Twelve Thrones

     This morning I was reading in Matthew 19 and it turned my mind to words that Jesus spoke about the Lord's disciples sitting on thrones in heaven.
     In churches and among Christians you can hear talk about going to heaven and what will happen there. Recently I heard our song leader say that we will be singing all of the time. This is not quite what I have come to believe from the teaching and reading that I have heard, but I do have to admit that it is better than the image I had as a child of a boring existence of sitting on a cloud playing a harp!
     Today I read that "you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" Matthew 19:28. (In trying to research this meaning, most say this was directed at only Jesus' original disciples, but I differ in my understanding of this. I believe if He said "who have followed Me" that I get to be included in this group too!) To me, this is saying that singing or sitting on clouds is not all that we will be doing in heaven!
     What I really was trying to research was what the twelve thrones are? Instantly different ideas popped into my mind, I know that the Lord has told me that I walk in Holiness and that Lane walks in Love......are two of the thrones Holiness and Love?

Perfect Christian or Christian?

     I used to have a poster by my desk at work, it said: "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove it?". Have you ever considered what your Christian walk looks like to others?
     This morning my "walk" is on my mind, I know I stumble, I fall and I make mistakes, maybe that makes my life look like I'm not a Christian, but actually what it shows is that I'm not a "Perfect Christian".
     What I am is a person that has recognized that I am not perfect, I am a person who has heard the truth that there is Someone that was willing to pay for my imperfections and I have chosen to accept that payment to cover me because I was not able to make the payment myself.
     When I allowed myself to be bailed out by Someone else it put me in a position of considering the other Person's opinions and desires for my life are more important than my own.
     Choices I now make reflect what I do because I am a person that has been forgiven for a debt that I could not pay. I am in debt to the One who paid the price for me.
     The choices I make may not be evidence to anyone other than myself, but I do hope that my life reflects that I am a Christian.... sometimes it is something that can't be seen by the world. We can do many works that make us look like we are something that we are not....we can have a head knowledge and not a heart knowledge....it takes more than just works and more than just knowledge.....but yes! I am washed clean and forgiven through Jesus' blood and now live as His! I am a Christian!

Called to Holiness

Is it possible that we have made an image of God in our thinking that is not accurate? Have we removed the "Holiness" from His image? Have we made Him such a loving God that He is willing to wipe away the call to holiness that He has put on us? 

     I hear so many people call on Him as if He is simply the father figure on an old TV show. Is He the strict but gentle loving father that chuckles over the antics of his wife and children~  I think not.

     He is the Holy Creator of all things! He is the great I AM, the Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega. He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient! Who are we to recreate Him in our image!?

     While He does love us immensely because we are covered by Jesus' precious blood, He knows our hearts better than we do and He has given us a path to walk, a narrow path.

     He has more good plans for us than we can imagine but that does not remove the holiness and the purity we are called to, if we believe it does we are going to be sadly surprised.

     As His Kingdom, we need to walk circumspectly, we need to constantly consider and inspect our hearts, our actions, words, thoughts. Acts 24:16 "In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men."

     Yes, I know we walk in a new freedom, paid for by our Saviour, but we are instructed in Romans 12:2 "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

     Remember, we're not to transform God into what is pleasing to us, we are to be transformed ourselves into what is pleasing to Him.

     

Who Pays When You Can't?

We know that Jesus came to pay for our sins, that is the beginning teaching that has brought us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father, but there was a time that Lane and I had this lesson shown to us in a different format. 
     Let me describe the lesson we learned. For a while, Lane worked as a server for a prominent United States restaurant chain. This job position made it easy for us to be able to transfer to another town when the Lord told us it was time to relocate. During this season the Lord provided our finances with the tips that the customers left on the table after their meals. (A side note here, yes, there are people whose next meal depends on how well you tip them after you have eaten your meal! As a Christian, you should consider being generous with your kindness and money to those who are serving you in all circumstances!) 
     During the winter part of this journey there was a snowstorm that paralyzed the city, businesses and schools were all closed. The city was doing it's best to dig the roadways out from under the covering of snow and ice but it took a week or so. Because a server at a restaurant lives by tips, and they are not able to get to get to work and the customers are not able to get to the restaurant there are no tips and therefore no money!
     As soon as the roads became passable Lane was back at work. There still weren't many customers brave enough to go out to eat, so after missing days of no pay, there was still a shortage of tips. One evening we believed we were supposed to be at a church service across town, we ventured out even though we didn't have very much gasoline. While we were still in the praise service Kevin, a man that regularly attended there with us came to Lane and gave him an envelope of cash. He told Lane that the Lord had told him to give us the money for "our giving". Even though the money wasn't "on the tables" while Lane was working, the Lord still provided enough for us to be able to "give" back to Him! Isn't that amazing!? That is just like Jesus coming and paying the price for our sins when we weren't able to pay it ourselves! We don't know how much was in the envelope, we didn't open it, we told the Lord "Thank You!" and put the envelope in the offering. And if that wasn't enough, at the end of the service another man came and gave Lane a "cash handshake", and informed him that God had told him to buy us some gasoline! He apologized that he didn't have more, but he was obedient and it was enough that we had money to buy gasoline to get home and for Lane to go back to work. God is so Good! 
     But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

How Do You Respond?

Good day to you Mighty Warrior of the One True King! 

We do well to remember that the greatest response, no matter what is going on in life, is to be praying and offer up worship! It will cause doors to be opened and chains to be loosed, for you and for those who are around you.

When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; suddenly there came a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. - Acts 16:23-26

Is it easy? Nope! Is it worth it? Yes! There are so many things that we can pray and sing about. The following is not an all-inclusive list however it is a great starting place: the goodness of God; His incredible faithfulness; the amazing love of Jesus; the power of the blood; the same Spirit that raised Christ up from the dead is indwelt within us and we can boldly access the throne of grace.

Take stock of your life right now - what areas can you see that in the midst of whatever is going on that I will choose to pray and sing praise to the one true King? You might be in stocks like Paul and Silas were, or you might be in a place where it seems that everything is out of control in your world. What a great time to get doors open in your life and have chains be loosened - for you and whomever else is in your surroundings! You might be on the opposite side of life and you are successful, and you have no idea about hard times. What a great time to keep doors open in your life and stay chain free - for you and whomever else in your surroundings!

Photo Credit

What a great testament to who the Lord is in your life that you go after Him during the good, bad and just plain ugly!

- created by Lane Mercer (twoarrowsministries@gmail.com to schedule for ministry to your group)

Climbing Higher

     In the beginning of becoming a Christian it sounds so easy....it really does. Just tell Jesus that you believe in Him and accept Him as your Saviour....easy right?
     Then you take another step and try to change something in your life. You start reading your bible. Now you realize there are things in your life that need to go....and somethings that need to come.
     Now you need to learn to pray, stop cursing, no more living together, no more accepting diversity, before this, you figured "live and let live", now you learn that what God hates you are supposed to hate....wow! and you didn't really know that God hated anything! He does~
     I can tell you that the further down the path you go the more uphill it is. Yes, you want to go up and yes, the Lord is there to help you....but it is still a climb!
     There is much to lay aside to be able to climb higher, much! There is not a lot that you can carry with you as you climb to new levels, but there is not much that you need at the higher levels and what you do need is provided...if it is not provided then you may not have needed it!
     Sometimes the things you have let go of are returned, but not always. Remember, through it all keep your eyes up...not looking back and not looking down.
     The things that we have turned loose of are too many to list, as is the case for many others who are climbing higher and running this race to win.
     I thought I had turned loose of the desire for "community" but now I am facing turning it loose again. We have a favorite Pastor that has spoken on this before. He has said that when you run for the Lord, there are not a lot of people that you will see running at your pace.
     I have recently heard a message about people that drop out of the race, it is almost like the Lord was preparing me for this next step, and then last weekend I received a word about "intense focus", more preparation.
     This morning I am hearing the Spirit comfort me with the understanding that "community" is not always available. Paul longed to go into the synagogues and speak to the Jewish people, but they stoned him and threw him out for dead. We have not had to deal with that, however, at times it has felt like it!
     Paul did not give up his testimony of Christ to fit into the community and evidently, they were not comfortable with his witness, but Paul climbed higher! Maybe the comfort in this is that Paul is a good guide to climbing higher and his community is the community we should seek?

It Is Not About Us

Good day to you Mighty Warrior of the One True King! 

It is one of the greatest litmus test for your life and/or your ministry: where are you directing your focus? We do well to remember that the example left by one of the "greatest men who ever lived" (spoken by Jesus about John the Baptist, Matthew 11:11) is to get people to realize that it is not about us - it is all about Him, the King of Kings!

John spoke "Behold, the Lamb of God!". When you dig down and study the word "behold" it means "Don't miss this! It is an observable, objective fact!" This understanding now stresses that whatever follows the use of the word "behold" is to say that if you hear and/or get nothing else that I say - hear this. I can almost see it as one grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you in a way to gain all of your attention. So what is the message that is being conveyed here?

Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. - John 1:35-37

This is my prayer and I encourage it for you as well - may the message we bring and the words we speak cause others to follow Jesus all the way to the heart of the Father!

Photo Credit

No matter what issue, circumstance, situation, event, occasion, argument, concern, controversy, matter, problem, question, subject or topic remember this: Behold the Lamb of God and follow Jesus!

- created by Lane Mercer (twoarrowsministries@gmail.com to schedule for ministry to your group)