“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45
Imagine if you got to the end of your life and were told that you had a bank account with millions of dollars untouched over the course of your life. In reflecting over your life you could only imagine the lifestyle you would have lived had you known about this treasure. Such is the same with the kingdom of Heaven on earth. When we are born God placed within our reach an account full of His deposits that are ours if we only would pursue Him and ask for these treasures. They are ours to withdraw if we seek His best and buy into the magnificent value of these ‘spiritual pearls.’
Matthew tells us that only by looking for the fine pearls will we be able to find them. We must believe in the value of the kingdom of Heaven on earth or we will get to the end of our lives and discover that we possessed every provision needed in all circumstances. We will discover what pearls we have left untouched and unclaimed along the way which God meant for us to possess.
Much like the merchant, to own these fine pearls we must turn from our old lifestyle, surrender everything to Him and claim the revealed treasures which use to be hidden. Once we have sold our old way of thinking and bought into the value of living in a Christ-centered kingdom on earth we will wear the beautiful strand of spiritual pearls for which we were intended.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Where Can I Go?
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy…How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:1-4
As I remember “a time in Zion,” that is a time absent of grief I remember the sweet music of life. I remember the constant ebb and flow of the life void of absence and loss. I remember singing the songs of insignificance and light heartedness as I faced each day. But grief captivated me and moved me into a foreign land, a land that had unstable footing and whose rivers of sadness would sometimes overtake me. Life in the foreign land would still command my attention and request things of me that I felt too weary to accomplish.
Just as I was reaching for that harp again to play the sweet music of life and to bid the land farewell, I was called to live in that land again for the next year as we face the end of my dad’s life. I must hang around in this land some more although its landscapes are no longer foreign to me. I know from my previous stay I will survive this extended stay and will feed off the land again as God will provide the nourishment.
We all travel into foreign lands in this life warranting new behavior, new anxieties and new challenges. The one constant anchor is the love and peace God can provide no matter where we go. When thinking of the next few months I will sing my song of Psalm 139:7-10 which is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. As a matter of fact, I think I will write it down on my pocket calendar and carry it with me each day so the music may always be heard.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Our foreign lands are God’s holy hills where He shows provision, comfort and singing in the storm.
As I remember “a time in Zion,” that is a time absent of grief I remember the sweet music of life. I remember the constant ebb and flow of the life void of absence and loss. I remember singing the songs of insignificance and light heartedness as I faced each day. But grief captivated me and moved me into a foreign land, a land that had unstable footing and whose rivers of sadness would sometimes overtake me. Life in the foreign land would still command my attention and request things of me that I felt too weary to accomplish.
Just as I was reaching for that harp again to play the sweet music of life and to bid the land farewell, I was called to live in that land again for the next year as we face the end of my dad’s life. I must hang around in this land some more although its landscapes are no longer foreign to me. I know from my previous stay I will survive this extended stay and will feed off the land again as God will provide the nourishment.
We all travel into foreign lands in this life warranting new behavior, new anxieties and new challenges. The one constant anchor is the love and peace God can provide no matter where we go. When thinking of the next few months I will sing my song of Psalm 139:7-10 which is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. As a matter of fact, I think I will write it down on my pocket calendar and carry it with me each day so the music may always be heard.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Our foreign lands are God’s holy hills where He shows provision, comfort and singing in the storm.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Drink Offering
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering… But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Tim. 4:6, 17-18
The other day I had gone to spend the night with my parents. As many of you are aware our dad is very ill with cancer. Yesterday he was placed under the care of Hospice but this will affect neither his spirit nor his actions. He is the Director of C.E.F., a ministry targeting the spiritual lives of children and bringing them to Christ. The other day Mother was dropping him off at the office because he was too weak to drive. I had followed her in the car and parked on the side of the street. As I watched him step out of the car the effort extended just to stand up and get his balance was heartbreaking. Once catching his breath and stabilizing his footing, with every bit of energy he threw up his arm to wave goodbye.
He cautiously took baby steps down the sidewalk as he tentatively made his way to the entrance of the building. The small amount of energy paled in comparison to the large amount of will in this man’s spirit to spread the message of Christ until he draws his final breath.
This is the pouring out of one’s self as a drink offering. Once again Scripture leapt from the pages of the Bible in true reality on that street and on that day. I will never forget this image of a man who believed this verse with every ounce of his strength, power and spirit.
May I have a fraction of Daddy's Spirit-focused life opposed to the flesh-focused life.
The other day I had gone to spend the night with my parents. As many of you are aware our dad is very ill with cancer. Yesterday he was placed under the care of Hospice but this will affect neither his spirit nor his actions. He is the Director of C.E.F., a ministry targeting the spiritual lives of children and bringing them to Christ. The other day Mother was dropping him off at the office because he was too weak to drive. I had followed her in the car and parked on the side of the street. As I watched him step out of the car the effort extended just to stand up and get his balance was heartbreaking. Once catching his breath and stabilizing his footing, with every bit of energy he threw up his arm to wave goodbye.
He cautiously took baby steps down the sidewalk as he tentatively made his way to the entrance of the building. The small amount of energy paled in comparison to the large amount of will in this man’s spirit to spread the message of Christ until he draws his final breath.
This is the pouring out of one’s self as a drink offering. Once again Scripture leapt from the pages of the Bible in true reality on that street and on that day. I will never forget this image of a man who believed this verse with every ounce of his strength, power and spirit.
May I have a fraction of Daddy's Spirit-focused life opposed to the flesh-focused life.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Mother of Prostitutes
“There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names…The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries…The title was written on her forehead: the Mother of Prostitutes.” Rev. 17:4-5
This woman described in Revelation is the seductress of evil that attempts to woo us, intoxicate us and steal our moral foundation. Her tempting fragrance rides in on evil hoping to collect our valuable worth set aside for Christ. She tries to steal and rob the precious commodities of our spirit that God intends us to offer to Him for His glory alone. She makes her grand entrance in what appears at first as power, beauty and prosperity only for us to discover the sacrifice we made and the high price we paid.
To understand the significance of the manner in which she was dressed we must look at the Old Testament when Moses was instructing God’s chosen people in offering valuable items to build the tabernacle where God would speak to them.
“Moses said to the whole Israelite community, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the Lord, an offering of gold…blue, purple and scarlet yarn…and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted…” Exodus 35:4-9.
God has given each of us valuable worth to be offered back to Him and His service. We have within us the valuable items of God that are merely loaned to us with the free will to give them to whomever. Will we present our royal garments of purple and scarlet through holy living back to the Lord in reverence to Him? Will we gladly sacrifice precious stones of time and service back to His kingdom? Will we drink from His golden cup of righteousness or from the prostitute’s offering?
We only have to look to Exodus to see what our Lord commands of us. Exodus represents our journey out of captivity into the pursuit of following God. The woman of Revelation is a counterfeit and by following the scarlet beast we will hand over the precious worth of our lives by falling for her intoxicating ways.
Let us recognize and follow the Real Thing!
This woman described in Revelation is the seductress of evil that attempts to woo us, intoxicate us and steal our moral foundation. Her tempting fragrance rides in on evil hoping to collect our valuable worth set aside for Christ. She tries to steal and rob the precious commodities of our spirit that God intends us to offer to Him for His glory alone. She makes her grand entrance in what appears at first as power, beauty and prosperity only for us to discover the sacrifice we made and the high price we paid.
To understand the significance of the manner in which she was dressed we must look at the Old Testament when Moses was instructing God’s chosen people in offering valuable items to build the tabernacle where God would speak to them.
“Moses said to the whole Israelite community, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the Lord, an offering of gold…blue, purple and scarlet yarn…and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted…” Exodus 35:4-9.
God has given each of us valuable worth to be offered back to Him and His service. We have within us the valuable items of God that are merely loaned to us with the free will to give them to whomever. Will we present our royal garments of purple and scarlet through holy living back to the Lord in reverence to Him? Will we gladly sacrifice precious stones of time and service back to His kingdom? Will we drink from His golden cup of righteousness or from the prostitute’s offering?
We only have to look to Exodus to see what our Lord commands of us. Exodus represents our journey out of captivity into the pursuit of following God. The woman of Revelation is a counterfeit and by following the scarlet beast we will hand over the precious worth of our lives by falling for her intoxicating ways.
Let us recognize and follow the Real Thing!
Friday, February 5, 2010
With Anguished Voices
“Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating…And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living god, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’” Daniel 6:18, 20-21
This strikes such a tender spot in my heart this morning as it reminds me of Caringbridge, the website we used while going through my sister’s illness. Each morning so many people would sign in hurriedly to see how the God we continuously serve had saved us through the night. Had our God rescued our dear sister from pain that night? Had our God extended her life another day? They ‘hurried to our lion’s den at dawn’ to not only see if her life had passed but also to see how our angel from God had shut the lion’s mouth by comforting us, carrying us and delivering us from our despair.
Much like the king, they wanted to believe in our God and see our belief in His faithfulness. They wanted front row seats in the den as comfort that the same God who was continuously rescuing each of us would be the same God for their deliverance in their own dens.
People want to believe in a Savior so they look into the painful eyes of others to find that Savior in the public dens of our lives. In their own anguish of calling to us they want to hear us call back to them that ‘Yes, our God did save through the night!’ The lion that prowls and devours was unable to tear us apart. His terror was unsuccessful for we had our God who disarmed him. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” Psalm 90:4-5
We will be covered by the feathers of His angels’ wings as we are in the lion’s den. Who is calling out to you to see if you have been rescued?
This strikes such a tender spot in my heart this morning as it reminds me of Caringbridge, the website we used while going through my sister’s illness. Each morning so many people would sign in hurriedly to see how the God we continuously serve had saved us through the night. Had our God rescued our dear sister from pain that night? Had our God extended her life another day? They ‘hurried to our lion’s den at dawn’ to not only see if her life had passed but also to see how our angel from God had shut the lion’s mouth by comforting us, carrying us and delivering us from our despair.
Much like the king, they wanted to believe in our God and see our belief in His faithfulness. They wanted front row seats in the den as comfort that the same God who was continuously rescuing each of us would be the same God for their deliverance in their own dens.
People want to believe in a Savior so they look into the painful eyes of others to find that Savior in the public dens of our lives. In their own anguish of calling to us they want to hear us call back to them that ‘Yes, our God did save through the night!’ The lion that prowls and devours was unable to tear us apart. His terror was unsuccessful for we had our God who disarmed him. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” Psalm 90:4-5
We will be covered by the feathers of His angels’ wings as we are in the lion’s den. Who is calling out to you to see if you have been rescued?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Holy Habits
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” Daniel 6: 10
The scene is a political set up with Daniel being manipulated by the king’s highest officials due to jealousy. The decree, which was originated by these men under the king, stated that no one could worship any other god for 30 days except for worshipping King Darius. They knew that Daniel would remain faithful to his God and through his prayers would become a criminal. He would be thrown into the lion’s den based on his crime. Upon reading the decree, Daniel did not only continue to pray but immediately went upstairs to an open window to boldly pray to his God. His reaction to the dire situation did not change the holy habits for which he had lived his life.
So, we get that phone call that stops our lives in an instant. We read the decree of our life that becomes our new law of despair. How will we respond? Will we respond in the flesh with hysteria, anger, and faithlessness or will we default to reacting in the spirit with prayer, thanksgiving, peace and faithfulness? Will we hit a brick wall or hit the floor on our knees? Will our peers see us in our windows facing our Jerusalem of Heaven and praying to our God who will deliver, save and rescue? Will our voices be heard like Daniel’s praising God for past victories and thanking Him for present blessings?
Notice that Daniel falling to his knees three times that day was nothing new to him. This was his holy habit in calm and chaos, and in the valley or on the mountaintop…’just as he had done before.’ Those words bring humility into my heart. I have to ask myself, ‘What is my holy habit? Do I clothe myself in this wear each morning and do I default to it when that reality of suffering appears? Do I defend my faith with the thanksgiving of my heart apart from my circumstances?
We will all get that phone call or receive that note so let us develop our holy habits in the calm to ensure our reactions will default to the Spirit instead of the flesh.
The scene is a political set up with Daniel being manipulated by the king’s highest officials due to jealousy. The decree, which was originated by these men under the king, stated that no one could worship any other god for 30 days except for worshipping King Darius. They knew that Daniel would remain faithful to his God and through his prayers would become a criminal. He would be thrown into the lion’s den based on his crime. Upon reading the decree, Daniel did not only continue to pray but immediately went upstairs to an open window to boldly pray to his God. His reaction to the dire situation did not change the holy habits for which he had lived his life.
So, we get that phone call that stops our lives in an instant. We read the decree of our life that becomes our new law of despair. How will we respond? Will we respond in the flesh with hysteria, anger, and faithlessness or will we default to reacting in the spirit with prayer, thanksgiving, peace and faithfulness? Will we hit a brick wall or hit the floor on our knees? Will our peers see us in our windows facing our Jerusalem of Heaven and praying to our God who will deliver, save and rescue? Will our voices be heard like Daniel’s praising God for past victories and thanking Him for present blessings?
Notice that Daniel falling to his knees three times that day was nothing new to him. This was his holy habit in calm and chaos, and in the valley or on the mountaintop…’just as he had done before.’ Those words bring humility into my heart. I have to ask myself, ‘What is my holy habit? Do I clothe myself in this wear each morning and do I default to it when that reality of suffering appears? Do I defend my faith with the thanksgiving of my heart apart from my circumstances?
We will all get that phone call or receive that note so let us develop our holy habits in the calm to ensure our reactions will default to the Spirit instead of the flesh.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tekel
“Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.” Daniel 5:27
I hope to never see this word written upon my life as I pursue God’s grace and knowledge of Him. This was one of the words that the hand of God wrote upon the plaster at the unholy banquet of King Belshazzar. The word ‘wanting’ translates as ‘lacking, deficient in moral worth.’
As we live our lives we all have appetites of sin, albeit small or large. The degrees of sin can be of less importance than the heart of the sinner. We are all plagued by sin as each of us was born into this world with a sinful nature. Through pursuing intimate fellowship with our Creator, He reveals areas in our lives that appear lacking. His desire is that we obtain the full measure of Christ, lacking nothing – “Never be lacking…but keep your spiritual fervor in the Lord.” Romans 12:11.
Our spiritual deficits will be exposed and tried through the fires of our lives. We will be called upon to face our storms and persevere in spite of our shortcomings. In our walk we will have no choice but to endure and travel through these storms instead of around them. Through our journey in the darkness we will learn the power of perseverance growing us up in Him and developing our spiritual fervor in the Lord. “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4.
As our relationship with Christ increases we decrease in our spiritual deficits. As we are placed on the spiritual scales of Heaven let us not be found ‘wanting.’
I hope to never see this word written upon my life as I pursue God’s grace and knowledge of Him. This was one of the words that the hand of God wrote upon the plaster at the unholy banquet of King Belshazzar. The word ‘wanting’ translates as ‘lacking, deficient in moral worth.’
As we live our lives we all have appetites of sin, albeit small or large. The degrees of sin can be of less importance than the heart of the sinner. We are all plagued by sin as each of us was born into this world with a sinful nature. Through pursuing intimate fellowship with our Creator, He reveals areas in our lives that appear lacking. His desire is that we obtain the full measure of Christ, lacking nothing – “Never be lacking…but keep your spiritual fervor in the Lord.” Romans 12:11.
Our spiritual deficits will be exposed and tried through the fires of our lives. We will be called upon to face our storms and persevere in spite of our shortcomings. In our walk we will have no choice but to endure and travel through these storms instead of around them. Through our journey in the darkness we will learn the power of perseverance growing us up in Him and developing our spiritual fervor in the Lord. “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:4.
As our relationship with Christ increases we decrease in our spiritual deficits. As we are placed on the spiritual scales of Heaven let us not be found ‘wanting.’
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