Week 48

Have you ever pictured God getting slap-happy, giddy-excited? Like the kind of excited that many people in North Carolina would be if the Panthers won the Super Bowl?

Well, if I am reading Zephaniah 3:17 correctly, He is that excited to be able to inhabit His Temple again. This time I am that temple. His plan to deliver me from my enemy has worked. Through my champion Jesus, God has inscribed His Love for me permanently into the hands of His Son. So yeah, God is pretty excited about that.

Zephaniah 3:17

YHWH, the eternal God is in your inward parts (gereb)

a powerful champion (gibbor) who has caused your deliverance (yasha)

he cheerfully rejoices (suws) over you with exceeding joy (simchah);

he quiets you by the engraving (charash) of his sacrificial love;

he spins and dances (giyl) over you with loud singing (rinnah).

Week 47

Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied. So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!

Zechariah 4:1-7 NIV

Things I noticed in the whole chapter:

The high priest’s name is Yeshua (Joshua) meaning ‘He who saves.’

The Word of the Lord is for Zerubbabel, meaning ‘sown in Babylon,’ which represents sin.

Babylon was the site of Babel, where the Lord split one tongue into many.

The prophecy concerns the coming of One, another Yeshua, the light of the world. He would reconcile the two trees, Israel and gentiles, while the Spirit of the Lord would flow through them bringing His light to the world, through individual believers working in unity.

And so with the outpouring of Holy Spirit the division is reconciled as many tongues became one spiritual tongue, and Jesus is the capstone holding us all together.

Week 46

In an evil and perverse generation, people need the hope of goodness more than ever. Thousands of years ago the prophet Malachi saw this and spoke words of hope to those who reverenced the NAME, YHWH.

Mal 4:2

“But for you who fear My NAME [with awe-filled reverence] the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall.”

I have read this verse many times, but my brain always translates ‘fear My Name’ as ‘fear the Lord’ and ‘sun’ as ‘Son.’

Fear the Lord’s Name…

What’s in a name? SHEM, the Hebrew word for ‘name,’ is more than just a label with which a person is called by. It is a representation of the character of the bearer, a remembrance of all He represents. His holy name being Yahweh, the Hebrews were afraid to vocalize it because they reverenced the holy righteousness His Name represented.

For those of us who reverence all that the Lord is…

The word, sun, is SHEMESH in Hebrew. It means brilliant radiance. Is it an accident that SHEM is built into that word? The brilliance of the Holy Name will shine forth…

With healing in its wings…

In context the word healing (or cure), should probably read deliverance. The word ‘wings’ means outer skirt which reminds me of Ruth.

Ruth 3:7-9 “She came secretly, uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned over, and there lying at his feet was a woman! So he asked, “Who are you? ” “I am Ruth, your servant,” she replied. “Take me under your wing (outer skirt), for you are a family redeemer.”

And , because of your deliverance and redemption, you shall go out leaping like calves from a stall…

Week 45 The Lord fights for you

Exodus 14 focus verse 14

The LORD will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.

Week 44 To Win the Battle

In a couple weeks many brave men and women will celebrate the 242nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Even though it is the smallest branch of the military, its members are brave, fierce and loyal. These stouthearted Marines know that their commitment entails risking their lives on the offensive front lines. “As America’s expeditionary force in readiness since 1775, the Marines are forward deployed to win our nation’s battles swiftly and aggressively in times of crisis. They fight on land, sea and air, as well as provide forces and detachments to naval ships and ground operations.” (marines.com)

(Before I go on, don’t forget to give your favorite Marine a “Happy Birthday and Semper Fi” wish on November 10 this year.)

Like our country, Israel’s most successful military branch was also a forward deployed branch. The weapons of their warfare not being made of metal, but skin, bone and sound. The Praise Corps.

These must have been brave people of faith to go ahead of the other branches of service armed with their songs of praise to the living God. Knowing that the weapons of their warfare were not carnal, BUT mighty enough to pull down the strongholds, they cleared the way for the victory of the Lord in Jericho, across the Jordan and against three large armies during Jehoshaphat’s reign.

In looking at Jehoshaphat’s battle with three armies, I see a pattern for us to follow in our war with the enemy.

1. Keep your eyes on the LORD v12

2. Do not be afraid v15

3. Accept that it is the LORD’s battle

4. Stand still (yatsab) v17

5. Abide behind Him (amad)

6. Change perspective (raah)

7. To see Salvation (yeshuwah!)

8. Worship the Lord v18

9. Praise Him loudly v19

10. Send the praises to the frontline v21

11. As you sing, the Lord fights v22

12. NEVER lift a carnal weapon v23

13. Receive God’s rest v30

Semper

Deus Fidelis Semper

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2 Chronicles 20:1-30

1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat…

12 Jehoshaphat prayed, “Our GOD, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.”…

15 The prophet said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID or discouraged because of this vast army. For the BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S…

17 You will not have to fight this battle. BE STILL, ABIDE in Him and SEE the SALVATION of the Lord, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you…”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, WORSHIPPING Him. 19 The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and the sons of the Korahites, stood up to PRAISE the Lord God of Israel, with a very LOUD VOICE…

21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who SANG to the Lord and those who praised Him in their holy priestly attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Praise and give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and lovingkindness endure forever.” 22 WHEN THEY BEGAN SINGING and praising, the LORD SET AMBUSHES against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were struck down. 23 For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, completely destroying them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, THEY helped to DESTROY ONE ANOTHER…

30 So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him REST on all sides.

Week 43 A New Declaration

Flowers are pretty things; each colorful variety distracting me to turn aside and look. Even something as mundane as a dandelion calls out to children seeking gifts for mommy.

The thing about flowers is that they are temporary, God’s performance art. Even the most stunningly beautiful varieties will give up the ghost, petals falling to the ground in dried shells of their former splendor. But when they pass on they also drop seeds into the earth. They must give up their glory in order to reproduce more glory.

Dandelions may be called weeds, but, oh my, are they interesting. The seeds are produced without pollination, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent plant. Now when a dandelion ‘dies’, it creates an ethereal display of ghostly seed-carrying parachutes. It uses the winds to carry its seeds through the heavens across the earth to finally land in fertile soil far away. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

As we wrap up our meditations from “The Forgotten Way” recall all we learned of our Father and our position in His Family. Remember we have the mind of Christ, and are risen with Him. Remember that we are made in the likeness of God, restored to Him through Jesus, and have aligned ourselves with the Father by surrendering all that blocks our sight of our true self in him. Jesus called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him.

Just as a new dandelion is in the image of the original, so are we in God. Yet all this glory, beauty, hope and love is meant to be shared with others. We cannot share what we hold tightly. We must let go: of our offenses, rights, positions and possessions. Trust in the infinite completeness and goodness of our Dad to meet our needs as we let go in order to serve.

Then in our ‘death’ we spread the seeds of Hope until all things are changed, reconciled and become new.

Philippians 2:1-13

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

I was thinking about the beautiful majesty of the Lord, as displayed in creation. We go on long walks to see the beauty of His holiness in the trees, on the ocean waves, sunsets, sunrises, majestic peaks and in the heavens. And so we should, for in the very beginning God created; and He said it was good. But what was the crowning achievement of all His artistry? The one piece that He declared was VERY good? He created mankind in His image, and His image He created them, male and female He created them, and He said it was VERY good.

So why do we always want to escape mankind to see his glory and majesty? Why can’t we see it in the creation that walks among us? Why can’t we see it in the mirror?

We fight to restore nature back to its beauty, save the whales, seals and turtles from extinction. But can we see the beautiful people who need to be restored to their Father through Christ? To the beauty of their original design?

Yes, there are times to commune with God by enjoying His creative environment. But what if we tried actively looking for the beauty in the only creation that was meant to be His image-bearer. What would we understand about His majesty then?

Psalm 145:5

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18

16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will live with them

and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they will be my people…

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and GAVE US the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s AMBASSADORS, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Week 42 Finding Superman

“Let go of all you thought you were to discover who you truly are, and so walk this earth in peace and power as the son or the daughter of God.” (Ted Dekker, The Forgotten Way Study Guide, p.151)

In John 14-17 Jesus speaks of His Name, our oneness with Him, and the glory He has given to us so that the world may know that the Father loves.

All this loveliness is wrapped up in His Name. But what’s in a name? “That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.” Right? But flowers aren’t people.

My Dad had a stroke one and a half years ago. While the Lord has done beautiful things to restore some things, his mental state (and the fact he is in assisted living) precludes handling his own money. So I have power of attorney and some joint accounts with Him so that I can pay his bills. As his daughter I can sign my name and it counts as his.

One day, after my brothers and I had a hard weekend cleaning out his house, he told us to celebrate the completion with a nice dinner out. When the waitress came with the bill and asked who to give it to, both my brothers pointed to me and said ‘Dad.’ I pulled out my joint-account card and paid. As ‘Dad’, I had authority to draw on his account, my brothers eagerly accepting Dad’s kindness.

Romans 8:18-25 speaks of how the earth longs for the Sons and Daughters of God to be revealed.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, I am not merely PJ or Pauline, I am Pauline bat Yahweh. Pauline daughter of the LORD of Heaven and earth. And in reading John, I have been given power of attorney to handle His affairs here on earth. The whole earth is waiting for ‘Superman’ and we, the people of His Name, are It.

Week 41 Enemies and Friends

Whoa… The following verse is hard to swallow. As a matter of fact I usually skim right over 26 to verse 27 (the ‘carry their cross’ part) as though that would be easier than hating my family. Maybe I don’t really get the full truth in what v27 means either.

Luke 14:26-27

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Last week I was learning to love my enemies; this week I am learning to ‘hate’ my family and friends?! The only similarity I see in these two thoughts is that they both come down to trusting my Father’s Love for and through me.

On the one hand, FEAR of harm causes me to protect myself instead of loving unconditionally. I take up my cross when I let go of my rights to resist, attack and protect myself, in favor of His right to love my enemies (including even myself) through me.

On the other hand, FEAR of loss causes me to cling too tightly to a loved one instead of clinging to Jesus. I would be wrong to call my addictive clinging Love, but rather finding my identity in others instead of Christ.

Now I happen to know that perfect Love casts out all fear, so…

Still, that word, ‘hate’… actually that word in Hebrew thought is more like ‘hold of no account.’ In looking at Matthew 10, I get some clarity…

Matthew 10:37-39

37 Anyone who loves their father or mother MORE THAN ME is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter MORE THAN ME is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

This isn’t a salvation message; it is a discipleship message. That means if I want to be His disciple, a good representative of Him on earth, I need to think in this way.

I can choose to cling tightly to my family, and hate the people who hurt me, but I will experience more pain in this life if I don’t let it all go. Not to mention the harm it will do them in the long-run.

I choose free-falling trust in Jesus so that I can freely release my enemies from my judgments and my loved-ones from my expectations.

Because His Right Hand, Jesus, has purchased my salvation, I will praise Him with the rest of creation.

May my new song rise with wings to the heavens.

Psalm 98

1 

Sing to the Lord a new song,

for he has done marvelous things;

his right hand and his holy arm

have worked salvation for him.

2 

The Lord has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

3 

He has remembered his love

and his faithfulness to Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

4 

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth,

burst into jubilant song with music;

5 

make music to the Lord with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of singing,

6 

with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—

shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

7 

Let the sea resound, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it.

8 

Let the rivers clap their hands,

let the mountains sing together for joy;

9 

let them sing before the Lord,

for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples with equity.