ONE MESSAGE. ONE FAITH.

image from web It's the timeless metaphor. You know the story: Coal.  Extreme heat.   Extreme pressure.   Glittery sparkling clear rock that bends and reflects light. And while that remains factually untrue (coal is not actually involved in natural diamond formation), the principle of the process manages to find it's way into the  hearts of the persevering, the aspiring, the goal-seeking, and the dream-chasing. There is something imprinted in the minds of men to rise up to challenges we face. Overcoming challenges results in accomplishment. Sense of accomplishment give us purpose. And purpose gives us life. So we rise. In the face of adversity we push, and if we must, we fight.  The saddest people in the world are not the poorest, but the one who has lost his will to go on, to fight- to live. It is in this vein the Lord speaks to us . It is to this appeal that He implores us: " diligently seek him" "search for m...

PRESS. image from web My desire for God must  drive  me to the throne of God. I must press, like the woman with the issue of blood-- I must persevere. There has to be an inner desperation, a dire thirst in my soul that longs for God. O God, You  are  my God; Early will I seek You; My  soul  thirsts for You; My flesh  longs  for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.- Psalm 63:1 My  soul   longs , yes, even faints For the courts of the  Lord ; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.- Psalm 84:2   I spread out my hands to You; My  soul   longs  for You like a thirsty land. Selah- Psalm 143:6 What brought David to the point of his flesh - his flesh(!)- longing for the Lord? Well the flesh [ basar]  used here is in context of the tangible body- rather than the carnal nature of man as we'd normally translate it in the new testament. So David was saying his soul and his physi...

image from www.davidmbn.com In prayer this morning  I was humbled as I marveled at  the turning of God's attention to me the minute I called his name. The fact that I can call on his name and he respond- for I can sense the wafting in of the ever-presence of God- astounds me.  It overwhelmed me to recognize his loving kindness. I relate to David when he poses the question, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" The song that declares "OH! how he loves us" reverberates in my thoughts and I double over smitten by the undeserved affection and attention the Lord gives me. Again, in David's words, " these thoughts are too wonderful for me." But it did not begin there. Before the the presence of God was able to overtake me I was overtaken by the pursuit of HEBEL. You know, the HEBEL that Solomon writes about in Ecclesiastes 2:1. I said [ amar] in my heart [ leb] , “Come now [ yalak] , I will test [ nacah] you with mirth[ simchah ]; ther...

Easy yoke? Light burden? Easy is not usually the first word that comes to mind with the image of a  Yoke. But there it is in Matthew 11:29. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"   Truth is, yokes are easy when the one you're yoked with is carrying the bulk of the load. Burdens become light when you are suddenly freed from carrying the load of guilt and condemnation on your shoulders alone.  So Jesus beckons us to take the load of the world off our shoulders and yoke up with him. Even when I walk      through the darkest valley, [ a ] I will not be afraid,      for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff      protect and comfort me. - Psalm 23:4

Part 6 of our "Revelation of Jesus Christ" Study  took us to chapter 4; it declared the creator of Heaven and earth to be none other than Jesus Christ- Jehovah our Salvation. We last see John in heaven gazing upon ONE being on the throne. This being is God himself, [Revelation 4:8], who is being worshiped by beasts and elders. Chapter 5 continues from this scene. And I saw in the right  hand  of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2  Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”  3  And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. What do you observe here? A. there is a HIM sitting (alone) on the throne B. HE (alone) is holding a heavily sealed scroll ( 7 seals to be exact) C.An angel (curiously described as strong) poses the question about worthiness to open the...

The Right Perspective In his book, The Vision and The Vow, Pete Greig tells of how a distinguished art critic was studying an exquisite painting by the Italian Renaissance master Filippino Lippi. He stood in London's National Gallery gazing at the fifteenth-century depiction of Mary holding the infant Jesus on her lap, with saints Dominic and Jerome kneeling nearby. But the painting troubled him. There could be no doubting Lippi's skill, his use of colour or composition. But the proportions of the picture seemed slightly wrong. The hills in the background seemed exaggerated, as if they might topple out of the frame at any minute onto the gallery's polished floor. The two kneeling saints looked awkward and uncomfortable. Art critic Robert Cumming was not the first to criticise Lippi's work for its poor perspective, but he may well be the last to do so, because at that moment he had a revelation. It suddenly occurred to him that the problem might be his. The painting ...

"She cried a deluge of tears- enough to wash the feet of Jesus- and then she wiped them clean and dry with her hair." Those who have been forgiven much, love much* As the preacher relayed this timeless story I was struck in the heart. I marveled at the effect of this woman's intense desire to express her adoration to her savior. It was so much that she was willing to be unkempt and become, what we would call dirty. Can you imagine the combination of tears and dirt she was left with when she arose from his feet. Yet the possibly now matted hair was in direct contrast to the fragrant aroma that surrounded her as she got up. She poured out what she had and gave it to God, and her contact with the Savior caused his anointing to be imparted on her as well. How about the absurdity of a king dancing in the streets? His desire to express his thankfulness and adoration of the most high was unmatched in the kingdom. He danced every so many steps, while his kingly robes beg...