Happy New Year!

One of my favorite holidays is New Year’s Day. A fresh start, new goals, a celebration with friends & spiritual refreshing - a few thoughts on what this means to me are listed below.

A Fresh Start
I enjoy the idea of a “fresh start” to a whole new calendar year. The following Bible verses also celebrate this concept of “newness.” In Christ, we experience “newness of life” when we give our lives to God – not only for the first time, when we begin to believe, but as we continue to open our hearts to receive His “new mercies” each and every day.

.

What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

[2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT]

…with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.

[Colossians 3:10 NLT]

Sing new songs of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy.

[Psalm 33:3 NLT]

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

[Isaiah 43:19 ESV]

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

[Lamentations 3:21-23 NIV]

New Goals, Organizing & Prioritizing
After the wildly busy “Christmas season” - which, due to my seasonal buying responsibilities at Costco, starts for me in August - I enjoy a quiet day off (this time, it’s a 3-day weekend!) to evaluate, assess, and set goals for the new year. Many people make “New Year’s Resolutions;” I like to take this time to consider what God is speaking to my heart about the coming year, both spiritually and practically. For example, I’ll make a renewed commitment to specific, achievable goals for health and personal organization, which also free me to be and do all that God is speaking to my spirit for the year ahead. I review vacation & travel plans and other major events on the calendar. As we discussed in my last posting (“Waiting on God” 12/26/10), I want to walk in God’s timing, value each day that He gives me, and fulfill His plans & purposes for my life.

.

Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom… Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
[Psalm 90: 12,14 NLT]

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

[Psalm 118:24 NIV]
.

A Celebration with Friends
As in recent years, I’ll be having dinner at King of the Nations Christian Fellowship (http://www.kncf.org/) on New Year’s Eve. Each of us brings a favorite dish to share – in our multi-cultural congregation, that means a pretty good variety of international cuisine! Some will share personal stories about what God has done in their lives during the past 12 months; there will also be baptisms – another good sign of new life in Christ - and an inspirational message by the pastor for the coming year.

This isn’t a religious obligation – in fact, I realized a few years ago that these are the people I would choose to go out with even if we weren’t meeting “at church.” What I mean is, these are my real friends: when Connie or Anastasia asks how I’m doing, I know she really cares about my answer; if Marji or Brandy says she’ll pray for me, I know she actually does. I notice I don’t care as much about glamorous events or late-night parties as I do about sharing my life with people who care about all the big & small things that life is all about. I enjoy time with my natural (biological) family at Christmas, and I enjoy sharing a meal with my spiritual family on New Year’s Eve. We care about the friend whose dog is sick or whose child is struggling, and our fellowship with one another is rooted in the most important Friendship of all – we share in the Spirit of Christ.

Spiritual Drinking
Needless to say, many New Year’s celebrations involve drinking. Well, I’m glad to say I can drink all I want of God’s Spirit on New Year’s Eve (for more about spiritual drinking, see 12/15/10, “Learning to Drink in the Desert”) with no hangover to ruin my New Year’s Day! :) People thought the disciples were drunk when the Holy Spirit filled them on Pentecost (Acts 2), and the Bible is full of references to “new wine” as a symbol of joy in God’s Presence. (Joy is a subject I believe I’ll be writing more about this year.) God’s party offers the very best refreshments – we can drink of His Love, His truth, His pleasures, His Life… it’s an open bar (Jesus paid), so enjoy all you want, with no limits!

Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of Him.

[Ephesians 5:18 MSG]

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men…feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life…

[Psalm 36:7-9 NIV]

“Grace has to be drunk straight.”

– Winnie Coco Banov :)

Waiting on God

I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God." My times are in Your hands…

[Psalm 31:14-15a NIV]

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

[James 1:4 NIV]

So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

[James 1:4 MSG]

The key to “waiting on God” is understanding that patience (translated above as “perseverance”) involves more than passively watching the clock or calendar. Two New Testament Greek words for “time” are often contrasted: chronos, referring to duration, and kairos, stressing the qualitative features of a “season.”1 Kairos involves more than a number of days or years; certain things need to happen for "due season" [Galatians 6:9] to occur. For most of us who are “waiting on God” for fulfillment of specific dreams or destiny, God’s timing involves a preparation process, in which God is working out all the details.

As we’ve discussed in previous postings,* preparation to possess our “promised land” involves being fully equipped with both practical skills and spiritual readiness for the things God has called us to be and do.

.

The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need. [James 1:4 NIRV]
.

Below are a few areas in which God is likely to be working while we wait for His "appointed time."

.

Transformation of Identity
Waiting on God often involves a process of changing the way we think about ourselves and others. The children of Israel’s “slave mentality” had to die in the wilderness before a new generation of warriors would follow God into the Promised Land.

When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, "If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army. [Exodus 13:17-18 NLT]

Waiting on Others
Sometimes God is still working on other people or circumstances while we wait. Caleb & Joshua, for example, had to wait until all the people of Israel were ready to enter the Promised Land.

This was their report to Moses: "We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country -- a land flowing with milk and honey. Caleb tried to encourage the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!" But the other men who had explored the land with him answered, "We can't go up against them! They are stronger than we are!" So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: "The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge… We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that's what we looked like to them!"

[Numbers 13:27, 30-33 NLT]

Character & Motivation
The testing of our faith, obedience and motivation strengthens us to handle what is promised when the time arrives. In James 1:4, the Greek word hupomone – sometimes translated “perseverance,” or “endurance” - indicates “patience” that develops through trials, which temper our character.

.

Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
[James 1:2-4 NLT]

“Waiting on God,” in the sense of looking to Him above all else, develops devotion that expresses itself in obedient trust and sensitivity to His will.

I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We look to the LORD our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal. [Psalm 123:1-1 NLT]

As we worship, serve, adore and enjoy Him, our motives and desires become more like His.
.

Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.

[Psalm 37:4 NIV]

When we prize relationship with God more than anything else, as Moses did, what we ask for and what He wants to do for us become more and more consistent.

And we can be confident that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. [I John 5:14 NLT]

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. [John 15:7 NKJ]

Our path and God’s path become one as we walk with Him. True satisfaction flows from this abiding love relationship. As we focus on God, we stay in step with His plans and purposes for our lives… and His timing.

A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, you are God, without beginning or end… For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours!

Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. O LORD, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
[Psalm 90: 1-2, 4, 12-14 NLT]

.

---------------------------------

1 “Broadly speaking, chronos expresses the duration of a period, kairos stresses it as marked by certain features." -- Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words "Season (Noun)" A. 2.

* Note: this posting is part of a series of lessons about “spiritual wilderness,” which so far includes postings on 11/12, 11/26, 12/3, 12/8 & 12/15.

Glory to God in the Highest!

& Merry Christmas! I've attached links below to a couple of songs I've been enjoying this season - even though Chris Tomlin's CD, Christmas Songs of Worship, was released in 2009, I heard it for the first time this year and gave it as a "stocking stuffer" to family & friends...
.
The first youtube link is to one of my favorite carols, "Angels We Have Heard On High" - Chris' rendition of this song makes me feel like spinning around with joy, which reminded me of one of the Hebrew words for praise, "halal." So I googled "halal," and noticed the word "shabach" also corresponded pretty well to what I was experiencing & wanting to describe. (Definitions below are from an article at watchmanministries.org, "Seven Hebrew Words for Praise," one of the first articles that showed up when I googled "halal" - it includes reference #'s and definitions from the Hebrew dictionary in Strong's Concordance, which I've italicized.)
.
HALAL
Scripture: 1 Chron. 16:4, 23:5,30, 25:3, 29:13, Neh. 12:24 (this word appears over 110 times in the OT)

1984 halal (haw-lal'); a primitive root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate
.
SHABACH - shaw-bakh - to address in a loud tone, a loud adoration, a shout! Proclaim with a loud voice, unashamed, the GLORY, TRIUMPH, POWER, MERCY, LOVE OF GOD. This word implies that testimony is praise. The phrase "shout unto the Lord" can be understood as the action of SHABACH. It is not just being loud. You should have the attitude of putting your whole being into it, an attitude of being totally uninhibited. Scripture: Psalm 117:1, 63:3-4
.
7623 shabach (shaw-bakh'); a primitive root; properly, to address in a loud tone, i.e. (specifically) loud; figuratively, to pacify (as if by words): KJV-- commend, glory, keep in, praise, still, triumph.

I've heard Kris Vallotton say that Jesus' Resurrection was the greatest D-Day that ever was - this song, with its marching bass rhythm, makes me feel that way about Christmas: from the moment God sent His Son to be born into this earth, it was only a matter of time until the powers of darkness would be utterly defeated. The birth of Christ, whether it actually occurred in winter or fall (as some say), was "the beginning of the end" for everything evil in this world. Scripture declares:

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

[I John 3:8b NKJ]

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me." Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

[Hebrews 2:5-17 NIV]

I hope you enjoy the song. If you like quieter carols, there's another good one from the same CD below it, "Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)." Or listen to both :) And have a wonderful holiday - most of all, I pray that you & yours experience God's Love, Peace & Joy during this season and always.

.

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPoiFhPVPEw&feature=related
.

Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria in excelsis Deo...

.

Glory to God in the Highest!

.

-------------------------

.

"Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gseXPLRNAqU&feature=related
.

To purchase this CD on iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/glory-in-highest-christmas/id332531158

Learning to Drink in the Desert

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

[Isaiah 43:19]

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
[Isaiah 58:11 NIV]

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

[John 7:37-38 NIV]

(Note: this posting is part of a series of lessons about “spiritual wilderness,” which so far includes postings on 11/12, 11/26, 12/3 & 12/8.)

You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, spiritually speaking, scripture supports that statement: Jesus, for example, quoted Moses in Deuteronomy 8:3 when he said that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” [Matthew 4:4]

Likewise, to some extent, we are what we drink as well: various sources report that the human body is made up of somewhere between 60 and 90% water. Water is essential for life – human beings can survive many weeks without food, but only a few days without water – and the need is even more obvious in the heat of the desert, where natural resources are scarce.

Water, in scripture, often symbolizes the Holy Spirit, or God’s refreshing Presence, which is equally essential to sustaining spiritual life. (For example: John 7:39, Isaiah 32, Ezekiel 47, etc.) This week, we’ll explore some of what the Bible has to say about spiritual “drinking” - especially in those dry, deserted places we’ve been calling “spiritual wilderness.”

“Learning to drink in the desert” is possible because God is present everywhere and unlimited by circumstances, so our Source never runs dry. The words used to describe the flow of God’s Spirit to, in and upon us – words like “rain,” “rivers,” “outpouring” – indicate an abundant supply.

.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

[Psalm 46:4 NIV]

How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your rivers of delight. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

[Psalm 36:7-9 NLT]

As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in You."

[Psalm 87:7 NIV]
.

As we learn to tap into God’s abundant supply of spiritual Life and refreshing, we become a source of this Life for others. In John 7:38 (quoted above), Jesus says “rivers of living water” will flow out from our innermost being. Paul wrote about his life “being poured out as a drink offering” for the sake of others (Philippians 2:17, 2 Timothy 4:6). The following scriptures also point to the transforming power of the Life of God, as His Spirit is poured out upon and through our lives.

Happy are those who are strong in the LORD, who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

[Psalm 84:5-7 NLT]

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
[Proverbs 11:25 NIV]

And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.

[Ezekiel 47:9 NKJ]
.

So how do we “drink” to stay filled and re-filled with God’s Spirit? [Ephesians 5:18] Jesus told us to ask, trusting the Father to give us exactly what He has promised [Luke 11:9-13, Acts 2:38-39]:

“If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

[Luke 11:13 NLT]
.

Others encourage spending quiet, restful time in God’s Presence. (For a number of years, CTF Toronto and other ministries embracing “the river of God” have called this “soaking prayer.”)

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters.

[Psalm 23:2 NIV]

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me.

[Psalm 131:2 NKJ, NLT]

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

[Psalm 46:10a NIV]
.

I find it interesting that the young man who would eventually lead the Israelites to take possession of the Promised Land often spent more time in God’s Presence than Moses:

Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, stayed behind in the Tent of Meeting.

[Exodus 33:11 NLT]
.

Becoming a people of His Presence prepares us to transform our surroundings and possess our promises. As we learn to drink of God’s Spirit in the dry places of life, we are filled up and poured out, again and again. Our spirits overflow with His Love and grace, like streams in the desert.

--------------------------

“…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

[John 4:14 NKJ]
.

See, a King will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear. No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. For the fool speaks folly, his mind is busy with evil: He practices ungodliness and spreads error concerning the LORD; the hungry he leaves empty and from the thirsty he withholds water... till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest. Justice will dwell in the desert and righteousness live in the fertile field. The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
[Isaiah 32:1-6, 15-18 NIV]

What God Teaches in Wilderness, Part 2C

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.
[Psalm 27:4 NIV]

But I will see Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your presence.
[Psalm 17:15 CSB]

Note: Graham Cooke has said that what happens in spiritual “ebb” or seasons of “hiddenness” is just as important as what God does in the “flow” of evident blessings, answered prayer, etc. This is Part 2C of a series that includes postings on 11/12, 11/26 & 12/3 (so far), where we’ve seen that “spiritual wilderness” is intended by God as a place of purpose and preparation to walk in His promises for our lives. This week, we’ll look at the wilderness as an opportunity to develop a deeper love relationship with the Lord.

Loving Intimacy with God

When I write about supernatural provision and divine guidance - lessons learned in the wilderness seasons of life – I'm writing from experience. My former husband left me with three young children to support, minimal job skills, and – after years of verbal and physical abuse related to his struggles with alcoholism (which eventually took his life) – a lot of insecurity and fear. I had no idea how to lead a family or even make my own way in the world. As I learned to follow Him step by step through many difficult years, God showed Himself to me as an excellent Provider and infallible Guide.

In the early days of my journey as a single parent, a pastor’s wife said to me - in a lackluster Southern drawl which seemed to me, at the time, to mask both awful pity and relief that she wasn’t in my shoes - “It’s OK, honey, Jesus will be your husband.” It was small comfort at that moment (especially since it didn’t come with anything as warm as a hug or even a gentle pat on the arm). I thought, Easy for her to say, she has a “real” husband at home. It would take me almost 20 years to really understand and experience what God says so clearly in Isaiah chapters 54 & 56 (and many other scriptures): our heavenly Bridegroom is not a 2nd best, 2nd choice, or 2nd rate substitute for those not fortunate enough to be blessed with a happy (earthly) marriage. God is the Best Friend, Lover, Helper & Companion any of us – male or female, married or single – could ever desire and come to know in this life, and forever.

God uses the lonely wastelands of life to romance His wayward people. He woos us – like Hosea’s wife - into dry and empty places, away from all our other gods, to establish us in the reality of His True Love. (Eugene Peterson’s beautiful Introduction to Hosea is quoted in full below this posting.)

"But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from her captivity in Egypt. In that coming day," says the LORD, "you will call me 'my husband' instead of 'my master.’ ” [Hosea 2:14-16 NLT]

I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as LORD. [Hosea 2:19-20 NLT]

I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love…I will say…'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' " [Hosea 2:23 NIV]

Following God through the wilderness is not just about hardship and discipline – it’s an awesome love story. In the New Testament, God calls His people “The Bride of Christ” [Ephesians 5, Revelation 21-22]; and the culmination of this age is “The Wedding of the Lamb” [Revelation 19].

I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. [Song of Solomon 7:10 NIV]

In desert places, God draws us away from worldly things until we know His Love in such a way that we love Him above all else. Like Job, our trials can teach us that God’s highest priority for us is not a comfortable environment or even impeccable behavior, but knowing Him as He really is. Each difficulty we walk through in life is another opportunity to learn that intimacy with God Himself is the true prize.

After 40 years in the desert, Moses loved God’s Presence more than His promises. When God said He would send an angel ahead of the Israelites to lead them into the Promised Land [Exodus 33:2], Moses pleaded for His Presence:

Then Moses said, "If you don't go with us personally, don't let us move a step from this place…” And the LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend." Then Moses had one more request. "Please let me see your glorious presence," he said. [Exodus 33:15, 17-18 NLT]

About a year ago I found myself telling someone at church that, after all these years, I wouldn’t trade the intimacy I have with God now for 20 years of (earthly) marriage to a good husband. A married friend who was listening said, “Really?” and I nodded, Yes. It’s not that I don’t want to share my life with another human being – and I believe God has a plan for that, in His timing. But I don’t want a man more than God, and I don’t want a man who doesn’t love God first (what would be the point of sharing my life with someone who couldn’t share the most important part of it?) – so if that means waiting longer than I sometimes enjoy… (well, we’ll discuss “Waiting on God” in an upcoming blog as well. :)) Meanwhile, I understand better now why a minister once shared the following verse to explain what he felt God was doing in my life through that lonely season:

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?
[Song of Solomon 8:5a NKJ]

-----------------------------

The image below reminds me that we meet our Beloved in a special way in the hard places. I first saw this picture in 2008, as I was preparing to go on a mission trip to Mozambique - my first time halfway around the world to one of Africa's poorest countries. I couldn't help noticing that the young woman (who represents the Bride of Christ*) is headed away from the comfort of the palace, as she walks toward some barren, cold, hard, rugged mountains. The wilderness is a temporary but important passage in our relationship with the Lord.

"Preparation" by Amy Montgomery - email amysjoyfulart@gmail.com

*Artist's note: This image portrays the youthful bride in her time of preparation for her Heavenly Bridegroom. The dove [representing the Holy Spirit] is bringing her the bridal veil. In the snow of the mountains is a man's profile representing her Heavenly Bridegroom. "For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." [Revelation 19:7-8]

----------------------------------

Introduction to the Book of Hosea by Eugene Peterson in The Message version of the Bible:

We live in a world awash in love stories. Most of them are lies. They are not love stories at all - they are lust stories, sex-fantasy stories, domination stories. From the cradle we are fed on lies about love.

This would be bad enough if it only messed up human relationships - man and woman, parent and child, friend and friend - but it also messes up God-relationships. The huge, mountainous reality of all existence is that God is love, that God loves the world. Each single detail of the real world that we face and deal with day after day is permeated by this love.

But when our minds and imaginations are crippled with lies about love, we have a hard time understanding this fundamental ingredient of daily living, "love," either as a noun or as a verb. And if the basic orienting phrase "God is love" is plastered over with cultural graffiti that obscure and deface the truth of the way the world is, we are not going to get very far in living well. We require true stories of love if we are to live truly.

Hosea is the prophet of love, but not love as we imagine or fantasize it. He was a parable of God's love for his people lived out as God revealed and enacted it - a lived parable. It is an astonishing story: a prophet commanded to marry a common whore and have children with her. It is an even more astonishing message: God loves us in just this way - goes after us at our worst, keeps after us until he gets us, and makes lovers of men and women who know nothing of real love. Once we absorb this story and the words that flow from it, we will know God far more accurately. And we will be well on our way to being cured of all the sentimentalized and neurotic distortions of love that incapacitate us from dealing with the God who loves us and loving the neighbors who don't love us.

What God Teaches in Wilderness, Part 2B

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
[Isaiah 58:11 NIV]

Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
[Matthew 4:4 MSG]

Note: Graham Cooke has said that what happens in spiritual “ebb” or seasons of “hiddenness” is just as important as what God does in the “flow” of evident blessings, answered prayer, etc. This is Part 2B of a series that includes postings on 11/12 & 11/26 (so far), where we’ve seen that “spiritual wilderness” is intended by God as a place of purpose and preparation to walk in His promises for our lives. This week, we look at the wilderness as a place of divine guidance.

.

Part 2B - Divine Guidance
.

In the wilderness, we learn to follow God. Although many of us “know” that we should always seek Him, it seems that when we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, without the normal roadmaps and landmarks of human civilization, we are more likely to look for and depend on God’s guidance and direction. This is part of the humbling / teaching process described in Deuteronomy 8:3, which Jesus quoted in Matthew 4:4 (above) when He faced His time of testing in the wilderness.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. [Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV]

One of the most important ways we access God’s guidance is through His written Word. In the wilderness, Moses was inspired to write the first 5 books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). These books contain a multitude of rules for daily life and relationships - with God, and with one another – including the Ten Commandments, detailed instructions for the Tabernacle, sacred feasts, sacrifices, health and dietary laws, etc. In the desert, God gave specific instructions to be observed by His people, not only on their temporary journey, but for future generations who would go on to possess and dwell in the Promised Land.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. [Psalm 119:105 NLT]

Yet God’s guidance is not limited to recorded rules and instructions – in the wilderness, His Presence led and accompanied His people at all times. The children of Israel learned to walk with God as He manifested His Presence in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

[Exodus 13:21-22 NIV]

.

When the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel followed it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel camped.

[Numbers 9:17 NLT]
.

“In the desert…the LORD your God…went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.”

[Deuteronomy 1:31, 33 NIV]
.

It’s important to remember that following God is all about relationship with a living Person, not just written words on a page, intellectual ideas, or trying to follow a set of rules on our own.

“God…has made us competent ministers of the new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

[2 Corinthians 3:6 NIV]

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

[John 6:63 NKJ, quoting Jesus]

Fellowship with the living God is the way of truth and life. Trying to know good from evil apart from that relationship has been humanity’s downfall since the Garden of Eden! Romans 8:6-9 tells us that the mind of the flesh – thoughts that are not led by or in harmony with the Spirit of Christ - is opposed to God. Even “good people” or believers whose minds are steeped in worldly or natural thinking may not recognize that what they think is “true” or “right” may be spiritually inaccurate.

For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.

[1 Corinthians 2:14 BBE]
.

Bill Johnson points out that devoted Christians can be led astray by elevating “good things” like religious principles, or past spiritual experiences, above the guidance of God Himself. (Of course, Bill cautions that God will not contradict His written Word, and - in the absence of clear or specific guidance by the Holy Spirit – we often need to act or make decisions based on godly principles.) What we think we know, because of what God has said or done in other situations, may cause us to assume or presume incorrectly. For example, in Numbers chapter 14, the Israelites refused to act on God’s promise to lead them into the land of Canaan, so He withdrew His promise for that generation; later, they tried to go forward without God’s Presence, and were soundly defeated.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.

[Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT]
.

Pastor Bill suggests that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” [Romans 10:17 NKJ] means that knowing God’s written Word – the record of what He has said & done in the past – positions us to “hear His voice” in the present. (Note: “hearing God’s voice” doesn’t only refer to hearing the audible voice of God, which most would agree is a rare experience; for the purposes of this posting, “hearing God’s voice” refers to perceiving any of the various ways God “speaks” – including (but not limited to): the written Word, inward witness or “knowing” by the Spirit, circumstances, dreams, visions, godly counsel in conversation with another person, etc).

.

Learning to recognize God’s voice is part of a developing relationship – an ongoing process of getting to know Someone that involves many forms of communication, in a variety of situations, over time. This posting isn’t intended to be a “how to” recognize God’s voice, mainly a reminder that it’s an important part of what we learn in the wilderness.

If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God.

[Deuteronomy 28:1-2 MSG]

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

[Isaiah 30:21 NIV]

Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me, and I have listened. I do not rebel or turn away.

[Isaiah 50:4b-5 NLT]

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

[John 10:27 NIV]
.

As we follow God Himself, we learn to love His Presence more than principles and – as we’ll see in next week’s posting (12/10/10) – even more than His promises.

Next week: "What God Teaches in the Wilderness, Part 2C – Intimacy with God"

---------------------

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

[John 14:5-6 NIV]

Bill Johnson’s excellent 2 CD-teaching "Recognizing His Voice" is available at http://www.ibethel.org/store/p2990/RecognizingHisVoice/product_info.html

What God Teaches in Wilderness, Part 2A

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
[Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV]

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
[Song of Solomon 8:5a NKJ]

Note: Graham Cooke has said that what happens in spiritual “ebb” or seasons of “hiddenness” is just as important as what God does in the “flow” of His manifest Presence, evident blessings, answered prayer, etc. The following is Part 2A of a series that began on 11/12/10.

In Part 1 - Wilderness: What & Why, we saw that, as we follow the Lord through our wilderness experiences, we don't have to feel lost, afraid or alone. “Spiritual wilderness” is intended by God to be a place of purpose and preparation to walk in His promises for our lives. In the next three postings, we’ll look at the wilderness as a place of supernatural provision, a place of divine guidance, & a place of loving intimacy with God.

Part 2A - Supernatural Provision

As Bill Johnson points out in his excellent 2 CD-teaching "Recognizing His Voice" (available at iBethel/store, link below), the wilderness is not necessarily a place a scarcity. The children of Israel had food delivered daily from heaven. Water flowed from a rock. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night went with them through the desert and protected them from extreme temperatures… even their clothes and shoes did not wear out for 40 years! The wilderness can actually be a place of abundance, but our source of supply is not what we would normally or naturally expect. This teaches us to look to God as our Source and partner obediently with Him - which in turn prepares us for our promised land, where both natural and supernatural abilities work together in ways that continue to give Him glory.

A friend pointed out to me that, in Part 1 (11/12/10), I listed three “essential lessons learned in the wilderness” – humility, obedience, and conscious dependence on God – as if they were all one subject. I thought about this later, and realized that I considered these as related parts of the same basic lesson: in the wilderness, we are humbled by awareness of our needs and our own inability to meet them; and, as we turn to God for help, His provision often comes with specific instructions. In both Deuteronomy 8:3 (quoted above) and Exodus 16:4-5, God explicitly links His provision of manna (bread from heaven) with humility, dependence, and obedience to His Word:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." [Exodus 16:4-5 NIV, emphasis added]

(A side note on the teaching power of consequences: what we fail to learn through obedience, we have another opportunity to learn from the results of disobedience. For example, those who tried to keep the manna longer than God instructed found it full of maggots on the second day [Exodus 16:20]; those who went out looking for manna on the seventh day - the Sabbath - found none [Exodus 16:27]… of course! :) )

Pastor Bill points out that it was not God’s plan to sustain the Israelites with manna indefinitely; Exodus 16:35 & Joshua 5:10-12 tell us the manna stopped when they reached the border of Canaan, the day after they ate some produce from the Promised Land. At Gilgal, on the plains of Jericho, a new generation of Israelites was circumcised and God said, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." [Joshua 5:9 NIV] Supernatural provision in the wilderness was part of God’s training, so that His people would enter the Promised Land knowing their true Source of supply, humbly dependent on Him and obedient to His Voice. As they conquered the cities of Canaan one by one and began to occupy their Promised Land, God would reward and use their new lifestyle of obedience to display His glory to the people around them.

To preserve the lessons of God’s supernatural provision in the wilderness for generations to come, God commanded the Israelites to keep an omer (about 2 quarts) of manna in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses also warned God’s people in Deuteronomy Chapter 8 not to forget these lessons of humility, obedience, and conscious dependence on God, after they prospered in the Promised Land:

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery…. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

[Deut. 8:10-14, 17-18 NIV]

Hopefully, we come out of the wilderness with the kind of freedom the apostle Paul describes – satisfied and sufficient in any situation, because we know our true Source of provision and strength:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

[Philippians 4:12-13 NIV]

Next week: "What God Teaches in Wilderness, Part 2B - Divine Guidance."

----------------------

Bill Johnson’s 2-CD teaching “Recognizing His Voice” is available at http://www.ibethel.org/store/p2990/RecognizingHisVoice/product_info.html

Fresh Bananas!

(I know, it's Thanksgiving - so you're expecting a posting about gratitude, right? And that's a wonderful subject - we all have so much to be thankful for, including the glorious realities discussed below...but I had something else on my heart this week. Well, at least, in honor of Thanksgiving, the analogy involves food :) LOL. Happy Thanksgiving!)

A good friend of mine is a worship leader who often shares beautiful words of encouragement before, during or after a song. One Saturday morning at a church women's breakfast, she was talking about "sacrifice" - how difficult it can be to bring some of the things we're holding onto to the Lord and give them over to Him, letting go - and the following picture came to my mind:

I "saw" a little monkey on a dry sandy beach, trapped with his fist in a cage – I have no idea if anyone anywhere in the world actually traps monkeys this way, but I’ve heard this used as an illustration before: the slats in the cage are too thin for the monkey to withdraw his hand unless he lets go of the bait, so the monkey is captured because he holds on to the food - in this picture, it was half of a bruised - brown - mushy banana.

The rest of the picture: behind this monkey is a luxurious abundant jungle full of fresh ripe bananas - all you could ever possibly want, available in freedom! I can see that God created this little monkey to play and swing joyfully from tree to tree in that beautiful jungle, eating all he needs each day, as bunches of fresh bananas ripen on every tree.

The “price” of this freedom and bounty? Turn from that poor excuse for a meal that's really just bait in a trap – let go of that rotten little piece of brown banana that only looks good to a hungry, desperate monkey who can’t see what God really has for him, because he’s facing away from the beautiful jungle. He can’t see that it’s really a decoy, expertly placed by one who wants to steal his life, his freedom and his future. I want to cry out, “Turn around, you foolish little monkey!” What you think you want is not truly good! Turn around - see God's beautiful, abundantly good will for you and be free!

Then I thought – in light of what the worship leader had said – “Sacrifice? What sacrifice?” Is it really a “sacrifice” to give up that little piece of mushy brown banana in a cage, when there’s a whole jungle full of fresh food and freedom just over your shoulder?

A rich young ruler walked away sorrowful because he couldn’t let go of his possessions, so Peter asked Jesus about disciples who’d “left all” to follow Him:

“Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you, everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, as well as receiving eternal life in the world to come."

[Luke 18:29-30 NLT, emphasis added]

"Yes," said Jesus, "and you won't regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children - whatever - will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!"

[Luke 18:29-30 MSG, emphasis added]

The real “sacrifice” happened at the Cross – now we “give up” life without God for the glorious riches of an eternal inheritance with Him. Like the widow described in Mark 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4, when we give Him all we have, it’s really just a “mite” – the value of about two pennies – compared to the treasures of our new life in Christ. And, as the scriptures above point out, the rewards and benefits of this exchange are not just for heaven!

Another friend recently mentioned “losing ourselves” in God, which reminded me of another statement Jesus made:

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.

[Matthew 16:25 NIV, emphasis added]

So we don’t really “lose” anything in Christ, do we? In Him, we find our true identity and abundant life.

A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
[John 10:10 MSG]

Speaking of food, consider the young boy mentioned in John 6 - who gave up his lunch to feed 5,000 people (including himself) - compared to Esau, who sold his precious inheritance to satisfy a temporary appetite (Genesis 25:29-34; also Hebrews 12:14-16). Like that little boy’s lunch, we can be confident that those things we place into God's hands will come back to us in a much better way – and, like Abraham’s willingness to lay his son Isaac on the altar (Genesis 22), the things He really wants us to have will survive any “sacrifice.”

So… what is that rotten little banana in your hand? Let it go, and turn around to see the beautiful freshness God provides for you – a life of abundance and freedom in Him!

-------------------------------------------

“Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
[Matthew 3:2 NLT]

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”
[Luke 12:32 ESV]

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!
[Psalms 34:8 NLT]