Silence is golden . . . just like fools gold . . .

One of the hardest things that I have to do many a time is to tell myself or someone else that what they are doing is wrong, not biblical and will bring them consequences which they would not want. I would prefer in most case to be silent.

I would prefer if they heard what needed to be said from someone else. I would prefer that I be considered that quiet and wise old man . . . with the emphasis on the words quiet, and wise. I would prefer not to be the one to ruffle the feathers of persons. See I grew up hearing that “silence is golden.” I grew up being told “it is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” And for me, considering how few times I was right, I thought that silence was often the way to go.

8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. Ezekiel 33:8-9

This was God speaking to Ezekiel. It is often this passage that motivates me to speak up. See I know I am not Jesus. I can not afford to have to pay for someone else's wrong, especially when I don't have to, when all I have to do is speak up. But to speak up seems to often get me in some kind of trouble. Generally none of us like to be told we are doing wrong. We would prefer that the other person be quiet. That is the politically correct way to handle things right? You and I should handle things as each of our understandings of the greater power, being, force, or cosmos should enlighten us through the universal energies.

Right? No! Hogwash!!

See the Lord our God, He is one. God is alive and does care about what we do and how we live. In fact, if we look at the words above we see that our warning only comes after His . . . “When I (the Lord) say to the wicked . . . and you do not speak. See oftentimes we already know we are doing wrong before another speaks.

Fools gold looks has the color of gold and is named such because it fools fools. You know it when you see its crystallized form. Someone who comes along and tells you it isn't really gold is not telling you something that you should not already know. Could telling you be important? Imagine you had 30 pounds of this “gold” and planned to pay for your house by trading it in. Wouldn't you want to know it was not gold? Which brings me to what should really be my motivation for speaking.

I should be motivated to speak because of the positive change, the life giving change that correction, that a warning can bring. I should not be motivated to speak up because of what I may fear may happen to me. Read on in Ezekiel:

‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

God's reason for warning us is to save us, to bring us life, full life! His warning to us to speak up only shows us exactly how important it is to Him that each of us have the opportunity to experience His love. For us to remain silent when we know better is to say to that person, I really don't love you as much as God wants me to – I am okay with golden silence . . . I am okay with trusting on fools gold.

Fortunately for you and I, God wants us to experience the real thing . . . real gold. He knows just how awesome it is for us to live a full life, blessed from the rising of the sun to its setting – living in total and complete communion with the God who created us and loves us as we are . . . as His own.

Speaking is golden. Confirming His love for others by speaking the God's truth, in warning . . . that is our loving others. Don't be silent when you encounter fools gold. Choose to love.

Got it? Got Word?

Love yah,

dad

Do you have enought bread . . .

Do you have enough bread . . .

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him, “This is a remote place.” they said, “and it is already very late. Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

Mark 6:35-37

Some times I think God has really lost his marbles. We are worried about what we may have to eat, worried about our housing, worried about our clothing, our needs. We are in “a remote place” and “it is already very late” and we ourselves do not have what to feed ourselves, and yet He says feed, clothe, house another, . . . a stranger, . . . someone who is not our friend, . . . someone who we can not receive a favor back from . . . feed, shelter and clothe them.

You be one insane God. You are just out of your mind.

If you read on further you will find that among them they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Not enough for twelve plus Jesus to be fed. And yet He, this Jesus dude charges them to feed the crowd . . . five THOUSAND men + women and children!

Most of the time our focus is on meeting our own needs. We have little so how will we meet our own. You must not expect me to share what I have, to give what I have been “blessed” by God to have for me, to give that up to others? Do you? Is that your plan Lord..?

No. That is not His plan. His plan is a little bit more powerful than that.

He is asking that we give up that little that we have to Him NOT to others and ask Him to bless it so that it can do His purposes.

It is His desire that we change our prayer focus not to bless us and multiply our little, but to say “here God here is what you blessed me with . . . multiply it for your purposes . . . to do what You would have it to do . . . as You see fit.”

What would happen if instead of praying for my new car I prayed, Lord here is the car you have blessed me with . . . please take it and use it fully for your purpose. You lead me where you want me to take it. You make it fully your servant. You show me who I am to pick up and carry. And if it is not enough for your purposes you do with it as you will so that what I drive might fully meet the service you intend for it to be.

Hmm. That sounds way different from the pray I have been praying . . . there is no BMW mixed anywhere in there!

The disciples did not have sufficient bread to feed themselves by and through themselves., but they did have enough bread to feed those HE purposed to feed when they gave what they had up for Him to bless and accomplish His purposes. I too have enough to do all that God has called me to do, to fulfill His purposes when I give it all back to Him to bless and do what He wants.

And was there enough for the disciples? For you and I when we give it to Christ?

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread

and fish. Mark 6: 42-43

When you focus on what God wants and give your all to Him to accomplish it, He will accomplish His purpose and ALWAYS bless you with more than you gave to Him.

As the old offering song goes: “You can't beat God's giving. No matter how hard you try . . .”

Got it? Got Word?

Love yah,

Dad

Scaring the "day lights" out of me . . . .

When I was growing up I believed that my father used to enjoy seeing my brother and I scared. It was quite enjoyable. Well it was enjoyable for at least ONE of us at the time.

All the bedrooms were on one side of the house, including mom and dad's, and to get to them from the other side you had to pass through the living room and dining room – both great expanses of darkness once the lights were out. As the oldest son I was often tasked with going to the farthest ends of the house to turn out the lights and then make it past through the dark shadows to my bedroom.

I would turn off the light and then run as fast as I could to the hallway and the safety of our bedroom. More than once I believed that the shadows moved or I heard a growl or felt a touch on my leg, which would “scare the living day lights” out of me. Not knowing exactly what or who was chasing me, and not taking the time to find out, I would quickly change my course of direction and run not to our bedroom but dad's and mom's. I guess I knew that whatever, and whoever it was who was endangering me, in my parent's bedroom I would find safety and protection. There dad and mom would be lying up in bed waiting, apparently – after a little laughter – to comfort me.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:4-5

I oftentimes feel like that little boy, running through the house and being scared at everything. The fears feel real. I am surprised, concerned and often times shocked by all sort of things that happen in life. A car wreck. A job loss. Financial challenges – no money but many debts to pay. An argument with someone I love, about what, I don't really understand. Promises I do not know how I will be able to keep. A health threat. Any number of things which may threaten my life. And yes, even something as little as an unexpected stubbed toe.

But like my father who would send me to turn off the lights, God knows what can really hurt me and that nothing that I fear truly can. But is what I fear trouble to me. Yes. A day of trouble and concern for me. Yes. Something that rocks my world. Yes. But He has given me a solution. I can dwell in HIS house. I can gaze upon His beauty.

And what exactly does that mean . . . to gaze upon His beauty.

Perhaps it means to look to the Lord from where my help comes? See my help comes from the God of creation which decided to be concerned about me, and yes you. What a beautiful thought.

Perhaps it means to ponder on a God who would send his only son to pay the cost for my wrongs, when he had done none. He came ahead of me, even when I did not know him or even cared that he would care. This Jesus paid the price for my meal before I even felt hungry. He made it possible for me to have covering over my head, clothes on my back and something to put my feet in when I walk. This Jesus who shows me over and over that He is real. Who, when I read His word, He speaks to me. He lets me know that I am not alone. He lets me know He is with me to deliver me . . . even from myself. Oh how beautiful! What a beautiful assurance.

Perhaps it means to remember all the times God has come through for me when I cried out to him. To know that His word has always been true. What a beautiful covenant He has with us.

As a child for me there was no man as handsome as my father. As a man, there is no God as beautiful as ours. There is no Christ like Jesus. There is no Spirit like His Spirit that is always there to lead us into all truth. Like the little boy I still am I can still run to HIS room and find safety. I can still gaze upon His beauty. I have a safe dwelling.

In Him you do too.

As a boy and as a man, the “day lights” was and is often scared out of me. In the presence of of my God the “day light” is returned. No shadows. No basis for fear.

Thank you Lord. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit.

Got it. Got word?

Love yah,

dad

In that day . . . .

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In that day . . .

In that day you will say:

I will praise you, O Lord,

Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away

and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Psalm 12: 1-3

If it is in that day, it must not be in THIS day. See in this day I may not want to say praises to the Lord. In this day, I may still feel like I am getting the anger of the Lord all over me, like “white is on rice.”

If the Psalmist had only spoken about THAT day, I would have had taken very little time. See I do not have much time for a future day when I have to live the present one through. When I am tired and beaten from the day before, and the birth of a new day, a new sun bursting across the horizon, does not erase the hurts and pains from yesterday, or seem to lessen the load for today – I can not afford to live in the future day, it just doesn't seem to bring much consolation at THIS moment.

So why stop and look at this at all Lord? Because there is a message for today.

Surely God IS my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

God IS my salvation in today. It is in today that I will trust and NOT be afraid. See the message is not just for tomorrow it is for today. It is in today that my trust in Him must be found. It is in today, that I have reason NOT to be afraid. It is in today that I may experience his salvation. While “the devil is riding my back,” as the old folks would say, I can find that Christ is indeed my hope and glory! It is a message for me NOW. A message for me to live out today. And if I may find myself too weak to stand:

The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

I know where my strength is, and PRAISE GOD it is NOT found in myself, inner, outer or otherwise! Instead my strength is found in Him. It is in Him that I will stand today. It is in Him that I will face this morning and this day. It is in Him that I will walk, talk and be silent. It is in Him that I move and have my being. It is in Christ and Christ alone! See HE has become my very salvation!

In that day . . . yes . . . because it is in THIS day that I trust in Him and be not afraid. It is in THIS day that I find my strength in Him. It is in THIS day that He has become my salvation.

Got it? Got Word?

Love yah,

dad

Where is the God of Elijah!

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Where is the God of Elijah!

There are two prophets of which I am completely enamored with: Elijah and Elisha.

Look at one of the last acts of Elijah before he took a ride on a train, first class up into heaven:

Then the king sent a captain to him with his company of fifty. He went up and found the prophet sitting on a hill-top and said to him, 'Man of God, the king orders you to come down.” Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire fall from heaven and consume you and your company!” Fire fell from heaven and consume the officer and his fifty men. 2Kings 1:9-10

Go read the story, this happens another time before the third man sent has learned his lesson . . .

“The king sent the captain of a third company with his fifty men, and this third captain went up the hill to Elijah and knelt down before him and pleaded with him: “Man of God, consider me and these fify servants of yours, and set some value on our lives. Fire fell from heaven and consumed the other two Captains of fifty and their companies, but let my life have some value in your eyes.” 2 Kings 1:13-14

WOW! I would have liked to have seen that! Fire falling down from heaven to show that Elijah was indeed a man of God! A captain of the kings army bowing before an old man on a hill, acknowledging that the captain and his men were not the servant of the king but would be the servant of the God of kings and HIS prophet!

And then look at the first act of Elisha after Elijah is taken up into heaven:

Then he (Elisha) picked up the cloak which had fallen from Elijah, and came back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. There he too struck the water with Elijah's cloak and said, “Where is the Lord the God of Elijah?” When he struck the water, it was again divided to the right and left, and he crossed over. 2 Kings 2:13-15

WOW! Where was the Lord the God of Elijah? Right there with Elisha!

WOW! Oh if God would acknowledge that I was HIS man like that.

Without sweating: “Boss man, If I be a man of God let fire come from heaven and consume you.”

And WHOOSH! My problem is gone! And every one in the office listens to me!

“Fool for cutting me off on the freeway, If I be a man of God let the wheels of your car come off and it catch fire and burn your butt” For shorting me on my fries, . . . for not remembering my birthday, . . . for looking at me wrong . . . well, why stop there?! For THINKING wrong about me . . .

WHOOSH!

And what about having the Lord the God of Elijah working for me like he did for Elisha.

I ruined my credit, but where is the God of Elisha, when I blow on this application it will be approved with below market interest! I want a new car, where is the God of Elisha, you know Lord I need a fine ride . . . So that BMW is mine! Given to me!

Where is this God of Elijah? Am I not HIS man? Does He not care for me as much as He did Elisha?

They walked back then Lord . . . but now we ride! You understand, right . . . da . . .da . . .daddy?

For me though I have not ever seen fire fall from heaven and consume any of my enemies. Heck, I haven't even seen them get a hang nail directly because of me. Instead they seem to prosper pretty well. And as for that ride . . . well I am still sporting my 1998 Volvo with 273,000,000,000,000 miles (ok, a little exageration 272,800 miles)! A wonder why?

Funny thing about each of those instances with Elijah and Elisha it was about the power and authority of God not man. God could have ignored Elijah. But he chose not to. Why? Because the ultimate lesson learned by the soldiers, their king was not king. Their god was not God. It was not about Elijah it was about God.

And Elisha crossing over. Look back and see who was watching. All the prophets of God. The witness was for them, not Elisha. God was there.

And yes, God was with Elisha too.

Where God has needed to show up to show himself to be himself to others and myself, He has. When I have wanted him to do so for my own selfish reasons, he has not. It is not about me manipulating God for my behalf, it is about God manipulating the circumstances when needed for HIS glory!

God said we would have twins after a miscarriage where our doctors said we could have no kids. Fraternal twins are only hereditary the doctor told us, and it comes on the wife's side. Unfortunately there were none on my wife's side. Impossible. One heart beat until 2 months before delivery of David and Daniella. Then 2 heart beats. A man who had not gone to church in years returns. Not because of what Murphy said, but because of what God said and did. It was not about me, it was and always is about Him.

Where is the God of Elijah? Right here. He hasn't left and is always present to act in your life to make your life fuller in the midst of leading others to Himself.

Got it? Got Word?

Love yah,