Seeing in 4-D

“I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw." — (Proverbs 24.32)

When I was a kid someone came up with a new idea for entertainment — no, not offering dinosaur rides, or an afternoon at the Coliseum in Rome to watch the gladiator games. No - it was called 3-D movies! If you're old enough to remember this I hope you're enjoying your senior citizen discounts. You see you'd go to the theater and they'd hand you these glasses that looked like cereal box prize cardboard sunglasses and you'd settle in to enjoy the 3-D (three dimensional) picture show. But not for long - especially if it was at Disney World’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” 3-D show. You see, at one point in the show there were rats that would start running towards the screen and then right out of the screen, through the aisles and under your seats, practically into your face! And they had other special effects to enhance the terror – like air blowing against your legs, arms and face to make it seem like the rats were actually rushing close by. A lady sitting next to me at the show, a total stranger, was so scared that she dug her long, razor sharp fingernails deep into my arm and drew blood – which made the experience even more vivid for me (at first I thought it was one of the rats biting me!).

Of course, if you took those glasses off it was just a flat old screen again and a flat pack of rats – but everything on the screen was now out of focus and fuzzy. However, when you had those glasses on, you saw things that you otherwise would miss!

Now, sometimes people will ask me, "Where do you get the ideas for the analogies you use when you are teaching or writing?" Well, our key Scripture text for these Footnotes is part of the answer, Proverbs 24.32,   “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw." Here old King Solomon, what a wise man he was, says, "I go out looking for lessons in the things I see. I apply my heart to the things that I see around me all day." You see, he has got his special lenses on to see the hand of God in everyday stuff. There's an old hymn you may remember, “I am His, and He is Mine" where the second verse says, "Heaven above is deeper blue, earth below a deeper green, there's a brightness in each hue, Christ-less eyes have never seen."[i]

If you know God as your Father, because you put your trust in Jesus as Savior, this is your “I am His, and He is Mine!” He's working all around you all the time, every day, and you can see Him, you can learn from Him, if you put your glasses on each new day — your 4-D (four dimension) glasses to see that God-dimension that is working all around us.

If you've been sort of moping around lately it's probably because you've lost the perspective that David said made each day joyful. Psalm 118.24, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Now, who made this day what it is? You go, "Oh, my boss, man, my family made this day, my mate, my bills, my health, my 'to-do' list makes this day what it is." Sorry! You're stuck in the boredom of a three-dimensional world. This is the day that the Lord has made, so you do what I recently learned one married couple calls "going on a God-hunt every day” — looking for the Lord in the events of your day, the conversations of your day, the traffic jams, the delays, the surprises, the people, the chores.

Moses saw the Lord in a desert bush! Balaam heard God's voice through his donkey! Levi met Jesus in the middle of a work day in his office! That's where praise comes from, in the middle of the crummiest day. You're not looking at just your circumstances, you're looking for your Lord at work, in your phone call, in an accident that was avoided, in a word of encouragement, there's the Lord in that little child, there He is speaking through that powerful storm, in the geese going by overhead, through the tiger lilies growing wild along the road, through some unanticipated help in your life, through the presence of a friend. You find yourself thanking God often throughout the day, and you lose the complaining.

Too many times we have our God confined in our theology and our beliefs and our church buildings ― the religious compartment of our life. Too often we cannot see (perceive) God at work because the eyes of our hearts are closed to Him and we don’t even expect to see Him outside our little religious box we want to confine Him to in our minds.

The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’  But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” ― (Matthew 13.10-17, NIV)

We miss out on so much because we have “God in a box.”[ii] Job said it this way ― “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. When He passes me, I cannot see Him.” – (Job 9.10-11) But when you put on your 4-D glasses you start to walk with your God throughout your day, you see His fingerprints on things you never saw them on before, and God becomes real to you!

As the words of the song say so well, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, I want to see You… to see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory, pour out Your power and love, as we sing ‘Holy, holy, holy!’”[iii] God wants to show Himself to you in all kinds of real stuff in your day ― but just like I experienced, in that movie theater at Disney World, the view will look pretty flat and fuzzy unless you put your 4-D God-hunting glasses on. However, if you’re seeing in 4-D, the scenery of even the drabbest day comes to life because you can perceive that your awesome God is all over it – and through His Spirit you can begin to see what is really real!

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” – (Ephesians 1.17-19a)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Wes Shepherd 

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[i] Lyrics by George W. Ro­bin­son, 1876.

[ii] God in a Box, http://skitguys.com/videos/item/god-in-a-box.

[iii] Lyrics and music by Paul Baloche, 2000.

Clearing Things Up to See God

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. – (Matthew 5.8, NIV)

I just returned home from two long weekends away, the first was at an awesome men’s retreat in Western Maryland and a second at our family’s camp in the “wilds” of Pennsylvania for a wonderful time with my parents and one of my children. It is amazing what you can hear and see and experience when you clear away all the man-made noise pollution, all the man-made concrete and steel, and the man-made light pollution… all kinds of birds and wildlife, flowers and trees, and an incredible clear night sky dense with thousands and thousands of shining stars (and a few shooting stars too!).

Now sometimes our lives get polluted by things that impair our ability to see clearly, maybe impede our ability to see God and others clearly. It’s like wearing eye-glasses. You may start noticing clouds developing between you and what you are trying to read – strange little spots may obstruct your view. Usually it is a simple matter of cleaning the lenses. When you hold the glasses up to a bright light you can see the source of the fog and the fuzziness… the lenses are smudged and spotted with dirt.

You may be at a point in your life right now where you really need to be able to see clearly - to see God, that is. You've got important decisions to make, and you really want to be able to figure out God's leading; to see where God is going so you can follow Him into His will for you. You don't want to make a mistake on this. But maybe you're having a hard time seeing God right now. It could be time to clear things out – clear things up — clean things up.

In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described the kind of people who would be able to see God, which you may really need right now. If you're having a hard time figuring out what God wants, seeing where He's going in your life, these words of Jesus may help you improve your vision — and change your view of things, maybe change the way you see everything. He simply says in our key Scripture text, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." That's Matthew 5.8, one of the “beatitudes.” If you can't see God, you're going to wander around confused and unsure, and pretty much your whole life will be off course. And if you're not pure in your heart, you won't see God clearly. There's dirt on your lenses and the pollution is distorting your vision – leaving you spiritually visually impaired and disoriented. You've got some cleaning to do.

You may be doing all kinds of good things to get God's guidance; you're reading His Word, you're praying for His direction, and you're seeking godly counsel. But if there's something impure that you are holding in your heart, it will block your view. The Psalmist declares, “The Lord will not hear me if I hold on to sin in my heart” (Psalm 66.18, NLV). That may be why no answer has seemed to come. God is waiting for you to clean up what isn't pure.

Notice, this ability and promise of seeing God comes from being pure in heart — “the pure in heart… will see God.” Being pure in heart means where the stuff deep down inside is that no one can see but God. The bitterness and the unforgiveness that you may be harboring, the mind that keeps wandering into lustful fantasies, the pride that's been growing in your heart, the compromises in your integrity, in your truthfulness, or that idol in your heart that your holding on to and that's been drawing you slowly away from your first love — Jesus.

God sees that junk inside and He's saying, "I have so much I want to show you, so much of Myself I want to share with you, so much I have prepared for you, but I can't show it to you until you get rid of what's coming between us."

Could it be that you haven't been able to figure out God's leading and direction because of dirt and pollution that's been accumulating on your spiritual lenses — that's your heart. Isn't it time you dealt with what the real problem is? That would be the impurity in your heart.

Now sometimes things build up and become so polluted from impurities that we need help identifying the exact source and nature of the problem in order to get to the real “heart of the matter” and clear things up. King David prayed, “Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and unconscious] faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.” – (Psalm 19.12-14, AMP)

The Holy Spirit’s sword, His word, will expose the impurities in our heart that keep us from seeing clearly — “The Word that God speaks is alive and active; it cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword: it strikes through to the place where soul and spirit meet, to the innermost intimacies of a man’s being: it exposes the very thoughts and motives of a man’s heart. No creature has any cover from the sight of God; everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do” – (Hebrews 4.12-13, JBP) The bright light of God’s Word shining on our hearts (lenses) with laser-like precision will reveal the smudges, spots and stains from sin that keep us from seeing God.

Once you acknowledge the impurities and “come clean” by bringing your spiritual lenses to Jesus and, with a repentant heart, confess your sin to Him… once you are what Jesus calls one of "the pure in heart"… you'll be amazed how finally you’re able to see God, see more clearly His answers that you need, see things that were never before possible or even imaginable.

So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water. – (Hebrews 10.22, GNT)

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure. – (1 John 3.2-3, NLT)

Since before time began no one has ever imagined, no ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you Who works for those who wait for Him. You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work. But how angry you’ve been with us! We’ve sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves—sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind. No one prays to you or makes the effort to reach out to you because you’ve turned away from us, left us to stew in our sins. – (Isaiah 64.4-7, MSG)

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin…  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness – (1 John 1.7, 9).

Create in me a pure heart, O God – (Psalm 51.10a)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

Powering Up for Life

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. – (2 Peter 1.3-4)

There’s was some kind of a winter weather watch in effect for my area (northeast of Baltimore, Maryland) this past week – rain, sleet, freezing rain, ice — and mostly lots of snow. I was really hoping for the snow! Well, the weather situation here wasn’t like the major snowstorms that swept through the Midwest. We had a light dusting of snow followed pretty much by lots of rain and wind.

Hearing the news about the wintry weather approaching caused me to take inventory again the other day regarding what would happen if there was a loss of power to my residence because of inclement conditions. We have a fireplace with plenty of firewood stockpiled. Candles… lots of candles and lots of matches. There’s some food in the pantry and bottled water and juices. We’ve got all kinds of camping gear which includes a Coleman stove and lights – all of which would come in handy in an emergency. We even have one of those radios that can be powered by electricity, battery – and it has a hand-crank generator with an emergency light. You just turn the little crank and it manages to generate enough juice to power the radio and light for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Now, that mini-generator is fine for the limited demands of the radio and the small light bulb. But should a major winter storm event occur and there’s a serious power-outage, you and I both know that I could not run my whole residence on that little hand-crank generator! Not the refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, garbage disposal, washer and dryer, hot water heater, microwave, coffee maker, computer, lighting, and heat. No way! That puny supply could not handle all the demands – actually, not any of the demands. Seems silly that I would even entertain trying to support all those energy needs with a little hand crank generator designed for a small radio and light bulb, doesn’t it?!

Isn’t it amazing how we try to meet the demands of our life with what amounts to a little hand crank generator? Why, we’re browning out, blacking out, wearing out, burning out, because we’re not plugged into a much bigger power source – an unlimited, infinite power supply! That power is promised to all Jesus’ followers in our key Scripture text found in 2 Peter 1.3-4, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness….”

Our tendency is to trust in hand-crank power – the power of human effort, human planning, committees, money, good ideas, connections, experts, experience, education, promotion, politics, the list goes on. But human generators cannot meet all the demands of our complex lives in this complex world. The apostle Paul calls such human efforts “foolish”! “Are you so foolish [How can you be so stupid]? You began ·your life in Christ by [by; or through] the Spirit. Now are you trying to ·make it complete [finish; or be perfected] by ·your own power [human effort; the flesh]?” – (Galatians 3.3, EXB) We need the kind of voltage that only God can generate in and through us by faith in His Son – Jesus Christ. And we plug into that high voltage through prayer, God’s word, fellowship with other followers of Jesus and reliance on the indwelling Spirit.

Now we are people of action and are inclined to feel we’re not doing enough (or anything, really) when we study and meditate on God’s word and pray. And we are an independent people – relying on our own human resources and abilities to meet the demands of daily living. We seem to tap into our Lord as a last resort – sort of like a back-up generator in case of an emergency when all else fails. It is evident by the way we say, “Well, I guess all I can do is trust God’s promises and pray.” What?!

“All I can do is go to the Throne Room from which over 125 billion (and counting) galaxies are governed and believe the promises of the One Who made it all and talk to the One runs it all”? That’s all?! Are you kidding me?! Wow!

You see, that’s what Peter is telling us in these two key Scripture verses - as a child of the living God, you have everything you need, “divine power” – to live a godly, holy and abundant life (2 Peter 1.3-11). Peter states emphatically that, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” His divine power… we need to appreciate what that means and the difference that makes:

“When God exercises His power it is effortlessly. It is no more difficult for Him to create a universe than for Him to make it rain. Since He has at His command all the power in the universe, the Lord God Omnipotent can do anything as easily as any­thing else. All His acts are done without effort. He expends no energy that must be replenished. His self-sufficiency makes it unnecessary for Him to look outside of Himself for a renewal of strength. All the power required to do all that He wills to do lies in undiminished fullness in His own infinite being.”[1]

He is, after all, The Great I Am! [2]

You see, your intelligence, your education, or your family background (your hand-cranking) does not determine the holiness and fruitfulness of your life. Jesus said, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” – (John 15.4-5) Our constant hand-cranking will never sufficiently empower us to live fruitful, godly lives nor will our human wills provide us with the inner strength to say “No!” in the face of every temptation and nor can our own willpower enable us to “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”, no matter how determined we are! – (Titus 2.11-14; 2 Peter 1.4)

But, everything you need to live a victorious, joyful, and abundant life is found in Almighty God the Spirit Who resides within you: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, Who lives in you… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – (Romans 8.9-11; Galatians 5.22-23).

And according to Peter, each Jesus-follower, by faith, has access to these qualities: goodness, knowledge of God, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love – “He has given us His very great and precious promises” – (2 Peter 1.4) But it is of no use to have promised all the high voltage power that you will ever need available to you 24 by 7 if you do not know it is yours and then plug into it! Likewise, it is of no benefit to have everything necessary to become like Christ if you do not claim it, but instead go on hand-cranking your little generator day-by-day.

If we continue to lack self-control when God has made it available, we rob ourselves and those around us. If God is willing to instill brotherly kindness into our behavior, but we never display it, people will suffer needlessly as a result.

The key to all that God has made available to us is our faith in Him and His all-sufficiency. This is what Peter is getting at when he says, “through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” We must believe that God, by His grace, wants to build these qualities into our lives. In the Gospels, Jesus related to people according to their faith (see Matthew 8.13; 9.29; 15.28). He rewarded genuine faith by granting salvation and healing. If He met unbelief, He did not reward it (Mark 6.5-6).

Take some time to review the qualities that Peter said God wants to instill in you (2 Peter 3.1-11). Ask the Lord to show you where you are lacking, praying to Him to work those qualities into your character, so that you will be more like Christ. And, by the way, we're not just talking about some casual, occasional prayer, “in a pinch” kind-of-a-deal. This is prayer that is fervent and relentless, never ceases until we reach full maturity, complete perfection in Christ.

So are you leading the people around you to make God’s promises and prayer their first resort; their primary power sources of getting things done? Are you modeling a lifestyle that says “God’s word – His promises, and prayer is power” to your family and friends? Do you rely on God’s precious and very great promises as your source of hope and strength – or do you go on hand-cranking your way through the storms of life? Do you pray with people about issues or do you just talk about them?

Seriously following Jesus in this world requires more than the usual “natural” resources… physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, etc. … it can be like Clark Griswold’s bazillion Christmas lights, in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, draining down the power grid. Why resort to a puny little hand-crank generator when you’ve got access to “His divine power... [giving us] everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness”? Remember, “He has given us His very great and precious promises!” So, with that, whatever is in God’s forecast for your life – you’ll have more than enough of His power to deal with whatever comes your way, if you stay plugged in to Him – “striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within… using Christ’s [His] great strength that works so powerfully… because His amazing power and energy surge within” you and me (Colossians 1.29, AMP, EXB, VOICE)

Now to Him Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – (Ephesians 3.20-21)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

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[1] A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 73. New York: Harper & Row, 1961.

[2] Exodus 3.14-15. “I AM that I AM” (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh) is one English translation of the response God used in the Bible when Moses asked for His name (Exodus 3.14). It is one of the most famous verses in the Torah. Hayah means "existed" or "was" in Hebrew; "ehyeh" is the first person singular present/future form. Ehyeh asher ehyeh is generally interpreted to mean I am that I am (King James Bible and others), yet, as indicated, is most literally translated as "I-shall-be that I-shall-be."

The word Ehyeh is used a total of 43 places in the Old Testament, where it is usually translated as "I will be" -- as is the case for its first occurrence, in Exodus 3.12 -- or "I shall be," as is the case for its final occurrence in Zechariah 8.8. It stems from the Hebrew conception of monotheism that God exists by Himself, the uncreated Creator Who does not depend on anything or anyone; therefore I AM WHO I AM.

Following Jesus

Jesus said, “Follow Me.” – (Matthew 4.18-19; John 21.18-22)

When you're a kid, you're what an old friend of mine referred to as “wet cement”. Impressions, well, when you’re a youngster they get written on you so easily and so deeply. And then that kid grows older and becomes an adult, and those impressions are hardened into beliefs, or, in many cases, disbeliefs or “un-beliefs.”

Apparently, the late Steve Jobs was no exception – Apple's communications genius and revolutionary has been described as "intriguing, yet inscrutable"[i] But as he battled cancer, he opened some windows into his mind and soul to the author who was writing his life story. According to the recent biography that bears his name, Steve Jobs studied Zen Buddhism for years. And he was a self-identified Buddhist (Fortune described him as a “Buddhist and a vegetarian”[ii]). Well, that was not always the case. An article in USA Today said, "He never went back to church after he saw a photo of starving children on the cover of Life and asked his Sunday school pastor if God knew what would happen to them. He was 13 at the time."[iii]

Now, in a separate article, USA Today included this near-the-end spiritual observation from Steve Jobs' biography: “The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than on living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it. I think different religions are different doors to the same house. Sometimes, I think the house exists, and sometimes, I don't. It's the great mystery."[iv]

None of us knows exactly where Steve Jobs finally landed in his spiritual journey. We do know that there are not many ways with different doors to the same house but, in fact, that Jesus is the only way to God, eternal life and heaven (John 14.1-6; Acts 4.11-12; Hebrews 9.11-15, 10.19-23; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; et al.)  But in Jobs’ own words about Jesus there's a faint glimmer of the bedrock truth that answers so many spiritual questions: it's really, simply, only all about Jesus.

Christianity, the religion, has never been the issue, although many have been unable or unwilling to separate Jesus from the religion that's all about Him. But Jesus made it all about Him, and Him alone, in that simple two-word invitation found in our key Scripture text that He extended over and over again, "Follow Me" – (cf., Matthew 4.19; 8.22; 9.9; 10.38; 16.24; 19.21; Mark 1.17; 2.14; 8.34; 10.21; Luke 5.27; 9.23; 9.59; 14.27; 18.22; John 1.43; 10.27; 12.26; 21.19, 22).

As a matter of priority, Jesus never said to first, "Follow My religion" or "Follow My followers." He didn't say, "Follow My rules." He didn't say, "Follow My leaders." You see, Christianity, in a nutshell, first and foremost, begins and ends with these two words of Jesus – “Follow Me!” As a friend of mine says, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!” Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the main thing – as the writer of Hebrews puts it — He’s the author, founder, initiator, source, leader, perfecter, completer, finisher, and goal of our faith – (Hebrews 12.2). He is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end – (Revelation 1.8; 21.6; 22.13). He’s the chief cornerstone upon which Christ-followers build their lives and the foundation of Christianity rests (Psalm 118.22; Isaiah 28.16; Zechariah 10.4; Ephesians 2.19-21; 1 Peter 2.4-8). And so the only reason to turn away from Jesus is if you've got a problem with Jesus Himself.

As for "seeing the world as Jesus saw it," Jesus saw it broken because people – particularly religious people – walk past the wounded, all absorbed with themselves and their religion, as in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37). He saw the world as cold, and lonely, and twisted, because every man has chosen to ignore the Manufacturer's instructions and we become our own god for our own life. And that has brought us a world of broken and bleeding families, greedy hoarding that produces global hunger, and an endless drama of people being used, abused, walked on, discarded and disposed of. He looked on the crowds and had compassion because He saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9.36; Mark 6.34).

Then what of all those starving children? Jesus said when we reach for them to help them, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." Jesus tells us that, "whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me" – (Matthew 25.40) Jesus is so personally identified with the hurting people of our world that He takes our treatment of them as our treatment of Him, with eternal consequences.

This Jesus that Christianity is all about, came here, in the Bible's words, as "a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering...pierced for our transgressions...crushed for our iniquities" – (Isaiah 53.3, 5). This is the God who leaves the throne to die on the cross (Philippians 2.5-8). He's a God you can believe in. He's a God who stands alone above all the wannabe gods of earth's spiritual pantheon. And ultimately, we find in Jesus the only man of the billions who've lived who has come back from the grave and who promised eternal life to all those who would obey His invitation to “Follow Me."

And the question is, “On this side of eternity, while you still can decide, have you ever listened to this Jesus and turned your will and your life over to Him as Lord and Savior?” Can you imagine Him calling your name today as He says, “Follow Me”? He died for you. He's risen from the dead to prove that He can give you eternal life. Now He waits for you to reach out and say, "Jesus, I will follow You, I’m all Yours’… I’m all in – from here to eternity!”

Behind all the fog of all those “sophisticated” spiritualities and the dueling religions of our world stands one real God, one real Savior. He's the God who hung on a cross and He’s the living God Who’s calling you today, cutting through all the commotion, chaos, confusion, and counterfeit messiahs with just two simple, totally life changing words – “Follow Me.” He’s got so much in store for you that He wants to share with you if you are willing to follow after Him.

I'd love to help you begin that relationship with Him – would you send me an email, call me, tweet me, text me, connect with me on my blog – today? Life’s too short and eternity is forever – so please don’t wait another day… don’t waste another minute.

Jesus says, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” – (John 14.6, NLT)

The apostle Paul wrote, “Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).” – (1 Corinthians 11.1, AMP) It’s all about Jesus and following Him. I pray you will decide now to follow Jesus!

In a nutshell – in two words – in Him,

Web Shepherd

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[i] http://www.usatoday.com/MONEY/usaedition/2011-10-25-Steve-Jobs-biography_CV_U.htm

[ii] http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/02/news/companies/elkind_jobs.fortune/index.htm

[iii] http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Jobs-questioned-authority-all-apf-1873950574.html

[iv] http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-10-24/steve-jobs-biography/50893652/1

Offering King-Sized Prayers

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3.20-21

I recently read of a story that reportedly happened when a world-famous professional golfer was playing in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, the Saudi king was so impressed with this man's playing that he said to him, "I'd like to give you a gift of appreciation." Now this renowned golfer told the king that no gift was necessary; he just appreciated the opportunity to play in his country. But the king was insistent, not only that the golfer receive a gift, but that he could name any gift he wished.

Well, after just a brief moment to think about it, he just said, "A golf club." You see the golf pro collected golf clubs and thought maybe the king would give him one that had some gold or maybe even a jewel in it. Well, a few days later, a representative of the king came to the hotel where the golfer was staying to present the king's gift – an object that was only about a foot long, carried inside a leather pouch. Now, apparently this was going to be a fairly small golf club. Then the golfer opened the pouch only to discover inside a deed – a deed that made him the owner of a golf club, as in the hundreds of acres that made up the beautiful golf club he had been given!

Now this famous golfer had one observation to make after this overwhelming response to his request. He said, "In the presence of a great king, you do not ask for small gifts!" How right he is!

Read these words from Scripture about the King who made all the other kings! "This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is His name” – (Jeremiah 33.2-3) Those are our King's awesome credentials. Now, based on who He is, God says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

I'm reminded of a companion promise in the New Testament, found in our key Scripture text, Ephesians 3.20-21. These two verses, which are the conclusion of a prayer, identify our Lord as "Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Now I hate to say it, but in light of the kind of King we have and the kind of promises He's made to us, most of our prayers are pretty lame. We come into the Throne Room from which the universe is governed with our little "Dear God" ditties: "Dear God, thank You for this day, thank You for Your many blessings, forgive us of our many sins, help us with our many problems, and bless the missionaries, whoever they may be. Amen."

Our praying is often just so predictable, so routine, and that is an insult to the God who's invited us to come to Him for "no small gifts." When's the last time you really believed God for some things that are so big that only God could do them? Or have you been praying you-centered “you-sized” prayers, man-sized prayers, earth-sized prayers? We’re talking to the King of the universe – that’s way big (and He created it all too, remember?!). So, why don’t we come to Almighty God offering King-sized (that’s King of kings sized) prayers?!

Now, there is another matter here – are there ever occasions when we feel as if you can impress the Lord with all you are trying to do for Him and His church? Do we seriously believe that God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspiration or agenda?… “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” – (Psalms 8.3-4,NKJV)

We can never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater that He could do in and through our lives… He is able to do “superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]”[1], “infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope”[2], “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”[3] Wow! Furthermore, as the prayer continues, “according to His power that is at work within us!” Let’s not rush over that truth – “according to His power that is at work within us” – what does this mean?

It means God can do far greater things in and through us than we can do ourselves – He promises! Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father” – (John 14.12, NLT)

So, are our prayers man-sized or King-sized? Are we praying too small? Are we thinking too small of God or maybe too big of ourselves? As Jeremiah prayed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” – (Jeremiah 32.17) Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with God. And that’s why Paul declares in his prayer that  Almighty “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams… by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us” – (Ephesians 3.21, MSG).

This prayer in Ephesians comes from the same man, Saul of Tarsus, later transformed by Christ into apostle Paul, who earlier in his life had worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life… “If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” – (Philippians 3.4b-8).

Our challenge is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us – and He will therefore bless our plans and our efforts. Until we have received direction from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become and all that Almighty God could accomplish through us…

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” – Proverbs 3.5-6 (The Amplified Bible)

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps… Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. – Proverbs 16.9; 19.21

We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big picture," that His sovereign and infinite power far exceeds our limited human abilities and imagination.

We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful divine presence. How could we be satisfied with anything less?

And so let’s not be guilty of really underpraying and undertrusting! When you pray, take a little time to focus on the awesomeness of the God Whose presence dwells in you by His Spirit – the very One who controls 125 billion plus galaxies! Do you pray like that? Let yourself be amazed, awed, overwhelmed...not by your own plans, problems or your questions, but by the size of your Lord! Then pray in ways that are worthy of the great God you're with!

The hymn writer had it right, "Thou art coming to a king, large petitions with thee bring; for His grace and power are such, none could ever ask too much!"[4] Remember, when you pray, you are in the presence of the King of all kings. Don't ask for small gifts!

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

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[1] The Amplified Bible © Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

[2] Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.

[3] New King James Version (NKJV) © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

[4] John Newton, “Come, Thy Soul, Thy Suit Prepare”, 1780.

Living (or Dying) as Consequences

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. – (Galatians 6.7-8)

A few years back, while my family was together during one of the holidays, we started reminiscing about “back in the day” when we were all a lot younger. The subject quickly turned to funny stories (some of them might actually be true, LOL) of various times (so many that it would fill volumes of books, were it all to be recorded) that our parents disciplined us. We went as far back as our memories allowed: “Remember the time you...” “Oh, yeah, that was hysterical!” “Geez, I don’t remember that! When did that happen?” “So, where was I when this was going on?” “Holy cow, did you really do that?!” “I still can’t believe you….” “How about that time we all got in trouble for…?!” (Names and details are not being mentioned here mainly to protect me and the other guilty parties).

My mom then explained how she and dad had always tried to discipline with consistency, fairness, and appropriate consequences – you know the drill – “the punishment should fit the crime.” And so, if you did something wrong with your mouth, the correction would probably have to do with the mouth. Maybe you had to have some time out and be quiet for a while or, in some cases when warranted, have your mouth washed out with soap. If you did something wrong with your hands, you were given some extra chores  involving your hands, or you were restricted from doing something that you wanted to do that involved your hands. Or, one of our very favorites, you had to use those hands to write something over and over and over again until you thought your fingers were going to fall off.

Well, at some point, one of my siblings blurted out something like, “But if you were trying to correct us with the punishment fitting the crime – why did I get spanked so much on the backside since I never did anything wrong with my bottom?!”  In fact, that is where a lot of the disciplining took place in our home. My parents believed strongly in getting straightaway to the bottom of the problem – if you know what I mean? We still like to remind my mom about all the broken wooden kitchen spoons that resulted from being used as paddles – corporal punishment was often swift, sure, and sore. We all learned in our home growing up that consequences were guaranteed.

Back in the day that was one of the lessons we learned in school as well. Students in the classroom, on the playground or on the school bus who got out of line with the rules got “the board of education” applied to “the seat of the problem” – by the teacher, then possibly by the school principal. Then it was followed up at home (my mom was a school teacher and active in the PTA, so we never got away with anything), first by our mother then “and when your father gets home”… so consequences, for my family, were taught at home, at school and further reinforced by Bible teaching of the church.

Now, that launched a discussion of epic spankings we had experienced, including the ones that we said didn't really even hurt (in those cases, it probably did hurt my parents more than it did us). Of course we didn't dare tell our parents or (in some cases, the teacher) that at the time of the disciplining. Oh, listen, this whole reminiscing thing went a long time. It was crazy! I mean, we had some good laughs, and it was a reminder of what might be a parent's biggest challenge – teaching your children to learn with and from consequences.

The wise man Solomon writes repeatedly in Proverbs about how important discipline is in teaching consequences – it can even be a matter of life and death… “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope. Do not be a willing party to his death”… “The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly”… “For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life”… “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die” – (Proverbs 19.18; 5.22-23; 6.23; 23.13). These, among many others, are pretty sobering verses! They talk about hope for your child, about death for your child, the way to life, and it's saying that the hope for your child's future is your discipline of him or her. Well, why?

Well, in our world there is a law of the universe that people, and not just kids, don't seem to believe. You can't change this law of the universe, but you can live like you don’t believe it – and many of us do. You see it's fundamental to the way things operate, the way God operates - it always has been (see, for example: Exodus 20.4-6; 34.6-8; Numbers 14.18; Deuteronomy 5.8-10). It’s the main point of our key Scripture text found in Galatians 6.7-8 – “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." I don't know that a lot of kids of any age really believe that there are real and serious consequences for what they do.

First of all, they feel like you can avoid a lot of consequences. You can cover up what you've done, you can take precautions. Parents, other family members and friends will often shield or even rescue their loved ones from the consequences of their actions thinking that they are helping them when, instead, we are actually insulating them from the lessons that might actually save their lives and likely enabling in progressively destructive behavior – “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” – (Proverbs 13.24)

The other reason that it's tough to get our children, others, and even ourselves, to believe that what is sown is reaped – is that often there's a delay between the wrong thing you do and the results (harvest) you receive (reap). Every farmer knows that you sow and reap, but he also knows there's a time lapse in between. During that period we may think we're not going to have to pay the bill. But the law is still true: you can't avoid the most serious consequences of all – Holy God's judgment, lost innocence, lost reputation, lost trust, lost self-respect, lost time, lost quality of life, lost life. Our key Scripture text warns us not to be deceived – God will not be mocked. There may be a gap in time between sowing the wild oats and the reaping… and, oh, you can postpone it, but you cannot cancel it – God promises – we have His word on it!

The apostle Paul also writes of this law in his letter to the church in Rome: “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” – (Romans 6.20-22, NIV84) Quite a contrast in consequences, wouldn’t you say?! Here “slaves to sin” is the same as “sowing to the sinful nature” from our key Scripture text – “reaping destruction resulting in death”… and “slaves to God” is the same as “sowing to the Spirit – reaping from the Spirit eternal life.” The consequences of what you do can ultimately be a matter of life and death – here in this life and hereafter – it’s our choice.

Again, the book of Proverbs frequently addresses the topic of this law of God taught through the application of discipline – words like “blessing, knowledge, prudence, peace, understanding, love, honor, hope, delight and life” are associated with sowing and applying discipline versus “poverty, shame, folly, stupidity, foolishness, lost, resentment, hate, and death” are the results of a lack of correction. The term discipline in the Old and New Testament Scriptures is derived from various Hebrew and Greek words which can mean to “teach, train, instruct, educate, correct, warn, chastise or admonish, and chasten – which means to purify or make pure.”

Now, my job as a parent, friend, boss, neighbor and fellow follower of Jesus, is to get one simple message across, “What we do really matters. The choices we make have consequences. When you do wrong, something bad happens.” And you know how you get that message? There has to be consistent consequences – discipline to build belief in sowing and reaping. If we don't, we're going to make heart-breaking choices later on. It's good to try to discipline, as I mentioned earlier, with appropriate consequences –– so that if you've done something wrong in a particular area of your life, it's in that area that you get restricted or punished. And to the best of your ability, be sure that the punishment fits the crime and that you discipline, not when you're angry, but after you've prayed and thought about the consequence that would teach the most; not what would just unload your anger and provoke an unhealthy reaction from you and response from them. Discipline is meant to be constructive not destructive – so any form of abuse has no place in godly correction. “Fathers, don’t over-correct your children or make it difficult for them to obey the commandment. Bring them up with Christian teaching in Christian discipline” – (Ephesians 6.4, JBP)

• Disciplining someone isn’t necessarily pleasant, but it is too critical to avoid – keep your focus on the goal – their ultimate growth and well-being.
• Respond immediately, not waiting a long time for the discipline. When a lot of time has passed, the lesson loses its impact and relevance or may even be forgotten.
• Explain the discipline; explain what was wrong and why it's right and necessary to discipline.
• Be consistent, especially in the early stages of trying to establish boundaries.
• Whatever you do, don't fail in this life-giving responsibility.
• Be sure you are teaching from your discipline that whatever a man sows, he will reap.

A life pleasing to God requires discipline and true discipline involves true love – sometimes tough love – just like God when He blesses and demonstrates love to His children through discipline (Job 5.17; Psalm 94.12; Proverbs 3.11-12; 1 Corinthians 11.32). There's some old expression that talks about “the grim reaper.” Well, actually, what will be grim for someone is if he or she hasn’t been shown the way to reap eternal life but instead reaps everlasting destruction. In other words, Thank God for those wooden spoons and for the hands that held them – they may have saved my life!

“In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as His children? ‘My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. It's the child He loves that He disciplines; the child He embraces, He also corrects.’ God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.” – (Hebrews 12.4-11, MSG)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd