His Words. . .

I hope all of you have been enjoying this amazing Spring weather! Is it Winter? Whatever it is, or is trying to be, the view outside my window is breathtaking. Powdery, white snow caps the local mountains. I was out driving in the San Bernardino area and found the lower foothills fuzzy and green from the abundance of rain. I always love the day or two after a good rain to breathe in the clean air and experience such a cleansing of just about everything!

For those who haven't heard from me in a while, I have been drawn back to reading. One is the book by John Eldridge entitled, Waking the Dead, and at the present, I am reading the Gospel of John.

To become even more acquainted with the words of Jesus is something (I feel) l am supposed to do; the way He used His words and what they conveyed to those around Him not only at that time, but really what they mean for us today. Lately, I've been around some people (and have heard stories of those) who although they would claim to know this Jesus, by the turns they are taking in their lives, I just wonder sometimes, do these people really know Him, and do they really believe what He says?

I look at myself under that microscope and ask myself the same things.

"Do I really believe him? Has my life changed to the extent that it mirrors, to some degree, what He says?"

So I figured, why not just go through a book, where I could really get into the whole picture of who Jesus was and is. However, it's not only staying at that historical/intellectual place but it's going through it at a pace and a depth that changes a person's life. That's what I'm after and want to mine nuggets of truth.

I wish I had been there when Jesus spoke with Martha and the others as is recorded in John 11:1-46. To read the whole section and to get the entire context would be great. But, because I do not have the room in this E-sermon to set it all up, I want to mainly focus on the following segment:

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?

Imagine being there side by side with Martha when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. What kind of feelings or thoughts would have screamed at your heart’s door? Evidently, Martha was not thinking about a resurrection in the present but only down the road on the other side in the last day (v.24). Her only thought was that if Jesus had beenthere before Lazarus died He could have healed him.

It's interesting how much Martha's belief falls (just like ours), a little short. She couldn’t believe that Jesus would actually do something radical in the present. Martha grieved her loss and felt like the Lord had let her down, because He didn't respond in the way she wanted. Her circumstances most likely blinded her to who He said He was and what He could do.

Do we? Let's look at that again.

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?

I have often thought of how I let my circumstances overwhelm me. They have even blinded me to who Jesus really is, how much He loves me, and how much He is there. I am short sighted where His timing is concerned and, just like Martha, have lost hope. Nonetheless, in all of our circumstances whether in times of loss, of blessing and gain, or questions and doubt, He is THERE! Moreover, he offers us LIFE!

Without a doubt, life is, or can get, tough for people. Let's not stay in the place where our circumstances, or how the cards have been dealt, blind us from seeing Jesus as who He is, and what He just might want to do in our lives or those close by.

His death on the cross paid the wage for our sin. His resurrection means that life here and now can be rich in quality. Ours is an amazingly changed life, when we can experience His presence, His hope, and His power to do awesome works if we give him the room and obey him in the process.

Jesus really wants to restore your life, and mine. He not only wants to do it on the "last day" as Martha was thinking, his power and life is available to us at this very moment.

Do we really believe that? Are we willing to walk in that direction? I hope we are.

I'm out...until later...DAVE.

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JC, Mary & Martha

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An Atheist's Life Style

A man I crossed paths with the other day at a local landfill, or dump (of all places), claimed with confidence he was an atheist. We chatted about that for a while and he ended up backing away from his confident assertion. He realized he's more of an agnostic. But it got me to think. How would an atheist live out their belief system through their lifestyle? Have you ever thought of what the lifestyle might look like?

We may picture them adamantly telling most everyone they meet that there is no God or even that God is dead, you know, kind of like an evangelist, only what would the good news be?

We may even assume that a fair amount of their time would be involved having fellowship and partnering with others in getting their belief system out through some form of the media, which no doubt, does happen!

In addition, what would their character be like? Would it be harsh, cynical, or perhaps fearful, when we meet or interact with them? After all, what could a person's character and outlook be if they really believed that there is no God? Wouldn't they be plagued with anxiety, worry, and insecurity, and even anger to name a few? I think so!

While there may be some who would be more like an activists in living out their true belief system, when it really comes right down to most of them, it's probably more subtle than what many of us may think.

In fact, their lifestyle may even mirror some of ours! To be very candid, their true belief system is simply lived out without God in mind. Think about a day-in-day-out lifestyle where the reality of God and his presence does not affect their everyday life—their choices and aspirations, and their demeanor!

What would that look like, anyway? Even though there are others, I'll just touch on three areas.

For example, would there even be any motivation to pray with any kind of passion or regularity? Heck, why even pray in the first place? I mean, why pray if God doesn't exist? They might have the posture like, "I might be better off just mulling things over in my own mind and talking to myself, I can get good enough guidance through that and the counsel of my friends! Wouldn't they be very much self-reliant as a result?

What about the Bible? What's that? They might say something like,” What’s the point of reading, let alone obeying the words therein or even making time to meditate on it if it's written supposedly by men who claimed to be inspired by God? It certainly contains no significant truth or relevance to my life so what's the point of even having one at all? After all, God does not exist! But, on the other hand, it however impresses some people and it does make a good paper weight!”

Since it's just a collection of 'so called mythical stories' to make a person feel good, I might as well dive into something that has some relevance to it. Something like the Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, or Fortune magazine; and the Da Vinci Code are certainly more worthwhile—those are about real issues!"

What about morality and character? Well, since they believe there is no higher authority as the source of truth and absolutes, why not just take a smorgasbord of all kinds of religions and what feels good to them as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else or cramp their lifestyle? In summary, their morality is based on subjective relativism. However in the real world even that point of view lived out to its logical ends does not hold up!

Do any of these thoughts strike a nerve with any of us?

I hope so! Certainly, they did with me! You know when I really think about my own 'alleged' beliefs, I had to confess and repent that there were a lot of things I professed to believe and live by, but in reality they were just words! I have to regularly change my way of thinking and align it with the reality of God's Word and presence; his grace and power, because it has been so tainted with the opposite!

In reality everyone's day-in-day-out lifestyle really does mirror what they truly believe, although they may profess to believe differently....Think that through again... We cannot live contrary to what we really believe otherwise we'd get diagnosed with, you got it, schizophrenia!

So, if we really, really have chosen and want to be Christ followers, wouldn't it be wise to slow down our lives and pause, take a look under the hood of our 'alleged' convictions and see if they truly are aligned with our lifestyle?

Through it, we may realize that we really do believe in God after all. But, which God is it? Is it a god made and shaped according to our own likes and dislikes? Which, if it is, we then would really be worshipping ourselves!

Or is this God, Jesus, the only Living God? You know, the resurrected God/man who came to give up his life, and by example, show us a better way to live life on this earth. Do not things like, repentance, surrender, and following characterize that “better way”?

In other words, isn't the best way to live life now a way that demonstrates gratitude back to God for His amazing love and mercy? I think so!

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O, Holy Night!

Hope this season finds you well and not driven into the ground trying to get everything done! It's a challenge to find some quiet moments to let the spirit of the season be known, isn't it? Sometimes, here in Southern Cal, just getting on the road or driving into a shopping center, I can feel the pressure and stress of those around me.

I was shopping in a store where the Christmas music actually had the words to the song; which happened to be my favorite Christmas carol, 'O Holy Night'.

For me it has always been such a powerful song. I pray you will find time to reflect on the whole song. It is rich with significance! The first verse starts out...

'Long lay the world in sin and error pining'

...and strikes a familiar chord within me. I wondered, since some of the words to these songs I've never used in my vocabulary before, what pining meant! So I looked it up!

The meaning of the word really sheds new depth on not only the state of humanity then, but now as well. Webster's says this about pining—"The act or condition of one that pines."

Hmmm...I went back a little further to pine since I only thought that it had only ever referred to a tree!

Pine: to inflict pain upon, to torment, to torture; to lose vigor, health, or flesh as through grief, anxiety, or hunger.

Wow! Isn't that a telling description as to the state of mankind today in our nation? Moreover, it is so true that long lay the world in sin and error pining. In other words, the whole condition of man is going through this state of anxiety, torment, pain and even hunger, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, it is there! It is a result of our sin, our falling nature. We are seeing the effects of it all around us today. For some of us, we relate to it quite well, I know I sure can!

However, that is only the first part of the first verse to the song, thankfully! The music turns to emphasize the second part, which goes on…


♫♪♫♪♫♪♪♪♫♫♪♪♪♪♪♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♪♫
"Till He appeared, and the soul felt it's worth.
A thrill of hope,
the weary world rejoices.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn".

And that's great news people, isn't it?

We get stuck in the muck and mire, we have many questions, and all the pain we go through does not always have to be so devastating! There is a way out and a different perspective to have. Oh isn't that terrific news?

Jesus Christ's sole purpose in showing up on planet earth was so that we could know Him, God incarnate! And by knowing Him and experiencing His unrelenting love for us, our soul will find it's worth!

There is a question or two here. Has your soul, and my soul found it's rest and it's worth in deeply knowing Jesus? Are we living in the reality of God's amazing love for us to the depth that it's made a difference in our day to day lives?

You see, as we know Jesus better, and gain His perspective on the world and our own lives it only makes sense that something would change, wouldn't it? Some of you can attest to the changes made in your own soul as a result. Things like peace instead of anxiety or strife. A contentment inside so we don't have to act out and find pleasure in other vices. Forgiveness instead of holding anger or grudges...I could go on.

The demonstration of God’s love for us, by stepping into a lost and fallen world for you and for me, is truly amazing, especially when you consider that we were his enemies (Romans 5:6-11)! Therefore, the only response I can think of, and that the song's chorus builds to is…

Fall on your knees!
O hear the angels sing!
Oh night, divine!

That is the kind of posture that makes sense (not only at this time of year), one of humble and grateful worship to Jesus Christ! I hope that this writing brings you renewal and hope in your present season of life, wherever that finds you! Knowing Jesus deeply from the heart, results in us having a rich and deep quality of life, our soul will find it's worth, and our purpose will be clear! So with that in mind… Let's fall on our knees and rejoice in His amazing love!

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