We have looked at the characteristics of prayer and the reasons we do not pray. In this last installment we are going to look at the aspects of participating in a life of prayer. Through out the bible we see one thing in common with all of God’s people, from Adam to Abraham, from Moses through the Prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles. They all prayed and what they prayed for can help us in our prayer lives. 

   Modern technology has deprived a generation of ability to read a map. When I was a child we would take out a map and plan every part of our route. We would highlight the highways and byways. Planning each and every stop and then anticipate what we would see that was not on the map. When I was in the military over thirty years ago map reading was taken to the next level. Today with our GPS we no longer need a map we know where we are and where we are going with the push of a button. Yet if you do not take the time to update your GPS it can lead you astray.

    In our spiritual lives we often make the mistake of not updating our GPS, our God Positioning System. One thing we need to do is pray for direction in our lives. When God guided His people He did it one step at a time and He guides us today in the same way. Imagine of you knew your entire life’s journey ahead of time. I work in an imaging center and one day they were interviewing new MRI technologist. This particular person was looking at the computer that showed the scheduled patients. He commented that it was so cool that they could see the entire weeks work load at one time. When he was told that was not the whole week but just that day’s work load he was shocked and left, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Imagine if we could see our entire life’s journey at one time we would feel the same way. That is why God guides us one step at a time, and we are to participate in that with our prayers, asking for guidance one step at a time.

    Solomon was able to ask God for anything, he could have had riches beyond belief, power that could not have been questioned but he asked for wisdom. God granted Solomon’s request and gave him much more.

 1 Kings 3:7-13

 ⁷ “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 

   ¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

When we pray we are not only seeking direction but seeking wisdom from God. It is wisdom that will help guide us through the tough times. I am a father and at Christmas there was always the thing you had to put together. Today many people shop at stores like IKEA where many things include the notation “assembly required”.  Being a man I often forgo the need for instruction and take of on my own. I fail more often than I succeed. When we fail to pray for wisdom we are failing to ask God for the instructions. Yet He has told us no matter what the situation He will give us the wisdom to handle it. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”(James 1:5)

   Praying for the right things is a task that often eludes us. Now wait a minute I thought God said He would grant us our hearts desires. God says ask and it will be given and He is a person that keeps His promises. Our desires should be to follow Christ, when we are in Christ, living for Christ our hearts desires should be for God. Our prayers should be beyond selfishness and self-centered desires. We should be praying for others to receive wisdom and knowledge of God so that they can have the relationship that we cherish. We should pray that others have strength and patience to help them in times of trouble. We should be praying that God fills them with joy and peace. There is nothing wrong with praying for the things we need, but a strong prayer life will ALWAYS include the needs of others.   

Lastly pray for God’s power to walk in His strength as a living example of what it is to walk with God. Try as we might it is not something that can be accomplished under our own power. When selfishness, self-centeredness, greed, lust, contempt, anger swell up in you ask God for the power to over come these and give you peace.

 To build a strong prayer life we nee many things and the short list is as follows

1 - We need a desire to grow spiritually mature. Growth is the outward manifestation of ones maturity in there walk with God.

2 - We need to take an honest look at our excuses for not praying. Decide what is more important, spending time with the one you love.

3 - Start a prayer list or notebook, this is a practical step in building a prayer life.

4 -Talk to God through out the whole day, keep Him at the front of your thoughts through out your day.

5- Set an initial goal start with five minutes then with training build up your time of prayer.

‘The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective"

James 5:16

Thank you to all who have taken the time to read my series. I pray that it has been a blessing to you.

 H

   Jim George the author of "A Man After God's Own Heart" said this about prayer. “ Prayer is a spiritual discipline that is difficult for even the most devout Christian to practice on a truly consistent basis. It demands time and requires focus, which are hard for modern minds and lifestyles to incorporate. To pray also requires us to overcome our natural tendency to try and come up with out own solutions. Prayer tries our patience. We dislike waiting on God’s answer. So we try to manipulate or situation by coming up with our own quick answers.”

    As a person that believes in God one of the ways we communicate with God is through prayer. Prayer is indeed something we struggle with and is often a topic at many of the meetings I attend. Questions arise such "What is payer? Or "How do I pray?" Many times we discuss the problem of why we do no pray. The purpose of this article is to perhaps answer some of these questions. What are the characteristics of prayer? In this article I am going to look at three characteristics of prayer.

    When we love someone one thing we should to is communicate with them. You can talk to marriage counselors around the world and at the top of each of their list as a problem in marriage is communication. In today's world we have cell phones so we can stay in touch on a twenty-four hour basis with friends and family. We text, we facebook, we blog, and we talk. Still the most effective way of communicating even today is to talk to one another. That is the first characteristic of prayer. Prayer is just talking with God.

    People will make a big thing about not knowing how to pray. We see people such as Pastors or elders in the church present these elegant and well worded prayers. Some churches have prayers that are written and repeated at every service. They are poetic and many times as in the Psalms music to the ears. So when we pray we feel inadequate and lost. As beautiful and eloquent some of these prayers might be we need to remember only one thing,. Prayer is talking with God. He is your Father in heaven who wants nothing more than to be with you the one He loves. So talk to Him and He will answer. Prayer is our way of letting the Father know we love Him and to let Him know the desires or our hearts.   Psalm 21: "You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips"   

    If communication is a two way street how does God communicate with us? He speaks to us thought His word. Scripture is God's word to us. Through it we learn His character, His will, and His desires for us.  It is said that when you open God's word you gaze upon the face of God. A person who believes in God should want to be with Him and should want to be in His word. God speaks to us thought circumstances, many times we see His hand in things that happen around us. If we look in His word we see Him in the circumstances of people like Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. Even in the bad times if we seek He is there. It is the circumstances of our lives that we experience God. With each experience we grow closer and begin to know Him in new and wonderful ways.  He speaks to us through other believers and the church. We often seek counsel of those wiser than us in matters concerning our spiritual lives.  God will use these people to speak to us and help guide us in our walks with Him. When I speak of the church I am not speaking of a building but of the church, the people of God as a whole. The church is not a building it is people, people who love God.  And He speaks to us through prayer. Often in prayer it is not what we say to God that is important it is what He says to us in the quiet time. When you pray make sure to take some time to just quietly listen with your heart.  

   The second characteristic is that prayer is and act of faith. Faith is perhaps for a non-believer the hardest thing to understand. As a believer it is hard to understand. We pray in faith because we are praying to a person we cannot see, who's existence is only by what w see of His work and in His word. Romans 1:20 says this  'For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,'  Fot hose that seek God they will find Him. Psalms 19 says "The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands" We pray and our faith stays strong because we trust the promise of God. Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you"   

   Lastly prayer seeks the will of God in our lives. Imagine if we knew beyond a doubt everything God wanted for us in our lives. What an easy path that would be to follow. Prayer is our attempt to bring our wills and desires in line with God’s will and desires for us.  David prays in Psalm 40:8 "I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” How can we make sure we do not misinterpret God as we pray? We allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. The job of the Spirit is to enlighten us in our prayers to God’s desires and will. Through out the Old Testament we see that with each prophet it is written the Spirit of the Lord was upon them. And in the New testament , Jesus says we would be sent a Helper the Holy Spirit. In it says Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God"

    We look to God's word to seek His will and know His will. The chances of any of us having an audience with the President, the Queen of England or the likes of Warren times we do not like Buffet are slim to say the least. Yet when we look into His word we have an audience with the Creator of the Universe. He promises to answer our prayers and always comes through even though at the answers. The answer may not always be to our liking but we in faith follow and trust His judgment. If you pray in faith without selfish motives and seek the will of God your prayers will become effective and you will grow closer to God.

H

   We often here the statement “I can be a good person without God” and that is true. I have conversed with many people who do not believe here on the Vine. What I have been able to discern form this mode of contact they are good people who love and care for others. We also hear that Christian do what they do out of fear of God. It is easy to see why people make this assumption if they do not have a relationship with God. As a person who has studied God and religion from the point of view of an Atheist and now a Christian I can see how that assumption can be easily made. The attempt of this essay is to address these assumptions and hopefully clarify the Christian point of view as best I can from what I have learned.

  If you love someone you will do anything for them that is what unconditional love really means. Many nights my wife and I will be sitting on the sofa watching one of our favorite programs.  She will turn to me and ask me if I will go to the store and get her a candy bar. I will then turn and in a firm voice tell her “No”. She will then say “I want a Snickers thank you” She knows that because I love her I will go and that my “No” is a smoke screen. A small thing but a good example that there is nothing she could ask that I would not do because I love her. The same can be said for a Christian’s relationship with God. Jesus said the first and greatest command was to love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. If you love God with all of that there is nothing you would not do that He asks of you/ All that He asks of  a Christian is to follow His commands. Jesus if you love me you will follow my commands and the commands of my Father. Christians do not do what they do out of fear they do what they do out of and emeses love for God, in response to the emesis love He has for them. A common factor that is observed is that the divorce rate among Christians is no different than the rest of the population at around 50%.. While on the surface this is true of people who say “I am a Christian”. If we break it down further and look at those Christians that have a true love relationship with God. That is they attend church weekly, after all if you love someone you want to spend time with them. They read their bibles daily and spend time in prayer. They do their best to live lives that follow God’s commands and do the best they can to walk like Jesus. The divorce rate drops to 26% almost in half. If a Christian is having a problem following God’s will in is not as much an obedience problem as it is a love problem. If a Christian has a true relationship with God there is no fear, there is only respect and love. Just like I would go and get that snickers for my wife because I love her, I would do what very God asks because I love Him.

  I recently was a participant in a ceremony and one of the resolves that we took was that we would be men answerable to God. Which brings me to the next point accountability; we are all accountable whether it is to our friend, family or government. Our actions are under scrutiny by someone. If one is accountable to the world we know then there are consequences for our actions but in reality there are many things people do that are approvable by the world in general but not acceptable to a person who lives a life that emulates Christ. Perhaps that is why the world looks upon Christians with such scrutiny. Watching and waiting to point out that one thing that is not of Christ. I think of myself as a man of integrity, I am honest and try my best to treat others in the same way. I do my best to follow the law and be a good worker. God has called me to step that up and be more. To give an example; The freeways here in California have a posted speed limit between 65 and 70 mph. Now to be honest there are few people that travel that speed, myself included. Most people know that if you do 70 in the 65 or 75 in the 70 you will not be ticketed. The world accepts that and would not hold that against you. In my studies I came across a passage in the bible that says I am to obey the authorities placed in power by God. I am to obey the government and all its laws as sign that I am a Christian. Yet here I was following the crowd and doing just as they did, because it was acceptable by the majority. I decided then and there that I would do the speed limit. Anyone who lives in California knows that is not a popular thing to do. However if God has called me to be a man of integrity and I love God am I to be accountable to the world or to Him that created me. If I am to be true to who God expects me to be even the smallest compromise in my integrity would be affront to that relationship. It that accountability that keeps Christians on the right path if they truly love God, not only the accountability of God, but he accountability of those around them who are looking to see if they live and act like Christians. There are many more examples of what the world accepts as  proper but I cannot allow in my life because of that accountability. The thing some people might not understand is the freedom that brings to my life. There is a massive responsibility, and yet the freedom to not be conformed to the world. There is a peace knowing that God is there to help me through it and guide me with love. There is a joy to know that I am pleasing the one that I love and loves me.

I am no different no better than anyone else I meet and in many ways inferior to some. The difference is that real and personal love relationship that I have with God. The difference is that because I have openly declared myself a follower of Christ that I know people look at me differently and they hold me to a higher standard whether consciously or subconsciously. I am ok with that and will do my best to fulfill that obligation.

H

  There have been several articles and we always have multiple comments on there is no proof that God exist. We hear the battle cry “Shoe me the evidence”.  Evidence in this case is subjective, to the interpretation of the person. We all have the same evidence, the way we interpret it determines what we do or do not accept. That interpretation is based on our own bias and presuppositions. There are those that cry for empirical evidence, if they cannot feel it touch or see it in does not exist.  There are many things in life we cannot feel, touch or see and yet we accept them. You cannot touch love, feel love ( in a physical tactile sense) or see it, yet we will accept it  exist. We can see the reaction in the brain to different emotions, yet we are only seeing the results of the emotion not the emotion. Science can and has provided us with many wonderful things, yet in cannot explain why there is unconditional love or compassion. It cannot explain the awe we feel when we see the night sky, or the joy we feel when we hear a child’s laughter. The sorrow felt in each every loss in our lives. Science cannot explain the hope that everything will be ok at those times when there is no way out. In my life those thing s can only be explained by my relationship with my Creator. They can only be explained by experience, I have long had the knowledge of God, but that ability to know becomes so much more when we  know by experience. I would like to share what I have learned in experiencing God and what has become to me the seven realities to experiencing God.

Number one –“God is always at work around you”. God did not create this world then abandon it. God has always been actively involved in its affairs from the beginning. From the moment He created us, to when we became separated from Him through sin, through his work at redeeming us to His ultimate gift dying on the cross so that we may be reconciled.  He has and is always at work. When Moses was asked to work and free the nation of Israel from slavery, God had already been at work to pave the way for this to happen. God told Abraham to go to the land He had promised, He told Abraham that his descendants would be taken in to bondage. He made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the used Moses to accomplish His task. He is working the same today and inviting His people you and I to join Him in His work.

Number two – “God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal” . God created us to be relational and to love. We were created to love our Father and each other. God is the one that is pursuing a relationship with us. Our personal relationship with Him  is important and personally I have discovered that if my relationship with God is not as it should be nothing else none of my other relationships are in order.  Scripture teaches that while we were still sinners He loved us. It teaches that He because of this love He died for us. How much more should our love be for Him and for each other?

Number three – “God invites you to become involved with Him in His work” . God is the creator and sovereign ruler of the universe; He has always been at work to accomplish His purpose. We often have grandiose dreams of things of what we can do for God or for ourselves. We have the inner drive to be self-centered doing what we think is right in our own eyes. When God invited us to be God-centered and to look and see where He is already working and then invites us to join Him. Such was the case with Moses, Go had already a purpose and that was to free Israel form slavery and He invited Moses to join Him. Many Christians are looking for that “Red Sea” moment and by doing that they are self-centered and miss all the small moments God has invited you to join Him. He promised Abraham a son and waited 25 years before He gave Him a son. Inviting Abraham to grow through he small things, building his character until he was ready to be the father of a nation.

Number four - “God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church (other believers0 to reveal Himself, His purpose and His ways”. From Genesis to Revelation God speaks to His people. Today He still speaks through His word which is given to us .  He speaks to us through prayer as we quietly listen for His voice and guidance. Most assuredly He speaks through our circumstances He has and will often use our circumstances to draw us closer to Him.  Again as with His invitation we do need the “Red Sea” moment; if you look He is there even in the smallest of circumstances. We should always verify what we feel is God’s will by His searching His word, by prayer and by sharing with other believers we trust.  From my own personal experience I know that when I am in God’s will there is a peace that overcomes me and a joy that fills me.

Number five – “God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action” Often when God invites you to work with Him He is inviting you to do something that you cannot do on your own.  God’s assignments often need God sized solutions.  When God invited Moses to join Him there was no way Moses could accomplish this on His own and Moses had a crisis of belief. He asked God “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?”  He knew He did not have the power to do the task at hand.  Each time Moses offered an excuse he was questioning whether God could really do what He said He can do. Moses took that step of faith relying on God’s promises given hundreds of years before he was born and then took action and went to Pharaoh.  As a Christian I have had a crisis of belief many times, and each time it took a step of faith to follow where God was leading. Faith to believe that He can do what He says He can do, and take the action to follow.

Number six – “You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing” Nobody likes change we get comfortable in our lives and in our situations. When God invites you to join Him you will have to adjust. Abraham was called to leave where he was with no definite destination given, Moses was called to go back to Egypt where he could face death, the Apostles were asked to leave their lives behind and follow.  If you follow God you to will have to make adjustments, whether they be location, emotional, or in your character or thinking, you cannot stay where you are and follow God.  These adjustments will not always be easy but to move closer to God they are required.

Number seven — “You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you” As you obey God you will experience Him then begin to know Him on a whole new level.  Throughout scripture we see people obeying God and the experiencing Him in a greater way.  If we accept God’s invitation and work where He is working and obey what He has given us to do we will experience Him.  Every step of obedience taken lets us grow closer to God.  You can move beyond the “I know” god because I have read the bible, or others have told me about Him to the “I know” God because I have experienced Him in a real and personal way.

Lessons I have learned in my walk with God and with the help of some great teachers and writers. The purpose of this article is not to argue whether there is a God. Whether I am right or you are wrong It is to share my experience and others experience in knowing God on a whole new level and perhaps how you can know this to. If you do not believe I hope it helps explain why some of us do believe. Experience is a personal thing and is real. As I stated in the beginning much of what we experience in life cannot be explained by science, the evidence is not empirical. But that does not make it any less real, any less important in the lives of many people.

H

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love her and honor her and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

  The act of being faithful was put first in this statement because without faithfulness there is no love and there is no honor. We live in a world that is permeated with sexuality. Pornography is available at the click of a button. Sex is used to sell everything from work boots to salad dressing. Faithfulness to some means not acting upon and impulse, to not have sex outside of marriage and that is indeed a good thing. We have often heard sayings as "It does not hurt to look". However in my heart I find that to be lacking and in my heart I know it does hurt. Jesus says in Matthew 5:27-28 that to look upon a woman with lust is committing adultery in your heart. It is not just a physical act but it is an act of the heart. God looks at the heart, what is in the heart of a man. I had to question myself am I really being faithful to my wife if I am looking at other woman? My answer in truth was a resounding no. Job took his faithfulness very seriously to the point of making a covenant with his eyes to not look upon another woman. Realistically in today's world unless I were to walk around with a blind fold that would not be possible. I have seen many times where I have fallen short of this standard and new that I was good enough but felt that I need to be better that God expect more. What I can do is make that covenant by avoiding clicking that button on the computer, not browsing through the magazines at the news stand, avoid shows on TV and movies that are overtly sexual in nature. My wife deserves my full faithfulness beyond what the world expects of me, she deserves the type of faithfulness that God expects of me.

  With the faithfulness comes honor. I had to ask do I honor my wife and what does that mean? Beyond the act of being faithful how do I honor her?  I honor her with my actions by being faithful and being a man of integrity that she can respect. She is indeed a gift from God and deserves only my best. She is a wonderful woman of God and has given me her best. Over and over again in the book of Proverbs Solomon shows the value of a good wife 12:4 “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband", 18:22 “He who finds a wife finds a good thing."  19:14 “a prudent wife is from the Lord” 31:10-11” Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain” I honor her by realizing that I am so much more with her. I honor her by not being a good husband but by being the husband God wants me to be.

  Love can mean so many things today; I love my car, my dog and my job. I am to love my wife. To me this did not seem to be a very new revelation. I do love my wife I am a good husband. Even as a good husband I fall short if the husband God wants me to be. Over and over is Scripture it is said that when a man and a woman are joined they become “one flesh”. One flesh, if I were to loose an arm of a leg I would be handicapped and limited. If I were to loose my eyes I could not see my ears I could not hear. Marriage today has become a throw away commodity. People so concerned about their own happiness that when the tough times hit and the happiness comes into to question they leave. When the find the next best thing whether that be another man or another woman they leave. If indeed we are one flesh to leave would be like removing your own eye or arm or leg the pain would be so intense that it would prevent you from finish or even contemplating the act. Ephesian say “So husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself” Love my wife as I love myself, to remove the idea that I am self-centered and become “us” centered. Many marriages end because there becomes a lack of physical contact. We get mad or bitter or bored and withhold that very thing we crave physical contact. 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body but the wife does” Once again we seen this wonderful concept of one flesh. There is a warning later on in the same chapter that if we fail to follow this that is when temptation and lack of self control can enter in and it can devastate a marriage relationship. I again read this and thought I am good here, and again God convicted me and said I do not want good enough.  I was directed to Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” Love my wife as Christ loved the church? Christ’s love for the church was greater than any love we could imagine. He pursued the church with love, He forgave the church for their sins when they asked and repented, He healed them, taught them, and He came in humility and love. He did not rule over them but led by example showing them the right path by living the right path. But greatest of all He served them and was loyal to them even unto His death on the cross. He gave His very life so that they would be saved. He entire life was dedicated to their service, their spiritual growth, and their happiness. There was no pride, no self only love. I have no problem loving my friends, my children and my church family. But loving my wife as Christ loved the church? When this revelation came to me I realized that I was far from being the husbanded that God wanted me to be. I went to my wife with tears in my eyes and asked her to forgive me for not upholding my obligation to being the best I can be. She at first was a bit confused always knowing I was a good husband and then when I told her what was in my heart and what God had shown me she to had tears and we held each other and prayed thanking God for His mercy and wisdom. “One flesh” that is what we are called to be and on that day I realized we realized the true potential of that kind of love. I do not ever want to be a good husband, I will always strive to be the husband God wants me to be.

H

I Hiram do solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife and my children.

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

I have been on a journey over the past few months, it has been one of enlightenment and of sorrow. It has been rewarding and it has been convicting, what it has not been is easy. When it comes to many aspects of our lives there is that tendency to settle into what others, society and eventually ourselves determine that it is good enough. I have been told I am a good father, a good friend and a good husband, that brought up the question in my life; Do I want to be good enough, or do I want to be all that I can be? When is good enough good enough? What does God expect of me and is He happy with good enough? Do my spouse, children and friends deserve better than good enough? These are some hard question and I am still on a journey to answer them in full, however I thought I might share what I have discovered so far.

   There is an saying "The buck stops here" when it comes to leadership this is or at least should be true. When I was in the military the leaders we respected were those that lead by example. They trained harder, studied harder and were the first there and the last to leave. When things went wrong they were the ones to step up as the leader and take full responsibility for their actions. They were people we looked up to an strived to emulate. As the spiritual leader of my house that is what I am called to do. I am called to leader by example. Scripture says in 1 Timothy 3:4 of a father he is to be "one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence."  Ephesians 5:23 says of a husband  For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church"  My first thoughts when I read this was to question the word "rules" what does that really mean? If you take time and look at the Greek the word it refers to a present character that will provide the needed role model to direct others by positive actions having a positive impact. The next word that caught my attention is "submission" in today's world that has so many negative feelings attached to it. When in context here it means to obey and watch, to learn. I am to lead by example, if I am to be effective as the spiritual leader of my house I am to be the example that my family and my friends can follow.

   That example I am to emulate to them is Jesus Christ. As the head of the church Christ lead by example, He set the standard that I should strive to reach. He protected His people when He rebuked the storm on the sea. He was always diligent in teaching them the Word of God by word in His parables and sermons. He lead them in His way by being a living example. Perhaps most important He served them even unto death. His last night with His disciples He put on the towel of a servant and washing their feet. When I came to that clear and precise realization of how far I had fallen short I felt fear. How can I live up to that example? Then I felt remorse with the realization that time after time I had failed at this because I had settled to be good enough. My heart ached because it rang true "The buck stops here". I am called to protect my family, to teach them the Word of God, lead them in His ways, and serve them with all my heart and sole.  I needed to fix this and so the journey began to become the husband, father and friend God expects me to be. 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”

I know it has been a while since I have worked on this series of articles on the Beatitudes but life does sometimes get in the way.  AS part V of the series we are going to look at mercy. To do this we must first try and define what mercy is. Mercy is such a large  concept in a small word and there so many aspects  to it I feel I will more than like miss a some of them but I hope that I am able to give an overall general view of mercy from a point of Christian Theology.  Noah Webster defines mercy:

“That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency “

A complicated word filled with so much. “That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. Mercy in this case might be described as giving some one life in prison instead of the death penalty. It is not giving someone what the law says they deserve.  It is withholding the maximum punishment because of our own tender heart and mild heart. Not something that is easy to do for most of us, we deep down always want to see people get what they deserve. Our innate need for vengeance and retribution is a strong natural urge that is very difficult to overcome. When we see the acts the people perpetrate on one another and the evil that permeates the news we want them all to pay for what they have done. How do we over come such a strong desire, such a driving human force?  For me it I look to God’s mercy for answers.

The account of Jonah is perhaps one the parallels many things we feel in modern society about mercy. Jonah a prophet of God was called to go to the city of Nineveh and warn them of God’s impending judgment against them.  Nineveh was not a place that was every kind to the people of Israel. They were a wicked people that would war against Israel and take their captives back as slaves. Jonah new this and wanted no part in warning them of God’s judgment. He wanted them utterly destroyed and shown no mercy. We often feel the same way about those that wrong us, we want no part in their mercy and only want to see them destroyed. Jonah after being thrown overboard and then saved by the great fish prayed and thanks God for His mercy and protection. Yet had Jonah not done exactly what the people of Nineveh had done, in that he disobeyed God and yet he cries for mercy and believes they deserve it not. How many times have we sought mercy and knew that we deserved it only to deny mercy to others because we want to see justice done. When he was placed on dry land he went into Nineveh and gave the message to the people and the king upon hearing this message repented and turned along with all the people of Nineveh to God and begged for mercy. God granted them mercy and the city was spared. This angered Jonah as scripture says he was exceedingly angry. He calls out to God saying “ I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who retreats from doing harm”  Jonah admits to knowing the character of God yet is angered when God shows that character to the people Jonah hates. He wants mercy and kindness from God but does not want to give the same mercy and kindness in return to others. If we are indeed to follow and live up to the character of God then mercy should be foremost on our minds. Many times in Scripture we are told that we are to live lives in accordance to the character of God. Forgive as you have been forgiven, you are known by your fruits, if you loved Me you would do my will.

One aspect we must not overlook is the responsibility of the person looking for mercy. The city of Nineveh we are told repented from their wicked ways. The entire city put on sack cloth covered themselves in ashes and mourned their wicked ways. Atonement by the accused by the sinner is a prerequisite to mercy.  There can be no mercy without repentance, true repentance, repentance that comes from the heart not just out of obligation.  There is the account of two people seeking God’s mercy.  One a Pharisees who came to the temple and told God of all his piety and all the laws that he upheld, pointed out how holy he was and asked knowing that he deserved God’s mercy. The other a tax collector, who in those times was considered the lowest of low, the tax collector knelt in the temple and confessed his sins. Prayed for God’s forgiveness, confessing his sins and promising to make retribution for the wrongs he had done. He knelt in humility asking for God’s mercy.  Atonement is act of humility, admitting that we fall short of God’s standards and admitting we need His mercy. This can be translated into a more secular world by admitting when we wrong someone, making retribution to them and then in humility asking them for forgiveness.

The second aspect of mercy can be seen in the second part of the definition. “It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion” These are things that all of us can strive for no matter what we believe. In the truest sense it is what a Christian should strive for if they indeed wish to walk as Christ walked. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy”. This same precept is more clearly seen in Matthew 5 34-40. In these passages Jesus lays out how we should show compassion to those around us that are in need.  When we see a need we should feed them, clothe them, visit them and care for them when they are sick. He emphasizes this point when he states Assuredly, I say to you inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren you did it to Me” To show compassion to those in need is essential to walking as Christ walked.  It is essential to walking on this planet no matter what you believe, or put your faith in. As for Christians, who do not walk this path Jesus tells us “Depart from Me”  He continues in verse 45 “Assuredly I say to you inasmuch as you did not  do it to one of the least of these you did not do it to Me” (emphasis mine)  The bottom line is how can we expect mercy from God when we do not show mercy  in our own lives. How can you expect mercy from other people when you donto show mercy in your own life.

Blessings
H

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”.

The old saying "You are what you eat" is actually very real. Any nutritionist will tell you, that you get out of your body what you put into it. I love fried foods and sweets, and there are times I look in the mirror and see the evidence of that reality. The same can be said for those that go to the other extreme and eat very little, their bodies to pay the price. What we see in the natural realm can be true of the spiritual realm. If we feed on anger, hate we will suffer and our bodies will become what we eat. If we feed on pornography and lust we will become what we eat. If we feed ourselves with money and material things we will only hunger and lust after those things. As we think so shall we be. 

"Those who hunger and thirst"  The language here seems pretty straight forward, but upon deeper investigation we see that there is so much more to these simple words. The Greek used here is a strong imperative, it is not your normal thirst or hunger. it is a thirst like no other. There were times in my life I have been that thirsty. I was born and raised in the desert and I live in the desert now. One thing you never do in the desert is go hiking without a good supply of water. have you every been so thirsty you would drink just about anything? That is the "thirst"  that is presented here. It is a consuming thirst that can never be satisfied. The word for "hunger"  is the same. There is a medical condition that turns off the receptors in the brain that tell you when yo are full and to stop eating. People how suffer with this will eat twenty-four seven. There care takers have to lock al lteh food up and watch them constantly otherwise the will literally eat themselves to death. That is the hunger we see here, just like the thirst it is a consuming hunger that is never satisfied. 

"For righteousness"  Not food for the body but food for the soul. What is righteousness? What does it mean to be righteous? Merriam-Webster defines it as such  "morally right or justifiable" / "arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality"  According this definition can those that do not believe in God be righteous? The answer is yes, we all have the ability to be righteous and to do good. However do we stand up to meet the qualifications of a righteous God? Noah Webster in his original 1828 dictionary void of any of the modern political correctness defines righteousness and this. "Purity of heart and rectitude of life; conformity of heart and life to the divine law. Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it is chiefly used, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law. It includes all we call justice, honesty and virtue, with holy affections; in short, it is true religion." Conforming to a life of devine law walking a path that follows God's and Christ example. 

There are three different types of righteousness found within in God's word. The first of these is imputed righteousness. This has also been called legal righteousness. This is the righteousness we find in Romans that we justified by faith made righteous not by anything we have done but by the act of grace done by Christ.  "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4) It is the atoning work of Christ that provides us with this righteousness. If we are trying to save ourselves by going to church, being religious, or just being a "good" person we cannot achieve the righteousness required of a Holy God. It ios only trough the imputed righteousness of Christ that we can stand before God justified in our faith. 

The second type of righteousness is imparted or moral righteousness. This is our desire to live righteously,to seek that what is good and reject that what is evil. It is our desire to live lives that reflect the imputed righteousness give to us by Christ. This what we should hunger for, hunger to be like Christ and to feed that hunger daily by dwelling on His Word and meditating on His life. Christ tells us in Matthew 6 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," This is the consuming hunger that we shodl have to be holy. 

Lastly there is the righteousness that satisfies, that fills that thirst and hunger. The one thing we have to do before we are filled is to be emptied. We need to empty ourselves of sin and pride of our own self-righteous nature. To be filled with the righteousness of God we must be emptied of our own. Jesus promises us here that if we seek Him we will be filled. The word used here is the same word used when they wanted to fatten a calf. We are promised that we will be filled with the righteousness of God. We do this by always seeking and hungering for Christ. To never loose our desire for our first love. Remember what we started with that you are what you eat. You are either satisfied by the worldly things or by the Godly things. What ever you choose to fill your life with will always reflect on how you live your life and how others perceive who you are.

Peace and Blessings
H 

Truth we swear tell the truth the whole truth. We play games with it “Truth or Dare”. We stand on the truth, we live by the truth. Yet do we know what it is? 4+4=8 is a truth claim, science has many truth claims, but are these truth claims or facts is there a difference between fact and truth. Webster’s defines truth in many ways “the property of being in accord with fact or reality” or perhaps “sincerity in action, character, and utterance” or “a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true” It seems that even Webster had a problem nailing it down to one thing. If we dig farther back and look at the original Noah Webster dictionary, which is not cluttered with modern political correctness it defines it as such Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be. The truth of history constitutes its whole value. We rely on the truth of the scriptural prophecies.

 We have in today’s world obscured truth; we redefine it, manipulate, fit it and mix it. We have society’s truth and individual truth. But do we have absolute truth?  Do we need absolute truth? If truth as defined by Noah as “Being in accord with fact or reality” than it would be safe to assume we need absolute truth to have a grasp on reality. If there no absolute truth then there is no absolute reality. Where do we find absolute truth? Is there a difference between truth and fact? Scientific facts can be called truth, but are they the type of truth we can build a moral and just society upon? I pointed out before when we state in court to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Is that truth based on fact or opinion, what I saw at the robbery might be different then what you saw so is my truth the same or more valid that yours. There are moral truths, murder is wrong, stealing is wrong these are generally acceptable as moral truths in society yet if truth is not an absolute then neither are these moral values. I want us to ponder these questions and see if we can come up with an answers as to what believe is truth, where it comes from, how it applies to our lives and how does it apply to others and society. I do not want us to attack other peoples claims I want us to understand each other. I do not expect all of us to agree on what truth is, I do expect us all to respect what others do believe.

Peace
H

Over the past few months I have been watching and reading and learning. I have seen people be gracious and understanding I have seen people be petty and cruel. In the interest of understanding I purpose these questions.  Where do you put your faith? What do you worship? What are the tenants that you live your life by? I purpose this because I have seen those that say “I am a Wicca, or a Pagan, Or Agnostic, Or Gnostic, and so many others. What does it mean to be any of these? How does what you believe affect how you live?

The beginning to tolerance understanding. If we do not truly understand what others believe then how can we understand them? I truly do want to understand and I hope there are those that also want to understand.  Let us keep this polite, and kind, I do not want this to be a forum for insulting, or belittling anyone’s beliefs.  I want this to be a forum of information, a way for all of us to know one another even in small way a little better.  Thank you all for participating.

Blessings
H

What is a Christian? That can be a perplexing question. We see terms like Fundamental Christian, Evangelical Christian, Liberal Christian, Conservative Christian, and the list goes on. But What do you think a Christian is? How should a Christian live their lives? In a literal sense the term Christian first appears in the Book of Acts. Acts 11:26 "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch". The word Christian literally means "from Christ". I have written a few attempts to explain what I believe a Christian is and am now curious to as what you believe a Christian is and how one who claims such a title should live. So let's go for and tell me what you think. Please be polite.

 Will there be rapture? That is a question many believers and non-believers have asked. All though the word “rapture” does not appear in scripture the concept and ideology of it can be found there.  One thing we know is that in all views of the rapture it is preceded by the appearance of Christ and is always associated with the seven years of tribulation or the Day of the Lord. The most common verses quoted come from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (NKV).  We can see that Christ coming for the church will not be a quiet but momentous occasion.  The term used here “caught up” means to be taken away or literally pulled up. This is interpreted by many believers to mean we will be taken away to heaven.

  This event will be one that happens rather quickly. We fine this in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 “Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (NKJV).  We shall not all sleep or translated we shall not all die, but be changed, changed into our glorified state. The passage also talks of the last trumpet, the trumpet that sounds at the coming of Christ when He comes for His church.  There are other passages the refer to those that believe not facing God’s wrath and we will cover those a later.

  There are three views as to the timing of the rapture. IN all cases the rapture signals the end of the age of the church and the beginning of the Day of the Lord. This is when the wrath of God will be unleashed and the 7 years of tribulation and the reign of Satan will begin.  The first view is what is referred to as the Partial Rapture.  Those that believe will depart before the tribulation and then those that believe during the tribulation will be ruptured during the seven years. I can find no scriptural support for this view.

  The second view is the Post Tribulation rapture. There are those that believe that we even as believers will have to suffer and live through the tribulation period. That at the end of the seven years when Christ comes again we will be ruptured to heaven before the final battle of Arrmegaton.  There is the scriptural evidence of the rapture to support this but I believe there is other scripture that is not referenced that does not support believers suffering through the tribulation.

  The third view and perhaps the most common and I believe best supported by scripture is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. This is the belief that believers will be ruptured away before the seven years of tribulation begins.  That there will be those that believe after wards but they will live through the tribulation until the second coming and the beginning of the one thousand year reign of Christ.  Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept my command to preserve, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (NKJV)  We as believers will not be tested, but those that stay will be tested and some will come to believe.  We will be kept from the hands of the Antichrist and Satan. Luke 21:36 “ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all  these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man”   We will escape the wrath and tribulation that is to come. Lastly 1 Thessalonians 5:9 “ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”  salvation through Christ spars us from the wrath of God.  From my studies this is the interpretation that I follow I am what one would call a Pre-Tribulation believer. AS to when it will happen that is not known according to scripture only the Father knows.  Whether you choose to believe or not believe I hope that in some small way helps you understand some of the theology behind the belief in the rapture. Understanding is always a door way to tolerance and peace.

Blessings

H

“Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth”

   We come to another paradox, how can the meek inherit the earth? Is not meekness considered a weakness in today’s world?  Tell a person they are meek and we picture a woman that is abused by her husband is called meek; the kid at school that everyone picks on he is meek.  Jesus never said “Blessed are the spineless for they shall inherit the earth”. Meekness is the opposite of strength and courage.  Superman was in disguise as meek and mild mannered Clark Kent, a picture of weakness or ultimate power under control.  That is a true picture of meekness power under control; meekness can also be interpreted as gentleness, self-control, kindness and humility.

  To the ancient Greeks meekness was a virtue Aristotle defined meekness as an absence of excessive anger. It meant getting angry at the right time for the right reason. In Psalm 37 the Hebrew describes a man who is submissive to the will of God. A person that is meek is silent in the face of insults, it is a person that is not easily angered, a person who kneels before God and relies on His strength. John Bunyan said of meekness this “He who is already down cannot fall”. If we have given our lives over to Christ over to God we can only go up in the power of the Lord. This is illustrated over and over again throughout the bible.

  Abraham, was told in Genesis chapter 12 that he was to be the father of all nations, that his seed would be greater in number than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the beach.  God had brought him and his wife the miracle of a child in their old age and he was chosen by God.  He had the full might and power of God behind everything that he did. Yet in chapter  13 when he and his nephew Lot  needed to separate as there was rich land in one direction which would be easy to live on and in other direction there was going to be a lot of work. He could have said “I am the chosen man of God I will go to the rich land and you to the other”, but what did he say? He told Lot to pick whatever you want and I will go the other way.  Abraham knew that he had the power of God and that no matter what direction he went he would prosper.  He was in a position of great power and yet gave preference to another to honor God in a show of great meekness.

  Moses was far from being a meek man. He was raised as a prince of Egypt, with knowledge and power and yet submitted to the will of God.  When he had come down for the mountain of God and saw the people had raised a golden idol, he could have called on God to blot them out to destroy all of them. Yet when he went back to the mountain and pleaded on behalf of the people for forgiveness, and even said if You are not willing to forgive them then blot me out also. He had the power of God yet also had compassion for his fellow man, Concern for their eternity for their lives.

 Perhaps the greatest example of meekness is our Lord Jesus Christ. He displayed righteous anger has he cleared the tables in the temple of the money changers and sellers of animals. Yet even then He showed great control, He could have destroyed them with a mere thought. He was absolute power under control.  He stood before the Pharisees and Sadducees and did not turn away.  When He was confronted in the garden, He could have called upon a heavenly army yet went peacefully to His fate.  Perhaps the geartest example of meekness is when he hung on the cross an uttered the words. “ Father forgive them for they do not know what they do”  Absolute power and yet absolute mercy.

  How can we apply this to our own lives?  If we live a life of meekness we are gentle when provoked, we stand bold in the face of evil and are open and approachable by others.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit” We see that we are sinners, and we are humbled by the knowledge that we have sinned. Blessed are those that mourn” That knowledge of sin takes that short journey to our hearts and we mourn over our sinful lives and begin to feel like a sinner.   Blessed are the meek” We are willing to be seen as sinful, willing to be seen as God sees us. That leads to self control, gentleness and the power to stand in the power of God.  When face by someone who is confrontational if we see them as God sees them if we see ourselves as God see us we realize they deserve the same gentleness and kindness God has shown us. Dr Martyn  Lloyd-Jones  says that “Meekness comes from having a right view of yourself before God. You do not worry about what others say about you because you know you deserve it and more. Instead you are amazed that God treats you so well and that men are as kind to you as they are. IN your heart you know you deserve worse than you are getting. That is true meekness” This gives us to be gentle when others are mean spirited, it is that gentleness that draws people to Christ.  

  The meek person does not fight for their own rights, dose not insist upon personal vindication and does not have to always correct others, does not repay in kind.  There is no desire to return insult for insult.  Proverbs 15:1 “A soft word turns away wrath” This can also be translated a meek word turns away wrath.  1 Peter 3:15 ´Sanctify the Lord God with all your heart and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who ask you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”   With gentleness, kindness and respect.   They shall inherit the earth” Right now it seems the wicked are winning, and the meek are dying. We have the promise that a better world is coming where the wicked will perish and Christ will reign again.  We live in a world ruled by violence a world ruled by survival of the fittest.  We are not meek we have the power of God, we may appear to have nothing but we have everything. It is our meekness that brings the inheritance of the promise.

Blessings

H

“Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted”

  Powerful verse that can be easily misunderstood, at first read one might think this could be about those that mourn for a lost family member due to death. Perhaps the loss of a job, or a house or perhaps overwhelming sadness that comes into our lives. We are promised through scripture that God will be there to comfort us in our times of sorrow. It is His hope, His compassion that gets us through. However that is not what is presented here in these words that Jesus spoke on that day on a hill to those that came to hear.

  If you remember the premise that each of the Beatitudes are connect verse 3 leads to four and four to five and so it goes on. “Blessed are the poor in spirit´ we saw that it was those that had reached the bottom those that came to God humbled and humbly that would see the kingdom. That is what leads us to verse 4. The verse could easily be translated in modern terms to “Happy are the unhappy and happy are the sad” That is creates quite the paradox in that happy and sad are complete opposites, We should be comforted , and joyful in our mourning, but what  in mourning is there to be joyful about?

  There are those that will take this verse to the extreme and will spend all day with gloomy face, never smiling or joyful. A little girl taking ad rive through the country saw a race horse on the side of the rose she told her dad “That must be a Christian horse.”  Her dad laughed and asked “Why do you say that?” She replied “He has such along face” We are not to be sad and mournful but to be joyous in our worship and out lives with Christ. There will be times that we endure hardships but knowing Christ is with us makes them bearable. The bible never says that mourning itself is a blessed state.

  When we come to God with a humble heart as verse three tells us that we are to come to God with an open and exposed heart. When our hearts are exposed so is our sin. Everything is laid bare for God to see. That is why we mourn, we mourn because we are wretched beings lost in sin. Paul in Romans 7:24 declares “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Something all of us can declare when we stand before God naked in our sin. That should cause us to mourn our lives. There are five different Greek words for mourning the one that is used here is the most severe. It is not just unchearlessness, or sadness it is a life changing wrenching moment. It is the same word used when the bible tells of the apostles mourning and weeping at the death of Christ.

  We need to mourn our old lives and realize the extent of our sinful existence and bring that to God. If we come to God still prideful and unrepentant then there can be no forgiveness as we do not see a reason for it. Jesus tells us in Luke 13:3 “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  There are those that claim righteousness but have not repented they have not mourned they have not die unto themselves and given up their previous lives, however it is that one repentant heart that one person who mourns that will bring joy to heaven. Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

So now we have to ask where is the joy and comfort? That comes with forgiveness.. Interesting that the root of the word used for comfort is the same as that used for Holy Spirit. Your life will be changed as the Holy Spirit comes beside you, and leads you to the cross, that will lead you to salvation and your mourning will elevate you to Him. Just as the prodigal son said “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.” When we come to our sense we will be comforted, when we mourn our old lives, when we accept our sin we will be comforted. As the hymn says

“Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free

For God, the just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me”

Blessings

H