Capturing the Blessed Life

God wants you to live in the blessed realm.  It brings great joy to Him to bless you.  God has created each of us for His blessings.  We need to do our best to internalize this message.  We are being raised up and positioned to receive God’s best - His blessings - the abundance of His goodness.  When we understand this, life takes on a new look - a new perspective.

Nobody taught this like Jesus taught it.  Jesus came into the world at a time when very few had any connection with God.  Most had learned to live life accepting that life was what it was, seldom looking for anything more than what they were dealt.  Although their hearts cried out for something better, in their minds something better was not to be a reality.  Then enters Jesus!  He comes offering hope, healing, joy, good news, freedom from oppression, and an introduction into the realm of the kingdom of heaven.  All of a sudden life’s focus begins to change.  Maybe there is a chance of being blessed. Maybe there is a better life.  Maybe Jesus does have something to offer.  Possibly God has favored Jesus and He has come to make it known.

Suddenly the possibility of the blessed life is staring them in the face.  How cool is that?  Really cool!  And it is what we can know today.  Jesus has come to reveal to us the blessed life.  He’s come to introduce it to us, and to have us walk in it.  Here is what He taught regarding it.

Blessed (happy) are those who realize it’s not about them, but about others.  Jesus taught us what it was to give one’s self away.  His attitude and actions were completely selfless.   Jesus said I didn’t come to be served, but to serve.  I’ve come to give away what God has given me.  That which I have was given me to enrich the lives of others.  Jesus never saw His life to be about Him.  It was always about what God wanted to do through Him. How He could introduce God’s favor and goodness to those who were otherwise blinded to it.

I’m convinced the greatest joy Jesus felt when He walked this earth and conducted ministry was when He saw individuals connect with the favor of God.  A person is healed and Jesus is filled with joy.  An individual is set free from demonic activity and Jesus celebrates God’s goodness.  A rigid cold body lies lifeless, but at His word life re-enters it and Jesus praises His Father.   Blind eyes are opened and Jesus celebrates with the now sighted person. Spiritual blinders come off those held in the devil’s grip and Jesus says “YES!”  I don’t know that Jesus knew any greater joy than when He was giving the blessed life away.  Why?  Because it wasn’t about Him.  It was about others.

We easily get trapped thinking the blessed life is about us, to be enjoyed by us, for our own personal purposes.  When we think this we’re missing the point.  And as a result missing a good portion of the blessings God so freely pours out.  The greater joy is in seeing others get equally blessed – maybe even more blessed. You have no doubt seen others overcome by the Spirit, or overtaken with holy laughter.  When Christians live with this kind of joy it makes the world wonder what’s up. 

Jesus taught we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  What would make us shine brighter than to be possessors of the blessed life - only to freely give it away?  What would create a greater thirst in individuals than for us to salt our sphere of influence with the blessings of God?  No wonder Jesus was so popular and people came from the towns and villages to see Him.  No wonder people brought their sick and diseased to Him.  He was giving away the blessed life so they could connect with God.  And He told us to do the same.  Jesus said, “Don’t hide your light under a basket.  Let it shine for the world to see.  Do it, so that men may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

God wants you to be a good steward of the blessed life.  He wants to practically drown you in His blessings, but for good purpose – to bless others. Part of the reason we are to carry the blessed life is to help others connect with God, however when we think it’s all about us – for our consumption – we miss the whole purpose of the blessed life, and surrender much of it because we are less than good stewards of it.  Jesus understood it.  He said, “Freely you have received; freely give what you’ve received to others.”  We need to understand that God gives us – showers us – with the blessed life when we learn to be good stewards of His gifts.  Listen, give it away.  Give yourself away.  The less you own of yourself the more God will bless you and use you.

Secondly, the blessed life comes as we get hold of the character of God.  The blessed life reflects God’s character.  It proves you are a child of God. Every one of the characteristics Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount are a reflection of God’s character.   God is saying if I could just automatically shape you, this is what I’d make you.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, and those who mourn.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, and the pure in heart.  Blessed are the peacemakers  - those who want God’s best and His richest blessings poured upon others.  Blessed are those who endure persecution for the cause of Christ while at the same time forgive, pray for, and bless their enemies.  Jesus said these are those who are most happy.  These are those who experience the ultimate well-being and distinctive spiritual joy that fills those who are part of the kingdom of God.

Here’s what I gather from this; blessed is the individual who becomes consumed with God’s character so that God is lifted up and exalted in all things.  The best thing we can do – the greatest place we can be – is aligned with the character of God.  When our character reflects God’s character life is enjoyable; stress is gone; peace dominates; the cares of the world don’t consume us.  We become productive.  We impact others for Christ.  God rules our life; and all things come into perspective.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

However, the moment we set ourselves up for that, what happens?  The flesh rises up and tries to rule us.  The flesh doesn’t want to be surrendered to God.  It doesn’t want to take on the character of God.  As a result, if we give into it we give up the blessed life.  It’s why Paul challenged us to crucify the flesh daily.  It’s why Jesus challenged us to hunger and thirst after righteousness.  It’s why He said we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness so that once we have done this, all these other things can be added to us.

Once we have captured God’s heart and His character, the blessed life can be rightly discerned.  We possess it rightly.  And we realize it ours to advance God’s kingdom.  There is one purpose for the blessed life – to advance God’s kingdom.  That’s what Jesus did.  He lacked for nothing of value as He walked this earth – and all He had He used to advance the kingdom of God.  If you had a double- portion of the blessed life would you use it to advance God’s kingdom?  What if you only had a single portion, would you still use it to advance God’s purposes?  That’s how you know whether or not you’ve captured the character and heart of God.

Notice the progression.  Once you’ve come to the place of capturing God’s heart and knowing it’s not about you but about others look at the benefits of the blessed life.  Jesus said, for these they shall know a different side of life.  Here’s what they gain.  Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  They shall be comforted.  They will inherit the earth.  They will be filled.  They’ll be shown mercy.  They will see God.  They will be called sons of God.  Great is their reward.

Is there anything in that other than the blessed life?  Anything which places us at odds with God?  Anything that strips us of God’s best?  No, just the opposite.  This indicates that within the blessed life we have a favorable position before God.  God’s blessings are bestowed upon us.  God’s hand is stretched out toward us.  Consider that God opens the doors to His abundance and says you shall inherit the kingdom of God.  Consider that it says we shall see Him.  Consider that Jesus said we will be filled, and comforted, and receive mercy.  That’s some cool stuff.  That puts me in a place and position to know God’s best.

Look at this carefully because some of this is eternal, and some is for this life, and some for both.  Being filled is for this life; being comforted – for this life; inheriting the earth – for this life; receiving mercy – for this life; seeing God – for both this life and the life to come; being called sons of God – for this life and eternal life; greatly rewarded – in heaven.

I don’t know how you see, but I see that as having the best of both worlds.  God wants to bless me here, and He wants to bless me in heaven.  He wants to bless you here and bless you there.  That’s life, and it abundantly.  Jesus said He came to give life and it more abundantly; this is some of what He is talking about.

Paul writes (1 Cor. 2:9), “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”  And Paul prays for us saying, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-22)

There is no greater entrustment of power, authority, and responsibility than that which we gain when we are visited with the blessed life.  Recognize what you have, and use it for God’s glory; so that men may see your good deeds – men might see your blessed life - and praise your Father in heaven.

The cry of my heart for today's church

I never thought I would see the day when I would plead with the congregation God entrusted to me to be faithful in church attendance.  However, I feel it necessary to do so.

 

It appears the enemy of our souls has lulled the church to sleep.  Like the steady rocking of a mother holding her baby as she rocks back and forth, back and forth, we have slowly been lulled into a heavy sleep.

 

The problem is we have not been rocked to sleep for our benefit by a loving parent.  We have been put to sleep by the devil who seeks to disarm and ultimately separate us from God.  It is a sign of the times - the last days.

 

The casualness with which some treat church attendance is alarming to me.  Church is where we are encouraged, strengthened, built up and equipped for whatever we might face throughout the week.  But many are missing this opportunity and facing week after week without God's armor and without being refreshed on an ongoing basis.

 

I plead with you to make church attendance a priority.  Make it a weekly habit.  Now is the time for the church - for each one of us to awaken from our sleep - and be in God's house and amidst His presence.

Loneliness – The Silent killer

He was born to aspiring parents on Christmas Eve.  But times were tough and things came hard.  In spite of it, soon due to a few strategic business ventures his parents would come into wealth.  You might say he grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

He was never much for schooling.  He’d rather be experimenting, tinkering, dreaming.  And socially, well his social life was non-existent.  It is said of this man that “He never really had any friends.”

At the age of 16 his doting mother died, soon after his father too.  He would inherit his father’s estate – literally millions – at the age of 19.  He married, but it didn’t last.  He married again – again it did not last.

He tried his hand at film-making and had some success, but his passion was aviation.  He loved everything about it.  He built the largest aircraft to ever fly – and millions rolled into his bank account.

He moved to Las Vegas, and when the hotel he was staying in threatened to evict him, he bought it.  Never was money to be an object for him.  And possessions – he had them all.

But, there was just one thing missing – he was lonely – so very lonely.

Years went by.  He jutted around the world – many times; but still he was lonely.

And so it was that at the age of 70, he died after being a recluse for most of his life – especially the last 20-25 years of his life.  He was the wealthy – but lonely – Howard Hughes.

She was just the opposite.  She grew up in a lower class neighborhood.  There seemed to be no dad in the picture – some said he was in prison, and seldom did you see her mother.  Mom seemed to do her best for her and her siblings – but the best was far less than what others seemed to have in their own lower class existence.

Life was cruel to her.  Never a new dress, or shoes, or anything for that matter.  Often sent home from school for head-lice.  Never found at a school dance.  Always the last to be chosen when picking teams on the playground.  The subject of mean-spirited jokes and hurtful riddles.  Never included in the backyard games of touch football, or kick-the-can, or hide and seek.

Oh yea, there was that one friend – Chad Gunther* - the friend we all should have been.

Standing in the shadows – her silence crying out, “I’m lonely.”  Within her eyes you read distance.  Her actions cried out for love and acceptance – but we gave her only distance.  Day after day, year after year, from her spot of loneliness she cried out in silence, “I’m lonely, I am so lonely.  Would anybody be my friend.  Will somebody be my friend?”  But we did not see it then and we refused to hear her.  Whatever became of her my heart wonders – the unwanted person of Gabbie Steele*?  If I had it to do over – I’d be her friend…. Because loneliness hurts that badly.

(*The names have been changed.)

Do you know who I am?  Do you notice me?  Really notice me?  Can you sense my pain?  Have you any clue of the gnawing ache eating away at my inside?

No, I don’t think you do.  You see me at my best.  You think I have it all together.  You observe me in my strongest moments.  You paint my life as bright, and fun, full, and without suffering.  Not so.

I function.  I get my work done.  I cover it pretty well.  However…I know differently.

Although filled with faces, and people who deem me a friend, my life is cold, closed, painful, lonely.  Among a thousand, I am still alone.  Among a dozen – still alone.  And when alone – so all alone.

It is killing me.

What can I do when nothing seems to change this feeling?  What should I do when this feeling consumes my entire state?  Call on God – you say?  Maybe that’s it.  Maybe, God is my answer. But maybe – just maybe – you would be my friend – my dearest closest friend.  Maybe, you’d allow God to use you to be a true friend.  I won’t ask for much.  I won’t put many demands upon you.  I just need a person to care; to listen; to hold me; to let me vent; and to say the world is a better place with you here.  Maybe that would help my loneliness.

Don’t You Hate It When…

It seems increasingly so.  I can be on the phone with an individual who specifically asked me to call them.  As the conversation unfolds – and believe me I don't talk for endless minutes on the phone – the person will inevitably say, "Can you hold on a minute?  I have another call coming."  And before you know it, even before I can respond, I am beeped onto "Hold", until the party comes back on the line.             What is wrong with this picture?  When I went to school I was taught telephone etiquette.  And what makes the person think that I am any less important than the person calling?  Or, that the person calling may be any more important than I am?  Am I THAT boring that a person beeping in - any person beeping in – is a better alternative?  If so, don't ask me to call you.  I would rather keep my thoughts to myself. Typically when I am on the phone with a caller and I have another call coming, I ignore the incoming call.  The most important person at that moment is not the person calling, but the individual I am already speaking with.  Even when the person may hear the new call beeping in, and they encourage me to take the call; I say, "I can only speak to one person at a time while on the phone, and right now I am on the phone with you."             Here's my thought – it seems this is the way we treat God when it comes to prayer or our worship time.  We have time for our Lord as long as someone or something else isn't asking for our attention; but get a call, text, or hear our Facebook push notice say there is a message, and God goes on "Hold", and we're off to do whatever.             Does that grieve God?  It grieves me when it happens to me.  How can it not grieve God?  Come on folks, let's give God our full attention when it is time to worship and petition Him with our prayers.  Listen, you can never recapture the moments spent with God once you have dumped Him for a lesser demand.  And to place God on "Hold"…I don't think so! And by the way, seldom is the incoming call worthy of dumping the person you already have on the line.  That person already engaged in a conversation deserves your full attention at that moment – after all that's why you have voice mail, and it is how you keep friends.  Just saying it like it is!

Five Weapons the Devil Uses

The weapon of intimidation Nehemiah, as he rebuilt the walls and gates of Jerusalem, often said that his enemies tried to intimidate him.  That is they tried to make him look small and themselves bigger, stronger, and more powerful.  Likewise, our enemies prevail when they make us believe that they are bigger, stronger, and more powerful than we are.  It's what we allow the devil to do to us – even more we make him out to be bigger than our God, stronger than our faith, more powerful than our prayers which prevail against him.   The weapon of fear The moment Elijah heard that Jezebel put a contract out on his life he became afraid.  Wait a minute!  Didn't God help him defeat 450 prophets of Baal?  And didn't God meet him again and again miraculously?  Then, why is he afraid?  He was afraid because he responded to a weapon the devil uses against God's people, and it became a critical spiritual battle for Elijah.  When we succumb to fear the devil will beat us with that spirit of fear until we give up and surrender.   The weapon of fatigue Have you ever noticed how much worse things seem when we are completely exhausted and worn out?  Nothing goes right; everybody is against us; we're the only one who has ever walked through the valley we are facing; nobody understands – that's how it is when we are overly exhausted. Elijah cried out to God, "I am the only one left who loves and serves you, and now my life is in danger."  However, look what God does.  He gets Elijah to a place where he can rest and take in nourishment.  So that Elijah could see things as they really were, and so he could be useful to God's kingdom. Whatever you do, try not to fight the devil when you are exhausted.  And if you find yourself there anyway against your wishes, make no permanent decisions regarding your future until God has had the opportunity to refresh you.   A fourth weapon - discouragement and depression Elijah says, "I want to die.  I don't want to live anymore.  The fight is too hard; the battle too great.  Just let me die."  Why would he say this?  He's discouraged – depressed.  He's at an all-time low. Ever been there?  Listen, we can confess with our mouths all we want that life is good and we're the blessed of the Lord, but let's get real – there are times when we get discouraged.  We need to recognize it for what it is.  It's a tool the enemy uses to bring us down so he can defeat us.  It's one reason why we need to gather godly faith-filled people around us, who speak positive things into our lives.  In addition, we have to be rehearsing the goodness of God's mercies over our lives.   Another weapon the devil uses is lies and half-truths. He loves to whisper in our ear things that are not true.  "Well, did you hear what the doctor said?"  "Do you realize what people think about you – what they're saying about you?"  "Do you know that God doesn't love you like He loves others?"  "See, you were prayed for, and things didn't work out for you."  "God is not going to work a miracle on your behalf."  "God doesn't hear your prayers."  All lies and half-truths.  We should expect them and recognize them when they come. After Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days and nights, Satan came to Him and began quoting the Scriptures to Jesus.  Telling Him it would be perfectly within reason to turn a stone into bread to feed His famished body.  He said, "You could throw yourself off the highest point of this Temple so all those who watched would know that you are someone special, and you'll not hurt yourself, because God's Word says, 'He will give His angels charge over you.'"  And the devil said, "If you will bow down to me, I will give you everything you lay your eyes upon – all the splendor and the kingdoms of the world."  To every one of these half-truths Jesus had to respond with the truth of the Scriptures as God meant them. The way to fight the devil with all of his lies, half-truths and weapons is to stand on the Word of God, gather godly people around you, and believe God – even confess - that greater is He who is in you than he who is against you; and that you are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ who loves you.

Casey Anthony – My thoughts

The last six weeks has been a media frenzy in Central Florida, and possibly throughout parts of the country as Casey Anthony was tried.  We have watched two well –versed eloquent legal teams hash every detail, launch accusations, and defend their belief.  And the verdict?  Not guilty.  Social polls say, "The jury got it wrong.  Casey got away with murder.  Another injustice."  What do you say?   I would like to weigh in on this matter, but truthfully I cannot.  I am not attempting to skirt the issue.  I just don't know that I have enough of the details to make an accurate assessment of guilt or innocence.  I must trust the system.  What concerns me even greater is that there is a more accurate – no, in fact, most accurate - system we will all face someday.  And the jury won't be that of 12 individuals.  The jury and judge will consist of One.  Jesus.  The charge – he or she is a Christian; a Christ-follower; a lover of God.  Will there be sufficient evidence to convict you?

Free Indeed!

My wife and I took a few days vacation and visited one of the great historical cities of our nation. Once booked, we embarked on a guided tour of the old city.  Just as we pulled up to one of the city's historical hotspots the tour guide stated, "If you'll look off to your right you'll see the actual spot where years ago the Emancipation Proclamation was read.  On that day men and women showed up as slaves, and left free from their slavery."   The crispness with which the tour guide said this rung in my ears and heart.  I thought this is so neat.  Within minutes people who were once owned, once ruled, once bound, and once enslaved, were set free from their bondage.   I couldn't help but think, that was exactly what happened when I met and accepted Jesus Christ.  I showed up enslaved, bound, owned, and ruled by sin and was immediately set free.  Did you hear me?  Immediately – I was set free!  What a glorious day that was!