Our Father In Heaven

Have you stopped to reflect on the magnitude of those words?  "Our Father in Heaven".  We know

about fathers.  Even if our earthly father failed us, we have an idea of what that should be.  The New Oxford American Dictionary says of fatherly: protective, supportive, encouraging, affectionate, caring,

sympathetic, indulgent.  WOW!  Put those adjectives with omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternal and I could stop right here and have wonderful food for thought.  But I’ll continue with “in Heaven”.  Again, using the same dictionary: ecstasy, rapture, contentment, happiness, delight, joy, and paradise.   As Christians, we believe in Heaven as a place as revealed in the Bible, but we really don’t have much experience in regard to that place.  However, we know it’s beyond anything we could imagine, beyond magnificence.

So, what’s my point?  Well, if you are a believer, consider such access.  Here on earth, we have access to the Eternal Creator of all things, Who calls Himself our Father and lives in Heaven.  We should be running to Him moment by moment!  We should not be fretting about the things of life that disturb us!  We take these things to God, our loving Father Who is in Heaven…protective, supportive, caring, indulgent!  He is passionate about you, more than any earthly father, wonderful or not!  Wait on Him.  Trust Him.  Rest in Him.  He has your best interest planned!

I once heard a comedian talk about “life’s amazing and nobody’s happy”.  He spoke on different scenarios and one had to do with cell phones.  First, that we even have cell phones but also the impatience and whining that comes with not getting a signal or loosing the signal once we’re in conversation.  He said, “GIVE IT A MINUTE!  IT’S GOING TO SPACE!”  In reference to our heavenly Father, I would say, “Give Him a minute!  He created space!”  “God’s amazing and Christians aren’t happy”.

A good friend, who leads a prayer group, asked us recently, “We know we have hope in Christ.  What does hope look like?”  There were many good answers.  But it’s a very good question that should keep us thinking.  What does hope look like?  The thought for this post came one day as I prayed, “Father, in Heaven” and then I thought of my friend’s question.  I have a caring Father in Heaven.  Hope should look like “perseverance”.  Not persevering with clinched teeth and gnarled face.  The Christian’s face should reflect that we rest in an omnipotent, caring Father in Heaven.  We should glow with contentment, happiness, delight, and joy.  This must be the expression or our words cannot be believed.

Father, in Heaven, give us a countenance that reflects our total trust in your sovereignty!  Let this countenance precede every word of witness about our Savior Who gives us this access beyond magnificence!

Hell is Real or Jesus is a Liar

Why should a Christian have a “heart cry for the lost”?  Because we have a message of “Jesus saves”, as posted in my last blog.  Some may say, “Saved from what?”  From sin and ultimately, an eternity in hell.

Recently, I heard a message from Dale Cutlip on the subject of hell.  He preaches it quite often and said that it is not always well received in many churches.  In fact, many churches do not invite him back after such a message.  The following are some of my notes taken from one of his sermons on hell.

Our goal as a believer is to “love all men and only hate the sin that bought them hell forever.”  What is heaven and what is hell?  Heaven is a place where we will surrender to the whole will of God forever.   Hell is the world of the rebel, who refuse to bow down to the will of God.

Many do not believe in hell.  There are many questions regarding hell: why, when, where, what, who?  And the question that is the subject of our “goal as a believer”: How does one escape?

Why?  Hell was created for Lucifer and his demons.  They had become selfishly independent from God.  From this came the fall and sin nature, which is a spiritual cancer resulting in disobedience, discontentment, etc.

When?  Hell was created after Satan fell.  It might have occurred between Genesis, chapters two and three.  We don’t really know for sure since the Bible is not specific about this.  However, we do know that in the beginning everything was “very good”.

Where?  Ephesians four states that Jesus resurrected, ascended on high, far above all the heavens.  In verse nine, it also says, “He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth.”  Other references use terms such as Sheol, Hades, Underworld (lower parts), Bottomless Pit.  In Numbers sixteen, the people involved in Korah’s rebellion went “down alive into the pit.”

What?  Death, damnation, condemnation, judgment.  Eternal, conscious spiritual pain, torment, flames, gnashing of teeth.

Who?  Wicked.  There are the ignorant wicked and self-righteous wicked.  Pastor Cutlip said that some of the worst failures in this category are the religionist who sway away and cannot or will not follow Christ.

How does one escape?  Trust in Christ alone!  It’s not of works! (Ephesians 2:8)

The Triune God does not want you to go to hell! “’As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!  Why then will you die…’” (Ez. 33:11) 

Either hell is real or Jesus is a liar.  (Matt. 5:22, 10:28 to state a few.)  And Mark 9:47-48, “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”

Let us be moved with compassion to a “heart cry for the lost”!!

A Heart Cry for the Lost

“As they were striking the people and I alone was left, I fell on my face and cried out saying, ‘Alas, Lord GOD!  Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel By pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?’”  Ezekiel 9:8

Scripture records other incidents about great men of faith crying out to GOD on behalf of the wicked.   When I read one, it reminds me of the purpose of our walk here: to warn the lost sinner of his dilemma.  Ezekiel “fell on his face and cried out”.  He was passionately concerned about his people.  So must we be!

A young man told me once, “If you really believe in hell, that unbelievers are going there, then basically everyone you pass on the street is going to hell.   Shouldn’t every Christian be out there telling the world?”  Convicting? 

We as Christians should begin each day on our face to God and cry out for the lost, cry out about our own sin of silence and cry out as to how God will use us to tell the world that Jesus saves!!

“We have heard the joyful sound…Jesus Saves!  Spread the tidings all around…Jesus Saves!  Bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves; onward!  ‘Tis our Lord’s command; Jesus Saves!!!”   (Priscilla Owens/William Kirkpatrick)

"Amazed at Sin"

A friend of mine this week asked some others at a prayer group, "Do you amaze yourself sometimes at your own sinfulness?"  Just her very question was an encouragement.  To know that others feel that way about themselves gave me a sigh of relief.  I don't mean relief that I should be content in sin but sometimes, knowing your own mind and it's wretched thoughts can cause you to despair, thinking, "How in the world could Christ be living in me and think such thoughts!"  Yes, I'm amazed and then it makes me more amazed and in love with the Savior who loved me in my sin and said, "Come!"

In Ezekiel 9:4, 9, and 10, we see God's mercy on those who find sin loathsome and His wrath on those who think He doesn't see.  "...put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."  "Then He said to me, 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood and the city is full of perversion; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!"  But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads."

We are blessed with God's Spirit to convict us of sin and grow us into the image of Jesus-sanctification-until our last day.  Spurgeon says, "Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God.  Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden.  Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them.  If thou has one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. 'That which is born of flesh is flesh.'"

Be amazed at the sin still in you but don't despair.  Get on your knees and repent for the Spirit has blessed you with that awareness!  Loath the sin in the world and pray for others to see and "repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"  (Matthew 3:2)

Marked by God

Reading the major prophets has not been a real draw for me. I’ve read them through a few times but not with much excitement. However, several months ago, I was drawn to Isaiah.  I wanted to read it more thoroughly, more in tune to how God would teach me through it.  There are too many details of what occurred as I began this reading, but the main point is that God has truly blessed my seeking.  I went on to read Jeremiah, Lamentations and then Ezekiel.  After a few chapters of Ezekiel, I thought, “Ok, I guess the excitement’s over.”  Again, God began blessing me with truths about Him I had not considered before.  There are several in chapter nine alone.  My next several posts will come from this chapter.

Acceptance is something that every human desires and seeks.  I have no official documentation for that statement.  It comes simply from experience and observation.  But I believe I’m right!  And for the believer, everything in life revolves around acceptance.  But true acceptance comes from one source: Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 1:6 “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.”  WOW!  Love the feeling of that phrase!  So much hope, so much security, belonging, joy, peace…

And where does Ezekiel fit in?  God has been giving Ezekiel visions right and left.  Ezekiel is finding out many disturbing situations going on with the Israelites.  God is going to pour out His wrath.  He has had enough.  “The LORD said to him, ‘Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.”  (more about sighs, groans and abominations in another post)  But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare…but do not touch any man on whom is the mark….”  Reading that last phrase, “any man on whom is the mark”, I thought immediately of the phrase from Ephesians, “accepted in the Beloved.” 

What hope comes from knowing that as believers in Jesus Christ, trusting in His shed blood on the cross, we are marked for eternity from the wrath of God!  First Corinthians puts it another way, “confirmed to the end”(1:8).  I’d say that it doesn’t get any better than that!!!

Prayerfully Busy

I'm a busy person.  I use to believe my busyness was essential, important and useful.  Now, I'm not so sure about some of it.  I rush around doing things, not really realizing that I'm...well, rushing!  My first realization of this was a couple of years ago when I was flying through Walmart with my buggy, coming around a corner and almost giving grown men (tall manly men) coronaries as I screeched successfully to a stop before running them over.  (This happened twice in one Walmart trip.)  The looks on their scared faces have been etched in my mind.  Why am I always in a hurry?  Poor planning?  Wanting to finish the task?
I know I'm a goal oriented, task mastered, detail determined, my way or no way kind of a gal!  Apart from the Holy Spirit, I'd definitely be a "stepping on whomever to get that goal accomplished" kind of person.  Praise God for His transformation.  But I still struggle with it.  Staying in God's Word always brings me back to the place of dependence on Him and putting others before myself.  God knows it's been a process and He has definitely given me patience with others and myself as He works this out in me.

And the reason for the post?  Well, I've been reading Ezekiel and I found something that spoke to me about this very thing.  I'm sure it's not exactly the meaning of the passage but it was a great reminder for me!  Ezekiel 1:14, "And the living beings ran to and from like bolts of lightning."  So, when I read that of course my first thought was, "Wow!  That reminds me of me!  (And those men's faces came to my mind!)  As I continued reading the passage about these figures that Ezekiel says resemble four living beings and John MacArthur says were probably angels, most likely cherubs, I was struck with my need of awareness of my own actions.   Backing up in verse 12, it says, "And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went."  And on down in verse 20, "Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction."  John Mac says the "spirit" in these passages is the "divine impulse by which God moved them to do His will."

So how do I move with the "divine impulse"?  By reading the Word, learning it and living it.  By getting on my knees daily and asking God to move me as He wills.  By asking the Holy Spirit to live through me and guide me moment by moment.  Yes, I want my busyness to be essential, important and useful.  But it must be bathed in humble prayer and seeking God with all my heart.  Only then will I be more watchful, caring,  and resting in the results.   I want to go "straight forward", to go "wherever the spirit was about to go...without turning as" I go.  I want to go in the direction only as the spirit goes, God's divine impulse!

And I'm very thankful that I was not the cause of casualties at Walmart.  I am learning and thankfully not always is it a "learning the hard way".

Encouragement

Moses spoke to the Israelites all that God had instructed him to do as a leader.  In this long discourse stand two words God instructed Moses to do for a fellow believer.  And in fact, it was to one God was appointing leader in Moses place and would see the promised land instead of Moses.  "Encourage him."  Deuteronomy 1:38   Spurgeon, Evening, September 17th

God employs His people to encourage one another.  God does not tell the angels to encourage us.  If His purpose can be accomplished by ordinary means, He will not use miraculous agency.  A brother's sympathy is more precious than an angel's embassy.  An angel has never experienced the hardness of the road, nor seen the fiery serpents, nor led the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness.  We should be glad that God works for man by man.  It forms a bond of brotherhood, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused more completely into one family.  God encourages you by His promises.  Christ encourages you as He points to the heaven He has won for you.  The Spirit encourages you as He works in you to will and to do of His own will and pleasure.  Imitate divine wisdom and encourage others, according to the Word this evening.

Unsolved Mysteries

God asked Job, "Have you entered into the springs of the sea?" (38:16)   Some things in nature must remain a mystery to the most intelligent and enterprising investigators.  Human knowledge has bounds beyond which it cannot pass.  Why then torture your brain with speculations as to destiny and will, fixed fate, and human responsibility?  Why am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's providences, the motive of His actions, the design of His visitations?  Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and hold the universe in my palm?  Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love.
Solving deep mysteries will [not] avail me a single whit.   The least love to God and the simplest act of obedience to Him are better than the profoundest knowledge.

My Lord, I leave the infinite to Thee, and pray Thee to put far from me such a love for the tree of knowledge as might keep me from the tree of life.     C.H. Spurgeon, September 5th, Evening