Sunday’s Blessing – 03/10/2024

May you fully understand grace: the desire and ability to do God’s will

Because He loved us before we even knew there was Him

Because His Holy Spirit was drawing us when we didn’t even know we were lost

Because He has plans, purposes, and pursuits for each of us

May you understand this grace is unmerited favor

Because if it was earned it wouldn’t be grace

Because if it could be earned, we are not capable

Because a gift is not a result of obligation

May you grow in your knowledge of our Gracious God

Because knowing Him will bring understanding of His grace

Because trust grows out of knowledge of His character

Because ignorance is a hindrance to receiving grace

May you experience an immersion in grace

Because He overwhelms us with His favor and blessing

Because we are baptized (to whelm) into Christ

Because He wants us to be in Him, hidden with Christ

May your thoughts become slaves to grace

Because your dreams will grow when grace is present

Because your path is part of God’s provision

Because He has promised to make you complete

A Day in the Life of My Brain

A life is constructed of fragments which accumulate over the years

Beginning with a single cell formed by two DNA strands

Each human begins to take form as attributes are set in place

Eye color, skin tone, gender, hair texture, height: every part of you

As you become aware of the world around you through the senses

Each sight, sound, smell, taste, touch shapes your understanding

The pleasure or pain you experience influences your mental state

Each success or failure hones your personality

Then each person with whom you interact

Leaves a fragment of themselves with you, and you with them

Some influences for good, others for bad, others are indifferent

Constantly evolving with the addition and removal of encounter residue

Sometimes these fragments remain dormant in you

Until one day something causes them to erupt, spring forth, shine

Bringing personal illumination, or

Inspiring effect on your world

You are the keeper of this treasure-trove of influence

Each memory neatly organized in your mind

Waiting to be matched with the key

Which unlocks the potential

Maybe today will be a touchpoint for something amazing

It’s inside you

All it takes is a look, a sound, a feeling, a fragrance, a taste

Then an avalanche of potential is released

A single moment can change your entire existence

Yes, bad things can happen

But, just like the good things, your response makes all the difference

Because the future is determined by you

Fog

I recently read this quote: “A fog covering seven city blocks is composed of one glass of water.” I Googled it and found the following citation: “According to the Bureau of Standards in Washington, a dense fog covering seven city blocks to a depth of 100 feet is composed of less than one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into about 60 billion tiny droplets. Yet when those minute particles settle over a city or the countryside, they can almost blot out everything from sight. (Source Unknown)”

This is quite amazing when you think about it. One glass of water is hardly enough to wet a single person thoroughly, yet it can cause a fog which could cripple transportation if it happens to occur in a busy thoroughfare or airport. I remember my first trip to London’s Heathrow Airport. There was an observation deck where you could watch the planes takeoff and land. Sort of. That particular day the “London fog” was very present at the airport. You could see the planes taxi down the runway, hear the roar of the jet engines, but as soon as the wheels left the ground the plane disappeared from sight into the dense fog hanging over the airport.

Can you imagine being a pilot, flying one of those huge planes full of anxious passengers? That is a lot of responsibility. You have to be thoroughly trained on the instruments in the cockpit. Beyond training, you then have to have complete confidence on the direction being given from those instruments and from the air-traffic controllers in the tower. Much of this process is now handled by computers following signals being emitted by equipment on the ground. Even so, as the one in charge, the captain has to trust the process and be prepared to intervene should something go wrong.

My friend, Jason Peebles, used flying as an illustration often in his teaching. It is so easy to see the application. Each of us are the “captain” of our life. We are ultimately responsible for our outcome. Using the instruments (scripture – The Word) to get information about our journey, relying on prayer (communication with the tower – The Father) to give us additional information which is not available on the instruments, and following the inward witness (training – the Holy Spirit), we approach each takeoff and landing with care. 

Before we taxi to the end of the runway we will use to make our exit, we thoroughly examine the plane, the maintenance verification, fuel gauges, and radio to insure everything is in proper working order. This could certainly fit nicely with the description Paul gave for the Armor of God. When we reach the launch point for our takeoff, we make sure we get our bearings by setting our gauges to coincide with the direction of the runway. We set destination coordinates to the location we expect to reach at the end of our journey. Once we receive final instructions from the tower and one final check of the instruments, we press down on the throttle to release the power of the engines which propels this multi-ton flying machine down the runway until it reaches lift speed (point where the air pressure on top of the wing is less than the pressure under the wing) and pull back on the yoke to send the plane soaring, defeating the force of gravity trying to keep it on the ground.

It took humans many centuries, even millennia, to develop the ability to do that which birds could do since the day they were created. To watch a bird take off and land with such ease has intrigued man from the beginning. After years of trial and error, manned flight was finally accomplished at Kitty Hawk. It has progressed by leaps and bounds since those early days of the "crazy young men and their flying machines." By using what we now know about flying, it gives us a beautiful picture of how the Godhead works in the life of the Believer to help us traverse this planet and accomplish that which we were created to do.

The description above of the process of getting a plane off the ground may sound complex, but only if you are not familiar with the process. God’s plan for you is so simple, a child can do it. I believe the Western Church has tried to complicate living the Christian life to the point that we forget how to fly. Just like the birds, who were created to fly without even thinking about it, we are created to be sons and daughters of the Most High. It’s not hard!

I love Paul’s description in Ephesians 1, where he uses a phrase over and over to help us understand some of the most complex topics in scripture; things like predestined, adoption, and being sealed by the Holy Spirit are all “to the praise of His glory.” At one point he gives us counsel to simply “be to the praise of His glory.” You don’t even have to think about being. You already are. Just like Jesus, we are destined to be kings and priests of the Most High. We are born a king when we become identified with Christ. We are kings by bestowal (“joint heirs” with Jesus), Who was coronated “King of kings” when He was seated at the right hand of The Father. We are “kings by conquest” when Christ defeated our enemy. All of this was accomplished in us through Jesus.

So, the next time you seem to be in a fog, remember who you are in Him, and Whose you are – a son or daughter of The Father. Look for the beam from the Lighthouse of Heaven, leading you to safe passage, and listen for the lowing of the Foghorn of God, the sound which beckons us homeward.

Generational Blessing

A hobby I’ve dabbled with for a while now is genealogy research. Knowing my roots has become more important with age. Generational transfer of information seems to be a lost art in our Western culture. I don’t think it was anything intentional or malicious, but lost, nonetheless. Life has become busy. Information is accessible in so many forms. Now, we simply post a meme or reel or emoji instead of having a conversation. Again, I don’t think it is some evil conspiracy, just the result of a culture unaware of the importance of generational connection.

I love to find old photos of my ancestors. Occasionally, I’ll come across a story discovered in old newspapers or sites like Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. I also love to visit the location of an old home place or business of my ancestors and imagine what life would have been like for them. It doesn’t change history, but will hopefully make life richer for me, and possibly those who come after me.

I think all of us, at some point in our lives, wonder if we have made a difference in our world. Have we accomplished anything which will remain after we are gone? There is a lot of talk about legacy of politicians and other public figures. Recently, it seems this has become a fixation while people are still living. The problem with those still living, any attempt to determine their legacy is somewhat futile. Legacy is something determined by future generations. 

The talk of “The G.O.A.T” (greatest of all time) in various sports, again, is moot because we haven’t lived “all time” yet. Plus, sports are constantly evolving. Sports technology, medical technology, and the rules by which the game is played all affect how “good” a particular player is. Other factors, in my opinion, are things like the coaching staff, facilities, teammates, and in the case of professional teams, ownership. “No man is an island,” according to John Donne. The case is constantly being debated: Jordan vs. LeBron, Montana vs. Brady, etc. The reality is we will never know because these players, and many like them, will never face one another to determine the winner.

Instead of worrying about our legacy, we need to try and live as one in pursuit of that for which we were made. Inside of every person is a desire to pursue something. Far too many lose this desire early in life due to tragic circumstances: physical abuse, poor health, being disadvantaged (finances, culture, ethnicity, etc.), etc. When you face every day with words being directed at you like, “you were a mistake,” “you will never …,” “you’re a disappointment,” it takes a special mental and spiritual makeup to not be taken down.

This is one reason I have taken up the practice of blessing. For the past few months, I’ve been writing a Sunday Blessing for my blog. There are always those giving you reasons why you will fail. I believe it is in the heart of God, the Father, to want His people blessed. If you study scripture, you will find ways how God built blessing into the culture of His followers. We have recorded for us in the gospels where Jesus was baptized by John. Afterward, as Jesus walked up out of the water, a sound from heaven came with the words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Again, at what is referred to as the Transfiguration, the same voice from heaven came, declaring, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” If Jesus ever had a doubt before His baptism, those doubts vanished when such a blatant display of love and affirmation came booming for all to hear.

My father was taken from my life when I was nine years old. I never received his words of affirmation spoken over me that I remember. I was cared for and was never abused or mistreated as a child. There was plenty of love shown in our home. But having such a vital influence removed from my life during such impressionable years affected me. It’s not an excuse for anything. It did cause me a lot of grief through the years. I struggled with being a father because I never had it modeled for me. The only grandfather I ever knew died the year before my father. My paternal grandfather died when my dad was only ten years old.

Even though I was raised in church, the practice of blessing is no longer part of the fabric of the Western version of Christian expression. This is changing, but very slowly. Several authors have dedicated their efforts to bringing the importance and meaning of blessing back into the Church. We need more.

If we can raise a generation who are aware of the blessing they were created to be and allow them to live the pursuit of that for which they were created, we will see a change in the tide of creativity and freedom which can change the world. When an army of souls have the understanding of their place in The Kingdom, and their relationship with The King, armed with the confidence that they matter, and that their God and their family are backing them every step of the way, there is no limit on what can be accomplished.

So, by speaking the truth about God, and His Son, and the Holy Spirit, coupled with unqualified love and support, we can then speak into the lives of those coming after us which will be unstoppable. We will see mountains moved, bridges built, and generational gaps eliminated. Let’s celebrate what is in these amazing children and grandchildren coming after us. Even if you have never heard of “blessing” it is never too late to start. Regardless of the hurt, disadvantage, etc., these warriors can still affect change in their world, and ours. Take some time to learn about blessing. Learn how it is the heartbeat of God, and see your world transformed.

Sunday’s Blessing – 03/03/2024

May you always wonder at the images of the splendor of Heaven

Where The King is seated on the throne

Where we are seated with Him

Surrounded by the magnificent continuous worship of the living creatures and elders

May you always live from the posture of one seated with The King

Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named

Where not even the shadow of death can touch you

Where you are closer to the Father than anything else

May you never strain to know the Father’s love

Since you are one of His

Since you sit at His right hand

Where you are covered by His mighty hand

May you pray with the confidence that the Father hears you

Because you have His ear

Because The King is with you, interceding for you and with you

While being empowered by the Holy Spirit

Joy for the Journey

The grand illusion of happiness

Like the brightly painted horses on the carrousel

The calliope blaring it’s melodies

Beckons for all to join the ride

The carnival attraction seems to offer an escape from reality

Once aboard, the amusement brings instant elation

A distraction from all which is looming outside the circle

Around you go, carefree, but not really gaining ground

There is nothing wrong with entertainment

But it is not a panacea which erases life’s pains

Once the carrousel horses end their run and the music fades

You are left with yourself, your thoughts, still needing answers

The joy you seek is not in the placebo of lights and sounds

Only by facing the issues you wrestle in the night

By going to the mat, taking the opponent down for the count

Can you rise to be acknowledged as the winner

This is not accomplished by your own effort alone

But you have to be willing to contend

Knowing that your Father is the Judge, your Lord, the Referee

And empowered by the Holy Spirit

The fight is rigged, already decided in your favor

You walk into the arena the winner

You walk out the victor

To ride the real horses into the hills of your destiny

You hear the songs of deliverance being sung by your God

The sweet, still small voice, of your Guide

And following the King

You conquer each demon-thought which dares rise up

Do not allow the night-terrors to rob you of life

When the One who gives life

Has chosen you as His own

And will not allow you to become a castaway

Embrace your journey called life

Do not back away from the pursuit

For the answers you seek are ahead

Not in the wake of all which has tried to stop you

(C) 2024 Kurios Publishing

Heavenly Visions

Heavenly Visions

Isaiah 6; Revelation 4; Ephesians 1-2; Hebrews 7-8; Colossians 3

A little background.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8 ESV)

Visions can be a view into any timeframe, past and future, not just present day.

I recently had a convergence of several thoughts regarding visions of heaven. In about 10-15 seconds all of this rolled around in my head. It’s been a few days since this occurred and I’m still trying to find the words to describe what I saw. There were two visions in particular which came to mind. The first was where John was shown a view into Heaven, recorded in Revelation 4. Then the vision where Isaiah saw a scene in Heaven played out before him which is recorded in Isaiah 6. Both of these amazing scenes were described by these men, using the only words which they could think of. It’s hard to verbalize some things which are so amazing it takes your breath away. It’s said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” How would you describe azure blue to a blind person? Yet, we see the sky every day of our life but cannot effectively put into words the magnificent beauty created by clouds and light, light sometime refracted by the earth’s atmosphere, which creates hues of colors too marvelous to be recreated by even a painting, much less simple words.

This is one of the limitations of any language. Yet, theses men chose words which made sense to them to try and preserve the things encountered by their senses: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch.

Let’s look at the vision Isaiah had:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; 

the whole earth is full of his glory!” 

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-4 ESV)

In Isaiah 6, a vision is described which Isaiah saw of Heaven. “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Isaiah heard, what appears to be, deafening sounds of worship and praise around the throne of Heaven. He saw the magnificent sights. Perhaps he heard thunder and saw flashes of light. He felt the powerful shake of the event which caused structural damage in Heaven. He smelled the smoke which was created by the threshold of the doorposts being dislodged. I can only imagine what the burning coal applied to his lips tasted like. Perhaps it was sweet, like the feeling of being forgiven and made right again with the Creator.

It said the living creatures “called” to each other. They were declaring the truth about the One seated on the throne. In the middle of this “calling to another” something happened. I’ve heard it explained as a manifestation of the glory of God. I don’t know how to describe it, but Isaiah tried his best. Regardless of what it was, it affected everything and everyone who was there.

Whatever he experienced that day changed him forever.

Look at the vision John saw while on Patmos:

At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. 

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:2-11 ESV)

In Revelation 4, John describes the vision of Heaven which he saw. In John’s account, “One” was seated on the throne and there were “four living creatures” around the throne. He gives more descriptive words than Isaiah, but I believe they were seeing the same thing; perhaps even the same moment in Heaven.

Isaiah served as prophet in Israel approximately from 740–701 B.C. John had the experience recorded in Revelation around 70 A.D. Roughly an 800 year span. This is barely one day in Heaven. With this in mind, Jesus has only been seated next to the Father for about 2 days!

Then I got to thinking, “What event was going on in Heaven which was so spectacular and amazing that God brought two prophets to see?” When Jesus was transfigured before some of the disciples, God brought back two prophets to see it, Moses and Elijah.

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. (Matthew 17:1–3 ESV)

If Moses and Elijah were brought back to see Jesus’ “real essence” being revealed on earth, what was happening in Heaven which prompted Isaiah and John to be called in as witnesses to their world on earth? I then had this thought: “What is the greatest even we know of from scripture which occurred since the creation?” That brought me to Ephesians 1 & 2.

Before looking at Ephesians, look at some more background from Hebrews.

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:22–28 ESV)

Jesus was a high priest “forever” after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 7:17, 21) Who better could be the guarantor of a New Covenant?

Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8:1–2 ESV)

All the things God described for Moses when giving the instruction on how to build the tabernacle in the wilderness were based on the “true tent” in Heaven. The one Moses constructed was a replica. Jesus is High Priest in the REAL one! He is seated at the right had of the Majesty (The Father) in Heaven. When was he seated? After Jesus ascended to Heaven. Look at Paul’s description of this he wrote to the Church in Ephesus.

“… and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, …” (Ephesians 1:19-20 ESV)

In one verse (Ephesians 1:19) Paul uses four different Greek words to try and convey all that God did when He raised Jesus from the dead and then coronated Him King forever, seating Jesus on the throne in Heaven at God’s own right hand.

• Immeasurable greatness of his power – dynameōs – (miraculous) power, might, strength dynamite

• Working – energeian – working, activity – energy

• Great – kratous - strength, might – dominion

• Might – ischyos – strength, might – force

According to scholars, this is the description of the most explosive show of God’s affect on creation – four distinct words used in one sentence fragment to describe all God did in raising Jesus from the dead and seating Jesus at His own right hand. Paul doesn’t give a description of the scene in Heaven which John and Isaiah had, but I believe Paul saw it too.

Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. (2 Corinthians 12:1–6 ESV)

Most scholars believe Paul is speaking of himself by saying, “I know a man …” Whether it was Paul himself or someone else who related the experience to Paul, they may have seen the same thing as Isaiah and John. Whatever it was, it was beyond words.

Could this have been the coronation of Jesus which both Isaiah and John, and possibly Paul, saw? This makes sense to me. It was certainly a change in direction from what had been in place in Heaven since the beginning. “The foundation of the thresholds were shaken.” Thresholds speak of transition. Prior to this moment, the Trinity consisted of God the Father, God the Word, and God the Holy Spirit. As John the Gospel writer declared, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 ESV)

This “Word made flesh” was made the King of the Kingdom! He was seated at the right hand of The Father in Heaven FOREVER! The King then sent God the Holy Spirit to abide in those who would become identified with this new Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven. He now continually intercedes for us to the Father.

Now, if all of this is not enough to get you excited, here is the best part of all. Look at what Paul said in Ephesians 2:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1–7)

If you look closely at the grammar here, everything Paul described in Ephesians 1 (including the most explosive verse in scripture) was also accomplished in YOU when God raised and seated Jesus at His own right hand! Even while we were “dead in sin.”

Here is the really good news! Jesus is still on the throne! He is still King! You are now part of The Kingdom if you are in Christ! This gives us a new perspective from which to live out our lives here on earth. We can live as New Kingdom citizens right now. It’s not in the “sweet by and by.” Right now, you have access to the throne of Heaven.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:2–4 ESV)

I heard a song recently called, “Live Like You Were Dying.” The message is a good one, in the sense of not waiting to enjoy life on earth. Go ahead and experience all life has to offer. But, here’s one better. We can live like we have already died, was raised from that death, and now we are alive forevermore!!! We can live every day knowing that death will never take us down. It will only serve as a pivotal moment when we transition from life on earth to that of a life with our Creator!