2011 “The Year of Spiritual Intimacy”

With all of the uncertainties facing our future and the surmounting challenges with the smothering appearance to even snuff out every bit of life that yet remains, the Light continues to burn. There is hope awaiting our embrace. This hope has more to give us than what we are able to contribute. Yes, we are to preserve the spirit of optimism in spite of the challenges. We are to remain positive for the sake of our own countenance. But sometimes it is hard when it appear as if the last shoe is about to drop. What if the worst possible situation we would imagine was to occur? Would it still be within our abilities to speak of good things awaiting us on the other side of it? If we are attempting to manage our own lives independent of God, we would be fatalists in deep despair or optimistic dreamers living in a fantasy world created by our own imaginations.  It is time to be honest with ourselves. Things are getting worse. People are becoming more desperate, and our security is being threatened. Yet God stands in the midst of this present darkness and confusion with an eternal truth. If may have been ignored by those who in their affluence we able to manage the day-to-day activities of their lives. But now, more questions are being asked than answers made available. He makes His Presence known through His Son, Jesus Christ. The age old declaration now is beginning to make sense; “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” We need to know the way to which we by our own efforts are unable to find. This is not some common path easily seen by careless persons who would ignore the requirements of God and not explore the dimensions of His love. It is the Way that leads to the Truth. Not just any truth, but the absolute Truth that is hidden in Christ. Anything other than this is the devil’s lie with the intent to deceive by having one so preoccupied with the false that they will never come to know the real truth.

Our issue is not just a matter of having our immediate problems solved and our current questions answered. There are some fundamental issues unknown to most that must be addressed if our issues are to be permanently resolved. The deepest problem is a matter of faith. What we believe and in whom we believe must be made clear.  Then there has to be some evidence given expression through our lifestyles that we earnestly believe.  It should not be passive faith, but rather active faith. The Spirit of God is beckoning us to draw closer to the flame. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Throughout the year 2011, we will be addressing the subject of spiritual intimacy. We need to know what it means to be close enough to the Lord in order for Him to reveal more of Himself to us. Only then will life make sense because the Source of life will determine our future. We are excited about what God will do among a people committed to knowing Him through His Son in an ever increasing way. We challenge you to draw closer to God than you have ever been drawn before. The Holy Spirit is willing to draw those who set their hearts to in His direction.  He alone has the will and ability to make you whole and preserve you for that Great Day when we will know even as we are known.

Vanity of Vanities

Hopelessness and despair are marks to define this generation. Despite the discoveries in science and progress made that rival every other generation, there is still something missing. Meaning for life, the reason to live has been extracted while the focus is placed upon survival alone. Philosophical discussions on meaning are usually ignored because they require a level of thinking that can be depressing if the pursuit is not in the direction of concrete answers.

 

When I was in high school, I had a coach that required us to excel in sports. I was one of the worse basketball players on the team. The coach knowing that I was in the ministry asked me to sit in his office and write down my philosophy. I didn’t even know what the word philosophy meant at the time, but I wrote down every thought that came to mind. It was then that I discovered something about myself. I wanted real answers to questions that were deeply imbedded into my soul. I was aware that there was more to me than what I was then able to express, but somehow, I needed to get what was in me out there for others to see. Some never reach that point in life because they merely redirect their attention towards more” entertaining and lighthearted things. These are the people that drift through life only to be disappointed with themselves and others who are around them.

 

To be anesthetized by overly stimulating oneself with addictive habits provide temporary relief, but the higher the high, the lower the low becomes. Ignorance is not bliss but rather escapism. It provides excuses for those who would rather not think but would merely want to feel things. 

 

“Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That’s what the Quester says.]

There’s nothing to anything — it’s all smoke.  What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?” Ecclesiastes 1:2-3  ___from THE MESSAGE:

 

You have a philosophy and is living your life as an expression of whatever your philosophy is. “philo” means love and “Sophia” means “wisdom.” The love of wisdom is the quest of every human. Many crash because their wisdom runs its course without a goal in mind. As we grow older, we often reflect over the activities of our past. Yes, it may have been fun, but what did it represent? Was there anything of value left behind for the generations behind us to use? Was there a path blazed for them to follow? Is it our desire for them to walk in our footsteps? The Quester or the Preacher in Ecclesiastes said, It’s all smoke. There is nothing to anything because he did not look beyond the sun for meaning. He thought that being experienced in all that life had to offer would be enough. Let his failed attempts save you the trouble of wasteful experimentations. Life is too short to waste on meaningless activities. Only God, who is above all, can give us the true meaning for our existence. If any person lacks wisdom of Sophia, let him ask God. What he receives from God, if applied, he will love.