Taste and See

Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Many small children will not touch new foods when presented with them for the first time. They will complain and say, “I don't like it, or yuck, I'm not eating that!” The mother's usual reply is an exasperated, “Don't say that you don't like it until you have tried it.” I used to randomly find uneaten french cut stringbeans “hidden” behind our refrigerator when my children were small. When questioned they would just shrug and say, We don't like them.” My oldest daughter still cringes at the mention of french cut stringbeans.

As one who has tasted of God's promise, I can assure you that He is good. There is no safer place to be anywhere in creation, than in His arms. There is not one thing in this world that is worth the trade-off for His love and presence in our lives. The world promises tasty morsels that end up being bitter in the end. A taste of God is real, healthy and life-giving.

Lord, in Jesus' name I pray that You allow each of us to taste Your goodness. Please touch us and heal our minds and bodies. Please cover our hearts and allow us to learn of Your goodness. Thank You for presence, thank You for Your Spirit. I pray for salvation, Lord I pray that Your Spirit falls upon us and change us from glory to glory into Your image. Amen.

Patti

God’s Omnipotence

The truth that God is all-powerful gives me the confidence in my Christian walk.  He will never fail, He will never tire of me and He will never fall asleep or forget me.  There is nothing that God cannot do.  He is strength; He does not just possess it.  God is able to reach down to me in my lowest place and meet me in my need.  He does not need anyone’s permission or even a reason, other than He loves me.  I do not have to worry that He will get sick or die or ever not be able to do what He has promised.  God created nature and has power over it; if necessary, He will even cause the sun to stand still for me (Joshua 10:13).  If I am thirsty, He can cause water to issue out of a rock for me (Exodus 17:6).  God has all power and He laid down His life and took it up again for my salvation and remission of my sin, as John 10:17 tells me, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again.”  I can rest peacefully knowing that my Father is watching over me and there is none greater than He.

God wants to be your Father too.  He is asking for your heart in exchange for eternal life in the future, and a blessed life now.  When you hear His call, please answer.  He loves you.  I pray for salvation and relationship.  If you have been saved in the past, but now feel far from Him, He is calling you home too.  As long as we are still breathing, it is never too late to call out to Him.

Patti

Grace and Peace

"Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:3).  Paul's words resound across the centuries from his imprisionment in a first century Roman jail to our hearts, as we read his epistle written to Philemon of Colossae.  Colossae was a city in the Valley of the Lycus River, which was a branch of the Meander River in the southwest region of ancient Phrygia (Asia Minor).  The occaision of the writing of this personal letter, was Paul's entreaty to Philemon to receive the fugitive Onesimus back to himself as a brother, rather than as a slave.  The motifs of forgiveness, discretion, and restoration ring throughout this short letter, which contained only 334 words in the original Greek text.

The epistle of Philemon was hand delivered to its namesake by none other than Onesimus himself, who was accompanied by Tychicus.  Paul identifies himself as the author, as he acknowledges Timothy as his brother and Philemon as their fellow laborer.  Timothy was Paul's spiritual son, as was Onesimus, as the apostle had led both of them to salvation.  The name Timothy means "honored or valued of God, or worshipper of God."  From the Greek, Philo, means "lover," Philemon's name translates to "friendly or affectionate man."  Paul describes Philemon as dearly beloved, as well as a fellow laborer in this book.  The Greek word sunergos, which is the root of the word, synagogue, is associated with leading together, an assembly or congregation.  This is exactly what verse two of this book says that Philemon hosted in his home, "And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in thy house."  The name Apphia, is qualified in some translations as, "our sister."  The male equivalent of this name means "revivified."  Archippus means, "master of the horse," he was a Christian of Colossae, a close friend of Philemon, and most likely the pastor of this house church.

Paul characteristically offers a prayer of thanksgiving and encouragement as he praises Philemon for his love, faith, and care of the saints.  It is interesting that this letter was written in the early 60s by a slave of Christ in bonds of men, on behalf of a renegade slave, to another slave of Christ.  Each of these men had intimate knowledge of what is means to be constrained by bonds.  Each of these men had tasted the forgiveness that Christ's sacrifice offers.  Each of these men were responsible, as we are, to extend this magnanimous forgiveness to those who have wronged them.

You Can't Get There From Here

“You can’t get there from here,” so goes the old joke as the bewildered traveler asks directions from the “helpful” but misinformed local. How many times in our lives have we thought this absurd statement to be true? Sometimes where we are now, and where we desire to be seem worlds apart. What goal in your life seems like an impossibility?
My husband and I took my daughter and her friend to a water park for her 10th birthday. I laid down the rules from the outset; the general mommy fare, stay together, stay with us, don’t run, etc. . . . As soon as we arrived they jumped on the biggest ride there which landed on the other side of the park. Incidentally, this ride was the only way to get to the other side, wonderful engineering! It was called the Stealth, the ride was the shape of a Stealth plane wing and it careens you up and down its triangular shape by your own momentum, until you slide off of the bottom and into a pool. Now, I am she who went to Disney World and only rode the teacups, and felt a little queasy when I did. I hesitantly climbed the wooden staircase to the summit of the ride. As I waited my turn, I had visions of a 10 and 8 year old doing everything I asked them not to. As a tan, zinc-nosed teenaged boy began to shove my raft off the edge, my anxious face reflected in his sunglasses, I asked, “What are the chances of me flying off of this thing?” “Noooooone,” his reply was drawn out in the empty air and summer sun, as I whizzed down the enormous wing. Evidently my body mass was enough to prolong the ride, I swung up and down, in ever smaller arcs until I finally slid off of the end. Slightly rumpled, I got on the Lazy River which floats around the perimeter of the park. I languished in the sun, floating slowly until I found the girls, who incidentally were fine and thought I had lost my mind. One moment I was careening into oblivion and the next I was lazily floating to my destination. God moves us along the paths of our lives, sometimes at lightning speed and sometimes painstakingly slowly. The express route may be tragic, a death, illness or other great loss. It may be a promotion, sudden fortune or other windfall. The slow pace of everyday life may seem stifling or comforting. Regardless, God has a path and a plan for your life. He will be there with you every step of the way. If anyone ever tells you that you can’t get there from here, know that with God all things are possible! He loves you! I pray for your salvation and relationship with Him.

Look Ma, No Hands!

It is amazing how quickly a scent can transport your mind back in time. Standing at the kitchen sink, looking out the window and washing dishes by hand, a torrent of childhood memories came rushing back on a blizzard of bubbles scented of green Palmolive dish detergent. Green Palmolive was the all-purpose cleaner of choice for bicycles, swing sets, unwilling pets, really anything you could spray with a hose. After washing my bike, I would find one of my dad’s old oil cans, the kind with the clicky bottom and the long snout, and oil the chain and do other minor “repairs.” We lived at the bottom of a hill, just perfect for gliding home on your bike or skateboard, as long as you were careful to turn into our yard before hitting the highway on the other side of our house. The graveyard of ill-fated pets in our backyard was a testament to the dangers of the highway. My mom would stand at the kitchen window and give us the OK sign when we did a particularly neat trick. Flying down the hill we would yell, “Look Ma, no hands!” and maneuver the bike into the yard without a glitch. One of us realized that if you hit the curb just right it could be jumped like a ramp. A neighborhood boy sailed down the hill one day and hit the curb and did a complete flip. He landed on his back and the wind was knocked out of him. We were supposed to get married, I wonder if he remembers. My mom saw me get struck by a car from that window. I was running across the street and when I turned, I saw was a looming black car. I hit the side of it and rolled over the hood and landed in the street on the other side. The last thing I saw before being struck was the kitchen window, so I got up and kept running. The only problem was I had gotten turned around and was running back across the street. My mom ran right out of her flip-flops to rescue me. I sustained minor bumps and bruises, and the first of several cracks to the head. . .
I led my mother to the Lord just a few short years before she passed away. She was my cheerleader. As long as I knew that I had her blessing, I could run headlong into any army. I randomly find cards that she has sent me over the years tucked away in my house. One particularly memorable one said, “You’re going to make it, I swear!” The last hours of her life I stayed by her bedside. It was a drizzly, cold December day and the air hug heavy with the inevitable. I played guitar and sang to her, in a lucid moment she sang along with “How Great Thou Art” and told me that I was singing another song in the wrong key. Just before she passed away, I laid my head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat. This woman who I loved more than I can express was slipping away from me and into the arms of our loving Father. I sincerely miss her; but I know that she is safe in Christ. I was able to offer eternal life to the woman who gave me life, what a grand and beautiful irony. God’s offer of eternal life stands open to any who will answer.

All That Remains

Last week I was chatting with an old friend who I haven’t seen in quite a while.  The way the light from the window was hitting my face, she noticed a scar on my forehead and asked me about it.  The scar is a remnant from a car accident that honestly, I shouldn’t have walked away from.  My flesh shouted, “Change your hair, and buy some new makeup that will cover it up!”  I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, “Do no such thing. . .”  You see that scar is a part of my history; it is an imprint in my flesh of a past hurt.  I’m not going to try to cover up who I am.  Isaiah 52:14 foretells the mutilation that Jesus would suffer, “. . . his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (NIV Capitalization theirs).  The Archaeological Study Bible states, “This prophecy makes clear that Christ’s treatment at the time of his passion and crucifixion would be absolutely inhumane” (1154).  Yet when Jesus showed Himself to the disciples after His Resurrection, in Luke 24:36-38, He was not only recognizable as Himself, but the only scars that remained were the wounds from the crucifixion.  His scars are who He is, The Savior, He Who died for the sins of the world and our faithful friend.  One day I’m not going to need this body any longer and it will be shed like a garment.  My scars aren’t going to matter anymore.  Hebrews 12:2 proclaims, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (NIV Capitalization theirs).  This joy that Jesus suffered for is you.  He suffered for your salvation.  Look around you, everything that you see will someday be perished; except for your relationship with Jesus or lack thereof.   That reality will be all that remains.   

An Exceptional Honor

Jesus sacrificed His life so that we may enter into covenant relationship with the Father.  For this exceptional honor, we must sacrifice our own lives to His will.  Jesus' pre-existence, birth, life, death and resurrection echo out in all directions, ad infinitum; and the ensuing sound is salvation.  Jesus, as the Greek Logos or Word, was present with the Father and Holy Spirit at creation.  "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3).  This truth is foretold in Psalm 33:6, "By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them, by the breath of His Mouth."  Jesus was prophesied of in Genesis 3:15, ". . .and between her seed and thy seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."  Job, in his anguish, prophesies Jesus' personage, "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" (Job 19:25).  The familiar verse of Isaiah 9:6 proclaims, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. . ."  Jesus' death and resurrection have deep implications for all mankind.  Due to His sacrifice, all men now have access to salvation.  At His death on the cross, Mark 15:38 records, "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom."  This veil was a partition that separated the the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.  The Holy of Holies was the inner private space of the temple that only the high priest was allowed to enter for atonement.  It is so intriguingly relevant that God wishes for you to enter His most intimate sphere as He enters yours, your heart.  This veil symbolizes the separation of God and man, at Jesus' death it was torn and the way was made clear for man to approach God covered by the righteousness of Christ's blood.  If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the way is clear for you to come to Him.  Cry out to Him, He has been waiting for all eternity to answer you.