During my last travel for missions (or Jesus focus) we spent more time in prayer and worship than is my habit. I have mentioned to many that I returned feeling “cleaned up”. That phrase does not express feeling light after a season of dark. I don’t want to lose that. Yes, we have days and moods but the confident feeling that God is noticing and doing is precious. God had been angry with rebellious people but He solved it by sending Jesus to crush our final enemy, death. Gone is the consequence of our ungodly choices. Gone is the fear of the future and I want this “clean up” to go into the future, my final season. This confidence is the new minimum. I don’t want to settle for less than full confidence in my Lord. There are valleys that must be left behind. It is time for new and new minimums of joy. Last week I wrote this on a scrap of paper: “Today I am wildly happy”. Take that you stinking devil.
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UNMODIFIED JESUS
There are people who do not take our faith seriously. Jesus is this or that but not their Lord and Savior. The practice of editing the Holy Scriptures to fit your life today is making satan happy. He knows scripture and is happy to add to your confusion. He also knows God’s word is true and that he has only a short time to take as many souls to hell as possible. You may not MODIFY Jesus. He is this and more: Horn of Salvation, Our Savior, Hope of Israel, Chief Shepherd, Great Light, Messiah, Mediator of a New Everlasting covenant, He Who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world, Son of the most High God, Lord of the Sabbath, My Intercessor, Image of the Invisible God, Exact Representation of God’s Being, Our Righteousness, Holiness and Redemption, Prince, Master, Ruler of kings, Great Physician, Living Stone, Eternal Life, Lord of Peace, The Amen, Morning Star, my Redeemer. (Thank you for the list, slightly modified, by Dennis Morrison)
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SECOND HAND HAPPINESS
Second hand happiness works the same as second hand sadness. A friend is going through a difficult time – something I have experienced. Having heard about it I am weeping with those who weep and hope to rejoice when all is completed.
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EXCLUSIVITY CHALLENGE
Don’t do it. Don’t judge Jesus because He said He is THE, “Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him” – John 14:6. Do worry about your unsaved friends but don’t miss eternity because you are playing God. He is just and will do what is right according to His holiness. Don’t hesitate to accept Jesus for that one foul reason. It’s a trick. The other challenge I hear over and over is that God is love. How could He send someone like me to hell? You are at a stop sign and have two choices – right or left – a life with Jesus or a life without Jesus. You decide. I think of hell as a place without God. Only once this is all settled will some know what a place without God is like. I can’t tell you what hell is like but I can remind you that Jesus is still the Way/Truth/Life. After this discourse Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father. There is some surprise in Jesus response and He may have used a different tone? Look it up and read all of Jesus words in a red-letter edition. It is another way to understand what are the teachings of Jesus.
LAST THING
Today the news reported that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to keep talking. Well, bully for them.
Are we running out of time?