 Photo credit: Pixabay A carpenter built a grand and glorious house. Every element, from concrete and shingles, fixture and faucet, tongue and groove, was specifically chosen and masterfully worked.
He invited people to live in it with him. Some welcomed the carpenter and enjoyed their lives together while others completely ignored his existence. In some ways, the people took care of the house. In many other ways they did not, nor did they take care of each other. Trouble continued to escalate until, finally, someone took a match to one of the curtains. It smoldered at first, but quickly the fire spread until the couch, rug, the whole room was engulfed in flames. The fire began to march through the house, room by room. The people avoided the burning rooms but still remained inside the house. They felt protected in the other rooms, convinced the fire would never reach them. Until it did. Some believed there was nothing beyond the house and awaited their fate. Others argued that there had to be more than one way out. How could a loving carpenter design only one way out of the house? Amidst the molten metal and cracking beams the carpenter shouted, “I built this house with my own hands. I know every nail, screw, and sanded place. I designed it so we could live together. I am here in the house with you. I always have been. But now it’s burning down and you will only get out if you come with me. I am the way. All you have to do is acknowledge you need me and ask me to help you. I don’t want anyone lost in the flames, but I can’t lead those who won’t follow.” ---------- Did you catch it, my favorite word? It’s WITH. As in, accompanied by. The carpenter has a name – Emmanuel, which means God WITH Us. Always together. Never alone. Not God Far Off and Directing. Not God Standing Over and Barking Orders. But God In the Midst of Hell WITH YOU. God Who Will Never Abandon You. God As Close As You Will Let Him Be. God wants to be WITH us. It’s what The Father planned in the Garden of Eden. It’s what the New Heaven and New Earth are all about. It’s Jesus, God with skin, God with us, the perfect example, The Way. It’s the Holy Spirit INSIDE us. You can’t get any more WITH than that. Those who want more than one way out are missing the point. It’s not about how to get out of the house, it’s about how to get with the carpenter. Why? Because he loves you. He loves us all. #heisnotwhatyouthink #thepowerofwith #bethelove ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe.
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 Photo credit: Pixabay Lord, I’ve been banging my head here for hours. I have nothing to say.
Talk about My love. My love for you. Ummm…can You be more specific? Talk about… How I’m always here for you even when you can’t hear me. Even when you can’t see or sense. Like right now. You may be blinded, unable to sense anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m not here. Bad things happen to you that if you could vote you’d have voted differently. You vote by the choices you make, but even if you choose perfectly, bad things do happen. Every person on the planet experiences this. Everyone has bad things. I’m with them in it all. And that’s the key word here: WITH. I’m not far away, yelling directions at you like a drill sergeant. I’m in the fray, the rat race, even the darkness, WITH you. You can’t perceive the air you breathe, the oxygen that fills your lungs, and it’s the same with Me. I’m as close as you want Me to be, as close as you will let Me be. I can fill your heart, mind, spirit. The oxygen of My Spirit flows and encompasses every cell you have. Tell them I love them. Tell them I’m not what they’ve been told. They believe lies about Me. I created everything good, and everything to be good. I gave My life to save them. My Spirit goes throughout the earth to encourage and communicate. Tell them I am Love. I am Truth. I am Comfort, Peace, Joy. I am the source of every good thing in their lives. I am the most solid and stable thing in the universe. If they would return to Me I would heal them. Tell them all of this. I’m going to lose at least part of my audience…and I know that sounds selfish and wimpy but I’m being honest and it’s what I’m thinking. They have the choice whether to listen or not. But you have to tell them in order for them to make the choice. Free will is the riskiest decision I made when I created mankind. But it’s not love if it’s not a choice. I want their love. But they have to choose Me. I’ve made it as obvious as possible. I made Nature beautiful and balanced. All of Nature reveals Me. I made salvation as easy as possible: Repent, be baptized, confess with your mouths Jesus is Lord and believe in your hearts I raised Him from the dead and you’ll be saved. That’s it. Open the door and I’ll come in. Life won’t be easier. It may even get harder, but it will be worth it. They need to know. They need to hear it from you. Because you know, better than many, how deep and wide and long and high My love is. Some will listen to you because you have demonstrated it. Some will not listen no matter what you do. But tell them anyway. It looks like You just did. #bethelove #heisnotwhatyouthink #Godlovesyou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for reading, sharing, and commenting. If you’d like to receive these posts and updates in your inbox, please head to the Contact Page to subscribe. Before you read this you have to watch the video.
It’s only 28 seconds. Go on. I’ll wait…. *Whistles a happy little Foo Fighters tune* You’re back? Great! Here’s what you saw: Dave Grohl. Drummer for Nirvana. Founder of the Foo Fighters. Nicest guy in Rock. Not God. Except maybe in this video. Here is an important and influential rock star and his crew, hard at work creating a masterpiece that millions of people will hear. Concentrating. In the groove. His little daughter, who clearly has the run of the place (hello, she IS his daughter) interrupts. Big time. The hard work stops. Concentration is shattered, not only for him but the whole team. What could be so important that she could not wait for the session to be over? Was she bleeding or otherwise traumatized? Had he won yet another award? Was the president calling? Nope. She reminds him that he said they were going to go swimming. Hardly life or death, and certainly not worthy of interrupting the artist at work. What? You don’t see God in there? I do. Check out Dave’s reaction. Does he scowl? Give a stern correction? Offer a teachable moment about respecting other peoples’ time? Not even a little. His beloved child has come to him and he is delighted. The smile. The look in his eyes. The playfulness. Everything stops and he doesn’t even care. I’ll bet that, had he not been holding a guitar, he would have drawn her up and set her on his lap. What about her? She doesn’t sneak into the room. She doesn’t gingerly approach her dad, afraid he might be angry with the interruption. She pokes him in the back, even grabs his face, looking into his eyes. She knows she is welcomed, valued, and delighted in. She enters the room confidently, boldly. And that is exactly how God wants us to approach Him. Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 NLT He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17b NLT The one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders. Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV Just as with Dave and his daughter, Father God delights in you, loves you, calms you, sings over you, holds you. He wants to hear all you have to say, smiling as you grab His face and look Him in the eyes. Wait. God smiles? He's playful? He even...dare I say...snuggles? Did you see Dave’s eyes and smile? Father God looks at you with the same expression. Even with a guitar in His hands. #Heisnotwhatyouthink #davegrohl #Godlovesyou |
Applying nature's principles and systems to personal and cultural development.About CommentsI love to read comments and know how my work is helping you. Please respond with your first AND last names. Anonymous comments will not be read and may be deleted.
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