Inspirational snippets

Just five more minutes, all I ask is five more minutes of a life that is forever lost

2010-09-14T00:35:00.000-07:00

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

“That’s my son over there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

“He’s a fine looking boy” the man said. “That’s my daughter on the bike in the white dress.”

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. “What do you say we go, Melissa?”

Melissa pleaded, “Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes.”

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart’s content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. “Time to go now?”

Again Melissa pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes.”

The man smiled and said, “OK.”

“My, you certainly are a patient father,” the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, “Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I’d give anything for just five more minutes with him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play.”

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities? But the greatest priority of all would be to make room for God in your schedule, before your precious hourglass runs out.

Source: unknown

Life and how we respond to it is part of God's unique plan for our lives

2010-09-09T01:32:00.000-07:00

An FB friend, Gail Hansmeyer, shared the following, poignant ideas:

"I was driving to an important appointment, but had a physio appointment that went on till after 08h00. Knowing it would take two hours to get to my next appointment at 10h00, I prayed that God would open the road ahead and give me favour to get there on time. The road I had to use had one lane in each direction, which opened up to two lanes at times. Heavy vehicles reduced traffic to a crawl, but every time I came up behind a truck the road split into two. I did not even have to slow down, and I arrived at my destination on time. It was just like the Red Sea crossing miracle!"

"My colleague had to do the same trip on the same road a few days later. She prayed the same prayer I had prayed, sayng, "Lord you did for Gail; please do so for me too. Unfortunately, her experience was quite different. Every time she got behind a truck, the road was in the single-lane phase, offering no double-lane relief. Needless to say she was upset - it seemed so unfair!"

"Then the Lord revealed that every time she came up behind a truck, there was a dotted line, which allowed her to overtake. Unfortunately she had a real fear of overtaking, especially truck, but The Lord was asking her to step out and trust Him. Through the process she addressed and conquered a few giants, because to God it was not trucks that were blocking her progress, but the giants of fear and doubt."

So for both women, it was the exact same road, but a very different journey, experienced by different people at different times, to teach very different lessons."

I personally faced two parallel crisis in the past, both very painful. But my response to the first was agonising and distracting, very confusing. My second response was typical of the Kubler-Ross cycle, with episodes of denial, withdrawal, anger, grief, surrender and recovery.

Never try to convince yourself or others that there is one right way to approach life and its crises. It is a unique journey for each of us. Let God work it out. Stop being so hard on yourself and never assume you are the only one who feels as down you do about whatever it is you are going through. Also filter the many well-meaning suggestions that people throw at you and rather walk with God until He interprets your crises and confronts your personal giants ... because that is what He does. By all means be accountable to mature spiritual leaders, but they can only support you in what God alone has started and will finish.

Image source: http://www.usefilm.com/images/2/5/1/5/2515/643928-medium.jpg

Win the battle in the air and you will experience victory on the ground

2010-09-06T03:17:00.000-07:00

The battlefields of the heart and mind need a strategic perspective just as human battlefields do.

US military doctrine largely hinges on airpower. Ground wars are dangerous and technology can be countered by sheer numbers, as Napoleon and Hitler learnt in their wars against Russia. Technology can also breed over-dependence on a vulnerable resource.

So, as happened in most post World War II US theatres of war, airpower has become the key to tilting the balance in favor of US ground forces. The plan has been well honed. During Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf used air-cover in the first waves, to neutralize missiles and other fixed artillery points.

Most military forces have focused on building significant strike capabilities using manned and, more recently, unmanned aircraft. Stealth bombers like the B2 have enabled previously dangerous aerial targets to be engaged with relative impunity, whilst longer-range standoff weapons have enabled remote engagement from ships or aircraft operating outside the radius of fire.

The principle behind these strategies is to win the war in the air before trying to win it on the ground.

There is a powerful spiritual principle here. So often we engage our spiritual enemy in hand-to-hand combat. We engage and fight daily issues using everyday ideas and weapons. Of course, as we all have found, that is exactly where the enemy wants to meet us, because he is well able to win a street fight. He also has nothing to lose, but you have everything to lose. He doesn’t care a hoot about hitting you every way he can and the Geneva convention means nothing to him. He will fight dirty and aim to kill wherever possible.

However, we can tilt the balance in our favor by resorting to an aerial war. By that I imply spiritual warfare waged through prayer, fasting and intercession. It is there that we fight with God, as Joshua once did, to take out the strongholds that dominated the landscape of Judea. Joshua was very strategic in his approach. He picked his enemies and his timing, to break the resistance of the enemy and uproot strategic strong points.

Most of our ground struggles relate to symptoms of deeper issues, pretexts that give the enemy advantage over us. Prayer and fasting helps to expose that so we can remove every pretext and upstage the enemy.

Often we are more like a boxer beating the air, using strong language to rebuke and resist the enemy, yet making no headway. But Paul, in Ephesians 6, contends that the weapons of our warfare are for standing, not for offensive action. James concurs, saying, “Resist (not attack) the devil and in due course he will flee”.

Image source: http://www.the-tap.blogspot.com/

Costly, priceless, precious beyond measure ... is the church of the Living God

2010-08-30T02:05:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I described a picture of a rich man's son. What to all others was valueless, because it was the amateur workmanship of a friend, was priceless to the father. So priceless was the son, that the gardener who successfully bid for the auctioned picture, secured the rich man's vast estate. In a nutshell, the rich man's will had said, "whoever takes the son, gets everything else."

My friend Jerry Hobbs, triggered a deeper set of thoughts about this illustration, when he argued that to many believers, value or pricelessness relates to the financial cost of the Christian institution, its buildings and other assets. No I am not having a go at Catholicism, because materialism is widespread in Christendom. It blurs all perspective for unbelievers, but many believers have been equally beguiled by its power.

Not long ago I visited a church, sixty percent of whose members were struggling through financial difficulties, economic recession and worklessness. Yet the leadership still felt that a structure that cost millions, was more vital to the church than the practical needs of a struggling people. Such is the generosity of so many salt-of-the-earth believers, that donations flowed in anyway, but I am doubtful about the value so derived.

That brings the whole concept of price and value into focus. Price is the primary objective of bargainers, who thrive on the process of squeezing a better price out of a deal, but negotiators rarely deal in price - value is always the overriding objective. Value may include price considerations, but always exceeds mere price.

The price paid for our buildings and other awe-inspiring facilities, will never compare with the value that rests on a believer's life. That can never be measured in financial terms, because money cannot transcend death. Rather your priceless value is weighed against the price of the Son of God. God ascribes such value to you, because He paid the ultimate price to redeem you.

An indication of how greatly God values our lives, consider that the streets above are paved with the gold we so treasure here. He has used our most priceless commodity for paving, so we can grasp that beyond our our greatest treasures is a far-surpassing prize. God is quintessentially relational, delighting in relationships far beyond anything that humans value. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills for His material wealth is the sum of all He created, a creation He will one day fold up like a garment. But the relationships that emerge from that creation will be His eternally: it is His most treasured prize.

The early church was poor by every human measure, but their relationships and the workings of the body of Christ, were far more valuable than the institutions or objects devised by men. If God chooses to dwell amongst His people, yet will not be contained in buildings made by men - you do the math and tell me where the real value lies. Saints throughout history have paid a great price for their faith, but they were never driven by price or reward, but by a love that transcended life and death.

I have often advised my sons that, whereas the currency of past ages was gold, spices, knowledge or manufactured products, the currency of this age is relationships. To put that statement in perspective, Phillip Kotler, the world's leading authority on marketing, said that future competition will not be between individuals or firms, but between networks.

I put it to you that a time is coming and now is at hand, when relationships and the network of hearts that will ultimately define God's kingdom amongst men, will prove to be a practical instrument of survival and hope, far beyond anything that human models have ever achieved. Capitalism and Socialism were tried and foudn wanting, but a kingdom bound together by love is a seriously hard act to follow. It is priceless.

Image source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/3103741735_fd45021cb0.jpg

The simple sketch of a priceless life, became the priceless heirloom of a simple soul

2010-08-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Arnold de Wet, a gifted musician, launched his latest CD last night. It was a great moment, but one of the highlights for me was the poignant story that Arnold shared.

He told of a very wealthy art collector, who first lost his wife and then subsequently lost his only son to war. As he tried to reassemble his broken world, he received a visitor. Before him stood a young man who had known the rich man's son and had also done a pencilled sketch of the boy before he died. He showed the drawing to the father, who saw beyond the amateur drawing to the heart behind it. It moved him enough to take the picture and frame it as a personal and moving tribute to his beloved son.

Years later, the rich man died and his world class art collection was put up for auction. Buyers came from near and far to bid on the valuable collection, but just before they started, the auctioneer indicated that, according to the deceased's last wish, Lot 1 of the auction was to be the pencilled drawing.

The erudite audience scoffed at the drawing, but decided to sit back and let it move so that the real bidding could start. Still the auctioneer insisted that Lot 1 had to go first and so proceeded with the bidding process, but he drew interest from only one bidder: the old gardener who had worked for the rich man. Suffice to say, the gardener won the bid and secured the drawing, for a mere pittance.

Then the auctioneer drew proceedings to a close, saying, "In terms of the will, whoever buys the son, gets its all". It meant that the gardener had effectively bought the entire estate for the price of one, unwanted picture of a dead man's long-dead son.

The message is clear. Holding out for everything else will never satisfy anyone, because we can take none of it with us to the grave - even JD Rockerfeller said, "If your only goal in life is to be successful, you will never achieve it". But he that has the son has life (Galatians 6:9) and God has given us all we need for life and godliness, in Christ. Truly, having accepted the son, we got everything and became heirs of God's kingdom.

Old and young 10: We will have to go a long way to have such fun

2010-08-19T04:38:00.000-07:00

Old:

Sally, a difficult independent 75 year old, liked sitting by the park feeding the pigeons. One day she brought with her a whole bun of fresh bread just to feed her daily company. Little by little, pinch-by-pinch, she fed each pigeon with joy. She sat there without being noticed by anyone in our rich suburban neighborhood.

Then suddenly a man in his early 40's rained on my mom's parade by telling her that she shouldn't throw away good food on a bunch of pigeons that can find food anywhere... when there are a lot of people starving in Africa, says the stranger.

Then my mother said in crazed anger and without hesitation, "Well, sorry for you but I can't throw that far!"

Young (Exam answers):

(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net

Old and young 9: We quote what we learn in school and we live what we learn from life

2010-08-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

Old (some quotes):

- Age is a pretty high price to pay for maturity

- Ageing seems to be the only available way to live a long life

- At my age, I'm entitled to be grumpy!

- Don't let aging get you down - it's too hard to get back up!
- Don't worry about age - it's ugly you have to watch out for
- Don't worry about avoiding temptation - as you age it avoids you
- Don't worry about wrinkles, they're just antique smiles
- Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs
- Fortunately I'm too poor to have a mid-life crises
- Funny, I don't remember being absent minded
- For all the advances in modern medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday.

New (Exam answers):

Old and young 8: Move closer and tell me your name

2010-08-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

Old:

Sometimes a picture simply does account for a thousand words.

In the continuing series of old and young we have read some rather humorous stories about old people and some weird answers from kids who say the craziest things in their exams. At both ends of life, there is enough reality and down-to-earthness to bring every aspect of life down with a bump and so restore perspective.

Yet it is never about laughing at people. Rather its about being real and learning to laugh at ourselves through whatever reality faces us. This is a tough life, made the more bearable by the humorous realities that cross our paths everyday, for which I so thank God. Without humor I am sure I would have crumbled years ago, but the funny things we say at home, overhear in our children or see in everyday life, keep us in touch with the ground and remind us of how small we are and how little we know. Thank you Lord for that.

Young (Exam answers):

Sources of exam answers: Unknown

Old and young 7: By day or night, their love ne'er grew cold

2010-08-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

Old:

An elderly couple, still living in the same home after more than fifty years of marriage, were at the breakfast table one morning when she remarked, "My dear, do you remember the time when as newly weds we naughtily stripped off and ate our breakfast with no clothes on." She giggled delightfully at the memory, but he, the drier of the two, just softly chuckled and carried on eating his food. "Can't we do it again?" Reluctantly he agreed and so the two old, wrinkled souls sat in the morning sun enjoying sweet nothingness.

He was content to humor her, whilst enjoying his breakfast. She had other ideas. In a moment of passion she said, "My breasts are still hot for you my love".

At that, the old man finished a mouth full of coffee, slowly lowered his cup and then looked her in the eye to say, "Maybe my dear its because one of them is in the porridge and the other is in your coffee."

Young (exam answers):

Old and young 6: Xcuse me sir, can you tell me where I am?

2010-07-30T01:33:00.000-07:00

Old:

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car - both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along, they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just went on through.

The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself "I must be losing it. I could have sworn we just went through a red light." After a few more minutes, they came to another intersection and the light was red again. Again, they went right through. The woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous. At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was red and they went on through. So, she turned to the other woman and said, "Mildred, did you know that we just ran through three red lights in a row? You could have killed us both!"

Mildred turned to her and said, "Oh! Am I driving?"

Young: Exam answers

Old and young 5: Put your name on ice

2010-07-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Old:

Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years, they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards.

One day, they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, "Now don't get mad at me. I know we've been friends for a long time but I just can't think of your name. I've thought and thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name is."

Her friend glared at her. For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her as her face and her glare became more intense.

Finally she said, "How soon do you need to Know?"

Young (Exam answers):

Source: Unknown, submitted by Chris Missing

A walk on the blind side

2010-07-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sandra Bullock gave her career a major fillip in her role as Lee Ann Tuohy, the star role of the movie, "The Blind Side". I was never quite able to enjoy Ms Bullock, maybe because her career was spoilt by earlier silly roles. But she really does put that right in this great movie.

Her co-star, Quinton Aaron, plays the role of Michael Oher, a giant black boy who is given an outside chance in an upmarket Christian School. But he has no chance really, not as long as his core needs are left unresolved. Those needs include having no place to live, no bed to lie on, no regular supply of food, no ability to read or learn, no surname, no identity and a sadly diminished sense of self.

The strong-willed wife and mother of two takes Oher home to live in their very comfortable home. That leads to a long journey that results in her formally adopting him and raising him as her own child. He starts to excel at football, but cannot hope to break through to a much treasured scholarship without a radical improvement in his grades. With the help of the family and a professional tutor, they achieve that goal. But in doing so she incurs some criticism from her bigoted southern friends. When one comments, condascendingly, on how she was changing his life, she softly replies, "No he is changing mine".

It got me thinking about the spiritual journey that we are all on, a journey that brings us all into a personal one-on-one walk with Jesus. The great reward to that journey is also adoption and restoration of our spritual identity, although the legal ramifications far exceed mere adoption or a change of title. He has divided His own inheritance with us, to make us fellow heirs of the kingdom of God.

In reaching out to us, Jesus certainly acquired global significance. The world knows Him and He is adored by Christendom. His mark of history is beyond reproach. No one ever moved the worlds or shaped the destiny of nations as He did. No one touched the hearts of humanity as He has, yet for all the significance it brought to Him, of greater personal value is the surpassing value of what He did for me and you. His death and resurrection may have lifted a simple carpenter to greatness, but He, in turn, He changed our lives forever .... and for that I remain eternally greatful.

So how does your garden grow?

2010-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses....

My brother sent these thoughts, just after I published a post about apple trees and what makes them bear fruit. It is timeous and relevant.

A garden needs thyme: Thyme for each other, thyme for family and thyme for friends

Plant three rows of peas: peas of mind, peas of heart and peas of soul

Add four rows of squash: Squash gossip, squash indifference, squash grumbling and squash selfishness

Plant some lettuce: Lettuce be faithful, lettuce be kind, lettuce be patient, lettuce really love one another

No garden can be wthout turnips: Turnip for meetings, turnip for service and turnip to help one another

Water with patience, cultivate with love. There will be much fruit because you will reap what you sow.

Source: Chris Missing

Old and young 4: Get your teeth into a Bond book or someone else

2010-07-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

4Old:

An older couple were lying in bed one night. The husband was falling asleep but the wife was in a romantic mood and wanted to talk. She said: "You used to hold my hand when we were courting." Wearily he reached across, held her hand for a second and tried to get back to sleep. A few moments later she said: "Then you used to kiss me." Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep..

Thirty seconds later she said: "Then you used to bite my Neck." Angrily, he threw back the bed clothes and got out of bed. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"To get my teeth!"

Young (Exam answers):

Source: unknown

Old and young 3: I said "expand", not stretch

2010-07-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Old:

Three retirees, each with a hearing loss, were playing golf one fine March day. One remarked to the other, "Windy, isn't it?" "No," the second man replied, "it's Thursday..." And the third man chimed in, "So am I. Let's have a beer."

So much for hearing ... what about listening. If only learners would listen and do what thair examiners ask them to do ... but then again, there is always an individual with a twisted sense of humour and they are always good for a laugh. Enough to make any teacher's day.

Young (Exam answer, but not mine):

Source: unknown

Old and young 2: A happy wet boy and a not so happy back seat driver

2010-07-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

Old

An elderly Floridian called 911 on her cell phone to report that her car has been broken into. She is hysterical as she explains her situation to the dispatcher: "They've stolen the stereo, the steering wheel, the brake pedal and even the accelerator!" she cried.

The dispatcher said, "Stay calm. An officer is on the way." A few minutes later, the officer radios in. "Disregard." He says, "She got in the back-seat by mistake."

Young (exam answer)

Sources unknown

Old and young 1: Up and downstairs is how God made it

2010-07-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Because family and people are so vital to me I thought I would depart from my normal pattern and share some accumulated stuff that is so worth a good laugh. Problem is half of what I have relates to senior souls the other half to kids, so why not just play it safe and go down the middle. My collection includes some very funny little snippets about old people or by old people, plus some great extracts of kids answers to exam or test questions, the kind of answers that either drive teachers batty or make their careers so worthwhile - enjoy:

Old

Three sisters ages 92, 94 and 96 live in a house together. One night the 96 year old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses..... She yells to the other sisters, "Was I getting in or out of the bath?" The 94 year old yells back, "I don't know. I'll come up and see." She starts up the stairs and pauses "Was I going up the stairs or down?" The 92 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters.. She shakes her head and says, "I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood." She then yells, "I'll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who's at the door."

Young (student responses in tests)

Sources: unknown

To the victor, the victory spoils

2010-07-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

It weighs almost 7kg (13.6lb), is made of 18 carat, hollowed gold and is 26.5 centimeters (14.4 inches) tall. Although its real value is probably less than $100,000 its intrinsic value far exceeds that. It may be regarded as priceless.

The former Jules Rimet trophy was stolen in 1983 and never recovered, although it had already passed into the perpetual possession of Brazil after they won the world cup three times. In 1997, a Jules Rimet trophy was auctioned and bought by FIFA for about $250,000, almost ten times the reserve price, but it was later found to be a replica of the original, which remains lost.

In 2038 it may be due for replacement when all the available name plates provided on the current trophy will have been used up.

So much for the trophy that is up for grabs in tonight’s final game of the 2010 World Cup. Either Spain or Holland will claim the prize, although the original will not be allowed to depart from the inner sanctum of FIFA. Whoever wins, will at best only have a replica, but the symbolism of the moment will be more than real.

This is the greatest sporting prize of all. It is one of the most treasured trophies or prizes in the world and the prestige that accrues to the winning team will be beyond measure.

There is another trophy, of even greater worth and surpassing significance, which God has extended to all who will run their race and finish their course. That trophy is reserved for all who overcome. It is not a winner takes all trophy, because everyone who crosses the line before the fatal cut off time, will win the trophy.

The trophy is not just the award of eternal life, but all the extended blessings described in Revelations 2 and 3. It will include the prize of a new name – a very valuable reward that reflects the ultimate approval of the greatest of all fathers, who reserves the sole paternal right to name His own. It will also give us access to the tree of life, that long lost fount of life that, once denied, reduced Adam and Eve to mere mortals. There is also a hidden pot of manna, the provision that God has made for our sustenance. We will also be clothed in garments of righteousness, freed forever from the nakedness that has haunted our souls on this mortal plain.

For the victors there will be a victory gala, a banquet where we will feast on the abundance of glory and break bread with our king. A place of habitation is also reserved for those who overcome and Jesus has spent the last two thousand years preparing that place. Aside from the wonders of its construction, it offers an unbelievable view of the vastness of the created universe and the awesome power it contains. We will have a front row view of the creation of stars, the explosion of super novae, the formation of new worlds, the coursing of comets and the frontiers of this great universe.

There is a race to run, a fight to win. At times we may feel that the burdens are too much and the price too high, but by His grace we can and will overcome. He will fulfill every promise in us, until the ordinary souls that we are, are crowned with glory.

Waving Flag

2010-07-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

K'naan's iconic hit, which fully eclipsed Shakiras confusing, unmelodic attempt at a world cup song, not only captured the spirit of the FIFA world cup, it also pulled the rug from under the organisers feet. Its not the only such case either. Dutch fans were coopted by a Dutch firm in a very cheeky ambush marketing campaign.

The upstaging of the official world cup song, goes to the essence of Waving Flags lyrics. It is a song about great struggles against injustice and poverty, which yields to a freedom just like a waving flag. The great image of Liberty leading the people, by Delacroix, conveys the same theme. So did Verdi's slave chorus, which captured the yearnings of the Hebrews when they were exiled to Babylon. There are so many similar themes all speaking of the greatest cries of humanity.

Football is generally a working class game, although it is also enjoyed by the upper classes. Certainly it is a sure route from rags to riches for those talented enough to reach the top of the game. So why FIFA opted to go with Waka-Waka instead of Waving Flag is mystifying. The naive answer was that Waving Flag is a revolutionary song.

"Born to throne, stronger than Rome, a violent prone poor people zone

but its my home, all I have known, where I got grown streets we would roam

Out of the darkness I came the farthest, among the hardest survival

learn from these streets, it can be bleak, accept no defeat, surrender, retreat

When I get older, I will be stronger, they call me freedom, just like a waving flag ...

and then it goes back and then it goes back."

It is so true that very few transcend the ghettoes of this world, but when they do they are like a waving flag, leading the poor to hope. They remind me of the biblical story in 2 Kings 7, where four lepers who lived outside the gates of the besieged city of Samaria. One morning, having nothing to lose, they went into the Syrian enemy camp and found it deserted and then went to tell the whole town, thus saving many wretched, starved and battle weary souls.

There can be nothing more liberating than one person who makes a difference and lights the way to salvation so that others may follow. Jesus did that, and now his faithful band also waves their flags and fly their banners - declaring to the whole world that there is a way of escape from the squalor of life. For when he stepped over His fallen foes and held up the keys of death and hell, we found freedom, just like a waving flag.

Its more than life and death

2010-07-06T00:31:00.000-07:00

With four more matches to play, the world cup is all but over. Nations came and went. Some just came to play, some came for much more. Someone once said of cricket, “It’s not a matter of life and death, its more than that”. The same could be said of some of the teams and nations represented in this competition.

The Dutch team somehow managed to assemble an entourage of 100,000 people who joined their cavalcade through the streets of Cape Town. The Argentineans played their drums. The South Africans trumpeted their Vuvuzelas. Others sported their national colors on their faces and in their waved banners.

The picture of a Mohican warrior supporting his own team, captures the spirit of the occasion well enough. Not far below the smile, joy and innocence of the moment is a warrior mentality. Maybe the advancement of the human race has tamed much of that feistiness that set nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom in past eras.

Yet, when we remember how much war and suffering still taints our world and the fact that the last great war was settled a mere sixty years ago, we dare not fool our selves into thinking that we have tamed the beast forever.

If winning on the football fields and other sporting stages of the world is more than life and death, then how far would peoples and nations be willing to go to defend their pride and individual identities?

Then again, I am aware that the world is converging. Borders and national identities are blurring as the world moves toward a singularity. There is no doubt that a new world order is on the cards. From a purely pragmatic perspective I have to say it is unavoidable, because we need a collective approach to the problems of our world. After all, the decimation of Amazon rain forests affects all of us, as does pollution in China, the melting of the polar ice sheets, global energy resources, the accumulation of space debris, pandemic diseases and the world economy. So, a new centralized, socialistic world power is inevitable.

Against that backdrop is an alternative society that potentially will have its own parallel economy, its own constitution and its own cultural norms. It will also have its own king. That society or nation, comprises that holy people who are citizens of the kingdom of God. The fault lines that will forever separate the world from the church and draw the battle lines between both, are deepening. The thunder of heaven will surely bring that to a head in its right time. It will finally separate light from darkness.

The question I have for you, is, in this great social phenomenon, is your struggle more than life and death or is it just another big game of life? I suggest that too many still perceive it as a game, still play church, still pay lip service to truth and are still holding on to their personal dreams, ambitions or fantasies with scant regard for the global and eternal significance of this age.

What do you think?

Your treasure is where your heart is

2010-07-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

I posed a question to a group of learners today - if money was no consideration, would they choose a small, reliable car over a jewel encrusted, precious watch. After some debate they agreed that the car probably would then have to take priority, given its supassing utility value.

A bushman was taken into a big city and shown all the marvels of the modern world, but before returning to his arid wild place they asked him, "of all the things you have seen, what would you most like to take home with you?"

With a few clicks he pointed to a simple garden faucet or tap. I suppose in his mind he foresaw the tap being installed near to his village, to provide a continuous supply of fresh water - a naive consideration given the reticulation required to bring the water to that everyday miraculous moment. To him, a ready supply of water was far more relevant and miraculous than soaring office blocks, high powered jets or modern transport. In his world, water is a premium. It is the greatest key to their survival - a priceless resource. It may also be the key to finding pride and place in the community or the hand of a treasured bride.

If then you were to lose everything, what would still hold your life together? What would be your most priceless resource? Or could you simply cease to exist without the material stuff that defines your present life?

Maybe we all need to walk through the valley of the shadow of death to realise that our survival rests not in things, but in relationships. When all else is lost and we assess the dregs of our material world, will anything else matter as much as our relationship with God and those around us? I won't elaborate now - just think about it and comment accordingly.

Times and seasons

2010-07-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

The beach vendor caught in a news lens, somewhat tells his own story. With only 4 games remaining in the FIFA world cup, the bonanza for vendors is fading, as is this season of football. Soon life for all will plod along again as we return to the grind of real life.

As I write, the sun is lighting the sky and the tinging the heavens with hope for a new day. However, the inexorable course of the sun across our skies dictates that for me to have a sunrise, others must be heading towards a sunset or some other phase in their life cycles.

The sunrise is just a subset of the greater dawns that herald the start of seasons. We all have our seasons. It starts with our birth: that most wonderful of all moments when life starts. Beyond that we face other seasons, some exciting, some not so. The start of school is a big milestone for many children, but later they enter the season of puberty or high school or college or marriage or parenting.

Many have experienced spiritual seasons, when we enter the valleys that mark the start of a wilderness period. As for life stages, so each season of struggle has a clear beginning, although its implications and our acceptance of such seasons, is often masked by denial or confusion. With time we all come to realise the weight and significance of a divine season and how vital such seasons are to our growth.

A fruit tree only bears fruit for about 10% of its annual cycle. The rest of the time is spent in preparing for that season of abundance, resulting in times of dryness, barrenness and apparent death. Yet beyond the loss of our leaves (death) and the dormancy of autumn and winter (burial) there is always a spring (resurrection), where God will clothe us again so we can walk in His glory and be fruitful in our knowledge of Him.

The beach vendor may be walking in the sunset of a season of abundance, but I know of many who long to see the sun set on their seasons of uncertainty and brokenness. Well know that every season will end, yet in so ending will mark a new season. If you are struggling right now - hang on, don't lose hope, for it has all come to pass. The times and seasons of life are all set by God, who will surely bring seasons of sorrow and dryness to an end, so that you can go on and be fruitful in what He sowed into your life through the winter.

Look up - for your salvation is at hand - even now it breaks forth. Look around you and see evidence of the return of spring and the seasons of growth and plenty you have so longed for. Stand up - for a new day is coming. He who started a good work in you, will surely conclude it so that you may live and that He may be glorified in the outworking of handiwork in you.

Independence day

2010-07-04T03:43:00.001-07:00

In 1776, the Second Continental Congress, chaired by Thomas Jefferson, issued the declaration of independence, by which the US was formally separated from Great Britain. The exact date is disputed, but not the fact. The day earlier, John Adams claimed the day as the most memorable epoch in US history.

The original document is now archived in the Smithsonian Institute, but it is sealed from exposure to light and air, so precious is the document to the people of America. Indeed, the birthing of that nation has resulted in arguably the most patriotic culture of earth. On this day, all Americans hold their heads high and strut their stuff in proud display of their priceless independence. Its a time of festivities, family meals and fireworks.

Millennia ago Israel crossed the Jordan and staked her claim on the land promised to Abraham and His descendants, by Almighty God. That was their ultimate moment of independence although the Jewish equivalent of independence day is the Passover, the day recorded by Moses as the first day of the first month of the first year, of their emancipation from slavery. All that happened when they finally crossed the Jordan forty years later, merely sealed and fulfilled what God had initiated when He separated them from Egypt. Sadly, for all their substantial claims, arguably the best articulated rights of land ownership ever conceived, the world still resents their right to live on the narrow, arid piece of real estate that all Jews regard as their ancestral home.

As Believers, we also have an independence event and we have a supporting document. The Bible is our declaration of independence and the Breaking of Bread our memorialisation thereof. Jesus left few commandments, but one was to preserve the Breaking of Bread, which thankfully has ensured the preservation of our culture through the passage of history. But, do we recognise it in the same way as the US or Israel recognise their rights? The implications for us are actually far more significant, for the state that represents our divine inheritance is a kingdom not made by hands, whose builder and maker is God – it is eternal, it is amongst us, it is advancing, the gates of hell will not prevail against it and the shout of a Great King can be heard amongst her people.

Do you savour the triumph of the cross and the power of your legal position in Christ?

Image source: http://www.babble.com/

Unfurl your colors

2010-06-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

The idea of wearing battle colours or war paint extends far back into history. The red Indians dubbed stripes on their faces when they went into battle, to embolden each other, intimidate the enemy and display their commitment to victory. The Vikings also wore battle paint, as did the Normans. Both of those invasive forces influenced warriors like the Scots, whom Mel Gibson so ably depicted in Braveheart. Mediaeval battlefields also used war paint until the idea of uniformed forces was popularised.

Uniforms and flags enabled fighting forces to carry their colours and allegiances in a more formal way. Discipline and pride rejected the relatively untidy look of face paint, but time would expose such visible uniforms to real disadvantages. Perhaps it was the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the last century that convinced England to move towards mufti, the kind of battle dress that now dominates all battlefields.

Camouflage and sensibility became more important than bright, bold and visible battle dress. However, the advent of camouflage also saw the return of body paint - only this time they used mud or boot polish, which is designed to make soldiers less visible.

So now the only time that opposing nations don war paint and wave bright colours in the face of their opponents, is on the sports field.

That said, 2 Corinthians 3 says we are the epistles of Christ, read and known of all men. The implication is that God’s children have yet to shift to contemporary styles of battledress. Our allegiance is not meant to be covered or obscured and it is hard to suppress a vital testimony. Believers are, or should be, vividly alive, the salt of the earth, the sweet fragrance of Christ, living witnesses to the truth, light in the dark soldiers who unfurl the banners of God wherever they go.

Our weapons are not swords and shields, per se, although we are spiritually equipped to fight our fight, for the weapons of God are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. That is where we engage, tearing down the very things that hold people captive and rob them of life – and that is not a mere battle - it is a war, a war that demands that we nail our colours to the mast and boldly bear His witness into a dying world.

Its almost over ... scarcely before it began

2010-06-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

There is such sweet innocence in a child’s face. They are like a blank page, an unpainted canvas – pregnant with possibility and potential. In the hands of an artist, each canvas will be transformed to become a thing of unique beauty and wonder.

As life progresses that canvas then tells its own story – a weather-beaten, wrinkled and tired face speaks of years of sorrow or ill-living, but for every one of those faces I have seen many other older faces that reflect contentment, peace, fulfillment and dignity.

I am told that the issues of our prime years are amplified in our senior years, which is certainly true of my parents. My mom was one of the biggest-hearted souls I ever knew and that became such a telling feature of her life as she faded. She would sing hymns and warmly embrace her nursing staff, but regardless of how she felt, every time I asked she gave a standard reply, “I am fine, how are you”.

My dad unfortunately was a bit of a grumpy old soul in life, forever believing himself to be near death. The fact that he outlived his worst fears by 86 years is beside the point, but his worst attributes have also been amplified in later life, making him almost unbearable. Don’t get me wrong – I love him and feel for what he is going through, but I also have no doubt that he is making his last journey far worse than it needed to be.

Yesterday I read of a man who visited Sierra Leone and was immediately dubbed an old man at 46 – because the average life expectancy there is 43. That brings a healthy perspective to life and the need to live each moment to its fullest.

The young, beautiful face in the picture is just so happy to be alive and part of the world cup, regardless of her circumstances. She can remain as beautiful throughout her life if she never lets go of the simple virtues of life and innocence. We can remain relatively innocent if every new day is an adventure, a discovery, a game to be played for today.

We take life so seriously that we are often old before we had a chance to be young. The same could be said of the world cup, which is almost over before it even started. May that not be said of our lives – may life not be on its way down long before it reaches it peak, its potential and the fullness of God’s purpose for us.

Live … play the game … enjoy each moment … and let the light of God shine in and though you.

And the trumpets shall sound ...

2010-06-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

That annoying instrument is still on my mind. How do I get it off my mind? How can anyone ignore such a persistent and loud noise?

The picture attached shows a Vuvuzela trumpet being blown by light of moon. It is reminiscent of the howling of wolves or dogs, but if there's is an instinctive cry, a mating call or some other instrument of survival, what would we say of the Vuvuzela? It is not likely to attach a mate, unless she is deaf. It is not instinctive, its downright dangerous to one's health and if God wanted us to make such a noise He would have tuned our noses to B-Flat, made them larger and enhanced our lung capacity to support the kind of noise a cow makes when its giving birth. As for our ears, well maybe by now they would have evolved into muffs.

Past civilisations have certainly regarded the trumpet as an instrument of survival - it warned of impending danger, sounded alarms or heralded the coming of an important event.

The trumpets of heaven all have that objective. They certainly are sounding out a warning to this civilisation that trouble is coming and we should act appropriately. They are also sounding a significant alarm, to wake us from our slumbers, call us to arms and raise our readiness for an imminent crisis. More importantly though, they are heralding the coming of that great prophetic season that will bring judgement to the evil of this world and hail the return of our King.

We are now entering one of the most dangerous, yet most exhilirating moments of biblical and world history - the time of the end. The Vuvuzela is audible in the stadiums of the world's greatest sporting event, but soon the trumpets of God will drown out their sound and confuse their call, as they hail the coming day. The stadiums are filling with the assembled witnesses of those faithful souls, who are waving the royal pendant and the banners of God. They are preparing to meet us in the air and follow the King into that climactic battle of the ages.

Many warnings have already sounded. The UN chief has sounded environmental alarm bells, Al Gore has told his inconvenient truths, movies have tried to visualise coming apocalyptic events, great earth upheavels are increasing in frequency and scientists have revealed that the global environment is at a tipping point. It is time to shorten accounts, make right, turn back and take the warnings seriously, for there is probably only one thing worse than the coming crisis - and that is denial.

The sound of trumpets

2010-06-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

The FIFA world cup has had its highs - the opening ceremony, the arrival of teams, the national spirit of a land that has opened its heart to all, the celebrations and the general atmosphere of the occasion. The lowest moments have been where teams have been forced to leave the stage and head back home. It is already almost over, yet has scarcely begun. Oh and of course every team has criticised the Jabulani ball, which loves to curve and do its own thing at altitude, thanks to its superb aero-efficiency.

Then of course, there is that unbelievably annoying trumpet that has absolutely drowned out all noise at matches, the motorious vuvuzela. It plays a monotonous B-flat at such volumes that it is damaging to one's health. I have mentioned before that the name is drawn from its "Vu-Vu" sound.

Irritating as the sound of trumpets may be, the picture attached is a characterisation of the trumpets of God. It shows man cowering in irritation or fear at the sound of a trumpet, but the angel is undeterred. As my friend said to me, "Vuvuzelas are not new, they have been irritating us since the 7th century".

The picture is a good illustration of the urgency and significance of our times - God is not whispering any longer. The world is in great crisis and we are moving into heady times. The shout of God is echoing across the earth, but it is not a sound of warning. The trumpets of God were used to signal the advent of seasons. What we are hearing is not a sign of things to come - we have had those warnings. Now the trump is a signal of things that have come or are starting.

The starter's gun has fired, the king's royal trumpeters have sounded, the thunder has roared, the signal fires from the Holy Hill have been lit and the winds have started to blow. Change is upon us. What has been, will be no more. A new and challenging season is coming.

That said, I am aware that many believers, globally, are stirring as God thaws hearts, revives the downtrodden and lifts His people to their most significant moment. He is pouring out new wine and raising His church to her prophetic destiny. The trumpet is sounding. Our times of brokenness and uncertainty are yielding to a powerful surge of life and hope. So be encouraged.

Ecclesiastes 3 says, "What has been, still is and what shall be, has come to pass". Prophetically it means that your future is fast becoming your present and your hope is becoming a reality.

The longest day

2010-06-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

This week two men brought the world to a standstill, as they grunted and sweated and aced their way to one of the greatest tennis matches of the modern era.

Here are the stats:

Longest match at Wimbledon

Duration: 11 hours, 5 minutes

Longest final set - 138 games

Greatest number of games: 183

The crowd was concerned that the players would collapse, but daylight had the last say and forced the game to extend to a new day. It was one of the greatest games ever and now Isner and Mahut will be linked forever. At the end, Isner collapsed and rolled on the court and then embraced his opponent.

Anyone joining in the drama near the end may have thought of the players as incompetents. They were tired, wobbly, spent - but still sending down aces (the most ever).

My friend, Grantley Morris, describes a marathon runner reaching the last rise, stumbling like a child or a drunk. Anyone ignorant of their preceding struggle, may be tempted to ridicule such a runner. Yet, to him that overcomes falls the greatest reward.

There is a fight that all believers must engage - a race, a struggle, a war. Yet we shall overcome, by God's grace. At times, we may well be left stumbling around in bewilderment, yet His grace still sustains us. We are also cheered on by the great assembled throng of witnesses that stand before the throne of God, who rise and sway with each triumph, shouting us along, until we reach the line.

As the clouds gather and we push through the mists, we may well feel like bowing out, but beyond every struggle is a triumph - reason enough to keep going on. We will overcome, for greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world and, if God be for us, who can be against us.

So, if your struggle seems thankless right now, be encouraged to keep going. Its never over until its over. The fight is worthwhile and the prize is priceless.

Many might view the prizes for overcoming, in Revelations 3-4, as eternal prizes. That is theologically untenable. The pot of manna is only relevant to a now struggle, for it gives us the grace to overcome the struggles in this life. If that be true, then we must also concede that God will reveal our name and purpose now. He will also give us access to the tree of life. Overcoming is not a single event but a journey, through which God will more than provide for us, so that we can overcome and win the resources we need to keep getting stronger and stronger unto that perfect day.

Thanksgiving - an appropriate prayer

2010-06-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dear GOD:

I want to thank You for what you have already done.

I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better.

I'm not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed.
I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the days of difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.

I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

Source: unknown

Have ball will play

2010-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

There was a time, not so long ago, when youngsters could derive fun from the simplest of things. Washington found pleasure in unseating his squatting father and the great Sir Donald Bradman learnt to bat using a golf ball, which so attuned his eye that by the time he retired from world cricket he had established an unassailable record of 99.9 runs for every wicket he conceded. Newton also turned the simple pleasure of an apple into an idea, to which Einstein added, when an idea simply presents itself, then God speaks.

All over the world poor kids like the one in the picture, derive profound joy from flat balls, broken toys and unstringed instruments. My own boys have reshaped sticks, pipes, tubes, tables and whatever else they could lay their hands on, including the house and my face, to fulfill their insatiable quest for adventure, intrigue and fun. I once took them fishing along a river, with very basic equipment - though we caught nought, they had inexpressible fun just doing it.

When we were young we hid in storm water drains, created our own circus acts, shot with home made catapults and endless found ways to make noise. Such fun was not limited to children, either, for before the Internet and TV, whole families found simple pleasure in everyday, natural experiences.

But that has all changed now. It is no longer possible to be simple in this complex world, but even when we do invoke joy it is for a moment - the moment it takes for novelty to become passe. We are more easily dissapointed and let down, because our hedonistic world is geared to self-gratification, material pursuits and expensive toys.

Sadly our loss of simplicity extends to relationships - now we can longer sit down for a meaninful time to break bread with friends or to share simple moments with our families. Something is so wrong in all that. Jesus came to give us life and that abundantly, but we have spat on the essence of that life to live in the shadows of death and we have exchanged our natural wealth for the weak and beggarly residue of life.

Show your colors

2010-06-21T00:26:00.000-07:00

The news picture of a man lost inside his outrageous hat, is about as evocative of the world cup as one could ever hope to find. Apparently it weighs 25kg, over 50 pounds, so what it does to his head, neck and shoulders is anyone's guess.

There is no doubt that a world class event like the FIFA world cup, bring out the party in all kinds of souls. It is highly festive and guaranteed to bring ordinary souls to the wildest and most exaggerated forms of expression imaginable. That's great - we all need some respite from a tough life.

The wearing of headdress and garments to represent a team, is as old as the hills. The priests of old carried a mitre on their heads and a mantle over their chests, into which was pressed the 12 semi-precious stones that represented the tribes of Israel.

The priests carried their representation before God, offering up sacrifices and intercessions for the needs of their people. It was not just a garment, an external show. According to Hebrews 2, the priests had to be able to identify fully with the needs of the people - so they carried, if not individual names, then certainly the corporate identities of the tribes, before God.

However, Hebrews 2 is not directed at the general priesthood, but the greatest of all priests, one drawn from the order of Melchizidek, who was made subject to temptation and weakness, just as we are, so He could fully identify with our needs and offer a sacrifice worthy of our atonement. Now that same priest, Jesus, actually does have our individual names written on His heart and He knows the hairs on our heads. He faithfully intercedes for us before the mercy throne of God, to give us grace and help in time of need.

Jesus may not wear priestly garments, nor the outrageous garb of rabid fans, but He most certainly shouts for us and the trumpets do indeed sound as He leads us through life's trials, until we raise the trophies of grace.

Perfect peace

2010-06-20T03:15:00.001-07:00

The attached picture appeared in the news, showing a young child sleeping peacefully through what must be amongst the noisiest occasions ever. A simple plastic trumpet, called a Vuvuzela (a phonetic name for its B-flat, Vu-Vu sound), which produces a noise similar to a cow giving birth and operates in the 130 decibel range. It is a profoundly noisy instrument, but when 60-90 thousand people blow them in the confines of a stadium it is so deafening that hearing damage is possible. Add to that the recent puncturing of a throat by an over-zealous player and you have a real health threat. All that said, the Vuvuzela is still the symbol of a wildly ecstatic football fan base.

I am more intrigued by the peace a child can know in such tumultuous times. My youngest son is also capabe of sleeping through just about anything and will lie down to sleep wherever sleep takes him. Their's is an innocent peace, a God-given ability to switch off and dream whilst the world around them goes mad. It is a metaphor for their general innocence about life and the simplicity of their faith.

A war horse also has that kind of peace and can stand its ground in midst of bombs and guns and all kinds of mayhem, but theirs is an acquired or learnt peace. I think that is the greater peace and its the kind that Jesus left us with. It is a very unassuming thing, potentially interpreted as ignorance or blindness. However, it is neither, for it is borne out of experience (Romans 5) of His faithfulness and the grace that sustains us unti it breaks through the mists of tribulation to vindicate the patience that such struggles impose on us.

Some feel so guilty about that peace that they deny it for fear of seeming to be irresponsible or uncaring, but if we can just surrender to it we would find that it actually makes us more effective - for it clarifies our thinking, restrains our impulsiveness and guides our decision making. Most of all it enables us to hear and follow the still, small voice of God.

Red card, yellow card

2010-06-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

The rules of football are really quite simple. I don't know them, but they cannot hope to compare with the rules of Rugby Union or American Football. Of course Australian Rules Football is a misnomer for it seems to be a game sans rules. The only real rule is to thug the opposition, but in the midst of such hairy chested, bararian-looking, testosteronic madness, is the contradiction of an almost effeminate line judge, who goes to such trouble to ritualise his line calls.

Soccer's rules have always been simple, for that is the nature of the game. In a nutshell its: no handballing, no foul play, score through the goal post and of course there is also an offside rule. Foul play is a subjective thing, ruled by the whim of the referee, but basically guided by the principle of playing the man, not the ball.

It got me thinking about life. Is it that complicated? Oh we have layered in our rules, more than enough to fill whole libraries. In fact we are now so rule bound that just reading this blog may be illegal. However, the essence of life is simple, enough for Jesus to have captured every law, every precept of life in two simple principles - Love God and love your neighbour.

However you look at life, if you follow those two rules you will fulfil all the laws of life. Jesus confirmed that saying, "these sum up the whole law". We inroduce laws because of behaviours that are harmful to others, but if we all instinctively did the right thing, guided by a love of righteousness and truth, to behave deferentially, considerately or compassionately towards our neighbour, why would laws be needed. Of course I know that society in general can never live up to such ideals, but you can.

Sometimes I wish we could carry yellow and red cards into the traffic and the workplace, to send errant individuals out of the game of life until they can sort themselves out ... how that might simplify life if there was a simple way to rule when we play offside or inappropriately.

Tilting the odds

2010-06-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

Once again I lay my ignorance of the game of football on the line. Officianados could bore you to tears with technical debate abut the nuances of what is called "the beautiful game" and I have no truck with that. I respect its place in our culture and dare not ignore the sheer magnitude of the game.

However, as an aloof observer I can't help feeling that scoring is a lottery. A team visits its opposition goal area and takes a pot shot or two, with a generally low ratio of success, then they all go and camp on the other side of the field to allow the opposition their chance to have a go. That is over-simplifying the issues a bit, but it certainly looks that way. Scoring is a lottery, a pitching of odds that tilt in the favor of the attacking team under very trying circumstances.

The trick is to minimise the odds of the opposition scoring, through solid defence and effective goal keeping. At the same time, knowing that attack is the best form of defence, a team must tilt the odds of scoring in its own favor, by retaining possession of the ball, spending more time in the goal area, whilst positioning players as favorably as possible and ensuring as many shots on goal as possible. Other aspects that tilt the odds are fitness, agility, knowledge of the rules, avoidance of penalties and referee management.

All of this is analogous to life - life is somewhat of a lottery, where few score for all the opportunities that come their way. The only way to tilt the odds in your favor is to focus on what you do, do it exceptionally well and keep on doing it until it pays off - forget luck, rather know that the harder you try the greater will be your opportunities.

I am a spiritual man, so this advice confronted my sensibilities, until it sunk in. The secret is to stop waiting for miracles, which are rare and unpredictable. Rather discern what God is calling you into and pursue that with all your heart - don't turn left or right and never look back, for, as we read in Hebrews 10:38, "God will not delight in the soul that draws back".

As you stick to a narrow focus and pursue it, you will eventually shift the odds in your favor and come to that elusive titling point that many of the great biblical figures came to - Esther was told, "were you not born for a time such as this" and David spent years preparing to fling a stone, which prepared him for his own appointment of destiny. God will favor you if you persist, but He will never delight in double-mindedness.

More than life and death

2010-06-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

The adjacent face says it all. The FIFA world cup is a big deal for any soccer fan, a massive deal for Africans and beyond measure for South Africans.

Many years ago a famous Star Trek episode showed two colonies at war with each other. However, it was a virtual war, played out in the cyber world of computer games. The games helped to ensure that innocent lives were spared and civil infrastructure was not impaired.

However, the downside of the game was a mutual agreement that the deaths recorded in each battle had to be processed as real deaths – so a lottery singled out individuals, who willing went off to a processing plant that simply and painlessly ended their lives. It was so civilized, but ever so cynical – a poke at modern civilization.

In a way, a major sporting event like the world cup is a noble way of bringing nations together and resolving rivalries peacefully. We don’t kill the losers, although some have died at times for poor performances. However, we do graciously accept the results and honor the victors, because that is in the spirit of the game.

Maybe sport is of God after all – for the way it unifies the community of nations, builds national spirit and develops human character, is noble indeed. The professional leagues are so self-serving and materialistic – anything but noble. However, the internationals start with the singing of anthems and unite nations, then also bring about meaningful interaction between nations – and that is all good.

So, I celebrate what is happening – I doubt if I will ever become a soccer follower, for many of my own reasons, but the significance of this moment is not lost on me and it has given me and many of my countrymen every reason to celebrate. This is not a life and death event, its bigger than that.

Simple joys

2010-06-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

It passes all understanding how anyone could chase after a round ball for 90 minutes, produce no score or maybe a draw and occasionally a result, whilst really just going around in circles in a recurring lottery that occasionally yields a goal. It is especially ludicrous when one could be doing so much more with what was once a pig's bladder. Simply put, Soccer costs the average spectator about $150 per point, whereas rugby costs about $5 per point, so which is really delivering the greater spectator value?

The fact is that half the world could care less and the adjacent Netherlands world cup supporter, who was caught in a news camera, certainly cares less. Soccer is their game or football as they prefer to call it, even if that is actually a generic name for many sports.

So why is it so popular? Have you ever taken a ball to an unblooded two year old black boy. His response is written in his genes. He knows instinctively what to do with it and will not lose much time in setting up goals or coopting a few friends.

That is true, generally of all poor cultures, because a round ball is the simplest and cheapest of all joys. It requires no expensive setup, always commands a good following and has few rules. It makes for a very accessible sport. Many other sports are biased towards the upper classes because they are so beyond the reach of the poor.

That got me thinking about religion. Many, throughout history, cranked up religion and layered in all kinds of rules and dogmas, rituals and rites, until it simply became inaccessible to the poor masses. Maybe the greater inditement was that it exposed the poor and reinforced class distinctions. However, that was never the intent of God, who used very ordinary souls to write great stories and reveal profound truth to the simplest of hearts. As such, the faith became foolishness to the wise.

I am not about to celebrate a faith that excludes either rich or poor. The fact remains that God's heart reflects a simple aestheticism, a down-to-earthness that appeals to both rich an poor. Do not the rich admire natural beauty and the wonders of the created world? Well God accomodates that and the bible fully satisfies their intellectual needs. Yet the poor, with no resources to enjoy such pleasures, simply enjoy the energy and dynamics of the street - and God accomodates that too, bringing both classes to the common ground of the cross and the simple, unmarbled, unspoilt elegance of that traveling supper we call the breaking of bread.

Waka, Waka

2010-06-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I once stated that sport is close to the heart of God. I am not sure I would say that now, especially given the professionalisation of sport codes plus the politics, power and money involved.

I think my original idea was that sport is such a useful social integrator and nation builder. It is also team and character building. I certainly encourage my boys to participate, regardless of how well they do. I also perceive that people drawn from a sporting past, are generally more effective in leadership and teamwork. Who knows?

Last night South Africa kicked off the 2010 world cup and Shakira sang her theme song, Waka Waka, which I cannot accurately define better than awake, awake. The song cuts to the real essence and heartbeat of the game, which is about getting up and fighting on. Its about standing for something and representing your nation.

You're a good soldier, choosing your battles ...
pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and back in the saddle

You're on the frontline, everyone's watching
You know it's serious, we're getting closer, this isnt over

The pressure is on, you feel it, but you've got it all, believe it

When you fall get up, Oh oh...
And if you fall get up, Oh oh...

I don't want to get deep into a subject I don't fully understand, but for all who are struggling on this day, for all who are fighting for their faith ... know that a great cloud of witnesses is watching, so get up and fight on. And may I wish you a great world cup day. May the best team win.

(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net

Reversing the lost generation

2010-06-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

I can Change the world and I refuse to believe I am part of a lost generation.

I realize this may be a shock but

"Happiness comes from within"

Is a lie, as is

"Money will make me happy"

So in 30 years from now I will tell my children

They are not the most important things in my life

My employer will know that

I have my priorities strait because

Work

Is more important than

Family

Once upon a time

Families stayed together

but this will not be true in my era

This is a quick fix society

Experts tell me

30 years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of divorce

I do not concede that

I will be in a country of my own making

In the future

Environmental destruction will be the norm

No longer will it be said

My peers and I care about the truth

It will be evident that

My generation is apathetic and lethargic

It is foolish to resume that

There is Hope

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it “

Read this backwards after reading it forward.

Source: unknown; image: http://www.sherricarterart.com/

Four Magic Words

2010-06-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

A nurse ushered me into my grandma's room. Lying in the hospital bed, she looked so small. Her eyes were closed. I sat down quietly.

I was on my way to seminary and full of self-doubt. I had just given up a full scholarship to medical school, and everyone thought I was making a mistake. I desperately wanted Grandma's advice, but the nurse had warned me that she didn't have much strength left. After half an hour, Grandma hadn't stirred, so I just started talking. Suddenly she woke up, asking, "Danny, is that you?"

She told me how her faith had guided her all her life. After a few minutes, a great peace settled around us. I kissed Grandma and turned to leave, but then I heard her whisper some parting words. I leaned over to listen. "I believe in you," she said.

Grandma died that night, but in more than 20 years of work as a Christian psychologist, I have passed on her words many times. Four simple words can make a lifetime of difference ~ Dan Montgomery

I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among the men [in my company] the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a man as criticisms from his superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a man incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise, but loathe to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise ~ Charles Schwab

The applause of a single human being is of great consequence ~ Samuel Johnson

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated ~William James

Article source: Jason Ward @ http://www.food4yoursoul.com/
Imagesource: http://www.patrickantrim.com/

Peace in the storm

2010-06-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

"It takes much building and rebuilding to establish a kingdom", said my youngest son. I had just lost months and months of work on my blog site, all accidently overritten in a moment of madness. My initial reaction was a mixture of sadness and anger. Even the postings had gone and that really saddened me, for each post represented a priceless moment of reflection. It was also just another brick in the wall, another setback amongst so many in a long journey with God.

I did not understand Daniel's counsel at first, but then my 12 year old added, "Dad, Israel was given to the Jews, yet it rose and fell, sometimes to the level of a smouldering ruin. It was attacked again and again and again, especially Jerusalem. But they carried on building it anyway."

Indeed, the Jews returned like ants to the nest, determined to secure their heritage. God also built up and then tore down, until they got it right. No wonder the Arabs are finding the Jews so intractable today - they never truly fought for that land, which to the Jews is as a child to its mother.

Your own struggles might reflect steps forward and sometimes even more steps back, as you advance and fall back, but still advance, for so you must, until you find,

(c) Peter Eleazar @ http://www.4u2live.net/
Image: Rembrandt's, Christ in the storm on the sea of Galillee

Suspicious minds

2010-05-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

I had to get some groceries and heard Elvis singing, "suspicious minds". I rocked and rolled down the aisles ejoying the delightful melody and the rhythm of his music, but then got to thinking about the lyrics.

We're caught in a trap, I can't walk out, because I love you too much baby
Why can't you see, what you're doing to me, when you don't believe a word I say?
We can't go on together, with suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams, on suspicious minds

In my own long journey with God I have steadily moved to a place where I see grace for what it is, Grace. The complications resulting from my world views, my mindsets and my prejudices are slowly giving way to a simple faith - God is the real deal, He is who He said He is. The problem though is we just cannot go on with suspicious minds. How can our relationship with Him ever become real and transformative if we can't believe a single word He says.

We just cannot build anything on suspicious minds. Faith is all He asks us to give in response to His boundless grace, but without it, we "will not see it" - the promises that is.

The devil's in the duck

2010-05-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced and he practiced, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him,

"Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again,

"Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's ...he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know.

You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you. I was hoping you would come tell me yourself, and because I love you, I forgive you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ... whatever it is ... You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing ... He has seen your whole life.

He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets ... It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

"But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life." Titus 3:34-7

The prayer that shocked the world

2010-05-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good", but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

 We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

 We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

 We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

 We have shot anti-abortionists and called it justifiable.

 We have neglected child discipline and called it building self esteem.

 We have abused power and called it politics.

 We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

 We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

 We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

 Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.

Image courtesy of: laughing1wolf.blogspot.com/2009/12/mini-268.html

Waking up in Vegas

2010-05-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

Katy Perry popularised the catchy song, but until recently that's all it was. Then I saw the video version and realised that it carried a powerful message. Her Vegas setting is an allegory for our dreamscapes and illusions, the utopian places where all our dreams can be fulfilled and where we all live happily ever after.

Our beautiful young singer goes to Vegas with an actor who is renowned for his dodgy roles - he is far from good looking, unkempt and beneath her. Yet in her illusionary state all is forgiven and they enjoy abandoned love as they soak up all the allures of Vegas.

Then she wakes up, sees what is next to her and realises that all her dreaming was just one big fantasy - and even then the fantasy involved a frog not a prince.

It is a provacative illustration of the illusions that are driving our culture to the edge - only the frog in the real story is a devious serpent.

Fallen

2010-05-04T02:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite singers is Sarah McClachlin, who must have one of the purest voices I have heard. She sings a haunting ballad, called Fallen, which has such powerful lyrics. For those in great crisis, she sings words of hope ....

Heaven bent to take my hand - and lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer - To a long and painful fight

She also reflects such honesty in her crisis ...

Truth be told I've tried my best - but somewhere along the way ...
I got caught up in all there was to offer - and the cost was so much more than I could bear

Though I've tried, I've fallen ... I have sunk so low
I have messed up - better I should know
So don't come round here - and tell me I told you so ...

But she finds meaning as she faces up to reality ...

We all begin with good intent - love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves - the past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden - time always reveals
The lonely light of morning - the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything - that I have held so dear

In a world that has anaethetised reality and denied its own crises, it is sobering to hear such words remind us - but better yet, be reminded that Jesus knows that reality and has bent down to take your hand.
She describes her sadness, but pushes away condascension ...

A miracle reunion

2010-05-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

A couple set out to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, but the building was very run down. They set a goal to repair it in time for their first service on Christmas Eve and worked hard to repair pews, walls and the floors. They were ahead of schedule and almost done, when a two-day storm caused the roof to leak, causing a large area of plaster to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit.

The pastor cleaned up the mess and headed home. On the way he saw a local business was having a sale, so he stopped in and found a beautiful, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite workmanship, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover the hole in the front wall.

He bought it and headed back to the church, but on the way he bumped into an older woman who was trying to catch a bus. She missed the bus, so the pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. Then the woman asked, "Where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. They were the initials she put there when she made the tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.

The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week, but was captured, sent to prison and never seen again.

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth, but she made him keep it for the church. He then insisted on driving her home to the other side of Staten Island.

The church was almost full on Christmas Eve. At the end of the service, an old man from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews. The pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth, which was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war. He told the pastor how he forced his wife to flee from the Nazis only to be arrested. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years between.

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

Indeed God works in wonderful ways. True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid.

Every move you make

2010-04-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

In 1983 Gordon Sumner aka Sting, released "Every move you make" with the Police. There is an ironic twist to the song, given that it was by the Police, for indeed they do watch, like big brother, ready to pounce if we err. However, it was a love song, not a policeman's rap.

The words speak of watching over every breath and move as we break our bonds:
Every breath you take and every move you make
Every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you

Oh can't you see you belong to me?
How my poor heart aches with every step you take
Every move you make and every vow you break
Every smile you fake, Every claim you stake, I'll be watching you

The song echoes the sentiments of a greater watcher, who indeed watches over our fake smiles and broken vows, but loves us anyway and watches us breathe, listens to us crying in our sleep, follows us as we stumble through the streets and carries us when we are too weary.

David said of the same Great Shepherd, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me. Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all my days and I will dwell in your house forever."

Sure we have our fake smiles and broken vows, such is life - its a struggle to get through. Yet, whoever and wherever we are, He is nearer and will never forsake us.

(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net

Heaven and Hell

2010-04-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

A huge, rough samurai once went to see a little monk, hoping to acquire the secrets of the universe.

"Monk," he said, in a voice accustomed to instant obedience. "teach me about heaven and hell."

The little monk looked up at the mighty warrior in silence. Then, after a moment, he said to the samurai with utter disdain, "Teach YOU about heaven and hell? I couldn't teach you about anything. You're dirty. You smell. Your blade is rusty. you're a disgrace, an embarrassment to the samurai class. Get out of my sight at once. I can't stand you!"

The samurai was furious. He began to shake all over from the anger that raced through him. A red flush spread over his face; he was speechless with rage. Quickly, menacingly, he pulled out his sword and raised it above his head, preparing to slay the monk.

"That's hell." said the little monk quietly.

The samurai was overwhelmed. Stunned. The compassion and surrender of this little man who had offered his life to give this teaching about hell! He slowly lowered his sword, filled with gratitude, and for reasons he could not explain his heart became suddenly peaceful.

"And that's heaven," said the monk softly.

-Zen story

Was it a morning like this

2010-04-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

We attended an Easter Sunday surnrise service this morning, but it was held in a graveyard. Did we seek the living amongst the dead?

The only reason we used the graveyard was that it afforded the best view of the village below, the mountains beyond and the watery sun that struggled to rise over an uncertain world.

It occured to me that the dead in this village had the best view of all, the best location of any other citizen. There is a metaphor in that, for in this life we see through a glass darkly, now in part, but then face to face. The best views in the house are all are reserved for our moment of death, when we pass out of this world with its limited perspective of glory and the gloom clears to reveal the breathless wonder that awaits us all.

Maybe if we could see more clearly, we would run more surely, but maybe that in itself determines our future perspectives. After all, a runner who has endured the race and fought the last miles, has a far better perspective of the glory of finishing than any spectator can ever have. So, in spite of the removal of the veil that obscures our grasp of heaven, a veil will yet remain for those who have not fought for the prize or run the race or gained mastery or struggled to overcome.

Only the hot and sweaty, the heaving and panting will gain a true concept of glory, for they will see through their tears and the mists of many sorrows, to a rest that surpasses all this world has to offer. They will have a surpassing view that even angels will desire to look into - for they will see Jesus not just as king or the Lord of all, but as the friend that stuck closer than a brother, the friend who never forsook them in life or death.

Peter Eleazar@4u2live.net

Across the line

2008-04-12T04:20:00.000-07:00

The day before, the day after. Movie and song titles, which suggest life-changing moments of wonder.

In 1982, Abba released the song, “Before you came”. Though relatively unsuccessful in the US, with only one chart-topper, Abba became a world-wide phenomenon through the seventies and eighties.

“Before you came”, traces the recollections of a woman to the day before a lover entered her life. It reminds me of the day John F Kennedy died. I was a kid then, but I remember lying on the lounge floor reading about his assassination and marveling about it all. I also remember hearing the first news of 911 on my car radio. Initially the reports indicated a light plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre, but by the time I got home it was apparent that the US was under attack – so I grabbed my family and we rushed to the television to watch the unthinkable – before it had yet become an oft-replayed recording, we watched live feed of the towers collapsing into Manhattan dust. In both cases I know of many tales from many people that recount “the day before …”.

Well the singer in “Before you came” also recalled a hum-drum, predictable life of “bed by a quarter after ten (she likes to be in bed by then) with a book by Marilyn French” and a whole lot of other things that she could recall because of the predictability of her life. Then “he” came along and her life was never the same again.

She could have been singing about Jesus, for, although I cannot recount how my life was, “before He came”, I can say that my life changed forever after I met Him. It was a watershed moment that gripped my imagination, harnessed my passions and captivated my senses for the rest of my life. He is so real, so relevant, so faithfully accessible, that I could never live without Him. That was as true during the darkest years of my life when He was the last man standing: He never left me in my shame, but faithfully accompanied me through the vale of sorrow, to a new day.

In the game of cricket, the line or crease that defines the limits of a bowler’s run-up, can result in a penalty for the bowler: called a no-ball. He is not allowed to step over it, but he can even be penalized for standing on the line. The penalty call is reserved by the umpire. In cricket terms: “the line belongs to the umpire”.

In recent articles, I have referred to the law of precedence, that line crossed by Adam and many others, which brought misery on their descendants. I compared that line with the line that Jesus crossed to restore life and hope. Well that line also belongs to the umpire, the Father, the sole arbiter of His laws and the blessings or curses that derive from them.

The day before Jesus came, sin ruled and remained unchecked. The whole of humanity was in the relentless grip of Satan’s oppression, due to the precedence of Adam’s transgression. At Calvary, a new precedent was set and that line defined a past, present and future. Satan could only rely on the past, for the future was out of his hands: notwithstanding his ongoing influence over this world. The key to what I am saying relates to rights: Satan may still cause trouble, but he has no precedence, no legal standing. At best, Satan is only a liar, for the substance of his claims against us was revoked by Christ and the line belongs to the judge of all hearts.

In the next article I will show how Calvary implies a general victory and the foundation for all breakthroughs in our lives. But I will also show that the principle also applies to specific breakthroughs, where trouble in our lives will meet its Waterloo and become a thing of the past so that we can go on into an unhindered, liberated future.

(>(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com<>

By one man ...

2008-04-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

A river alters course in response to key events or moments, just as historic incidents changed life.

The law of precedence is a powerful biblical principle.

When one man, Adam, broke one law, he brought an immediate end to his status quo and imposed a curse on all succeeding generations, you and I included.

Similarly, when one man, Esau, despised his birthright, he changed history and disqualified himself and succeeding generations from all participation in the Abrahamic covenant. However, in a similar act, one man, Jacob, stepped up to the plate, wrenched the blessing away from his brother and became the patriarch of Israel.

Later, one man, Saul, made one foolish blunder and invalidated his life and the lives of his descendants. It was just a single moment of madness, but it changed everything.

These are sad realities. I perceive that certain things happened in my own past, some of which generally impacted my family, whilst others impacted me personally. I am not entirely sure what happened, but I carried all kinds of burdens in my life as a result of a transaction that opened my life to spiritual oppression.

The principles behind all of this come from the laws of God, in terms of which curses and blessings are invoked by individual acts and inherited by succeeding generations. A right reading of scripture suggests that the laws and their implications preceded the articulation of the laws at Mount Sinai, for sin reigned from Adam to Moses (Romans 5). The laws merely came to reveal what was not known or understood about sin, namely that sin carries consequences, whether committed in ignorance (prior to the law) or deliberately (with full knowledge of the law). To that end, Paul says in Romans 1, that the gentiles who were without law, had the laws of God written in their consciences.

The curses are ingrained within the laws, so God does not subjectively respond to each incident of sin and decide to curse us. Sin is a curse and it invokes curses over our lives. Moreover, even if we exceed all the laws and fail only in one law, we are guilty of all sins under the law: such is the principle of precedence.

The perpetuation of sin leads to iniquities, (Hebrew: bent) which are the long-term distortions that result from sin: a bit like the reaction of plastic to fire. Iniquities are the sin-characteristics that become habitual and self-recurring in our lives, often exceeding our own awareness. Others may see the flaws in our personalities and psychologists may classify them into personality disorders or syndromes, but sin is still the route cause. Thus, sins set the precedence for long-term problems and distortions of our lives.

This brings me to another precedent. At the cross, one man died for all and in Him all died that we might appropriate His risen life. For as much as death came through one man, Adam, so the second Adam set a new precedent by which life came by one.

In a separate study, I have shown that time exists in heaven – read more at www.4u2live.net. A key implication of time is that it is always progressive. It has a past, present and future. That is also true of divine time. There is such a thing as yesterday and by way of confirmation we read that the angels worship “day and night”. If there is a divine yesterday, then the work of the cross is the marker that separates today from yesterday and concludes our past. God is saying through this, that the claims over your soul, the curses of sin, can only go as far as the cross. There they can be resolved and become a part of our yesterday.

That is a vital part of spiritual warfare. If we really want to be free, we must understand that in the cross we are birthed into a new day, free of the past. Romans 6 and 7 further clarifies God’s intent, showing that because of death (our death in Christ), we sever the jurisdiction of the law in a way that compares with a widow’s termination of all obligations to her marriage.

So I declare that in Christ you live in a new day. A precedent was set at the cross that is as fundamental as the bad precedent set by Adam. All who trace back their lives to the cross are heirs to the precedent of righteousness and mercy in Christ. That precedent revokes the foregoing precedence set by Adam. We are a free people and we are exempt from sins committed under the old covenant, because of what Jesus did.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Death by one, life by one

2008-03-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Death came on all of us by one man, even so shall not life and that abundantly come through one man?

When Jesus went to the cross, Revelations 1:18 tells us that He took away the keys of death and hell. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that, through death, Jesus slew him who had power over death, that is the Devil (Hebrews 2:14).

These scriptures are generally interpreted from an eternal perspective and assure us of ultimate victory over death.

However, death, as used, in the scriptures has two tenses, namely an eternal tense and a present continuous tense.

The eternal tense is well appreciated. We will rise again and experience the power of an endless life.

However, the present continuous tense of death, as used by the scriptures, refers to separation, rejection, nakedness and torment of the soul. Adam and Eve were beguiled by Satan, who knew God’s meaning but nonetheless misled those two souls into believing that they would not die if they ate of the tree. In the eternal sense, death would yet come to them, but their disobedience introduced human mortality and ended their eternal bliss.

The other aspect of the lie, namely “the day you eat of the tree you will not surely die”, obscured the present continuous or ongoing experience of death. Indeed, by way of confirmation, God immediately separated them from Himself and banished them from the garden. That was also a death: separation death as opposed to physical death.

The good news is that, just as sin introduced both deaths, so it is reasonable to conclude that Calvary resolved both deaths. Romans 5 says that if sin entered into the world by one man, and death by sin, how much more shall eternal life and mercy redound to one man, that man Paul referred to as the second Adam.

So the keys taken from Satan are keys to your eternal destiny and your ongoing life. The key to abundant life now and eternal life then, is no longer in Satan’s grasp. He has no power to impose death or hell on you.

You may well go through hell, to which Winston Churchill said, “If you are going through hell keep going”. But of importance is that the key to such “hells” or “deaths”, does not vest with your enemy. Does that mean that Jesus casts you into such pains? No it doesn’t. It just means that the key to deliverance vests with Jesus and your future is no longer a fait accompli. Satan may well attack and bring all kinds of troubles into our lives, but He has no legitimate power to sustain such darkness, for the keys were lost to Jesus.

Certainly God often leaves us in our difficulties so that we can grow and discover His power, but the initiative still rests with Jesus and He, at the Father’s behest, will deliver us in due course. Do not be beguiled again by Satan.

He succeeded in convincing Adam and Eve that they would not die if they ate of the tree of knowledge, yet they did, but let him not now convince you that you shall not live if you eat of the tree of life, Jesus. It is not for Satan to determine your times and seasons, that is the sole purview of the Father and it is not for Satan to keep you from the life that Christ bequeathed you through His death – that, I am sorry to say, is only possible if you allow it, for His life is your life and your irreversible inheritance.

Don’t give your enemy undue credit in times of difficulty. Rather cast your cares on Jesus. The bible says, “His name is a strong tower, the righteous run in and are safe”. Jesus lifts us above our struggles when we flee to Him and He will give you a right perspective, high above the melee, where you will gaze out from the tower to see the right perspective: a fallen enemy cowering at the feet of a conquering redeemer.

© Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

The carnal mind

2008-03-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Self-centeredness is the playground of the devil, where Godliness is eroded and souls are enslaved.

In the past few articles, I have touched on issues of: personal power versus Godly authority; doing things our way; and the yoke of learning.

All of these point to the crux of human disempowerment, yet they also highlight a great contradiction. Humanism places our locus of power within us. It argues that we are gods: the so-called “little gods” philosophy that underpins the new-age movement.

My youngest son, who loves mediaeval warfare and adores the Lord of the Rings, once observed that the real power of the rings given to men, lay not in the power acquired by people, but in the power that wearing the rings ceded to Sauron, a picture of Satan.

As we see in the great temptations, Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of the world, but the price was His soul. In return for bowing to Satan, Satan offered a cease-fire and power to rule the world. It had some appeal, surely, for Jesus had a heart for a suffering world and Satan’s deal offered some peace or release from suffering. It also offered Him a chance to do what He could to help the world, but the price was too high.

Had Jesus conceded, death would not have been conquered. You may recall that death came through Adam after Satan had deluded him into believing he would not die from the fruit. But he did die. He was immediately cut off from the garden and from that moment he became subject to corruption, which ultimately brought him down to the grave where he was subject to the power of Satan. Satan had no power to defeat or prevent death, yet he had the power to enforce death (Hebrews 2:14) by obliging God to do to men what had been done to him because of sin – this is what the bible calls, “The keys of death and hell” (Revelation 1:18).

So if Jesus had conceded to Satan, death would never have been destroyed and salvation for humankind would never have materialized.

Thus, humanism, whilst conceding power to the human soul, is no more able to offer solutions to the greatest dilemma we face – it cannot circumvent death, yet it involves a ring that gives some power in return for power over our souls. It argues that “we will surely not die” if we take such rings, but that only alludes to physical death. Thus it suggests a better, more prosperous life whilst we are alive, whilst obscuring both the inevitable consequences of our choices and the shorter-term implications for lives that trade their souls for a taste of power.

The gateway of Satan is “Self”. Our self-centeredness is the ring of power and humanism will provide all kinds of ways to empower the soul, including relatively safe philosophies such as religion, status and politics, plus darker metaphysical and occultic offerings. Such powers and the demand for them are real, hence the popular appeal of Harry Potter and the increasing availability of witchcraft or occultic publications.

But at the heart of all this darkness is really just a simple factor – “Self”. Self awareness alienates us from God and exposes us to the darkness of Satan. Good people are as vulnerable to this as bad people are and many innocent lives have been ruined by it. Teens have a huge surge of self-awareness that makes them vulnerable to all kinds of social and commercial exploitation, as Satan targets them during their most susceptible years. Advertisers have been able to push impressionable minds into buying things that have done little to help but lots to damage such young hearts, often permanently.

Our biggest cry relates to “Self” and our sense of power relates to “Self” but the lie behind all this is that “Self” is the key to disempowering and disarming us, as it makes us captive to the other team. It is a problem for the un-regenerated soul but it is also the key to the spiritual battles raging around all believers.

The way out is to allow the Life of Jesus to rule in our hearts. God’s provisions for our needs include: His Word, revealed truth, the indwelling Christ and the provision of the Holy Spirit. These provisions are not an endorsement of self nor do they lead us down other oppressive roads, but they will liberate us so we could live life abundantly.

Our carnal minds (self-centeredness) alienate us from God (Romans 8:7), but they that walk in the Spirit (follow Jesus in the way that He leads us out of the ways of the world back to His Father), they will be the Sons of God.

© Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com

My yoke is easy

2008-03-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

It was Jesus who said: Take my yoke on you. Learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

In Isaiah 10:27, we read that “the anointing breaks the yoke”. This scripture has been misused, so I will just stick to the principle. Wherever the bible refers to a yoke, it speaks of a casting off of restraints, things that hold us down.

The restraint that Jesus applies to us is a restraint or yolk of learning, thus He says “learn of me”. Clearly God is not at odds with Himself in anointing us to break the restraint He imposes on us. Nor would it be correct to interpret the yoke as coming from Jesus, even though He said, “take my yoke on you”. Rather He is referring to a yoke that was also on Him throughout His long seasons of preparation for ministry.

The concept relates to growth and maturity, a process that parallels the growth cycle of children, who are subject to a yoke of learning until they mature into adults. When we were young, the yoke subjected us to the instructions of parents and other adults in our culture. It was not a heavy burden and Jesus confirms that saying, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. It involved real learning and growth, combined with fair doses of frustration, to equip us for life.

However, Jesus refers to spiritual life and the burden of discipleship. It is frustrating because we understand so little of God’s heart and keep on running into His unmovable, unyielding ways. We bash around as we compensate and over-compensate in our desire to understand and outgrow spiritual childhood.

Jesus never offers to relieve us of the yoke of learning. It is not His to impose or remove. In many ways He is also limited, for our times and seasons are appointed by the Father alone (Acts 1:7). Thus Jesus does not have a special right to intervene on our behalf and have the yoke removed.

However, we know that He prays for us, thus petitioning the Father on our behalf for grace and mercy. He also invites us to come to the throne of mercy (Hebrews 4) to obtain just that: Mercy and grace to help in our times of need.

Romans 8, is a reference often used to describe the Holy Spirit even though the entire context of Romans (or Romans 1 to 8 at least) is about Jesus and His indwelling life (Romans 8: 9-10). Paul defines that the mark of sonship. In Romans 8: 26-27, we read about the Lord interceding on our behalf with groanings that cannot be uttered, because He really does know the heart of God and what is at work in our fragile hearts.

Jesus is the sustaining life within us, the well from which we may drink and never thirst again, the rock that follows us through the wilderness and the good shepherd of the sheep. His life in us is a powerful and real interpretation of what He said when suggesting that He would share our yoke of learning.

The implication is that He makes our burden His burden. He does not cast it off but shares it. He walks with us to lead us to maturity and the ultimate approval of His Father: the only significant man who can validate our maturity.

In essence He walks next to us and says, “I cannot take away your burden of learning, for you must go through deep experiences in order to grow up and reach maturity. There is no short cut, no easy way. You must go through it, but I love you so much that I will share your burden, pray for you and sustain you through my indwelling Spirit”.

The Father is aloof of the process: how else could He validate us except by remaining neutral and objective. But, as God said to Joshua, “the way you go you have not been before, so follow the ark (a picture of Jesus)”.

When the process does reach its climax, the anointing or life within us will strain against the yoke until it breaks to assert our claims to sonship. That is a real process and must become the quest of every believer. The seed of God is Jesus, who is sown into our mortal frames and then germinates until it breaks through its restraining shell to become a tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

Fortunately God has covenanted in Hebrews 9 to write His principles in our hearts so we can expect to grow in understanding, but it is useful to confirm that your present struggles are not mindless and goalless. God has allowed us to struggle out of our cocoons so that we can learn to fly and thereby surmount the restraints of life to be free-spirited sons of the Most High God.

So take His yoke willingly – and learn of Him.

© Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

I did it my way?

2008-03-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

Humanism challenges our theology right where we first stumbled with God - in our self-centeredness.

The first consequence of the fall and arguably the only real consequence thereof, was knowledge of self. The tree of knowledge did not imbue intellectual awareness, for knowledge of life and its workings, is a virtue of God, celebrated by many biblical writers. Knowledge of sin was also not given by the tree, in fact knowledge of sin really only came through the law, as we read in Romans 5:20.

The text of Genesis ascribes the knowledge of good and evil to the tree, but as that knowledge did not do the work of the law, in giving us the knowledge of sin, we must look into the context and examine the implications of eating the tree. There were two implications: death, which implies separation from God, and awareness of nakedness.

These two ideas are linked, for self-awareness begets alienation from God. Thus Paul teaches in Romans 8, that the carnal mind is enmity from God. God may have thrust us from His presence, but we actually alienate ourselves from God through our carnality (self-centeredness).

Humanism looks at our weaknesses and regards them as purely circumstantial: a function of learning, upbringing, context or social predispositions. God does not see it that way. He blames sin and when Jesus hung on the cross He set aside all human solutions to world problems by pointing back to sin and its consequence, a consequence that was supremely borne by Christ on His cross.

Humanism also proposes all kinds of solutions to our innate vulnerabilities, which Paul refers to in Romans 8, as vanity. We need to cover our nakedness, because of our self-awareness, but fig-leaves are hopelessly inadequate. Modern proxies for fig leaves include: status symbols, careers, wealth, material possessions, cosmetics, self-improvement philosophies, etc. But they never address our underlying vanity, rather they fuel it.

Marketers have learnt that giving some sense of wellbeing through commercially available fig-leaves, provides a broader incentive for the masses to part with their hard-earned billions in desperate search of a better fig-leaf. I must ask, do you really think the marketers of such products want you to feel fundamentally whole and fulfilled – never, that would destroy very valuable markets? Do you really think modern medicine want you to get better – never, that would wipe out the wealth or the wealthiest segment of our population. But as long as you have some perception that wellness is possible, you will spend, spend, spend and then suffer the resulting stress or debt-induced disorders that will recycle your spending into another round of fruitless waste.

Hey, the Pharisees sent Jesus to the cross because he threatened their well-developed trade in human vanity. Jesus is the single greatest threat to materialism and capitalism, because He offers real freedom and fundamental wholeness.

I have been deeply challenged about my current circumstances and have had a lot of input relating to my own sense of self-confidence. I accept, in part, that lack of self-confidence is not helpful and there is a form of self-deprecation that is as carnal as pride and as alienating as any other sin. It can sometimes do more harm than pride, for it not only excludes God, it excludes people from our inner worlds. To this end, we at least need to redress the ways we respond to God, for negativity is a cancer to the soul.

But, Paul said in Philippians 3 that he would put no confidence in the flesh. He had more than enough personal credence to put confidence in his own flesh: his impressive resume included an outstanding education, noble birth and Roman citizenship. But Paul said, “I count these things but dung (there are modern substitutes for dung that might convey how strongly Paul felt when he wrote this). He cast it all aside, not for self-knowledge, but for the surpassing knowledge of Christ.

He conceded to an ambition, a shrewdly-worded counter-trend to human ambition, which is fuelled by self-awareness. Paul’s ambition was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection - that quest consumed his soul. He accepted that he had not yet achieved his goal or attained to the fullness of his faith, but he was committed to fighting for supremacy, just as a runner might do in a race.

The secret to his power lay not in his human presence, powerful words, learning, intellect or a forceful nature. Paul’s power and authority lay exclusively in His knowledge of God. He mastered a sense of God-confidence that far exceeded the best of human confidence.

Human confidence is fragile and based on passing fancies. What works for a season, rarely works throughout life and what bolsters us in our youth, rarely sustains us in old age. Human confidence is a life-sapping, tiring, wearisome effort that brings limited fulfillment, but God-confidence is peaceful and joyous, because its departure point is the clothing of our nakedness by a great, heavenly Father.

Satan will exploit and weaken us as long as our centre-of-gravity is self, for self-awareness is the gateway of sin and the principle lever of Satan. But the devil stumbles in the dark or clutches at straws, when Jesus becomes our centre-of-gravity and the foundation for a divine sense of personal wholeness.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Personal power vs Godly authority

2008-02-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

We stumble in spiritual warfare when we rely on personal power. But we prevail in divine authority.

How often we confuse personal power and charisma, with divine authority. How predictably we advance leaders who would probably have made it anyway. It is a cause of great resentment in many that they are like Cinderella’s, left at home, whilst the same notables get their pickings in the team and in places of favor.

Saul is a great example of someone with the external attributes, which those who confer power love to affirm. But Saul, in relying on his personal power, forsook legitimate power: for all authority comes from God. If Saul had humbled himself under God’s hand and submitted to the mandate of His God, to do what God had commissioned him to do, his legacy would have been perpetual. But he chose to go his own way and therein is no power, certainly not the power of God.

Real power and authority comes from the Word, the revealed heart of God. It defines who we are, our rights of way or prerogatives, and our divine mandate.

Who we are. Thhe first vital pretext of our authority is our position and identity in Christ. Christ triumphed over sin, hell and the grave and extended that victory to us. If we appropriate what is ours we will prevail, but if we concede legitimacy to Satan’s words, we will succumb to the weakness and inadequacy he speaks over us. Those with apparent personal power, have no power at all except it comes from God, but those without apparent power can be powerful indeed if they live within God’s Word.

Our rights of way or prerogatives. God has commissioned us to live out our lives within His purpose. We are called to do His will. Jesus conceded that to be His life mission. He only came to do His Father’s will. He was challenged, but the real challenge of Satan related to His reference point (It is written: The Lord is one and Him alone will we serve), His boundaries (It is written: we shall not tempt the Lord our God) and His principles or ethos (It is written: man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word of God). Those three pillars were inviolate and became the foundation of His authority. He asserted His place in the Father, through obedience to the truth. Satan could not resist or fault Him on that and thus He did not walk in personal power, but divine power.

Our mandate. All are mandated to be priests and kings of God. You have a place in His household and no one can deny that. Many are called to be husbands and fathers or mothers, and with that comes authority to fulfill God’s mandate. Satan seeks to undermine your role and if you concede ground to him or renege on your mandate, you will be progressively disempowered. You will also disempower the next generation. Satan lost all legitimate pretexts against us, at the cross. You, however, have abundant pretexts for victory, conceded through the cross.

We are also empowered to fulfill God’s specific mandate for our lives within His household, to actively share in the life and thought of the Kingdom. Such invovement will rely on personal power to the extent that you either miss His calling or sin, but if you know His calling, then your authority vests in His authority, notwithstanding any other disadvantages.

We need to determine who rules our hearts.

Israel asserted her national identity as long as the King, the Priesthood and the Prophetic pillars of the kingdom were sustained at the centre: in Jerusalem. Battles at the borders of the kingdom were determined by what happened at the centre, in the heart of Israel. That is no less true for our lives. If Jesus, our Prophet, Priest and King leads us, restores us to God and rules through His Word, we will prevail in other area of our lives.

Stop limiting yourself to your personality, stature or charisma, or lack thereof. Those considerations are not, nor ever shall be, the basis of authority. Those who depend on such things will be found wanting, but those who allow His authority to define their lives, will prevail and become history makers, for all authority comes from God, not men (John 19:11).

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

Divine perspectives

2008-02-21T01:37:00.000-08:00

I can see clearly now the rain is gone. Gone are the dark clouds. It is going to be a sunshiny day.

My youngest son has a wonderful ability to remember places. We have traveled through towns that we may have last seen years before, but as we came across familiar scenes, he could recall the past: “This is where we had a puncture or this is where we laundered our holiday clothes.”

Unfortunately, Dan is still young, so he still has a limited perspective. He cannot see a whole city, region or country in perspective. He can tell us exactly how to get to school or church and a few other places, because his neural pathways are developing and maturing. But as he grows and fills out, his perspective will change, the gaps will close, the loose ends will come together and he will have a full perspective on the world he lives in.

This principle is true in the spiritual world as well. When we are novices, we have a somewhat binary relationship with God. We ask, He gives. He asks, we obey. Our perspectives on sin, satan, the world and other spiritual landmarks are also disjointed and incomplete.

But, Solomon (Proverbs 18:10) spoke of God’s name being a high tower that the righteous run into and are safe. He also found perspective through lifting himself above his surroundings, but he gained that perspective through the name of God. In the process he found safety or refuge from the storms of life.

Much of our insecurity results from wrong perspectives. We tend to fear what we don’t understand, which is what spurns superstition and misunderstandings of God’s heart for us. When we retreat into the fortress of His name, it lifts us to a new vista and restores our perspectives. It makes the struggle of life and the enemy of our souls relatively small, but the vastness of God and of His power, very great.

Solomon’s words suggest that we can bypass normal growing up cycles by ascending to a higher point, through our knowledge of His name. We can lift ourselves, but my son can only wait for his turn. That said, Danny has taken to sitting on the kitchen floor to listen to worship CD’s, so he too has lifted his spiritual perspectives even if his life perspectives remain stunted by his youth.

Paul, in Ephesians 6 said concerning our spiritual struggles, that we are equipped to stand. Our spiritual armour enables us to hold our ground and resist the devil (James 4:7). Satan cannot easily push us off our position in Christ, but will use every trick in the book to lure us away from our position of strength and authority: in the high tower of His name.

The devils also believe in Jesus name and they tremble. Believing His name can be purely theoretical if it applies that name as a kind of mantra. But a proper understanding of His name and what it represents is a sure tower of refuge where we are safe and blessed with a proper perspective of our life struggles. Part of our battle is won simply in seeing our struggles in context, understanding that we are in a war and that so much is at stake. But with that perspective comes an understanding of how much was secured in the death and resurrection of Christ, the foundation of our faith. Those contexts give us real stature in the face of dark contradictions and they push back our enemy, for his one great hope is to confuse our thinking and darken our minds about who we are and what we have in Jesus.

Paul also had a high tower, which is explored in Ephesians 2:5-6, saying “We are alive in Him and seated with Christ in heavenly places.” This flows from Ephesians 1:22, where God shows that He put all things under His feet. So the place of seating (not even standing, but seating as a ruler would do), is on top of a pile of ruins that represent the victories of Christ over our enemies. He has divided His spoils amongst us and given us a place of authority at His side, above a fallen foe.

That is God’s perspective, even if it is not always our own perspective.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

You are my God

2008-02-20T03:31:00.000-08:00

You are my God, there is none other. With Him we make a majority and where He is, grace abounds.

In Hebrews 8, we read of the New Covenant, something I feel has not been adequately covered in theological teaching.

A pivotal clause of the New Covenant is God's promise to be our God, as we shall be His people. The subject here is not us. It should not read "I shall be your God" because God is the subject. Thus it should be, "I shall be your God". God entered into a covenant of His making, he did not become a willing participant in a man-made institution.

When Abraham mounted Moriah he was asked to do what other gods would typically have required of him: to offer his child. The pagan world was characterised by such barbarism and now Jehovah God demanded the same from Abraham.

In that moment, Abraham's concept of "My God", was deeply tested. The idea of "My God" or "My Faith", is something personal rather than fundamental. It alludes to our personalised concept fo a divine icon. It somewhat reduces God to a talisman. People invoke the notion of "My God" in times of trouble or when facing anything that confronts their value system. Americans seem to invoke the term for just about everything.

But when Abraham stood alone on that hill with his son, he had to examine whether "His God" was just a colloqialism, a peculiarity of his own world view, a product fo his own thinking. Indeed God removed all His own distinctions so that to all intents there were no notable differences between Himself and other Gods.

Jesus was also tempted on the central divinity of God, when satan offered Him the kingdoms of the world. To this he replied, "The Lord our God is one and Him alone shall we serve".

Both these great men had to confront their faith in the face of huge contradictions. They emerged with a real faith, not in a contrivance of their own imaginations, nor in a God amongst gods, but in the only absolute: Jehovah.

That is the crux of the New Testament. God is not saying I will be your personal crutch or designer God. He is saying that as the only sovereign He will be yours. You, your values and your world view will be defined by the Great I am, who is and was and ever more shall be.

When Abraham finally obeyed God, God intervened. His sovereigty was displayed openly as He said, "No, don't touch the boy, there is the lamb of sacrifice." Thereafter God effectively said, "Your people have become my people, for becaus eyou did not withhold your only son, that son who by implication became mine, is the instrument with which I will make a nation, a people as the stars in the sky: and I will be their God".

The idea of God's centrality to our faith was fundamental to Jesus victory of satan in the wilderness. You will also find victory when God assumes His place as God, not merely your God. It is when He is there to be worshipped and obeyed for whom He is, that we will finally know the heart of our struggle against satan, which is about affirming our absolute dependence on the one, true God.

As long as you waver on this point, you will falter in your battles. But when it is settled and you overcome satan in this, God will do what He did for Abraham: He will declare you as His people.

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

Becoming a fool

2008-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom or discipline: Proverbs 1:7.

In Biblical wisdom literature, the pupils of the sages and mentors are the unwise, often termed "fools" (Prov. 1:7) or "simple one" (1:22). In wisdom literature, the different levels of fools - both young and old - are the raw material on which the sages had to work, and they represent the varying degrees of rawness. Perhaps as much as anything else, the term fool is descriptive of an attitude, bent of mind, or direction in life, which needs correcting. The various Hebrew words for fool occur more than a hundred times in the book of Proverbs. [Marvin Wilson, Our Father Abraham (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), 284-286.]

The reference to someone being a fool was not necessarily a negative term. A simple fool, or peti, was a person who made mistakes, but quickly righted them and was restored to fellowship with God and with others. King David was a simple fool, one who made mistakes, but kept a repentant heart toward God. This is why God did not turn away from him for his many sins.

The hardened fool, kesil and ewil, makes mistakes, but never learns from them and will not listen to others. Such people can expect God's reproof to continue and will eat the fruit of their own way (see Prov. 1:31-32). The hardened fool "returns to his own vomit." King Saul was a hardened fool, one who made mistakes and continued in them even after realizing he was wrong. We're going to err in our ways. The question is, once we know we have made a mistake before God, do we make the necessary adjustments that will allow Him to intervene on our behalf? And will we avoid the same course of action in the future? God says that if we do, He will pour out His Spirit on us (see Prov. 1:23). He will make known His words to us.

The third level of fool mentioned in Proverbs is the mocking fool or letz. The mocking fool mocks the things of God. This word means "scoffer" or "scorner." When you encounter cynical people who disregard the things of God, you know these people are "mocking fools."

The fourth level of fool is the God-denying fool or nabal. This term relates to the morally wicked person who ignores the disgrace he brings on his family and who despises holiness (see Prov. 17:21). This person says, "There is no God." By failing to acknowledge God for who He is, the nabal declares himself to be a "God-denying" fool.

I have found that it is helpful to try to understand if people are teachable. Are they simple fools, those who make mistakes but seek to learn from them? I can work with those people. But if I sense I am working with a hardened fool, I know I should not spend much time on that person. Jesus did not spend much time trying to convince the rich young ruler. He presented truth, and let him make his decision.

Some people must get broken before they can become simple fools. Sometimes it is simply better to let satan chew on people until the ground is fertile enough to present truth to them.

Source: John Hall at www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Catch the wind

2008-02-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

God displays His power in a refined and channeled way despite His boundless capacity for raw power.

There was a time when the concept of manned flight involved a lot of raw power or brute force (and ignorance). Flapping of feathered limbs, in the way of birds, was one approach. Others jumped off bridges and cliffs or used exertion to launch themselves into the air. Even the pre-flight era muscled along in brute force and ignorance, believing that a wing should be designed to ride the wind and batter its way into supremacy over the air. Other attempts focused on making lighter-than air vehicles, which was inherently frustrated by the inclusion of the “man” component of “manned flight”.

Then the Wrights realized that the secret to flight lay in harnessing the wind and using its physical properties to carry the aircraft aloft. The secret lay in the shape of the wing, which exploited the laws of aerodynamics.

Sailors had similar joys in harnessing the power of the wind. The concept of catching the wind soon gave way to the better idea of riding the wind, which enabled sail boats to actually face the wind and be drawn forward by the venturi effect of aerodynamics. The alternative was to rely solely on following winds as they pushed you around the earth, a long way to go if you needed to go a bit upwind for a loaf of bread.

The power of God is also depicted in scripture as a wind, for good reason. It is accessible to all, free and abundant, but its power can only be harnessed by applying appropriate principles of spiritual dynamics.

We need to shape our lives to catch His breath and live in His power.

A sailor tacks to get the optimal angle of attack into the wind, but opens the sail when sailing with the wind. When sailing upwind, the sail is trimmed to its optimal shape, enabling the wind to draw the boat through the water.

Two things are needed for sailing upwind: tack and sail trim.

Spiritual tacking implies a need to face God, spend time with Him and humbly seek His ways. It’s about aligning our lives to His Word and life. Clearly if we just wait for down winds, we will slowly drift away from the source. To head back to God, we need a different approach. His Word is powerful and life giving, but if we don’t expose ourselves to it or skillfully navigate our lives into the wind, the power of His Word will be lost to us.

Of course we also need to shape our lives, through application of His truth. It is not enough to just face God and enjoy His wind in our faces. We must apply ourselves to His truth if we ever hope to tap into the power of the life that blows through our lives. We can go to church and busy ourselves with many things, yet never really progress as we wallow around in dead water. Or we can deliberately respond to His truth to stop that noisy flapping in the wind.

There is an unsustainable, tiring and inefficient way to walk with God, but there is also a way to tap into His rhythm, know His heart and feel His heartbeat.

The vision in Ezekiel 47, of a river flowing from the temple of God, speaks of a tide that we can immerse ourselves in. We may start off at ankle- or knee-depth or even stay on the banks to watch the kingdom flow past us, but the best place to be, is in mid-river where the current flows strongest. The river that Ezekiel saw eventually flowed out into the fullness of the Promised Land and that is where we will end up if we go with its flow: we will experience its power, realize its boundaries and see His promises fulfilled.

There is no doubt that the wind or tide of God’s Spirit describes vast power, but it is not the raw power that we normally associate with power in everyday life. It is not explosive or kinetic or pneumatic or any other kind of power. It is spiritual power, capable of transforming ordinary lives into history makers. It challenges the gates of hell and raises us from the uttermost to the uttermost to equip us for eternal life. It is a healing, restorative and quickening power.

It may be subtle and often almost imperceptible, but no one who has trusted in His truth has ever been put to shame, for His truth will always win the day and prevail against the darkness. In the immortal words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, “His Truth is marching on”.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

I see you

2008-02-15T02:34:00.000-08:00

If our faith in God looks for a visible face, does our understanding of the devil look for the same?

The use of symbols, buildings, statues or golden calves to depict God and make Him more accessible to humans, has led to dangerous distortions and a corruption of real faith. It is a powerful ruse of Satan to vest our ignorance in symbols and images. For although they make one feel warm inside they do nothing for the war of the soul.

It is no less futile to try to put a human face to the devil. We often allow bad or horrible people to become the target for our fears and superstitions, but we then end up beating the air.

Paul said in Galatians 5:7 that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in heavenly places”. When we use human instruments of darkness, regardless of our pretexts, we merely fight the instrument, not the force or logic behind them. That is analogous to warring against shields or swords or guns, which are quite incapable of spontaneous action and devoid of any will of their own.

So when we find ourselves in conflict with individuals, we are really wasting time. The problem is behind them. The objective of Chess is to take out the King, not to eliminate the opponent’s resources. I accept that a war of attrition against the other player would render the King very vulnerable, but in spiritual warfare the “men” at Satan’s disposal are innumerable. Attrition would only favor his cause as it would bog us down in a highly inefficient and pointless distraction. We must target the King or more specifically the spiritual forces behind what we see on the ground.

I am not about to advocate that we run off wildly berating or rebuking the devil, for as the seven sons of Sceva found out, such naiveté is foolhardy. But I am saying that unless you understand what is behind your struggle, you will be quite ineffective.

So blaming your parents, your boss, the schoolyard bully or other oppressors in your life is not going to cut it. It will just frustrate you or turn your own feelings into instruments of your spiritual enemy.

Joshua and David were two great Old Testament warriors. Their approach to war was first to inquire of God and ensure that His favor was with them. That sounds quite routine, but it isn’t. Satan’s pretexts against us are significantly linked to our own position in God. If we are in sin or have opened up a spiritual door through past activities, Satan will exploit our spiritual vulnerability. When Joshua or David found battles going against them, it inevitability pointed to some sin or offence that had to be corrected before they could advance.

So if we are to win against an unseen but virulent force we must restore our divine position in the greater unseen force. We must know God and walk with Him if we are to see our enemy is perspective and we must obey Him if we want to walk in His authority. Then, in His timing, God will lead you into a meaningful engagement and deliver the enemy into your hands.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

God is great

2008-02-11T10:34:00.001-08:00

Our need for tangible symbols of God offers false comfort that frustrates our ability to overcome..

Mohandas Ghandi said, “To a poor child in Calcutta, a piece of bread is God”. To the children of Israel, “A golden calf was God”. To modern believers, very often money or a provider or a pastor, is God. Church has been an incarnation of God for many and there has been a strong historic dogma for turning the Church into the centre of our faith. Others turn to symbols like a crucifix or even try to evoke life out of dead bread. All of these behaviors stem from a desperate need to have and hold God on human terms. The invisibility of God frustrates us, but it need not be that way.

When Jesus met the woman at the well (John 6), she said “some say that we ought to worship God in Jerusalem, others say in Samaria, what do you say?” Jesus replied, “It’s not about time or place, for God seeks us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth.”

Israel got into deep trouble when they depicted their concept of God as a golden calf. Their idea had some credence, for Ezekiel 1 depicts one of the faces of the four living creatures around the throne of God, as an ox, symbolizing the strength of God. Although the image used by Israel was drawn from Egyptian pagan practices, I am fairly sure that most of the people naïvely sought a symbol or replica of God or their concept of God. I am also fairly sure that depicting God as a calf was no less an issue as the idea of depicting Him as a building, an iconic leader, a crucifix or a statue.

The Samaritans got into different trouble when they allowed themselves to become alienated from the rest of Jewry, because they perceived that the well of Jacob at Shechem had a greater sense of God or God's presence, than did Jerusalem. How many religious groups have tried to sentimentalize places to evoke the presence of God or out of a misguided sense of service that does nothing to fill our empty wells. Muslims go to Mecca, Christians and Jews flock to Jerusalem and all come away with an experience yet without a lasting reality of God.

All of this may sound a bit gobbly-gooky, but sadly it is exactly what happens to our faith when we displace an intimate relationship with symbols for that reality. God is very real, but His voice is still, small and almost imperceptible, whilst the way He works in our lives is subtle, almost invisible. We can enjoy a very deep, very real relationship with Him if we connect with Him at a spiritual level, but we get into all kinds of problems when we try to reinterpret the invisible God in physical terms.

One of the sad consequences of this is an oppressive relationship with church through a form of service that comes close to guilt-induced slavery - the kind of thing that should only happen in the corporate world.

Such activity may be rooted in theology, but it still amounts to a relationship with objects and a dependence on others for approval. That is where we get lost, but we get lost, according to Romans 8, because we are made subject to vanity. Our vanity cries for approval through our deeds and associations, rather than through our divine position in God’s eternal purposes.

The tragedy of a symbolic faith is that it neutralizes our power to overcome sin or the world. Jesus said, “The devils believe and tremble”, but He referred to a fear for a living, regal God. When we trust symbols of that reality, we end up with a form of Godliness that denies the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:1-5) and become the laughing stock of the enemy. We become like lions without teeth, going through interesting rituals of service and applied clichés, whilst achieving squat in our war against evil.

We must restore spiritual connectedness and fellowship with God to overcome and extend that relationship into a vital expression that makes us the church, not church goers. We must have His life in us so our cups can overflow and make a vital difference to the world around us. We must win our fight in the air, not beat the air using physical symbols of God to war against flesh and blood fronts for the unseen darkness.

© Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Don't beat the air

2008-02-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

The reduction of our struggles to everyday concepts, minimizes the greater war for our souls.

When things go wrong in our lives, it is easy to put a human face to our woes, to rationalise our struggles in everyday times. When Moses disappeared into Mount Sinai for an extended period, the people asked for a golden calf to be made. There are many angles to this request, but it must at least be seen against the background of a departed Moses.

Moses was the tangible expression of the unseen God seated beyond the swirling mists above and the pillar of fire below. They needed a physical presence in order to cope with the unseen. Moses had become a kind of linus-blanket, a comforting presence in an otherwise uncertain, confusing dilemma.

His absence demanded a proxy, without which the people risked falling apart. The golden calf would become a proxy for Moses and for God. I am not altogether convinced that the calf should be seen as a specific return to the gods of Egypt, but they may well have stolen a concept from Egypt to rationalize God. It partly explains our own need for buildings, priests, symbols, statues and proxies for God.

The calf not only symbolized the hopes and dreams of Israel, it also explained away their worst fears and misgivings. It had become a kind of talisman. If they could just see something representative of their concept of God, they felt that things would be okay.

By way of contrast, when Moses descended again they asked him to wear a veil, because of his glow. 2 Corinthians 3 explains that in effect they rejected the glory of the law, the bigger story behind current events. Having already worked through to a workable concept of God, the people were happy to take the written law as their new symbol of comfort and adopt it in a way that would give them a tangible religious experience. The truths behind the written laws were lost to them.

Now when we try to personalize our own struggles, grasping for meaning or symbols of hope to reassure our faith, we too miss the real point. Our struggles are not an end in themselves, but part of a greater journey with a surpassing conclusion. We must take our wrestles to a higher level, seeking God’s face and His heart for our lives without settling for symbolic gestures. Standing in prayer queues and falling over, nice sounding prophetic words and all the other jargon that characterizes our faith are not the real thing, they are at best just poor substitutes for intimacy with God.

We may fear what a real knowledge of God would imply in terms of exposing our nakedness or the costs of knowing God, but anything less is just a cop out. Sooner or later we must stop trying to put a face to our struggle or relying on symbolic gestures to make ourselves feel better, even if we aren’t. We must go up the hill and meet the lawmaker, not the laws and find intimacy with the savior not just the benefits of salvation.

© Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

First win the battle in the air

2008-02-10T04:28:00.000-08:00

The battlefields of the heart and mind need a strategic perspective just as human battlefields do.

US military doctrine largely hinges on airpower. Ground wars are dangerous and technology can be countered by sheer numbers, as Napoleon and Hitler learnt in their wars against Russia. Technology can also be a hindrance in battle as it breeds an over-dependence on a vulnerable resource.

So, as happened in most post World War II US theatres of war, airpower was the key to tilting the balance in favor of US ground forces. The plan has been well honed. During Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf used air-cover in the first wave of attack, to neutralize missile emplacements and other fixed artillery points. This provided safer passage for mobile ground forces.

Most military forces have focused on building significant strike capabilities using exceedingly sophisticated manned and, more recently, unmanned super-sonic and super-cruising aircraft. Stealth bombers like the B2 have enabled previously dangerous aerial targets to be engaged with relative impunity, whilst longer-range standoff weapons have enabled remote engagement from ships or aircraft operating outside the radius of fire.

The principle behind these strategies is to win the war in the air before trying to win it on the ground.

There is a powerful spiritual principle here. So often we engage our spiritual enemy in hand-to-hand combat, fighting wars of attrition at a tactical level. We engage and fight daily issues using everyday ideas and weapons. Of course, as we all have found, that is exactly where the enemy wants to meet us, because his resources are enough to tip the scales in his favor. Satan has nothing to lose, you have much to lose. He doesn’t care a hoot about hitting you every way he can and the Geneva convention means nothing to him. He will fight dirty and aim to kill wherever possible.

However, we can tilt the balance in our favor by resorting to an aerial war. By that I imply spiritual warfare waged through prayer, fasting and intercession. It is there that we fight with God, as Joshua once did, to take out the strongholds that dominated the landscape of Judea. In a later article I will explore those strongholds, but suffice to say that Joshua was very strategic in his approach. He picked his enemies and his timing, to break the resistance of the enemy, sow confusion and uproot strategic strong points.

The fact is that most of our ground struggles relate to symptoms of deeper issues, pretexts that give the enemy advantage over us. Prayer and fasting helps to expose the underlying issues so we can remove those pretexts and upstage the enemy. The idea of strategic pretexts will also be explored later, but it reflects traditional military thinking.

Often we are more like a boxer beating the air, using strong language to rebuke and resist the enemy, yet making no headway. It is interesting that Paul, in Ephesians 6, contends that the weapons of our warfare are for standing, not for offensive action. James concurs, saying, “Resist (not attack) the devil and in due course he will flee”.

© Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Power for all

2008-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

The power of God is accessible to everyone. It is able to save, heal and transform ordinary lives.

Peter spoke of the divine power of God, in 2 Peter 1: 3. He said that it has given us all that we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

All power has utility value else it is of no relevance. The heat of a fire is useful and harnessed to heat food, water or cold bodies. The glow of the sun is useful for photosynthesis and maintenance of a viable biosphere. Electrical energy is not totally efficient, because what is not used cannot be stored, but what is used has changed our world. Whilst sophisticated first world societies are very well developed, crisis would even the scales and potentially kick lesser cultures back to prominence, because their systems are less vulnerable, more able to bounce back from disaster. Such is our dependence on electrical energy in every aspect of modern life.

God’s power also has utility value. There is raw power, just as the heart of a power station consists of the raw, unbridled power of the furnace. God possesses awesome power and if the universe expanded from an infinitely massive singularity of infinite density, I can imagine Him picking that grain up to blow it out of His hand. The idea that God spans the heavens with His right hand (Isaiah 40) comes to mind here, for at some stage a very small universe was blown out of His hand to become the vast expanse that now stretches across the heavens.

The power of God cast stars into space and introduced the four fundamental forces of nature within one second of the big bang. But, God has harnessed and distilled His awesome power to us to enable life and godliness. Sometime His power is so subtle, so deft that we often miss the point and thereby miss God. He is able to rule the heavens and overthrow His enemies, yet is equally capable of such finesse. His creativity crafted delicate beauty in flowers, insects, microcosmic matter and the wonder of sunsets, soaring mountain vistas, pounding oceans and exploding galaxies.

But He has also made it accessible to everyday human reality. His love and power relates to our daily struggles and persists with us even when we reject Him. It transforms wretched lives and lifts others from the gutters, to carry us on the wind of His Spirit until we reach the distant shore. Out of such transactions will emerge everyday heroes, people who will overcome all kinds of odds to reach glory and be crowned with His everlasting blessing.

Glory describes the ecstasy of the winning runner in a marathon or the afterglow of a mother who has just given birth: that is partly what is meant by divine glory. But it is also a share in His glory, the ecstasy He feels in His finished work and the realization of His power to save us from the uttermost to the uttermost. It suggests an embrace of lover and beloved or the arm-in-arm celebration of fellow combatants in the glory of victory.

Everyone who truly walks with God will emerge with a living testimony of His faithfulness.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

The power curve

2008-02-03T06:14:00.000-08:00

Does the power of God vest in our practices and structures or in our knowledge of the heart of God?

Energy has a tendency to surge and stabilise, with peaks and troughs throughout its lifecycle. Various things are used to smooth power curves so we can use energy efficiently in our everyday lives.

Spiritually we also face a power curve. When we come to the faith, our locus of power and influence is rooted in the world, and ultimately in sin. We respond to what we see, hear, touch, taste or feel in our emotions. We apply logic and emotional responses to work successfully navigate the world. Those are the skills we are born with and that is all we know, so we do the best with what we have.

Our responses are of course moderated by cultural, cognitive and experiential factors. Thus Abraham, despite his roots, was influenced by his pagan culture. It shaped his traditions, values and responses.

Then God called him: it was the strting point that would trace the two influences of his life. From that moment the still, small voice of God was on the ascendancy and the prevailing voice of his culture began to recede.

Over the ensuing years, the voice of God emerged from the background clutter to become his dominant influence. During the phase of his life that led to him siring a half-son, Abraham faced intense competition between his established concept of truth and his emerging consiousness of the divine. It posed deep dilemmas for him as he wrestled with a relatively unknown God, whose light exposed all his real flaws.

Slowly the voice of God gained the upper hand and through his struggles, clarity and certainty of faith emerged. Then, when his heart was sufficiently renewed, God tested Abraham. In effect the LORD said, "You came out of that pagan world and reached thus far in your walk with me. But now that you can discern between these two world-views, it is time to finally decide which value system to adopt for you and your descendants".

It was an agonising moment for Abraham as he looked truth in the eye and confronted the crux of his faith. He had to dig deep to determine whether the God that he followed was the real thing. In his heart he knew that the sacrifice of children harked back to his pagan roots and confronted the unspoken regrets of his past. "LORD, why do you ask me to do this? This is not you. Have I grown so familiar with you that when you remove your distinctions I can no longer separate you from paganism?"

This is a deep issue. If the things that you presume to define your faith, such as church life, prayer, praise or whatever, was removed, would your faith still stand. The ecumenical movement would argue that our differences are not enough to sustain the divisions between faiths.

Do you buy that? In some ways they are right. There are good people in all persuasions, hard workers, generous, socially active souls that contribute very meaningfully to the world about us. So Christianity most certainly does not have a monopoly on the virtues we deem to define us.

Indeed, if your faith was stripped down to the bones you would feel very insecure, because a lot of Christian practice has become a linus blanket for keeping our faith intact. But, as for Abraham, the stripping away of the veneer represents the tipping point of our faith, where we must finally realise that if God is anything, He is everything and the faith we have is distinguished in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

When we get to the heart of our faith: the heart of God and His deep values relating to love and truth, we can finally say that the curve which describes our faith has become the only voice in our lives, silencing every alternative view. God is not a relative concept, He is the only true absolute by which all truth will be measured.

Knowing Him in such a riveting, personal way is the key to our power: it removes energy sapping distractions, focuses our lives and taps into the zeal of God that consumed the passion of all bible characters.

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

We have the power ...

2008-01-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Power is not an irrational force, as science sees it? It is an expression of divine truth & light.

In 2008, an experimental fusion reactor in France plans to demonstrate a viable and sustainable thermonuclear fusion capability. If successful, humankind will have found the ultimate, self-sustaining energy resource. Fission, the splitting of atoms, has defined nuclear technology to date. But fusion, the flip-side of fission, would reconstitute Helium atoms, releasing enormous energy: the fusion of atoms results in a loss of mass that is expressed as energy, consistent with Einstein's energy formula.

The amount of concentrated thermal energy required to induce a fusion reaction is enormous. Experiments like the Tokomak reactor in Russia, used immensely powerful magnets to contain the reaction at the centre of a containment vessel, because existing materials could not bear the heat created by converging high-energy lasers.

Fusion power initiates futher fission reactions, which also release energy. The result is a chained energy system based on the sun, that is perpetually self-sustaining. It is also immensely complex and expensive to achieve.

However, there is another energy source in our universe. It is complex, immensely powerful and completely unrestrained. I refer to the Spirit of God.

The earth was a dark void until the light, released by God in the Big Bang, initiated a sequence of events that created the four known forces of our universe: within less than a second. Those forces were the key building blocks of the universe, providing the gravitational and nuclear forces that aggregated matter into planets and stars.

Genesis 1, however, has a double meaning. For when God said, "Let there be light", He also referred to spiritual light, the great power that governs the laws and dynamics of all things. That light ensured an ordered universe, but it was the same light that brought order to the world. Moses was the channel through which God introduced the first constitutional dispensation, ensuring that universal egality, objectivity and fairness displaced the subjective, relative and barbaric systems of the pagan world.

That same light also illumines the human heart: for every person that calls on His name. The dark void of our hearts is a place of relative chaos until His light shines into the void to bring meaning, value and purpose to all.

Humankind has achieved incredible things, yet has never nor will ever transcend death. The power of God, by implication, exceeds the best we can achieve. It miraculously transforms corrupt lives into noble sons and sets within them the power of the resurrection: for "if (Romans 8) the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwells in you, He shall also quicken your mortality through His indwelling Spirit."

For all that man has achieved, humanity is effectively regressing. Sure there has been technological advancement, but socially we have passed our peak. Anarchy and lawlessness pervades our planet and the love of many waxes cold. But the kingdom of God, despite centuries of repression and opposition is reaching her finest hour as the church prepares for the return of the King.

So what power will you tap into? Where will you find your centre and who will sustain you when the world lapses into inevitable chaos?

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

Get the better connection ...

2008-01-30T00:51:00.000-08:00

For all the power God gives us, of what use would it be if we chose not to plug in and be connected?

It takes a vast amount of energy to generate the electricity we consume in our homes and offices. It may all be just a flick of the switch away, yet it requires vast resources to bring it all the way inside your living space.

Of course it would be no big deal if energy was required for you alone: then the cost would be nothing more than the price of a generator, unless you converted to alternative energy. But to deliver a thousand kilowatts of energy to one home for one hour, requires an infrastructure capable of delivering megawatts of energy for twenty four hours of every day.

The cost of a power station can cost over a billion Dollars: the same again for maintenance. But it depends on fuel and that fuel needs to mined at great cost: be it nuclear or fossil fuel. The fuel also needs to be transported to the power station.

A large power station can take five years to build, but to deliver its energy to living areas, vast networks of cabling and related management systems are needed. That also costs $billions to build and maintain. And of course local authorities need to also link you to the power grid. Lastly suppliers of electrical goods need to build and deliver appliances and tools that are able to convert the energy into useful work.

The fact that it takes a lifetime to build all of that is lost on all of us who take the availability of energy so for granted. Yet it would still be utterly meaningless if we opted out of the system. Power can only come to the plug points and switches in your living space, leaving you with the small task of flipping the switch – but if you don’t and for as long as you don’t, the energy delivered is forever wasted, as it cannot be stored.

To bring salvation to humankind, God invested His own life and the sacrificial offering of His beloved Son. That sacrifice represented the culmination of four millennia of human history and God’s patient, deliberate work to provide the resources we need for salvation and eternity. It was not easily or cheaply given: the cost was beyond measure and it has taken a further two millennia of maintenance through the handed down traditions and teachings of apostles, martyrs, theologians and faithful hearts, to bring it right into your own personal living space.

But if you fail to plug in or connect to that heritage, it will pass you by and do you no good. Yet if you call on Him, he will answer you.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ~ 1 Corinthians 1:17-18

For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16).

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Imagine, no power

2008-01-27T02:01:00.000-08:00

No one has seen electricity. Few have felt it. Once a novelty, we now just take it all for granted.

Something of everyday utility value, from what has for years been one of the world’s most reliable and affordable electricity utilities, has suddenly become a major newsmaker. We face daily blackouts now and the economy is hurting.

But God is a greater reservoir of power that we also take for granted. He has always been there and we also take that for granted. The sun will surely rise tomorrow and life will continue much as it always has. Many will find personal strength in their knowledge of God, through prayer or meditation, His Word or other sources of inspiration. He will reach us through everyday moments and extraordinary experiences: sunsets, deaths, births, marriages, changing seasons and artistic expressions.

But what if He took a day off, or shut down the system for maintenance or reached an overload? Just think what happens when electricity fails and you will get some idea of how we will miss Him.

If power fails, lights fail and we are left in darkness. If God fails, the light that guides the conscience of humanity, our sense of right and wrong and our awareness of the implications of death would all cease to exist. We would be reduced to the instinctive existence of lesser animals, bereft of higher thought and reason. Without a conscience, could we truly appreciate beauty, innocence, love, artistic expression or music?

If power fails, security systems are compromised. If God fails or we lose connection with Him, our ability to transcend corruption and sin would be compromised. The influences of the world would no longer stop at the gates of our lives, but would overwhelm us. Our sense of being would be undermined, because human worth and dignity would have no residual currency in a Godless culture.

If power fails, hot water ends and we battle to keep ourselves or our clothes clean. If God fails or we disconnect, we will lose the cleansing, refining influence of His presence in our lives. The noble instinct to rise above the cesspool and aspire to a fuller life would be displaced by a one-dimensional instinct for survival. Expedience would rule, principle would die.

If power fails, heating and life support systems, including hospitals may also fail. If God fails, life will fade and we will retreat into a marginal existence. Our sense of community would die and we would become totally self-centred, fighting for personal survival. Our health and lifespan would be compromised and life would become cheap.

If power fails, traffic systems fail. If God fails, we lose all sense of direction and order in our lives. We will not know when to stop, go or turn and the probability of colliding with other lives would increase. Peace, stability, order and personal direction would fail and we would stray off course.

If power fails, aircraft cannot safely land. If God fails, we cannot find our way back home. We will wander through the night with no place to rest or set ourselves down, until we burn out and fall into a heap of ruins.

I could go on … but if you can imagine a society with no power for any period of time, you will get some sense of how bad life will get when God withdraws His spirit from our world. That is exactly what will happen in what the bible calls, “the great tribulation”, when humankind will be given over to its depravity and divine restraints will be removed (2 Thessalonians: 6-7).

Oh how we need Him. Malachai 3:6 says, “God never changes”. He has always been there and will always be there. He never fails and they that call on Him will be saved, for Power belongs to God, Psalm 62:11.

© Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

Power to the people ..

2008-01-26T21:08:00.000-08:00

Is God merely a resource: a facility we use to get through life, a convenient utility which provides power to the people …

As happened in California not long ago, my country is facing a significant power crisis.

Economic growth has outripped energy capacity resulting in outages, load shedding (planned outages to prevent catastrophic failure) and potential rationing.

It gave me cause to reflect on God. He is not a limited resource, a capacity that must respond to human demand or consumption levels. He is the same whether we draw on His grace or not. He never goes away and as long as we remain plugged into His grace, He will never fail us.

His light never dims: indeed from a dispensational perspective we have more light now than the cumulative course of human history. The problem is that too many of us still choose to live in darkness.

The truth of God has transcended the universe, revealing His power and glory through events and physical realities light years away, without taking anything away from the beauty of a flower, the wonder of a new-born child or the glory of a majestic sunset.

God never sheds power. He never casts of His capacity nor is He is ever overloaded. If all six billion inhabitants of the planet were to cry to Him now, He would hear each person as an individual and know all about them. He would also guide them in a unique and personal way through His mysteries into present and eternal light.

God also never adjusts His tariffs for peaks and troughs in load consumption. Whether we call on Him by day, by night, in sickness or health, in good or bad times, He remains constant and the price of His grace is unaffected: because he already paid all accounts in advance, through the cross.

The price of sin is still death, but the reward for heaven is still glory, all of it: not a pro-rata or discounted share. God loves without prejudice and will receive every single person, from whatever gender, race, creed or culture … if they call on Him. He saves everyone who turns to Him and rejects all who reject Him: it is that simple.

God is more than enough. We don't need or seek another, for He is eternal and unlimited. Read Psalm 73 and see how Asaph almost stumbled becaue he misread God. Then he saw the end of wickedness and knew that God is enough.

(c) Peter Eleazar at http://www.bethelstone.com/

Behold the man

2008-01-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

To Abraham Jesus was the sacrifice that God provided, a lamb caught in the thickets. To Jacob, God was the ultimate Father, the tried, precious cornerstone that the builders rejected.

To Moses, Jesus was the God of the burning bush - the unchenchable fire that ignited the passions of his people and gave them a beacon of hope. To Noah He was the olive tree that provided evidence of God's ongoing purpose in the face of judgement.

To David, Jesus was the shepherd, heartsong and the table amongst our enemies. To Elijah He was a swirling wind, a tempest who rides on chariots of fire, yet stirs faith with a still, small voice. To Samuel He was the voice in the night, anointing our heads with oil for the wild adventures He calls us into.

To Isaiah He was the suffering servant, bearing the iniquities of us all. To three young men, He was the fourth, the fellow in our struggles, the friend who sticks closer than a brother. To Paul, Jesus was a blinding light that demanded a response.

To John, He was the one in the midst of the churches, the mystery of the ages, the lamb that opens the seals of the book. He is all of these and more, yet all the perspectives in all the world could never describe Him.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

How Hezekiah found favour with God and men

2008-01-15T07:25:00.003-08:00

In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered - 2 Chronicles 31:21

Hezekiah was a godly king. He was also a very talented businessman and builder. He was responsible for many noteworthy projects that are described in detail in the Old Testament. We discover from the passage above that King Hezekiah had two major attributes that contributed to his success and prosperity: He sought God, and he worked wholeheartedly upholding God's laws.

Godly success involves a partnership between you and God. Success in God's economy means achieving the purpose for which God made you. That purpose can never be discovered without seeking Him with a whole heart. You may achieve great things without seeking God, but you will never achieve the things God set out for you to achieve without seeking Him. Unless you seek Him, you may find yourself one day climbing to the top of the ladder only to find it leaning against the wrong wall.

What does it mean to seek God? It means creating time to sit before His throne in quiet places. It means reading His Word in order to know Him more intimately. It means developing an ear to hear His voice so that we know when to turn to the right or to the left. God desires to know you.

Are you willing to take the time to know Him? If so, you can be sure He will guide you into those things that will bring success to every aspect of your life.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Kings and Priests

2008-01-15T07:25:00.001-08:00

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. - Revelation 5:10 KJV.

The Bible describes two distinct roles in the Old Testament-kings and priests. Kings were the rulers; priests were the religious leaders. The New Testament reveals we all are kings and priests because of the redemptive work of Christ.

Today, kings are most often represented by business and political leaders, while pastors represent the priestly roles. God calls each of us to fulfill both roles in our lives today. However, our vocational roles often create a division that is misunderstood by both workplace believers and pastors. These misunderstandings have led to a weakened and less effective Church.

Pastors have been guilty of viewing their workplace believers as dollar signs. They sometimes see them for what they can contribute to their ministries instead of equipping them to use their gifts and talents to impact the workplace believer's mission field-their workplace.

Workplace believers have tried to get pastors to operate their churches like businesses, and have used their worldly ways for spiritual purposes. They often view the pastor as the primary ministry worker instead of taking on the responsibility themselves to do the work of the ministry.

This is a grievous sin that exists in the Body of Christ, and it requires repentance from both groups. Unless we recognize this, we will never see the reality of revival that God wants to bring to the business community, and pastors will fail to gain an ally to fully complete the work of the Church in their community.

Are you a pastor who has failed to see the calling that workplace believers have received to the workplace? If so, ask God to forgive you for viewing your workplace believers as those to be used for your own purposes.

Are you a workplace believer who sees your church as another business to be run based on worldly measurements? Do you see the pastor's role as one who is primarily responsible for the work of the ministry? If so, you must repent and ask God to forgive you of this unbiblical view. God has called both of you to fulfill His purposes together through your gifts and talents.

I've never thought about it this way

2008-01-15T07:24:00.008-08:00

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” - Matthew 6:9-10

Imagine that you have never driven a car. You are not aware of all the features of a car. Up to this point, you have had to walk everywhere you go. All you are told is that you are about to receive something that will get you anywhere you need to go. The day arrives and you are given a brand new car. You get in and drive the car. However, the emergency brake is on, preventing you from going faster than 20 miles per hour. No one tells you that you should unlock the brake. Regardless, you are excited because you no longer have to walk to your destination. You are not told that the car has lights, which would allow you to drive at night. Neither are you told about the many other wonderful features of the car. You just know you have a new car that will get you anywhere you want to go at 20 miles per hour. For the rest of your life, you drive this incredible car during the daytime only at 20 miles per hour.

Why would Jesus pray that things in earth would be like they are in Heaven if it were not possible?

When Jesus came to earth, He came in order to penetrate the very kingdom of darkness with light.

He came to bring healing to sickness, replace sadness with joy, and fill meaninglessness with purpose.

He came to change things for the better for a world that had no hope outside of God.

Using the illustration above, Jesus did not come to merely give us a ticket to Heaven (a car that you drive only in the daytime at 20 miles per hour).

He came to bring us much more-the Kingdom of God on earth. Nowhere in the Bible will you find the term, gospel of salvation.

The Church does not exist for Heaven, but for earth. If it existed only for Heaven, then each of us would immediately be taken to Heaven. There would be no reason for us to remain on earth.

So why has God allowed us to receive this new birth and remain on earth?

It is so that we might bring the Kingdom of God into our world-our families, our workplace, and our communities.

God wants you to bring the Kingdom of God into the territory He has given you so that His will can be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Your domain is your workplace, family, and community.

Ask God to show you how He wants to penetrate the darkness of your domain with His light.

Then you will see and experience all the features of this gift that has been given to you.

The book of God

2008-01-15T07:23:00.001-08:00

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful -- Joshua 1:8

We need to be reminded, just like Joshua and the Israelites, that God gave us his Law to be a blessing to his people.

The Law was given to help Israel live the will of God in their daily lives. If they would live God's way, he promised they would be blessed.

In addition, God is the Creator.

He knows the best way for humans to live in harmony with the principles of his universe.

His Law was not intended to hinder or interfere with the happiness and experience of his people.

Instead, it was to help them prosper and find success in life.

As Paul repeatedly reminds us in Galatians, we are no longer under Law.

But, as we live by the Spirit, the character that is produced reflects the character of Jesus, the one who fulfilled the Law and brings us the blessings God has intended all along.

Bottom line: Following God's will and living his character is a blessing to us!

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Are you a Romans 8:14 Christian?

2007-11-19T07:34:00.001-08:00

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. - Romans 8:13-14

Joshua and Caleb are described in Scripture as men who had a different spirit. They were two of the 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to determine if it could be taken, as God had promised it to them. The other ten gave a bad report that instilled fear in the people, which ultimately caused a rebellion. This resulted in an entire generation dying in the desert. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who were led by the Spirit of God, versus the spirit of fear. They were the only ones to enter the Promised Land from their generation.

Are you a person led by the Spirit? The verse above tells us that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. "But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it" (Num. 14:24). Caleb was a Romans 8:14 man! The Spirit led him. He was not led by fear.

Many of us have failed to enter into our own Promised Land because we have failed to be led by the Spirit rather than by fear. Fear prevents us from entering into what God has promised for each of us. God has reserved an inheritance for us that is exceedingly good. God described the Promised Land as a land of milk and honey. Our own Promised Land is the same. But you must be led by the Spirit to enter in. You cannot be led by fear, reason and analysis, or even skill. The Spirit must lead you.

Commit yourself to being a Romans 8:14 man or woman. Then you will enter into the land God has promised for you

Gently Leading

2007-11-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir. - Genesis 33:14.

Business often determines that we move at a pace that can put incredible stresses upon people and relationships. Jacob was a man who learned to manipulate and control outcomes. He even stole the birthright of his brother, Esau, through trickery. The Bible speaks of Jacob as a man who strived with God. He knew how to force situations to his advantage. It took years for God to break down all the rough edges of Jacob so that he could be worthy of becoming the patriarch of the 12 tribes of Israel. God saw something in Jacob that He could use.

Most men go through a "warrior stage" of life. In this stage of manhood, the man is known by what he does, what he accomplishes, and he is totally defined by his performance. It can be a tumultuous time for the man and those close to him. It is often signified by broken relationships because the goal is often more important than the way the goal is accomplished. When I meet with a man, I can easily determine what stage of life he is in by hearing him talk.

Jacob had successfully passed through his warrior stage based on the verse above. It takes someone mature to be able to "move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children." Leaders who never come to understand this may be successful materially but fail at the most important aspect of leadership-leading at a pace that his followers can maintain. The roads are full of wives, children, and workers who cannot keep up with the pace of leaders and are left behind with broken dreams, broken hearts, and unfulfilled promises.

Are you a person who is more concerned with outcome than how you achieve the outcome? Can the people around you describe you as someone who leads at a pace that ensures respect and admiration? Ask the Lord for the ability to be a godly leader who understands the condition of his flock and the pace in which you can lead without alienating.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Confrontation with God

2007-11-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. - Isaiah 61:3b.

"God, is this the way You treat someone who is faithful to You?" I yelled out loud on the top of the wooded hill where no one but God could hear me. "I have waited and waited and now this! I hate You, God! I have had enough!" Those were my words that day as I wrestled with news of an event that devastated me to the point where I broke down weeping.

As I sat there among the trees deciding what else I could say to God, I was speechless. I was angry. I was confused. I wondered if He even existed. If He did, I felt like He really didn't honor my faith and obedience. I sat for hours wrestling internally with my feelings.

Finally, without answers and sensing that God wasn't answering me, I turned to leave. I had been sitting on an old oak tree that was broken at the base. The tree pointed toward the base of another huge oak tree. Finally, a still quiet voice inside said, "Today, like this broken oak tree you are sitting on, you are a broken man. But this brokenness was needed in order for you to become this large oak tree you see."

Months and even years had passed with many struggles. But God was true to His word from that day. He began to replace the pain and disappointment with an inner joy that only His grace could provide.

Have you ever wrestled with the events of life, feeling that God has deserted you? Have you been honest with God? He is the kind of Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations. He won't always change things, but His purposes will be accomplished and peace will come if you trust. Trust Him this day with those things that are most difficult.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Tested for Abundance

2007-11-06T08:32:00.001-08:00

We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. - Psalm 66:12b.

It is nice to hear that God desires to bring us into abundance. In fact, many a preacher has promoted the goodness of the Lord and His ability to prosper His children. Alas, my experience is that this gospel of material abundance has little to do with the gospel of the Kingdom as our Lord works in the realm of the sanctified soul. The passage above tells us that God does in fact bring us into places of abundance. However, upon further study of the entire passage, we learn the route to this abundance.

For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us to a place of abundance (Psalm 66:10-12).

God's economy of abundance often has little to do with material blessing. In God's economy, abundance is often measured in wisdom and knowledge of Himself. It is then that we are truly blessed. Wisdom cannot be gained through intellectual pursuits. Wisdom comes only through experience. Real wisdom comes from the kinds of experiences that come only through the deepest tests. Lessons of refinement, including prison accompanied by burdens, lead us through the fire and water. This is the territory that must be traveled to reach that place of abundance. It would seem strange that a loving God would use such means with His children. What we often fail to realize is that God's measuring stick is the character and likeness of Jesus Christ Himself in each of us. This cannot be gained through a life of ease and pleasure. Ease and pleasure fail to refine.

Is God using your workplace to refine you today? Has He placed you in a prison or laid burdens on your back? Take heart if this is the place you find yourself, and realize that if you are faithful through the tests, you will enter a place of abundance that few will ever attain. The darkest hour is just before daybreak.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Avoiding Detours

2007-11-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6.

I turned off the interstate to get gas for my car. I was returning from a speaking engagement and it was very late. As I turned onto the road, I looked for the entrance ramp to get back on the interstate. It was dark and I could not see any signs. I made a turn to the right that appeared to be the turn I needed to make. I could see the interstate was next to the road. As I continued down this road, the interstate was on my left. It soon became obvious it was not the entrance road but rather a frontage road. I assumed it would take me to the next interchange. However, the road soon turned away from the interstate. It grew darker and darker. The road became a dirt road. I realized I was not going to get to the interstate on this road. Being a bit frustrated that I had made the wrong turn, I turned around and went back, losing valuable time.

It is easy to make assumptions about the path we are on. If God's Spirit has not enlightened our reasoning, we are inclined to make the wrong choices. Our choices seem right at the time, but later we discover these choices have led us away from God because they were based on our own reasoning.

Acknowledge God in all your ways today. Lean completely on Him to reveal His direction for your life. If you do so, He will direct you to the desired destination He has for you.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

The Isolation Chamber

2007-11-06T08:30:00.001-08:00

Be still and know that I am God.... - Psalm 46:10.

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

How and Where God Speaks

2007-11-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you." - Ezekiel 3:22

God speaks in many different ways to His children. He spoke through a bush to Moses. He spoke through a donkey to Balaam. He spoke through prophets to His kings. He speaks through other believers. He speaks directly to us through the invisible Holy Spirit. And He speaks even through circumstances.

When God wants to speak a very important word directly to us without interruption from the noise of our busy lives, he will take us "into the plain." The plain is a place of no distractions and no other persons. It is a place of silence. It can be a place of great need as it often fails to have the normal provisions we are accustomed to. It can be a place we go to voluntarily to seek His face, or we can be moved there without choice by His supernatural ability. More often, it is the latter method that brings us into the plain. In modern times, it often means a separation from our normal activities such as jobs or families.

The plain can also be a place where we discover afresh that God's hand has been on us all the time. When we are so busy with life, we sometimes forget that God's hand is still there, gently leading our path. When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention. Thus, the plain is one of those appointed times of one-on-one communication with our heavenly Father. No distractions, no people, no beautiful surroundings to capture our thoughts. It is a barren place designed to allow us to seek and hear clearly. When He speaks, we need to be able to listen. We hear much better in the plain.

Do you need to hear God's voice today? Is your life such that you cannot even hear His voice? Each day God calls us to our own mini-plain in order to speak to us and for us to hear. If we neglect this time of open communication, we may be invited to His plain in order to hear without distraction. Pray that you might make time to hear.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

Going Without Jesus

2007-11-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

...they were unaware of it. - Luke 2:43

Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Jesus was 12 years old. They were evidently very distracted by the excitement and business of the Feast. In fact, Mary and Joseph began their return trip to Nazareth only to realize well into the trip that Jesus was not with them. It would be three days before they would be reunited with their 12-year-old son. It caused quite a scare in Mary and Joseph, and they reprimanded Jesus for "wandering" off.

As a parent, I find this story truly amazing. How can parents of the Son of God not know their son is not in their presence? Yet this story illustrates how each of us can become so busy that we continue to operate not realizing that Jesus is no longer with us. Obviously, there was very little fellowship taking place between Jesus and His parents during the trip.

Are you experiencing daily, even moment-by-moment, fellowship with Jesus? If not, you will wake up one day and realize Jesus is not with you in your endeavors. It may, like Mary and Joseph, create a certain fear in you that you may have lost a very important relationship. Doing business without Jesus' presence leaves us powerless and prone to live in fear. Jesus said He would never leave or forsake His children. However, we can walk away from His fellowship by refusing to be with Him. Do not let this happen to you. He longs to have daily fellowship with you because He loves you.

Source: John Hall, www.pleasantplaces.co.za

TWENTY TRUTHS TO REMEMBER

2007-11-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

1. Faith is the ability not to panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the maths, count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. Its all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle -- it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

Long handled spoons

2007-11-06T08:22:00.001-08:00

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.' They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons strapped to their arms, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, 'I don't understand.' It is simple' said the Lord, 'it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

Beauty and the beast

2007-11-06T00:11:00.000-08:00

In the small German city of Walroder a preacher gave an altar call. An angry looking woman promptly got up and stormed out of the church. The preacher stopped and silently prayed that she would be back.

The next night she was in church again and in the back row, but not a happy camper. As the sermon drew to a close and the altar call was given, people stood to come forward. Suddenly she stood up and came rushing to the front of the church. When several people in the church saw her they broke out into emotional crying.

The young woman had mascara all over her face from crying. She repented of her sins and received the Lord in her life. Many people were greatly moved by the power of God that evening. God worked deep things into that woman's heart.

Months later in another meeting, a British soldier came into the Walroder church. Now he was angry one. His anger related to the conversion of the young blonde woman earlier. That event had changed her life and she had decided not to sleep with him anymore. The preacher had become the target of his resentment.

At the end of the sermon, an altar call was again given. The soldier misunderstood the question. Instead of, "If you don't know the Lord and would like him in your life please stand up", He heard "If you don't want to know the Lord please stand up".

Some people stood up and so did he, but with his head hanging down. The preached said, "Please come forward." They came forward and he was not far behind them. His intentions for coming forward were not to receive the Lord. He came forward to destroy the church meeting and to confront the preacher.

When he reached the front of the church something happened to him. the congregation started singing and God's glory filled the place. The soldier began to shake all over, tears began to run down his face and blood flowed from his nose.

The soldier then prayed and asked the Lord into his life. He was marvelously saved. God in His love and mercy touched the angry soldier and the man repented of his sins. He became very excited about the reality and the love of God.

After the meeting he told his unbelievable story. He had been trained to be one of the best boxers in the British army. He was great in his field and knew it. During his training he had learnt how to control his emotions so on the night of his conversion he had every mind to disrupt the meeting and have his say. When he began to shake he tried to use the method he had so well learnt. But what had always worked before, simply failed him.

He tried to control his emotions by counting backwards from 10 and that didn't work. This was a fight that he was losing and he knew it. It was the first time he had ever experienced the power and love of God. Salvation had come to him and his life was marvelously saved.

One day later he brought a gift. It was a trophy which he had won in one of his boxing fights. He surrendered it saying, "I lost the fight in church that night." He may have lost the fight, but he got something that will last forever and that is life with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The love of God is much more that we will ever fully understand and one thing that is for sure, His love is love.

Matt 9:37

Source: Sam Fields

Thank you for the music, the icecream, the wonders of life ....

2007-10-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen."

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why, I never! "Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart."

Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and without a word walked over and placed it in front of the woman. With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my soul is good already.

Author unknown. Published by www.bethelstone.com

Just a few drops more ... and more ... God's turns our drops into floods of blessing

2007-10-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. Crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Water rationing would soon wipe out our farm.

Then I learnt a lesson in sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was making lunch when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walk to the woods. He walked with a serious purpose. I could only see his back, but he seemed to walk with great care.

He carried on walking carefully to the woods and running back to the house, for over an hour. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and I crept and followed him on his journey. He cupped both his little hands in front of him as he walked, taking care not to spill the little water he held in them.

Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. Then I saw the most amazing site. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away.

A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him, nor did he move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration. It lifted its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my son's hand.

When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house, to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way, to catch what drips there were in his makeshift "cup", as the sun beat down on his little back.

Clearly the trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before and the lecture he had received about not wasting water, influenced his behavior. No wonder he didn't ask me to help him.

It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I'm not wasting," was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined him...with a small pot of water from the kitchen.

I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working hard to save another life. As the tears rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops.

I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don't really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can't argue with that...I'm not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm ... just like the actions of one little boy saved another. For God does ultimately reward our persistent faithfullness and He brings breakthroughs so we may know that He is God.

Author unknown, published by http://www.bethelstone.com/

Billy Graham's new suit - for a man who knows where he is going

2007-10-29T03:32:00.000-07:00

Billy Graham is now 86 years old with Parkinson's disease. In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor.

Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you'. So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, 'I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger.

When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.

The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.' Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.' Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.''

Having said that Billy Graham continued, 'See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.

You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am .. I also know where I'm going.'

Source: unknown, published by www.bethelstone.com

The gravity of life drags us down, but God gives us hope ...

2007-10-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

When you are four, success is not wetting your pants.

When you are ten, success is finding friends.

When you are sixteen, success is getting a driver’s license.

When you are eighteen, success is being able to vote.

When you are twenty-one, success is being independent.

When you are thirty, success is being married with children.

When you are forty, success is having solid investments.

When you are fifty, success is holding on to those investments.

When you are fifty-five, success is being free of your children.

When you are sixty, success is being independent.

When you are sixty-five, success is not having to vote.

When you are seventy, success is holding on to your driver’s license.

When you are seventy-five, success is holding on to friends

.… and when you are eighty, success is not wetting yourself.

Such is the cycle of life, the wheel of fortune – we live, we love, we learn to cry. Too soon we find how small we are, how little we know.

We come into the world naked and helpless and leave the same way. Whether we are rich or poor, famous or infamous, all privileges end at death’s door, the great and ultimate equalizer.

I once had a vision of heaven. I was jumping for a ball and then just kept going, shouting as I went that “we are going”. I remembered moving at lightning speeds until I arrived in a waiting lounge. My wife and children were already there, but they had a film over their eyes. My dream interpreted this correctly in terms of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 13, “we see through a glass darkly, now in part, but then face to face”.

Then suddenly the scales fell off and an angel called us to a large wooden door. But the door was a mess. It was covered in graffiti, nails, oil, grime and paint. Yet when the angel opened the door, the opposite side was gilded, beautiful, sublime – a masterpiece.

Again the dream interpreted itself, revealing that the door out of this world abuts onto the door to the next world. There is no interlude. We are either in this world or in the next. There is no suspension or vacant wandering, for “to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord”. For many that meeting place with God is something to dread, although Churchill wondered if God was up to the ordeal. For the faithful, death is the prize for a race well run.

Fanny Crosby, the greatest hymn-writer in history was asked if her blindness troubled her. “No” she said, “for when I first see I will be looking on His face”. What a hope, what a peace, what a victorious life.

The angel beckoned us to enter, but I hesitated. “I am not worthy to enter”, I said, gasping at the sublime and transcendent glory that lay beyond. “You are right”, said the angel, “yet what Christ did for you has made you worthy anyway”.

Little boys float their boats as proof of their claims and boasts about the floatability of their creations. Well, the only proof of whether our lives can withstand eternity and endure its scrutiny happens when we die. Like Noah and his ark, we only get one test-run and it is a live test. The culmination of our life work, is the ultimate moment of reckoning for all.

That is when the proud, abusive and offensive will be leveled and the downtrodden righteous will finally validate their decisions to serve God.

So look up. There is a price to pay for following Jesus, but as the Psalmist said in Psalm 73, “we have gazed on His glory and seen the end of the wicked”. The same psalmist almost stumbled in his own faith until he saw his faith in perspective and realized that it will be worth it all when we see Him face to face.

(c) Peter Eleazar at www.bethelstone.com

Along came a spider ... a story about God's deliverance through seemingly everyday insignificances ...

2007-10-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire, he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him came up the ridge, they would quickly searchall the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me.Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one."

Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.
As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.
"Ha," he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer, he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another.

As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you, a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget what God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways.
And remember, with God, a mere spider's web becomes a brick wall of protection.

Source: Author Unknown, published by http://www.bethelstone.com/

A Christian prison .... an unusual social expiriment built around a special, long-term inmate ....

2007-10-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago the Brazilian government turned a prison near the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, over to two Christians. It was renamed Humaita, to be run on Christian principles.

With the exception of two full-time staff, all work is done by inmates. Chuck Colson visited the prison and made this report:

I found the inmates smiling - particularly the murderer who opened the gates and let me in. Wherever I walked I saw men at peace. I saw clean living areas, people working industriously. The walls were decorated with Biblical sayings.

My guide escorted me to the torture cell. "Today", he told me, "that block houses only a single inmate. As we reached the end of a long concrete corridor and he hesitated.

Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in that punishment cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved by the Humaita inmates - the prisoner Jesus, hanging on a cross.

"He's doing time for the rest of us," my guide said softly."

Source: Max Lucado at www.maxlucado.com

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