do good to his brothers, who had done so much wrong to him in his life. 

You see the circumstances and situations that happened in his life were ultimately NOT about him.  They were about the saving of nations, and lands, and family.  If Joseph would have become bitter, Egypt may well have perished, the land would have stayed barren under famine, and his family would have surely died. 

What has happened in your life that you don’t feel is fair?  Do you feel betrayed by the very ones closest to you?  Are you wondering, “why God, why?”  Well maybe it’s not about you, but rather those around you, your land, and most importantly your family that may or may not have hurt you. 

It’s ok to forgive.  It’s ok to move forward.  Become BETTER not bitter, and look for the opportunities that God is trying to bring to you, to show forth His power and glory in your life.  And maybe, there is another BETTER “Joseph” in the making.

Limiting People To How You Met Them

Scripture Reference: Genesis 27:19 "Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

This is one of our first encounters of Jacobs’s character.  Although we were previously introduced to him in the bible, we get a real look into his make-up and fiber of who Jacob is in this scene.  Jacob has already gotten Esau to agree to give him his birthright.  But now we see, with guidance from his mother, he clearly defines his upbringing and teaching of being a "trickster".  Something he would wrestle with all of his life.

However as we progress through his life story, we see him begin to change after a true encounter with the LORD.  He not only was able to overcome his scandalous name and ways, but was able to impart to his children life lessons which would give birth to the destiny of the Jews and ultimately the linage of the Christ who died to save the world.

What if they would never had seen him as anything but a "trickster", even though he legitimately changed his life?  Did he still have struggles and wrestle back and forth during the remainder of his life?  Yes.  However he refused to be defined by his past and rather depended upon God for his future.  And you don’t hear of people in his life continuing to call him "trickster".  They moved beyond what he had done and look forward to what he was becoming.  By doing so they also received part in the blessing which would become Life-everlasting!

Who are you holding hostage according to their past?  Who has had a true life-altering experience with God and now look to make a new name for them in HIM?  Can you go where God is taking them and receive part of the blessing attached to them?  Or will you continue to hold them guilty and limit them by how you met them?

Vision Ailment. Three Different Healings?

There are three different accounts of Jesus healing men of blindness, but all in different ways. They each had the same condition, an inability to see; so why not heal them in the same manner?  Is our Heavenly Father trying to show us something; a deeper truth in view of him?

The first example is clear. The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, who sat by the way on the road to Jericho, cried out for Jesus to heal him. In this case, Jesus simply spoke, "Your faith have saved you", and he was healed. Mark 10:45-47

The second example, Jesus takes the man by the hand, and leads him out of the city. Once they reach a certain place, then Jesus spits on his eyes. He then proceeds to ask the man what does he see? The man's response? "I see men like trees..." This is the only place where Jesus prays for a man more than once. Then Jesus lays His hands upon the man's eyes and his vision is fully restored with no more obstructions or obscurities.

The third example in in Jerusalem. Jesus heals a man by spitting on the ground and making mud. He then places the mud over the man's eyes and instructs Him to, "Go was in the pool of Siloam". Once the man had done this, he then could see clearly.

When a person is blind, their entire world is dark. They cannot see light. Which brings us back to scripture. More than once Jesus is referred to as "the Light of the world". Matthew 4:16 says,  "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light was dawned." 2 Corinthians 4:6 reads, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." These all point to Jesus. Could this be the project of salvation being taught here? 

Bartimaeus  needed light and speaks to someone needing Jesus in their life. This is when we receive new life and Spiritual Light from Christ, the moment we believe.

The blind man being led out of the city speaks to the sanctification  process; the gradual separation from worldly things (the city). It is not instantaneous but rather a journey to be embarked upon daily.  With Jesus leading the way, as our Shepherd, He brings us into all truth and understanding. New believers will often times look at new things from their old perspective, hence seeing men as trees. When we still harbor worldly practices, it takes time to see things from Christ's point of view, or what grieves the Holy Spirit.

The third story covers the evangelistic aspect of our salvation. We are the dirt. With spit, the water from the mouth of Jesus, we are use to carry the Word of hope to others. We are like the clay vessels in Jeremiah 18. Jesus use this clay or mud as His project.

We need Jesus to enable us to first see the Light.  Then to grow in understanding of what we see, Jesus must gradually diminish our human light, and increase His light in us. And finally we are to show forth His Light, as we tell others of how He has been so good unto us.

Let's begin to see people in these different stages of Light and recognize instead of criticize. For we all need Him to remove our blindness in His way!

The Heart Beat of Our Shepherd

Can You Feel it?

Psalm 23 starts off, “The LORD is my Shepard, I shall not want.” It was one of the first Bible verses I was made to memorize as a child.  I often wondered why Jesus always referred to Himself as a Shepard. Over the years I have learned more and more about what a Shepard did and there have been some amazing revelations Jesus has given me.

Psalm 23 also says, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The rod part I get, it was used to ward or beat off wild beast that came to steal the lambs and carrying them off to certain death.  But how was the staff a comfort?  It’s that one you usually see pictured that has a hook on it.  The staff was used to bring way-ward sheep back.  So if the sheep wandered too far off, the Shepard used the hook on the staff to bring the sheep back closer the Himself, where there was safety.

But sometimes, the Shepard would have a sheep that would stray too far, too often.  At this point other measures had to be taken to insure the sheep’s safety.  The Shepard would actually take the sheep and break on of it legs: Yes on purpose.  This would render the sheep unable to move about, and as you know, a Shepard was constantly on the move for pastures that would feed the flock.

Now you may think it was cruel what the Shepard did to the sheep.  After all, he hadn’t gotten into that much trouble, he simply wandered off a few too many times, but always the sheep thought he would be alright and could come back.  However that is not where the Shepard wanted the sheep.  He wanted him near Him.  So after the Shepard broke the sheep’s leg, He would then take the sheep and place him over His shoulder so that the sheep’s body was startled and the sheep’s heart was right over the Shepard’s.

As the Shepard walked on the hilly countryside, the constant movement would cause the sheep pain; after all his leg was broken.  So the sheep, not being able to stop the movement, would learn to sync up with the Shepard’s movement, even down to His heartbeat.  The sheep would become so in sync with the Shepard that the pain soon disappeared and the sheep could clearly hear the Shepard talking with him and giving him the life-saving instructions about how to never stray too far away from the Shepard again.

My life was like that, I was that wayward sheep that just kept getting a little too far away.  Then one day my Shepard, Jesus, came along and broke my leg.  He carried me upon His shoulder, and it was just me and Him.  I learned to sync up with His heartbeat, and while I don’t have everything down perfect yet, I know how not to stray too far from the safety that My Shepard provides me.

Today I thank Jesus for breaking my leg, and making me to sync up with His heartbeat.  And in me, the beat goes on!

16,578

Last year the LORD allowed me to see another birthday. Most people fret or shun away from their earthly time markings, but for me it afforded me opportunity to once again reflect.

Today I did not reflect so much upon past mistakes.  I did not ponder key wins or losses.  I did not take time to place blame for where I am now, nor did I seek to give credit to myself for where I am currently.  Accomplishments.  Didn’t matter.  Failures.  Didn’t matter.  Standing out to me most importantly was a number, 16,578. 

Moses once said, “O teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”  Psalm 90:12.  Through the ups, and the downs, through the storms and the rain, the heartache and the pain, from the mountain-top experiences, to the valley lows, in all His appointed times He planned for me, little did I know He was teaching me to number my days. 

Now as I enter into the next phase of my life, I pray LORD, apply my heart to more wisdom and understanding, for “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

Today I challenge you not to wait until your birthday, but start today to number your days, and seek after, reach for and obtain the wisdom of GOD, in every situation in your life.  And be careful to give the LORD honor and praise for He ordained your steps just as they happened to bring you to this expected time and place.  Psalm 37:24 He loves you like no one else can or ever will!

16,579, HERE I COME!