rest... in His shadow...

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,

and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

Psalm 36:7 ESV

The idiom... in the shadow of somebody...

generally has a negative connotation... meaning...

receiving little attention... because someone else is better known...

more skillful...

Only in His shadow...

we find rest...

Rest from trying to gain attention for ourselves...

rest from striving in our own strength...

rest from criticism... critique...

The shadow of His wings falls over those who know His precious love...

there they find abundance... delights... life... and light...

His shadow is not overpowering...

it is empowering...

His shadow covers...

with grace...

strength...

mercy...

love...

When all we do...

is pursue His call...

stay in His shadow...

there is rest to be had...

knowing all belongs to Him...

whether praise...

or complaint...

Only in the shadow of His wings... His borders...

is there rest...

Rest... in His shadow...

rest in Him... Psalm 116:7-9...

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;

I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

Psalm 116:7-9 ESV

Sometimes... when your soul is stirred...

you just have to give it a talking to...

Soul... remember just how bountiful God has been to you...

He sent His Son... to save you...!

He delivered you from death...

turned mourning to joy...

smoothed rough paths... 

and lit the dark way...

Soul... walk before the Lord... in the land of the living...

those who have the promise of eternal life...

walk with joy... in your salvation...

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32 ESV

Sometimes... a soul just needs a talking to...

to return to rest... in... Him...

lean on Him... Psalm 91:1-6...

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Psalm 91:1-6 ESV

I've got your back...

it's a popular saying these days...

one that encourage trust... strength...

This psalmist tells us...

when we live God's way...

He's got our back...

The shadow of the Almighty...

looms large behind us... over us...

Do you see it...?

Us moving forward... trusting Him...

knowing He's got our back...

His shadow falling over...

lengthening beyond us...

In this place of trust...

following His way...

there is no need to fear...

the snare of the enemy...

the terrors of the night...

the threats of the day...

But there is a place...

we can wander...

out from under His shadow...

away from His way...

living in the world...

instead of His Word...

this is a deadly place... 

a place we don't want to be...

Stay near... under His shadow...

for whoever lives hidden in Him...

remains in the shadow of His strength...

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind
on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:1-3 ESV

He is the way... is He yours...?

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me. ..."

John 14:6 ESV

The Jesus Way

by Eugene Peterson

Way: a simple noun designating a road that leads to a destination, but then opening up as a metaphor that ramifies into many and various "ways"--- not only the way we go, as in the route we take, but the way we go on the way whether by foot or bike or automobile. The way we talk, the way we use our influence, the way we treat one another, the way we raise our children, the way we read, the way we worship, the way we vote, the way we garden, the way we ski, the way we feel, the way we eat.... And on and on, endlessly, the various and accumulated "ways and means" that characterize our way of life.

---Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way

Jesus is the Way...
The destination... the Father...
There is no other way...

Peterson says... if Jesus is our way... then no part of our life will go unaffected... unchanged...

What is your way...? is it Jesus...?

How do we know what His Way is...?

We find out His Way... in His Word...
He is the Word made flesh...
He shows us the way to live it out...

But if we don't know His Word...
how will we know His Way...?

I started The Jesus Way a couple of days ago...
it's been sitting on my shelf for years...
but it caught my attention...
it must be time to read it...

The church... for the most part... doesn't seem to be following Him... or give much credence to His Word of late... it's made me wonder... What way are they going...?

He alone is the way to truth... to life... to the Father...

Me...? I want His Way...
What about you...?

Father God... use this read... and Your Word...

to help me learn... and follow...

the Jesus Way...

Amen...

psalm 103... an Easter perspective... part eleven...

Returning to the exercise... of seeing Psalm 103... with Easter eyes...

As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers no more.

Psalm 103:15-16

In the previous verse... just before... God assures us... as Creator... He knows... remembers... how we are formed... His compassion poured out... on those who fear Him... on those made of dust...

Here... we get a reality check...
to make sure we know who we are...

If we didn't understand our temporary frail nature...

we soon will...

The length of our days... equal to that of grass... flowers in a field... when compared with the expanse of eternity...

Grasses... we see them shoot up in the spring...

mow them all summer...

but by fall... they're slowing down...

by winter... dried up... brown... lifeless...

A few short months...

a moment in the span of eternity...

Flowers... have even a shorter life expectancy...

day lily blooms... last 24 hours...

sunflowers... maybe a week or more...

but eventually the petals wither...

the wind blows...

and they are gone...

Unless a place is intentionally marked...

there is no evidence that it ever was...

I suppose this is the heart behind mankind's need for mausoleums... large headstones... and namesakes on hospital wings... libraries... stadiums...

We don't want to be forgotten...

but we will be...

Just how many generations of parents... can you name...?

these are ones directly related to your existence...

most can name back to grandparents...

but what about greats...? great-greats...? or great-great-greats...?

People made of dust...

with a relative lifespan of grass... flowers...

are soon forgotten...

God the Father set eternity in our hearts...

we have this deep-seated belief... we are made for more...

He has planted eternity in the human heart,

but even so, people cannot see the whole scope

of God's work from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

Eternity... planted in our hearts... so we might seek... and find... the One... through whom we can enter eternal life... Jesus...

No matter how spectacular a life...
it lasts only a moment...
then... its place remembers it no more...

...the wind blows over it... and... it... is... gone...

Lord Jesus... thank You for making the Way...

that we might enter into what's planted in our heart...

Teach me to live for You... and not for that which...

will be remembered no more...

[Note... For those who only view email... you may want to have a look at Jeremiah's Menu online... it finally got a new look...]

an Easter devotional...

Thinking about Easter this week... wondering how... and when... or if... my little family would gather...

The pondering... led to a blessing...
an inspiration... a vision of sorts...

Traditionally... we've gathered for lunch...
but this year one has to work...
one has plans with a friend...
so we are eating the evening meal together...
7 pm works for everyone...

The vision...
the dining table covered with flowers...
vases... small and large...
mason jars...
filled with whatever flowers...
wild or bought...

With the invitation...
each has been asked to bring fresh flowers...
to fill the table...
to complete the vision...

Then it came...
words to share...
with those who will gather...
for Easter...

Below... I share them here today...
in case you're looking for a vision for your table...
a way to make room for Him at the table...

These are the words... I'll share in my home...
before we eat in celebration...
you're welcome to use them at yours...

An Easter Devotional...

Read Psalm 103...

We are like the flowers of the field...
We flourish for a short time...
And then we are gone...

We spring forth into life...
By His will... not ours...
We live out our days...
Moving toward death...

God's Word is everlasting...
And Jesus is that Word...
His Word... to a broken... hurting... world...

Easter is about God's love...
It's the exclamation point on Christmas...

Jesus... the Word made flesh...
Came to live a perfect life...
Totally devoted to the glorification of His Father...
The life each of us are called to live... created to live...

Jesus... willingly...
With a heart full of love...
Endured the punishment we deserve...

And for those who believe...
those who trust their lives to Him...
We enter eternal life with Him...

Easter celebrates His resurrection...
A resurrection we can be a part of by faith...

The flowers today...
remind us of our own fragility...
our lack of control over our life...
our birth... our death...
none of it's really up to us...

But in Jesus lies the hope of life...
The YES to everything our hearts desire...

For us who believe...
who trust Him as Creator and Keeper of our lives...
who trust His love and His work on the cross...
for our good... and His glory...
we partake of Communion...

To remember what He's done...
Who He is...
And what He invites us to be a part of...

Eternal life... through His death...
By faith in His work... and love...

[At this point... you may wish to share Communion with those at your table... bread and wine... a prayer and a blessing... I will at mine...]

Close... with a prayer of thanks...

Happy Easter... dear friends...

a reminder from flowers...

Flowers are a glory...
a reminder of His grace...
how beauty continues to spring up...
in the midst of a dark broken world...

I bought some last week...
a joy to behold...
a delight to inhale...

But today...
a little more than a week later...
I'm reminded of their fleeting nature...

Drooping blooms...
a sad sight to see...
and the aroma... turning to stink...

A verse comes to mind...
looking at the former glory...
beginning to fade...

As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

Psalm 103:15

Some of us may last longer than a week...

and even make a mark in the landscape of history lasting decades...

but for the most part... in the eternal scheme of things...

our lives flourish... and fade... like a flower...

God knows... how fragile... how fleeting... life is...

He lived it Himself...

Jesus the Word made flesh...

But His glory is everlasting...

in death He defeated death...

making a Way for all to live a life eternal...

the perishable... raised up... imperishable...

If only for this life we have hope in Christ,

we are to be pitied more than all men.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,

the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since death came through a man,

the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:19-22

Reminded today...

in Him I have hope...

so much more than a flower...

a word to practice...

Do everything without complaining or arguing...

Philippians 2:14

This word comes to mind to practice...

as I go about a task I don't really want to do...

The Word convicts...

so I practice...

I seek out the Word to share it here...

and find the benefits... of the practice...

the need for conviction...

Do everything without complaining or arguing,

so that you may become blameless and pure,

children of God without fault in a crooked

and depraved generation, in which you

shine like stars in the universe as you hold out

the word of life...

Philippians 2:15-16

The practice of denying the desire to complain...?

Blamelessness... purity...

faultlessness... among a crooked generation...

the opportunity to shine like a star...

holding out the word of life... for others to receive...

Good reason to hold my tongue...

take captive my thoughts...

quiet my heart...

Thank You... Lord... for this reminder today...

I so want to be pure... a light in the dark...

one who offers life...

Is there a Word you need to practice today...? 

you're welcome to share mine... :)

two days...

The single digit days...
get smaller and smaller...
two days till Christmas...

It's funny... but in these coming close days... it feels like more time than way back at twenty-five days... two... whole... days... to prepare... what remains to be...

A lot of life can happen in just two days...
and that is who He is today...
Life...

He is the source of life...

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him,

and without him was not any thing made

that was made. In him was life,

and the life was the light of men.

John 1:2-4 ESV

He is the reason for life...

For by him all things were created,

in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities ---

all things were created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:16 ESV

He is the sustainer of life...

And he is before all things,

and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17 ESV

He meets our basic needs... our daily needs...

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me shall not hunger,

and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ..."

John 6:35

...Jesus stood up and cried out,

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,

'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

John 7:37-38 ESV

Bread and water... the bare necessities of life...

He is what we need to survive...

But He didn't come to merely sustain...

He came to give life abundant...

"...I came that they may have life

and have it abundantly. ..."

John 10:10 ESV

to satisfy...

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 55:2 ESV

to fill...

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5 ESV

He is... life eternal...

"... And this is eternal life,

that they know you the only true God,

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ..."

John 17:4 ESV

Knowing Jesus...

knowing God through Him...

this is the Bread... the Life...

that sustains eternally...

He humbled you, causing you to hunger

and then feeding you with manna,

which neither you nor your fathers had known,

to teach you that man does not live on bread alone

but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:3

Jesus... He is the Word... from the mouth of the Lord...

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son

from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14 ESV

He came to show us we need more... than just physical bread...

we need more... than what feeds the flesh...

Since the Fall... we have been the walking dead...

spiritually dead... separated from God...

destined to die...

This Babe in the manger...

He came to reveal real Life...

make the Way... for Life...

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me. ..."

John 14:6 ESV

Life in the Spirit...

Life abundant...

Life eternal...

For to set the mind on the flesh is death,

but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 ESV

Lord... You are Life...

Teach me to live my everyday... ordinary life... with You... 

permission to hope...

Somewhere along the way in my growing up... I became a pessimist... one of those always waiting for the other shoe to drop... proverbially speaking...

Whatever the reason... a book has caused me to look at that aspect of my inner life... my fear of joy and hope... fear of disappointment...

Without reckoning with our emotions... our pasts... our hurts... the writer says we cannot live wholeheartedly...

One of the truisms of wholehearted living is You either walk into your story and own your truth, or you live outside of your story, hustling for your worthiness. Walking into a story about falling down can feel like being swallowed whole by emotion. Our bodies often respond before our conscious minds, and they are hardwired to protect --- to run or to fight.

---Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, Rising Strong

In response to the hard knocks of life... I've chosen to beat myself up... stay down... rather than give someone... or something... the pleasure of doing it for me...

Therefore... I find myself denying myself... joy... and... hope...

Dr. Brown goes on to say... we either reckon with emotions or off-load them in varied unhealthy ways...

So how do we reckon with emotion rather than off-load it? What I've learned from the research and tried to put into practice in my own life sounds way simpler than it is: Give yourself permission to feel emotion, get curious about it, pay attention to it, and practice. This work takes practice. Awkward, uncomfortable practice.

---Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, Rising Strong

Today... I wrote my first permission slip... and to make the whole process even more uncomfortable... I'm sharing my attempt here with you...!

Self: You have permission to be joyful & optimistic today! 

The book is secular... but truth is truth... and it all belongs to God...

Emphasizing the truth... I added Scripture to validate the permission...

For hope does not disappoint us because God

has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit

whom He has given us.

Romans 5:5

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all,

how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:32

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I carried permission to hope around with me today...

it made a difference having it near... reminded me of truth...

of reckoning I need to do... from past falls...

Moving toward rising strong...

one awkward step... at... a... time...

Do you have emotions you need to reckon with...?

Emotions effect our hearts... 

the combination of our minds... wills... emotions...

they are the well-spring of life...

Join me in asking God to reveal... and guide... in dealing with the reckoning...

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

how to breathe...

Seeking Him as the Bread of Life...
led to me praising Him...
as the Breath of Life...

He gives us life...
by His breath...

---then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,

and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:7 ESV

 

A song of praise puts this truth into perspective...

 

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

And great are You, Lord

 

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

 

---All Sons & Daughters, Great Are You Lord

 

This particular song... started me considering... just how we are to use our breath to praise Him only... after all it is His breath...

 

Today... I discovered instructions on how to breathe...

and I found it in His Word...

 

Rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

If we would truly live our lives...

according to His will...

rejoicing...

praying...

giving thanks...

there would be no room for doing anything else with our breath...!

 

All would be for His glory...

 

All would lead to a life of praise...

breath spent on Him... only...

 

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seeking Him... as Bread...

The inspiration came Sunday...
studying His Word with friends...
reading through Amos...

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

Seek Me [inquire for and of Me and require Me

as you require food] and you shall live!

Amos 5:4 Amp

I love the Amplified of this verse...

including the heart of the Hebrew translated seek...

Sharing this with friends... how we are to seek God... daily... as a necessity... as our source of life...

She said... Just think how often we eat...

Her comment impressed... stuck...

so today... I'm remembering He is...

the Bread of Life...

Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me

will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves

to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more

(at any time).

John 6:35 Amp

The One we are to eat... for Life...

Turning to Him often today...

in prayer...

in praise...

pressing into His promises...

Seeking Him to sustain... fill...

moment by moment...

throughout the day...

Have you sought Him today...? as much have you have sought out food...?

eternal Word...

The reading through of Kings brings me to a time His Word was lost...

I know it was lost... because it became found...

Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe,

I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord!

2 Kings 22:8 Amp

Leading up to this time... the kings of Judah had not seen... or inquired about... or read... God's Law...

King Josiah... who received the news of the find... heard the words of the Book... recognized the deep... deep... trouble the nation was in...

Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah 

concerning the words of this book that has been found.

For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us because 

our fathers have not listened and obeyed the words of this book,

to do according to all that is written concerning us.

2 Kings 22:13 Amp

Even though the Law had been lost... forgotten... out of sight and mind... its Words were still in effect...

Just because we neglect His Word... deem it out of date... or useless in the twenty-first century... it still has power... authority... purpose...

God is eternal... His Word... eternal...

He is not effected by time or space... He IS... always...

His Word... IS...

His Word has the same meaning... power... it did when it was written...

He is still speaking those words from His mouth...

He is eternal...

Yet... in His grace... He deals with us in the plane of time...

He remembers... we are dust...

But we don't... somewhere along the way... 

I guess it's always been since the Fall...

we consider ourselves the utmost authority...

the ones who deem good and evil... right and wrong...

In our brief timeline... we decided what is eternal is useless...

laid it aside... forgot it... only to our own destruction...

The kings of Israel were to know the Law...

they were to hand write their own copy approved by the priests...

they were to read it all the days of their lives...

but they didn't...

We too... are to read His Word...

remember we are dust... and He is eternal...

By His Word... we live...

It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Matthew 4:4 ESV

Return to the Word... that's eternal...

Embrace the perspective of God...

the perspective of eternity...

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may

be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

For then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you shall have good success.

Joshua 1:8 ESV

the only thing you can take with you...

Listening to a message in the car... I heard it...

...the revelation of Christ, the only thing you can exit the earth with.

---Michael Wells, Recognizing God

The only thing we can take with us when we leave this earth...?
Revelation of Christ... 

This is why we are born... to get to know Him...
He placed us when and where we are... with the purpose... of finding Him...

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live

on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods

and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should

seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.

Acts 17:26-27 ESV

Knowing Him is the treasure...

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither

moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ..."

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

This passage has new meaning for me... 

I suppose I always assumed the heavenly treasures had to do with our good deeds... but now I see... He is the treasure... 

He is our great reward...

...the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

"Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield,

your very great reward."

Genesis 15:1

There is no greater reward than knowing Him...

No greater treasure...

"... And this is eternal life, that they know you

the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ..."

John 17:3 ESV

Eternal life is knowing Him...

Eternal life begins with... and is... revelation of Jesus Christ...!

This is a perspective changer for me...

What about you...?

Does this truth make you reconsider how you should spend your time...?

Nothing else we do... or gain... goes with us when we leave this earth...

Nothing...

The only thing we are taking with us...

is revelation... of... Him...

You will seek Me and find Me

when you search for Me

with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 HCSB

Where is your treasure...?

slowing time...

At the end of another full day...
trying to learn to hear Him in the new...
I ask...

Who are You... today...?

Then it catches my eye...

amidst the clutter... and piles...

Slowing Time

And I hear Him say... Eternal...

eternal... adjective... 1 a: having infinite duration: everlasting... b: of or relating to eternity c: characterized by abiding fellowship with God... 2 a: continued without intermission: perpetual... b: seemingly endless... 4: valid or existing at all times: timeless

---Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th Ed.) 

In looking back... on today...

and preparing... for tomorrow...

He is... Eternal...

...infinite... abiding fellowship... continued... timeless...

No matter how busy... or packed... a day may seem...

No matter how limited... time... may appear...

In Him... we are time-less...

He is not bound by time... 

Eternity at His fingertips... time constraints... disappear...

Living life... abiding in Him... ensures... what He calls us to do... will get done...

Time slows... in His presence... when it has no bounds...

Today... I caught glimpses of it... wondering how so much came about...

Tomorrow... counting on His presence... and provision... in slowing... time... when things... feel pressed...

Take hold of the eternal life

to which you were called...

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

Taking hold... and trusting... the eternal life... in Him...

He makes it known...

That path... dropping fatness... 

the one filled with ruts...

His bountiful path...
His way of blessing...
He makes it known...

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 ESV

He wants you to find it... to walk in it...

He wants you in His presence... full of joy...

He wants you... at His right hand... experiencing pleasures... forevermore...

The question might be... What do you want...?

Don't we all want joy... pleasure...?

Do you believe you'll only find it in Him...?

His path... the path of life... overflows... with blessing...

Seek... and you will find...

He makes it known...

Your way... is not my way...

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV

Lord... let me never forget... my ways... are not... Your ways...

Keep me open to Your way... in thought... word... and deed...

Don't allow me to be so set in my own expectations... and understandings... that I miss Your way altogether...

Above all else... I desire... Your... Way... not... mine...

Jesus said...

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. ..."

John 14:6 ESV

the path...

The path...
the narrow path... leading to life...
Are you on it...?

How would you know if you were...?

I believe we step onto the path...
by choosing Him as Lord...
dying to self... and our own desires...
and living for Him... alone...

The narrow path...
it's a path of worship... devotion... obedience...

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and 

acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1 ESV

It's life in the Word...
eating it...
living it...
making it flesh...

Do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2 ESV

What path are you on...?

There is another...
a broad one... leading to death... destruction...

At first it seems like the easy way... but in the end...

"The wrong paths seem to always look easier, and will tempt us to try to escape our difficulties and trials. They may, in fact, be easier for a time, but then they will get much harder than the true path. They ultimately lead to traps and entanglements that few ever get free of, if they do not turn back quickly and get back on the right path. ...

"If you get on a wrong path, it will lead you away from Him. The joy and peace of the Lord will be replaced by confusion and darkness ... The wrong path gets darker and leads to increasing confusion. Confusion leads to depression and ultimately despair and death. ..."

---Rick Joyner, The Path  

Don't be deceived...

His Word is life...

His Way is life...

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate

and broad is the road that leads to destruction, 

and many enter through it. 

But small is the gate and narrow the road

that leads to life, and only a few find it. ..."

---Jesus

Matthew 7:13-14

Make sure you're on... the path...

created... in His image...

Praising Him as Creator... Maker of heaven and earth...

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 41:28 ESV

And I wonder at man... created in His image... the only creatures who create... 

All others... beautiful... and wonder-full... as they are... work on instinct... by the plan He laid down for them at creation...

But mankind... we not only use ingenuity to create ways to improve life... but we alone create art... through word... and song... paper... ink... paints... clay... stone... chisel... for the sake of beauty... an outlet for the heart... feelings and thoughts... inexpressible... any other way...

The rest of creation... glorifies Him... just by being...

But mankind... we began by rebelling... no other creature on earth did such a thing...

We glorify Him... by dying to self... just as His Son... glorified Him...

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say?
'Father, save me from this hour'?

But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Father, glorify your name." ---Jesus

John 12:27 ESV

Unique among creation... created in His image... 

How are you living... created in His image? 

Are you living... for His glory...? or yours...?

all have died... including you...

This morning's Bonhoeffer...

In the incarnation, God's becoming human, we know the love of God for his creation; in the crucifixion we know the judgment of God on all flesh; in the resurrection we know the will of God for a new world.

---Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You

Crucifixion... God's judgment on all flesh...

...we have concluded this:

that one has died for all, therefore all have died...

2 Corinthians 5:14 ESV

And I see it... all flesh is dead... therefore to operate out of our flesh... makes the way for corruption... decay... because that's what dead flesh does... disintegrates... in a very foul way...

For the one who sows to his own flesh

will from the flesh reap corruption,

but the one who sows to the Spirit

will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:8 ESV

So why... as Believers... do we continue... to let flesh... lead... and drive... our decisions... choices... thinking...?

Because... we forget... God is God... and we are not...

People believe a lie over the truth of God (Rom. 1:25). What's the lie? This fallen nature in us believes that we're smarter than God. I've never met anyone who will say that, but I've met hundreds of people who live like that: "I'm smarter than God."

---Matt Chandler, "Youth", in The Scriptures Testify about Me

When we choose... to use our own reasoning... or agree with human wisdom... philosophy... understanding... science... over the Word... His Word... we are saying... I'm smarter than God... He's just wrong here...

This is not a place I want to go... fear of the Lord... takes hold of my heart... spirit... at this point... and this... is the beginning of wisdom...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

Fools... despise... His Word... His commands... His instruction...

God says, "Remember my law because if you remember my law and practice my law you will see how great and beautiful and amazing I am and how much I love you and how much I am trying to lead you into how I designed things to work for the glory of my name and your ultimate joy."

---Matt Chandler, "Youth", in The Scriptures Testify about Me 

Recognize... where you are living from flesh... choosing corruption... decay... over life... joy... peace...

Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;

whoever is discerning, let him know them;

for the ways of the Lord are right,

and the upright walk in them,

but transgressors stumble in them.

Hosea 14:9 ESV