PERSISTING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD

As I walking the other morning, I noticed how absolutely clear the sky was.  You could see every single star visible by man.  It was that clear. Big dipper and little dipper.  I’m a star gazer, not a star knower.  Not sure of who or what Pleaides or Orion is and to me the Milky Way is a very good candy bar.  As I was looking up in the darkness though I wondered where the North Star was.  I wasn’t even sure where north was, I’m directionally challenged.  Then I thought about the Star of Bethlehem.  You know, the one that went ahead of the wise men and led them to Jesus?

I started thinking that as much as things change, they really do stay the same.  When I looked up at those stars in the sky it dawned on me, those are the same stars that Adam looked at, that Abraham looked at, that King David looked at, that the Disciples looked at.  Those were the thoughts in my mind when I returned to the house and pulled out my devotional to start my day.

…before the daystar knew its place or the planets ran their course,

the interests of the saints were made secure in Christ Jesus.

Charles Spurgeon

And that’s what it said.  Wow, that’s odd!  No, it’s not odd, it’s God!  He ties things together for us and every once in a while our faith is strong enough to recognize it.

The One who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the earth– Yahweh is His name. Amos 5:8

Isn’t that a beautiful verse?  Yahweh is His name.  The One who placed the stars in the sky – Yahweh.  A name too sacred to speak.  Yhwh.  Lord.  God.  As much as things change, they stay the same, He has promised.

“I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Malachi 3:6-7

Amos and Malachi were both speaking to the Israelites regarding repentance, 340 years apart.  The message was the same.  Repent.  You see, people did not change from Adam to Malachi.  People were the same.  Rebellious.  Disobedient.  Sinful.  Savior needing.

Fast forward about 4,000 years (give or take a year or two) from the creation of Adam to the birth of our Savior Jesus, things really hadn’t changed.  Remember what Dr. Luke said?

Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins to God. Luke 1:8

People were the same.  Rebellious.  Disobedient.  Sinful.  Savior needing.

Now fast forward another 2,000 years or so between the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to today.  People are the same.  But, just as people are the same, God is the same.  The same God that pursued the people of Israel is the same God that pursued the woman at the well, and the same God that pursues us today.  He has not changed.  He is the Word.

In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:1-5

His message is the same as it was in the very beginning.  Even before He put the daystar in place, it was all buttoned up.  The Word, Jesus Christ, is the Light that shines in our darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.  The Word is the same from beginning to end!

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

Before creation, the interests of the saints (that includes you and me), our eternal lives were made secure in Christ Jesus.  His Message is relevant yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Why?  Because people are the same as they were yesterday, as they are today, and as they will be tomorrow.  Rebellious.  Disobedient.  Sinful.  Savior needing.  The truth is that God is unchanging – Amen!  His plan before time began was to rescue people who needed rescuing, from Adam to Beth, to you, and beyond.

Our garden has just about run its course for the year. The tomatoes are dwindling, the peppers are coming along slower, and the cucumbers are all but done. We reaped a bounty this year. We’ve preserved multiple turns of pickles, and a turn or two of tomatoes. Peaches will be next. I was reminded of this blog from several years ago in which I explored the preservation process:

It’s that time of year, again.  I feel like I say that often.  Maybe because the years roll round, faster and faster, and it’s always – that time of year, again.  Well, this time of year I’m talking about is preserving time.  You know, plant it, grow it, pluck it, preserve it, all in preparation for the winter months to come.  Preserving is not such a thing anymore.  We usually rely on Del Monte, Green Giant, or more and more the store brands of those to plant it, grow it, pluck it and preserve it for us.  Then, they happily sell it and we buy it at a high price.

In the past we have preserved things by freezing them, but this year we tried canning.  Tomatoes first, and recently peaches.  The peaches are fantastic this year and we thought wouldn’t it be great to have that yummy, fresh, goodness to remind us in winter that spring will come?  The canning process is a little time consuming, and a good bit messy, but so worth it.

We first prepared the fruit by dropping the peach in a pot of boiling water for one minute. It’s called blanching.  Pull it out and place it in an ice water bath.  This is done so that you can easily remove the skin.  You need to get past the tough outer peal and the messy fuzz to get to the goodness.  After blanching the skin slides right off and you can see the yellow beautiful flesh of the peach.  After removing the skin, we removed the pit that old timers called the stone. Interestingly enough we found an almond in the pit of our peach. Well, not actually an almond, but a nut that looks exactly like an almond, skin and all.  I was amazed.  After a little research I found that edible almonds really do come from almond trees and that this little nut was not really an almond, it just looked like one.  In fact, this little nut contains a low dose of cyanide.  Yep, the stuff that kills.

Getting rid of the fuzz, the skin, the pit, and the nut of a peach leaves you with the super juicy, yummy fruit of the peach.  Much like us, right?

You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (Amplified Bible)

Well nobody’s perfect except Jesus.  But, isn’t Matthew telling us here that’s what we’re working toward?  We are to be like our Heavenly Father, right?  We know that none of us are perfect, no not one, but that does not mean we’re not to be moving in that direction, the sanctification direction.  Sanctification is just a big word for becoming more holy, more like Jesus.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.  Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:12-16

Sanctification is a process, just like preserving.  We must blanche, defuzz, toss the pit, and be wary of the poison.  How do we do that?

Make it your practice, each of you, to review your character – take it in relation to life, to your dear ones, your household, friends, acquaintances, your country, your work.

See where I, in the same relation or circumstances or situation, should act differently.  Plan how best such and such a fault can be eradicated, or such and such sin, mistake, or omission, be avoided.

A weekly review at least you must have.

God Calling, by Two Listeners

You see, it’s always that time of year for preserving.  It’s time consuming and messy, but working toward perfection is our preservation.  After honestly examining our lives, thoughts, motives, actions, it sometimes feels like we’ve been blanched and quartered, doesn’t it?  But, if we are not taking stock of our lives regularly, and we’re just drifting through, Sunday-to-Sunday, we’re not striving for perfection.  If we are not spending daily time with the Lord, seeking his ways and acknowledging Him, our paths will not be clear.  If we’re relying on others to do the preserving for us, we’re going to pay a high price.

Field Trip Day – Let me start off with a sincere apology for the cinematography below. If you’re prone to motion sickness, I suggest you take a Dramamine now, otherwise, go ahead and click start.

Grace – charis – the friendly disposition from which kindly acts proceed, unmerited favor, undeserved reprieve, something we don’t deserve, free gift, a manifestation of favor, charity, pardon, forgiveness.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace

Freely bestowed on all who believe

All who are longing to see His face

Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

We all want deliverance from something, don’t we?  We’re always seeking to get out from under something, aren’t we?  Needing deliverance started way back in Genesis.  Remember Adam and Eve and their date night in the Garden?  They pulled up to the table and ordered the knowledge of good and evil platter.  From that day forward, we’ve needed deliverance.  Deliverance from our own sin or from the collateral damage of the sin of those around us. 

The Israelites are a prime example of both.  We know their story well.  We live their story well.  Disobedience (ours or others), consequence, redemption, deliverance.  Over and over.  We’ve talked about this before.  But, what do we do when we experience consequence?  What do we do when we’re redeemed?  What do we do when we are delivered? Do we just bebop along like nothing ever happened?  Do we expect deliverance, assume deliverance, appreciate deliverance, praise deliverance?  Praise the Deliverer?

Exodus 13-14 tells us of a particular deliverance.  Specifically, Exodus 14:29:

The people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.  This was how the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day…When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and put their faith in him and his servant Moses.

After this deliverance, what did they do?  They sang!  They struck up the band and sang praises to the God of deliverance. 

            I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

Moses’ Psalm (song), in Exodus 15:1-21, is the very first song recorded in the Bible.  It obviously hit number one on the scroll weekly countdown as it was probably the only song of the day.  Isn’t it interesting that the number one song of that day was a love song?  A love song to God.  We hear all kinds of love songs on the radio today.  Mostly of the heartache and brokenness that is experienced in a relationship.  Moses’ song is a very different love song.  This is not a love song of heartbreak or loss. This was a love song of hope! 

Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?

Who can ever praise him half enough?

Psalm 106:2

Do we sing to Him?  We see God’s mighty power and we are delivered daily from our Enemy – God daily parts the waters for us to walk through at home, at church, at work, at life — isn’t that a reason to sing?  Sing for job offers.  Sing for shelter.  Sing for paychecks.  Sing for health.   Sing for healing.  Sing for life.  Sing for death.  Sing for rebirth.  Sing for friendship.  Sing for family.  Sing for protection.  Sing for hope.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for the cross.  Sing for victory.  Sing for mercy.  Sing for joy.  Sing for love.  Sing for deliverance.  Sing for God!

Who else among the gods is like you, O Lord?

Who is glorious in holiness like you –

So awesome in splendor,

Performing such wonders?

Exodus 15:11

Revelation 4 says that the elders fell down, laid their crowns before the throne, and worshiped the one who lives forever and ever because He is worthy.  They sing!

You are worthy, O Lord our God,

To receive glory and honor and power,

For you created everything,

and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.

Revelations 4:11

Just as the Israelites sang for God’s deliverance and mighty power and just as we read the elders in Revelation sing simply because He is worthy, we should do the same.

I love how Ruth Myers put it:

Praise can play a highly significant role in moving the hand of God in your life, bringing not only deliverance but also enrichment for you and glory to His name.

So, today, let’s turn off the radio and sing Alleluia to the Lord, He is worthy! Let’s turn off the TV and sing praises to His Name!  Let’s put down our phones and our books, and pick up The Book and praise His Holy Name! Our Deliverer has come!

Does anyone else get deeply disturbed?  Like way down deep?  I mean in a rip your heart out, I just don’t know what to do about it, kind of way?  Maybe about something in your own life?  Maybe something happening to someone else?  Deeply disturbed by something you see, you hear, or read?  Maybe something in your town, your State, your Country, your World?

I rarely take things off the farm, but today is the day.

I think these days we are all coming across things that are deeply disturbing and we either feel helpless, hopeless, or we simply just don’t care enough.  All three are tough spots.  Helplessness leaves us throwing our hands up in exasperation and taking no action for change.  Hopelessness has us wringing our hands and rendering us incapacitated due to our woeing.  And we flash our talk to the hand when we’re apathetic and indifferent.  I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve been in all three places.

Right now, I’m deeply disturbed, and I refuse to have any of those three attitudes today.  You see my disturbance is from something I read in the news.  Now, let me be straight up, today’s news is not news.  We have become like every other country in that the “news” is manipulated, gyrated around, spun and handed to us on a stick, just like cotton candy.  You know how yummy that is at the fair.  So big, so beautiful, it draws you in.  You buy it, you eat it, and then you feel gross. That’s what the news does for me.  So enticing, so clickable — I take the bait, interesting while I’m ingesting it and then wait, what?!?!?!?  When the sugar wears off, when I stop and think for a minute, I see that mostly what I just ingested was just a lot of someone else’s opinion, with very little truth and substance whipped with a lot of hot air.  You may not feel that same way.  I’m not pointing to anyone else but me.

News is important to us.  Opinion should not be.  Therefore, we need to be responsible adults and vet what we hear.  We need to use multiple sources to verify, check for accuracy.  So, what I’m about to say, I checked and evaluated.  You need to do the same.

Planned Parenthood of Great Rivers of St. Louis previously posted on their website:

“Here we come Chicago!  Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop with @ChiAbortionFund & @TheWienerCircle Aug 19-20, providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion, EC [Emergency contraception] will also be available for free without an appointment,”

They also posted:

Thank you for your interest in getting care with Planned Parenthood’s mobile health clinic.  Currently, all free vasectomy and medication abortion appointments are filled.

Deeply Disturbed!  Deeply Disgusted! Actually, Deep Anguish!

Although not specifically sponsored by the DNC as reported by conservative outlets, Planned Parenthood has staked its claim to that party and mobilized near their convention site.

After this lengthy introduction, you are probably saying I’m on the wrong website, I should be on bethlemaster.com – Practicing the Presence of God, and hearing an encouraging message that will build me up, make me smile, and help me to bebop through your day.  First of all, you’re on the right website.  Second, I pray you will be encouraged.

Let me be absolutely clear here – I am in no way disparaging anyone who has been deceived and chosen the path of abortion, we’ve all been deceived.  I offer unconditional love, support, encouragement and prayers.  In fact, you may contact me if you need any of those things.  You can check me out, I’m not just espousing support, I’m committed to showing it, even in my imperfect way.  As you read on, I want you to understand that I don’t judge or condemn anyone, that’s definitely not my place.  We all carry baggage, just different stuff in it.  There is only one judge and I’ll be standing in front of Him too! 

While I stand in despair over the state of our Country, crying out for help to the only one who can help us, He reminds me of exactly who He is, exactly who I serve…

I serve a God who is Sovereign, in complete control.

I serve a Great God.

I serve a God who is all-powerful.

I serve a God who doesn’t play politics – He came to serve people.

I serve a God of compassion.

I serve a God made who us with a brain and expects us to use it.

I serve a God of forgiveness.  He forgives and He forgets.

I serve a God who refuses to shame us.

I serve a God who’s only goal is to love us, and us to love Him.

I serve a God who demands obedience.  What parent doesn’t?  It’s for our protection.

I serve a God who heals.

I serve a God who values children, those wanted and unwanted.

I serve a God who is ever-present.

I serve a God who can mend a broken heart.

I serve a God who expects us to pray for our enemies.

I serve a God who is merciful and grace-filled.

I serve a God who sent His only child to this earth to die for me – to save me – because I can’t save myself.

I serve a God who cares passionately for the least and the lost.

I serve a God who is able to do more than I think or can even imagine.

I serve a God who can part a sea and allow my escape.

I serve a God who expects me to mirror Him in this world.

I serve a God who is Truth.

As I see all the happenings, from abortions, to displays of inflatable IUDs (never thought I’d say that on my website), to anti-Israel protests, to police clashes, to screaming, yelling, anti-this-anti-that, pro-this-pro-that, terror, people hurting people, rioting, wearing girl parts on their heads, humorously dressing as an abortion pill, gender confusion, homelessness, addiction, the fractures of our society go on and on, I’m comforted to know that I serve a Sovereign God, who is in control of all things because we obviously are not.  And if that is who I serve, I must stand against all things He stands against.  I must stand against all things that disrespect Him.  I must go against all things that fly in the face of exactly who He is, in exactly all the ways He would do it.

As I process the deep disturbance in my mind and the deep agony I feel, I am reminded that I serve God, not man.  I need to take my despair over what’s happening in my Country to Him.  I cannot fix the looming problems of our Country but He can and I pray that He will – from the top down.

I’m just not sure why we can’t see just how much we need Him.  I’m just not sure why we aren’t running to Him.  It was what our forefathers did and what they expected us to do.  I’m not pointing fingers to one party or another – there’s certainly enough blame to go around.  The DNC mentions “God” once in their platform and the RNC mentions “God” 100% more –twice!  Read them. It’s time we call our Nation, our people(us), back to the starting point.  We need to call our politicians (we put them in power) back to the beginning of all of creation – in the beginning was God.

So, as much as I want to go rogue and shout back at the degeneration of our values, our morals, our God, I’m also reminded that I am His image-bearer. My handling of my deep disturbance must be honorable because I serve an Honorable God. I will speak and act when He tells me to, with words that He tells me to, in the way He tells me to. And when it looks like wickedness and sin and evil will prevail and overtake us, I will remind myself of the God I serve, and I will stand on His promises. 

Be silent, and know that I am God!

I will be honored by every nation.

I will be honored throughout the world.

The Lord Almighty is here among us;

The God of Israel is our fortress.

Psalm 47:10-11

My dear friend Penny Cave has such an appetite for the Word of God. In turn, she notices how God speaks to her in unique ways. One of which we all probably have and rarely take notice of. I’ve asked Penny to share with you today and I know you will be encouraged by her message in The Voice of God:

One of my favorite sounds to hear on a warm summer evening is that of my wind chimes that hang off the eaves of the roof on my back porch.  I could sit for hours just listening and daydreaming to the soft, gentle tinkling of the tubes as they brush against the clapper.  My wind chimes are metal, and they make a sort of “tinny” bell-like sound when the wind blows.  There’s really no rhyme or reason to the melody they play, but for some strange reason hearing them brings me comfort and peace.

Wind chimes can produce a variety of sounds.  Sometimes they make soft tinkling sounds like I just described.  This is my favorite.  It’s soothing to the soul and results from just the slightest of breezes.  Sometimes, though, when there is a strong wind – perhaps a storm is coming – they make a strong clashing sound, a clattering, ear-piercing sound beckoning me to take cover from the storm.  Still, at other times, it’s sort of in between the tinkling and the clanging, sounding more like a dinner bell calling out – “Time to eat!”  But no matter the type of tintinnabulation, the chimes speak to me.

The history of the wind chimes is very long and dates back thousands of years.  Archaeologists have found the remains of wind chimes made from bone, wood, bamboo, and shells in part of Southeast Asia that date back to around 3,000 B.C.   Still others have dated back to circa 5,000 B.C.  Amazing!  These delicate instruments had several uses.  The Chinese believed the sound of bells or chimes would ward off evil spirits.  They would often hang wind chimes around pagodas and shrines to keep evil away.  Another important use for them was for sending out warning signals in the case of dangerous typhoons and tsunamis heading straight for land. In Indonesia, wind chimes took on a more practical approach and used them to scare birds away from their crops.  Many cultures believed wind chimes could also express emotions and could establish an atmosphere of peace and harmony.  Eventually, wind chimes spread to other regions and into other cultures.  From China to Japan to the Western World, wind chimes have evolved in design and purpose.

Wind chimes are often associated with many types of religions and spiritual influences.  While they are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, there are references to similar musical instruments.  Bells and harps, cymbals and trumpets, the lyre and the pipe – these are just a few of which the Bible speaks.  These instruments were used in many ways – for praise, for temple worship, and for battle.  King David often found joy and comfort in song and expressed his heart and soul to the Lord through music. 

“I will sing a new song, O God;

upon a ten-stringed harp

I will play to you.”

Psalm 144: 9

Anyone who knows me knows that music has always been a big part of my life.  Thanks to my mother, I grew up in a house filled with music. As a paid church musician for more than thirty years, I have had the opportunity to experience the joy and comfort similar to King David.  So often, I could hear the voice of Jesus in song.  Music would many times speak to me as if God Himself were talking.  The music I made was instrumental in nature, but the words came from God.  My wind chimes speak to me in the same way.  When I hear their sound, no matter if they are tinkling or clanging, I can hear the voice of God.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, O weary one

Lay down your head upon My breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was

So weary, worn, and sad.

I found in Him a resting place,

And He has made me glad.

“He has made me glad.”  That is what I am filled with, the gladness from God, when I hear the music from my wind chimes because He speaks to me through them.

Wind chimes are powered by the wind, and the wind is often used as a metaphor for communication between God and Man.  The Bible shares many scriptures that prove this to us. One scripture passage is from the book of Genesis 3: 8 – 9:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as

He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the

LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man,

“Where are you?”

What did God sound like as He walked in the garden?  Could you hear His voice as He called out to the man? Was it the sound of the wind?  Was it a soft breeze? 

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling for you and for me.

Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling, O sinner, come home.

In the Bible, wind often symbolizes the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven on the Day of Pentecost, it was in the form of a mighty, rushing wind.  Perhaps it was like the sound of the wind chimes in strong winds letting us know that something unusual was approaching.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind,

And it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Acts 2: 2

God speaks through the wind.  There’s a passage in 1 Kings 19 where Elijah hears God’s voice, but he hears it after experiencing several strong winds.  It’s almost as if he had to wait for the clamor to pass before he could hear God speak.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains

And broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind;

And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire;

And after the fire a still small voice.

So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out

And stood in the entrance to the cave.

God spoke through a whisper – a soft, gentle breeze. 

The Bible suggests that God speaks to us in many ways.  Sometimes it’s through grand physical phenomena and sometimes through a still small voice.  God speaks to us in a variety of ways.  He speaks to me in a variety of ways but especially through my wind chimes. 

How does He speak to you?  Is it in a gentle breeze?  Is it in a mighty rushing wind? 

Listen closely, and you will hear the voice of God speaking to you.

In the early morning hours, I sometimes just sit and think about the state of our world. It can be a little heavy just thinking about all that’s happening. But, it’s just so in your face. So much hurt, so much pain, so much brokenness. Hurt, pain, and brokenness causes the hurting, the pained, and the broken to inflict hurt, pain, brokenness on others or to be afflicted by others’ hurt, pain and brokenness. (What a word salad – Yikes!) That’s really the problem today. And what causes that hurt, pain and brokenness — sin. We don’t like to talk about that word do we? We like to think we’re above that, don’t we? But, truth be told, it always comes down to sin. Sin is separation from God. Separation from God is what causes hurt, pain and brokenness. Our world will not change until it recognizes that. Who’s the “the world”? Each of us, individually. Ouch. Sorry, but if we don’t get down to the root cause of our problem, we will always have our problem. The root cause of the broken world we live in today is sin. But, there is a remedy. His name is Jesus Christ. The One who can wash away all our sin. The Only One who can forgive. The Only One who can heal. The Only One who can change the world.

Posted October 2018 – Clean Up My Act

Guess where that’s from.  Yep.  A laundromat.  I was walking down Maple Avenue one day on my prayer walk.  On the opposite side of the street from the Federal Building is a laundromat.  I don’t know what it’s called other than “The Laundromat.”  Anyway.  I was bebopping along and I happened to glance over at the laundromat.  This is what I saw right through the front window, plain as day.  SOAP.  BLEACH.  SOFTENERS.  I immediately thought of myself.  How clean am I, not how clean I am.   Not physically clean like, do I have dirt on my face, or is there a stain on my dress.  Clean as in my heart – cleanliness is next to godliness, right?

Is that in the Bible?  Nope.  So, where’d it come from?  It is alleged to have come from a sermon by John Wesley in 1778.  To be exact,  “Slovenliness is no part of religion.  Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness.”  Break it down, Beth.  Slovenliness means untidy or unclean in appearance or habits.  At first glance, it could sound like Mr. Wesley was being a little pharissical (is that a word?).  Remember the Pharisees who thought the act of outer cleanliness (following all the rules) led to God? But Wesley wasn’t talking about our physical cleanliness, he was talking about cleanliness of the heart.

What Wesley was really getting at was the kind of cleanliness that actually is next to Godliness.  A clean heart.  Wait, I have a clean heart, don’t I?  I’m nice, sometimes.  I do good things, sometimes.  I’m not such a bad person, sometimes.  Does my heart need to be cleaned?  Yep.  It’s pretty scroungy.  We all need to be cleansed from the dirt and filth that is in our hearts.  What’s that dirt and filth called?   Sin.  We all got it, we all need to get rid of it.  We were born with the need for cleansing.  All our hearts need cleansed.  Why our hearts?  Because that’s where it all starts.  Look what Jesus says to Peter:

“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him.  “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body.  But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. ” For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander.  These are what defile you.  Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God.”  Matthew 15:16-20

Here, Jesus is teaching about inner purity, purity of the heart, cleanliness of the heart, not washing your hands before eating lunch.  If our words, our actions, our deeds, come from the heart.  Guess where sin comes from — our heart.

It looks to me like I could use a good scrubbing, how about you?  How does it happen?  How do we get clean?  We go to the laundromat.  The Laundromat of Christ Jesus.  You see, He’s the only way to a clean heart.  He shed His blood so that we could be pure, clean, decontaminated, dissolved of sin.  His blood in exchange for our sin.  His blood pardons our sins.  His blood shed for me.  His crimson blood shed to clean my wretched heart. 

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.  1 John 1:8-9

Not only does Jesus’ blood cleanse us from all sin, once and for all, the cleansing blood is also transformative.  It causes a lasting change. 

Ahhh…do you feel cleaner already?  Then how about a little bleach?  What does bleach do?  It’s a disinfectant, a deodorizer, and it strips or removes color or stains – it changes, it transforms

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:  though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool.  Isaiah 1:18

There are no permanent stains with Jesus.  He can remove even the toughest stain, the red like crimson stain.  After the stain of our sins is removed, real transformation can take place.  His life’s blood is a balm to our hearts that softens, smooths, calms, quiets, tenderizes and gets rid of the rough edges — it heals. Soap.  Bleach.  Softeners.  All this can happen because of the blood of Christ Jesus.  I say can because Jesus doesn’t go where uninvited.  He will not cleanse your heart because it looks dirty.  He will only do so if you ask Him.  His forgiveness will come at our repentance. So, here’s the question:  Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?  Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?  In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb?  Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?  Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

We’ve all at some point or another heard, or maybe even said to someone – You Gotta Have Faith.  How about – Have a Little Faith?  How about – Faith is Believing?  How about – Just Believe?  Almost like it’s something you can conjure up or manifest on your own, like something you can pick up in aisle 12 at Wal-Mart.

I’ve been struggling with that word “faith” lately.  What does it mean?  What does it look like?  Where do I get it?  How do I “have” more?  Am I doing it right?  Do I have the energy to pursue it?  Do I have the desire to pursue it?  Does anyone else out there struggle from time-to-time with any of those questions, or maybe even some of your own about “faith?”

I’m speaking solely to myself here and wrestling to understand – I’m afraid my hip is about to be popped out.  As I took a plunge into the depths to understand these questions and more, I found the water is just way over my head.  I also found that if I honestly and genuinely take up my questions with God and pursue His truth, He will hold me up, even if it takes a bit for me to touch the bottom.  We need to understand that God is not a surface worker.  He works deep in our minds and hearts to change us.  If we are not willing to dive into the deep stuff, the hard stuff, the murky waters, we will never find our footing and will be relegated to just floating on the surface.  Let me be perfectly clear here:  Any questions I have about faith do not come from any doubt about God and who He is – He is worthy of all my praise, they are doubts about myself.  As you read on, you’ll see just how Great a God He really is.  Ok, sorry for my diversion.

I know many people say that faith is believing, and it is.  But it is not simply that.  First of all, if it were just believing, there’d be a lot more Believers in the world.  Right?!? Second of all, if faith were that simple, it would put the onus or responsibility for faith all on us.  A people who are completely incapable of and yet arrogant enough to think of faith as something we have control of and the burden of proving to God, ourselves, and others.  So I started digging and here’s what I learned.  By the way, the first six words of 1 Timothy 6:12 precipitated my dive:

Fight the good fight of faith.

When I read that last week I thought how can I fight if I don’t know what I’m fighting for, if I don’t quite understand what I’m fighting for?  Here’s what I found:

According to Strong’s, “faith” is translated from the Greek word pistis.  Stay with me here, it’s revolutionary.  Pistis is from the word peitho which means “persuade, be persuaded, persuasion.”  What’s that mean, you say?  Strong says it means that “faith” is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. He says:

In short, 4102/pistis (“faith”) for the believer is “God’s divine persuasion” – and therefore distinct from human belief (confidence), yet involving it.

In other words, faith is always received from God and never produced by us.  That’s mind blowing in light of the platitudes – You Gotta Have Faith, Have a Little Faith, again, as if faith is something I’m completely responsible for getting.  Faith comes from God and God alone.  That may have been obvious to you, but it was an ah ha! moment for me.  Faith comes from God persuading my heart to believe what my eyes can’t see.

I may have come up with more questions than answers as I dove into “faith.”  But I have learned and am so comforted that it is not my sole responsibility to obtain.  It isn’t something I get; it is something I’m given.  I cannot have “faith” without God’s persuasion and yet it “involves” me.  Involve is from the Latin word involvere it means “to roll in or up.”  Faith is being rolled in, rolled up,  combined with God.  Strong’s goes on to say:

The Lord continuously births faith in the yielded believer so they can know what He prefers.

“Yielded believer.”  The Lord will produce faith in the surrendered believer.  Faith is a gift from God that I can’t produce in myself, but that I can receive if I’m open to it, so I will know what He wants me to do.

What is faith?  It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  Hebrews 11:1

It starts with knowing God’s character, learning who the Faith Giver is, what He’s like, what are His qualities?  What’s  His nature, His personality, His character, His temperament, His Spirit?  As we come to know who God is, we will learn that He is believable, that He is trustworthy, that He is true, He is just, He is fair, He is…etc.  In His Word, He divinely persuades us to trust, believe, to watch, to listen, to look, to have faith that He is fulfilling His promises even when we can’t see.

So, I think I can now go back and answer some of my original questions — What does it mean?    Faith means knowing God is going to do what He says He’s going to do, even if I can’t see it happening.  What does it look like?  My outward appearance (face, words, actions) of the inward belief that He keeps His promises.  Where do I get it?  I can’t “get it,” I’m given it freely and yet I play a part.  How do I “have” more?  Learn more and more about Him, surrendering more and more to Him, believing that He is who He says He is.  Am I doing it right?  That’s a question for Him – does my life honor His unmatched commitment to me? Do I have the energy to purse it?  Do I have the desire to pursue it?   Not one bit, I have neither. But His “divine persuasion” can give me the energy to trust, and the will to seek it.  We are assured that God began a good work (faith) in us and that He will continue to use divine persuasion to perfect it in us, until He returns. Hallelujah!

I know not why God’s wondrous grace

to me is daily shown,

nor why, with mercy, Christ in love

redeemed me for his own.

I know not how this saving faith

to me he did impart,

nor how believing in his word

wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,

convincing us of sin,

revealing Jesus through the Word,

creating faith in him.

I know not when my Lord may come,

at night or noon-day fair,

nor if I’ll walk the vale with him,

or meet him in the air.

But “I know whom I have believed,

and am persuaded that he is able

to keep that which I’ve committed

unto him against that day.”

How does your garden grow? Ours is doing decent this year. It’s really an odd year for gardening. We have to water constantly because we’ve had no appreciable rain in nearly two months. We have a lot of produce, but none yet ripe, except for cucumbers which are thriving, but you just can’t keep a good cucumber down.

It’s been a particularly decent year as far as the necessity of replants. Last year we replanted so often that we finally gave up and bought produce and did no canning. This year we’re planning to put up a mess of pickles tomorrow evening. You see last year we had a pest problem. Deer landed right in the middle of our garden quite often even with a fence. They were just so brazen about it too. You could walk within 10 feet and try to shoo them away and they’d look at you as they were taking that last bite before leaping out. This year it is different. We rethought how to secure and protect our garden. We’re learning as we grow, I mean go.

We decided on different fencing, and believe it or not, it is much more light weight than our layers of chicken wire and seems to be more efficient. It’s a nylon fencing that is easily repaired when Haddy is butterfly chasing. Nevertheless, it so far has protected us from the mowing deer.

As I mentioned, we did, however, have to replant a few tomato and pepper plants early on because of culprits. Twice actually before we put additional safeguards in place. Isn’t that so like our lives, sometimes it takes us a few replantings, a few replacing, a few problems, before we figure out we need a safeguard.

One of the safeguards we put in place was a solar light. Nighttime animals obviously don’t like night. Tony installed a small solar powered promo light in the garden. Every time there is movement in the garden, the light comes on. We think this light, and the ridding ourselves of one culprit has helped keep our garden safe.

While walking the other morning, I saw the light flash on. It was very bright in the dark. I thought about how like Jesus that beam is. When we have installed Jesus into our lives, He is our safeguard, He is our protector. When the culprits of the world come round, and they will, they may steal a little fruit, chomp on a few leaves, but when Jesus’ Light shines, the darkness flees, the Light scatters those invaders. Sure, we may be left wounded, our plants may be topped off and our fruit scarred, but when the Light shines, the darkness is gone, the enemy retreats and we are bathed in His Light.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:5

As I was walking, I thought, next year we need to put the light up straight away. Instead of trying to control the problem, we need to be prepared and prevent the problem, to the extent we can. Much like life, we can’t control what other creatures will do. But, we may have much less replanting, and certainly less aggravation and heartache, if we just install the Light and allow Him to shine into our darkest places.

The light of God surrounds us;
The love of God enfolds us;
The power of God protects us;
The presence of God watches over us;
Wherever we are, God is!

by James Dillet Freeman

While porching the other day, just taking in all of the early morning sounds of darkness, a sweet smell wafted across my nose.  I slowly inhaled to take in all the sweetness.  Then it was gone.  Has that ever happened to you?  Out of the blue a beautiful aroma will gently appear on the breeze.  It lingers for a few seconds and the breeze either carries it to another place, or we stop noticing.  You know what I mean, don’t you?  Out for a walk and the breeze carries to you a reminder.

Smells are in the nostril (that’s a funny word) of the smeller.  What is fragrant to me may be stench to you.  To me, babies smell good.  Flowers smell good.  Rain smells good.  Cookies baking smell good.  Laundry on the line smells good.  Horses smell good.  A roast in the oven smells good.  Aged leather smells good.  But there are other smells that just plain…stink.  When they arrive on the breeze we get wide eyed and look to see where they came from. 

Have you ever thought about the smells of the Bible?  Living in a hot, arid land, wearing a robe, taking care of livestock  — think about it!  I know what I smell like when I clean the barn.

The story of Lazarus made me think about Bible smells.  John 11:39:

Then they came to the grave.  It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

“Roll the stone aside,”  Jesus told them.  But Martha, the dead man’s sister, said,

“Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days.”

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking that that Martha was one practical woman.  In fact, Martha’s words translated in the King James Version of the Bible were: “by this time he stinketh,” That was my first thought too!  Yikes!  But you see, Martha need not fear the stench, she need only believe. It wasn’t about the smell that was assuredly unpleasant, it was about the body that had been resurrected. Belief is life.

You know that upon his death, Jesus was laid in a tomb, just like Lazarus.  Luke 16 tells us that the evening after Jesus’s death that Mary Magdalene, Salome and the other Mary went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus body.  These ladies too probably thought about the smell of death.  But hadn’t He also told them that if they only believed they would see His glory?  In fact, what did the angel at the tomb say to them:  “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive?”  The angel was saying, the stench of death is not here, only the sweet aroma of everlasting life.

You see, Jesus had told them repeatedly about His resurrection, but it wasn’t until the angel spoke that that they remembered and had understanding.  The absence of the smell of death reminded them of the sweet smell of Jesus’s words.   They need only believe.  We need only believe.

Just as Martha ran to tell others the good news that Lazarus was alive, and just as Mary Magdalene, Salome and the other Mary ran to tell others the good news of Christ’s resurrection, we are to do the same.  We are to spread the sweet aroma of everlasting life.

Now, wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.  Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. 

But his fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing.  To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom.  But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Are we spreading sweet perfume everywhere we go?  Are we talking about Jesus, pointing to Jesus, looking for Jesus, sharing Jesus, living Jesus, proclaiming the aroma of salvation to all?  Do our lives smell like we know Christ, defer to Christ, fall humbly at the feet of Christ, or should we be afraid to roll away the stone? The sweet smell of everlasting life is available to all.  We need only believe in order to see His glory.  Then the stench of death will become the fragrant aroma of everlasting life.