Job 42:5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen You"

Most of us know the story of Job. The Bible says he was a man who loved God and hated evil..and yet he went through so much in his life..the loss of his possessions, the loss of his children..the loss of his health..and with no real help or compassion from anyone. His three "friends" were clearly wrong. They had made the mistake of thinking that Job's suffering was caused by something he had done wrong, and they advised Job accordingly. Even Job's own wife told him to simply curse God and die.

Job must have felt so alone. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever gone through something so difficult, so traumatic, that you wondered how you would ever make it through..and then on top of everything else, you felt alone..you felt like no one understood, and you wondered where God was in all of this that you were facing?

Sometimes when we don't have an understanding of what is happening to us..or why it is being allowed to happen, we can form in our hearts, very unfortunately, a lack of trust in the Lord. When we simply can't see Him in our situation, when we have prayed and received no answer, or when a situation goes on for a long period of time..we can get to the point where we question..if God is truly in control, how could He let this happen?

I remember going through that when we first realized that Ray's children were missing. I remember thinking that I could never live through this. I questioned God, and wondered how He could allow something so awful to happen to us. I was, in a way, like Job's three friends. I questioned myself and wondered what I must have done wrong to deserve such a thing to have happened. Like Job, I could have easily said, My ears have heard of You God..but God wanted me to see Him.

It is so important for each of us to have a personal revelation of God..and of His love for us. It simply isn't enough to have heard of God only..to sit in church week after week, with no real personal revelation of Him in our lives. Without that personal revelation, that knowing in our hearts, that God sees what we face, He cares for us, He knows that it will be difficult, but somehow He is working in the situation to bring something good forth, we can easily live a life of defeat. And a life of defeat and depression is not what Christ died to give us. He came that we might have LIFE, and have it in abundance. The devil can easily steal our joy, when we don't have a deep and very personal revelation of the love of our Savior.

From the moment that Job had that revelation, things began to change for Him, and He could say with confidence, Lord, my ears had heard of You..but now my eyes have seen You. He still may not have had a clear answer from God about all the why's and what's of his situation, but He could look back and see that God had been with him throughout his entire ordeal. What a comfort.

I don't know how to instruct each of you on having this very personal relationship with God. I only know that it's possible. I only know that looking back at my life, and the loss of our children, I can say along with Job, that my eyes have seen Him. I have seen Him in our situation, the God of all comfort, strengthening us, deepening our faith, holding us up when we felt as though we couldn't take another step, giving us a determination to keep going, loving us into wholeness once again. I can see Him in the fact that there is no longer any bitterness in my heart, and I know that only God could have done that. I was so filled with anger at one time. God has helped me to pray for Ray's sons' mother, and He has given me a love for her that I could not have on my own. My eyes have seen Him.

I don't know what you may be going through today. Many of you have gone through things that are much harder than what I have faced. I can only encourage you that you have a sovereign God who loves you. I can only exhort you to "dig deep" into the things of God. Admit to Him when you can't even muster up enough faith to trust..I believe that often true faith begins with such humility. Realize that we are locked into time, and God isn't. There may be things in this life that go unanswered...but we can trust God when we know Him..when we have that revelation of His love for us..and realize that He sees the bigger picture that we can't always see.

God used our situation with Ray's sons, to change our hearts, and give us a burden for the young men at the Boys Ranch. For five years, we were allowed the privilege of going in on Sunday mornings, and speaking to them about the love of God. We will never know the work that God did in their hearts, but we trust and believe that hearts were changed. Our eyes have seen Him.

Beloved, when you are in a difficult situation..or when you are simply reading your Bible, or hearing God's word being preached, and you suddenly realize.."I see it, Lord"..that is when your personal revelation of God has come..and you will begin to see that God has been with you all along.

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

The world these days feels helpless as the systems of the country and of the world go up and down. Just to watch the news can cause fear and uncertainty to rise up. We hear about war, recession, crime, unemployment, inflation, and on and on it goes.

Beloved, God does not want you to feel helpless. You are not of the world. John 17:16 says "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world". Whatever the world's situation is, fear not..because your God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ.

Beloved, I am not saying that you will get absolutely everything you want. That is not what the verse is saying.

The verse says that God shall supply all your need. It doesn't say that He will supply sometimes. It doesn't say He will supply if you behave yourselves. It doesn't say that He will supply if He feels like it. It doesn't even say that He will supply sometimes. The verse also says that He will do it, according to His riches in glory. It is not according to this world's system..or according to the riches of the company you work for. It is according to God.

When you are feeling anxiety, because everything around you seems uncertain, fix your eyes on Him..the One who is unshakable, unwavering..the One Who cannot lie, Who never breaks a promise..the One Who died for you..the One Who loves you. Keep you eyes on Him..not on what is going on around you. Don't continue to saturate your mind with all of the "bad news" around you. Instead, look at the unshakable and eternal Word of God. Your heart will become stable, and you will see as God supplies for you, whatever the need might be..according to His riches in glory, in Christ Jesus.

Prayer

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:17-18

It’s good that James reminds us that Elijah was a man just like us, because it would be hard to believe otherwise. He called down fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel, he ran ahead of a chariot into the city of Jezreel in the power of the Lord. And his life ended by being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Did he even die?

Yet James says, “He was a man just like us.” Ok James, if you say so. Yes, as far as the authority to pray and to move the hand and heart of God, he was a man just like us. And dare we say, that maybe we have even greater authority because of who we are in Christ.

The greatest issue with prayer is that you have to do it to be effective. Thinking about prayer isn’t prayer. Intending to pray isn’t prayer, and certainly just studying and reading books about prayer isn’t prayer. To pray we have to exercise our wills and speak the words and intent of our hearts. Whether it is audible or inaudible isn’t the issue, it is simply that we do it!

There are many kinds of prayer, but the most effective are those that are prompted by our faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, from gaining understanding of the will of God and then being moved by the Holy Spirit to agree with His will.

But faith can be exercised in many ways. Desperation and need that is expressed earnestly is also faith when it is accompanied with a confidence in God’s ability and faithfulness. Not all prayers of faith have great strength. Like the Centurion who petitioned Jesus to heal his daughter, sometimes the most powerful prayers are precipitated by our great need for God.

When we don’t know how to pray, Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. He searches our hearts and prays for us according to the will of God in each situation and circumstance. This in itself should convince us of the importance of prayer. If God Himself wants to insure that our prayers are effective by His own intercession, we should be greatly moved to regular seasons of prayer.

Saints of God, the church is filled with good intentions. Prayer is not an area we can afford to have only an intention of engaging in. Our part on earth is to co-operate and agree with this great redeeming King who has given Himself for us. And as in every area of our lives, there is grace to begin, grace to continue, and grace to complete what He has called us to. Pray, and then run like Elijah.

R. Martinez

Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. John 20:27

Even though we know what’s true, at times it is hard to believe. Doubt creeps in when every circumstance appears to contradict what we know to be true. This isn’t sin, it’s part of the walk of faith, part of our learning to trust God and His Word and not our own emotions and conclusions. Our emotions and conclusions aren’t evil or bad, but they must be held up to the light of the Word of God and its truth, and not believed on their own.

Thomas was having a hard time believing the other disciple’s claim that they had seen the Lord now risen from the dead. Of course that would be hard to believe, it went against everything he knew to be true. Dead people don’t rise from the dead. Dead people don’t talk, walk or appear suddenly in locked rooms. It simply wasn’t believable. But as is always the case, the issue wasn’t what Thomas felt or sensed or held on to as truth, but what was in fact actually true. It was true; Jesus had risen from the dead. He was alive.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the key to the hope we have as Christians. Because He is raised, because He lives right now, we have hope for our future. It is the most essential of all truths to believe and to understand. Its implications release the power for living the life we are now called to live on the earth.

This truth must be settled in our hearts. The truth of the resurrection must be an anchor of our souls, a place we can always return to regain our bearings, to remind our hearts that this life is worth the price. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ is not raised from the dead, we are of all men most to be pitied. Because he understood it was the primary truth that guaranteed our future. And if it wasn’t true, our hope was a pipe dream.

Do you live your life from a place of confidence in your future, or are you still uncertain what lies ahead. Saints, settle your heart into the revelation of the Son of God, that He is risen, and lives evermore. He was the “firstborn among many brothers”; first born from among the dead. And because He lives and now has become my life, I too live in Him. This I believe to be true, in spite of what I see or feel.

Uncertainty isn’t sin unless we turn away from the truth. But the more I walk with God and come to know His heart and character, the more convinced I am of the truth of His Word. There is no greater truth that affects my life on earth than the truth that He has risen and overcome death. Set your heart and mind upon that truth. Settle it in your heart, not just casually, but deeply. It will set you free.

R. Martinez

Ordinary Men

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

Unschooled, ordinary men were the men who turned the Roman Empire and the world upside down. They were unschooled in regards to the religious jargon and tradition of the day, and they were ordinary in that there was nothing about them that stood out and made you take notice. They were blue collar, hardworking men who didn’t have degrees, fame, visibility or stature. But there was something very distinctive about them, something that resulted in astonishment among the lawyers, political leaders, and professional religious leaders of their day.

First, the Holy Spirit records through Luke’s pen that they were seen to be “courageous”. They were courageous because they had no fear of man, and that is very rare. When questioned harshly about healing a man crippled from birth, they testified of the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus to the very men who had crucified Him. They were unafraid of speaking the truth, and unafraid of the consequences. When threatened their response was, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Where there is a holy fear of God, there is no fear of man.

Their ordinariness turned extra ordinary was also a powerful testimony of God’s work in their lives. He takes very ordinary people, men and women who are the “least” in the eyes of the world and makes them extra ordinary. When a man is born again, he is marked with the mark of God on his life. God writes His name on our foreheads, and fills us with His Spirit. He takes the fearful and gives them great boldness, the insecure and gives them great confidence, and makes lowly uneducated fisherman strong and gifted leaders. He uses our human weakness to manifest the great strength of His grace, and confounds the world’s wisdom with the apparent “foolishness” of the message of the cross. Yes, the follower of Jesus is anything but ordinary.

It also says, “They took note that these men had been with Jesus.” No greater compliment can be given to a man or a woman. To have it be evident that we have been “with Him” is the goal of our being sent to the world. Had He wanted to remove us from this world when we first believed, He could have easily just “snatched” us up right then. But He didn’t; He left us to testify and reveal the Kingdom of God to a lost and dying world.

God isn’t looking for “super” Christians in this day. He is looking for ordinary men and women who will walk with Him, whom He can cause to become courageous ambassadors of reconciliation as they live out their lives as His new creation in this dying world. You are those who will confound the wise and shame the strong. You are the extra-ordinary, courageous ones He now sends out; you and I, ordinary people.

R. Martinez

He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it

Matthew 10:38 "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it"

I am always amazed and encouraged when I hear stories of people who have chosen to pull up stakes and follow Christ, at whatever the personal cost may be to them. We have some treasured friends in South Carolina, who, for the past several years, have done just that. Our friend left the security of his job, sold his house, and he and his wife have in my opinion, literally given their all, to follow Christ. They have been a huge blessing in my life..but even more, God has taken them all over back east, and they have been allowed the privilege of helping and encouraging others, all over the eastern seaboard.

This week, I was having a typical day, reading a few emails from some friends that had come in..when I noticed one from my niece. I am a blessed woman. I have the most wonderful family..such an incredibly loving and supportive group of people. I was excited to open Erica's email..but had no idea what I was about to read. My precious niece, has made a decision in her life. She has decided to follow Christ. She is following in the footsteps of her sister, and her brother, who have both done the same thing. My nephew was in the Philippines ministering for a couple of years, and my other niece was in Romania, at least twice, ministering in the orphanages. Now God has blessed her with a beautiful little boy of her own. These kids have been such an inspiration to me.

My niece Erica, is an incredibly talented young woman, in so many ways..she is a gifted artist and photographer. For the last several years, she has worked for a company in Sacramento. She started at the bottom, but her employers saw something in her that they knew was of great value..you see, she is not only outwardly gifted and talented..she not only has a smile that literally lights up a room..but she has a heart as big as all outdoors..and she loves people. She received promotion at work, not just because she truly is dedicated, honest, and hard working, but because when you get to know her, you know that she has something that you want to have. She has the love of the Lord and it is evident in everything that she does.

Erica has been wrestling with something difficult in her life..she has sensed the call of God, and this week, has made a decision. She will answer the call. She is leaving the life she has known here..the life of security, family, a warm bed at night..and she will go to South Africa sometime in August. To say that I am proud of her would be an understatement. I can't think of any words that would express how much she has inspired those around her..how much better our lives are because of knowing her, and how truly her faith touches us..to the very core of our hearts.

Not every person would answer the call. I truly don't know if I would. God calls us to a higher mission than to just find comfort and tranquility in this life. It means to follow Him, at any cost, and to face almost certain opposition. Sometimes it separates us from those we love. If we are a lover of this life's rewards...leisure, power, popularity, beauty, financial security...we will truly come to know how empty those things really are. The best way to enjoy this life is to be free...free to follow Christ. Jesus gave an example of giving a cold cup of water to a thirsty child. This is such a great example, because a child is often unable to return a favor. Sometimes serving the Lord can seem thankless, but beloved, I promise you...it isn't. God sees...and He notices it as if He were the one receiving it. When you are serving others, you are serving Him.

To my niece..two thoughts. First, Your dad would be so very proud of you. ..and secondly, you wrote me a letter at Christmas time..one of the greatest treasures I have..I want to share back to you, the words that you wrote to me..."Everywhere, there are people who are in the middle of their own stories, facing dangers and hardships" Such wise words..Erica, every person you will meet will have such a story. They will be in the process of living out their story..and God has brought you into their story..for a purpose..to love..to encourage..to bring hope. "For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" "God does watch over us...but it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom"

I am so thankful for each person that this goes out to. As my niece said in her letter to me.. I am thankful for your willingness to serve God and those around you...and for Erica..I am reminded of Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bring good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!"

I will be praying for you as you go share the good news of Christ..and as you share that cold cup of water with someone in need. Matthew 10:42. May each of us take time this weekend to serve someone else, to get our minds off of ourselves, and to simply love others. In doing so, we will be loving Jesus. There is truly no higher honor.

Song of Solomon 1:15 "Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair!"

My child, do not let the words of others influence you unduly...neither their praise or their criticism. Weigh each for it's proper value,and come back to Me again.Only in communion with Me can you be sure of the truth. If I correct you, you know it is for your betterment. If I encourage you with a word of praise, it is because I know you need it; so rejoice in it and accept it wholeheartedly.

If you will accept My love and My approval, you will be courageous to face whatever may come up in your life more decisively and the more you will be set free. I want your life, character and personality to be as beautiful and lovely as I imagined the day I created you. Live close to Me, and let Me remold and rec-create until I see in you the image of all I want you to be.

I love you, My child. You are very dear and special to Me. Through your childhood years, I walked very close to you, and you have become aware of My presence in your life. You have climbed many mountains that you could have easily walked around...but you have realized that I am with you, and have always been.

Come to Me as your source of strength. I will rebuild in those areas that have been damaged..simply for the sake of making you strong and well. Anticipate My help. I will not fail you. I have not left you to fend for yourself or to make your way by your own devices. I am the Lord, your God. I care for you with a deep and tender love...and it is a joy to My heart, when you simply...rely on Me.

Frances Roberts

that He may have mercy upon you

Isaiah 30:18a "And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious to you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you"

This verse is a source of encouragement during times of difficulty or waiting. If we think about what the implication of this promise is..it's amazing! The Lord waits for us! It's kind of mind blowing. He is the Creator of the Universe and the Giver of life, and yet there are times, when He has chosen to wait for us! He waits for us to respond to Him, to turn to Him, and even to come to our senses I'm sure at times.

It's an incredible thought that He wants to show us how much He loves us. When we try to contemplate God's love, many of us can't seem to take it in. We think of our failures, our shortcomings, and how we've let God or others down. We live with ourselves and we tend to see what we consider to be our own defects, more than we see our strengths, or our kindnesses. At times we are so absorbed by all the wrong things we see about ourselves that we have a hard time believing that God wants to bless us. Most of us would feel much of the time that punishment was much more in order than blessing.

We want God to love us, to bless us, to encourage us, but we struggle deeply, with what we feel we "deserve" or don't "deserve". We tend to think that we have to earn the blessings..that we have to be good enough, or faithful enough. We often miss the point of God's incredible and gracious love. Our blessings from God are not a result of our goodness..they are a result of His goodness.

I hope you will take that thought with you today as you go through your day. Remind yourself from time to time throughout your day that you are loved. As this truth begins to penetrate your heart, it will change you. You will begin to see yourself the way God sees you. Your reactions to problems and situations will start to change, and you will begin to live your life out of the Life of Christ that resides in you.

The Lord waits to be gracious and merciful to you. Will you accept that today?

Life of Paul {Part 2}

Romans 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"

I mentioned yesterday that I have seen a side to the life of Paul that I had never really seen before. What is it that could change a man, from one who persecuted christians, to one who loved the people of God, who was willing literally to risk life and limb to preach a message of hope to the gentiles. What was it that drove him? How did he withstand imprisonment, shipwreck, being bitten by a deadly snake and surviving, being abandoned by those who were with him, and on top of all that.. even knowing that it was time for his departure?

This man of God knew without a doubt that he was about to die, and he may have questioned the timing in it, I'm not sure, but he had surrendered his life to God's perfect will. He knew that the Romans could not lay a hand on him without God's permission. God's glory was the issue in every situation that Paul encountered. His thought in every thing he did was "to live is Christ".
Each night in the dark dungeon in Rome, Paul knew he was one day closer to certain execution. The only reason he had been spared so long was the problem of his Roman citizenship. Many Christians had been fed to the lions in the amphitheater, packed with spectators. Emperor Nero could not legally sentence Paul to this type of death..hence, Paul's expression in 2 Timothy 4:17 "I was delivered from the lion's mouth"..not by Nero but by God.

Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 were "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them also that love His appearing". Paul wasn't just pulling a word picture out of a hat. Anyone in the Roman empire would have known exactly what he was referring to. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to me, if these very words spoken by the apostle ultimately hastened his death. In the year A.D. 67, the year of Paul's death, Nero had the audacity to enter himself in the Olympic games. The olympic atheletes had literally spent their lives training for the event..but the 30 year old overweight emperor used medications to induce vomiting rather than to exercise to get into shape. He was literally in a pitiful physical condition and very ill-prepared, but who would be the one to tell him so? No one at that time would have had the nerve to approach him and tell him that he could not compete. So, he cast himself on a chariot at the Olympic games and drove a ten horse team. He fell from this chariot and had to at some point, be helped back into it..and though he failed to stay the course, and he ended up quitting before the race was finished, the judges nevertheless awarded him the prize. A wreath was placed on his head and he was hailed victorious.

Needless to say, word of this humiliating victory spread quickly and soon after Nero returned to Rome, the apostle Paul wrote his stirring final testimony..."I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the RIGHTEOUS Judge, will award to me". Amazing. As I write this, I tear up. I had never put all of this together before. Paul's life has become such an inspiration to me.
Traditional teaching down through the years teaches us that two soldiers brought Paul word of his death. They approached him and asked for his prayers that they might also believe in Christ. Then they led Paul out of the city to his death.

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"...the RIGHTEOUS Judge now raised a wreath of righteousness and placed it on the head of his faithful servant. He had finished the race. He had kept the faith.

The knowledge of Christ that Paul had acquired in his lifetime was worth every loss, every trial. Dear brothers and sisters..if that partial knowledge of our precious Lord and Savior is worth everything, and we know it is, then what will full knowledge be like when we one day see HIM face to face? "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God" One day, we all will "grasp how wide, and how long and how high and how deep is the love of God"
Until then, may be we faithful, unstoppable servants of the One who saved us.

Paul

2 Timothy 4:7-8 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing"

I recently finished a study in the life of Paul. I have always loved the writings of Paul, but I have learned and begun to understand some things about him that I didn't know before. Paul's life was completely changed from a man who followed the law, and persecuted Christians, to a man who knew Christ, and who loved Christ. The depth of that love is nearly indescribable. He KNEW God. He trusted Him. He trusted God's plan for his life. He spent his life pouring out to people, and took no thought for himself, always being obedient to the call of God that was on his life. He had entrusted everything to Christ..every effort, every tear, every drop of sweat, every mistake, every victory, every ability, every sermon. Paul had placed everything he had into the hands of his Savior. No matter how difficult his circumstances grew, and believe me, his circumstances were often difficult, he remained obedient till the end. As the chains gripped his hands and feet, the the stench of death was all around him, he said, "I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him" II Timothy 1:12

The book of II Timothy has become even more precious to me lately. Paul had chosen to trade his life of honor and respect for one of rejection and tribulation. Faced with humiliation, Paul proclaimed, "Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed". Paul's sanity was protected by his certainty in his Savior. He KNEW the One in whom he believed...He knew Him with the kind of knowledge that was worth any loss.

If we are going to survive the trials and circumstances of this life, we must KNOW the One in Whom we believe. No matter what loss we may have suffered, no one can take what we know away from us..no one can take WHO we know. Paul looked at life through the window of Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain".

Tomorrow I will continue writing on the life of Paul. I hope you will stay with me on this one. I don't know about you, but I believe we can learn so much from the life of this man.. My desire for every one of us is that we would KNOW the ONE in Whom we have believed...that no matter what we may face in this life, our minds and our hearts would be firmly planted in Him..
My prayer for each of you today is that "He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit, in the inner man..that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, and that all of you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God."

For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

Paul was driven by a deep hunger for God. That hunger, he wrote to the Philippians, was to know Him. In this verse he also compares knowing God with the ability to see clearly.
In Paul’s day, mirrors weren’t as they are now. When I look at my reflection in a mirror today, it is an exact reflection of what is looking into the mirror, unfortunately. There is no question of the aging process. It’s all there; nothing is hidden or diminished. It wasn’t that way for Paul. Mirrors were probably opaque or not smooth. As a result, the reflected image would have been unclear and the details were hard to make out. Paul compares this experience of looking into an imperfect mirror with the Corinthian’s inability to “see” and to understand fully in this life. And because their vision and understanding were imperfect and incomplete, he says, above all else love was needed.
Love will bridge the gap, will provide the environment for our inability as humans to see and understand fully. Where there is a lack of clarity, Paul says let love rule. Where there is disagreement, Paul says, love through it all. When there is overemphasis or under emphasis of things we hold dearly, Paul says remember that we only see and understand in part, so continue to love. When faced with the choice of my liberty and rights or those of others, Paul says, deny yourself out of love of others.
We are moving toward the day when the Lord Jesus will be fully seen. There will be a full unveiling, a full revelation of His majesty, His holiness, His power, and His glory. We are imperfect humans who only see in part. We are limited in our vision and our understanding. Let’s walk in humility in this day, fixing our eyes on Him, as the Holy Spirit makes Him known fully to the glory of God the Father. But above all, let love be the incubator for that revelation we all long for.

Lord Jesus, I long for your full unveiling. I long to see you as you are in all your glory. I am your son, but I see and understand in part at best. Help me Lord, to walk in humility in this life. Give me grace to deny myself for others, to believe the best of others, and to give the benefit of the doubt when needed. Lord Jesus, let love be that which motivates me above all. Amen

R Martinez

Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. John 20:27

Even though we know what’s true, at times it is hard to believe. Doubt creeps in when every circumstance appears to contradict what we know to be true. This isn’t sin, it’s part of the walk of faith, part of our learning to trust God and His Word and not our own emotions and conclusions. Our emotions and conclusions aren’t evil or bad, but they must be held up to the light of the Word of God and its truth, and not believed on their own.

Thomas was having a hard time believing the other disciple’s claim that they had seen the Lord now risen from the dead. Of course that would be hard to believe, it went against everything he knew to be true. Dead people don’t rise from the dead. Dead people don’t talk, walk or appear suddenly in locked rooms. It simply wasn’t believable. But as is always the case, the issue wasn’t what Thomas felt or sensed or held on to as truth, but what was in fact actually true. It was true; Jesus had risen from the dead. He was alive.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the key to the hope we have as Christians. Because He is raised, because He lives right now, we have hope for our future. It is the most essential of all truths to believe and to understand. Its implications release the power for living the life we are now called to live on the earth.

This truth must be settled in our hearts. The truth of the resurrection must be an anchor of our souls, a place we can always return to regain our bearings, to remind our hearts that this life is worth the price. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ is not raised from the dead, we are of all men most to be pitied. Because he understood it was the primary truth that guaranteed our future. And if it wasn’t true, our hope was a pipe dream.

Do you live your life from a place of confidence in your future, or are you still uncertain what lies ahead. Saints, settle your heart into the revelation of the Son of God, that He is risen, and lives evermore. He was the “firstborn among many brothers”; first born from among the dead. And because He lives and now has become my life, I too live in Him. This I believe to be true, in spite of what I see or feel.

Uncertainty isn’t sin unless we turn away from the truth. But the more I walk with God and come to know His heart and character, the more convinced I am of the truth of His Word. There is no greater truth that affects my life on earth than the truth that He has risen and overcome death. Set your heart and mind upon that truth. Settle it in your heart, not just casually, but deeply. It will set you free.

R Martinez

Fullness in Christ

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

When we look at the Christian life, we can approach it in one of two ways. We can either think, “I have to attain to a standard that has been set before me,” or we can say, “All I need to live this life is in Christ.”

Paul the apostle encourages the Colossian church toward the second mindset. His reasoning is two-fold. First and foremost, in the humanity of the Lord Jesus is the fullness of the Deity, God incarnate in man. This truth in itself is awe-inspiring, but if that were not enough, he goes on to say that we have also been given fullness in Him.

The word “fullness” is translated “complete” in some translations. It means “to fill up” or “to fill to the brim”. It can also be translated “to carry though to the end”, or “to bring to realization”.
The Christian life is not a mystery, because Jesus brought a clear “realization”, a full understanding of God for us. We don’t have to wonder about the nature of God any longer. We don’t wonder what He thinks about sinners, about the sick, what He would do for someone enslaved and in bondage. We know how He views the outcast, the lonely, and the broken. We know what He thinks about anger, divorce, the poor, and the religious. We know what His world-view is, because Jesus brought full disclosure regarding the nature and heart of God.

But even more remarkably, we now are to do the same in 21st century America. We are to “carry through to the end” making known the character, compassion, and conduct of this eternal God as we live our lives out in front of a watching world.

“How is this possible?”, you ask. The same way Jesus did it. By living a life of obedient faith, by learning to hear the Father’s voice, and by living in the power of the indwelling Spirit. We will not be sinless as was Jesus. But more and more as we are conformed into His image we will reflect the heart and will of God to a lost and hurting generation. The bar has been set. It cannot be lowered. But it isn’t a matter of attaining to its demands. It is only a matter of living out of the sustaining provision of His life in us. In Him we are complete, full, and able to bring to full realization the freedom and life of the age to come.

This reality cannot be deterred because He is head over all authority and every power. All the legions of hell cannot stop the church as it fulfills its mission and calling. Ours is a high calling. To walk in a matter worthy of that calling is a great privilege.

R Martinez

Your life is hidden with Christ in God

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old man with its practices and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator…Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:9,10, 12

How many different ways can Paul say it? It’s clear that the dominant themes of Paul’s ministry were the cross and its work, and then the life that is to be lived on the other side of the cross. For Paul it all came down to those two primary truths. Everything else was an outworking of those two major themes.

The teaching is clear. The life to be lived is the life that God has provided for us “in Christ”. The life is the overcoming life of God, the life that raised Jesus from the dead, the life that is the person of the Holy Spirit and the life that is eternal and incorruptible. That life is “in Christ”, and when we believe and put our faith in Him, that life becomes our life; not only in a legal sense through the imputed righteousness of Christ, but in a very real and practical sense as His life indwells us by the Holy Spirit.

The analogy is also clear. Paul again uses the terminology of “putting on” and “putting off”, and of “clothing” ourselves in this newness of life. Paul says it is a new man, a new identity and a new humanity that has been “renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

The clothing that is Christ’s life, Paul says, is compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. In other words, just as the armor of God is Christ Himself, so the fruit of the Spirit is the very life of Christ. Because we are in Him, all those attributes and qualities can now be manifest in and through us, because they are His attributes and character traits. We don’t have to try to be compassionate; we just need to “clothe” ourselves in Him. We don’t try to suddenly become humble where we have been proud. He is humble. He is gentle, and He is patient.

The Christian life for many has degenerated into a system of self-help and sin management techniques. That’s because we aren’t teaching the church what it means to be in Christ, and how by faith to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian life can’t be reduced to moralism and legalism. That is still death. No it must be seen as living out of His life, a life that is from above and not earthly or powered by human effort.

Brothers and sisters take your eyes off of yourselves and set your hearts and minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Fix your eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of your faith. This is Paul’s admonition. This is what he prays for the church and encourages them to understand and do. How many different ways can Paul say the same thing? “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Yes Paul, we hear, understand, and believe

R. Martinez

Patience

Be patient, then brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:7-8

Much of what takes place in my heart is the result of time. It’s as though time is the soil of maturity, where the seeds of faith I confess and hold on to grow and develop until Christ is formed in me. But for the most part, time and its necessary processes are difficult, and I find myself resenting that this is the way He has chosen to work out His purposes in me.

I read a long time ago that a respected leader when being questioned by his students about God’s use of time in character development, replied with the rhetorical question, “What would you rather be, an oak tree or a squash?” To gain the strength and maturity that is needed for this life, in His wisdom, God who lives outside of time, has purposed that it would be the means whereby His life is formed in us, and that through the processes of time, our roots would go down deep into Him. This is what Paul meant when he prayed that the Ephesians would be “rooted and grounded” in His love. He knew they needed to be established in Him, because that alone would ensure the fruitfulness they were created for. That happens over time.

We know that we live in a culture of “instant” everything; that we want what we want right now, and expect to get it when we want it. That is so true, except in the Christian life. James writes here encouraging those who had been scattered and persecuted because of their faith, to be patient. Patient like a farmer is patient, plowing, sowing, watering, tending, and waiting for a harvest that will surely come in the future. Each night he goes to bed knowing that his work that day was not in vain. Though he may not see the results after 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month, there will be a harvest. But first there would be seasons that would bring rain, seasons that would bring sun, and finally a season that would bring a harvest. So it is in God.

We endure patiently, standing firm as the roots of our faith go deep into the soil of time. Because beneath it all is the heart and grace of God, the provision for life in Jesus Christ. It is being worked in us and will be fully realized at His coming. In the meantime we remain faithful, stand firm, and wait. And just as we are certain that the change of season will come, so will He. We can count on it.

Teach me your ways Lord. I want to understand your dealings with my life and my heart. Help me to remain patient as you work in me. The goal isn’t today or tomorrow. The goal is what is mine throughout eternity. I trust you. Amen

R Martinez

A Vessel of God

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done – by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. Romans 15:17-18

One of life’s great mysteries is that God chooses to use human beings as instruments of His work. Though He has given man the earth to care for and watch over, it seems it would be so much easier and expedient if He would just do what needs to be done! In reality, He has done all that needs to be done in His Son, but it now needs to be lived out and brought to bear on this fallen world. That is where we as men and as His new creation come into view.

Paul had no difficulty understanding that He was only a vessel of God. The value is not in the vessel, but in the treasure the vessel holds. We are earthen vessels, Paul wrote, who contain a great treasure. The treasure is the life of God, the power of the risen Christ. Because Paul understood this so well, he would never consider boasting in what he had accomplished. He knew that it was God who was working in him and through him.

In a day when men are not content to serve in secret, when people clamor and strive for “ministry”, we must return to the words and heart of Paul. He said, “I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God.” His glory was always in the Son of God; in His life, in His salvation, and in His grace. He desired nothing of worldly fame. He wanted only to be faithful to the Lord.

He also knew that it was the Lord he served first. He served many churches, many people, in countless ways, but ultimately it was the Lord alone Paul served. The power of his servant’s heart was that he had encountered the cross and the finality of its dealings with the self-life. The self-life must end so that Christ may be revealed. Paul understood that and had embraced it many years before.

Ultimately the only thing that can change a man’s heart is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was this message Paul preached and demonstrated, the Holy Spirit testifying to the truth of his message with signs and miracles.

There is a great dichotomy in the work of God. The source of the life is God’s alone, but the vessel is human clay. He is the treasure, we are the clay pot. But we are allowed the privilege of containing this treasure and of sharing that which is of infinite value with a lost and dying world. As did Paul, we too glory in Christ Jesus in our service to God.

R. Martinez

May the God hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Overflowing hope…a term that you don’t hear every day. What a beautiful description of the essence of the Christian life. We not only have hope, we overflow with hope. Hope is pouring out of us, exposing everyone around us to the hope that not only resides within us, but cannot be contained by us.

We have this hope because we serve the God of hope. Hope is one of the dominant characteristics of His attitude and being. He is never discouraged, and never without hope. He is always hopeful for us, believing the best of us and for us.

Hope is a powerful quality in that it is never discouraged. It is very hard, if not impossible to be discouraged and hopeful at the same time. Hope is greater than fear, greater than unbelief, and greater than pessimism and cynicism. Hope is the great overcomer when it comes to godly attitudes we cultivate as believers and followers.

Peter says we have been “born into a living hope”. As in all things in the Christian life, the Lord Jesus is the source of our hope as well. He is the living hope we have been born into. The certainty of His life at work in me causes Paul to exclaim, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Hope is so powerful, Paul says that it does not disappoint. It cannot disappoint because the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God into our hearts. The love of God is the assurance of the fulfillment of that which we hope for. Because he loves me, I will always have hope; not hope as the world hopes, without certainty, but a hope that is certain because it has already been secured through the cross and resurrection. And as in all other promises in Christ, the ascension of the Lord Jesus “sealed the deal”.

Paul says that because of the certainty of this hope, we will be filled with “all joy and peace” as we trust Him. Joy and hope, peace and hope; it seems hope is the catalyst for the others as well.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” Faith we’re very familiar with, and love has always been sought after, but it is hope that the church needs now more than ever. If the greatest is love, hope can’t be far behind.

by Rick Martinez

THE FLESH VERSUS THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:16-18

Dear Father,
Help me to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of my flesh. For the desires of my flesh are opposed to the desires of my spirit and to the desires of your Spirit for me. These things can setup an opposition within me to keep me from doing what You desire.. But thank you for letting me know that if I live by the Spirit I do something different than just live by the rules of the law, that I am no longer under. In the name of Jesus I ask you to continue to do a work in my life, whatever You know is needful, and give me the grace to endure your renovation process.

In Jesus' Name..
Amen

Sorry this is so late everyone..was at a funeral out of town today. Love you all.

Help Me

Galatians 5:7-13 "Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of Him that calleth you. A little leaven leaventh the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded; but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another"

Heavenly Father..
Help me to run well!
Help me not to be hindered from obeying the truth!
Don't let me be persuaded by a viewpoint that is not from you, the God who called us to freedom in Jesus!
A little leaven leavens the whole lump!
Help me keep out even a pinch of "slavery" type thinking and religiosity that worships human will.
For to preach circumcision (law-keeping as a means of justification), is to remove the stumbling block of the cross of Christ.
Help me never to lose sight of the cross, the incredible price Jesus paid for my freedom.

In the name of Jesus I ask you to preserve my faith in freedom and love.
Amen.
Author Unknown

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5

The word “but” is a pivotal word in Scripture, a three letter word used to draw a clear distinction between two very differing truths or perspectives. It often is the connecting word between what we as men think and feel and that which is true in God. It is the word that ties together my current experience with the unchanging purposes of God. It is a very powerful and important word in Scripture.
David was loved by God, not because he had his act together all the time (he didn’t), but because his heart was always “toward” God; he was teachable, humble, honest , and quick to repent and obey. The Psalms record his honesty and humility very vividly. Repeatedly he is found to be honestly questioning and crying out to God in times of trouble and confusion. Psalm 13 records one of those times.
He begins by crying out, “How long O Lord?” He questioned, how long would it be that God would hide his face from him; how long that he would wrestle with his own thoughts. How long would his enemy triumph over him? He actually despairs of his life toward the end of the Psalm when he writes, “My enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”
Then, he utters that three letter word…but. And with that short word his mind and heart suddenly again are focused on God, not himself. It didn’t change what he was feeling, what he was experiencing, or what his immediate future appeared to be, but it changed the way he saw everything. Beneath it all was the unfailing love of God. David had come to intimately know that love. He had learned through his life that God was faithful, that the Lord would not abandon him, forsaking him to the hand of the enemy. He remembered the many times God had shown Himself faithful, the countless opportunities the enemy had when David could have been destroyed, either in body or spirit, and how the Lord had been faithfully with him. He lived in the security of the covenantal love of God.
With the awakened awareness of God’s faithful love came the heart’s experience of joy. He rejoiced, not as some temporary emotional high, but he rejoiced deeply in his spirit in the conscious reality of the salvation of the Lord. The confidence, security, and thankfulness that accompanied his renewed heart’s attitude resulted in a deep rejoicing in the provision of God’s love.
Saints of God, today allow your hearts to be awakened to the faithfulness of your God. Know that He has promised never to leave or abandon you. No, He said, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And then rejoice again, rejoice in your salvation. Rejoice in the eternal covenant that has been secured by His own life, and rejoice in the provision of the grace of God. Rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that you were chosen, called, sanctified, and glorified through your faith in Jesus Christ. Amen!
R. Martinez

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble"

On the side of our house, we have an area that is larger than what we've had in the past to work with. For a long time now, I have looked out my kitchen window and wondered what we should do with the area. One day, it came to me..a secret garden...a place to go sit in the morning and take my Bible and my cup of coffee...a place to sit in the cool of the evening with Ray and enjoy a glass of iced tea...a place of quiet, a place of refuge from the day's events..a place to pray and simply be alone with God...a quiet sancturary.. a place of rest. Once I had the idea, I could picture it in my mind..a little patio with a table and chairs..a winding path that is hidden from the rest of the yard...a lot of beautiful foliage and some colorful flowers..a place that probably wont be easily visible from the rest of the yard..but I'll know it's there...a sanctuary.
God dwells in the heart of every believer..and we have an internal sanctuary in Him. When the storms of life rage around us, we have a place of refuge in Him that is cozy and secure. He IS our refuge. He IS our strength. Others may look at our lives and know that there is something there..something different..something they can't quite put their finger on..but they know that the peace that they sense in our lives, even in the most difficult of circumstances is something that they would love to have. It is the presence of God..the strength that carries us when we could never make it on our own..the ever present help in time of trouble.
One of the more difficult things we have worked through with our secret garden was to be able to provide a source of water. Our sprinkler system was already in, and we had to figure out how to get water to that side of the house. Without water, things die. The Lord says that our very soul shall be as a well watered garden. Our soul is our mind, our will and our emotions. We need to literally drink continuously from our Source that never runs dry..the Living Water..our Ever Present Help to be able to walk in His strength daily. We are washed by the water of the Word of God and renewed by it.
God has made provision through His Word for our very souls to be watered. If you are experiencing a time of depletion, you need water! Drink deeply today, beloved...and pay attention as you begin to sense His life giving word bringing strength again where you were once weak, joy again, where you once had worry, and the peace that passes all understanding.