Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’  NASU

In this life all of us are faced with ‘limitations’ and sometimes they are incredibly trying.  The strides of science, medicine and technology in the past few decades, is nothing short of phenomenal but limited.  Children of today observe things with such a passive nonchalance that would have sent our forefathers into hiding.

Think about it!  We have pierced the invisible wall of outer space, landed on the moon, sent machines to faraway places and  shrunk the world so that any destination is hours away.  We have created gadgets that almost rule our lives and the computer has revolutionized how many operate, communicate, and live.  The future is even more promising as technology is outdated by the time it is marketed and knowledge is expanding exponentially at an almost alarming rate but LIMITED!

Someone said, “We have become whales in machinery and technology and minnows in morality” and that often appears to be the truth.  We are ‘better off’ but not always ‘better’.  We seem to have an unlimited ability to communicate and often nothing to say.  In a reals sense we are observing the ‘failure’ of ‘success.”

LIMITED is a term that aptly describes mankind.  Scientist tell us that man uses only a minuscule portion of his brain and when we consider what he has accomplished using such a small portion, what are the possibilities?  He is still LIMITED.  There is one activity that man has been invited to that moves beyond the limitations of our humanness and into the Infiniteness of God’s Eternalness.   God has given man something that is LIMITLESS.

PRAYER is without limitation.  Time and space have no effect on it.  Prayer touches three worlds (heaven, earth, hell) simultaneously and instantaneously.  It influences and touches as no other activity and concerns hell more than most anything we can do as humans.  It can be launched in an instant and hit its target at the speed of thought and is never confined to the laws of time or space.  IT IS LIMITLESS!

The only question is why we do not practice it more!  God extended to us the ‘invitation’ to pray.  It is a simple invitation where He says, “Call to Me…”  Everyone can do it.  There is no special education or training required to participate.  Even those who cannot speak can pray for the directive is YOU call.  It is personal as well as corporate.  It is audacious in that the King of Kings has instructed us to CALL upon Him.  Imagine that!  It is immense as there are no conditions or limitations placed on it.  We can pray about anything!  It is dynamic for He says, “And I will answer you…”  Can you fathom that God is listening?  He said YOU call and I WILL answer you.  That is a promise of the highest order He not only said He would ANSWER but that He would SHOW us things we did not know.  So it is not only a time of petition but instruction!  The magnitude of that is mind-boggling!

Prayer is an invitation to experience the BOUNDLESSNESS and LIMITLESSNESS of God.  If that does not cock your pistol your hammer is broken.  Prayer breaks across the borders of time and stands firmly in eternity.  Prayers have outlasted nations and dynasties and no king, president or potentate can nullify prayer.  They may make it illegal to pray but they cannot cancel the efficacy of prayer!

Someone said:  If Grace is the river, Prayer is the riverbed through which it flows.  If Grace is the water of life, Prayer is the pipeline through which the water comes.  If Grace is the content, Prayer is the container from which it is poured.   The LIVING GOD of all Creation has invited you and me to PRAY!       He has invited us to engage in the LIMITELESSNESS of Him!

Shall we pray?   God be with you as you go through this day!

EXODUS…

In considering the Wilderness Miracle and accomplishing the Purposes of God we must KNOW what that purpose is, believe that purpose, adopt it as our own and have it literally become the PURPOSE of our lives.  In a very real way it becomes who and why I am.

In Exodus 35-26 we discover a significant miracle with the account of the building of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and I’d like for you to consider at least three things regarding this:

• The Greatness of the Miracle.
• The Fact of the Miracle.
• The Principle It Conveys.

             First, remember where they came from – Egypt which most would identify as a type of the flesh or the world.  It very definitely expresses a worldview or state of mind and a thought process.  Next, they had been oppressed poor slaves and now they were wealthy through having spoiled the Egyptians but they still had the worldview of Egypt in them.  Additionally, all their needs were being met (shoes, clothes, food) through the miraculous hand of God so the wilderness was not costing them anything.  Then, they had the Dream of a Promised Land they would possess but with the Egyptian mentality.  None of this suggested a mentality or willingness to trend toward lavish giving.

It is only as they began to receive the revelation of who God really was, understand their purpose, destiny and relationship to their possessions are they to be free to respond to the request that is being made to build the Tabernacle.  One of the greatest fears a person who has been poor but become wealthy or comfortable is becoming poor again.  They Egyptian mentality had to be removed for them to be free.  As they tasted God’s provisions they learned to trust more freely.  As they came to know God they could view the Tabernacle as a representation of the Manifest Presence of God in their midst.

           This miracle conveys a truth that touches every aspect of our lives.  God is above all.  All we have and are is for the establishing of His purpose and as we, in faith, obey HE BECOMES ALL WE NEED!  In Him there is total supply and victory.  In Him they learned the keys to living in Covenant.  Therefore I ask, “Is the Bible true or not?”  Jesus said, “Ask anything in My Name and I will do it.”  God had promised and they learned to believe that promise.  Too often we are just trying to ‘get through’ rather than living victoriously.

They and we need to learn the Law of Sowing and Reaping.  In this we learn that God is our source not man.  There is no harvest without planting or sowing and the reaping is in kind or “We reap what we sow”.  If you plant beans you do not harvest corn.  We reap what we so, more than we sow and later than we sow but WE REAP.

The miracle involved money but it was far more than money.  They were giving themselves and the ultimate test of how much of you God has is reflected in your giving.  In this situation we find:  The NEED was God caused.  The GIVING POTENTIAL was God arranged.  The OFFERING was God directed and the GIVING was God inspired.

Exodus 36:5-7 – “…they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do.”  6 So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done — indeed too much.”  NKJV

The result was God GLORIFYING!  They had to be restrained from giving for they were giving too much!  Do you see what I’m saying?  They learned to trust God and their giving was an act of worship.  Luke 6:38 declares, “Give and IT shall be given unto you….” 

The Miracle was God had them in totality and in that state could begin the process of bringing them to the Place of Promise.  Preparation always precedes blessing!   May God be with you as you go through your day!

EXODUS 18

My friend from San Antonio, Dennis Davis used to say, “When leaders lead people follow” and that is so powerfully true it deserves repeating regularly and expanded upon in all congregations.  Let’s consider one of the most prolific leaders in the Bible and see if we can glean some beneficial insights into the ministry and gift of leadership.

I believe that Moses, as most who are called to leadership in the Body of Christ, had a heart for the people.  He had the heart of a pastor/shepherd and his congregation had needs so Moses had to learn to balance in his role leading and delegating. He had to come to an understanding as to the extent of his gift and call, recognizing gift(s) in others and release them to function.  He had to learn to move from being a ‘one man show’ to a ‘facilitator of ministries’.

Exodus 18:13-18 – – Please read.

Moses, I believe, had a very good perspective of his ministry.  He understood that the people came to him.  I could accept Moses declaring:  I hear from God. The people have needs and come to me because I hear from God and I can speak to their needs.  That is wonderful, however there is a problem – – The people are lined up for miles waiting to speak to Moses but Moses hears from God so they have to get to Moses, right?

Exodus 18:16-17 – – Please read.

It is one thing to respond to the Holy Spirit but it is quite another to have your father-in-law, the priest of Midian who is not an Abrahamic Covenant person tell you what you are doing and how to correct the problem.  Picture in your mind the scene where this man is coming to the man who talks to God face to face and says, “Moses you are dumb!”

Exodus 18:18 – – Please read.

 Exodus 18:19-27 – – Please read.

After this counsel, Moses began the process of establishing a new structure in recognition that the people and problems were too numerous for one man.  Moses had become the ‘bottleneck’.  He is wearing away.  The people are becoming weary.  He loves his people so he changes.  Unless and until one learns to ‘delegate’ they will never fully release their gift and maximize their potential in leadership.  You are not capable of doing it all by yourself nor did God ever intend you to.

Notice in Exodus 18:21 – “You shall provide out of the people ABLE MEN.”  Simple right!  He has over 600,000 men to choose from so he has to have a screening and training process to make this work.  It could not be appearance or popularity it had to be as directed by the Spirit of God.  He had to develop a plan to TRAIN THEM and that is sorely missing in most churches today.  He began the process of selecting those who would become Captains of 10, 50, 100, and 1000 training them and allowing them to function ministering to the needs of the people and if a problem was larger than their gift or sphere of authority they brought it to Moses.  If we are going to have leaders who lead we must have people who will become intercessors, hearts that will receive instruction and people who will accept responsibility.

The bottom line is we need men/women of God who will ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’ and make Him first above all else.  Leaders you must not only delegate but you must release those to whom you have delegated to function.  There must be responsibility, authority and accountability. 

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

Proverbs 23:17-18 – “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; 18 For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off.”  NKJV

Have you ever looked at someone who appeared to be living a vile lifestyle and yet seemed to get all the breaks?  Let’s take that a step further by asking have you envied them or what they had?  The first question is not problematic but the addendum and the writer of Proverbs identifies wrong thought and right thought with a promise attached.

I used to hear the phrase “Payday Someday” used a lot as people explained that the wicked would one day stand before God.  I have heard it adapted to the mentality of “I don’t get mad, I get even” as descriptive that the object of that comment would pay.  We like to say, “What goes around comes around” as an explanation that all balances out in life.  Well, actually it doesn’t and the wicked may never, in this life, suffer visibly for the condition of their hearts and you may never get the breaks you think they have gotten but there is a cause for rejoicing that I want to point you to.

Instead of focusing on those living sinful lifestyles regardless of how prosperous they may appear become ZEALOUS for the ‘fear of the Lord’ all day, every day, and ‘seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.’  The writer gives us a reason that should stir our hearts, “for there is a hereafter and your hope will not be cut off.”   WOW!  So it is not what a man possesses materially that matters it is what is in his heart!  I believe we find that in the words of Jesus in the gospels do we not?

So if I live my life with eternity in view and anchor my hopes in God then I can live as Paul said, ‘Content whatever my state may be’ knowing that I am IN CHRIST and He is my HOPE!   What would we exchange for our souls?  What is more valuable than our eternal relationship with God?  Yes some seem to get all the breaks but we have HIM and a treasure where moth cannot eat away, decay cannot erode, or thieves break in and steal.  When someone speaks out of envy at what another has I always tell them, “NEVER look at the outward look inward and upward your big break came in Jesus and nothing in this world can compare.”

So as you go through this day go knowing that what you have in Christ is worth more than all the treasures of this world.  You got the best break when Jesus forgave you of your sin!  May God be with you and bless you richly today!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.   15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  NKJV

Recently I was reflecting on some people in my life who have gone on before and completed their journey.  I was missing them and remembering some of the precious moments we had together and the lasting impact that their words, deeds and lives had on me.  As I joyed in those memories for a brief moment an overwhelming sadness began to creep in and the Holy Spirit took me to this passage to read again and the thought of my heart was, “Lord, Its Almost Shouting Time Isn’t It?”

Those who have preceded us have completed their journey and enjoying the indescribable joys of eternity but we remain on this terrestrial ball waiting our change.  Jesus said He would COME AGAIN and He keeps His word.  My heart leaps within me as I contemplate what it will mean for that SHOUT to ring out and the trumpet to sound as the graves burst open and the dead rise to meet Him.  What a gathering that will be when My Jesus I shall see and the heavens open as we are caught up together with them meeting Him.

I remember driving home after a prayer meeting not long after I had received Christ as my Savior and there was such an awesome display of the moon that I stopped my car and anticipated hearing that SHOUT at that moment.  I have had times through the years when I thought TODAY IS THE DAY that I will hear that shout.  Obviously I have not heard it yet but that does not mean it is not coming – IT IS! 

As I sit today thinking about those who have gone before I miss them deeply but am not sorrowing as the world for I know that this thing we call death is only a transition from the temporal to the eternal.  It is moving beyond the veil and into the presence of the literal presence of the Lord.  Yes here in December 2014 I feel that it is JUST ABOUT SHOUTING TIME and I am encouraged in the Lord.  I believe there is coming a harvest like we have never seen while there will be chaos beyond our wildest thoughts.  I have seen a vision of some of what is coming and while I do not know when I know it will be.

So as you make preparations for the day; allow the Holy Spirit to encourage your heart for it is ALMOST SHOUTING TIME!    May God be with you in a special way as you go through this day!

2 Peter 3:10-13 – “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.   11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” NKJV

That question is too easy so maybe I should have asked, “What kind of person are you?”  “What kind of person do others think you are?’  “What kind of person does God see when He looks at you?”  Maybe even, “What kind of person are you becoming?”   All legitimate questions but the bottom line is WHO ARE WE?

There is coming a time when the Lord will return and all will stand before Him giving account of our lives.  The apostle Peter submitted the thought that with that in mind, “What manner of persons ought you to be….”  However he went beyond that question and qualified it by saying, “…IN holy conduct and godliness…”  So it is not just what I appear to be but what I am in my heart that is the issue.  I hear little preaching today about holiness and too often we allow ourselves a pass on conduct rather than facing the reality that one day we will stand before God and NOTHING will be unexposed, hidden, or secret. We may have hidden it from everyone but He did not miss it.  He saw it, heard it, felt it, and knew it.  We have a remedy and that is repentance where He applies His grace and casts it as far as the East is from the West never to be charged to our account.

Through years of ministry I have observed people strive desperately to maintain an appearance for public consumption but having seen them with the mask off knew it was merely a front.  I have wept before the Lord over my own heart as I was brought face to face with the reality that my appearance did not match my heart and while outside it appeared to be spotless inside there was stain that had not been taken to the Cross.  After all, I was the pastor or preacher and could never expose my human side for what would people think.  I have learned to be less concerned with what man thinks of me than what God knows about me.  I believe that if I keep my heart right with Him and allow Him to live through me as the man He wants me to be it will have a far greater impact on lives than if I live a life that is a charade.  I may say and do all the right things but if my heart is not filled with His holiness and godliness it will ultimately be nothing more than a tinkling cymbal or a sounding brass.

Our pursuit should be HIM and in pursuing Him we are seeking to manifest Him to the world and He is HOLY and GODLY.  There is never pretense with Jesus and should not be with us.  As I wrote yesterday instead of excusing our failures by citing our human frailty let’s focus on His perfection and seek to walk in His fullness.  Yes we are human but He is our Redeemer.  Yes we have sinned but He has washed us.  No we have not yet attained but we should be pressing toward the mark.  The old saying, “We are the only Bible some people will ever read, so what is the gospel according to you?” is appropriate and worthy of remembering daily.

            May God be with you as you go through your day! 

1 John 2:1-2 – “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  NKJV

             I have found two troubling trains of thought or mindsets in the modern world and church.  I want to walk very carefully here because I do not want to be misunderstood and not to appear self-righteous or judgmental.  What I am talking about is S I N.  That’s right, I said it, SIN, missing the mark or coming short.

There are those in the world and church that seem to think that because God is a God of Love that He cannot allow anyone to spend eternity in Hell as a result of sin or rejection of His grace.  That is more than troubling it is an eternal death sentence.  There are those who seek to justify their failures morally, spiritually and ethically by saying “Well I’m only human” or something akin to that.  Yes, we are human but when those of the 1^st Century Church addressed the subject of spiritual life they did not automatically allow that man would continue to SIN or fail.  They readily acknowledged ‘I F’ not ‘W H E N’ we do.  There is a difference.  Please do not understand me to suggest that I think I am perfect that would be so outlandish that immediate dismissal of all I have to say should follow.  It is saying that our objective and goal should not be ‘WHEN’ we fail but ‘NOT FAILING’ through the power of God’s Love, Spirit, and Grace.

In Salvation does the Bible not declare that we are NEW CREATIONS?  Consider 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  

1 Peter 2:9-10 – “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

Therefore, ‘I F’ I have been ‘born-again’, ‘washed’ in the Blood of the Lamb, ‘forgiven’ of my sin and a NEW CREATION I am not what I was.  I am no longer bound by the clutches of my human nature.  I am no longer a slave to my passions, pride, lust, human frailty for I have a direct link to His holiness, His grace, His mercy, His power to not only overcome enemies but myself.

I understand that we do sin but let’s stop identifying ourselves in such a way as to anticipate failure.  Let’s begin to identify ourselves as Children of God, Born Again, Transformed, Redeemed, and New Creatures in Christ who have the Living Lord manifesting His life through us.  We need to resist the modern mentality and return to the mindset of the Early Church who saw themselves as the Redeemed of the Lord not the Fallen of the Race.  They did not plan for failure they embraced that IF they failed they could go to their Advocate and find pardon in the time of need.  They did not wake up daily expecting to sin and become self-fulfilling prophecies.

You are a NEW CREATION if you are in CHRIST JESUS so allow Him to manifest Himself through you and IF you fall short run to the Cross for He will receive you there!   May God be with you as you go through your day!

John 5:1-7 – “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.   5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”   7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” NKJV

This is a most powerful story and I have preached and taught from it often and found it applicable in numerous situations and conditions.  However I want to address an issue that is too often the situation in life – ANSWERING THE QUESTION ASKED.   Here is a man that has been lame for 38 years and his life relegated to hoping an impossible hope and compelled to ‘beg’ for his existence.  I can only imagine what his mindset was after this long a time watching others receive their healing and he continued day after day, year after year in his lameness.

I am convinced in reading and studying this account that this man, like many, had developed a ‘woe is me’ attitude.  Understand I do not want to be overly critical of him for after that long a time many of us would be in the same condition.  He is brought to the pool by the Sheep Gate called Bethesda daily where the sick, blind, lame, paralyzed and suffering other issues waited for an angel to stir the water and then the FIRST ONE IN received healing.  It happened repeatedly and he was left in his hopelessness.  It must have weighed on his mind.

I believe that this is exactly the case, for when Jesus came to the pool he saw everyone but focused on this man.  That in itself is interesting for our Lord does nothing without a purpose and He was continually using the opportunities of life to teach truths that are invaluable for every person and generation.  Jesus came to the man and asked an obvious question:  “Do you want to be made well?”  WHAT?  I’m here every day what do you think?  One would have thought that he would have shouted “YES!”  However that was not his answer.  He said, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”  His answer speaks to his mindset and suggests that his mindset is the major reason that Jesus approached him.  He was hopeless, possibly blamed God and others for his condition and his answer justified his continuing in that state.  His answer identified the absence of hope or faith and the focus on the problem. He did not realize that Jesus was the solution and might have been offended by the question since the answer should be obvious to anyone.

How many times has the Lord come to us and asked a similar question regarding some condition or situation in our lives and we focused on all the reasons why it was not or could not be reality?   How many?  I wonder!  One of his problems was that he only saw one solution and since that was a virtual impossibility he had resigned himself to the continuation of his problem.  When the Lord comes to us and challenges us with a question like this He is not looking for our ‘excuses’, ‘justifications’ or ‘explanations’ as to why it is not and cannot be He is looking for a simple response that ‘receives’ what He brings.  He is asking us to roll our cares upon Him and trust Him.  So when you face a problem of long standing instead of focusing on the problem and reasons why it must continue lift up your eyes to Jesus for He is greater than our problems and HE CAN!

            May God be with you as you go through your day!