Embrace the Within no. 206

“Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen” (Ephesians (Eph) 3:20-21). God is awesome BUT sometimes we choose to believe He needs us. God wants us BUT He does not need us. He does not need me to complete His work. He allows me to participate in His creation and His plan.

When I can get too caught up in the work I am doing, I take time to recognize that my work is not necessary. Nothing I write or do is going to make any difference without Him. I spent plenty of years banging my will against life with little to no real success. I might have been successful from outward standards BUT that wasn’t the success I was looking to find. It was fruitless, pointless, “I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging” (1 Corinthians (1 Co) 13:1). And I clanged away day and night. And my clanging not only got on the nerves of others BUT it got on my nerves as well.

I was banging and clanging all day like “. . . a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing” (Macbeth V, v, l. 25-27). BUT I lacked love. I wasn’t bringing the Good News out of love. And that makes all the difference.

Talking about God’s love and grace and mercy is going to get negatively labeled as ‘sugar-coating’ the Word. BUT everything I know about love and grace and mercy is from Him. So I am going to coat everything in love and grace and mercy. Because Jesus layered on the love and grace and mercy thickly. The love and grace and mercy that Jesus brought was for those seeking Him. That is where the sugar flowed freely. The condemnation and judgment flowed on the religious folks that lacked love and grace and mercy. They needed to get the sugar bowl.

I no longer clang all day long. I give glory to God who deserves that glory and thankfulness for His love and grace and mercy. The God that does all things with me even though He doesn’t need my help. He wants my help. And that makes it even better. Because I don’t have to worry about doing anything right. He makes everything right.

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 205

“But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8 CSB).

I have faced and unlearned many “pointless and silly myths” in the last thirty years. So many “pointless and silly myths” for which I once waved a sky cloth and marched supporting and wrote articles and essays and speeches defending. Nothing has helped me abandon “pointless and silly myths” more than my struggle against fear.

I was struggling with complex problems in a world full of answers. The problem was that none of these answers were complete. The answers were approximations and attempts at recreating what God had already perfected. And I was searching for a group that was without its hypocrites, without its fools, without its condemnation. BUT none of those were ever going to exist. Nothing perfect is created by man and nothing with people is going to be absent of imperfection. What I needed was a relationship more than philosophy or politics. I needed faith. Faith is action. Hope is my confidence. Courage is choosing to change.

And I found what had alluded me my first go around in churches when I sat down and read The Bible for myself. When I got back into nature and started working with the earth. When I sat down, stood still, or layed down and prayed. “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 CSB).

There are many “pointless and silly myths” out there that hinder us from seeing God as He is. And all of those “pointless and silly myths” distract us from our main intention. Those “pointless and silly myths” remain in the hearts of Christians and sinners alike because they are part of our human culture. Some folks even look at our belief as “pointless and silly” BUT those of us that are living in His Spirit know better. We know that only through Him does life become something that is no longer “pointless and silly”.

You have a testimony to the greatness of what God is doing today. I have a testimony of the greatness of what God is doing today. And rather than hide that testimony, we need to share that through our faith. And faith is an action that we express in our choices, our words, and our actions daily. We need to set aside what is “pointless and silly” and get about, “. . . the work of God — that you believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29 CSB). We need to take the invitation of Jesus when He instructed, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 CSB). And we need to remember His instructions that “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all” (Mark 9:35 CSB).

Grace and Shalom to your home.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH