The Narrow Way – Surrender To The Cross

Psalm 85:8,9. NKJV. “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly. Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.”

A Lot of people want to make America great again. This cannot be done by politics or social movements. If America is to be “great” again (if she ever was, in terms of what “great” actually means in terms of what Jesus taught), she must be filled with the glory of God. In that light alone America may be great “again”. And if she is ever to be great and glorious, then she must become godly, living in full surrender to the redemption and salvation won for her in Jesus Christ. This is true for any nation! 

For not all paths lead to God, or are in God, contrary to the popular thought of the times. I realize that is a very unpopular claim in an “I’m OK, you’re OK” kind of world which despises Jesus Christ. Or even among churchy people who lean toward an implied universalist mindset.

Lost in the woods and off the path, morally and ethically and without godly wisdom and understanding to guide us, we need a compass to come back to the path – the Way of the Cross.

There is no other Way. Only one. That is through the One Redeemer and Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is given all authority in heaven and on earth, Who by His cross and resurrection has purchased and won us from sin and eternal death, Satan, and self. The One Who is the Way, Truth, and Life. This is the premise of any “glory” to which we would lay claim. This is His authority.

And oh, how sophisticated 21st Century man hates the idea of divine authority!

In this Psalm of the sons of Korah, we find a prayer that the Lord will restore favor to the land. While it is true that God is love and mercy, desiring to bestow favor to the land, we cannot see this on our own terms and definitions – which, more than likely, is some sort of emotional fascination with unmitigated tolerance and softness toward what we want or think will make us feel good. Much of this comes from decades of conditioning by the ideas that come out of the entertainment industry, with idolizes hedonism, sin, and rebellion toward God.

Rather, the love and mercy of God make it imperative for Him to communicate to us how things actually work. God’s love has a “tough love” component. After all, He is bringing many sons to glory! (Hebrews 2:10) What we are now is not what we are to be! As the best Parent, He speaks to us – outwardly – by way of His word, the Bible, and by way – inwardly – through a conscience informed by His truth. He pours out His Spirit, Who writes His truth on our hearts.

Are we listening? Can we say with the psalmist, “I will hear what God the LORD will speak”?

He is calling us back onto the path of repentance, of turning toward Him – hearing, heeding, and following the Lord Jesus on His path of holiness and righteousness. This is the Way of the Cross, described in an old fashioned word seldom heard in the church anymore: it is a way of “mortification.” Death to the world, the devil, and the flesh. Here is where He provides blessing, good, and protection for those who follow Him.

Yes, there are the “influences” – corporeal and incorporeal – calling us off the path and back into the woods, where they would rob us of our Lord’s blessing and goodness. So if we follow those voices which would lure us into selfish, sinful lifestyles, we are lured into that which has as its goal the destruction of both soul and body. Eternally.

This brings to mind an old hymn which makes a good prayer for help in hearing what the Lord will speak to help stay on the path of everlasting life. There are 4 verses, but I will offer only the first one and then the third later: 

“Let us ever walk with Jesus, 

Follow His example pure; 

Flee the world which would deceive us 

And to sin our souls allure. 

Ever in His footsteps treading, 

Body here yet soul above, 

Full of faith and hope and love, 

Let us do our Father’s bidding; 

Faithful Lord, abide with me; 

Savior, lead, I follow Thee.” 

(Tune: Sigismund von Birken 1652. Lyrics: Georg G. Boltze 1788. Translation: J. Adam Rimbach 1900.)

The basis of this old hymn is one of those mostly overlooked little verses, John 11:16. “Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him.’” They are on the way to the grave of Lazarus, who has just passed away, but he is not referring to dying with Lazarus.

What a treasure is in this little verse, but in a sense it addresses the Gospel in our co-death with Jesus. (Read Ephesians 2:4-10) So, we go on to verse 3 of the hymn:

“Let us also die with Jesus,

His death from the second death

From our soul’s destruction frees us,

Quickens us with life’s glad breath.

Let us mortify while living,

Flesh and blood and die to sin,

And the grave that shuts us in

Shall but prove the gate to heaven.

Jesus, here I die to Thee,

There to live eternally.” 

Why this Thomas was called the Twin has many interpretations. So I’d like to offer my take on it. Spiritually he “twins” with Jesus. He chooses to be inseparable from Him, to be as He is. Where Jesus goes, he goes, and he encourages the others likewise to follow.

The Cross is always the narrow way that leads to life. It is the only way, in fact, of eternal life. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, as they seek to find eternal life by other spiritual paths, or they seek to preserve and improve this temporal existence. But to all who are being saved, the Cross is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Are you going with Him?

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God’s Goodness Is In All Circumstances

Ponderings… I may have posted something similar previously, but the thought, the concept of this truth, stays with me…

In praying the Psalms, patterns reveal themselves about God being ever present. Perhaps at some point I may do a series on all of them.

Psalm 31:19. Oh how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men.

Psalm 23:5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows.

When reading through this Psalm 31, it becomes evident that King David is experiencing a great amount of adversity. The accounts of his life reveal unimaginable strife, turmoil, conflict, war, affliction, sin, and rebellion. All of these conspired against the right to reign over God’s people tasked to him by the Lord, for which He was anointed. He is a rough type or shadow of Christ, and called a man after God’s own heart.

What becomes clear is that his attention is set above these challenges. The progression of his prayer shows first how he brings his lament over circumstances to the Lord, and he moves into profession of faith :14 – “But as for me, I trust in You. You are my God. My times are in Your hands.”

He then asks for deliverance from his enemies and persecutors, and to be saved out of the circumstances. It was time for the wicked to have their day of shame, even to be silenced in the grave! He boldly calls on the power of God to put down the bullies (my word) who lie and speak insolent things with pride and contempt against the righteous. This seems to be the pivotal point for turning things around – where the prayer changes direction.

What follows is essentially a chorus of praise of God, Who in spite of circumstances works miraculous things, bringing the light of awareness of it into very dark times. Right in front of a world in conflict and opposition with the Lord and His people.

Verses 23 and 24 are strong encouragement to love the Lord and hope in Him. This is for all us saints – those set apart for His plans and specific purposes for each one.

Be of good courage! (A good time to check out Romans 8:18-30) The promise follows, based upon his experiences and knowledge , “He shall strengthen your heart!”

There’s a little meme out there which keeps popping up: “Stay calm and pray a psalm.” You can also sing, chant, read reflectively, or meditate on one as well. This one covers the bases of how prayer can flow, going from a lament over how things are perceived circumstantially, through laying down that view and burden at the Lord’s feet, and then accelerating up into a place of transcending our view of circumstances, by way of declaring and praising God’s goodness and blessing for those who put their trust in Him – in the presence of the sons of men, who will either be full of hatred and envy, or there may be some who will see it who will come to Him in surrender.

This is why the Psalms are often called the prayer book or the hymn book of the Church. Over and over the pattern is made clear, by David and the other very artful inspired sacred song writers who contributed to the Psalms, that our Lord is very interactive in the affairs of those whom He has claimed in Christ Jesus.

The Psalms show us how to make prayer practical and applicable to life.

If our “religion” is not that, making us aware of what a relationship with God looks like, then of what use is it? The cross is the path, and it is not the easy and broad way.

Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.

“Off world” and out into the blue!

Blaise

Grace: Justice and Mercy Bringing Purity of Heart

Ezekiel 36: 25-37 NKJV. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

We all love to “claim” certain promises of God, often as means to deny what we’d rather not experience, due to the misunderstanding of grace as only what feels good. But there are a lot of promises for divine dealing with sin. 2 Peter 1:2-4, which reveals that God has given to us “… exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

But, full stop! There’s more! There are some “conditions” to be met – not aside from grace, but that we need to see grace in a fuller way, in all the Lord’s dealings with us. What is perceived as a threat or “negative” can actually be part of His promises.

But have we made idols out of emotional highs and feeling good?

The entirety of Ezekiel 36 gives us a rundown on all aspects of God’s grace, as He brings it into our lives in an up close and personal way. Let’s recall that those Old Testament events were given for examples to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. (See 1 Corinthians 10:10-12.)

So, what may be a little difficult to swallow and digest is that grace is not just about those Holy Ghost hallelujahs, highs, and happiness, what we call “positive” experiences. It’s about the “negative” aspects of life that we often find ourselves praying will be taken away.

But consider Job. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Ezekiel 36 more than hints that it is often through the oppression God allows by the disagreeable nations of the world to whom God gives political, social, and religious hegemony – that the prosperity and privileges enjoyed as one aspect of God’s grace disappear from what we perceive as our right, what we think we “deserve.” 

God uses what works to cleanse hearts. He does not need our opinions as an advisory capacity. This can be said of personal circumstances as well as political and social forces.

We have to let that sink in, acknowledging that it is all allowed by God’s hand.

His people go into captivity, or are overtaken, because their hearts are turned away from Him and become filled with impurities – of the ways, religions, and priorities of the world, of the nations surrounding them. This can happen on a personal to political scale!

And then, when those nations – those adversarial forces – become joyful, of a spiteful mind, plundering and pillaging, God begins to deal with them also, for overstepping their bounds. He pours out His fury on them, when they go beyond what He sent them to do (which is to cause His people to turn toward Him when in captivity, to surrender themselves to Him in full). Then He sets the captives free. 

Thus Ezekiel 36 is well worth contemplating in its entirety, so as to notice the pattern of God’s modus operandi.

It is because we do not acknowledge this pattern, that we are prone to stumble, wrongfully concluding – because of “negative” experiences – that our prayers are not being answered according to His will. The truth is, we do not see what time it is, according to His dealings with humanity generally and His own people specifically. Our prayers are being answered, but do we have the eyes to see that His ways are not our ways?

God’s grace governs all, for God IS love! If a nation is in the midst of tribulation, it is by God’s grace, expressed as the “tough love” aspect of the Father of all things.  It is expressed in judgment, as the human children step out of bounds with sins of omission and commission of thought, word, and deed. of not being of one mind with our Lord.

If we experience blessing and abundance, it is likewise because of His love. If we can look at our “good” times and our “bad” times as coming from the all powerful hand of a righteous, loving Father, life makes much more sense, and all things carry meaning, not hopelessness.

Thus we are to encourage one another according to His wisdom, not according to what we “feel.” This is perhaps one of the hardest things to learn in a culture that is soft with good times and prosperity. But learn it we will. When it’s not soft and to our liking.

It is not because of resting on the laurels of the past, regarding ourselves as a “Christian” nation, or even a “true” church, that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called by His name. Our Father’s business is the business of creating clean hearts and steadfast spirits, according to His truth and wisdom. He is bringing many sons in Christ Jesus to glory.

It may also disrupt our me centered self absorption somewhat to begin to comprehend that He does all things for the sake of His name! (See Ezekiel 36:21-23). That name is above every name – the name of Jesus! – and stands for what has been given to Him: all authority in heaven and on earth. 

So often His name has been profaned by His own people in the midst of the nations! Could this be why we are instructed to pray, in the first words of the prayer He taught us, “Hallowed be Thy name”?

He does not exist for our glory, but we exist for His. Yet He is always bringing about our good for His glory. Not according to our understanding or our timetable. The entire prayer He taught is about the “process” of His grace, as it works both divine justice and mercy, which purify the heart and bring glory to His name. All of that is grace. All of it is good.

May we view life through the lens of His understanding, acknowledging our Lord as omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient – in all events of life. This will not happen without a pure heart which is fully His and holding back nothing. And it is He Who creates this through all His dealings with us.

We do not get to pick and choose which of His promises apply to us. They all do. Sometimes – as needed – we are promised judgment and justice. At other times we will find ourselves in a place of blessing and mercy. Or moving from one to the other. Ezekiel 36 gives us the picture of this process.

The key is to be of one mind with Him, so that we know “what time it is,” and to comprehend Him in the midst of all of it! 

“All to Jesus I surrender; I surrender all.” This is expressed in prayer, the sacrifice of praise, and the giving of thanks in all times and places – the expressions of faith.

We do well to come to a place where we can see that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not always about feeling good and jumping up and down with a Holy Ghost happy dance. Often it is about the strength – in His power – to endure to the end and be saved. In everyday life as it unfolds.

It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of heaven. See Acts 14:22.

Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.

The Missing Ingredients

The Missing Ingredients –

Here is the much needed message of the day. Spirituality ought to be very practical in terms of servanthood and humility in Christ. This puts a different and more accurate spin on the verse here, often “interpreted” in some sort of bombastic way about doing a lot of accomplishments for the sake of notoriety, even “for” the Lord. (There’s nothing like spiritual ego / pride!) Everybody wants to “be somebody.” But is this the Lord’s way for most of us??? See Mr. Sparks’ thoughts below…

From January 14, 2023
By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Risen Lord and the Things Which Cannot be Shaken – Chapter 10

I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

Christ’s spirituality was not that He was remote from what was practical in everyday life. It was that He was bringing heavenly forces and resources to bear upon the practical matters of everyday life. You can wash doors, or clothes, or floors, or do any of these ordinary domestic things, in spirituality. People seem to think that spiritual work and ordinary work, household work for example, are two different things. They talk about the spiritual work and the other work. Now, you can bring heavenly resources in to do anything that is legitimate, and the doing of those things may be a testimony.

The majority of people have no occasion to draw upon heavenly resources for a platform ministry. For the most part their work is of some regular, daily kind, and very often they feel utterly unable for it, and they are tempted to think that if they had some spiritual ministry to fulfill, if they had to go and take a meeting, or speak to some souls about spiritual matters, they could make a claim upon the Lord for help and He would carry them through. For the trivial round and common task such a thought is all too often wholly absent from the mind. Now, exactly the same resources have to come into the ordinary work as into what we call spiritual work. It has all to be done on a spiritual basis, and therefore to be a testimony. To get through an ordinary day’s work often requires something more than ordinary human resources. Spirituality consists in our doing everything as out from heaven. Let us be careful how we draw a line, lest we make a distinction between the spiritual and “the rest.”

This email is from the Austin-Sparks.Net Daily Open Windows message list. Daily Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

We encourage you to print, share, and forward (by clicking on the link below) this message with others. In keeping with T. Austin-Sparks’ wishes that what was freely received should be freely given and not sold for profit, and that his messages be reproduced word for word, we ask if you choose to share these messages with others, to please respect his wishes and offer them freely – free of any changes, free of any charge (except necessary distribution costs) and with this statement included.

Rambling Thoughts on a World at War

There is so much good, beauty, and creativity which our Creator Heavenly Father has brought us into in this life. It is here to enjoy and to bless and to strengthen. All anyone has to do is look out the window or step outside to see it. Or look at the face of someone near and dear, and say, here is the image of God right in front of me.

The electronic devices have us instead peering into the oblong icon of technocracy and its allurements. It becomes more and more difficult for parents to exercise their God given authority to monitor what their children are being exposed to. And certainly the public schools – another “trusted authority” – add to this defilement of children through some teachers and officials who are absolutely unworthy of any sort of trust.

Although it’s clear that there are things that will take place before our Lord returns, there’s a part of me that still cannot, in some ways, fathom that we’re in a space where so many love only the darkness, and want to bring others – especially children – into it and literally work to defile and demoralize them.

A “culture” that also seeks to murder its unborn and infants, to legitimize assisted suicide, to rid itself of the old or infirm, or anyone it regards as “useless” or inconvenient or too expensive, and also continues on its path of (its old favorite) war (asymmetric and eventually kinetic) and destruction in plundering and possessing other people’s stuff, so they can play god and “redistribute” the wealth according to that culture’s atheist ideology, is headed for destruction itself. Whether it can even be regarded as a culture is debatable.

Is it any wonder that John the Apostle makes clear that the whole world (system) is under the power of the evil one?

Go and read the little Book of Jude in the Bible, and see if it is not a depiction of our times. Many will say, Oh, there have always been times such as these. Yet… those times were somewhat regional. Currently these attitudes and afflictions are on a global scale.

As Christ makes clear, “And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time? And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” Luke 12:55-57. (Berean Study Bible)

The world has been at war for longer than most imagine. That began in Genesis 3.

But still the blessed and the beautiful are present. Because God is present everywhere.

Seek Him with all your heart; seek Him in all you find before you each day; seek Him in His Word which reveals His Son. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. It is vital to walk with Him now.

The Needed Vision

Keep it simple, SAINTS!

Every believer is a saint! Did you ever think of it this way?

Saintliness… It’s not a matter of “attaining” some lofty spiritual place but a matter of living by faith “out from” having already been made a new creation in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

We live here below what we are already above, having been made that through Christ alone. Seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Huh?

Consider. And also recall Ephesians 2:4-10. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Being Christian is not a space of “linear thinking” and struggle to “ascend,” so to speak. It is instead the realization, one might say, of being “quantum entangled” with Jesus and living out from that realization / vision / revelation. “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law. A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.” Proverbs 29:18,19. The vision is needed. Greatly needed!

Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Per Colossians 3:1-4, it is a matter of “if then you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind in things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ WHO IS YOUR LIFE appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Then he describes what that life in heaven looks like as it is fleshed out on earth in the “practical” aspects of this change of address.

Then read what the attached link of passages identify as “saints” per God’s word, considering why they are already called that, addressed that by the Apostles writing to them – although they are still on earth in a physical body. They are learning to become what they already are, having been made that in Christ.

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/All-Believers-Are-Saints

I took this further than I wanted and will probably be given the snake eye and some flack for this from a number of directions.

Well. So be it. It amounts to surrender to what is, not struggle in the flesh with what one desires to become. Great news! “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1.

Much more could be elaborated, but for now – keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking for the Holy Spirit. I’ll let you look up Luke 11:5-13 and ponder how it fits with this discussion.

Keep it simple, SAINTS!

Peace IN Christ be with you.

Blaiseintotheblue out.

In Christ Above the Circumstances

Psalm 31:19. NASB “How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have performed for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of mankind!”

When reading through this psalm, it becomes evident that King David is experiencing a great amount of adversity. The accounts of his life reveal unimaginable strife, turmoil, conflict, war, affliction, sin, and rebellion. All of these conspired against the reign over God’s people tasked to him by the Lord.

Yet in reading this Psalm, what becomes clear is that his attention is set above these problems. The progression of his prayer shows first how he brings his lament over circumstances to the Lord, and he moves into confession of faith :14 and following – “But as for me, I trust in You. You are my God. My times are in Your hands.”

He then asks for deliverance from his enemies and persecutors, and to be saved out of the circumstances. It was also time for the wicked to have their day of shame, even to be silenced in the grave! He boldly calls on the power of God to put down the bullies (my word) who lie and speak insolent things with pride and contempt against the righteous. This seems to be the pivotal point for turning things around – where the prayer itself changes direction.

What follows is essentially a chorus of praise of God, Who in spite of circumstances works miraculous things, bringing the light of awareness of it into very dark times. Right in front of a world in conflict and opposition with the Lord and His people.

Verses 23 and 24 are strong encouragement to love the Lord and hope in Him. This is for all us saints – those set apart for His plans and purposes. Be of good courage! (A good time to check out Romans 8:18-30) The promise follows, based upon his experiences and knowledge , “He shall strengthen your heart!”

There’s a little meme out there which keeps popping up: “Stay calm and pray a psalm.” You can also sing, chant, read reflectively, or meditate on one as well. Keep God’s truth central!

This one covers the bases of how prayer can flow, going from a lament over how things are perceived circumstantially, through laying down that view and burden at the Lord’s feet, and then accelerating up into a place of transcending our view of circumstances, by way of declaring and praising God’s goodness and blessing, which is for those who put their trust in Him. This is in the presence of the sons of men, who will either be full of hatred and envy, or there may be some who will see it who will come to Him in surrender.

This is why the Psalms are often called the prayer book or the hymn book of the Church. Over and over the pattern is made clear, by David and the other very artful inspired sacred song writers who contributed to the Psalms, that our Lord is very interactive in the affairs of those whom He has claimed in Christ Jesus. The Psalms make prayer practical and applicable.

If our “religion” is not that, making us aware of what a relationship with God looks like, then of what use is it?

Thoughts in Christ winging toward you, dear reader.

Celestial Nomad out.

Just A Short One

From an undisclosed location somewhere along the eastern shores of a very icy and uninviting Lake Michigan…

Here’s a perspective, for everyone muttering about how the weather has interrupted your plans. Let’s imagine for a moment – since “the season” celebrates the day that the Creator of the Universe entered into HIS world to redeem it – a different perspective. Everybody is making a fuss, all bustling around, stressed out over “their” own parties, and gifting one another.

Maybe this storm, with a major highway shut down, and forbidding conditions, is His way of saying that He’s giving you an opportunity to talk to Him, slow down, to spend some time in His word, and getting to know Him…

But no one is talking to the Guest of Honor? A most peculiar thing.

Hmmm. Maybe we need to think about that for a moment.

If you can possibly spare the time.

Sailing back Into and Out of the Blue,

Your Celestial Nomad,

Blaiseintotheblue

Shut The Door

Thoughts for heading into the night, into the quiet, on a number of levels… Worth pondering. Each in its context… And praying.

“Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.” Isaiah 26:20

“But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.” Psalm 57:1

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

“He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4

“The prudent see danger and take cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.” Proverbs 22:3

(Passages taken from Berean Study Bible)

View From The Window

I’m looking out beyond the parking lot at the corner (it used to be a nice grassy field) to the wooded (thankfully protected for now) area southeast of here. I’m struck by the beauty and abundance of nature in the late spring – so full and green as the wind moves around the leaves – against the gray sky beyond it.

 

Squirrels and crows provide entertainment in the foreground. Last night there was even a frog out by the little “cement pond.” I’d never heard a large one before; there are always many of the little ones. It’s an in ground glorified bird bath put in decades ago by the patio, about 3 feet across, shaped like a lop-sided heart. We have a pump in it in the summer that shoots pleasant sounding bubbling water gurgles into the air. This time of year it’s always plugged with soft maple whirly helicopters and has to be cleaned once a day at least.

God must love soft maples, as He gives them a lot of reproductive capability. And He loves squirrels too, because they’re well fed by the maple seeds. Nature reflects His generosity. It witnesses to His truth. Everybody is cared for. The flowers of the field and birds of the air. There’s enough to go around. Are you not worth more than they? asks Jesus.

 

Then I heard these strange noises on the other patio. I went out to see about it and found 6 squirrels (5 black ones and a gray one) arguing over some pumpkin seeds I threw out the other day. They looked up, assessed the situation and then scattered. I brought them more. Note to self: Go to Tractor Supply tomorrow and get some mix or peanuts for the critters. Someone might ask, why feed them with everything nature provides so well in the warm seasons? Purely selfish I guess. I love to see them come up and have lunch with us – on the other side of the window. Life can be good with the simple things.

I bet it could be even better if we realized that the Good Lord put a very special “law” right into the fabric of everything: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.“

 

This is really the way things work harmoniously and without harm – by the fearless exercise of generosity – not by force, fear, extortion, cunning, conniving, and destroying things because you have been taught to regard yourself as a victim, and feel that others have what you want so you hate them.

That is the lie and the behavior of the evil one and those “at the top” given over to him. His minions use people who don’t know the truth to do their evil bidding. But in the end those used people will only be cast aside. They won’t get a piece of that pie as they were deceived into thinking. Those “seeds” will also bear their own rotten fruit, by the way, in the lives of those who sow them. Others will be blamed for the crop failure of course.

The bottom line is we’re always sowing and reaping, for good or for destruction. That’s just how it is. It’s what we do.

 

I’m not sure how exactly to best spread that good truth, except to put it into practice and share it with anyone who’s looking and listening; but it’s a message that needs to be widely spread and to bear fruit; and by the looks of things, it needs to be a clear alternative that happens fast.’

For now, ponder and pray about that. Listen. Practice generosity.