Meditation: July 3

 “I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely.” Leviticus 26:13 (MSG) 

God identifies with us and calls us His own. In order for us to experience the blessings of communion, there had to be a divine rescue. The attachments of old held us as slaves to another. It was our condition and geographical location. We were in our Egypt and joined to the culture of Egypt. What we once were was so much a part of us that our objective was to further conform to what we were able to see but God’s love sought us out and reminded us that we were in a place that we did not belong. The dissatisfaction within our souls not to settle was His mercy and grace reaching down to the lowest parts in order to lift us up above the slavery of Egypt. Then He ripped the harness off our necks enabling us to move about freely. Now that we have been set free after having been given the will to be free, let us not return to the house of bondage. We are now free to worship and free to serve God with our whole heart, soul, and strength. We have been freed that we may move freely. 

July 2018 Article:“The Constraints of Freedom”

Those who seek the path of least resistance can find a commodity called cheap freedom. It is closely akin to cheap grace. The appeal of cheap freedom is that it gives its recipients a license to express their every whim and desire, ideals that will eventually lead to their ruin. Those who hold Self paramount in their pursuits seek after it. They give the fallen nature of man full expression, while rebelling against established truths. Their mantra is “it’s your thing, do what you want to do.” “No rules!” is their rule, or at least their freedom allows rules to be compromised. Every individual does what is right in his or her own eyes. They gather a following as new trends are set, and formerly barbaric acts appear civil as a people participate in the demise of civilization. Freedom as an end, rather than a means to an end, leads to disaster. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire ought to remind us of the end of those who are free just for the sake of being free. “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25 The rulership of the king in Scripture represents the rule of Law.  “In those days when there was no absolute authority or guiding principle to govern the lives of a people, every individual took matters into his or her own hands.”  When authority is absent, silent, or no longer respected, anarchy replaces rule. Historically, rules concocted from the imaginations of the fallen nature of those in power placed shackles on their fellowmen. The rules arising from their narrow view of humanity suppressed the rights of other people-groups to fully express their humanity. These prohibitions became the law of the land. Compared to this, there is the absolute Law of God, who has full knowledge of His creation with the design in which all He has made is supposed to operate. When the Creator’s  laws are broken, whether it be by commission or omission, willfully or ignorantly, the result is always the disruption of the balance in nature. Those who do not know God or willfully violate His Word exercise their freedom to self-destruct.  

True and lasting freedom is constructed by the only One who has the power to grant it. A misguided quest for independence from God was and still is the foundation of all things wrong among us. The question that eventually led to a total contradiction initiated a series of activities which continue to this very day. “Hath not God said…?”  laid the foundation for the shadow of doubt which led to uprooting legitimate Authority. Then the contradiction; “You will not surely die. God knows that the day you eat the forbidden fruit, you will be like God, knowing as much as He knows.” (paraphrased) The search for knowledge apart from God leads society away from Him and replaces it with other authorities under the governance of the entity that initiated the whole process, Satan, the devil, the serpent, or whatever form in which he may appear. Today God is omitted from science, education, economics, the family, religion, government, and the arts and media. This is not just coincidental. Generations have grown accustomed to the ploy that the enemy set in motion not long after the creation of man. True and lasting freedom is the deliberate act of God as Father who set in motion the plan to break the power of bondage over His creation. If a child in raised in a prison, it is virtually impossible for him to imagine any other environment. Yet the dissatisfaction of the heart whispers to the prisoner that he was born for a greater purpose. That is why the enemy works overtime to make it difficult for one to hear the voice of his Maker. He does not mind if a caricature of Christ is presented; Christ as entertainment, and Church to be entertained and enjoyed is fine with him, rather than a Church seeking the things that please the Lord. Religion then becomes, as Karl Marx once called it, “the opiate of the masses.” False fires of religious fervor, void of true and intense worship, present wrong opinions of God. They do not see Jesus as He is, but rather as personalities and celebrities in the music industry, and pulpits that do more harm than good, influence them to see Him. The devil applauds such efforts because they do the harm that advances his purpose.  It is the repeat of his statement in the Garden, “Hath not God said…?”  True religion convicts the heart at its deepest level. It awakens the individual to the reality of truth by reestablishing God’s authority in their lives.  It does not lower the standard, but rather presents Christ as the Standard and the Standard Bearer. We must cast ourselves at the foot of the Cross and rely completely on God’s mercy and grace provided through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Only through the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary can true freedom be experienced. It is in His work in us, and His continuously living His life through us, that we both attain and enjoy true freedom.  The Spirit of Christ functioning in our hearts makes the love of God our motive rather than restrictions and set rules. When we are set free to love and to serve God completely,  we have the freedom that will last forever. John 8:36  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (KJV)

Meditation: July 1

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” 1 Corinthians 1:27

 God very often uses simplicity in order to convey complexity. One’s rationale may cause them to miss out on the most important and profound things in life. They are hidden in the mysteries of God. He discloses Himself among poor and the downtrodden. He may even be found among little children rather than professors of higher learning. If we are not careful, we may miss Him when He speaks of things pertaining to issues we would feel to be unimportant. God whispers His Word in the midst of the shouting voices of our day. His silent gaze may be the extent of His message among the fanfare and excitement drawing the attention of the masses. He has chosen foolish things and foolish people who do not make much sense to us. Their message is strange when we have more important things to do. Our wholeness may be sought with vigor, while the key to it rests within the simple act of solitude and surrender. When we are still before Him and not too busy seeking what we ourselves are able to find or achieve, God can then show us what we were incapable of seeing alone. The world is blind to this, but His children are the only ones who have been enabled by His Spirit to see and possess that which comes exclusively from Him.  

June 2018 Article: “The Forgotten Father”

Both hopes and fears can be traced to the position and attitude towards fathers. The family legacy as our inheritance is transferred from fathers to sons. Dr. Thomas Smail in his epic book entitled The Forgotten Father sums up this dilemma in two sentences: “Mothers tend to promote the fulfillment of their sons from behind; fathers tend to require the obedience of their sons from above! The first kind of love ministers to the needs of the beloved; the second kind dethrones the one it loves and presses him into its own service.” (p. 12). Both fathers and mothers are necessary. We need the push and reinforcement that comes from mothers, but we also need the upward pull to be elevated beyond status-quo living that fathers encourage. He speaks of obedience as the key since the father establishes the parameters and laws within which his children are to function. If lawlessness is to abound, as it is today, it is the result of the rules of fathers being violated. When boundaries are established the fear is the loss of freedom. Yet true freedom can never be experienced unless there are rules of engagement protecting one person’s freedom from invasions caused by the freewheeling and reckless lives of others. 

When the father is removed from his rightful and God given position, society experiences the feminization of men and women becoming masculine. The distinctions were established by God as Father and the order was to be preserved throughout future generations.

In the beginning there existed the eternal relationship of Father and Son. The first Person of the Godhead is Father. His will is to be done if His Kingdom is to be established on earth as it is in Heaven. It is the will of the Father that is carried forth through the Son empowered by the Holy Spirit. This serves as a protype of what God intends relationally on the earth. As fathers who receive their assignment and position from the heavenly Father directs sons to walk in the same path, peace and harmony are established on the earth. 

Godlessness and fatherlessness are parallels. Christ came to make God known as Father. He went so far was to share His position as the only Begotten Son with us. The prayer that He taught His disciples began with “Our Father, which art in Heaven.” The estrangement between God as Father and His creation culminated into the creature attempting to rise in defiance and competition towards their Creator! How many biological sons today despise the directives of their fathers? What a tragedy when they are competing rather than cooperating with God in what He initiated, using His resources along with all that He has to offer them against Him. This was not from the beginning, but rather, the result of the Fall and fallen humanity. 

There are some who may say that they love Jesus. Their problem is with His Father. They desire the work of the Holy Spirit. But God as Father is an archaic and out of touch with reality to them. They put forth efforts to divide the Father from the Son. Then there are those that may say that the love God. They just have trouble with His children. Jesus said to those who tried to separate Him from His father “that if you love Me, you will love My Father also.” He also stated, “Me and My Father are One” His work in the last days is to restore fathers to sons and sons to fathers; to mend the breach between the two. There are many who may have forgotten Father but Father has never forgotten you and will never forget you. Know the heart of Father expressed through His Son.  

May 2018 Article: “El Shaddai”

The names of God were revealed to individuals based upon their most current need. He revealed to Moses that He is the “I Am.” Then He made it even clearer that He is “I Am that I Am.” As new challenges would arise, He proved Himself to be sufficient to meet every need. As El Shaddai, He is God Almighty; Warrior or Destroyer; God of the Wilderness or Mountain. But the name that expresses His ability to nurture and meet needs is Enough or Sufficient; The Breasted One. We see attributes of God displayed through nature.  Man (male and female) was made in His image and after His likeness.  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! (Luke 13:34-35) The hen (female) gathers and protects her offspring from invaders. She is willing to lay her own life down for her brood. Even before the eggs are hatched, she stands guard and the eggs can only be taken by force, facing her hottest wrath. Jesus came to earth to give full expression to the heart of God on earth.  So much can be learned from His example of both motherhood and fatherhood. The basic role of a father is to provide, guide, and protect. This is the father’s, primary, but not exclusive, role in the family. The mother’s role is to nurture, feed, and encourage. Alhough she may wear many other hats, she will not neglect these key duties from infancy to adulthood. What both parents have derives from what is contained with God as the “I Am.” The love that we received from our mothers originated from our God. Even those who would extend themselves as mothers, not necessarily from birthing but from loving and caring, are manifesting the character of God through what they share with others. 

It is God’s desire to reveal Himself through His Son Jesus Christ and for Jesus to reveal Himself through His Church. The mothers in the Church serve a vital role, particularly for those whose mothers are no longer alive. No one outgrows their need for nurture. As we grow older, those who were once nurtured become our nurturers. Those who we once protected become our protectors. It is as if God reverses the roles and allows the children of aging parents to give back what they had received as children. It is an honor to express love when there is nothing expected in return. This is the attitude and actions of El Shaddai. He revealed His love to the children of Israel in spite of their rebellion and hardness of heart. He showed us what unconditional love was all about. Children cannot care for themselves but are cared for as they learn how to give and receive care and love. The mother’s breasts are filled with milk containing all the nutrients needed for the child to develop. The baby does not have to learn how to suck, but instinctively is drawn to the breast as to receive the blessing contained within them similarly as we are drawn to Christ.  When the mom’s breasts are full, the infant is hungry and mom needs to “express” or give forth her nurture. She is in pain unless she is able to give to her child what he or she needs. How marvelous is God’s creation of womanhood! Even after the child has grown, her greatest pain is not being able to give her child what is needed. She would be willing to do without herself in order to meet the needs of her children. God so loved us that He gave up His Only Begotten Son in order to meet our deepest need for redemption. He guards and protects His investment in us as a mother hen watches over her brood. He is El Shaddai, the God who is more than Enough, to supply our every need according to His riches in glory. Mothers help us to understand this truth and the provisions connected to it. May we appreciate God’s gift of motherhood as we worship the El Shaddai who sufficiently feeds us daily, so that we should never be left wanting for what we desperately need. 

Meditation: June 18

“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”  Isaiah 11:9

When the evil element has been removed from the earth, nothing would stand in the way of what God intended to convey to His beloved. There is knowledge that ascends from beneath teaching His creatures to rebel and resist all that is of God. It is sensual and devilish, deceiving many to believe that there could be no other way to live. The end of evil is judgment. A clear distinction will be made between the holy and the unholy, the righteous and the profane. God will then separate the wheat from the tare and remove the dross from the silver and gold. Those who remain will know that He is God alone for His knowledge will become widespread. The veil would be lifted from our eyes and we will see Him as He is. What a pleasure to converse with eager souls anticipating the knowledge of the Lord instead of the appeasement of their gnawing conscience with feel-good methods and messages! We will drink in the refreshing water of life that covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. We pray that the earnest desire to know Him replace every passion of the heart. Then our self-judgment will preserve us from being judged with the world and the worldly seeking of carnal knowledge rather than the joy of the Lord.

Meditation: June 5

“God is far higher than you can imagine, far deeper than you can comprehend.” Job 11:8 (MSG)

Dimensions of God extend far beyond our imaginations. It is impossible for any of us to contain what is to be known of God within our minds. Even those with vivid imaginations one can create fiction with such realism as to draw out tender emotions from the coldest of hearts. Yet much is left wanting in comparison to the majesty of God. There are no limits to Him. The only way to describe Him is through the use of superlatives in comparison and in contrast to what is known. He is higher than the heavens. He is deeper than Sheol, or the depths of hell. There are some who cannot accept what they cannot fully understand. They restrict themselves to the finiteness of their own minds and cannot be expanded to understand spiritual things. Only those who believe on His Name are given the opportunity to explore the depths of God. Throughout eternity, the mysteries of His Kingdom will forever be our quest and our joy in their fulfillment. We now see it, we have the privilege to enter into it, and ultimately we will know its mysteries as we explore its height, width, breadth, and depth throughout eternity.

Meditation: May 16

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17

To understand by faith that the worlds were framed by the Word of God is the basis for the settled confidence necessary to trust Him for all things. Faith progresses from the observable to the invisible. We are able to observe creation with the mysteries contained within all things created. The complexity of nature may be explored but the knowledge contained within each creature is inexhaustible. The delicate balance synergized into a whole unit reflects the genius of a Creator whose thoughts gave consideration to every detail. What amazing wisdom and power must be present to both thinks so explicitly and yet to hold all things together. Since God is able to create both the heavens above which expand to the highest dimensions of man’s comprehension and the earth, the lowest depth of man’s comprehension, then nothing is too hard for Him. We can believe Him for what would otherwise be impossibilities. No longer are they impossible, but merely require a faith that goes deeper than the surface. Nothing is impossible to the one who gives God credit for what He has already done.

Meditation: May 6

“If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” Eccl 10:10

The energy and strength exerted by the man who tries to figure things out on his own is constantly exerted. Yet the results are minimal because it is only mind challenging matter. The mind cannot achieve all that is believed when the axe is dull. But when God sharpens the edge, His Spirit begins to work and the prayer on earth is answered from heaven. God sharpens our axe in order to allow us to work with wisdom guiding us along the way. The Eternal God uses His faculties seeing the end before the beginning. He knows what it takes beforehand for the children of God to accomplish His will. We have a sharper cutting edge when we pray continually and do not lean to our own understanding. Then when His Word is spoken, it is sensible because the heart has been prepared to make room for the truth. Each moment must count with eternity in view. The wise seeks after wisdom and more is given to him. But the fool thinks that he has already attained it, thus grows more foolish. Success awaits us but we must maintain our cutting edge.

Meditation: May 2

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:10

Those who trust in the living God labor with a goal in view that is different from the activities of others. There are luxuries not afforded the faithful for he must live his life with purpose. Every day must have a degree of significance that further sets him aside as God’s representative on the earth, maintaining the course leading to a destination. Kingdom business is his primary business. Now the world system will notice the difference but will not know how to interpret it. His strangeness will be repulsive to many who would much rather he be silent rather than to speak. His activity appears to run counter to values of his contemporaries. Yet he has fully embraced his call and end to suffer reproach because his life is not his own; he has been bought with a price. Therefore he trusts in the living God who is his constant companion to guide him through this maze of life to his eternal home. His life is a gift to the world so that others who would come to believe that Christ suffered for a reason. That reason being the very ones who do not understand.