The Return.1

"Watch therefore, 
for you know not the hour 
when your Lord will come."

--Jesus

When we were first married my wife and I lived in the college town of East Lansing, Michigan where Michigan State University is located.  There are tens of thousands of students who attend MSU.  Consequently, there are thousands of young attractive women among those students. 

As a newly married man and father I remember the challenge of keeping my mind, heart, and eyes focused on those responsibilities as I walked across campus from class to class.  What would it say of my devotion, integrity, promise to be faithful & true if I were distracted by an attractive coed as my wife and child were coming to meet me on my way home?  Imagine the insult if I walked right on pass them as my eyes gazed longingly at a prize I had no claim to or right to desire! An insult to the care & preparation my beautiful wife puts into making our home inviting and welcoming each day!

If happiness is wanting what we have, then surely the effort to stay focused on the return of the Son of God -in spite of the nearly limitless distractions this world offers- the One who went to prepare a place of unspeakable glory for us is well worth it!

How then shall we live?  In obedient love doing what He asks of us or not doing what He doesn't want us to do. Daily.

Here's to another day of un-distracted living!

The End Time.10

"Consider the fig tree, and learn from it. When its branches grow full of sap and produce new leaves, one knows that summer is drawing near.
Even so, no one knows the exact day, or the precise hour of Messiah's returning; not even the angels who are in heaven, but only my Father.
Yet seeing all of these events beginning to come to pass, know in your heart that the day of completion draws near."

--Jesus

The Giving Tree

Once there was a tree....
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come

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alleghenymountainhardwoodflooring.com

and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree....
very much.
And the tree was happy..."

- Sal Sylverstein

There is much to be learned from trees, as Mr. Sylverstein observed in his famous poem.

But as followers of Jesus we often forget this vital lesson we learn from trees: 

we are the branches connected to Him.  

His life must flow out of us if we would be fruitful. 

Fruitfulness shapes our lives. Fruitful lives shape His Kingdom!

We grow full of Him through love & obedience. "Leaves" are produced through this process and let us know we are nearing maturity and fullness. Just as in nature, Jesus knew our maturing would play a vital role in his Kingdom building:

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www.wpclipart.com

The chief job of leaves is to make food for plants. This food-making activity, called photosynthesis, occurs mostly in fully grown leaves. But young leaves also are important. They wrap tightly around the tips of growing stems. They thus keep the delicate tips moist and help protect them from insects, cold, and other dangers.
Leaves are also vital to animals. Animals cannot make their own food. They depend on plants for their basic supply of food. Many animals eat leaves. For example, antelope, sheep, and other grazing animals eat grass leaves. People also eat leaves, such as those of cabbage, lettuce, and spinach plants. But even when people and animals eat the fruits, roots, seeds, and stems of plants, they are obtaining food made by leaves. (from http://forestry-learning.blogspot.com)

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?" --Jesus (Matthew 24:45)

How many times do we see in movies depicting world-wide calamity, those poignant moments when someone discovers a little plant growing in the midst of the carnage?  Is that not a wonderful mind picture that as evil increases and causes more difficulties, followers of Jesus are still at work finding, serving and feeding those of his household?

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Let us not focus on trying to guess when His second coming will occur or debate the proper eschatology.  Rather, let us keep our eyes on Him, the Author-Perfecter-Completer of faithful & wise servants!  Humble men and women who say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’  But are, in fact, the means by which He will usher in His Kingdom! As well as those who give His Kingdom it's shape!

The End Times.9

"You will be betrayed, 
and condemned to death, 
and hated by all nations for my name's sake. 
Remain watchful, 
and pray always 
that you may be counted worthy 
to escape these things 
that are coming to pass, 
and to stand, 
justified, 
before the Messiah, 
the Son of Man."

--Jesus

If I'm "praying always to be counted worthy" how will that impact the way I live?

Will it give me more or less confidence in what I believe?  
In what I do?  In how I love God and others? 

A rookie wide receiver for the Detroit Lions football team was

asked what he felt was the key to his continued improvement. He responded, "I just do whatever (All-Pro receiver) Calvin does.  If he runs extra sprints, I run extra sprints. If he spends more time catching balls, I spend more time catching balls!" Clearly the extra work is paying off as his quarterback and coaches have more confidence to throw him the ball.

He is counted worthy for more trust to be put in him!

Sometimes, I fear, we see no correspondence between the things of earth and the requirements of heaven.  Our trust is in the "works of Christ" rather than the Working Christ!

In his Revelation, John records an extraordinary encounter with the Living Savior, his Lord and close companion, the Son of Man, Jesus.  

"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as one dead.  And he laid His right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not; I am the first and the last and the Living One.'" 

The One for whom John had toiled, sacrificed, loved and devoted himself for so many years after walking faithfully as few others had during those earthly years, knew the Perfect Way to reveal himself anew to his faithful friend.  But the blinding light of his heavenly majesty produced terror in John.  Why?

There are, no doubt, many factors that can account for the way he responded to this glorious revealing of his Master: his age, his exile, a lapse of memory recalling a similar moment on the mount of transfiguration.

But perhaps more importantly, he had not yet learned that glory itself is a part of our inheritance...a natural condition of our being made in the image of God, a glory of the most glorious heaven can show!*

Jesus laid his hand on his friend to remind him that the only way to overcome our fear of exposure to all that is not worthy in us is closest contact, Oneness, with Life.  For is it not true that we fearfully run away from suffering, the suffering & fear that exposes our lack:

• of character
• of love
• of faith
• of perseverance
• of obedience
• of self-denial

rather than running, confidently, to the Source of all that we desire to be?

For if it is not in our nature, at the first sign of fear, to draw closer to our source of strength and power -- for what is Strength & Power but what is Good? -- then how small is our strength, our faith, our endurance.  How much more training and perfecting in the suffering is necessary to make us worthy?

More importantly, how little can we be counted on to stand against Evil in all its forms?  The strength of Fearless Love in us is manifested and measured by betrayal and condemnation from a world system dominated by fearfulness.

Hold that thought...I have a few more laps to run!

*thoughts from MacDonald, The Fear of God, Unspoken Sermons II

The End Times.8

"When you hear of wars and the turmoil of destruction;
do not let your hearts fill with fear:
for these things must first come to pass;
the end is not yet.

Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
Fearful sights and great signs will appear in the heavens.
There will be signs in the sun,
and in the moon,
and in the stars.
On the earth will be great adversity between the nations,
and perplexity,
roaring like the sea's mighty waves.
Famines,
plagues,
and earthquakes will increase.
All these are the beginnings of sorrow.

Because evil will abound, 

the love of many will turn cold."

--Jesus

On a visit to relatives the summer of my 15th year, I experienced a prophetic vision of sorts.  In the early evening I was talking to a cousin and the conversation took a decidedly spiritual turn. As the Spirit of Jesus began to convict her of sin, righteous and judgment, I felt like I was re-living each word and movement that passed between us!  Call it premonition, if you will, but I knew what was going to occur before it happened.  When she reached into a drawer to discard the object of her repentance, I nearly exploded with joy - not only for her salvation but for the special privilege of knowing the Lord had chosen beforehand to show me this special moment!

The prophet Jeremiah was chosen to bring to the

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nation Israel very unpopular messages regarding their future captivity and oppression.  He exposed generational sins in the people that God could no longer tolerate.  But much of his message regarded the future and even Jeremiah realized the ultimate test of a prophet is whether the predicted events come true.  

A small event occurred that, I think, gave Jeremiah a moment of joy and a certain validation that God concerned himself with and used even the most incidental events in a magnificent way.  It was revealed to Jeremiah that a relative was going to offer him some property in the occupied city of Jerusalem and that he should purchase it.  Shortly thereafter the cousin showed up precisely as the Lord had revealed it to Jeremiah and the transaction became symbolic of God's future blessing to the nation that they would once again return and live in the land of God's promised prosperity.

There is coming a day when the work of rebellion among the inhabitants of this planet will be consummated, called to account and a final refining of the race results in the rule of righteousness revealed in the Son of Righteousness.  

The events leading up to that moment, make no mistake, are terrible and terrifying.  Even now  we see the wicked attempting to manipulate what they intuitively sense about these impending cataclysmic events into an opportunity to profit and control the masses for their own benefit.

This scaremongering over issues like "man-made global climate change," ebola and radical Islam is a reflection of the nature of their Master.  Not surprising, since the devil knows more about the Bible and its prophecies than most believers!  But in keeping with his nature, rather than bow his will, he will continue to deceive and take down as much of humanity as he can until the final day.

Jesus, the source of all wisdom and knowledge, foresaw all these events, and painted with broad strokes the trials coming upon this rebellious world. Let us reflect for a moment that, in the midst of these horrifying troubles, the one thing that brings Him most sorrow is:

"the love of many will grow cold," 

then let us realize that every transaction between you and another person, however seemingly insignificant in your own eyes, is an opportunity to grow strong in fearless love and symbolize the blessings yet to come for those who put their hope and trust in the Lord of Light, Life, and Love!

We don't need special prophetic gifts to know how we ought now to live! Keep loving and living without fear, always growing in His perfecting love!  Then will we be able to stand strong in the day of judgment, blameless with great joy!

The End Times.7

"Do you see standing these temple walls? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left upright! Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

--Jesus

The Michigan State University football team played the Oregon Ducks in a battle of top ten teams recently.  That is a fact.  Before the game was concieved in the minds of each school's athletic directors there was a chance, with the development of their programs, they'd be top ranked teams.  But no certainty. As game day approached, oddsmakers made the Ducks 12 point favorites.  I scoffed and predicted the mighty Spartans would win by two touchdowns!


I still have my day job.

The Spartans fell by a lopsided 46-27 score. Another fact.

Predicting the future is tricky business.  When emotions become a factor all kinds of crazy can happen.  Bets made, plans prepared, dizzying expectations launched and, most notably, facts ignored.

Much of life is spent trying to predict the future.  

• If I take this job I can...
• If I buy this house we will...
• If I stick with this diet I'll have...
• If I vote this candidate we will...
• If I use this curriculum my kids will....
• If I invest in this company it will....
• This technology will...
• If I marry this person we'll....
• If I get my kids involved in this they'll...

How would you like to be the One Being in the Universe who can predict with absolute certainty the outcome of everything?!

Omniscience, by definition, means to hold all the facts of the entire universe and calculate in an instant of time the outcomes of every decision of every human being! 

 Dizzying...

Just think if I'd known --with certainty-- the final score of the Spartans/Ducks before the game was actually played how much emotional pain I could have saved myself.  Sad to know they'd lose but not emotionally crushed when they didn't live up to my expectations!

Although there were no Las Vegas oddsmakers around the time of 70 a.d., I'm quite sure the people of Israel, as tenuous as their position was with Rome, wouldn't have bet against themselves in keeping their nation together.  In fact, by handing the King of Truth over to Rome's quirky, malevolent judgment they bet on their own ability to escape condemnation!  

But God, himself, both warned and predicted that their collective decision to reject their King whose Kingdom is Love, would result in the very dispersion of their nation, scattered to the four winds of the world. Jerusalem has indeed been trampled under the foot of many nations for generations.  A historical certainty. 

All of this to say: our trust should not be in our ability to ascertain the future or understand all the predictions for this world.  Rather, our trust --and peace-- should be in the One who knows with certainty the final outcome of all that He's planned for every single person who is willing to know and love Him. 

You can bet on it!

The End Times.6

"The day will come when your enemies will lay a trench around your walls, and hem you in on every side. They will hurl you to the dust, and your children with you, and will not leave one stone standing upon another, all this because you failed to recognize the appointed time when God himself moved among you." 

--Jesus

"You can choose your behavior 
but you cannot choose your consequences." 
--The quiet admonition of a friend to her children.

Recently, a Canadian friend posted a comment about her favorable opinion of Barack Obama after listening to his audio version of "The Audacity of Hope." This sparked an animated discussion on whether a "good" person can author bad public policy.  One comment-er tried to make the case for his moral leadership by stating Obama's bad policy decisions are less bad than George W. Bush's. 

Social media allows us to air our opinions with more frequency and to a greater audience than at any time in the world's history.  But is the human race any more capable of discerning goodness than at any time in human history?  Can we see the "God-ness" in a particular event or person any more clearly than when God himself moved among us?

from obamamessiah.blogspot.ca/

For some reason nearly every U.S. President is scrutinized by the public to determine their qualifications as saint or satan.  For instance, because Ronald Wilson Reagan had six letters in each of his names --666-- some were convinced it made him the Anti-Christ.  On the other hand Barbara Walters, venerated journalist, has referred to Barack Obama as Messiah. She's not alone in her adoration...

"Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. . . . He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh . . . Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves."
-- Ezra Klein

Had the Jewish nation embraced Jesus as their King how would the world be different today? The obvious answer is we Gentiles would not be here to consider the question! Their egregious rejection of God himself became our opportunity to be born...and born again! It also helps us understand God's willingness to allow his Will to be thwarted, at least temporarily, if not tragically, to sub-serve his greater purposes! 

If the challenge to first century humanity was to recognize God moving among men -- and the reaction to his birth indicates that centuries old prophecies had accomplished at the very least (for some) an awareness of the possibility of a heavenly visitation and (for others) an earnest anticipation -- is the challenge any less for modern mankind to avoid the same tragic mistake?  

If we don't have a certainty about Jesus the Man we have come to believe in and those qualities that make him the great I Am, how will we withstand the onslaught of false Messiah's with their promises of hope or threats of change for a world on fire? 

If you are putting your trust in doctrinal positions or theology, you will be swept up in the delusion that Jesus warned would impact even the elect.  

Will He find faith in Him on earth?  What is faith in Him? 

 "The leaving of your way, your objects, your self, and the taking of His and Him; the leaving of your trust in men, in money, in opinion, in character, in atonement itself, and doing as He tells you! To do His words is to enter into vital relation with Him, to obey Him is the only way to be One with Him! The relation between Him and us is an absolute one; it can nohow begin to live but in obedience: it is obedience!" -MacDonald

The Day is coming, and perhaps is closer than we think, when we must choose our allegiance between Jesus and this world order.  However, we make that choice daily by choosing to obey Him.  If you cannot think of one thing this day you have done because Jesus said do this or one thing you have not done because He said don't do this, you have good reason to fear you won't make the correct choice when it may cost you all!

Triumph or Tragedy.  Its all in a choice.  Choose today whom you will serve...

 

 

Feedback Request

"Lord purify my heart 
so that I care little
 for any judgment but yours." --  George MacDonald

I love to write.  But it can be a lonely vigil.  A writer who writes for a living gets a substantial sense of his impact by the books or articles he sells.  Online bloggers/tweeters get feedback through comments, retweets, pageviews, etc.  

For those of you who read this blog you can see I don't get a

lot of feedback.  I write to encourage and build up not create controversy. So perhaps that's why there isn't much in the way of comment.  But I would appreciate an honest critique of this blog if you have a moment.  I'd like to see it expand and grow to a greater viewership but not sure if it is something that appeals to anyone but a narrow tract of friends who either are genuinely encouraged by the insight offered or are just being polite.

Any thoughts, questions, criticism on: 

• the goal of combing Jesus' words, insights from George MacDonald, and my experiences to encourage followers of Jesus in their journey.
• Writing style: predictable, unique, easy/difficult to read, insufficient crediting for quotes, images, etc
• Use of Illustrations, photos, etc
• Theological perspective
• Impact it has on your understanding of discipleship, God, Jesus, obedience, etc.
• Anything else that comes to mind.

If you have any experience in blogging or growing social media that would help me expand this outreach, if you think it has a wider readership potential, would very much appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

In Jesus' love and service,

Charlie