Truth for today:

There is never a day that the Holy Spirit isn't fully invested in bringing the kingdom of heaven into my sphere of influence.

The Holy Spirit is in me ready to engage with people I meet.

Today was one of Those Monday mornings. You know, the kind where you didn't want to get out of bed. The kind where you wished it was still the weekend. My body was telling that I shouldn't be awake, but at the same time my eyes snapped open at 5:20 AM. So I laid in bed while my body and brain duked it out whether I should be awake or not. When it rolled around to 6:10AM, I had to drag myself out of bed to make it to school on time. My whole household was struggling to start our Monday. Even my middle son, who is normally the chipper, eager one awake at 6:30am was bemoaning the fact that it was not still the weekend.

It appeared to be a struggle of a Monday. But on the way to work, I began thanking God for the day, thanking him for being in me and for setting up this day. As I backed the car out of our driveway, I started thanking the Holy Spirit for working in me, my family, my students. My morning commute turne into a worship time before my Lord. My words of gratitude connected me to a heavenly energy source. I found myself getting to work with a song. I didn't feel any of the Monday morning fog and tiredness. My body did not experience any drag. Instead I feel empowered and ready to face the day. I had God's eternal energy propelling and sending me into my day with purpose, fruitfulness and success.

Praise made more difference to my day than a good night's sleep or a stiff cup of coffee.

"Whatever you see dead in Christ is not yours anymore. Whatever you see alive in Christ is yours forever."

This is what I wrote on the board at the start of our FBSE class. This started our time right where the Holy Spirit wanted me, Judith and the 9 - 12 year olds. We were in that perspective while examining our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, words and actions. I led the kids through an exercise where we wrote down things of the Old Man and wrote the opposite things in the new man. Judith and I were so amazed with the clarity that the kids identified the old man ways versus the new man in Christ ways. Transformation is happening for real in the lives of the next generation! It is so awesome. They are learning the truth and power of their death in Christ and their new life in Christ.

I love the Holy Spirit and his work in all the small, hidden ways. All these little workings add up to a life that is totally from heaven, not from man-made earth. And the result is impact and invasion of heaven into our spheres of influence.

Let it go further and deeper, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, and Son. We live in you!

Today, I was just minding my own business, living my life.  That's when I got a summons from my wife who was putting my youngest son to bed.  He shared with her his anxiety about kindergarten.  But this night, it was not the typical anxiousness about meeting new people or being in a new place.  He was anxious about people asking him about his "folded ear".  My wife held my five-year-old as he sobbed about being singled out.  She kept him in her bosom while he wept about being asked at every turn on the playground.  When I met them in bed, they were praying for his ear to be healed.  I, too, prayed for his ear to be healed.  Jesus died for my son.  He died for my son's ear to be restored.  I have full confidence that God will do it, but will He do it before kindergarten starts this fall?  I don't know that.  So, the real possibility remains that my son will be pestered and possibly even teased about his ear while we wait for God to fulfill his promise.  

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

... No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Look at the birds in the sky. They never sow nor reap nor store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you much more valuable to him than they are? ... So don't worry and don't keep saying, 'What shall we eat, what shall we drink or what shall we wear?! That is what pagans are always looking for; your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart on the kingdom and his goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course.

This spring, I'm going to be taking my family to Washington DC for a vacation. This was months in the making. It started as a conversation. my wife: "where do you want to go for spring break?" me: "i don't know." her: "we can try to find somewhere with a beach, or we can take a trip to somewhere like DC. I want the kids to see it." me: "sure. Ok. DC it is."

All that to say that I was going with the flow and didn't have much interest in DC at the time. But as the time has drawn closer, I find myself more and more excited to experience this country's heritage. Thanks to David Barton and Wallbuilders.com, I have been educated more about the country that I take for granted. I am being schooled in the history that forms the foundation for our nation. And what I'm finding is that the strength of our nation comes from each individual's trust in God.  Furthermore, our nation was birthed out of people whose character was significantly shaped by the work of Jesus Christ in their lives.

I have been encountering many examples of great cultural change or innovation stemming from christian influences in our history.  For example, did you know that "a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets."  This organization, which provides wonderful services to countless families, was birthed out of a young man's conviction that God's influence can save people.  We are blessed by this organization every time we play or watch basketball or volleyball.

As we celebrate Christmas, let us not forget what happened when Jesus was actually born as a baby.

Listen what's in Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:9
9 What we actually see is Jesus, after being made temporarily inferior to the angels (and so subject to pain and death), in order that he should, in God's grace, taste death for every man, now crowned with glory and honour. It was right and proper that in bringing many sons to glory, God (from whom and by whom everything exists) should make the leader of their salvation a perfect leader through the fact that he suffered. For the one who makes men holy and the men who are made holy share a common humanity. So that he is not ashamed to call them his brothers, for he says: 'I will declare your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to you'.
13 And again, speaking as a man, he says: 'I will put my trust in him'. And, one more instance, in these words: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given me'.
14 Since, then, "the children" have a common physical nature as human beings, he also became a human being, so that by going through death as a man he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might also set free those who lived their whole lives a prey to the fear of death. It is plain that for this purpose he did not become an angel; he became a man, in actual fact a descendant of Abraham. It was imperative that he should be made like his brothers in nature, if he were to become a High Priest both compassionate and faithful in the things of God, and at the same time able to make atonement for the sins of the people. For by virtue of his own suffering under temptation he is able to help those who are exposed to temptation.

This week was a week where I felt the pressure to make somethings happen, and the anxiety of failing to do so. I felt like I had to do more with my time. I felt the anxiety of wasting time sitting around while there was so much left to be done. I was running away from failure instead of running full of grace and peace. I forgot what's true about my life. Today, I felt the need to remember. I needed to remember that I am dead. Dead to law-based thoughts or feelings that bring any consequence besides God's grace.

It's all right there in Galatians 2:19-21.

19 So far as the Law is concerned, however, I am dead—killed by the Law itself—in order that I might live for God. I have been put to death with Christ on his cross, 20 so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. --Good News translation

So, what does it mean that I have been put to death? Paul, in Ephesians 2, tells us what it means. He lifted me right out of the life under the tyranny of "it's always been this way" or "you'll never be good enough" or "your success depends on you alone". He lifted me out and seated me with Christ.

Ephesians 2:4

4 But even though we were dead in our sins God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, gave us life together with Christ- it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved- and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with him in Christ in the Heavens. Thus he shows for all time the tremendous generosity of the grace and kindness he has expressed towards us in Christ Jesus. It was nothing you could or did achieve- it was God's gift to you. No one can pride himself upon earning the love of God. The fact is that what we are we owe to the hand of God upon us. We are born afresh in Christ, and born to do those good deeds which God planned for us to do.

"It is no longer I who live": what an absurd statement! Who can logically explain this truth so fundamental to our life in Christ? "well, I'm alive, but I'm not really. I breathe and touch and speak, but I'm dead..." for anyone who has not experienced the presence of God's Holy Spirit, that may sound like utter nonsense. Yet it is the existence that I enjoy. My senses, reactions, snap judgements no longer dictate the reality that I respond to.  There is someone who takes up this body with me. Christ is using my body, mind, soul and spirit.  He has a way to respond that comes from heaven, and is not necessarily what I'm used to.

"It is Christ who lives in me." Wait. Christ lives in me? What are the implications of this person resident in my body?  It means I don't make my life. I don't make my marriage. I don't make my parenthood. I don't make my career. I don't have a choice except to be the recipient of Christ in me. I rely fully on his personality. The best thing is that there is no bad thing in His personality.  He is full of mercy.  He is full of grace.  He IS love.  That means first that I cannot escape being the recipient of Mercy, Grace, Love, Peace, Joy.  When I remember who is in me, I am not lacking in anything.  My heart is full! I have what it takes to respond to everyone and every situation with confidence, patience, grace.

What's more, the FULL, unequivocal power of God is available to all who believe in Christ.  The same power He used to raise Jesus from the dead is at work in my life.  No endeavor in my life is void of the overshadowing of God himself.

Catch this:

Ephesians 1:3
3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be eulogized, the One who conferred benefactions upon us in the sphere of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

"conferred benefactions" sounds high-fallutin, doesn't it? So I looked up "benefactions". Guess what it means.

It means "a contribution of money or assistance." So, the heavenly Father gave us as medals of honor aid and assistance by surrounding us with every spiritual blessing. Not only spiritual, but heavenly -- where God himself is. How did He do it? "In Christ."

I needed that today. Let's just say that I had to make a difficult decision. It involved following through with something I heard from God. And it involved possibly disappointing someone.
But God conferred on me his aid and assistance to walk through the situation with his grace and peace.