Kingdom surrender

Our surrender (or lack of) today will affect our freedom for tomorrow.
I recently heard this line in a song and can't seem to get it out of my mind because it carries such a powerful truth.

The question that begs to be asked is who or what do we surrender to?  Everyday we are faced with situations when walked through reveal our true hearts allegiance.
Everyday we are asked to surrender to kingdoms not always ruling with our best interest in mind. Wall Street sets the tone for financial kingdoms; Hollywood for moral kingdoms and Washington for political kingdoms.

There is another kingdom that tends to get lost amidst the struggle and pulling of theses others--yet this kingdom is the only one with true power and authority. This kingdom works in direct opposition of the others, it's values are in direct opposition of the others, it's longevity will outlast any and it's throne will only ever have one ruler.

This kingdom admonishes its dwellers to give when the others say amass your wealth; give unending forgiveness when the others keep score; demands undivided loyalty while the others encourage prostitution of oneself to gain the world.  This kingdom is ruled by love when the others are ruled by greed; gives its dwellers power and authority to move obstacle-mountains while the others create obstacle-mountains with its power and authority.

This kingdoms guidebook never changes while the other kingdoms have no clue which version they are currently following.
Do the other rulers realize when they gather together the ruler of this kingdom is present and privy to all theirs plans, spoken and unspoken?  That he has the power to override their decisions and actions and often does.

This kingdom has no end while the others will one day come to an abrupt ending. This kingdom is the only one that gives true freedom at the cost of undivided surrender.

This kingdom is called the Kingdom of God and is here, now, invading all other kingdoms.  It's inhabitants have opportunities every day to infiltrate and wreck havoc in the other kingdoms rulings...but do they?  Do the inhabitants of this kingdom really take seriously the promise of its ruler, "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these...You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:12, 14 NIV) or fully understand, "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies"? (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)

United we stand, divided we fall was the battle cry of our country's early patriots. It is the battle cry today of the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall." (Luke 11:17 NIV)
Divided loyalties always result in confusion and wimpy power if any.

Whose kingdom will you and I give our loyalty to today?  Surrender is always a cost of loyalty.  What will that loyalty cost us and will it bring true freedom?

Parable of the lost coin

Joanie came in to work Monday glowing and proudly extending her right hand out for all to see.  “Mark did it!  He finally asked me!”  Her excitement was contagious and congratulations were flooding the office!  The pride and excitement of becoming Mrs. Mark Benson was as brilliant as the sparkle in her ring.  “It needs sized but I couldn't bear to come in and just tell you what happened over the weekend without showing you!” Joanie said. 

We all wondered how she was ever going to keep her head below the clouds to get her job done that day!  Somehow she managed and the time came to go home. 

Unbeknownst to Joanie she went home that night but her ring didn’t.   While washing her hands at the end of the day the ring slipped off and went into the trash can with the paper towel.  Joanie, however, did not realize it until she was home.  Her shriek probably could have awoken the dead when she discovered it was missing.  She and Mark, who I might add took the announcement of the missing ring very well, rented a metal detector and went back to the workplace hoping the trash had not been dumped for the evening.

Worst case was realized when they saw the trash cans had been emptied in the building. They spent the entire evening scavenging through the dumpster in the back lot.  I can only imagine the sense of joy and relief when the ring was found…at the bottom of the dumpster!

Luke 15 is a chapter about precious items/people lost and then found in the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (being the most familiar).  What we so often miss is they were not only found but were also restored.

Don’t know about you but I don’t think I’ve ever heard any sermons about the lost coin.  It must have had some significance or why would it be there?   

In biblical times and in some areas today when a woman marries the bridegroom gives her a wedding gift of 10 silver coins on a string.  These are usually worn as a headdress or even around her neck.

To lose or misplace any of these coins is considered carelessness in her lack of affection and respect for him.  Worse case it might even be thought that she purchased the affections of someone else which could result in divorce.  These coins were held to be very sacred[i] .

So what does that have to do with us today?  Simply put as followers/believers in Jesus Christ we are his bride awaiting his return.  He has given us not coins as a display of his affection and love for us but rather his life and the gift of the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a deposit (coin) promising his return.

As the bride in old days would probably touch the coins and cherish what they represent, do we today treasure what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives to prepare us for not only life here but our future life with Jesus Christ?  Do we actively seek him out as the woman searching for her lost coin?  Do we share with others our story of how we were lost, found then restored?  Do we celebrate with those around us what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through us or perhaps in and through them?

The parable of the lost coin is one of the shortest parables yet hidden in its meaning is immeasurable treasure if we take the time to find them.

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[i] Insights Into Bible Times and Customs by G Christian Weiss

Wisdom

Wisdom.  We search for it, long for it, would run to the highest mountain for it.  Spend thousands of dollars seeking counsel from others for it.  We also run from it, hide from it and fight to win our way with it.  At times wisdom seems to eludes us or toy with us.

It would seem we resist the very source of wisdom with our searching, wanting to find wisdom on our own terms.  In our quest many voices come at us proclaiming wisdom, some with a hint of wisdom and others trying to show us the path of true wisdom.

So what or Who is the source of true wisdom?

There was once a man who given the opportunity to have anything asked for only one thing…Wisdom.

This man was considered the wisest man to ever live, yet before the end of his life had turned his back on the very Source of wisdom.  At the end of his life he realized the fool he had become and wrote for his sons and future generations to never leave wisdom or forsake her path.  This man was Solomon and he understood the true source of wisdom was God.

Lest I follow the path of a fool by thinking I could write something wiser or better, read…listen…learn from the Source of wisdom.  We will have to take time, quiet our ears and open our heart.  Put aside any preconceived ideas and allow God’s word to teach us. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 

Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.   Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.  For the Lord grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.  He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.  Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.  Wise choices will watch over you.  Understanding will keep you safe.”

Proverbs 3:5-7; 2:1-11

To discover where Wisdom came from read Proverbs 8, better yet read ALL of Proverbs…want to be saturated with wisdom read the entire Bible!!

I focus on this one thing

…I focus on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God,

through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Philippians 3:13-14

”Why do I keep rehearsing a conversation that has yet to occur with __________?  Because of past events I know at some point they are going to approach me about_________.  So my mind keeps going into defense mode in anticipation of what, according to past experiences, is bound to happen.”

This ever happen to you?   Why is the past so hard to let go with certain people?  Why can’t I just turn my mind off?  I’ve tried to ignore or switch paths to a more positive attitude and refocus on something good about ___________.  Most of the time that works, but my mind is like an unruly child and tries to keep coming back to ‘conversation-rehearsal’ mode.

The past isn’t necessarily bad.  It can become our point of reference for decisions and actions today and in the future.   Our past helps us to determine if something or someone is safe or we need to avoid.  But our past can also imprison our today and future if not dealt with in a healthy manner.

I am by no means a trained counselor, but these things I have learned from experience:

Ø  Don’t run from the past and pretend it didn't happen.  Acknowledge and if possible confront the offense with the one with whom it happened.  Talking about the offense with others (unless seeking guidance) or constantly reminiscing only renews the hurt and allows roots of bitterness to invade not only the heart but mind.

Ø  Realize the past is the past and cannot be changed.  Stop trying to force the offender to change the past.  They may have as much regret about the past as we do, but our reaction to them keeps them in the past as much as us when it comes to our relationship.  The past was never meant to be lived in but to learn from.  If the one who has offended us has changed then start fresh with ‘today’.  What can be changed are today and tomorrow and our action/reaction to those who have hurt us.

The apostle Paul wrote the verses above when talking about his past experiences and not wanting anything to hinder or hold him back from living a life of wholeness.  He knew ‘garbage in produces garbage out’ while living in this life.  The word forget means, to neglect and no longer caring for.

Which equates to stop rehearing and keeping the past alive!

As to how to stop the mind rehearsing:

“And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.  Fix (determine, strengthen) your thoughts (mind) on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice (do it 1000 times a day if necessary!) all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 (italics added)

Today is a new day, which path will you choose, imprisonment or wholeness?

A growing faith

Faith by itself is insufficient.  Before you pass out or hit the escape button let me explain.  Whether my blog or someone else’s is followed, or a thousand sermons heard, or one reads through the Bible a hundred times, if action is not put into our faith it will be insufficient.

How can I say this?  Peter said the same thing when he wrote, “In view of all this*, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.  Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

Prior to those verses Peter reminds his audience, *“God has given us everything we need for living a godly life by his divine power when we come to know him.  He has given us great and precious promises that enable us to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”  (2 Peter 1:3-4) 

Faith was not meant to be a onetime experience, it was meant to be lived daily which equals action.   I, as well as you, have heard people say, “I wish I had faith like____.”  I can almost guarantee the ones being admired for their faith have had occurrences in their lives upon which they have had to add to their faith with what Peter suggests.

Faith will never grow in a vacuum.  Each supplement Peter talks about requires action and interaction with others.

A growing faith looks like this:  “The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8)

A dormant faith looks like this:  “But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.” (2 Peter 1:9)

Which faith will you choose today, growing or dormant?

The Word

“I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6

When Jesus made this statement it wasn’t that his physical birth prompted these truths.  He already was the way, truth and life from before the beginning of time.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
    The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,
    and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:1-9)

 “I will never leave you or forsake you” was not just a promise to Jesus disciples when he physically walked this earth.  Since Jesus has always been, he will always be with us…never leaving us.

His coming into our world did not originate the promises Jesus made, but rather proclaimed what had been since before time as we know it and will continue to be truth for all eternity.  Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” (Mt 24:34)  Why?  Because the Word…the Truth has ALWAYS been and ALWAYS will be.  That is why we can stand firmly on his promises!

What do you want me to do for you?

Have you ever wondered why Jesus would ask a blind man what he would want Jesus to do for him?  To me it would have been obvious the man would want his sight back.  In the coaching classes I have taken one of the key principles is not to assume what the other person is in need of, even those needs that would seem obvious.  Through good questions from the coach, the one being coached reveals what they believe their need is and the goal of the coach is to help them set their own goals in how to accomplish their task.

Jesus shows he is the Great Coach in his interactions with others.  The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 and the blind beggar in Luke 18 are perfect examples.   

The woman at the well left that day with her unseen need fulfilled even though the obvious need of water was left behind for the greater , “the woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village…”

The blind beggar left that day with the obvious need met, yet Jesus still gave the man the opportunity to answer the question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

As we go about our daily lives, let’s keep our eyes and ears open to those around us.  Let’s not be in such a schedule driven day we fail to respond to the silent cries of the hurting hearts in order to quickly fulfill the obvious need.  Take the time, and the risk, to ask, “If God were to do something for you today, what would you want him to do?”

What would YOU want Jesus to do for you today?