reaching forward to what lies ahead

More on the issue of stretching raised yesterday. The walk of faith is more than just strolling through a forest, looking for the Lord's back. It is, rather, a winding climb up an ever-scaling mount. If you are not struggling for breath at the tree line, it is because you are resting on some stump yards below.

Lord wants to stretch you not only so He can carry you; Lord stretches you because it is the only way you will grow. Those new to the faith are no different from those who have aged in the faith. Old ones should be asking themselves the same question as the new ones: what now, Lord? Churches fail when their flocks aren't continually seeking the growth, the stretching. Faiths fail when we believe that being able to catch our breath is somehow a good thing.

then he said to another, and how much

What all can a man do?

How far can a man stretch -- his time, his resources, his skills? What priorities does a man set in juggling marriage, family, and ministry? Is there room for time for self? A man can only do so much, so what all can a man do?

Lord is always calling you to stretch. Going to come to a point where not possible for you to do the juggling. To a point where it is impossible for you to meet all the needs. To the point where it is impossible for you.

It is there the Lord meets you and says, "I know. It is impossible. For you." Word says nothing is impossible for Him. Lord defines miracles by their ability to do the impossible. Lord says it is, in fact, all Him when you hit that wall. It is why He keeps calling you to stretch. Because when you come to the point where you can no longer reach, it is then that He reaches out to you, takes you by the hand, and says "I am enough."

and his whole household

"Jesus on Divorce" {Matt5:31-32}
* Intro
- Divorced? Married a divorcee? Divorce in family or close friends?
- Almost all people will answer yes to one of these questions; divorce touches almost all people, not few
- What does Lord think of divorce?
- "Kingdom code of Christ"
* Why does Jesus discourage divorce?
- Marriage to be a picture of Christ's love for world
- Divorce causes brokeness
- Culturally, divorce too easy to attain
- Lord had passion for faithful marriage
* Divorce inevitable in a sinful world
* Marriage an act of God, not a societal construct
* Moses on divorce {Deut24:1-5}
- Divorce only for serious offenses
- Man must give wife written certificate
- Man cannot remarry former wife
* When is divorce permitted
- Sexual immorality
- Unsaved spouse leaves (abandonment) {1Cor7:15}
- Divorce not to be first option; reconciliation and forgiveness is
* Practical advice
- Accept forgiveness from god
- If remarried, stay that way
- If single, stay that way
- Work on healing relationships
- Ask for and offer forgiveness

and He directed the people

Feel like I'm in a weird encouragement zone where steps of faith taken in love and in faith are being reaffirmed by rays of light. Wondrous to have confirmation of being on the path and being pulled along. Still unclear to where the pulling is leading, and to where the faithsteps are headed. The lesson as always is not to question. Enough to know that the tugging is not in vain; that the steps are not headed to waters too deep. Enough to know the path is the path. Eyes up, feet down.

so that you might be exalted

Got this note from a brother this morning discussing being before the throne:

". . . I was overwhelmed by the thought of spiritual battle that takes place when we come into worship as the body of Christ. I think if Satan could choose one place in our lives to distract us it would be in our times of worship. It's in worship that we gain a proper perspective of who God is, who He came to be in our lives, and what He wants to accomplish. It's in true worship that our lives are transformed, renewal is recognized, brokenness is manifested and commitments are cemented. Worship changes us, it tells us that God is near and we're not Him. Sin shows us it's [sic] ugly side in true worship and bondage is broken. In worship, we realize that to live surrendered to Jesus is the key to a life of spiritual freedom . . . I plead with you, brother and sister, to join me and spend some time these next few days, prostrate before the Lord, bathing our worship services in prayer. The destination of those that come through our doors depend on it."

Love the refocus emphasized by these words. Worship not for God. Worship for us and for others. Ridiculous how easy it is for liar to make us think differently. No need to plea, brother. Already on the knees.

are considered worthy to attain

Learned a lesson today about the heart of service that believers can take notes on. And from a car dealership no less. I'll go ahead and identify them, because with this kind of attitude, they should be getting the press. Honda aims for an "excellent" rating on customer satisfaction surveys. Their little form has the following chart:

Excellent = We Pass
Very Good = We Fail
Good = We Fail
Poor = We Fail

That is an attitude that expects and desires only complete and total service. You can see where I'm going from here. Not uncommon for me to rail about the lukes of the world. Their attitude is that Sundays are enough for God. The rest of the time is for the things of the world. A heart that defines passing as containing only excellence is the exact opposite of that.

You want that epitaph? It won't be written based on lowering the passing bar to something obtainable. That goal is far above your head, far above it, and only by His helping you reach the impossible will that get written about you, friend.

why can I not follow you right

Conversation this am about following and leading, flocks and shepherds, seemed to flow from beyond me. Applicable to the body here, sure, but methinks it is a lesson to other flocks, and the larger bride as well. Three points here:

Point one is that the flock needs to follow, end of story. There is no conditional clause that follows. It is not "Follow, only if they lead." Lord never calls for conditional obedience. Lord calls for obedience, period. Worrying about the leading is not a mistrust of man, but a mistrust of God. Why would He bother giving you a complete leader when you haven't demonstrated the ability to follow a less-than-complete one?

Point two is that the shepherds need to better lead. Obstinate sheep are brought about by hook and crook. Not by ignoring them. Not by half-hearted hands held out, blaming the flock for their inability to discern random barking. Assumption all along is that obedience not a strength. If that assumption known, why blame them for a natural characteristic?

Point three is that points one and two must improve independent of each other. This is a coordinated effort from above. Points cannot be waiting for the other to act; points need to trust -- Him, not each other -- that the coming together will occur. Because when it comes together, oh boy, but liar is going to run. Something blessed this way comes.

that I may be pleased with it

"Good and faithful servant" is such a common phrase among believers. They want it spoken of them just as of the Lord. They want it as epitaphs. They want it as a permanent character quality. I never quite understood the line of thought. Always thought it a rather overused phrase.

Until yesterday.

There is a satisfaction from knowing you've done the right thing. There's a satisfaction to knowing you were obedient. There's a satisfaction to knowing you were faithful.

But the biggest satisfaction is something else. And that's knowing you were a perfect vessel, used by Him for His glory. It is a satisfaction of having served the Lord. All the others are self-satisfactions. But there is a satisfaction that comes from pleasing God. Entirely a different thing, and entirely the intent behind the label. You are nothing, and you are not involved.

you may have life in His name

Lord says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. Fine by me, since I am nothing. All that means is that He will do the heavy-lifting. I'm fine with this arrangement. Especially because that means it guarantees success.

From today, but meant for every day:

God says in Isaiah 25:8 that “He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.” That was Jesus’s mission on earth: to save us from death and to wipe away our tears. Two days from now, this country celebrates independence. This country reserves a day to honor freedom, freedom won by the sacrifices made by others. My friend, the greatest freedom ever won for you was won by sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary two thousand years ago – freedom from sin and death for all eternity.

Every soul has a longing; every soul has a God-shaped hole that only Christ can fill. Today you can meet your salvation by asking Christ into your life. You can guarantee your place in Heaven. And in Heaven, my friend, God says in Revelation 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain." That is what awaits you if you turn over your life to Christ right now. And if you do that, the Bible says that all of Heaven, all of Heaven will celebrate, and the only tears shed at that grand party will be tears of great joy at your salvation. Take His outstretched, nail-pierced hand, my friend, and see it where it leads you.

just as I have loved you

From tomorrow:

The angel and Jesus ask Mary why she’s weeping because after Jesus’s death on the cross, death could be triumphed over. Jesus cried “It is finished” on the cross and when He sees Mary, Jesus says to her “Woman, why are you weeping?” As if to say, “Don’t you understand? Don’t you understand what I just did? Don’t you understand what happened on the cross? Death is not the end of the road anymore. Eternal life has been provided. Death is no longer so final. Don’t you understand? Why are you weeping?”

But in John 11:35, when Jesus is facing Lazarus’s tomb, He’s not thinking about the eternity that awaits those whose faith is in the Messiah. Instead, he’s thinking about the still terrible nature of physical death, and He thinks of Lazarus in that cold, cold tomb, He can see the terribleness and finality of death for Lazarus, and for everyone around Him. Jesus sees the emptiness of that tomb and thinks of the emptiness that awaits all mankind apart from God, He sees that and it breaks His heart, it breaks it, and He weeps.

But thankfully, the story doesn’t end at a weeping Savior before a tomb.