Category: Jesus

Obstacles to the Plan

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Written By Dan

It was my observation while reading Deuteronomy that we are instructed to Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind (Deuteronomy 6:5). Additionally, I noted considerable New Testament guidance on how to wrap your heart around God.

For example — Show earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope to the end (Hebrews 6:11); Love one another earnestly from the heart (1 Peter 1:22); Strive to enter by the narrow gate (Luke 13:24); Labor for the food that endures to eternal life (John 6:27); Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the word of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58); Let us not be weary in well-doing, for we shall reap if we do not faint (Ephesians 5:15); and Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Additionally, Titus 2: 11-15 says — For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. (NIV)

How do we respond to this extensive set of guidelines from Scripture? We strive to be like Jesus. We labor to find his pace, his stride. We abound in hunger for scripture. We become zealous and earnest for the peace of God. We find the path away from laziness and lukewarmness. We take to the run, with the stride and confidence held by a winner. Jesus makes us a winner. For Jesus has placed this mantle of strength upon us to operate in this world but not be corrupted by this world. We immerse ourselves in the strength he supplies to magnify His glory.

So, what do we do? I think we are to lay aside the heavy load upon our backs, the sin of this world that surrounds and covers us like a heavy scratchy wool blanket. An experienced runners discards everything but what is necessary; this is also true for spiritual racing. Then we find our stride and enter the race. We run the race with patience and endurance. To run this race, I work to lay aside all the things that hinder me, that nip at my heals, I bring plans to guide my feet. The obstacles are there to keep me from being the man that God called me to be. The obstacles are there to neuter the calling I received from God. Then I need to bring up the more slippery obstacles. Paul referred to them as disputable issues.

Romans 14:1-4 says — Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

There will be things that people, convinced they know best, will impose on others, using vague scripture to make their case. We must be careful not to become entwined in disputes over vague issues. They are nothing more than speedbumps. Nothing more than obstacles to the plan.

I choose Jesus.

The Pursuit

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation that all of us who trust in God can always have confidence in the one true living God. In Psalms 97 we find a God of power and dignity. A God that delivers his people from troubles. We find the author of our salvation. For me, I see a God who reached into my dismal shell of a life and renewed his grace within me.  Let us take a look at the details.

Psalm 97:1-7 says — The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all people see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame (NIV).

When I had nearly given up hope of ever being ‘in service of the King’ again, he reached out to me, a person whose life was the definition of a rebel. He called me back. There was no place for me to look for salvation except in the grace of Jesus, nothing else has any value. I tried. There was nothing. I looked in philosophy, I looked in history, I looked in science, I looked in Math, nothing. There is nothing else but Jesus. There is no other name on the face of the earth that can bring us hope. None.

For the Hebrew nation and for me Psalms 97 speaks about Jesus, the author of our salvation. Our salvation is assured by God’s power, it is treasured and delivered in God’s grace, it is guaranteed to be secure, permanent, authoritative. We are saved by his strong tower, we are enabled to run the race, we are permitted to take shelter in the tower, we are safe. If I look beyond this deliverance, from my life as a rebel to the deeper things of the Spirit, I quickly notice the messianic salvation, my everlasting ransom, the repair of my soul, my rescue from death. and the restoration of my walk in Jesus.

This I know for sure — there is a world without end; and it will be well or ill with us according to our willingness to embrace the Grace of God. Plato had a feeling for this ‘world that does not end,’ but he did not find an answer to the question – is it real? Plato died when Alexander the Great was a child, Alexander the Great conquered Israel on his way south to conquer Egypt and build the city of Alexandria, soon the libraries he established became the global home of most knowledge known to man.

There are many historians that think the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) was retained in the Alexandrian library. Why does this matter? Because this library was a repository of known knowledge. This library would have provided an answer to Plato’s question, he was curious, but he died before the library was completed. Do not wait – God’s word is readily available. Read. Now. Not tomorrow. Now.

All of us, including me, know of the confusion we felt when we first became aware of our sin and the impact of that sin (before we knew Jesus). We felt trapped, unable to escape the effect, unable to bring ourselves to accept Jesus. We ran to and frow, looking for anyone with answers that could override Grace. We tried to build community in our sin and tell ourselves it was not sin; we became forward thinking people abandoning the age-old truths. We puffed up our little heads and glared at the one true living God. Defiant, we refused to submit. We joined hands with other rebels and resisted the gospel. We kept one another’s countenance as bright as possible and wandered in confusion together. Then it happened. The light of truth outran the darkness in our heart. In the light we saw we had no clothes on. We were standing in sin. No protection. The light exposed everything. Darkness can only be overcome by one thing – the way, the truth, and the light. Selah. We yield. I thank God he chose to pursue me.

I choose Jesus.

Live by the Spirit

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation; after listing the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds the believers that they “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). This is his way of describing our turn from sin to Jesus.

In my house above the kitchen sink is a beautiful Christmas cactus, I have had it for a few years. I have watered it and ensured it gets light. It has graced me with growth, but none of its glorious flowers. Then a few weeks ago, I noticed that a bud had appeared, then the leaves changed color and the bud unfolded into a wondrous blossom. The transition this plant displayed was amazing. I think we are similar, the Spirit waters and gives us plenty of Light. This takes a while, but many of us do blossom into a magnificent flower with the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul says — For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin (Romans 6:5-7).

Being crucified with Jesus is the turning point – the place where we transition from death into life – the place where we start all over – the place where we experience the effect of free will for the first time. This does not mean we will never sin again, but it does mean we can move forward.

Paul says — Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24).

I think, we are given an exceptional gift, a gift to walk forward, surrendered to God. Not so easy to surrender, goodness I know about resistance, being a rebel and all the things that go with not looking at the endgame, just looking at the pieces. Our surrender is an act of the will, our will, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Would we yield to him on our own? Not likely. Without help we just stand there, hoping no one would notice. Saying yes to God is no trivial thing.

I have noted when perusing both Romans 6 and Romans 12, putting God first is the only appropriate response to God. The only sensible response for God. The only logical response to God. If we embrace this response, we find the mercy he extends to us and the grace he created for us. If we continue to resist, well we will soon suffer a divided heart. We will have one foot centered in his will and one foot dragging behind, stuck in the world.

In this state, One could say that we are of two minds, we want God’s sheltering protection but we are not so interested in living within his circle of influence. We are willing to walk away from sin when it is convenient, but we do not walk away from sin when it is not convenient. I can rationalize and make ‘excellent logical reasons’ why my decision is ok, but in the end, God is not impressed, and he waits. He patiently waits. How about you? Do you find yourself rationalizing?

CS Lewis says – If we let God – for we can prevent him if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a … dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine a bright, stainless mirror which reflects aback to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness.

So, what does this mean? This essay is about His amazing power to transform us, the Holy Spirit will lift our heart and carry to completion the journey of transformation for you and for me – The transformation leads to the renewing of our mind. First comes conviction, then conversion and filling. Then comes transformation. The final step is the renewing of the mind. This ‘thing’ works from the inside out. We can collect scripture about proper behavior and feel good, basking in the sunlight. Or we can allow the word to transform our heart and then allow the Holy Spirit to renew the source of our behavior – our mind. Please do not lose sight of Proverbs 23:7 – as a man thinks, a man is.

Hanging with God, at the deepest level, our heart and mind begins to crave God’s grace and mercy, rejecting the old ways that seem so comfortable in the past… What do we do? How do we respond to the craving? As a man thinks, a man is.

I choose Jesus.

Unmerited Grace for All

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation that we Christians look to the Bible for lasting meaning and hope; this search allows us to use our reasoning abilities as God intended. The Bible presents the reality of God (implied in Revelation 1:8), who has revealed Himself to all people (implied in Psalms 19:1-2).

The apostle Paul argued this point when he wrote, “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen; being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). This declaration, in which God reveals Himself through nature, is also shown to the heart of every person, for “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Romans 1:19).

John Calvin referred to this as the ‘sensus divinitatis’, which is an innate sense of divinity, an intuitive knowledge that God exists. Calvin wrote, “there exists in the human mind and indeed by natural instinct, some sense of Deity.” He further states, “All men of sound judgment will therefore hold, that a sense of Deity is indelibly engraved on the human heart.” Calvin also wrote, “there never has been, from the very first, any corner of the globe, any city, any household, without religion, [which] amounts to a tacit confession, that a sense of Deity is inscribed on every heart.”

The problem is not with God’s clear revelation, but with the human heart which is rebellious. For those possessed with sinful persistence, they suppress the truth with their unrighteousness (implied in Romans 1:18). These rebels have a sinful heart that ignores God’s grace to pursue earthly passions.

In Romans 1:21-23 Paul wrote — For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. (NIV).

God never forces Himself on anyone. People are free to choose whether to accept Him or not. If they reject the gentle nudge from the Spirit of God, he does not render the final judgment upon them right away. Rather, God extends to them an undeserved period of kindness and goodness, regardless of whether they have yielded to grace or continue rebelling (implied in John 3:16). But death brings the period of kindness to closure.

This grace is dependent on God and not the attitude or actions of men. Jesus said of His Father, that “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Paul affirmed this grace, saying, “In the generations gone by, He permitted all the nations to go their own ways [in rebellion]; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17). Here, God’s grace is obvious, Elohim provides what we need. He even blesses the unsaved and unrepentant. His love, mercy, and goodness are extended toward the undeserving entirely because of his earnest goal to see all of us yield to Grace before we die.

Salvation comes to us by grace alone (it is an undeserved gift), through faith alone (adding no works), by Jesus alone (as the only One who saves). Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation comes to us via the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (implied in Romans 10:9). We deserve death; but grace abounds through the ransom paid by the Lamb of God.

I choose Jesus.

Declare what is Right.

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation that we see a recurring message in scripture that Elohim is to be trusted above all else in this universe.  Idols are man’s creation – they have zero power, they are inert, lifeless, useless. Elohim reveals himself when it is necessary to accomplish a goal or we are in trouble. When our free will gets us into mischief then God intervenes as necessary to be sure we do not get too far into the weeds.

Isaiah 45:15-19 says — All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, for the ages everlasting. For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited— he says: I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants, Seek me in vain. I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. (NIV)

Isaiah mentions the everlasting salvation to be sure we are not discouraged too much.  Yet, Elohim must be true to his own sense of fair play and justice, if we make mistakes and fail to repent then we can expect issues. Sometimes, if training is required, even with repentance, issues come our way. Our job?  Stay focused. Keep our eye on God. The growth of God’s people is delivered in layers of grace and training. We learn, we get better, but we still seem to stumble. Fortunately, Elohim is longsuffering and patient with us. He knows how timid and helpless we are when faced with huge obstacles. Elohim knows we charge ahead foolishly and get ourselves all tangled up in the brambles. He smiles, then at the right time Elohim pulls us out of trouble, every time. The Spirit of the Lord is always working on our heart (implied in Zechariah 4:6), therefore the accidental troubles we encounter are mere speedbumps.

Isaiah 57:14-16 says – Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry for then they would faint away because of me—the very people I have created. (NIV)

The people who make our distractions (graven objects) sometimes create public personalities that we aspire to be like (worship).  They are makers of Idols (chaff).  Then they say — you need this thing or you need to hear this or you need to see this event if you want to live life to the fullest.  They quietly place a fence about our life — we find ourselves generating loads of activity as we aspire to emulate the public personalities or accomplish the specified objectives. We are trapped.

The deeper truth — It is God’s hope that we get still, listen to the Holy Spirit, and reassign our adulation to the one true living God. The makers of the public personas and distractions often see the emptiness themselves and they pull away from the façade as they get a bit older. They become more honest in their messaging and we all benefit. Consider the transition of some aging rock stars as they settle down, abandon drugs, and start leading godly lives.  Usually, something occurred in their life (an uncomfortable event) that helped them to see their sin and yield to the one true living God. It is amazing to see this happen with people– we all need Jesus – it does not matter what we do or how we live – we all need the one true living God.  In this transformation – we are able to declare what is right and live for God.

I choose Jesus.

Hovering over the Waters

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Essay By Dan

It has been my observation while Walking with God that the more you learn about the Holy Spirit the easier it is to hear his voice, feel his nudge, and recognize when he is influencing or pressing to influence a decision you are making. When did the Holy Spirit first appear? In the second verse of Genesis, we read — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Before anything was created, the Spirit was present, hovering, observing, and pondering on us. Us!

After the escape from Egypt, the Hebrews wandered about the desert for 40 years. They could have made the journey in about 11 days. But they were a stubborn lot and God kept them wandering to bring them under control. Noting the struggles of Moses, God took steps to reduce his workload.

In Numbers we read — The LORD said to Moses, gather for Me seventy men whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them. I will take the Spirit that is on you and put it on them; they will share the burden of the people; you will not be alone (Numbers 11:16-17 paraphrased). This action really helped Moses govern the Hebrews. Notice the presence of the Holy Spirit.

There are other places that provide a clear signal that the Holy Spirit was on the job. For example, King David was very personable; he was charming, open, and appreciated by his people in his early years. David tells us — The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). Once again, we see decisive guidance by the Holy Spirit provided to people who had faith. David learned to be responsive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit.

Yet there were problems. David struggled with desire. Uriah was one of the mighty men who surrounded and protected David from trouble in the early years (2 Samuel 23:39). Uriah had a strikingly beautiful wife. David, overcome by foolishness, had Uriah killed to take Bathsheba for himself. Not a good plan. David repented. Elohim forgave David. But his failure to listen led to consequences.

After Bathsheba, things went south for David (see 2 Samuel chapter 13-24). Bathsheba’s first born died seven days after birth. (2 Samuel 12:15–23). Nathan said — The sword shall never depart from your house (2 Samuel 12:10). David found his kingdom constantly in trouble and shredded by two civil wars. Nathan said — I [the Lord] will raise up evil against you out of your own house (2 Samuel 12:11–12). David’s sons Amnon and Absalom were very violent, life was cheap in those days. Yet, Bathsheba, David, and Solomon were specified in the DNA lineage defined for Jesus (see Matthew 1:6). That is Forgiveness!

God was not done with us. Isaiah wrote — A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him — the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, counsel and might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2 paraphrased).

This message makes it clear the Holy Spirit knew about the new covenant, even as he hovered above the waters in Genesis 1:2 (God’s foreknowledge). Jesus, in the bloodline of David and Bathsheba, was to be the one true living King, the Messiah. Jesus exuded the wisdom, power, clarity, and knowledge of God.

Learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice was an issue for Moses, David, and Isaiah. They all figured it out. They all found a way to differentiate between the Holy Spirit and their internal self-talk. You will figure it out too. Knowing the voice of God is part of how we are designed. Start now, listening, evaluating the message with scripture. Grow close to the nudge and voice. He will talk to you. He will. Be still and listen.

I choose Jesus.

Finding the Path Home

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Essay By Dan

It has been my observation from Genesis 3 that we have been rebellious since the beginning. The rebellion started with Adam and expanded to all of us. Then Elohim (God) pushed the reset button on civilization (Noah and the flood) and started fresh with one family. Gradually, after the flood, Elohim introduced rules to live by (Leviticus) – a process of self-regulation that required our attention.

When I read Leviticus, I am struck by the sheer volume and range of trouble we can get ourselves into. Human sin is very destructive. It disfigures our soul, pollutes our mind, and taints our heart with darkness. God’s work in us is impaired, distracted, weakened. Our relationships are fractured, we struggle for power, we become aggressive in our heart, and eventually we become comfortable with evil. Rebellion and self-aggrandizement become our highway to mediocracy. Our sin is invasive; it spreads from our heart to our family – then the rebellion quickly infects the community and creeps into God’s house. The Holy of Holies becomes unclean. How does God feel? I suspect a combination of exasperation and compassion for us. We vandalize his house with our sin, leaving our tags everywhere. His tears form. We leave our trash in heaps at his feet (as we unburden ourselves) and then head straight back into the cesspool. He sighs. He is holy, we are mired in rebellion. Yes, I too am guilty of creating trash heaps.

The ancient story of Israel and Egypt is a story of sorrow when God’s people choose to take ownership of God’s plan and redefine morality to suit their desires. As a result, they became slaves in Egypt. Enter Moses, the Red Sea, the Tabernacle, and the book of Leviticus. Tabernacle operations (defined in Leviticus) was the method where God opened the door to dwell amongst the people with a new leadership plan (sin payments). The tabernacle walls protected our eyes from Elohim’s shekinah light.

You know that sin is infectious. It is easier to continue than stop. The Israelites needed a path that pulled them away from sin, cleared the debt of sin, and opened the door to sustainable operations in God’s presence. This leads us to the reason for animal sacrifice. The sacrifice was first seen in the skins provided by God to Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness (self-awareness of sin); then, as time progressed, sin became much more deplorable. Rampant sin illustrated the need for a new covenant.

I would not find it easy to cut an animal’s throat and watch it die, even if it were necessary to rectify my personal foolishness. Please understand, I am a carnivorous person, killing animals is part of that lifestyle. But this sacrifice thing is different. Watching life (blood) drain into a bowl, a visceral image of the outcome of sin, would be an overwhelming event for me. We (through our sin) accelerate the darkness that tries to crush the world. The impact cannot be overstated; it may not seem like much to yell at your neighbor. Who gets injured? Yet, looking at sin on the global scale, the multiplication factor drives the number of sins towards infinity every moment of every day. The aggregate of our sin grieves God. The old covenant law exposes Lucifer and our weakness. The new covenant is built on grace.

The symbolism of the sacrifice is a physical expression of God’s demand for justice and desire to offer grace. Elohim is justified when he wants people to face the consequences (owning the sacrifice). But, at the same time, he feels compassion for us. So, he accepts the animal’s life as a temporary payment. Consider the impact of the Yom Kippur’s blood offering and the scapegoat (sin removal). This is a precursor for the ransom of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to write Elohim’s precepts on our hearts.

John wrote — God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10). His love and sacrifice for us defines our path home.

I choose Jesus.