The accusation hurts...

Has anyone ever accused you of anything that was let's say, "not an accurate representation of, you?" Did anyone you know ever just get it all wrong about you? Well, if you are breathing, and I hope you are because only alive readers are welcome on this blog, then you have had someone get "you" all wrong!! Well, not only do I think that we get, Jonah...all wrong....!! But, I know that the whole world got "Christ" all wrong when they sent Him to His death on a cross! Okay...so..there is a Scripture that says,

Matthew 5:10-12New International Version (NIV)

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Well, the problem with the text is that most of the time...I'll be accused of something that is not true and it's not because I'm a Christian...LOL! I'll definitely face persecutions from time to time for being like Christ, but what about when someone just doesn't get "me"..misunderstands me...and then accuses me of something? Well, maybe these situations are opportunities to expose the darkness in others? Maybe our false accusations are amazing gateways of hope for those who don't live by His power. After all, if God knows the truth about me, then who cares if another misunderstands me? So, by the comfort God brings me by knowing me, I can rise above the accusation so that it's true when the bible says, 

Psalm 56:10-12New International Version (NIV)

10 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can man do to me?

12 I am under vows to you, my God;
    I will present my thank offerings to you.

And also, when the Scripture says, 

Romans 8:30-32New International Version (NIV)

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

The Accusations hurt...but the Comfort from our Saviour Heals....Helps and then brings Hope that never disappoints...

Principle...If you are Hurting today because someone hurt you whose hope has slack, Trusting in God, let His faithfulness give hope right back!!!

Please enjoy this song as we celebrate Black Friday...We had it all wrong...and Those Nails were ours...not His...that shame was mine, not my Lord's, but He did it anyway to bring the hope back to me.

Without the darkness, would we see the light?

And God said, "Let there be light!"

Genesis 1New International Version (NIV)

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Interestingly, God created the earth with darkness present...and the Spirit of God was always there....hovering..hovering over the waters...the creation, the light and the darkness....always, always there...!!!  Sometimes, we seem to struggle with this thing called, "darkness"! Oh!....Woe is me!...How could a God of Love allow there to be darkness???? Oh...all this questioning reminds me of Jonah! "God", Jonah cried into the night, "how could you allow the Assyrians to live?...How could you allow that infestation of blackest night and ever present dark, disdainful, dismally, dreary death survive long enough to even contemplate your ever present light?" "Oh Jonah!!!" God answers back with love and understanding,  "Jonah, Jonah, Jonah, oh son of Ammitai...why can you not be a son of God who understands the roll darkness must play in all of our pursuits of the light of salvation?"  

Jonah 1New International Version (NIV)

Jonah Flees From the Lord

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

In many ways..we head away from the "so-called" darkness and miss the light altogether....

Principle...when the darkest hour pans out to be no fun...we find ourselves on the run..

When the light of God is the goal we seek...we spend our darkest hours on our knees...

To behold the light of God, there are some dark corridors upon which we must trod...

and as we fade and as we become more contrite

that's when we see that the light wins every time.

In fact...the truth is that when the light of God beckons you to go through the storm...to approach the dark times of your life...memories...people..ect...remember...that to obey God in these things is to move towards the light...and the darkness will be bound..Yes..the darkness that frightens you can never win...not in the presence of God's light...Check out this song from Anthem Lights...!!

And Abraham believed God...

Acts 10:14-16New International Version (NIV)

14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

God says, Jonah....there are some people that I want to hear the good news...and he says, "surely not, Lord!!" God says, Peter, take and eat...and he says, "Surely not, Lord!!"  God says...Sarah, you will have a baby and sarah says within her heart, "surely not, Lord!"   

We have a hard time believing God don't we...?? Notice that most of us believe in God...that there is in fact a God...but we do not believe God or take Him at His word.  Jonah believed that God would in fact save Nineveh...but he did not believe God that "such a thing" was good!! When God calls something good.....do you call it good? Seriously??? Honestly, I don't think that we can put on the robes of righteousness and claim to walk in the light as Christ is in the light until we take the Lord at his Word!! Are you ready to be redefined by God so that even when His ways don't make sense that you can say, "Amen" ???

Principle: When God's ways seem to be a bit unsure, it's the softened heart that's willing to be made pure! When we doubt God's truth and plan, we are surely trusting in our own feet to stand!!

Today...think for a minute that your life is over in a flash and that if you do not do things God's way..you are going to crash...Oh Jesus...please take the wheel and drive me home!!

misconceptions and mayhem

1 Corinthians 2:1-3New International Version (NIV)

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

Sadly...all of us think we know something that we really don't know!! Can you even imagine if when we spoke to one another that the only thing about which we were certain was that there was a God and that we were not Him? Also, what if our attitude did not go beyond Jesus Christ and him crucified, along with great fear and trembling?  So much of our conversations are really glorifying us and our thoughts about life. "I know what's best" we say to one another, when in fact, only God knows best!! There are so many misconceptions that we have on a daily basis about life, about each other, and about God that we really ought to let our words be few! What are your thoughts about God tonight? I cannot help but wonder what were the thoughts or misgivings of Jonah as the word, "Nineveh" when in and out through the corridors of his mind! "Nineveh"! Bloodshed!  Betrayal! Mayhem! Madness! Never! Never! Never! Ha! Mark my words, Jonah wasn't thinking about Neverland! Rather, he was thinking, "Never, never, never will I go to that "Land"!  So, what's your red zone? What's your misgiving? What word is spoken that makes you say the word, "Never"! Too many times..there is dross...the junk of our souls making the way cloudy...only when we allow the dross to be raised to the surface of truth and then removed can we see Christ, and follow the light home.

Principle: When in God and in His Son alone we trust,

Our eyes can see clearly as He removes the dross!!