A Matter of Trust

A Matter of Trust
 Picture yourself at a beautiful beach, perhaps in the Caribbean and while basking in the sun and enjoying its warm and caressing rays you become thirsty. Not being from the region, you decide to have a diet Coke instead of the usual ice water you would drink. The afternoon sun gently gives way to the cooling winds and you decide to return to your room to freshen up and pursue dinner, but where and what to eat? You saw a McDonalds while taking the shuttle bus to the hotel, but hey, you’re on an island surrounded by water and you really want seafood not some flown in frozen beef patty right? But can I trust that it will be safe to eat, will I develop some strange food borne illness just because I want seafood, how will I know it was handled and cooked properly? You have just experienced a matter of trust and being you are on an island, imagine not being able to trust anyone, it would seem as if you might be confined alone and in prison.
Maybe this quote from Graham Greene, from his book A Ministry of Fear, can explain this feeling of trust or the lack of it;
It is impossible to go through life without trust: That is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself.
Of most all scripture, it says to put our trust in the LORD and rightfully so. For in Genesis 6:5 & 8:21 it says “that the human heart is evil”. Well now wait one minute, if we walk faithfully in the steps of the LORD and love others, even our enemies even more than we love ourselves should we as Disciples of Christ be deemed “not trustworthy”?
This is a very big question and I think the only one who has an answer to this is “us”. I remember myself the sinner; would I trust me, with my own life? I know in previous times I may have been sorely disappointed. But now, am I still that same creature that cowered in the darkness, always trying to justify my actions to others or myself, that those actions would not bring any harm to others only myself? Do you recall those days of guilty pleasures, pleasures of this world?
Well guess what? You’re best off forgetting them, because that is what the LORD has done. Shall we continue to dwell in that shame, shall we continue to not grow deeper in our faith and understanding of what it means to trust in the LORD? Seriously, I know it is hard to trust in man, especially when those who claim to follow Christ still stumble and fall.
In our lives will we continue to trust in Him and the relationship we have with Him?
Through it all, the LORD works in all who acknowledge Christ as Saviour. Let us not forget one example of which we had no other option but to place our trust, in our parents. This may not be the best example for some, but as a relationship of trust, this example mimics the example of God the Father and Jesus of Nazareth. In all things Christ came here to accomplish on earth, it was in His Father that he placed that trust. In these best of relationships you can literally hear this portion of scripture from 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 pour out “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
By trusting in those who come into our lives we are saying loudly and boldly "Yes LORD, I trust you!"
If there is still doubt, we only need test that spirit of those who are sent according to scripture use the scripture found in 1 John 4:1 (NIV)
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
But even as this scripture says to test the spirit, only those with the gift of discernment may be readily able to do so, to all others including myself, we must continue to persevere in our faith and rely on the hope we have found through Christ. That same Christ who said we must also endure suffering. For the Lord whom we have spoken of as our Redeemer with our very own mouths, has said through Paul "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 (NIV)
But through reading the Bible, we have also found that damned are those who come under false pretenses, bearing witness as a lover of mankind and then having their own mouths and actions repeatedly declare them forfeiting of any spirit given through God.
A friend of mine pointed out a verse in the Bible that I must repeat, for it has absolutely everything to do with this discussion about trust and that would be found in Psalms 118:8; The Bible says “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.”
Now we should consider the author of this scripture in Psalms, of course that would be King David. I want us to reflect back in his life before he was king. Let us think back to what triggered his writings in Psalms and that would be his testimony while he was being sought by King Saul. Anointed by God, King Saul had many to lead and at one time in his reign, King Saul trusted in the Lord and the LORD blessed him abundantly, but this trust would not last, no it was doomed from the moment Saul decided to take matters in his own hands. If only Saul had obeyed the LORD and not put his trust in his own wisdom, he may have always had a member of his family upon the throne.
Trust, what is it, how would we describe it to someone who has had trouble with it? Well the dictionary says it’s a feeling of confidence based on honesty. But who has been more honest than God? The prophet Isaiah in chapter 59 speaks of those who have not trusted in the LORD, he speaks of their iniquities and of their rebellious nature. The LORD himself will come and He will be the arm of justice and of those who repent, He will be their Redeemer. In Isaiah 59:21 (NIV)
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.
So let me ask you “Are you confident that Christ is your Redeemer”? Do you believe it, do you trust Him?
I want to revisit the life of David again. Before David was made king he trusted in the LORD, but unlike Saul he remained faithful. In another relationship David had before becoming king, he gave complete trust and that would be his relationship of trust with Saul’s own son Jonathan. Their relationship and the trust that followed came to be as a result of each of them trusting greatly in the LORD. This is a real example of one man entrusting another man so much, he would go in confidence and wait for a rescue from the hands of King Saul.
Surely we have all had to trust in someone here on earth; and to such an extent that I would venture to say “they and you are each in God’s confidence, each in God’s hands”.
I wish to close with the parable Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25 this is from the (NIV)
The Parable of the Talents
    14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents[a] of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
   19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
   21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
   23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
   26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
   28 “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
As you have heard; those who can trust and be trusted, will be trusted with more, but those who can’t trust will never be trusted themselves.

Drink me in Lord

How might I enter into His kingdom if not through the Root. As surely as the rain falls from the skies and lands upon the branches of the tree, only some of these drops will penetrate deep enough to reach the Root.

We all rise and fall; like water falling from the sky, then flowing across the ground to eventually reach the sea, only to be drawn up again by the rays of the sun and then released from Heaven's storehouses.

If we cling only to the surface of the branches we could be lost to the sea or we could seek to enter through the narrower passage of the Root. For if we enter by the Root we will be used to feed the branches by the addition of nutrient,-in this way our own composition is changed, we are not the same as plain water-and we are absorbed into the same, releasing what is no longer needed.

We may only have so many chances to enter through the soil; for in years of drought the clouds themselves are dispersed by the arid winds and when finally they-those trapped droplets- are released from their lofty places, they reach a surface as hard as stone that only fewer than before might enter.

How many chances do we have to become one of God's children? There really is only one, just as that seed dropped upon the ground some take, but even more are lost, even some forevermore. None of us will ever be the same as we were before when we have truly become infused with the Spirit and none will ever receive the Spirit if they don't enter through the Root first.

Stubbornness and patience with a purpose.

In my life I have been stubborn and to some extent I still am; now this may not always seem to be a admirable trait, but I must say that during the last several years, stubbornness and patience have been a blessing to me.

In our lives we will face much adversity; we will endure hardship and we will endure pain, both physical and mental. I for one am not any happier about this than you would be, but sometimes I feel it is neccesary, at least it has been in my hard case. Do we expect happiness, of course we do, we even get upset if it doesn't come to us on a regular basis. We need not lower our expectations of receiving joy, we need only to wait patiently for it and we must pray in a sincere and stubborn manner till we possess it.

But what if it seems to never come, that happiness, shall we take matters into our own hands and try to force a positive outcome. Try looking to the book of Genesis, chapter 16, verses 1-5. Now Sarai(Sarah), grew very impatient with the LORD and desired a child so badly she took matters into her own hand, she did not rely on Providence and for this she suffered mental anguish from Hagar's taunting.

Let us look at another example of stubbornness; in the book of Daniel, chapter 1, verse 8 and again in chapter 3, verses 16-18 and finally chapter 6, verse 10. We see a continuing pattern of defiance in Daniel's behavior. Now look at this scripture passage; in the book of Matthew chapter 9, verses 1-8.

There are reasons for being stubborn and I have learned the best reason to be is when it involves our faith, but I must say we need to be equally patient, as this is the better of the two traits, as I stated in the previous posts, we will serve our Lord better through tolerance and compassion, but I never said "We should renounce our own faith in the process".

His only commandment was; "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Book of John, chapter 13, verses 34-35. So I also say "yes, we should love one another, not only those who return our love, but those who are stubborn and even rude towards us. We remain steadfast in our faith, but we also remain patient and live in compassion towards each other. Have a blessed day ☺

Heart Exercises for Valentines Day and everyday

I would like to start off this with a story about a Catholic priest; his name was Valentinus.
The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Now Claudius took a liking to this prisoner – until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor – whereupon this priest was condemned to death.
The heart holds many secrets; it holds happiness for some while it seems to hold misery for others. St. Valentine’s heart seemed to revel in love; love shared with each other, while Claudius seemed to have had his heart turned to stone.
As a member of the body of Christ, I know Christ is the Head and He gave us a message of love to share. He told us that upon his physical absence from this world he would send us the Helper, that is the Spirit, and in the Spirit lies the continued promise of our inheritance of love. Now Christ being the Head of this body, it only stands to reason that the Spirit is the Heart of the body and throughout this body courses the blood of Christ, in every new believer lies this blood and as this new blood is added to the existing body it rejuvenates the body as oxygen does for our own bodies.
ntinued promise of our inheritance of love. Now Christ being the Head of this body, it only stands to reason that the Spirit is the Heart of the body and throughout this body courses the blood of Christ, in every new believer lies this blood and as this new blood is added to the existing body it rejuvenates the body as oxygen does for our own bodies.What is a heart; besides only the muscle that pumps the blood throughout the body?  Is a heart not also that which also shows love toward one another? I feel even in criticism, my heart shows love for others, and because of this love I speak my mind and heart rather than not saying anything at all. Yet this love is not always appreciated, it is even rejected, for pride has set up itself as a barrier to it, pride itself has hardened the heart of the recipient to this message.
So what shall I do? Proverbs, chapter three, verses three through five hold just that answer. The Bible says: 
3
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
   bind them around your neck,
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
   in the sight of God and man.


 I know of one who had His message of love rejected, He had many ways of confessing His love for us all, yet even His own followers sometimes misunderstood or worse, thinking they understood without really giving the message much thought, just acting impulsively. I would like to share part of this message of love from a latter apostle, who is Paul. Paul as you may know did not always hold this all-encompassing love within his own heart, but he was shown a better way of life and he had ears that would hear and heed the call of Him who would cast away apathy and replace it with love. 
This is the message Christ came here to deliver and these are the words inspired by Christ and given to Paul to share with us. From 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen and beginning at verse four and ending with verse thirteen Paul writes;
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
So it shall be out of patience that I will continue to persevere in my own message of love towards my LORD. My family and my enemy, can not withstand repeated assaults of love. I may not speak the message clearly where they could understand it in spoken word, but they will see it and recognize a difference in attitude and that difference is love.
So now that I have this message, do I hold it in my heart as a secret? Sometimes and regrettably I will do just that, then what will come out of my heart will be a perversion, for if I hold in the love the other emotion and action to bring forth would be apathy. Therefore I would show only concern for myself and as we know Christ – whom we are to imitate – did not hold that same feeling towards us and thankfully so.
As a member of the body of Christ, I know Christ is the Head and He gave us a message of love to share. He told us that upon his physical absence from this world he would send us the Helper, that is the Spirit, and in the Spirit lies the continued promise of our inheritance of love. Now Christ being the Head of this body,  it only stands to reason that the Spirit is the Heart of the body and throughout this body courses the blood of Christ, in every new believer lies this blood and as this new blood is added to the existing body it rejuvenates the body as oxygen does for our own bodies.
The heart as I stated is a muscle and being a muscle it can become soft, enveloped in fatty tissues, unless we exercise it with repetitive motions and make it stronger. The heart I speak of in this message is not purely physical. It is physical, spiritual and mental – for that is the heart the LORD desires us to possess for Him – it is a heart that is also capable of being exercised, we condition this heart through sharing, whether good or bad experiences, they can be shared in empathy towards one another. Does misery loving company give us such a bad deal, after all have we not felt misery at some point in our all too short lives and need to reach out and lay down our burdens upon someone else’s shoulders?
Oh how miserable we shall become and stay, if the only emotion we receive in return for sharing our feelings and dreams are apathy. This is not an indication of imitating Christ, this is not the body; this would be an indication of self-interest and this is the world we live in today. This is not who we are, but this may be who we were. In Second Timothy, chapter three, verses one through four it describes just who we were before we were transfused in the Holy Spirit by way of the blood of the Lamb.
The Bible says: 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
The Bible also gives us a word story to help illustrate who loves God and who does not; a man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho and along the way he was accosted by robbers; they stole from him and left him for dead. A priest happened to be traveling that same road and as he saw the man, the priest moved to the other side of the road and proceeded on his way. So too, this same thing happened when a Levite came across this man.
But then, along that road comes a Samaritan; the Samaritan takes pity on the traveler, he cleans and dresses the wounds and puts him on his donkey. He then proceeds to take this stranger into town and to an inn where he continues to care for this man, the following day when the Samaritan must go about his business he hands the innkeeper two denarii then asks him to “look after him” and “after I return I will reimburse you for any additional expense”. This is a true exercise of the heart, this is the heart that the LORD desires for us all to possess and to regularly exercise with works of love and words of affirmation. For in this work and in these words we glorify the Father who is LOVE.
Who has the capacity and capability for such a wondrous love, that they could ask forgiveness for those who would even take away their life? The answer is, Jesus and only those who really know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Not those who would just say “I’m a Christian” we should never feel we have to say “I’m a Christian” or “we’re good people”. Others should serve as witnesses to whether we love others even more than ourselves, that is what a Christian is a lover. We are lovers of life and all that comes with it; good and bad, we understand each of us must go through times of grief, not to separate us from the love of God, but to draw us closer to Him.
 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding

Direction

Before GPS, even before Map quest there existed a way to plan your route from point "A" to point "B". There was and still is the map; it plotted roads, highways and towns and it would even show points of interest as well as topographical f...eatures, you may find one in your glove box of your vehicle.

Maps and cartography-which happens to be the name for the art and science of mapmaking- have been around since the days of the Babylonians. All of these ancient maps, made before aerial photography even existed were for the most part accurate, the cartographer would use visual aids and math to calculate and then estimate distances. Communication between individuals would add to the accuracy of the maps and aid in drawing the world as we know it today.

Hopefully I have shed some light on the mystery of mapping the continents and the world, but this world especially those areas with significant ice accumulations and volcanic activity is still evolving and maps will need corrections. Do you know what other parts of our daily routes require directions? We get plenty from our family and even more at work, yet the single most important direction we need in our lives is how to live them.

For this route we need a special roadmap, one custom tailored for our ever-changing lives; it starts by reading the instructions and the instructions are documented in a comprehensive work called the Bible. Now before I hear the "How can the Bible show me where I'm going or how to live" statement, let me ask "What your current plan is" and where does it put you? The map I propose you use delivers you safely every step of your life, certainly it will take you through deserts, but equally it will plot your course through fruited plain and more often than not extraordinary places where you will experience euphoria and it will be real and hopefully lasting.

The difference with this map is there are many turns and even a few unexpected twists - none that you will be incapable of steering through - and all these lead to the same and final destination for all who choose to follow; Jeremiah Chapter 29, Verse 11 in the Old Testament attest to this as does 1 Corinthians Chapter 10, Verse 13 in the New Testament, try reading the New International Version or the Message version of the Bible for complete understanding in plain language.

There is much more to this than can be written here so for the sake of your soul I will just conclude in saying "It is not to late to look at the map (The Bible) and even if you get lost, do not feel too embarrassed to stop and ask for directions, we all need to from time to time, find a church or a find a friend who has been driving for awhile to help steer you in the right direction again and surely you will begin to feel solid ground beneath you for the first time.

Have a safe and pleasant journey. God Bless.

 

Now I know there are plenty of mature Christians out there and one day I hope to find myself there as well. This message which has been layed upon my heart may help you, it will help me, but more importantly it is intended for those who may have not stopped and asked for directions before for whatever reason. Please, if you know of someone this may help, copy and paste/forward it to them. God Bless.

Anticipation

Anticipation is making me wait...Perhaps you may remember this catchy jingle from the Heinz' ketchup commercials? Try looking at this video from 1979. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLoyg3JKRQ

We don't know the hour of His return, yet we wait patiently, the reward is far too great to lose focus, to divert our attention away from the prize, don't you think?
Let's take a little drive 'so to speak.' I'm sure you've been stuck in traffic; sometimes we just wish we could speed things up making our day run a little smoother, it can be downright agonizing waiting for all that traffic to move ahead of you, we only want to get home to our families, or get to our jobs, without all that trouble. Then we see a car ahead of us, they make a U-turn and speed off in search of an easier route, then another, pretty soon they create a mini jam trying to back the way they came.

I hope you are not one of those who turned back; if they had just waited, it was only a stalled vehicle and good Samaritans had just eased it over to the curb allowing traffic to flow freely once more. Do you know what those who turned away found? They found an even worse delay on the smaller streets, after all it is the rush hour.

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Heb. 6:15
Are we willing to endure the wait? Will we take the wide path, the one without obstacles and forsake what we had already been waiting so diligently for? Have we forgotten this is the way home and did we not already know there could be trouble?

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Jam. 5:7

This is the message I have just received from the LORD and I pass it onto you, my brothers and sisters as a report of what lies ahead, our Prize, our Lord!

God Bless.

Give me Liberty!

Liberty is what we have and enjoy, but do we know what it really is? Only a man/woman who loses theirs may truly know what they had after losing it. I would like to discuss this liberty and other forms of it which we sometimes take for gran...ted here in the U.S. of A. as well as discuss a different type of liberty, one that can never be taken, but is offered freely to all, no matter where you are and under all circumstances.

In the U.S. as well as other countries, there is liberty; it was not always this way and in most cases it had to be fought for to achieve it. Thankfully, I am able to enjoy it's fruits, I am able to write my thoughts on the subject without any fear of repercussion. This was not always the case and a certain man by the name of Patrick Henry found himself the orator of perhaps one the greatest petitions to persuade his fellow countrymen to pursue liberty even to the point of death!

So what of this other liberty of which I have spoken. I believe you may already know the answer and if you do my intent is not to bore you by lengthy explanation, no, I would rather remind you of the promise of our inheritance, the one that can not be destroyed by moth and rust, that same inheritance which can not be stolen. One can't steal what would be freely given and that gift is the gift of liberty; with that liberty from God, He gives us liberation of the soul and furthermore He gives us freedom. The freedom we have in knowing we return unscathed by this world, unblemished in His sight; for we have become new again, new creatures through his Gateway to that freedom, His Son, Jesus the Christ. So what weapon formed against us could prosper? The LORD has already set into action the plans to prosper us, to give us what we don't deserve, that which is grace and also freedom. We are forever free from the confines of this world, upon accepting the offer of something more glorious, more illuminating than even the most precious of stones held facing the Sun. For what good would it be to give us a gift that could be taken from us by another, it would surely only become something of a snare, an object of envy. It is good to have liberty in one's place of dwelling, but it is better to possess liberty that dwells within and that kind of liberty only comes to those who can freely give of their hearts, minds and souls.

So I shout a new battlecry "In my death I am liberated to eternal life"