Keeping the commandments is a breeze!

I am fascinated with the Promises Jesus made in his short stint on earth….

Today in our small group I was reminded of this promise- “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Isn’t that a fascinating promise? “If we get love the commandments are a breeze.”

And where does loving God come from? Can I drum it up?

Some of my brothers and sisters in the church have been concerned that maybe I am getting myself out of balance with all of this love talk. Greasy grace they call it. We need to talk about holiness they say. After all God is also a Holy God.

I suppose that could be a concern but “love growing cold” seems to be a bigger concern or maybe forgetting “first love”.

That’s a more legitimate concern. Because if I lose sight of the deep and real love of God for me, not keeping His commandments will be easy.

So my remedy for growing cold or losing first love is to immerse myself even more in the amazing love of God. This way you can’t lose for winning. Haha

If I forget my first love I will grow cold. And what is our first love? Am I to conjure up some original feelings or commitment? Paul said, “Herein is love, not that I have loved him but that he has loved me (first) and gave himself as the propitiation for my sin.”

Because of the cross I will never start from a position of brokenness again. Never!

Most of the church spends their time looking inward. I now am learning to live as a son. As a son I will never be broken again. I cannot unson myself. He loves me and has adopted me into his family and now every day I get to start there, as a son. 

I don’t start with a handicap! I’m no longer a wanna be. Because of Calvary I am the true legitimate son of a very good father!

Jesus first words to Mary were “Go tell my brothers that I ascend to my father and your father.” “Mission accomplished.”

“Go tell my brothers that the same relationship I enjoy with my father is now theirs to experience.” Hallelujah! (He may have said Hallelujah. It doesn’t say that but he still could have. I just felt like it was rightly placed when writing this and couldn’t help myself.)

He was on his way back to the Father and he just had to take a brief detour and stop off one more time at the tomb to pass this good news on to Mary. “Don’t slow me down Mary, got to go, but please pass this amazing news on to the brothers. It is finished; the work of Calvary is accomplished. My dad is now your dad. It’s all we have dreamed of since Adam and Eve screwed up. You will never be in the red again.”

“The fathers dream for sons and daughters is now fulfilled. I will now live in you and you will live in me and we will be one with the father.  You are my brothers and sisters and My relationship with dad is now Yours.”

“And now keeping the commandments is literally a breeze, my life in you, my breath in you, my Spirit within you…..again Hallelujah “

Children are the fruit of Intimacy

Intimacy- Intimacy begins with knowing…knowing and being known…

“Now Adam knew Eve his wife.” That’s the way I remember it as a kid and that was when we would snicker. Intimacy is knowing and being known. And the fruit of intimacy is children. Cool aye?

Peter was with Jesus after the Lord had miraculously produced an alarming amount of fish (153 to be exact) on the other side of the boat. Pete had stripped down and dove into the water leaving the others to tend to the fish. A big grin crossed Jesus face. It doesn’t say that but I imagine that’s what happened.

And then Jesus not wasting any time asks the boisterous, cocky, lovable, insecure Peter if he “loved” him, using the Greek word “agape” for the word we just interpret as love. In other words “Peter do you love me with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?  Peter are you measuring up to the greatest of the old covenant commandments?”

Peter had a very interesting and honest response. He had just betrayed the Lord. He responded using the lesser Greek word for love “Phileo”, meaning “I love you as a brother.” This has captured my interest for years.

Then Jesus asked again the same question the same way, pressing the point. “Do you love me the way I love you? Do you love me first and foremost?” giving Peter an opening that he would have normally jumped into with both feet. This time the question made him very uncomfortable and he didn’t take the bait. This was a different Peter.

Peter ignored the question and responded with kind of a yes but actually a no. “No I don’t love you with my heart, soul, mind and strength.” Yes I love you but I just betrayed you; so no but yes I do love you as a brother.  You are my best friend”

You may think I am making a big deal out of the Greek words used. You may think this rather irrelevant but hang with me a minute because Jesus didn’t quit. He asked once more. But this time he lowered the expectation and used the lesser expression of the word we interpret as love.  “Peter, do you love me as a brother?”

And Peter responded, “Lord, you KNOW ALL things, you KNOW me.” “You know I can’t use that word for love.  I actually used it last week when I swore I would never betray you and the light has come on.” “I finally know that the bar is higher than I can jump.” “Religion is such an empty suit and I can no longer suffer the pretentious Bastard that I have lived with my whole life. I am done with pretense.”

“You know me.”

Wow! For the first time in Peter’s life he realized the bar was way higher than his pay grade. He was finally honest about himself and at the same time he was finally allowing Jesus into the very deepest part of his being. He was now known; and from that place of intimacy and security he no longer had the need to perform and pretend.

He knew that Jesus knew and that was OK. He finally came to grips with who he was and who he wasn’t and discovered it was all Jesus ever expected from him. It was right then and there that he was invited into an intimacy with God he had never known. Jesus loved him as he was and in this moment he came to actually believe it.

And this knowing and being known changed every thing.

God was actually approachable; without Peter having to dress up. No more false humility. No more bragging. No more shame. No more inferiority. No more superiority! He was now fully known and from Jesus perspective, ready to feed sheep.  Children are the fruit of intimacy!

SANDY WAS “NOT” MY JUDGEMENT ON NY OR NJ.

KATRINA WAS “NOT” MY JUDGEMENT ON NEW ORLEONS.

EARTHQUAKES ARE “NOT” MY JUDGEMENT ON THIS EARTH.

These are not “acts of god”.

Those who speak such thing so minimize my work on the cross and speak from a position of lack; for what they have yet to experience personally. They are speaking from a perspective that came to an end on the cross. They are still living under the old covenant of death and have yet to encounter the fullness of my love for them and those around them. They do not speak for me and thus become an argument against me. They are minimizing what I have accomplished for themselves first and then for my creation.  Their words are a reflection of how they have misperceived my workings first towards themselves and then as to how I look at the world I have created. They do not understand my dream and passion for those I have created in my image and likeness.

The letter kills…the Spirit gives life.

In a period of about three hours on a cross two thousand years ago I myself in the body of my son became the absorbent of the biggest storm this world has ever experienced….so much bigger than Katrina or Sandy. My perfect son became the very thing, the evil and vile that has so destroyed the object of my affection.  I took on myself and became the very worst and ugliest of human kind in order to completely destroy its power forever.  My son Jesus in the most heroic act of love ever performed became the lightning rod where the full fury and wrath reserved for sin would once and for all time destroy its power over my creation. My wrath was poured out as judgment on the very thing that has so marred and deformed the dream conceived in my heart; the pinnacle of my creation; the beauty and the glory of mine own image in the created value of sons and daughters.

And in that one act of judgment the old covenant of death was replaced by the covenant of Life in and through my son. Jesus was nailed to the cross; he became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now because of that the air is cleared… Gal 3:14. “I was in Christ reconciling the world to myself, not imputing their trespasses against them”

 Be reconciled to God and then become reconcilers of men. Rise up in the authority of Christ and begin to speak against the storm and then watch as they begin to dissipate. You are my creation, created for good works. You are the biggest tool this world has for redemption and reconciliation. No longer join in with the voice of condemnation and judgment but become reconcilers of men. My son came into this world not imputing men’s sin on them but reconciling men unto myself. Be reconciled and then become reconcilers of men.

Because of the cross my people have now been given the authority of my son to speak on behalf of those lost in darkness as reconcilers of men not judgers of their hearts. First be reconciled to God and then become his work of reconciling men to their dad. I so love you and this world!