Psalm 128 ~ The Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life

Psalm 128

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.

⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
⁶ May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!

Got a little story for you today, Ags (Texas A&M), so listen up.

I come from this family that is just funny. And for as long as I can remember, I've carried them in my heart with this tremendous joy and burden. I wondered in my early twenties that all this emotion wouldn't lead me to become an excellent writer. Some of this yearning comes from being an only child of, emotionally, only children. My parents bare the social burdens of being only children. But let me tell you, I had excellent Grandmothers because of it!

Well, my Grandmother used to talk and talk and talk about growing up a Wilson. She even told me Eric Clapton wrote a song about our area of the country. My grandmother was Excellent, she was Love to me. She sent me to college. I'm not the sharpest cookie in the box and I was Profoundly grateful for that time in my life. My life bloomed. I had attention from every part of my college - except my sorority - I just thought life was exceptionally fine.

Well, back to the family story. My great-grandfather came from a fine family, rumor has it we are descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Wow. That can make a body proud. I know we were related to Daniel Boone through his daughter Matilda. And one of our family cousins, with a particularly fine Mississippi accent (whom I've always had this unusually strong like for him - he has a real place in my heart - I am excessively fond of him for his family looks and his accent reminding so strongly of my Grandmother - which is funny cause he's not all that fond of her!!) , told me we married into Senator Daniel Boone's family because we are such Excellent people. Wow.

So great-grandfather, Pop, was a bank teller and he wasn't financially all that he had hoped for. And one day, to make a little money, he started an insurance agency. And during the Depression, that insurance company Paid Off. It made him a fortune. By cheating his neighbors. So he became very secretive of his fortune. The children, only 1 of them knew it, lived a very prosperous life. But miserliness is a sin, and Pop didn't emotionally take care of 2 of his children and didn't even help them to get good employment. Pleasing the 1 child, very well. He had learned secretive ways to the burden and joy of his children.

And all of this was a Huge Secret. Creepy. Creepy. Creepy. The local and state government elected officials knew of it (cousins). And they all banded together to conspire that the 1 child would get all the money honey. I hope they were happy, bastards, because - this is true - those horrid people who helped this nasty conspiracy - none of those people could have a child. Sort of makes you think God was looking at this in distaste!

So the next generation had 2 sons and 2 daughters. One favorite daughter, my precious Grandmother and one favorite son - who decided he was entitled emotionally because he was favored and had the most brains in the family. That uncle once unkindly referred to my GRANDMOTHER as being as stupid, as stupid, as one of those William Faulkner's heroines. That novel was given to me and I cannot remember the title of that damn book. For the time being.

(Now I am going to throw in an interesting aside and say William Faulkner was my grandmother's neighbor. He was a Complete alcoholic. Mr. Faulkner, for some reason, liked my grandparent's fine Antebellum home and their fishing pool my grandfather Poss built (short for Possum because there is some nasty story about that no one will tell me about) and used to routinely go into their backyard in the night and pass out. My grandmother would have to go out in her robe and wake him. Mr. Faulkner wasn't particularly nice and he never would even speak to my grandmother. Which was even more peculiar because my dad (Mr. Meet and Greet, Social Lion) was friends with Mr. Faulkner's step-children. Aka, my dad and Malcolm used to get past foxed and get plowed under together. Daddy dated Marianne and was invited to the Faulkner house parties or party.... And I know a particularly fine ghost story about Rowan Oak too.)

So out of the 8 second generation children with theirs spouses (my Grandmother being one of them) none of them were very happy (maybe sharp tongued, iron disciplined Margaret). They all abandoned each other for reasons they didn't fully understand. Chosen son had stolen just about every dime. Except my very cool Uncle Tate was happy. And he was Cool. He drove a Carmengia. He was a Priest and so, unfortunately, it was a Carmengia station wagon. But he did drive it like a bat out of hell and wave all over the road as he talked, and talked, and talked. He was fun. He got himself out of the family sadness and mess because Tate loved Jesus. And Jesus loves Tate. I just had shining eyed admiration for Tate because he could manipulate my dad with a word. Joy. Joy. Joy.

So... my family was poor and had times of prosperity. But that family sadness and desertion pulled in a bad way. Tate died. Daddy ran off with my mom's evil, evil friend. She helped destroy my dad, who was headed that direction any way. Sadness, sadness, sadness. How I loved my dad. Love him. Love him.

I've even had real dreams of him in Heaven. And Grandmother too. With meaningful conversations.

So I became someone who didn't have many friends at all because I was in such sadness over my dad. My dad chose to take his own life. It was his choice. And I am never going to go that path. But the despair. People despise, avoid, ridicule, avoid and ignore people who grieve. They don't want that mess in their lives.

My family became oddly reconnected and disconnected again over my Grandmother's death and my dad's death. Dear God. The pain we could have avoided if we'd just had a conversation instead of lingering grudges. And I would have been so nice to all of them. So... what do I mean about oddly reconnected and disconnected? I am going to take the High Road here and be honest and gracious and say.... there is more to it than I am going to say about that. Privacy is important.

................

Margaret decided to be lazy the day of my Grandmother's funeral. She didn't say to her son, it would be good if you could meet these people over the funeral. They'd appreciate it. Instead she was rather catty, it was probably guilt, but she served a cheap cake on paper plates and wanted us to see the graciousness of her home. She and Bob got into an argument over a family painting. So over this partial, hostile family reunion. Two things happened. I asked Bob, because we were poor and suffering, suffering, suffering, who owns all these vast stretches of property. And Bob got this amazing look on his face. Amazing. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Bob decided he might want to know me a bit better. I was thrilled. Hey. Family. Bob started to visit us from time to time. And we had a BLAST. Bob paid the bills. Yay.

2nd, Margaret must have liked us a bit better because we were now speaking a "Bit". Yay. Family. And.... nothing seemed to come of it. Damn. Then Margaret's 2nd son died. We were sad for her because now her only relative, living near by, was gone. We sent flowers. And I think we hoped we would reconnect again. Nothing came of it. Damn.

More despair. I began in earnest to establish who I was in the LORD. Which means I careened around like a drunken sailor trying to get my bearings. Prone to Wander. And let me be very clear here. A cousin once told me that I was a hep cat. All talk and no action. Let me repeat. No action. Yes I am being vague for a reason. I joined a Christian Bible Study where no one was truthful. It was a bad deal. I was the most honestish. Add up lost fortune. Poor moral directions. Loose talk. And ... trouble brewed up. And kept brewing up since 1995.

My family is fragmented over my dad's own choice to die. My brother has guilt. My mom has guilt she has no guilt because she is angry, but she is guilty.... on and on. My family at large has guilt. Geez people. He chose it. It's not your fault. My cousin AC reacted Really Strangely. My God. Get away - you never even really liked me. Ignored me for years even when our family was happy together. Twit.

One cousin is really sour. I do forgive you. But leave me to lead my own life.

So... in the middle of this incredible muddle - you have Edward. Edward is Smart. Stupid. Just like me. Edward and I grew up together. We are married. We are siblings - not in the literal word. We are geeks. We are goodish looking and have great taste. We have enough materialism to repel and attract people. We are rich in goods and poor, poor in cash with a business in financial difficulty surrounded by family trouble. We are copiously plentiful in good deeds and good prayers. Dear LORD, I want Edward to quit saying the Lord's name in vain to curse us. We are shining Christians with Big flaws.

Edward is the best friend who helped when we were living on nothing. We used to work at our terrible, terrible little jobs and come home to the 2 bedroom home that our family and friends ridiculed us for. Surrounded by lavish wealth, we got heaps of disdain. We felt worthless. Acted with no self esteem. It was a cute, cute, cute little house. In the evenings after slave work, slave cubical/no window, slave wages - we would sit on the floor and Edward only wanted Mrs. Baird's white bread and gallon of milk. We'd sit next to each other and guess what Star Trek episode it was. And laugh. Life was working pretty okay until the trouble in 1995. Cousins can be a real pain in the ass. Banished. Treated badly.

Moved to The Woodlands and everything was Fan-fricking- tastic. Good Church!!! Good Pastor - he was like the best friend we ever had. Really. Edward and I had lunch with Allen 5 days a week and saw him 3 nights a week. Allen liked Edward so much. Finally a Church where people loved each other and honored God. A real community. A real family with fights, prejudices, feuds, forgiveness. Parties, people. Work, reward. Friends, trips to the city............ I lost weight. I looked so good this astonishing stranger came up to me in the Art Museum and asked me how old I was. 40 something. He said no way. I really looked young for my age? Bounder. So appealing. He was very personable at the Museum and seemed to want to just talk. But it was very awkward.

I never forgot. Except I forgot and then remembered.

Ran into him again at Neiman Marcus. I was buying a blue topaz. It wasn't a clean stone. My friend next to me was so excited over this devastating man in a light colored (camel?) sports jacket, that if she'd been a bunny she would have hopped. The sales associate was jealous. This man was..... All That.... and very blatantly sexual. Nope. Can't do that. It didn't end graciously. Thanks sales associate. Thanks awkward me. This man and my friend became friends later. Well she said so. As she was so rude, rude, rude to me happily being rude and gossiping. It didn't help my reputation a bit over those jealousies and that s.h.i.t. hit the fan 2 weeks after my infant daughter died. Gossip over an innocent me. It hurt me for two years.

So.

Temptation. Middle Age. Trouble. Damn Trouble. I hate it. So. It is what it is. Love. And indifference?

Then one day.... we slowly began to work our way back from child loss. And Edward made nice, nice Men friends. And I was lonely. I tagged along. I began to smile. And be happy. And later cry. And I met an unusually angry woman at two Baylor functions. So angry it made an impression.

And to our listening public. It was all talk. And smiles. And insults. Really. Edward was there.

How is it going to work out? Let me tell you. My part. I do love you. We are very similar and dissimilar. I love Edward. I do. He annoys me. But man, he is beginning to listen to me. I promised God I would take care of Edward. I am going to.

And. What will you decide? I don't know. But I do wish you would decide it in the following manner. No more fiber. And you know I am not taking about cabbage. I have a phone. If you are going to "be out of town" don't be talking about downtown.

Win. Lose. Draw. It will work out. I love the Lord. I think you do too in a casual manner. Do what is right. Decide what you think is right. Give me my privacy. Talk to me when you want to talk. Just be kind. I have been kind to you.

(This is Edward - You left your computer on this and I decided that since I am mentioned, I could say something to you. You are my best friend, my counselor, my person to lean on and complain to. I am proud of you for losing 18 pounds. I am proud of your goal to lose another 18 pounds because I know you can do it. You mean so much to me. ( I wonder how long it will take before she notices my comment).

(Hello Edward, honey. It took about 12 hours. Love you. A.L. )

The Lord, the Almighty bless us and watch over us. Guide us and Lead us. In Jesus' Holy name. Amen.




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When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

John 2:1-12

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. ² Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. ³ When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” ⁴ And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. ⁹ When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” ¹¹ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers^{[brothers and sisters]} and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

What pleases God? When we expect Him to do something Good.

Recently we went to the Houston Art Museum. And I love the impressionism paintings. When we got to the art of the mid 18th century - it really has lost it's appeal. My mom's generation would like it. But this generation doesn't see hanging it in the living room. A whole lot of the paintings are saints. Man, those saint paintings are completely uninspiring. Dressed in long time ago costumes we don't wear. It looks like curtains. They are fat and jowl-y and look like they are suffering. Nothing to connect to. Dry.

And being interested in the Scriptures, it reminded me how part of the trouble with Scripture - reading with it's subtitles. "This is supposed to be what you think."

We are supposed to expect the Scriptures to be living and active. We are supposed to read it like a letter written to You.

We are told for so long - "this is the meaning of this Scripture" that we fail to see the glory for ourselves.

Does it grab you yet - Mary knew Jesus. She expected something Good from him. If you were going to tell a dry story - one you made up - why would you say Jesus was henpecked by his mom to get started. The Scriptures are telling us about Jesus.

"No, Mom, it's not what Abba/Daddy would want - it doesn't look like God's work - making wine."

And Mom still expects Jesus to do it. So Jesus gets stuck with the embarrassment of having His first sign be wine? No. Jesus tells us later He is about Joy. And having a Feast.

Jesus' First Sign Was Making Wine at a Wedding!!!



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Psalm 128 ~ your children will be like olive shoots around your table

Psalm 128

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways!
² You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
⁴ Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.

⁵ The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
⁶ May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!

This weekend, I was very fortunate to have both sons travel to spend time with me. One son complains a lot and I sometimes feel like he should have a mute button. Yet he is the one who laughs, talks, sings and if you are getting gasoline in a downtown area around a man flapping his arms and dancing, towards dark, he is the one who is going to get out of the car with you. He struggles with his faith - he did homeless work in Atlanta and a homeless man chased him and the whole group through a mall. He feels like a lot of Christian people aren't much fun and are judgmental. He has a new friend, and she is telling him about Jesus. I am Profoundly Grateful. Thank You, God.

My other son has a lot of artistic talent and draws a group of people around him. He usually has 3 or 4 good kids around him all the time. He has had two long time girlfriends. He is not as likely to talk as much, but he has amazing amounts of patience. My second son is still disappointed with God not giving infant Isabelle more time with us. He feels God ignores him and it is all rather pointless. He rarely gets angry - we say you'd have to hit him with a brick to make him angry. I think he was born with this, but this has been a real blessing to our family. He deals fairly and well with his brother; he calms all of us down when we get into our yelling moods. And we yell a lot. We are all fairly loud. But he is the guy who keeps the car safe when the homeless man is dancing outside!

I read a book called "Walking with Arthur" - it was one of those sweet, moving books that stays with you. It has been part of my prayer life since I read it - I pray for the people who are so relaxed, humble in their faith that they make the world a better place. For years, I've ended my prayers asking God to send us more people like this one to each of my loved ones.

And I am feeling blessed all around.

One thing I notice as I talk to them, we are all a work in progress. We depend upon the LORD. And prayer is always a needed component.

Thank You, Father God.



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The Call from Jesus Christ to Wake Up.

1 Timothy 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

² To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. ⁵ The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners

¹² I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, ¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸ This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, ¹⁹ holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, ²⁰ among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Timothy 1:4 Or good order
2. 1 Timothy 1:10 That is, those who take someone captive in order to sell him into slavery
3. 1 Timothy 1:10 Or healthy
4. 1 Timothy 1:17 Greek to the ages of ages

There is a Movie called "Peggy Sue God Married" and it brings me Joy and Sorrow.

It expresses the deepest need we have to share ourselves. The absolute foul tangle we get into being ourselves. The barriers God gives us - that we loathe because we want to be God. The glories of life we LOVE and are so fleeting - partially because we all just suck. The joy in perfection, the horror that we want that more than all else - self glory.

"No more Jell-O on my plate today, Mom!"

Partial truths, half lies, evasions -just prevent us from living lives fully. The truth shouldn't be a stretch.

I am an oblivious visionary. What I want most in life is to glorify God, in Jesus Christ the Lord. What I want most in life is all the comfort and blessings I can get. What I want most is to walk side by side with some one I can tell it all to.

This goes beyond "genuine" and reaches into Truth. Then we spiral down into selfishness of power struggles and glory and self love. Materialism, enslavement, work, laziness. Name all the sins - they are all there.

What do we do when we get all we want - we want to discard what is old and boring. And maybe shed it comfortably. Or manipulate others into being second class to have more comfort. We want to tell others how to lead their lives. Even if we are scary or demanding or unusually persuasive. What do we do when we give all we have and still are unloved.... life goes on.

The only thing in life that is eternal and good is Ages of Ages.

Good Health. In our relationships with God. It is important and requires truth.

In seeking what is "healthy" we have to genuinely love. To care when we know others have suffered for years. To love what is unlovable. To know when we are distasteful of politics that we loathe - we really loathe something God has given us, how we feel about others and ourselves. If Church or Catholicism is distasteful - it is, or could be, a profound spiritual issue or disconnection.

Waiting for someone else to be Truthful? Be brave, yourself. No need to sneak up or around. Really. Take all the time you need, hide if you want. But what God wants is some simple honesty dealt up with face to face communication. God wants us to discover who we are really and to love Him.

Oblivion -

Evelyn Kelcher(Mom): Peggy, I don't mean to be intrusive, but are you having problems with Charlie?
Peggy Sue: A lot of things are confusing right now, Charlie is just one of them.
Evelyn Kelcher: Is Charlie pressuring you into doing things you don't think you should be doing?
Peggy Sue: What do you mean?
Evelyn Kelcher: Peggy, you know what a penis is? Stay away from it!

Peggy Sue: I'm an adult. I want to have fun. I want to go to Liverpool and discover the Beatles.

What causes oblivion? To have given for years, to have loved for years, to be a best friend and give and give and give and be unloved.

Come hell or high water, I serve the Lord. Not just the happy attitude sentimentality. Not see people for what they are or are not oblivion - but the "I love you."

I know my purpose - I exist to glorify God. Wake up.

Luke 7:25-27

What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’

What is your purpose. God knows. He cares. He loves. You know.

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John 17:9-19 ~ truth

John 17:9-19

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version

⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

John 5:17
Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

I am going to start out with a funny thing to say. And it is: I spend a lot of time talking and making a Friend in High Places. Because. He loves me. And Love is what draws people.

And it would be difficult to discuss this passage as Jesus would. Jesus was talking to His Father and there is a whole lot of intimacy there. Jesus Knows How to Pray. When Jesus told us about prayer, He gave us the LORD's prayer. And Jesus didn't say pray only for the people God gives you.

For as much as I talk to the LORD. I know He must Know I think about myself A Lot. But this is what I know and where I live. And for all my plans and prayers, God still Loves me.

This is my small take on prayer. I have a lot of red light/arrow prayers. I have a lot of conversational prayer with God. Because I am in conversational prayer with God, I don't spend a lot of time kneeling. Probably a lot less time than I should. I do take off my shoes now and then.

So here is my take on prayer for others. It would be very saintly of me to say I pray for other people all the time. I don't. I have people I pray for daily. I pray for people when I think of them and think they need prayer. I will pray for them even when I think of something humorous that happened. And here is a kicker - I pray a flow chart prayer system after I add more personal conversation to the Lord's Prayer. Yes, Jesus told us not to be rote. But this is my organized prayer system . As I pray for the person I usually think of them with love and pray "Jesus, please." Because - He knows better than I do. And Salvation is the most important thing. Does this happen once daily - mostly. I find it pleases me. I hope it pleases the LORD. (There are a lot of "I"s used in this blog post....) I do know that when I walk through the open pearly gates - having lived the life God gave me - I think it's possible He could say, "You talk a lot. And let's talk about others now!"


The Good News is, Jesus is still here. He does the heavy lifting. Thank God.

John 5:17
Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
² O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
⁸ And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

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Luke 9:21-25 ~ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9:21-25

²¹ And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,²² saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

We just tend to pass by this Scripture unless it is Easter or Ash Wednesday.
God is always interesting.
We see three things in just this small portion. 1. The command to be silent - not to tell. 3. Horrible suffering for the only one called GOOD. 2. And a reminder not to be lost in worldly standards because this is important.

Part One Jesus gave people Miracles. The type of miracles that Change Lives.
 And He did the unfathomable - He said, "Don't tell."

Why? For a very important reason. It was for them alone. Personally. Just the way Jesus took the deaf man aside. He took him away from the crowd...

Mark 7:33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue.

Jesus did such a 'country' thing. Like spitting into His hand and shaking over a bargain. This is the same Savior who did so many amazing things.

 What is your favorite thing Jesus has done for you in Scriptures and in your life?

Jesus is for you. Personally. This is God and He is man and He is - yours. Knows you, loves you, created you to be you. Knows all the terrible junk that is just terrible.

 Which brings us to the Second Part  - don't be lost.
Be Saved in Jesus Christ.

Which we'll split into 2 a, 2 b, 2 c. On being lost.

2a Newbie) We read about Bob Dylon and even John Lennon went through this phase of being Christian. And it was a....phase. Because they felt like God was jumping all over them to spread their real joy in God's Love and publicly declare "I"M A CHRISTIAN!!" And then the whole world just jumped all over them, gave them intense sarcasm and generally created Fresh Hell. And come on... it was hell. Who would have wanted to stand in that line of fire? Believe me, I was the First Vice-President of a very affluent big-city, highfalutin (you can tell by the title there were several officers) Garden Club and there was a meeting people just fell over themselves laughing that someone would even stop to consider the phrase. "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"

Because to the broader world, one jumps on the money. Wouldn't it make Jesus so sad for someone to have to be a baby fresh Christian and take that kind of fire when He Did the Suffering.

We dramatically lessen salvation when we don't give Jesus glory for His sacrifice. Just in our heart acknowledge JESUS did it all.

Timothy 3:6
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. One more example of God is Really for Us. Okay. Now 2b. Lukewarm? Revelation 3:6


So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Sounds.... bad to me. Therefore, we've established lukewarm isn't a good place. 2c. A mature believer. Subset i and ii. 2c Subset i. What is God asking of us in our day to day, regular lives? That surprisingly teaches us a lot.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Love this really well.)


2c Subset ii Mature Christian - Living Large. Indent and Squiggle Line. Because what comes after subset? 2c Subset ii A Mature Christian - Living Large, but quite selfishly. Sticking just to the 'rules'.
Matthew 19


If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 
2c Subset ii B Mature Christian - Living Large, but with empathy...


Matthew 19 ²⁰ The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. ~~~ Bear in mind, we have already established lukewarm - isn't good. Where does that leave each of us on a day to day basis? We are all over the place. Fortunately, this is what God says:

Matthew 19
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

3. (Because this is the bottom line - how much God loves you. ) If you were the only person on the entire planet, and God knows we all are somewhat rotten, and sinful and selfish, - Jesus would still be there as our atonement. Jesus is for each person. Individually. Amazing Love - Jesus has for each of us. For you.

The point is -

what does it boil down to be a follower of Jesus Christ -

it is the question to ask ourselves each day. Regardless of Ash Wednesday or not. What would Jesus have me do.

Love the Lord with all my might. To love the people around us. 

Without that Love.... our lives are shallow.

God asks us to be who He specifically created us to be. He created us for His glory. Each day - to bring Him joy by believing Him, by honoring Him. It is why we are here.

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Job 19:23-27 ~ LIVES!

Job 19:23-27

“Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
²⁴ Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
²⁵ For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth
²⁶ And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
²⁷ whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!

Part of being a Christian is seeing not just people as they are today, but we see them grow into God's promises. Gideon. Gideon was weak and became filled. God didn't take Gideon and dunk him by the heels in Super Grow Vitamin K. The fulfillment of promise. God allowing us God's time. One of life's greatest adventures is the road ahead. In Jesus Christ.

Edward and I have done Youth Ministry and seen some less than stellar results. Thud. But I'm not finished. God isn't finished. I'd love to tell you this teenager's name. With a smile and proud look. He almost isn't a teenager any more. This is a young man who was allowed to attend Youth Group only once. He calls me "Second Momma." Makes me feel 19 feet tall. Yet. His dad, our neighbor, feels prayer weakens people substantially. Critically. So our friend begged and his dad grudgingly said okay. As we returned home, his dad almost ran across the yard to scoop up this 8th grade young man. Had we contaminated him - his so very, really, precious son. Our friend's response was plaintive. "Dad, Dad, it's okay, we did that prayer thing and it was Nice." If he'd felt it was appropriate and people weren't watching - he would have said, "Please. Dad." Like a really young boy. This is a literal story. His dad's response was, "Come into the house Now." No more Youth Group. Again.

What is so great about this boy/man? The Brightness in him. Not the book smart genius. The willingness to question. To sit down, to read. To tinker in the quiet of being alone. This young man has dual skills - he is in an amazingly fine, selective University now. One that required diligence and almost prison like honing to get him in. I worry for him. What it will be like to be that finely trained dog who pivots on command. Where will the Brightness be.

One Summer day, I needed help to get a menu going for this Blog. What teenager is willing to help the Mom next door? With computer skills? I mean, please, these old people just don't "get it". So the computer gurus who do blogs sent me this unfathomable html list to create an extensive menu. Huh. What. What does that first sentence mean.... I spent two days - maybe more - in complete idiocy. Probably breathing thru my mouth. I got my son, who glanced at it - thanks, Son - and he said - get Brightness. Bingo. Not a bad idea.

So Brightness gets a phone call. And..... Brightness is like David. "Okay, I'll look at it." And he gets out of teenage late morning sleep and comes right over. I explain to Brightness in a complete rush, practically frothing, what the undecipherable letter says. Brightness says, "okkkkkaaaaaayyyyy." OMG. This is going to take forever. Brightness is looking at me like "she really is the Mom Next Door." Brightness takes a deep breath. He is beginning to look bored and annoyed. Dammit. We both sit there quietly for a moment. And Brightness says..... "Show me what you want this to look like. The end result." Ah. A Visionary. I Knew I always like this fine, fine boy. And I pull up the HopePointe Anglican Church website to show him their drop down menu. ("Available Now on Your Google Search Engine" - any time - day or night - wind, rain, sleet. Just. Go. to a Bible believing, Christ honoring Church every single Sabbath.)

So.... Owen............ looks at the beautiful website created by people who Love Jesus Christ and spent days working on a project to Honor Him..... and Owen..... his mouth drops open. Not the "I'm a stupid doo-doo bird look", but light fills his beautiful eyes. At this point, Owen literally is speechless. He points at the screen filled with Kirk Beaumont's beautiful photography of the Communal cup and host with the sunlight streaming all around them. And he just can't make a sound. I look with him. Owen is still pointing at the computer. I beam at him and say, "It is beautiful isn't it. Beautiful." And Owen says. "We can't create that. I'm going home. I'll be thinking about that letter." Thud.

Yet not really. The Brightness is still shining. Our Redeemer LIVES.

Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God




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Psalm 25 ~ friendship of the LORD

David dances as the Ark comes in

Psalm 25 ~ Of David

David Cochran Audio, English Standard Version

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, in you I trust;
let me not be put to shame;
let not my enemies exult over me.
³ Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

⁴ Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
⁵ Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

⁶ Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

¹¹ For your name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
¹² Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
¹³ His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
¹⁴ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.

¹⁹ Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
²⁰ Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.

²² Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.

And also

Luke 6:20-28

²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

²² “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! ²³ Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

²⁵ “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Ennui. Lust for Life. Sorrow. Heaven. Hell. And the Eternal Kingdom of the LORD. ~ We all have it. Just as the Scriptures one day point out how much God loves us and then next point out that we just need the grace only God our Savior can give us. We can read about David and feel jealousy for all of His blessings and for the attention God bestows upon Him. His assurance. Comfort. Drama Queen. Reading the Scriptures pulls up emotion. Hopefully.

Why aren't people captivated with the Scriptures? They aren't taking the time to even glimpse what it is. Too busy flying by with 90 different situations, buzzers and it's all going on at once. Not relating to what is important because not relating is So Much Easier.

How are we going to call - to recruit - to save them. We aren't. Salvation isn't up to us. It is God's work. God's plan. We should not presume to be God. God in His mercy - listens with compassion and humor to our prayers/plans. God alone judges us with perfect vision.

Recently my mom visited and I was treated to a dose of TV Evangelical. (Which I did enjoy.) Then I escaped - they went to visit friends - and heard Radio Christianity I would deem authentic with a dose of harshness. And a good sermon. Church for Worshiping God and finding compassion for all of us and the elderly in their weaknesses. It is always in God's mind -what we should be interested in - who we are and where we are going.

We all come from a different place in our lives. Young, old, Middle agers. And to some certain level we all have some intrigue in our lives. Sometimes it is so much intrigue - it becomes old. It makes us worn out and not fruitful. We loose the vision of who we are and what we value. Where we are going. Intrigue just becomes spin.

And speaking of getting old - we are all going somewhere. It is up to us to decide what is important and how to prioritize it. We are all invited to leave this planet -where will we be in 50 years - make the choices count. Be thoughtful. Become people that not only the LORD can be proud of, making ourselves pleased with the people we become.

The Bible isn't really just for our enjoyment. It is reverent words - asking us to become deeper people. If it causes discomfort - we need to examine why. If the Bible causes us to be bored - we may just have very shallow roots. When we are judgmental - not to fall into self love. When we manipulate the Bible for our own meanings - we need to ask the LORD to forgive us. The goal is to be David waiting upon the Lord and loving the people given to him - not Solomon - who demanded his own way a lot. David's life was believing God wanted more for him - even when circumstances said not. And David believed he was there to serve God and lived to do so.

God has chosen me to be His child. I honor God by loving Jesus Christ and remembering He is GOD.

God is for us. We need to be for God. It's really the point.


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John 1:1-18 ~ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Sun, drawn by Alexander Gardere http://www.alexandergardere.com/ These are my son's High School art projects

John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ ( John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

John 1 is my favorite Scripture verse. It came alive to me one spring day sitting in a Bible Study in St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, where we attended for 35 years. It was read out loud and it was a definite "God" moment. As it was read, sunlight poured into the windows. Not one single person in the room sat with dry eyes. Wonder of God.

I read this from Ray Stedman and it is wonderful.


There are two of Jesus' disciples whom I would particularly like to have known in the days of their earthly life. One is Peter, and the other is John. I like these two men. I am especially impressed by the change that fellowship with the Lord Jesus produced in their lives. This is what intrigues me about these two.

Peter, as you know, was erratic, impulsive, brash. As someone has well said, "Whenever Peter enters a scene, it's always with a thud." He seems to have a gift for putting his foot in his mouth -- he suffered from hoof-in-mouth disease. Yet the Lord made him a steady, stable, dependable rock, as his name implies. He became a rallying point, a gathering point for the Christians in the days of the persecutions which broke out in the first century. It was only because he was with the Lord, and knew the Lord. Most of the change took place after the Lord's death and resurrection, however, so we do not need to feel that it was the personal presence of Jesus that changed these men. He changed them after he died and rose again, just as he can change us.

John was the other one who was dramatically changed by our Lord. He was a young man, the youngest of all the disciples. In fact, many scholars feel that he was a teenager when he first started to follow the Lord. Perhaps he was seventeen or eighteen years of age. Along with his brother, James, he was a hot-headed young man, given to sharp and impulsive utterances with a tendency toward blowing off steam. He was probably a loudmouth, because Jesus nicknamed him Son of Thunder. That was our Lord's gentle way of labeling John's problem. He just kept the thunder rolling all the time. So our Lord called both James and John Sons of Thunder.

But John became the apostle of love. He was noted for his gentleness and his graciousness and his goodness. He was called "The Virgin." As far as we know, he never married. There is no record that he ever did. But he was called "virgin" primarily because of the purity of his life. He became a man who was characterized by such an outstanding devotion and love for the Lord Jesus, that all his life he was singled out as the apostle of love.

Now it is this John who writes these letters to us. You may know that this first letter of John is possibly the last of the New Testament to be written. It may well have been written after the Gospel of John. It is perhaps, therefore, the last word we have from the apostles. It undoubtedly comes from near the close of the first century, perhaps even the year 100 A.D., as some scholars tell us. It was written from the city of Ephesus, where John spent the latter years of his life.

It was possibly written to the Christians in this city of Ephesus, who were facing -- as we are -- dangers and difficulties of living in a godless, pagan world, given over to the worship of sex and to licentious practices, lovers of human wisdom (as all these Greek cities were) and especially desirous of exalting man and his abilities. Now that sounds very much like our modern western world, doesn't it? First John was written to people in this kind of situation then, and therefore it has a lot to say to us.

In one of the commentaries of First John, the author says, "The Epistle of First John defies outlining." For many years, I would have agreed with that statement. I thought John was kind of a rambler. He just wrote on and changed the subject frequently. It did not look as if there was any rhyme or reason to his letter. But as I preached through a series of thirty-five messages on this letter, I began to see its makeup.

John is concerned about one thing, primarily, and that is authentic Christianity! I suppose that even as early as the close of the first century, some of the dullness and deadness and drabness with which Christianity has sometimes been plagued, had begun to appear. The freshness, the vitality, the newness, the excitement, the drama of the Christian faith had begun to lose its glow and its glamor.

John, therefore, is led of God to call people back to the vital things, the things that make for real life. So he is concerned about an authentic Christian manifestation, and authentic Christianity is always made up of the same three elements. The body of this letter of First John is an emphasis upon the three essential things that make Christianity genuinely Christian. They are truth, righteousness, and love. Those three, held in perfect balance, are a sign of genuine Christianity. These become, therefore, the marks that John emphasizes as proof to anyone that he or she is a Christian. The letter gives us a wonderful measuring stick whereby we can test our own lives. How are we doing? Do we fulfill the qualifications? Do we manifest truth, righteousness and love? There is a prelude that I will discuss in a minute, but beginning at verse eighteen of chapter two, and carrying on through chapter four, verse twenty-one, you have his emphasis on these three things: truth, righteousness and love.

But before he begins that, he gives us a prelude, which is really the key to the way truth, righteousness and love can be made manifest in your life. There is a relationship that is necessary. That relationship John terms fellowship with Christ -- oneness with him, an identification of your life with Jesus Christ. Now if you do not have that, you cannot produce righteousness, truth and love. It is impossible.

Someone has said that it is possible to search through all the writings of Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Confucius and Buddha, and other great world leaders of moral and ethical thought, to find everything that is written in the New Testament that exhorts man as to what to do. In other words, if all you need is good advice, you do not need the Bible. You can get plenty of good advice from these other religions. But one thing these other leaders do not give you is the how. How! That is what John is talking about.

How do you follow this good advice? You know the Golden Rule is not found only in the New Testament. You find an expression of the Golden Rule, is always in a negative form, in other religions. Do not do to others as you do not want them to do to you. Ah, but in Christ you find the secret of how! It is by unity with him -- union with him; fellowship with the Lord Jesus; he dwelling in you and you dwelling in him. That is what John begins to talk about.

He says from the very beginning that he has a personal experience of this. "I saw him," he says. "I felt him. I heard him. I touched him. He was a real person; there was nothing phony or sham about him. In the fellowship of his life, I found it possible to begin to love, to walk in truth, in obedient righteousness with God," (1 John 1:1-2). That is the heart and key to this letter, as he begins with this note of fellowship with Jesus Christ.

You will notice that all through this letter he emphasizes the fact that Jesus appeared in history. That is the first theme he talks about under the heading of truth. The truth about Jesus is that he is God and man. He is both -- the eternal God, linked with all the great revelations of the Old Testament that mark out the being and character of God -- and he is man; having come in the flesh, he lived among us, was a man, suffered as a man, died as a man. All this, so that we might share his life -- his divine nature. Now this was opposed to a philosophy that was very current in John's day. It was what we call "gnosticism." The nearest thing to it today is Christian Science, which is almost pure gnosticism. Gnosticism taught that matter is evil and spirit is good. Therefore, the spirit of man is imprisoned in an evil body. The purpose of this life is to teach us how to somehow rise above the evil of our body and release the spirit from the evil, material body, thus achieving nirvana, or heaven, or whatever you want to call it.

Now you will notice that that is still very commonly accepted in many places. It is against that idea that John writes and says, "Now don't follow that," because Jesus has come in truth. The truth about Jesus is that he came as God -- became man -- and anybody who does not say that about Jesus Christ is a liar.

The problem was that there were many people back in those days who were wonderful. They gave the appearance of being suave and gentle and thoughtful and courteous. They were not out to destroy Christianity; they were out to improve upon it. So they just dropped out, de-emphasized some of the things that the New Testament says about Jesus and emphasized others that agreed with what they wanted to teach. Thus, they attempted to make Christianity intellectually respectable.

This process is still going on today. But John says that if you give way to this, if you succumb to this kind of delusion, you will find that you have been tricked and end up not a Christian at all. You will be following a lie and become a victim of a sham and a delusion. The results of that are terrible.

In the second section, the apostle emphasized righteousness. Christianity is not just signing the doctrine or creed. It is not just writing your name under a statement of belief -- "We believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ his Son, our Lord who suffered under Pontius Pilate and was crucified, dead and buried and on the third day..." and so on. It is not that. It is more than truth. It is also righteousness. It means that your behavior changes. The emphasis of John, as with all the writers of the New Testament, is this: "Look," he says, "if you really have Jesus Christ living in you, you can't be the same person. You cannot go on living in sin, doing wrong things, lying and stealing, living in sexual immorality. You cannot do it."

You see, these Gnostics were saying, "Look, if spirit is good and matter is evil and our bodies are matter, then the only thing that counts is the spirit. What you do with your body doesn't make any difference. So if you want to indulge the lusts of it, go ahead. It won't affect your spiritual standing with God." As a result they were turning (as Jude puts it) the grace of God into licentiousness. People were being taught, Christians were being taught, that they could practice all the immorality of their day, and God would still treat them exactly the same. It would not change their relationship one whit. But John says,

No one born of God commit sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9 RSV)

The two are incompatible. You cannot have the Holy Spirit living in you and live an unholy life. If you live the unholy life and profess to be a Christian, you are a liar, says John. He is very blunt about it.

Yet, there is still a third thing. It is easy for Christians to say today, "Well, yes, this is true. We've got to teach the truth, obey the truth, and believe the truth about Christ. And of course, we've got to stop doing the things the world is doing." That is as far as they go. Have you heard Christians get up and testify along this line? They say, "I used to smoke and drink and dance and go to the movies and play cards and gamble and all these terrible things. But I don't do any of them any more. I believe in the Lord. I've stopped all these things." They leave the impression that it ought to make everyone become a Christian, to see such a tremendous change.

But what you discover, soon enough, is that people are not a bit impressed by what you have stopped doing. Not the least bit. Why, worldlings can stop doing these things if they have a good reason. And they do it. If that is the basis of your Christian testimony, you have got nothing more to say than they do. No, the world is not a bit impressed by stopping something.

What does impress them is seeing you do something they cannot do. That is Love. That is why John says that the third mark of a genuine Christian is that he begins to love -- not those that love him (anybody can do that, is Jesus' remark) -- but beginning to love those who do not love you; to treat kindly those who mistreat you; to return good for evil and to pray for those who spitefully use you; to welcome and treat kindly those who are against you and are trying to hurt you. This is the mark, isn't it? You no longer treat those who have needs around you with callous indifference, but you respond to them and do not shut them out of your life. John says, "If a man comes to your door and says, 'I'm hungry, and I don't have anything to wear,' and you have what he needs, and you say to him, 'Well, that's all right brother. We'll pray for you. Go away and be filled and be warmed,' it is ridiculous to say that the love of God dwells in you. It is absurd. How can you say that? If you do not love your brother whom you can see, how can you say that you love God whom you don't see?" (1 John 4:20). See how practical he gets in these matters?

So he emphasized that fellowship with the Lord Jesus, a oneness, a day-by-day walk with him, opening your heart to his word, letting his light shine upon you -- thus letting yourself be changed by the power of Christ -- will result in truth about Jesus righteousness in your personal behavior and love toward your brothers, your fellow members of the human race, as well as those fellow members of the church of God.

Then the final result, and the closing note of the letter, is assurance. You know things with a knowledge that is unshakable, which nobody can shatter, and no rational arguments will disturb. You know that what God has told you is true. You know that what he has revealed about the world is true. You have a continually growing certainty that underlies your life. As we read in John's closing note:

We know that one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. (1 John 5:18 RSV)

That is righteousness. We know, he says, that we are of God, the very nature and being of God -- the God who is love -- and that the whole world is in the power of the evil one. That is why they cannot love. They talk about it and they want it. They search for it, but they cannot find it -- because God is love. We know that we are of God, he says,

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 5:20 RSV)

What a declaration that is, in an age when everybody is telling us that you cannot know anything for sure, that nobody knows anything for certain. John says that we do. We know. We have been given an understanding.

Here is his final word and it is such an important one. One that I think ought to ring in our ears every day:

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. (1 John. 5:21)

Why? Well, because the first and great commandment is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," (Matthew 22:37b). That is the chief end of man. And idolatry is loving something else as God. What is an idol? It is a substitute God. Your God is what you get excited about. What you save your money for. What you spend it on. That is your God. What is important to you, that is your God.

Little children -- you who have found the true God -- keep yourselves from these secondary idols, these substitute gods that demand your attention. Give yourself, alone, to the One who can fulfill in you ail your heart's desires. It is a great word, isn't it? The word that will lead us safely through all the difficulties along our path.

Prayer:

Our Father, you know the many idols that loom before us each day -- the god of pleasure, the god of selfishness, the god, Narcissus, who makes us love ourselves, admire ourselves, look to ourselves; the god of love, Venus -- how we follow her, Lord, and exalt her when we should not; the god, Bacchus, who makes us revel in pleasure as if that were the chief end in life, as if fun were the reason for living. Lord, deliver us from these gods, these false gods that will rob us of our faith, of our love for humanity. Make us fall more truly in love with the Lord Jesus who alone is the only true God, who has come to give us an understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and has come to teach us righteousness and how to love with a heart that is self-giving instead of self-serving. These things we ask, Lord, in this twentieth-century hour, knowing that we are exposed to the same dangers that they were in the first century, and so desperately needing your power. We ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.


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