The Father's Love Letter: An Intimate Message from God to You :)

Recently, this letter collided paths with me along this amazing journey of following Jesus Christ (falling in love with Him and all he has for us). I pray that this letter will bless you as it has so many, including myself. I plead with you from the deepest corners of my heart: Pick up the Bible and realize that all the moments our heart cries out, longing to speak to God ... that his heart cries out back, longing to answer us, and speak to the deepest part of our hearts that so desperately needs to hear his loving voice. The Bible is the Word of God ... it is the first leap of faith that you must take (but if you rely on fact, I challenge you to investigate it on your own). May the Lord Jesus Christ not only bring you salvation in His name through Faith, but may you always rest upon his unending Grace that covers all you do, in His Arms of Love. That is my prayer for you and for all today (including me :) )... in Jesus Name I pray.

My beloved,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1)

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalms 139:2)

I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalms 139:3)

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31)

For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27)

In me you live and move and have your being. (Acts 17:28)

For you are my offspring. (Acts 17:28)

I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

I chose you when I planned creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12)

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. (Psalms 139:15-16)

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. (Acts 17:26)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalms 139:14)

I knit you together in your mother's womb. (Psalms 139:13)

And brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalms 71:6)

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. (John 8:41-44)

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. (1 John 4:16)

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. (1 John 3:1)

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. (1 John 3:1).

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. (Matthew 7:11).

For I am the perfect father. (Matthew 5:48)

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17)

For I am the provider and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand of the seashore. (Psalms 139:17-18)

And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40)

For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you with all my heart and my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. (Jeremiah 33:3)

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4)

For it is I who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13)

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

For I am you great encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18)

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. (Isaiah 40:11)

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. (Revelation 21:3-4)

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. (Revelation 21:3-4)

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. (John 17:23)

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. (John 17:26)

He is the exact representation of my being. (Hebrews 1:3)

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31)

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. (1 John 4:10)

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. (1 John 2:23)

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. (Romans 8:38-39)

Come home and I'll throw you the biggest party heaven has ever seen. (Luke 15:7)

I have always been Father and will always be Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15)

My question is ... Will You be My Child? (John 1:12-13)

I am waiting for you. (Luke 15:11-32)

Love, Your Dad

Almighty God

The Battlefield of Life: Victory in Jesus Christ (republished)

Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart ... for I have overcome the world; I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace" (John 16:33)

When you think about the "battlefield" of your life, what do you think of?

Many of us would say: what is going on around us.
Our job, our family, our future, our finances, our economy, our community, or our relationships; the storm raging "all around me".

And rightly so ... there will be many battles that we will fight "around us". But in the face of lifes challenges and in the face of these battles, the primary battle that we will fight will not take place in the storm raging around us, but the storm raging within us; The Storm that takes place within our own heart and deep within our own mind.

The "battlefield of our life" isn't ouside of us ... rather it is within us.
The "battle" isn't other people, unfortunate circumstances, or tough scenarios; The battle is "me".

Stop for a moment, and before reading any further ask yourself: How do I see my life? Is my life focused around my desires and my wants for my greatest good OR is my life focused on what God wants for God's desire and God's greatest good in fulfilling His purpose and plan?

You might say, "I could careless about what God wants" or "I don't believe in God ... so I'm trying to milk my life for all its worth", but reflect on your answer ... and see what it reveals of you. I know before "knowing Jesus Christ" I had dreams and aspirations that were centered around "me" and that focused around "maximizing my benefits through life". The problem with our thinking is "its all about me!". "What do I want" is usually completely contradictory for "what does God want for my life?" And within that statement lies not only the problem but the solution: Our life isn't about us; We (our sins) are the problem. Our life is about loving and glorifying God in a relationship; Jesus Christ is the solution.

The problem within the hearts of all people is sin. Sin is "me" centered thinking; Sin is choosing what I want, whats best for me, and my way over God's way, what's best for His purpose, and what He ultimately desires for me.
Sin divides the mind. Sin removes all peace and purity within the heart. Sin leaves us empty ... and chasing after more and more and more. Sin is a fruitless journey that leads to confusion, destruction, and demise.

So ... moving on to application. What should we ask? What should we do?

Ask: Is my life driven by my desires Or is my life driven by God's love and what He wants of me? Is my life driven by my way (sin) or by God's love (surrendering).

Do: I can't tell you to do this or do that ... but this atleast I know: Christ showed us the way to victory over this life ... and it starts within us.
Transformation of our heart, our mind, our body and our Spirit ... "IN HIM"; IN the LOVE OF Jesus Christ.
Jesus not only shows us the way ... but He invites us to ...
(Jesus said), "Come ... follow me ..."; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (in Him). " [Matthew 11:28]

Victory over "the sin within" comes only through a choice to surrender your heart and follow Jesus Christ in love. For the victory we all seek can only be found "In Him" ... in the transformational love of God -- Jesus Christ.

When we choose to remove ourselves, our desires, and our ways and CHOOSE to allow Christ to sit atop of the throne to our hearts, focusing on "love" and "eternity", ... we will no longer struggle with "our sin within" ... but we will begin to finally "live" with God, for God, and in the love that He has for us.

Ending on this ... You might ask ... "Why do I need to be tranformed from within ... I'm fine the way I am?"
Am I right? The truth of the matter is that God reveals to us that ... "we are far but fine ...that we are diseased, that we are saturated in Sin ... The awesome thing about this is God is prepared. He reveals to us that this life is only the "preface" to His great story of your life ... a story about hope, redemption, and eternal love and relationship with Him.

The beginning of the 1st chapter to the rest of your life .... begins with Jesus.
The answer lies in "the kingdom of God" ... what we all were destined for!
Jesus says that "the kingdom of God is not here nor there ... rather the Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21); A choice of Faith in Jesus and Love for God.
The reason why we need to be tranformed within, is to wash away the old and allow God to make us into something new. For instance a caterpillar can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to "fly" the heights as a butterfly ... until the caterpillar is tranformed. When you were in the womb of your mother, you may have been only inches away from the world that awaited you upon your "transformation" (your birth) and there was no possible way for you to conceive all the glorious things that God had for you, that awaited for you once you were born.
That's why Jesus callx this transformation process ... "being born again" ... washing away the old ... and living life transformed in a way unimaginable ... living life through Him and with God :)

Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" [Mark 1:15]

20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." [Luke 17:20-21]

Jesus transforms lives. Jesus gives eternal life to all who believe ... starting the moment they believe. Jesus is the victory on the battlefield of life ... over the greatest battle we will ever face ... ourselves (our sin). :)

[John 3:16]

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

[2 Corinthians 5:17]

Runaway from Religion: Running in the right direction ... into the loving arms of Jesus (God)!

[Philippians 3:7-9]

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law (doing good), but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith"

Do you know God? Do you know Christ Jesus as Lord and Friend?
There's a difference between "knowing about God" and "knowing God".
Knowing "about" God is relatively factual, a spectators view none the less. It places God in a bubble that seems impossible to touch, understand, or ever experience beyond knowing black from white. Knowing "about" God is perhaps just as destructive as not "knowing" God at all, because both roads lead to the same hopeless end. No Jesus, No Peace, No Salvation!

In contrast, "Knowing God" goes beyond knowing factual characteristics, promises, and purposes of God to a scope that is personally experiential and powerfully transformational. Knowing God, is in essence, to know ones identity and purpose beyond a humans ability to determine, let alone comprehend.

God reveals himself for one purpose and only one purpose:

For Us To "Know Him"!

Anyone can "know about God", but only a chosen lot of people ever really get to "know God" through an intimate, personal and loving relationship with Him. Having many friends come and gone through the days of our lives, we realize that some stay and most go but all friends eventually "fail" us at some point-in-time or in some way. The truth is people fail yet there is only One Love that never fails, a Friend who remains faithfully by our side to the very end: God; He is an exception to the 'rule of Friend'!

Everyone "knows about God"! Heck, Even the darkest, most evil forces know about (of) God, yet knowing God is the only way for our lives to ever have true peace, true direction, and true redemption. Many will tell you that many roads lead to the same ends, but Jesus Christ contradicts the "ways of the wise" that is World Religions. Jesus Christ is not a religion. Jesus Christ is the Way. Not one way among many, but the only way. He is not "a means" to the ends but rather He is The Means and The Ends ...

Knowing God is not possible without knowing Jesus Christ ... (The Jesus Factor...)!!

Either Jesus is (1). the Truth or (2). A liar ... No gray area. As for me He remains my hope for existence, my love and life, and most importantly ... The Lord of My Life ...

I. The Jesus Factor:

(a). Jesus is the Only Way to "Know God" --

• "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him" (Mt 11:27)
• "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him ... (Jn 6:44)
• "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, No one comes to the Father (God) except through me (Jesus)" (Jn 14:6)

(b). Jesus is God, God the Son, God in Flesh; To Know Jesus is to know God -

• "If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (Jn 14:7)
• "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. WE have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:1-3,14)
• " I tell you the truth before Abraham was born, I AM!" - (Jn 8:58)
• "I and the Father are one." - (Jn 10:30)

(c). To Know God - is only by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, to have Life in his name -

• "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (Jn 20:30-31)
• "Yet to all who receive him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name (Jesus), he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God!" (Jn 1:12-13).

(d). The Bible = Supernatural book whose ultimate author is God working through men.

The Bible is about God and You; It's all about Jesus!

The Bible is the means by which we "know" existentially how God's story is now our story. It is the mirror that reflects who we are In Christ and the Life we have in his name.

• "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets he (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27)
• "All of scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16)
• "For the Word of God is living and active ... penetrating even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13).

II. Bringing it Home:

How does what I'm saying and what God is doing meet you where you need to be met?

Here's the truth: All have sinned and fall short of the perfection that God requires of anyone who desires to live in him and with him. God is perfect, in Him there is no sin, no evil, only perfection. Sin has created death and death is what awaits all of us. Everyone needs victory from their own sin, from their inevitable death, and really from themselves. Although, we cannot achieve, earn, and reconcile this level of perfection by our own doing ... God has made a way! The way that all sinners can be considered perfect is through a sacrifice and a atonement for sin that fulfills the perfection that I could not (that we could not). This sacrifice was God's life for my own . He came down to earth, fully God yet fully me (man), to live his life sinless unto death so that by taking the punishment for my sins and all his children (which is through the shedding of God's blood - the blood of Christ - unto death), that all wrong would be made right, that Good would "once and for all" overcome Evil, and that The Way shall be forever paved into the history of time ... so that God could reconcile all sinners unto himself through Jesus Christ -- that whoever shall believe, shall be redeemed and born again ... dying physically (yes) but being reborn spiritually, forever being counted as righteous and as God's Children!! :)

This is Your Story ... It's either you place your faith in Jesus Christ ... Or You Don't ... either way you must make a choice...

As for me ... Praise Jesus Christ forever that He drew me to himself and showed me this Love that is better than life!! I placed my faith in him 3 years ago on Easter 07'! I know that my sins are forgiven and I will forever live with Him and in Him (in Heaven). Driven by this faith in Christ, comforted by his love and walking on this path that shines an endless hope... I travel onward to my home in heaven.

Friends, I know who I am and I know why I am here ... I belong to Jesus Christ ... I'm one of God's Children ... and my purpose is to Love Like Jesus knowing that by sharing the Love of Christ that God is bringing to himself a family that once was broken by Evil, but now has been forever Redeemed and Reconciled by His Love....

This Love Is For You ... A Love gifted by the Redeemer of Your Soul ... By Faith in Jesus Christ!

Are you his Child? Do you want to know Jesus Christ as Lord?

I count everything else in my life as loss, for in Christ I have everything and through His love I can do all things!!

He can meet you wherever you are at in your life. He is the Hope for the helpless, the Rest for the weary, the Love for the broken heart ... He is Grace and Forgiveness, Mercy and Healing ... and He'll meet you wherever you are ... just cry out to Jesus!

I'm going to heaven because of Jesus Christ (100% certainty) and I pray that I will see you there ;)

The Light at the end of Your Tunnel: 'man's way leads to hopeless end, God's way leads to endless Hope'

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?
(Matthew 16:26)

Having recently attended a funeral for my Grandfather, it's unique what happens within our mind, our heart, and our soul when someone we love dies. It's almost like a "reality check". It is as though in those moments we forget about the pleasureful non-sense, the itch within that drives what we do and why we do, and in turn stop to reflect on yesterday, today, and tomorrow, coming to the realization that one day "I will surely breath my last breath". Funerals are a blessing in the sense that it brings to light the most important aspects of life that we often neglect, run from, and increasingly suppress. Considerations such as "what I am living for?", "Where is this path I am traveling on leading me?", "What is my hope for living - both now and after inevitable death", "Why am I here?"; questions - I believe - that all men and woman have to face at some point in their life (which oddly enough is usually when "what we hold as reality" gets flipped upside down and we are left in a helpless, broken state of realization that I can do nothing to change what has happened and what is happening, we discover that what remains is the epiphany of truth: I am not the master of my "known" universe).

What happens next is a travesty and perhaps the greatest tragedy of them all: the Funeral ends, the epiphany fades, and we go back to "living life", driven by the shifting modes of a pleasure-seeking heart, traveling down the same path and the same tunnel that I call "my way" ... the highway whose tunnel is continually dark (sinfully confusing) and whose shadow's distract us whenever we drive by, and begin to consider, the sign's that say "no outlet", "dead end", "wrong way". Yet we don't take the leap of faith and we continue driving faster and faster past the "U Turn" exit that offers any hope of redemption and direction toward light. The greatest tragedy of all is that so many of God's creation proceed down "their way", a way without God driven by their own pursuit for happiness, understanding of knowledge, and deceitfulness of heart (pride) that does not lead to an endless hope, but rather to a hopeless end (a way with no light ... at the end of the tunnel).

So the question is: How does what I'm saying apply to you? What is important to consider and what practicality applies to your life and your circumstance, right? That is the "Big", "most important question"!

First 'food for thought' - What is your purpose for living? In what direction does 'your life's purpose' have you traveling and is their a light of Hope at the end of that tunnel??

We spend our lives working -- for relationships, for position, for status, for acceptance, for meaning (achievement), for pleasure -- but to what ends does this "work-driven" life take us?

Within the bible, only one man ever got to receive somewhat of a "genie-wish" from God ... his name was Solomon. Solomon asked for the gift of Wisdom ... wisdom he desired to rule over and serve his people justly. Perhaps the riches man who ever lived, Solomon had everything. He had power, he had status, he had monuments, he had many homes (vacation homes even), he had many wives, cattle, and slaves ... heck he even had "girls" on call just for him (intimacy with females beyond measure), and on top of all this ... he was knowledgeable ... he was "wise". Yet listen to his reflection of his "pleasure-driven", "wisdom centered" lifestyle when it came to reflecting on his life ... he said [Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, 22-26]

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work and this was the reward for all my labor. 11Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. 22What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. 24 A mans can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

Notice that Solomon concludes that "apart from God their can be no satisfaction in anything we "toil to do", because apart from there being a good and gracious God, there is no hope!"**

God makes everything we do meaningless for this reason alone: Realization that there's a greater meaning and purpose to our lives that we cannot achieve. So that we will need him to provide the huge gap in our relationship to him and with him caused by the Sin in our life. I believe that God desired to reveal to us that "we" cannot save ourselves and it's not what we do that please God, but who we are (either we ARE His in Christ or we ARE NOT -our own sinful rejection and pride to "hope in me"). (Ps 89:48).

Concluding on this note: "This world and the desires of my deceitful heart will eventually pass away ... but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:19, Jeremiah 17:9).

The Fork in The Road: What is the will of God?? What is the Light at the end of your tunnel? How can you stop drifting and start living purposefully, labor that is not in vain?

"35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and their is the right way (God's way) that leads to endless hope ...
This way can no be paved by your own doing, but by God's doing ...
God is doing a work in your heart right now and he is calling you to himself.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour ... all you have to do is acknowledge that you have sinned, that you need 'a way' to forgive those sins and repenting of what's behind you, you make a choice to place your faith and hope for heaven in a person, the Son of God, Jesus Christ ... who died for your sins, but more importantly was resurrected to intercede on your behalf in heaven ... becoming a living God who walks with you, who lives literally 'to love you'. If you have decided to place your hope in Jesus, you can know that God has given you his Spirit to guide you and love you today unto forever. You can know that no matter what ... you will be in heaven ... not because of what "good" you have done", but because Jesus lived, died, and was raised for you ... and there is nothing that can separate you from his love after your moment of faith, not even yourself ... no future sin, doubt, or faithlessness.

Be washed in the blood of Jesus ... and start living out your destiny ... traveling down a tunnel that promises a glorious hope and light called heaven. We can have victory from sin's grip and judgement today, but only through Jesus Christ ... only by faith in Him.

Please contact me if you have placed your faith in the Lord ... I would love to show you "how Great is our God and his amazing Grace, Love, and Faithfulness. :)

Living He loved me ... Dying He saved me

Words cannot express "how truly loved you are"!

You are so loved that God himself would live for you ... and through dying He would save you.

My heart cries out for all the souls who live without the knowledge, without the peace, and without the possession of this great Love. This is the Gospel: I sin, I need love, I need rescue ... not from this world but from myself. Jesus is the hope for the helpless, rest for the weary, and love for the broken heart. He is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, and He meets you wherever you are ... whoever you are ... because He loves you ... period.

Change the course of your life ...

You cannot save yourself!

He is everything that I am not ... everything I couldn't be.

I beg of you who read this ... let go ...

Let go of pride ... you don't have to do anything to bring fulfillment and completion to your life.

Jesus Christ is the only "means" by which your life is fulfilled and completed.

Let go of this world ... it offers nothing of worth. You were made for something greater than the pain, the sorrow, the struggle, and the intoxication of this life on earth. You were made to "last forever", to live eternally.

Jesus has made a way for you. His love completed everything you could not. He lives for you :)

There is Only One Hope and One Way ... Jesus Christ.

Life with Christ is half as hard and twice as good ... and I pray that you will welcome Christ into your heart and make him your hope for heaven (any further questions please contact me ... I would love to show you ... the life and love that lasts forever!)

John 14:1-6 -- He is preparing a place for you ... He has made a way for you ... Him!

¹"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ²In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really knew me, you would know^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

You Do Not Have to Walk Alone ... there is A Love That Lasts Forever!! Jesus Christ! "Living He loves me ... Dying He saved me ... Buried He carried 'my sins' far away ... Rising He justified (me) freely forever ... One Day He's coming ... Oh Glorious Day!!"

Rest In Peace: "The Peace" the world cannot give ...

One doesn't have to look far to find pain, sorrow, suffering, and strife (sin). Whether your reading the news paper, flipping through the channels, looking at the person who pulls up next to you at a traffic light, or even looking in the mirror at oneself ... we see that "the rain" falls on all people. As fallen people living in a fallen world, we embrace the weight of each undertaking one day from the next. We all live life driven by our pursuit to find "shelter from the storm". Yet, so often I remember that not only am I apart of the storm, but sometimes "I am the storm"; We live "in" the storm.

What is this shelter we seek? What does it look like?

So often we think its a vacation to some tropical climate, a bank statement that has several digits, or even a companion who will sweep us away to a place somewhere over the rainbow ...

But the fact still remains that vacations come to an end, money cannot buy happiness (peace and love), and eventually the people we love are here today, gone tomorrow; the temporary shelter the world promises does not protect us from the inevitable perishing of each shelter we seek to provide comforting peace and essential love that we so desperately need in this fallen world.

The shelter we all seek, in truth, is 'peace and love', but what is peace? What is love for that matter?

The world promises you "peace" that it cannot give. The peace and love it offers is not peace or love at all ... it's not gold ... it's fools gold. When you go to cash it in, it's worth nothing except the temporary feeling of relief it provided when you believed it to be "genuine peace" and "genuine love" (pure gold). It's sad to see so many people living misleading lies of peace and love. The direction in which we travel through life is driven by our understanding of what peace and love is, as well as where we can find it. Therefore, it's important that we clearly understand what love and peace truly is and what it is not. Most importantly, we need to understand with whom are we seeking to "make peace". With ourselves? With the World? Neither! The peace and love we so desperately seek is resolved in reconciling "peace with God".

The bible speaks of "peace" primarily in two ways.

One speaks of "peace with God", a personal, relational peace attainable only through the Grace of God when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior. In this reference of peace, the Cross of Christ is the focal point of God's Grace (love) and source of our peace. Jesus Christ is for us our "eternal peace with God".

The second connection to peace within Scripture is "the peace of God". This is the day to day peace available through ones fellowship with God ( a growing relationship walked by faith, reliant on trust, and sown in love). This peace is given by God as he works in you and through you to know him better and to be used in shining the love of Christ to others.

"The Peace" we need and seek is far different than what the world offers (moments of tranquility and ease).

There is only two recorded instances in which Jesus wept. He wept for all the souls that would never find the "peace" they searched and longed for their entire lives... This instance in Luke 19 is appropriate for "understanding" how it grieves God for all those who never receive the Grace, the Love, and the Peace he so greatly desires to give all he made ...

Luke 19:37-44

On a donkey, riding into the Holy City of Jerusalem, the Prince of Peace ... God himself (Jesus Christ) made his triumphal entry, allowing all to see and hear that the LORD has heard the cries of humanity, and He himself has come to be there salvation (he has come to save sinners from death caused by sin). Proclaiming peace ...

"When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said,

"If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace -- but now it is hidden from your eyes. The day will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."

Today, through the Word of God and a sinful vessel as myself ... God approaches you with "peace". Although taken out of context, one day we will all breath our last breath and have to stand before God in judgement. Either we will be covered in the blood of Christ or we will be forced to defend ourselves ... our own way. On that day the enemy of the world (the Great Evil the spins the world in chaos each day) will encircle sinners on every side ... dashing them into pieces. In that day of judgement, all it will take is one sin ... and God will hand us over to the enemy, to whom belongs all those guilty of trespass against God. In that day, those who have been saved by Jesus Christ will spend eternity with God, while those guilty of sin (those who did not recognize the time of God's coming) will be eternally separated from God.

"The Peace" our soul searches for throughout life approaches you..

If "peace" approached your heart and your soul today ... would you be able to recognize it?

Eternal peace is found entirely through faith in Jesus Christ! So I ask you, will you place your faith in Christ and receive the Grace of God (eternal peace and love)?? The peace of Christ is not what the world gives ... for his peace and his love never perishes and never fails.

"Peace I leave you ... My peace I give you; I do not give to you as the world gives...do not let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid ... surely I will be with you always, even until the end of age" (Jesus ... John 14:27; Matt. 28:20)

Rest In Peace - No Jesus, No Peace ... Know Jesus, Know Peace (part 1 - Thoughts)

It's been a while ...

It's been a while since I've posted a blog ....

It's been a while since I've allowed myself to be swept away in the Love of Jesus...

It's been a while since I could say that I've "let go" of this world ... of stress ... of myself...

It's been a while since I've "rested in peace" ...

For quite some time now, I've been pressing forward in my own strength, walking parallel to the flock in which I belong... to the Shepherd who calls me "his own." Everyday I hear him call. This still small voice within, a gentle whisper that calls my name ... letting me know that He is still there, still walking with me ... still hearing ... still helping ... still loving ... still caring ... and still holding me together ... never letting go.

His whisper speaks peace to my heart and love to my soul, it says ... "Let go ... Let go... rest in peace ... rest in my arms ...

Every morning, every afternoon, every evening before I go to bed my heart cries out this song...

"I Love You ... All of my Hope ... is in You,

Jesus Christ ... take my life ... take all of me

I Love You so ... and I give up my heart ...

to say ... I need ... you so ... my everything..."

(Lyrics from Hillsong United - Take All of Me)

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Gyb8_CUyc&feature=related)

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXE3G8oC7Zk)

So the question is "why" don't we (me included) let go...?

Why do we hold on to "the weight of this world"...?

Why don't we "rest in peace"...?

The answer: We forget ...

We forget ... who made us and how we are made (By God and in his image).

We forget ... why we are here, that we have a purpose (our journey "back" to God, to know God intimately, personally in a new redeemed essence through Jesus Christ)

We forget ... the light of this world, the love that keeps us moving forward, we forget hope (Jesus Christ ... died on a cross 2 thousand years ago and was resurrected from the dead, living each day in intercession on our behalf between us and God)

We forget ... who we are!

Having recently celebrated Christmas ... this realization of "forgetfulness" was ever before me.

People celebrate Christmas ... yet forget Christ ... not the baby ... but the Saviour and Redeemer of the World. My brother (Evan) said it best, "the World has commercialized Christmas ... that is why they can't see Jesus Christ ... the hope and love and Redeemer we all need! The only gift that truly lasts!"

Christmas is celebrated in vain by millions around the world ... because as great as it is to give gifts to ones we love and receive gifts from people who love us ... without the giving and receiving of "the Greatest Gift" from "the person who loves us most", Christmas is nothing ... just another day.

Jesus is the greatest gift. He is the gift given to us by a loving and gracious God. A gift to save us from the impossible ... ourselves, our sin. Without the reception of the gift of Jesus Christ ... all gifts are in vain because at the end of the day death awaits. Whether death for you is tomorrow, a year from now, or many years down the road ... the fact remains that "we all need victory from death". That's why "all" need the "gift of Christmas" ... "Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World and Redeemer of my soul."

Jesus is the only way to make "peace" with God. No Jesus, No Peace ... Know Jesus, Know Peace! (in the next blog we will look at this through another light)

{John 3:16-21}- "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. ¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

The Psalmist and the Anti-Psalmist - Psalm 23 (part 1)

Notice the difference between the Psalmist and the Anti-Psalmist.

In the next series of blogs, we will explore these differences ...

Which most speaks of who you are: The Psalmist? The Anti-Psalmist (A-P)?

I was once the Anti-psalmist.

Every line in the anti-psalm described how I felt about life and myself. The anti-psalm described who I was before faith, before hope, and before coming to know Jesus Christ.

Today, I am the psalmist.

Everything I need is found in my relationship with Jesus Christ ... my shepherd. In his love I have all I need ...

Psalm 23 - A psalm of David

¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

A-P: I’m on my own. No one looks out for me or protects me. I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

A-P: I’m always restless. I’m easily frustrated and often disappointed.

It’s a jungle –I feel overwhelmed. It’s a desert – I’m thisty.

³ he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

A-P: My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can’t fix myself.

I stumble down some dark paths.

Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want

But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?

⁴ Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

A-P: I’m haunted by emptiness and futility – shadows of death.

I fear the big hurt and final loss.

Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,

But I’d rather not think about that.

I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.

I find no lasting comfort.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

A-P: I’m alone … facing everything that could hurt me.

Are my friends really friends? Other people use me for their own ends.

I can’t really trust anyone. No one has my back. I can’t even trust myself.

No one is really for me – except me.

And I’m so much… all about ME, sometimes it’s sickening.

I belong to no one – except myself.

My cup is never quite full enough. I’m left empty.

⁶ Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

A-P: Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.

Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?

Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?

Sartre said “Hell is other people.”

I have to add, “Hell is also myself.”

It’s a living death,

And then I die.

We all are like sheep

We wander ... searching, seeking, longing for the flock we belong to and for the shepherd who can protect, provide, but more importantly love us for who we are.

Jesus Christ is that shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd ... who will carry you through the pain and strife of this life and guide you safely back to His home in heaven...

I was once a lost sheep, yet Jesus came to my rescue ... I was far from His flock, where I belonged, yet He still sought after me and found me in my helpless, hurting, hopeless frailty.

He can meet you wherever you are ... and if you are still reading this and don't know him ... He is gently trying to lead you back to Him ...back to the flock in which you belong.

There is no greater place to be ... than in the loving arms of Your Shepherd. For In Him, you'll not only find everything you need ... but you'll also find yourself...

"Anti-Psalm 23" written by Dr. David Powlison, professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and counselor at Christian Counseling Education Foundation since 1980. Also see commentary from David Powlison on Psalm 23 ... http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2009/07/25/antipsalm-23-vs-psalm-23/

Hope for the Helpless, Rest for The Weary, and Love for the Broken-Heart ...The Psalmist and the Anti-Psalmist - Psalm 23 (series)

I'm reminded that this blog is not my ministry, but the Lords'.

It is the Lord who guides anyone and everyone who will read this.

If you are reading this, it is not by chance or mere coincidence ... rather ... it is because God is drawing you near to himself, to his love, and to a saving faith in his Son Jesus Christ.

With this in mind ... I desire to remain faithful to my calling and stay committed to you (in Love) and ultimately to this ministry set fourth by Christ (in Love). Sadly, I've been so consumed with myself and becoming overwhelmed by things ... that I have missed out on this opportunity for blessing (others and really...myself).

For quite sometime now, God has been working in my heart through Psalm 23. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't make you perfect. I struggle and stumble just like everyone else. It's beyond humbling when you realize that I'm just like anyone else out there ... that really ... the only difference is that I have been saved by the Grace of God -- Because of His Love -- And in reality ... I belong to Christ and therefore follow Him.

It's crucial to understand who you are and to whom you belong. It has been a theme I have been stressing on this blog in recent "blogging".

In the next several blogs, I would like to explore this concept of belonging, in light of Psalm 23:

(a). The Psalmist - whose shepherd is the LORD God

(b). the Anti-Psalmist - the one who walks alone ... a lost sheep ... pretty much who I was before I discovered my identity and home in the loving presence of Jesus Christ.

I hope that by the end of this series of blogs ... that you will see ... that you belong to Jesus Christ and that you don't have to walk alone anymore.

I hope you will see ...

"There is Hope for the helpless, Rest for the weary, and Love for the broken heart. There is Grace and Forgiveness... Mercy and Healing and Jesus will meet you, wherever you are."