Between Two Thieves on New Years

Christmas festivities are over and once the mess is cleaned up it is time to look forward to the New Year. What do you feel during the valley between Christmas and New Year;  Anticipation, dread, or do you plan to pull the covers up over your head and not get up until January 2nd?

Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.  - Fulton Oursler

Past sins and failures can weigh you down, making it difficult to reach the refreshing, clear air of the promising New Year. Fear of the future is nothing more than the fear of repeating the mistakes of our past.

Dawn of a New Year

The Cross of Christ is a finished work that removed the sins of our past and promises a brilliant future that is ours both now and shortly to come.

Regret

Regret is a part of repentance, not a life sentence. When the Enemy points out your many failings to you, simply point out the Cross to him.

As a new creation in Jesus Christ you are free of your past. The future is more than anything we can imagine. The question is what do New Creations do about New Year’s Resolutions? There is no specific verse to cite about such things. But the entire message is clear – Pursue Christ.

Fulton Oursler

Mr. Oursler was an author and journalist who grew up a Baptist, lived for decades as an agnostic, then returned to Christ later in life. The film, The Greatest Story Ever Told, based on his book, was released in 1965. Mr. Oursler knew what it was to hang between regret and fear, and also knew Who could free him.

.    .    .

Simple Truth – Simple Faith is devoting this week’s QUOTES and PONDERABLES to the topic of resolutions. Click link to read today’s post, Insane New Year’s Resolution from Mark Twain.

Enter your email address in the right column to receive updates.

Share and Enjoy

Christmas – Yesteryear and This Year

Be blessed in Christ today and for all eternity as you contemplate the story told here; each chapter the work of a different author, yet bound together in Jesus Christ.

Linking Past, Present, and Future

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” -Agnes M. Pharo.

Tenderness for Christmas Past

Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven.

Martin Luther

Courage for Christmas Today

In all the humility, gaiety, gratitude, fear, vigilance and drama of this Christmas and Advent season, remember the defiance and offense of the Christ child who was born in the cave to conquer the world. As Christians celebrating the Incarnation and coming of the cosmic King, we are God’s outlaws.

Patrick Poole, 2005  (Freelance writer and political analyst.)

Hope for Christmas Future

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Christmas Past

..

Agnes M. Pharo is another enigma of the quoted world. There is no information readily available about her.

Special thanks to dailychristianquote.com for a few of the lesser known quotes I’ve banked this Christmas.

.    .    .

Enter your email address in the right column to receive updates.

Share and Enjoy

Christmas – The Gift and The Giver

Christmas lists, both the “to do” kind and the ones addressed to Santa Claus, often exclude the most important entries – the Gift and the Giver.

“When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time.  Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?”  ~G.K. Chesterton

The brilliant lights of “Christmas” illuminate the noisy, festive celebrations of Man. There are no strobe lights, no tinsel, and no jingle bells on the Narrow road, only the deep joyous realization that a gift was given to us that made peace with our holy God possible.

Bounty, Not the "Gift"

Love was born in a stable.

Did Mary and Joseph decorate the stable with bows and holly? Can you imagine the shepherds coming to see the newborn lying in a manger, each of their sheep sporting red and green plaid collars and bells? Did the wise men bring not only gifts for the King, but also for themselves, each other, the camel keeper, the message bearers and a few extra presents “just in case”?

Yes, there were brilliant lights the night of Christ’s birth. The piercing starlight that backed up a heavenly chorus was provided by God. Ever since that Holy Night, mankind has been trying to one-up the King of Kings. Many Christians today have put up so many lights on their roofs, lawns, trees, boats, and gates that the glorious light from heaven is not visible amidst the massive amount of light pollution.

Church Service on Christmas

Next Sunday is Christmas Day. How many Christians will skip church services in order to “celebrate”?  And on that point, I have nothing more to add.

Be thankful. Share with others in the family the abundance of love and grace during this holiday time. If you find yourself worrying about the shopping, the cooking and who is using what greeting, I would ask you to stop, look around and take a moment to visit the stable where Love was born.

Matthew 7:13

If for no other reason on earth, the family of God through the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ can celebrate the fact that we progress toward the narrow gate left open when Jesus  entered Glory. That ancient gate will remain open until we pass through from this side to that.

Remember both the Gift and the Giver. Christmas has come.

.    .    .

Enter your email address is the right column to receive updates.

Share and Enjoy

“Simple Faith” – to share

The world is a mess. Christ said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Unless we become simple as little children we cannot understand the message of Christ, the life of Christ, the promise of Christ, or find the path He blazed to the Narrow Gate. If you find even one valuable nugget within this piece, please share it with someone you care for. Help spread the Good News.

Simple Faith

What is simple faith?

Simple faith is a possession universally sought after yet a gem so rare few ever obtain even a glimpse of its power and majesty. Simple faith is the Star of Christmas plainly set as a solitaire in the universe by God himself, announcing the entrance of the King of Kings. In one twinkling moment, the Star conveyed its complete and simple message to all who lifted eyes toward heaven to bask in the light of his glory.

Simple faith is the silhouette of an old rugged cross. Its eternal message is as simply complete as the cross is empty of any human form. With truths so simple on full display, how does what is divinely simple become complex?

Read more…

Simple Faith.

Share and Enjoy

Praying in the Name of Christ Jesus

Lately I’ve been thinking about the scriptural implication and use or mis-use of prayer and petition in the name of Jesus Christ. As each day brings us closer to Christ’s return I am moved to pursue a zero-sum approach to Bible study. That means no assumptions, no automatic pre-conceived notions learned from any source other than the revelation of God’s word by the Holy Spirit.

The scholarship and witness of others is of great value and import. But in “such a time as this” I’m not going to knowingly leave any falsehood in place.

Pray without ceasing.

Some folks believe that if our faith is sufficient then anything we ask “in His name” must be granted. If our request is not fulfilled the assumption is that our faith was deficient.

After searching the entire New Testament for any linkage to this issue a few patterns developed:

• Baptism is to be done  “in the name of…”
• Disciples will preach and/or  heal ” in the name of..” and bear “the name of…”
• With few exceptions all is “in the name of” not “by the name of..”

Is it possible to stray from God’s intent when considering the name of Jesus?

There’s Power in the Name

There is power in the name of God the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior. These names are holy and not to be bandied about frivolously, but the power comes from the relationship you have with the One who bears the Name and not simply using that Name.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ~ Matthew 7:21-23

These verses from the gospel of Matthew tell us two things, (1) that it is possible to prophesy, exorcise demons, and do wonders without a relationship with Christ, and (2) that just because one does such things in His name doesn’t mean He will acknowledge us as kin. It’s worth considering the thought that using His name without specific permission (by relationship) may, by definition, be lawlessness.

May I suggest this article by David Reagan titled Praying in the Name of Jesus? It is well done and there’s no reason for me to reinvent a wheel that rolls perfectly well already. Mr. Reagan’s doctrinal positions are solidly founded in scripture.

Share and Enjoy

“For such a time as this…”

Horses and dogs are fed AFTER my husband and I drink the first pot of coffee in bed and watch the news. The news this morning was as troublesome as the news was yesterday morning and the morning before that.

The times we live in.

“I don’t like the times we live in.” I said to my husband. Never before had I felt that way. In fact, there have been several times I remarked that perhaps we were blessed to have lived through one of the best eras in human history… the 1950s through the 1980s.

Washing machines, microwaves, leisure, freedom, the opportunity to work hard and achieve success on our own merits, and a society that agreed on what was right and what was wrong made those years something to treasure, if only in memory. God is no longer welcome in education or politics, and has been barred from most public places.

What happened to the Shining City on a Hill?

No forty year span is without its trials and rough spots, but overall the citizens of the United States of America were blessed to call her “my country.”  What happened to that shining city on a hill?

That shining city slid down the steep embankment of dis-society in the mother of all moral erosions and now lies in a dirty heap at what I fear is not yet quite the bottom of the mountain.

Immediately after I spoke these lyrics came to mind:

For such a time as this

I was placed upon the earth

To hear the voice of God

And do His will, whatever it is.

The people of the United States (indeed the world…) are like seventy-two snarling jackals (no offense to jackals) tied up inside a burlap sack gnawing at each other in an attempt to get control of all the other snarling jackals inside the bag. Those jackals are about as enlightened as the electorate is today.

Look closely at the 72 Jackals and the US Electorate

• The jackals are INSIDE a burlap sack.
• The jackals are unable to get OUT OF the burlap sack.
• The jackals believe their problem is with the OTHER seventy-one jackals in the burlap sack.

What’s wrong with that logic? Plenty, unless all seventy-two jackals lined up politely to enter the sack and were then tied inside by one who was mutually agreed upon by all.

The people of the United States are fighting among themselves. Those seventy-two jackals would be smarter to figure out WHO forced them into the bag than to snap and bite each other. Once out of the bag the jackals could identify the culprit who took away their liberty and encouraged them to fight among themselves.

The jackals (the electorate) need to realize they have a COMMON PROBLEM and work together to solve it. Only then will they get OUT of the bag and go after the guy who put them there in the first place.

Today is “Such a time”

The choice that lies at the very heart of every ideology, philosophy, action, or opinion is a simple one. The citizens of the world are being asked to choose between (1) God, and (2) Not God. There is no middle ground. The only people who argue that there is another option are guilty of either trapping jackals in burlap sacks or are trapped in one themselves.

The harvest is ready. God is busy preparing His people for their homecoming. The first century AD was rich in spiritual activity, both heavenly and not. The twenty-first century is equally rich.

If you’re reading this then you too were born for “Such a time as this.” Would you prefer to live in a time of leisure and worldly opportunity or the eternal opportunity we are being called to today?

Are you actively listening for the voice of God? Are you prepared to do whatever He wills?

Indeed, for such a time as this we were placed upon the earth, settled in this country, and must choose today:

God or Not God.

Share and Enjoy

Christ’s Promise of Peace

Everyone wants peace unless they’re adrenalin junkies. And one day even they will yearn for perfect peace. Jesus promised his disciples and we who follow that He left us peace – today, not some day. Do you have such peace?

In John 14:27 Jesus tells us;

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

How many of us truly understand the peace that “passes all understanding?” What’s the secret to getting this peace while yet in the world?

The secret is understanding peace in an other-than-worldly manner.

"Peace I leave with you."

The promise of peace in this verse does not guarantee us peace in our body or peace in our circumstances; Jesus Christ promises peace in our SPIRIT.

Those who have obtained the blessed promise of such peace – not of the world; not of the body or circumstance – possess a peaceful soul that fears nothing.

The antidote for all fear is faith in the One who opened the Narrow Gate when He entered heaven and who left it open for us until the last one returns home.

Share and Enjoy

Blessed By Uncertainty Among the False-Teaching of 2011 Christianity

Are you certain of God or of your belief in God? The difference between the two is life and death.

“In the realm of belief, when I become certain of my (organization or) creeds, I kill the life of God in my soul because I cease to believe in God and believe in my belief instead.”  ~ Oswald Chambers

Bible scholars strive to find certainty, to explain and define the Word of God. Many who hold doctorates in theology don’t live lives inspired by the Word but lives that analyze the words.

Hear No Evil.

Uncertainty of scholarship is the lifeblood of a vibrant Christian walk. The requirement to enter heaven isn’t based upon education but on childlike simplicity.

Jesus Christ says, “Except ye… become as little children…” A little child is certain of its parents, but uncertain about everything else, therefore it lives a perfectly delightful healthy life. ~ Oswald Chambers

The beginning of pain in the spiritual life of a child is the day he or she compares what a Christian parent teaches with something the world teaches and judges the world to be correct.

God’s Word is Revealed not Researched

Christians who seek the face of God in the pages of his or her Bible are frequently cautioned by scholars to check their revelation by the Holy Spirit against the opinion of those who know Greek and Hebrew. Where in scripture does is say that knowledge of human languages supersedes the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to interpret God’s Word?

In what chapter and verse of the New Testament do we find the concepts of ordination, of licensure, of denomination? The Apostle Paul preaches against denomination and separation in 1 Corinthians 1:11-13.

There is a healthy need to include research in our Bible study time. More important is prayer time where we reflect upon the Word and how is applies to our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mis-application of God’s Word is dangerous whether expounded by a famous evangelist or in one’s personal study. As new creations in Christ we are ever-changing and uncertain of what tomorrow holds – except for the certainty that we are held in the hand of God through Jesus Christ.

Is Your Church Guilty of False Teaching?

The final books of the New Testament warn repeatedly of false teachers in positions of theological authority and the pulpits of organized churches. It is entirely possible there is more false teaching than not in denominational and independent congregations in 2011. We are living in the end time and scripture tells us this will be the case.

“These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.” ~ John 16:1-3

Who is responsible for what your ears hear? You are. Who is responsible for what your children learn? You are.

Many faithful members of churches are leaving the congregational family they love because the Holy Spirit made it clear the teaching and leadership was false. Do you want the certainty of human fellowship or eternal life with Jesus Christ? Sometimes the two are mutually exclusive.

Certainty and Faith

Are you certain of the rule of God or of the God who rules?  Religion is a human invention to allow many to work as one through a shared belief in either the one eternal God or a rule that served whoever was in power and wanted to control the masses.

Religion saves no one. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ allows entrance through that narrowest of gates revealed in Matthew 7:13.  Christians of the twenty-first century seek after Christ on a narrow path that may not be highly traveled. The well-lit and popular broadway leads to death.

Each of us must choose which fork of that road to walk. Depend on no one save the Holy Spirit for truth. Be certain that your goal is the narrow gate and not on your ability to read those neon-blazoned signs giving false direction.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ~ John 10:3

Will you follow the certainty of your Shepherd’s voice or the uncertainty of signposts erected by man?

Related posts:

Convicted – When the Holy Spirit Breaks Forth

Leadership- Worthy, Wizard or Oz, or Worldly?

The Way – What should Christians think about denominations?

Erosion of Faith – Why doubt creeps in

Share and Enjoy

Bible Scholarship and What it Means to be “Submissive”?

The intent and application of the scriptural call to be submissive has been discussed since the 1st century and the debate continues today. Recently the question of what the word “submissive” means and how it should be applied in my life came up. This is not an exhaustive review of the topic but may, I hope, provide signage to direct your own study to discover Bible truth.

What is the role of man and wife?

There is only one authority for both what the word submissive means and how it applies to the behavior of Christians. That authority is the word of God — the Bible. Before settling on the topic of the day we need to do a little review of Bible study itself.

The Problem of “Scholarship”

Like most subjects debated by humans there builds a curious divide between competing factions. Consider the issue of global warming; one side insists that the science is settled and man-made global warming is now a fact. The other side says the science clearly DOES NOT support the hypothesis of unnatural climate change.  They can’t both be right, yet each claims the upper hand of scholarship.

This same puzzle exists in theological debates on many topics. Junia (Romans 16:7) was a woman whom Paul described as a fellow prisoner and a renowned apostle and worker for Christ, even before he came to the Lord on the way to Damascus. Most sources say that the scholarship is settled; Junia was a female apostle of great stature. Other sources say that Junia was probably a man and was only well-known among the apostles. Both sides can’t be right.

Basic Goal of Bible Study

The goal of studying the Bible is to know the mind of God to the extent that it is possible while we are yet in mortal form. Many claim that the Bible contradicts itself. I assure you it does not.  We hear the message clearly only when we understand how every verse supports and strengthens every other verse, whether Old Testament or New.

A complete understanding of God’s character and vision will not come in this lifetime, but it is possible to discover truth in part – one question at a time. Before going any further I must define truth: If something is true in one instance it will be true in every instance.

Truth is never relative.

Confusion exists where truth remains hidden. Bible scholarship has parsed, translated, and defined the grammar, tense, and implication of individual words, phrases, and verses since theological study began. Scholarship is a pursuit of humans and is therefore flawed. Only by searching for the mind of God are we able to discern rock-solid eternally true truth.

How can we make the Judgeship of Deborah mesh with the command for women to be submissive found in various places in the New Testament? How can we marry the existence of Junia, a female apostle in the early church with the dictate that women are to be silent in church?

The beginning and end of the Bible is that it is either the inerrant word of God and true in every instance or it is not. If it is not then there is no truth, no salvation, no Rapture, and we are on our own. Scholarship may disagree, but when we’re talking about the God who spoke the world into existence it is either one way or the other. There is no middle position.

Bible Truth

Establishing Equality

The relative position of men and women (husbands and wives) described in 1 Corinthians 11:3 is held out by some as proof that women are subject to men, and therefore are in a secondary position.

…the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

This same verse also speaks to the equality of men and women, husbands and wives. This verse links marital relationship to the equality of Christ and God – Christ is God. Yet there must be a distinction or the verse would not be in the Bible.

Christ and God are one Person. Husband and wife become one flesh.

Defining Submission

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers provides a key to the study of scriptural submission with this insight:

“To have a master and to be mastered is not the same thing. … Our Lord never enforces obedience.”

Submission is not synonymous with agreement, or necessarily obedience. Submission is more a matter of demeanor, heart, and humility.

Share and Enjoy

Convicted – When the Holy Spirit Bursts Forth

Roger Williams, the inspired writer of Reality Revelations, referenced a scripture in a blog comment today – Jeremiah 20:9.  When I opened my Bible to see why Roger connected it to his response I was instantly reminded of a similar thought that (after much consternation) made my quotation file. So, what’s the big deal and why the ambivalence about the quote?

First let me share the two messages:

Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not. ~ Jeremiah 20:9

and,

Accept the Conviction to Bloom

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.  ~  Anais Nin

Both quotations explain conviction, not in the judicial sense, but of an overwhelming compelling we feel to speak or act by virtue of a strength greater than our own. Few who have felt such conviction have the power to communicate it to others as did Jeremiah and Ms. Nin. Yet many writers share a truth that also appear in scripture; why is this case of note?

Jeremiah was a major prophet of God. Anais Nin is best known as a writer of erotic literature in the early 20th century.

Quotations – Does It Matter Who Said What?

Before using a quotation I generally research the one who said it to be sure I’m not heading down a dark path blindly and asking others to follow. When I wrote Amazing Grays, Amazing Grace I had to toss several wonderful quotations because of who said them.

My editor for He Came Looking for Me challenged my use of the word “convicted”, suggesting that many people wouldn’t understand what I meant by it.  Because of her ability to put words to the feeling I decided to keep Ms. Nin’s quote in my collection. Now I know that God provided a perfect way to share what it means to be convicted in this verse in Jeremiah.

Have you ever been convicted by the Holy Spirit? Do these quotes explain your experience?

Today I will ponder how a writer of erotic literature and Jeremiah helped me find words to explain what it means to be convicted. One is of the world, the other of God. Have you discovered a way to explain the concept of spiritual conviction? Please share!

Share and Enjoy