a Pauline proclamation

Every once in a while, Paul just bursts forth with a great proclamation.

This is one of them...

And every time I read this, I also always think of a dear sweet friend who is far away...

Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[d] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

6:9

Don't get tired of doing what is good.

Don't get discouraged & give up,

for we will reap a harvest of blessing

at the appropriate time.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT, 1st ed.)



This is a verse that has resonated through my life since early 2006.

The key words for me are "don't get discouraged & give up..."

I cannot remember how many times this verse encouraged me to NOT kick someone to the curb.

I cannot remember how many times it has kept me from walking away from a situation.

All I can say is write it down someone where in  your phone, or on a 3" x 5" card & put it in your wallet - somewhere that you'll see it regularly.

And just think about what God may be saying to you, or directing your to be & do for Him.

overcome

Here on earth you will have many trials & sorrows.

But take heart,

because I have overcome the world.

John 16:33 (NLT, 1st ed.)



Jesus said this to his disciples as they walked along on their way to the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He was killed.

I doubt if he was being obtuse or vague, allegorical, or hypothetical.

He was shooting straight with them - He knew what was ahead for each of them - in the next few hours & days, as well as for the rest of their individual earthly lives.

And that verse was one of the things He said to them.

Maybe we should hold on to it, too

pruning

I grew up on a farm in southwestern Ohio.

We had a grape arbor.

What Jesus about grapevines & pruning is spot on.

What a surprise! 😄

Also, remember that these words are things Jesus said to His disciples the night before He died, as they walked along toward the Garden of Gethsemane.

I doubt that this was a casual conversation.

He was trying to jam a whole lot of truth into their thick skulls because He knew He had just a few more hours with them.

John 15

1“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

17 This is my command: Love each other.

one way

Well, so much for "all religions lead to the same God".

John 14

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

Romans 8

One of the most powerful chapters in the Bible...

Romans 8 

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you[b]from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,[f]you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope[k] for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers[l] in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[n] among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

challenge & promise

So don't get tired of doing what is good.

Don't get discouraged & give up,

for we will reap a harvest of blessing

at the appropriate time. 

Galatians 6:9



Who is this for today, besides me?

Who needs to hold this true for their lives right now.

This has been a bellwether verse in my life for probably 12 or 13 years.

It's both a challenge & a promise - don't quit, & a blessing is coming.

The words that continue to be a lightning bolt of truth for me are at the beginning of the second sentence...

"don't get discouraged & give up..."

How many times over the years have those 6 words stopped me from chucking a whole lot of people &/or situations - far too many to count.

If you're interested in the story behind me discovering this verse, ask me in the comments below & I'll DM you.

all I got

Jesus told (Martha),

I am the resurrection & the life.

Those who believe in me,

even though they die like everyone else,

will live again.

They are given eternal life for believing in me,

& will never perish.

John 11:25-26



This is all I've got this morning. 

weak / strong

2 Corinthians 12:9


“My gracious favor is all you need.
 My power works best in weakness.”
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, 
so that the power of Christ can work through me. (NLT)


“My grace is all you need. 
Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” 
So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. 
Then Christ’s power can stay in me. (ERV)


 “My grace is sufficient for you, 
for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, 
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV)


 “My grace is enough for you: 
for where there is weakness, my power is shown the more completely.” 
Therefore, I have cheerfully made up my mind to be proud of my weaknesses, 
because they mean a deeper experience of the power of Christ. (J B Phillips)



We put such a premium on strength.

We seldom if ever contemplate that it is only when we realize how weak we really are that we are able to step out of the way & let the infinite power of God to work in us & through us.

Today, let's consciously ask God to step into control & empowerment whenever we feel weak or inadequate.

I wonder what our lives would look like if we did that? Or for that matter, what would our world look like?

poor

Psalm 41

1Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!

The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.

2The Lord protects them

and keeps them alive.

He gives them prosperity in the land

and rescues them from their enemies.

3The Lord nurses them when they are sick

and restores them to health.

We have such a crappy attitude toward the poor...

fyi - that's the low income / no income people who live all around you & me.

The psalmist here write about what the Lord does for those who are kind to the poor.

Maybe we should take a lesson?

can't imagine

As for me,

I am poor & needy,

but the Lord is thinking about me

right now.

Psalm 40:17 (NLT, 1st ed.)



I don't remember when exactly it happened...

probably sometime in March of 2003 - I'd have to check my journal to be exact.

Since mid January of that year, I had been getting up early & reading the Bible & listening out for whatever God wanted to say to me.

He'd been saying quite a lot, some of it pretty terrifying.

(I digress - that's another story for another time.)

I was probably in March when I read Psalm 40 in the 1st edition of the New Living Translation.

You know, Psalm 40 is not a psalm people think of as one to read often, or at all, for that matter.

I've checked with BibleGateway.com - no other translation or paraphrase treats is as the NLT 1st edition.

Even when the NLT people put out their 2nd edition, they didn't translate it that way again.

But I remember when I read verse 17, it was like a shock like a lightning bolt.

I was struck with the psalmist's thought - the Lord was thinking about me right now!

I was fairly astounded at the concept that the Lord about me.

I was also blow away with the thought that He might think about me independently from some action on my part.

But the real shock was the concept that the Lord was thinking about me right then.

And that He's thinking about me right now - today, this second, on His own, just because He is who He is.


So today, carry this concept with you & consider it...

The God of the universes, the Holy One, omnipotent, omniscient, the very incredible essence of love, is thinking about you, right now.


Don't discount it...

Don't dismiss it...

Believe it...

Think about it...

short

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.

Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.

My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;

at best, each of us is but a breath.”

We are merely moving shadows,

and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

We heap up wealth,

not knowing who will spend it.

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:4-7

I think we need to be reminded every once in a while that life is short.

Judging from the antics of many in our world today, 

they seem to have forgotten this important point.

wait

Don't be impatient for the Lord to act.

Travel steadily along His path.

He will honor you,

giving you the land.

Psalm 37:34



We live in an instant, immediate culture & age.

None of us seem to know how to wait.

I certainly don't.

And it's my last name!


We are all SO impatient with the Lord.

Whatever it is that we are bringing before Him, we want it to happen NOW!

Our being frustrated with how long things are taking has no impact on the speed with which He acts.

I speak from current experience.

And I'm just as impatient, petulant, & demanding as you are.


So in the end, things happen in His time, no matter how pouty we act.

So we wait.

I'm not good at waiting.

And like I said, it's my last name...

what stood out

Today, as a part of my sequential readings, I was supposed to read Psalm 37.

Here's the words that stood out this morning.



Trust the Lord 
& do good.
Then you will live safely in the land
& prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
& He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust Him,
& He will help you.
Psalm 37:3-5


Be still in the presence of the Lord,
& waits patiently for Him to act.
Psalm 37:7
(dan note: could a shorter translation of this verse be simply "shut up & wait"?)


Don't be impatient for the Lord to act.
Travel steadily along His path.
He will honor you,
giving you the land.
Psalm 37:34

hand in hand

We always hear about the first 16 verses of John 3.

But we seldom hear anyone talk about the next 5 verses.

I think the next 5 verses are just as huge as the first 16.

Give those 5 verses a read

John 3:16-21

“For this is how God loved the world: 

He gave  his one and only Son, 

so that everyone who believes in him will not perish 

but have eternal life. 

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, 

but to save the world through him.

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. 

But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 

And the judgment is based on this fact: 

God’s light came into the world, 

but people loved the darkness more than the light, 

for their actions were evil. 

All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it 

for fear their sins will be exposed. 

But those who do what is right come to the light 

so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Then Paul writes in his second letter to the followers of Jesus in Corinth about what believing in Jesus looks like.

As I read John 3 & 2 Corinthians 5 this morning, I was struck by how they go hand in hand.

2 Corinthians 5:14b-21

Since we believe that Christ died for all, 

we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  

He died for everyone 

so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. 

Instead, they will live for Christ, 

who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. 

At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. 

How differently we know him now! 

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. 

The old life is gone; 

a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, 

who brought us back to himself through Christ. 

And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 

For God was in Christ, 

reconciling the world to himself, 

no longer counting people’s sins against them. 

And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; 

God is making his appeal through us. 

We speak for Christ when we plead, 

“Come back to God!” 

For God made Christ, 

who never sinned, 

to be the offering for our sin,  

so that we could be made right with God through Christ.