"Where are You?"

Where are you? If I wanted, I could go to my Google Maps app on my IPad and it would tell me that I am currently located at 18 Sur 2109 Bella Visat, Puebla, Mexico. If I wanted to be more specific I could say that I am sitting at the table in my bedroom. This seems like such an easy question to answer, but I have begun to look a little deeper into the question. This past week I came across this story:

     In 1798, the Chassidic leader, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, was imprisoned for spreading religious faith (and thus subversion) amongst the Jewish population. While he sat in prison awaiting trial, his warden, conscious of being in the presence of a holy man, asked him a question that had long been troubling him. He said: "We read in the book of Genesis that when Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves among the trees of the Garden of Eden, and God called out, 'Where are you?' What I want to know is this. If God knows and sees everything, surely He knew where they were. Why did He need to ask, 'Where are you?'"

     The Rabbi replied: The words of the Bible were not meant for their time alone but for all time. So it is with the question God asked Adam and Eve. It was not addressed to them alone but to each of us in every generation. We squander our days and nights on artificial, temporary objectives; we become consumed with self-preservation and gratification, and we believe that we can hide from the consequences. But always, after we have lost our course, we hear the voice of God in our heart asking: Where are you? What have you done with your life? I have given you a certain amount of years; how are you using them?

     Now when I ask myself the question, it takes on a whole different connotation. I am challenged to first ask, where am I with God? I shudder when I think of the first night that Adam and Eve were outside of the Garden. The noises of the land that once were so familiar and friendly, were now foreign and terrifying. Everything that they had become acquainted with was now hauntingly bleak and in dismay. Never again could they have their communal sanctuary with the Creator. I am sure that night they asked each other a different type of question, "Where is He?"

     Our assurance of knowing whom we are in God is a lot more sure than where we are with God. You can know who you are in God because of His unwavering promises. It does not depend on anything that you do. It is not possible to change who you are to God. The ball is in your court to know where you are with God. This is our journey and challenge that we face each and every day of our lives, but it is a vital question to ask ourselves if we want to have a relationship with God.

     We need not ask the question, "Where is He?" The promise that we have is that when we call upon the name of Jesus, we are saved; however, this promise is about salvation, not whether or not God knows where we are. He is beside those who have accepted his son and is relentlessly perusing those whom are far away or deny His existence. He is near to and at work in the hearts of all mankind. The ultimate affirmation creation can have is that He knows where we are. In return, we are left with the larger question, "Where am I?"   

Not All Demons are UgLy

     One early morning this past week, I lay in bed with my head tucked under the covers.  Keeping the covers snug over my head gives me a sense of security. On the other hand, Deb, my wife,never likes to keep her head under the covers, because she feels trapped. This particular morning I was resting comfortably beneath the sheets and comforter, when I felt a presence on the other side.  I lifted the covers back without fear and there she stood; a tall gangly figure with a pale white face, black lifeless eyes, dark black greasy strangely hair and in an instant she pounced on me.  I immediately pushed her off and with a great gasp… I awoke hurling my covers into the air.  Praise God, it was only a dream, or was it? With my heart still racing and every hair on my body at attention, I immediately cried out to my Savior. After I caught my breath, I felt compelled to walk throughout our house and pray over each room. Afterwards, my final prayer, as I lay back to rest was, “My God, give me the courage to rest behind the cross this night.”

     Two nights later, I was in a restaurant. I went to the counter to order our drinks. As I was waiting on the waitress, a young pretty girl with long blonde hair stood beside me and began to carry on a conversation with me. I was enjoying our time together. At one point she put her arm around me and said she liked talking with me. I must admit, I was flattered, but I told her that I was married. To be honest, part of me wanted her to leave her arm around me, but the other part was saying to walk away. I looked over my shoulder and in the corner booth was my wife. In the midst of trying to make this decision, I woke up.  I truly believe this was another spiritual attack.

     Not all demons are ugly. My experience earlier in the week is typically what folks think of when they think of evil; that it is ugly and recognizable. However, not all evil has a hideous appearance. If it was all foul, most people would never be enticed to dabble. We are told in the last days that many will be led astray, even those that once believed.  Temptations are temptations because they are desirable to our flesh. The inducement of following evil occurs in some of the most nonchalant manners. It can occur with looking just a little too long at an attractive woman, listening to music that is provocative or degrades the value of women, reading books that promote sexual fantasy, or indifference to poverty and social injustice.  Whatever it may be, it doesn't always have to appear dreadful.

     The greatest deception will be the entrance of the anti-christ. He will be someone that we want to listen to and his words and his appearance will be pleasing to the ears and eyes. Each thing that he says will seem to make sense. The moral decline of our society today is an indication that the arrival of the anti-christ will be soon.  Our loudest cry to God should be “Defend our hearts from deception.” 

     Knowing the truth carries the utmost protection from being deceived.  Our greatest defense is immersing ourselves into the truth on a daily bases.  It comes from an everyday walk with a risen Savior. When we have enough of the truth we will recognize the fallacies among us. Additionally, we will have the ability to discern the presence of evil, no matter if it appears gruesome or beautiful. 

     This night, I will lay to rest (with the covers over my head) knowing that I am protected by the blood of Calvary and that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

There is No Plan B: Head First Into Jude

     This week I dove into the letter of Jude. It seems like such a simple letter. It is the second to last letter in the Bible. Only one chapter and what seems like a simple read. On Monday morning with my coffee in hand, I quickly read through the 25 verses; almost in one breath. I started to close my Bible and proceed through my day; however, I felt a nudge to start again and then it hit me how much substance is just in the first verse. “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Almost an hour later and two cups of coffee, I found myself still intrigued with this verse.
  

     I wrote down some of my thoughts; for what they’re worth.  First of all, how humble Jude starts his letter. I found myself saying, “Jude you were not only the brother of James, but Jesus was your brother, wouldn’t you want people to know that?” I am fairly confident that if Jesus was my brother, I would want other people to know this tidbit. The thought crossed my mind, if he had Facebook, wouldn’t he list Jesus as his brother? Post pics? Status updates like, “The party really got going when Jesus turned the water into wine.”  To Jude, it was more important that people knew he was a servant of Jesus than his half-brother.  Even as a brother, he had invested himself completely into following Jesus.  Here was a man that devoted his being completely into following and serving Jesus. This is an amazing testament to the validity of Jesus being who he said he was, because Jude would have known Jesus on more subjective bases than others; being they were brothers.

     After I had processed that thought some, I moved onto a few others. I appreciate the way Jude addresses the recipients of the letter. He first says, “to those who have been called.”  What does it mean to be called? I want to be like Jude and completely vested into the call. During our family devotions this morning we talked a lot about our call and why we are followers of Jesus. I have heard it said that there is more historical proof that Jesus walked the Earth, than Alexander the Great. So there is no doubt that Jesus really walked the face of the earth, but was he who he claimed to be; the only Son of God.  By absolute faith I choose to say, yes. Either he was completely the Son of God, a blatant liar, or clinically insane. Since I choose to believe that Jesus is the only Son of God, then, I choose to believe his teachings and commands. In following Jesus all the pressure is off of me, because I can direct people to what Jesus said; not what I said. This allows me to be completely entrusted to Christianity. The problem is that my actions don’t always measure up to my call. Rather than sulk in my failures, I call upon the one who is able to rescue me in my weakness. It is not a license for sin; it is a reliance on His grace.

     After called, Jude refers to them as those loved by God the Father.  It is a great assurance to know that I have someone who loves me unconditionally with a perfect love. My life revolves around my family. I adore my wife. She is amazing in so many different ways. I could not be prouder of my kids and the young adults they are becoming. I pray daily for each of them and pour out everything I have into helping them be successful. The problem is that this is not a perfect love. I mess up. I say the wrong things, get angry unjustly, and the list goes on and on. The love that my Father has for me is a perfect love. There is never a time where he messes up or disciplines me for the wrong motive.  Even though there are situations that I don’t understand or can’t wrap my brain around. There is great comfort in the fact that I am perfectly loved by my Father in heaven.

     Lastly, Jude use the word “kept” by Jesus. I was now stuck on a single word. I couldn’t shake it for most of the day. It is such a reassurance to know that there is nothing that can take me from the hand of God. There is no place that I can wonder or mistake that I can make that will take me from my God. It was paid for on a cross at Calvary. In Romans chapter 8 we receive this incredible promise. Verse 38 says, “and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from Gods love.” The list of things that can’t separate us from God’s love include things like death, life, angels, demons, fears for today, worries about tomorrow and even includes the powers of hell.  I am kept!

 

     It has been a two day study in the letter of Jude and I have made it one verse. I am excited to see what is to be revealed in the next 24 verses. I know that it does come with a warning to false leaders and teachers that can creep into the church and turn God’s grace and love into a “sloppy agape” type of grace and love. I am confident that his love is real, as well as, his discipline.