Stand In Good With The Lord

In the movie Patton, General Patton comes to a point where he charges his chaplain to write a prayer, within the hour, for Patton to pray to God for favorable weather so that their mission would be successful. The chaplain complied and God agreed with the request - the next day the weather was perfectly clear. Patton is then quoted in the movie as saying, "He (the chaplain) stands in good with the Lord and I want to decorate him."

Immediately, when I heard this line, my heart, mind and spirit ached for the desire to always be in good standing with the Lord. I do not refer to my justification through faith in Christ, taken care of at the Cross. 

However, I refer to the victorious resurrection from death, Hell and the grave that He grants believers daily over other life-challenges as well as backslidings to our old behavior. This is the favor I want to be constantly connected to, saturated with and deserving of - if possible.

Examples of people who have "stood in good with the Lord" throughout history are Abraham - whose faith was credited to him as his right-standing with God. Moses - who experienced the direct presence of God and lived. Daniel - a man of extreme integrity who was gifted visions, interpretations and angelic visitations to further God's plan. Esther - God's voice and tool of compassion for His people during a hateful time in history. David - a man after God's own heart, even with flaws. Martin Luther - a fearless man of faith willing to challenge the norm of the day and grant another perspective of God. C.S. Lewis - a wonderful Christian wordsmith and story teller. And Billy Graham - the world's modern day Paul or global evangelist.

Out of these people listed, I wish to focus on Daniel. One of the huge characteristics Daniel had, which I aspire too, is his esteemed-ness.

Because of what King Nebuchadnezzar set as his criteria for those brought out of his siege of Jerusalem, we can deduce that Daniel was of the royal family or at least nobility, young and without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. (Daniel 1:3-5) 

However, it is what the angel Gabriel proclaimed three times about him (Dan. 9:23; 10:11; 10:19) that catches my attention.
Daniel was esteemed by both the citizens of heaven and earth. Forgive me, he was "highly esteemed". Here is what those three verses state -

"As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed." - Dan. 9:23

"He said, 'Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.'” - Dan. 10:11

“'Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,' he said. 'Peace! Be strong now; be strong.' When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.'” - Dan. 10:19

The original Hebrew word for "esteem" used in all three accounts is chamad (khaw-mad), meaning greatly beloved, desired, delight and/or precious thing. A proclamation from an earthly king that you are highly esteemed is one thing. To hear that you are "highly esteemed" from the Chief Angelic Messenger of the Lord Most High - Gabriel - is another thing. This declaration is slightly more meaningful coming from The Throne of Heaven. 

Daniel has his three friends, is young and without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. I don't know if I qualify for the additional characteristics, but I know that through Christ Jesus my Lord I am esteemed, but I pray and strive to be Highly Esteemed!

Jesus challenges His disciples in Matthew 5:16 and down through the ages - "...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven." Notice where the glory or praises go - Father God in Heaven, not you or me.

One of the major ways Christians help God's light to shine through us, therefore bringing God the rightful glory, is to transform our mindset on everything to that of God's perception. Believers do this by renewing their minds daily through the promises of the Word of God and the direction of the Holy Spirit. The result of this purposeful lifestyle promises through Paul, that believers will be able to know the good and perfect will of God. The actual verse reads -

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

In Malachi 3:10 the Lord challenges us to test Him in the process of giving that He has laid out for the believer. Here, yet again, Christians have permission to test the re-arrangement of conceptions or ideas in the mind and see if they meet the approval of God's standard - His Word and Holy Spirit. 

That word "renewing" in the original Greek means a renovation; a total moving and removing of things in your mind and life until everything aligns with God's Word and Spirit. Therefore, renew your mind daily, perform your good deeds or shine your light, strive to be highly esteemed as Daniel was and you will Stand In Good With The Lord.

Priority Position

Jesus demands Himself as priority in the lives of those who deem themselves His disciples. Grant you, the Holy Sprit instructs through Paul to take care of blood family and your spiritual family, but not at the expense of Christ being everything in your life, especially first in everything. 

Paul says in Galatians 6:10 about our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Then again, in his first letter to his protege - Timothy - Paul also stresses the importance of taking care of blood family -

"Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (1 Timothy 5:8)

The words of Jesus, recorded in Luke 14:26 use a strong word to convey priority or loving less than Himself - the word "hate".

"'If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.'"

"The word hate in Luke 14:26 deserves a closer look. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the contrast between “love” and “hatred” is sometimes used to communicate preference. For example, in dealing with inheritances in polygamous marriages, the Mosaic Law referred to “two wives, one beloved, and another hated” (Deuteronomy 21:15, KJV). This is a good, literal translation. There was a “loved” wife and a “hated” wife. Other translations usually soften the “hated” wife to be “unloved” (CSB) or “less loved” (NET). The law was not indicating emotional hatred on the part of the husband, only preference. One wife was preferred over the other. We have a similar use of the love/hate idiom in Malachi 1:2–3 (cf. Romans 9:13).

Some other translations make Jesus’ meaning a little clearer: “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison” (Luke 14:26, NLT, emphasis added), and the Amplified Bible says that a follower of Christ must “hate” his family members “in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God.” It is a “hatred” by comparison, not an absolute hatred.

We must not forget that included in Jesus’ condition that a follower must “hate” his father and mother is the condition that he likewise hate “even his own life” (Luke 14:26, NAS). Jesus is not teaching an emotional hatred of one’s parents any more than He is teaching self-hatred. The emphasis is on self-denial and absolute surrender. Immediately following is Jesus’ instruction to “carry your own cross” (verse 27, NLT)."
[https://www.gotquestions.org/hate-father-mother.html]

The context of this verse is the cost a potential believer in Christ will pay for placing their trust and belief in Jesus as their personal Lord, Savior and King. The imagery used is that of a builder sitting down and counting the cost before starting construction. 

Likewise, as Christians begin to build a life through marriage, they should be mature enough in their faith to recognize they, like Paul, don't need the other in life, but God has blessed each of you with the other to enhance life (1 Corinthians 7). The Christian life should always, single or married, reflect the awesome priority of Christ in and over our lives.

Said another way, Jesus says to us in this Luke passage, nobody else in our lives should receive any projected everything of God. Our mothers should not be first and ultimate comforter in the home. Our fathers should not be first and supreme provider of the home. Our brothers and sisters should not be first and the greatest source of support. Our wives should not be first and not encompass our idea of all God's blessings. Even we should not be first. Believers should deny themselves and place others before ourselves, but even before others God should always take the Priority Position. 

God's Past With Us

The fact of the matter is not that our past influences us today, but what part of it and in what manner do we allow it to impact our now. That statement is deep for me, I know, but it follows along with what we choose to set-up and what we do not choose to establish as memories that effect our present day.

Back in Biblical days there were ways of remembering more positive life events - the building of stone altars and the naming of them.

Men like Noah (Genesis 8:20), Abram (Genesis 12:7), Isaac (Genesis 26:25), Jacob (Genesis 35:1-3), and Moses (Exodus 17:15) all used the altar as memorials to God’s great work(s) in their lives at that time. They would experience the intervention of God in their lives in some way and then to remember it they would construct an altar and worship The Lord. They typically named or titled the altar to signify the miracle or provision God had granted (i.e. “The LORD is My Banner” – Exodus 17:15). And the altar was made from stone not earth. Earth-made altars were for the purpose of sacrifices. Stone-made altars were for the purpose of honoring God. Exodus 20:24-26 is the basis for this idea -

"'Make an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. Whenever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.'"

Men like Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, took this practice seriously. At every opportunity he built an altar to memorialize God's work in his life. He even decorated his stones when God continued to bless a specific area of his life. This is recorded in Hosea 10:1 -

"Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself. As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones."

You know what else was used as a physical means of remembrance or memorial? Pillars. In the Old Testament, pillars were instruments of remembrance between humanity and between God and man (Genesis 28:18; 31:45; 31:51). 

The human side of pillars in Scripture is displayed in such passages as when Samson used his strength and positioning of his body between the pillars of his enemy's home to bring the house down (Judges 16:26). Absalom named a pillar after himself because he had no heir (2 Samuel 18:18). The temple that Solomon built had many wonderfully crafted pillars to adorn the property (1 Kings 7). An image of beautiful strength is displayed in Song of Songs 5:15. A picture of a steadfast city - "pillar of iron" is found in Jeremiah 1:18. All of these are examples of physical pillars that memorialize a person, city or event.

Switching to the New Testament and beyond, instead of pillars being designated as cities, temples, and piles of remembrance, the imagery and meaning of pillars is now assigned to Believers in Christ. The representation of pillars is now a sign of strength, steadfastness and dependability.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Galatia, singled out three brothers for this honor of being deemed - a Pillar of the Faith. James, Cephas and John were especially noted by Paul as having this distinction.

"James, Cephas [Peter] and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised." (Galatians 2:9)

In essence, Paul was receiving a stamp of approval from three close disciples of Christ who "were by general consent looked up to as especially steadfast upholders of the truth of the gospel or of the Christian cause." (Pulpit Commentary) The church in Galatia needed to hear the support of the Disciples in Jerusalem to lend more weight to Paul's teachings. He got it, they got it and the world has never been the same. Need I say Paul is a Pillar of the Faith in his own right?

Every good quality that a pillar could stand for (pun intended) - I desire for myself and all my fellow Christians. The Scripture that ministers and challenges me here is Revelation 3:12 - "The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God."

Christ makes being a pillar conditional, but then takes care of the condition. He says the state of victory is the prerequisite for being a pillar in the temple of His God, but then He takes care of the prerequisite. Christ said - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) 

Perfection is found in Him. We still must journey through life, experiencing trouble in all its forms, but Paul reminds us - in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37) Christ has the victory and our responsibility is to keep proclaiming His victories over our lives, and not worry about being perfect because first, He has covered perfection for us and second, "the one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God." All we have to do is trust in Him and finish our own journey or as Paul says, "race".

Remember even God revealed Himself to His people as a Pillar of cloud by day and a Pillar of fire by night during and after the Exodus. God was a Living Memorial to His people of His continual presence in their lives as a pillar.

Are you a pillar in the house of God or a stilt? I pray you confess over yourself, by the Word of God that you are a Pillar and that you plan on establishing not only yourself as an example of faithfulness to God but set-up remembrances of God's faithfulness in your own life. Altars and/or pillars are a wonderful thing for reflection, a wonderful thing for thanksgiving and a wonderful thing for sharing with others God's Past With Us.

Teach Us Lord To Pray (Revised)

There are prayers within all faiths of the world, especially Christianity, that were written and taught to be repeated word for word, syllable for syllable. I believe many of these same prayers can be and are used as a template for how to pray for the experiences the believer is currently navigating. Then there is prayer to God that is not written, but is straight, raw communication from the heart, mind and circumstances in order to receive direction or clarity.

I think many times believers and seekers of any faith get entangled in chanting the words of a prayer for divine involvement in their situation. For Christians, what is commonly known as The Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1; Matthew 6:9-13), could easily be spoken like a mantra. Spoken like this the words hold the power and not the Messiah who taught them the prayer.

From all the astonishment, from all the amazement, from all the difficulty the Disciples encountered with the teachings of Jesus - there was one thing they asked to be taught. Daniel Kolenda says it like this -

"They never asked, 'Teach us how to do miracles, or to be dynamic communicators, or to be highly effective and successful. The one thing about His life that was so compelling and appealing that they wanted to imitate was His prayer life." (Unlocking the Miraculous Through Faith and Prayer)

Luke does record Jesus saying, "When you pray, say...", so I am not negating a total zip of the lip on speaking this prayer or any prayer for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. However, Matthew records Jesus stating - "This, then, is how [emphasis mine] you should pray." This stress of the word "how" indicates a template of a way in which believers should pray.

"Our Father in Heaven,"

The opening greeting declares an acknowledgement of relationship and location - God is our Father through faith in Christ Jesus and He rules from His throne in Heaven.

"hallowed be your name."

The greeting continues but now acknowledges Father is not only Dad, but God and His name is to be respected.

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

The word "your" emphasizes the focus believers should have. The words "kingdom" and "will" describe what of God's should be focused upon. And "earth" states where all this should happen, because this focus of His kingdom and will is already done in Heaven. This concludes the greeting section with a desire to see God's plan accomplished. This statement recognizes and releases His purpose and flow of the Holy Spirit.

"Give us today our daily bread."

One of God's many wonderful names is Jehovah Jireh - The God Who Provides. Here begins the asking. For the believer, this request is not only provision for natural needs but all other needs as well, especially spiritual.

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

Matthew 6:14-15 records Jesus elaborating - "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." 

This does not take away your sonship/daughter-ship with God. The unforgiveness between you and God because of your unforgiveness toward someone else will cause favor to decrease and possibly halt until you forgive that someone.

"And lead us not into temptation..."

God is not a tempter. Satan is The Tempter. God may lead us to a time or to the threshold of a tempting situation - thus, this is why we pray - "and lead us not into temptations or trials or tribulations as other translations have this word.

"...but deliver us from the evil one."

This calls out another one of God's many titles as we make our last request - recognizing there is an enemy of our mind, our body and our soul, the believer cries out to Jehovah Mephalti, God Our Deliverer.

The Doxology - "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen." - is not included in Matthew or Luke. But still remains a wonderful way to end this prayer.

Other key thoughts on prayer -

There is only one mediator of our prayers - Christ Jesus. The person you choose as mediator about anything and everything if you are a Christian, should not be a local priest, the Pope or Mary or any saint - they did not sacrifice their life for your redemption and conqueror death, Hell and the grave. "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Timothy 2:5).

Another help is two-fold. Scripture not only instructs on the priority of our prayers to God by seeking Him first, but how often to put this into practice - in every situation.

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." 

Philippians 4:6-7 states, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

Notice there are blessings, beside God's presence, when entering holy communication with God. In Matthew those blessings are everything mentioned prior to that verse. In Philippians, the blessing is God's peace to guard your heart.

Some additional reminders - 

Make time with the Lord private/intimate. Yes, there is a time and place for corporate prayers, usually the church or small groups, but God loves one-on-one interaction and development. 

These intimate times could be similar to Christ's places - lakesides (Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 14:22-33), mountainsides (Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23) and gardens (Matthew 26:36-46). Or you can follow His instructions from Matthew 6:6 and find a closet and make it your portal to Heaven.

One of the instances The Lord informed us not to broadcast our prayers for the sake of vanity but make prayer a more private matter is Matthew 6:5-6.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Approach the King of all kings and Lord of all lords in the proper manner. Believers should enter God's presence respectfully seeking His face and company first not His favor and fulfillment of a to-do list.

In Exodus 23:15; 34:20 and Deuteronomy 16:16 God comes flat out and says - "No one is to appear before me empty-handed." And in Psalm 100:4, David wrote -"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name." This speaks of the ways to proceed into God's manifest presence.

Another thing that both Christians and God are going to appreciate in prayer is brevity and humility. Matthew records Jesus saying,

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8)

There are many in the corporate scene that could benefit from this practice. In their presentations and small group speeches they do their best to use big, impressive, fluffy words when common ones would suffice nicely. Many meetings have been nothing but these words, leading to misunderstandings and unproductiveness. This is what God wants to avoid in our meeting with Him during prayer.

Plus, the advantage of being specific with God is He will be specific with you. Ask a specific question, receive a specific answer.

Some say God's answers are in one of three forms -

1. I will do the very thing you ask.
2. Not yet.
3. I have something better for you, which is a soft way of saying "no".

James does us a great service by revealing what hinders the unanswered prayers.

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:1-3)

James not only says that our desires are not aligned with God's, but that by the time we get around to looking for help we either don't ask God at all - "You do not have because you do not ask God." - or we ask God but with selfish intentions - "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

The decision comes down to having our requests match God's will/plan for our lives. How can we know God's will? By daily renewing our mind in His Word as we continually keep an open channel to Him (Romans 12:2). He will honor that request. I believe that is at the heart of the Lord's response to - Teach Us Lord To Pray.

Don't You Wait 'Till It's Too Late

During His ministry on earth, Jesus had a variety of challenging personalities on His team. From John calling himself "the beloved" disciple, to Peter riding the roller coaster of emotions on everything to who we call Doubting Thomas - Jesus had a lot to deal with besides the general populace.

However, one "disciple" that was in the tight circle from the beginning was an individual that Jesus knew, in the end, would betray Him - Judas Iscariot. Why ask him to join knowing this? 

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus experienced all our temptations, including the wrong way to respond to betrayal, but did not sin or rebel against God's Way. Jesus could have been betrayed a number of different ways throughout His life and ministry without it leading to His death. This was not the plan, this was the fulfillment of prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-13 and Psalm 41:9.

The amazing observation about Jesus is that Jesus could have passed Judas off as just the fulfillment of these prophecies mentioned hundreds of years earlier, but He did not. He cared enough to keep Judas on the team, utilize his talents, teach him, love on him (i.e. feet washing), and discipline him. Even during the betrayal when Judas lost control and Satan entered his mind and body during The Last Supper, Jesus was simple and direct - "What you are about to do, do quickly." (John 13:27)

And later when Judas led the detachment of religious leaders and soldiers to their place of prayer - "the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: 'The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.' Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed him.

Jesus replied, 'Do what you came for, friend.'

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him." (Matthew 26:48-50)

When Judas Iscariot saw that Jesus was condemned to death and being taken to Pilate, his dreams and aspirations for the Jewish, militaristic messiah-king to free them of Roman oppression vanished - and so did his will to live, he hung himself (Matthew 27).

One of the lessons I would like to communicate from the relationship between Judas and Jesus is to pick Christ's way of responding to everything, especially betrayal. Jesus did not say it would be easy, He simply said it would be His Way, the Right Way.

The other lesson, through an observation, that I would like to submit is that those of us that call ourselves believers in Christ and are still alive do not know for sure if the spirit/soul of Judas made it to Paradise or not.

Judas died before Christ paid the price for all humanity's rebellion against God. Therefore, the soul/spirit of Judas was in Hades (Sheol), before Christ Jesus arrived to teach about Himself and lead captivity captive as Jesus rose again from death, Hell and the grave (Eph. 4:8-9; Col.2:15).

Jesus will not die again nor will He visit Hell again to teach and preach of His authority and Messiahship (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus has been given all authority and sits at the right hand of Father God in Heaven (Matthew 28:18; Acts 1:1-11). 

With Christ's Plan and Place of Authority declared, this side of the unseen curtain all must make their decision about who Jesus is to them, live by it and be judged by that decision after you breathe your last breath.

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Again, we don't know for certain if Judas was in the group that Jesus led from spiritual death to everlasting life (Eph. 4:8-9; Col.2:15). In fact, in Acts 1 after Jesus ascended to the right hand of Father God, the disciples first line of business was replacing the number twelve spot, the vacant place left by the departure of Judas. Matthias was selected. Does God have to account for two, number 12 disciples? Is there an issue with having 13 disciples? Did Judas not make it into that group that left for Paradise? The point - Don't You Wait 'Till It's Too Late (Hebrews 9:27).

The Stone Was For Us

The stone-door, rolled away at the entrance to the tomb of Jesus, was not moved for the sake of Christ. This displacement of two tons worth of a disk-shaped rock, from a trough to keep it in place, by an angel of God, three days after the brutal suffering before the Cross and eventual crucifixion - was for humanity's benefit.

The empty tomb is not a matter of faith, the emptiness is a fact. This is verifiable by anyone. History records the religious leaders and teachers of the day approached Pontius Pilate after the death of Jesus and requested a guard be placed at His tomb out of fear that Christ's disciples would steal the body, hide it and claim His resurrection. Pilate agreed, but ordered they use their own guards, which some consisted of Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66).

Matthew 28:1-6 records what happens next.

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

Death would not stop Jesus from taking back His life (John 10:17-18), Hell could not stop Jesus from taking converts with Him as He rose again (Ephesians 4:8-9; Colossians 2:15) and Jesus would later physically appear before His disciples in a completely sealed-off room after His resurrection (John 20:19-23).

Therefore, soldiers and a stone were of no concern to the resurrected Lord. The stone's removal was the ultimate opportunity for humanity to step into the tomb and witness its vacancy, while allowing Jesus to step into the vacant hearts, ready and willing to accept Him as Lord and Savior. The Stone Was For Us!

Your Source, The One True God

There is a person whose sole existence is to keep humanity from having a personal relationship with God. This person also strives to attack the believer in Christ until death with the effort of trying to destroy their faith in the Lord.

I call this person "Stupid". Ephesians 2:2 calls him "ruler of the kingdom of the air". So, the air has a kingdom and he is the ruler of it. John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11 all refer to him as "the prince of this world". Not a king or god, just a prince.

This being was the closest created angel to God at one time. An account of his position before his mistake, during his mistake and afterward is found in Ezekiel 28:11-19. He is now a bothersome frustration to God and the Lord's family as the Accuser of the Brethren. He fulfills other titles also like - Liar, Father of Lies, Murderer, Thief and Destroyer of everything, especially humanity.

However, the only power and authority "stupid" can ever have is that which we grant him. Do not give credit to this trickster unless it is due him because you fell for his ploy. All this failed and doomed being has is old mind tricks and slick word play to convince humanity to rebel against God.

True power and authority is Christ's, who has paid redemption's price and conquered death, Hell, the grave, sin and the devil through His resurrection.

After Christ's resurrection, Matthew records -

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matt. 28:18-20)

No resurrection and Jesus is simply a martyr and good teacher. However, since Jesus has been and is still victorious - all will one day bow before Him and proclaim to the glory of Father God that Christ Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings (Philippians 2:9-11).

With Christ's power, authority and victory established - Matthew records Jesus saying, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell." (Matt. 10:28)

If this was not clear enough, God, speaking to Isaiah, states - "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord and apart from me there is no Savior." (Isaiah 43:10-11)

There is no offering from "stupid" that can take the place of God. The world is a creation of systems made by us that can offer nothing in the place of God. There is no amount of deeds or good works that could ever grant us or transform us into God or any higher being. 

There is no superhero that is going to save the world. The world has already been saved by Christ Jesus. The issues that still prevail are due to an unbelieving population in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

The only environment that allows for God's sacrifice through Jesus to be honored is through the New Heavens and New Earth prophesied to come in Revelation 21-22. Here, there will be no more pain, death, sorrow, sin (disobedience/rebellion), curse (decay), killing, stealing, and destruction. But in the meantime, especially for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - remember and cherish - Your Source, The One True God.

Making Better Decisions

Every new year, I do not make resolutions, I make requisitions of and to God. This year one of several things I am asking the Lord for is His help in making better decisions.

I have observed, the heart drives many, if not most decisions. Heart here means an emotional response to whatever situation is presented.

The problem that arises is a disproportionate discernment. The emotional side within me or us is so biased that it seems to be the first to react and strongest to make it to our mouth or actions. The mind or rational side of us does not receive a fair opportunity at attacking the decision at-hand.

In Paul's letter to the believer's in Philippi, he wrote, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

However, the believer must read the verse before to observe the action that warrants such a blessing from God - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

With the heart covered in verse six, Paul grants solutions for the mind in verse eight - "whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

In fact, Paul spoke a lot about guarding the mind with God's help.

Paul, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, also spoke to Satan's tricks - "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." (Ephesians 6:11) The word "schemes" translates to mind games.

The mention of mind games from the enemy should come as no surprise, so God's care in that realm should not surprise us either - The Helmet of Salvation is provided (Ephesians 6:17). This is a piece of the armor of God that when prayed for protects our thoughts. The helmet is also meant to keep our thoughts focused on God and His work of salvation in our lives - hence the name.

Paul challenges believers in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take every thought captive and make it obey Christ." Just taking every thought captive is a monumental task, but the more you practice the more you are made perfect by submitting those thoughts to Christ. 

Mr. Rick Renner qualifies the phrase "take every thought captive" by saying - "The words 'bringing into captivity' [KJV] are from the Greek word aichmalotidzo, which pictured a soldier who has captured an enemy and now leads him into captivity with the point of a sharpened spear thrust into the flesh in his back. The captured enemy knows that if he tries to move or get away, the Roman soldier will shove that spear clear through his torso and kill him. Therefore, this captive doesn't dare move but remain silent, submissive and non-resistant." (p.629, Sparkling Gems From the Greek)

Paul also challenges us to "set your mind on things above, not earthly things." (Colossians 3:2) I do not like the saying, "Do not be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good." I believe if we have the proper focus toward God and Heaven, He will help us take care of things below. If we are properly focused on God and things above, believers will automatically be earthly good.

Paul continues by saying being transformed into the image of Christ is a daily process that includes a constant renewal of our mind toward the things of God. God instructs through Paul - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."" (Romans 12:2) Being transformed by the renewing of your mind calls for a daily process of deliberate thought about God, but comes with the awesome benefit of knowing "his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Renewal is not a one-and-done deal. The word "renewing" translates to a total re-do, overhaul or renovation of one's thought life. Just as if you were re-doing or renovating a room in your house, so this is a daily renovation but on a constant basis to transform you more into the likeness of Christ.

So, imagine a beautiful throne, set in the middle of your mind, which controls tremendous power over your body, future, speech and actions. Many things have tried to sit in that chair of authority as Governor of your mind.

However, Paul narrows the choices down to two considerations - the flesh or rebellious nature as Governor, which would result in death of all kinds OR the Holy Spirit as Governor of your mind, which would result in life and peace. The actual passage in Romans 8:5-9 says this -

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you."

Now with The Governor of your mind secured as The Holy Spirit, hopefully I can persuade you to have Him do the same for your heart.

About our emotional side, Jesus said in Luke 6:45 - "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Since Jesus is The Truth believers should fill their hearts to overflowing with the things of God so that our mouths are speaking these things of God. A strong defense for living this way in the effort to represent Christ better and to make better decisions is - to pray for the Breastplate of Righteousness and the Holy Spirit's guidance.

In Exodus 28:15, 29-30 - a breast-piece, representing all the tribes of Israel was created for the High Priest to be worn when making decisions. Even David called for the Ephod or breast-piece to acquire God's help in decision-making and received that assistance (1 Sam. 23:9-12 and 1 Sam. 30:7-8).

A better breastplate came along when Jesus visited, paid the price for our redemption with His life, secured our eternity with Him through victory over death, Hell and the grave - then deposited the Holy Spirit in those who accepted Him as their personal Savior.

Isaiah 59:17 and Ephesians 6:14 speaks to spiritually wearing this right-standing with God, purchased by Christ, as a breastplate covering the midsection of a soldier, the area of the heart or emotions. Is it no surprise then that Paul also calls this breastplate in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 - the breastplate of faith and love?

I pray every believer has allowed the Holy Spirit to daily sit enthroned upon their heart. If the believer will truly surrender his/her heart or emotions to the control of the Holy Spirit, then this breastplate will be an active part of Christian living. Yes, the breast-piece or breastplate is protection from incoming and outgoing emotional distress and responses, but believers must daily activate it through prayer - "Put on the full armor of God...(Eph. 6:11).

Solomon instructed with his Godly, inspired wisdom long before Christ arrived - "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23)

Therefore, a possible flow chart might be - from heart ➔ to mind ➔ to mouth/actions. Three questions arise from this flow -

1. Does the end result help?
2. Does the end result hinder?
3. Has the Holy Spirit been in the process since the beginning?

The answers to keeping a well-balanced emotional and rational self are 

1. to include and/or invite God into every single emotion and thought and 
2. allow His governance thereof.

These answers are also the same for Making Better Decisions.

Good Shepherd, Overseer - Pastor

God's Word has not changed over the millennia. The same words are on the same pages and should carry the same meaning. People are the ones who change and believers specifically attempt to adjust or modify God's Word to fit their situation or the culture of the day.

Speaking to the Head Position of a Church - the Shepherd, Overseer or Pastor -

"God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This does not imply men are better teachers or that women are inferior or less intelligent. It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are also to set an example in their lives, but in a different way (1 Peter 3:1-6). Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3–5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men [or the Church]. This bars women from serving as pastors to men [1 Timothy 2:11-12]. This does not make women less important, by any means; rather, it gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s design."
[https://www.gotquestions.org/women-pastors.html] For a more detailed look at this subject visit the link provided.

Having established who a Pastor should not be, let us address the qualifications of the office. He is to be -

1. "above reproach,
2. faithful to his wife,
3. temperate,
4. self-controlled,
5. respectable,
6. hospitable,
7. able to teach,
8. not given to drunkenness,
9. not violent but gentle,
10. not quarrelsome,
11. not a lover of money.
12. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
13. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
14. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap." (1 Tim. 3:2-7)

Paul re-emphasizes and adds some requirements in his letter to Titus -

"he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." (Titus 1:7-9)

There are two huge qualifications I personally look for in a Pastor when deciding what leadership I desire for my marriage to learn under - teaching ability and personal one-on-one attention.

There have been Pastors in my past and our past that were heavy on one qualification and completely missed the other. In addition, there were others that did not have either a teaching/preaching ministry or a personal touch - those days were rough.

I realize Pastors have an extremely busy schedule, but for them to reach out to me or us and squirrel away an hour of personal time is priceless. To have lunch or dinner and get to know each other while talking on all concerns is a whole other level of ministering that I fully enjoy from a Pastor. Dare I would dream that lunch or dinner become a regular weekly event, I would be on another plateau of gratefulness and happiness.

In addition to this, if you or I have this kind of Pastor and he is a good speaker - what a blessing from God. I was raised to not only know your material when you publicly or privately speak, but deliver it correctly with the right grammar. I hear so many Pastors misuse the "you and I"/"you and me" phrase it is nauseating. Here is the rule for that - take the other person out of the equation/phrase/sentence - "you or whomever" - and how would you normally say the sentence?

One final aspect of the Pastor I observe is his attire. I come from a traditional view of wearing your Sunday Best. Even though my body is called the temple of the Lord and I meet with Him daily, Sunday I dress-up because I'm attending another "temple" where many others will be honoring God - hopefully the Pastor will be doing likewise.

This is all about excellence and Pastors striving for it through leadership, Godly character, personal outreach, speaking ability and appearance. This office is a huge responsibility and will be dealt strictly upon Judgement Day (1 Peter 5:1-4). So if you are personally looking for a church with a good Pastor or your church is looking for their next Pastor, consider what I have researched in The Word of God and pursue that Good Shepherd, Overseer - Pastor.

The Hope

The New King James version of the Bible uses the word "appointed" in Hebrews 9:27 to describe the last day that each individual has on earth, no matter how short or long the duration. The verse reads - "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,".

God has many record-keeping books in Heaven according to Revelation 20:12. In addition, this Hebrews 9:27 verse alludes to an Appointment Book that has documented everyone's detailed information of death - who, what (cause), when, where, why and how of their expiration. 

However, there is an exception to this appointment with physical death and this is called The Rapture.

The Rapture, described beautifully in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, is the snatching away of the dead in Christ and living believers by Jesus, who has descended from Heaven to mid-air, to bring them all back to live with Him forever via a glorified body.

This "mid-air" coming is FOR His saints. The word "for" is meant to picture acquisition of something betrothed. Christ's believers, church or bride was paid with the very highest price - the life of Jesus (Galatians 3:13; Colossians 1:14; and Isaiah 53:5-6). Belief in eternal life secured by the life, death, resurrection and return of Christ is the believer's hope.

After this retrieval there is another return of Christ. After seven years in Heaven, Christ Jesus travels to earth from Heaven WITH His saints/believers/church behind Him according to Revelation 19:14-16 to establish His Millennial Reign on Earth.

Interestingly enough, one does not have to wait until the New Testament to witness someone with Godly, prophetic inspiration about this Hope. David stated in Psalm 27:13-14 - "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Then in the New Testament, long before humanity had to concern itself with environmental issues, Paul writes there is a future glory with Christ that will far surpass all sufferings believers endure in the here and now. To witness to this, creation has been "groaning" in different ways throughout history, waiting "in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed." (Romans 8:19) 

In fact, creation itself - "was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:20-21)

Here is where The Hope is birthed and fostered. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)

Humanity was saved into The Hope, the great expectation that will manifest one day of a tremendously better, eternal tomorrow. This is not a fantasy or wishful thinking on the believer's part. Every three hundred plus prophecy of Christ that concerned His first visitation was perfectly fulfilled. And every believer can take as fact not manifested yet, the prophecies made of Christ's Return. 

Paul speaks about The Day that The Hope is manifested. He leads in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 by stating the order of a few key players and their actions. First, the Lord will descend with a shout. Second, the archangel will declare "amen" probably. Lastly, the trumpet will signal the transformation.

Now observe how 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 marries nicely with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, especially after The Trumpet blast.

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

This is The Hope.

When God Says, "No"

Reading the events of Scripture and experiencing them are two different animals. My father and family can empathize with Mary and Martha when they lost Lazarus. We echoed their words in prayers to Jesus when they said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (Jn. 11:32)

At this writing, my Mom recently passed away. The sudden-ness of her leaving was just like the sting spoken of in Scripture that Death possesses. This sting haunts all those that have lost loved ones.

The family had three churches, not three individuals, and a host of people on social media - praying and petitioning God for a miracle recovery. God said, "No". This answer almost stung more than death's sting. However, there was no doubt of the answer because every direction we turned - mentally, physically and spiritually for Mom - God was saying, "No". Mom's appointed time to be with The Lord had come on October 6, 2025 at 2:07 p.m.

But God's "No's" not only have a silver lining, they have an eternal golden lining as well. Jesus replied to Martha upon arriving and hearing her anguish - "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, will live, even if he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn. 11:25)

Ever since Jesus spoke these words, every true believer places their faith and hope in them - including my Mom. Therefore, according to The Word of God in flesh - Christ Jesus - my mother is still living. Her essence was masquerading in the shell we call the body. Now she is with the Lord and in Paradise. Again according to Christ's own words to the thief while on the cross, Jesus said - "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Lk. 23:43) As for "the rest of mankind", 1 Thessalonians 4:13 blatantly states they "have no hope".

Life becomes more challenging and extremely different without my Mom in it. Like I mentioned before, these types of experiences are easier to read about in Scripture than walk through. But many of these Biblical events are documented to show believers - (1) we are not alone in our struggles and (2) what to do next - eagerly and patiently await His return as you "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His Glory and Grace"; even - When God Says, "No". 

Big Words, Simple Truth

 

Jesus said, "Do to others, what you would have done to yourself." (Matthew 7:12)

If I may be so bold as to add some words for emphasis that are already implied - first and before having. So, Christ's instruction would read,

"Do to others [first], [before having] what you would have done to yourself."

I call this Unconditional Considerate Initiative. The phrase means to take the first step for a person or in a situation in being considerate without seeking reward or payment of any kind. 

As an example, many people look at chivalry as a Southern behavior, locked into a geographical area of the United States. This is a behavior that contains more than opening doors for ladies that should transcend not only the South, but the nation. Then it needs to be triggered by those who love to love on others.

The first thought in these kind of people would be - "I'm going to help this person out with..." or "I'm going to make this situation better by..." right at the outset of the challenge or issue, if the resources are available or can be attained. When observing a person in need or challenging situation, try to place yourself in their shoes and ask - what might I need? Then try to supply that need for them first or at least quickly.

All this effort is for the joy and peace that you know the resolution will bring to the people and/or situation. Unconditional Considerate Initiative - just some serious consideration, on a daily basis, that makes it into your lifestyle to make life better for others. Big Words, Simple Truth.

His Plan For His Own

Hindsight is always 20/20 or perfect vision. So, when the decision comes for God to share or not to share any part of His Plan for my life with me, I plead with Him to grant me a break every now-and-then and allow me to see and understand His upcoming events.

Every time I pray this, I am reminded He may or may not choose to answer in the positive, but realize this is the age of Faith. Scripture says of faith - 

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1). 

So, from this confidence, hope and assurance I stand and inquire about His Plan For His Own.

I would like to think and believe that many people and believers accept the idea of the all-knowingness of God. Some individuals, like those who ascribe to Deism, believe God created everything then stepped back and has watched everything unfold ever since with little to no involvement.

This is not who Christians worship. When joining the concepts of God's supreme knowledge, His design of all things and humanity's feeble minds - many Christians will recall Isaiah 55:8-10 -

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God has a design, a plan for the history of humanity and creation. However, He also has a detailed, purposeful, individualistic plan for each of us, especially His own. God's knowledge and involvement on everybody's individual plan is seen in Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:13.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Psalm 139:13 states, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb."

All this foreknowledge by God of His plans for creation, history and our personal lives places believers in the position to ask - what are your plans for me God?

To begin answering this question we must first address another question - what are our plans, especially concerning a relationship with God?

David or whoever is writing the Psalms between 20:4 and 94:11 must have had a change of mind and heart about the quality of human planning. Psalm 20:4 prays for “all your plans to succeed”, while Psalm 94:11 attests to the faultiness of our plans by stating – “He [God] knows they are futile.”

Proverbs 16:1 declares, "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue." Notice that for humanity, our source of planning from the start is our own heart. This is dangerous. Remember what Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

However, if the Lord is our source of understanding and planning, then what finally flows from our mouths is pure, holy and true.

In addition, Proverbs 19:21 states, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." All of us can be busy-bodies at times. Our minds can race a million miles per hour about additional things even when we just checked off all things on our current agenda. Know that God is going to have His way, so yielding to His Plan up front is wise.

Since we walk by faith and not by sight, not having His plan for our lives revealed beforehand, what can we grasp from Scripture about His Plan For His Own?

One of the most well-known and beloved passages of The Bible assists believers in this regard, Jeremiah 29:11 - 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Plans = the original word for plan is machashabah (makh-ash-aw-baw). This word means intention, imagination, invention, purpose or thought.

Prosper = the original word for prosper is shalom meaning to not only “bless with peace”, but with safety, welfare, prosperity, and wholeness.

Hope = the original word hope is tiqvah (tik-vah), meaning “an assured expectation”, a cord to hold on to; expectation, yearning or person/place/thing that we long for or look forward to.

My paraphrase of this Scripture is as follows - For I know the thoughts I have toward you, thoughts, intentions and purposes that are designed to deliver safety, welfare, prosperity, peace and wholeness to you, not any sort of harm and intentions to instill in your lives more than just a sense of getting by, but an assured expectation that is promised manifestation from the Creator, which will surely bless your future now and later.

Something that I would like to stress or magnify here that James does so beautifully is -

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) 

With God's grand design, His individual plans or thoughts that are infinitely higher than ours - comes nothing but perfect goodness and love toward His own. So, while we live our lives, how do we execute His Plan?

Micah 6:8 gets right to the points on this question. One translation says - do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. This is great, but I really like the New International Version of this verse, which reads - 

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Acting justly shows the development of God's integrity in the Christian's life. Loving mercy is to display God's heart to all and to receive mercy because we chose to give it. Walking humbly with God is the opposite of a prideful life - to always live in a state of ascribing credit where credit is due. 

To live like this means the believer accepts his/her original "wiring" that was rejected but now is activated and in full operation with the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior and the help of the Holy Spirit.

The instruction Jesus gave on the lifestyle of living out God's Plan was - 

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40).

However, besides Micah's contribution and the instruction of Jesus, what take-home handles can the Christian implement in their daily faith journey to assure God's plan is honored in our lives? 

First, "commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3). This means verbalize or pray your list or agenda for each day to the Lord. For example, "Lord, today I have much on my plate. I have...." You are praying not just to show Him your list but to include Him first thing in everything.

Secondly, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-7). Within this passage there are three challenging instructions - (1) trust in the Lord with everything you have, (2) do not depend on your own smarts and (3) in the small things, big things and everything in between submit how you would do it to Him. The result is He will align your plans and ways with His because you consulted Him first and followed these directions.

Now that the believer has committed his/her day to the Lord at the onset, the Christian needs to submit his/her agenda. This submitting is equal to signing your name at the bottom of the paper with the list of things that need accomplishing, praying over them, then sliding it across the table to God and going about your day in a surrendered spirit, trusting in Him.

Lastly, obey. Obedience will cover a multitude of efforts toward knowing and living out God's Plan for our lives. Within His call for obedience I believe forgiveness is a huge player. Speaking to His followers and believers, Jesus said,

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)

The Christian's salvation is not in question here if the believer does not forgive someone. However, there is a loss, the Christian loses the daily forgiveness of mistakes and favor or the graces of God until the believer forgives the original offense. Obedience in every area, especially this one will go a long way in providing a daily handle for executing His Plan for the believer's life.

Jesus did guarantee that following Him would not be easy. But He also promised that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). In addition, Jesus has made some other promises that Christians world-wide hang their hopeful hats upon. These promises and the arrival of Christ's first visit itself has all been part of His Plan from "go". God had Isaiah say it like this -

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do." (Isa. 46:10-11)

The personal involvement of Yahweh proves God's plan has never been reactive but always preemptive, harkening back to the words of Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:13. This means every unborn child is not an accident, but a precious creation of The Creator, who desires a relationship with that person for eternity and has a plan for their life should they accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior.

What a joy to know that like a builder that sits down before he constructs his house or structure and determines the worth of the labor involved, so too did God count the cost before creation and salvation and deemed worthy His Plan For His Own (Luke 14:28-33; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20).