Thoughts

I awakened to an increased awareness of my need for God. This awareness grew from more than the sinus headache which punishes me even as I write; the awareness is born more from the eating hunger of emptiness which invades every corner of my spirit whenever I drift from His burning presence.


We live in an age that has taken the greatest truths and reduced them to vinyl bumper stickers and diminished love to nothing more than a Hallmark Store sentiment. Eternal truth orders our universe and true love has little to do with warm feelings of fondness and more to do with the gut-wrenching need to care for others more than we care for ourselves.

Certainly, we plan our way, but our Heavenly Father directs our steps. Our God family is once again vitally aware of God’s providence in our corporate worship life. In recent weeks He has once again opened the door for us to have a place to worship weekly.

We had been advised that we may need to move soon, but our God has said, not yet! He has not only showed us His great favor in keeping us where He has led us but as He always does, when we are in His perfect will; He has expanded our blessings in being there.

As a young man I sang of the elusive butterfly of love; as an older man I have hungered for the elusive experience of true Christian community, which like love is non-existent without sacrifice. I remember asking, “How will I know when I am in love?” The consistent answer left me frustrated; “You’ll know!” “Recently I have been seeking God hard, “How will I know when we have discovered true biblical community? How can I create it?” I suspect God smiles as He says, “You will know and you cannot create it, only I can. “ For the first time in a long time, we, as a God Family are indeed experiencing relationship rather than religion.

The greatest treasures in life are those intangible, elusive, sometimes almost mystical values that we cannot create, cause or define, but are wholly aware of when they exist; love, community, liberty, life.

So precious are these treasures that they come only through great sacrifice, even to the point of death. What did Jesus say, “HE WHO SEEKS TO SAVE HIS OWN LIFE SHALL LOSE IT, BUT HE WHO IS WILLING TO LAY IT DOWN FOR MY SAKE SHALL FIND IT.”

Tammy and I were discussing God’s law of supply and demand other day; we decided that some people call it Karma, some say “What Goes Around; comes around”, Jesus said, “GIVE AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU, PRESSED DOWN, SHAKEN TOGETHER AND RUNNING OVER. THE MEASURE BY WHICH YOU GIVE IS THE SAME MEASURE BY WHICH YOU RECEIVE.” It’ is a law of God which applies to us all whether we believe in Him or not; this truth is so evident that it cannot be ignored or denied. “JUDGE AND YOU WILL BE JUDGED”; you give mercy, you will receive mercy multiplied, you give love and you will receive love multiplied, if you are gracious toward others, you will be able to be gracious to yourself as will others, more than you deserve, likewise, if you are judgmental, critical and damning the same will be returned to you in greater abundance than you dare imagine, perhaps not today or tomorrow, but sooner than you like and perhaps eternally unless you are repentant.

Yes, God is with us and His laws, as translucent as they may be never fail. Amen!