tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34602313682200885832024-03-05T07:54:05.877-05:00Happy To Be SeenOur greatest need is connection, to be known, to be seen. But most of us are not brave enough. We have too much to hide. Too much shame. Too much fear. But we have a Father who does see us. He knows us completely. Even our shame. And he chose to love us. He is faithful to it. He wants you to know it's safe to love him back. He forgives you. He completes you. He fills you with joy and wonder. He has given you purpose. That purpose is love. Here are a few scraps of thought so you can "see" me.Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.comBlogger2057125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-54550437237994578452022-12-12T16:49:00.003-05:002022-12-12T16:49:24.725-05:00Something Wonderful I Found In Romans<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Something Wonderful I Found In Romans</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ac31ed19-7fff-7733-27d0-2b88adf954de"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoever has read through the Bible once has only read through the Bible once. When we are in relationship with Jesus and attentive to the Spirit, the Bible becomes a living thing. Every time you open it, it will speak to where you are in life. It always remains the same but what it addresses in you is where you are today. When you approach it as a living word it will astound you every single time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I always look for direction from the Spirit when I begin again to read the Bible through, from cover to cover. I want him to tell me what I should be paying attention to. One year he had me look at how the Bible is a slow revealing of who Yahweh is and what his relationship is with us. As I moved through the Bible I witnessed how he slowly revealed himself until Jesus showed us his heart and we realized him as Father. He went from Creator, in Genesis, to Father, in the gospels.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another year he had me look for the importance of relationships, Father with us, us with Father and then us with each other. I can never look at the Bible the same way again after seeing it in this light. We have failed in relationships ever since Eve. It is the single greatest failure that has disgusted and moved Father to action. All of humanity has suffered because of this ongoing failure, right up to this present day. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I find that Paul’s letter to the church in Rome has one of the greatest explanations of the cause of and the solution to broken relationships. Paul starts off by explaining the condition of humanity outside of Jesus. It is ugly and disastrous and is the natural state of all human beings. No matter how much we try to fix ourselves we can’t. We can see the problem, even name the problem, but we can’t fix the problem because we are incomplete. We were designed for life with Father and without him we just can’t function properly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul names the problem : selfishness. Every single hurtful thing we ever do to each other is found in this foundation of selfishness. Every act of rebellion toward Father is fruit from this selfish nature. And there is nothing we can do to change it. No matter how hard we try to free ourselves from it, it will just suck us back in. The only path of freedom is found in Jesus. But there is a problem here too.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Too often we want to treat it as a “one and done” kind of event when we give ourselves to Jesus, but do you remember what Jesus said we had to do to follow him? Not accept him but to follow him. “Deny yourself”, or better understood as “say no to yourself”. Jesus was addressing our selfish nature. It is a process to grow into the maturity of Jesus. It is a day by day process where the Spirit helps us develop the habit of saying no to ourselves and yes to him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paul does describe what proper relationship with each other looks like but he also stated that the only proper way to do this is to die to ourselves and to live in the Spirit. Too often we go with the flow of our human nature. We act on impulse. We do what comes natural and it gets us in a lot of trouble. To live in and by the Spirit takes an attitude of purposeful living. It requires a relationship with Spirit, where we spend all day having conversation with him. It is where he guides us in living according to Father’s heart and not our selfish desires. Without his input, guidance and power we will do what our selfish nature dictates. We cannot succeed in this life without the Spirit of God empowering us to say no to ourselves.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today it is possible for us to live in relationship with each other in the way Father created us to. Paul summed it up with a single word when he wrote to the church in Corinth : love. It is not about perfectionism but it is about love empowered by grace where we give each other the freedom to live with repentance and forgiveness in our living together. Because I have chosen to live according to Father’s heart it means I have chosen to love you. So when you offend me, and you will, I say no to my right to be offended, lean into the Spirit, and forgive you empowered by grace. Amazing isn’t it? And this same grace empowers me to admit when I am wrong or have done wrong.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, if we find ourselves being offended by those who we are bound with in the Spirit, we know we are getting it wrong. If we find ourselves trying to make excuses for our offenses instead of confessing them, we know we are getting it wrong. It is so easy to know when we are wrong but is our relationship with Jesus real enough for us to say no to ourselves and choose the Royal Law? The Kingdom is about relationships and only he can empower us to get it right.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-57055614435431619922022-12-01T06:49:00.006-05:002022-12-01T06:49:58.111-05:00Lessons I Learned From My Mom<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3772872c-7fff-577b-69be-ec2e6198f74e"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently I had the privilege of staying with my 90 year old mother while my father was in hospital. Aging well has been my constant theme in the last few years so I paid careful attention to my mother’s daily routine and attitude as I helped care for her needs. I want to share with you a few of the lessons she taught me.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let me start by saying, my mother is no ordinary woman. Married to a navy sailor who was absent for lengthy periods of time, she had to learn to provide for herself and her children. Back in the day when it was not normal for a woman to work outside of her home, she became a very successful business woman. She was extremely active juggling many different activities. Today I think she would have been diagnosed as ADHD, and reflects this even in her activities at 90 years of age.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mom was a firecracker until she turned eighty-five. That’s when the signal between her brain and her legs broke down. She struggles to walk to the bathroom and must use a walker or even a wheelchair. She went from 200 km/h to 10 km/h overnight. But my mom is not so easily discouraged.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is what I observed in my stay with her:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First, don’t stop. You have to keep moving. The easiest thing to do is to sit back. “Hey, we have worked all our lives, we deserve some sofa time.” This attitude won’t get us far into our senior years. As we retire what we do will change but the doing shouldn’t stop. My mom dove into her crafting head first, making incredible things to give away to people. My mom and dad traveled, made new friends, pursued new interests, and learned new things. But people were always at the center of everything and my mom spent her days following up with and checking on her friends from all over North America. Some of this changed when the legs stopped working, but there were lessons for me here too.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second, when you can’t do everything, do something. When my mom’s legs went, my dad had to take over a lot of things, like the cooking and cleaning. But my mom didn’t focus on what she couldn’t do. She let go of those things, for the most part, and turned to what she could do. She loved her puzzles and the crafts. She enjoyed calling friends and family to check on them and give some encouragement. Birthday cards were her passion. I only speak in the past tense because the lack of physical activity started affecting even these activities, and here again were more lessons for me.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third, when you can’t do the whole thing, do the part you can. One year when I was visiting with my parents I started to clean up after a meal. My father warned me to leave the dishes alone or I would get scolded by mom. That was her job that she jealously protected. She couldn’t cook or bake any more but she could load the dishwasher and no one was going to take that away from her. She can no longer load the dishwasher but I observed that she has the same attitude with other tasks like laundry. She can't physically do the laundry but she insisted on sorting it into the proper groupings for washing. It took her a long time to do it but she did it. This again led to another lesson.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fourth, fight for the right to live. People like me have the best of intentions when I come to visit. I want my mom to sit back and relax while I take care of her. Good intentions but wrong attitude. I heard a senior addressing other seniors on this topic and she told them not to allow someone to rob them of the things that they can do and that they enjoy doing. The example given was of an 85 year old man who enjoyed and was capable of mowing his lawn. A well intentioned neighbour ended up robbing him of this pleasure. My mom has limited abilities but she has abilities and those things get her up in the morning. They are things she looks forward to doing. They fill her days with a sense of purpose. And here I want to come in and rob her of that, not even knowing I am doing so.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The easiest thing for a caregiver is to take the fast road. I can get my mom to the bathroom in thirty seconds with the wheelchair. With her walker it takes twenty minutes. But the wheelchair robs her of her independence. It also robs her of exercise and will cause her health and abilities to decline just to convenience how I care for her. But my mom fights for herself. She insists on as much independence as she can manage. She also insists on managing those who are there to support her.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On my last night of my stay with her she insisted that she wanted to go shopping. She didn’t need anything but she had come up with a list of “essential” supplies that she said she was low on. My mom was always an avid shopper. She insisted with me that it had been two years since she had been to a store. The truth was she had gone out shopping a couple of weeks ago. But I was exhausted and just wanted an evening to sit with her. She looked at me square in the face and said, “If you take me shopping you will be my hero.” Tell me, what son can refuse that? I loaded her in the car and the wheelchair in the trunk and off we went. My mom and I had a grand adventure exploring the remote recesses of the department store.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last thing I will mention is the most important. My mom is a woman of faith. She has never been perfect and failed in many ways. She doesn’t have the greatest knowledge of the Bible but she has the most important things. She has never stopped loving Jesus or trusting him. Her prayers have carried her kids through a lot of things. She has never stopped loving people, never stopped forgiving and believing in what Jesus wants to do in them. This is her motivation in all things, her love for God and her love for people. Jesus promised us abundant life and she takes him at his word every day. She has lived a full and productive life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you ask me the secret to aging well it is simple : despite the obstacles in your health and circumstance, don’t stop. And don’t let anyone else make you stop. And don’t let anyone rob you of what you can do when you no longer are able to do all things. Live. Love. Laugh. Don’t let go! Hold on. Fight for every inch of life and live it as large as you can for as long as you can.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-10492645473832320542022-11-23T07:23:00.002-05:002022-11-23T07:23:19.101-05:00It Has Always Been A Matter Of The Heart<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d512df9c-7fff-eafc-258f-754097b41fd4"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today I was hanging out with James. I think he would have been an interesting man to hang out with in real time. The brother of Jesus, the head of the Church council in Jerusalem and a man who worked hard to balance the gospel of grace with the observance of the Law of Moses. As I hung out with him today I discovered something new, or I should say, I re-discovered something I may have set aside for a time.-</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I read through his letter I was struck with the same thing we are all struck with, how simple he put forward the need to live the scriptures daily in all our coming and going. But just like the Law he wrote about, it is easy to boil his writing down to a bunch of does and don’ts that end up producing nothing of any value. But take note, from James we discover that there is a wealth of very simple and practical living that comes from one single correct position from which we live outwards.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s start with his very famous statements on the tongue. I am sure you and I both have heard many sermons expounding on the need for us to tame our tongue. The fact is, James said the exact opposite. He stated that it was impossible to tame the tongue. It cannot be done, was his argument. He did not write about the dangers of the tongue if we don’t get it under control, but instead that the nature of the untamable tongue is destructive if the source is bitter water. His focus was the source, not our effort.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a look at it again and you will realize that everything he wrote about focused on the source. He stated that it was not possible for a spring to produce fresh and bitter water; it is either one or the other. In relation to the Royal Law of “love your neighbour as you love yourself”, he was stating that the tongue cannot both praise God and curse a person because, as we know, if we say we love God and hate a neighbour we are a liar. Bitter and pure water cannot come from the same source. So look deeper.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The real focus of James’ letter is about the purity of the source of all our words and actions. In a portion where he is calling people back to faithfulness, he states that Father longs for our faithfulness and then he tells us how to correct the source of our words and actions:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Cry out in sorrow, mourn, and weep! Let your laughter become mourning and your joy become sadness. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:8-10)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The letter is not about trying harder to be righteous. It is not about our effort at all. It is about relationships. Basically, hang out with Jesus and he will rub off on you. The things of which James writes is as powerless as the Law if the source is not found in our humble relationship with Jesus. Come near to God and he will come near to you. The fact is he is always near but we are not aware of him unless we are looking for him.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Motivation is not the key. You might have the right motive, to do good, but using the methods of the world and not the methods of the Kingdom found in our relationship with Jesus, and all that it will produce is bitter water. Motivation does not change the source. Only an intimate daily relationship with Jesus will make sure that it is pure water that flows from our words and actions. The only one who can do anything about you is you. And the thing you must do is draw near to God.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-80488891083653437022022-11-15T09:52:00.002-05:002022-11-15T09:52:26.030-05:00Are You A Victim Of Fraud?<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8b8023d3-7fff-fe5c-41a1-0d7c966374b0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was out for my morning walk this morning. It was a beautiful, frosty morning, probably the coldest morning this Fall season. I was dressed in layers with a beautiful new tuque and some great gloves. So, of course my phone rang, somewhere under all those layers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Normally I don’t answer my phone when I am out for my walk because this time doubles as my conversational time with Father. But this morning I felt compelled to respond because I am waiting for several important phone calls, and besides, it could have been my wife. Unfortunately it was none of these.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After digging down through the layers to find my phone, you can imagine my disappointment when I heard an automated message telling me that VISA had identified two fraudulent charges on my account and I only had to press one to cancel them and speak to their agent. Having had this same message before I promptly hung up. Then I heard the Spirit.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Spirit loves to use all kinds of occasions to make a point with me. As I put my phone away he asked me, “What if it’s true?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I chuckled, “I know it’s not true.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How do you know it’s not true?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because I know this is not how VISA works.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How do you know this is not how VISA works?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because I have read their policies and I have had past experience.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So why do you listen to the enemy’s fraud?”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wait! What?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He left it there for me to consider because I knew what he was talking about right away. The enemy is always committing fraud against God’s children. The Garden is just an example of what he has been doing throughout the history of humanity. He promises to us what we already possess and he tries to trick us into thinking we are opposite of who Father says we are. You know those lies. His great desire is to separate us from Father.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those lies are those disturbing thoughts that wake you up in the middle of the night. They tell you that there are charges against you on Father’s account. There aren’t. They have all been removed by the blood of Jesus. Yet, those seeds are enough to start a stream of doubt that we allow to become a river that undermines our incredible relationship with Father through Jesus. They convince us Father won’t provide, or forgive, or heal or any of the many things he has promised us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How do we protect ourselves?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew the phone call I received was fraudulent because I knew the company’s policies, how they operate in this matter and also have personal experience. I have received phone calls from VISA to check on charges when I have been traveling in places that were not usual for me. Most of us have. So I know they do not use automated messages that tell me to press a number to get an agent. It is no different with Father.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I shouldn’t be able to fall victim to the enemy’s lies. I know my Father. I know his promises. I know how he operates. When he needs to bring correction he does not do it with disturbing thoughts in the middle of the night. He never calls me out. He always calls me up. When I have taken a misstep he reminds me who I am in Jesus. “Hey encourager, let’s consider this here.” “Hey man of prayer, let’s take a bit of time together this morning.” He always speaks to me by how he sees me, even in correction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also know that he never threatens me. He is not against me. When he does need to bring correction it is not to punish but to build up. His desire is to see me grow, to increase, to mature. If there is shame and condemnation it is fraudulent, from the enemy of my soul. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. I should be able to tell the difference and choose to listen to the one I worship and trust.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are one who gets disturbed by the frauds of our enemy, do yourself a favour, give it over to Father. Yes, report the fraud to Father and leave it with him. Don’t let it rob you of a single minute of your sleep or of your day. Know Dad. Know his promises. Trust what you have already experienced with him. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-23534207455185382572022-11-12T14:40:00.002-05:002022-11-12T14:40:22.015-05:00Learning Kingdom Culture To Communicate It<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d654bb9d-7fff-9c2e-09f4-57017790cfe0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About four years ago the Spirit told me to put more effort into my French studies. This might have seemed strange for people who knew me considering I had spent four years in Belgium and another 19 years in Quebec. But on my return to Canada I ended up in english ministry in Quebec, not requiring much french at all. I could get by In Montreal with my limited french. But here now the Spirit said “study”.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I have studied, most days three hours a day, and my french has greatly improved. Then the Lord instructed me to join in with an apostle we greatly respected, joining my church in with his. This church operates in three languages but is primarily a french-speaking church. Ah, I get it Lord. He had been preparing me.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Language is key to understanding culture. My french is great now, giving me great comprehension of the spoken and written language. But to understand and to be understood are two different things, and so here is my weakness, being capable of understanding and struggling to express. But this is not about my struggle with french.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The KIngdom of God is a very unique culture, a culture far more powerful and important than any culture on this planet. We are not native to this culture but are instead adopted into it. We have the same challenge as any immigrant coming into our country's culture, they need the language to understand the culture so they can adapt to this new life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many a day, as I plugged away at my studies, I wished that my brain could be transformed into a french thinking brain. French is a wonderfully precise language that reveals the unique way of thinking of a french speaking person. To grasp it you have to let go of your own way of thinking which helps you form sentence structure. You have to let go of the old to grasp the new. This describes the Kingdom process as well.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus warned us that the old had to go in order for the new to come. In the Kingdom this is both transformational and also a process. Unlike our differing cultures, the Kingdom makes it possible for our minds to be transformed to grasp and live according to Kingdom culture. It’s called “renewing”. Apostle Yvon Stabili has said that the only thing we need before Jesus is redemption and the thing we need after Jesus is a daily renewed mind. Scripture encourages us:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.” (Romans 12:2)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we want to understand Kingdom culture we need to bathe ourselves daily in Kingdom language as found in the Word and to grow in our relationship with the Spirit who teaches us this culture. It is a completely foreign way of thinking and living. Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you. Honour leaders who may be against you. Give just because someone asks and give more than what is asked for. Pray and the sick will be healed and the dead will be raised. This is crazy talk from the point of view of the cultures of this world. Without the Spirit we could never make the transition.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My struggle with french is that I can live every day without needing to speak it. Almost everyone I know speaks english and when we are not forced to use something we often don’t. I need people in my life who cannot switch to english out of their sense of compassion. I need situations where I am forced to communicate in french. It is the only way I will improve. I need to get past my fear of imperfection, if you know what I mean. The Kingdom is no different.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only way we will grasp the Kingdom is when we live the Kingdom. If we study it and even memorize it, there is no value to it. Scripture tells us to not just read and know the word but to live it. Do the Word. Live the culture empowered by the Spirit and you will progress in the process. Do it. Just do it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest stumbling block to speaking a new language is our fixation on perfection or our fear of mistakes. We must be willing to learn as a child learns, living daily in imperfection until things fall into place. This applies in a big way to Kingdom culture. Father is not afraid of our imperfections, it is part of our growth. He wants us to listen to his voice and step out to live this culture, being daily renewed and living according to his heart. We have to become like children to see the Kingdom which means we move forward as children, knowing we have a lot to learn and mistakes to learn from.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, let’s not give up. Let’s encourage each other to press on through our learning and growing so that someday we will be better able to communicate the heart of Father through all that we do.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved.” (Hebrews 10:39)</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-45858396618726886532022-11-07T15:23:00.000-05:002022-11-07T15:23:14.944-05:00There Has To Be More To It<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not many of us have faced a lot of “valley of the shadow of death” seasons in our life and yet I dare say we have all faced “valley” moments. I have had my share of these and I have to admit some of them felt like the shadow of death. Life is not always easy or fair.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6430c09d-7fff-125a-de5a-59d024c2accb"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As followers of Jesus there is an expectation that we will keep these moments to ourselves or just pretend they don't exist. I think this is because too many of us believers don’t want to consider the hard questions about our faith. It’s supposed to be all butterflies and daffodils, isn’t it?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not often a lack of faith that finds us in those valleys. What we have to consider is that life is found in the valleys. The mountain top seasons are fantastic and have a breathtaking view that gives us perspective and breathes new life into these old bones, but growth, real growth is found in the challenges of those valleys. Not that Father has planned those valleys but he has planned for them and he never misses an opportunity to help us grow.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Valleys with road maps are great but most don’t have them. Most of them include loss in one form or another. Some of them are so dark you don’t know which way is up any more. These are those moments that you cling to the Lord and make declarations based on the promises you have experienced in the past. Psalm 91 comes to mind:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I say to the Lord, ‘You are my refuge, my stronghold! You are my God - the one I trust!” (2)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the moments you try to climb into the Word, you surround yourself with worship, you write out your prayers, have long discussions with the Lord or whatever “you are my God - the one I trust” looks like to you. For many of us it is the “moment by moment” clinging to Jesus because everything else is shifting and he is the only thing solid in our life. But that is only the beginning place of the valley. Father has more than this in mind for us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was in conversation with Spirit the other day and he was pointing out a few things to me about the valley experience and one of them was that quality of trust matters here. This desperation clinging is an okay beginning point but he has called us to a greater relationship than clinched-eyes clinging. Through another preacher he reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (16-18)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those three activities are not mere valley activities but are relationship growth activities for all seasons. These are what we do because they are the fruit of who we are, and after entering the valley and regaining our senses we can act on who we are.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rejoice. Not just on the mountaintops but in the valleys as well. We rejoice because of who Jesus is and who we are in him. We rejoice because he has never failed us. We rejoice because he is good and that goodness never changes. It is the reason Paul told the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. It was so important that he repeated himself, Rejoice. After the desperate “cling and declaration”, rejoicing is the next step and demonstrates that you are living what you are declaring. We do not rejoice in our circumstances but in the One who has promised never to forsake us in those circumstances and who has said he is the solution. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pray continually. This is the ongoing reminder that you are in Jesus and Jesus is in you. It is a reminder that he is involved in every detail of your life. It is great to discuss every detail of your life with him, your opinions, your dreams and desires. It is an open and honest conversation with the one who knows your heart and mind, the one is for you and not against you. It is a conversation throughout the day, a continual conversation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give thanks in every situation. That is powerful. That means in everything, always find the reason why you maintain a life of thanksgiving. This is a powerful weapon against the enemy in that valley because he is there to destroy you by discouraging you, to separate you from Father. But when you set your mind on things above, thanksgiving is a natural expression in dark times, Consider what Paul said to the Colossians.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First he told them to look, seek out, the things that are above:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“... look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then he tells them, once they can “see” these things to set theirr thoughts on these things:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Think about the things above and not things on earth.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The enemy will try to keep our eyes fixed on the things of this earth because they are death to us, depressing, filled with false hope, and promising to give us what we already possess in Jesus. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rejoice always, Pray continually, Give thanks in every situation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because I can say he is my God and that I trust him in this valley, I can also move past desperation into fruitful relationship. This is very fertile ground, even if it is uncomfortable at times. How much better to go through it laughing, dancing, shouting with joy in the presence of my King.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-48671587796170853742022-09-23T12:05:00.003-04:002022-09-23T12:05:36.250-04:00The Pain Of The Hallway Experience<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is an interesting phenomena in the Christian experience that happens when the Lord moves you from one ministry to another. If we consider the ministries like rooms, the transition from one to another requires a hallway. It’s when you are in the hallway that you aren’t really attached to anything but the Lord. You aren’t part of what you left but you are also not yet really part of what the Lord is moving you into. It can be a very disorienting experience even for the veterans of such experiences.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-09c79e8a-7fff-8aa2-c18d-d79d5a4e2283"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem arises because of our tendency to take on as our identity the thing that we do. If we are asked to describe who we are we usually start off with what we do : I’m a pastor, doctor, electrician and so on. We may also describe ourselves relationally ; I am a father of two, a son, a grandfather, a husband. But these do not say who we are.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Identity is very important and when we are in a hallway experience we often have time to consider “who am I”. The enemy wants to define us by our sins and mistakes. People want to define us by what we do. Our family wants to define us by our relationship. But who do we say we are? More importantly, who does Father say we are?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our Father also defines us according to relationship but it is different with him. He calls us his son or his daughter but this has more of an impact on us than our earthly father and mother. To be his children we had to be transformed to be like him. We have been transformed and we are being transformed. So my identity is both relational (I am a child of God) and behavioral (I am kind, I am loving, I am compassionate and so on). Because I am a child of God, what is important to him is important to me, and what he does is also my desire to do.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The hallway experience is an opportunity to be stripped of anything that has claimed itself as our identity and for us to be renewed in our core identity as a child of God. It sounds like a pleasant experience in theory but the reality can feel very different. It really depends on the circumstances of the change we are experiencing. If you are thankful for where you were but knew it was time to go, then you enter the hallway with great expectation so that the time of renewal is filled with excitement. But if what we are leaving behind is something we don’t want to leave behind but we are doing so only because of obedience to Father, then the period of renewal is filled with great mystery and we may tend to cling to the “doing” of our identity.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Regardless of why we are in the hallway, the great benefit of being there is the renewal of our relational identity with Father. It is in these moments that we renew our attitude that what we do does not matter compared to who we are, and the reality in Christ being that who we are defines what we do. We can be who we are despite how the world defines us by what we do in life. I can be the Prime Minister of Canada and still live as a child of God. I can be a stock boy and find great contentment because I am doing that thing as a child of God. As a son, I am renewed in my contentment so that if he needs me to sit for a while I can sit with joy. Being great or little in the eyes of people has no value to us but pleasing Father does.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C. S. Lewis wrote about the purpose of pain in the Kingdom and the hallway can be a painful moment, but it is amazing what he births out of that pain. Sometimes, the longer we are in something the longer it takes us to be renewed in the transitional hallway. He strips us down so that we are clothed only in him and when we are, we are ready for the next room. It is simple, but not always easy. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-48402061600094924882022-09-15T05:42:00.002-04:002022-09-15T05:42:35.430-04:00The Cost Of Intimacy<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I was reading through Daniel this morning. It's always a great time in Daniel. Many people look at his life in amazement and consider key moments like the lion's den for life lessons. But the lion's den was only the fruit of something more incredible.</span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I am always amazed at his visions and how he moved about and interacted in these key spiritual moments. His visions/dreams were astounding and much was shown to him. His fame was because he was a dream interpreter, but it was the Lord who explained to him the dreams. But this too is only a fruit of something even more incredible.<br /><br />There are people who wish they had the same ability to interpret dreams and receive such incredible visions. There are others who wish they could have the strength of faith that Daniel demonstrated. People wish for it but are not willing to pay the price.<br /><br />"Pay the price" isn't really the best way to say this but there is a cost involved with having the intimacy with Yahweh that Daniel had. The cost is time. Friendship requires an investment of time. Daniel spent a lot of time with Yahweh in prayer and this relationship created sensitivity toward Yahweh.<br /><br />Daniel's experiences were the fruit of his intimacy and intimacy developed with the time he spent "hanging out" with Yahweh. If we want intimacy, sensitivity, openness with Father it will require one of the greatest sacrifices in this age : time.<br /><br />This is our great challenge because our society has been very good at developing distractions. There are many "minute robbers" throughout the day. Little things of little value that eat up our time so we have the sense of being busy, convincing ourselves us that we do not have time for Father's priorities. These priorities are simple to understand : love him and love each other. It is hard to love the things we do not value enough to give priority to.<br /><br />I'm talking to the man in the mirror here. It is so easy to give priority to the distractions without knowing we are doing it. If we kept track of a day in our life and figured out where we were using our time, we may discover that what we value does not match up with what Father values. It may match in our thinking but not in our actions and it requires actions to move into the intimacy we desire.<br /><br />If we really desire the awareness of the "oneness" that Jesus spoke about, we would start with a simple change of blocking out more time to "hang out" with Dad. Start there and see what it leads to.</span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-5250806396549257022022-08-28T12:02:00.002-04:002022-08-28T12:02:42.319-04:00Moving Through Change Without Bitterness<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other day I was spending time with the prophet Ezekiel. He was a priest who had been exiled from Jerusalem during the first deportation of Judah. The great siege and destruction of Jerusalem was yet to come. Ezekiel was now without purpose and a job, confused with everyone else in exile. But Yahweh needed prophets for his people in Babylon and he had set Ezekiel aside for this purpose.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f02faa80-7fff-0329-d7ab-dcd9229f097b"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We always focus on the great vision of Ezekiel and for good reason. Each prophet brought a different revelation of Yahweh and putting them together gives us a fuller understanding of Yahweh. But this is not a path Ezekiel would have chosen for himself.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People today chase after the office of the prophet because it is different from the Old Testament Prophet. Prophets today are part of the five-fold, the trainers in the Body of Christ. Back in the day before the Holy Spirit was given to all believers, the prophet was the voice of Yahweh, bringing his word and will for that day. This did not give the prophet favour with the leadership or the people because the prophet often had a word of correction to bring, and no one likes correction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ezekiel would have known Jeremiah or known of him, so he knew of the bad things that were done to this dear prophet in Jerusalem. And Ezekiel also knew that this was the norm for the prophets of Yahweh. When chosen, that person lost his old life and comfort and now stepped into the privilege of intimacy with Yahweh and a very punishing life of service. So it should not surprise us that after receiving his anointing and commission, when the wind picked him up to carry him to the deportees, we read this:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Then the wind picked me up and took me away. With the Lord’s power pressing down against me I went away, bitter and deeply angry, and I came to the exiles who lived beside the Chebar River at Tel-abib. I stayed there among them for seven desolate days.” Ezekiel 3:14-15</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So the result of this vision and encounter, of the call and commission : “I went away, bitter and deeply angry.” Ezekiel knew what this was going to look like. Remember, he wasn’t asked if he was willing, he was simply told to go. Too often we put all the emphasis on the benefits of our relationship and so we are unprepared for the cost. There is always a cost.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Several times in my life the Lord called me to something that caused my world to shift. I knew I would have to say good-bye to what I knew and what I was comfortable with, to step into the obedience of Father’s purpose for me. There was great cost. But there was also great benefit, and the benefit far outweighed the cost. But there was a cost.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could compare it to having a baby. There is great cost to the mom. Her life will never be the same again. There will never be another moment in her life when she won’t be a mom. There is pain in the birth. There is pain in the difficult nights, giving up plans for a sick child, and the tons of work involved in raising a child. But the benefits of having that little person pouring out their love into your life far outweighs any cost.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we forget his benefits we run the risk of having bitterness and deep anger filling our hearts and clouding our perspective. Change is never easy. Many of us struggle with change. But change is also filled with exciting possibilities. The thing that is important to anchor yourself to is the truth that our Father never changes. Even in the chaos of the change that he is bringing about he is our anchor. We must remind ourselves of his benefits. We need to review our many testimonies of his goodness. We must declare our trust in the darkness. We must hold on to him because he is the only one who makes sense of life and provides the strength we need.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are given the honest reactions of prophets, psalmist, servants and kings so that we can see that these are normal reactions to unusual times. But we are also given the example of how they confessed these things to the Lord and then confessed their trust in him. This is given so we know that this is how we get through life-shifting changes without bitterness and deep anger taking route.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-52152328418397712932022-08-22T09:40:00.000-04:002022-08-22T09:40:46.593-04:00Called To Serve part 4<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the final part of this subject as far as this little exercise is concerned but I hope it is not the end of you seeking greater revelation on this subject. What we are exploring is how we can avoid in the Church a similar leadership melt down that Israel experienced. It helps us to realize that everything in the Kingdom is volunteer. I am not forced to submit myself to the Spirit, I volunteer to do so. It is for my best interest but it is still a decision I get to make. This is applied to everything : it is my choice to accept or reject Father’s free gift of salvation ; I volunteer to walk in obedience ; I volunteer to worship ; I volunteer to serve ; I volunteer to love. It’s always a choice even if I am compelled by love.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-23f0e1d2-7fff-330d-ee31-1c71342d6198"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To go forward we need to understand, accept and apply that all instruction that has been written in the past is for our benefit today:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures.” Romans 15:4</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trust me, the leadership we are considering comes at such a high cost that it is impossible without the hope that comes through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures. This model is uniquely a kingdom model that is impossible to duplicate without Jesus because without him we can do nothing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“May the God of endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude toward each other, similar to Christ Jesus’ attitude. That way you can glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ together with one voice.” 15:5-6</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because that is the end goal, relationships that are matured into unity where we glorify our Father with one voice. This must be the foundational understanding of any form of leadership within the Body of Christ. It is from this perspective, that we renew daily, that we decide to remain focused on our King and his purpose for us:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So welcome each other, in the same way that Christ also welcomed you, for God’s glory.” 15:7</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Going on 40 years of following Jesus I have yet to see him reject me due to my imperfections, mistakes, blunders, sins. He keeps covering them, keeps lifting me up, keeps perfecting me in my imperfection. So how can I as a leader in the Body do anything other than serve the weak from my position of power. My life is spent for the purpose of seeing them mature in Jesus. I must be like and do like Jesus:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, in order to confirm the promises given to the ancestors, and so that the Gentiles could glorify God for his mercy.” 15:8-9</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The servant-leaders in the Body can only avoid the collapse of Israel’s government by refusing to focus on themselves, understand Kingdom leadership and daily renew their submission to the King and their service to the Body. No other form of leadership will benefit the individuals of the Body and no other form of leadership will be rewarded. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-85971891425611488642022-08-19T16:06:00.001-04:002022-08-19T16:06:55.245-04:00Called To Serve part 3<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope you have taken the time to read through part one and part two in order that you may get the most out of part three. We understand that Yahweh had set up a government of checks and balances in Israel which included the High Priest, High Judge, the Prophet and the king. But these offices had failed to retain the understanding that their purpose was the people. Their purpose was to serve the people to maintain a kingdom that was focused on Yahweh and each other. Instead, they put that focus on themselves and everything Yahweh had put in place for a prosperous society could not function due to the improper focus. Now let’s turn the page to where we are today, after the cross.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b4d75fe4-7fff-c765-251b-8c5dde4a18fc"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus came with multiple purposes including the revealing of the depth of Father’s heart. Jesus taught and demonstrated what relationship looks like in the Kingdom, including the servant-leaders, and then he left to send us the Spirit to empower us to live it. In our present age we have the Body of Christ, which we are all part of and the only head is Jesus. He has given us trainers, the five-fold (apostles, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher), to train us in the works that will unite us and grow us into the maturity of Jesus. In this structure we are all part of the royal priesthood, each of us a leader in a broken world. Our focus is on those who Father loves, the lost of this world, not to lord it over them but to serve them so they would be open to Jesus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The structure of the Body can be scary for those who are looking for a pyramid structure with a boss dictating to everyone else. Instead it is an inverted pyramid. Paul refers to the apostles as being the ones who take the most abuse as they lay it all on the line for the purpose of serving the Body. Paul gives us a wonderful picture of the Body in 1 Corinthians 12 and too often that’s as far as we go. But Paul said that there is a way that allows all the diversity to be united together, functioning together for the same purpose. He follows this with the wonder 1 Corinthians 13. You should pause and refresh yourself on these two chapters.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What Paul is giving us is the manner in which we prevent the failure we see in the government of Israel. The whole Bible is about relationship and Father wants us to understand what right relationship looks like with him and with each other. Understanding this, let’s consider Romans 15. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Verse one should stop us right in our tracks when we are considering the relationship between the mature and the beginners in the Body:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We who are powerful need to be patient with the weakness of those who don’t have power, and not please ourselves.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This works for relationships in the Body but also with those who have yet to come to Jesus. We can have a terrible attitude toward those who are still controlled by their sins, new believers and pre-believers. We make a mistake when we try to control their sin instead of demonstrating Father’s love, patience and kindness. We are not responsible for conviction, that is the Spirit’s job. We have enough on our hands to stay within our anointing, demonstrating the power of Father’s love to heal and forgive.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we see this as our primary purpose, to demonstrate Father’s love, they will soon recognize Jesus’ love demonstrated on the cross and love will compel them to forsake sin in the same way it compels us to serve as servants. There is no fast track. Everything takes time to learn and respond to. We love and we make sure we are prepared to give the reason for our hope, to new believers and pre-believers. We are all learning. There will always be those more mature and less mature than us. So we serve with humility. Consider :</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Each of us should please our neighbours for their good in order to build them up. Christ didn’t please himself, but, as it is written, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The insults of those who insulted you fell on me.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” (Romans 15:2-3)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s a pretty powerful picture, absorbing what is intended to destroy your neighbour. How do we do that? The enemy is out to destroy your neighbour but instead we cover those moments by grace. Sounds poetic but when you have been raised in an environment of calling out every sin, every offense, every mistake, it can be hard to shift gears into proper kingdom leadership.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am going to give you some time to seek Father’s heart on this. If you have questions, take them to him and wait on the answers. I pray that he will show you his heart on the matter. We will come back to finish this off with part 4.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-2364613836625901902022-08-17T15:46:00.001-04:002022-08-17T15:46:49.724-04:00Called To Serve part 2<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not going to re-cap part 1. It is available to you to look over quickly. We are going to jump right into this by me asking you to put this aside until you read Jeremiah 23. Don’t pretend you read it. It’s going to take you three minutes and you will get much more out of this by laying the foundation of Scripture.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-55db8555-7fff-5ce8-0c3b-ae1584b6c146"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay, I am going to assume you have read it, and I hope you did. It’s pretty heavy in the category of correction. The government that Yahweh had set up for Israel had completely bottomed out and to understand this we need to lean heavily on the first part. Remember what Jesus said about leadership in the Kingdom: not to rule but to serve.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this chapter, the shepherds that are being referred to are all those who have any role in the four offices of government including those who assisted these offices. These are the officials, the assistants, the clerks who are all in place to help the four offices serve the people so that the people can succeed in life. Remember, the goal is a right relationship with Yahweh and each other because this is the foundation to success in Yahweh. It is from right relationship that all the blessings of Yahweh flow. Now of these officials Yahweh states:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You are the ones who have scattered my flock and driven them away. You haven’t attended to their needs, so I will take revenge on you for the terrible things you have done to them, declares the LORD.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He says that he will replace them with shepherds who will fulfill their duties:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I will place over them shepherds who care for them. Then they will no longer be afraid or dread harm, nor will any be missing, declares the LORD.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look how important those leaders are to the welfare of the people : no fear, no dread, no harm, and no one missing. The LORD is placing the current poor condition of the people squarely on the shepherds.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The king has been another failure in this government. The solution is simple : replace him with a righteous king. “The LORD Is Our Righteousness” cannot describe any human representative. No human could be considered righteous outside of Yahweh making it so. It had to be Jesus. Simple enough.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is the prophet that was the greatest disappointment because the prophet was the most intimate part of the government. The prophet had to have an intimate relationship with Yahweh in order to hear him and repeat the message. He was often in the secret place, having set aside his life to live as Yahweh’s voice to the nations. It was dangerous, difficult and required a complete surrender of will and thought.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Because the country teems</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with adulterers,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">because of them,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yes, because their might is not right</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and their way is evil,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the land dries up,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the grazing areas in the wilderness wither.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The shepherds’ neglect impacted the people but the prophet’s corruption impacted the people and the land. There was no voice of correction. No one was calling the officials to repentance. No one was delivering the truth needed. They were all about sunny days and sunny ways. They spoke from their own desires and not from the intimate position of the prophet. In this mess we hear Yahweh state something very important:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Let the prophet who has a dream declare it, but let the one who has my word proclaim it faithfully.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are a prophetic people and Father communicates with us prophetically. But the measuring rod for this is the word of God. The Spirit will never speak to us outside of this foundation. He will give us revelation but that is simply a deepening of our understanding of what has already been given to us in the word. He will help us understand Kingdom systems but they are all found in the word. Every prophetic word is only viable if it is measured by the word of God. This is for our safety.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything Jesus taught us can be found in scriptures except that he brought us to Father’s heart with it. He took the word and he brought us to the place where it was intended to live, in great richness, power and intimacy. He showed us the true depth of relationship, “love your neighbour as you love yourself” went to the deeper place of “love your enemy”.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, the focus here is on leadership in the Kingdom. In part 3 we are going to consider how this service to others is supposed to look on this side of the cross so that failure of shepherds can be avoided.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-37986743344667755072022-08-16T14:01:00.003-04:002022-08-16T14:01:52.257-04:00Called To Serve part 1<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leadership is considered a key matter in the Church today. We have hundreds of conferences, online classes and hundreds of books published every year focusing on this subject. It is for this reason that we must insist that leadership in the Church remain biblically based. I am in no way qualified to teach on leadership but I have recently received some revelation for myself that I would like to share with you. We will start in the Hebrew texts and move into the Christian texts.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e78fc76b-7fff-741e-170d-2e254a8a6677"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I enjoy every part of the Bible and appreciate each writer for their distinct purpose and revelation. Some of these writers I feel more partial to than others. Jeremiah is one of these writers. Born in the royal line of David, he comes across as an everyday man, called out from a regular life, into the role of prophet during a very troubling time. The Lord told him that he knew him before he was born and had set him aside at that time to be his prophet.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s remind ourselves of the government that the Lord had set up in Israel. People can be mistaken in thinking that the government is the king and his officials. That is only one part of the government. No, what the Lord had set up can be compared to the government of the United States, with its three parts balancing each other and acting as accountability partners so no one person could become too powerful.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Israel there was the High Priest who had lots of responsibilities but the big one was maintaining the law and sacrifices, everything that had been set down on paper from Yahweh through Moses. He gave oversight to the priesthood and the Levitical workers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was also the High Judge who normally came from the priesthood. We can see that there were periods of Israel’s history when the king would take on this office but it was supposed to be a separate person who would act as the high court, especially in doctrinal matters. He was responsible for oversight of the entire judicial system and was responsible for applying Yahweh’s justice, which was often about responsibility in relationship.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was also the prophet or prophets. These were a unique group of people who enjoyed a relationship with Yahweh like no other. The High Priest was required to enter into the presence of Yahweh once a year but the prophet experienced him many times over. Prophets were set aside according to Yahweh’s will and came from every walk of life, regardless of position, rank or condition. But once called, everything from the past was canceled and complete obedience was required. These people, male and female, were called upon to do weird and dangerous things. Many were killed. But the prophet was Yahweh’s voice today, for this current situation, giving direction or bringing correction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The king was the last position to be put in place. He represented Yahweh in terms of power. This power was for protection and provision. It was his responsibility to maintain an army to protect the borders. He was responsible for trade so that God’s people would be equipped to be prosperous. He had his own specific set of rules to prevent him from becoming too powerful and overpowering the other positions of government.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of these people, including their officials and staff who assisted them were there for the purpose of the people, to build them up, to see them succeed in life. They were not there for their own agenda, to become wealthy off the people, to stack the deck in their favour. They were servants to the people, representing different aspects of Yahweh in their lives. It was a beautiful system, until it wasn’t.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David’s time was probably the best period to look at if you want to see this system at work. David protected the function of the other positions. There was justice in the land because the High Judge was permitted to carry out his role. The sacrifices were maintained and there was constant worship going up because the High Priest carried out his responsibilities. The majority of the land was experiencing peace as the king drove back their enemies and demonstrated the power of Yahweh to protect his own. And when the king thought he could do whatever he wanted, the prophet showed up to tell David that what he did was seen and to bring correction. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In order for this system to work everything had to be focused on Yahweh. The benefit of the Law needed to be understood. The importance of each position for the prosperity and success of the nation, the people, needed to be held on to. It was not a successful nation when the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. Everyone needed to function within a fear of the Lord, out of utter respect for the instruction and a desire to be faithful to the Lord and his people. But not every king was like David and the system would fail.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In part two we are going to consider Yahweh’s heart when his servant’s failed to serve his people.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-21075073977326993212022-06-23T12:15:00.000-04:002022-06-23T12:15:06.510-04:00The Politics Of Division Is Not Our Way<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope you are going to celebrate all things Quebec tomorrow. We have the privilege of living in one of the most unique and incredible parts of Canada. It is unfortunate that we often allow the politics of the day to keep hidden the best part of this province, which is the people. La F</span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202124; white-space: pre-wrap;">ête</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> National is not about the government of this land but about its citizens. It's not even about language, we just made language the focus.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1e37ae55-7fff-7ab2-27f9-3e249a16150e"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many years ago the French language came to represent the culture of Quebec and became a cornerstone of identity. There are a number of places in the world that are in the same position, but there are also a few unique places that find their identity in things other than language. One of these places is the Netherlands (Holland), and in a parallel fashion, the people of Flanders. I have had the privilege of knowing some great people from this area of the world.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Holland/Flanders different languages are not seen as a threat but as a means of communicating, which is the purpose of language. They seemed to take on such a love for language that learning as many languages as possible was celebrated. My great grandmother was originally from Passchendaele in west Flanders. From all accounts she spoke six languages but did not teach them to any of her children.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I might consider this just a story passed down about a well loved lady but my own experience told me how true it was. When I moved to Belgium one of the first young people I met was a 14 year old young lady who offered to act as my interpreter. When I asked how many languages she spoke she told me five and was hoping to learn a couple more. She was Flemish.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My point is that these people did not find their identity in language. Their culture was not defined by language. These people were tied together by a shared history and wonderfully expanding traditions. It was relationships, their way of life and their shared values that defined them. They did not feel threatened by new languages but embraced them.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is very close to the expression of the Kingdom and the Church that represents Jesus. Paul wrote:</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have made the mistake like Quebec politicians of trying to rob the Body of the diversity that makes us beautiful and strong. What we have in common is that there is only one way to the Father, who is Christ Jesus. We are united under the same Father and we are joined together by the same Spirit. We share in the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. We have the same mission which is to demonstrate the Kingdom to a lost and dying world. Our vocabulary is that of the Kingdom. Our actions are those of our King. But we are not defined by one of the many diverse languages we use to worship nor one of the many traditions of the culture we were born to. Our identity is found in Jesus.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We are wrong to allow any of these things to separate us from each other or to be a source of division. Just as there is nothing that separates us from the love of Christ there should not be anything that separates us from this same expression of his love in each other. Our goal with each other is to love each other with Father’s extravagant love. Together we stand. Je me souviens. </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-68502464645744662542022-06-22T14:43:00.001-04:002022-06-22T14:43:24.035-04:00If Only There Were Instructions<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we spend thousands of dollars on an appliance we would be pretty foolish not to read through the instructions on how to use it properly. We would be even more foolish if we read the instructions and then decide to use it however we felt like it. And we would probably be the first person to be calling the manufacturer when the appliance broke from our misuse. King Solomon was like this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-31220d6d-7fff-f5ff-94a1-81ff00e7a99e"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Solomon had prayed for discernment and Yahweh was pleased that he had. So he gave him a discerning mind which led to wisdom, and then he gave him riches, fame and peace as well. But the covenant also required that Solomon would follow all of Yahweh’s instructions and worship him all his days.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of these instructions was not to take many wives and not to take foreign wives who would turn their husband’s away from Yahweh. There were also instructions not to go back to Egypt, not to become too wealthy and not to possess too many horses. Yet the first thing Solomon did was make an alliance with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. He also entered into a horse trade which built up his personal wealth. Obviously the big problem was the many many foreign women he married who turned his heart away from Yahweh. If only someone had warned him. Oh, wait! Someone had.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s the problem most of us have. We have been given instruction on how to do relationship in the way that pleases Father’s heart. It is clear and it is doable. When we follow these instructions blessings flow. But we ignore the instructions and end up with broken relationships, and we act surprised, as if we had no access to the Bible and Spirit.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one is saying that relationships are easy because they aren’t. They involve imperfect people but the instructions already take this into account, dealing with apologies and forgiveness. The Bible puts relationship in the center and everything else revolves around this; our relationship with Yahweh and our relationship with each other. There is nothing saying it doesn’t get messy, only that such value is placed on them that we have been told to do what we can to keep peace in these relationships.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we don’t follow the instructions things get broken. Thankfully Spirit is the greatest repairman in all of eternity.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-14772974534404555622022-05-25T11:12:00.002-04:002022-05-25T11:12:27.262-04:00Natural Does Not Mean Effortless<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some may say that worship is natural and easy for us because it is what we were designed for but just because we are designed for something does not mean it does not take effort to do it. Certain people were born with the type of body that would lend itself to the sport of basketball but anyone who has watched a game knows that those athletes are making a great effort and are paying for it with sweat, bruises and sometimes blood. In fact, the effort started long before those athletes hit the court.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-392eb3e5-7fff-37c1-37b7-e2d8ecd4b056"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those players have spent years training and disciplining their bodies. They have had to gain certain muscles, which took work. They had to increase their skill level, which took work. They had to have a routine of sleep, eating, exercise and practice. The game may be natural to them but it took and takes great effort.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Worship is not a moment but a lifestyle. It is based on an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude that develops from an acceptance of Father’s love. When we focus on the benefits of his love it shapes our heart response. We move from entering the gates with thanksgiving to being in his courts with praise. We were created with the capacity to worship but just like the athlete it requires a disciplined effort to remain in that place, and to grow in it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything in this world is a natural enemy to us and our relationship with Father. The world, including humanity, is broken. Father did not create it to be like this but rebellion has twisted it into this ugliness. The enemy of our soul wants the worship we offer Father. The world bent under his false lordship will try to persuade us against it. Even our old nature will try to pull us away, keep us busy, make us feel ungrateful, depress us, make us feel tired, or convince us it’s okay to skip a day. Just as there are a thousand excuses to keep the athlete from his discipline, so too are there a thousand excuses to keep us from fulfilling the purpose of our design.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">King David understood this discipline of the heart and the disaster of falling away from it. Listen to the discipline in his words (Psalm 108):</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My heart is unwavering, God.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I WILL sing and make music -</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yes, with my whole being!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wake up, harp and lyre!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I WILL wake the dawn itself!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I WILL give thanks to you, LORD, among all the people;</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I WILL make music to you among the nations.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">because your faithful love is higher than heaven;</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your faithfulness reaches the clouds.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exalt yourself, God, higher than heaven!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let your glory be over all the earth!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just because you are designed for it doesn’t mean it’s easy every day. Just because you have done it in the past doesn’t mean it’s natural to do it today. It takes this same disciplined determination to speak to yourself and say “Get up! I will praise my LORD today!” And none of this is possible unless you are absolutely convinced of his love for you, and the benefits of it. Love is our motivation but we must discover the discipline for it every day, no matter the weather, the busyness and the distractions because we are convinced that he is so good all praise is due him.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-4558975867074244822022-05-05T15:38:00.002-04:002022-05-05T15:38:20.442-04:004. The Gifts : The Gift Of Faith<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the gift of faith? Doesn’t everyone have faith? Yay, it can seem a bit confusing because of a couple of little words. All of us have been given a saving faith. This is the faith that believes that the actions of Jesus on the cross did for us exactly what he said they would, which is to pay for our rebellious acts, allowing for Father to forgive us. It was a redemptive act, redeeming us to the Father and it is faith in Jesus that gives us the potential to become the children of God.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ce9bdaba-7fff-e6b7-8ada-6fbd9c86667d"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gift of faith is of a different nature. In simple terms, this powerful gift enables the possessor to rise up to heroic spiritual acts. It is a gift that gives people the power to believe without doubt every promise of Jesus, enabling them to face overwhelming odds or to do impossible things. Picture David with Goliath. From the start David had the gift of faith, trusting the Lord with the ability to face lions and bears, and eventually giants. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gift of faith enables a person to stand in a relationship of trust that can never be shaken. They know, with no doubt, that Father is faithful to every promise he has spoken and he is incapable of being unfaithful. Daniel and the lions’ den is another great example. Or how about Stephen who would not back down, knowing what he possessed was worth more than any life in this world. Or Paul who longed to testify about Jesus to the most powerful man in the known world. These are examples given to us to inspire us to stand against our own giants, trusting Father in it all.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gift of faith is not for the purpose of making superstars in the Body. All gifts are for the building up, edifying of the Body. The people given this gift have it to be an inspiration to others, to encourage others to reach higher in their faith. Heidi Baker is an example in our modern day, a woman who has inspired thousands, if not millions, to take Jesus at his word. We have many other examples. We need to recognize this gift, honour it and be inspired to live as we have been designed to live, by faith.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-55990271627212880362022-05-05T14:39:00.002-04:002022-05-05T14:39:26.414-04:00Understanding The Place Of The Gifts Of The Spirit<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we talk about the gifts of the Spirit in the Church most people can’t relate. We have become accustomed to honouring talent and abilities over the gifts of the Spirit. Let’s be honest, most of us wouldn’t know the difference. We live in a society that honours education degrees, skills and talents, and it is this that we have adopted in the Church as well.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6312d209-7fff-7477-2c3f-955caedd54b9"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gifts of the Spirit are not reserved for the beautiful, the gifted, the talented, the educated:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“All these things are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because we don’t understand this we end up experiencing spiritual poverty because we are shutting out the people who were given to us to enrich our life in Christ. Most of these people are the unexceptable ; the wrong gender, the wrong colour, the wrong background, the wrong sins, the wrong education level, the wrong carisma, the wrong relationship skills. We forget that we don’t choose but he chooses us and that he chooses each of us for a different purpose with a different gift. From the heights of the halls of Harvard or the lows of an elementary education, no one is left on the outside looking in because he has designed it in a way that we need each other to grow into what he has designed us to be.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When he called me I was a messed up kid with no leadership skill. I had no great love for people but I had fallen in love with Jesus. I would have been very content to have been left alone, with just one good friend, a pile of books and some writing paper. It was not my idea or desire to enter into full-time ministry. I did not have the skill set, no natural ability for public speaking nor an ability to lead people. It was actually a bit of a nightmare for me to realize he was calling me to be a pastor.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leadership is not natural to me. He did not place me in the body according to my comfort level or ability. It was only over a time of exploration that I discovered I had been given the gift of teaching. But that’s not even my dominate gift. The thing I have been given that has become as natural to me as breathing is the gift of encourager, but that took decades for me to realize because people wanted to emphasize other parts of me and ignore what the Lord was doing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The difference between ability and gifts is that there is power in the gifts. Anyone can be an encourager but the gift of encouragement has the supernatural power to lift people up and fill them with a desire to press on and reach for greater heights. Anyone can teach given enough knowledge, but the gift of teaching has the power to bring understanding and paint with the vivid colours of the Spirit things that could not even be imagined. What about the gift of administration? That’s a weird one to me that I definitely do not possess, but it is a gift with power that cannot be had through any study in this world.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I could disqualify myself by simply assessing it according to the level of my ability. How many have lost out on the experience of their gift simply because they thought they did not have the ability? It’s not ability we should be looking for but the mark of the Spirit that can be seen through a humble, willing and surrendered attitude. These things can be lost on a Church that lifts up talent, ability, charisma as well as education. Those may be great but they do not come with the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. The gifts set us apart from all other religions and groups in the world, because they are Christ working through us, not us working toward Christ.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we want to see Father’s glory shining out from the Church we have to leave off our pursuit of professionalism and seek out the gifts once again. This is not to say that we do not press into excellence but let’s check the root and make sure it is excellence in the Spirit and not excellence according to the world.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-4421305586662564832022-05-02T15:44:00.001-04:002022-05-02T15:44:23.859-04:003. The Gifts - A Word Of Knowledge<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today we move on to the second gift, “a word of knowledge” that can be related to the first gift of “a word of wisdom”. Some people want to define this gift in an either or or situation. Some will say that it is related to receiving revelation on specific portions of scripture. Others will argue that it is a revelation of spiritual situations. I have experienced it as both.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-52fa8acb-7fff-68c4-c096-92486cf00abd"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have sat under ministries that, as the word is being preached, suddenly the preacher is being fed fresh revelation as they are preaching. They are as surprised by it as anyone else. There have been many occasions where it has happened to me. It’s not that what I was preaching was wrong, it was just while I was sharing that word I felt a fresh “download” from the Spirit that took it to unexpected places. As always happens, in the week that followed, situations were given to test out this new revelation where it was proven to be solidly from the Spirit.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Equally I have experienced the revelation of spiritual situations. On a number of occasions I have stood before a minister who told me of private conversations I had had before giving me instructions from the Lord. The purpose for it was to get my attention so I knew it was the Lord speaking to me. In turn, I have stood before people seeking answers from the Lord when I have suddenly known of things that I had no knowledge of. Sometimes it was to help in providing an answer and other times it was to get their attention. More often than not, I was given things to say that meant nothing to me and everything to them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the thing again, many believers may be given something for someone without actually possessing the gift. People with this gift operate in it all the time, like those in the office of the Prophet. But on occasion it will be given to a person for a moment, perhaps because no one with that gift was at hand.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like everything in the Kingdom, this gift requires some training. Requiring training does not mean it is manufactured by humanity. It means that trainers, believers of maturity and experience are able to help those learning to walk in this gift, to understand and to avoid some of the common mistakes of the past. These trainers are filled by the Spirit and teach from that place of relationship. Thankfully we are getting better at understanding the need for the trainers in the Body.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A reminder, these are the spiritual gifts we need to encourage and build each other up to greater maturity in Christ. We need these gifts, that’s why they were given. It changes us from a “garden club” to the spiritual Body of Christ, where we are dependent on each other in our spiritual growth. Don’t be afraid of the gifts, pursue their understanding and walk in them.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-77190429821663832412022-05-02T15:11:00.000-04:002022-05-02T15:11:06.420-04:00We Have Been Conditioned Against Father's Love<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is one very important thing about Father’s love that we have been conditioned in this world to not understand. It has to do with conditions and measurements. Everything in this world is limited by conditions and comes with some kind of measurement to define level or quantity. Because of that, there is nothing in this world that we can use to try to describe Father’s love.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6c770756-7fff-0e6b-26dc-c247bdde8768"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of us struggle with the concept that Father’s love is not dependent on our behaviour. His love does not increase or decrease according to my thoughts or actions. His love is a constant. It is impossible for him to love me less or to love me more. He always desires the best for me. He always hopes that I will take what he gladly offers. His design is not to destroy me but to increase me. He has loved all of humanity since the beginning of time because he decided to, and he has never broken a promise. His word is the most solid thing in all of eternity. This removes the idea of measurement from his love.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only thing we can measure with Father’s love is our revelation of it. Paul had written his hope that believers would be able to grasp how high, and deep and wide it is. This is very difficult for us to grasp because love in this world increases and decreases and often requires some kind of catalyst to increase or decrease.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes we compare Father’s love to a mother’s but this example falls very short. It is true that due to his love for us he will discipline us to increase us. Punishment takes away from us but discipline (correction) moves us toward a change that increases us. Mother’s don’t always get that right, nor do fathers. Sometimes we spend far more time punishing our children for our sake than we do correcting them for their strengthening and increase..</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is often the imperfections of a parent’s love that cause us to struggle with the understanding that there is no increase or decrease with father’s love and there are no conditions attached. Father loves the atheist as much as he loves me. Jesus went to the cross while we all were “yet sinners”. His death on the cross gave everyone the potential to become the children of God. The difference is that I accepted that free gift whereas others have rejected it. But neither of those decisions changed how much he loves each of us.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love is not what is going to keep people out of hell. It is only the belief in and acceptance of Jesus’s loving act of redemption that will keep us from that fate. Father’s love also preserves our freedom to choose because love can only exist in the place of freedom of choice. The sad part about this is that the only limits on Father’s love is what we put on it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even with those who say they believe and accept Jesus’ loving act of redemption there exists a poverty of love because they are not willing to imagine that his love for them could be so great and constant. They limit him by their self-condemnation for their past and close themselves from receiving the greater part of the blessings he has prepared for them. Paul stated if Father did not withhold the Son from us, what lesser things would he deny us? This self-condemnation comes from people’s experience with punishment over correction, no matter if Jesus said differently.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not always going to be sunshine and daffodils. We require a lot of discipline and building up. But even in those moments he wants us to live in the mindset of the “quiet waters” and “meadows” of where we walk with him in relationship. Paul tells us that discipline should never be a source of discouragement for us because it is actually proof of our “sonship”.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you really want to walk in all that he has planned for you, trust that his love is unchanging, constant and unconditional. Such a mindset won’t change Father but it will certainly change you and allow you to see the Kingdom as it truly is, because trust is the mark of a loving child. Don’t allow the conditioning of this world to cause you to live a lesser blessing.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-57659057306259556372022-04-28T14:57:00.000-04:002022-04-28T14:57:02.137-04:002. The Gifts : A Word Of Wisdom<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we take a look at the first gift, a word of wisdom, I remind you that the gifts of the Spirit must be kept in the context of a united Body. The gifts are for the enrichment of believers, the growth of the community, the maturing of the saints. I point out to you these simple words from Paul that he wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter, in what we call chapter 12, the third verse:</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-507afaac-7fff-55b8-af22-014c78ccd4a5"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“except by the Holy Spirit.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a huge difference between an ability or talent, and the Spirit enabled gifts. We thank the Lord for someone's musical ability that they offer to him in service, but it does not have the same life changing effect of a Spirit given gift.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need to also remember that everything, whether gifts, ministry or activities all come from the same source : Yahweh. And they are produced by him in everyone:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we need to keep emphasizing the “everyone” and the purpose is for the good of everyone:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that all this is clear to us we can pursue the understanding of this first gift, always keeping it in the context of community.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to one person.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To put this as simplistically as possible, you have most likely experienced this gift in yourself. We all experience some aspect of the gifts from time to time without possessing the gift because all these things are at work in us. They are at work in us because Jesus is at work in us, perfecting us for our eternal home. A word of wisdom is experienced in that moment when you suddenly understand a portion of scripture, or perhaps a Kingdom principle that shifts you and you know how to apply it in your daily living. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are times when this happens to us as we meditate on the scripture or sit quietly in Father’s presence. But it can also happen as someone who operates in this gift is explaining Scripture to us. It isn’t the person’s ability to teach but instead the power in the gift that opens us to grasp this truth or perhaps a key of the Kingdom. But the gift also goes beyond simple teaching.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A word of wisdom is also demonstrated through someone who shows us how a truth gets applied to our daily living. It causes the Lord’s word to be a living word, affecting our daily life by becoming part of who we are and the decisions we make. Again, this is something you may experience directly from the Spirit but there are other times, perhaps when we are closed to him, that he will send someone operating in this gift, to move us to a new level.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s important to stress here that this wisdom is not as many people understand wisdom to be in this world. It is not based on human understanding or insight. It is not about how this world works but about how the Kingdom works and how we live the Kingdom in this world. A word of wisdom opens our minds to Father’s ways, how he wants us to live in relationship in this world, and how we can demonstrate the Kingdom to this world. It is a powerful gift that works in tandem with the rest of the gifts to move us into a Spirit empowered life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is fantastic because we need to learn to trust the Lord and to stop leaning on our own understanding. This gift will shift our perspective so that we see with the eyes of our King. Remember, the gifts are for the enrichment of believers, the growth of the community, the maturing of the saints.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-13216022985010145792022-04-27T15:17:00.000-04:002022-04-27T15:17:20.038-04:001. The Gifts : The Context<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">To understand the importance and place of the gifts of the Spirit we must understand the context within the Body of Christ. In order for us to properly understand anything in the Kingdom it must always be seen through the heart of relationship with Father and relationship with each other. Outside of these references we can twist, distort and put the emphasis in the wrong place, causing much damage to ourselves and to others.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9621ba3e-7fff-b084-207c-dffaa315732a"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s start with picturing what a community looks like. We can start a community with just a few families. If these families are all farmers there would be plenty of food but it would be a weak community. Let’s say a blacksmith decides to set up shop in the community. He would be a welcome asset because now the farmers have a place to go to for needed repairs. Then a doctor comes to town. The community has just grown in strength. There is now a place to bring the sick and injured. Then a merchant sets up a general store, a baker opens a bakery, then a restaurant, a bus terminal, a train station, a movie theater. Each person who joins the community with their specific skill set causes the community to grow in strength and richness.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The apostle Paul used a different metaphor. He referred to the body, the diversity of parts and the importance of those parts to the strength of the body. Where would we be without our left foot? Or where would we be without our right hand? Paul warned of the problem when everyone wants to be a hand, or in my metaphor, when everyone is a farmer. It’s important to understand that when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit none are less important than another and we need all the gifts to function in the richness of the Kingdom.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Paul, as he wrote to the Corinthians, every believer is a part of the body, as in everyone has a gift in this rich community. One is not more important than another as we need each one of them. And these gifts are not distributed by us but by the Spirit according to the Spirit not according to our determination. We don’t decide what gift we have received. That is important so we can simply accept who we are in the Spirit and get on with living the Kingdom life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t stress this enough : the gifts are not a reward for good behaviour. The gifts are Christ distributed among the believers. It is in unity that we find maturity and in maturity that we find Father’s glory. The gifts are the supernatural expression of the Kingdom in this world and are supposed to be as natural to us as walking, talking, breathing, and they give us a wonderful sense of belonging to each other. I need what you have and you need what I have. To live anything less is to live short of Father’s design for us in this world.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I discourage you from exploring the gifts outside of the relationship with Jesus. The most important thing is to be in this growing intimate relationship with Jesus that we have been called to and designed for. To try to operate in a gift outside of that relationship is an abuse and comes with terrible consequences in this world. The gifts are a beautiful thing that increase our service to the Lord, to each other and are a fantastic expression of surrendered worship. In these gifts we know it is nothing about us and everything about him, he determines them and he supplies them, we only walk in what he gives. And in doing so we make our community, tribe, body rich and strong.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So it is within this context that we will now begin to explore the gifts of the Spirit.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-52507049605791715802022-04-27T15:14:00.002-04:002022-04-27T15:14:44.251-04:00The Gifts Of The Spirit - An Introduction<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, sometimes we forget what we are part of. We get so focused on all the challenges of life in this place, all the difficulties, all the failures that we lose our ability to see Father’s glory in all the beauty in us and around us. We may say that we are not of this world but most days we live by “what you see is what you get”.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f5bfbce3-7fff-d863-731a-f1369142e92e"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the next little while I want to write about the gifts we have been given that are part of the reason we know that we are not of this world. It is more than just the world changing Kingdom values we live by, it is also the supernatural things we have been equipped with to carry out our assignments. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am a bit different in my understanding of the gifts, some of which we find listed in 1 Corinthians 12. I believe these are not an exhaustive list but just some of the gifts Paul used as examples in his explanation of the Body of Christ. Some people will tell you that we are limited to twelve gifts and others will name nine. I believe that our Father is so creative that he gives us a wide variety of gifts to cause the Body to stand apart from everything in this world. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We cannot afford to look at our Christian history and decide that certain things were only given at certain times. Like everything else in our Father’s creation, humanity got in the way and messed it up. The Church was never intended to have the history that we have. Men desiring power got in the way and corrupted what was intended to be beautiful. It didn’t mean the Spirit left but only that we lost certain knowledge of the “how”. Father kept his agenda moving forward so that as believers came out from under the yoke of the corrupted they started to again walk with the Spirit and the gifts were seen again.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course we are going to see an ongoing dispute over this because our enemy never wants us to step into the reality of who we are in Christ. I am not here to convince anyone who is determined to limit the Spirit of anything. If you step out in the wonder of how Christ intended you to be you will get to encounter these dear people. Always treat them with love and respect, allowing the Spirit to do what he will with them. But as for you and me …</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want us to explore the wonder of what Jesus has made us to be as members fit together in this wonderful thing we call the Church, the Body of Christ. I hope that we will both receive much encouragement in this, not in seeking power, but in the fullness of a trusting relationship based on faith and love. So here we go …</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-84540586669029275792022-04-22T21:11:00.003-04:002022-04-22T21:11:54.885-04:00What Are You Going To Do About Getting Old?<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For everything there is a season. If you are over forty years of age you know of which I speak. Growing older is all about letting go of one season and adjusting to a new one. There are things that you enjoyed doing in your 20’s and 30’s that are not as doable now, but that’s not a bad thing because there are things that you can really appreciate now that you just didn’t get when you were younger. It’s the adjusting that takes practice though.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-45ee5a4d-7fff-5239-ec0b-f02687fc3390"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was in my 40’s I realized I did not have the energy I had ten years ago. But then again, my lifestyle did not exactly promote a high energy life. I also took a better look around me and noticed how limited some of my older friends had become because of health issues brought on by poor lifestyle. I wanted something better and it wasn’t going to happen if I continued doing what I was doing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I started developing an active lifestyle and changed my eating habits. I took time to understand how God had designed my body and what support it needed from me so it could support me. It didn’t take long for me to feel the difference and I haven’t looked back. But that was an adjustment I made in my 40’s which carried me into my 50’s. Now as I am approaching my 60’s I see further adjustments that need to be made.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t afford to try to live off of five hours sleep any more. I need to adjust my idea of rest so that my body has the strength to fight off disease. No more late nights. My digestive system can’t handle me downing a bag of almonds in an hour so I need to adjust my balance. I need more protein and magnesium. I can’t get away with all my cardio activity any more, I need to add resistance training to maintain muscle. I can’t handle doing five things at a time any more, one or two is good. And it may take me a few days to do what I did in one, and that’s okay.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The biggest adjustment is to time and expectation. As I get older, supporting my body takes more time and greater intention. I try to build activity into everything I do; park five blocks away and walk, take the stairs, have walking meetings in the park, telephone calls are done while walking the neighbourhood. But on top of that is the 30 minutes of cardio workout five days a week, and 30 minutes of resistance training for those same five days. There is the 20 minutes of yoga style stretching every day and the 60 minutes of mindfulness to help my body shed the subconscious daily stress. There are also the two-3 km walks each day. And therein lies the problem.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If these are the things I need to do to support my body and mind in the aging process, I am going to have to make room for it. It’s great to talk about these things but something is going to have to shrink or go in order to fit it all in. That’s the kicker for most of us. We want to be healthy but we aren’t really prepared to lose anything to do it.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My time with God is a non-negotiable ; that’s number one priority. My time with my children and wife are also precious. My friends in my church are also important. My french studies are also a must. What does that leave me with? TV. Social media. Games. It’s amazing how much time we find when we shrink those down. But is it that important to you?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s the million dollar question. What you adjust to support your aging self is totally up to you but if you want to be healthy in your golden years something is going to have to change. You can’t and won’t stay the same, one way or another. Quick, take a look around. You don't have to be stuck with diabetes. You don’t have to become dependent on blood pressure medication. There are many things you can avoid if you just learn to listen to what your body needs, understand the season you are in, adjust, and make room for a healthy you.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3460231368220088583.post-35841830812653041812020-11-03T14:41:00.011-05:002020-11-03T14:41:57.960-05:00A Different Side Of The Pandemic<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had the opportunity to see a different side of the pandemic this week. A side that I knew in theory existed but something I had not yet experienced.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-55480c25-7fff-0ca2-b888-3d4376cca317"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Thursday my wife had an appointment with her gynecologist for her weekly check up. She had four weeks left in her pregnancy so she was now being checked on bi-weekly. Due to the pandemic I was not permitted to attend the appointment with her so I ran a few errands and then sat in the parking lot preparing for my General Science class I was teaching the following day.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn’t notice my wife until she opened the door and silently slipped into her seat. I looked at her and asked how it went. Looking straight ahead she told me that we had to go to the hospital. Why, I asked. She calmly told me, after they took her blood pressure, they suddenly rushed her into the doctor ahead of the people who were there before her. The doctor took one look at her numbers and told her she was to go to the hospital immediately and they would take care of her there.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we headed to the hospital.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we presented ourselves at the birthing center we were brought into an observation area. They kept checking her blood pressure and then took blood and urine samples for testing. No one told us anything but we knew this wasn’t routine. All this time we were talking through masks and watching nurses, doctors and cleaning staff hurry about their duties in all their protective gear. It was strange to watch, like something out of a Sci-Fi movie.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They must have rushed the tests because it didn’t seem we were there very long before the results were back. A very gentle doctor came to talk to us. She informed us that the results indicated pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening condition for baby and mother if not attacked upon. She informed us that there was only one cure: delivery. They would have to induce my wife four weeks early.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were not prepared for this physically or mentally. We suddenly realized that we were at the hospital birthing center, preparing to give birth, with no baby, mommy or daddy bags. We had the clothes on our backs. No music. No extra pillows. No snacks (for dad). And worst of all, no phone chargers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At first the doctor said I could go home and pick up what was needed because they would start the induction in the morning. Then everything changed when the medication failed to lower Melodie’s blood pressure. I was told to stay put. Wait, what? It was the only moment that we had any apprehension. Were they going to end up doing a c-section? But thirty minutes later the doctor was back to explain they were going to transfer my wife to her room and start the induction now. The doctor turned to me, smiled, and said that I had time to go home and get what was necessary. Then she added, but don’t be long.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Armed with a long list of things I needed to get for baby and mom and where I would find them at home, I left the hospital. Round trip, not counting seek and find time, it was 34 minutes. Thankfully my eighteen year old daughter was waiting for me and gave me a hand putting things together and even packed a lunch for me. By the time I got back with everything (more or less), my wife was comfortably installed in her room and the procedure had started. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being people of faith and belonging to a large faith family, there were people all around the world praying for us. This was something incredibly comforting in knowing that friends in Greece, Belgium, France, the US, throughout Canada, in the Philippines and places we didn’t even know about were praying for us and little Samuel, who was being forced into this world before he was ready. We had a wonderful sense of peace in the Lord’s presence. All was well.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the next eighteen hours we had the privilege of meeting many incredible doctors and nurses. Their compassion and tenderness was amazing, but something happened that made me see people in this pandemic in a whole new way. The thing that changed everything, that made me sit up and take note happened at the most incredible moment of our time in the hospital.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Melodie was in active labour. Nurses seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. The doctor was in the catch position. Everyone in the room became the cheerleaders and my wife was immersed in the moment. It was loud. It was busy. And it was then, as the sweat was washing over my wife’s face and the pain was at its most intense, with her breathing deepened to the point I thought the medical mask would disappear into her breath, that one of these beautiful cheerleading women reached over and flicked my wife's mask off her face. She was free to suck in all the air she needed. In one simple motion, compassion trumped protocol. I was stunned by this act’s insane nature of beauty. It was second only to the arrival of our beautiful baby boy.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pause and reflect for a moment. That mask on my wife’s face was not there for the benefit of my wife. It was there to protect everyone else in the room. The act of removing that mask was entirely for my wife’s benefit, to the endangerment of everyone else in that room. This significance was not lost on me.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was something absolutely wondrous how the beautiful part of humanity overshadowed the masks, gowns and hand sanitizer. Not once did I hear these beautiful people raise doubt about the pandemic or the protocols in place because of it. There were no complaints or fussing or frowns. After a bit I stopped noticing what they were wearing because their hearts of service caused these things to evaporate in their soft tones of tender compassion. They were not focused on themselves or the inconvenience of working twelve hours in this equipment. Their focus was caring for these new mom’s and their beautiful new born babies. If they were tired of all this they never showed it beneath those beautiful voices and those healing hands.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So my take away : no matter the circumstances of the day, the best parts of humanity can outshine it when we are determined to focus on love.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS. My wife gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, weighing only 5.5 lbs, just this side of being a preemie. Mother and baby are resting comfortably at home, healthy and well. We consider ourselves tremendously blessed and are eternally thankful for such a large praying family.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Michael Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09493809865215323875noreply@blogger.com0