The Law of the Kingdom

Every king and kingdom has its laws.  In order to be a productive citizen of a kingdom one must follow its laws.  Otherwise, he is considered an OUTlaw, not in sync with the king or his kingdom.

The older I am and the more I read and study scripture, the more I realize that King Jesus' law was simple: LOVE.  

Love the Lord, your God, with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself.  [Matthew 22]

I am giving you a new commandment.

Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples. [John 13]

You are My friends if you do what I command.  [John 15]

I cannot think of anything I would rather be than a friend of Jesus, The One True King.  St. Theresa of Avila says,"Do with your life whatever will set you free to give the most love."  For the remainder of my years, that is what I want to do.  I want to love the loveable and the unlovely. 

Believe it or not, I've seen many believers who concentrated their love on those outside of their fellowship or their neighborhood.  They'll commit to everything but their fellowship: ministry, missions, seminars, etc.

We were made to exist in community.  We were not made to live in isolation.  Our fellowship, our little community, is to be like a healthy, loving family.  It is in such a  cosmos and in our own families (should we be fortunate to have godly families) that we learn how to really live and love so that we can really love those lost out in the world.

1Peter 3 gives instructions about the dynamics of a loving, believing community.

• a place where people share their hurts and find sympathy
• a place where people humbly express their needs and receive loving care
• a place where people forgive one another instead of plotting revenge
• a place where people pray for one another
• a place where people are careful not to say things that will unnecessarily hurt others
• a place where people are honest about who they really are
• a place where people seek to do good for one another
• a place where people try to live in peace by lovingly resolving conflicts with each other
• 
  

These are just a few of the ways we can love those within our own fellowship.  Whatever we do or don't do to each other is like doing it or not doing it to Jesus Himself. [Matthew 25] 

This kind of love isn't easy and is often painful because it requires something most of us are afraid to be - VULNERABLE.  Pride doesn't want others to know that we don't have it all together, that there are pockets of pride and hatred and jealousy in our lives, that we don't want to hang out with those who aren't in the "in crowd."  We are not called to like everyone, but we are called to love them.

So, I want to throw down my nets today and follow Him, follow Love Himself.

I leave you with a definition from St. Theresa:  "True spiritual love is to obey Him in everything and offend Him in nothing."

May that become every believer's motto.

Unfortunately, not all parents are worthy of tribute; however, mine are. 
My mom turned 85 this February. 
A few days before her birthday this year, I awakened with this thought on my mind:  Angels know her name.
When this happens to me, I usually write a poem or a song.  This time was no exception.
The following is my tribute to my mom on her 85th birthday.
The Psalms encourage us to rejoice in the "handiwork" of God.
In this tribute, I am rejoicing in His handiwork - my mom.  
If this tribute reminds you of your mom, rejoice along with me.

Angels Know Her Name

Angels know her name and rejoice in the handiwork of God.

Come . . .

     Read her story . . .

          You too will rejoice . . .

Eighty-something years ago,

   God, in secret, created something precious,

   chose her to be a special treasure.

Hidden in her mother's womb,

   He carefully knit together all her delicate parts

   into a beautiful little creature He called His own.

She was . . . is

   beautifully and wonderfully made,

   complex and marvelous in His sight . . . and in ours.

He knew her,

   and she knew Him.

Every moment of her life was written in His book.

How precious are His thoughts, His love for her.

Come . . .

      Read her story . . .

          You too will rejoice . . .

Daughter of proud parents . . .

Sister full of compassion and love and responsibility . . .

Wife, virtuous and capable,

   faithful companion through all of life,

   more valuable than any precious gem . . .

Mother whose children love and bless her

   and appreciate her example . . .

Grandmother, laughing and loving,

   proud and strong . . .

Funloving aunt and friend of many . . .

Friend of God who loves and fears her Redeemer King . . .

These are but a few of the names by which she is known.

Come . . .

     Read her story . . .

          You too will rejoice . . .

As she has fearlessly trusted in Him

   who crafted her tiniest eyelash,

   who listens to her every whisper,

   who wipes away her tears,

   who knows every  beat of her heart,

   who speaks peace to her every fear,

      she enriches the lives of everyone around her

      bringing them good and not harm.

Her strong, busy hands are quick to serve

   anyway, anywhere, anyone.

In all these faces, she sees the most important face of all -

   the face of God.

In all these places, she hears the most important heart -

   the heart of God.

It is He who has filled her heart with passion, love, compassion,

   purpose, and worship.

Her whole life is an act of worship to Him 

   who holds her heart in His hands.

She's not perfect

   and has had her share of disappointments and failures,

   but through them all her heart and eyes were His.

She is precious in His sight,

   His treasure . . . and ours,

   and He loves her with an everlasting love.

Come . . .

     Read her story . . .

          You too will rejoice . . .

One day, she will meet Him face to face

   and will finally know all as she has been known.

Until then, no eye has seen or heard

   everything else the Lord has for her.

We rejoice in her journey thus far and in her journeys to come.

May she go farther up and farther in, farther than ever before.

Angels know her name and rejoice in the handiwork of God.

 

Rambling around John again this week . . . 

camped out in the vicinity of chapter 13 . . .

It's Passover . . .

time for the Passover meal . . .

just the disciples and Jesus . . . 

together . . .

friends sharing a meal

This meal would be Jesus' last until . . .

John's words . . .

"Jesus knew that His hour had come 

to leave this world and return to His Father.

He [Jesus] had loved His disciples during His ministry on earth,

and now He loved them to the very end."

Those words have always and will always capture my heart . . .

He loved them to the very end.

What an epitaph . . .

And just how did He choose to love them in this moment?

He washed feet -

dirty, smelly feet -

feet encrusted with the dust and the stuff of this world.

This washing was a servant's job.

This washing humbled Him,

befuddled and humiliated His friends.

This washing was one of those naked,

vulnerable, "this-is-who-I-REALLY-am" moments.

Here is the only Son of God,

almost completely naked,

on bended knee washing feet.

In the washing, the dirt and dirty water dirtied Him.

His choice was both revelatory and prophetic and instructive.

Revelatory . . .

because this was not the first time He had disrobed.

He, the King of Glory, took off His cloak of divinity

and became a naked, squirming little bundle of flesh

whose very life would cleanse the world.

Prophetic . . .

because He was about to be publicly disrobed and tortured,

eventually crucified naked on a cross to . . .

cleanse the world.

Instructive . . .

because Jesus wasted nothing.

No word, no action of His was ever spoken or done without meaning.

You don't understand now what I am doing.

Someday, you will . . .

Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,

you ought to wash each other's feet.

I have given you an example to follow.

Do as I have done to you.

Most people take this to mean helping others,

sharing the Gospel with them.

helping them to grow in Christ.

I believe there is a deeper level of meaning.

I believe this is about the willingness to become

"naked" and vulnerable with each other,

to be honest,

REAL.

In all three of Jesus' choices, he humbled Himself,

became literally naked - vulnerable . . .

to accomplish the greatest feat of all mankind. 

The Divine Man, the only Son of God, 

accomplished SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

Oh, Peter . . .

embarrassed by his friend's nakedness . . .

"No, you will never ever wash my feet!"

If I don't wash you, you won't belong to me.

"Then wash my hands and feet as well!"

WASH ME ALL OVER -

TOP TO BOTTOM AND EVERYTHING INSIDE AND IN BETWEEN!

This is how He loved them - US - to the end.

The Creator in Whom ALL things live and move and have their being

humbly stripped and washed and died and rose again 

so that we could live forever with Him.

This is how we are to love Him and others . . .

in honesty and vulnerability . . .

a "this-is-who-I-really-am" kind of Gospel . . .

no hiding . . .

no denying . . .

just reality laid out for all the world to see.

We can because He did.

His example should give us courage and hope,

encouragement,

permission to BE REAL.

Oh, Lord, not just my hands and feet -

ALL OF ME.

I am indebted to my home group for this word. 

Love you, guys!

Friday evening . . .

anticipation all week . . .

beautiful home,

warm, inviting . . .

candles glowing . . .

hugs, laughter, stories . . . 

something wonderful in the kitchen -

cake, goodies, 

coffee from a fancy machine . . .

one table, seven chairs . . .

sweet communion of saints . . .

more laughter, stories, even a little joking around . . .

and then . . .

everything, everyone stills for a moment,

settles . . .

two words,

red-letter words,

simple words from a not-so-simple man,

a not-so-simple life plan,

not a suggestion but maybe a command - 

Don't worry.

"I'm only human . . .

Everyone worries."

Yes, we are human.

Yes, everyone worries.

But . . . should we?

We've read, we've studied, we've quoted the red words,

but have we HEARD the red words?

Do we believe, live the red words?

Do they dwell in our heart?

Worry has many traveling companions.

Alongside worry stands fear.

Close by stands lack of faith.

Behind lack of faith stands unbelief,

Doubt holds unbelief's hand.

All of these come with questions.

Why, God?

Is God?

Will God?

Where are You?

My ways are not your ways.

Seek ye first . . .

I've got this.

I've got you.

Nothing - NO THING - surprises me.

Trust . . . obey . . . believe . . . rest . . .

Boils down to trust, perspective.

I see the whole picture.

I have a plan.

Have to somehow tame our thoughts and imaginations . . .

When they get to spinning like whirlybirds in a hurricane,

we get lost and lose perspective.

Like a two year old forced to sit for an hour on his mother's lap,

we get antsy . . .

impatient . . .

whimpery.

Like the newly liberated Israelites,

we grumble . . .

complain . . .

cry out for Egypt . . .

wonder if God knows what He's doing.

Wondering makes us wander.

Somewhere we have to stop the madness . . 

put down our foot . . .

say . . . and believe -

"In the great hand of God, I stand."

He's got this . . 

and everything else . . .

the "whatevers" of a lifetime.

Whatevers are inevitable.

Instead of driving us into worry,

they should lead us to the "what-so-evers" of God:

things that are true,

honorable,

right . . . 

things that are pure,

lovely,

admirable . . .

things that are excellent and worthy of praise -

the only thing worthy of our praise is God.

Think on these.

When the whatevers come,

turn our thoughts on Him . . .

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus . . . 

and the things of earth (even our worries)

will grow strangely dim

in the light of His glory and love."

The what-so-evers change our perspective

and calm our wanderings.

This was our little group's word for this year . . .

for life.

"Come, thou Fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace . . .

Praise the mount.  I'm fixed upon it . . .

Hither by Thy help I come . . .

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here's my heart, O, take and seal it.

Seal it for Thy courts above."

Worry . . . wandering . . . leaving the God I love . . .

maybe not this day, this week, this month, this year . . .

the rest of our days.

I want to enjoy the good, 

see the beautiful,

rest in Your arms,

dwell upon Your lap.

Still, my wandering heart . . . and mind.

Wednesday's musings . . .

Ten lepers sitting at a distance crying out for mercy.

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

They left.

As they went, they were healed.

One and ONLY one returned to give thanks. 

"Where are the others?"    (Luke 17)

Satan's sin . . . ingratitude and a quest for MORE.

Adam and Eve's sin . . . MORE.

Liberated Israel's sin . . . ingratitude and a quest for MORE.

King David's sin, the man after God's heart . . . MORE.

Ingratitude and discontent are ALWAYS the catalyst for sin.

Communion almost every Saturday evening

over the holidays at Vineyard ReCovery.

Powerful moments.

Come-and-go Communion on Christmas Eve.

Powerful moment.

Communion . . . The Lord's Supper . . . the Eucharist.

Jesus "gave thanks" at the Passover table.

The original language reads eucharisteo.

The root charis, "grace."

Chara also means "joy." 

Thanksgiving . . . Grace . . . Joy

He gave thanks and broke bread . . .

His body . . .

He gave thanks and offered the cup . . 

His blood of the covenant . . .

Broken bread and poured out wine . . . 

His sacred act . . .

Our call

At the beginning of His literal broken moments,

the King of Brokenness gave thanks.

THE King . . .

Gave . . .

THANKS . . .

Who for the JOY set before Him . . . 

The next few moments of His short life would be anything but joyful.

Joy awaited on the other side of brokenness.

Joy awaits us too.

Must keep our eyes on the prize, not the brokenness.

Must find contentment, rest . . .

Satisfaction with what we do have

instead of questing for MORE,

unless that quest is for MORE of God's presence.

Whether we are aware or not, we are all broken.

Brokenness is part of Life.

The question is not if or when.

It's "what will we do with the brokenness?"

Is our God good always?

Do we really trust Him?

Does He really transform all things into good?

Has He ceased taking all the ugly and making it into beautiful

in His time,

in His way,

for His glory?

Is Eternity really in our hearts?

Is today really transient and tomorrow forever?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!

I am loved . . . ALWAYS IN EVERYTHING.

God is good . . . ALWAYS IN EVERYWAY.

Jesus gave us a holy example for how to live fully

and die gracefully (full of grace).

He gave thanks and was broken.

He gave thanks BEFORE the brokenness.

We give thanks always,

especially IN the brokenness.

That's the only way to survive those moments.

Thankfulness opens the door for the transforming power of God.

Thankfulness releases grace and joy and peace . . .

all things necessary to do what needs to be done in those moments.

Thankfulness allows me to rest in His arms, to lean into Him.

Tired of squirming around, fidgeting,

getting up and down on His lap.

The Eucharist . . .

Thanksgiving . . . Grace . . . Joy . . . Brokenness . . .

Ten broken men healed,

given all they could have dreamed of.

One heart full of thanksgiving.

"Where are the others?"

His eyes still search for the "others" today.

Of Bubbles and Worship

Sang a Michael Bynum original last night at Vineyard ReCovery. 

The Lord is worthy to be worshipped.

Every day, every way, all the time.

Every day, not just a few moments on Sunday morning.

EVERY way, not just with song.

ALL THE TIME - 86,400 seconds a day.

How?

Psalm 111 shares the secret.

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!

All who delight in Him should ponder them. (Recovery Bible NLT)

ALL WHO DELIGHT IN HIM SHOULD PONDER THEM, his amazing deeds . . . HIM.

To ponder means to think about something - to STOP what I'm doing, put everything on HOLD for a moment, and think about something more than just a second.  In order to ponder, I have to be looking at whatever is around me  EXPECTING to see something - gazing at life, getting out of bed in the morning KNOWING that I WILL SEE GOD somewhere throughout day, hopefully multiple times throughout the day.  Living like this requires being PRESENT in the moments of the day - not reliving yesterday or fretting over tomorrow, content in today.

So worship is not just singing.  I confess that I have gone to church and sung words I've sung a gazillion times and not touched God because I wasn't present, and I wasn't expecting, and I wasn't gazing or pondering.  Familiar songs are dangerous because we sing them without THINKNG.  (Not knocking singing here)

What does Psalm 111 say we should ponder?

• EVERYTHING He does reveals His glory and majesty.
• His righteousness NEVER fails.
• How gracious and merciful He is. [I AM - Emanuel - is WITH us.]
• He gives food (spiritual bread too) to those who FEAR Him. [fear as in reverence as well as standing in awe of His power]
• He ALWAYS remembers His covenant.  [His original promises and those He's made to each of us individually]
• He reveals His great power to His people.
• ALL He does is just and good. [regardless of the difficulty or the pain]
• ALL His commandments are trustworthy. [We can cash them in at the bank.]
• His words are FOREVER true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity [good character, godly character]
• He has pain a FULL ransom for His people.  [the complete, full price.  God first paid the price by sending deliverers like Joseph and Moses.  Then He sent the Law which made provision for sacrifices to ransom us.  Finally, Jesus came and became THE ultimate ransom for us.  His blood once and for all paid the price for our reconciliation with Father God and for the chance at living a godly, joyful life.]
•  He has guaranteed His covenant promises FOREVER.

That's quite a list.  There is sooooooooooooooo much more!

Now, what does all of this have to do with bubbles?

THERE IS HOLINESS AND MAJESTY IN THE MUNDANE IF IF IF IF IF IF WE PAUSE A MOMENT AND HAVE THE EYES TO SEE!

The holiest moments I have had were not in church and did not involve singing.

Standing at the sink doing dishes . . . I do not like doing dishes, especially pots and pans.  So, standing at the sink . . . Suddenly, light meets water.  Mini rainbow appears.  I SEE.  I THINK.  I SMILE.  

Behind my smile is "knowing."  THE God of the universe engineered this MIRACLE, this moment, and the greatest miracle of all - I SEE. 

How many times have these bubble, this rainbow happened before? Gazillions - I cook a lot. This time, though, I SEE AND I SMILE.  The smile becomes worship for there is a "knowing" this time and a pondering and an acknowledging.  I WORSHIP!  No singing, no scripture, just smiling . . . and wrinkled flesh. 

A holy moment . . . God Almighty, Elohim, sees me, and I see Him in all His beauty, mystery, and majesty . . . WORSHIP.  Five seconds maybe.  That's all it took.  Gazing . . . expectancy . . . pondering . . . worship . . . the HOLY right there in my kitchen in the  middle of Mundane - ville.

Worship = really seeing and pondering and acknowledging.

Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. (Psalm 111)  

"DO NOT BURY ME IN EGYPT."

The above quote is from Genesis 47. It's one of the last things Jacob said before he died.

I've always considered "Egypt" to be symbolic of the world and all its allures and ways. So often I feel as if I am buried in the world, in Egypt.  I don't want to be, but . . .

One of the mystics of old, Theresa of Avila, was at one time buried in Egypt.

She was born in 1515 in southern Spain at a time when the world was rapidly changing - a newly secularized church, gravity, autopsies and the beginnings of modern medicine, new observations about the solar system, expansion, trade, etc.  Science was beginning to replace eternity mindsets. The church itself was undergoing changes fueled by names like Martin Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII, John Knox, the Council of Trent, etc.

Theresa's dad was a devout believer; however, her mom was interested in other pursuits like reading the popular novels of the day - their version of soap operas. 

Theresa was pretty and like her mother loved all that glittered, parties, and the affections of young men.

Around the age of twenty, that changed. She fell ill and remained in pain and suffering the rest of her life.  In the midst of all of this, she met "His Majesty" - her name for our Lord - and nothing was the same for her.  Gone were her worldly affections replaced by an intense burning love for her Lord.

Her main desire was to be as much like her Lord as was possible.  She wanted to "walk the path of her Lord's humility."  Her desire was oneness with Him, letting Him live in her and seeing Him glorified through her life. She separated herself unto God in heart and suffered and was persecuted by the church for it.

As believers, we too face similar questions.  Just how much of God do we want in our lives?  [even though we know He wants everything]

How much of the world are we willing to let into our souls?  How many good deeds are we willing to do for Him - tithes, offerings, devotions, prayer, benevolence, church membership?  If we're honest, most of us have drawn a line where we say, "Okay. Come into this room, but respectfully, please no further.  Not that."

According to my studies, we cannot have both - God and the world.  We "gotta serve somebody."

Near the end of her life, Theresa set out in the freezing rain to establish a new mission.  Suffering under heart failure and in great pain, she and her followers came across a cold, rushing creek.  She plunged in and was swiftly taken downstream.  Her followers thought all was lost until they heard her goading them from the opposite side somewhere down the creek.

While she was struggling in the water, she thought about complaining until she heard her Lord say, "This is how I treat the ones who want to be my close friends."  She understood what being a "Friend of God" meant:  depending on Him alone in the midst of all the whatevers so that He can do His thing and in "power and majesty" be glorified in their weaknesses.

She laughed and replied to Him, "Ah, my Lord. Then it's no wonder you have so few."

Yes, the road to "Zion" is narrow and fraught with dangers and difficulties, but He has walked it before and asks that we follow in His steps.  He calls us to Himself and asks that our identity be found in Him and nothing else.

Tripped this morning over some clutter in my house.  Reminded me of the world's clutter in my own soul.  Think it's time for housecleaning.  Don't want to be buried in Egypt.

[Facts and story from a devotional entitled How Majestic Is Your Name.]