Category: Uncategorized

I am away at our Fall Conference and it is going very well. Pastor Chris Scarinzi is our guest speaker (last night and this morning). It is a powerful time in the Lord with excellent Word presented and the demonstration of His power everywhere. Awesome!

This post is really not about that, however. I have just read some of the blogs I frequent, and am amazed at how we try to prove we are right about something in the Lord. I am not right because someone else is wrong. Undoubtedly we are both wrong in the light of the knowledge of the Holy One. All who name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are made righteous (right? – could it really be?) in Him. Otherwise, we need to understand we are wrong about much. That’s really O.K., and I am always learning in the Word His provision for me, even when I really do not “get it.” However, I believe we need to do more encouraging rather than finding fault and being critical — that too is Biblical.

Just needed to verbalize that. Now, I feel better. Even in saying this — it has a critical edge. Forgive that. Just be encouraged in Him.

This is awesome! Enjoy!

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.            1 John 5:1-5 TNIV

This is a good translation of this passage. It works with being “born of God” so we understand that we are not just attached to Him as in our modern adoptions. The only way into the Kingdom of the Son of His love is by birth. “You must be born again.” Spiritually we must be born of Him by allowing this action in our heart.

I realize Paul uses the “adoption” word a couple of times, but in its context (Ephesians 1:5) it is talking about the Jewish ceremony of a young boy in the family reaching manhood (bar-mitzvah). When he was given the right of authority in the Father’s business, it was know as his “adoption.” The word meant “come to maturity.” Our modern adoption practices (from the Romans originally) would never have been followed in a Jewish household. Following the customs of the eastern peoples, they would never have allowed someone not of their blood line to be a “son.” This is true among many of the eastern people today.

The real understanding of this becomes necessary in the context of blood-line (we are blood of His blood and bone of His bone – our spiritual DNA is that of our Father). Also in the context of pre-destination and authority.

I hope to have several posts along these lines. Those of you who read regularly please forgive my tardiness in posting. It is true it is a very busy season for me, but this really doesn’t take that long — just a bit of concentration. So with your prayers, I will come back soon with more explaining this understanding.

Bless you for reading!

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 tniv

This is one of my favorite verses in scripture. It holds such promise and expectation!

My daughter, Lauren, (who writes here: http://standrewscny.wordpress.com) has paraphrased it in her recent post there. I like what she has done with the verse and thought you might like it as well.

“As we who know the Lord Jesus Christ  gaze intently with purpose into the face of our beloved Savior- we then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are being metamorphosized [distinctly and deliberately changed] into His image from awesome dimension of His person to awesome dimension of His person.”

I have been learning a lot about grace in the past few years and along with that, a lot about the love the Father has for us. It is amazing how much He loves you and me and what all He has done for us in our lives. I am amazed and awed continually.

Teaching the book of James in my local church in our mid-week service and also working with 1 John in our Psalm 19 Friday Fellowships this fall, the Lord has led me to work with the fact that grace produces fruit in our lives. It is not just about receiving the grace given (and that is huge), but it is also about allowing that tremendous gift to produce a continuous harvest of fruit.

Obedience is the fruit. Sometimes it is learning to just stay in step with the Lord as in a dance (abiding of 1 John). Sometimes it is allowing Him to work in another way through me that will accomplish some deed for Him, and sometimes it is just learning to allow my person to interact deeply enough with Him so the combination of our lives shared (His and mine) produce for Him a unique essence of presence that is a treasure in His heart and mine.

In a marriage, there is each partner and then there is the entity that is born with the uniting of the two. That means the “marriage” takes on a life of its own even though it is woven through two – yet it is.

So it is with our relationship with the Lord! Our relationship (our unity and love together) produces something that neither of us are alone. Now just how awesome is that?! The creative power of lives joined is awesome. Of course this relates to the local fellowship of believers (as well as the universal fellowship), but before we can jump that far we need to allow this to be true in our individual lives.

Thank you Lord Jesus for loving us so much that you release us into life beyond anything we have ever dreamed — All in You!

It seems to me that if we really spend time with our Lord Jesus, then our interior motives will undergo a constant and consistent change in grace. He is grace and He is the awesome God of the universe. How can we spend time with Him and yet not change in our inner most being?

I am not talking about what might be call “the discipline of prayer.” It seems to me the “discipline of prayer” might indeed be done as a discipline without any personal flow of shared spirit and Spirit interacting. I am talking about really sharing our lives in His presence — not just an intellectual understanding of that, but a reality of sharing. When that really is happening, dynamic and exciting change occurs within us.

It seems to me we work a lot with the matter of sin, yet consistently overlook the motive underneath that is the cause of such behavior. If our motive is being empowered in Him, then our behavior really is shifted.

It just seems to me. . .

Today I am remembering a very sad day in our nations history – 9/11/01.

I am remembering it by praying for all the survivors and for the families of those who were killed that day — just because they went to work.

I am praying for our President and for our leadership that they would make wise decisions in all they do, especially in their dealing with other nations.

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 TNIV

I have just enjoyed a delightful vacation and return to the blogosphere. It seems there are a couple of controversies brewing. Both of these come and go among the bloggers I read. One is on Bible translation: specifically the battle between the ESV and the TNIV. As far as I can discern this entire controversy is driven by marketing — in its core. Those who blog are sincere in their attempt to get at truth — but the fact of the problem is simply money — which translation can we get people convinced to buy.

When I am asked which translation I would recommend (among the many we have available in the states), my answer is a simple one, “Whatever one  you will read.” When you come to study, then you will need to look at the pro’s and con’s of several so a good decision can be made for you. Whatever you do, do not make that decision based on what translation a prominent figure recommends. Do some serious work with the translation on-line first (Biblegateway has most of them available for you). Ask your Pastor or Bible teacher. They are the ones you are studying with. This is not a critical decision that will keep you safe or lead you astray. Most translations provide a good overall understanding — true and balanced.

The second controversy is about scholarly women blogging. This one is interesting to me — funny thing. I have for many years felt badly that we were not having good scholarly type books about Scripture being written by women — now the controversy is about blogging. We have lots of women bloggers, but not many who work with the Word other than just a devotional nature. It is an interesting thought to me.

There are a few who write  biblioblogs. I do not yet qualify for that classification (my own internal qualifications) but there are several very scholarly blogs I follow which are written by women who also do not register there. So I guess I wonder where the stats come from about this question.

Anyway — I am back to blogging and will be posting more soon. Keep reading His word and watch Him delight your heart!

The folk at Zondervan are posting a nice series of articles on Bible Study. The first one yesterday was on the inductive method and today it is about the need and value of learning the original languages. This is a good series and worth reading. Enjoy!    http://zondervan.typepad.com/koinonia/