Lion and the Lamb

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Isaiah 11:6

A Child leading

Lion and lamb

Upon my

Holy mountain

In which I stand.

The Trumpets

Will sound-

The remnant

Will come

The nations

Will bow

To the Holy

One.

The Leopard

Will lie down

And the child

Will sing.

  

The earth

Will be filled

With the

Knowledge

Of the King.

A love that endureth

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love…”  Ephesians 5:1

I wrote a short book on Beautiful Women in the Bible, and what made these women beautiful was they each exhibited a fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

It’s the fruit of the Spirit that enable us to walk in love.  Ephesians 4:2-3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

This kind of long-suffering produces beautiful fruits that enable us to walk in a love that endureth. 1Corinthians 13

Peace be with you!

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said,

Peace be with you!

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.  The disciples were over-joyed when they saw the Lord.  (John 20:19-20)

“In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the World.” John 16:33

What gets us is when we enter a place of fear, frenzy and disconnection from the Lord- this comes with outside pressure.  Circumstances beyond our control that make us realize we are not in control of our lives-Only God is.

I love this passage, because the disciples have locked the door and are hiding from outside threats, and Jesus who so casually and confidently walks in and proclaims what they needed to hear- Peace Be with You!  Here is the son of man who just rose from the dead – with the power of Everlasting Life on his side, and he realizes his disciples need to know that He is still with them, and they need not be afraid. 

Peace be with you!

Jesus was the most encouraging man that ever lived, and the Spirit of God is the Son of Encouragement.  Because He lives we live, too!

So now, the disciples that touched his hands and side, and no doubt were surprised to see him; They receive Peace, but it doesn’t end there-they receive, Joy too.

Jesus never ceases to amaze me.  The one, who calmed the raging sea, can calm the storm in me.  

And He doesn’t do it just once, but how many times over in our lives? He shows us the way to follow him-To keep our eyes on Him, and trust that He will enter into our locked rooms and provide the Peace and Joy we need by knowing His presence is still with us.  

The Advocate

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

What makes it difficult to follow the Holy Spirit?  I believe there are three reasons that impede our abandonment to Him.

1) We are fearful.  How many times do we read in scripture, “Do Not Be Afraid”? It’s true the Holy Spirit will challenge us to come out from under the covers and leave our comfort zone.  It’s not because He likes to see us sweat, it’s because He desires to bless us, to build us up, and to use us. 

2) We don’t like to Wait.  So often we are ready, willing and able to go forward, but the Holy Spirit will tell us to “Wait”.  This really annoys us, because we don’t understand why, when we feel ready, but we have to remember that only God sees the big picture, and He is all about the right timing to work everything for good.  We need to learn to wait on Him.

3) We rationalize everything.  If something doesn’t make sense to us, or we can’t figure it out in our heads, then we don’t want to follow His leading.  It just doesn’t make sense!  And it might not make sense to those closest to us, and this is can be a challenge.   We need prayer here, but we also need confirmation.  If it’s of Holy Spirit, He will give it, but sometimes we just have to go out on a limb!

Following the Holy Spirit is the key to living an abundant life.  It isn’t always easy, but Jesus wants us to trust him with child-like faith and believing that He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:16) 

Miracles of Faith

Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in California poses an interesting question.  Do you want healing, or do you want resurrection power?

Both boost our faith and confidence in God, but which is greater?  He talks about Lazarus who was raised from the dead. He said that Jesus could have gone to Lazarus and healed him, but He waited two more days and said,

“Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40

When we take steps of faith and see miracles this boosts our trust in God, and that’s what God wants- It’s never about the miracles, He said, “Your faith has healed you…”  He wants us to trust and believe that He is who He says He is and He does what He says He does- Just like our Father in Heaven.

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign!  But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:38-40

The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest sign and miracle of All, and it’s what we should always point others, too.  Our belief in Christianity rests alone on this fact that Jesus died and after three days rose from the grave- and went to heaven where He lives to intercede for us.  We know, that “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)

Go in Peace

 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.  She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Luke 8:43-48

When we consider this woman who was subject to bleeding for 12 years. She would have been considered “Unclean” by the Law of her day, probably lived in isolation-no one wanted to be near her or certainly to be touched by her.

She had a lot of barriers and probably fear that were inhibiting her from her freedom.  She needed deliverance and she was desperate to get it.  If she were to be healed it would enable her to live a normal life again, and to be accepted back into her community.

And her moment finally came.  Jesus was passing by, and she risked a lot getting close to him and the people who were crowding him.  But she believed if she could just touch him, she would be healed.  And in this deliberate act of Worship, she touched the edge of his cloak-power went out from him and she was instantly healed.

Now, she probably would have liked to quietly go back to her business, perhaps hidden from the sight of others and maybe say that the doctors had healed her…But Jesus, wanted her to give testimony in the presence of the community, in which He gave her.

Jesus, Honored her boldness. It wasn’t easy, but in the end she went away whole and in peace.

And isn’t this what we all need.  We need to be bold, honest, and open about what ails us.  We need to reach out for the Freedom, Healing, and Deliverance only Jesus can give.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Matthew 7:7

The Spirit of Giving

The Spirit of Jesus is the Spirit of Giving-

Always giving over; giving love, giving grace, giving freedom-

Giving space for people to be as they are and to come to Jesus in that way.

Jesus never forced people to do things; His Spirit, His Presence, His Power, His Love was there, and people responded by offering Him their lives.

And what greater treasure can a Father receive, but the loving hearts of His sons and daughters.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”  1 John 3:1