The Beating Heart

The title of the blog is a phrase I read in a tweet from a friend this week. It stood out to me among the other information (under 140 characters) about a crisis in the early pregnancy of her daughter. That gets my attention!

In spite of the bleeding and pain, this baby's will was TO LIVE! This tiny heart kept beating and is still beating! God's people around twitter gathered and prayed and that matters to God. Imagine that, everything that we go through here on earth matters to the God that created all things. God hears our cries and answers us. (We can never say, "nobody listens to me!") We are so thankful! There was unity in that prayer for life in this baby, for healthy delivery and a long life serving and loving the Lord. I expect this baby to be a blessing to everyone who knows him.

The beating heart is from God.

What Endures?

From the looks of our dumps around the United States, not much endures. Even our lives here on earth will not last forever, so that means God wants us to look elsewhere for the enduring things. The King James version of the Bible calls the enduring, "spiritual" and the unenduring is "temporal." Very fitting for those temporary things in our lives.

God has a lot to say about the enduring, so just what is it that lasts beyond this life? It took an entire page of 8.5x11 notebook paper to get all the notes written down on the enduring from God's point of view. Most of the scriptures declare these enduring qualities and virtues to last forever.

The Lord shall endure forever Ps. 9:7
Fear of the Lord endures forever Ps. 19:9
His name shall endure forever Ps. 72:17
God's goodness endures continually Ps.52:1
His truth endures to all generations Ps. 100:5
His righteousness endures Ps. 111:3
His praise endures forever Ps. 111:10
His righteous judgements endure Ps. 119:160
God's dominion endures Ps. 145:13
Word of the Lord endures forever 1Peter 1:25

The mercy of the Lord is through-out the Bible. A good beginning place is Psalms 136:1-26, then with a sturdy copy of Strong's Concordance, the Strong's EXHAUSTIVE Concordance, begin to find the other verses on the enduring of the Lord's mercy. If anything, after reading this word we should be fully convinced that our mission here is to spend our time living in the spiritual which lasts forever.

God hasn't left us out of this enduring process either. Ready?

David's seed and throne will endure Ps. 89:29, 36
He that endures to the end shall be saved Matt.24:13
Endure hardships as a good soldier (P. Jeff
mentioned this verse on the Freedom video) 2Tim. 2:3
I (Paul) endure all things for the elect's sake 2Tim.2:10
Endure afflictions 2Tim. 4:5
IF we endure chastening, then we are sons Hebr. 12:7
Blessed are those who endure James 5:11

Here are a few more, 1Peter 2:19, Hebr. 10:32, 34, Hebr. 11:27, Ps. 30:5

Hebrews 12:2-3 KJV "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that ENDURED such [hostility] of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your [souls]."

Seek those things that endure forever and we will endure to the end.

Common

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1Cor. 10:13

The answer that God gives us in this verse is the completion of so many things. First of all, the trouble we go through is COMMON! We aren't the only one on earth that has unusual problems. No matter what it is, every temptation remains, COMMON.

All the disciples were in the boat when a great storm came. That story is the metaphor for 1Cor. 10:13. So, we can stop saying things like "...but you don't understand." Or, "you've never been through what I go through." Then there's this one, "Why is God doing this to me?" These are arrogant statements said when we think we are different than everyone else when it comes to trials and temptations. This attitude opens the "it's ok" door to self-pity.

Here is the counterweight to our imposed long-suffering or self-pity. "But God is faithful." All the air is taken out of the complaining with "but." He is faithful. He is so faithful that He will help us out of our trouble before we are overcome with sorrow. Unless we have opened the "it's ok" door to extended self-pity which becomes a comfort zone.

Problem with the self-pity comfort zone is the isolation. People have become tired of whining and complaining. Self-pity creates blind spots, we can't see who we have become because we live in our whining and complaining. The blind spots cut off our vision of the way of escape.

Remember, this is our way of escape, "that you may be able to bear it," (ESV uses 'endure') That's right. It doesn't say the problems will disappear, our escape is enduring through it, whatever 'it' is. Not to avoid it or dance around it, but to bear it with and in the Lord's generous help overcome. Learn everything God wants us to learn in the time of trouble.

God is more than able to deliver us immediately out of trouble and temptation, but many times we remain like Daniel in the lion's den or Joseph in his Egyptian prison. Jesus asked God for deliverance three times and each time He told God, "your will be done Father." There are many saints and martyrs who cried out to God to be delivered from torture, the fire, lions, swords. Some escaped, but many died and they came to a far greater place with God.

In faith, believe we are all in the same boat, we all have things in common and we all serve the living God.

Remember, God tempts no man or woman.

It's God's Choice

This blog is based on a twitter I saw today from @burk_parsons "Osama bin Laden may be among the elect."

There. Someone said it, or rather, tweeted it. One of the most electrifying, profound, doctrinal, stirring, challenging statements I've ever seen on Twitter.

It's true. OBL could be among the elect because election is God's choice. God chooses us, the elect. If he is among the elect, OBL has been there from before the foundation of the universe. It's God's choice. OBL may not be a Christ follower now, but if God has chosen him and planned it, OBL will be saved at some point. It's God's choice.

Read the story of Hagar and Ishmael, Genesis 16:7-14 and Genesis 21:1-21 and Paul's use of Hagar's story in Gal. 4:21, 5:1. In the end, God pronounced a blessing on the seed of Ishmael and Hagar, their people would become many. God chose the murderer of His people, Saul, to be saved for His glory and the building up of the Church. Like OBL, Saul murdered people whom he despised because of their beliefs. Both felt they were doing God a favor by getting rid of those who disagree with their religion.

We are the people who preach, believe, sing, and convince others that with God all things are possible. Imagine what would happen if we who believe that with all our hearts and pray for the salvation of OBL's soul? Millions of Christians around the world praying the fervent righteous prayer. It's a prayer that will be heard and answered.

God knows exactlyhow to deal with OBL, just as He did Saul and any of us who are Christ followers. Only God knows and since we don't know who will say yes or no, we must keep
praying.

If social media has a purpose at all, let's keep this twitter about OBL in mind, along with Saul story. What are the similarities in their lives? If OBL will be saved one day, what similarities will he face that Paul did?

Let's keep praying.

Missional/Confessional or Attractional?

Short and sweet. That's the way the wrangling should be that's going on in some churches about church identity and mission. Do we go into the world or attract people into the church? A total of 82,600 sites will give you their opinion on which concept is correct and heaven sent.

We are attractional: Every person saved was attracted to Jesus and drawn by cords of love to His salvation. The prodigal son was attracted enough to the Father that he came to the place of rescue with the Father. God gives us this same love to attract those who need His love. The Church is attractional. Ps. 126:5-6

We are missional: Matt. 28:19 The command is clear and straight forward, go into all the world.

Jesus Himself is attractional and missional. He is still doing both. He is interceding before the Father for the Church, missional. When His name is lifted up in the world and the Church, He draws all to Himself, attractional.

We are what He has made us, so now Go in the power and might of His Spirit. This is our mission. Boldly speak the name of Jesus, He is IRRESISTABLE!

God's Goodness

From the very beginning we see the goodness of God as He creates Adam and Eve, then displays His goodness to them in the garden of Eden. Everything they needed was there in the goodness of God, including communion with Him. The first mention of the word goodness in the Bible occurs in Exodus 18:9 "And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel..."

Right in the middle of this sin-filled world, God is still pouring out His goodness especially to His people, but not exclusively. He is mercifully good to those who haven't come to Him yet. God is mercifully good because that is who He IS. He IS I AM and it is all in Him eternally!

The nineties were tough years and my mission was deliberate; I looked for the goodness of God every day! One example of finding that goodness occurred when I was entering a store. A young mother was in front of me and was carrying a toddler in her arms. This baby and I locked eyes and the biggest smile came to his face! The mother didn't see it, they were faced in opposite directions. No one around us saw it, everyone was too busy, focused on other things. The goodness of God on a baby's face.

Here is some descriptions of the goodness of God from the Bible:

Exodus 34:6 abundant in goodness and truth
2Sam. 7:28-29 His goodness is promised
1Kings 8:66 joyful and glad in His goodness
Nehemiah 9:25-26 delighted in God's great goodness
Ps.23:6 goodness and mercy shall follow me
Ps.27:13 believe to see the goodness in the land of the living
Ps.31:19 great is the goodness that God has laid up for those who fear and trust in Him
Ps. 33:5 the earth is FULL of the goodness of the Lord
Ps.52:1 goodness of God endures continually
Ps. 107:8 David pleads for us to praise the Lord for all His goodness
Ps. 107:8 He satisfies the longing soul with goodness
Jer. 31:14 God's people shall be satisfied with His goodness

Believe, receive, rejoice and be thankful! Rejoice as Jethro did in God's goodness...today!

All scriptures from the KJV

It Goes a Long Way When...

...mercy is shown
... people are honest
... your work van or truck is really clean
... your contractor vacuums and sweeps up everyday. Thanks Mr. Contractor man.
...the driver in the other lane signals before he moves into your lane
...the pho cafe is always good
...Christians who have Jesus stickers on their bumpers remember they are advertising Jesus
...we remember the poor, the weak, and widows among us
...we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God
...remember we are pilgrims on the earth
...your hubby texts you on a business/fun sales day camp-out, thanks honey
...you know, know, know that God has a plan for your life
...your church has vision that inspires people to SERVE

There is my list. What goes a long way with you?