Now I'm a REAL BOY!

I wrote in another blog post how frustrated I was as a kid.

I was so busy trying to be the good boy, the one who played by all the rules, who looked up to and measured up to all the standards of the teachers, what was expected of me, what was placed on me.

If I was a good boy, I was good. If I failed, I was a bad boy, etc.

This idea of being unconditionally loved, cared for, graced first, and then responding to that love -- I had never known that.

Such thinking, such beauty, such GOSPEL, was completely unknown to me.

For all the years that I had been going to church, reading my Bible, listening to sermons, following the rules blah, blah, blah -- I never knew how much He loves me.

I do not write "He loved me", because His love for me is eternal, never-ending, and very present, too.

I was so busy trying to be good, and yet failing at it, or just plain having no fun.

The frustration I felt, too, when I saw kids who did not play by the rules get all the wins. "That's not fair!" I used to think.

Grace is not fair, and we are called from the beginning to grow in grace!

God is not looking for me to be a "good boy" in my own efforts.

I can't even become that!

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" (Romans 3:10)

It is written. None of us our righteous, good.

Sin cannot be overcome by our efforts. It requires grace!

JESUS!

"Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)

Jesus did not come to make bad men good, but to make dead men live.

Or, Jesus did not come to make bad boys good, but to make dead boys real!

Just like Pinocchio in that fairytale!

As long as he tried in his own efforts to become real, he failed.

When he rested and just believed, he became real!

Don't believe me?

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

LIFE!

Life is better than playing by "rules." Ten Commandments tell you want not to do -- and they actually awaken sin! (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)

I kept thinking that life was some kind of exam. I needed to put myself in the right place, at the right time to make things work.

No!

Jesus -- He is my life! (John 14:6; Colossians 3:4)

Life is what He has invited me to receive!

Today, I don't try to be a good boy. I know that I am loved, adopted by my loving Father!

I have His spirit, the spirit of adoption. He is my ABBA!

And I am His SON!

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3:1)

That makes me alive, real!

Jesus Offers Us Life, Not Just Liberty

This is an interesting concept I was meditating on today.

Jesus came to mankind, taking on human form. He wanted us to receive everlasting life (John 3:16).

He was clear about his intentions and desire for us:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

What is the number one priority here that Jesus declares?

He wants us to have LIFE!

He wants us to have an abundant life, too!

Notice that He does not say "I have come to give you liberty."

That's not to say that liberty is not important. He came to offer us liberty, certainly:

"18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus came to set those at liberty who had been imprisoned, who had lost their way, who were in bondage to sin and death. If we are honest, all of us fall into the category. All of us are dead in Adam when born into this world. In Christ Jesus, He takes us from death to life, and we reign in His life (Romans 5:15-17)

Jesus Himself announced His role in our liberty:

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

and

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Paul writes about the Holy Spirit, and how through Him we have liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Freedom matters, but the most important thing is LIFE!

What's the value of liberty if you are sick? What's the use of having choice when there is no capacity to choose, bound to sin and shame?

Righteousness sets us from the destruction and death of sin, both in our flesh and in the world.

With God's gift of righteousness, we receive life, and with it the incredible liberty to submit ourselves joyfully to God's goodness and grace--and reign in life!

It's all about life, His life, and not just liberty, not license:

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Liberty is a means, not an end. I think this necessary concept escapes many in our culture. Liberty is not important with God's love for us. Liberty means nothing if we have nothing to do or have. There is no reason to move on or to act independently if we do not know who made us or what we were made for.

Jesus is Our Life, and He offers us His Life, Himself!

There is still so much I am learning in this regard, and there is more to come. It's about Himself, it's about His Life, not just liberty.

So Much to Be Thankful For (Why Do So Many Still Suffer, Though?)

Thanksgiving Day, 2017.

Not one, but two gatherings I was privileged to attend.

First, with a wonderful, conservative family out in the Moreno Valley area. Then I connected with another couple in the Culver City, West Los Angeles area.

Before this, I had reached out to my father, who now lives in Oregon. He is still holding back stage 4 cancer in his body, but he is not in any pain. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I called my Dad to see if we could arrange for me to fly up there. He was not going to celebrate with a large family gathering at the house this year.

We decided it would be OK for me not to come up to Oregon for Thanksgiving.

I am glad, though, that in spite of that setback, I could celebrate Thanksgiving with other friends of mine, men and women who love this country, who love President Trump, who are glad to live in this free, wonderful country.

One thing that I have noticed, too, is that many people I know have struggled with untold health, financial, familial, and moral issues. It is astounding to me the number of depressing, humiliating stories I have heard from men and women in their upbringings.

Sometimes, I wonder how I have gotten through life without having so much harm and abused inflicted on me. It gives me more reasons to be thankful to live in this great country and to have the life that I have.

Now, I refuse to believe that my life has been easy because of some kind of limited privilege.

Our lives can be better or worse depending on our beliefs and our choices.

I decided to take God at His Word.

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

God our Daddy never intended for life to be one long, miserable dirge of troubles.

Behold what His Son declared to the Israelites of His day, and to us today:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

and

"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." (Romans 8:18)

I refuse to accept the notion that I have had a smaller share of troubles compared to other people. No one is immune from the hardships of this fallen world.

But what has been the difference for me?

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19)

Indeed, I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I followed the command which Jesus has given to all of us--Believe on Him! (John 6:28-29)

This took a long time for me to rest in, however, since I had been taught to DO so much rather than BELIEVE on Him.

Such was the result of following a cult, AA.

For this reason, the hardships, the pain, and the intense hurt which many people have endured--I have not endured. 

Indeed, if people would just take God at His Word and trust him to care for them, they would find themselves enjoy the promises, pleasures, and provisions of the New Covenant!

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:10-12)

There are many Christians to this day struggling to live, and seeking to thrive. They face nothing but troubles, it seems. Why is this?

They are not receiving the gift of righteousness and abundance of grace. I choose to. It also amazes me that there are so many people who have witnessed so much hurt and hate in their lives. They talk about the massive privations which they have endured, and seem excessively content to talk about all the problems in their lives.

Some people don't want to be happy, I suppose. I think that lots of people would prefer to suffer, like a form of self-righteous penance. None of us have to suffer through this life. We can reign in His Life!

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

Let's be thankful for all the things which Christ Jesus has done for us, and let us continue in gratitude even in times of hardship, when the storms of life threaten our ship of state.

Jesus Remembers Us and Blesses Us

On September 11, 2001 the United States endured four Islamic terrorist attacks on native soil.

Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center.

Another plane crashed into the Pentagon.

A fourth plane was grounded in the fields of Shankville, PA, destined for the White House.

Let us never forget that the price for liberty requires eternal vigilance.

Yet let us also never forget that our Heavenly Father is watching over us.

For those who believe on Jesus, who trust in Him, they can rest assured that they are protected.

God our Father is in the Remembering business.

He remembers us in our times of great hurt:

"And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." (Exodus 2:24)

He remembers us!

"Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." (Jeremiah 2:2)

We just need to stop thinking that we can fight,win, and protect ourselves.

We have no life apart from Him!

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

and

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

"The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron." (Psalm 115:12)

And remember, in Hebrew, there is no future tense. God is actively blessing us!

He remembers you, Beloved, and He blesses us!