The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,300 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 38 trips to carry that many people.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. (Psalm 84:6)
I had lost my purpose. Discouragement and lack of direction overwhelmed me. Frustration gripped the inner-most part of my heart. I didn’t know what to do. Sadness began to set in. Then a friend looked into my eyes and said, “Go put your face in a pillow and cry your eyes out before God.” I did. It wasn’t hard. I was ready to cry. My valley of weeping became a spring of life in that place of prayer! Direction and new life came at the altars of God. I found my way. His name was the Lord of hosts. It was Him all along.
Our first child was lost through miscarriage. Grief overtook us. I placed my head on my wife’s shoulder and together we wept. For months grief and sadness welled up within us. Then we decided to make a spring in the deepest part of the valley of weeping. We worshiped. For hours, days, weeks, and months we worshiped. That season will be forever etched into our memories as a place of refreshing springs. We found our Reward. It was Him all along.
My daughter almost lost her ability to walk. Guillain-Barre syndrome took her strength, her nerves, and her reflexes. It was a tough, deep, and long valley. It broke me down. In my emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion I fell back on my bed. I began to weep before God. As I wept and prayed a picture entered my mind. I saw my daughter running and saying, “Daddy look, I’m doing it!” I crawled out of bed, got on my knees, and worshiped my King. That day in the valley I went from strength to strength. For it was that day that my worshipful weeping appeared before God. He looked upon me and I looked upon His glory and grace. It was Him I desired all along.
I’ve learned something in the deepest part of the valley of weeping. I have learned that if I dig deep (real deep), and allow God to dig deeply into me, that I will find springs of life. Sometimes they begin with a trickle, but if I keep digging I will break through into one of the Almighty’s wells of Living Water. Then my weeping turns into joy, and with that joy I draw more water from the wells of salvation.
Allow your soul to long, even faint for the presence of God. Allow your heart and flesh to cry out for the living God. The altars of the Lord are your rightful home. There is a blessing over those who dwell in Gods house and worship Him continually. Strength comes to those who have their heart set on Him. Strength to stand up in the middle of the valley of weeping and worship the Holy and undivided Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit). God hears in these moments. He is our shield! He is our Sun, lighting the path through (and out) of the valley. Trust Him.
Mourning can be turned into comfort. Blessed are those who have experienced this!
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 5:27)
Large groups of people pressed around Him. Possibly many sick people were present. One in particular suffered a great deal. Twelve years to be exact. She had gone to many doctors. Nothing worked. She grew worse. She heard Jesus was in the crowd. A thought came clearly, “I just need to touch His clothes. Then I will be healed.” She pressed through. She found Jesus. She touched Jesus. Her suffering ended.
What crowd is standing in your way, keeping you from reaching Jesus?
Crowds still create obstacles that separate us from Him. Crowds can be brutal. They can trip and trample us. Kick dirt in our faces. Push us out. Suffocate us. Make us uncomfortable. They rarely show us mercy. Is it really worth the struggle to press through the crowd? Why not just accept our condition and live with it? Wouldn’t it be easier?
What if it were still true that Someone is in the crowds Who will meet our needs and answer our questions? Would we press through and find Him? Unfortunately, too few will face the challenge of crawling through the crowds. For some, it seems way too difficult. For others, it’s too simple.
The crowds confront us with some painfully honest questions. As soon as we begin the journey, we will realize that these questions can’t be answered without our willingness to change everything.
The crowds of life unmask our established behavioral patterns that expose what we really believe about healing. They reflect our unbiblical opinions. They cause us to ponder our paths, both past and present. The crowds dare us to delve into, divulge, discuss, and defeat the deep internal issues of our lives.
The crowds show us how much time and effort we have truly devoted to becoming a disciple of the life and ministry of Jesus. Our weaknesses are magnified in the midst of the mayhem. Lack of discipline becomes evident when our endurance runs dry. Cries for a miracle are suddenly squelched by the reality that we have been selfish. Simultaneously deep convictions spring forth giving us the motivation to press in harder. If we battle through the crowds long enough, we find what we really believe about Jesus (right and wrong).
We realize that in order to receive and experience God’s will concerning healing a complete lifestyle change is necessary. We can’t live the way we have always lived. We see that being a disciple of Jesus is not effortless. The process demands discipline. It craves constant reforming and refocusing.
As we press through the crowds, eventually we come upon people who are closer to our Answer. They have seen Jesus from a different angle. Their experience shows that Jesus never once rejected a person that came to Him for healing. His power to heal works in their lives. They have seen it for themselves. They have payed the price. They have been close enough to touch Him. They speak from a lifestyle of applied knowledge. Their testimonies either frustrate or empower our determination. It’s our choice. This part of the crowd seems to know that His power is present to heal at this very moment.
Are we willing to take on the crowds? I’m not sure we are.
Crowds of time. Crowds of hype. Crowds of doubt. Crowds of questions. Crowds of answers. Crowds of faith. Crowds of wrong thinking. Crowds of confusion. Crowds of bad attitudes. Crowds of unforgiveness. Crowds of opinions. Crowds of encouragement. Crowds of naysayers. Crowds of different experiences. Crowds of miracles. Crowds of pain. Crowds of failure. Crowds of Scriptures. Crowds of prayer. Crowds of fear. Crowds of sickness. Crowds of Christians that did or didn’t get healed. Crowds of doctors. Crowds of diagnoses. Crowds of hospital visits. Crowds, crowds, crowds!
Don’t quit. Push into, through, and past the crowds. Find the Healer. He has been there all along. The day we find Him is when we learn how to find Him again and again. The process is hard. It takes time, but when we reach out and touch Him we will be healed. That part is easy when we’re close to Him.
How do we know when we have touched Jesus or He has touched us? While everyone’s journey is different, I believe that when we truly touch Him, He becomes all that matters. Not the struggle, not the pain, not the sickness, not the crowds, not even the healing. Only Him. Jesus.
“And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said…”Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:30-34)
Have you ever been about your daily business and then suddenly stopped in the midst of it by the tangible presence of God? Have you ever been arrested by the awareness that He is near?
Tonight I have been preparing for a road trip. Tomorrow we are leaving for Nebraska to celebrate the life of my wife’s grandmother. As I was preparing things for the trip I was suddenly aware of God. My heart arose in worship to Him. I began to sing. I began to meditate on Him. My children were screaming, laughing, and playing in the background. It didn’t distract me. I continued to press in.
The more I worshipped, the more I wanted to. I had to close my eyes momentarily. I fell in love with Him all over again. He is worthy to be loved. He is worthy of more of our time. He wants our life!
Stop for a moment. Think about Him. Focus upon Him. Allow Him to surround you with His real presence through the Holy Spirit. Draw near. He is our reward. He is what life is about. Yield to Him.
Be arrested by the presence of the Holy Trinity!
Today I printed out a copy of The Nicene Creed for my two oldest daughters. I asked them to read it and draw a picture around it. I liked it so I thought I would share it on my blog. Here are the pictures of this ancient profession of faith surrounded by what their imagination created. What picture comes to your mind when you read it?
Description of top photograph: From top drawing clockwise…birth of Jesus, life and (healing) ministry of Jesus, the cross, grave, resurrection, and ascension. Second photograph: Two hearts with “I love Jesus” written in the bottom one. 
As a teenager I experienced first hand what it was like for the implanted word of God to save my soul. By the Spirit of God, I was born again. Little by little I began to see my former Catholic life as a bastion of worldliness. I criticized Catholics for going to mass on Sunday, confessing their sins, and spending the rest of their week in (what I thought was) a life of worldliness and sin. Sunday was a holy day of reverence, focused upon Jesus and our ancient Christian faith. Monday through Saturday? A different story entirely.
I have been a part of Protestant Christianity for the past eighteen years of my life. I have found that we also struggle with the same temptations. Possibly the only major differences are that (in some places) we play our video games and watch TV at home all week, as well as at church on Wednesday and Sunday. Of course this is only to reach out and relate to more people. I mean…we don’t want to be too stuffy, reverent, religious, traditional, or Catholic!
I confess that my views have been critical and un-Christlike from time to time, and that these views are also worldly at the core. My life had been radically changed, and I became disillusioned when I saw that many in the church lived as I did when I was an unbeliever. I now realize that worldly lust is not Catholic, Protestant, or material. It is something that every human being struggles with. The problem is within. The question is not “Who is worldly?”, but “Is victory over these passions that rule us possible?”
Legalism and Lawlessness
We can’t rightly discern between a “worldly” and “non-worldly” lifestyle merely by the things people do. Nor can we determine if someone is holy by the things they don’t do. Lawlessness (being without law) is sin, and legalism provokes us to lawlessness. Legalistic regulations increase our sinfulness. The very nature of the Law arouses the desire to sin within us (see Romans 7). If we were all honest, I think we would have to admit that abstinence from certain activities doesn’t cure us from ungodly desires that war within. Nor does a life without rules (or authority figures) save us from the trap of legalism. Lawlessness leads to a darkened understanding about God and life. This darkened understanding has no ability to discern between right and wrong. If this path is followed, God has no choice but to allow us to do whatever our sinful hearts want to do. Legalism and lawlessness are both tendencies of our sinful nature. Both lead to death. Neither is good. Neither can save us. Both bind us to a life of sin.
Worldly Lust
Worldliness is not an outward action, it is an inward lust. Worldliness is a spirit, not an action (1 Cor. 2:12). The spirit of this age is a demonic, anti-Christ spirit that seeks to fuel the fires of lust in our carnal nature. It constantly searches for the slightest opening in our armor of righteousness. Worldliness is seeking to satisfy what our sinful nature wants to do. It is that inner longing for what our sinful eyes are looking at. It is bragging (being prideful) of what we have and do. Worldly lusts are the evil longings that lurk within us. (Note: Lust is not only sexual, it applies to all evil longing.)
In my opinion, any outward behavior that we give ourselves to that satisfies an inward lust to sin is best left alone. For example: I don’t think it is evil to watch TV, but it is wrong to lust or covet what we see on TV. It isn’t necessarily ungodly to play video games, but if it satisfies an inner lust for anger, senseless shedding of blood, violence, cursing, laziness, or uncontrolled behavior; it is probably wise not to play it. It is right when a man is attracted to a woman (and vice versa), but it is wrong to meditate on pornography. It isn’t necessarily wrong to have a drink of wine, but if it fuels my inner lust (or others’ inner lust) towards drinking too much, than teetotalism is a better choice. On the other hand, it isn’t holy to abstain from, criticize, or condemn all forms of social activity if it serves to satisfy my own pride or self-righteousness (see Luke 18:9-14 for an example).
Anytime we engage in anything that weakens our guard against sin and temptation we are heading towards friendship with the world. This friendship (that is developed within the hidden regions of our heart) creates enmity with God. Whatever we yield ourselves to will become a master that we must obey. Any type of lust is a fire. The more it is fed, the larger it becomes. The larger it becomes, the more fuel it desires. The more fuel it’s flames lick, the more intense and destructive it becomes. When this fire consumes us inwardly, our outward behavior will also be consumed by it. Remember, we are only tempted when we are drawn away by our “own desires and enticed.” When we decide to inwardly submit to temptation, we conceive and give birth to a child called Sin.
Without help, we are stuck! When I think deeply about this predicament, I can but only echo what the Apostle Paul once said, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?“
Can we overcome?
Yes, but not alone. To finish the Apostle Paul’s statement from above, “I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:24-25)
Jesus is our source of freedom. He died for us. He rose from the dead. He is alive! Therefore our faith is not futile and we need not remain in our sins. By grace through faith we are saved. Grace is a gift from God. This grace that brings us salvation also teaches us a few things. It trains us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (plural). It helps us to make decisions towards sobriety, righteousness, and godliness now in this present age (Titus 2:11-12). Grace is not a pat on the back in our sins. It is a pat on the back (an encouragement) that we don’t have to obey its evil longings anymore!
By grace we now have the authority to choose right. The question is, what are we going to invest in? There are things that help us to serve the law of God. There are things that enable us to serve the law of sin. We can sow into our sinful nature by the things we do, or we can sow into the Spirit. We can invest in things that will satisfy us in this life, or we can invest in things that will satisfy us in the next. (Gal. 5:7-9)
A fire goes out when we stop feeding it as its oxygen supply is cut off. By God’s grace, we can stop throwing more wood on the fires of worldly lusts. Our God is a consuming fire. When we throw wood on Divine longings, His presence will consume us. We will see God’s glory in a blaze of light, and instead of blindness, receive our sight!
Abraham was called to leave his country and embark on a journey to a new country. That simple move started the process for the Seed of the woman to smash the head of the serpent. Joseph had a dream, a calling that would come into its fullness only after many years of trial. The fulfillment of the dream would protect this special Seed in the land of Egypt. The sons of Israel would survive the famine because of Josephs obedience to the calling. The children of Israel endured 400 years of hard labor and slavery under the new King of Egypt. During this time the calling of God came to Moses.
The bush burned, God spoke, and he obeyed the call from Jehovah. The Seed would be saved again and the slave masters had to release the people. They squeezed through the Red Sea, refined by the furnace of affliction, and began a new time. Moses obeyed the calling during the dry, desert years. It was out of the dust of the desert that a new generation would carry the Seed across the Jordan into the promised land led by their commander…Joshua.
Victory after victory would come through every violent campaign. Joshua and Caleb wholly followed the Lord their God, they obeyed the calling. The land promised to Abraham began to be possessed by the carriers of the Seed of the woman.
Progress for the calling of God was evident.
Then came men like Samson, Gideon, Jephthah, and women like Deborah.
With these judges came ups and downs, for some obeyed the calling, and others disobeyed.
Ruth came and clung to Naomi, her people, and her God, the God of Israel. Her obedience was a sign of hope for the Gentile people of the future. She stood for and with Israel, and became a part of the genealogy of the Seed, the Messiah.
Hannah prayed, and called upon God. The time was terrible. No words, no visions, no revelations from God among the people. Her cry was heard by the Almighty and through these supplications came Samuel, the prophet of God, another bearer of the calling.
God spoke, he listened, then he spoke, and not a word fell to the ground.
What about David? Solomon? Elijah, Elisha and the other prophets? All imperfectly obedient to the calling of God.
Isaiah saw the Lord. Holy and powerful. Doorposts shook, thresholds trembled in the temple. Smoke and glory filled every space. Exposed and overwhelmed by this display of a holy God, Isaiah bowed to the Lord and was called. He prophesied about the coming Messiah. He painted pictures with his words that were exact with accuracy about the suffering of God’s holy servant, handed over by Pilate.
Jeremiah, appointed. Ezekial spectacularly called. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the refusal to obey the earthly king for fear of disobedience to the only King. Hosea and his painful illustrated sermon, played by himself to send a message to a whole nation. Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi…then…
Silence.
Hundreds of years pass. Nothing. No voice. No calling. Just waiting, wondering, and hoping. Then suddenly. In the fullness of time. The fulfillment and culmination of all of the callings upon men and women of the past sprouted forth.
The Seed was born. Surrounded by hay, straw, and shepherds. Laying in a manger, Jesus, Yeshua, the Lamb of God began to grow. The voice of God broke upon the earth again. “This is My Son…” Heaven opened, miracles rained down. The Son called disciples. They followed, they obeyed. Then…the Seed fell into the ground and died.
Silence…
Three days later. The Seed that died came alive and began to produce many seeds. Peter called for Pentecost, Stephen called to serve with the seven before being stoned. Saul broken on the road to Damascus. Then called, the Apostle Paul to the Gentiles.
Village to village, city to city, nation to nation, the seed spread around the globe. The calling continues.
Are you being obedient to the heavenly calling upon your life?
He who calls is holy.
Never cast away your calling.
As a missionary I seem to have no struggle with loving people of different nations and cultures. I am drawn to the colorful cultures of the world. I love different languages. I am attracted to geography. I enjoy looking at a map or an atlas. It all fascinates me.
Unfortunately, I am ashamed to admit that I have always struggled with loving my own people. All too often I lack compassion in my heart for the people of my own home town. Many times I have fallen into the trap of obedience without love. I find this only leads into deep frustration. Why?
A disciple of Jesus is not a disciple without love. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Very simply put, if I don’t have the love of Jesus inside, I am not truly following Jesus. When I am not following Him, life doesn’t flow as it should. It is only when I yield to the sting of conviction that my heart melts. This conviction comes from the Holy Spirit. It is real. It is effective. It transforms us if we allow it. I sensed it today.
It is only through Him that the love of God can be poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5). When we open ourselves in prayer to the Holy Spirits work, we change in the deepest recesses of our heart. There we are baptized with the power to keep the commands of Jesus. Then our outward behavior changes accordingly. Outward change is the reward of time spent in the secret place with our Father.
The heart of Jesus is aflame with love for us! His heart is the source of all justice and love. It is the well-spring of life. The treasure- house of all wisdom and knowledge. His heart is full of patience and mercy. It is generous to all who turn to it.
I wonder what it was like when His heart was overwhelmed with insults? Broken for our sins? Pierced by a lance? When I ponder these questions my prayer quickly becomes, “Jesus, gentle and humble of heart- touch my heart and make it like your own.”
May the mighty love of God, overflowing into all creation…set our hearts aflame with love!
