This may be the most important blog I have ever posted. What will you do with it?

How long does it take to write a blog post? After writing about a thousand. I don’t know. Sometimes the thoughts just kinda ripen with age. Other times they pop out of the microwave. This post is one that has been ripening with age. I’m not even sure what to write….

A few weeks back, a friend named Mike came in my tiny janitor’s office and began sharing about God’s love. It was one of several times our paths have intersected and we have talked about God’s love. I appreciate his passion. It’s not difficult for you that know Mike to figure out who I am talking about, when you put the word Mike and passion together. They fit.

Keep love in the forefront of your mind, but for a minute ask yourself the question: “Why love?” Consider from the beginning of time and before there was mankind. God was God and He likely did a pretty good job of being God. What was He thinking when he created you and me? For what purpose was the idea of mankind birthed?

The answer comes to me in a struggle. I have become aware that I do not know how to adequately express my appreciation for who and what God is. I believe my praise of God is inadequate. I want to tell God thank you for all His creations, but it doesn’t seem like that is enough. My inadequate expression of praise for the creator brought me back to my friends passion for God’s love.

I believe in a very limited way of understanding the makeup of God, that in the beginning of time and before mankind, God must have been bursting at the seams with love. He was like a balloon totally filled with love and stretched to the max. Love was the most important part of who He was. It was the essence of His being. He was bursting with Love and so passionately wanted to share in His experience. Even the rocks would cry out, but that wasn’t enough. It was time to give birth.

It was time for God to create mankind in His image. How else would His creation be able to experience the Love He so desperately wanted to share? Do you get it? God had this incredible thing called Love that He wants you to experience! It likely was the very reason you were created.

There is nothing more important in life than Love! Think on it. Dwell on it. Don’t just flippantly click to the next blog. You for a moment have been brought to a place at the feet of God and have been offered the opportunity to experience God’s greatest gift, Love. What will you do with it?

For me, Love answers a question. I now know the missing component to my praise of the Holy Father. Love.

surf to: http://www.freshc.org for a Fresh Connection…

Quality Carpenter Needed

Guest post by: Marianne

Zechariah describes a prophetic vision of 4 horns and 4 carpenters. Each one would overcome the other in competition. Who is the last one we are waiting for, to complete the prophecy?

Zec 1:18 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns.

Zec 1:19 And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What [be] these? And he answered me, These [are] the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.

Zec 1:20 And the LORD showed me four carpenters.

Zec 1:21 Then said I, What come these to do? And he spoke, saying, These [are] the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up [their] horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

In this prophecy, the horns represented the powers that would scatter Judah and Israel, and the carpenters would represent the next empire that would come, and defeat that power.

Horns are powers that scatter and destroy.

Carpenters are builders.

So each power would begin as a horn, and then fall under the next power, or horn.

The incoming power would be the carpenter that would cast out the previous horn.

So each incoming horn acts as a carpenter, a builder.

Throughout history, scholars have watched this prophecy be fulfilled, with one successive event after another. The pattern looked like this until 313 CE:

4 carpenters		Darius- Medo-Persians	Greece – Alexander the Great	Rome	?
4 horns	Babylon	Babylon	Darius- Medo-Persians	Greece – Alexander the Great	Rome

 

Then, it got a little crazy after that. Here is the whole history:

Foreign Empires that ruled in Israel
587 BCE	Babylonian	B
538-333 BCE	Persian	P
333-63 BCE	Greek ( Hellenistic)	G
63 BCE-313 CE	Roman	R
313-636	Byzantine	G
636-1099	Arab (Syrian)	B/P
1099-1291	Crusaders	R
1291-1516	Mamluk (Turk)	B/P
1516-1918	Ottoman (Turk)	B/P
1917-1948	British	R

For the past 1000 years, there appears to be a competition between the Babylonian/ Persian horn and the Roman horn.

Was Zechariah wrong, or just incomplete? The answer is neither.

Apparently, he was generalizing about the 4 powers that would struggle over the land of Israel, until God stopped the conflicts with the last carpenter.

If one visits Jerusalem, one will see the Greek, Roman, and Persian/Babylonian (Islamic) all influence there.

But the clue is in verse 21, about the last carpenter:

…..but these are come to fray them, to cast out the horns of the Gentiles, which lifted up [their] horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

Until there is a final casting out of all gentile horns who scatter Israel, the prophecy is not fulfilled yet.

Who would be the last carpenter to cast out all horns?

He cannot be a gentile. He must be Jewish.

It obviously cannot be one of the horns, because the last carpenter cannot be a destroyer, just a builder, and he would have re-gather Israel, not scatter it once again.

The empires mentioned above so far, are not qualified, since they have all scattered Israel.

So, Who is qualified to re-gather Israel into the land forever?

Who is qualified to conquer, cast out all scattering gentile horns, and then build something that will last forever?

Only the Lord God builds the ruined places:

Eze 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined [places, and] plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken [it], and I will do [it].

Amo 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Amo 9:14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

Who will heaven use for this building and restoration?

Who is the Lord God’s carpenter that we are all familiar with?

Does it not tell us in scripture who will be this last builder?

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?

 

Only Jesus can fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah and Amos. Only Jesus will be able to remove all horns of human power, and destruction, and scattering.

Only Jesus can bring unity to a hurting land, and suffering world.

Jesus is the last carpenter.

God has a way of speaking to us, if we only listen. I was driving home, and passed a small sign, posted to a tree. It said “Quality Carpenter Needed.” It immediately struck me, that there was only one carpenter I needed in my life.

This is where this post came from.

Listen, and he will speak to you.

Listen, and He will direct you.

Listen, and he will show you the way.

Trust him. He will remove the horns over your life, gather you back to Himself, and rebuild you.

God Spot Verified

From my friend Faith.  What a great name!

My Thoughts:
Jeremiah 10:6
No one is like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

So…most of you know that this last week was pretty intense for my family. I received the call Friday evening from my parents telling me that my mom had been having chest pains, had been to a cardiologist, and that she would have a heart catheterization (with stints or bypass) on Monday. My entire family rushed to Missouri to be with my mom and dad. My mom was having all the symptoms of a heart attack on Sunday and was taking nitroglycerin. On Monday, the doctor told us that my mom had some anomalies (defects) and 2 clogged and calcified coronary arteries. He told us that he was pretty sure that she was going to have a triple bypass. We rallied, prayed, and hoped for the best.

An hour passed and the doctor came out with a perplexed expression on his face. He said, “She’s fine. Actually she is better than fine. Her arteries have zero plague and no calcification. Being 65, she should have some but she doesn’t. Not only is she plague free, but the abnormalities on the CAT scan just aren’t there anymore. I cannot explain it, and I called 3 other doctors in to look…God must have performed a miracle.”

My mom went home that evening and has had no chest pain or any symptoms. My mom says that all her symptoms went away shortly before they wheeled her into the procedure room and that it was fascinating to watch the doctors freaking out because they didn’t see what they thought they would. They even checked to make sure they had the right CAT scan.

I am praising God because I truly believe He healed my mom…a mighty demonstration of His power. As you pray and listen to God this week, what is God demonstrating to you?

When God Rejects Us

GUEST POST by: Marianne

We pray for legitimate help.   We wait, and there is nothing……..

Why?

Those who insist that every prayer is met with victory, if you pray hard enough, or tithe long enough, are wrong.

Jesus prayed to avoid the cross, but he died on it anyhow. The apostles were faithful in prayer, yet most were also crucified, as Jesus was, or put to death for their faith.

People get depressed when God does not seem to answer, or His answer is obviously “no.”

Sometimes God helps, sometimes He doesn’t. Why?

I have found that the longer I know the Lord, the less He helps me.

That does seem opposite of what I would expect.

But as I mature in faith, my faith is tested more. And I have to wait longer for anything, if I am to get it at all. God is present to help me grow in faith. If he answers too quickly, then my faith stays where it is at.

Many of us have legitimate situations. We are in serious difficulty: unemployed for years, out of money, terminal illness, etc.

We have to accept the reality of our situation.

If it is meant to be cured, then it will. If it goes on too long, we will die because of the situation.

Sometimes, we do not get another job in time, before we lose our house, and sometimes we do not survive cancer.

But this is the time to draw closer to God anyhow, because he may be all we have left. We need to also accept that it is not God rejecting our prayers for help.

God gives life and he takes it away. Our life is in His hands.

Maybe it is our time to go and be with Him.

Our heavenly reward will not be based on our success in life, or how well we got God to answer our prayers, or quickly overcoming an earthly problem.

It will be based on our faithfulness during a testing time, when God does not give us what we want.

It is the dark times when we are nothing, our life is nothing, and we have nothing, that we earn our crowns.

So when you see this happening to you, just look up to Him. He is watching you grow, and he knows the pain you are in.

He has allowed it, so that you will not only come to know Him and His sufferings, but also a greater weight of glory when you meet Him.

Do not give up. Be encouraged. God is not rejecting you.

You are closer to Him now, than you ever have been before. No matter how hard it is, just rest in Him.

James Harrison T-Shirt – What will you pay?

How much will you pay for an authentic James Harrison Superbowl record breaker T-Shirt?  I think this shirt may have been worn during the Super Bowl game and James made his record breaking touch down.  I think the guy that has this shirt stole it off his back while he was in the shower.

 Or possibly you’d like to bid on Aretha’s hat she recently wore at the Oh’Bama inaugeration.  She says she’s not sure if she is going to let the Smithsonian Institute have it.

 

And if nothing else you could always bid on Michael Swim Phelps’s hooka pipe.  He says he used bad judgement.  Probably thought the pipe was a bad fit for his teeth.

Or possibly my dirty socks. 

I don’t know.  I guess the Super Bowl brings out the best or worst in me.  Sigh…

 

Which item will bring the best price on ebay?

I am focused!

So, i woke up 2 minutes early in the middle of the night.  It was 3:35.  It is usually my pattern to wake up at something o’clock:37 .  I’m told 37 is God’s fingerprint in the Bible’s original text.  I’m ok with 37, but wondered why I woke up 2 minutes early.  Turns out I must have needed a couple extra minutes of prayer.

I am focused, as of a couple hours ago.  I am focused on fighting for marriages.  Too many of my friends and family are hurting themselves by letting their marriages collapse.  A marriage between a man and woman is Holy and something worth fighting for.  At 3:35, I began the process of becoming focused on the battle. 

I prayed.  The evil ones are skampering.  They are frightened.  They are mean, tough and ugly, but they will run.  I am focused.  Every 60 minutes and many times inbetween I will pray specifically for my friends and family.  I will pray they will take up the battle for their marriages.

Will you pray with me?  Will you fight?  Are you willing to die for what is right?

“God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong”.  Paul

Miraculous healing: true or false?

Guest post by jimthornber.com

Why doesn’t someone get healed? That is an ancient question without an adequate answer. Sometimes God simply has more important things to do in a person’s life than heal their body. For secret reasons only He knows (Deut. 29:29), sometimes the physical healing is set aside so He may work on the person’s spiritual needs. Sometimes He chooses to show His strength through our weaknesses. For whatever reason, it seems Paul had difficulty writing. It may have been his eyesight (Gal. 4:15), or a weakness in his hands that caused him to sign his epistles with large letters (Gal. 6:11). But it seems he was never healed.

For me, the problem with some Pentecostal teaching about healing comes when people say, “Well, if you just had enough faith, God would heal you.” Sometimes faith is not the issue. God may deem something better for us and His glory by not healing our bodies. Furthermore, we can often get so focused on our physical healing that we ignore our spiritual health.

Another problem with some Pentecostal teaching is that ANY sickness is of the devil and we are never supposed to be sick. It you take this line of reasoning to the ultimate end, whenever someone dies then they were not in the will of God. What a bunch of bovine scatology! I had one person tell me that it was not God’s will that a member of our church died of cancer. I wanted to ask her to give me a list of acceptable causes of death so we would know how to pray. You’ll be glad to know I bit my tongue. It bled, but I kept my mouth shut.

I believe that the gift of healing, miracles, tongues, wisdom, faith, etc. are still in effect today. I’ve seen it, experienced it, done it. To say it doesn’t exist and faded out with the Apostles is like saying man didn’t really walk on the moon. However, I do know that God chooses not to heal some people. All I can do then is continue to believe that God knows what He is doing. I continue to trust in His ways that are beyond my understanding.

So there you have it — an answer without an answer. I know it helps and I know it doesn’t. The questions remain, the suffering of your friend remains, but so does the sovereignty of God. I think it takes more faith to believe in God when we don’t get what we pray for than it does when God grants our request. Our children are happy with us and know we love them when we give them what they ask for, but pout and wonder why we don’t love them when we say “no”. WE KNOW our “no” is based on our wisdom and love for them, but they don’t see it that way. One day, when they are parents, they will understand. Likewise, one day when we are face to face it will all make sense. Meanwhile, I choose to believe in His love.

Jim

 jimthornber.com

What do you want me to do for you?

Guest post by: Marianne

Comments in blue injected later by Archie. 

Jesus is with his apostles. He is telling them about his upcoming suffering and death in Jerusalem. What James and John say next is unbelievable.

Here Jesus tells them about his upcoming death:

Mar 10:32 And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him,

Mar 10:33 [Saying], Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:

 

Mar 10:34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.

This is very sad news. Even with the part about rising from the dead, most people would be grief stricken over predicted suffering and death. But James and John are in the “greedy for glory” mode. There are no words of comfort for their friend and Lord, Jesus. It is all about them, and what they want:

Archie: It is so easy for mankind to take their eyes off the Creator and place them on His creations.  You may remember from previous postings of my struggle with what Glory is all about.  I believe it boils down to Glory being the very essense of God.  It has become important to me to make note of God’s Glory with a capital “G” lest it get confused with my selfish glory with a lowercase “g”.

So if James and John had been “greedy for Glory”, that would have been awesome!   

Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we want that thou should do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

 

Mar 10:36 And he [Jesus] said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

 

Mar 10:37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

 

They see Jesus as someone who is there to do what they want, and give them all their desires for glory. Isn’t this a bit selfish?

There are appropriate, caring responses to messages about pain, suffering and death. This did not happen here.

This is how Jesus answers them. He is very patient. He is referring to the cup of suffering:

Archie: Thank you, God for your patience!

Mar 10:38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

 

Mar 10:39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

 

Mar 10:40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared.

Here Jesus explains that glory is not his to give. This indicates it is the Father who grants this. But, Jesus is also indicating that there is no glory without the suffering he is about to go through.

The drinking of the cup represents the suffering, and the baptism represents the death.

Glory is not a cheap commodity. We are not given this without the ultimate price being paid – our lives. As some say, no pain, no gain.

The minimum requirements:

1. Suffering for our faith

2. Dying to the flesh or this could mean physical death as well.

Many believers want the joy and the glory, but they do not want the pain.

They want everything now. They are selfish and prideful, and want to be “little gods,” or as good as God, in the eyes of others. They want “power.”

Fleshly glory is ugly, and narcissic.

There is no reason to seek any glory on this earth. We are not here to satisfy ourselves with prideful ambitions. We are here to seek God only, and seek to love and serve Him, in mercy and humility.

Archie: Absolutely no reason to seek glory.  Absolutely ever reason to seek “G”lory.

We are here to give God all the glory…… not man, and not ourselves,

That is the point.

Archie: Thank you Marianne for allowing me to add commentary.  Hoping it was OK with you? 

 

 

Are you a goat, and don’t know it?

Guest post by Heaven Awaits – Marianne

When one hears of Christ separating the sheep from the goats on judgment day, we assume he is separating the believers from the unbelievers. But this is not so. Goats are those that call Him “Lord.” What is wrong?

The separation of the sheep and the goats. The sheep are accepted, but the goats are cast into everlasting fire.

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides [his] sheep from the goats:

Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Preceding this passage are 2 parables

1. Parable of the 10 virgins. Half are prepared with the right amount of oil (representing the holy spirit) and half are unprepared. Only the ones prepared are admitted to the wedding feast, and the other half were rejected. Being told “I know you not” by God is a VERY traumatic moment for the rejected ones.

Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

2. Parable of the talents. In this, Christ describes faithful servants being productive, and multiplying what was given them vs. an unprofitable, lazy servant who multiplied nothing at all. The lazy servant is punished.

Mat 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Back to the goats – what Christ tells them as he rejects them. Notice they call Him Lord. They are supposed to be saved people.

Mat 25:42 For I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

Mat 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Mat 25:44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Mat 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

To the sheep, Christ says:

Mat 25:35 For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

Mat 25:36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?

Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?

Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.

A lesson to be learned from all this

Faith without works is dead. God has provided guidelines as to His will – how he wants us to behave toward Him and toward others.

Many people enjoy church. They accept salvation, and then sit back to enjoy themselves. They enjoy the fellowship, the music, the sermons, and the acceptance. They say they love God, but ignore the poor, the sick, the feeble, the ones in bondage. They have only fulfilled half of the 2 great commandments.

Unless one obeys both of the two greatest commandments, they are a “goat.”

If you love God, but have no mercy for your fellow man – enough to do something to help him – then you are an unprofitable servant, and a virgin without any oil.

What to do

This is Christmas time. It is a time to show the love of God to others. How many people will suffer this Christmas, because you showed no mercy on them?

This also could be the last Christmas on earth for many believers, if the rapture happens. Will they be rejected as goats, because they lacked compassion for others? Because they had no “oil?” Because the mercy seat in their heart was closed to others?

While you still have time, if you really love God, then PROVE it:

Feed the hungry

Clothe the naked

Give drink to the thirsty

Take in the stranger

Help the sick

Visit those in prison – a literal prison, or someone in bondage, who needs help

Countdown to the rapture

Either we act as sheep, or we act as goats. Our behavior needs to be changed by the Holy Spirit. We need the oil of compassion in our lives, to pour out over others. This is a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week effort. It is not confined to Christmas time.

Make your last days on earth count for something. You cannot convince the unbelieving world, or God, that you belong to Christ, unless you demonstrate His heart to others.

Remember, it was not songs, or worship, or prayers that hung on the cross for you. It was

MERCY !!!!

MERCY !!!!

MERCY !!!!

The mercy seat was open and the blood of Jesus was poured over it from the cross. Mercy is self-sacrificial LOVE – love of God for others.

Wake up your hearts if they are dead. Find the mercy inside, and pour it out on the world around you.

If you do, you will find Jesus in front of you, saying

You are my beloved sheep !!!!

You are my beloved Bride !!!!

Welcome, enter into my kingdom. !!!!

My good, and faithful servant. !!!!!!!!!

 

What’s a Christ Follower?

A couple of weeks ago, the question was, “What is God’s glory?” I wrestled with the answer and extracted as much wisdom, knowledge and understanding as God and friends chose to reveal. I enjoyed the “stretch”. Thank you friends for all that you contributed to my journey.

Today, the question comes to mind:

How much of Christ must you  follow to be a “Christ follower”?

It might be an easy answer. Considering grace, if in your heart you desire to do all that God desires you to do then you must be a Christ follower. You do the best you can and sometimes you fail. God forgives you and you move on as a Christ follower. Right?

OK. Now suppose you are a Christ follower doing what He wants you to do, but you have some special thing you like to do that you easily know it is against God’s will.   Maybe it is porn.  Maybe it is kicking the dog.  Whatever.  Are you still a Christ follower? Again, you serve a God of grace and His Son died for your sins. You are still covered, right?

Now take the idea to the extreme. Suppose you are an incredible person with a love to help the innocent. You give to the extreme to help others less fortunate than yourself. You give of your own money to help others get the most out of life. Then, you kill someone (Moses did) or maybe you enable others to terminate life repetitively, are you still a Christ Follower?

I don’t know.  Where do you cross the line between being a Christ follower and a fake?  I’d like to know.  Maybe you do?