Tag: War

Be Lifted!

December 23, 2015

Father, lift me above the conflict of ideology:

Religion, philosophy, politics; the confusion

When cultures collide and beast-like biology

Brings out the worst in us; human delusion;

Organized in the ‘isms, schisms, psychology

Of division; the back-biting hate transfusion;

That limits You to our limited understanding.

Father, lift me upward! Where Your eternal

Values transcend human misunderstanding;

Dispel all stubbornness; all my pride infernal

By which I lift myself; foolish grandstanding!

Touting MY knowledge! A miniscule kernel

Of the Truth only You hold comprehending;

The unfathomable, You keep unreachable

To all refusing faith’s surrender; The Lifting;

By bowing down! Refute men un-teachable;

Builders of ‘isms and ‘ologies; Soul’s sifting

In circular judgments, reason un-reachable;

Pieces of comprehension; Wisdom-grifting!

These shards of divinity are hatred and war!

Father, lift me to You! I am unable to climb!

May I dwell in Your Wisdom that sits so far?

Above my reach? Held in Your Love sublime?

Refashion this beast; remove all of sin’s mar!

I submit to redemption’s process over time;

Jesus came down to rise! And lift the limited

From Death’s confines of time, to the eternal!

All Truth, Love, Peace, Hope, Joy is unlimited!

Bequeathed to children obeying Will Paternal;

In acceptance of reality of self with sin whited;

Guided by the Holy Spirit lighting the internal;

No longer strive to be God; By faith is His Rest.

 

 

 

 

 

The Center-Piece

December 20, 2015

At the center of everything: a tiny, baby boy. On His small shoulders, rests the assignment of the greatest mission ever known: the destruction of evil and the creation of world peace, with brotherhood, and goodwill toward men. Born as no one the world recognizes as having any power, this small baby is destined to turn the world upside down. This little conqueror is vested by God to establish a new Kingdom but He won’t conquer the world by violence, sacrificing the blood of many as all other men deem necessary to establish a new Kingdom, instead He came to sacrifice His own blood and purchase forgiveness for blood-thirsty men from God. All hope for sinful men destined to destroy one another due to the blindness of unforgiving hearts and the practice of an eye for an eye lies in a manager, in a cave with a floor of hard packed manure, used to shelter farm animals. This poor baby, who poses a threat to no one, is hated by the world; despised by the people He came to save. Jesus (God’s Son in the form of a human baby) is the Center-Piece of God’s plan to save and reclaim mankind and His creation.

History divides here in Bethlehem, where this Holy baby lays. This is the focal point of God’s plan, the beginning of His divine intervention that is destined to change the course of a world ruled by unrighteousness and brute control. This child’s Kingdom will be like no other earthly kingdom and will not be established as all other kingdoms, ever known to mankind. It will not be established by war but by the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of those who by faith accept the gift of Jesus and apply the blood He will shed, to their own sins. This act of faith, this simplicity of believing, will open the door for many and restore them to a spiritual relationship with God. Even if they are old, in spirit they will be born-again, and become spiritual persons living in physical form. They will be known as the church, a called out company of believers, sinners purchased by the blood of Jesus that He will shed in sacrifice on the cross. This called out company will live according to faith and not according to what they see, feel, or touch. They will be spiritual bricks in the invisible Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus will be the cornerstone.

The forgiveness Jesus will buy, with His body and blood, is for believers to receive and then give freely, in the same manner it is given to them. It is to be done in preparation of the invisible Kingdom of God being made a visible reality, in God’s timing. There will be no room in that Kingdom for people with hearts blinded and hard with un-forgiveness. All the sins that pour from the sin of un-forgiveness will be unknown when Jesus Christ rules the world and the kingdom of darkness is past. Everyone in that Righteous system will love God and also, love their brothers and sisters. Those who profess Jesus before the Kingdom is made visible will be marked by the love they have for one another, and the loving manner in which they treat others. Though still living in physical form and imperfect, they will be recognizable as subjects of the Kingdom by the spiritual fruits that can only be obtained by faith in God. As by the Spirit they will be transformed so, will this mortal world be transformed, in like manner; by God and in His perfect time.

This small baby in Bethlehem is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. No human being can supplant the work He will accomplish. No human being is able to live without succumbing to the violence, the blood-shed, and other hateful abuses that characterize this present world, without developing a heart hardened by un-forgiveness, as a form of protection from future hurt. No person is able to stop the flood of sin that flows from a heart filled with hate and no hearts of hate will ever be able to accomplish world peace or produce common good-will. All hope rests in this manger, in Jesus, the Center-Piece of Salvation. There is no hope for life, love, peace, and joy in anyone but Jesus. There is no program, no religious philosophy, no earthly affiliation, and no doctrine or theology that is able to change the human heart. Jesus is the only, One. Without Him, the rest is mere foolishness. From every point in history, Jesus is the Source of eternal life. The forgiveness He will buy for us to apply and give is the only, true foundation for peace and good-will toward all men.

Forgiveness isn’t cheap and it doesn’t come easy. Though it begins with a choice (first to receive), it is a process that transforms a lost sinner into a born-again saint. The choice to respond by forgiving others is the continued process that takes a believer from the condition of sinner/saint, on to the glory of perfection. No one can accomplish true forgiveness without the Holy Spirit; even in perfection in that future Kingdom, we won’t be God but still entirely, dependent on Him for anything good.

It is true that Jesus is the Center-Piece of this season, not because the day of His birth is known, but because Jesus is the center of all things, the One through whom God accomplishes His good works. The only way to be a part of those good works is to make Jesus the Center-Piece of your life; accept the forgiveness He paid so dearly to win for us, then turn around and do the same. With Jesus at the center even the most ardent hater can become an ambassador for Christ and a promoter of peace.

Luke 2: 8-14 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be the sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Romans 10:8-12 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord who is over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

 

 

Pure Religion Promotes Life, Love, Joy, and Peace

November 17, 2015

There’s a sad, shivery rain beating against my window, blurring my view of the world outside. I draw close to peer more intently, in order to estimate the severity and duration of the storm. My cheek brushes the glass and I recoil in shock when I receive a cold, Judas kiss of winter. I feel a dull ache enter my muscles, joints, and bones. It is the ache of life under the rule of death that leaves every older person wondering if this will be another winter added to the list of winters weathered and survived or the last one. I’m not afraid to let this old body go; I know there is a better one waiting for me, because God’s Word says it is so. In the nearly, forty years I’ve known Jesus and been known by Him, my Heavenly Father has never broken His promise. However, there are those who love me and depend on me so, I pray that my Father will give me the strength to remain and I leave no widow or orphans in this dying world to suffer until, they are strong enough to survive and thrive here without me.

My thoughts turn to the violent acts in Paris that left so many widows and orphans. The rain intensifies as Heaven weeps over the insanity of murder in God’s Name. It seems there are so many people now, dividing into groups, and preparing for war. Fear is everywhere and the powerless, crushed beneath the boot of earthly power have had enough and want vengeance! One man’s fight for freedom is another man’s terror and all are fighting the same enemy that they see in one another. If it continues, everyone that manages to survive will be a widow, an orphan, and most, likely both. War, no matter what banner it is fought under isn’t holy; it is man putting himself in the seat of God in practicing vengeance that belongs to God and not to man. Terrorism won’t bring freedom but only, God-less anarchy and the prison of living in constant fear of others. The only righteous One, who frees the oppressed and those who seek freedom by becoming like the oppressor, is Jesus. The only war guaranteed to end all wars, is the war against sin within that can only be fought with success in hearts where Jesus lives by faith. The only pure religion is the religion that promotes Love, Life, Joy, and Peace through the practice of visiting widows and orphans in their affliction and living a moral life as defined by God. Jesus is the only sane answer in a world made insane by the fear and pride of mankind. Jesus is the only One able to quell our fear of the rising evil without and have victory over the evil within.

The rain is freezing now, turning to cold ice, and Winter is busy blanketing the world with snow. The specter of uncertainty and fear vaunts itself with threats of leaving all who won’t bow to it, with the loss of loved ones and personal destruction. The enemy knows its season is short and is wasting no time in establishing its ownership of this Season of Death. The natural response is fear but the right response is trust in God, the One who limits the power of death. No matter how thick the blanket of snow, or how deadly cold the winter becomes, the seed of life waits safely, beneath the ground; awaiting its new day with the hope that this will be the final season appointed to death. The sure hope promised by God that comes by His intervention, when Death will meet his own end and Die.

The snow is sticking now, beginning to pile up, and my window is so fogged and iced that I can see nothing with any certainty. I have no idea how long this storm will last or how devastating this winter will be. I am only a woman who can’t predict the future, or use the signs of the times to predict my destiny. I belong to Jesus and I must walk by faith and not by sight. I fight fear by putting my trust in God and continuing to fight the battle He assigned me to; the battle against my sin. This I do in preparation to practice the Biblically pure religion of visiting the great number of widows and orphans that this season’s devotees promise to create. I am humbled to know that if it weren’t for the grace of God, I would be a terrorist too because the enemy they wish to destroy does live in me; as it also, lives in them. Sin is the enemy that threatens all of us and is insidious in its ability to create unawareness of its presence in its hosts but to be readily seen, feared, and hated in others. Sin is a deadly disease, seeking the annihilation of the human race. There is one antidote, Jesus Christ. Those who have received Him by faith and make Him the ruler of their life are given powerful antibodies that ensure ultimate survival while fighting continuing infection. In Jesus, we have what we need to endure and save others from Death. The threat appears fierce but when we employ the powerful weapons of repentance, obedience, and prayer, we are promised certain victory.

Prepare for Death’s season and its uncertainty by drawing close to God; trust in His promises and providence. In such evil days, He is the only One in whom we can safely, put our trust. In the face of Death, we must reach for Life, by reaching for Jesus. “Greater is He who is living in us, than he who is living in the world.”

James 1:27, John 16:33, 1 John 4:4, 1 John 5:4, 1 John 5:5