March 31, 2012 (Today's Got Word?)  Happy Birthday!                                          

Good morning my son,

Good morning my daughter,

Its my birthday today, and so I was very expectant as to what the Lord would show to me when I met with him at 5AM. (“early in the morning will I rise up and seek thee”. . . you know the drill, look it up . . . it works!). I was not disappointed, He was there waiting, and He had a Word for me.

See this last year, as you know, has been very hard for me. And to be quite frank, just last night I was outside “considering the heavens from whence comes my help . . .” I cried. I wept. And then I left it there with Him and went to sleep. And now comes this morning!

Isaiah 65:8-10

This is what the Lord says:

“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and men say, “Don't destroy it, there is yet some good in it, so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all.

I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.

Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.”

Do you see what verses leaped out at me? An odd combination if you know the places and the history behind them. But first you must have some understanding of what is going on here in this chapter of Isaiah. If you go back to the front of the chapter you will see that God has been frustrated with His people.

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'

All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations –

a people who continually provoke me to my very face, . . .” (Isaiah 65:1-3)

Ouch! God does not seem very happy with His own. In fact they seem to be not just ignoring God, but purposefully doing stuff that they know will, shall we say “piss him off!” And what is God's planned response?

“See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent, but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps –

both your sins and the sins of your fathers, . . .

I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.” (Isaiah 65:6-7)

Can you join me, hands in the air, pushing up and down, as the shout goes . . . “Whoa! Whoa! The house is on fire!!!” Wow! This is NOT a good thing that His people have made God do. I say made because this is nothing more than the consequence to their evil actions and heart; to their rebellion against God's ways . . . you did see that right? It reads: “See, it stands written before me . . .” God could do no different. We may have the freedom to choose the action but we do not have the freedom to choose the consequence. And neither does God! (something we might want to remember when we are considering shucking and jiving around the dark corner, in the secret place, in the shadows, hiding out to do what we know we are not supposed to). He said He disciplines those he loves, so we shouldn't be surprised that he does so.

And then comes this passage about a remnant saved, today's pericope (remember that big word that just means the passage we are studying).

I must admit that I am SO happy He didn't show me the first part of that chapter and speak words there. I am happy that He instead included me in the remnant – one in which there is still some juice worth saving, one which should not be destroyed, as one of His servants. And yet in the midst of my doing my own dance of joy, I found myself a little confused as to the words that leaped off the pages.

“Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.”

Hmm. The place of Sharon I understood from previous readings. It referred to a very fertile stretch of land that historically was a land of pasture for sheep. It had wells and water running through it. It would be just the type of place I would want to take my sheep and rest. But the Valley of Achor . . . now I faintly remembered that something just wasn't right with that place.

I would like for you to have a good study bible and a good bible dictionary to start with. I think I have told you that before. However, I must admit that with today's internet, you may just need to know how to google. As for myself, I am still a little old school and went to a couple of bible dictionaries. Oh, and less you wonder why I would take that time to look it up . . . quite simply I wasn't sure where and what it was. Any time you do not know a place, especially if it is in the words that the Lord has leap off the page to you, you should take the time to look them up. If you do so you might find a deeper meaning to the passage that you would otherwise have missed. Such is the case here.

See the Valley of Achor is otherwise known as the valley of trouble. On your own time go back and read Joshua chapter 7. Don't worry its not too long. It tells the story of Achan and his sin, and the history of this valley and how it came to get its name. See Israelites had conquered Jericho, and had burned the whole city and everything in it, except they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord house and spared Rahab the prostitute. [Joshua 6:24 – just a side note – did you realize that Rahab a prostitute was in the lineage of Jesus?- I wonder what God can do with me then? You? Just a thought). At least they THOUGHT that they had burned everything. After they get their butts kicked in going out to battle in chapter 7, they seek the Lord to find out why and God tells them that they had sin, evil in the camp:

“The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I command them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies . . I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction” (Joshua 7:10-12

Okay, I am pointing out those words because I will come back to them, so don't forget them. Thanks.

This was nothing new. God had told them before not to touch or keep theses “devoted things” and by that he meant the things and ornaments used in the worship of other God's; shall we say for our modern day purposes – those things, beliefs, etc. we hold on to which are against God's word and direction in our lives. These were to hold no place in the Israelites or our hearts. Oh, and by the way, neither are we. We are supposed to burn them too! (See Deuteronomy 7:1-6)

So what happens God shows them that it is Achan that screwed up, that kept the devoted things they thought had been burned in Jericho (Joshua 7:20-21). And what do they do with Achan?

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had to the Valley of Achor.

Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.

Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore the place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

The Valley of Achor translates to the Valley of Trouble.

So going back to our passage for today . . . “ and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.”

The Valley of Trouble a resting place? Really God? Yes really my son, my daughter. God is going to make the place where you and I have been troubled by our sin, where we have been brought to judgment, where we have confessed and repented, where we have brought the “devoted things” to him and all that it touched and defiled burning them before him . . . this place . . . this place of cleansing and sacrifice to the Lord . . . this place where we were troubled . . . this place He will make a place for blessing, a place where we will be fed and find rest!!

The blessing that the Lord gave me today is the very same blessing that He offers each of us. A fertile land for our sheep, our provision and a land in which we have been troubled made fertile and at peace by our own decision to follow Him and obey Him; to destroy, burn and forsake those things and decisions in our lives that are against His order and direction in our lives. All of it . . . not just some.

Now if you want me to elaborate on what those things are I can't. But God can. Ask Him and then you just keep reading the Word, writing down what leaps off the pages to you. He will reveal them to you and show you just how to destroy and burn them up. He will transform your Valley of Achor, your Valley of Trouble into a place of blessing and rest.

Oh, I almost forgot, remember the words “I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction” Don't miss it. God wishes to work for you and to transform that valley of trouble for you. But you, just like me, must remove WHATEVER is devoted to your own destruction. Well, come to think about it, perhaps I have already said this. . .

My bad.

Got Word?

Love yah,

dad

Previous Study (Proverbs 4)                                                                                   

Good morning son,

Well, you and I both know it is not morning, at least at the time I am writing this. Will try to move back to writing these in the morning next week. But for now, forgive me, these hours and schedule needs to be brought into order. We will get it together.

Proverbs 4:1-2 “Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning so do not forsake my teaching.”

These verses leaped off the page to me this morning and I find myself returning to them again at this time. I did not understand why they so spoke to me to just now, after all the events of the day, after all the conversations of the time. But now I do know why . . . it is not because of what is there but because of what is not there.

See today I found myself involved in a conversation where I was assured that the individual respected my opinion. They focused on me, partly I suspect because I was constantly putting them back to what God's word says. They NEVER came or spoke about what HE said about the matter. They knew that already, and they knew that they were “hell bent” on not doing what He said. See the only way any of us can stand and go against what the preacher is saying, what the Word of God says about the matter, is if we can bring it down to a man to man level. In a God to man fight, we know we will loose. But if we can focus on the man, not the God . . . well we can tell them “I respect you.”

AHH THERE is the word that I did not find in Proverbs . . . “respect.” Indeed I don't think I have ever heard a writer in the bible use that word, or concept when it comes to the relationship we are to have with our Heavenly Father and His word or commands or, indeed orders to us. Obedience – yes. Pay attention to – yes. Understand – yes. Don't forsake – yes. But “respect” - no. Why? Perhaps it is because of the definition of the word.

By now you know that I like using Webster's dictionary. “Respect” – “1) to have differential regard for, to esteem. 2) to treat with propriety or consideration. 3) to regard as inviolable; avoid intruding upon. 4) to have relation or reference to; concern.” Do you notice what is missing? None of the definitions require you to submit to the other's opinion. None of them establishes any relationship person to person, except to the extent that you know where they stand and where you stand. Indeed each person's opinion or way is kept completely isolated from any influence from the other. What therefore is lacking? Recognition that one way is right and another is wrong. That one opinion and counsel may lead to life and the other to death.

I can “respect” you in your ignorance and disobedience to God's word and watch you go to hell. And you can respect me in what you may view as my solitary opinion – a belief in a God which makes consequences non-negotiable. In such a “respectful situation” we each have no pressure to change. We can stand where we want to.

However, “respect” for God and His teachings and commands is not what is required by the Lord of us. What is required is obedience.

“Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; . . .”

Listening is an active word which requires more than just hearing. If you doubt it just read on . . . “ pay attention and gain understanding” When you are sitting and hearing the words and teachings you must be paying attention. When you get up from them, you should have gained understanding – you should be changed by what you heard, by what you listened to.

Over the years I have found a unique phenomenon as to the independent life, power and authority of the Word of God. God may lead me to tell someone something, a warning, a promise, a correction, and then God will remove me from their presence. Why? So the phenomenon of a living, breathing God may be truly experienced in their life. Sometimes months and even years later they will see me and, depending on what they did with the word of God, if obeyed, tell me of what happened next. If disobeyed, will ask me to stop hounding them on the matter! Really?! I may not have seen or spoken to them for months and years, and yet the Word of God continues to live and speak to them. I don't rejoice in the hell they are putting themselves through, although I do rejoice in a God who will not let them go. I rejoice in the assurance from His dogging them that they are indeed His children, and He loves them; for those He loves He disciplines and never gives up on. That is not me who said and does that, it is Him.

Consistently through the Proverbs and throughout the entire Bible you see where the word tells you to “fear” God. I have heard preachers try to put in the word “respect” because like me, and perhaps you too, the word “fear” just seems a little on the harsh side. But I think that He really means “fear”. We may cross those whom we simply respect, we may do whatever we want to. But those who we fear; those we do not cross. With fear we have a relationship which impacts our lives, whether we want it to or not. It is a relationship which calls us to obedience. Look on:

“I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.”

Although He does not have to, the writer gives us a reason for following His teachings, for being obedient . . . He gives sound learning. Because it is sound you are told to obey it.

You are not told to respect God's teachings and learnings. You are told to obey them.

Point: God calls us into a relationship with Him where He is God and we are not – where He is supreme and we are not – where He is right and where we disagree, we are not – where He has set the rules of the game, and we can not escape the consequences of our decisions.

As a father myself I don't care one bit if you “respect me” when I give instruction, but I do care if you do not obey. God is no different. And as each of you are grown persons, you have a direct line to hearing and being obedient to Him. I may sound the alarm, but I do not wield the whip, or belt . . . He does. I may speak of the glory to come in your life as a result of your obedience to Him, but it is He who delivers it to your doorstep. Your choice. Your consequence.

So what would I encourage you to do today:

“Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning so do not forsake my teaching.”

Read the word.

Do the word.

Obey the Lord and have life and that more abundantly. Walk not according to the ways of everyone else but dance only to the beat of HIS drum, even if you stick our. It is God who is your salvation and your hope. It is He who loves you in your secret places, and it is He who will never leave you nor forsake you.

Got it?

Love yah,

dad

Previous Study:  Proverbs 3 and Psalm 34                                                            

Good morning son,

Okay, it may be morning when you read this but it is the NEXT morning. See it is just now striking midnight and I am just sitting down to type this GW to you. May I put forth my excuses – I went to bed yesterday morning at about 1 AM. I woke up at 5:45 and started my day. I sought the Lord and then hurried out the door at 6:35 AM to run our house guest to the airport in Baltimore. Drove through the snow fall (sometimes quite heavy) to the airport. Dropped her off. Then hurriedly drove to the DC metro closest to Baltimore. Parked and walked what seemed like a mile back in the biting cold to the station to stand in the cold for 10 minutes waiting on a train. An hour later I arrive at my destination and then proceed to work 9 hours, to head back through the cold to the station, for the hour ride back to the metro station to retrieve my car and begin the 1 hour and 15 minute drive to home . . . well not before I have to make a stop to help a friend (which he was more than concerned about my being up so late) and then to the gym to work-out and THEN home. And now this. And then some more work before my head touches the bed.

Did I make you feel sorry for me? Well, would you if you knew I have to head out the door at 6:30AM again tomorrow to start this hectic pace all over again?

Don't feel sorry do you? In fact you probably can think of some pretty horrendous sacrifices of your own. But guess what . . . probably no one knows or remembers them. Not that they were not true sacrifices. Not that they did not hurt. Only that they are just not remembered. So how do we do it?

This morning I woke up and had my meeting with my commander the Lord Jesus Christ. I consulted Him as to the day and how it was going to go. I knew it would be extremely hectic. That I knew. I knew I had little energy for it of my own. That I also knew. And I knew that all that I had to do I indeed had to be the one to do it. Not only had the schedule been prayed over, it really was chucked full of wisdom.

See it was not wise to have all three persons in the household on the road driving to BWI to drop off our guest, if something happened on the road no one would be home who could help, and it only made since that I travel to Baltimore and then to DC, one clean circle. Not to mention Momma P and I had prayed about it and thought this was what we were getting from God to do. As for the metro parking and riding, it would be of no benefit to the family for me to drive all the way into DC and risk being late plus pay the exorbitant parking rates. Metro was the best choice. And working the maximum hours today offered – well with all I owe, there was no choice there. LOL Getting home, well that path naturally flowed, going back to the metro, driving home and on to work out. As for the helping a friend, my best friend and brother, truth be told I may have gone to my friend to help him, but I always leave his house refreshed. Just what I needed to go to the gym. And as to the work out? It was pretty good, actually the best I have had in a long time. And God knows I need that!

Psalm 34: 8-10

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who see the Lord lack no good thing.”

Tasting involves trying something out to see just how it tastes. Tasting and seeing that the Lord is good involves taking God at His word. See we can only be blessed when we taste and see – when we take Him at His word and thereby rely upon Him and not us. In this passage we see a blessing which comes to us not because we fully believed but simply because we were willing to try God at His word. We were willing to trust Him. Have I said it enough yet? That said, in reviewing my day, all sprinkled through my account of my day there is something which concerns me, but at the same time it does not. The concern – the presence of “lack.” That just doesn't seem to fit up with this passage.

See God's word commands us to fear Him and then promises that if we do we will lack nothing. But for me today, it sure seemed like I lacked some stuff. And doesn't nothing mean nothing? The preacher in me wants to say to you – “you are looking at the wrong stuff – Peterson, you had no lack of spiritual blessings.”

Whooptie Do! Spiritual blessings! Sounds like I may be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.

Jesus fed the five thousand with a spiritual blessing brought into a physical reality. He met their need for food. Well, while we are looking at him, Jesus that is, would you not agree that HE definitely feared the Lord? Right? And yet the scriptures point out the the “Son of Man” Jesus did not even have a place to lay his head. Well, I think that that is a definite need don't you? It would seem that God is a little fickle then. Perhaps he is just talking out of both sides of his mouth, . . . “God speak with “forked tongue?”

Well, not really. When you have a moment take a look and see how many times that Jesus withdraws to rest. I don't think he lacked that at all. He seemed to have all the power to do everything that He was called to do. He lacked nothing that was necessary for His mission.

Hmm . . . Did I lack anything to accomplish my mission, to do what I had to do? Hmm . . . Indeed what was the one thing I needed to do all that I had to do today . . . “strength.”

“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”

“But” is a word of contrast. Here weak and hungry is contrasted to lack of no good thing. The strong king of the jungle is shown to be weak and hungry BUT those who seek the Lord are . . . . what? . . . . strong and satisfied or full? Is this the no good thing that God provides? The lion to rule must be strong and satisfied or full. He can not be weak or hungry. You, my lion cub, like me, also has need of the strength and the provision of food for us to rule and accomplish our mission. And God promises that those who seek him will have this, they will “lack no good thing.”

Look at it. I had a car to get me to Baltimore. I had a metro card with money on it to pay for the metro and parking. I had a job to go to to work. I had a friend to refresh me with His words of encouragement. I have a body to move. I have a gym membership to go to to work-out. I have a brain to think and write. What good thing did I lack today . . .?

“Strength.”

Let's back up a little further. See this morning I sought Him, as the Psalmist wrote, I was one of those who sought the Lord. And what did he tell me? This is the passage I opened up to this morning when I sought Him about the day:

Daniel 10:18-19

“Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid Oman highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now, be strong.” When he spoke to me I was strengthened and said speak Lord, since you have given me strength.”

This was the word of the Lord to me this morning. On this touch of the Lord, on reliance on His word I have lived out this day. I rejoiced. I was strong. He strengthened me. I was able to say unto the Lord, tell me what you want me to do . . for you have met my need, I have no lack of any good thing, you have strengthened me.

And now it is almost 1AM. I still have a couple of things to do. But God has strengthened me to do them. God does not lie and He has not spoken with forked tongue. When we seek Him, when we fear Him we will lack no good thing.

Tomorrow today will be a faint memory. What will stand is the Word of God which was made evident in my body this day. What will stand and live in my heart is the assurance that He will and has supplied all of my need as I have feared Him and sought after His word in obedience.

See there is a reason the sacrifice I did will not be remembered the way I may want it to be . . . because I did not bear the work alone. He strengthened me. He gave me all that I had need of. I have no lack. And when we look back on today we will see no sacrifice of mine to take notice of.

Do you have lack? Really, do you? Are you fearing the Lord? Are you walking in obedience to Him? Are you seeking after His word for your life, determined that nobody and no thing will prevent you from doing what He says to do? If not, you have found the reason for the lack.

Fear the Lord. Be obedient. Seek Him. Trust Him. “Taste and see that the Lord is good . . .”

Love yah,

dad

PS: Normally these take me about 2 hours to write . . . tonight 1 hour! “Taste and see that the Lord, He is good . . .”

March 30, 2012 (Today's "Got Word?")                                                                    

Good morning my son,

Good morning my daughter,

The Lord took me on a roller coaster ride this morning in His word. So . . . if you sit beside me, you can ride along.

John 9:39-41

“Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

Ouch! We Christians like to beat up on the Pharisees, those teachers of the law that seem to always be on the wrong side of the story. They seem to always be screwing up what God really wants for them to do, and to understand. By beating up on them, we just get to ride along and feel ever so protected. God is talking to them, not to me. Wow! How could they be SO very stupid?!

How could we be SO very stupid to think that God is only speaking to them? Or are we simply choosing to be so blind to the message so as not to get our own feet stepped on – not to hear God looking at us.

Okay, I can almost hear you saying, but I am not a teacher of the law. I purposefully refuse to be. How is my opinion better than any other? I believe in letting everyone live by their own light, by their own beliefs. I am not teaching anyone. I know the truth for myself, and myself alone. So He, Jesus could not be speaking to me. . . . or could he?

Did I hear you right? You know the truth as for yourself? Do you? Did you teach yourself what you know by constantly reaffirming your own beliefs and ideas in your head? Are you claiming, to yourself, that you know the truth? That you can see things as they really are? You and I are not blind, we can see . . . right? Or is it that in claiming to see we actually become incapable of truly seeing what God has in store for us, the truth of His word, so that indeed, we are more full of “protected sin” then the biggest sinner himself?

I say “protected sin” (or “protected evils”) because since we claim to see, while really missing what's in front of our eyes, our secret and maybe not so secret sins and evils are protected from having to be dealt with. We have the unique ability to pronounce we are clean. Well since I am vested with that power I guess I will use it right now and say enough with this “Got Word?” I am okay with God. Or am I . . . see those were the words which leaped out at me. So maybe, just maybe, I should take a closer look.

Context, context, context. In seminary it was drilled into us to study the context of a scripture. You can not interpret it absent such. So, we have to look at what built up to this statement. And it all started with a healing of a blind man on the Sabbath.

Take a look at John chapter 9 . . .

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. . .”

Jesus starts off by throwing out a strong belief of the day . . . all physical ailments were the result of sin. Jesus says no. In fact we might at first want to think that he is saying that it is almost just the “luck of the draw” that we experience illness, disease or a particular physical ailment or problem. But that is not the case. He makes it clear that the purpose is that “the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Is that how we view illness, disease or ailment. I have diabetes. Is it a curse? Or is it so to allow for the work of God to be displayed in my life? The scientist keep telling us of all this stuff that seems to be controlled by genetics. Cancer, diabetes, mental illness, depression, ADHD, heart disease, etc. It just seems like God has just released his plagues on humanity. Or has He? What if, it is not a release of plagues that God desires, but instead that we allow Him to display His work in our lives? What if we see our illness, our calamities in that light? What if we see Jesus as He goes on to say:

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4-5)

Then Jesus healed him. Now we see that God expects of us to be the hands in which the work of God is displayed. See Jesus is still in the world. He resides in our hearts and in our relationship with Him. It is in that relationship that we do and experience the seemingly impossible work of God in our lives and the lives of those we live and work around; our community. Jesus wanted them to see and experience the glory of God! And He wants the same for us.

But the lesson does not stop there . . .

The healing took place on the Sabbath. Now that may not be a big deal to us in our day and time but for the Hebrews back then, this was indeed a VERY big deal. Like me you may be thinking the healing was the big deal. But that was not the focus of the Hebrew law. If God healed you, that was great! In fact that was more than okay. As long as the healing did not occur on the Sabbath. See only emergency work could be done on the Sabbath and healing a blind man, who was blind from birth, well that simply did not fit into the definition of an emergency. And the fact that Jesus did this healing on the Sabbath became the criteria for judging him (John 9:16).

“Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath”

But before we get too hard on our Pharasitical brothers:

“But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.

One of the things I have said to you before in discerning the voice of the Lord is for you to compare what that voice is telling you to do in light of the word of God. But to do that you must know and understand the word of God. I can not please Momma P in cleaning the house if I do not know the standard by which she says the house is clean (a much higher standard than mine, I assure you, LOL). So how can we say we are doing and hearing from God if we do not study, meditate and put his Word into our thoughts and heart. This requires work. This requires spending some time in this bible. This requires that we read the context and struggle sometimes to get an understanding.

I would say that my brothers here, like I have on many occasions, rushed to judgment on a partial understanding of God. Why? Because they saw sin differently than God was propounding it to be there. Sin was to them simply disobeying God's laws. Sin from God's perspective here in the gospel of John was resisting God and his will for wholeness and healing through Christ.

Did you notice something? Chapter 9 started out with the words, “As he went along . . .” No big fanfare. No big occasion. You get the understanding that as we walk with the Lord He desires to perform His will right where we are, right then and now. He desires for us wholeness not later but now! Did you also note something else, the man did not ask for the healing! Simply being in the presence of Jesus, submitting to His touch and direction, the man received. In fact He did not even know fully who Jesus was.

Point: Get into the word of God. Study it. You may not be asking for a healing in your life . . . but being in the place where he is and agreeing to allow him to touch you (in other words being obedient to what you learn in His word, listening to Him, and accepting His love for you) . . . you will be made whole. That is the character of God. The character of being in relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Can we take a quick look at the question of the Pharisees in today's original passage?

“Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Two things based upon the greek words used in the question:

1. They were asking if they having seen had actually become blinded by His light; and,
2. The greek words used in their question imply an anticipated answer . . . NOT the answer he gave but an answer of “of course not . . . you do see.” This is more evident if you understand that the Pharisees did not seem him, Jesus, as any light at all.

Why is this important to note? Because it can sometimes be our stance in questioning God also. We think that because we have been around his word, and have gained some understanding that of course we would be able to see. But that may not be the case. It is important for us to remain questioning and seeking His understanding in our lives.

Now, remember the words that leaped off the page to me? Are you getting a better understanding of their meaning and application in our lives?

“If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”

See Jesus was talking about spiritual blindness. When you are blind you have no opportunity for a relationship with the light. But when you can see and claim to see, but refuse to see, you are guilty.

The Pharisees were missing the lesson right before their eyes. Jesus came to bring wholeness. Jesus came to allow God to demonstrate His life in and through His people. Just ad God communed with himself on the first Sabbath, God desired for them, . . . for us, to commune with Him in relationship with Him, displaying the work of God in the lives of His people.

This is his desire for each of us. He desires that we not claim to see and yet not see. He desires that we recognize that all struggles in our lives are not the result of our sin or of another's, but instead are opportunities for God to display His work in our lives. In fact we become the living works of His hand. And like Jesus, as we go along the way we are charged to allow His spirit to do the work of His spirit in our lives and the lives of those we run across while it is still day (while we still have breathe in our lungs).

Love yah,

dad

Previous Study:  Proverbs 2 and Psalms 33                                                           

Good morning son,

Running late again, but trying not to miss a day. Thanks for your patience. Well lets just jump into the word today. What leaped off the pages to me:

Proverbs 2:20-22 “Therefore walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just. For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.”

Psalm 33:4 “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.”

Psalm 33:10 “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

Psalm 33:16-19 “A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save. Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

Its funny to me how oftentimes the Proverbs for the day works so well with the Psalms for the day. I emboldened the words which leaped out to me in the passage. Let's start with Proverbs.

Whenever you see a “therefore” you must ask yourself what came before that is the foundation for the “therefore” – what is the “therefore” there for. When I read the passage above I see

“you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; prudence will watch over you; and understanding will guard you. It will save you from . . . . “ verses 9-12

Save you and I from what or who?

Save us from: 1) men who do not walk in righteousness, speak perversely, walk in the way of darkness, rejoice in doing evil and delight in the ways of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways; and 2) loose women, adulteress with smooth (dare I say inviting words and calming) words, women who forsake who they are called to be with, those who they are not be in sacred covenant with (verses 12-19). The writer covers both men and women. Our potential male friends and our potential female companions.

You might want to take a moment and ask yourself if any of your friends, male and female companions fit into those descriptions.

Men who would lead you to sin against your God, who would indeed do it with you, and encourage you in all decisions which would further draw you away from God's path – away from doing the right thing. Are there men in your life who know you have a weakness to drink too much, and are always inviting you out to drink. He knows that you have “a way with the ladies” and is only so quick to point you to a challenge that you just feel that you can't resist – if you are a real man. Yeah, right. No wrong. Men who are quick to tell you that all that God stuff is, well for the “Jesus freaks” and we, well we know who you really are – why you trying to follow that bunch of religious freaks. Well son, Such men you should stay away from.

As for the women, . . . a wise young man once told me that going forward in his life he was going to refrain from having sex with any woman until he was married, not just because of his responsibility to obey God's word, but because as he put it . . . “even if she is single now, she is someones future wife, and so I am screwing one who belongs to another, not me.” To which I respond “Amen.” See that young man recognized that just as there is one for him there is one for her. He saw sex outside of marriage as wrong, as adultery even now.

Okay here comes the “x” rated portion of this study, but the simple truth about life. How do you recognize the loose woman – excuse me for being so blunt – she opens her legs up to you. If she is willing to wrap her tongue or lips around your pole, to do the “horizontal pogo dance” with you, or to lead you to the verge of “blue balls” inciting you onward, to talk dirty to you, or do any other act designed to get your God given sexual engines roaring; well, . . . paraphrasing a popular pop song: “Woop, there she is!” . You have found her, the loose woman. And just in case you missed it, recognize that you are not only violating her and the covenant that she is to enter into with her spouse, she is doing the same thing to you. Neither of you are honoring those who you are called to be with. And if you doubt where that will lead to just read verse 18 “for her way leads down to death . . .” You can read on.

And then, after all of this, the writer says Therefore and proceeds to give us direct instruction with a promise. Instruction – walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the just. The promise – you will be upright and abide in the land, you will be innocent and will remain in it.

Do you know that there is a land, a place for you? That God has a place specifically designed for you? That God intends that you live in that place, abide in it and walk completely in it. It is yours. It is to be where you are planted. But there is only one way which you can abide and live in it. You must follow the instruction – you must walk in the way of the good, you must live in the path of the just. In the psalm for the day we see an expansion of this, one which further gives us understanding.

Psalm 33:4 “For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.”

See it is in following the word of the Lord that we become upright. Just as the instruction is given, the result, the work of the instruction must be done by us. And how is this work to be done – in faithfulness. We must be faithful to Him and His instruction. We must be obedient to His word. I took the time to read this verse several times. The more I read it the more I became convinced of a truth that was both exciting and scary to me. The truth: God works in what we have been faithful to Him in.

I don't know if you see the profoundness of this simple truth, and I am not going to try to convince you of its profoundness by simply saying it is so profound over and over (LOL). Instead let me try to explain.

When we are faithful in being obedient to His word, we put into motion all the promises He has said in His word that He will do for His people. When we are faithful to God's word we give Him the substance of what to work with on our behalf. All of this is a good revelation, right? Yes it is. But now for the scary part . . .

If we do not follow His word, if we do not obey Him, if we do not remain faithful to Him we have invoked the Word to do all that it says it will do to His people in correction and discipline of them (you and me . . . OUCH! . . . more like AAAAAUUUGGGHHH! Lord have mercy!!). If we do not remain faithful He have given Him nothing to work with in blessing us according to His word. See the word of the Lord IS upright . . . it is solid . . . it is trustworthy . . . it is sure . . . it is sound . . . it is true . . . what He says in it WILL happen . . . it is the true reality of the cosmos in which we live . . . AND . . . don't miss it . . . AND . . . ALL his work is done in faithfulness. The faithfulness is both His faithfulness to His word and ours to His word too. This is how he works. Whew! Got it? Gotta move on . . .

But what if we decide . . . nah . . . who cares . . . I am going to just do whatever I want to do. Screw God's word. I got my plans. In reality “F@x& you God!”

He, well He remains faithful to His word and He will not allow any counsel of “the nations” to succeed.

I love the word “nations.” I can just see a multitude of persons all agreeing that you should do a particular thing against God's word. I can just see a whole bunch of my friends and society as a whole advising me to “Just do it,” “Screw Him.” Advising me that I will get what I want out of my plans and their counsel – that is success isn't it. Success is getting what you think you will out of your plan and counsel? Right? But God says you will not get what you want out of it. Indeed He will frustrate your plans. So if he is going to do that, I guess you might of just take what you want to do by force.

“A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.”

Okay you my child are in the place of the king.

In this passage we see what we commonly rely upon for our salvation – first “the great army” which we can control and order. We gather up our friends and others who are in agreement to do stuff to make sure it happens. We get them to talk to others, to try to “open doors” for us. We pull the strings we have. But God already tells us that this will not work. So what do we do? We pull from our strength. We renew our resolve. By golly we are going to do what we want no matter what! We are young. We can make this work. “I got this under control” I tell myself and others, and for a while we actually believe it. We push ourselves. We talk up ourselves, encouraging ourselves to proceed forward. Telling us that this will work out, and setting our mind to the design of escape routes for some of the bad things we think could happen. But when we run out of steam, when our strength fails, when the escape routes prove to be useless against the impending consequences of our disobedience to God, we turn to our last hope, that of the “war horse” on which we trust if we ride will bring us victory, will insure our success in doing what we want against God and His word. We claim to be standing on our principles, we use all of our resources only to find they are no match for the resources of a mighty and infinite, all powerful and all knowing God; a God which owns everything and who can speak to the wind and control it, who can feed 5 thousand with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. We run out of ourselves.

Our solution: “Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him on those who hope in his steadfast love, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.”

We either curse the Lord or we return to Him. We come to recognize that our salvation only lies in obedience to Him, in fearing Him and hoping in His steadfast love.

Are you tired? It is in Him that you will find your rest. Walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just. For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it. Remain faithful to His word for the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. Do not follow counsel against God's way for you for the Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. Do not rail against the word of God and His plan for your life. Remember you, like the king is not saved by his great army, nor can you be delivered by your great strength and any resources you rely on for victory in your battle against the Lord's word is a vain and ridiculous hope, it will not give you success nor will it save you from the consequences of your rebellion against the Lord. Truly the eye of the Lord is and will remain on you if you fear Him and obey Him, if you hope in His steadfast love for you to deliver your soul from death. It is God and God alone who can keep you alive in the midst of a famine. Trust and obey God and God alone.

Got it? Got Word?

Then do it. And if you got off the path. Confess to Him, repent and turn. I will be praying for you in accordance with this Got Word today.

Love yah,

dad

PS: Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. No time to check.

Previous Study:  "Proverbs 1 and Psalms 32"                                                            

 

Good morning son,

Proverbs 1 and Psalm 32

Now if you are like me, memorization is not that strong a thing. I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I went in a room to get, much less a passage of scripture. But I would encourage you to start memorizing the word. So this will be about as difficult for me as it is for you. But hang in there, we can do this.

And why?

When I was in the Army I had to memorize the Code of Conduct. Why? Because by doing so it kept us ever mindful of how we were to serve in the Army, how we were to function as a lean, mean cohesive fighting machine. And here . . . why would we memorize God's word? Well there is a verse that says, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against you.” Forgive me for the Olde English, but that is how I memorized it when I was a young'um. Basically it means I have taken hold of God's word deep inside of me and it, His word does the work of keeping me on the right path; i.e. the work of obeying God. See the more of His word I put in me the more straight my path will be. Okay, I am using a little “churchy talk” – “straight path” – basically by “straight path” I mean the more I will be living in the way God intended me to live, fulfilling my purpose here in life and staying on the course or way that he has for me – being obedient. Charles Stanley, the great preacher, says that our responsibility is to obey God and leave the consequences up to him. I agree. And the best way to help us obey Him is to put more of Him inside of us. By memorizing scripture we are doing just that. Got it? Well you will. It works. If you hang in there with me, you and I both will be amazed at what He does.

Oh, and don't beat yourself up if you feel that you are not getting this memorization thing down. It will come with time and effort. I may will put up verses you might want to memorize and if in your readings you come across something else you would like to memorize well go right ahead, don't let me stop you. What is most touching you in God's word will always be what is easiest to remember. It is real to you. Let Him speak. Listen and write it down.

Here is a verse to memorize.

“Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” – Psalm 32: 10

There are many ways you can go about memorization of the passage. Write it out a large number of times on a piece of paper. Get an index car and write on one side the location of the verse and pieces of it like “Many are ___ ____ of the _______, but the Lord's __________ _____ surrounds ____ ____ who _______ in _______.” Or simply put the place where the passage is on one side and the verse written out three times on the back. At least three times a day look at the card and try to say the verse by memory. Check your progress on the back. These are just my ideas. But again I am not very good at this. So perhaps you may have a better way of doing this. If you do, just let me know. In any case, we will get going to getting that word inside of us. Got it?

As always, what I am writing is not the total of what you should be doing. It is only the verses that leaped off the pages to me and my study of them, and application. You should be writing down what leaped off the pages to you when you read both Proverbs and Psalms. This is God speaking to you. It may be different than what leaped off the pages to me. And that is more than okay. These “Got Word?”'s are not to take the place of your own asking God. They are only to help you, maybe see something else in the passages that you are reading.

Don't worry if you can't write out a whole lot on the interpretation, what you are hearing from him. I keep a separate notebook myself with a whole lot less writing than what you read here. It consists mainly of the verses that leaped off the pages and what I think he is saying to me about them. Rarely do I go into the detail you see here in writing. What I do do is write out the whole verse that leaped off the page and what I think I am to get from it for my life today. This becomes an amazing encouragement and a record of what I am hearing from God. It is kinda like a training journal of exercise. Okay, I know you already got it. So let me hit today's GW?, which because I took so much time writing this other stuff will be abbreviated (short).

So here is what leaped off the pages to me:

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

If you take a look at this verse it follows a breakdown of what all of these proverbs are from starting out with Proverbs 1:1-2 “. . . .for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;. . .” Right from the beginning the author lets you know where he is going and why, i.e. what is the reason that we are reading and studying these. He makes it plain. What are we trying to gain – wisdom, discipline, understanding, a prudent life – doing what is right, just and fair. In verse seven he gives us the main point – fear God.

“Fear God” What exactly does that look like. We know from the writing that it will be the gateway to knowledge and wisdom, but what exactly does it look like?

Do you remember the quote from Dr. Charles Stanley above - “obey God and leave the consequences up to Him.” Well that is what fearing God is. It is simply obeying Him. It is simply doing what He says, trusting in Him, trusting that His word is true when others would mock it and call it foolish. It is simply fearing no one, or no thing more than Him.

Oh, but I don't fear anything. I am my own person. No one dictates to me what I will do, where I will go, who I will be with, what I will wear. Really? REALLY?

Take a look in the mirror. Would you say that the clothes your are wearing are all that unique from those in the crowd at a bus stop? Would you say that your speech is all that different from the people you hang around with? Would you say that your lifestyle choices are all that different from those around you? Now, if you are like me, you recognize that they are not all that different. But the question really isn't whether they are or they are not, it is WHY are they what they are. If they are anything but what they are supposed to be by God then it is an example of your fearing “whatever” more than you fear Him. Let me give you an example.

I went to bed this morning at 1:30AM. God awoke me at 4:30AM. I could not sleep. I kept lying there and tossing. I knew He wanted to speak to me, but was concerned that I would not get the rest I thought that I needed. Indeed, I kinda wanted to say to Him – PLEASE don't you understand that I need my sleep! Why do we have to talk right now? After tossing around for a little I got up and came downstairs here to seek the Lord.

When I went to bed last night I had a number of heartaches on my mind. Questions that I wanted to have answers to. When I came downstairs I did as I tell you to do. I asked the Lord to speak to me, opened the word (the bible) and read. The verses which leaped off the pages was what I wrote down in my notebook. I not only got answers to the questions in my heart, but direction and confirmation of what I was believing already that I was to do, but was afraid of doing. But that was not enough. I felt the need to continue and do today's GW? So this is why I am still up right now writing. But don't you worry, sleep is returning to my eyes as I come to the end here.

Now am I afraid that I may not get enough rest? Yes, I was. But I am charged to fear God more than I fear even my own concerns for myself. I am charged to trust Him in the provision of what I need. And that includes sleep. It also includes confirmation and direction from Him. He knows that without such a word from His word, my sleep will be restless and not peaceful and my day will be full of frustration and lack direction. I gained wisdom and understanding this morning.

Fear the Lord and begin to gain wisdom and understanding.

The last month following these GW?'s may have been a little difficult. Some of them were a little hard to read, I know they were not easy to write. And this month will be no less difficult and challenging. The only way that each of us can stay on this path; that each of us can continue to read and apply the word that we see before us; that we can memorize scripture, etc. is if we fear the Lord more than anything else and are willing to do the work.

Are you? I am. And He is willing to work with me and you to make us all that He designed us to be IF we but first fear Him above all else.

So get to work His child. Read and write in your notebook for today. Start to memorizing. Let's see where God will take us going forward!

Got Word?

I did.

Love yah,

dad

Previous Study:  "A tribute to "Uncle E"                                                                  
Good morning son,

A little over a month ago I was laughing with him, talking about the year to come. Last night I stood with the family as we each said our goodbyes after he closed his eyes for the last time. You do not understand sometimes why God shows you different things in your time with him in the morning, but it is always to prepare you. He does not leave his children, you and I in the dark. See yesterday morning when I opened the Word I opened to a very familiar passage for me, Psalm 22. The words that leaped off the page for me were as follows:

“Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to was; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

Psalms 22: 12-16

Christian scholars all agree that this passage, this Psalm is speaking of Jesus. As I often do, I like to go back and read the entire passage for context, because you can not understand God's word outside of its context. I won't take the time here to expound too much on the context, but would encourage you to read the whole Psalm and ask yourself the question, if this is about Jesus, then how exactly is his cry for help answered?

From the embolden words above you see that he was to die. You also see that he was to suffer prior to his death. Okay I get it. So why was God showing me this yesterday?

I was rushing to my friend's side to pray and worship with the family. We were praying for his healing. His nieces had worked up a prayer vigile where he would be prayed for every hour on the hour starting at midnight that night. A lot of us were fasting and praying, believing God would come through in spite of what the doctors said. We believed he would be healed from the pain and misery of his cancer racked body.

The passage goes on to give you his cry for help, for God's deliverance:

“But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.”

Psalms 22: 19 -21

But did God do this for Jesus? Did God come quickly to help him? Did God deliver him from the sword, his precious life from the power of the dogs? Did he rescue him from the mouth of lions?

Our seminary professors would often remind us to not take on more than we can chew, and I am dangerously teetering on the edge of doing that. But please hang in there with me. It is often times in struggling with the hard questions that we come up with a greater life changing truth. And as is the case in scripture, the truth is found in the word. Read on.

“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.” Psalm 22:22

What a statement of affirmation! What a statement of faith! Oh that I could declare his name to my brothers! Oh that I could rise from my bed of affliction (a big word preachers like to use that just means pain and sickness) to sing forth the praises to God! Wow!

But did this happen for Jesus? Or did he not die?

The passage clearly stated that God laid him down in the dust of death. He died. My friend and brother died last night too.

So if all scripture is true, then how is this passage true? How was his faith answered? To get that understanding we have to ask ourselves a question: which congregation is he standing in? which congregation is he singing his praises with his brothers in?

We desired that our friend and loved one last night stay in this land, a land which we wrongly describe as the land of the living. But that description hides or belies the fact that our true life is a life that is eternal. The place where we are currently living would more properly be described as the land of the dieing. See from the very first breath we take on this earth we begin the process of dieing. Our life is only found in Christ and it is only in his presence that we truly experience life. Remember Jesus's words: “I come that you might have life and that more abundantly!” (look it up). His is a life that is based in the eternal well spring of the Holy Spirit. He empowers us. He lifts us up. He heals us and equips us. He teaches us all things. He gives us understanding and wisdom is found in Him. And all of this is simply our touching the immortal God, allowing his eternal character to live within us, His eternal life to reign within our eternal spirits . . . while we live in the land of the dieing.

The congregation the writer speaks is the congregation before God. A congregation that we are also a part of here as His children through His spirit. See my brother did not leave me. He stands in the same congregation that I do, only now a little closer to the throne without all the hangups of sin that I have, without the burden of day by day dieing.

The passage goes on to express praise and glory to the father. It goes on to instruct us, “you who fear the Lord, praise him!” (vs23). It further goes on to assure us that “he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” (vs 24).

Last night my brother passed when all the family stepped out of the room to allow the nurses to attend to him for a moment. It was as if he did not want to hurt the family in seeing him take his last dieing breath. But just as he took his last dieing breath on this earth he took his first living breath in the very presence of the congregation of the Lord! A breath that did not have any pain attached to it at all.

We focus on the death. God focuses on the life. Yes, Jesus died, but one could say his greatest work was done in his rising from the dead, in his resurrection. His life in the land of the dieing was only about 33 years. His life in the congregation of the saints is an eternity!

Read the rest of the Psalm and see if it is not true of the Christ we serve. Indeed the Psalm ends with the words: “They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.” (vs 31)

God was trying to prepare me for my brother's transfer from the land of the dieing to the land of the living. I did not see it at the time, when those words leaped off the pages yesterday. But today I am beginning to understand. The psalmist wrote “Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” Psalm 39:4.

Yes our life is short, like Jesus's was here in the land of the dieing. But our life is eternal in the land of the living.

This day may you make your decisions in light of the understanding of the eternal life awaiting you, so that you may be in the presence of Christ, in all fullness of life, abundance of joy, and freedom from sin, pain, misery and disease.

My brother did and last night he heard the words, “Welcome home my good and faithful servant come on in.” He is dancing before the Lord today, in the congregation which we are all a part of through His Holy Spirit both here and for an eternity.

Love yah,

dad

                                                           

March 29, 2012  (Today's Got Word?)                                                                                                                  

Good morning my son,

Good morning my daughter,

This has been an interesting day so far. I woke up early, as always and sought the Lord.

Luke 6:6-11

“On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?

He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

Okay, about now you are probably thinking that with such a long passage, this is going to be one of the longer of the posts. However, let me assure you it will not (at least I don't think so, LOL). See there were only a couple of words that leaped out at me:

“He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.”

See I had a simple question for the Lord today – what am I supposed to do?

He had already showed me several scriptures before as to what was to be, and what he was going to do. This should always be your first inquiry – God where do you stand on a particular matter. I asked specifically concerning my health. I know what the doctors have said. But I wanted to know what He said. And He spoke to me as to what HE was going to do as to my health. If you know me well enough you know by now that I am just enough of a fool (or a wise man depending upon your beliefs) to believe God when He says something. Especially, when He makes it very plain. He answered rather directly (Read Isaiah chapter 38). But then I wanted to know what I must do. He gave me two instructions, the first I will not elaborate on here for it wasn't concerning my health (God often tells us more than we ask – an AWESOME God we serve!). But the second . . . well that is what this Got Word is about.

In the words that leaped out at me I see several things.

1. Jesus speaks to the man directly.
2. Jesus gives a command which is, to the man, impossible to do – stretch a shriveled arm out.
3. The man does what he was told to do.
4. Jesus heals the man.

May I elaborate:

1. Jesus speaks to the man directly.

There were a number of persons in the crowd that probably had illness and disease. There may, in fact, have been another with a shriveled arm. But Jesus spoke to this one. His words were for this one not to another. They were specific to him. This is important. Why? Because God deals with us individually, even when we are found in a collective mass. He was in a crowd, but God called him forward and dealt with him specifically and individually; i.e., God has a specific word for you and for me for each area in our lives that need to be healed.

Many heard the words of Jesus that day, but one HEARD the word as to himself. You can go to the church and hear the word of God preached, but what is most important is that you hear the word AS TO YOURSELF. What God is saying specifically to you. His word of healing directed towards you. And rest assured that HE has a specific word for you. Listen for your circumstance, your hurt, your “shriveled arm.” Listen for His word for you.

2. Jesus gives a command which is, to the man, impossible to do – stretch a shriveled arm out.

The work of God is often done in partnership with you in doing the impossible BUT for God. His partnership with you will always require of you to do that which is impossible for you to do by yourself. So God says to me to step out and eat xyz, and do xyz exercise. I don't want to eat xyz, nor do I believe that it is possible for me to do so as I do not have the funds to make such a shift in diet, plus this must be done in conjunction with my doing xyz exercise and God, you know, my body screams to high heaven when I just attempt to do xyz exercise. Both requirements are impossibilities. Not to mention, don't you know for me to do this, to even attempt to do this I risk failure big time. And by failure I mean PUBLIC failure!

Hey you know the condition of my heart, my arteries, my veins, my diabetes, etc. For me to attempt to do this AT YOUR WORD if it doesn't happen . . . well some might think I am not a part of you. Or I did not hear clearly from you. Or worst . . . I did hear but I did not have enough faith (we will talk about this “enough” faith thing another time, suffice it to sum it up my opinion, which I think is biblically based, in one word “PHEWEY!”). Or perhaps, even worst . . . they will think that YOU could not do the work! YOU! Do you really want to risk your reputation on my fickle minded, feeble hearted, whimpy effort to do what you said do? Me? Remember its me you are talking about? The one who has screwed up over and over again. Me.

Or is it you? See here is a truth that you must get down deep inside. Yes God is willing to risk His reputation on our obedience to Him. He does this publicly so that He can do just that! You and I are not the only ones who realize we have been “screw-ups from the ground up.” He does too! And so does everyone else. So, when we are victorious who will get the glory? He will! If you could do it yourself He wouldn't get the glory! So here and accept the command!

3. The man does what he was told to do.

Ah here is where the rubber meets the road. We must DO what he said do, no matter how incredulous, unbelievable, seemingly impossible it appears to us to be! We must be obedient to God's command. Charles Stanley says to “Obey God and leave the consequences up to Him.” So here we must do as the Nike commercial slogan use to be “Just Do It!”

I have found during the years that when I speak a lot about what God has said to do, I often begin to think and act like I had already done it, when indeed all that I had done was talk about it. If it had been me in the story there probably would have been a break in the story between the command and the doing. I would have gone and told everyone, this is what God told me to do. I can hear myself telling just how great and Awesome God is that He would so direct me. Isn't it neat that God speaks so clearly. Wow! Hopefully somewhere along my travels someone might notice and point out to me that I left Jesus in the temple waiting, that I still had the shriveled arm, that with all the rejoicing that God spoke to me, yes to me – sinner that I am, screw-up, etc. - I still had NOT DONE what He said!

I am reminded of a little saying I heard recently, “when all is said and done, more is said than is done.” LOL

Don't do a “Murphy” and talk about it! Just Do It! Do what the Lord commands you to do!

4. Jesus heals the man.

Funny thing is, the healing does not occur until the man attempts, in obedience to Jesus's command to him, the impossible. In partnership with God, in the presence of all the persons right there in the temple the man does what he was told to do.

Are you shy? Are you afraid? Do you not want to be embarrassed? Do you not want to look or sound like a fool? Do you think they will laugh at you?

All of these are important questions. But the answer to only one question should control your action, and God's response.

Do you REALLY want to be whole?

In otherwords . . . have you hurt long enough? Are you tired of the tears and the pain? Are you tired of hiding out and being fake to yourself and others? Are you tired of the shell of a person you may have become because you refuse to hear the word directed to you and to partner with God and just do it? Have you bled enough? Do you REALLY, REALLY want to be healed?

Then if you do want to be whole, to be healed, you will hear His word to you, today you will accept His orders, you will then do what He says to do . . . to completion . . . and you will experience His healing.

You may have gotten used to working with a shriveled arm, with the pain and illness of the situation you are in. But that is NOT what God desires for you or for me. He desires that we experience the joy of living a life of wholeness . . . just how much more fuller our life will be with an arm that is whole.

Are you ready?

Ask God about that area that is hurting now. Hear and accept His word about it. Hear His command to action. Do that thing He is commanding you to do which seems impossible for you without Him. And experience the healing He has always intended for you.

I am stretching out my shriveled arm, right now!

Love yah,

dad