II Chronicles 25:1 – 26:23

July 18, 2014

Amaziah becomes king. He does what is right, but it is more out of duty than a passion to follow the LORD's commands. When Amaziah became established, he held those who had killed his father accountable. He followed the laws of Moses and did not hold the children accountable for the actions of their parents.

Amaziah prepares his soldiers for battle. He also hires 100,000 soldiers from Israel for 75 pounds of silver. A man of God comes to him and says—what are you doing? Don't let the men from Israel go with you. Why are you trusting men instead of God? "You can make yourself strong for war, but God will defeat you. He has the power to help you or to defeat you." Amaziah says—but what about the money I have already spent? And the man of God replies—walk away from it. "The LORD can give you much more than that."

God has the power to help you OR defeat you. Put your faith and trust in Him. Rely on HIM, and only Him. It is HIS battle.

So Amaziah goes to war without the hired men and God provides the victory. But THEN, Amaziah brings home the idols of the people he defeated and started worshiping them. Why? Why would he do that? I've always said the most dangerous time isn't when you are facing a battle bigger than yourself because you know you need God's help. The danger comes when the battle has been won and you forget it was God who won the battle. The focus becomes, "look what I have done" instead of, "look what God has done."

Amaziah starts worshiping the idols that could not save those he had attacked and God had beaten. The LORD was very angry and sent a prophet to talk to him. Have you noticed that God always sent someone to warn people when they were getting off track? Unfortunately, it made Amaziah mad and he did not repent. His response was basically, "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

God provides each of us the opportunity for change, but the decision to listen and obey falls entirely upon our own shoulders.

Amaziah would not listen. He tried to align himself with Israel again. Instead of being joined with Israel he was defeated by Israel. He was captured by his enemies, and later he was hunted down and killed by his own people. "God caused all this to happen" because he sought help from others instead of God. Why? Why? Why? Why are some people so stubborn?

We all need to let go (of our pride) and let (surrender to) God.

Uzziah becomes king. He does what the LORD said was right. "As long as Uzziah obeyed the LORD, God gave him success." Therein lies the true secret to success. It is not our own abilities, but God's response to our servant-hood. Unfortunately, when Uzziah became powerful, "His pride led to his ruin." He became unfaithful to God and he thought he was above the rules. Only the priests were allowed to burn incense on the altar, but Uzziah decided that he would do it. The priests tried to warn him, "You have been unfaithful, and the LORD God will not honor you for this." Uzziah wouldn't listen. He became angry and he did what he wanted to do. Because of his actions, Uzziah developed a skin disease and he could no longer live in the palace. He was separated from being around other people for the rest of his life.

The most dangerous time is not when we are in a crisis. The most dangerous time is when things are going well.

LORD, I want to finish strong! May we follow hard after you now and when "the storm" is over.

From the Life Lesson in my Bible – "The humble are always at peace; the proud are often envious and angry." ~ From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis.

In my Bible margins I have written – "Isn't that amazing! The very thing they think will bring them stature and control actually binds them in a prison. A self made prison of envy and jealousy. What they thought would bring freedom is instead an albatross. A goal or "feeling" that can never be attained."

II Chronicles 25:9 - "...the LORD is able to give thee much more than this." Jane (Her Name Was Jane) has written in her KJV margins – Much More!  See Romans 5 - Uncle Amos's "much more's."

Addendum: 4/12/15 ~ "Walk away from it...the LORD can give you much more." Luke 6:38 - "Give, and you will receive. You will be given much. Pressed down, shaken together, and running over, it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you." We are watching this happen. "The storm" has battered our finances. In our human minds we think, but how can we be restored? How could that happen? How would God be able to do that? See II Kings 6:8 – 8:15.

Our human minds cannot begin to fathom the magnitude of God's love and abilities. Cannot. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. 


Next Entry: II Chronicles 27:1 – 28:27  

I John 3:1–24

July 18, 2013

We are loved by the Father so much that we are called "children of God." And that is what we are—"children of God." There is a reason why we don't fit in with the world. It is because we are strangers. The world cannot possibly understand us because they don't know Him.

Christianity is a concept you really cannot understand without experiencing it. As Christians, we know we were made in the image of God; we are children of God; and when Christ returns we will be made like Him because we will see Christ as He really is. What a day that will be!! While we eagerly await that day, it is a foreign concept to people who have not accepted Christ as LORD.

Until that time, we have the responsibility to live as Christ taught.

• Christ is love—we must show love
• Christ is pure—we need to keep ourselves pure
• There is no sin in Christ—we cannot go on sinning
• Christ is all that is right—we must do what is right
• Christ is light—we cannot have darkness in us

Those who are God's children do not continue sinning because the new life from God is in them. I John 3:9 - "They are not able to go on sinning because they have become children of God." I John 3:6 - "Anyone who goes on sinning has never really understood Christ and has never known him."

Those two statements are very clear. If Christ is truly living in you, then He is Master and you are not able to continue in sin. The reverse is also true. If you do not change your hearts and lives and you continue to sin and live a lifestyle contrary to God's Word, then the truth is you never really understood Christ; you've never truly known Him; you are not a child of God; and He is not your Father. The narrow road is in fact—narrow. I John 3:10 - "Those who do not do what is right are not God's children, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God's children."

It doesn't get much plainer than that.

From the very beginning of the Bible there has been one clear message: you must love God and you must love others. And from the very beginning, both teachings were broken. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous of him. Cain was corrupt, his heart was evil, and he was out to destroy his brother who had done nothing against Him.   

Our actions reveal the truth about our hearts. Sin (darkness) and Truth (light) cannot co-mingle. It should be no surprise that people of the world (as slaves of Satan) seek to harm you and hurt you. However, it was shocking to us when our own family members purposely set out (using trickery and then this lawsuit) to seek our destruction, especially since we thought we were like minded with them. What we now know (by the evidence of their actions and by searching God's Word) is that my sister and brother-in-law's actions show the truth about their hearts. I John 3:15 - "Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them." Jesus taught in Matthew 5:21–26 that hating someone in your heart is the same as the act of murder.

Hatred. Is there another way to describe the actions of my sister and brother-in-law. I wish there was. To purposely deceive and trick us and then file a lawsuit to try and ruin us—is hatred. Oh, they've couched it as "business" or "unfortunate" or whatever, but the bottom line is that in their interest of self-promotion, everything is on the table and nothing is sacred even if it means the destruction of others. There is a whole of list of other family and friends (as evidenced by my brother-in-law's list of broken relationships) who were victims of the same thinking, and there are others who are still unaware of the truth behind the scenes. I'm sure my sister and brother-in-law don't see their actions as a hatred of others. Whatever happens to the other person is just collateral damage to what they want or think they deserve. But, it is hatred. I've witnessed first hand the clenched teeth, the pointed fingers, and the squinted eyes.

God in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament taught the same message. They commanded that we love one another. I John 3:18 - "We should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring." You cannot be a child of God and seek the harm of other people. Cannot. I John 3:23 - "This is what God commands (not suggests): that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ (Him as Master and we as servants) and that we love each other, just as he commanded."  (Emphasis and comments mine.)

You cannot purposely and intentionally choose to go against God's teachings and Jesus' clarifications and still have the blessing of being at one with God. I John 3:22 - "God gives us what we ask for because we obey God's commands and do what pleases him." This verse isn't referring to selfish "things." When we do what He commands and when we do what pleases Him, THEN our desires align with His desires and God gives us what we ask for, and we are in fellowship with him. I John 3:24 - "The people who obey God's commands live in God, and God lives in them. We KNOW that God lives in us because of the Spirit God gave us." Reminds me of the old camp song, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.... they will know we are Christians by our love."

Matthew 22:37–39 - Jesus said (quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18), "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second is like the first: Love your neighbor as yourself."


Next Entry: I John 4:1 – 5:21

II Timothy 3:1 – 4:22

May 28, 2013

What a contrast between II Timothy 2 and 3. II Timothy 2 talks about what kind of life we should live, how God can use us, and what it looks like to be a worker who is pleasing to God. Then in II Timothy 3, Paul describes the person who is not a follower of God, and whose actions bring much trouble.

• Lovers of themselves
• Lovers of money
• Want what others have
• Brag; are boastful
• Proud
• Abusive
• Say evil things against others
• Will not obey (honor) parents
• Are not thankful
• Are not filled with gratitude
• Refuse to be the kind of person God wants
• Without empathy; does not love others
• Holds grudges; refuses to forgive; truce breakers
• Slanderous; false accusers
• Without self-control
• Cruel; brutal; fierce
• Despises those who are good
• Traitors; will turn against their friends
• Rash; acts without thinking
• Conceited; high minded
• It's all about them, not about God
• Will act as if they serve God, but do not

II Timothy 3:5b - "Stay away from those people. Have nothing to do with them." Paul goes on: These people are always learning new teachings but they are never able to understand truth fully... because "these people are against the truth. Their thinking has been ruined, and they have failed in trying to follow the faith. But they will not be successful in what they do... everyone will see that they are foolish." (From II Timothy 3:8–9. See Psalm 1 as a Cross Reference.)

Paul's description of the person who is not a follower of God is an accurate (in my opinion) line-by-line description of the person I now know my sister to be. I didn't fully come to terms with the truth until the carefully constructed facade cracked and the truth was slowly revealed from late 2006 to today. My sister is in her sixties, yet she is still holding grudges and still falsely accusing and still seeking to harm innocent people. You don't "grow" out of sinful behaviors. The exact opposite is true. The more you don't change your ways, the more ingrained into you the evil behavior becomes, and the more it becomes part of your DNA.

I hate writing the word "evil" and relating it to someone's actions (especially my sister's) but her actions exactly mirrors Paul's description of one who is against God. The truth is the truth whether I want to face it or not. I recognized some of the actions on the list prior to the blow up in late 2006. My response was almost always, "Oh, that's just ______ (my sister's name)." I was wrong to overlook and excuse her actions away. Sin is sin, regardless of how much you love the person, and I should have called it that and confronted her about it years before. When I finally did try to speak up about her obsession with my brother it did not go over well, and my bringing up her obsessions became part of the final breakdown in our relationship.

Scripture says it very clearly. "Stay away from those people. Have nothing to do with them." I am grateful to God for the forced separation their lawsuit and "the storm" has caused. It would have been really difficult for me to break free on my own. I would have felt like I was abandoning my sister and I would have tried to hang in there and "fix" the problem. I now understand that I can't fix it. There is only one thing that can fix it, and that is true personal repentance which brings about a new way of thinking, and a changed heart and life.

Our prayer for my sister and brother-in-law remains the same. LORD, may they understand that without you they are nothing, and may they desire nothing but you.

As believers we will experience hurt. Paul suffered, but the Lord saved him from his troubles and the message of Christ still went out. II Timothy 3:12–13 - "Everyone who wants to live as God desires, in Christ Jesus, will be hurt. But people who are evil and cheat others will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves." How incredibly sad to think you are wise, when in reality you are not aware, and don't know or understand what truth and true wisdom is.

But for you who believe—continue on. You know what truth is. You know that salvation is found through faith in Christ. You know that you have everything you need in God's scripture. II Timothy 3:16–17 - "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

We have everything we need to navigate living in this world—and that is the Bible. Paul used his life as an example and tells Timothy:

• Preach the Good News
• Be ready at all times  
• Tell people the Truth about what is right and wrong
• Encourage others
• Have great patience
• Teach carefully
• Control yourself
• Accept troubles
• Do the work
• Tell the Good News
• Complete ALL the duties of a servant of God
• Give your life as an offering to God
• Fight the good fight
• Finish the race
• Keep the faith
• Receive the crown

Paul finishes his letter by telling about the people who helped him. Then he talks about Alexander the metal worker, who did many harmful things against him. II Timothy 4:14b - "The Lord will punish him for what he did." It is up to God to deal with those who wrong you. It is not your (or my) place to avenge or seek revenge. II Timothy 4:17–18 - "The Lord stayed with me and gave me strength so I could fully tell the Good News... So I was saved from the lion's mouth. The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me, and he will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord's. Amen."

And I say—Amen. God has saved us from the mouth of the lion as well. And, He will continue to save us.

Psalm 22:21 - Rescue me from the lion's mouth.
Psalm 58:6 - God, break the teeth in their mouths! Tear out the fangs of those lions, Lord!
Job 4:10,11 - Lions may roar and growl, but when the teeth of a strong lion are broken, that lion dies of hunger. The cubs of the lion are scattered.
II Thessalonians 3:3 - But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.


Next Entry: II Timothy 3:1 – 4:22 (Continued)

Ephesians 4:1 – 5:20 (Continued)

April 29, 2013

When self is in control God's plan for unity gets destroyed, and the message of His Truth does not go forward. If we insist on following our own selfish desires we don't just harm ourselves, we also harm others and the cause of Christ. Paul told them:

1. You must stop telling lies. Be truthful!
2. Don't hold a grudge. Let your anger go! If you hold onto anger (which is an elevation of self) you are opening yourself up to the one who is against God.
3. You must stop stealing. Start working for a honest living. Share what you have honestly worked for with others.
4. Don't say harmful things. Your words should bring encouragement to others—not harm.
5. Do not make the Holy Spirit grieve. Follow His ways.  
6. Do not be bitter, or angry, or mad.
7. Never shout angrily or say anything to hurt others.
8. Never do anything that God calls evil.

Instead, "Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ." (Ephesians 4:32) Keep the bond of peace. If you are a child of the light then live like it! Ephesians 5:8–9 - "...live like children who belong to the light.  Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth." Be careful how you live. Ephesians 5:5 - "Anyone who is greedy is serving a false God." So, live wisely. Do good. Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:19–20 - "Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."


Next Entry: Ephesians 6:1–24  

Galatians 5:1–26

April 17, 2013

What happened? What went wrong? You started out running a good race. What changed? What caused you to add things to the very clear words of Christ? It isn't enough to believe in Christ and then add your own spin on it. You must be a Christ follower. Being a follower means setting your own desires, wants, and wishes aside, and committing yourself to following Him wherever He leads and whatever He asks. It means following His words ONLY and not adding anything to it or taking anything away from it. You started out that way. What happened? Christ made us free, but that doesn't mean you use your freedom as an excuse to do whatever you please! We are to serve each other, not manipulate others as a way to fulfill our selfish desires. We are to die to self and surrender to God. That is our freedom.

Selfish desires and surrendering to God don't mix. It is like oil and water. You cannot live by following the Spirit (Christ) while following your selfish sinful self at the same time. CANNOT! If you follow the Spirit, "... Then you will not do what your sinful selves want." (Galatians 5:16) You just can't have it both ways. Galatians 5:17 - "Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other, so you cannot do just what you please." No wonder there is conflict in this world and among people. One side is pursuing their own selfish desires, and the other side is pursuing the desires of the Spirit. This is why you should not be unequally yoked in close friendships, marriage, business, etc. You are pursuing opposite goals and there will be conflict.

There is no middle ground here. You can't be in the middle of the road or sitting on a fence. You are either going to do what your sinful self wants—OR—you are going to commit yourself to doing what the Spirit wants. Believing in Christ but living how you want won't cut it. You must be a committed follower of Christ.

Paul compares the actions of  the followers of "self" to the followers of Christ. One list is "the wrong things the sinful self does," and the other is what following the Spirit produces.

Sinful Self Results:

• Sexually unfaithful
• Not being pure
• Taking part in sexual sins
• Worshiping gods
• Doing witchcraft
• Hating
• Making trouble
• Jealousy
• Anger
• Selfishness
• Making people angry with each other
• Causing divisions among people
• Feeling envy
• Being drunk
• Having wild and wasteful parties
• Doing other things like this 

Spirit Led Results:

• Produces the fruit of love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control
• Die to self
• Give up old selfish feelings and evil things "self" wanted
• Have new life
• Is not proud
• Does not make trouble with each other
• Is not jealous of others

The contrasts between the two lists are striking, and you can soon see why the two should not be joined together and cannot mix. Paul said, "I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things (the sinful self list) will not inherit God's kingdom." (Galatians 5:21)

Psalm 1

Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked
   who don't go where sinners go,
   who don't do what evil people do.
They love the Lord's teachings,
   and they think about those teachings day and night.
They are strong, like a tree planted by the river.
   The tree produces fruit in season,
   and its leaves don't die.
Everything they do will succeed.

But wicked people are not like that.
   They are like the chaff that the wind blows away.
So the wicked will not escape God' punishment.
   Sinners will not worship with God's people.
This is because the LORD takes care of his people,
   but the wicked will be destroyed.

Stand strong. Christ has made you free, so you are free indeed.

Addendum: April 2016 ~ It has been eight years since Jane (Her Name Was Jane) spoke her last God-given words to us—"Jeremiah 33." My husband and I will read that chapter together again today. God's last promise of protection through the lips of Jane. The day is coming. The day is coming when God will set us completely free from "the storm."

Early this morning the song Give Me Jesus played over and over in my mind. In the morning when I arise—give me Jesus. When I am alone—give me Jesus. When I come to die—give me Jesus. You can have all this world—just give me Jesus. That is my heart's desire. In ALL things—just give me Jesus.  


 Next Entry: Galatians 6:1–18

II Corinthian 6:14 – 7:16

April 09, 2013

"You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together." II Corinthians 6:14

Join—this is talking about more than marriage even though that is the most obvious and perhaps the most critical one not to violate. Join also means partnering in business, close friendships, etc. "You are not the same as those who do not believe." At least you shouldn't be. If you are the same then a much deeper problem exists. Good and bad—don't belong together. Light and darkness—don't mix. We are all a work in progress, but there should be (and must be) a difference between those who say they believe and those who don't believe. The difference cannot be in just what our tongues say. It must also be in the way we live. Our bodies are the temple of Christ, and we must live as if we believe that to be true.

We would have never... NEVER... NEVER!! joined with my sister and brother-in-law in a joint business project if we had know the truth about them. NEVER! We can verify this teaching from painful personal experience: good and bad do not belong together. It won't work. You (our family) have witnessed what happened when we refused to compromise our standards. You (our family) have witnessed the depths they have gone to further their agendas for ill-gotten gain. It has been ugly, very ugly, and we've all been subjected to their anger and pursuit of revenge in "the storm." We didn't knowingly walk into this "joining" of opposites, but some people do, and there is a price that is paid. Don't ever willingly and stubbornly disobey God's standards. If you ignore God's standards you are inviting discord, hurt, sorrow, tension, regret, and trials into your life.

There is a kind of sorrow God wants. It is a sorrow that causes people to change their hearts and lives. II Corinthians 7:10 - "This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that." When facing difficulties don't try to pray them away! Learn from them!! What does God want to teach me? Is there anything I am doing that He wants me to stop? Is there anything I'm not doing that I should be doing? Use the sorrow and/or difficulty to propel you towards God. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw _____ (insert name) to you. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw me closer to you! That kind of sorrow leads to salvation, and you can't be sorry about that!!

Scofield (in Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) KJV) describes separation as being twofold. 1) From—whatever is contrary to the mind of God; and 2) Unto—drawing closer to God. It is impossible for God to bless or use His children who compromise with, or are in complicity with, evil. Impossible. Who would want to willingly remove God's full blessings?

The one way to separate ourselves TO God is to separate ourselves FROM whatever goes against HIS Word and heart. 


Next Entry: II Corinthians 8:1 – 9:15

II Corinthians 2:5–17

April 04, 2013

In I Corinthians 5 Paul tells the believers to put an unrepentant sinner out of the church. In II Corinthians 2, Paul is telling the believers to forgive and accept the repentant person back into their lives. In the one instance the person was unrepentant—and they were to separate. In the other, the person was repentant—and they were to accept him back.

Forgiveness is such an important truth. Even in separation there should be forgiveness. To forgive doesn't mean you accept the other person's actions. To forgive acknowledges that we are not the judge and that Christ forgave us. To harbor resentment and anger only harms yourself and those close to you. It does nothing to the person who inflicted the harm. I've always said it this way, "Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself." Always forgive! Forgive always! You don't forgive by your feelings. You do—and the feelings will follow.

There is victory, and it comes from Christ. II Corinthians 2:14 - "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet smelling perfume." To those being saved we are the scent of life that brings life, meaning to fellow believers we are an encouragement and reflection of Christ. But to those who have chosen not to follow God's ways we are the stench of death. Christ didn't change and the smell didn't change. What changed was the way the person perceived it. To the believer it is encouragement. To the one who has refused Christ we are a reminder of what they are fighting against and we are repugnant to them.

Paul asks, "So who is able to do this work? We do not sell the word of God for a profit as many other people do. But in Christ we speak the truth before God, as messengers of God." (II Corinthians 2:16–17)

Again—TELL THE STORY! We must tell the story of what God has done. How interesting that II Corinthians 2:17 says they do not sell God's word for a profit. From the time we finally understood we were to tell HIS story and the story of Jane (Her Name Was Jane) we KNEW we were not to personally profit from it. The story isn't ours. The story is God's and God's alone.

*****

I wish I could remember the two songs running through my mind last night. Every time I awoke I would repeat it so I could remember to tell my husband in the morning. But alas, by the time morning came the songs were gone. They both were songs I have not heard in years, and they were both about God's protecting love. God has been reminding us of His faithfulness throughout this process. Jane; providing a buyer for our joint project (refused by my sister and brother-in-law); God's protection exactly one year from Jane's last God-given words of restoration; blessing our business; blessing our family; and that is just part of the list. HE is in control—and we trust Him. He did not separate the waters and have us walk on dry land only to drown us as we near shore. 

God, we continue to believe. LORD, rise up, face the enemy and throw them down. Save us, O LORD, by your sword. Save us, O LORD, by your power. Amen.

Addendum: 4/15/16 ~  I'm in II Corinthians already!! I only have two more journals to transcribe. How can that be? Everything seems to be moving along at break-neck speed. Our Praise Shelter is coming along. The structure is finished. The old street brick fireplace is finished. The engraved stones are finished. Now it is time for me to start laying the street brick and cobblestone "floor." On one hand it is very exciting to see everything coming together and close to completion. On the other hand, I want to yell SLOW DOWN!! There are mixed emotions as we realize this portion of our journey is nearing an end. What happens next? When do I uncheck the private box and check the public box instead on this blog?

Of course we want the lawsuit to be over, but we don't want the days of grace for my sister and brother-in-law to run out. This morning as I was walking and praying I said the same prayer we have prayed for years now: LORD, may my sister and brother-in-law understand that without you they are nothing, and may they desire nothing but you. As I prayed that last line, I recalled an article I read which they (my sister and brother-in-law) wrote for an online forum where my brother-in-law made the statement "living the lifestyle I desired so much." He was referring to wealth, success, exotic vacations and lavish lifestyles. What a contrast to what we have been praying for them these last nine years. What a chasm between their desires for wealth and our prayer that they would desire nothing but God. Goodness.

Francis Chan does a great illustration of what is truly important. Watch it here. Life is short—eternity is forever. 

II Corinthians 2:14–16 contains some very interesting thoughts. When we spread His knowledge we are like a sweet smelling perfume and it is an offering to God. It is pleasing to God like the smell of the burnt offerings of the Old Testament. It is also pleasing to other believers, but to the non-believer (or the religious unbeliever) we are a stench. This explains so much. It's easy sometimes to wonder why there are some people who just really seem to dislike you for no apparent reason. The answer is found right here—we are a stench to them! Not because of who we are but because of whose we are. It is the heart of the person that determines whether the aroma is sweet smelling or a stench. What is sweet smelling to God and His followers is repulsive to the world.  


Next Entry: II Corinthians 3:1 – 4:15

Acts 21 – 28 (Continued)

January 03, 2013

Festus becomes governor. Even after two years the Jews have not moved on with their lives and they see this as a new opportunity to "get" Paul. Festus went from Caesarea to visit Jerusalem. This time the Jews presented their false charges against Paul to Festus and they asked him for a favor. They wanted Festus to send Paul back to Jerusalem. Their plan? To kill him while he was being moved. But their plan didn't work. Festus decided to leave Paul in Caesarea. He said, "Some of your leaders should go with me. They can accuse the man there in Caesarea, if he has really done something wrong." (Acts 25:5)

Festus returned to Caesarea. He told the soldiers to bring Paul before him. Festus was seated on the Judge's seat. When Paul was brought into the room the people who were against him gathered around him, "making serious charges against him, which they could not prove." (Acts 25:7) This is what Paul said to defend himself: "I have done nothing wrong against the law, against the temple, or against Caeser." Festus wanted to please the Jews, so he asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be judged there. Festus thought he was trying to please the Jews, but what he didn't realize is that it wasn't the "place" that mattered to the Jews. Having Paul moved was part of their scheme to kill Paul by having access to him.

Paul replied, you can judge me right here. Acts 25:10–11 - "I have done nothing wrong to them; you know this is true. If I have done something wrong and the law says I must die"—then so be it. "But if these charges are not true, then no one can give me to them." I'm not going to run; I'm not going to hide; I'm not guilty; and "I want Caeser to hear my case!" Caeser was the Emperor, the highest authority in Rome. Festus talked it over with his advisers and then agreed to send him to Caeser.

A few days later King Agrippa and his wife come to visit Festus. Festus tells him the story of what has happened.

1. Felix left a man in prison;
2. I went to Jerusalem and the leading priests and older leaders made charges against him;
3. They asked me to sentence him to death;
4. I explained that when a man is accused of a crime, we Romans do not hand him over until he has been allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges;
5. So the people came here for the trial;
6. I commanded that the man be brought in;
7. They stood up and accused him, but not of any serious crime as I thought they would.

Festus continues. The things they are complaining about is a difference in belief systems. He said/she said. How do I make a judgment about that? I asked Paul, "Do you want to go to Jerusalem to be judged?" But he asked to be kept here. He wants a decision from the Emperor, so I'm going to send him to Caeser.

King Agrippa was intrigued. He wanted to hear from this man himself, so a time was set. The king and his wife, army leaders, Festus, and the important men from Caesarea all gathered in the judgment room. The soldiers brought Paul in. Festus said to all the important people gathered—Here he is... this is the man. His accusers have complained to me about him. They have shouted that he shouldn't live any longer.   found no reason to order his death. He has asked to be judged by Caeser, so I am sending him to Caeser. But I don't even know what to write about him when I send him. Maybe you can help question him and give me something to write. It seems foolish to send a prisoner to Caeser without telling what charges should be against him.

Agrippa said to Paul, "You may now defend yourself." Now, from all outside appearances, Paul is the captive one. But the truth is Paul had a captive audience, and he took that opportunity to witness for God. Paul raised his hand and began to speak  Acts 26:2 - "I am very happy to stand before you and will answer all the charges the evil people make against me.... please listen to me patiently."

And Paul starts in, and they hear his whole life story, who he was and who he became through the grace of God and His son Jesus. He told how he used to be like his accusers and used to help them persecute those who believed in Jesus. (Which is why they were so angry with Paul now. They used to be partners, but Paul broke away from them and they were angry. They wanted to make Paul pay, at any cost.) Paul told about what happened to him on the road to Damascus. How he was blinded by a bright light and how he heard a voice speak to him. "Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are only hurting yourself by fighting me."

Then Paul told them how God spoke to him and said, "You will tell people the things you have seen and the things that I will show you. This is why I have come to you today. I will keep you safe from your own people and also from the others. I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn away from darkness to the light, away from the power of Satan to God. Then their sins can be forgiven, and they can have a place with those people who have been made holy by believing in me." (Acts 26:16–18) Paul told King Agrippa how he obeyed God's voice and preached God's message of repentance and "change your hearts and lives."

Acts 26:21 - "This is why....!" This is why the Jews were angry and determined to get Paul and manufactured accusations against him. Acts 26:22 - "But God helped me, so I stand here today, telling all people, small and great, what I have seen."


Next Entry: Acts 21 – 28 (Continued)

Acts 21 – 28 (Continued)

January 02, 2013

Felix made a sign for Paul to speak. It was Paul's turn to defend himself. Unlike the lawyer, he did not start out with long lines of flattery. There was no manipulation on Paul's part. He simply said, "I know you have been a judge over this nation for a long time. So I am happy to defend myself before you."

Here was Paul's defense:

• You can learn for yourself that I went to worship in Jerusalem only twelve days ago
• Those who are accusing me did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple
• I was not stirring up the people in the synagogues or the city
• They cannot prove the things they are saying against me now
• But I will tell you this: I worship God and am a follower of the Way of Jesus
• I went to Jerusalem to worship and help my people

Paul had done nothing to warrant their anger or their pursuit of him. Their pursuit was based entirely on their own sins of envy, revenge, anger, and refusal to surrender to the Way of Jesus.

Paul continued on:

• When they found me in the Temple I had just finished the cleansing ceremony
• I had not made any trouble
• No people were gathering around me

Paul was minding his own business inside the temple while the leaders were outside the temple working themselves up into a frenzy over what Paul "might" be doing until they convinced themselves to believe their own lies. There was no stopping them. Not facts; not reality; and not truth. Acts 24:5 - "We have found him to be a trouble maker."

Paul was not afraid or ashamed. The accusations were false. Acts 24:20 - "Ask these people here if they found any wrong in me when I stood before the council in Jerusalem." Paul was saying this isn't about what I have done. This is about who I am—a believer and follower of the Way of Jesus. This was a battle between evil forces and good, and it was an attempt to block the message of Christ from going forward. Felix understood much about the Way of Jesus. He stopped the trial and said he would give his ruling when the commander of the army came.

Paul was taken back under guard but was given some freedom even though he was still a prisoner because of their continued false accusation against him. Paul's friends were allowed to bring him what he needed. The support of his friends was an encouragement to him, and his steadfastness was an encouragement to the fellow believers who were watching. 

Because Paul was in prison he had many opportunities to share his faith in Christ with Felix, his wife, and anyone else who would listen. Felix was interested (his wife was Jewish so he had some knowledge of Jesus), but he was also afraid. He really didn't want to hear about living right, self-control, and the reality of God judging the world. Felix would often send for Paul so he could listen to him and talk with him, but he had an ulterior motive. He was hoping Paul would pay him. But ulterior motive aside, God's plan was working. He was hearing about Christ.

Two years passed. Felix was replaced as governor. Festus was now in charge—and Paul was still in prison. Felix found no wrong with anything Paul had done but left him there in prison to please the Jews. Even after two years the Jews did not give up in their pursuit of Paul. Their desire to "get Paul" did not wane, it only increased.

All of this "appeared" disastrous for Paul, but it was actually God's plan at work.


Next Entry: Acts 21 – 28 (Continued)

Acts 21 – 28

January 01, 2013

A new year—2013. As I write on this first day of this new year, I'm going to do something that I've never done before in my three plus years of writing in this journal. What I've always done in the past is to read the passage for each Life Lesson as listed in my New Century Version Bible; read the same chapter(s) in Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) KJV and NIV one day; and then write my thoughts the next day. Last night as I read I should have stopped after reading Acts 21, but I couldn't stop reading, and I read all the way to the end of Acts. And then I knew, instead of taking the eight separate Life Lessons one at a time, I'm supposed to write about the whole story from Acts 21 to Acts 28.

First the background to the story. Acts 20:22–24 tells us that Paul knew he was supposed to go to Jerusalem. He didn't know what to expect when he got there, he just knew he was supposed to go. And so, committed to the cause of Christ, he started on his way. People tried to warn him not to go. In fact, they begged him not to go. They knew there was most likely trouble ahead for Paul, but Paul was steadfast. No matter what—he was willing and ready to go. When they could not persuade him to stay, they quit begging him and said, "We pray that what the Lord wants will be done." (Acts 21:14) There was a quiet acceptance of God's will—no matter what.

Paul travels to Jerusalem and goes to the temple. And just like that, the trouble began. People began to falsely accuse him, assuming he had done something which he had not. They gathered other people with them and led an attack on Paul. They grabbed him and drug him out of the temple immediately closing the doors behind him. They tried to kill him, but the commander of the army heard about the commotion and ran to the place where the crowd was gathered.

When the crowd saw him coming they stopped beating Paul. The commander arrested Paul and had him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who this man was and what he had done wrong. Some in the crowd yelled one thing and some yelled another. Because of all the confusion the commander couldn't determine what their problem was, so he had Paul taken to the army building. The soldiers had to carry him up the steps because the people were determined to hurt him. The crowd was yelling, "Kill him!" Paul, thinking he could explain himself and reason with the crowd asked for permission to speak to them.       

Paul said, "Friends, fellow Jews, listen to my defense to you." (Acts 22:1) Paul went on and told them his life story, how he himself had persecuted believers; how he was blinded by the light; how he said, "What shall I do Lord"; how the Lord said to "Get up and go" and he went; what Ananias said to him; how he could physically see again; but more importantly, how his spiritual eyes were opened. God had chosen him to be a witness to all people, "...telling them what you have seen and heard." He told the people (his accusers) how God led his life telling him where to go and when to go. When the crowd heard Paul say that God had told him they would not listen to truth, they again became furious and shouted for his destruction.

The commander did not understand what was going on. He told his soldiers to take Paul inside and beat him so Paul would say why the people were so angry at him. As they were tying him up and getting ready to beat him, Paul asked, "Do you have the right to beat a Roman citizen that has not been proven guilty?" (Acts 22:25) They were shocked to find out he was a Roman citizen. Because he was a Roman citizen they did not beat him.

The commander was still trying to figure out why the Jews were so angry at Paul. At first he thought maybe Paul was the Egyptian who had caused trouble. But that wasn't it—so what was the problem? He called the leading priest and council and arranged a meeting with Paul. Paul looked at them and declared his innocence. The truth made them angry and the high priest ordered that the men standing next to Paul should hit him in the mouth. Paul exposed the hypocrisy and called him "a wall painted white." A fake. A religious unbeliever. He was accusing Paul of breaking the law when he was the guilty one.

Paul tried to defend himself, but more arguing broke out and it turned so violent that the commander was afraid some evil people would tear Paul to pieces. So, he told his soldiers to go get Paul and to put him in the army building as a way to protect him. Paul appeared to be captive, but he was actually being protected. I love what happens next. Acts 23:11 - "The next night the Lord came and stood by Paul." The Lord said, "Be brave! You have told people in Jerusalem about me. You must do the same in Rome." (Acts 23:11) God had a plan and anything that came against it was thwarted. Some of the Jews were so determined to get Paul that they vowed to not eat or drink until they were successful at getting him. But their plan was exposed and Paul was safe.

The commander was still trying to figure out what was going on. Why are they so against this man? He sent Paul to Felix and sent a letter with him. The letter said: "Some of the Jews had taken this man and planned to kill him. But I learned that he is a Roman citizen, so I went with my soldiers and saved him. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him before their council meeting. I learned that these people said Paul did some things that were wrong by their own laws, but no charge was worthy of jail or death. When I was told that some of them were planning to kill Paul, I sent him to you at once. I also told them to tell you what they have against him." (Acts 23:27–30) Felix decided to hear his case "when those who are against you come here too." So, Paul was kept under guard in Herod's Palace.

Five days later the high priest and some of the older leaders show up with a lawyer. They had come to make their charges against Paul. Paul was called into the meeting. The lawyer starts out in typical  lawyer fashion, flattering and praising Felix for the things he had done and how thankful they are for him... blah, blah, blah. Then he gets into why they are there. Their Plan A attempts to get rid of Paul by killing him was thwarted so now they went to Plan B and attempted to "get him" by manipulating the law against him in front of the Roman Governor Felix. The lawyer tells Felix, "But not wanting to take any more of your time, I beg you to be kind and listen to our few words." (Acts 24:4) And he starts in.

Acts 24:5–8 - "We have found this man to be a troublemaker... stirring up trouble... he was trying to make the temple unclean... but we stopped him. Ask him questions yourself, you can decide if all these things are true." His clients (the high priest and other leaders) all agreed with what he said. All the accusations they made were false but that didn't matter to them. They were out to get Paul and they were determined to do it. They were breaking the same laws they were accusing Paul of breaking but they didn't care. They were tunnel visioned and laser focused.

But remember, while all this was happening, Paul was exactly where God intended for him to be, and the LORD was standing beside him. 


Next Entry: Acts 21 – 28 (Continued) 

Acts 18:1–28 (Continued)

December 26, 2012

I thought I was done writing about my sister and brother-in-law's apparent decision to reject God's ways and instead trust in the world's court. But during the night some new thoughts came to me and more of the iceberg is being exposed.

"I will win!" That is the motive and drive behind my sister's actions. At any cost, "I will win!" It doesn't matter if it goes against God's Word; it doesn't matter if it destroys others; and it doesn't even matter if it destroys her. "I will win!" My sister and brother-in-law thought they could win by deceit. They thought they could win by domineering and overpowering. They thought they could win by manipulations, threats, and the fear of embarrassment. There was never a desire for compromise because a compromise would not be winning. Arbitration—rejected. Sale—rejected.  Mediation—rejected.

They rejected God's way and instead turned to the world's way to achieve their goal of "I will win." In the past they were able to get their own desires by implementing all the things I've just mentioned. They were surprised it didn't work for them this time and in a letter to our Senior Pastor said they were "mystified" as to why nothing they tried worded. So, they plowed on, rejecting God ways and embracing the world's way. They lost so much in these last years, and yet nothing to date has stopped them—because I must win! As the saying goes, come Hell or high water nothing else matters, "I will win!"

In my sister's letter to me after mediation she said something to the effect of "when are you going to stop this" which made/makes no sense unless you view it through her "I will win!" thinking. In her view I need to give up and quit defending myself so she can "win."

And God says, "You are already defeated." You've already lost. You will not win. Even if it "appears" that you win in the earthly realm, you have lost in the only thing that really matters—eternal security.

Wow! You can't fight (and win) against God's will. CANNOT! This is why we told our lawyer what we did in January '09 during my sister and brother-in-law's depositions in Indy. They cannot be victorious in deceitfully maneuvering and wrongly taking away from us every earthly thing that God has given us. They cannot! We went on to tell our lawyer that if GOD decides He has a different plan for our lives and it involves removing from us what HE has given us, then we are okay with that because we trust HIM, and we have surrendered ALL to HIM. Fighting against God is always a losing battle and any attempt to do so shows, "you are already defeated." 

This isn't some new idea. It is what got Satan kicked out of heaven. It is what caused Adam and Eve to sin and be removed from the garden. It is the violation of God's very first commandment. It is the problem (sin) of "I"—p.r.I.d.e. "I will win!" Stubborn refusal to surrender. I... I... I... no matter what it costs me... I. And it will be costly, for God says, "you are already defeated" because you have relied on yourself and you have rejected my ways for the world's way. I go back to the prayer God gave us for my sister and brother-in-law years ago. "May they understand that without you they are nothing and may they desire nothing but you!"

When you live a life that is not surrendered to God you do not get to control what controls you.

After being taken to court and released by the judge, Paul traveled from town to town giving encouragement and strength to all the followers. Acts 18 gives a clear example of how to handle it when someone is misguided in their teachings. Apollo was passionately and eloquently teaching about Jesus but the only baptism he knew about was the baptism that John taught. He did not yet understand about the Holy Spirit. When Priscilla and Aquila heard this they did not malign him publicly. Acts 18:26 - "They took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God." When Apollo understood, he went on his way and "He argued very strongly with the Jews before all the people clearly proving with the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ." (Acts 18:28)

Addendum: 3/11/16 ~ Add another rejection to the list. Settlement Conference—rejected. The judge tried to get them to understand their best opportunity for "control" was now, before trial. And still they could not let go. They must win! But at what cost? It is frightening when you look at the path they have chosen to take. 

It is even more frightening when you look at the "why" behind their decisions. Of course they chose the world's way. How could they not? It was their ONLY option. In God's design for solving disputes there is NO defense for lies, cheating, devious conduct, evil traps, stealing, etc. Those things have NO place in a Believer's life. To chose God's ways would have meant "change your hearts and lives and get a new way of thinking." They purposely have rejected God's ways and incredibly, they have also rejected any solution the world's way has offered because it didn't include them winning ALL. Throughout this whole process, my sister and brother-in-law have consistently exhibited one attitude, which our lawyer has accurately characterized as, "We win, you lose—you choose."

Up to this point, there has been NO indication that any sort of change is even on the radar of their consciousness or subconsciousness. Dangerous, dangerous ground. O Lord, they are so blinded and their hearts are so hardened. Is there any hope???? 

Addendum #2: 2/13/19 ~ The judge said a trial would be scheduled for early 2016 if  the Settlement Conference was not successful, but that never happened. 2016 passed. Then late in 2017, another notice came from the judge requesting both sides to advise the courts of available times and/or conflicting dates so a trial could be scheduled for 2018. Our lawyer sent back a broad range of times we would be available and also his conflicting dates from when he already had another trial scheduled. Remarkably, my sister and brother-in-law didn't do that. Instead, they sent the judge a list of when they would be available, just a small window of time in early spring, saying any other time would be a hardship for them. You would have thought they would have said, "name the date and time and we will be there." I think the judge was put off by their arrogance and their expectancy that a judge should acquiesce to their demands/limited availability. As a result, we've heard nothing back from the judge and no date was set.

2018 passed. Then in late January of this year (2019) my sister and brother-in-law (through their lawyer) sent a letter to the judge requesting a phone conference between both the lawyers and judge for the purpose of setting a trial date in either late 2019 or the first months of 2020, again saying they are not available any other time as it would be a hardship for them. They are obviously tired of waiting on the judge and have decided to take matters into their own hands.

So we will wait and see.

I said to my husband just a few weeks ago (before my sister and brother-in-law's letter to the judge) that maybe the reason the lawsuit is still sitting stagnant in the court system is because my sister and brother-in-law are going to change their hearts and minds. The arrow on the "hope" meter was a little to the right of center.  And then we get the notice that they are still actively pursuing their deceit and our destruction, and the arrow on the "hope" meter goes back to the left and bottoms out.

We still do not believe this lawsuit will ever proceed to trial. There is no legal rationale explaining our beliefs, it is just a strong conviction of faith. In the world's court a trial is the only option left. But, we do not believe this lawsuit will be decided by the world's court. No earthly thing or person can put a stop to my sister's obsession. Only God—only God.  See By HIS Great Power.


Next Entry: Acts 19:1–41

Acts 17:1–34

December 17, 2012

Some people are just plain disagreeable. They look for ways to stir up trouble. Paul and Silas were doing what they always did—sharing with others about the scriptures—"but some others became jealous" and they did everything in their power to stir up trouble.

Jealousy—the root of so many problems. It is often masked or hidden, but the root is jealousy and like a dandelion root, it runs deep. To eradicate it there has to be a heart change. Self-reformation does not work. Just like the dandelion, if a small piece of the root remains it will come back. Because of their jealousy they rounded up evil people, formed a mob; and started a riot. If you look enough you can find others to join you in your angry desire to "get them."

I'm reminded how it appears the first lawyers my sister and brother-in-law contacted turned them down. But that didn't stop my sister and brother-in-law, they kept going, looking for someone to join them in their pursuit of us. They eventually found someone who would join them in their mission to destroy us, our immediate family, and our extended family. But, evil cannot trump God. Cannot!

The mob went looking for Paul and Silas. When they couldn't find them, they went after people who knew Paul and Silas and were also believers. (My sister and brother-in-law have done the same. They have put our business lawyer on notice. If they aren't successful in getting money from us they are going after him.) The leaders of the city made the believers put up a sum of money and then freed them. (That is precisely what they are hoping to accomplish with our business lawyer. They know there was not any malpractice, but they are hoping to force him into some sort of settlement to get rid of them.) 

Forcing payment from other believers wasn't enough to satisfy the mob. Nothing ever seems to be "enough" to satisfy someone motivated by jealousy. They heard Paul and Silas were preaching in another area, so they went there, upsetting the people and making trouble. It didn't stop Paul and Silas. Instead, they went to a new area and began to preach there. Because of their actions of trying to prevent the ministry of Paul the exact opposite happened. The message was spread even further. God works that way. What was meant for evil is used for good. Paul stood before the people and said:

"The God who made the whole world and everything in it is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples built by human hands. This God is the One who gives life, breath, and everything else to people. He does not need any help from them; he has everything he needs. God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live. God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us: 'We live in him. We walk in him. We are him.'  Some of your own poets have said: 'For we are his children.' Since we are God's children, you must not think that God is something that people imagine or make from gold, silver, or rock. In the past, people did not understand God, and he ignored this. But now, God tells all people in the world to change their hearts and lives. God has set a day that he will judge all the world with fairness, by the man he chose long ago. And God has proved this to everyone by raising that man from the dead." Acts 18:24–31

When the people heard Paul's message they responded in three ways: 1) some laughed; 2) some said we'll decide later; and 3) some said "we believe" and joined Paul. Paul "went away" from those who laughed or said maybe later.

What a dangerous response. What dire consequences. Don't laugh—believe. Don't wait—believe.

We choose to believe!

*****

Today is our 40th wedding anniversary.  The kids surprised us by taking all of us to Ruth's Chris Steak House for dinner last night and then sending my husband and I to a B&B in Marshall, Michigan. Thanks, kids! We love you all!


Next Entry: Acts 18:1–28

Acts 16:1–40

December 10, 2012

God has a plan. Pay attention! Follow it!  God's Word and his Holy Spirit will guide us. We are responsible to have ourselves in a position where we can hear and understand His guidance, and then submit ourselves to it. No matter what.

Paul thought they should go to Asia—the Holy Spirit said no. Paul thought they should go to Bithynia—the Holy Spirit said no. So, they obeyed and didn't go to those places. They knew what they weren't supposed to do, but they did not yet know what they were to do. So, they put one foot in front of the other while they kept telling God's truth. Finally the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul where he wanted them to go—and they left for Macedonia. And there they met Lydia, a divine appointment arranged by God. The Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying, and she and all the people in her house were baptized.

On this same God-planned trip, Paul and Silas were put in jail. They were on their way to the place where they prayed when a servant girl who was filled with an evil spirit began to follow them shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved." She did this over and over for days, taunting and disrupting them. The taunts of Satan are often disguised by using words of truth. However, his motive is never to promote or reveal the truth of God. His motive is to seek, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)  Finally, Paul turned to the servant girl and said to the spirit, "By the power of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her." (Acts 16:18)  And immediately, the spirit came out.

There is no power that can stand against the name of Jesus. None! The owners of the servant girl were very upset. Not because they cared about her, because they didn't care about her at all. They were only using her to make money for themselves. She was their hope for making money and Paul had just taken that away from them, and they were angry. So, they grabbed Paul and Silas and took them to the Roman leaders, seeking revenge against them. They were attacked, stripped of their clothing, beaten with rods, and thrown into jail. But remember! They were exactly where God wanted them to be. Everything they were doing, and everything that was happening to them was happening for one purpose and one purpose alone—to bring honor and glory to God.

They weren't a victim of their circumstances. They were the recipients of a Blessed Event. They were in jail, but they weren't moping, complaining, or upset about their circumstances. They were instead praying and singing praises to God. They had a captive audience—literally. The other prisoners were listening. God wants everyone to hear about Him. How else were the prisoners going to hear?!?

As they were praying and singing, a strong earthquake suddenly shook the very foundation of the jail; the doors were opened; and all the prisoners were freed from their chains. That's what happens when we pray and praise Jesus. The chains fall off and we are no longer bound.  


Next Entry: Acts 16:1–40 (Continued)

Acts 15:1–41

December 06, 2012

Sharp dispute. This chapter shows how conflict in the church (and elsewhere) should be handled.

There was a sharp dispute over what should be required of the Gentile believers. One side believed one thing and the other side believed the opposite. There was going to be no way to reach an agreement between the two sides, so the church sent Paul and Barnabas along with some others to Jerusalem so the apostles and other elders could decide what was correct. After they heard all the different opinions, a decision was made and a compromise was reached. Paul and Barnabas, along with two other men the elders chose, went back to explain the decision to the people. During this whole time, even though there was a sharp dispute, God's message was still going out. On the way to and from the meeting Paul and Barnabas were still preaching and encouraging. The arbitration process wasn't easy, and there were long debates, but a decision was reached and strife was prevented. Later, Paul and Barnabas also had a strong disagreement about how to proceed. It was so serious that they separated and went their own separate ways. They didn't seek revenge on each other. They agreed to disagree and went their own ways while still spreading the message of Christ.

In early 2007, when this whole breakdown with my sister and brother-in-law and "the storm" was still in the beginning stages, my sister and brother-in-law contacted our pastors multiple times; they were ostensibly trying to seek help with solving a disagreement between leaders in the church (us) and them. The truth is they were trying to manipulate our Senior Pastor (our Pastor's own words) and threaten him by telling him this lawsuit was going to become very public and therefore damaging to the church because their leaders were involved. Their letters and phone calls to our Pastors had nothing to do with seeking help to settle a "strong dispute." It was entirely about using manipulation, threats, and scripture to get what they wanted, which was us back under their control until their deceitful plans could be fulfilled.

My sister and brother-in-law were angry, and they wanted us hurt. They wanted to embarrass us and have us removed from our leadership positions which they knew we were passionate about. Our Pastor followed biblical principle and suggested arbitration. My sister and brother-in-law said they served on a board affiliated with a nationally known religious organization, trying to "appear" as religious and affiliated with well-known leaders. (This was a very exaggerated claim.) Since my sister and brother-in-law claimed to have a relationship with the nationally known religious organization, our Pastor offered to set up an arbitration with someone of their choice from within that organization. My sister and brother-in-law refused his offer. Our Pastor then offered to speak with their pastor, and my brother-in-law told him there wasn't one since they just went to a small "home" church.

Our Pastor offered every biblical option, and my sister and brother-in-law refused them all. They didn't want a compromise. They didn't want reconciliation  They wanted control. They wanted domination. They wanted revenge. They wanted our humiliation at church and in our community. They wanted the completion of their underhanded schemes. And they were determined to get it. So they rejected all of God's ways and devised and proceeded with a plan that directly violates God's own words. Dangerous. Dangerous ground.

And the things they planned for us? The humiliation, embarrassment, removal, etc.?  None of it has happened.  None!


Next Entry: Acts 16:1–40

Acts 7:1 – 8:1a

November 23, 2012

The leaders have just (falsely) accused Stephen of speaking against Moses and God. They went out and found people to lie about him. And now the high priests ask him, "Are these things true?" Stephen replied: Listen to me! Then he summarized their Jewish history that is found in the Old Testament. He started with the promise God gave Abraham. He talked about Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Stephen showed how repeatedly God blessed, and how repeatedly the Jewish people rebelled against God. Stephen pointed out that they were doing the same things as their ancestors. Acts 7:51 - "You stubborn people! You have not given your hearts to God, nor will you listen to him! You are always against what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, just as your ancestors were." He went on: "Your ancestors tried to hurt every prophet that ever lived. Those prophets said long ago that the One who is good would come, but your ancestors killed them. And now you have turned against and killed the One who is good." (Acts 7:51–52) Notice he said "is"—present tense not past tense. God had given them His words, but they refused to obey them.

The leaders were furious! How dare he point out their failures. Acts 7:54 - "They were so mad they were grinding their teeth at Stephen." Instead of accepting the message of truth from God's messenger, they chose to deny the truth and kill the messenger. Just like their ancestors before. They took Stephen out and stoned him to death. Stephen looked to the heavens and said, "Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right side." (Acts 7:56) Standing at God's right side—not sitting at God's right side. This is the only time in scripture that it refers to Jesus "standing." Jesus is actively involved in His followers' lives. Stephen was "full of the Holy Spirit" and Jesus wasn't just sitting around thinking, "Oh well, what will be will be." He cared, and He was actively involved, which is what gave Stephen the strength to face what he was facing, to see the Hand of God working, and to feel no anger or revenge. Acts 7:59–60 - "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit... Lord, do not hold this sin against them." After he prayed this prayer he died.

On May 01, 2008, Jane's POA, my husband and I were gathered around Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) bed. Jane was dying. Jane's POA and I were on the right side of her bed, and my husband was on her left. Earlier in the day (while it was just Jane's POA and I) Jane extended both of her arms straight up towards the heavens. Now it was evening, and my husband was standing on her left side. She kept pointing upward. She would look at my husband and then towards the ceiling, then back to my husband, then to the ceiling again saying, "Go up!  Go up!" I'm convinced that Jane—full of the Holy Spirit—was seeing the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, walking with her through the dying process until it was time for, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Addendum:  3/5/16 ~ The words of the song We Will Not Be Shaken kept running through my thoughts last night. Stephen was not shaken. That song was followed by How Great Thou Art. Stephen's earthly death took him into the very presence of his Savior and he was able to immediately experience the greatness of God.

We Will Not Be Shaken 

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.  

Though the battle rages we will stand in the fight
Though the armies rise up against us on all sides
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.

For in the hour of our darkest days
We will not tremble we won't be afraid
Hope is rising like the light of dawn
Our God is for us HE has overcome.

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken. 


All those against him will fall
For our God is stronger
He can do all things
No higher name we can call for Jesus is greater
We can do all things

For we trust in our God
And through his unfailing love
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken.
We will not be shaken. 

Listen to it here.

Listen to How Great Thou Art here.


Next Entry: Acts 7:1 – 8:1a (Continued)

John 18:28 – 19:42

November 13, 2012

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll.

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, It is well with my soul.

   It is well, with my soul

   It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed his own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole.

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend

Even so, it is well with my soul.

   It is well, with my soul

   It is well, it is well with my soul.

Listen to It Is Well With My Soul here.

The crucifixion of Jesus. Orchestrated by His own people—the Jews. The Jews—chosen by God to be His people. Throughout the Old Testament we read of their disobedience, their wanderings, their refusal to accept full surrender to God. They wanted kings so God let them have what they wanted even though it was going to cause their downfall. None of the kings for the tribe of Israel did what the Lord said was right, and only a few of the kings of Judah followed what the Lord said was right.  

Fast forward to the time of Jesus. The Jews are no longer free. They are living under the control of the Roman Empire. It was a fairly comfortable life, it was not like when they were slaves of Egypt. They had settled in and accepted something far less than what God had designed for them. They were content with status quo. They didn't want Jesus to disrupt their lives. Over the years they decided which laws they were going to follow and they added their own insight and twist to the laws. They were comfortable in their sin and did not want to change. How dare this "man" named Jesus interrupt their lifestyle.

Their scriptures told them exactly what was going to happen. Yet Jesus was born a few miles away and they had no idea. They were not seeking God or searching His word. They were doing what they wanted to do. They were religious—but they were religious unbelievers. The baby Jesus grew to be a man. They become offended by His teachings so they decide to get rid of this "man" who is putting a damper on their lifestyle. They don't want to get their own hands dirty so they enlist the help of the Romans who they are subject to, and Jesus is arrested and taken before the Jews High Priest. He is questioned and then taken to the Roman Governor's palace. But, since they were "religious," they did not go inside the palace because that would have made them unclean and they didn't want to miss out on eating the Passover meal. Heaven forbid!! They were concerned about missing their "religious" custom of celebrating the protection of God and all the while they are seeking the destruction of God Himself!!  

Pilate asked what this man had done wrong and they respond—trust us! We wouldn't have brought him to you if he wasn't a criminal. Pilate says, "Take him yourself and judge him by your own law." But the problem was their law did not allow anyone to be put to death. So in order to remain "religious" they had to take Jesus to someone else (the Romans) and have their court do it. And that was somehow okay in their "religious" minds!?! They were laser focused on one thing—GET HIM! They could not see or understand truth. Jesus said, "This is why I was born and came into the world: to tell people the truth. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me." The KJV says, "hears my voice." The NIV says, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." (John 18:37) But they didn't want truth. They only wanted what they wanted.  

Pilate could find nothing wrong with Jesus. It was the Jewish custom to release one prisoner at Passover time. So he asked the people if they wanted to free Jesus. He gave them opportunity after opportunity to change their hearts and actions, but they refused and asked to have Barabbas (a true criminal) released instead. Pilate again tells them he can find no fault in him, and they respond by shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate says if you want to do this, then do it yourself. The Jews respond with "we have a law..." They were portraying religiosity.

Pilate again wants to let Jesus go. So this time they try a new tactic by putting pressure on him through manipulation. John 19:12 - "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar." Pilate, as governor, was under the rule of Caesar. By claiming insubordination they pressured Pilate into doing what he did not want to do. So Pilate sat down on the judge's seat. It was about noon on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the crowd. "Here is your King! And they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him! The only king we have is Caesar!"

The truth comes out. They aren't followers of God, and Jesus is crucified. Pilate has a sign made to be put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews." The leading Priests said: NO! NO! NO!! Don't say he is the king of the Jews! Say he said he is the king of the Jews. Wasn't it enough to humiliate and kill Him? Their anger and revenge ran deep, but Pilate did not change the sign. The truth is the truth. He was/is the King of the Jews.

It was Preparation Day, and the next day was a special Sabbath day. They were busy being "religious." They didn't have time to waste while they were waiting for Jesus to die. So, they asked for the legs of the three men to be broken so they would hurry up and die. They had "religious" things they needed to do. The other two men's legs were broken, but Jesus was already dead. Jesus body was taken down and put in a tomb nearby.

BUT WAIT!! Before we become to hard on the Jews for their behavior and their part in the crucifixion of Jesus, what about us!?! Hebrews 6:4–6 says:

"Some people cannot be brought back again to a changed life. They were once in God's light, and enjoyed heaven's gift, and shared in the Holy Spirit. They found out how good God's word is, and they received the powers of his new world. But they fell away from Christ. It is impossible to bring them back to a changed life again, because they are nailing the Son of God to a cross again and shaming him in front of others."

Wow! We are appalled at the actions of the Jews. But, if we turn away from Christ and do not follow His teachings, we are doing the very same thing!! Nailing Him to the cross again and shaming Him in front of others.

May those words never be said about me.


Next Entry: John 20:1–31 

John 15:1 – 16:4a

November 07, 2012

Remain! Remain! Remain!

John 15:4 - "Remain in me and I will remain in you." Jesus is the vine; God is the gardener; we are the branches. It is

God

↓

Man

It is not God = Man or

Man

↓

God.

We must understand this! The branch cannot exist without the vine; it will wither and die; be thrown into the fire; and burned. It cannot produce fruit without the vine. It must remain with the vine. To produce fruit, to produce much fruit, the gardener (God) must trim away the dead or anything that hinders the production of fruit. The pruning process makes the branch thrive and the branch produces even more fruit—fruit that lasts.

The branch doesn't decide what to change—the gardener decides. It is our responsibility to remain. Remain connected to the vine. Remain committed to the vine. Remain in submission to the vine. Remain in the flow of life and love from the vine. Remain dependent upon the vine. To remain means to submit yourself to the authority of the vine and gardener. To truly understand the

God's Will

↓

Man

relationship. John 15:7 - "If you remain in me and follow my teachings, you can ask anything you want, and it will be given to you." There are some who read a verse like this and selfishly think it means they can use God like a puppet or benefactor so they can ask for anything they want and they can get it, as if God is their own personal servant. But look at it more closely. "If you remain in me and follow my teachings..."if you do those things, then your will and God's will, will be aligned and your heart will desire what His heart desires. John 15:16 - "Go and produce fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name." IF—THEN.

One of the fruits we are to produce is LOVE. John 15:12 - "This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:17 - "This is my command: Love each other." Pretty clear and straight forward. Those commands leave no room for anger, revenge, greed, deceit, force, control, or selfish desires. Those actions absolutely remove you from the vine and the ability to produce fruit. The fruit God wants is: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is what God wants. The only way to achieve those fruits is to remain. Remain in the vine. Welcome the pruning of the gardener. The producing of fruit is worth it all.

Remaining in Him does not mean a trouble free life. The world hated Jesus and the people of the world may hate you. But, we are not alone because we are part of the vine. John 14:16–17 - "I will send you the Helper... he is the Spirit of Truth." People who hate you may try to destroy you, but they cannot be successful. They cannot separate you from the vine. The gardener's pruning is what makes you strong. It's makes you understand that life is not about you—it is about Him. Jesus tells us what we do for the "least of these" is what we do for Him. The reverse of that is true as well. When someone does something to try and stop us or destroy us, their actions are actually against Christ because we are part of the vine. They may try to stop the production of fruit, but it isn't just the branch they are attacking, they are attacking the vine. It isn't our fight. It's God's. So let Him handle it.  Leave it in His hands.

We have one responsibility—Remain! Accept the pruning. Produce MUCH fruit.

Addendum: 7/4/2018 ~ As I was reading this post this morning the words of John 15:16 stuck out to me. "And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last." Fruit that will last. This has new meaning to me. It is the only thing that is important and truly lasts.

We've all heard the saying that you "never see a U-Haul behind a hearse," meaning you can't take your earthly possessions with you when you die. But it is so much more than that. In the months before my father-in-law's death, he lost all of his cognitive skills. It was a very sad thing to watch. In life, he was a very prideful man. He was proud of his business, his awards, his trips and vacations, his accomplishments, etc. But now, at the end of his life, he lost all memory of the things he was so proud of. He forgot he had taken those trips, he forgot about his awards and accomplishments, he forgot about the business he started, and in the most part, he forgot about his family. It was all gone. And then it hit me. It isn't just your possessions you don't take with you. You don't take your goals and accomplishments, your awards, the things you take pride in—you don't take anything earthly with you. 

The only thing that matters is "fruit that will last," the things you have done that brings Honor and Glory to God.

Who did you lead to Christ? Who did you help in His name? Who did you encourage in their walk with Christ? What have you done that holds Kingdom value? Because if your life accomplishments don't hold Kingdom value, if it isn't "fruit that lasts," then it really doesn't matter.

The poem by C.T. Studd says it all. 

Only One Life

Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yest only one,
Soon with its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice,
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God's holy will to cleave;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
Living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e'er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Oh, let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, "Thy will be done";
And when at last I'll hear the call,
I know I'll say "twas worth it all";
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Next Entry: John 16:4b–33