A force to be reckoned with

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. (John 17:15-18)

Jesus did not do the 'easy thing' and ask his Father to just deliver us from this world, so we'd never have to face the challenges inherent in living on this earth. He asked his Father to keep us safe from the evil one. Notice that Jesus knows there has been a change of 'citizenship' - no longer belonging to this world, but to the Kingdom of God. It might be a bit like a dual citizenship, though. We are still living in this world, doing the things we must do in this world, such as working at a job, paying our bills, and being good neighbors. We are also enjoying the privilege of being part of the family of God - participating with him as part of this family, doing the things we must do as part of his family such as supporting one another, praying for those we might label as 'enemies', and sharing the gospel message with those who need to hear it. We are "IN" this world, but we are no longer "OF" this world. We are "IN" the family of God, but we don't always fulfill the things "OF" his family mission. Jesus prayed that his Father would make us holy - not by some magical swish of a 'spiritual magic wand', but by his truth. In other words, get truth deep into our hearts and let it do the rest! 

We are being sent, but not before we have been prepared. This is why it is so important to allow the Word of God to get into the very fibers of our being - affecting us deeply until we understand our 'mission' and 'calling' as a child in the family of God. Too many times, we expect to be 'delivered from' the things that seem to give us our greatest challenges, but God's plan is to use his Word to wash over us, cleansing us, and setting us on a firm foundation. Do you know what the term 'terra firma' means? It means 'solid ground'. God is at work 'in' each of us, so that he can soon be at work 'through' each of us. As he sets us on 'solid ground' individually, we are prepared to face our greatest enemy as a unified army of believers. Solid ground isn't won when it comes to the 'footing' and 'foothold' that God gives his kids. It is given because we have come under his leadership and march against our enemy as a unified force. Our family mission is unity - living at harmony with each other. Our family purpose may just be to push the enemy as far away from us as he can possibly be removed - and when we can no longer push him back ourselves, God does the rest of the pushing. Truth deposited deep within our inner man becomes the means by which 'unholy' people are made into 'holy' people God can use to be 'on mission' with him.

We may resist the times when God wants to get his truth deep into our hearts, but he won't give up on depositing bits and pieces of his truth until we lay hold of it as he intends. He won't give up on making us into a 'force' to be reckoned with on this earth. Just sayin!

The past has a loud voice

 One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. (Golda Meir)

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-23)

We have many choices in this life, but there is no greater one than choosing to leave our old way of doing things behind and choosing to live by the grace and love of God within our lives. We may attempt to erase the past, but we oftentimes find it hard to 'get past' what we have done, guilt and even shame haunting us about some of the decisions we have made. The one thing we can never forget is that God is all about new beginnings. We may have chosen unwisely in the past, but we don't need to make those same choices today.

When we really 'hear' the truth, we also begin to 'learn' it. Hearing is the beginning of all change - in time, the more we choose to make those 'right choices' we have been learning while under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, the more we will find those things within our past have absolutely no room in our present. We cannot 'erase' it, but God can take the many leftover parts of our past - memories, scars, and even losses - and turn them into such magnificent things in our present. We cannot allow the past to rob us of our present, but sometimes our past has great lessons we can take along with us as we walk in the 'here and now' with Christ.

As we 'hear' and 'learn', we come into a place of trusting God with those 'past mistakes and regrets'. We may still bear the scars of those choices, but God has a way of turning what we may deem to be ugly and regrettable into something of beauty and purpose. While we struggle to find the purpose in it, he does not. How is trust like this developed? In our daily times with him, discovering his truth within the Word of God, and in times of listening. One of our greatest challenges can be in choosing to listen to what he says about our past and what our past continues to tell us about ourselves within our memories. Just sayin!

Advice or Truth

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind. (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake! Don’t take Wicked Bypass; don’t so much as set foot on that road. Stay clear of it; give it a wide berth. Make a detour and be on your way. (Proverbs 4:10-15)

Is it possible wisdom could add years to our lives? If we believe what God says, then it quite possibly could! When someone tells you something in such a way that it 'lingers' for a while in your thoughts, it might just be the thing they have shared has some significant meaning. It could be a warning to not proceed based on something they have already figured out, or it could be they encourage your next steps because they hear your heart behind the vision you share. When advice comes in the form of a warning, we might not like to heed it, but when it 'settles in' and begins to build up over and over again in our minds, we might just want to hold tight to it!

God's whole intent in giving us his Word was for us to have a 'road map' to show us the way to live life within the boundaries he has established. There are far too many times we treat God's Word as 'good advice', then go our own way without really considering carefully what he has said. This is part of our stubborn human nature - we don't think we need to heed the warnings. Self-willed and self-directed individuals don't want anyone (even God) telling them the way they should live. God may 'deliver' his Word in a bunch of ways, but the more that Word dwells upon our hearts, the more God wants us to heed it. Why? The longer it 'dwells' and the more it 'builds', the greater the chances are that it will break us free from some evil intent that we didn't even know existed within us.

We must never treat God's word as nothing more than 'good advice'. Why? Man's advice is an 'opinion' that is offered to guide our actions, but it can be rejected. God's word is offered as truth and truth does more than offer an opinion - it offers a solid foundation upon which we can stand when all else seems to be crumbling around us. Truth is unchanging - it stands the test of time. Truth is indisputable - it remains valid no matter how many times you test it. Truth is undeniable - the facts are right there for us to discover and hold onto. Advice or truth - which will you choose to heed? The more you heed truth, the less you will find yourself taking 'Wicked Bypass'. The more truth dwells in your heart, the less you will even be tempted to 'detour' from God's best for your life. Just sayin!