Keys

Welcome to Unseen this week. Those of us who live unseen deal with a lot of fear and often feel powerless. Read on to see the power that is available.
Keys

I am the first and the last and I hold the keys to death and hell.

 Remember when you got the keys to yor first car?  There was a sense of pride and freedom.  Yo cod operate your car whenever yo wanted, no longer required to depend on someone else. You could also limit other people's access to your car  You could decide who rode with you and who didn't. You could lock your car to protect your valuables and your vehicle. ( I know people in my hometown were just dying to get their hands on my avacado green car.) You soon realized that your freedom came with responsibility. You were responsible for maintenance, gas, insurance and following the traffic laws. Later keys brought similar joys and trials, such as the keys to your first place to live You paid the price and were given the keys and with them the privilege and responsibility of caring for your place.

On Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, classical Christian belief tells us that something vital happened. Jesus “descended into Hell and led forth captives in his train.” He told John in Revelation, “I am the first and the last and I hold the keys to death and hell.(    )  How did He get those keys? I admit that when I thought about it, I pictured a cosmic version of Friday Night Smackdown.  Probably a more accurate view is that He paid for them.  He didn't pay for them with cash or gold or silver, but with the priceless blood of a perfect sacrifice.  Picture a huge debt and all the animal sacrifices throughout the centuries making tiny payments on the interest. Jesus perfect sacrifice paid the debt in full.

Now, like your car or house, He has the right to do what he chooses with his property, or His victory in this case. When we accept Him as Lord and Savior, He chooses to share his victory over sin and death with us. The single word of advice-REJOICE!

More than enough

Welcome to Unseen today. This week's post came to mind because I had a discussion with God this week about money. Basically things had not gone my way this week and I was whining. God brought me  back to this selection. Guess what else? He met my need with More Than Enough.

More than Enough

Every Good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights in whom there is no change or shifting shadow. James 1 __

One day I came home from work. I had been out to eat and had some scraps for the dog. I put them in his bowl and then let him in. I tried to show him the bowl with the treats in it, but something else had caught his eye. He was pawing under the edge of the washing machine. I leaned down to see what he was doing, just as he pulled out a dried crust of bread and started chewing on it. I picked him up and set him in front of his bowl where he finally saw the scraps and enjoyed them wholeheartedly. Goofy dog, I thought. I have a feast for you and you’re digging around for dried out, old bread. Isn’t it great that humans are so much more advanced than dogs?

OK, how advanced are we really? We have learned to ask God to meet our needs but we fail to accept his lavishness. Ephesians 3:23 says God can do immeasurably, exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or even imagine. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He has called us his children and invited us to come boldly before his throne that we may receive grace in our time of need. I am not talking about prosperity gospel, here. I am talking about attitude. We settle for less than God wants us to have. I was convicted at one point that it is just as easy to ask God for more than enough as it is to ask for just enough. It was not an easy transition. I had become used to sneaking in the back door of the throne room and peeking out from behind a tapestry. I thought if I was really quiet and didn’t make any fuss maybe no one would tell me to leave. It was not all about material things either. It was about healing for me and others. It was about forgiveness and it was about being able to pour out my tears to a loving father. I am still leaning day by day, but I want to keep on learning. At a retreat last week, one of the speakers had been on a trip to France. She said that those people know how to eat. She described beautifully set tables and abundance. If she put her glass down and turned around to talk to someone, when she turned around her glass was full again. It impressed on her that this is the provision that God wants for us. He wants us to be continually in expectation of His blessings, like children who have no fear that their needs will not be met.

A preacher tells a story of a couple that saved all their money to go on a cruise. To save money, they brought crackers and cheese to eat. After a couple of days, the steward asked them why they hadn’t been to meals. They explained that their situation and he told them that all meals were included in the price of their tickets. After that they fully enjoyed all the ship had to offer them. God wants you to be His child. He wants you to accept the gifts and blessings he has for you. Have the courage to accept his good and perfect gifts, rather than digging in the world’s dump for dried out husks.