Joy was at the Cross

NO Joy … NO Forgiveness

In Hebrews we find, “Having our eyes fixed on Jesus, the guide and end of our faith, who went through the pains of the cross, not caring for the shame, because of the joy which was before him, and who has now taken his place at the right hand of God's seat of power.”

I was at the cross in the heart of Jesus. You were at the cross in the heart of Jesus. The potential of a restored relationship between Daddy and me and you is the source of Jesus' Joy.

The prayer of Jesus on the cross was, “Father forgive them...”, (remember Jesus only said what the Father was saying). It is life of Jesus upon the cross that is our source of forgiveness. Forgiveness should be accompanied with Joy. The example of forgiveness on the cross is we should have Joy before we can say, “Father forgive them.” Joy was at the cross.

NO Joy … NO Forgiveness … NO Love.

It is not forgiveness if there is no Joy. Joy came first before the cross in the garden for Jesus and we need to find it in a garden like place before we can forgive.

Joy is not the result of forgiving, forgiving is the result of Joy.

There was an exchange in the garden, pain and shame were exchanged for Joy. So much Joy was given that the agony that resulted in the sweating of blood was as nothing. The pain and shame suffered by Jesus for the next several hours were considered also as nothing.

Paul had this same attitude and expressed it in his letter to the Philippians 3:8, ‘Yes truly, and I am ready to give up all things for the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, which is more than all: for whom I have undergone the loss of all things, and to me they are less than nothing, so that I may have Christ as my reward.’

Not just Paul but Jimmy had the same attitude. James 1:2 My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Is not a hurt, an injury, a slanderous comment temptations of anger opportunities to choose JOY?

An Abandoned Child

Vision / Dream:

While in prayer one day for the church I attend, I saw a young child (4-5 years of age) in a dark room. (It was as a stage set with the front wall and ceiling removed.) The room was sparsely furnished and I was not sure if it was a living room or dining room, the colors were all dark. The child was the focus of the vision, but in the room, nearly hidden in the darkness, were the child’s parents. They paid no attention to the child as they argued. The atmosphere was filled with chaos, confusion, anger and fear that the parents were creating.

The Lord was by my side and He instructed me to watch the child. I watched as fear overwhelmed the child. Surrounded and trapped, the child was forced to surrender to the fear. Abandonment, rejection replaced joy in the child’s heart.

The Lord’s heart was crying in torrents.

End

Prayer:

For many days I prayed about this vision and I was impressed that chaos, confusion and fear were a regular part of life for the child for the next 12 – 15 years. The child had no security and had no one to rely on. The child never learned to trust.

I prayed Lord, “Why? Why, could you not help?”
He told me, “Nobody wanted me to help!”

During days of prayer I got the profound sense that the Lord wanted me to know in my heart what His heart was for this abandoned child and feel how He feels about the child still imprisoned in an older body. The devil had stolen the child’s humanity. Instead of a human-being what remained was a human-doer.

Release of the vision:

One evening as I was running an errand, I drove along School House Road I heard, sensed the Lord saying it is time to release the vision. I drove a little bit further down the hill and passed someone whose car was broken down beside the road. It was across the street from the beaver pond. There was a friend in a pickup truck trying to help.

It seemed as if the Lord was there in the car with me. The Lord seemed to speak in the voice of Bob Jones, “And, you know what that means.”

I do know what it means when I hear that phrase. It meant I had to pray for the meaning for what I had just observed. So I prayed. Here is what the Lord showed me the objects meant.

1. Holy Spirit will be the teacher and show how to rescue the child and set it free.
2. The life and ministry is stalled out but if they call, they will be rescued by someone who is willing to be their friend and pick them up.
3. Being busy like a beaver will lead to loss, destroy many trees (people) and damage the surrounding fields (crops, fruit). In this particular case, the beaver has built a dam that is higher than the road and dam needs to be regularly opened up using heavy equipment to keep the pond from flooding the road. If flooding were to happen, then the way would be lost.
4. At schools there are play grounds where joy is experienced daily. Freedom exists in abundance. The laughter that fills a school yard it is good medicine.

I was lead to 3 scriptures (NIV):

Isaiah 49:15
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
Deuteronomy 4:31
For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.
2 Corinthians 4:7-9
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

A Wonderful Way To Explain Death

A Wonderful Way To Explain Death


A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough."
What a wonderful way to explain it.

Daddy's heart toward the children - Part 4

MAL 4:5 "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. [6] He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

The prophet writes about the condition of our hearts and our children’s hearts in the last days

What is true about the end times in Mal 4:6 is the father's hearts shall be turned fully to their children and the hearts of the children turned fully to their fathers.

This has never happened. This did not happen with Noah, not with Jacob, not with Joseph, not with Moses, not with any Old Testament hero or person that I could find.

Consider Judges 2:10-12; 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. [11] Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. [12] They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt.

Not just in Old Testament times but also true for all ages. Where were the sons of the apostles, the sons of Peter, the sons of Luther, and the sons of Moody. Where are the sons and grandsons (and daughters and granddaughters)?

I believe that Malici tells us Daddy God has been offering to each generation the invitation to be the first generation to turn our hearts fully our out children and the children will respond by turning fully to their parents.

Let consider or choose to be the generation that builds relationship with the next generations.

(keep coming back the numbers will be here soon)

Our Father is Daddy - the Lord's Prayer - Part 3

The Father desires to be Daddy.

I am a father biologically. (Little f)
I am a Dad, Daddy, and Pops relationally or generationally.
I am a Grandfather biologically. (Little f)
I am a Grand Pa and Gran Pa Fred relationally or generationally.

To be a father (Little f) or a mother (Little m) is only biologically act. You only need to be a seed donor. It is the result of your desire to do something for yourself. It is about getting what satisfies oneself.

To be DADDY or MOMMY is to be relationally. Your own desires are secondary at to (at best) or (more likely) replaced by the needs of someone else. It is all about giving. To be DADDY or MOMMY you need to be a giver and have to have a desire to see something better for your children.

(keep coming back the numbers will be here soon)

God is a Daddy. Daddy is relational and created us to be related and to relate to him. Daddy is a giver that keeps on giving. Daddy is the original gift that keeps on giving. Daddy gave all there was to give he gave his whole self in the person of Jesus. He didn’t hold back anything. He gave all.

Lords prayer Part2

The following uses the Lords prayer as an guideline:

O’Daddy, O’Daddy you are the best Daddy of them all, you are perfect.

I want to be like you when I grow up. I want to be like your son Jesus now,

All that I have I get from you, thank you Daddy.

And Daddy help me not to be angry with anyone, I am sorry I didn’t act like you today please forgive me. I am sorry. Thank you.

Daddy will you help me to love like you love me and forgive like you forgive me.

Daddy please stay all the time and keep me from getting hurt. You are the best Daddy ever. I love you.

There is something different between this and what we traditional call the Lord's Prayer. Just as there is a difference between FATHER and DADDY. One is formal and the other relational. One is a title and the other a relationship.

The Father desires to be Daddy.

(keep coming back the numbers will be here soon)

The Lords Prayer Part 1

Lk 11:1 one day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

But traditions the prayer Jesus taught is called the lord’s prayer. To understand the heart of prayer better consider reading in the gospel of John chapter 17 where we have a prayer of Jesus recorded.

Lords prayer from Matt 6:9

'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

I think this has become too familiar and not as the Lord intended. Many years ago I came across this version of the “Fathers Prayer” that comes closer touching the Father's Heart.

'Heavenly Father your name I say
help me do things your way today.
All I have I got from you.
Please forget any wrong I might do.
Help me love those who do me wrong.
Keep me safe all day long.
Protect me from any harm.
Your the best DAD anyone could have.'

(keep coming back the numbers will be here soon)

Psalm 147 verse 4

Who telleth the number of the stars: and calleth them all by their names.

God calls each star by name. The word for name here is the Hebrew word
שׁם - shêm (pronounced - shame)
It means: an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: - + base, [in-] fame [-ous], name (-d), renown, report.

I can not even image how many stares there are but God has each one marked and knows the nature of every star.

Janette L Gubala asked(on line), "How many stars are known to be in the sky?"

Hawley answered: There are an estimated 10^10 (10 billion) stars in the Milky Way. There are an estimated 10^10 galaxies in the universe.. (pretty easy to remember so far, huh? ...*grin*) so that makes 10^20 stars total or:

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

How great is our God?


ref [http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/ast99/ast99238.htm]

Answers

Science and Engineering is always looking for answers to questions. I have observed most people are asking one or more of the following questions:

How do I get more Peace in your life?
How do I get more Victory in your life?
How do I overcome insecurity?
How do I overcome rejection?
How do I find significance, who am I?
How do I get more Life?
Can I live life with more power, more vigor?

The answer to these and many more is the Presence of God.

More Presence = More Peace!
More Presence = More Victory!
More Presence = More Security!
More Presence = More Acceptance!
More Presence = More Significance!
More Presence = More LIFE!
More Presence = More Power!

The Love of God

Low Self Esteem

Shame

Rejection

Feeling of Inadequacy

Feelings of Inferiority


Creates In Us a Need For

And Makes Us Aware Of……


A Realizable Capacity of The Fullness Of

The Love of God

Does God Count? part 2

I had the idea nearly cemented into thought, that God does not do math but counts or touches each and everyone and thing. Then I got a new impression. Does God count or does HE know?

Do I take off my shoes every time someone asks, “How many toes do you have?”

Do I count my children every time someone asks, “How many children do you have?”

NO! I already know. Neither does God count the hair on your head. The Bible says they are numbered. Numbered means counted; the past tense. It also has the sense of being named or the nature and character of each is known.

God does not count. God knows. HE knows the stars. HE knows the size of every star and heavenly body. HE knows the number of each type of molecule that makes up each star and every heavenly body. HE knows. HE knows where it all is all the time.

God knows you, too.

Does God Count? Part 1

Believe it or not, some people do math for fun. I am one of those people. I memorize squares of numbers, square roots of numbers, reciprocals. I memorize the location of mile markers on the highway and I know how many seconds per mile at variety of speeds. With the last two things, I can be traveling down the highway with my son, and always give an accurate answer to the question, “Dad, how long before we get there?”

But as I read the Bible, I notice that there are no places that God did math. Squaring of a number is not found, let alone square roots. I cannot find where God does math.

So, I went to the source and prayed for wisdom. This is the impression, insight I got. If you have a group of 24 people, and you arrange them in 4 rows of 6, someone else can come along and count 4 rows and 6 columns, multiply 4 times 6 and get 24. In doing that, the person only had to look at or touch 9 people (one of the first four gets touched twice). That is to say, 15 of the people were place holders, and never got touched. God would prefer to count and touch each person, be intimate with each person.

But, after thinking about this for awhile, I was reminded of the verse Matt 10:30. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Another way to say that is, “Even the hairs of your head have been counted.” God does not use the average value of hairs per square inch and multiply it by the number of square inches on your head and get an estimate. The hairs on our head are counted. He touched each one.

More to come.

INSIDE HIM

I’m inside Him, He’s inside me.
I’ve found Peace,
- That’s How is should be.
I’ve found Rest,
- All my battles are behind Me
Surrounded by Joy and it is all free.
His side is still open,
- Open for you and me.
I’m inside Him, He is inside me.
I’m losing myself in Him
-
Won’t you come in and see.
There is room in Jesus for ME.
There is room in me for Jesus.
I’m inside Him, He’s inside me.
-
Won’t you come in and see.
There is room in Jesus for you.
There is room in you for Jesus.
Come into rest, come into Peace

LOVE is EVERYTHING

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

A familiar passage. But as I read with the mathematical side of my brain. I get a new perspective.

First, consider this little word problem from your grade school math. Allen and Bill have a cart of apples. Allen takes out 5 and gives them to David. Bill takes out the remaining two and gives them to David. Three questions:

1) How many apples were in the Cart?
2) How many apples does David have?
3)How many apples left in the cart?

q
Question 1 can be written as an equation as follows:
Allen + Bill = Cart; or A + B = C, or 5 + 2 = 7

Question 2 can be written as: David = Cart; or D = C; or 7 = 7

If you do some substitute and rearrange and get the answer to question 3:
A + B – D = 0., and 5 +2 – 7 = 0.

I’m ready now, Are you? From 1 Cor 13:1 you and write.
Tongues of Man + Tongues of Angels + Gift of Prophecy + Revelation + Knowledge + Faith + Generosity + Martyrdom – Love = Nothing (Zero)

Or: Tongues of Man + Tongues of Angels + Gift of Prophecy + Revelation + Knowledge + Faith + Generosity + Martyrdom = LOVE

And if I assume Paul didn’t include every choice in the list but just a few to make his point I think I can make the claim that Tongues of Man, Tongues of Angels, Gift of Prophecy, Revelation, Knowledge, Faith, Generosity, and Martyrdom are part of every Good Thing. And every Good Thing is Everything.

So if you allow just a little substitution:
Everything - Love = Zero

And if you rearrange this it becomes:
Love = Everything

Love is everything there is nothing else.

MORE WATER

I lived in the desert, that is all I knew
It was my home, my comfort zone.
I became a wanderer, wanting more water,
But I lost my way and wanted my old home

And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water
And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water
You came to me with water and I wanted more.

Then one day I wandered over that last hill
And saw you standing by the river calling unto me
So to the river I went and reached for your hand.
In the river…….just You and I.

And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water
And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water

I got in the boat with Him, He launched out & and got away
… From the sight of land.
Out of the boat,…. He told me to go
Out of the boat I did not go, Out of the Boat I was afraid to go.

And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water
And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water

You couldn’t stand for me to be alone
You came to me and led me, you came to me and carried me
Because of your beauty I stood and starred….
I wanted to stay with You and stand

And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water
And you came to me, and you came to me
with water, more water

Into the river way over my head
He shows me how to swim
He shows me how to trust in Him
Until the day the river, Until the day my Jesus,
Until the day, we are all the same.

And HE comes to me, and HE comes to me
with water, more water
And HE comes to me, and HE comes to me
with water, more water.

A sword, a sword

EZE 21:8 The word of the LORD came to me: [9] "Son of man, prophesy and say, `This is what the Lord says:

`A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished—'

There is polishing beyond just being sharp. The act of polishing does 4 things:

1) Removes the residue of use ( flesh, dirt, ) sounds like feet washing
2) Help it cut through easily

1TH 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. [13] Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. [14] And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [15] Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

3) Look good 1 Cor 14:3
4) Reflect light (reflect the Lord)

PHP 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. [4] Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

So should it be among us. We are not to hammer or beat each other in the shape we choose. We are not to grind others down until they are useless in the Kingdom.

One of the many things David obtained for the kingdom of Israel was blacksmiths, not to make swords but to build the temple.

The incredible thing is that most victories of David were won without swords, spears, or javelins. They were lost in the battles with the Philistines when Eli was Judge (see 1 Samuel 4)

David was able to obtain swords only as booty as he routed the Philistines battle by battle. And swords obtained in battle could not be brought to the Philistine's blacksmiths for sharpening.

This leads me to two conclusions:

All the victories in your life are by the hand of GOD.
You do not need another or second blacksmith to have total victory we need each other.

As Iron Sharpens Iron

From Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron,

so one man sharpens another.

A quick study of how iron us used to sharpen Iron during the period the proverb was written revealed the iron that was used to sharpen an iron tool is much the same as the common sharpening rod we find today in a cutlery set.

These rods were used to maintain the edge of a tool like a plow or sickle or and ax as well as maintain the edge on a weapon like a sword.

The rod when used properly kept the edge straight because of use the edge would start to lean with use. The rod would help straight up the edge to keep the tool's from leaning more and eventually breaking off leaving the tool dull. The rod when used frequently and properly would not remove much metal. This is not the case with modern grinding sharpening where the edge is filed or ground to get it sharp.

In the time of the period the rod was used to keep the tool or the weapon functional and looking good (Also, look at Eze 21:9).

A paraphrase of the verse could be.

As the rod maintains the tool,
so one man make another to look good.