You are NOT who you are supposed to be!

From song "One Thing Remains"  by Jesus Culture
Refrain:   Your love never fails,
                 It never gives up
                 It never runs out on me!

                 Your love!

This world we live in is not as it was supposed to be! Creation spoken into existence and
called 'Good,' became tainted. What God created was spoiled and changed by sin; from the
Garden of Eden to animals that hunt others, there is wrong and it is everywhere. One only
has to open the newspaper to the front page; there's the truth and it doesn't emphasize the
hatred, poverty, racism, abortion, illness, greed.... it isn't a real pretty picture.

Within this truth lies the fact that we, as humans, are not who we were supposed to be. We
are born into sin and our lives are full of emotions and actions that are not those that
a loving creator God intended. Did He know what was to happen? Of course; He is all-
knowing. From the moment that Adam and Eve chose to distance themselves from Him by
disobeying, sin was released. Interestingly, God's reaction could simply have been to
wash His hands of this mess. He could have simply turned His back and called it '6 days!'

What did He, in His grace, do? Genesis 3: 9  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" He sought them. He, obviously, knew where they
were; yet, He called to them. He was not about to just forget about His created that He
loved and still loves with a glory undeserved but ever-lasting. 

From even before the events in the garden, God had a plan for the redemption of all
His creation. It was a plan of personal involvement because only He would be able to
bring an answer to the chasm created between God and His created, an answer that
would involve a personal permanent sacrifice, a propitiation for all sin, a full payment 
upon a cross, a defeat of satan, sin and death. 

You see His love never fails. It is a pure, unconditional love that can never be other
than sufficient. It is a love that does not give up or give in. It is an endless love; one that
will one day end in the rebirth of creation, a new heaven and a new earth under the
Lordship of the Prince of Peace. Things, in an instant, will be made right, made just, made
righteous... made into the way they were supposed to be!

And lest I forget, YOU will become who you are supposed to be!!!

Praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Why John 3:16?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3: 16

My first experience with John 3: 16 happened at a time when I would have had no clue who
John was! I used to watch Monday Night Football 'religiously,' and the cameras always found
a moment to pan onto a weird frizzy-haired dude holding up a poster board with John 3:16
written upon it. I paid a lot  more attention to the weird guy than to the bible verse being
shared.

Yet, if someone had turned to me and said, "Complete this phrase..." Yep, I probably would
have been able to finish pretty accurately the words that followed.. For God so loved the world.....! 

I have listened to Christians be almost apologetic about the common use and recognition of
these words. I'm guessing that they worry about people thinking that God is just about love,
leaving out all the other important aspects and qualities that we know about Him. So why
is this verse so universally recognized?

It does roll of the tongue rather easily, doesn't it? Being a person who is allergic to memorization, this is one I find easy to remember. More importantly, I believe
that it is no accident that this verse comes to mind in all people. I believe it is 
evangelistic, that it is meant to be that one verse that sticks out even among those who
are currently lost.

Why? Well consider the implications here. God did what the word amazing cannot even
begin to capture. He purposely sacrificed His son, precious to Him as evidenced by many
scriptures, to a painful, grotesque series of events, turned His back upon Him when He
could simply not look upon the accumulation of sins that weren't even His and sent
Him to death. Did He have to do this? Did, in fact, Jesus have to accept this cup and 
lower Himself to being hanged on a tree outside of the city as a criminal? 

If there is one concept that would summarize the glory of both the Father and His
loving Son, it would be wrapped up in the fact that this act of sacrifice was simply the
only solution to the acceptance of sinful man by a Holy God. 

So, yes, I say celebrate John 3:16! Begin each and every day quoting it to your ears
and heart so that you can praise and thank God, the trinity, for creating the miracle of
forgiveness.

For God SO LOVED THE WORLD.......

Thank heaven for Google Translate! CHRIST JESUS IS SUFFICIENT!!!!

Jesús es suficiente!

Jezus is genoeg!

Jésus est assez!

Jesus ist genug!

Ο Ιησούς είναι αρκετό!

ישו זה מספיק!

Iesu yn ddigon!

イエスは十分です！

Jesus är nog!

Иисус достаточно!

Jesus é o suficiente!

예수님은 충분하다!

Jesus sat est?   

Gesù è sufficiente!

No matter what the language, the message remains the same: Jesus Christ is enough!

He is bigger than your biggest problem, bigger than your biggest fear, bigger than your

most egregious sin, bigger than bank account balances, bigger than harsh words,

bigger than feuds between friends or family, bigger than any physical ailment, bigger,

yes bigger than death, bigger than Satan, bigger than the strongest sorrow, the

biggest loss the grandest temptation.....

Jesus is all you will ever need. Ask Him to be the center of your life, repent sins
and glorify Him. He is humble; yet, strong. He is loving; yet, powerful. He is a servant; yet,

a King. His shoulders are strong, His heart is huge. His patience is forever. He is

God, King, High Priest and Savior. 

Praise His glorious name!

How could they NOT have known?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[a] and judgment he was taken away.  Isaiah 53

It has been said that Hebrew people were adept at memorizing the Hebrew bible; that

it was a certainty that young men, like Jesus, had memorized large portions of the bible

in their educational training. 

With that in mind, it seems amazingly ridiculous that Jesus was not recognized as the

Messiah when there were numerous Old Testament verses that clearly prophesied

both his coming and His death.

The disciples seemed, at times, confused and unclear as to who this Jesus was. Simon
Peter responded to the question by stating that "Thou art the Christ, the son of the
living God." Matt 16: 16 Yet they continued to seem dazed at events and His words.
It's true that the Hebrew people were, and still are, waiting for a messiah who would
come in power to save the nation Israel and overthrow the Roman government. Obviously,
Jesus arrived unspectacular and was characterized more for compassion and
servitude. He was carrying a powerful message in a humble way.

So what are we to make of this inability of those present to recognize who Jesus was?
He minced no words in directly claiming to be the Son of God; yet, they ended up calling
for His death.  Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8: 58

I believe that the answer must surely be that God was working for His good plan by
making it impossible for the Jewish leadership to recognize what they most clearly
sought, the Messiah. There were just too many signs that this was the Son of God; yet,
He was destined to live out His purpose by being crucified and raised in victory over
Satan and death. It was God's plan, and like everything else that God does, it was good!

Praise our God!

Need to watch Them pronouns!

 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”  Exodus 3: 14

I me me mine  Well, George Harrison sang about them. They are pronouns that are
best excluded from our vocabulary and our thinking. First person pronouns such as
these smack at pride and self-worth. All of us came into this world naked and
helpless and we will leave in exactly the same manner baring the return of Lord
Jesus prior to our earthly passing. 

"Mine" is a pronoun that suggests that there are earthly things that belong to us. Not
so much. Anything we have in this world is a result of the grace of God and doesn't
actually belong to us. Any possessions that we have in this lifetime do not go with us
at our passing. If you've ever been on the earthly end of a probate hearing, you know that
things can get very very ugly when it comes to the sorting out of the "things" one leaves
behind. That's just another really good reason to avoid the collecting of "stuff" during
life.

We is one first person pronoun that can work for good. It suggests that one is not alone
in this worldly walk. Jesus made it crystal clear that any person wishing to enter the
Kingdom of God MUST be reborn with water and the spirit. When that moment occurs
the spirit of God enters into our lives forever, becoming our counselor and intercessor
between us and God. It's a shared existence that represents the best possible scenario
for those of us living in a broken world.

He brings to mind our God. The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is our King,
supreme, sovereign, regal and in charge. He is the creator of all and is able to manage
all things to the culmination of His good plan. He makes no errors. He tells no lies. He
knows us completely. He loves us as His own child. He wants to be in relationship with
His children and takes pleasure when they praise and glorify Him.

So... take it from an old English teacher. Keep track of those pronouns for a spell....
what do you hear and see? 

As Rich Mullins wrote and sang.. Oh we are not as strong, as we think we are!
Praise You, Father God!

Lost sheep without a shepherd

 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10-9

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 18-21

Evangelism. It's a tough topic; yet, it is clear that this is supposed to be something we do
actively as part of a Christian life. I would rate myself "poor" at best in this aspect! There
are a couple of folks that I care very deeply about that I have been clumsily working on
in a rather subtle way. I'm sure that the Spirit is working within me to help but it is
slow going, at best.

There are many lost sheep out there that need to be find their shepherd. I believe that God
seeks all people, taps them on the shoulder, makes His glory openly clear to them and then
waits for their response or lack thereof. So it is God, certainly, that reaches out to these lost
souls. Our job is to be willing, when we are placed in situations where we can communicate
our own knowledge of the gospel and our love of Jesus Christ, to share ourselves and our
love of Christ Jesus.

The responses to my own efforts have been weird and, probably, common. "I have a lot on my plate right now, do not have time for this!" I have gotten the "humorous" responses
given to deflect any serious discussion of Jesus. Sometimes that humor can be blasphemous
and that is very scary! I haven't really run into any especially rude situations, but I tend to
limit myself to "safe" situations. Ravi Zacharius I am not! 

I tend to convince myself that I don't know enough, yet, to carry on a successful conversation, to answer questions clearly and correctly...the fact is that it is the Spirit 
speaking within us that allows for the "right things" to say. "Preach the gospel at all
times, when necessary, speak," is a rough approximation of a quote by St. Francis of
Assisi that really captures a means of sharing God and Jesus. 

We need to relax and approach the need to share with confidence that God is within us
and working to gather His sheep. What a blessing it is to be placed in situations where we
can praise Him and share His life-saving gospel of salvation through the sacrifice of His
son upon the cross. Thank you, Father God!

My selfish heavenly wish

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Rev. 21: 4


Heaven remains a mystery to all of us who long for the time we will be
living in the presence of our Lord and King. We actually know more about
what will not be there, than what will. The descriptions in John's visions
and trips by Isaiah, Ezekiel and Paul leave us with more questions than
answers.

We can, I believe, be assured that we need not sign up for harp lessons before
arriving and probably won't need to worry about whether or not we are
too heavy to be supported by clouds. I am pretty sure that we will see many
folks that we love and, sadly, may not see some that we weren't sure were
those called by Christ into His family.

Well, I have a very selfish dream about my first moments in Heaven. I have
no doubt that I will find myself upon my knees. I feel that it may be the case
that I will be totally speechless. I am thinking that this will be the most 
beautiful place imaginable, the most peaceful place possible and a place
devoid of sin, pain, tears, strife and hated. Wow!

Well, here's what I wish with all my heart will happen. I want to reach
out somehow and take hold of the hand(s) of my Lord Jesus Christ. I just
want to touch Him, to hold that hand close to me. I know in scripture
that there will be no more tears, but what about spontaneous tears of
pure joy?

Now I will pray for this moment each day of my life, hoping that my
prayers will be answered with a YES!

There is just one problem, though. There may be a call to the angels
to pry my fingers loose from that hand. Once I hold onto Him, I just
know that I will never want to let go. Selfish, I know. But, oh how I
long to see it happen!

Praise God, all glory to Him, forever and ever!

okay...so...WHERE IS HEAVEN?

There's a question for you! When one considers the following: aborted babies, maimed and

killed soldiers, poverty, hatred, bigotry, crime, depression, suicide, mental illness, physical

illness and death...seems like we can say with a great deal of confidence that heaven is not

here on earth!

English Standard Version 

² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^{[a] John 14: 2}

If one took a survey asking people to point towards heaven, I am guessing that the vast
majority would point upward. Now this is quite subjective, for someone in Santiago, Chile
would surely be pointing in a different direction than someone in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I once camped out in the Black Hills of South Dakota and saw, for the first time, a true
starry night! Phenomenal! But I didn't see heaven. I am certain that no one in the International Space Station, nor anyone using a high-powered telescope nor an electron
microscope has seen heaven.

So, does this mean that there is not heaven? ABSOLUTELY NOT! We are limited by
the dimensions of space, time, etc. as human beings. Jesus appeared suddenly among
his followers after the Resurrection, but I wouldn't suggest trying to walk through the
nearest wall. We, simply, are limited in many ways. GOD is not! Heaven can be anywhere
that a sovereign God chooses it to be. Because God is truth, we can believe, without
reservation, that He is in heaven.

Heaven is the place where God resides. He is the absolute Lord and King of this place,
joined at His right side by Jesus who intercedes in our behalf. There are angels, there,
and saints who have come before us, praising and glorifying God. 

Heaven is the place where we long to be!  The very essence of our existence, from conception
to the final breath we take, yearns and longs to be with God and to live in His presence.
It is what we were made to do, the place where we were meant to be. It is our HOME!
When I consider that there are people who live their lives rejecting God, rejecting Jesus
as the only possible pathway to salvation and choosing to live their lives out pointed in
the direction of eternity outside the presence of God, I literally shudder. Those are
lost people that we need to be praying for. Pray that it isn't far too late! Praise our gracious
God!

God's Work In Progress

Clive Staples Lewis

   "Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps,
you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the
leaks in the roof and so on; you know that those jobs needed doing and so you are not
surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably
and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that
He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of- throwing out a new wing
here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You
thought you were being made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. 
He intends to come and live in it Himself."

Yes, C. S. Lewis is so phenomenal, isn't he? Probably the most quoted Christian one can
find, yet he was converted to a believer in Christ during a motorcycle ride and discussion
with friend, J. R. R. Tolkien. 

What caught me about the above quote is the Truth that God is working on us constantly
once we welcome Him into our lives. He is, after all, the master architect, the master creator
who fashioned the universe, suddenly, from nothingness. Nothing, no job or task, is too
great for Him, as He is sovereign, completely.

How remarkable that He would care enough to fashion us into beings that might glorify
Him; How loving that He would provide a way for us to be members of His family,
taking sinners capable of doing little of import and changing us into justified, adopted
children, filled by the Holy Spirit and guided along the journey toward eventual sanctification
in His Holy presence. 

The key, here, is moving over, letting go of the steering wheel, swallowing our pride and
need to be in charge so that He can get on with the business of rebuilding. He knows
what is in our best interest, He knows what changes need to be made. He, and He alone,
needs to be master of our lives, our King, our God. What do we do? Trust, pray, get quiet and
praise His glorious name!