Unseen

Monday, December 12, 2016

Christmas Present

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

I love Christmas. Presents are one of my love languages, and I have always enjoyed that aspect of Christmas. My dad and his brother were very different creatures. Dad wanted to be surprised by what he got and Greg always wanted to know. He always did know, too. He confessed many years later that he slit the tape with a razor blade and then re-taped it. When they would argue he would threaten to tell Dad what his presents were. I did my share of sneaking into the living room to see if presents had come. I love wrapping gifts funny ways, like putting a watch in a huge box with paper stuffed around it. I also like to do treasure hunts, where inside the box is a note with a clue where to look next. One of my favorite gift traditions was when Mom would take me to the Christian book store and tell me to pick out books and cassette tapes that I wanted. ( I know that dates me.) Then she would send me to another part of the store and pick out what I got out of my stack. I have to work on how to show love to people who don’t share this love language. I confess that I did not always connect the gifts we gave and received with God's gift of Jesus, but I have learned to. In fact not long before mother died I asked her what she would do differently. She said that one of the biggest things she would change would be to keep the focus more on Jesus and less on stuff.

We are in the advent season now and we are waiting. I did not grow up in a "tribe" that celebrated advent, but it has become very special to me. It gives me an anchor to remember Jesus' coming and to look forward to his coming back. I like the visual of the candles reminding us of the gifts of love, joy, hope and faith. It is easy to forget these blessings. It is tempting to "look for God's hand and not His face." He is loving and gracious and generous, and this week he has provided practical blessings that have left me shaking my head in awe. Much more than that, though,
He has given me his presence in my dark stretch when I didn't feel Him. He has given me restoration with my family and assured me that there is more restoration to come. All of this would be meaningless if it were not for Jesus and His sacrifice. I believe He will come again and restore all things, and I look forward to that. My goal, though, is to seek Him and enjoy Him and serve him NOW. He has brought me through my past and he will be in my future, but He is in my Christmas in my Present.

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and in revelation he is honored and praised for being the god who was and is and is to come. (Revelation 4:8) There are so many other verses that speak to the presence of God in our lives and His glory, but I will leave you with these for now.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Emmanuel

Well, the holidays are here and the TV tells us that we should feel joyful and festive. The TV doesn't take real life into account, though. I don't feel joyful and festive. I have had long talks with God this week and here is some of what I have learned.

Emmanuel
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
  they will not sweep over you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned Psalms 43:1-3

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in trouble. They weren't in trouble for doing what was wrong but for doing what was right. King Nebuchadnezzar had built a huge golden statue in the plain near Babylon and commanded that when people heard the music play they were to bow down to the statue. When the music played 3 men did not bow down. Enter the tattletales, who run to the king and inform on the three Israelites. He calls them in to talk to them and tells them that if they bow down, everything will be forgiven but if not he will throw them in a blazing furnace. They bravely tell him that they will not bow to anyone except God. He wants to know how "any god" can deliver them out of the furnace. Their answer is, We believe that our God can deliver us, but even if he does not we will not bow down. Now only does he throw them in the furnace, but he also has it heated up to seven times the regular temperature. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tied up and thrown in the furnace and the fire was so hot that the men throwing them in were burned up. When the king looked into the furnace he was shocked and amazed. He asked the soldiers, "Didn't we throw 3 men bound into the fire?" When they answered that they had, he said "I see 4 men walking around unbound and the fourth is like a son of the Gods!" When the 3 men were brought out they did not even smell like smoke and their clothes were not singed. King Nebuchadnezzar changed the law he had made. No one was to worship anyone except the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Most of you grew up hearing this story, but can you imagine what it was like to witness this sight? God did not keep them from being thrown into the fire but he was with them in the fire. Maybe this will help us when we feel like we are in a fiery trial. We may be angry at God because he could have stopped it. This is true. He could have, but He didn't. I can't pretend I know why. Many of us have had a lot of difficult things happen this year. We can take comfort in the fact that God has been with us in the fire.
Some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples were, "Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20) Psalms 46, in verse 7 and 11 says, "The Lord Almighty's with us. The God of Jacob is our fortress. Look at this beautiful description of what God says he will do for us in Isaiah 43
But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
³For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush^[a] and Seba in your stead.
⁴Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
⁵Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.

Do you still need something to feel grateful for? Me,neither.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Welcome back to Unseen. It has been a difficult couple of weeks but God is faithful. Happy All Saints Day. Take a minute to honor and remember the faithful ones who have passed on. Between grief and struggles we often feel alone. Read on to see what God showed me about his presence.

The Lord is Near

You drew near when I called on You; You said, "Do not fear!" Lamentations 3:57

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of Passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.
He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a man.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.
It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump
next to him.
He had been at watch the entire night,
protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don’t know it, God is watching over us,
Sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have to do is
reach out to Him.
The God of the universe chooses to be near to us. Even the name Emmanuel, which the prophet gave to Jesus means God With Us. We read in Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Philippians 4 is such a familiar passage to many of us that we over look something important. It reads
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Did you see it? Tucked in the middle of the instructions of what to do and how to pray is the reason that we are able to. THE LORD IS NEAR. Take courage in this fact. I pray that God will give us the eyes and ears to sense his presence and take comfort from it.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Come on in

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

My family has a  favorite story on me. I was about 3 or 4 and we had gone to my Aunt Lita's house. Aunt Lita's house always had a unique smell. It was 1 part Bengay, 1 part musty, 1 part whole wheat bread made inside coffee cans, and 1 part re-hydrated pimento cheese that everyone tried to convince me that I loved. I had gone outside and couldn't get back in. I could look through the screen door and see my mom, my aunts and my grandma. They were visiting and drinking coffee. I tried the door and couldn't get it to open. I knocked but they didn't hear me and kept talking. I knocked louder and they still didn't hear me. Finally I had enough. I put my hands on my hips and said as loudly as I could "Somebody let this poor baby in!" They heard me then and opened the door for me. They hugged me and gave me some toast made with the round bread out of the coffee can.
My mom's family lived a good ways off. Visiting with them always meant a long drive. I would usually be asleep when we arrived. I would stumble out of the car and we would walk up to the porch where the light was always on for us. We would ring the doorbell and someone would open the door. Again, they would hug us and say, "COME IN THIS HOUSE!" No matter how sleepy I was it always made me smile.
You may have noticed that life is hard. Sometimes I have the feeling that I have been left out in the cold and can't get any help. I hate to try to get help with anything. I partly don't want to bother anyone and partly don't want anyone to say no. As a consequence I end up being self reliant which is good, but also being resentful which is bad. Self reliance has a down side, too. It can keep me from asking for help from God. I don't want to bother him and I don't want Him to say no. God has invited us to come boldly before the throne of God that we may find mercy and grace to help in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16.) That means we don't have to stand and knock quietly to be sure we don't disturb him. There is a children's song that we sang in Sunday school. It says
          Tiptoe tiptoe in God's house
          Tiptoe tiptoe in God's house
          Tiptoe tiptoe in God's house
            Tiptoe very softly.

I know that this song was intended to keep children from making too much noise during service but being over the top as I am I decided that this was how I was to approach God. According to 1 John 1 we have become children of God because of his great love. How many children would creep quietly into their parent's room to ask for what they needed? Not mine.
We are not home yet. Like the journey to family's house for holidays some day we will get where we are going. Jesus tells his disciples, In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2I have a friend who was recently killed in an accident. I can almost see him leaving his broken body behind to be greeted in heaven by a smiling savior who exclaimed, COME IN THIS HOUSE! Some day he will do the same for me and for you. Whether we meet him there or he comes back for us, I long to see him. Even so,come Lord Jesus.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Identity Theft

Identity theft

Behold what manner of love the father has given unto us that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1

We can hardly turn on the TV or radio without hearing about the rash of identity theft going on. It can be devastating to victims. One victim said that it affected almost all areas of her life. Her credit was damaged and she couldn't get loans since there were already loans in her name taken out by the thief. The thief cleaned out her bank account and she had checks that bounced, causing even more financial hardship. The thief used her identity to commit a crime, so she had legal battles. The stress from all of this caused problems in her personal life and her relationships suffered. It took a lot of work and money and time to clear up the problems.

As devastating as identity theft is, there is a problem in our world that is even more damaging. Spiritual identity theft. In John 10, Jesus says that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. One of the things he tries to steal is our sense of who we are in Christ.

Here is a partial list of verses that I pulled from Crossing Church's website.

I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)
I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)
I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)
I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)
I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5)
I am given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction

It is easy to see why the enemy would want to distract us and keep us from realizing our true identity and the power and resources that go with it. Let's commit today to search out who we are in Christ, confess it and walk in it. Stand and fight, children of God.

Identity Theft

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Disturbing the Peace

I am just going to be honest. This has been a terrible week. I had a friend die in a tragic accident. I had "just before payday stress". I had a really scary fall and I am still waiting for God to do some restoration. Read on to see what God has showed me about coping with a time like this.

Disturbing the Peace
These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. for I have overcome the world. John 16:33

There are a few pockets of beauty in the dry, flat West Texas landscape, One of them is McBride Canyon. There are trees big enough to climb, and I remember a time when one of our church friends climbed one and stayed there all day. He even had his food tossed up to him and ate in the tree. A few years later we made a trip there for a campout with my brother's cub scout troop. It was special for me because my friend who had moved away came back and camped with us. We talked non-stop for hours. We slept in a pop up camper on one of the bunk beds and our friend and her daughter slept on the other bunk bed. We finally wore our selves out and fell asleep listening to the crickets and frogs and night sounds that were different from what we heard in town. About 5 in the morning our friend got up to take her little girl to the bathroom. We woke up as they were leaving the camper. We lay there in the dark and listened again to the quiet sounds, then of course started talking.We talked about being away from civilization which we knew so much about at 12 years old. After a few minutes, one of us wondered if there were bears in these "woods". Our imaginations ran with that for a few minutes, even though the nearest bear was probably 700 miles away. We had started to quiet down when we heard a sound that struck terror in our hearts. The zipper on the camper. We jumped sky high, sure that a bear had not only found its way to the Texas Panhandle, but learned how to unzip a camper. I said the only thing I could think of. "Who Goes There?" This was met by hysterical laughter, not from a bear, but our friend and her daughter.

God has offered us peace as one of the fruits of the spirit. He has promised to fight our battles and carry our burdens and bind up the broken hearted. He has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us. Unfortunately we also have an enemy who wants nothing more than to disturb our peace. He will work in our minds and speak through other people. He will bring difficult situations He will tempt us to worry or resent and then hit us with guilt when we succumb to these temptations. Talk about playing both ends against the middle. How do we combat this when it comes?

The first thing is to put on our armor. Ephesians 6:10-17 reads

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
I don't know about you but I need to read and remember this every day, especially in hard times. Us the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit.

Second remember the promises of God, including these words of Jesus.

These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. for I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Micah 7:8 us one that I go to in hard times. Do not rejoice over me my enemy for though I fall I will rise again, and though I sit in darkness the Lord will be my light.

Finally I have a challenge for you. Try to come up with a part of your identity in Christ fro each letter of the alphabet. For example, Accepted, Beloved, Cherished, Delivered, Forgiven,

These things can help us through weeks like this and any time the enemy tries to come against us. Also lets commit to holding each other up in prayer. Ask God who needs you to fight for them and swing those swords.