The Names of God - Messenger of the Covenant

Messenger of the Covenant

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

You cannot separate Jesus from The Covenant. As a matter of fact, The Covenant doesn’t even make sense without Jesus. John 1 tells us how “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus has been from the beginning. In creation, He was The Word. The original covenant made with mankind came through The Word. When God spoke to Abraham, it was The Word who brought the covenant which made Abraham into a great nation. When God spoke to Moses at the bush and on the mountain, it was The Word who spelled out the covenant made with Israel.

Jesus changed time when He “became flesh”. Time used to be described by B.C. and A.D., which stood for “before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, meaning 'in the year of the Lord' (later changed to B.C.E. and C.E.). No other person affected the world like Jesus.

The reason for His coming was clear – to make a new covenant with mankind. And who was better qualified to do this but Jesus? No one, because He was the Messenger of the Covenant! There was a forerunner so we would know when the “messenger” arrived. John the Baptist came declaring the coming of “One whose shoelaces I am unworthy to untie.” 

Then, through a virgin named Mary, by a “word” given through the angel, Gabriel, The Word became flesh; Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Messenger of the Covenant had returned to earth, but this time in the body of a man. The Second Adam was now here to begin the completion of what the Old Covenant had started. The “schoolmaster”, as the Old Covenant was called (Galatians 3:24) brought us to a place of realizing the need for a Savior. Blood sacrifices on a brazen alter could only cover sins. There was a need for a Spotless Lamb who could place the blood (the propitiation) on the heavenly mercy seat to once and for all remove sin from mankind.

This was the Good News (gospel) Jesus brought. He made righteousness available to mankind, which could bring us back into fellowship with our Creator, so we could once again “come boldly to the throne of grace.” What a welcoming place that is; to have Father God lift our head so we can gaze into His eyes of compassion and be consumed by His love, restoring everything in us – spirit, soul, and body. That is the New Covenant! This is why Jesus came as the Messenger of the Covenant one last time. All He accomplished made a way, once and for all, back to the Father. All we have to do is choose to walk in it. How can we not?

The Names of God - The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

The Ernest of Our Inheritance (the Holy Spirit)

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)

I love the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Ephesus. To me, it is the most detailed description of what it means to be saved. Paul relates the salvation experience to all Jesus went through in His last few weeks/months on earth. Paul’s description includes being identified with Christ is several key elements: His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. But that is not the best part. Typically, that is were “being saved” ends for most people. However, before Jesus ascended, He gave a promise to those He left behind.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (ESV)

The ”Helper” referred to here is the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send “another” to help us walk out the salvation provided through Jesus. The thing we sometimes lose sight of is this: salvation is actually a covenant with God. And, like all covenants, there was a “guarantee” given by God that He would fulfill His end of the agreement. His Son, Jesus, fulfilled His mission by coming to earth as a man, fulfill all righteousness (necessary to make His blood eligible to be the “spotless lamb” needed to atone for the sin of mankind), and then offer Himself up unto death in order to pay the debt created by Adam in the Garden when he violated God’s command. The work of Jesus was completed, and God received Him back into Heaven to be once enthroned as the King of the Kingdom.

So, God gave “another” One just like the first, but this One would remain with us forever. The Holy Spirit was sent to take up residence inside every Believer, to inhabit them as a guide, teacher, and comfort; to empower, encourage, and help us live this new life of following Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given as a gift to The Church, but it was more than this. The Holy Spirit became the “Earnest of Our Inheritance.” Through salvation, God promised us Heaven; a new home with Him forever. The guarantee that He would fulfill this promise came in the form of the Holy Spirit. God (The Father, The Word, The Spirit – three in one) gave us a part of Himself to show us He would keep His word.

In the U.S., it is customary when buying a house that you put down earnest money with your offer to purchase. This shows the owner you are serious. If you withdraw your offer without merit, you forfeit the earnest money to the owner.

Just as God did in another place, when God made covenant with Abraham, He made this declaration:

For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Hebrews 6:13 (KJV)

God gave Abraham His word, sworn by Himself, because there is none greater. He did the same thing to fulfill the promise made to us by Jesus as He ascended to Heaven. God said, “There is nothing more valuable than Me. I will send you My Spirit to indwell you forever, until we are united again in Heaven.” That is how serious God looks at the covenant He made with you. It took “the Word becoming flesh” so that flesh could then shed His blood to pay the penalty for sin, then gave us His Spirit to guarantee that we received all Jesus purchased. That is about as tight of an agreement you can make. We have the promise of the Creator, the covenant sealed with Jesus’ blood, and the Holy Spirit as our guarantee. It’s time we started acting like we have the fulness of God living inside us, the resources of God available to provide for us, and the blessed hope of a life with Him forever.

I hope you find, not only solace in these words, but also hope of a better tomorrow, forgiveness for every yesterday, and an abundance of grace for today. Let us, as Paul put it in Ephesians, “Be to the praise of His glory.” Amen!

The Journey – Day 35

The Journey – Day 35

Changing habits is an arduous process. I remember a poster I saw on the bulletin board in the School of Music at Samford University my freshman year (1977). It said:

Sow a thought; reap an act.

Sow an act; reap a habit.

Sow a habit; reap a character.

Sow a character; reap a destiny.

I have returned to these words many times since then. They speak volumes to me, and also challenge me to work at becoming someone with a destiny worth reaching. It is a constant process. At any given moment, you are moving toward the destiny formed by your current habits. Every day you are either reinforcing habits you already have, forming new ones, or trying to overcome some which are either detrimental or at the very least, non-productive.

The first step is identifying habits, then determining if they are beneficial or not. Some things you do not even realize are habitual behaviors. These are sometimes the most harmful.

I’m still in the process of taking a personal inventory to determine exactly where I am, then I can start moving toward the person I want to be. I feel I’m making progress. Each day brings new challenges, and each day choices have to be made, but I’m beginning to get accustomed to the change.

The Journey – Day 28

The Journey – Day 28

I’ve been at the campgrounds for four weeks. It’s very hard to believe that much time has passed. Many habits are changing. The new gym is working out well (no pun intended). The surprising thing to me is that I have not run into anyone I know in any of the stores or restaurants I’ve visited. I realize it’s been 25 years since I lived here, but with all of the relatives and acquaintances I have who still live in the area, I fully expected to run into someone by now.

That has proven to be the most difficult thing thus far. I miss familiar faces. I love people. Learning to be OK with just me is stretching me. But it’s a good stretch. Eating out has always been a backup plan for being with people. Even though I didn’t know the people at the restaurant, I still felt some consolation because they were there. I have only eaten out four times in the past two weeks. That is a major change for me.

I’ve also been working remote most days. I have worked in the office three days in the past four weeks. This has also been a stretch. However, we have frequent Zoom meetings which require interaction with my coworkers, so this has also helped.

I did laundry at the campground laundromat. It was interesting. It’s a very small room with 7 machines (three washers and four dryers). There’s no place to hang anything and no table to fold. However, it got the job done.

Cleaning has never been my forte. I have cleaned all of my life, but only a short time where I was the only one in the space. I like having a clean place to live, so I have stepped up my cleaning routine. The place still looks like it did when I moved in four weeks ago.

I realize none of this is “heavy” revelations, but it is part of the process of change. I sense some deeper things stirring which I hope I can effectively communicate once I have them in view. Until then, it’s on with the journey.

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Sword of Thy Excellency

Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places. 

Deuteronomy 33:29 (KJV)

Because of disobedience, Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land with Israel. In Deuteronomy 33, the Final Blessing which Moses gave Israel is recorded. In the words which Moses spoke over Asher, we have two name for God given in verse 29: The Shield of Thy Help and The Sword of Thy Excellency.

The name Asher means “to be happy.” Moses declared the reason for their happiness. The Lord will be to them like a shield of help. I couldn’t help but see the Holy Spirit in that name. First of all, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit of Promise, that He would be a Help to the Christian (follower of Christ). Then Moses declares this name: The Sword of Thy Excellency. There are many places where a sword is used as a type, or picture, of the Word of God, which we learn from the Gospel of John, is Jesus; He is the Word made flesh and dwelled among us.

So, here we have Moses speaking a blessing over the last tribe of Israel, prophesying the other two parts of the Godhead coming into play, for the purpose of bring “happiness” to the people. Israel had just spent the last 40 years getting reacquainted with God the Father, learning again how to hear His voice and fellowship with Him through sacrificial worship implemented in the Tabernacle of Moses. Now, Moses tells them of the Lord, who will be their Shield of Help, and the Lord, who will be their Sword of Excellency, or as the ESV calls it, the Sword of Triumph. When the full expression of the Godhead in the life of human on earth is experienced, the result will be happiness.

The Hebrew word for “excellency” can also be stated as “majesty”. This speaks of the King and His Kingdom. Royalty is often referred to as “His/Her Excellency”. The pomp and circumstance practice in the presence of the King is call majestic. While the King is on the throne the Kingdom is in a state of triumph. They are at peace because the King reigns.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (KJV)

Like Israel in the Promised Land, Christians now reign in their life through Jesus Christ, the Sword of Thy Excellency (or majesty). We need to learn the fullness to live as citizens of The Kingdom, serving The King. We do this in the power of Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help. With our Father seeing to our happiness, we have the Son, The Sword of His Excellency, interceding for us night and day, and the power of the Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help, guiding our every step. The Word and the Spirit in concert with the Father; how can we not be happy?

Important vs. Urgent

 Important vs. Urgent

I benefit from yesterday’s efforts. I also fall victim to yesterday’s procrastinations. The key is knowing which things need to be done versus which ones can wait. This requires understanding the difference between urgent and important.

Urgent demands our time, even if it has no importance whatsoever. Important rarely demands time, but requires it in order to not suffer consequence by neglecting it. The problem arises when we choose unimportant urgent things over non-urgent important things. This is most difficult to discern in the moment. Learning to mind the gap between stimulus and response to evaluate urgency and importance can make all the difference in the outcome … tomorrow.

Many times, choosing the important doesn’t yield immediate results. These are things that, if neglected over time, cause significant problems. Responding to the urgent usually yields immediate results, but often they have a very short-term effect. May you choose well today, for tomorrow’s sake.

The Names of God - Sanctuary

Sanctuary 

And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  Isaiah 8:14 (ESV)

Until this writing, I had come to despise the word sanctuary when used in conjunction with God or the Church. So many have come to believe that the room in which congregations assemble, referred to as The Sanctuary, is where God actually abides. This could not be further from the truth. But yet, we do not allow children to be boisterous or condone slouchy dress because it is “God’s House.”

I love this passage in Isaiah where God says, “I will become a sanctuary,” not live in one. I heard Grady Nutt speak when I was a freshman at Samford University. He made the statement, referring to Jesus in the tomb, “People have been trying to put God in a box, but the problem is He won’t stay there.” It’s convenient to “know” where God is, in reference to The Sanctuary. We can go see Him when WE want to. We also are not bothered by Him when WE want to do our thing. The truth is, He IS the sanctuary. He allows us to abide IN Him, where we have fellowship as friend with friend. We are always in Him and He is always with us.

When The Church decided it needed a building, they took the model of temples built to worship Greek gods, like Apollo and Athena. These places of worship to pagan gods were referred to as “sanctuaries.” The reason for this is the “god” was a statue. It actually did “live” inside the building used to worship it. I’ve been to the model of the Parthenon in Nashville, TN. In it is a replica of the statue of Athena. Why would we want to copy ways of worship given to pagan idol? We have a living God, worthy of our fervent worship; a God not bound by walls; One who desires a life-giving relationship.

It's time for The Church to return to its roots. Focus on being the Body of Christ in the earth, taking Jesus to our community, our world, by sharing the love given to us by our Creator. We cannot do this by locking God up in a “sanctuary,” but instead allow Him to live through us, His “lively stones.”

That brings us to the other part of Isaiah 8:14. In addition to being our Sanctuary, He also declared He would be a “stone of offense and a rock of stumbling.” Look at how Peter described this as it relates to The Church:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4 – 5 (ESV)

As we, the Body of Christ, present the Gospel in living, breathing fashion, we become the “spiritual house” (a type or picture of the temple) where God’s word causes people to see their need for a savior. They become “offended” to the point of repentance; they “stumble” at the sight of their own futile attempts to reach God by their effort. The Church is not the “sanctuary” of God. God is the ”sanctuary” for The Church. “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28 ESV) In Him we “are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ…” (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)

We do not “visit” God at church on Sundays and other special occasions. Instead, we are to abide “in Him” every moment of every day; totally consumed by the awareness of His presence and the reality of His will being formed in us. Let’s work on getting our mind adjusted to exactly who is in the sanctuary. We are the ones in The Sanctuary, not God living in our building.

The Journey – Day 19

 The Journey – Day 19

I’m settling into camper life. It’s strange to be aware of how much water you use on a regular basis. If I was not in a campgrounds connected to a water source, I would have depleted my water supply the first day. I never knew I took long showers. The grey tank is filling up in about 3 days. Even though I’m constantly connected to the water source, the disposal still has to be done manually – and frequently. If you don’t drain the tanks they will back up into the camper. Not a great idea.

This is a kind of picture of God’s love. He is constantly giving to us. If we try to consume all of the love He gives we cannot contain it. We cannot keep it in reserve. We have to process what we can in the moment and pass on the rest to others. We were created to be a conduit, not a holding tank.

Find ways to share God’s love with others. There are folks all around us every day who need grace, mercy, kindness, a listening ear, or a word spoken in due season. Be their resource for what they need from God today. You will be blessed in the process of being a blessing.

Sunday Morning Blessing

 Sunday Morning Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you;

May the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand. (an Irish Blessing)

May you always know the love of God,

The warmth of family,

The fellowship of friends,

And the kiss of your love.

For with the love of God comes forgiveness for error, 

Grace for the journey,

And peace continually.

With the warmth of family comes love without limits,

Acceptance without merit,

And care for a lifetime.

With the fellowship of friends comes joy in good times,

Shared tears in sad times,

And someone to lean on in hard times.

With the kiss of your love comes feelings of belonging,

Connectedness to someone who loves you without reserve,

And a hand to hold as you pursue life.

The Journey – Day 15

 The Journey – Day 15

It’s been two weeks since moving to a campground, living in an RV. It is still a process to become acclimated to this new lifestyle. Some habits die hard.

I joined a new gym, Planet Fitness, which is working out ok. I’m getting into a new routine, or more accurately, working my old routine into a new setting. Staying focused on priorities is my greatest challenge. Right now, everything seems to be a priority. However, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, it will open up to a beautiful, lush valley, filled with colorful flowers, a million shades of green in the trees and meadows below, and the sweet smell of new beginnings, leading to a whole new set of mountain peaks to climb.

I’ve written about this many times over the years, but for me, this is one of the greatest events in scripture. When Moses successfully orchestrated the release of Israel from Egypt, they made a path for Mt. Sinai, the place God set as a meeting place. One of the first things God told the people was this: Today is the beginning of days for you! With one statement, God changed their calendar and made that day “January 1” in a new year. He is God, so He can do this anytime He wants, for anyone He wants.

It was a new beginning which took 40 years to complete the process. I don’t know if I have 40 years left, but I don’t want to waste time in the wilderness before entering into the next season of life. I’m still searching for “the promised land” which God has prepared for me, but I believe it will be revealed in due time. Right now, I will focus on Him, learn more about Him, spend my days becoming like Him, and one day break out of the tunnel into the beauty described above.

The Journey – Day 12

 The Journey – Day 12

I met one of the campers here on Saturday. Her name is Jan. She and her husband live here permanently. We had a nice conversation. I mentioned I write. I shared some of the thoughts from a previous blog post, where I mentioned people are here for various reasons. Some have stopped over for the night to get some rest. Others wound up here unintentionally and are stuck, waiting for something new to occur.

Jan spoke up at this point and said, “That’s us. We didn’t plan to be here.” They sold their house and bought a camper. The intent was to spend their retirement years traveling. Then her husband had a stroke. Now they live at a campground while she takes care of him, which is a full-time job. It’s quite sad.

This is a stark reminder that you never really know what is going on with those you may encounter every day. It would have been easy to assume Jan was enjoying retirement, traveling around the country, living the life they had always dreamed.

Jan spoke of a relationship with the Lord. Her eyes sparkled when she shared with me the intimacy that she has with her heavenly Father. I gave her a copy of my book, The Names of God. She was very appreciative, but I’m pretty sure she could probably teach me some things on God’s character, because she spoke as though she knew Him very well.

I look forward to meeting other travelers here, to hear their stories and learn more about the dreams that brought them here, or those which will perhaps take them from here.

The Journey – Day 7

The Journey – Day 7 

Learning new habits is easy when you separate yourself from everything familiar. I found it easier to do things like eat meals at home instead of going out so often. I discovered I don’t need TV when there is not one to watch. Reading has become more natural since there are fewer people with whom I can converse.

I’m actually thinking of things I want to do instead of always looking to do things for others. I still have a heart to serve. Giving is way of life for me. But now, I have the option of doing what I want instead of always yielding to the desire or wishes of others. It is no fault of the others. Many times they don’t even realize I’m giving in to their preferences. I have simply chosen to suppress my wants in order for others to have theirs.

This is ok until you reach a place where you no longer feel you have the right to what you want. Your needs go unmet, leaving you with feelings of unworthiness, being unfulfilled, even hopeless. I immediately heard the voice of many sermons expounding on the altruistic nature of living the Christian life. If we are to truly give up “everything” for Christ, why do we still make choices about what happens to us? We choose to earn money instead of being dependent on others to give us what we need. We buy a car because we choose to drive instead of walk everywhere we go. We have a preference on things like hairstyle, clothing, and personal care items (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.). We can claim the name of Christ and still have an identity, including preferences, feelings, desires, etc.

I’m not playing the martyr card here. I made the choice to live the way I did. I gave up my right to have what I wanted because I thought it was more spiritual. I now understand my motives were based more on pride than on humility. I misunderstood the concept of priority vs. relinquishing. 

The key to living Christlike has to do with placing our relationship with Him first, then sort everything else out, including our own wants and desires. You don’t have to add a spiritual “spin” in order to justify them. Oh, how I wish I had learned this sooner.

As You Go

 As You Go

As you go, life is in front of you.

Keep pursuing, dreaming, planning.

Each step with purpose, walking in destiny.

Each moment cherished.

As you go, memories remain.

Let them teach you.

Let them comfort you.

Let them inspire you.

As you go, allow yourself some space.

To grow into what you have yet to become.

To make mistakes.

To love yourself until you believe it.

As you go, know you are loved.

By family who care for you.

By friends who find a treasure in you.

By me, because I cherish you.