I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Eph. 1: 18-19
The talk radio pundit Rush Limbaugh likes to say that everything is political. If the press has wall to wall coverage over something like the personal behavior of NFL football players then there are underlying political reasons to do so.
I am thinking more and more that everything is actually spiritual. At one time I looked at the constant breaking down of morality, the glorification of violence, the acceptance and inroads that occultism has made throughout society, the indifference and then hate toward anything Christian and I saw that as irreversible, a sign that we are in the last days before the return of Jesus.
Now I am realizing that even though we may well be on the very brink of seeing our blessed Lord return the spiritual battle we are in today is no different than any other since the time of the Apostles. Each generation of believers, whether they know it or not, is placed in the midst of a conflict that has been going on since the evil one rebelled. We are the forces, in our place and time, that God in His great wisdom has chosen to fight the forces of darkness.
It would seem that we are at a great disadvantage. The enemy's spiritual forces have an established game plan and play book that is both ancient and being constantly refined. Their leader is called the father of lies who also seeks to murder and destroy. Religions, societies and people groups are infiltrated by their agents for the express purpose of denying or distorting the truth.
And what do we have, each generation of us, born into such a dangerous world filled with traps, snares and enticements to follow an attractive way that ultimately leads to disaster?
We have a heavenly Father who loves us and only desires the best for us. Any other testament about Him is a lie.
We have His Son Jesus, who is one with the Father, who gave up His heavenly estate and became man and as God and man suffered and died for our sins so that we could find eternal life in Him. This He gives freely to any who would surrender to Him as Savior and Lord.
We have The Holy Spirit, the power part of the Godhead, who moved through the prophets of old, who gave Jesus as man the wisdom, knowledge and power to teach, to prophesy, to cast out evil spirits, to destroy strongholds and to perform mighty miracles. This Holy Spirit Jesus poured out upon His church to do the same.
These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Eph. 1: 19-23
Christ, our Savior and Lord both lives in us and is seated in the heavenly places in a position of authority over everything. He is head over His body which is the church and which we belong to because we are in Him. By His great grace we have been freed from the power of the evil one who is the god of this world and we have been set apart to do the work that God desires to help free this fallen world from the grasp of the destroyer.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience . . .
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us . . . made us alive together with Christ . . . and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus . . .
And the reason that the Father has done that is
so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2: 1-6
The spiritual battle we are in today is not just for ourselves or our family. It is not just for our city or nation. It is not just for the time that we live in. What we do, believing in the grace and mercy of The Father, trusting Him in every circumstance and hurdle, worshiping Him through the midst of our tears, rejecting the passing attractions of this world to walk a life pleasing to Him, all of this is a testimony that resounds in the past, present and future.
As the church, the body of Christ, we must fight the good fight now, not accepting that the enemy has territory that cannot be conquered or is too powerful to prevent the light of Christ from shinning in. Perhaps we are in a period that is just like the days of Noah, when the world became so evil and debased and Jesus is just around the corner to judge the world and the rebels of this age and their leader. Yet our marching orders are still the same.
May we be a generation willing to do all that God has called us to.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
The Line
Well little bugs have littler bugs
Up on their backs to bite'em
And littler bugs have still littler bugs
And so ad infinitum
From: Their Ain't No Flies On Me
It's like you've been working for a week to unravel a knot and once you've got it you realize that the knot you've just finished is only part of a much bigger tangled mess. You don't see the beginning, you don't see the end and you don't know where the heck you are along the line.
At some point you realize that as beautiful and intricate as the line is there are some parts that seem rotten and look just plain ugly. And to top everything off it's impossible to just let the line be. I mean, one can go on and live their normal life but eventually you notice the line and wonder where it goes and as you work on that next knot the blisters on your fingers get cut and as you bleed you let out a nasty curse.
Cursed is the man who works on a knot
and never sees the ends
who knows not what
or if or but
it only just depends.
Perhaps it's chance
or poetry
that's placed me by this line
there are endless possibilities
and so little time.
Then one day, totally out of the blue, a thought crosses your mind. In that flash of inspiration you are able to see the twists and turns, the ins and outs of the knot structure and you can visualize how to place your fingers for maximum advantage. You rush to the line and untangle the knot in seconds. Exhilarated you quickly clear up every knot in sight, letting out a little whoop with each.
Later, reflecting on what has just happened, you stare long and hard at the line. Now one would think your focus at this point should be on the line ahead but something is drawing you to the line before. Grabbing the line you give the before part a little tug and as you grasp it starts moving and changing. Nothing is as you remembered it. And here you are. For the first time in like forever you have finally seen how to manipulate the line yet at the same time it starts changing on you. As you look at your nice callased free fingers you again blurt out a curse.
I am nothing but a man
lost on an island
an endless sea in every direction
I'll build my hut
and oil my beard
a chief by my own election.
Weeks later another thought wakes you up in the middle of the night. You had a dream and in the dream you saw yourself actually walking on top of the line. A knot came, you stepped over it. The line rose up to form a giant gate, you passed right through it. It started raining but your traction remained firm. Eventually you saw a form a distance away walking on the line toward you. For a split second you debate if you should stop and let the form meet up with you or if you should advance. But then you let out your little knot whoop and start sprinting toward the form. Losing sight of the line you fall helplessly and wake up.
Not able to go back to sleep you start crying. It was so close if even just a dream but now everything is as it always was. The line is ugly you think. It has always been ugly. Whomever or whatever made it is ugly. I will not play with the line anymore. But you find out that now the line will not let it be ignored.
During the day when you are busy on some project you hear the line snap. You briefly peek at it while watching TV and at just that moment it changes color. At night if inserts itself into every dream, sometimes not so nicely. For the third time you curse.
Am I now lord of nothing
of nothing in control
not birth nor death
nor in between
the spirit and my soul
One day something very surprising happens. Over the last few weeks your precious line has developed a lot of new knots. Knots that are different and which you have no idea how to undo. You were just about to get grumpy about it but thought, oh what the heck, let's have some fun with this. So you speak to the line and tell it that you are quite thankful for all the new knots. "You win line. You're the boss. If you like being tied up it knots, well then that's just fine with me. But if you want to get rid of them I'll do whatever you want". This time instead of cursing you sing out a blessing.
There is beauty in every fiber
purpose in every inch
wonders around the corner
to be found.
Joy is in the journey
strength with every step
rest when they lay me
in the ground.
And in your happiness you feel a tear streak down your face. One tear leads to more and you can no longer stand. You now feel ashamed and ask the line to forgive you. And as you do the line fills the room and the knots gently wrap around you and you can feel life coursing through the fibers. And now you know.
Up on their backs to bite'em
And littler bugs have still littler bugs
And so ad infinitum
From: Their Ain't No Flies On Me
It's like you've been working for a week to unravel a knot and once you've got it you realize that the knot you've just finished is only part of a much bigger tangled mess. You don't see the beginning, you don't see the end and you don't know where the heck you are along the line.
At some point you realize that as beautiful and intricate as the line is there are some parts that seem rotten and look just plain ugly. And to top everything off it's impossible to just let the line be. I mean, one can go on and live their normal life but eventually you notice the line and wonder where it goes and as you work on that next knot the blisters on your fingers get cut and as you bleed you let out a nasty curse.
Cursed is the man who works on a knot
and never sees the ends
who knows not what
or if or but
it only just depends.
Perhaps it's chance
or poetry
that's placed me by this line
there are endless possibilities
and so little time.
Then one day, totally out of the blue, a thought crosses your mind. In that flash of inspiration you are able to see the twists and turns, the ins and outs of the knot structure and you can visualize how to place your fingers for maximum advantage. You rush to the line and untangle the knot in seconds. Exhilarated you quickly clear up every knot in sight, letting out a little whoop with each.
Later, reflecting on what has just happened, you stare long and hard at the line. Now one would think your focus at this point should be on the line ahead but something is drawing you to the line before. Grabbing the line you give the before part a little tug and as you grasp it starts moving and changing. Nothing is as you remembered it. And here you are. For the first time in like forever you have finally seen how to manipulate the line yet at the same time it starts changing on you. As you look at your nice callased free fingers you again blurt out a curse.
I am nothing but a man
lost on an island
an endless sea in every direction
I'll build my hut
and oil my beard
a chief by my own election.
Weeks later another thought wakes you up in the middle of the night. You had a dream and in the dream you saw yourself actually walking on top of the line. A knot came, you stepped over it. The line rose up to form a giant gate, you passed right through it. It started raining but your traction remained firm. Eventually you saw a form a distance away walking on the line toward you. For a split second you debate if you should stop and let the form meet up with you or if you should advance. But then you let out your little knot whoop and start sprinting toward the form. Losing sight of the line you fall helplessly and wake up.
Not able to go back to sleep you start crying. It was so close if even just a dream but now everything is as it always was. The line is ugly you think. It has always been ugly. Whomever or whatever made it is ugly. I will not play with the line anymore. But you find out that now the line will not let it be ignored.
During the day when you are busy on some project you hear the line snap. You briefly peek at it while watching TV and at just that moment it changes color. At night if inserts itself into every dream, sometimes not so nicely. For the third time you curse.
Am I now lord of nothing
of nothing in control
not birth nor death
nor in between
the spirit and my soul
One day something very surprising happens. Over the last few weeks your precious line has developed a lot of new knots. Knots that are different and which you have no idea how to undo. You were just about to get grumpy about it but thought, oh what the heck, let's have some fun with this. So you speak to the line and tell it that you are quite thankful for all the new knots. "You win line. You're the boss. If you like being tied up it knots, well then that's just fine with me. But if you want to get rid of them I'll do whatever you want". This time instead of cursing you sing out a blessing.
There is beauty in every fiber
purpose in every inch
wonders around the corner
to be found.
Joy is in the journey
strength with every step
rest when they lay me
in the ground.
And in your happiness you feel a tear streak down your face. One tear leads to more and you can no longer stand. You now feel ashamed and ask the line to forgive you. And as you do the line fills the room and the knots gently wrap around you and you can feel life coursing through the fibers. And now you know.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Ain't No Flies On Me
Oh, there ain't no flies on me
there ain't no flies on me
there may be flies on some of you guys
but there ain't no flies on me.
We have just rounded the corner and young Mario starts waving his hand at his head. "I'm having a little trouble concentrating on my driving" he says. "There is a dang fly buzzing me." I smile, lean back and tell him the honest truth; "There ain't no flies on me!"
My younger sister Char loved this little ditty. She went to an all women's college and taught her intramural football team how to terrify their opponents with the ain't no flies chant.
The poem actually has quite a few more classic verses.
A peanut sittin' on a railroad rail
His heart was all a flutter
Along came a Choo Choo on the track
Toot! Toot! Peanut butter!
I first heard this verse from my very special nephew Kevin who would run around our house and entertain us with "Toot! Toot! Pea nut but ter!
Here are a couple more verses for your enjoyment.
Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more no more
It ain't gonna rain no more
How in the heck can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more?
and finally
She lay down at the sewer
And by the sewer she died
And at the coroner's inquest
They called it sewer side.
As my dad would often say when hearing such inspiration (while holding his hand to his heart); "It kinda gets you, right here."
there ain't no flies on me
there may be flies on some of you guys
but there ain't no flies on me.
We have just rounded the corner and young Mario starts waving his hand at his head. "I'm having a little trouble concentrating on my driving" he says. "There is a dang fly buzzing me." I smile, lean back and tell him the honest truth; "There ain't no flies on me!"
My younger sister Char loved this little ditty. She went to an all women's college and taught her intramural football team how to terrify their opponents with the ain't no flies chant.
The poem actually has quite a few more classic verses.
A peanut sittin' on a railroad rail
His heart was all a flutter
Along came a Choo Choo on the track
Toot! Toot! Peanut butter!
I first heard this verse from my very special nephew Kevin who would run around our house and entertain us with "Toot! Toot! Pea nut but ter!
Here are a couple more verses for your enjoyment.
Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more no more
It ain't gonna rain no more
How in the heck can I wash my neck
If it ain't gonna rain no more?
and finally
She lay down at the sewer
And by the sewer she died
And at the coroner's inquest
They called it sewer side.
As my dad would often say when hearing such inspiration (while holding his hand to his heart); "It kinda gets you, right here."
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