Tag: Restoration

Declare What Is Right.

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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.

Reconnecting with God’s Promise

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Written By Dan

It has been my observation while reading Psalm 115, our God reassures us that reconciliation and grace are always on the table, waiting for us to engage, waiting for us to yield. God made the earth we walk upon; he made all things on the earth for us. The earth was intended to be a cool place for us to live. It is unmistakably generated by God’s power, with his authority, and his immense wisdom. Yet, it pleases Him to make space for us to govern ourselves on earth and make use of his resources. His hand stretched out and created the heavens, he commanded all the hosts (angels) bringing them into existence, governing their activities and influence. All this is extremely good news for Israel, their God is creator and overseer of the universe.

Psalms 115: 1-11 says — Not to us Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, where is their God? Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. You who fear him, trust in the Lord—he is their help and shield. (NIV)

This is easy to ingest academically, but it is hard for me to wrap my mind around all this, to embrace it, and rely on it in everything we do or say. We are told in concrete language what God will do for us, that we might rest in his assurances, and build our life upon the notions of grace, redemption, and salvation. Let yourself think of this from God’s view. We are scheduled to last forever. Always around. Imagine one of your neighbors scheduled to be your neighbor forever. Always leaning in for more favors, wanting play time, wanting help in the yard, needing help to repair car troubles in the middle of the night, long endless talks. No relief – forever — 24/7 forever. Imagine a trillion of your closest neighbors always there forever. That is God’s perspective with a human flair. What an amazingly patient God we have. What human would design or plan this?

We have been given a remarkable gift. Liberty forever. This liberty has been proclaimed on the hilltops; God has put power into our hands. God has raised us up in righteousness, so that he may execute his promises through our hands. We are blessed.

What if I was an exiled Jew in Babylon; hoping (vaguely) for a return to a promised land I can barely remember. It seems like a hollow promise, never to be honored, but I say the words to stay out of trouble with my Jewish neighbors. I wait, wondering if the promise might be true. And then comes Cyrus. He closes in on my Babylon; we are anxious, not sure what will happen. Then it becomes clear. Cyrus captures the city and seems to be a reasonable person. Then Cyrus talks about sending the Jews home. Cyrus says he plans to facilitate the rebuilding of Jerusalem. How could I have planned that? Could this happen? The promise seemed like a bridge too far, but now things are changing. Who is this God? My Goodness. What is next?

Then I heard we are leaving for Jerusalem in a few days. We were captives, now we are a migrating nation, heading home. Home. How could this happen? Our bondage is over. God has redeemed us. He really did what he said he would do. Selah. Assuming the New Covenant and grace are part of your life, Elohim’s unmerited affection underscores a promise. The promise? We are heading home.

I choose 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.

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.

Declare what is Right.

Published on by DanLeave a comment

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.

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.

The New has Come.

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Essay by Dan

It has been my experience, while trying to wrap my mind around the old and new covenant of God, we need a global view of scripture to gain a proper understanding of both covenants. God defined the New Covenant in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Later, in the New Testament, we find Jeremiah’s definition used in the Book of Hebrews (Hebrews 8:7–12). In fact, this is the longest quote from the Old Testament presented in the New Testament. Using the Hebrews passage as a template, we find three pillars for the new covenant: Reconciliation, Revelation, and Forgiveness.

Reconciliation. God says — I will put my laws in your mind and write them on your heart (Hebrews 8:7). He inserted the law into our heart to help us resist Lucifer’s influence. He removed the barrier between us and himself. Ezekiel said – God will put His Spirit within you so that you walk in His statutes, see His ordinances, and you are able to keep them (Ezekiel 36:26-27, paraphrased). Paul wrote – For anyone in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus and gave us the ministry of informing the world of this reconciliation through Jesus, thereby not counting people’s sins against them anymore (2 Corinthians 5:17–21 paraphrased).

Revelation. God says — I will be your God, and you will be my people. No longer will you teach your neighbor or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because you will all know Me, from the least of you to the greatest (Hebrews 8:10-11 paraphrased). Later, Jesus specifically included the gentiles when He said – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). It is this simple – God revealing himself to us.

Forgiveness. God says — I forgive your wickedness and remember your sins no more. God promises to forgive our sins and justify us — we stand before God as though we had never sinned (implied in Hebrews 8:12). Paul defines the impact of reconciliation and revelation when he writes – If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:9-10). We ask, he grants, we are recipients of his grace – we are forgiven.

These three pillars (reconciliation, revelation, and forgiveness) define the covenant path to the Kingdom. They are the principal elements of the new covenant (the Gospel). From my perspective, the new covenant is built on absolutes, hardcore assurances, a promise to us that we will be with Him forever. The mediator (Jesus) intercedes for us, averting God’s wrath for our extensive list of sins.

We stand “shaking like a leaf”, helpless before the formidable righteousness of God. The only thing that redeems us is inclusion in the new covenant by the mediator. We have not earned a seat at the table; we were granted a seat at the table. Not by what we did, but by his forgiveness and grace. We have nothing of value to offer in exchange for our life – Jesus alone offered something valuable to redeem us.

We are blessed by the Father, reconciled through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are blessed by the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus (just as the Hebrew children were redeemed by blood from the Passover lamb eons ago). Finally, we are blessed by revelation from the Holy Spirit, freely extending His insight (teaching) to us about the things of God. Just as the Hebrews saw the power of God through the daily allocation of manna, we obtain our daily bread (teaching) in scripture. We have nothing to offer, we are unworthy to receive this grace. We are granted grace as an expression of unconditional love. Selah.

I choose Jesus.