2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

To be in a place where all things are new is to be in a place of discovery. Just to step through the door and come upon the first of these new things is to be given the opportunity to be occupied, impressed and fixated on it for some time. This place, though, is full of so many more things waiting to be admired, but to also be used and applied to life.

Christopher Columbus, the great discoverer who sailed the ocean blue in 1492, was looking for a new way to get to Asia, but instead came upon the islands of the Caribbean. His discovery was really just on the outskirts of a great land of opportunity that extended far beyond Columbus’s wildest imaginations. In fact, he died never realizing that his discoveries were something other than the Eastern parts of Asia. His discovery was real, but it was just a step through the door of a place where all things were new. The expanse of what was yet before him would require way more than his lifetime to discover. Also, utilizing what was discovered would in itself be a discovery of an even greater challenge. It would require management and care in order for it to be more than just a possession.

To be in Christ is to be in this place where all things are new, but to step through the door is just the beginning. Day by day there is a continual discovery of each new thing, how it is to be utilized and just how great is its potential in life. At each introduction to these new things, the activator that makes it relevant and powerful in life is worship, where the heart is opened not to just a concept, but to the Giver of that new thing. With awe and adoration each new way is not only observed, but embraced and applied to life in an act of obedience and reverential.

To stop on the outskirts or to mismanage or depreciate any of these new ‘things’ would be to miss out on the greatest opportunity of an eternity. Today there is an atmosphere of worship where the new things in Christ can touch every part of life with a rewarding and liberating discovery.

Psalms 22:1-5 KJV

(1)  <To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.> My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

(2)  O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

(3)  But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

(4)  Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

(5)  They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

Our home has two levels, with the bedrooms on the upper level and the living, dining, and office areas below. There are many times when communication is necessary with one of the kids up in their room, but I’ve found that no level of shouting will produce a response. (of course there’s the temptation to think maybe you’re just being ignored) It can actually be quite frustrating when you’re occupied with something that’s really important- like maybe catching the end of Andy Griffith or a Broncos game- and you get no answer from yelling that threatens to damage your vocal folds. Somehow walls and floor levels are doing their job, creating separation and privacy and the ability for our precious ones to have their own ’space’. They’re usually occupied with their own focus, which often includes some kind of media with its own volume and visual distraction from the ‘important’ communication they should be heeding. I’ve found that the best way to avoid the frustration on both my part and theirs is to just take the time and effort to climb the stairs, open the door to where they are, ask them to turn down the volume level and speak to them face to face in a normal speaking voice. It’s not that they don’t want or care to hear me, it’s just that there’s so much separation between us that communication is impossible.

I find it interesting that David, the man after God’s own heart, spews forth these expressions of communication frustrations with God. The opening statements of this Psalm would seem to just bring further despair to the heart of one going through a similar time in their relationship with God. -”If David, the giant killer, couldn’t manage to get God’s ear, how in the world will I?” It would seem, though, that maybe David had a similar issue with God as I’ve had with my kids- there were just too many levels, walls and distractions that had risen to separate and disable communication. While further shouting and mental anguish would do nothing to resolve the problem, there was something David began to do that changed everything. Instead of just remaining in his anguished state of discouragement, David got up off the couch and began to mount the stairs to the holy place where God was waiting. His focus began to change from his predicament and pitiful situation to the One who is holy and inhabits the praises of Israel. He began to experience a door opening and distracting volume levels going down and visual distractions becoming dim as He drew close to God in praise and worship. It was true that there had been no apparent response from his Father, but this wasn’t because God wasn’t ready, willing and able to do far above what could be imagined or thought. It was just because too much had disabled communication by way of barriers and diverted focus. To rehearse the problem and the failure would be the same as just staying downstairs, while rehearsing the known goodness and mercy of God was just like walking right up to Him where a face to face talk could take place. David had come to know just how important it was to have God’s ear, and he also learned the power of praise and it’s transforming impact on communication. From a despairing, hopeless failure he could consistently rise to a place of victory and overcoming power as God became big once more and old things were left behind in the other room and His nearness eliminated all distractions.

He’ll hear, He’ll respond, He’ll bless and He’ll restore with the simple effort taken to move from that separation to His holy place of refuge and peace. The frustration doesn’t have to continue and prevail, if we’ll just go up and take our seat at His side in heavenly places by letting praise, adoration and worship occupy our hearts. Right there before Him the smallest whisper will be heard.

Psalms 22:23-24 KJV

(23)  Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

(24)  For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

Philippians 2:13 KJV
(13) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.

Several years ago, upon the encouragement of a close friend, I went on a missions trip to Zaire, Africa. Although not all that experienced at construction and definitely ignorant of French or Swahili, I was put in charge of a construction crew when the missionary had to go away shortly after we arrived there. It was a brand new project, so hiring workers, which numbered close to 50, and keeping track of their duties and hours was a challenging and rewarding endeavor. I got to learn a language and many archaic ways of getting things accomplished with limited resources. I also discovered that progress would not be made with any of our fence, latrine, or well building just because people claimed to be good workers with adequate skills. Though some were quite self-motivated, for the most part everyone frequently needed monitoring and a motivational encouragement or guidance. If somehow each one of them would just do what they were told and what they said they would do, there would have been much less stress and concern as to whether or not the project would be completed. It has been said by a very learned and wise friend of mine that if you can just get someone to fulfill what is expected and to what they’ve committed, not only will their performance be extraordinary, but so also will be their promotion and glory.

There has been a commitment and claim made to us by Someone who has proven Himself to be extraordinarily capable at His duties and more than faithful at sticking to them. It will never be that He comes across a situation in us that causes Him to just throw His hands up and admit that it’s just too much. Also, there will never be a moment when you can sneak up on Him to find that He’s just chilling under a tree. It doesn’t say that He’s looking for work either, but rather, He’s working already, utilizing the very forces and resources of heaven to accomplish and complete those things that might mean something to us, but have completely motivated Him to apply His great ability to insure their progress. This is His position. This is His will and His heart. The only inhibitor of our personal Worker is whether or not we let Him in to do His work in us. All His preparation and work that’s going on even now will only require our reception and ‘amen’. Oh, the promotion and glory that will be His through us. “Amen”

Song-“Working In Me”

Romans 2:3-4 MKJV

(3)  And, O man, the one judging those who do such things, and practice them, do you think this, that you shall escape the judgment of God?

(4)  Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Once there were three sons of a king, one of which was several years older than the other two who were twins. The first born upon completing his basic education determined that he would separate himself from the restricting life of a prince and instead live in freedom and independence. He took a large portion of his inheritance and went to a foreign land where he could not be recognized or followed. Completely disregarding and despising his heritage he lived as a degenerate, wasting his money on meaningless consumption until there was none left and he was among those asking for money on the corners and sleeping under the stars. After some time in this state of deprivation, his father by chance became aware of his whereabouts and presented this information to his remaining sons who had by this time completed graduate studies and were faithfully serving in his kingdom. He told them that he needed help with preparation of an appropriate reception for their wayward brother. Each was told to outline exactly how their brother’s treatment should be and present this plan on short notice.

Before receiving his sons’ directives for their brother, though, the king went ahead and gave specific instructions to his chief assistant that documents received from each of the twins should be carried out to the smallest detail. Instead of being executed on behalf of their older brother, though, each plan would be directed towards the one who wrote it. While the wayward son had obviously violated his wishes and despised his provision and riches, the king knew that his remaining sons, while not as overtly, had erred themselves in many ways for which they had already received his mercy and forgiveness. Prestige, honor and authority would be theirs as royalty, but the greatest lesson for them to learn would be mercy, that the measure to which they could apply mercy and forgiveness would be the measure to which they would receive it in their own times of failure. Though they had remained within their father’s favor, never having turned their back on him, to negatively judge their brother at this time would be the same as despising the forgiveness and mercy that had been extended towards them in their own shortcomings. Whether a welcome party or a rejection with punishment, whatever their plans for their brother would prove to be their own experience.

There is not one of us that by our own virtue and moral perfection are deserving of anything less than complete destruction. However, it is so wonderful to experience the incredible presence of the Lord and to know His favor and provision in countless areas of our lives. This close proximity to Him, though, is due alone to the mercy and grace of his goodness. If we’ve turned our back on any sinful activity it has only been that His incredible long-suffering has made this possible. He has been faithful to see us in Christ, though our behavior might have often stated otherwise. Now, to administer judgment on anyone that is in need of the same mercy we’ve received would be the same as despising the great treasure that’s been gifted to us at the cross. An embrace of our Father’s free gift of righteousness in Christ will have its greatest evidence in the display of mercy and forgiveness given rather than just received. The more this gift is treasured the more it will be extended towards so many others in need of it themselves. For that brother that may have turned his back on his inheritance in Christ there will ever be a place of reception, honor, love and mercy in the heart and life of the one who has truly valued their own undeserved place by the Father.

Ephesians 1:19-20 MKJV
(19) and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength
(20) which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,

It was a dream guitar for me, the top model made by Kohno, a Japanese maker of fine hand-made classical guitars. It had beautiful Brazilian rosewood on the back that contributed to a very rich tone that made playing it an incredible experience. Shortly after acquiring this guitar, though, I discovered that there was something else about the nature of the rosewood, it was very hard, but also very brittle, and cracks began to form both on the front and the back of this guitar that had cost me a great deal of money. It was definitely in need of some care, but not just some Elmer’s glue and duct tape. My guitar teacher knew of a luthier, someone who actually specialized in the construction and repair of fine wooden instruments. Upon his recommendation I was able to have my treasured guitar reinforced without compromising either its visible or audible sound. Somehow, knowing that my guitar was in the care of someone who had done this before with incredible success, brought great confidence, peace of mind, and hope.

It’s so good to know that the One to whom our hearts and lives have been entrusted is quite experienced and capable at the work He’s doing in us. For an example there is this incredible display of His work in Jesus, raising Him and seating Him right by His side in heavenly places. When you consider just how great and long-lasting is the work of this Master luthier, you would be hard put to even consider entrusting the treasure of your heart and life to any other wielders of Elmer’s glue and duct tape.

His work really is most impressive and it has its greatest impact where it has the greatest access in a heart that has become one with His Son. To be one with Jesus is to experience that same resurrection, overcoming power that God worked in Him, as that same power flows through us, His body. Today, we’ve been raised up together and made to sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ. There is great confidence and hope for us today in the touch of the Master upon our hearts. We’re His workmanship and He’s at work right now in us.

Psalms 31:24 MKJV

(24)  Be strong, and He will make your heart stronger, all you who hope in Jehovah.

It does take that step of faith. Where strength is needed and where provision is required it is necessary for the weak to say, “I’m strong” and for the poor to say,” I’m rich”- not for any other reason than because of what the Lord has done for us. This will most definitely be an extraordinary effort, but the moment a step is taken towards the answer in Him, strength comes and hope is renewed. For the weak to just declare what seems to be so obvious, weakness or lack, even with the intension of honesty and responsibility, there is no way for there to be any progress made towards a solution.

For the heart that has hope in it for something better and even the best, until that end is affirmed and rehearsed in the mind and mouth, it will never get a chance. God’s response is always to a display of strength towards Him, no matter how small that may be. Every effort exerted towards Him is rewarded with further strength.

I’ve always wondered a bit about the many scriptures that tell us to be strong. When someone is overwhelmed by life and surrounding difficulties, being strong isn’t even an available option, or so it would seem. You might think that strength should be administered rather than generated, that God might just zap you with a big jolt of strength in order for you to do anything at all. But, He provides a promise and a vision of who He is and what He’s capable of and then leaves it to us to ‘be strong’. Without the slightest effort on our part to be what He said we could be in Him, there isn’t an opportunity for His strength to be ours. However, as soon as He’s given the slightest opening through a door we’ve exerted even the slightest effort to open for Him, He pours into our hearts with more than enough strength to overcome in every situation. Our will just needs a display of ‘be-strongedness’ in order for Him to gain access with His more than sufficient supply of real strength, real power, and real life is in Him. He won’t push past any lack of will or desired on our part in order to impose His provision upon us. However, with just the flip of a switch, the plugging into an outlet, and the stepping into a river we’ll experience a flood of light and exceeding power as we’re swept away in a river of life that is more than abundant.

There will no doubt be something to climb today, something that will require more strength than we might feel we possess at the moment. Before we entered into Christ through His blood, there would have been no hope for making this climb, but for any man that is in Christ, hope has been made alive in a whole new world of victorious opportunity. The simplest resulting act on this hope, the smallest step towards what He’s promised activates His life within and no mountain is too steep or tall, and nothing is impossible before this display of belief. He will provide the real strength and resurrection power, all He’s waiting for is for us to just ‘be’ what He already said we are- strong.

1 Corinthians 1:18-19 KJV

(18)  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

(19)  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

There’s always a problem when a person or certain group of people insist on presenting themselves as the ‘ones with all the answers’, the ‘most brilliant people in the room’, or entitled to be in charge just based upon how much smarter and endowed with intellect they are. There may be an initial success based on the power of their presentation and the convincing assault on any opposing concepts, but when it comes to knowing God and discovering the reality of who we are and what life is really about there is no way around the cross. The simplicity and accessibility of God’s love expressed in what was done in Jesus will totally undermine and disrupt the most thought out philosophies.

A meeting had been arranged to discuss what should take place with regard to a little child’s custody. Both parents were adamant about their side with extensive reasoning and evidence to support what they ‘knew’ to be right for the child. The debates became long and oftentimes heated, filling up the morning and then continuing through the afternoon. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, as things had become particularly heated with raised voices and harsh words, there was a soft sound that was at first inaudible, but then began to grow in persistence and volume. Slowly the debate began to subside as everyone began to look for the source of this disruptive sound. It was a small voice singing a children’s song that was familiar to some and completely new to others:

Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but
He is strong

Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so

The object of the debate, overwhelmed by the endless verbiage and hurtful thoughts and accusations, had gone to a place she had discovered recently in her class at church. She had discovered there the simple truth of the Gospel that God loved her so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so we could know forgiveness, joy and peace. The song had been learned along with her discovery and was now on her lips; taking her back to that same place of love she had felt when she had asked Jesus to be her Savior. All other voices fell silent as the child became passionate with her song’s expression. It was at first almost like a little performance, but when she failed to stop after the second time through, voice after voice began joining with her as she led the whole room in her song of love and reconciliation. Though the song was observed by some as just childish ‘foolishness’ and void of relevance to the case at hand, the child had come to understand something that for now had completely silenced the ‘learned’ and ‘mature’ voices of unresolved reasoning. A heart surrounded by love had dispelled the dissension.

Every deep and elevated thought conceived by man is rendered meaningless and insignificant apart from the simple truth of God’s love expressed on the cross. His love short circuits the longest and most thought-out debates with something that can only really be known and understood through identification with the One who demonstrated this love. For everyone else it’s just too simple and foolish.

Once freedom has been known, though, in this thought-surpassing understanding, you would think there would never again be a need or desire to depend once more upon failed human reasoning. And yet, daily and moment by moment we’re given an opportunity to either let the song of love or the debate of bondage prevail in our hearts. Whenever the accusing and destructive voices have risen to an overwhelming level, though, there is ever a refrain waiting to be sung that will silence those voices, bringing hope and vision once again.

Ephesians 1:19-23 KJV

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Though I don’t begin to know everything about electrical power, I do know that there are different levels of it. From the tiniest little current that travels along a miniscule wire to the massive cable that carries the supply to a whole city there are completely different levels of danger and the need to handle them in an appropriate manner. The tiny wire will just burn up if it’s connected to a large current and the big cable will be way too much for the little wire’s application.

I also know that while that electricity in the wall will shock the fire out of me if I touch both sides in an outlet, there is a power much greater than it in the instant transmission of a lightning bolt’s current. Our house was once struck by lightning and an old-style TV antennae on the roof had a wire running down into the basement that burned through pipe and fried computers and electronics in our home before the breakers could trip. Though there was what I always considered to be a significant power source in the wall, it was rendered insignificant and powerless in the instant it came in contact with the superior and exceeding power of the lightning bolt.

Sometimes it would seem that sickness, family conflict, or financial challenge has overwhelming power to totally disrupt life and eliminate hope for anything better in the future. It may really have some power to do harm and injury by itself in its own little world, but there is a power with which we’ve come into contact that isn’t just a little bit stronger than whatever we’re up against, but it is a lightning bolt of power that will completely disable and render powerless anything that would attempt to resist it. This is the power that makes hurricanes and meteors become silent and immovable in comparison, and this is the power that is working right now through Christ for and in us.

Jesus said all things are possible to the person who just believes. What exactly are we to believe? To believe in God at all is to really believe that His power far exceeds that of any other entity, and for His power to be significant in our little world there must be a belief that His superior power is working for us right now because of Christ’s victory over death. We’re operating on a completely different power level now. No worries- just beliefs.

Ephesians 1:18-23 ISV
(18)  Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,

For the one in the middle of a job loss, family break-up, personal failure, financial disaster, or physical/mental disability it might be acceptable to at least acknowledge the difficulty at hand. There indeed may be a necessity to bring that thing up before God, but it is interesting how Paul entered into prayer for His beloved Ephesians. He made his prayer for them to be all about Christ and the overabundance of provision that was part of His inheritance and His right as the Son of God. There were certainly issues that could have been discussed and addressed, but in the end it would not really matter the depth or extent of the difficulty, because there is way more than enough abundance in the incredible glorious inheritance in Christ than any opposing circumstance. Rather than proclaiming the apparent magnitude of any challenges before them, He instead chose to focus His prayer on the greatness of Jesus’ victory with regard to His body and its wholeness.

‘Riches’ imply the ability to acquire, gain, and stride in a manner that depicts indifference to the cost, technical difficulty, or physical ailment. Where there is opulence with regard to an inheritance, it has much more to do with the benefactors resources than the one who is set to inherit them. Also, once the relationship between them has been established, there is no more need for verification or validation. The provision is there because of who He is and has nothing to do with the present condition of any inheritor.
‘Among the saints’ indicates that everything about Jesus’ greatness towards us is a family affair, not a flying solo contest. If there is one thing that is realized and acquired with regard to this inheritance, it will be something that is ultimately family oriented, with kingdom purpose. Everything comes from Him and all glory will go to Him and His body.

There is an inheritance waiting to be presented to us today, but there will need to be a cutting away of anything that would dislodge our fixation on Jesus. As His power, might, goodness, love, and ability are the focus in praise and worship, we’ll begin to see Him as our source and provision for everything having to do with life and Godliness, along with an established place in His body.

Psa 19:12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

While all that extra stuff is actually serving a very useful and helpful function, for the person attempting to ‘pop the hood’ and look for a problem, it is so much more difficult now than back in the day when it was just the motor and a few other essentials. Now, if this ‘check your engine’ light starts shining, indicating some unseen problem, it’s virtually impossible to discover what is causing that light to be so persistent. Though there may be no obvious performance issues, there is still a legal problem, because you’re not supposed to get an inspection sticker until that light goes out. You can start blindly changing this or that, hoping to somehow accidentally fix it, but really the only and the easiest way to remedy the problem is to just break down and visit an automotive repair shop. There they have this nifty computer that will plug into the car’s computer and diagnose the exact cause of the warning light’s activation. Fear of other things possibly waiting to be discovered by the auto shop may make this a less than desirable option, but in the end, for the car to function properly, connection to the computer will be required. Even the seasoned mechanic will not pretend that he knows enough on his own, but just utilize the power of that machine he paid so much for.

It can be frustrating when warning lights go off, indicating that something is wrong somewhere and in some way to which you’re totally oblivious. How could this action, behavior, attitude, reaction even be possible in the life of someone who’s given their life to God? You might try to figure it out yourself- somehow put a stop to it by blindly trying this or that, but in the end there really is only one answer, going to the One who knows exactly how we’re put together and letting Him plug into us. Rather than stay away from and fear what may be discovered inside, it’s possible to savor and appreciate everything He’ll do for us while we’re plugged in to Him. I love the verses that precede this 12th one. They talk about the extensive virtues, attributes and abilities of God and how each one of them can have a direct effect on our state of being. Who would even consider self-repair or DIY when allowing Him to get inside will do so much more than turn off the error light; He’ll equip and enable us to function at peak performance levels, fulfilling our greatest purpose.

Getting plugged in is so much better than just staying away and attempting on your own what only He can do. Why fear anything else that might occur while there in Him? The very best will never be known by anyone trying to figure it out from the outside. You just have to let Him plug in, diagnose and do what only He can do- completely restore to optimal functionality.

Psalms 19:7-11 KJV
(7)  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
(8)  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
(9)  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
(10)  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
(11)  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.