Lord, I want to know YOU

In a deep bass voice, the TV preacher speaks in certain terms about the future. He ‘advises’ the President, holds forth on the economy of these United States, all with an attitude of complete certainty. I wonder if that same total confidence that he projects in his pulpit grips him in the privacy of his study?  Over the years he has been wrong on many things but not once have I heard him admit it! Those who are so certain they know all of the will of the Lord all of the time are, to me anyway, guilty of a terrible kind of arrogance.  A phrase from the Word comes to mind - "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." (1 Timothy 3:9, KJV)  I know that Jesus saved me, that He promises me a home in Heaven, and that He will return to reveal His kingdom.  I do not know when, nor do I know exactly how.  That is why my life is a walk of faith!

“Jerry, if you live with such mystery, what anchors you?” you might ask. My Rock is not a ‘what’ but rather “Who!”   "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NIV) Knowing WHO God is allows me to give up the need to know the 'why' all things happen.  These days, when death hovers near, when life is lived not in months, but day to day, it is not explanations I seek, but rather the Presence of my Father.  Some want to make sense of their pain, their difficulties, with clear lines of ‘cause and effect.’  What God is doing is wrapped up in the magnificence of His sovereign will.  He is not confused nor is He merely valiantly trying to cope with chaos. He operates at a level that my finite mind cannot begin to understand.  It is enough for me to simply know, "God is here, with us, now!"  

Worship and wonder are closely related. We will sense God's Presence more readily if and when we learn to 'wonder.' The dryness of much in the practice of Christianity is the result of reducing worship to theological concepts and empty liturgy, hurrying through the forms without allowing for the Spirit to touch us.  It is a tragic mistake to turn the 'wonder-full' truths of the Bible tells into human sized packages of doctrine. Christians do not have much time for mystery these days. They love the TV preacher who ‘knows’ exactly what God will do at all times, in every situation.  "Preacher get me saved. Make me good. Give me three steps to being better at ...."  But life isn't that simple. There is an awesome mystery that God allows to exist around us which we can only appreciate if we will allow ourselves to wonder.

Surrender to Him and let your heart be captivated by wonder at the Majesty of the Almighty!  

Meditate on this Psalm today. May the Spirit give you wings to soar!

"I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. 
I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

… But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 
He shall judge the world in righteousness,

And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, 
A refuge in times of trouble.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; 
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! 
Declare His deeds among the people.

…Have mercy on me, O Lord!

Consider my trouble from those who hate me, 
You who lift me up from the gates of death, 
That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion.

I will rejoice in Your salvation.

… For the needy shall not always be forgotten; 
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. 
Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; 
Let the nations be judged in Your sight. 
Put them in fear, O Lord, 
That the nations may know themselves to be but men." (Psalm 9, NKJV)

_________________________

Holy Spirit

(play the song)

There's nothing worth more, 
that will ever come close,

No thing can compare, 
You're our living hope-

Your Presence.

I've tasted and seen

of the sweetest of loves,

Where my heart becomes free

and my shame is undone,

In Your Presence, Lord.

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here!

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.

Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for,

To be overcome by Your Presence, Lord.

Let us become more aware of Your Presence.

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness.

Bryan Torwalt | Katie Torwalt

© 2011 Capitol CMG Genesis (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Jesus Culture Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor FAITH DISCOVERY CHURCH

www.FaithDiscovery.com

Tragic, Transformative, and Tumultuous

The same incident takes on very different meanings depending on where you are sitting!  Americans celebrate the Revolution that brought the birth of our nation. The crown of England sees a defeat and the loss of her colonies!  Washington is our hero, England’s traitor. Each of us chooses to remember and celebrate some years and work at forgetting others, don’t we?  1987 was a disastrous year for me when it was happening, but today the misery of that time takes on a kind of glow, for God used choices that disrupted my life to radically change my heart!

Are you, like me, going through a time in life that is hard, that appears to have no purpose, that is one sorrow after another?
Before you conclude that all is lost, that your experiences are without meaning, I want to encourage you to pause.  Pray for the grace and faith to walk steadily through this season.  And, someday – if not in this life – perhaps even in Heaven, you will see what God was doing, why He allowed things, or even how He changed your failures into His opportunities! God sees His work, our choices, and works towards purposes that we cannot see as it’s happening. How differently our history reads in Heaven!

Exodus tells the story of a year that was tragic for the Egyptians and transformative for the Israelites, and tumultuous overall! Moses, once Egypt[s prince, then a fugitive, by the commission of the LORD, returned to the land and challenged the status quo. Boldly, by God’s authority, he told Pharaoh that God said, “Let my people go!”   Pharoah knew that the loss of his slaves would be an economic disaster, so the answer was a resounding, “No!”  Exodus tells of an escalating battle that appears to be a match of wills between Moses and Pharaoh.  Plague after plague befalls Egypt, bringing suffering and destruction to the country and her people. What is happening from God’s point of view is the birth of a distinct people that would be His own. 

In the final plague God challenged the Egyptians and asked the Israelites to act in faith. Moses announced that a Death Angel would move through the land and that the firstborn in each household would die.  Only one thing would save him - a sacrifice of a lamb, done by faith!  The Bible tells the story -  "Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. For the Lord will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down." (Exodus 12:22-23, NLT) 

The Israelites faced a moment of decision. Would they respond with faith and become participants in the plan of God? Or, would they reject the call with disdain and suffer with the Egyptians? 

Those who did as He told them to do, found safety and preservation. The Passover became the signature celebration, a moment of identity for the covenant people of the LORD.

Christian, where are you today? Does your path seem senseless or difficult?

Here is certain Truth!  God can use today – victory or defeat, pain or pleasure, sunshine or rain – all for His glory and ultimately for our good.  "He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (Romans 8:27-29, NIV) Furthermore, you are not alone. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, NIV)

How will you view history – as a disastrous experience of God’s judgment or as a delightful journey from slavery to freedom?
Obedience is paramount! Receiving His grace, walking in faith, and letting His purpose emerge- that is the call He places on our lives.

Years after the events of Exodus what happened made sense and the summary of it all is written thus: "So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey." (Deuteronomy 26:8-9, NIV) 

My prayer is that God will find each of us faithful so that we, too, will be able to celebrate history as the unfolding of His gracious purposes. Will you trust and obey? Here’s a word from the Word. May the truth of it fill your mind and heart with peace today.  "The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." (Isaiah 14:24, NIV)

______________

Oh, all Your promises

Are Yes and Amen,  Jesus.

Your promises are true.

All Your promises

Are Yes and Amen, Lord Jesus,

We'll keep running after You!

All Your Promises © 1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing,  Andrew Smith

CCLI License No. 810055

Ancestry.com and Spirit born!

A few years ago I started exploring my heritage.  Ancestry.com™ makes it simple.  Taking an evening, now and then for the past 3 years, I was able to build my family tree, discovering names and little bits of information. On both my paternal and maternal sides there are ancestors who came to this continent in the earliest days, settlers in New England and in New Amsterdam (New York to us).  A couple of months ago I took the step of having a DNA sample analyzed for heritage by region and matches on the website.  Because my paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Denmark, I assumed the predominant strain in me would be Scandinavian.  DNA reveals that my heritage is mostly English, with some Irish and a little Northern European thrown in. Fascinating stuff, at least to me. I am also a royal, not by natural birth, but because I am Spirit born!

When a nobleman from Judea came to Jesus inquire about knowing God, Jesus spoke of two births. “I tell you for certain that you must be born from above before you can see God’s kingdom!” Nicodemus asked, “How can a grown man ever be born a second time?” Jesus answered: I tell you for certain that before you can get into God’s kingdom, you must be born not only by water, but by the Spirit. Humans give life to their children. Yet only God’s Spirit can change you into a child of God. Don’t be surprised when I say that you must be born from above." (John 3:3-7, CEV)  "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." (John 3:16, CEV)   “Nick” He said, “you exist as a human being because you were born in the natural process, conceived, then delivered from your mother through ‘water.’  You can become just as real of a being in spirit only if the Father conceives life in you and you are born anew of the Spirit!”  That Jewish theologian was fascinated and took Jesus’ words to heart. He believed, received, and became Spirit born. We see evidence of his new life later in the Gospel.

There are many good people, religious people, moral and admirable people – who have yet to become children of God!  There is a vast difference between learning a philosophy, a creed, and a pattern for life and gaining a whole new identity that is God’s gift. "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:9-12, NIV)

Are you a child of God, by new birth?  The question is not answered by baptism or church membership. Both are part of the Christian life and not to be scorned, but the issue is whether you have received, by faith, the Spirit of God Who makes your spirit alive to God, a life that is as real as the one you got from your Dad and Mom. This is not just church talk. There are eternal implications.  Paul teaches us that this Spirit birth makes us part of God’s family with all the rights that go with being God’s child – a loving relationship with your Father (Abba) and an heir to the riches of Heaven! He writes  "you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17, NIV)

I hear it often these days – “Jerry, you sure remind me of your Dad!”  Looking in the mirror I see him looking back at me.  I look at my hands and see his. Why? Because I inherited his genes. My prayer is that the character and likeness of my Heavenly Father will be imprinted on me, too.  Oh that others would see Him when they look at me – His love, compassion, and holiness; and they will – because I am born of the Spirit.

You can be, too. Believe His promise. Receive the gift by faith. Grow in grace. "And everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life. “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. " (John 3:15-18, The Message)

________

A Child Of The King

My Father is rich in houses and lands.

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands.

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full, He has riches untold!

My Father's own Son, the Savior of men,

Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them.

But now He is reigning forever on high,

And will give me a home in heav'n by and by.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,

A sinner by choice and an alien by birth.

But I've been adopted, my name's written down,

An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.

I'm a child of the King,

A child of the King!

With Jesus, my Savior,

I'm a child of the King!

Harriet Eugenia Peck Buell | John Bunnell Sumner

© Words: Public Domain