Archive for the Read Thru The Bible 2021 Category

Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness were radical and difficult. Jewish law had always been an eye for and eye. And now Jesus was saying to repeatedly forgive your brother who sins against you. The radical forgiveness lifestyle that Jesus describes is not humanly possible on this side of the veil. Only through the sacrifice and salvation of Christ can we be considered as pure as the way of life Jesus described. That is why faith is required. If we try to live such a radical life on our won, we condemn ourselves to the law, the old way of trying to achieve perfection by our own stubborn willpower. It can’t be done! Only through faith in Jesus, by continually throwing ourselves at His feet and covering ourselves with His perfection, can the radical life Jesus described in Luke 17 be achieved.

Be careful what you let into your life through social media. So much good can be accomplished within it. I use it every day. But it is a road lined with treacherous detours. Much foolishness lurks there… and the foolish person “does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” (v.18)

Jesus told three stories in a row with exactly the same ending. The message is clear. There is a fantastic celebration in heaven whenever someone comes to Jesus. Think about that for a moment. If you know Jesus, there has been a celebration in heaven… for YOU!

Just then the largest, most fantastic falling star I have ever seen shot across the sky. It had a long sparkling trail streaming far behind it. I’ve never seen such a sight before or after. We all gasped simultaneously in amazement. The pastor had no idea that was going to happen. It was God’s gift just to our little group. WOW, what a beautiful sign from God! I think He was reassuring us that He was there with us and had seen our hard work. Often over the years since then, I have often heard God whisper into my ear, “Remember the falling star…” God sees us. He is here with us. He knows you intimately. He loves you and wants you to come back to Him. Remember the falling star.

But that is only the very beginning of our story. Our physical life here is only the tiniest drop of water in the ocean of eternity. The fate of our souls in infinitely more important. This is why Jesus’ teachings focus on the kingdom of heaven rather than on our plight here on this earth. Jesus came to show us the way, the truth, and the life which was Himself. There is only one God and only one Savior, Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? That is the only question that really matters.

In my own Christian life, I’ve experienced several different time periods, distinct “spiritual baptisms” where I grew much closer to God and He opened up my mind and soul to understand Him much more deeply. The last one happened in August 2019 when I began having vision experiences in which my soul was transported to heaven to pray for the earth with all of the saints in heaven.

This hasn’t been easy. I don’t want to imply that I just smoothly shifted into this position of trust, because I didn’t. I have shed many tears in the past couple of days, afraid, throwing a spiritual temper tantrum. But like David, I did not doubt in my God. I did not blame Him for my unhappiness. I worked through my fears (for now anyway) and wound up here in this place of submission and trust and PEACE. And it feels really good!

So now I find myself in this most unusual place where I can do nothing but “wait for God.” This is actually quite an amazing place to be. We have committed to doing what we believe He is calling us to do regardless of how we feel about it. God is removing from us all the THINGS that we have hung our hopes and joy on over the past years. We have no idea what our future is going to look like. And for two OCD, overplanning, super disciplined folks like us, this is downright terrifying.

The more time you spend seeking Jesus in prayer and in His Holy Word, the more of Him you will get. He will reveal Himself to you and open up your mind to understand Him. But you’ve got to spend that time with Him. Carve time out of your too busy life for Him every single day. Guard that time. Be jealous of it. Don’t stop seeking, knocking, asking for more of God! More Holy Spirit! More fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. More wisdom! These are the most valuable gifts that anyone could receive. And they are PROMISED if we only ask!

Shifting over to Mary mode has been fantastically beneficial to my soul. Through meditative prayer, I sit “at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word” for at least an hour every day. Through this extended daily time with God, I have learned to recognize His voice much more clearly. My relationship with Him has grown deeper and much more meaningful than I ever dreamed was possible.