© 2008 by Deidre Campbell-Jones
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Proverbs 7:10-12; Proverbs 7:25-27
Faith: Proverbs 8:1,4,6; Proverbs 8:17-18,21
I thought of the title for this weekend’s bible study long before I knew I would be spending the weekend with two lovely ladies who would frequently expound upon “the Herman luck.” They are sisters and we are in Florida for the wedding of the younger sister. They are lots of fun, profess a belief in God and somehow were born into a family that frequently suffers from “Anything that can go wrong, will.”
Somehow the Bride’s specialized bouquet with peacock feathers was delivered to the hotel in Florida two months in advance. No one called the Bride and therefore there has been now bouquet for the actual ceremony. This has been ascribed to “The Herman Luck.” I think “Lady Luck” is alive and well.
There are many things the world will give a female reference to – ships, cars –and so on. But there are few abstract, emotional concepts of the mind that are spoken of as a female entity.
You would think that “Lady Luck” would be some odd, human manifestation and it would be the total opposite to anything God would condone. And, in fact, since ‘luck” is a concept not found in the bible, you would think there would be no reference to her in the bible at all.
However, Proverbs describes two kinds of women: one is sought after and will bring nothing but ruin; the other is to be desired, but is often ignored – she will bring riches and glory. From a non-biblical standpoint either sounds like she could be our friend the lady of luck. The first woman in Proverbs is described so literally that we are sure of whom we think God is speaking of. Proverbs 7:10-12 reads, “10: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)”
How many of us skip over these passages about the harlot in Proverbs? Women skip over her because we know we won’t be lured into the streets by hookers. Happily married men ignore her; men, who have never had a desire to pay for desire, may give her a passing thought and young men who feel susceptible may read about her warily and hope they don’t get caught. But “Lady Luck” seems the perfect name for her. By giving her that name, we can easily see her luring unsuspecting men and women out to the brightly lit streets of Vegas and the casinos all dressed up like harlots, luring with an enticing finger all that would come inside and take their chances. But Proverbs 7:25-27 says “Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” If we’re still talking about the casinos then we are talking in extremes and many of us still “pass by the harlot scriptures” in the scenario, because we are confident we will not go down like this. And we’re right many of us – especially those of us reading this bible study will never get caught up in gambling or prostitution at either at all (for the latter) or at any extreme (for the former).
Honestly however, this lady luck is not only working the streets of Vegas or Atlantic City. And she’s no longer a hooker or even a “call girl” – she is an escort, benignly waiting to escort you away from God’s simple truths of life. She’s walking the streets outside your job. She’s walking the streets at the grocery store, the gas station and the bank. She’s even walking the streets outside your house. And, I hate to even say it, but I’m sure she’s working outside many churches as well.
Lady Luck is a lure that looks good and enticing. She’s craftily and subtly whispering unsuspecting people away from what they know is good and right. She is anything that you hope for or depend on or pray for or get involved with that holds more weight, truth, opportunity or possibility than the promises of God. She is fools gold. She is opportunistic in stead of a good opportunity. She is good fortune without being godly. She is the here and now. She is not Mr. Right but Mr. Right Now. She’s another fish in the sea. She’s putting on a good front, a good show and she even appears to be walking the good life. Lady Luck is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Pull that away and underneath, Lady Luck is not all that lovely.
But there is one God describes and I see her as having a simple, pure beauty that is easily overlooked. She is not loud and stubborn; she is not in the streets crying out to anyone walking by. But she is crying, like the forgotten sister, always sitting in the shadows – forgotten and unappreciated. I say she is also underestimated.
Proverbs 8:1, 4 & 6 describes her this way; “Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? Unto you, O men, I [wisdom] call; and my voice is to the sons of man. Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.” She is not down in the streets of the city, she is crying at the gates, on the outskirts and at the entrance because no one will let her in. They don’t even want to hear what she has to say – even though she promises excellence and righteousness. She is Wisdom and many of us think we know her, but we are really walking with Lady Luck instead.
The bible describes Wisdom as being better than rubies. It says those who make witty inventions know her, as do Kings and noble men. But she is crying out to all of us. She may hang with elite of the elite in society – but she’d also like to hang out with you and me – at our jobs, the gas station and the bank; the grocery stores, inside our houses and especially at our churches. You see, though she may dwell with kings and noblemen, Wisdom is no respecter of persons. Proverbs 8:17 says “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” Wisdom is still speaking in the first person – she is speaking of herself.
If we look for Wisdom instead of seeking out that other chick – the one who is loud, flashy and bright, slick and alluring; we might indeed find all that we are hoping to find, but do not, when we are lured by lady luck. Wisdom promises so much more than what Lady Luck has to offer. In Proverbs 18-19 she says, “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.”
A pastor once described to me that Wisdom is God’s feminine side. And I believe that. The promises of God always exist for those who would seek Him – Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you.” Well, God’s behavior as feminine Wisdom is no different. God wants us to seek Wisdom. She says this again in Proverbs 8:21 – “[Seek me] that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Well, that sounds like better odds than anything you’ll get at the casino, or through the lottery, or any chance with Lady Luck.
Besides, Wisdom promises nothing but good – but as we see with the Herman sisters, Lady Luck is catch as you can: find Lady Luck and you aren’t necessarily guaranteed to find good luck.
When the bride’s bouquet was possibly missing it was “the Herman Luck” but when it was delivered on time for the wedding the next day, from the right florist, and looking absolutely beautiful, only Goodness was thanked. Well now who is she!?
Just like luck has its bad luck and its good luck so does lady luck. And she’ll lure you with the good she offers so innocently and sweetly that you don’t realize how she drags you down. She’ll step into the picture as bad luck and intercept a bridal bouquet, then deliver it on time as good luck, so you’ll say “thank goodness” instead of “thank God.” Good luck will make a cashier hand you $10 in change instead of $1 in change and bad luck will make you put it in your pocket instead of handing it back.
But wisdom cries out to be recognized and understood. For when we act with wisdom instead of on hunches and immediate good fortune, we build for ourselves a life of wealth and riches that supercedes even just our finances but permeates every aspect of our lives – physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Lady luck may have her altar ego “bad luck” but Wisdom’s twin is Faith. Have faith that God wants the very best for you and it is by His orchestration that it comes to you – when you seek out Wisdom - instead of hoping it will fall in your lap, or you will stumble upon it, or sit next to the lovely lady luck. I say if lady luck is considered to be lovely, then her beauty is only skin deep. It pales in comparison to the depth of beauty we would find when we seek wisdom.
eHome Bible Study homework: Read Proverbs 2 – clarify both Wisdom and Miss Lady Luck in the passages.
Power, love & Peace
(2 Timothy 1:7)
~Min. Dez
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
LUCK OF THE DRAW
© 2008 by Deidre Campbell-Jones
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Job 3:26
Faith: Psalms 86:7
“Why me, Lord? Why me?” Have you asked that question? Have you asked it when times seemed insurmountably bad, inexplicably difficult, and amazingly horrific? Sometimes it seems trouble just blasts you out of nowhere with such force and even devastation that you find yourself feeling like, “What the heck!? What did I do to deserve that?” Divorce, death, abandonment, abuse… “Why me?”
Sometimes it is not even something hugely tragic, but maybe just mildly difficult – but if the circumstance seems surprising and unwarranted, it is still easy to ask, “why me? What happened?” Friends up and leave you seemingly for no reason, bank accounts get hugely overdrawn and all jacked up from a minor mistake, and errors of all sorts seem so magnified or unleash a domino effect of trouble and even if you don’t say it out loud or even to yourself, the feeling inside is still, “Why is this happening to me?”
Here’s my answer – “Just lucky, I guess!” Trouble surrounds us on every side. Trials and tribulations are promised to us. John 16:33 says, “…in the world, you will have tribulation.” It is not a promise given because God is a sadistic God, zapping people with problems for his own amusement. But instead the very world itself, in fact, all of creation as well as the very nature of mankind has been affected by sin. And where there is sin, there is trouble, bottom line.
In the third chapter and 36th verse of Job, he states it this way, “I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” It doesn’t matter what any of us do – or even to not do – trouble comes. It’s just the luck of the draw when it comes to you and how. Eventually we all get lucky and experience trouble – sometimes it’s nothing but little trouble, while others seem to be followed by nothing but big trouble – but either way, every one gets a shot at experiencing it. And even Job and his friends wondered, “Why?”
It seems to make sense to ask, “Why me” in times of trouble, right? But what about in times of great joy and excitement, thrill and blessings? Do we ever think to ask, “Why me” when good things happen? It’s still the luck of the same draw – why not you? We are no more deserving of the good things than we think we are of the bad things!
I have heard great people in society who have experienced a multitude of favor, or the most extreme blessings of life have also asked, “Why me?” I in fact have received a vision and calling for my own life that has seriously caused me to ask, “Me, Lord – are you sure?” And of course the Lord answers, “Why not you? Who else but you if this vision and call has come to you?”
You see, even though Peter says in Acts 10:34 that God is no respecter of persons, we also seem to subconsciously assume he’s not thinking of us or concerned about our daily lives, trials, tribulations, wants, desires and joys. We live in a country that values the “American Dream”. We live in a society that encourages pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. We tell our young people to keep their heads low, treat others the way you want to be treated, be fair, be honest, do good and be good. And while all of these may be good rules to live by, they come with the unspoken implication that if you do these things it’s the best way to avoid trouble. But trouble is coming no matter what and we as a people seem to spend less time (if no time at all) teaching our young people how to survive and deal with trouble when it comes. Oh yeah, and then we complain when we have to bail them out – but that’s a different bible study!
Also just as nonsensical is the fact that we push the ideals that if we work hard we’ll get the good reward, that if we do the right things, good things will happen. Be kind, don’t do drugs, stay in school, get a good job and all else will be added to you. No, it says, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added to you. Why then would we be promised “a good life” filled with no anxiety over our needs and blessed with the desires of our hearts if God is not a respecter of persons? It’s just the luck of the draw!
You see, it all boils down to: thoughts. Our God is thinking of us and He wants us the think of Him.
When times are good; when we can’t believe the unbelievable good fortune of our lives; when we discover a purpose and find our path; or when God blesses us in good measure, pressed down and shaken under we are to know that God is ever thinking of us. Psalms 139:17 “How precious are your thoughts towards me! How great is the sum of them!” The psalmist was asking, “Why me, Lord? Why would you think so highly of me?” And the Lord gives His answer to us all in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God has an expected end for all of us and it is of peace – not of evil! So what of all the evil in this world that will surround us at every turn? God’s answer goes on and on…
Psalms 32:7: “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalms 37:39: “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.” Psalms 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalms 50:15: “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
When we are in trouble He wants us to think of Him and when we are blessed He wants us to know He thinks of us. He is always thinking of us – in good times and in bad. Yes, we are going to have trouble – and in some cases, our own sin, poor judgment and influence are the cause. But mostly we’re just in the right place at the right time to get the luck of that draw – that’s what we’ve very nearly been promised. And when trouble comes, Palms 86:7 has another promise for us: “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” God will be there to deliver us from our trouble!
His thoughts are not our thoughts – we think that trouble is our punishment, we think it’s our karma, we think it is bad luck. His thoughts are not our thoughts – when our lives are blessed with purpose, joy, good fortune and good tidings, we think of it as good luck. But His thoughts for us are of peace, not evil for the Lord has an expected end for us – it is a destiny filled with abundance, purpose, blessings and joy – if we would but call on Him, remember Him and seek Him first.
Case and point – instead of looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that’s being guarded by some lucky little leprechaun, look to the rainbow as the true covenant sign that God created it to be – God loves you and wants only His best life for you – and like I’ve said before, that’s the best luck in the world!
Power, love & peace -
~Min. Dez
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Job 3:26
Faith: Psalms 86:7
“Why me, Lord? Why me?” Have you asked that question? Have you asked it when times seemed insurmountably bad, inexplicably difficult, and amazingly horrific? Sometimes it seems trouble just blasts you out of nowhere with such force and even devastation that you find yourself feeling like, “What the heck!? What did I do to deserve that?” Divorce, death, abandonment, abuse… “Why me?”
Sometimes it is not even something hugely tragic, but maybe just mildly difficult – but if the circumstance seems surprising and unwarranted, it is still easy to ask, “why me? What happened?” Friends up and leave you seemingly for no reason, bank accounts get hugely overdrawn and all jacked up from a minor mistake, and errors of all sorts seem so magnified or unleash a domino effect of trouble and even if you don’t say it out loud or even to yourself, the feeling inside is still, “Why is this happening to me?”
Here’s my answer – “Just lucky, I guess!” Trouble surrounds us on every side. Trials and tribulations are promised to us. John 16:33 says, “…in the world, you will have tribulation.” It is not a promise given because God is a sadistic God, zapping people with problems for his own amusement. But instead the very world itself, in fact, all of creation as well as the very nature of mankind has been affected by sin. And where there is sin, there is trouble, bottom line.
In the third chapter and 36th verse of Job, he states it this way, “I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” It doesn’t matter what any of us do – or even to not do – trouble comes. It’s just the luck of the draw when it comes to you and how. Eventually we all get lucky and experience trouble – sometimes it’s nothing but little trouble, while others seem to be followed by nothing but big trouble – but either way, every one gets a shot at experiencing it. And even Job and his friends wondered, “Why?”
It seems to make sense to ask, “Why me” in times of trouble, right? But what about in times of great joy and excitement, thrill and blessings? Do we ever think to ask, “Why me” when good things happen? It’s still the luck of the same draw – why not you? We are no more deserving of the good things than we think we are of the bad things!
I have heard great people in society who have experienced a multitude of favor, or the most extreme blessings of life have also asked, “Why me?” I in fact have received a vision and calling for my own life that has seriously caused me to ask, “Me, Lord – are you sure?” And of course the Lord answers, “Why not you? Who else but you if this vision and call has come to you?”
You see, even though Peter says in Acts 10:34 that God is no respecter of persons, we also seem to subconsciously assume he’s not thinking of us or concerned about our daily lives, trials, tribulations, wants, desires and joys. We live in a country that values the “American Dream”. We live in a society that encourages pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. We tell our young people to keep their heads low, treat others the way you want to be treated, be fair, be honest, do good and be good. And while all of these may be good rules to live by, they come with the unspoken implication that if you do these things it’s the best way to avoid trouble. But trouble is coming no matter what and we as a people seem to spend less time (if no time at all) teaching our young people how to survive and deal with trouble when it comes. Oh yeah, and then we complain when we have to bail them out – but that’s a different bible study!
Also just as nonsensical is the fact that we push the ideals that if we work hard we’ll get the good reward, that if we do the right things, good things will happen. Be kind, don’t do drugs, stay in school, get a good job and all else will be added to you. No, it says, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added to you. Why then would we be promised “a good life” filled with no anxiety over our needs and blessed with the desires of our hearts if God is not a respecter of persons? It’s just the luck of the draw!
You see, it all boils down to: thoughts. Our God is thinking of us and He wants us the think of Him.
When times are good; when we can’t believe the unbelievable good fortune of our lives; when we discover a purpose and find our path; or when God blesses us in good measure, pressed down and shaken under we are to know that God is ever thinking of us. Psalms 139:17 “How precious are your thoughts towards me! How great is the sum of them!” The psalmist was asking, “Why me, Lord? Why would you think so highly of me?” And the Lord gives His answer to us all in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God has an expected end for all of us and it is of peace – not of evil! So what of all the evil in this world that will surround us at every turn? God’s answer goes on and on…
Psalms 32:7: “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalms 37:39: “But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.” Psalms 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalms 50:15: “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
When we are in trouble He wants us to think of Him and when we are blessed He wants us to know He thinks of us. He is always thinking of us – in good times and in bad. Yes, we are going to have trouble – and in some cases, our own sin, poor judgment and influence are the cause. But mostly we’re just in the right place at the right time to get the luck of that draw – that’s what we’ve very nearly been promised. And when trouble comes, Palms 86:7 has another promise for us: “In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.” God will be there to deliver us from our trouble!
His thoughts are not our thoughts – we think that trouble is our punishment, we think it’s our karma, we think it is bad luck. His thoughts are not our thoughts – when our lives are blessed with purpose, joy, good fortune and good tidings, we think of it as good luck. But His thoughts for us are of peace, not evil for the Lord has an expected end for us – it is a destiny filled with abundance, purpose, blessings and joy – if we would but call on Him, remember Him and seek Him first.
Case and point – instead of looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that’s being guarded by some lucky little leprechaun, look to the rainbow as the true covenant sign that God created it to be – God loves you and wants only His best life for you – and like I’ve said before, that’s the best luck in the world!
Power, love & peace -
~Min. Dez
Sunday, March 15, 2009
LUCKY NUMBER 7
(An "interesting note" - on Friday the 13th I wrote this message for my Emailed Bible Study - this morning I see when posting it here, that it is the 13th post on GetLifeRightNow! The pulpit! Things that make you go... hmm..."
© 2008 by Deidre Campbell-Jones
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Genesis 1
Faith: John 1
I suppose if Darwin is right, we are all creatures of luck. I remember being in high-school and a new science book had been released that year. The teacher read with us from the first page, but I didn’t move from that first paragraph with the rest of the class. I still remember reading a portion over and over: "…and somehow there was a big bang, and from that bang a single cell life form emerged…"
Somehow? Even then, “somehow” did not seem scientific enough for a science book! “Somehow” didn’t explain a big bang and it certainly did not describe how a single cell life form emerged. But let’s say “somehow” is an accurate description and somehow that single cell life form evolved throughout all these years from an amoeba to a dinosaur to an ape to a Neanderthal to a human – or some such nonsense. Wow – we would indeed be the luckiest creatures in the entire universe!
And if we really were somehow created from such an amazing happenstance, then wouldn’t that nature of luck be written into our DNA? Shouldn’t just luck abound in our reality? Shouldn’t we have evolved into something more fantasmic by now? And shouldn’t we be able to tap into that nature of luck and somehow create other amazing creations from that same substance we were created from?
Perhaps it was somehow a big bang of bad luck that keeps all those scenarios from being true. Or perhaps that “bang” was the insurmountable, unfathomable, all encompassing voice of God saying through His Word “Light be!” (Genesis 1:3)
Then in Genesis 1:26, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” There was no somehow - God spoke us into being through the same Being in which He spoke light into the world. We were created by the same voice and with the same breath that spoke all things into being. And that was no happy accident! The very nature of what created us is in our DNA. That very nature abounds in every aspect of our reality. And through that nature we can evolve and will evolve into something far more fantasmic than what we are today and what we are in this life. We have access to and can tap into that same nature any time we want and from it and through it we have the power to create and be creative just as we were created.
Here is the proof: (and all it takes is that you stretch your belief just a little bit past “somehow” to “was”) John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Now, doesn’t “was” sound far more definitive, decisive and absolute than the word “somehow?” Also, I submit to you this small change in the wording – “and somehow the darkness comprehended it not.” Those who are in darkness cannot comprehend the light – they instead comprehend luck.
Now before I go on, let me make sure you understand the significance of these scriptures. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – these verses are my most absolute favorite in the entire bible. In the beginning was God. There was nothing else, just God – everything that was, was God. And so, God is not in a specific place, God’s presence is the place. And in that place was the Word – capital “w” (a pronoun).
And that Word was with God, and that Word was God and all things were made by Him. Which "Him" was that? The Word God; the Word of God; God and the Word – they are one and the same. “And the same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:2)
All things were made by Him – what Him? All things were made with the Word, spoken through the word, (or spoken through the Word) – in other words, God spoke Himself into being. And what was the first thing He spoke of Himself? Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.”
Let’s go back to John 1:6-10 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Notice here the word “Light” is capitalized as in a “pronoun”. There is no mistaking who the true Light is – but in case you haven’t gotten it in all the other times I’ve mentioned it: John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” God spoke Himself into light through His Word, and that Word became flesh and became the Light of the world – Jesus, the Christ.
We too are called to let our lights shine as a lamp on a hill. Could that very same Light we’ve been talking about, that very same Word we’ve been reading about – could it be that light is built into the very nature of our DNA? God says it is. Genesis 26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: - remember? The “us” God is talking to is Himself: Father, Son and Holy Ghost; God the Presence, Jesus the Light and the Spirit that moved across the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2. We are created in their image – we are created from their image and we were given life through the breath of life: the Spirit of life – that same life that moved across the face of the waters.
I just now remembered a joke I heard a few days ago… “Scientists determined they had discovered exactly how to make life out of nothing, just like God. And so to prove their new skills they went to God and challenged Him to a duel. We can make life out of nothing just like you, they said. Let’s see who can make a man better and faster. God agreed to the challenge. On your mark, get set, go, He said. And the Scientists bent down to scoop up dirt to form their man, but God stopped them. Go get your own dirt, He told the Scientists.”
The very same substance, or rather “substantial Word” that made light also made the dry ground, and the very same nature that was spoken into light was also spoken into the dry ground. And Adam was created from the dust of that dry ground and God breathed the breath of life into him – male and female God made He them.
God did not leave this stuff up to chance! In seven days God made the heavens and the earth; all the swimming things in the waters, the fowls and flying things in the air; the creeping things on the ground and Man – male and female (mankind) – and on the 7th day He rested.
Now that’s the only lucky number 7 I want to believe in! How lucky we are that God decided to make us in their image! How lucky we are that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever should believe would not perish but have everlasting life!” (John 3:16)
That “Only Begotten Son” God gave to die on the cross was God Himself, in the flesh. Oh, and aren’t we lucky He did! That “world” God loves so much is the world of mankind – the very same man He made from the dusts of the Earth and breathed life into. Oh, and aren’t we lucky that He did! And all that we have to believe in is not that somehow this all happened but that this was what happened! Oh, and aren’t we lucky that it did!
Is luck in our very nature? Only if you take that chance and believe in God our Creator and His only begotten Son. I feel lucky indeed!
Your eHome Bible Study homework: We’ve been studying Genesis 1 and John 1. Compare how 1 John 1:1-3 compare to the first verses in Genesis and John.
© 2008 by Deidre Campbell-Jones
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Genesis 1
Faith: John 1
I suppose if Darwin is right, we are all creatures of luck. I remember being in high-school and a new science book had been released that year. The teacher read with us from the first page, but I didn’t move from that first paragraph with the rest of the class. I still remember reading a portion over and over: "…and somehow there was a big bang, and from that bang a single cell life form emerged…"
Somehow? Even then, “somehow” did not seem scientific enough for a science book! “Somehow” didn’t explain a big bang and it certainly did not describe how a single cell life form emerged. But let’s say “somehow” is an accurate description and somehow that single cell life form evolved throughout all these years from an amoeba to a dinosaur to an ape to a Neanderthal to a human – or some such nonsense. Wow – we would indeed be the luckiest creatures in the entire universe!
And if we really were somehow created from such an amazing happenstance, then wouldn’t that nature of luck be written into our DNA? Shouldn’t just luck abound in our reality? Shouldn’t we have evolved into something more fantasmic by now? And shouldn’t we be able to tap into that nature of luck and somehow create other amazing creations from that same substance we were created from?
Perhaps it was somehow a big bang of bad luck that keeps all those scenarios from being true. Or perhaps that “bang” was the insurmountable, unfathomable, all encompassing voice of God saying through His Word “Light be!” (Genesis 1:3)
Then in Genesis 1:26, “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” There was no somehow - God spoke us into being through the same Being in which He spoke light into the world. We were created by the same voice and with the same breath that spoke all things into being. And that was no happy accident! The very nature of what created us is in our DNA. That very nature abounds in every aspect of our reality. And through that nature we can evolve and will evolve into something far more fantasmic than what we are today and what we are in this life. We have access to and can tap into that same nature any time we want and from it and through it we have the power to create and be creative just as we were created.
Here is the proof: (and all it takes is that you stretch your belief just a little bit past “somehow” to “was”) John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” Now, doesn’t “was” sound far more definitive, decisive and absolute than the word “somehow?” Also, I submit to you this small change in the wording – “and somehow the darkness comprehended it not.” Those who are in darkness cannot comprehend the light – they instead comprehend luck.
Now before I go on, let me make sure you understand the significance of these scriptures. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – these verses are my most absolute favorite in the entire bible. In the beginning was God. There was nothing else, just God – everything that was, was God. And so, God is not in a specific place, God’s presence is the place. And in that place was the Word – capital “w” (a pronoun).
And that Word was with God, and that Word was God and all things were made by Him. Which "Him" was that? The Word God; the Word of God; God and the Word – they are one and the same. “And the same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:2)
All things were made by Him – what Him? All things were made with the Word, spoken through the word, (or spoken through the Word) – in other words, God spoke Himself into being. And what was the first thing He spoke of Himself? Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.”
Let’s go back to John 1:6-10 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Notice here the word “Light” is capitalized as in a “pronoun”. There is no mistaking who the true Light is – but in case you haven’t gotten it in all the other times I’ve mentioned it: John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” God spoke Himself into light through His Word, and that Word became flesh and became the Light of the world – Jesus, the Christ.
We too are called to let our lights shine as a lamp on a hill. Could that very same Light we’ve been talking about, that very same Word we’ve been reading about – could it be that light is built into the very nature of our DNA? God says it is. Genesis 26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: - remember? The “us” God is talking to is Himself: Father, Son and Holy Ghost; God the Presence, Jesus the Light and the Spirit that moved across the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2. We are created in their image – we are created from their image and we were given life through the breath of life: the Spirit of life – that same life that moved across the face of the waters.
I just now remembered a joke I heard a few days ago… “Scientists determined they had discovered exactly how to make life out of nothing, just like God. And so to prove their new skills they went to God and challenged Him to a duel. We can make life out of nothing just like you, they said. Let’s see who can make a man better and faster. God agreed to the challenge. On your mark, get set, go, He said. And the Scientists bent down to scoop up dirt to form their man, but God stopped them. Go get your own dirt, He told the Scientists.”
The very same substance, or rather “substantial Word” that made light also made the dry ground, and the very same nature that was spoken into light was also spoken into the dry ground. And Adam was created from the dust of that dry ground and God breathed the breath of life into him – male and female God made He them.
God did not leave this stuff up to chance! In seven days God made the heavens and the earth; all the swimming things in the waters, the fowls and flying things in the air; the creeping things on the ground and Man – male and female (mankind) – and on the 7th day He rested.
Now that’s the only lucky number 7 I want to believe in! How lucky we are that God decided to make us in their image! How lucky we are that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever should believe would not perish but have everlasting life!” (John 3:16)
That “Only Begotten Son” God gave to die on the cross was God Himself, in the flesh. Oh, and aren’t we lucky He did! That “world” God loves so much is the world of mankind – the very same man He made from the dusts of the Earth and breathed life into. Oh, and aren’t we lucky that He did! And all that we have to believe in is not that somehow this all happened but that this was what happened! Oh, and aren’t we lucky that it did!
Is luck in our very nature? Only if you take that chance and believe in God our Creator and His only begotten Son. I feel lucky indeed!
Your eHome Bible Study homework: We’ve been studying Genesis 1 and John 1. Compare how 1 John 1:1-3 compare to the first verses in Genesis and John.
Monday, March 9, 2009
What a Friend!
Earlier last summer, my husband and I were invited to a birthday party for friends we hadn’t seen in 3 years. The last time we’d hung out, our son was just around 6 months old and in trying to adjust to being new parents, we had completely dropped out of the whole night club scene: partying until the wee hours of the morning and all those shenanigans.
But it was so good to see the old crowd again that I found myself right back into the old conversations, the old gossip and the same old brand of questionable humor. After the party I wondered why I’d been so easily sucked back into that old behavior. After all, while they hadn’t changed – I sure had. I had begun a new journey and speaking career in my ministry – soon to start teaching at the Bible College of my new church and even about to become a minister elect, working on my ministerial license. How then could I have gone to that party, and fallen into the same old conversations? (Don’t act like I’m the only one that’s happened too! :D)
I never figured out the answer at that time, but I was presented with a suggested scripture for a teaching I did in August: Ephesians 4:22-24 “That he put off concerning the former conversation of the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The answer as to how I could have fallen into the same old deceitful and debase conversations was there in the last portion of verse 24: … and ye “put on” the new man.
Well, I tell you, I may not have been able to follow verse 22 and put off concerning those former conversations that night, but I sure must have been following verse 24 – putting on the new man. In fact, I must have hung up my “new man” in the coat closet when I arrived at that party because you can’t take off what you haven’t put on in the first place! It’s as if I arrived at that party over-dressed and hung myself at the door so I could fit in with my old friends once more.
When I asked myself why I did that (of course) I didn’t know my answer was in Ephesians 4:20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.” In fact, I would have argued that I had indeed learned Christ. But the truth is it was as if the night of the party I’d started summer school with a pop quiz that I’d failed miserably that night. Class was suddenly in session and all summer long I had lesson after lesson and tons of homework week after week! And then just a few day s ago I had my final exam. And let me tell you, it was painful – but I can confidently say I’ve passed with flying colors! Let me present his test to you and you’ll see how easy it is to pass this test.
Who here has had a friendship that has last 30 years or more? Marriages don’t count so put your hand down if you’re talking about a spouse! Just yesterday I heard a man say that when men get married they sacrifice everything for their wives – the first sacrifice being HOPE! :D Well, the same must be true for friendships that begin in the spirit of the “old man” – before you are saved.
I have a friend, who for the past 30 years has always been like John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I’m talking close. Suddenly however, she can no longer continue our friendship. So, we’re having this conversation about it and she’s talking all this old stuff that I thought was over and done with. And I know what she’s referring to, but none of it makes sense any more. I’m trying hard to understand but I just can do it. All I can think of is, “wow, this friendship is really over.” And it dawned on me the more I tried t0 salvage the friendship, the less we seemed to be able to see eye-to-eye the way we used to... or the say I thought we did.
You see, I had “put off concerning the former conversations of the ‘old me’” and now I could see why she felt she couldn’t talk to me any more and why we didn’t see eye-to-eye any more. I realize that I have been renewed in the spirit of my mind. The proof came in these new truths about me 1) I too suddenly felt like I could no longer relate to, nor want to try and relate to my once beloved friend of 30 years. My mind, no longer thinks like her mind. I am a renewed. And 2), I have a renewed sense of the Spirit dwelling within me.
I have finally put on, and kept on, the new me, which, through God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now had that happened, especially without me having specifically done anything to do so? Well, before this summer, and during the last 23 years of being saved, I was living like my “new man” was indeed a coat of many colors that I was taking off and putting on. Each different color was a like a different attribute or characteristic that I was trying to patchwork into the fabric of my life and my behavior according to the Christian I thought I was supposed to be – instead of the person Christ created me to be – created through righteousness and true holiness. (verse 24)
How are we righteous? Through the righteousness of Christ once Christ dwells in us. And how can we be created in true holiness, less we be created in the image of the only One who is Truly Holy? Christ Himself declared to our Father that “they [we] all may be one; as though, Farther, art in me, and I in the, that they also may be one in us:” John 17: 21, 22 and 23: “…that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me…” Christ is telling us that God lives in Him, and He lives in us so therefore – God is in us as well. Jesus also said, “I and my father are one, if you have seen me you have seen the Father.” I say, if we are created in God’s own image, then look in the mirror and see God for yourself! Look in the mirror and see your own royalty, see your own deity (little d) and your own godliness with a little “g.”
If Christ is the Son of God and He and the Father are one and the same, then we too share in that royal deity once we have been made the children of God. We are co-heirs to the Kingdom of God, brothers and sisters with Christ, adopted into the family of righteousness and told that we too are given power over this world – able to do greater works than Jesus himself. Once you have heard, and been taught and learned that truth in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21), your Spirit is truly renewed and the new man you put on doesn’t come off so easily any more!
That “new man” is Jesus Himself – the same Jesus who also calls us friend: John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Luke 21: 16 says “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, brethren, kinsfolk and friends and some may betray you even unto death.” I am sure we have all been betrayed by a friends at one time or another – whether we’d been friend for 30 years or not. Oh, but praise God we have a friend in Jesus – the Spirit of whom lives within us – promising to never leave or forsake us! What a friend; what a friend; what a friend we have in Jesus! Halleluiah, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
But it was so good to see the old crowd again that I found myself right back into the old conversations, the old gossip and the same old brand of questionable humor. After the party I wondered why I’d been so easily sucked back into that old behavior. After all, while they hadn’t changed – I sure had. I had begun a new journey and speaking career in my ministry – soon to start teaching at the Bible College of my new church and even about to become a minister elect, working on my ministerial license. How then could I have gone to that party, and fallen into the same old conversations? (Don’t act like I’m the only one that’s happened too! :D)
I never figured out the answer at that time, but I was presented with a suggested scripture for a teaching I did in August: Ephesians 4:22-24 “That he put off concerning the former conversation of the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” The answer as to how I could have fallen into the same old deceitful and debase conversations was there in the last portion of verse 24: … and ye “put on” the new man.
Well, I tell you, I may not have been able to follow verse 22 and put off concerning those former conversations that night, but I sure must have been following verse 24 – putting on the new man. In fact, I must have hung up my “new man” in the coat closet when I arrived at that party because you can’t take off what you haven’t put on in the first place! It’s as if I arrived at that party over-dressed and hung myself at the door so I could fit in with my old friends once more.
When I asked myself why I did that (of course) I didn’t know my answer was in Ephesians 4:20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.” In fact, I would have argued that I had indeed learned Christ. But the truth is it was as if the night of the party I’d started summer school with a pop quiz that I’d failed miserably that night. Class was suddenly in session and all summer long I had lesson after lesson and tons of homework week after week! And then just a few day s ago I had my final exam. And let me tell you, it was painful – but I can confidently say I’ve passed with flying colors! Let me present his test to you and you’ll see how easy it is to pass this test.
Who here has had a friendship that has last 30 years or more? Marriages don’t count so put your hand down if you’re talking about a spouse! Just yesterday I heard a man say that when men get married they sacrifice everything for their wives – the first sacrifice being HOPE! :D Well, the same must be true for friendships that begin in the spirit of the “old man” – before you are saved.
I have a friend, who for the past 30 years has always been like John 15:13 – “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” I’m talking close. Suddenly however, she can no longer continue our friendship. So, we’re having this conversation about it and she’s talking all this old stuff that I thought was over and done with. And I know what she’s referring to, but none of it makes sense any more. I’m trying hard to understand but I just can do it. All I can think of is, “wow, this friendship is really over.” And it dawned on me the more I tried t0 salvage the friendship, the less we seemed to be able to see eye-to-eye the way we used to... or the say I thought we did.
You see, I had “put off concerning the former conversations of the ‘old me’” and now I could see why she felt she couldn’t talk to me any more and why we didn’t see eye-to-eye any more. I realize that I have been renewed in the spirit of my mind. The proof came in these new truths about me 1) I too suddenly felt like I could no longer relate to, nor want to try and relate to my once beloved friend of 30 years. My mind, no longer thinks like her mind. I am a renewed. And 2), I have a renewed sense of the Spirit dwelling within me.
I have finally put on, and kept on, the new me, which, through God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now had that happened, especially without me having specifically done anything to do so? Well, before this summer, and during the last 23 years of being saved, I was living like my “new man” was indeed a coat of many colors that I was taking off and putting on. Each different color was a like a different attribute or characteristic that I was trying to patchwork into the fabric of my life and my behavior according to the Christian I thought I was supposed to be – instead of the person Christ created me to be – created through righteousness and true holiness. (verse 24)
How are we righteous? Through the righteousness of Christ once Christ dwells in us. And how can we be created in true holiness, less we be created in the image of the only One who is Truly Holy? Christ Himself declared to our Father that “they [we] all may be one; as though, Farther, art in me, and I in the, that they also may be one in us:” John 17: 21, 22 and 23: “…that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me…” Christ is telling us that God lives in Him, and He lives in us so therefore – God is in us as well. Jesus also said, “I and my father are one, if you have seen me you have seen the Father.” I say, if we are created in God’s own image, then look in the mirror and see God for yourself! Look in the mirror and see your own royalty, see your own deity (little d) and your own godliness with a little “g.”
If Christ is the Son of God and He and the Father are one and the same, then we too share in that royal deity once we have been made the children of God. We are co-heirs to the Kingdom of God, brothers and sisters with Christ, adopted into the family of righteousness and told that we too are given power over this world – able to do greater works than Jesus himself. Once you have heard, and been taught and learned that truth in Jesus (Ephesians 4:21), your Spirit is truly renewed and the new man you put on doesn’t come off so easily any more!
That “new man” is Jesus Himself – the same Jesus who also calls us friend: John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”
Luke 21: 16 says “And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, brethren, kinsfolk and friends and some may betray you even unto death.” I am sure we have all been betrayed by a friends at one time or another – whether we’d been friend for 30 years or not. Oh, but praise God we have a friend in Jesus – the Spirit of whom lives within us – promising to never leave or forsake us! What a friend; what a friend; what a friend we have in Jesus! Halleluiah, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
GOOD, BAD OR NOT AT ALL
© 2008 by Min. Deidre Campbell-Jones
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Proverbs 16:33
Faith: Psalms 139
It’s March and thanks to “St. Paddy” we’ll be hearing a lot this month about the “luck of the Irish” and St. Patrick’s Day. The “luck of the Irish” is a very interesting concept to me, especially since another very common phrase is “Irish Catholic”. If those are the only two colloquialisms about being Irish, then in my understanding of the whole matter, the two cancel each other out.
You see, according to scripture there technically is no such thing as “luck” at all. There doesn’t seem to be any good luck or bad luck, only blessings and curses. And if luck is defined as happenstance; a surprise situation of good fortune, then we have to attribute some other truth to these occurrences because we know through God there are no coincidences at all.
Psalms 139 describes how the Lord knows us and fashioned us and leads us in all our ways. He knows our downsitting and our uprising. He encompasses our path and is acquainted with all our ways. We can take flight in the air or dwell on the seas and no matter where we are the Lord will lead us and keep us. Now none of that sounds like an accident, happenstance or luck of the draw to me.
Now don’t get me entirely wrong – the bible is not without its instances where luck was involved. For example, to “cast lots” was the way to determine the luck of the draw. Often it was just away to divvy up parts like saying “eenie, meenie, mynie-mo.” In Joshua 18:8-10 lots were cast before the Lord to determine which tribes of Israel would get what parcel of land. Even still, it doesn’t necessarily say that the Lord answered Joshua through the casting of those lots. It was just a quick and easy way to determine who got what and if you were lucky, I suppose, then you got the part you wanted.
In 1 Chronicles 24:31 the sons of Levi cast lots against their brethren, the sons of Aaron. Now I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound as if you’d come out too lucky either way the lot ended up if someone were casting against you. So, casting lots wasn’t always a positive notion – such as was the case, as was prophesied in Psalms 22:18 when they cast lots for Jesus’ garments.
And in at least one case that I know of, casting lots did not go as was planned and God had to make his own decision. In the New Testament, Peter and the other disciples had selected two other men as candidates to take Judas’ place amongst the 12 after his betrayal and death. In Acts 1:23-26 the disciples prayed and cast their lots towards Joseph Barsabas (surnamed Justus) and Matthias, whom they had selected and the lot fell toward Matthias and he was counted amongst the eleven. Personally, I would have cast my lot towards Justus, but maybe I'm just partial... The truth of the matter is the disciples selected the men, the disciples cast their lots towards Matthias and the disciples counted him amongst them. God however was not mentioned as having any part in the matter. I see it like this: Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”
The world has plenty of ways in which “things happen” that have nothing to do with God. Besides luck – a random set of circumstances in which you might get a good one at any given moment in time – there’s also fate, which is a predetermined set of circumstances that might or might not be good at any given time. There’s also destiny, which by many schools of thought, you can control and determine your own destiny, even though it too is a predetermined end result of circumstances.
Did you know that none of the words: luck, fate or destiny appear anywhere in the bible? I have even taught on biblical purpose and destiny but the concepts are almost as elusive as the words themselves. There is the theological concept of predestination, but even that is not actually listed in the bible. So what is?
Let’s go back to Psalms 139. We used those scriptures to show that nothing in our lives is an accident – God is aware of and leads us in all our ways. There is no place we can go and nothing we can do in which He is not aware of us, leading us and thinking of us. Verse 10: “Even there will His hand lead me; His right hand will hold me.” Not only is God aware of our ways, He is active in our ways. And not only that, He promises to be exactingly active in all that we do or ask.
We don’t have to leave stuff up to chance – not even as Christians. Many times we’ll say, “Well, if it’s God’s will.” Or “God knows my needs, I know He will provide.” Sure He’ll provide – He is faithful to provide – if we ask. We have to ask!
It is true that Matthew 6:8: says that God knows what we have need of even before we ask – of course He does, He is all-knowing after all! But shortly after that Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” We don’t have to leave our lives up to chance – just ask! We don’t have to chock our circumstances up to luck – just ask! It’s not a matter of destiny or fate; it’s a matter of prayer and faith!
Matthew 21:22: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” This means some things, right? This means only the serious things, right? Or this means only the things pertaining to our needs and not our wants, right? Actually, it means all things – ALL things: 100%, fully and completely all things. In fact, the scripture just before it talks about cursing fig trees and moving mountains with faith. Those are some pretty big things – maybe that’s where we get it from. Nope, the scripture simply says “all” things.
John 14:13 & 14 repeats it twice, “ask in My name and it will be done.” John 15:7 – “ask and it shall be done.” James 1:5-6: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
Luck, chance, fate and destiny are like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. You never know where it will go, how it will go or when it will stop – good, bad or not at.
You don’t have to wonder, hope, cross your fingers or even pray that God knows your heart, concerns and needs. Express those concerns, needs and desires of your heart to God in prayer – He wants you to!
So why should we ask even if he knows what we need before we ask? Because it builds a meaningful relationship with our Father in Heaven. Ask Him – and be specific when you ask! Don’t you think your Father in heaven knows how to give good gifts? Or don’t you think you deserve to ask for those good gifts?
We easily leave something up to luck and figure we have a 50-50% chance of it working out. At least if we ask the Lord, we’ve still got a 50-50% chance of things working out. But if we ask Him and do not doubt, ask in faith, nothing wavering – God promises a 100% chance of return. I feel pretty lucky indeed to have that kind of relationship with God the Almighty Creator – don’t you?
March Theme: Luck
Luck: Proverbs 16:33
Faith: Psalms 139
It’s March and thanks to “St. Paddy” we’ll be hearing a lot this month about the “luck of the Irish” and St. Patrick’s Day. The “luck of the Irish” is a very interesting concept to me, especially since another very common phrase is “Irish Catholic”. If those are the only two colloquialisms about being Irish, then in my understanding of the whole matter, the two cancel each other out.
You see, according to scripture there technically is no such thing as “luck” at all. There doesn’t seem to be any good luck or bad luck, only blessings and curses. And if luck is defined as happenstance; a surprise situation of good fortune, then we have to attribute some other truth to these occurrences because we know through God there are no coincidences at all.
Psalms 139 describes how the Lord knows us and fashioned us and leads us in all our ways. He knows our downsitting and our uprising. He encompasses our path and is acquainted with all our ways. We can take flight in the air or dwell on the seas and no matter where we are the Lord will lead us and keep us. Now none of that sounds like an accident, happenstance or luck of the draw to me.
Now don’t get me entirely wrong – the bible is not without its instances where luck was involved. For example, to “cast lots” was the way to determine the luck of the draw. Often it was just away to divvy up parts like saying “eenie, meenie, mynie-mo.” In Joshua 18:8-10 lots were cast before the Lord to determine which tribes of Israel would get what parcel of land. Even still, it doesn’t necessarily say that the Lord answered Joshua through the casting of those lots. It was just a quick and easy way to determine who got what and if you were lucky, I suppose, then you got the part you wanted.
In 1 Chronicles 24:31 the sons of Levi cast lots against their brethren, the sons of Aaron. Now I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound as if you’d come out too lucky either way the lot ended up if someone were casting against you. So, casting lots wasn’t always a positive notion – such as was the case, as was prophesied in Psalms 22:18 when they cast lots for Jesus’ garments.
And in at least one case that I know of, casting lots did not go as was planned and God had to make his own decision. In the New Testament, Peter and the other disciples had selected two other men as candidates to take Judas’ place amongst the 12 after his betrayal and death. In Acts 1:23-26 the disciples prayed and cast their lots towards Joseph Barsabas (surnamed Justus) and Matthias, whom they had selected and the lot fell toward Matthias and he was counted amongst the eleven. Personally, I would have cast my lot towards Justus, but maybe I'm just partial... The truth of the matter is the disciples selected the men, the disciples cast their lots towards Matthias and the disciples counted him amongst them. God however was not mentioned as having any part in the matter. I see it like this: Proverbs 16:33: “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”
The world has plenty of ways in which “things happen” that have nothing to do with God. Besides luck – a random set of circumstances in which you might get a good one at any given moment in time – there’s also fate, which is a predetermined set of circumstances that might or might not be good at any given time. There’s also destiny, which by many schools of thought, you can control and determine your own destiny, even though it too is a predetermined end result of circumstances.
Did you know that none of the words: luck, fate or destiny appear anywhere in the bible? I have even taught on biblical purpose and destiny but the concepts are almost as elusive as the words themselves. There is the theological concept of predestination, but even that is not actually listed in the bible. So what is?
Let’s go back to Psalms 139. We used those scriptures to show that nothing in our lives is an accident – God is aware of and leads us in all our ways. There is no place we can go and nothing we can do in which He is not aware of us, leading us and thinking of us. Verse 10: “Even there will His hand lead me; His right hand will hold me.” Not only is God aware of our ways, He is active in our ways. And not only that, He promises to be exactingly active in all that we do or ask.
We don’t have to leave stuff up to chance – not even as Christians. Many times we’ll say, “Well, if it’s God’s will.” Or “God knows my needs, I know He will provide.” Sure He’ll provide – He is faithful to provide – if we ask. We have to ask!
It is true that Matthew 6:8: says that God knows what we have need of even before we ask – of course He does, He is all-knowing after all! But shortly after that Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” We don’t have to leave our lives up to chance – just ask! We don’t have to chock our circumstances up to luck – just ask! It’s not a matter of destiny or fate; it’s a matter of prayer and faith!
Matthew 21:22: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” This means some things, right? This means only the serious things, right? Or this means only the things pertaining to our needs and not our wants, right? Actually, it means all things – ALL things: 100%, fully and completely all things. In fact, the scripture just before it talks about cursing fig trees and moving mountains with faith. Those are some pretty big things – maybe that’s where we get it from. Nope, the scripture simply says “all” things.
John 14:13 & 14 repeats it twice, “ask in My name and it will be done.” John 15:7 – “ask and it shall be done.” James 1:5-6: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”
Luck, chance, fate and destiny are like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. You never know where it will go, how it will go or when it will stop – good, bad or not at.
You don’t have to wonder, hope, cross your fingers or even pray that God knows your heart, concerns and needs. Express those concerns, needs and desires of your heart to God in prayer – He wants you to!
So why should we ask even if he knows what we need before we ask? Because it builds a meaningful relationship with our Father in Heaven. Ask Him – and be specific when you ask! Don’t you think your Father in heaven knows how to give good gifts? Or don’t you think you deserve to ask for those good gifts?
We easily leave something up to luck and figure we have a 50-50% chance of it working out. At least if we ask the Lord, we’ve still got a 50-50% chance of things working out. But if we ask Him and do not doubt, ask in faith, nothing wavering – God promises a 100% chance of return. I feel pretty lucky indeed to have that kind of relationship with God the Almighty Creator – don’t you?
Sunday, March 1, 2009
THE RELATIONSHIP OF LOVE
© 2008 by Deidre Campbell-Jones
February Theme: Love
Love’s Action: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love’s Command: Matthew 22:37-39
1 Corinthians 13: It’s on posters, greeting cards, plaques, bookmarks and in nearly every devotional on love – this one included. It is the end all, be all definition of love – or so we have been taught. “Love suffers long, and is kind; love does not envy; love does not exalt itself, is not puffed up, love does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
And still, even though we are familiar with the verse and we look to it as a guideline, many of us are still challenged to love unconditionally in the manner it describes. It is because we are trying to live by an example with out a definition.
Consider these words: to suffer; to be kind; to envy; to be exalted; to be puffed up; to behave or not to behave; to seek; to provoke; to think; to rejoice; to bear; to believe; to hope; to endure and to fail, or not to fail. These are all verbs. A verb is the part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence. To be or not to be – the words from the Corinthians list are all a state of being; they are an action of existence and not of definition. In fact, I’ll pick any one of love’s activities as proof: “love thinks no evil.” Ok, if “think” is the verb and “evil” is the subject that is modified by “no”, does that make “evil” or “no evil” one of the definitions of love? If so, the sentence might be phrased, “love is not evil.” And all that would explain is what love is not and not what it is.
So what is love? The bible says God is Love. 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. “ That means then, if God is love then God expresses Himself through His being… to be, or not to be… Be longsuffering; be kind; be free of envy; be not puffed up or self-exalted; be seemly; beseech for others; be not provoked; be not evil; be joyous in truth, not in sin; believe; be hopeful; be enduring; always be. And so, if this is God’s behavior, it’s no wonder we have such a difficult time! And if indeed this is God’s behavior, how is it that we are to accomplish this list of loving actions and ways to be?
1 John 4:16 gives us the answer. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.” Being in the presence of God is being in the presence of love. The more God that is in us, the more we can love ourselves as He does and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Still action without definition often gets lost in translation no matter how much sense it makes. So if 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 is not a definition of who God is, but what God does and what we through God should do – we are still left with the question: what is the definition of why we do what we do? Asking what is the true definition of love is synonymous to asking what the definition of God is. Here’s some good news – the bible does not leave us without this definition and I have my Bishop to thank for this. It’s just too good to keep for myself so allow me to plagiarize the information in this, our last lesson on love for this February month of love and all the topics that have related.
[There are 7 elements of God and therefore 7 elements of love. God is Faith (Isaiah 49:7); God is Truth (Ephesians 4:15); God is trust (Psalms 9:10); God is giving (John 3:16) and God is forgiving (Ephesians 4:32); God is good (Matthew 19:17) and God is fruitful (Galatians 5:22). Indeed, I recognize that many of these definitions are verbs just like the examples in 1 Corinthians.] So what is the difference?
In our human condition, we can “love” someone without any one or even several of the actions in 1 Corinthians. Some of us have been so damaged and marred, and our earthly definition of love is so twisted that some of us can even say we love and still not do anything in the Corinthians list.
But God cannot be God without any of the 7 elements listed above. God does not and cannot be anything other than faithful, truthful, trustworthy, giving, forgiving, good and fruitful. God’s love bears fruit because the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Analyzing these 7 elements in our life is then how we know if what we are experiencing is love – and more specifically a Godly love. So many theologians, pastors and ministers talk about love in biblical terms that just don’t translate to the loves we have in our lives. Often they’ll talk about a distorted definition or a diluted importance – how can you say you love your husband and then so easily say you love ice cream. In that regard I agree, we need a different word for how much we enjoy our favorite things in life. Because when I think about all the things in my life for which I am faithful, trusting, truthful, giving, forgiving, good and fruitful towards, the list narrows considerably and does not include ice cream at all.
And furthermore if there is anything in our lives for which we can apply those seven elements towards, it does indeed become easier to act towards those things as 1 Corinthians 13 describes. But the reason the list is there is because we need a reminder to act lovingly even after we understand what a Godly love is.
I believe our reminders (especially to ourselves) should begin with the 7 elements of God. They are tangible, realistic guidelines to determine if what we feel towards someone or something is actually love. They are reasonable traits to help us determine if anyone is loving towards us. They are easily understandable concepts to consider whenever God tells us to love our neighbor and love our selves as Christ loves us. And I am finding them to be perfect concepts to teach my child.
What is love? Love is faithful – what are you faithful to? Love is trusting – what do you trust implicitly? Love is giving – what do you so freely give because of your love? Love is forgiving – do you easily forgive those whom you love? Love is good – what things are you good at? Do you love what you’re good at and are you good towards the things or people you say you love? Love is fruitful – does your love bear more love? Does it ignite and give love to others – does it give peace and joy? Or what about the love you’re receiving does it bear Godly fruit in your life?
So then here’s the toughest question of all. Even with our twisted, convoluted and earthly definitions of love, we still do not and would not hesitate to say without a doubt, “Yes, I love God.” Of course we love God. But do we love God with the same love He loves us with? Can we honestly say we reciprocate the 7 Godly principles to our Heavenly Father, when we say we love Him? If so, then do we also follow our 1 Corinthians actions in our relationship with God? Remember, our relationships with Him should not be defined by our relationships with each other, but instead by His love towards us.
“You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind… and love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:37-39
Your Home Study homework: Did you read all the scripture references? If so, then you might know what else the fruit of the Spirit bears besides love. Find the scripture with this answer.
(Note: Aspects of this lesson are taken from the book “Father, Brother, Lover, Friend: Finding “The One”, expected to be released by Destination Publications in June 2009 and the coinciding presentation “The Relationship of Love”.)
February Theme: Love
Love’s Action: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love’s Command: Matthew 22:37-39
1 Corinthians 13: It’s on posters, greeting cards, plaques, bookmarks and in nearly every devotional on love – this one included. It is the end all, be all definition of love – or so we have been taught. “Love suffers long, and is kind; love does not envy; love does not exalt itself, is not puffed up, love does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
And still, even though we are familiar with the verse and we look to it as a guideline, many of us are still challenged to love unconditionally in the manner it describes. It is because we are trying to live by an example with out a definition.
Consider these words: to suffer; to be kind; to envy; to be exalted; to be puffed up; to behave or not to behave; to seek; to provoke; to think; to rejoice; to bear; to believe; to hope; to endure and to fail, or not to fail. These are all verbs. A verb is the part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence. To be or not to be – the words from the Corinthians list are all a state of being; they are an action of existence and not of definition. In fact, I’ll pick any one of love’s activities as proof: “love thinks no evil.” Ok, if “think” is the verb and “evil” is the subject that is modified by “no”, does that make “evil” or “no evil” one of the definitions of love? If so, the sentence might be phrased, “love is not evil.” And all that would explain is what love is not and not what it is.
So what is love? The bible says God is Love. 1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. “ That means then, if God is love then God expresses Himself through His being… to be, or not to be… Be longsuffering; be kind; be free of envy; be not puffed up or self-exalted; be seemly; beseech for others; be not provoked; be not evil; be joyous in truth, not in sin; believe; be hopeful; be enduring; always be. And so, if this is God’s behavior, it’s no wonder we have such a difficult time! And if indeed this is God’s behavior, how is it that we are to accomplish this list of loving actions and ways to be?
1 John 4:16 gives us the answer. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.” Being in the presence of God is being in the presence of love. The more God that is in us, the more we can love ourselves as He does and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Still action without definition often gets lost in translation no matter how much sense it makes. So if 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 is not a definition of who God is, but what God does and what we through God should do – we are still left with the question: what is the definition of why we do what we do? Asking what is the true definition of love is synonymous to asking what the definition of God is. Here’s some good news – the bible does not leave us without this definition and I have my Bishop to thank for this. It’s just too good to keep for myself so allow me to plagiarize the information in this, our last lesson on love for this February month of love and all the topics that have related.
[There are 7 elements of God and therefore 7 elements of love. God is Faith (Isaiah 49:7); God is Truth (Ephesians 4:15); God is trust (Psalms 9:10); God is giving (John 3:16) and God is forgiving (Ephesians 4:32); God is good (Matthew 19:17) and God is fruitful (Galatians 5:22). Indeed, I recognize that many of these definitions are verbs just like the examples in 1 Corinthians.] So what is the difference?
In our human condition, we can “love” someone without any one or even several of the actions in 1 Corinthians. Some of us have been so damaged and marred, and our earthly definition of love is so twisted that some of us can even say we love and still not do anything in the Corinthians list.
But God cannot be God without any of the 7 elements listed above. God does not and cannot be anything other than faithful, truthful, trustworthy, giving, forgiving, good and fruitful. God’s love bears fruit because the fruit of the Spirit is love.
Analyzing these 7 elements in our life is then how we know if what we are experiencing is love – and more specifically a Godly love. So many theologians, pastors and ministers talk about love in biblical terms that just don’t translate to the loves we have in our lives. Often they’ll talk about a distorted definition or a diluted importance – how can you say you love your husband and then so easily say you love ice cream. In that regard I agree, we need a different word for how much we enjoy our favorite things in life. Because when I think about all the things in my life for which I am faithful, trusting, truthful, giving, forgiving, good and fruitful towards, the list narrows considerably and does not include ice cream at all.
And furthermore if there is anything in our lives for which we can apply those seven elements towards, it does indeed become easier to act towards those things as 1 Corinthians 13 describes. But the reason the list is there is because we need a reminder to act lovingly even after we understand what a Godly love is.
I believe our reminders (especially to ourselves) should begin with the 7 elements of God. They are tangible, realistic guidelines to determine if what we feel towards someone or something is actually love. They are reasonable traits to help us determine if anyone is loving towards us. They are easily understandable concepts to consider whenever God tells us to love our neighbor and love our selves as Christ loves us. And I am finding them to be perfect concepts to teach my child.
What is love? Love is faithful – what are you faithful to? Love is trusting – what do you trust implicitly? Love is giving – what do you so freely give because of your love? Love is forgiving – do you easily forgive those whom you love? Love is good – what things are you good at? Do you love what you’re good at and are you good towards the things or people you say you love? Love is fruitful – does your love bear more love? Does it ignite and give love to others – does it give peace and joy? Or what about the love you’re receiving does it bear Godly fruit in your life?
So then here’s the toughest question of all. Even with our twisted, convoluted and earthly definitions of love, we still do not and would not hesitate to say without a doubt, “Yes, I love God.” Of course we love God. But do we love God with the same love He loves us with? Can we honestly say we reciprocate the 7 Godly principles to our Heavenly Father, when we say we love Him? If so, then do we also follow our 1 Corinthians actions in our relationship with God? Remember, our relationships with Him should not be defined by our relationships with each other, but instead by His love towards us.
“You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind… and love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:37-39
Your Home Study homework: Did you read all the scripture references? If so, then you might know what else the fruit of the Spirit bears besides love. Find the scripture with this answer.
(Note: Aspects of this lesson are taken from the book “Father, Brother, Lover, Friend: Finding “The One”, expected to be released by Destination Publications in June 2009 and the coinciding presentation “The Relationship of Love”.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
MY SWEET EMBRACEABLE YOU!
© 2008 by Minister Deidre Campbell-Jones
February Theme: Love
Lover: Solomon 1:4; Solomon 8:6-7
Friend: Solomon 5:16; John 3:29
My husband is an actor. Recently he had pictures taken for new headshots. Every time he does, he always chooses a picture that is so handsome he almost looks like a different person. You see, on a daily basis my husband is cute and attractive. Every once in a while he’ll show up looking “not-so-cute” and frequently he “cleans” up to be very handsome (much like his headshot) for one occasion or another. But in this particular round of pictures there was one (that he and his management team did not choose) that is decidedly H.O.T!! Good grief! I have never seen this man before!
Of course, I snatched the picture, and I tease my husband by calling this particularly gorgeous picture of him, “my boyfriend”. And when I do, my husband makes a decidedly, very “un-cute” face and amusingly complains that I only like “that guy” because he’s a “rough-neck” and a “heart-breaker” – the kind of guy that is bad news. I answered him yesterday with a deeply longing sigh, and said, “Yeah, you’re right – but the good news is, I’m married to him.” Oh, if only he’d show up! Admittedly I think I would be giddy if my husband revealed this side of himself to me – truly that could be every woman’s dream – the full package. Knowing he’s got it inside of him really makes me anticipate the possibility of seeing “him” with excitement – much to my husband’s confusion (and now embarrassment, I’m sure)!
“Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.” Solomon 1:4 – and in fact this entire very short, very romantic book, specifically describes a bride and groom, two lovers who are mad about each other! The bride in this particular verse is saying if he, her lover and husband King Solomon, would just beckon her, just call to her; she would run to him. He has brought her into his most intimate places and likens his deep love for her as his private chambers – and the love she finds there is sweet, intoxicating and righteous. Throughout the whole of the book, this young bride describes how handsome, and how alluring and enticing her husband is. He is a roe, he is a buck, and he is a stallion! And yet he is gentle, romantic, sweet and loving. Solomon was one bad (shut ‘yo mouth)! And trust me, he knew it! He embraced exactly who he was!
Now you know God did not just have the Song of Solomon included in our Holy Writ as simply a pure and holy example of a loving and intimate marriage. No, the whole book is a parable of God’s love for his people and the love he desires us to have with him! It is supposed to be an intimate, enticing, joyously exciting and loving relationship filled with the anticipation of spending time with Him in the privacy of the King’s chambers!
Apparently, many good men, (nice men, decent men and especially righteous men) have difficulty looking at themselves as being enticing, intimate lovers. How much more difficult then is it for ANY man to think of a relationship with God in this manner!? A deeply intimate and romantic relationship with God!? It seems blasphemous and sacrilegious, as well as indescribably impossible, even at the writing of it!
And yet one tiny verse in the middle of the Book of Solomon explains it this way: “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” (vs. 5:16)
Have you ever had a friend closer to you than any girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse? This is the kind of friend who knows the intimate details of your life and who understands the intricate details of your heart and being. This friend gives without reservation, loves unconditionally, laughs wholeheartedly, and seeks your presence with anticipation! I had a friend like this once and I remember telling her, “If I ever find a man who is just like you, he’ll be the PERFECT husband.”
John 3:29 describes this perfect friend and husband: “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” Does God fulfill your joy? No man can do it – not even for himself. Lovers can't do it at all and no spouse can do it all. And friends, as well as their intimate, joyful friendships can be but for a season.
Believe it or not, God is aching for, longing for, and anticipating this deep and abiding, intimate lover and friendship relationship with each of us. Daily He finds ways to call to us, waiting for us to run to Him. But so often we look right through Him, not recognizing the intimacy He offers; looking instead to someone here on Earth for the intimacy they are incapable of giving, sustaining, recognizing or accepting for themselves.
Think of your lover or your spouse on their best day, and that friend you’d rather be with more than anyone else. This is the relationship God wants to have with us and more. Solomon 8:6-7 “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”
What can a man (or woman) give if he doesn’t know he has it? What can a man (or woman) accept if he doesn’t know what it is he wants?
God knows what we have because He has created us in His own image. God knows the intimacy we are capable of because He has created us according to His likeness. The unfortunate part is we don’t recognize it in ourselves. We shun it, reject it, try to extract it and deny it. And when we see these qualities we don’t recognize in others, in our friends, lovers, spouses, children, parents and neighbors, we denounce them, chastise and chide the individual for them, and withdraw from them. And until we embrace the “all” of ourselves, the whole of our being just as God created us; we cannot accept the whole of His being and the whole of the intimate loving relationship He is offering to us.
If we were to look at ourselves through God’s eyes, we would see beauty; sweet, enticing, alluring, dynamic, exciting, powerful, joyful, and lovable beauty. And trust me, God LOVES what He sees! If we were to see that in ourselves, and more so if we were to love that in ourselves, how much more would we see and love that in the Lord our God? God is waiting for us to embrace the creations He has made! Oh, my sweet embraceable me!
Your Home Study homework: Last week you read about a friend who sticks closer than a brother, consider this week the friend who sticks closer than a lover. How does this concept relate to our lesson above as well as through Matthew 22:37?
(Note: Aspects of this lesson are taken from the book “Father, Brother, Lover, Friend: Finding “The One”, expected to be released by Destination Publications in June 2009.)
February Theme: Love
Lover: Solomon 1:4; Solomon 8:6-7
Friend: Solomon 5:16; John 3:29
My husband is an actor. Recently he had pictures taken for new headshots. Every time he does, he always chooses a picture that is so handsome he almost looks like a different person. You see, on a daily basis my husband is cute and attractive. Every once in a while he’ll show up looking “not-so-cute” and frequently he “cleans” up to be very handsome (much like his headshot) for one occasion or another. But in this particular round of pictures there was one (that he and his management team did not choose) that is decidedly H.O.T!! Good grief! I have never seen this man before!
Of course, I snatched the picture, and I tease my husband by calling this particularly gorgeous picture of him, “my boyfriend”. And when I do, my husband makes a decidedly, very “un-cute” face and amusingly complains that I only like “that guy” because he’s a “rough-neck” and a “heart-breaker” – the kind of guy that is bad news. I answered him yesterday with a deeply longing sigh, and said, “Yeah, you’re right – but the good news is, I’m married to him.” Oh, if only he’d show up! Admittedly I think I would be giddy if my husband revealed this side of himself to me – truly that could be every woman’s dream – the full package. Knowing he’s got it inside of him really makes me anticipate the possibility of seeing “him” with excitement – much to my husband’s confusion (and now embarrassment, I’m sure)!
“Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.” Solomon 1:4 – and in fact this entire very short, very romantic book, specifically describes a bride and groom, two lovers who are mad about each other! The bride in this particular verse is saying if he, her lover and husband King Solomon, would just beckon her, just call to her; she would run to him. He has brought her into his most intimate places and likens his deep love for her as his private chambers – and the love she finds there is sweet, intoxicating and righteous. Throughout the whole of the book, this young bride describes how handsome, and how alluring and enticing her husband is. He is a roe, he is a buck, and he is a stallion! And yet he is gentle, romantic, sweet and loving. Solomon was one bad (shut ‘yo mouth)! And trust me, he knew it! He embraced exactly who he was!
Now you know God did not just have the Song of Solomon included in our Holy Writ as simply a pure and holy example of a loving and intimate marriage. No, the whole book is a parable of God’s love for his people and the love he desires us to have with him! It is supposed to be an intimate, enticing, joyously exciting and loving relationship filled with the anticipation of spending time with Him in the privacy of the King’s chambers!
Apparently, many good men, (nice men, decent men and especially righteous men) have difficulty looking at themselves as being enticing, intimate lovers. How much more difficult then is it for ANY man to think of a relationship with God in this manner!? A deeply intimate and romantic relationship with God!? It seems blasphemous and sacrilegious, as well as indescribably impossible, even at the writing of it!
And yet one tiny verse in the middle of the Book of Solomon explains it this way: “His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” (vs. 5:16)
Have you ever had a friend closer to you than any girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse? This is the kind of friend who knows the intimate details of your life and who understands the intricate details of your heart and being. This friend gives without reservation, loves unconditionally, laughs wholeheartedly, and seeks your presence with anticipation! I had a friend like this once and I remember telling her, “If I ever find a man who is just like you, he’ll be the PERFECT husband.”
John 3:29 describes this perfect friend and husband: “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” Does God fulfill your joy? No man can do it – not even for himself. Lovers can't do it at all and no spouse can do it all. And friends, as well as their intimate, joyful friendships can be but for a season.
Believe it or not, God is aching for, longing for, and anticipating this deep and abiding, intimate lover and friendship relationship with each of us. Daily He finds ways to call to us, waiting for us to run to Him. But so often we look right through Him, not recognizing the intimacy He offers; looking instead to someone here on Earth for the intimacy they are incapable of giving, sustaining, recognizing or accepting for themselves.
Think of your lover or your spouse on their best day, and that friend you’d rather be with more than anyone else. This is the relationship God wants to have with us and more. Solomon 8:6-7 “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”
What can a man (or woman) give if he doesn’t know he has it? What can a man (or woman) accept if he doesn’t know what it is he wants?
God knows what we have because He has created us in His own image. God knows the intimacy we are capable of because He has created us according to His likeness. The unfortunate part is we don’t recognize it in ourselves. We shun it, reject it, try to extract it and deny it. And when we see these qualities we don’t recognize in others, in our friends, lovers, spouses, children, parents and neighbors, we denounce them, chastise and chide the individual for them, and withdraw from them. And until we embrace the “all” of ourselves, the whole of our being just as God created us; we cannot accept the whole of His being and the whole of the intimate loving relationship He is offering to us.
If we were to look at ourselves through God’s eyes, we would see beauty; sweet, enticing, alluring, dynamic, exciting, powerful, joyful, and lovable beauty. And trust me, God LOVES what He sees! If we were to see that in ourselves, and more so if we were to love that in ourselves, how much more would we see and love that in the Lord our God? God is waiting for us to embrace the creations He has made! Oh, my sweet embraceable me!
Your Home Study homework: Last week you read about a friend who sticks closer than a brother, consider this week the friend who sticks closer than a lover. How does this concept relate to our lesson above as well as through Matthew 22:37?
(Note: Aspects of this lesson are taken from the book “Father, Brother, Lover, Friend: Finding “The One”, expected to be released by Destination Publications in June 2009.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
