Un-Chosen

It has been quite a while since I have responded to the desire to share.  This response is in honor of those brothers in Christ who share this calling.  May He provide that which we dutifully seek.

Un-chosen.

John 21:20-22

"Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”

When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”"

No matter what occurs in our lives.  No matter how anyone else responds to any given situation, whether we feel (or for that matter know) it is right or wrong.  We have but one correct choice.  Follow Christ!

I have always been a results driven man.  If I do my part, then my expectation is typically fulfilled by the realization of the outcome.  This is a powerful tool for most things of this world.  It can be a huge liability when committed to a life in Christ.

Titus 1:2

“in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began”

A life in Christ is synonymous to living in eternity today.  This means that all we do must be rooted in pursuit of what is to come (which reaches far beyond our senses).  Not just in the immediate results of our actions, but in the final meaning of our lives. 

Our personal interpretations of victories and defeats are as meaningless as our attempts to define God.  Our Creator manifests the eternal outcome and our commitment to Him is our only real choice.

So finally for me, the greatest choice has been made.  My previous reluctance to fully be the man our Father has created is my greatest obstacle to the faith.  Although it is a faith which I proclaim to desire from the depths of my soul, I have been seeking immediate results, in lieu of the eternal reward that awaits.

These are my prayers.  

"Lord change me."

"Lord heal me."

"Lord, please enable my walk to freely pursue your eminence."

In this moment I hear the words, "It is done."

Yes, it is done.  It is done now as I realize.  It remains done for eternity.

What prevents continuing realization (and acceptance) is my own inability to trust His desire for me.

Not just the worldly acceptable parts of me (which I kinda like to).  But He desires, (even more so I would imagine), for me to offer up those "flaws" that neither the world, nor I, care to acknowledge.  These sins were born with me (with all of us).

He created us.

To love him fully is to accept His creation.
To enrich His gift of my life, is to give every part of me back to Him.
Not just in word or deed, but truly in heart.
In my sinfulness, I find His loving call back.
In my weakness, I seek His power.
In my worry, I seek His wisdom.

And in my doubt, I seek His eternal promise of coming home.

That is the only choice that matters…

amen

Time is the Essence

Lord,
I have given you my heart.
I endeavor to give you my mind, and yet my thoughts betray me at times.  

In Colossians 2:8 we are reminded.
"See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ."

Having been raised as a self-reliant man of this world, too often I struggle to let go of what this world has "taught" me (about what is most important, about what I can “and should” control).

Lord,
Too often I lose sight of your presence. Not because you are hiding, but because I am searching for an answer that conforms to the ways of this world. As we are so often reminded, you are in this world, yet not of this world. So too must my time be spent.

And so today;
I vow to deepen the gift of my heart,
I pray for your constant voice in my thoughts and,
I humbly ask for the grace to spend ALL of my time in your spirit.
I know I will fail. I also know that failure deepens my conviction in truth.

Success is joy!
Joy is everlasting life.
Joy is not of this world.
Joy is your presence.
Your presence is available right now.
Now is the time for life.
Time is the essence of Life.
Life is walking in His Light!

And so our walk continues…

Feeling Alive

Who am I without God?
Everything!
That is where this World wants us to be.

Who am I with God?
Nothing!
So I am left with only Him to fill me.

In Him is life.

The Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end.

We are created in this life by the Love and will of our God.
We bring nothing with us, and are 100% dependent upon the love of others.
 

 

When we exit this life, we return to our God.
We bring nothing with us, and are 100% dependent upon our relationship with the Father.

 

 

 Somewhere between the alpha and the omega, we lose our way.

 

No matter who we are, what we believe or what we have done, we will never exist beyond the beginning and the end. That is a guarantee established by the very meaning of those words.

Since God is the beginning and the end, He must also always exist in the middle, which is also where we spend our time on this earth.

So the journey to Him, is really about remaining with Him. As we mature in faith the distance may seem to grow, as we realize just how beautiful our lives would be with complete surrender.

HE is here right now!

The joy of that realization is beyond my ability to define! The struggle to surrender is defining life's new and only purpose.

Lord, please help us choose nothing but the love that you so mercifully desire for our way of life.

Not for everything that the world has to offer, but for the eternal life that you have already given through Christ our Lord, amen
 

Meanings

These following words may have multiple interpretations (dependent upon context).
 

Goal:

the result or achievement toward which effort is directed.

Fate:
that which is inevitably predetermined.

Strength:

effective force, potency or cogency (the quality or state of being convincing or persuasive)

Meek:

humbly patient or docile

Humble:

not proud or arrogant, courteously respectful

Confidence:

full trust, belief in the power, trustworthiness or reliability of a certain person or thing

Glory:

a state of great splendor, magnificence, joyfulness, gratification, contentment, etc.

In this context, there is a common theme.  It is all about our relationship with God.

Are there contradictions?
 

Seemingly yes.

Strong and Meek...ok?

Humble and Confident...really?

How about Fearful and Joyous?

Or, Peaceful and Searching?

 Are we truly called to experience life in a way that encompasses all of these dichotomies of purpose?

From a worldly and perhaps logical perspective, it would seem that as I travel the path to fulfillment, only those things that bring positive connotations are goal worthy.

From a spiritual and perhaps intuitive perspective, especially when realizing there is a greater power at work than I, only those things that give homage to my God are goal worthy.

So how do we decide?

We don’t!

The decision was made for us in the beginning.   The choice is glory to God, and in that place ALL goals, feelings, states and manners of existence are met.

How do we know?  Because when we are truly in that place…the search is over.

In the timeless presence of God, we need nothing else.  Everything is provided for.  The attributes that we so diligently pursued in Life become who we are, and no longer what we aspire to be (or avoid being).  When we have abandoned ourselves and are completely living in God's will, then we are the personification of all that God has called us to be.

It is a oneness and completeness that really cannot be defined.

Why do we have such a hard time getting there?

Because our understanding of Him is limited by our ability to somehow characterize Him, or define all that He is.

 

How can we possibly describe in words, an infinite love in complete unity? 

 

I can experience a fullness of Him deep inside me, and yet also know to beyond my very core that I am still only scratching the surface of His meaning. 

The ultimate goal is to follow what God has lovingly rooted into your very being.

As I have recently learned, nothing will silence that desire.

Anything contrary to my heart leads to a life in this world filled with everything that God isn’t!

 amen

To Practice What We Know

This poem was given to me a couple years back...

 

I read a book of riding a bike,

Until I tried, what was it like?

I saw a show about driving a car,

Until I tried I got not far.

 

I watched an athlete run with a ball

After years of practice he did not fall.

I now read of Christ and what do I see

A man who is creating a path for me.

 

 

Not just to study, nor sit back and admire.

But to follow to God is where I aspire.

We don't just recline and marvel His way,

We are called to begin the journey today.

 

For now is the time for undying love,

Our Father is waiting in heaven above.

Jesus has shown us the depth with the gift of truth,

True love is a victim that must be pursued.

 

He gave all He had while with us on earth.

The joy of His journey started with birth.

Each new day is a rebirth for us in Him,

To let His Holy Spirit cleanse us from sin.

 

Because He always knew how His travels would end,

And not a soul on earth, neither foe nor friend,

Could keep Him from returning the love of His Father,

And in His life, that is all that mattered.

 

Seek and you shall find are words to live by,

But your eyes must be focused on our Father on high.

For the world is not worthy of seeking in it,

With our Father, is where our good Jesus sits.

 

With thanksgiving and love these words are shared,

And with humble hearts, our souls are spared.

I offer to God, my deepest desires

And I offer to you, where my heart aspires.

 

 

To just read the book is as much a shame,

As just sitting back and watching the game.

We have lives to live in the way of the Lord,

And with you my brothers is its own reward.

 

Thank the heavens above for God's presence on earth,

Let us begin each day, as our Christ did from birth.

May this sharing be simple and easy to see,

God's greatest gift is love…for eternity.

 

May we practice what we know, and do as He says,

And His love eternal will follow all of our days.

 

In the most holy names of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Love Simplified

Another short reflection that recently came to me...

Expect nothing

Accept everything

This is the path of Love

 

Avoid judgment

Deliver justice

This is the way of Love

 

Understand "possessions"

Spread His joy

This is the gift of Love

 

Wisely study

Practice faith

This is the meaning of Love

 

Live obediently

Honor scripture

This is the document of Love

 

Seek truth

Prayerfully question

This is the reality of Love

 

Always remember

Forever rejoice

This is the God of Love

 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 

Michael

Why Me?

Ever ask yourself the question..."Why me?"

It is very self-centered and worldly question that I would imagine we have all asked at some point in our lives.
 

“Why me?” is a searching question that very often may be accompanied by sadness, anger, or some other emotion that brings us down.

Or perhaps put in another way, the question comes from a place of reaching out towards trying to fill a void within us.

My experience has been receiving a response of silence that offers no solace, and indeed continues the mis-guided focus of, “Why am I being put through this particular life experience?”

Eventually, and sometimes over considerable time, the pity party subsides.  However, there is usually a void left within that needs to be filled.  Usually in my weakness, it is filled with self-doubt, fear and lack of faith in things greater than me.
 

In a nutshell, my still searching question becomes,

“Why did I feel abandoned when I needed God most?”

 

 

BUT WHO HAS ABANDONED WHOM?

 

What if we ask a slightly different (if not much better) question than “why me?”

How about…

Why not God?

 

For me, this recently triggered a much different response to my soul searching.  It reminded me that I was not given life on this planet so everything (or anything for that matter) would go my way.

 

We are born (as Christ was) to give everything to God.  We have the perfect model.  The Holy Trinity does not separate the Father from the Son nor the Holy Spirit.  He creates a unity of purpose that can truly be found whenever we search for Him.  Yes, Christ died for us.  But let’s not stop there.
 

GOD HIMSELF WAS ON THAT CROSS!!!! 

 

 

He participated in the very life that we are called to.

In His humanity, Christ agonized about His calling (Luke 22:39-44), “praying so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground”.  And that led Him to the cross. 
God himself died for us...to literally teach us how to love as He does.
 

In a nutshell, my still searching question becomes,

“Why did I feel abandoned when I needed God most?”
 

In a nutshell, His answer became,

“So you would find me deeper in you than you have ever looked.”
 

In Christ our Lord, Amen.