Take Away the Stone!

(The John 11 - Lazarus story reflection continued with a fury)

Oh, I can't stand it ... although I am no different from the next guy. (The proverbial “Shell Game” - three shell like covers and a dried pea.) The challenge comes, “Go ahead and guess which shell the pea is under!” And you have seen the game - whizzzzz, shuffle, snap-crack, back n' forth the shells fly until the gamester decides that he has created enough movement that even the most careful observer has fallen for the diversion and lost sight of the positioning of the pea. (In fact one time a fellow played this game with my car keys, I wanted so to blister him) Hey lovers of Jesus - “Take Away the Stone!”

Why is it, that in the midst of a self centered, self medicating, self inflicting, self destructing, self gratifying ... “me, myself, and I” focused generation ... do Those who carry the Precious Word of Life continue to play this game of diversion? In this world that has glorified Sin and its fleeting pleasures, so many stand ravaged from choosing The Lie that claims there is satisfaction apart from or while rebellion against God. These torn and dying ones who believed this lie desperately need to see obvious and open truth that emulates faith, that leads them to eternal life in Jesus Christ. Hey lovers of Jesus - “Bear it away, Take Away the Stone!”

(Careful the pressure is rising) ... (Warning the next portion may offend those who love playing guessing games with the fragile souls of lost and dying men, women and children) For sure ... that within you there are secret putrefying sores that stink from your daily dance with death ... but while you continue to cover this stink with false piety and cellophane holiness (or just downright ignorant hypocrisy) the provision of a visible example of grace rots within the center of your being. And those wanting to sense the Gift of Grace, continue to be discomfited but the smell of this rotting trash leaking from you soul. Even You desire to be clean and refreshed, but you have treated truth (that disturbs your fake sense of security) like trash, and you have become a compacter while trying to hide the growing pile of discarded love rotting within your weakening frame. It is just a matter of time and you will not only be an embarrassment to others but you will be an abomination to yourself as you burst at the seams from the pressure of this oozing prideful infectious puss. HEY ARE YOU DISGUSTED YET. “Take away the Stone” ... but by this time he stinketh ... “and God's people said???”

Some of us have succumbed to believe that Jesus lifts, elevates and carries away the stone ... nope!!!

Obedience to his Word provided for the necessary space for Believing and then Seeing. Sure there were objections blurted from the perspective of those who thought it was obviously hopeless because death had already done its work. These objections will greet you at the door of your tomb-like existence. There has to be somebody and there is somebody lifting and carrying away the stone ... It starts with His Spirit's ministry of active convincing, it spreads to those who begin to move as His Voice is heard and it is carried on to others as His Voice reverberates through their lives. If you are not rapped in the dark dank room of Pride (Ga'own) it is because someone lifted the stone and let the light pour into your ravaged soul.

I have no idea where you are today in the midst of this holocaust within our generation ... whether you are brokenhearted by the presence of the tomb, weeping outside the tomb in the tomb, standing around the tomb, within the tomb or waiting for someone to unravel the grave clothes so you can be at liberty to truly live ... listen to the Master's voice, Take away the stone - bear it up and carry it away.

I Peter 2:6-8 - "Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: where unto also they were appointed."

Romans 9:32,33 - "Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Listen up - hear His voice - obey - He won't let you down.

I John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

HLFA,

Jeff

PS. Love Jesus Openly!

Welcome! Dreams Die Here

Scene 1 (Somewhere not far from here): It was a darkened room filled with stuffy stagnant air. In fact you could almost sense that death was more than a welcome visitor here. Life, as we would want to experience it, "to the fullest." would be repelled by the thickness of this room's atmosphere of intense stubbornness. Though there wasn't a sign announcing it, this room had "No compromise, nor understanding will be spoken of here" invisibly but indelibly embossed into its soul.

On one side of the room was a "boardroom" style meeting table that was the epitome of power broker tables. So gaudily grotesque was it in it's design that it screamed "decisions are final here." The cold thick iron legs of the table were fashioned to possibly resemble the legs of a fearless mastodon, eternally immovable in its stance. While the surface of the table was crafted from a thick fiery red, highly polished stone; but its original beauty was hard to imagine due to an immensity of tarnished stains left behind by carelessly handled drinking vessels (whatever was spilled was left to dry).

On the opposite side of the room was a heap of shattered glass containers littered with strewn filthy surgical gloves. The array of colors of these broken vessels created a pallet of colors that would be the envy of the noble had they not be handled so carelessly and dashed against the damp stone wall of the room. Had there been a window behind the dark azure curtains that hung on the opposing sides of the room, (almost ominously hiding some former hideous events) even the smallest ray of light making its way to this pile of broken vessels would have sent the room dancing in streams of magnificent color. BUT that would not happen here because this was, and is GAOWN ... Dreams die here. Let's momentarily leave this scene and move to another realizing that the handle to the door of this room is not very far out of reach and beckons us each with an evil yet almost irresistible pull.

Scene 2 (John 11): Lazarus was "dead four days," grief had rolled into town with its professional mourners and soothsayers, family and friends were numb with "had He been here;" but a New Hope was about to abruptly interrupt the mourning and be placed into our world of broken dreams.

(WAIT A MINUTE THOUGH!! Had the occupants of this horrible room been sequestered on the day that Jesus came to Bethany (at what appeared to be a "too late to help" arrival), the surgical gloves would have been pulled on, and the glorious jar of the resurrection would have been quickly stolen away to THE ROOM GAOWN. After a brief ignominious meeting, and the clank of the steins filled with the dregs of Hell, this jar also would have been hurled and shattered against the cold stone wall of the room Gaown. The filthy gloves would have been tossed to the heap and the door would be locked behind - end of story. Praise God ... it didn't happen.)

Jesus' Word and power cut through that hour. Here are some sound bites from the event: "Take away the stone" ... "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the Glory of God" ... "Lazarus, come forth" ... "Loose him and let him go." Oh, the precious order and power of these words, that if captured in our hearts, will keep us from moving toward the Room Gaown. Hearing and obeying the Voice of God, no matter what clamor of opinions may be pressing in around us and within us, is the key to abundant life in Him. Many of us may groan at the thought of taking away the stone ... the weight and the consequences have us reaching for the handle of the door to the room Gaown. "Just let me see and then I will believe" will have us taking a place at the table of Gaown to judge with our eyes instead of our spirit. When "Lazarus come forth" is heard in the air we could choose to lift the the stein of Gaown to our lips and guzzle away to drown out the sound of His voice, because "it was not my idea." And if Jesus expects us to unwrap a former stinky dead man, that Jar is hitting the wall, "it's not my job" ... could be our response.

Scene 3 (On my knees): Lord, do not let my wandering heart lead me into being a participant of this room Gaown. Help me to be a lover of your glory and an encourager of the dreams of your people. Let me dare not take part with those who ingloriously gloat within the walls of the Room Gaown (Pride).

I want to live (take away the stone) ... I want to breathe(believe) ... I want to dream(see) ... I want to love (loose him and let him go).

HLFA,

Jeff

Arrogance is not His Style

God is not Ignoring You (He is not Arrogant)

Friday morning, on my way to work and praying, I fell to crying; and realizing that just because God has the abundance of supply to meet my every need, He doesn't trivialize my pain and confusion. His compassion isn't just a gesture to make me think He loves me. He literally will collapse with me when I am falling apart, and then bring the supply in such a way that my soul knows in experiential terms that He does love me. He doesn't flaunt His power and glory over me to belittle me in my weakest moments. He does not ornately strew His wisdom before me to humiliate me when I'm feeble because of earthly demoralization. Yes, however, He overwhelms me, but not like a "know-it-all" or an all-powerful dominant bully; I am overwhelmed by the love wherewith He loves me. "Oh, How He loves you and me!"

In these times Scripture may consolidate in my mind to paint the picture ... so that even though there may appear to be a disconnect, there is now a connection the awes me before His Presence. Though the passages of scripture may be snippets of stories, they take me closer to Him just like photos from a scrapbook. Below is the passages that came to me first while driving:

Heb.4:15 - "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Luke 18:13 - "And the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his beast, saying , God be merciful unto me a sinner."
Luke 15:20 - "And he arose , and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off , his father saw him, and had compassion , and ran , and fell on his neck, and kissed him."

These passages caused me to mingle feelings of awe with an understanding of how He would provide for the need of those for whom I was praying. I was flooded with the sense of an overwhelming assurance that not only was He able to supply, but He was rushing to supply as I prayed. Oh! How He loves you and me.

See our great High Priest, touched by the feelings of our weaknesses, fully knowing we are paralyzed and have need of Him coming to us. Yes, we feel so unworthy of His care ... we fully expect that He will just pass us by or write us off because of all of our poor and foolish decisions. Then to our surprise HE HAS RUN TO US AND CLOSED THE DISTANCE; and no matter how soiled we may be, in His great compassion He falls into an embrace of us, and kisses us in our most vulnerable moment. Oh, how He loves you and me. (Trust me ... that kiss will bring full supply with it!)

Then a strange thing happened, in the midst of my joy for the assurance of His supply for His own … my heart broke once again and I began to weep as if I had no hope. As this happened these passages then patch-worked into my heart:

I Peter 5:8 - "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
Luke 16:23 – "And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, ..."
Rev. 4:11 - "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night,"

Such a stark and horrendous contrast thrown before my heart's eyes! He pulled my heart in a direction to pray for the “lost” ... Oh the hopeless end of those who feel they have no need of forgiveness and have no desire to trust in a God (whom they do not see for that forgiveness). Though many may look unscathed, successful and without a care, that will change abruptly with the last breath or the last beat of their heart as they find themselves in a hopeless never ending chaos without Him. Yes, fully overwhelmed, my heart cannot fathom the fury of a Godless Hell, but He is not arrogant about this end of a lost soul. He has invested the wealth of Heaven to rescue any and all who will call on Him. He calls us to join Him daily in His burden as He lifts ours ... Oh, how will you love, as He loves you and me? Do not be afraid to pray - come boldly to the throne of grace!

HLFA,

Jeff

Something New!

Something New? Everyday! How about today?

Have you ever stopped just for a moment and wondered why do I always desire something new? Do you feel guilty desiring and enjoying new things? Why do things have to get old with use and misuse? Clothing fades and frays. Doldrums set in after the first taste of new. Drive your new car for the first time ... now it is not new. "New" in this mirage of a world is a very important driver on this side of Heaven. Time always distinguishes the Old from the New. Even when I search through scripture my heart is looking for something that my my mind will say "hey, that is different." The desire for NEW will either put us right at His doorstep or leave us empty as we search for something new in the Devil's garbage can.

This week was a "time-out" for our typical ways ... vacation week ... and with it the Lord seemed to give me a break from the normal intensity by giving me a few passages to go "Huh?" He knows that I love the strange verses that create an almost humorous picture for my "easy to entertain" mind.

Verse One that caused a Huh?:

Psalm74:14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
An incredible Seven Headed monster known as Leviathan ... lurks unchallenged within the depths of the ocean terrifying the hearts of the most experienced sailor. But even though the shoreline fishing villages have yet to taste him as a delicacy (let alone stop the nightmares of his potential appearance and destruction of boat and sailor); one day on Main Street in the Wilderness (miles from the shore), all of a sudden it starts raining ... Leviathan parts. The Front page news from the Wilderness Times has a picture of a bunch of smiling children standing around a humongous ugly fish head, and a Headline that reads "Monstrous Fish Fry Falls from the Sky." Go figure, Sailors wouldn't dare try to face the Leviathan but lo and behold, Leviathan fillets just drop from the sky. What a day in the Wilderness!

Verse Two that caused a "What?":

Psalm 76:5 The stouthearted are spoiled , they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
The enemies of God are gathered together in their raging war council to make their final plans for tomorrows battle against the King of Kings and His people. "Lights out," and the Warring Host gets their final night's sleep before that great battle. Morning Light flashes, the Enemies of God can't even begin to prepare for battle. What in the world? Mighty men of War stumble around dazed as they search for their weapons??? ... NO ... they can't even find their hands to pick up their weapons. Men who absolutely have no fear for the consequences of their lives as long as they can wield a weapon now have no hands to begin to control their destiny. What a day on the Battlefield!

Daily, we live in a wilderness, a dry and thirsty land which so needs the water of the Word (that slays Leviathan and declares God's Newness). The wilderness needs this "water" pouring through our lives. Moment by moment, we walk through a battlefield that needs to see that our greatest fighting is done on our knees while our God delivers our enemies helpless before us. Our hands are strengthened daily while the enemy searches for his.

(II Cor. 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a "new" creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become "New."

(Rev. 21:5) And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are faithful and true.

HLFA,

Jeff