Call to Freedom

Pete was asked to deliver his Christian testimony to the Angels baseball team. He told them that he was raised as a good little Sunday School kid at a Baptist church in Alabama. Then when he went off to college, he started to do things that he couldn’t have imagined when he was a child. One guy on the team shouted, “things like what?” Pete read from Galatians 5:19-21. “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”

The context of these “works of the flesh” begins with Galations 5:13-15: “We’ve been called to freedom. Only use not freedom as an opportunity to the flesh (the sin nature) but in love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”

There is a point of no return in every relationship. A resentment bank accumulates into “irreconcilable differences.” These differences are the devil’s ploy to divide and conquer.

However, Love covers a multitude of sins. According to verses 16-17, “walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so that you cannot do the things that you please.” Lust means “over desire.” Lust is anything that we love and desire over our love of God and our desire to please him.

We’re where we are today because of the decisions we’ve made. When we “come to ourselves,” this is the point of repentance…the point of turning from the law of sin and death and toward the law of the spirit of life in Christ.

The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The devil’s greatest deception is to convince people that he doesn’t exist. Immorality in verse 19 means harlotry, incest, and all types of sexual perversion. Impurity and debauchery is filthy wantonness, indecency and vulgarity. Sensuality gives in to the indulgences of the flesh and the appetites of the sinful nature. Sorcery and witchcraft refer to drugs and addictions that open our minds to the power of Satan himself… The power of spiritual wickedness in high places.

We are subject to the devil and his whims when left to our own devices. We cannot defeat the powers of the Prince of the Power of the Air in our own strength. We’re not strong enough, we’re not smart enough, and we’re not wise enough. However, when we confess that in our own power we’re nothing, this is the point of repentance…of turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Insurrection means to separate our hearts from the truth of the Word of God. It is fierce indignation against everything that is righteous and holy. Disputes, dissensions and factions are part of the factious nature of sin and death.

The works of the flesh continue with murder, carousing, and reveling. Reveling is to abandon all self-control…to giver ourselves over to the lusts of our sinful nature.

This is just a partial list of the works of the flesh, the nature of sin and death that we inherited when Adam fell.

The fruit of the spirt is in direct contrast to the works of the flesh. The fruit of the spirt is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Against such there is no law. There is only one place that these things are found: The word of God which liveth and abideth forever. Jesus said that those who are saved have received the Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Love activates the other fruit of the spirit. Love fulfills the law and activates the spirit of God in Christ in us the hope of glory. Jesus said, a new commandment I give you…that ye love one another as I have loved you. Love covers a multitude of sins.
Pete has conducted marriage counseling sessions where the husband listed three pages of things that were wrong with his wife. However the love of God thinks no evil… It keeps no record of wrongs done. May our prayer be, “Lord, search me and create within me a new heart. Show me that there’s nothing wrong with my wife that you can’t fix in me. Teach me to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”

Joy and rejoicing is not the absence of pain. Rather, joy is the presence of the Lord. According to Psalm 37:4, Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The command is to actively, deliberately, and intentionally direct our delight according to the Lord’s delight. When we make his word our word, when we align our hearts with his heart, when our delight is his delight, then he will give us the desires of our heart. Reconciliation means to bring back together that which has been separated. This is the purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

Patience is actively waiting upon the Lord. They that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength… They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint.

The gentleness of the Lord calls a man to repentance. It’s the goodness, grace, and mercy of God that wins the unsaved. It’s not because of who we are, but because of who He is. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

The battle against the sin nature rages on. We cannot resist in our own power. In the words of Martin Luther’s great hymn of the faith:

Did we in our own strength confide, our battle would be losing.
Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.
Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He.
And He must win the battle.

As Paul said, Thy strength is made perfect in my weakness. Thy grace is sufficient for me.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Which Dog?

Galatians 5 says, “use not liberty as an occasion to the flesh (sin nature) but by love serve one another.” The battle against sin rages on. In a marriage counseling workshop one man approached Pete and said “I found a note from my wife this morning when I went to work. It said, “If you want to save this marriage then go see Pete.” Pete asked him, “Do you really want to be God’s man?” He answered, “yes kind of.” Pete’s next question was, “are you willing to do whatever it takes to save your marriage?” His answer was, “probably not.”

Jesus summed up the question of relationships with one command: “A new commandment I give you: That you love one another, even as I have loved you.” Galatians 5:16 says, “walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Lust means “over desire.” It is anything that we love and desire over our fellowship with God. Desires of the flesh are the things that we battle every day. The way to overcome these sinful desires is to love and treasure the things of the spirit of life in Christ over the things of the our natural sinful flesh. The flesh and the spirit are in opposition to one another so that you cannot do the things that are pleasing to both you and God.

There are two dogs in everyone’s nature. There’s a good dog and a bad dog. When they fight, which dog will win? The dog that wins is the dog you feed. The question for life’s decisions is, “which dog am I feeding?” If we’re casual about which dog we’re feeding, we’ll become a casualty in the spiritual battle.

There are two natures, the law of the flesh that produces sin and death and the law of the spirit of life in Christ. The law of the spirit is the law of grace. Galations 5 contrasts the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the spirit.”

When you’re in the flesh, you start doing things that you never thought you’d do. According to Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like…”

Physical and immoral impurities are the hallmarks of today’s culture. These are celebrated as “acceptable behavior” in our “politically correct” culture where men call good evil and evil good. Laciviousness is indulging to excess that which is impure. Idolatry is anything to which you give your life other than the one true God. Witchcraft and sorcery tap into the devil’s power-source of “spiritual wickedness from on high.” Most people don’t believe in hell. The devil’s greatest trick is to convince people that he doesn’t exist. Variance is division and strife focusing on “irreconcilable differences.” Jealousy and seditious incite insurrection and factions against others who don’t agree with the world’s definitions of “political correctness.” Disputes, heresies, and dissensions focus on hatred against others and drive wedges between opposing factions.

Sometimes you can’t help entering into the darkness of the world that surrounds you. Suzan often said, “you can’t help how others treat you. However, you can always love them in return.” The adversary’s goal is to steal, kill and to destroy. This is his nature and the nature of the flesh that we inherited form Adam.

In a marriage, wounds and hurts accumulate over time. However, when we forsake our pride, humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and meet each other at the foot of the cross, he will reconcile us.

Anger, wrath, jealousy and envyings intentionally hurt others from a heart of malice. Murder is the extreme end result of premeditated intent to kill from a heart filled with hate.

Reveling is to “pull out all the stops” by abandoning self control when we give ourselves over to sin.

In stark contrast to the works of the flesh are the fruit of the spirit. The list in Galatians 5:22 contrasts the flesh nature of sin and death with the spirit nature of life in Christ. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the spirit.

The first fruit of the spirit is love. The Love of God overcomes envyings, wantonness, and selfishness. Love suffers long and is kind. Joy is fullness and calm delight in the presence of God. Joy is not the absence of pain, rather it is the presence of God. When we delight ourselves in the lord, he will give us the desires of our heart. Peace is surrendering our hearts to the higher power in fellowship with our Lord.

Patience, long suffering and forbearance is the result of actively waiting in the presence of God. Gentleness is gracious affection according to the grace we have been given. Gentleness is quick to encourage and bless. It is amiable and uplifting in putting others first.

The fruit of the spirit is the nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “come unto me all you who are weary and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” When we’re beaten down by the lusts of the flesh and weakened by the powers of darkness, we can turn our hearts to him in repentance. Time in his presence will produce the fruit of the spirit.

When you squeeze a man his essence will come out. The heart of the flesh will produce the works of the flesh. However dwelling in the spirit of life in Christ will squeeze out the fruit of the spirit.

To have a great relationship with a great God is to walk according to the spirit of life in Christ. Our challenge is to choose which dog we will feed. If we feed the dog of the flesh we will produce anger, indignation, strife, contention, confusion and every evil work. If we feed the dog of the spirit it will produce the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance…. Against such there is no law.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Loving With God’s Love

We are where we are today because of the choices we’ve made. Choices made in a broken world are not always in our own best interest. However, Jesus Christ came to set us free from a broken world and its consequences. God created each of us with freedom of will. We were originally born with a sin nature that we inherited from Adam. Our fallen nature cannot be changed because it’s who we are as natural men of body and soul. There is no way to perfect the flesh. As Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.”

Jesus came to set us free from the old nature of sin and death so that we might know and understand the love of God. When we confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, we were born again of God’s holy spirit of life in Christ. Our new nature is the nature of the holy spirit. We were given the gift of the spirit because of God’s loving grace. The love chapter is 1 Corinthians 13. According to the “charity checklist,” the love of God suffers long and is kind, is not boastful or prideful, is not envious, is not easily provoked. The unconditional love of God does not think about itself but thinks about the needs of others. Love keeps no record of wrongs done. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Now abides faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.

There are several Greek words translated “love” in the English bible. One is “epithumia” often translated “lust.” These are “over desires” of the flesh that we inherited from Adam. Anything that takes precedence over the love of God is lust. Eros is the Greek word for sexual love. This sensual love is also a desire of the flesh. Another Greek word for love is “storge” which is familial love. This is the inherent love that we have for our immediate and extended natural family. The devil will attempt to divide the hearts of brothers and sisters and break up this type of familial love. Another type of love is “phileo.” This is “brotherly love” or deep friendship love of a close knit circle of friends. What did Jesus say about relationships? Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” He used the Greek word for the love of God, “Agape.” Peter said, “I phileo you. I’m fond of you like a brother.” Peter didn’t yet know the spiritual agape love of God because he didn’t have the capacity to love with God’s holy spirit until Pentecost.

Agape is the unconditional spiritual love of God. The ability to love with the love of God is part of salvation. When we’re saved we receive the spirit of God in Christ in us. The unconditional spiritual love of God is the subject of 1 Corinthians 13. This type of love hardly notices when others do wrong. The love of God is always eager to believe the best. It keeps no record of wrongs done. Agape love is not critical and loves unconditionally from the heart of Christ in us the hope of glory.

In marriage the husband and wife each have different expectations of the other party. These expectations are the seeds of “irreconcilable differences.” One question in marriage counseling is “will you hurt your wife?” The answer is “Yes.” The next question is, “will you mean to hurt her?” The answer is “no because I love her.”

One of the causes for the spiritual decline of America is the love of money over the love of God. There’s a story about a congressman who approached Mother Theresa while the press was following her. He knew that Mother Theresa had won the Nobel Peace Prize and he wanted to take advantage of a photo op, so he said to her, “I’d like to present you and your charity with this check for one million dollars to help the poor.” Mother Theresa said to him, “Please give your money to someone who needs it more than we do. God has always provided for our needs and will continue to do so. God works best with nothing.”

To find out where a person’s heart is, the question is, “where do you think you’ll spend eternity after you die?” Most men will list the good things they have done to justify why they think they will go to heaven when they die. However Ephesians 2:8 says, “for by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.”

Where’s your heart? Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A critical spirt is the sign of an ungrateful heart. As Proverbs says, keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.

Jeremiah said, “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” According to John 3:20, “he who doeth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.” However, as men of God, our commission is to share the Gospel of the good news of the love of God. It’s not the wrath of God, but rather the goodness of God that calls a man to repentance. It’s not sin that keeps sinners from heaven, but rather failure to confess the savior from sin.

When men speak evil, it shows their nature that they inherited from Adam. They are not the enemy. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Our challenge is to love others with the love of God, especially those who “oppose themselves.”

As Suzan said, “never let how others treat you affect how you treat them.” Jesus said, bless them that persecute you and despitefully use you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven. Agape love means to love the unloveable, not because of who they are but because of who He is.

The key is to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Love is the nature of God himself. Only the Holy Spirit of God in Christ in us enables us to love like Christ loved. Jesus said, ““A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

September 22, 2018 at 2904 N Brea Blvd. (EV Free North Campus)
Tentative Schedule
M1D
Influencers 1-Day Retreat for September 22, 2018
Theme – Finding Truth
6:00 AM- 6:55 AM Registration/Meet and Greet
6:55 – 7:00 Opening – Pledge Allegiance and prayer
7:00 – 7:55 Breakfast Fellowship Pancake, etc.
8:00 – 8:45 Speaker 1
8:45 – 9:30 Speaker 2
9:30 – 9:45 Break/Key Thoughts
9:45 – 10:15 Music
10:15–11:00 Speaker 3
11:00-11:45 Speaker 4
11:45-12:00 Break/Key Thoughts
12:00–12:45 Lunch
12:45–1:45 Round Table
1:45–2:15 Music
2:15–3:00 Speaker 5
3:00-3:45 Speaker 6
3:45-4:00 Break/Key Thoughts
4:00–4:45 Speaker 7
4:45-5:30 Man of God – Close Break/Key Thoughts
5:30 Departure
Speakers
Ryan Van Deusen
John White
Pete McKenzie
Phil Hanlen
+tba

Jesus Sign up sheet.

A missionary in the Middle East with a ministry that helps churches in the Arabian peninsula and to minister to Christian believers there shares.

In America, we live in a culture where a revolution of hate is on the rise. The biblical response to hate is to love one another with the love of God. Christians have an eternal perspective because according to Ephesians we are seated in heavenly places in Christ. Our challenge is to see this world from our Heavenly Father’s vantage point.

Dave recalls when Chaldean Christians in Iraq were invaded by Isis. Their homes were destroyed, their property taken, and their wives and children were violated. They became refugees. Dave recalls how his heart was touched for these brothers and sisters in Christ. He wept for them for weeks.

How stark is the contrast between the Middle East and the United States? In America, we’re upset when someone cuts us off on the freeway. One barb of a negative comment will burst our bubble of happiness. Jesus said that when we’re persecuted, God will give us the words to speak. When Dave baptizes Muslims, he reminds them to count the cost… They must forsake all to follow Jesus. They will be ostracized from their families and neighbors. One mother had her child taken away after she converted to Christianity.

Anti-Christianity is already encroaching our culture. In Canada, the pastors aren’t allowed to speak the truth of the Word of God that the government deems hate speech. Jesus said on his “sign up sheet,” you’ll be alienated and some of you will be put to death. In America, if you quote scripture from Romans 1, you’ll be called a “hater.”

When the Egyptian Coptic Christians were beheaded on the beach, they prayed for their executors, ‘Father forgive them. Lay not this charge against them.” One of the executors repented, turned to the Lord Jesus Christ, and was himself beheaded along with his new-found Christian brothers.

What’s in it for us when we “sign up” for the real gospel? Jesus said that you will be imprisoned and some of you will be put to death. However from the eternal perspective Jesus said, not one hair on your head will perish. From God’s eternal perspective, life in this world is “but a vapor.”

Jesus didn’t preach a “tithing” message to the rich young ruler when he asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life.” This man told Jesus, “all the commandments I have kept from my youth.” However, he had forgotten the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Jesus knew that this man’s god was his material riches. The first commandment says “thou shalt have no other gods between your face and God’s face.” Jesus didn’t tell the man to tithe. He said, You must sell all of your material possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and follow me. You have to be “all in” to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to Hebrews 10, when you endure suffering, sometimes you’re exposed to insult and persecution…sometimes you stand side by side with those who are so treated. If you’re living for Christ, the world will hate you.

Iraqi women who come to Christ have to leave their families. One woman’s father said, I want you to leave because if you stay here, they’ll kill you and then kill our family because you have forsaken the Muslim religion.

How do we factor the trials of life into the hope that we have in Christ? According to the gospel, Faith overcomes the world. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Those who were persecuted in Hebrews 10 knew that they had a better reward in eternity. We don’t belong with those who shrink back and are destroyed. We have an eternal hope. According to Hebrews 11, we’re given the example of the believing faith of those who are written in the “hall of faith.” Many were delivered miraculously by the power of God. However some were persecuted, sawed asunder…wondering about in deserts and mountains. These all were examples of believing faith. God has planned something better for all of us in eternity.

Therefore, seeing that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of the witness of their faith, let us lay down the weight of the sin that so easily entangles us. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down upon the right hand of the throne of God.

What do we get when we sign up to be Jesus’ disciple? According to 2 Corinthians 4:17, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory… The pain and tribulation of this world is but a nano-second in light of eternity. The eternal perspective is the hope of the resurrection… The hope of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. In His eternal perspective as the hymn says, “when we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun…we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun!

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Beauty for Ashes

When the Neptune Society called two weeks ago and told Pete that he needed to pick up his wife’s ashes after 11 months, Pete realized that he needed an “attitude adjustment.” He had to acknowledge that he had developed a “heathen” attitude to avoid painful memories of losing Suzan. God led him to Ecclesiastes Chapters 3 and 12. These words of wisdom are from King Solomon. According to Ecclesiastes 3, our bodies are “ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, speaking about death says, “Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

Pete prayed and then wrote these words as God’s response to his prayer: Suzan’s ashes are remnants of her physical body. She’s with me now in eternity…I have redeemed her and have given her beauty for ashes.

Pete recalled Isaiah’s prophesy about the coming Messiah in Isaiah 61:1-3. Jesus quoted this passage at the beginning of his ministry as fulfillment of this prophecy: “THE Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

Our God gives us beauty for ashes. He does not reward us according to our sin but according to his grace and mercy. Not because of who we are but because of who he is. This is the unconditional supernatural love of God. He loves us despite our fallen nature. He loves us because of his nature, not ours.

God will not spare us heartache and tribulation. However, through the trials of life we will come to know the depth of his love for us. Trials feel like ashes and dust. However, in God’s perspective, there’s a silver lining in every storm. No pit is so deep but that God’s love, kindness, and purpose is deeper still.

God reminded Pete that Suzan’s ashes are temporary, but her holy spirit created in Christ Jesus is eternal. God doesn’t leave us in the dust and ashes… He lifts us from the miry clay and seats us in heavenly places. Ashes symbolize grief, repentance, and humiliation. In the Old Testament when they covered their heads with ashes, they grieved that “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” In the ashes of sin and death is the seed of repentance. Repentance means to “change your mind”… To change direction.

In the Garden of Eden, God asked Adam, “Why are you hiding from me?” Adam replied, “Because I was naked.” God asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the forbidden fruit?” Adam said, “the woman you gave me, gave me to eat of the forbidden fruit and I ate it.” When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they died spiritually that day. Without God’s spirit, they came to know separation from God, guilt, shame, evil and death.

God allows attacks so that we can realize that “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” Jesus said, “if they compel you to go one mile, go the second mile.” God is glorified when we’re crucified with Christ…when we turn the other cheek. These are the times when thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live I live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

The devil uses Divisions and destruction of the family to unravel cultures and nations. The fastest growing religion in America is the “nones” who don’t identify with any religion. Jesus Came to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 61: To set the captives free, to release them from the snare of the devil who holds them captive against their wills.

We’re carried by the prayers of those who “make intercession for us.” God himself demonstrated his love for us, for while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. For God so loved the word that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Men are prone to wallow in guilt and shame…to throw ashes on themselves. Pete recalls a dream where he walked into a gym and joined in kicking a guy on the floor who was being punished. Then Pete asked, “who are we kicking?” When he looked down, he realized that he was kicking himself. Guilt and shame are the devil’s ploy to keep us in ashes. However, our loving Heavenly Father exchanges beauty for ashes.

God delivered Job when he stopped looking at his own distress and started praying for his friends. Jesus said, “come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” There is no rest from worry, fear, doubt, anxiety and guilt in a fallen world. Jesus said, “I am come to deliver the broken hearted, to set at Liberty them that are bruised, to open the eyes of the blind…to proclaim the acceptable day of the Lord.”

Sin entered through Adam. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust are the consequences of Adam’s disobedience. However according to Romans 5, Jesus Christ is the second Adam. He came to deliver us from the power of eternal death. The good news is that he has said, “Come unto me all ye who are heavy laden from the burdens of this world.” Our rest is in him, for he said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” When we’re yoked together with him as fellow Laborers, his strength is made perfect in my weakness.

This is Jesus’ purpose According to the benediction in Isaiah 61:3: to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Beauty for Ashes

After eleven months Pete finally went to pick up his wife’s ashes. He had avoided this task because it made him think about how much he still missed her. When the Neptune Society called about disposal of Suzan’s ashes, Pete prayed for God to speak to him through his Word. He was led to Ecclesiastes 3:20, and Ecclesiastes 12. Our bodies, our earthen vessels, are dust to dust and ashes to ashes. The promise of the word is that God will exchange ashes for beauty. In our resurrected body God will redeem beauty for ashes. Isaiah 61 says that Jesus’ purpose is to proclaim the acceptable day of the Lord… To exchange mourning for Joy… So that our Lord will be glorified. Ashes are temporal, but life in Christ is eternal. God said to Pete, “treasure your precious memories you had with your wife until I bring you home. Keep a grateful heart and when you have finished your course, I will exchange beauty for ashes when I bring you home to be with me.”

According to this prophecy about Jesus Christ in Isaiah 61:1-3, “THE Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

Isaiah spoke these words from God as a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me.” The importance of this life is God’s spirit within us. Our earthly vessel of this temporary body is just the container. According to 2 Corinthians 4, we have this treasure of the spirit of life in Christ in an earthly vessel that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

Paul said, “that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection being conformed to the image of his death.” God reminds us that we must die to self in order to live for him. For when I am weak then I am strong in his power. It’s not about whether we live or die. It’s not whether we live in comfort. The world will give us “hard landings.” However, God gives us soft landings… When our purpose is His purpose we can rest in His assurance when he says, “I’ve got this.”

We’re blessed when he “helps himself to our lives.” Ray Comfort wrote a book called “God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life.” On the cover was a picture of Steven being stoned. What men meant for evil God meant for good. The darker the night the brighter the light shines. When we come to the end of ourselves, then we will know that only He can deliver. The deliverance is in this life or the next. As Mother Theresa said, “God works best with nothing.” For him to fill me I must approach his throne with empty hands.

Ashes in Biblical times signified mourning and grief. It shows that we are disgusted in our fallen flesh. For in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. It’s like when the prodigal son, living in the pig pen and craving pig slop, finally “came to himself.” This is the point of repentance. When we confess that we’re sinners in need of a Saviour, God calls to us, “Come on home, son.” When we turn from sin and come to him with a broken and a contrite heart, we can pray like David, “Create in me a new heart O Lord.”

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “come unto me all you who are weary and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” We can rest in him because we’re complete in him. The world’s man code says, you’re not smart enough, you’re not rich enough, you’re not strong enough…you’re just not good enough. The world gives a rational thought. However, the spiritual reality is irrational. When you walk by faith, the world will say that you are illogical and unreasonable. A Muslim leader said to the leader of the Coptic Christians, “you Christians are our best friends. When we kill you, you forgive us.” Many Muslims turn to Christ when they see the stark contrast between the evil hatred of Muslim jihadists and the “illogical” righteous loving kindness of true Christians.

Without the grace and mercy of God we can never give enough, serve enough, work enough or get enough. When is enough enough? According to 2 Corinthians 3:15, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God…” Our riches are only in him and not in the temporal things of this fallen world. The Lord gives and the lord takes away. Only He himself enough: He is our sufficiency, our portion and our allotment. He is our all in all.

The world’s man code says, “avoid pain at all cost.” However, trials and tribulations are our “friends.” According to the Word, our friends are whatever turns our hearts to the Lord. For tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our heart but the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Paul said to his “son in the faith” Timothy, “foolish and unlearned questions avoid for they do engender strife. The servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but kind unto all, able to teach, with meekness and humility gently correcting them that oppose themselves. If perhaps God would grant them the knowledge of salvation.” They will take notice, not of the wrath of God but of the love of God. For it it’s the goodness of God that calls a man to repentance. Love is the nature of God himself.

The world demands perfection. However, God knows that we are but dust. God allows grace and mercy so that we can grow. He will restore beauty for ashes. For by grace we are we saved through faith. And that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. Salvation is according to his love and kindness… Not because of who we are but because of who He is. God is love and in him there is no darkness at all.

When confronted by the evils of this world, what would Jesus do? When they nailed him to the cross Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He for the joy (of our salvation) that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. He gives us his righteousness in exchange for our sinful nature. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Our Heavenly Father gave us beauty for ashes when we were born again. Because of his unconditional love, He gave us the beauty of life in Christ instead of the ashes of sin and death. O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory? Because of the resurrection, in Christ death is swallowed up in victory.

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael