Sharpshooting
When you take shots at someone else they will ricochet into your own heart every time.
Cleansing
Oh GOD, polish me with whatever tool You must, no matter how rough or brusk, that I may reflect Your Glory to Your praise.
Human Rights
A person who thinks someone is not the “right” color is not in his/her “right” mind. #Quote
Spiritual CPR
“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
Every time a newborn inhales a first breath it is a reminder of that moment when GOD breathed life into the nostrils of the first human being, Adam. As if receiving Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), humanity was literally inspired by GOD from creation.
But humanity, in their failure, listened to the lies breathed out by the enemy of their souls sucking in his evil to bring death to their hearts, spiritually and physically.
The only way back to life was for GOD Himself to bring His full deity into full humanity in the only expression of full life, JESUS Christ, GOD in flesh. He breathed out His last breath on the cross only by His own will so that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit and eternal life. When JESUS inhaled in the tomb, taking up Life again, He did so at the command of the Father giving us eternal life. Our sinful life ending in a grave became His perfect life as He breathed on our behalf.
But as with CPR, life only comes with response. In the synergy of Salvation, we respond to GOD’s loving us by loving Him in return. He pressures our hearts through circumstances, making us aware of the need of Him. He breathes His Life in us through His Word in flesh, JESUS. He inspires us with His written and preached Word of Scripture. Those who live respond, returning His love by giving Him their lives.
The Holy Spirit, the breath of Christ in those who believe what Christ has done for them, gives Life. And those who live will respond, breathing His praises forever.
1 John 4:19; Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:22; John 20:22;
Mark 15:37; John 10:18; John 1:14; 2 Tim 3:16
Feasting on the Favorable
What a difference if Philippians 4:8 were our diet: savoring what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, good, excellent & praiseworthy
PAThetic
PAThetic Luke 13:1-30
The case of Pat Robertson babbling on again to the media is pathetic on many levels. First, that the business/ministry he founded & which wisely passed the reins away from him still allows him to take buggy rides in traffic, so to speak. Second, that CNN would publicize the statements of an obviously mentally unwell old man, baiting him (and others would pass that on). And third that no one I’ve heard has pointed out that Robertson’s statement is the antithesis of Scripture, both for Judaism (in the Tenach, “Old Testament”) and for Christianity.
JESUS Himself pointed out in Luke 13:1-30 that this kind of superstitious thinking that GOD is Santa Claus & will put death in your stocking if you’re not good little boys & girls is not just wrong but stupid. There ARE NO good little boys or girls. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD” & the same evil that stirs the heart of a Santa Ria Haitian is the same evil that effects Pat Robertson & every other living soul. Nobody gets out alive. Even GOD died. But He, JESUS Christ, came back to life for the express purpose of showing His death was for us, all of us, in order to give us eternal life. It is the only way to Life. There is no other.
The Apostle Paul quotes earlier prophets in saying that Believers seemed to be especially appointed to be “slaughtered all day long.”. The writer of Hebrews (especially chapters 11 and 12) points out that Believers were martyred, not spared, because of their beliefs. The writers of the Psalms pointed out they were constantly suffering as Believers while non-Believers seemed to “grow fat.”
Natural tragedy, from cancer in a baby to an earthquake in Haiti, is part of physical life in a world that is decaying and dying. And it is allowed by GOD to show us that physical death, which He chose to share with us out of love, doesn’t matter. All that matters is eternal life. And that is only available by choosing Him, in Christ, because it acknowledges that the way of JESUS, the words of JESUS, the actions of JESUS on our behalf already freed us from the long- term effects of death. Death for the Believer is not a tomb but a tunnel. Not a hole but a hallway. Because GOD so loved the world, including Haitians & misguided preachers, that He gave His only flesh-born son, that whosoever believes that Son, JESUS, rose from the physical death for them, has eternal Spiritual Life.
That is the Gospel that no deal with the devil, no earthquake, no ramblings and nothing else can change. In the world you, and I, will have troubles, sickness, death by earhquake, AIDS, car accidents, whatever. But JESUS has overcome the world. And He wants us to follow Him out of it, if we only will
A Degree of Deliverance
A Degree of Deliverance
Printable version: http://www.arielion.com/degree.pdf
“And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:13
I’m not smart. That’s why when I heard my favorite preacher speak on this passage a short time ago, I heard him give a great explanation of how the LORD allows temptation in our lives, even as Believers. He even leads us into it. And that this is a good thing. But I never heard (or understood him to say) why this passage speaks AGAINST GOD leading us into temptation. And so I had to study and pray about it some more for myself (and hopefully you’ll get something from it, too).
If we believe Scripture when it says that “with GOD nothing is impossible”, and that He “shuts and no one opens and opens and no one shuts”, then we must accept that He allows the opening of temptation into our lives, even as Believers. Although He does not tempt anyone, GOD does allow temptation. Just as, although He does not deceive anyone, He is in control of even the evil spirits who do. As we see from Job 1, even Satan must have permission from GOD before he makes a move, much more so the demons (fallen angels) that followed him.
The clearest Scripture (as the speaker I mentioned earlier mentioned) that GOD allows temptation is Mark 1:12 which says that the Holy Spirit “drove” JESUS into the Wilderness with the express intention for JESUS to be tempted by the devil. GOD was not doing the tempting, but GOD the Father was allowing the humanity of GOD the Son to be put to the test.
And that’s the key. which I did not hear in the other preacher’s sermon: being put to the test. Although it is a different Greek word, they are closely related. The same fire that can warm you to keep you from freezing to death can burn you to death.
The same Spirit that is the scent of perfume to those chosen for Life is the stench of death to those who are perishing. Temptation is used to reveal the character of those who are undergoing it, whether to show their need for a Savior for non-Believers, or to remove the filth of the world, layer by layer through testing, to reveal more of the Spirit of Christ within Believers.
There will always be temptation. Because we are surrounded by non-Believers influenced by the enemy and his agents and Believers who still fail because they’re still in flesh. Believers pray that the LORD would keep them from temptation because temptation is a test for a Believer who is struggling in some area to be strengthened against it. To say “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” is to ask that we not be misled through dealing with other human beings, but also that we not have to take a “redo” in an exam we have already taken.
Make me strong enough that I don’t need to take that exam again but deliver me from evil by making me strong enough not to even consider that way again.
GOD Himself came to earth in the Person of JESUS Christ. He experienced all temptations we humans do, because He was also fully human. But He came through all of them without sin. When He died, it was not to pay for His own sins but for ours, and His resurrection sealed our eternal life and assurance to a way back Home with Him to the Father. When He grew in grace with GOD and man, He passed each exam, one by one.
Believers who are in flesh will sin daily, but we should have some record of progress and maturity as Believers as well. When we pray to lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil we’re asking not to have to graduate High School again when we should be getting our Masters Degree by now. We’re asking not to be college students still sitting at kindergarten desks struggling with the same Spiritual issues we should have outgrown through spending time with the LORD in prayer, exposure to Scripture, and counsel of other Believers (including paying better attention to sermons than I did).
We will never be fully sanctified in this life. We will sin in thought, word or deed in some way to the moment of our last breath. But we can still live a life of victory in Christ, because we are wrapped in His robes of Righteousness, not ours. And in our prayers, we will get a degree of deliverance, hopefully at higher and higher levels throughout life, every day, until we stand as graduates “with great honors” (Magna Cum Laude) in Glory by GOD’s grace in JESUS Christ, who is worthy of “greatest honors” (Summa Cum Laude).
Scriptures used in this message:
Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26, Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:8, James 1:13; 2 Chronicles 18:22; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6; 2 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 3:2; Proverbs 4:18; Luke 2:40; Luke 17:1; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 4:15
The Way of the Wise: Knowledge Management & the Wise Men
THE WAY OF THE WISE: Knowledge Management and the Wise Men
While thinking about Epiphany this morning I realized that the Gospel story of the Wise Men gives good lessons in Knowledge Management.
According to Webster’s dictionary, wisdom includes: “accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: knowledge; the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships; insight; good sense; judgment; generally accepted belief”, all within the purview of Knowledge Management. I would add the distinction from knowledge that wisdom includes the incorporation of these lessons into improvement of the quality of (or even sustainment of) life.
The Bible story of Matthew 2:1-12 tells about “wise” men from the east coming to Jerusalem seeking the King of the Jews. The translation of “wise” is a transliteration of the Persian word “magus”, where we get our word “magic” or “magician.” This practice was forbidden by Jewish law, yet these men came seeking to worship the newly born king of the Jewish people. This infers that “magus” doesn’t mean “hocus-pocus” magic but higher knowledge or power. This probably also accounts for calling the wise men “kings” because of the similarity of the word to the Latin roots for sovereign or king (majesty).
Whether they were wise in practice other than in their arts before they came to Jerusalem, they proved themselves wise once they got there because these men put good Knowledge Management (KM) practices to work.
First, they all came to see for themselves. Firsthand observation is important in KM and although one man would have sufficed to identify the new Jewish king, they all came to see for themselves.
Later in the life of JESUS (John 1:46) Nathanael’s response to a friend who scoffs at Nathanael’s claim that JESUS, being from Nazareth, could be the long-awaited rescuer of Israel is “Come and see.” This “Come and see”, principle of KM is assisted by the “magic” of technology today, where we can “see” new processes, collaborate and innovate over the internet virtually anywhere at any time. The benefit is that each individual can interact with new information within his or her own context which always has the potential to spark new knowledge in innovative ways.
The second KM principle these wise men used was that they came prepared. They brought their gifts with them, not knowing whether they would find the object of their search or not. And a subset of this same KM skill of preparation is to be open to innovation of new approaches to what you are seeking to learn/know/implement.
“If you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail” applies to knowledge and innovation as well. The star which had started their search by indicating the birth of the new king was temporarily put aside. Assuming the new king would be known to, and in the presence of, the old king, they went where a king would be expected to be. However, seeing this was not the case they were quick to accept new ways to achieve their goals. They trusted the new (star) which was actually a confirmation of prior information (prophesies).
JESUS dealt with a similar situation of innovation changing expectations with John the Baptist. John had predicted the coming of JESUS and was telling others of Him. But when John became imprisoned and was not delivered by JESUS, he sent folks to double-check. As if to say “Umm…I wasn’t expecting this whole get locked up for what you believe thing.” He sent asking whether JESUS really was the expected deliverer or not. The question JESUS asks of John’s followers is an important one for KM, too: “What did you expect to see?” Many times your expectations and personal agenda will filter information and experience. JESUS called John’s followers, as well as His own followers, including John, not to be trapped by their preconceived notions of what the Messiah was “supposed” to be from tradition, but who He was foretold to be by Scripture and experienced to be in personal relationship.
KM requires that we acknowledge our expectations and be prepared to experience information in a new, personal way.
The final KM practice these wise men used was that having found what they wanted to know, they acted upon it. They worshipped the child JESUS, and their outward act made their “head” (intrinsic) knowledge into an outward (extrinsic) manifestation that others could learn from as well. By worshipping and giving the gifts they brought for the “King of the Jews” to this child, they made a life-changing decision. And as a result others could begin the KM processes of:
- Seeing for themselves
- Seeing beyond filters
- Putting observation into practice
for themselves.
When JESUS meets a Samaritan woman by a well, there is a rare moment where He lets her know that He is the Messiah. She goes and invites others to meet this man who told her everything she ever did. They do come and meet Him and (in John 4:42) say “We no longer only believe because of what you said but now we see for ourselves”, that He was whom He claimed to be. They saw for themselves, they looked beyond the filter of this woman’s claims in the context of her outcast lifestyle, and they put their observances and beliefs into practice for themselves.
A frequently quoted problem in KM is that although there are plenty of Lessons Learned available, the same errors are made over and over again because the lessons learned are not followed, the After-Action Reviews (AARs) not heeded. One wonders what would happen if we treated Scripture as AARs and AARs as Scripture.
Perhaps we’d find ourselves wiser for the effort as we use KM to:
- See for ourselves (through technology in our own context)
- See beyond the filter of our expectations and trust those who were there
- Put our observations and those of the past into practice
Aquarium, Bag or Stream
Aquarium, Bag or Stream
Scripture: Phillipians 4:12-13 “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (New American Standard version)
Human souls are like fish swimming in the containers of our lives. And there are three kinds of containers.
Most self-professed Christians live in an aquarium. Their souls only know a facade of how one must act & believe & their circumstances must not change or be out of control. They prefer their world predictable and anything uncomfortable or troubling is seen as an act of GOD to show they have sinned & need punishment. This is because they know in their hearts the facade is false but any thought of being out of absolute control & order is terrifying & that GOD would allow trauma for obedience seems unthinkable.
Most self-professed non-Christians or immature Christians live in a bag. They fool themselves into thinking they’re free but they are the most trapped of all. The slightest influence of circumstance of any kind is jarring. They are affected by every passing thought, desire, lust, or influence. “Every wind of doctrine” sways them. The result is that they go into a spiritual shock of humanism. Or some self-delusion that since things are so changeable no one must be in charge or if there is, it is a power, being or concept like the reflection of themselves they see in the bag. So they can respond as they will to what they will. And their reactionary lifestyle quickly stuns & kills their spiritual senses.
True (mature) Christians/Believers live in a stream. They know that, because of the influence of evil in every person & circumstance of life, even Believers sometimes experience or even cause trauma. Their response is to rely not on circumstances never changing. Not on returning to things as they have always been. But to rely on what Scripture teaches about the Nature of GOD & the Gospel.
Life in the stream of GOD’s loving providence & provision means relying on JESUS Christ as the only means of forgiveness & eternal life no matter what, in every circumstance, knowing that He who did not spare His only Son but freely gave Him up for us all will also, with Him, freely give us all things. No matter how confusing the situation or startling the circumstance they respond “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” Their concern isn’t to control or change with circumstances, but to rely upon the One in charge of time & eternity and keep their thoughts and actions toward being Home with Him in the future no matter what is going on in the here and now. And their focus on a future with their Father allows them to share that future & hope with others along the way. Because of JESUS Christ, GOD come down to humanity to suffer, die and rise from the dead to bring forgiven, believing humans back home to the Father, they pass from being just “fish” to being “fishers of men.”
My prayer for each of us for 2010 is that we may flourish in the stream of Salvation. It may be a battle upstream at times, but the destination is Glory.
Scriptures used in this message: Romans 8:32; Ephesians 4:14; 1 John 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:12; Mark 1:17