Zoe Love

Ever so often my job requires me to travel to other offices within the company. As I pack my six year old Zoe sits by my suitcase and starts counting the days until my return.  This past week I returned from a two day trip and as I walked to the baggage claim there was Zoe with the genuine flames of love beaming out of her big beautiful brown eyes.  She ran towards me and blessed me with the biggest hug and kiss, as if I had been gone for years. Each kiss and hug was a reminder of her unconditional love, such was her joy she strolled my laptop bag to the car with one hand and tightly held my hand with her other hand. As we drove home she gave me a minute by minute status of all I had missed and in between each event she would say, Mom, I love you so much!

As the night came to a close I started meditate on “Zoe Love” suddenly I found myself praying and asking the Lord to teach me to love like Zoe loves. The beauty of that pray is that her name means “as God intended it to be” a simple prayer deeper than at first can be thought.

What, Zoe didn’t know was that I had endured some hardship while I was away and my heart was broken. Her acts of love where like a healing balm touching the depths of my soul. Just like the scripture says love drives out fear and it covers a multitude of wrongs. 

The apostle John left us many words of wisdom when it comes to the counsel of love. The same man who could call down fire upon men is also able to speak of the pure fire of love.  Beautiful it is when our flames become cleaner and our temper changes to compassion, unforgiveness to forgiveness, vengeance to mercy, frustration to peace.

Let’s acquire this love from the altar of the Almighty, we love because HE loved us first, nowhere else can this treasure be found. Though the journey at times can be painful I intend to advance towards the throne of God to understand the mystery and depth of this Love.

Hijackers, tolerance, the grim reaper…………

 

Death has been given the name grim reaper and it is usually illustrated as a skeletal figure clothed in black.   So many times I have asked myself if we could see beyond the veil of the physical world into the spiritual world would we be more alert to the true intentions of this ominous threat.

Have you noticed that some of the most intolerant people are those who shout the loudest for tolerance? As Christ followers we need to be aware that the grim reaper is out and about hijacking what is ours. In this world of political correctness it seems that tolerance is defined as a total rejection of moral standards and of all which is Judeo-Christian.  This modern tolerance redefines words like marriage, equality, absolute truth, judgment, love and even Christianity.

In the past month I have had several conversations where the topic of Islam was central and I highlighted the injustices towards women and Christians throughout the Islamic world. I am always perplexed by the flawed logic that is applied to these conversations all in the name of love and tolerance.  They sounded something like this:

                    Jeannette

                          

Muslim women are being mistreated and Christians are getting tortured in Islamic countries………

                   John Doe (response)

Jeannette, don’t you know Muslims are getting saved by the thousands? I know Muslims and I don’t believe we should talk about Islam. I believe the battle will be won without talking about these issues.

Jeannette

My thought, is my speaking the truth truly going to hinder a Muslims salvation. I rejoice when I hear testimonies of Muslims getting saved but one issue has nothing to do with the other.  This blurred view of reality is what is concerning. When we no longer can call out evil and when truth is being hijacked in the name of secular tolerance the grim reaper gains ground.

As I was mediating on these conversations I remembered an interview I was watching where someone asked Dr. Ravi Zacharias to define the word evil.  Dr. Zacharias went on to say “Evil is ultimately that which violates the purposes of God for life and for living with each other.”

Should we not speak against that which violates God’s purpose? Why is it social justice when we talk about sex trafficking, clean water, and curing malaria. Shouldn’t the same logic be applied to every injustice?

Our culture is doing what scripture said- it’s getting worse and worse. The Bible gives us instructions on how we should live. We are to keep standing for righteousness knowing that it will mean enmity with the world. Always, remembering that death has lost its sting……………

EVOLVING WORDS**TRUE WORDS**THE BIBLICAL JESUS

The fact that the Word came in the flesh to teach me what true life looks like is beyond fascinating. The longer I walk with Jesus and study His Word I come to understand what it means to consciously turn to the Light.  It’s an invitation to participate in the fellowship of the Triune God.

The Biblical Jesus never changes and we cannot undo that regardless of what society tells us.  I have personally come to despise the word evolve, why? At every turn I make I continue to hear the voices of many in today’s society saying, Jeannette you need to adapt and evolve in your thinking.  My response to this is. NO! I have to trust the Bible because it’s the only manuscript that points me to the true identity of Jesus and only in Him there is true life.

My heart grieves when I see and hear that brothers and sisters in Christ run to other philosophies to find peace and help when from the beginning of creation Jesus was fully realized and came to teach us how to live. 

A quick glance at the news tells us our world has changed in the blink of an eye.  It’s as if there is a great awakening of those who call good evil and evil good. The king’s of political correctness are changing the English language in order to mask the sting and implication of what words really mean.  This metamorphosis of language is intentional in order to obscure the truth and it has seeped into every area of society.

 Don’t be fooled from the beginning of time Satan has been on a quest to distort the truth with the goal of dehumanizing God’s creation.  Let’s go back to Genesis and see how the word war started:

Genesis 2: 16-17 (God speaking to Adam and Eve)

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”        

Genesis 3: 3: 1-6 (The serpent to the women)

The serpent was more  clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We can eat the fruit of the trees that are in the garden. But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’”

⁴ “You can be sure that you won’t die,” the serpent said to the woman. “God knows that when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will know things you have never known before. You will be able to tell the difference between good and evil. You will be like God.”

From the beginning deception came in by the distortion of the God’s Word.  Had Eve heeded to God’s Word of instruction our lives would be quite different.

Man can attempt to change truth but the reality is IN the Beginning WAS the WORD and it will END with the WORD and the WORD will endure forever. 

The Kingdom; True Freedom and Equality

 

Years ago I was at women’s meeting and the older women were talking about the decline of morality in our society.  As a young women in my early twenties I did not realize the urgency and importance of the conversation.  As I heard them talking about the end of the age being upon us I was literally thinking some of the comments were hyperbole and completely outlandish.  More than two decades have passed since I sat in the midst of those godly women and have come to realize that even their worse hyperbole can’t come close to the decline we are currently seeing today.

Only two in a half decades have past since that conversation and there has been a complete redefinition of truth, morality, how humans communicate, connect, entertain, educate and the list goes on and on. But the greatest concern I see is the church conforming to this redefinition and encouraging disciples to evolve since society is evolving. It’s a terrible day when alleged theologians, pastors and teachers are taking the Word of God and redefining it’s meaning in the name of love.

The message of the Kingdom of God is far more powerful and liberating than the co-exist rant our modern evolving society so easily embraces.  There is a depth to the absolute truth of the message of gospel that resonates in the spirit of man. What society has done is dilute the truth with its man made philosophies tearing down its original purpose which is to bring freedom to humanity.

The truth is the Kingdom message is one of true equality. The book of Galatians tells us there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The Lord has no favorites however he does not rule His Kingdom like a democracy nor does He accept everyone’s opinions about anything and everything.  The message of the Kingdom does mean there are no ethnic, geographical, cultural or moral barriers for those who have repented by turning away from that which God calls sin. Only then is true forgiveness extended and a NEW LIFE IN HIM begins. When we are His and live according to the reality of the Kingdom we become a regenerated man, by the Spirit! How’s that for equality and acceptance!!!!! Now that is how God’s love wins!

To all contemporary thinkers, theologians, pastors and seekers who boldly declare freedom is found in the message that no longer stands on the infallible Word of God I would like to echo the words of George Orwell.

         “The more I hear people screaming freedom, freedom, the more I hear their chains rattling.”

EVERYTHING HAS ITS TIME

 

Every human life has a time and within this time there are extraordinary moments in the ordinary of life. We may see these moments as random daily events but we are eternal beings and our words, works and gifts are destined for eternity.

This past weekend I had the privilege to attend a memorial service for one of my dearest friends father. Their father lived for Jesus his entire life. As I read the comments left on the memorial page there was one that struck a chord in my heart.  One of his army friends wrote how he remembered him saying,"I cannot get away from God".  From the opening of the service to the last amen you know this was a man gifted of the Lord in more ways than one. He was a Bible teacher, guitarist, songwriter, husband father and the list goes on and on. He served Jesus and his community as a minister for over thirty years.  He was married to the love of his life for 48 years and what a love they had.

As I sat and listened to his life story unfold, the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians resonated in my being “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”.  I am confident if I were to ask his dear wife that co-labored with him was it easy? She would say we endured many trails and tribulations. However, I know this sweet lady would tell me:

Honey,

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

My life’s scale received some balance as I heard about this man’s life. Birth and death are the two-sides of the scale. Clearly we don’t have control of either however, with the Holy Spirits guidance, we can keep the scale in balance no matter what season of life we are in.

God's purposes for our lives are weaved into eternity and like a work of art they will be displayed for many to see. As King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Let us recognize the beauty in the here and now acknowledging the place and purpose each person has in the overall plan of God.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, stay focused, time is precious…………………

THE FORGOTTEN GIFT

In my last blog titled “Do you know Him” I briefly explored the theme of having a conscious relationship with the Holy Spirit.   As I mentioned I started to ponder on this topic due to a short conversation our family was having regarding the Holy Spirit. Consequently, the conversation has placed me on a several weeks journey of going back to the WORD and rediscovering what the scriptures have to say about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

As I have combed the pages of scripture Old and New Testament I have asked myself several questions and am curious as to what others may think. Has the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit fallen out of our Western Christian church teaching? If so, why? Are we losing something important? How imperative is it to our Christian walk?  Have we redefined the term baptism in Holy Spirit in an attempt to correct what man perhaps has misunderstood or misinterpreted?

In my review of the WORD OF GOD I can say we are losing something vital. Why? Jesus last command to His disciples is to go out and be His witnesses carrying the message to the nations. But, He tells them they need to be equipped instructing them to stay in Jerusalem until they have been clothed in power from on high.  You see what the flesh cannot do the Spirit can do.  In other words what us human beings can’t reach in the natural can be reached with the Holy Spirit moving in us, through us and among us. 

Have you ever considered that before the disciples received the Holy Spirit they denied Jesus, they had unbelief, they questioned if He was the Messiah. We read after the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts this was not the case.  In fact it was quite the contrary they received power to witness and they went out with boldness declaring the Kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit and His baptism is the antidote that conquers fear, doubt, insecurities and defies all our natural circumstances.

In the church of Ephesus where Apollos served as pastor (Acts 18:24-28) the scripture gives us a good sense of who this man was.

   Apollos was an eloquent man

   He was mighty in the Scriptures

   He was instructed in the ways of God

   He was fervent in spirit

   He taught the things of the Lord

   He knew only the baptism of John—Nothing about the baptism in the Spirit.

When Paul visited Ephesus he opened the door through which the Spirits power manifested itself. The gospel message was there but they had not received the Holy Spirit in power.  Paul comes lays hands on them they received the Holy Spirit and they revolutionize Ephesus.

What caused this revolution? It was not Paul it was the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through men.  

Can we experience this same revolution in our lives, homes, schools, community and workplaces? ……Absolutely!!

I am convinced today more than ever we the people of God need a fresh baptism in the Holy Spirit. Let us remember just like Peter, the word of the Lord, “John, indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in Holy Spirit. If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord who was I that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11: 16-17)

Let’s run after the forgotten gift and pray, come Holy Spirit baptize me again!!

DO YOU KNOW HIM?

I would like to introduce you to an old friend of mine. Many years ago He came into my life and totally rocked my world. He is that  friend that makes you feel larger than life. You know the kind that when you are with him it seems that you have no need of anyone else. He is that person who constantly pours wisdom into your life and is able to correct you without wounding you.  His words are like a healing balm soothing the soul.  The fruit of joy, peace and love are byproducts of our relationship.  Yes, He is the beloved Holy Spirit.

Several weeks ago I was sitting in my living room and our family was having a conversation about the importance of the Holy Spirit and His infilling.  As I was listening I asked this question, do you make an effort to commune with the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? I know we all pray and have relationship with the Triune God but I mean do you intentionally pray in the Spirit? The answers varied some said not as much as I use too, or no I don’t but I should.  The consensus was we should have a relationship with the Holy Spirit and like every relationship it should be cultivated.

After the conversation I started to go down memory lane and pondered on the day the Holy Spirit filled me to overflow. I was bound, weak and troubled and in an instance I was free, joyful and walking in a power I had never experienced before.  My spirit man was alive my prayer life excelled and walking in HIM was just easier than it had been before. 

Before you start running to conclusions and say she is one of those tongue  talking women I want you to know I am not necessarily talking about praying in tongues. We need to get out of our minds the baptism of the Holy Spirit equals tongues that is just an all to common misunderstanding. However, I will tell you I believe in the gift of tongues and I believe it is for today and I believe it’s for everyone.

The questions that I had to ask myself as I pondered on the day of my infilling were these:

1.    If the filling of the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father then why not receive it.  (Luke 11: 11-13Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a -snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

2.    If it’s a specific event as scripture is clear in telling us then I need to experience it.  (See Act 19 1-7, and that is just one of many)

3.    If being filled with the Holy Spirit thrusts us into relationship with Him then I must continue it.

This third point is what I want to emphasize if the infilling of the Spirit  thrusts us into relationship with Him then we must nurture it until we see Him face to face.

If you, like myself and some of the members of my family may have in one sense or the other neglected the relationship I want to encourage you to reignite the flame.  Or if you are reading this blog and you have no idea what I am talking about and need a life changing experience then ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you.

Let’s pray and stand on the truth of the WORD of God,

“Fill me know afresh. Lord, wake up in me that which has grown faint. Revive my being with your refreshing power. In Jesus Name.”

I leave you with these beautiful words from CH Sprugeon :

Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves well at our hands, for he is good, supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune Jehovah. Unmixed purity and truth, and grace is he. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills; quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree: he suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. He is good officially; whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, he fulfils his office well, and each work is fraught with the highest good to the church of God. They who yield to his influences become good, they who obey his impulses do good, they who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere his person, and adore him as God over all, blessed for ever; let us own his power, and our need of him by waiting upon him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek his aid, and never grieve him; and let us speak to his praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by slights and negligences. ^[1]

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.).

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