Vessels

P 3341 There is a bigger reality.

/ DVH

And it is not pie in the sky when we die … it’s right here, right now. Jesus died so we can live like He taught His disciples to live… in our own daily reality with all its ups and downs. When the Lord Jesus says: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”  He’s talking about you and I – here and now. We are the vessels He has chosen. Personally my vessel often feels like it can’t hold water, but when He steps in I find it can hold water and His love after all!

We’ve been chosen to usher in His will, His way. To bring His kingdom into this war-driven world, grasping for fuel, and clean air, and rapidly polluting oceans. And let’s not forget those people who live their whole lives struggling for clean water and food! Man’s greed has reaped it’s reward – for many people it seems like hell is already here. Which is what you get when you put satan in charge, and not Jesus!

As Christians – His Body – we are here to show the world, first-hand, that there is more to this life than the state of the oceans, or the lack of trees, or global warming etc. We are here to show them what God’s love looks like, live and in person, through US. We carry Him with us, everywhere we go. Our power is in our ordinariness. We choose to give others, who don’t deserve it anymore than we did, the kind of love that is patient and kind, full of faith, and does no wrong to anyone. Because each one of us is here to contribute something; then doing nothing, is simply adding to the problem.

None of us are here by accident. The greater the trials and tribulations we have had to overcome, … the greater God will be glorified. Sadly, we seem to think we can just float along going to church, paying our tithes – as well as praying and asking for what we think we need, and that’s that. The unspoken subtext is this: “of course, God knows we are way too busy with our daily lives to live for Jesus!” He’ll understand, He’s God, He’s supposed to be loving, nice and kind etc.

Jesus Christ is our LORD. Jesus says in Luke 6:46: “Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and you don’t do the things I say?” What we say is not enough, what we DO counts. And there’s you and me with egg all over our faces. We were never meant to be alone, struggling along, trying to be nicer than we really are. He has given us new clothes, inside and out! (Colossians 3:12.) Our inheritance is God’s kingdom, and we, you and I, take it with us wherever we go. But there are times when we look a lot more like the Prodigal Son — who wanted everything, here and now to make his life better.

Our enemy wants us so busy watching our own backs, we stop caring about the poor sod next door who is going under for the third time. I’ve noticed that sometimes the greatest villains in our lives, turn out to be the best soldiers for Christ. Many times I have prayed for someone in my own family who was persecuting me. Did they all get saved? I dunno, there were really stubborn people in my forebears! Don’t give up on people because of their unredeemed behaviour —  our God can bring beauty out of ashes.

Let’s get this clear. He does not have to rely upon us to bring Him glory – HE simply IS GLORIOUS! And transformation in a lost life brings Him glory because only He can do it. Only God Himself can take someone who has lived their lives the wrong way, and transform them in a heartbeat on their death bed. I’ve seen Him do it. We think salvation means God will raise up great marvellous mighty men and women of God to lead us to victory —- yet we still see ourselves as passengers instead of participators. We lovingly sing “it’s all about You, Jesus” and then go away and live our lives like it’s all about US!

Job knew some stuff even in the middle of his personal, heartbreaking disasters. “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Job 13:15 or “I know that my Redeemer lives” 19:25. And Job 1:21:“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the Name of the Lord.” We seem to think our God is like Father Christmas, and He will bring me what I want when I want it. Let’s take the time to look at this man’s responses. The real blessing is in the way in which Job accepted what happened to him, with such enormous Grace. Yes, Job ended up better off – but that was a byproduct, not the aim!

There are days when I do not like laying down my life for others. I want to bam my renewed mind into a small space, and throw it into a safe place and lock the door! BUT! I have the Holy Spirit inside me and He never leaves me… The Lord Jesus died to give me the power to live a different kind of life – not just to get what I want. By all means let’s pray for bad stuff to go away … and sometimes it will … and sometimes it won’t. That’s because He’s God, and He’s good, and He knows stuff I don’t.

Inside me, where I really live, I know full well my excuses and actions are just emotional pity parties. I can’t afford to choose sympathy over real love. REAL LOVE IS ALWAYS COSTLY. Jesus offered mankind His precious life and death lived in love, and what He did will last forever. There is a bigger reality —you and I are now ‘kingdom people’ – and that will cost us too. Let’s make a quality decision, count the cost and jump in the river … Bye. 👋

P 2311 The bible is not for proving ME right!

/ DVH

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvellous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.” Romans 12:1 TPT

Sadly what happens when we look at verses like this one — is we often go from – what it says …  straight into – how I think it should be done. And we start merrily defining holiness – what we should do, and what we shouldn’t. What is allowed … and WHAT IS NOT.  What we can get away with … and what we can’t! Did I say that out loud??  😶 

Now, I am not saying that we can’t use the bible to gather relevant info …BUT … the ‘me,’ or ‘my opinion-centred way’ of thinking, still leaves US in charge and we end up with what we think this or that verse means as the criteria. Let’s  look closely at this scenario for a second. You might think that having a beer or a glass of wine, for instance, is OK. But I, on the other hand, may not.

So the I-like-a-beer-etc.-people find 54 verses for ‘JESUS DRANK WINE …’ etc etc. and paint them on banners. And my hypothetical group of abstainers find 48 verses that say ‘don’t drink, don’t be a drunkard.’ So we picket the opposition group (big clue in that name!) and handing out fliers saying “people who drink alcohol go straight to hell.” 😱

Who decides WHO wins? Well, actually sadly, nobody wins! In reality, 54 people leave our church of 102 people … who ALL say they love Jesus. And these God-loving people toddle off and form ‘the Church of people who love a good beer…’ and 48 are left behind who have suddenly become prideful because they didn’t fall for the devil’s trap! They in turn form a new church called ‘purity means abstinence.’ Everybody loses! Especially the Lord and His purposes. And we all go round and round – achieving nothing.

Here’s a BIG THOUGHT. The Holy Spirit isn’t called the HOLY SPIRIT for nothing. We can end up in these sad little eddies because we ignore the One Person Who actually knows ALL the answers! Now off we go making more rules and regs to prove our POV is right and theirs is wrong. Sadly our time is no longer taken up seeking Him, for His will to be done in our lives. Instead we read the bible to prove a point, not to know Him, and learn about ourselves. 

2 Timothy 2:15“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” We can use this verse, and that theology to prove we are right, but the Answer is simple. Ask yourself, ‘is what I am doing LOVE. Or am I just trying to prove my point?’  We can’t do both! We must ask ourselves “what spirit are we in?”

Surrender! Romans 12:1: is our primary response. Otherwise we can end up trying to fight ‘God’s battles” … and …He can fight His own. After surrendering we are on the Lord’s side, and His great goodness is now our inspiration. We need to ask Him what HE wants. This verse says He wants yielded vessels, people who put aside what they want or need for His sake. Holiness flows from THIS – relationship. Let’s not waste His time and ours galloping about deciding who is right and who is wrong. WE are all WRONG. Read the book!

Unity flows out of this kind of surrender, simply because we yield to Him and leave our POVs behind. When we clear away our self-centred debris, suddenly we begin to see the little things He does, that only mean something to us because HE IS SO PERSONALLY engaged with us. He doesn’t just  want to give us platitudes or verses that generically bless everyone – The Holy Spirit wants to give us things that have great meaning to us in our current situations. 

So the person who likes a beer or a glass of wine is given the verse 1 Corinthians 6:12 by the Holy Spirit.  “Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything.” And the purity through abstinence people are reminded that: “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13. Sadly, today I think the church is more interested in the appearance of good, rather than letting the Holy Spirit complete His work of redemption in us.

The Holy Spirit’s words are apples of gold in settings of silver. Always be careful to have the setting as well as the apples! 👋🏻