Joseph A. McGee's Blog: I, Witness

God is the Master!

People pray about their sufferings and about those of others, but they are confused if their prayer does not result in getting what they want. Many people miss the point. We are in a blind, un-spiritual world. We are in temporary houses of flesh. We paid nothing for them, we didn’t ask for them, we just received them as a gift, like the sunshine and the summer breeze. Like our mother’s milk.

God is the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe and everything in it. He sees all ends; we do not. We are here to fulfill His plan. Our plans are irrelevant. Faith in Him means accepting when our plans are swept aside for His greater plan.

So, we pray for Him to cure our cancer, but that isn’t necessarily always His plan. Remember, we came into this flesh naked and bloody and screaming and helpless. Nowadays we have medicine to ease our passing, but even so, many leave in the same way. As even Christ did on the cross.

But He did it for the love of us, and He did it to follow His Father’s plan, which was set from the foundation of the Earth. This fact is demonstrated in Genesis chapters fourteen and twenty-two; and stated clearly in Ephesians Chapter One, and Acts seventeen, John chapter one, and other places.  

And we should be aware, our suffering and death may also be a benefit to us individually, that is, the real us, which is spirit, not flesh. The body is just a tent, a temporary dwelling. To have faith is to understand that fact. Suffering perfects and refines us for the Kingdom of God, and death is the passage by which we exit this realm with all its evil and corruption and enter that better world.

Divine healing does take place, but it is never just to benefit the flesh; it is usually to show the power of God, as in the healings performed by Christ in the Bible. If it is God’s will to use me in this way, that is what will happen. But, if not, that is His will and plan for me. We walk in sorrow in this life, especially those most devoted to Him. Sometimes those deluded by Satan seem to have it much better, much easier, but in the end, they have already lost, and they will suffer the judgment. So, pray for them but do not envy them. And be happy for me, even if God never cures my cancer, because it was through cancer that I was brought to Him.

I would dearly love to have a few more years to be with you all, but I accept His decision if I do not, and I pray that everyone see this as a perfectly acceptable outcome, not as a punishment; and certainly not as unfair. God is good, He is just, and He is fair and most of all He loves us. We have rested in His gentle hands from the beginning, and he will not drop us, but will bring us gently and lovingly to Himself in the end. 

 

Many years ago, I was a Potter spinning lumps of earthy smelling clay into vessels on a wheel in a repurposed tobacco warehouse in Lexington, Kentucky. Out back, just past the brick-strewn kiln yard were old L&N railroad tracks and next to them grew a great Mulberry tree, the largest of its kind I ever saw. And, at a certain time of year, the great old tree would fill with mulberries so that the limbs bent and hung with ripe fruit. And then one day the children from the neighborhood would appear and ascend the tree until it was completely full of children ascending, descending, eating and collecting the ripe berries. 

The children were bright, free and they would shout happily, teasing, laughing, joking, but helping one another for they knew the tree had more berries than they could ever collect. Their peals of laughter filled the air from early morning till dusk. Then they were gone until the next year. One glorious day, a day of bright sun, a day of joy and no thoughts of any evil to dampen their spirits, me working and listening to the music of their voices while I kneaded my clay. 

What a beautiful metaphor for the Kingdom of God. Here we are, supposedly wise Christian people, fidgeting with our anxieties, hurrying to our jobs, worrying about our bills and the ridiculously high price gasoline; and there is the memory of that day when the sun shone so brightly reflecting sweaty little brown bodies of an entire Mulberry tree full of happy children. 

All this confusion is a trick of the devil. People say “That's nice, but I must pay for this, I have to work, I have to get ahead. This is reality.” But those children were also real, the tree was real, the old tobacco building was real, all of it was as real as everything. It all existed in its time. The point is we see sometimes what we choose to see. 

Yesterday, I was on the street on a similar afternoon. It is early June. The sky was crystalline, with a few clouds that looked like a painter painted them. I had a cooler of drinks, and I was giving them out to homeless people wherever I found them. I was standing with a couple friends chatting in the parking lot of the library. And as we went about our excursion the people we talked to were of every color, persuasion, and background. The common thread is that they are homeless, street people. But we saw no tears. They were all just hanging out in shady spots as the sun was very bright. 

When I was a kid, we would walk the two miles, to Tacoma pool in Dayton, Kentucky on days like this. I would have a towel and a dime. Given the choice, I would take the dime. For a dime, I could get a Payday bar and a small Coke around noon. We had season passes. Playing and swimming all day long we were taught that the defense against the sun was to burn, and then you would peel, and after that the sun would not hurt you. Going home, you had to run or hop across the hot asphalt to cross in the streets. We were absolutely required to be home by dinner time. Scorched, blackened feet, smelling like chlorine, skin red and peeling, happy, exhausted, and hungry. 

The homeless, as a whole, do not care much about matters of race, or any of the things that separate us. There are exceptions. They are human, after all. But there is generally a spirit of living together and cooperating, and most of the time a positive vibe. The street is like the Mulberry tree. There is food, shelter, and life. You must know where to find them. People learn survival skills. Mostly, they help one another. They live for today, it being all there is in reality. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34. 

And, there is a laid back kind of inner peace most of the time. Even if you get arrested for public intoxication or some such petty offence. Everyone has to be somewhere. Twenty-four hours in jail means three meals and a cot as opposed to no meals and a bed of concrete. 

The street is old. I believe that if you were in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, it would be very similar on that street. Beggars, cripples and old men and men born blind, the sick, the lame, all referred to in the Gospels. And even Jesus, “for the son of man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20. He walked those streets, healing. talking to people, announcing that the Kingdom of God was at hand. 

Probably every town with streets ever built or that ever will be built is the same at street level. And the people of the street are the same. Overcome the language issue and they all understand. They share a common knowledge. 

 The street is life. It ebbs and flows as the tragicomedy of human life plays out. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter, the poor are always with us. The strong and the weak, the wise and the foolish—they are as eternal as the street. But the rest of us suffer breakdowns over money, jobs, loves lost, fears of possibilities and dreams of time gone by. We lose ourselves in petty issues of day-to-day living, while each glorious sunrise and sunset passes almost unnoticed. No giggle-ouch of toasted feet, no passing a bottle of RC Cola, no sharing a candy bar with two friends for lunch.  

But the street is filled with shouts and peals of laughter, and people just living. Like the Mulberry tree. 

 

 

Somebody asked me this question recently and it involves more than I thought it did. 

If you remember, I previously discussed the temptation of Eve in the garden. And the allegorical seduction that occurred diverting her from her spiritual self to worldliness. And This is why they were ashamed. A fair reading of genesis 2: 25 through 3: 10 shows clearly that this is not about following rules, but is about spirituality, sight, and our relationship with God. 

Paul understood this. 

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppressed the truth by their wickedness. Since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—has been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 

“Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 

*** 

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They became filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; They invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; They are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:18-30, in part. 

You see, what has happened is that people have been diverted in their attention and in their interests away from the Spirit to the worldly and the physical and those things that are made from the earth, and away from God who is spirit. In this, man has lost spiritual sight and the ability to connect with God. 

Man has in effect sold the spirit cheaply, exchanging it for things that are worthless and dross and rags instead of that which is gold and silver and precious stones. Spirit is a much more precious than anything in this world, even gold and silver and precious stones. In fact, the things that have been created in the world that is physical are nothing compared to the things in the spiritual realm which are eternal and glorious beyond comprehension. 

And we can be in that spiritual realm not only after we die in the flesh, but here and now at least in part. When we are obedient and following God and listening to God and the Holy Spirit is flowing through us like streams of living water in John 7: 37. We do not have to wait to be able to walk by faith and not by sight. With God's help, we can do that now. Not all the time not every minute of every day but God does send the Holy Spirit to help us as we are obedient and as we follow him.  

Back to Jesus. Jesus was offered everything to sell out the spirit in Matthew 4, when he was tempted by the devil in this way. He could have had all the kingdoms of the world, all the gold, all the jewels, all the food, all the women, anything, and everything he wanted forever and ever. Matthew 4:1-11. Because he was the son of God, it was all his from the beginning. He was the heir to God. Galatians 3:15- 16. 

Christ passed the test. He chose to die on the cross, hands and feet spiked to the wood. Hung up over whole world in shame. No comfort, no one taking his side, this is how he died. And he did it for us, for you and for me. In this, he showed us the way to exchange this world for what is spiritual and enduring and worthwhile and heavenly and permanent; to exchange what is temporary and unworthy for that which is worthy and permanent. 

In all of this we see why Christ had to die. People become more excited about football than about Jesus. They wear football jerseys and host parties and talk about football at the water cooler at work. They scream at the television watching a football game. Where is that passion for Jesus Christ who died for you? Would you scream for Jesus? Would you skip a football game in the playoffs for Jesus? If you did so, would you be unhappy because you missed an opportunity to watch football with your friends and drink beer? These questions are not frivolous! I know that many people think if I go to church, if I tithe, if I serve on committees, if I help with a food drive or some other charitable activity, that I am covered. 

Remember Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:1-11. This story is included in the book of Acts in order to show us that halfhearted efforts and token gifts are not going to get anyone into the Kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus Christ himself will judge the world. John 5:22 and he judges the heart. You can't fool him. “For the word of God is living and active Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13. See also Revelation 3:14-21. 

Therefore, Christ demands of us who call ourselves Christians that we have a true heart for him. That we are more passionate about him than we are about anything in the world. Fortunately, if you are reading this it is not too late God accepts latecomers with a true heart. And he puts them first. This is God's way. There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner saved than overall the righteous. Just like Scrooge on Christmas morning we realize that it is not too late our heart can be changed, we can be the person Christ is calling. He will send the Holy Spirit to hold our hands and help us and he will never abandon us. This is the good news—all we must do is to take our first step to Christ with a true heart and he is there waiting for us where he's been waiting all along. He is the great high priest, and he always intercedes for us. But he doesn't accept lukewarm efforts, half efforts, or reserved efforts. He doesn't accept tokens. He wants us to be all in for him. 

So, this is a hard teaching, but it is also a hopeful teaching. Hopeful that every one of us remember at all times that we owe Christ absolutely everything. That we cannot put anything above him or beside Him. That we cannot scorn the Holy Spirit which will come and help us and fill us up and give us the power to do God's will even when we are certain that we can't do it. 

I hope that everyone reading this is encouraged and happy in the knowledge that it is Christmas morning and there is no reason we can't show forth the glory of Christ in it. 

 

The Bible tells a deep personal story about Eve, but hardly anyone really reads it. Everyone knows it. Everyone knows the gossip about Eve. Everyone knows the “official” version. But everyone focuses on Adam. Adam is the beginning of everything. Adam was the first. Eve is secondary and she was the one who tempted Adam. Clearly, Eve wore the symbolic, non-existent pants. Adam, instead of manning up, says “the woman made me do it.” What? We would have expected some manliness from the first man, wouldn’t we? But no, first he tries to hide from God. Then he throws his woman under the bus. It’s all there in black and white in the Bible. Read it and tell me it isn’t so. The Bible and science largely agree that there had to be a first pair of Homo Sapiens, or if there were not, the offspring would have been something else. DNA study largely confirms this, and this is evidence of creation, because where else could they come from? If they evolved, how do we wind up with two having human DNA at the same time? I’m not a geneticist, but it just makes sense. They certainly didn’t evolve from monkeys or apes. Eve would have been physically perfect. And her eyes worked just fine, as did everything else. After all, she was the mother of the human race. And She and the man were naked, and they were not ashamed, just like every other creature God created. True, God admonished them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is the type of figure of speech of people long ago. If you think about it, though this is not any ordinary tree, nor is its fruit like an apple or a fig or any ordinary fruit. Jesus uses a similar device when He says, “Unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the son of man, you have no life in you.” John 6:54. The spiritually blind couldn’t understand Him then either, if you read the whole passage. Thus, we are talking about something spiritual, not merely outward eating and drinking. See Mark 7:17-23; Romans 14:17. “Knowledge” is also the loss of innocence, and often a euphemism for physical intercourse. Genesis 4:1 KJV. And consider that “knowledge of good and evil” refers to the focus on the physical non-spiritual world. To become worldly, to “know” the worldly existence in the sense that it becomes the focal point of the mind. And before this fall, they were innocent in the sense that they were aware of God and focused on Him. See Romans 1:20. Now this is an important point: the human brain can only focus really on one thing at a time. This is why you can’t text and drive. Or rather why it is dangerous, because driving safely requires undivided attention; and so does spiritual life. And it is clear that Adam and Eve had a close relationship with YHWH. He was present in their daily lives, “walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” And Adam and Eve, were made like Him and in His image. But as Jesus mentions in John 4:24, God is spirit. And so are we. That is, God made us spirits like Him, and loaned us bodies of flesh to live and work and serve and worship Him. So, Eve, the beautiful, perfect and spiritual daughter of God, made by the hand of YHWH, and living in a perfect garden, with a man to love her and attend to her, encounters the tempter. And we must turn to Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus was tempted with food when He was hungry, with testing God, and with greed and lust for the things of the world. This last—the test of worldliness is the one we really need to consider. For, Christ was also a Spirit and worldliness is like spiritual kryptonite. And here is where Eve failed the test. The devil tempted her to focus on what is physical and worldly, losing sight of the spirit, because you cannot focus on both and there are so many things in the physical world to grab your attention, especially now in this crazy Twenty-First Century, as you have undoubtedly seen. Not only that, but also things that take up time and scream to be done first before you devote the first minute to God. Wash the dishes, take out the garbage, send the kids to school, walk the dog, pay the bills, clean the house, fix the dinner, pick up the kids, start the homework, and make yourself pretty before Adam comes home from the office. Writing this, I have to remember that this is so Twentieth Century. Eve could be a lawyer, and Adam could be the one at home. Or both may be breadwinners. Good grief! Of course, there are perfect people who seem to be able to manage all this. But really that is just a perception. They often wind up on the psychiatrist couch, divorced, or worse. Nobody is perfect. So, as the Bible says, their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were naked. Does this mean their physical eyes didn’t work before? Utter nonsense. They physically saw the physical, but their focus was pure and spiritual. The devil’s trick was the looking down, the re-focusing on the worldly, and thus the loss of the sight of the spirit. Look at John 3. Nicodemus was a learned Pharisee, Israel’s teacher. But he was unable to grasp the meaning of “born again.” The Pharisees had to memorize the entire Old Testament. But he was not spiritual. And this made him dull. See 2 Corinthians 14-18. And again, in John 9, the story of the man born blind, we see that the Pharisees and the priests were blind. John 9:39-41. Looking at Genesis 2:25, 3:7 and 3:10, the verb “were” is a form of the verb “to be.” “They were naked and they were not ashamed.” Gen. 2:25. “…their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were naked…” Gen. 3:7. “ “…I was afraid because I was naked…” Gen. 3:10. No place does it say they felt guilty or feared God’s wrath or that their concern was disobedience or sin. Read it over. It’s not in there. What is in there? They made coverings for themselves. They were afraid because they were naked. What’s wrong with that? All the creatures God made were naked. They were perfect, beautiful. But they were flesh, of the world, made from the stuff of the earth, fed from earth, the flesh is a form of earth, really. We return it to the earth. That which separates it from earth is the spirit, and to become worldly is spiritual death. See Romans 8. So, having re-focused on the worldly concerns, as Paul says, “the flesh,” Eve has lost sight of the spiritual and become entangled with the world to the point that she cannot see spiritually, and doesn’t have time to immerse herself in reflection and meditation to regain her spiritual presence with YHWH. And it is this, the focus on the physical and worldly that causes us to feel shame. The “to be” language does not direct us to misbehavior, or to violation of some rule, even God’s commandment. Shame is a negative perception of what one is. A person can change her behavior, but she cannot on her own change what she is. The passage is not about obedience at all, but about the spiritual death and the worldly thinking that is at the root of all sin if you really think about it. Even David, the great king fell prey to worldly temptation. And when we read the bible focused only on the worldly aspects of things; or like a cookbook, following the rules, we lose the deeper meanings. See 1 Corinthians Chapter 2. And this is why the Pharisees were blind. And this is where Christ comes in. He restores us to spiritual life. The spirit has the possibility to live forever. The physical body we have does not. We have to surrender it back to the One who loaned it to us. A lot of people focus on the Rapture as a way to escape the reality of physical death. Peter and Paul embraced physical death as a release of the spirit to be with our Jesus. The end times Rapture has its place, but we are to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, up to the place of the skull, up to the place where the Romans kill people they don’t like. No, I don’t walk on water, nor am I immune to pain and fear. But my mind is set on accepting these things. I refuse to let them stop me. I refuse to yield an inch to them. Or to cancer. And I am determined to remain positive and happy in the blessings of the Lord to the end. To serve others no matter what happens to my body as long as physically possible. To sacrifice to do so, whatever I feel is demanded. And I am not in any way unique, you are able to do likewise; it is a decision you make, not any special talent. If you make up your mind to live for Him you can as long as there is breath in your body. But as Paul and Jesus and others tell us plainly, the spirit is eternal; the flesh counts for nothing. It is a tent, a vessel of clay. So, Eve’s story can have one of two endings. She can accept the way of the cross—she will probably do this better than Adam ever could—or she can remain lost as Satan, her seducer, left her, walking her walk of shame, sour and disappointed. And Adam, poor fellow, will probably just tag along. She is the strong one.

Much of the misery in the world is caused by the overemphasis we place on achievement. Winning, success, climbing the ladder, celebrity worship, accumulation of money and things, attainment of rank and power, making a mark, etc. ad infinitum. Trophies. Diplomas. Awards. Letters after a person’s name or titles that precede it. Honors and recognitions. We even laud a person just for being a “billionaire.”

To take all this seriously leads to self-comparison and depression. Kids raised in middle class America are raised to believe in achievement. And, unfortunately, they are often overwhelmed by the ideology of achievement. Make the team, make the grade, win the championship, get the scholarship. Be the star, the valedictorian, number one. But sadly, only one can be the number one, no one else can. And it is bad for both the number one and for everyone else as well. No one will always be number one.

When there comes a day that being number one will not avail, when you get cancer, when you have everything taken away in the pandemic, when your children die, what good is it to be number one? Or, when you are finally caught by age and decrepitude, and all you can do is sit in a bar with your friends and swap stories of “glory days,” what do you really have? Only to wash away your sadness with alcohol.

And those who are not number one will always think they are second-best, or that no matter how hard they try, they never seem to be good enough or they never seem to “get anywhere.”

Isn’t it sad? And people become bitter and cynical and disappointed. They don’t understand what is wrong with them. Why can’t they be number one? And if they used to be number one, they are depressed because now someone else is number one.

All of these of course lead to depression, self-destructive behavior, dependency on alcohol or drugs, prescribed or not prescribed, or just malaise, a state of lack of motivation and disengagement. And all are based on incorrect thinking and the idolatry of achievement and success. Also, the false premise that “I”—the worldly self—is what is important. Or, that other people and their ideas are important. How they evaluate “me;” or how I think they might evaluate me.

And all of these thoughts, taken to extremes, lead to negative outcomes, such as depression, addiction, suicide, loss of motivation, mental illness, obesity, and death of the spirit, to name a few.

And people spend tons of money and precious time trying to fix themselves, trying to improve their game, trying to compensate for whatever they think they lack, trying to get out of the feeling that life is passing them by, that they have wasted it, that they aren’t good enough for the expectations of others. There are self-help books, online courses, motivational speakers, yoga classes, weight loss, cosmetic surgery; the list is endless. All for people who feel they are not good enough as they are.

The cost of all this is tremendous, because in spending their whole life trying to fix these non-existent problems, or even on creating new ones like alcoholism, people miss the chance to fully live today. ”Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your heart!” Hebrews 4:7.

So there remains a Sabbath rest for those who come to Him, and we have a Great High Priest who intercedes for us, and He already knows your heart, there is nothing that can stop you. Today if you hear the call (if you are reading this, you ARE hearing the call.) do not harden your heart.

The issue is that you have no need to be number one or any other number. Nor is life about success, or achievement. It is well to learn a trade, or a profession and to do well in it, to try hard. To serve the people of this world the best you can. And to save something so that you do not become a burden to others in your old age. There is nothing wrong with any of that.

What is wrong is to focus one’s life on achievement or accumulation, or the lack of them. What is more important is to serve, to sacrifice, to speak the truth, to be humble, and to love others. What enables this is to believe Jesus and recognize who He is and what He died for. And there is a life, a better life, available now. Living with eyes open, breathing fresh air. A chance to get out of the box. The problem with many people is that they don’t want to consider anything outside the box. They are comfortable inside the box, so why would they want to think about outside the box? And this is true of Christians too a lot of times.

In the Bible, in John 3, Nicodemus, a Pharisee came to see Jesus at night, and was informed that he could see the kingdom of God, but first he must

be born again. Unfortunately, this was hard to understand for Nicodemus, who was a man of learning, but stuck inside the box.

The box is like the Matrix. Once we are plugged in, we cant see out. This is what happened to Eve and she and Adam were transformed from spiritual people to worldly people. So, viewed from the worldly perspective, life is absurd according to the worldly existentialists. We are born, we grow up, we toil, we reproduce, we die. No God, meaningless suffering, final death. The fate of man without God.

And in this state people worry about the future, and devote energy to regrets about the past. We cannot change the past, nor can we predict the future. These also just rob us of today. But to know God and his son, Jesus, opens the eyes so that we can stop worrying about the past, for we are forgiven. We can stop worrying about the future; we are not condemned. John 5:24. We can stop thinking about not getting anywhere, since we are where God has put us. We can stop worrying about achievement and focus on doing God’s work. And the rewards of that are plentiful, many times what we give.

Jesus heard that they had thrown [the man born blind] out and when he had found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

Jesus said, “you have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped him. John 9:30-38.

So, Today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart! This is the trophy, the prize, the cornerstone the worldly men rejected. And remember, the kingdom of God is about righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit! So be happy!

God’s Glory-A Note About the Kingdom

Last night I worked at the shelter where I have volunteered for the last four winters and summers. The evening began with a memorial remembrance for a young man who died of an overdose. He was under a bridge in the freezing cold, alone. He had overdosed himself several days in a row, and been rescued, but this time he chose to be where no one would rescue him. Those who were close to him said he was suffering from an inner pain that was too great to bear. And many of us, most all of us really, have been there. Nor was he lacking in knowledge of the Bible. A man can reach a point where he can take no more. I do believe there is a better way, but one has to have Yeshuah’sSpirit in his heart. The fact that a person cannot walk through that fire is not his fault. Nor does it negate his salvation. We who come to Christ through suffering all have broken places.

“Winning” is not within the province of mortal man, it is God’s sovereign choice. (Ro. 9:19-24). Even though we reach a point of “losing” in the eyes of mortals, who see only through the eyes of flesh, God can grant us the ultimate victory. His gaze penetrates to divide joints and marrow, soul and spirit, (Heb. 4:12,13); yet to save us in His Kingdom and raise us up at the last day by the power and mercy of Jesus Christ.

As for myself, I saw several people at the gathering behind the shelter who I love with a true heart and had not seen for a long time. People who are especially dear to me because I know their suffering and we have shared in our suffering, our hearts. I believe and have experienced it is suffering that binds us together as brothers and sisters in Christ. (Heb. 2:9-13) This is a tremendously beautiful part of the teaching we get from Christ and is explained by Paul, as Apostle of Christ. Although we writhe and moan and cry out in pain,  this is only the temporary response of flesh, as we grow and mature in the spirit. (Ro. 5:3-5). Through this process we grow and become richer and deeper in spirit than we could ever have imagined.

This morning, I thought of the reunion with some of my friends and I started listing in my mind people I have grown especially close to over the last four years. It is a long list. I was brought to tears of gratitude and thanking Elohim for all of them and for the opportunity He has bestowed on me.

And He taught me how sacrifice is a joy; forgiving others, a blessing; humbling myself an honor; challenges an opportunity; and loving people the world doesn’t love, God’s glory. The prince of the air has no dominion over the people of God or in their presence. Nor is the death of the body the last word for us.

Here is how I can be blessed despite having cancer (now two cancers) that I know chemists and doctors cannot cure. This is our victory-life is so rich that I see God’s glory in all of it; and death is not the end. Not for us, who were called to Him and heeded the call.

So, cry for those who refused the call, but do not cry for me. I will see the people the world rejected robed in silver and gold and purple, with crowns bejeweled with sapphires and emeraldsstanding next to Him in the Kingdom by the river of life. All is pure light, we are purified by the flame of the word; and every bitter thing is left behind in the mud from which our mortal bodies were constructed. Alleluia! We are the children of light, now set free. Amen.    

I will say to all my beloved friends that it all began with shame. This was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know this because the first thing that happened when they ate of it was that they saw they were naked and hid themselves and covered themselves with fig leaves. It doesn’t say they feared God’s wrath because they were disobedient, or that they were overcome with guilt and remorse; those came later. It began with shame.

Further, shame goes to what we are, not merely what we do. Look at the three verses Gen. 2:25, 3:7 and 3:10. Take note that “were” is a form of the verb “to be.” Therefore, this shame goes to what one IS, not merely to what he or she does; it denotes a state of being. What could be wrong with being naked; all God’s creatures are made this way?

Knowledge is more than an intellectual activity or stored information. Used in the sense intended by the author of Genesis, it implies the loss of innocence. Before this event, the man and woman were innocent. Nothing we do in innocence is sin. A baby cannot sin. Small children sometimes say things that embarrass the grownups, but they are innocent. Dogs may “hump” someone at a dinner party, embarrassing and mortifying the host and guests. But the dog does not sin. Innocence is complete protection against sin. Paul points out that before he learned the law, he didn’t know what it meant to covet. But when the law came in sin sprang to life and he died. Romans 7:8-12.

I am a lawyer and I have watched and seen how Satan destroys people. It begins with shame. Children internalize cruelty and believe it is because they are imperfect and wrong. I thought I was ugly, hated mirrors, hated my appearance. I hated my voice. This shame is carried with us into adulthood. It is a basis of many of our mental problems. People can change behavior and atone for sins, but we cannot—without Divine intervention—change what we ARE. Nor can we rid ourselves of shame.

This is why we lawyers have to be perfect all the time. It is why we have to be perfectly dressed, why we always have to win. If we are any good, we prepare everything meticulously. But walking out of the courtroom we still ruminate on the one question we didn’t ask. It gnaws on our insides like a dog gnaws a bone. In fact, the fear of losing makes it impossible for some people to try a case. This is all rooted in shame, the belief that we are not good enough.

Before I was a lawyer, I never understood how the devil destroys people or why some people commit suicide. But shame grows during these hours spent alone trying to be perfect, burning the midnight oil. Separated here in our cell, getting depressed. It starts small. Drinking at the lawyers’ party, flirting with the secretary. Making a blunder with a case, sweeping it under the rug. So, guilt joins with shame and they are like hot coals in the stomach, unbearable.

We try to douse the fire with alcohol, antidepressants and tranquillizers, but they cannot touch the root causes, and the fire continues. Usually at this point another malady, anxiety is added in. What is going to happen to me? What if people find out what a failure I am? This is before the lawyer has done anything seriously wrong in his or her practice, like stealing money or committing some other felony. But the longer it goes on, the more cases and bills get neglected, the more time he spends just sitting, staring off into space, paralyzed by fear and depression.

Now this does not just apply to attorneys. We speak about what we know. Lots of other people are depressed, anxious, guilty, and ashamed. One night working in the shelter a homeless man was talking to me about getting into AA. He said, “I’m a drunk.” No, he is not! He and all of us are beautiful spirits of light, made perfect in the image of YHWH the Spirit Creator of everything that exists. That which tells us we are losers, failures or bad people is the devil, using our shame to destroy us. He is the destroyer. There is no good in him. And he loves to destroy the good things in God’s creation.

In my case, I suffered all these things. I went through a time when I seriously considered suicide. I would have used a gun to make it quick and certain and would make sure my family would have money when I was gone. But Christ took my guilt and shame and bore them for me on His cross. This was such a massively generous and selfless and act that nothing I could ever do could ever repay this debt. But for His grace and selflessness, I would be dead now, however, I live through the fact that His spirit lives in me.

I, who used to live in fear and fear to live, now do all kinds of things I was afraid to do to the point of paralysis. I whose eyes were blind and unable to understand the gospel, have authored two books. In saying this I realize it is not “I” who does these things, but the Holy Spirit living in me who does them. I have become a friend to the poor and ministered to the homeless and testified to many about the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, all as an instrument wielded by God through the Spirit.

At times, God has forged me with fire and hammer like Damascus steel. He heats me white hot and pounds me with hammer and anvil and quenches me with water. Praise God! God is good! I pray that I will never break; that I will always be sharp; that I will penetrate. I pray He will use me to slice through the works of Satan and free the hearts of those I touch and that my story will free them from the bonds of guilt and shame. Guilt, shame and fear are nothing before the power of the Holy Spirit! And of course, I can do nothing without Him. Any good I do is Him working through me, and if I am wrong, it is when I try to act on my own without Him

I pray that when my knees go weak, He will give them power and when my heart gets faint, he will fill it with spirit. And when my words fail, may God move my lips to sing His praise. And, when He is finished with me here He will bring me with Him to the place Christ has prepared for me.  Amen! (Let it be so).

Obedient

OK, guys and gals, this seems obvious, but is there anyone who does not see that if YHWH is sovereign over all things, that we must therefore be obedient to Him in all things? Isn’t this the whole point of the Book of Jonah? In Gen. 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. This was an ultimate test. But Abraham in simple obedience set out to do as he was told with no back talk whatsoever, trusting God to fulfill the promise to make him father of many nations. He knew God would never ask of him what was evil, but only what is good. And God substituted a ram whose horn was caught in a thicket for His sacrifice, and promised a blessing to all the world, which is the salvation of Christ Jesus. This also is a pattern, the substitution of one blood for another, but only if the heart of man is pure and obedient!

Look at Malachi 1:6-14. The impure heart leads to a pro formasacrifice that angers God! Giving has to be from the heart, not from the mere following of ritual, not from outward piety, or hoping to be well thought of by other people. Nor is God pleased by the blood of bulls and rams, Is. 1:11-16. He isn’t interested in money or things. He demands our unconditional love. He is our father. Does a child say to his father, “Dad, I will love you if you give me a present?” I hope not! I hope no one says something like this to their child either.

Those who are fortunate enough to have loving fathers know how much they owe to them. We owe more even to our Father, YHWH, without whom we would not exist. And we are in Himand He is in us. This is true even for the ignorant who do not know Him. We pity those who do not have a father’s love and those who do not know God’s love. And like a worldly father, God chastises His own, which is proof of paternity. Heb. Ch. 12.And we know that as His children we are heirs to his kingdom.Lk. 15:32; Ro. 8:17.

But the question remains, what do we obey and how do we obey? It is not the law of Moses. We died to the law! Ro. 7:4. What once had glory now has no glory because of the surpassing glory. 2 Cor. 3:10. When you shine a dim light in the dark it looks bright, but when the sun comes up in all its glory, the dim light fades to nothing. Read the whole chapter in 2 Cor. 3. So why was the law given? Paul explains that the Israelites were like children. The law was given as a teacher, guardian and disciplinarian until the Messiah came. Gal. 3:19-27; 4:1-7. But now that He has come, we are no longer under the law. Gal. 4:7. The law was abrogated. Eph. 2:15. And we need not concern ourselves with the requirements of food and drink, rituals, festivals, new moons, nor even sabbath days! Col. 2:16.

Further, in Hebrews Chapters 6-7 the author explains why we no longer need an earthly priesthood because Jesus is High Priest forever. Heb. 7:17-26. In days of old, only the high priest could enter the inner chamber where the Ark was and intercede for the people with God, only with the blood of a young bull for his sins and those of the people. And only once a year! Heb. 9:7. But, as God promised in Jer. 31:27-34, there is now a new covenant, better than the old covenant and the old covenant is obsolete and disappeared. Heb. 8:13. This is because Jesus paid for our sins once for all by His own blood on the cross. Heb. 9:11-14. And those who still have doubt about this issue read Acts chapter 15 and study the short epistle of Galatians.

Does this then allow us to violate the commandments about theft, murder, lying and adultery? Of course not! Ro. 6:1-4. We also died to sin; we can’t go on sinning! We are members of the body of Christ! So don’t be foolish that way.

The next part, though, is without the law to tell us what to do, how do we know? We must be led by the Holy spirit to lead Godly lives. Ro. 8:1-11. We are taught all things by the Spirit. The Bible contains a lot of valuable help, however. The beatitudes in Mt. 5 show us the heart attitude that we must have. The entire Sermon on the Mount, and Ro. Ch. 12-13; and Eph. Ch. 4-5 provide excellent guidance. And 1 Cor. 13:1-13. These are training wheels for the newly initiated. They are a starting place, a minimum base to build on as we learn to see with our spiritual eyes and feel the Spirit’s callings and warnings and pushes. It takes practice and growth. We should not harbor anger and allow it to live in our hearts; nor malice, hate, bitterness, envy, resentment, nor any of these kinds of negative emotions. We must pray and meditate and work to get rid of them bit by bit. The impulse to retaliate to rudeness of others, to punish transgressions, to speak harshly. Also, rough talk, cursing and crude language; nor any lies or deceit, or falsehoods. We are to live simply and wish for nothing but to serve, as is our proper place. And not think highly of ourselves. And love one another, and also our friends, neighbors, strangers and even our enemies.

We will receive many positives from this way of life. First is the liberty to turn to Jesus, the High Priest Forever, any time we need, not just in a temple made of stone, of on a special day, but any day as along as it is called today! This is, I believe, the meaning of Hebrews 4: 4-11. This includes access for those who are in prison, in the cancer ward, in a filthy alleyway, under a bridge, in a foxhole. Any time, 24/7/365. And the guarantee that when you come to Him with a true heart that He will be there,and He will take your plea and intercede for you in whatever you need. So, when your heart is heavy with sorrow, or whatever it is that is weighing you down, you can call on Him.

Additionally, God will give you callings and tasks and burdens, which are your blessing. As long as you are obedient, He will pay you back double like he did for Job. And spirit that will flow though you will pay you 10-fold and 100-fold in your heart and spirit for helping and loving other people.

The Spirit also prays for you. It intercedes with groans too deep for words. Ro. 8:26-7. St. Mother Theresa was once asked about her prayer life, and said “mostly, I just listen.” When asked what God spoke to her, she said “mostly He just listens.”

Life in the Spirit is a deeper, richer, fuller life, in obedience to God. Our days are blessed. Our suffering is purposeful and meaningful. Our activities are fruitful. I arise in the early hours eager to be up and to my Bible, my journals, my prayers. I am anxious to go to work in my own calling among the poor and homeless. I am privileged to do this because God asked and I obeyed, not through any special virtue I possess. Without Him I was nothing. A withered olive tree. I ask for His guidance and for the Spirit to fill me up and flow from deep within me like streams of living water. John 7:38-9.

All this does not happen at once. It takes time. Most of us start out too eager and He has to pull us back. Remember we are the slaves; He is the master. Friends of like mind are a big help. I am lucky He showed me some. You probably have friends you haven’t met yet. Go and meet them. Ask for burdens to carry and callings and tasks and ministries. He will give as you grow and are able to receive. Obey always. You will be a happier person. Do it all with love, with joy, with peace in your heart toward everyone, so far as you are able, and ask for His help in all these things. These are blessings and give thanks always. Amen.

 

Time is an existential issue for human beings.

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work, While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:3-5

Yeshuah recognized a form of urgency most of us try to ignore.Things like cancer bring it into focus. We can no longer just whistle past the graveyard.

God created space, time and matter and the physical laws simultaneously from a single event, a single point according to science; a fact which is also on all fours with Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

In both views, Jesus stating the personal human view, Genesis the cosmic view, the idea of time is finite. Christ recognizing the endpoint of the fleshly life in the cross, Genesis, the beginning. That which has a beginning, and an end is finite. But it can be subdivided into infinitely many small segments, and in that sense is another kind of infinity. And it is relative. A tremendous amount can happen in a very small amount of time. This is true for the Big Bang theory, relativity and also for our lives.

Cancer has heightened my awareness of time. Every day is a lifetime, and there is nothing small about it unless I choose to make it small. Every activity is an adventure. After my foot heals, I will get up one morning and go rappelling, or to serve among homeless people in the streets of Covington, as God wills. Your adventures are your own and might be different.

God, who created time, is not bound by time. He sees the entirety at one time, from alpha to omega, just as we see length, width and height at once. He is outside time and not bound by it. He spun the universe out of the center as a potter spins a pot out of a lump of clay.

Jesus, for a “time” was a little lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). Taking up the body of flesh he temporarily experienced time as we do. This was so Jesus could experience suffering and death as we do, out of His love for us.

One of the teachings of cancer is a focus that says: “OK, buddy. This is the day God has given you to live in. What are you going to do with it? Will you spend it foolishly, moping around the house, ruminating about the past, worrying about the future? Will you take a whole bottle of pain pills because you are afraid? Or will you begin today on your knees saying what will you have me do, my Master?”

One of my favorite parables is the workers in the vineyard, Mt. 20:1-16. From my worldly perspective I wasted a lot of days, although now I know He was preparing me the whole time for His purposes and His reasons. Then in my 11th hour He summoned me. “Come and work in my vineyard.” And I am blessed all the more because I feel the urgency of time. But I would caution everyone; not all get a stay of execution like I have had these last 5-1/2 years. It is His choice and from His judgment there is no appeal.

I am also lucky that I grew up poor. I never had much of anything until I went to law school. But then I started feeling entitled to things like new cars and living in “safe” neighborhoods. I lost sight of the fact that these are not things anyone is entitled to. They aren’t even good for us in the spirit. And a 12-room house and a BMW, I am glad I didn’t buy those things. More to become attached to, more to give up.   Mark 10:19-22.

But in the parable, we see that the workers who came last received the same reward as those who came first, and the others were jealous. And we saw the same in the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:30-32. Obviously, it is inappropriate in both cases. A brother should rejoice that his brother lives. And we who labor do so, not for ourselves, but for Him.

The issue is “me.” We are focused on ourselves, a frequent source of error for everybody. Even the saved fall short. We try, we fail, we try again. This does not negate salvation; it confirms it! But when we are baptized as believers, we put “me” to death. Ro. 6:1-6. So that we can be raised with Him as spirits of light! Eph. 5:8-15. This is not just in some distant place but here and now! We are filled with the spirit in our prayers daily and go forth empowered as Christ lives in us, each according to the measure of our faith.  

Another blessing, that is a tough one, is that the cancer gives Him so many new ways to test me. Those I pass, strengthen my faith, as in a hard one in May, and I was in Christ Hospital nine days with septicemia. It was tough, but I returned and bounced back and had a great summer learning all about community work through the shelter. On the other hand, I think he may have seen fit to remind me that I am not Superman, with this tri-malleolar fracture, and being out of action for a whole month. Longer as far as climbing and hiking adventures that I love. My place is at the foot of the cross, on my hands and knees before Him.

The truth is that whatever we think, we are poor, naked, blind and pitiable and only in Christ are we anything. Rev. 3:17. We shouldn’t think highly of ourselves. Ro. 12:3. So, we go out with our spiritual eyes wide open, a firey passion in our hearts, we accept challenges, not for our glory, but for His. We are honored to lay aside our plans and hopes, blessed by suffering, rewarded by hardship, and set free by the release from the flesh.

It is a hard road. Why is anyone surprised at this? You don’t take it all at once. It starts with the commitment, in our hearts; “Jesus, this is what I want. I know I am not strong enough to do it. I know I am not brave enough to face it. But, please accept my commitment. And lend me some of your vast strength and courage when I need them. All I have to offer is my pitiful existence, but it is yours, if you will have me.”

One more thing. There is the cross. Jesus had to carry His cross for His own execution. No way back; no was ‘round. The only way out is through. Our solemn commitment to Him leads us here. But we should not worry about it. Whatever comes, however it hurts, He will get us through. Focus on the walk we walk today. The future will play out in its own time. Don’t give up today for tomorrow.

I always remind people I talk to and myself as well, we did nothing to earn a life in the body; it was a gift. We did nothing to earn the blood that saves us. It was a gift. This day is a gift. Don’t waste it with sadness or worry! Be happy in it. Whatever is here take it and make the most of it. And above all, be happy!

 

In Matthew 26, Jesus had been praying in the garden at Gethsemani. Verse 40 “Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “so, you could not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Where did these pandemic years go? I am really tired of wearing masks. But Friday, the stock market crashed because of fears of a new variant. They say it could be worse than the delta. People are afraid of supply chain shortages. Our weak and corrupt leaders have pursued policies that have left us dependent onChina for everything from electronics to toilet paper. And people are afraid!

What drove the toilet paper panic of 2020, when every shelf was empty and you couldn't even buy it on Amazon? It was a blind panic. What if we run out of toilet paper? Other items like bleach were also hard to get, but toilet paper was the one which crystallized the absurdity for me. I think no one in his right mind is going to panic over toilet paper and bleach. Possibly food ifthat were to happen. We cannot survive without it. In famines people hoard food, kill for it, even eat their dead. These things are documented in history. People in the Middle Ages killed babies because they couldn’t feed them. 

After Jesus spoke to a woman at the well of Jacob in John 4, his disciples came and asked if he were hungry, remember? “Jesus said, I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples said to one another, surely no one has brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them “my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say four months more and then comes the harvest? But I tell you look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.” John 4:32-35.

You see, Jesus saw with clarity things as they are and knew who we are and why we are here. And he shared this human existence with us so that we can share the life and the spirit with him. I didn't know him, but he was my brother and died for me.But he laid down his life and picked it back up again. In my darkest hour he came to me and took all my negatives and nailed them to the cross and gave me of his infinite spirit a small drop, which is the most amazing experience anyone can have in this life.

One of the things he has given me is the certainty that there is another life, not off in space somewhere with pearly gates, or floating on a cloud, but existing all around and within us, which is the spiritual realm. Further, our fundamental nature is not a being of clay with something called a soul attached to it, a seldom used appendage. No! We are spirits of light! God, YHWH, Elohim has loaned us this body, this vehicle – avatar if you will- for His purposes, His plan, each to play our part in it. We are to do His work. At the same time, carrying out His tasks and suffering and sacrificing grows us and perfects us to be fit to be in His presence. Through suffering, we learn perseverance and through sacrifice we learn humility. Ro. 5: 3-5. Through helping others, we learn love. No person who does not develop these qualities is fit for his kingdom. I’ve had a lot of catching up to do the last few years. But He gave me a second chance.

One challenge about this flesh existence is the fact that it does one thing from birth to the grave: it wants. We must feed it, water it, avoid danger, and to reproduce we must have sex. And God who made it and loaned it to us arranged our brain chemistry to help. Dopamine, Oxytocin and Adrenaline, all serve this purpose. They are the “feel good’ chemistry of the brain.

Unfortunately, these chemicals are also stimulated by all the unwholesome activities we label sin. And they are the biological reason why we become slaves to sin. The devil has used our inner chemistry to play all sorts of dirty tricks with us, addiction to drugs, sex, pornography, and also to our own creations like cell phones and TV. He has used it to get us to worship the idolatries of success and money and self-image and something we call our “lifestyle.” All of which are fruitless. And even worldly wisdom, as Paul discusses in 1 Cor. Ch. 1. These are dead ends, all. Read Ecclesiastes 1 & 2. Rabbit holes, traps.

Yeshuah, the man, had to eat, but was not a slave to food. See Mt. 4:4. Instead, being fully aware of the shortness of His time, and seeing in the spirit at all times, He was able to do without worldly comforts. He lived homeless, he wore cheap clothes, he appeared little more than a beggar, but he had something about him that drew people to him. So, He walked comfortably among the poor, and even lepers and outcasts; yet the rich came to Him and invited him into their homes. All the barriers were transcended in Him. But you don’t have to be someone special to be like this. Every Christian can be like this. You just have to see. My eyes were opened like the Man Born Blind, and I don’t care much about anything else. I do hate “down time” when I cannot be in my own calling. That kills me. But I’m really ok with breaking parts of my avatar, as long as I can do that. Its inconvenient. But my heart is full and my spirit is flying. Everyone’s calling is different and their experience is different.

But here is what should be the same. Recently, I was filled with joy reading in “Beyond the Hebrew Lexicon” about the Hebrew word for worship, shachah. This is spelled with three Hebrew symbols: Shin denoting passion, fire or a fiery passion; Chetdenotes in a secret place, like a bridal chamber, and Hei, in the presence of God. I understand the bridal analogy intellectually but emotionally it doesn’t touch me as much as it does some people. What is another “secret place” we all have? The heart! So I interpret this as “Come into the presence of YHWH with a firey passion in our hearts. Shachah! This is the way to worship and the way to live. And if you are in the spirit of YHWH, living and worship are pretty inseparable. I have had a number of deep spiritual experiences at the shelter with the homeless friends we have there.  

 

If we look at Hebrews 2:10-18, we see that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels so that He could suffer as we suffer, and He was perfected through suffering and we are perfected through suffering. He experienced the death of the flesh because we experience the death of the flesh. And because of these joint experiences we share with Him, He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. And If His brothers and sisters, we are also joint heirs with Him! Gal. 4:6-7.

So, because his passion and his spirit were so great, can we give less? As we see our brother Jesus nailed two the wood, do we offer nothing in our hearts? I say we are blessed to suffer and die for him. Whatever that entails. It took cancer for me to see him. Always trying with my eyes of flesh, and my little logical brain, trying to figure it out. And wham! My world turned upside down. All I could do was to cry weakly, “Jesus! Help me.” And he answered, “I thought you'd never ask.” You see, He had been waiting all my life for the moment I would be able to break through all the preconceived ideas and Aristotelian logic and educated thought to grasp the truth and realize that there is more, much more to this existence than I ever dreamed was possible.

This is why there is no chasm between a wealthy lawyer and a homeless addict. Because the constructs we see in the worldly eye are a sham!

Since then, my life has been a nonstop adventure. Every day has been a lifetime, every activity a thrill.

You know it is hard to see for several reasons. My eyes were veiled until I met him. read 2 Corinthians 3: 14 et. Seq. But, he opened the Bible for me, and it is as clear as a perfect October sky. God, the almighty force that moved the universe of space, time and matter into existence, gave us reason and free will and asked us to come to him by our own choice, knowing many or even most will not. So, he always planned to send his son as a shepherd and high priest to lead us. If you doubt that look at genesis 14: 17-20; 22: 1- 19. All the way back in Genesis, God revealed his promise, the sacrifice of his son and blessings to all mankind, everybody. This was always the plan and God’s plans are always perfect.

Look at Hebrews 7: 1- 10. This explains Melchizedek. But why? Read on Hebrews 7: 11- 28. Why does this matter to you and I? Because when you study the religion of the Hebrews of old, it was entirely based on the feasts and sacrifices, and the Levitical priesthood. But only the High Priest could mediate between the people and God. He could only enter into the Most Holy Place once a year on the day of atonement and only with blood for his sins and the sins of the people. He was as human and fallible as everyone else. Further, the ritual washings and cleansings, the blood sacrifices were only a patch or an external remedy and didn’t clear the consciences of those who had gone seriously wrong. By the way, that’s everybody. See Romans 3. Sorry. We are sinners. We are trying to do better, but we all have junk in the trunk.

We live in a world where the religion of materialism has taken over. Schools teach that it is all there is. If you believe in God,you deny science. This is not true. But that is another discussion.

Materialism has a hard form, Communism and existentialism;and a soft form, commercialism, entertainment and sensuality. I explain about the hard form in Twice Blessed soon to be out.But the soft form goes like this: Do you know people who put more life and passion into fantasy football than they do into Jesus Christ and his mission? Or people who are more obsessed with looks than they are with are helping others? What is wrong with this? These seem innocuous enough in themselves. But there is a problem.

What you focus on most of the time becomes the center of your world. And when the storm comes the center has to hold. If the center is yourself, there will come a time of testing and you cannot save yourself, and you will have nothing to grab. If the center is other people, you will be bitterly disappointed because people are fallible, fickle and weak. Looks fade, the body disintegrates, money and fortunes are lost when the pandemic hits. Property and possessions are left behind in physical death. Read Ecc. 1&2. It is all worthless, fruitless, pointless. Camus, the existentialist writer, recognized this and, being an atheist, and rebelling at the unexplained fact of suffering that as he saw it would not be allowed by a “just God,” he posited that the only question left is whether to commit suicide.

But if that knowledge of the reality beyond the physical world is in focus in your little brain and you see it, then the deeper realitycomes into focus. God is the center, the first and the last, the reason for everything. He is the giver of both worlds and not like we are used to with people or government, giving with one hand while snatching back with the other. In him the answer is always yes. 2 Corinthians 1: 19.

The worldly body was taken from the earth and with the earth it must stay. The Potter digs clay from the riverbank and forms it and fires it to use as a vessel for water, wine, oil etc. In the end, it is usually just pieces tossed in the rubbish and broken down by the elements. But the spirit that is in the vessel is the eternal part. See 2 Cor 4:7. We don’t throw out a vessel with the juice still in it. Our father loaned us this vessel so we can fulfill His purposes. It's meant to be seen as a tool, an avatar. Useful, but not be-all or end-all.

We construct these ideas of the past, the future, our place in the world. What do they mean? Nothing! This is one lesson the homeless teach. All the things you think you have, you really don't have. You imagine that they're something they're not.

Your worldly job could be “attorney” or president. You are not. A man may think he is a drunk, an addict of an ex-convict. He is not that either! This is all false. You and I are not really these mental constructs but are beings of light and spirit who have been gifted the use of this flesh for a purpose. By seeing the spiritual truth clearly the world is turned upside down.

 

So passion comes when you wake up in the morning and cant wait to get to your Godly calling, or you can't wait to get to your brothers and sisters to join hands in praise. Passion is when it's 4:00 AM and you can't wait to get up to your Bible and revel in its glory!

Someone said we should shut up about Jesus in polite company. I cannot. Someone says it's too risky to go down on the riverbank at night. Risky to what? Someone says … the devil pushes back when you are passionate about Christ and you suffer all sorts of things for him. Sometimes you suffer rejection, humiliation, shaming, derision. Sometimes people die for him. This is a growing problem. There are about 100,000 annually who are martyred for this faith, refusing to relinquish even at gunpoint, his blessing. Passion.

The day before his assassination, Martin Luther King said he was happy. Reading his speech, it is clear he expected something to happen. He went through his life discussing all the things that had happened since he had been stabbed at a speech some years before. But he was aware that he was here for a purpose, and even though he might not be here much longer he was happy to be doing God’s work. Such was his passion.

My own challenges are different. Statistically, I have already lived past the expected time for my cancer and I have now a second form of cancer, so I don’t know whether they or something else will finally set me free. But the time grows short. God keeps me here for His purpose. I served meals through the worst of the pandemic and at that time there were no shots or proven treatments. Other friends died, but there was no CoVid19 in the shelter. So, I was here for a purpose. It’s the only explanation I can conceive of. He sis sovereign over all things. I may have already done what He wanted, or there might be more, but this I know. I am happy to be doing His work today. “Today if you hear his voice do not harden your heart.” Heb. 3:7. I am willing, even when the flesh is weak. Doing His will sustains me. Living water is in me. Passion drives me in my heart.

And as long as I feel that passion I can always go a little farther. That is the stronger heart. A Jesus heart! Amen, Lord, amen. Let it be so.