Category Archives: ONE WITH GOD

OBEDIENCE 101.022116

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White lighthouse tower on St. Anastasia Island“I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye.”  Disciples Indeed, Oswald Chambers.

Matthew 7:21, 24-27: 21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter . . .” 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. . . . 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. . . .” NLT

What is the “will of the Father”?  For us to do what Jesus says.  In John 5:24, Jesus said, “If you  [pay attention to] (heed, obey) what I say, and trust Him who sent Me, you have eternal life; you will never be condemned; you have passed from death unto life.”

But don’t just say the words.  God is looking at your heart.  He knows if your heart has been changed.

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WHAT JESUS PRAYED–THAT WE ALL BE ONE: 010616

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hands of my friends 2John 17:20-26: 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also [1] for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that  they also may be one in Us, . . . that  they may be one [with each other] just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that [2] they may be made perfect in one, and that [3] the world may know that You have sent Me, and [You] have loved them as You have loved Me.  4“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me [4] may be with Me where I am, . . .  that [5] the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

What does this mean?   “I do not pray for these alone [the original disciples (apostles)], but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” It means that Jesus was also praying for us; each one of us.  WE are ones who have believed in Jesus through the teaching and the preaching of Peter, James, John, and the others.  So Jesus was praying for you (and me). [1]  Jesus is praying that we (all of us who trust Him) will be one with Him, with the Father, and with each other; all at the same time.  To me that is the same situation that is expressed when Jesus says, “When you trust in Me, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your heart.”  Somebody said it was not just about us trusting God, but also about God trusting us.  What an idea!

[2] “That they may be made perfect in one” [perfect in this case means: whole, entire, wanting nothing]   This is just crazy.  With a few people I go to church with; with a few of those I serve with in various ministries, I count us as having a ‘perfect’ relationship, [whole, entire, wanting nothing]; they are people I actually spend time with almost every week, They are people I actually know; who they are, where they came from, what they think, how we feel about each other, about Jesus and about the world.  In a real sense, we DO have a ‘perfect’ relationship with each other because God/Jesus’ Spirit is in us.  Continue reading →

HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU.122215

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Female choir conductor during performanceSounds crazy, but every time I hear this song from Grease, sung by Olivia Newton-John, I think about God, and about how I feel the same way about God that she felt about John Travolta.  I am hopelessly devoted.  Even if God didn’t love me back, I’d still be totally committed, totally surrendered to Jesus, because I know that He is my only hope, my only Deliverer, my only real LIFE.  In the song, Olivia says, “My head says I should leave, but my heart says to ‘hang on till the end’.”  Sometimes I feel that way.  My head says there’s just no sense in what’s going on. Why would God do that to me or to someone I love?  But my heart keeps saying what Peter said, when Jesus asked the disciples if they were going to leave Him too.  Peter said, “Where would we go?”  ‘Course God is different from John T.  God not only wants me, but He loved me when I didn’t want Him or love Him.  He’s there every minute, in my heart, telling me He’s taking care of me.

‘Devoted’ makes me think about ‘devotional’.  When I was a kid, maybe 8-10 years old, my momma would give me a copy of the Upper Room daily devotional, those little bitty books that had a few words about God for each day.  She said I ought to read it.  She didn’t say much else about it, about why I should read it.  I remember thinking, ‘I can read the Bible if I want to think about God, and I do read the Bible; so what do I need with some old person telling me what to think about God?”  So being young and dumb, I didn’t read it.  I think if she’d explained a little more to me about why it was a good idea, if I’d just think about God for a few minutes, early in the morning each day, that it would truly change my life; that I would begin to feel the Presence of God in my life from that one small daily act.  So, and this is truly humorous (and sad at the same time), I promptly started reading a devotional every day when I was about 54 years old.  Doesn’t take me long to get it, huh? Continue reading →