Betrothed - A Christmas Pondering

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Luke 1:26‭-‬28 NKJV

The whole betrothed thing has had me thinking this Christmas season. Back in those days being betrothed meant so much more than an engagement in today's terms. You actually entered into a legally binding contract of marriage the wife was given a ring or other gift as a token of the betrothal. The betrothal period on average was about 12 months during which the bride started gathering her things and preparing herself for part two of the process, the wedding day. This is when she would actually move under her husbands roof and became fully his wife. The groom during this time period was also doing things to prepare his biggest task was to finish his house and ready it for his bride. So when Abba decided it was time for the arrival of Jesus, His timing was interesting. You see Mary by law was Joseph's wife, but it had not been fully consummated. There are some things that are key here, it wasn't unheard of for betrothed couples to have sex prior to the final ceremony, but both Mary and Joseph held themselves to the highest standard waiting for the final ceremony. And Abba decides to enter into their lives with an unexpected gift. He chooses a time between the start of a legal contract and it's consummation (the Law and the new covenant). He gives Mary and Joseph an opportunity to partner with Him and His plan for salvation of the world and they both said yes.

Thinking about all of this also got me thinking about our position as "the bride" of Christ and where we are in that process. Many would say that we are in the betrothal stage preparing for some future event, but I think that sets us back and keeps us from the fullness of all He has for us. I believe that when we say yes to Jesus and agree to make Him our Lord we are also saying yes to Him as our groom, where we can step into full intimacy with Him, where we are full partakers in this new covenant that He provided, where we allow Him to indwell us and we function and partner together. You see before the betrothal process even happened He placed gifts in each one of us, for all intents and purposes He has impregnated us even before we were born. And being born again and coming into full relationship with Him allows for those things that He placed in us to fully come to life and be released to share with others so that they too can enter into their bride relationship with the Groom.

So as we celebrate Christmas we should take some time to look at where we are in our relationship with Abba. Are we in the pre-stages of entering into this relationship unsure if we are ready to commit? Are we in the betrothal stage where we have said yes but have not fully committed to making Him Lord? Or are we fully committed where we have jumped in being fully submersed into all He has for us? And we need to look at what gift has He placed inside of us that needs to be opened and released to bless others.

He has given us the greatest gift of all because He loves us in ways that we really will never fully comprehend.

So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! Romans 8:38‭-‬39 TPT

Thankful

So I'm sitting here this morning having yet again woken up way too early on a day that I could sleep in. And being that it's Thanksgiving morning it's only normal to ponder about things that you are thankful for. I have also found over the last few years personally having potentially serious life events makes you look at what you are thankful for in a different way. Some of you may or may not know that I ended up in the hospital about a month ago with they called atrial flutter. Basically it was causing my heartrate to spike and do crazy things. I went to the ER and within 5 minutes of walking in the door I was in a room that quickly filled with about 8 people putting stickers and wires allover my upper body so rhey could see what my heart was doing. I looked over at Laura and could see some fear creeping in, and knew that she was praying. I need to say that I am very grateful for a wife that prays especially since when I go through stuff like this I am generally unphased of the brevity of the situation until afterwards. Anyway they hooked me up to an IV and admitted me to the hospital, 2 days later I had a procedure called an ablation where they essentially break the circuit that causes the flutter and went home the next day. So back to the IV I can't remember what the medicine was called but they use it to force your heart to behave (go back into a regular rhythm). They kept saying that my heart needed to convert, which led to some fun underlying jokes on our churches group chat. I am thankful that the medicine worked because the alternative would have been a procedure that would mean shocking my heart to get ot to stop and reset. Working for Microsoft this would have been the reboot of all reboots. Through all of this I want to say that I am grateful for some amazing nurses and doctors especially the cardiologist that was able to fix the issue. I get to see him next week for a follow up.

Through all of this Abba started talking to me about the heart. How because we are all essentially born with hearts that are broken and don't function properly that we need a great Physician to perform surgery to make things right. To bring our hearts into a correct rhythm a rhythm that is instep with His.

In Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 it says “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and light"

He was talking to me about how through Jesus, when we make Him the Lord of our lives that we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5) in Him. He also showed me that because of what Jesus allowed Himself to go through with His body being broken and His blood being spilled that He provided not only cleansing of sin but also healing. (Isaiah 53:5 says that by His stripes we are healed)

I find in life and the older I get and hopefully the wiser I take Jesus's commands to us more and more seriously. They are simple but don't come without cost, but we need to remember the cost was already paid for. He tells to love God, love others as ourselves, to heal the sick, set captives free and to make disciples. He wants us to be a reflection of Him wherever we go and whatever we do.

So what am I thankful for the list is long because I am a greatly blessed man. My greatest blessings are my wife, my daughters and their husbands, my amazing grandchildren, my siblings, nieces and nephews, my extended family which includes many of my kids friends, our spiritual kids and all of our church families. But then there are the not so obvious ones the people I get to meet at the store, on the street, at the airport or on a plane, the people that Abba leads me to so that I can pray for them, prophecy over them or just be a random helping hand. I also have a list of cool stuff that He has blessed me with as well like this ridiculous house that He provided for us. But the one thing I am most thankful for is Abba, that He loves me and continues to put up with me while He teaches me to learn and grow.

300 Mighty Warriors - a lesson in obedience

When I first woke up this morning, still lying in bed Abba started to talk to me about Gideon. Well not Gideon so much but about the 300 mighty warriors that were chosen by God to give victory to Israel and ultimately to God. These men were the top 300 picked out of the original 32000 that showed up for battle, these men were instinctive warriors it was what they were born for. They were all in for the fight willing to follow a man that Abba found essentially hiding in a dumpster scavenging for food for his family, the guy that responded to God by reminding that he was the smallest and weakest man in all of Israel. But Abba looked beyond that into what Gideon was made for and called that forth.

While I was pondering this dynamic I was reminded of way back in school when the gym teacher would pick the two least athletic kids in the class to be team captains not realizing that one of them was a born survivor and strategist. He showed me that guy was Gideon and he was now the leader of these mighty warriors and notice there is no mention of them questioning or scoffing at his directions. These 300 mighty men were prepared to go to war against an army of over 100,000. And in their very first battle engagement they were armed with trumpets, pitchers and torches. Not the usual warrior faire going into a massive battle. This initial engagement actually caused so much confusion that the enemy started to kill each other then they fled and the the 300 mighty warriors were released to go and do what warrior's do and because they were working in their calling and because they were obedient to the directions from the Lord they gained great victory and freedom for Israel.

A couple of things that stood out to me in this whole thing are:
• God will call who He needs, when He needs them to step into their destiny despite their current situation. And sometimes that person becomes the unlikely leader of a movement that will set people free.
• God has made us all with special, unique gifts to function in the world, to do battle, to heal and ultimately to love.
• When we are obedient to Him we will always be blessed. Sometimes that obedience will cause us to do something that is uncomfortable but He provides us the strength and the strategy to get it done.  Fear is not a factor.

For more context read Judges chapters 6-8

Multiplication... Because He loves us

One of the things that we have tried to teach the young adults that we have worked with, and others, is that Abba is always talking to us and showing us new things. The key is that we need to be paying attention, watching and listening. 

This morning I had one of those moments. But first, I need to confess something. One of my favorite places to pray is in the shower. I put worship music on and enjoy the short time of not being interrupted, also it is a good time to pray for cleansing for anything that may have attached to you or that you may need forgiveness for. At times showering can be a prophetic act. But for me it's also soothing and allows me to clear my head of the days busyness. Another thing to consider is it probably the one time of day where you are the most vulnerable.

So, I was in the shower and I grabbed my bottle of body wash and started to squeeze some out onto my washcloth. I squeezed a little extra hard because I knew I was at the end of the bottle, I even had a new one next to it just in case.  But then way more came out than I even thought was left in the bottle, in fact there is probably enough for another shower. I said to myself "Dang, that was way more than I thought." That is when Abba said "I don't just supply or multiply when you are in need, sometimes I do it just to bless the ones I love." He also said that He "will always bless obedience."  I then had the thought that I had my back-up plan in place (the new bottle), but He wasn't concerned about my plan when He had one in place that was better. 

Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

He then reminded me of other times where He had blessed me similarly. On of these times was when I was in Bible college and we lived almost an hour away from the school. During this time things were tight financially, and there were multiple times when He took me 30 miles on 10 miles worth of gas, sometimes in traffic, because the gas was about $.30 cheaper near where we lived.

He also reminded that by nature He is a God of multiplication. Every living thing that He created on earth was created with the ability to multiply. In fact, one of the first commands He gives man is in Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it..." He also multiplies His gifts, blessings, grace and love. And when we take what He has given us and blessed, then it will be multiplied in our hands as was also give it away. It is how we partner with Him in the expansion of His Kingdom. An example of this is when Jesus and His disciples fed the 5000+. Jesus blessed the bread and fish, then gave it to His disciples to distribute. The multiplication miracle happened in their hands through faith and obedience, and there was even enough leftovers to fill 12 baskets for them.

Matthew 14:16-21 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So, they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

All this to say pay attention, Abba is speaking and showing us things all the time. And be obedient when He asks you to step out in His strength to multiply what He has given you for others.

On my way to work this morning the sky was brightening through the clouds and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw part of a rainbow.  I have always liked rainbows, as they remind me of the promises of God. Anyway as I looked back to see the rainbow it wasn't there. In my head I said to myself "bummer".  Then I heard Abba say, "do you really still need a sign to know that I am faithful to keep my promises?" To which I was first convicted, but then answered "no not really, but sometimes it's nice to get a little reminder." After I answered to be honest I was still hoping to see a rainbow, however what I got was much better.  I had a peace come over me and felt Abba say "Don't worry I got you". He is so awesome!!!

Walking as Children of the Light

Really felt like a reminder was needed today.

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:17‭-‬32 NLT

Location location location, or not

So for several nights I have woken up with John 4:20 in my head. I finally remembered to look it up while I was awake enough to actually read it.  As I read it and the following couple of verses it was very apparent that Jesus was making a point about worship. With Him the system of worship was about to change and change drastically. He was making a statement about worship being more about how than where. The established system of going to the temple to have a priest intervene on your behalfwas coming to an end.  The curtain that only the priests could go behind was going to get ripped open, in fact later in the new testament we are given a new position we are called "A Royal Priesthood ". Our system of church in some instances has reverted back to reliance on our relationship with God to have to go through a priest or a pastor, that was not God’s intent, never was was. He wants us to be able to come to Him directly our only Mediator being Jesus. He wants us to worship in spirit and in truth, and the location doesn't matter, your denomination doesn't matter. What matters is your passion and pursuit of a relationship with Abba, through Jesus and guided by Holy Spirit. It should become such a part of our identity that we can have open dialogue with Him no matter where we are or what we are doing.

John 4:20‭-‬24 NLT
So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.  But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.  For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”