What is more than a simple promise? - Part 1

When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants."

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument.

Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us, may be greatly encouraged.
(Hebrews 6:16-18)


Notes:

1. There is no One greater for God to swear by. We go to court and swear to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

That's our promise.

And then we add, "So help me God." That's our
oath. Two elements: a promise and an oath.

2. Those are the two unchangeable (immutable) statements in which it is impossible for God to lie: His promise and His oath.

3. Why both? Why a promise and an oath? God doesn't need to give us both. His promise is all we need.

Because He wanted to make the unchanging nature of His promise clear to the heirs of His promise(everyone since Abraham, including us) and so that we may be greatly encouraged.

Two reasons: to make sure we understand clearly what God is doing and to encourage us in our walk with God.

I notice here how patiently loving and kind God is.

He anticipated how doubt would creep in and distract us. How unbelief would blind us from seeing God's work. How fear would cause us to take our eyes of God's promises.

He remembers who we are.....


Remember Abraham?


God promises him:

 Look up at the heavens and count the stars -- if indeed you can count them...so shall your offspring be.

Abram believed the LORD and he credited it to him as righteousness....

I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of. (Genesis 15:5-7)


But Abraham, who followed God from his homeland in Ur all the way to Palestine, had a moment of doubt.

He said,

O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it? (Genesis 15:8)


What other words in God's promise would convince him? What wasn't clear? What more could God do the reassure him?

I am so comforted the see that God didn't condemn Abraham for His response.

God didn't answer in anger and tell Abraham to just forget the whole thing - go back where you used to belong and I will get someone else to work with, He could have said.

Or, I will punish you for not believing Me! Just for your sin of unbelief I will not use you to further my Kingdom, to rescue my people. You are toast, Abraham, I can't count on you! Why don't you listen to Me?

No, God did not say anything like that. But what He did do was provide a way for Abraham to witness God's confirming oath.

By that oath Abraham could understand more clearly and be greatly encouraged that His faithful God was indeed going to fulfill His promises.

He had the promise - now he gets the oath!


The Oath - see part 2

Grace - Is It For Real?

How Amazing Is It?

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute before You. Yet I am always with You. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And I have nothing on earth I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:21-25).

  Only by facing the darkness and ugliness within us are we able to receive the glorious grace of our loving Father.

  The deeper the darkness, the brighter the stars shine!

  And the more I recognize and admit my sin, the more His grace becomes a reality, instead of just an abstract theory or dream we sing about.

  And then it can cleanse me and shape me.

  Only when I see the depth of my sin will I be electrified by the wonder of His grace!

 And maybe the greatest wonder of all is that He will never let go of me!

(No one is so bad He is out of  reach of God's grace, and no one is so good he doesn't need His grace!)

Going It Alone

If you were meant to go it alone then God wouldn't have put so many good people in your life.

Some to walk ahead of you to light the way, and some to walk beside you to hold your hand.

And some to walk behind you, learning from your example.

Some to encourage you when you're feeling down, and some to help lighten the load.

Some to simply shine a smile in the middle of a gloomy day.

Some to celebrate with you and rejoice in your success when good things come. Some to comfort you when life's hardships and troubles come knocking at your door.

Some to enter your life for a season and some to be your friend and companion on much of the journey.

Some to help you up, and some who will be lifted up by you. Some to give to you and some who will receive from you.

Some to annoy you, to test you, to challenge you, to frustrate you. Some to show you your measure of patience, kindness and gentleness.


All to travel with you on this amazing, adventurous, joyous journey called life.

The God of it All - Clearly Butterflies

A Closer Look ....

The first spring we lived in Brazoria I was surprised to find about a dozen monarch caterpillars -- and about a dozen chrysalises-- out in our garden. I was disturbed because several of the little chrysalises were on very unstable surfaces, like the leaves of a petunia plant! I rescued 6 of them and put them in our carport, tucked safely in a box and secured the fragile leaves to a strong twig.

I also put in the box a couple of the caterpillars -- so I could watch them. I haven't seen this great demonstration of God's Power and Glory since I was in elementary school in Mr. Horton's class.

It was breathtaking -- I watched one of the caterpillars hang upside down, forming a letter "J."
The next day I found him shivering and twisting around, splitting the skin, and then all his yellow and black seemed to dissolve into a smooth greenish sheath. It looked soft and "mushy."

(I read somewhere that this is the stage often called the pupa stage because it is similar to the way an infant is wrapped in swaddling clothes -- and pupa is Latin for "doll.")

There he hung for 10-12 days. The chrysalis hardened into a beautiful jade-green case that reminded me of an elf's magic emerald lantern.

Transparency...

Then the case became transparent and I could see the orange and black wings taking shape inside. I could everything happening -- right before my eyes! I almost forgot what it looked like before -- I was seeing what it was becoming!

There were so many miracles happening at once: God silently transforming the caterpillar into a butterfly inside that little protective case --the case becoming transparent so I could observe it -- and the miracle of me, with physical eyes -- being able to witness it! And with a voice that could proclaim praises to the God of it All..

When the butterflies began to emerge they seem crumpled, damp and weak, probably completely exhausted by the struggle to get out of the tiny cage and take flight. After a few moments their wings appeared to be dry and in their proper shape; they had the strength needed to pursue their lives and they begin to fly away to their own adventures.

Some Assembly Required....

I have read that before the butterfly can fly off, its feeding tube, or proboscis, must be actually assembled. This is a hollow tube the butterfly needs to suck nectar, and when the butterfly first hatches, the two parts forming the proboscis are not yet interlocked, and so he must join those pieces together himself before he can fly off! What a marvel!

There were so many symbols there in front of me. The image of our own death and resurrection.
And how God creates a lowly, but colorful caterpillar, and then transforms it into something even more beautiful.

And also, about the chrysalis becoming transparent. I had never thought about it before -- but isn't that what happens to us....when we first come to Jesus He wraps us in a cocoon of safety and begins changing us into His image.

Then one day, as He is forming His image in us, we become transparent, and those around us don't just see us -- they begin to see the new creature we are becoming -- they begin to see Jesus in us -- and then one day He calls us up and away on His wings of love and we are changed permanently and completely.

I think it's the transparency that teaches me the most now that I am older. When Tyndale translated the New Testament in the 1530's, he used the word "clarify" in John 17, instead of "glorify". I love that idea. We can't truly "glorify" God until we are so transparent that others see God forming His Son in us.

I am told that the word "metamorphosis" is the same word used to describe the "Transfiguration of Jesus" on the mountain when He was with Peter, James and John. And that in Romans 12:2 when we are told to "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds," that "transform", is the Greek word metamorphosis.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
                 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV

And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.
                  2 Corinthians 3:18 NLV

Can others see it happening in us?

Modern Weapons

                                 

                                            Modern Weapons

"Let your conversation always be full of grace" (Colossians 4:6).

Always...full of grace...

I find this admonition hard (and it is a commandment to us, not a suggestion for people who just want to win friends and be popular).

Words have become weapons these days; they wound and scar, permanently disabling people.

We who love Jesus should stand apart from the world, with its mean-spirited comments on social media. (Most times I think it should be called 'hurtful media', not 'social media'. 'Social' sounds too friendly!)

According to Matthew 12, every word -- even offhanded careless ones -- are indicators of what is really in our hearts.

I need to deal with that!

"Lord, save me from the sins of my tongue and the serious flaws of character that produce them. Make my words honest (by taking away my fear), few (by taking away my self-importance), wise (by taking away my thoughtlessness), and kind (by taking away my indifference and selfish irritability and motives).

Help me speak words full of your grace...always... Words that edify, not tear down. Amen."