From Death to Life

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.  (John 5:19-21)  

In Ezekiel, God asks Ezekiel if he could make a big valley of dry bones come back to life.  Ezekiel reply's that you alone Lord know.  So In John 5 we see that the Father loves the Son and the son all that the father is doing.  


The primary work that the father is doing is to raise dead people to life!  When I was seeking my own way, and rebellious towards God, His word, and His way, I was slowly destroying my life, and life was meaningless.  But when I started to walk with Jesus, seeking God's Face, and pursuing a relationship to the Father, I found real meaning and peace in life.  My skeleton of a life was filled out with living flesh and my old sinful lifestyle was raised new where I find I have power through submission to God, to obey what God has called us to.  Not only will we find meaning hear on earth, we have a promise and a hope that one day Jesus will rescue us from even the presence of sin, and enjoy face to face relationships with He and the father.  


It is true that to know God is to Find life, and life abundantly....

The Creation cries out - GLORY!

¹  The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above^[a] proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech,
   and night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words,
   whose voice is not heard.  Psalm 19:-13

God's creation is so amazing!  It is clear that he made this place.  Scientists often give the Glory, honor, and credit that God rightfully deserves and instead honor random chance and random processes.  If you watch this talk about the Marvels of how DNA is copied, (http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_berry_animations_of_unseeable_biology.html), you can here see what amazing designs God has made.  He made little motors, little coding machines, clock works, little replicators, amazing protein machines that keep our bodies running smoothly, correct for errors in the DNA.  

Like wearing or not wearing sunglasses at the beach, the information that we take in is colored by the glasses that we wear.  If we believe in God and his creative processes - we glory and marvel at how amazing the design is, and we give God the credit he deserves...

If we do not believe in God, we still marvel at the design, but then we dish God and give no credit....The more we see and look at our world, the more amazing intimate our God seems to have designed the perfect nursery, for his beloved children to live in...

Check out this second video on the development of babies from conception to birth - AMAZING!  

And be sure to praise and thank God afterwards.... : )

(http://www.ted.com/talks/alexander_tsiaras_conception_to_birth_visualized.html)

Spiritual Combined Arms Tactics

      ⁸ Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with  the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹²But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³ And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

¹⁴ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner....            Ex 17:8-16

In the army we learned that Infantry by themselves are not very effective weapons.  But when the you combine Air Force for Bombing, Artillery for Softening the Landing Zone, Helicopter to transport troops quickly, Helicopters for overhead cover, C-130 Gunships for support, and infantry to hold the groud - this is a very effective team....A combined arms package that is hard to beat.

So in this example God is using Combined arms to accomplish his mission.  Joshua is physically swing the swords and gets credit for winning the battle.  Moses is lifting up the Rod of God (Praying) for as the battle rages.  When Moses gets tired, Aaron and Hur take up the battle buddy Job of helping Moses stay the course.  And God shows up to provide all that is needed to win the day!

At the end of it as Joshua is given credit for winning the battle, but is reminded that God did all the work.  God gets all the Glory - the Lord is our Banner, for he will not share his glory with another.

And Moses aaron and Hur all get a ring side seat, a behind the scene look at how God works...All 4 aspects of this team are needed, and must be intact for the battle to be won.  

So today we must labor with all our strength in the harvest field.  We must also pray and beg God to work wonders in the lives of individuals.  And God must show up to do all the work that we are hoping to see accomplished.  But at the end of the day...All the credit Goes to Jehova Jirah - The great provider, who though he wants us to labor with him, does not in any way need us to do the work...

God use us greatly to do the works of your service, to do greater works than even your son did, and may we always give you all the glory...

The Lord God is our Banner!

Presenting the Bride of Jesus Christ - Bill Mason....................................... and each of you who Commit to Jesus...

Ezekiel 11:18 And when they come there, they will remove from it all itsdetestable things and all its abominations. 19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD."

As a single guy, I did some really foolish and rebellious acts.  I did not know God, and no one loved me unconditionally.  Making a decision to repent from my life of selfish preoccupation with Bill Mason, and walk obediently with Jesus, with all that is in me has been the most profitable decision I have ever made.

The second best decision I have ever made was to ask Anna Rohlfing to be my bride.  I remember looking down the Isle and thinking how blessed I was, that such a Godly woman would take a chance on young believer like me.  It has been a great 22 years!  When I decided to get married, I decided to repent from being single as well.  With marriage comes an expectation of a new life, with new rules, and new ways of thinking.  

So God is calling us to be his bride!  To be his people.  To live a life of Love for him, and sacrifice for others.  Like Anna extends me to walk in upright ways, so God wants us to walk in upright ways.  Anna's love for me has helped me to become a better man than I am.  So God's love for me can bring out Christ which is dwelling in me...

I love the picture of God looking at me with love, with admiration, with great Joy.  I know that I am this important to The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because he was willing to pay a huge cost for me...the destruction of his own most precious son!

God may we all walk in Christ's footstep, to become the beautiful brides dressed in your white linens,  given freely, and prepared for the day when we will look fully on your face..

Isa 61:7-10 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"--for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

God's Kindness, in the Midst of His Wrath

And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and ^(A)put a mark on the foreheads of the men who ^(B)sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” Ezekiel 9:4


Like a Delta Forces team raiding a POW camp to rescue those held captive by an evil task master, so God is coming to rescue his people from the slavery in which they live and their Prison Guard - the evil one.


In Ezekiel 9, God's wrath is going to be poured out on those who are teaching others to serve and worship Idols and other created things.  This Idolatry has lead to all kings of evil:  Injustice, the death of the Innocent, Greed of those in Power, and abuse to the poor.


But before God's wrath is poured out, he instructs his angels to go throughout the city and put His mark on every person who is grieved by the evil that surrounds him or her.  God hates it when men pursue their own ways, because we are selfish and when left to ourselves, we turn from bad to worse.  Through out the world, where men have no accountability; wars, famines, murder and corruption are the norm......


So today God is looking to put His mark on each of us who mourn at the evil in our day.  When we Seek his Face, he marks us with the promised Holy Spirit - guarantee of our inheritance (Eph 1:13-4) and the future salvation and glory of his life today, as well as protection from his terrifying wrath in the future....(1 the 5:9)


As we walk with Jesus, we learn much about God, His kindness, the human condition, the hard world we live in, and the future of what is to come...


God is so good that, though he brings his wrath, he offers us the opportunity to join him in grieving for all the pain and suffering around us, so we too might learn to lay our lives down for our brethren, even to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us...


Like in Toy story, God mark us to day with your mark.  God will you give us the mind of Christ more and more as we see the day of your coming drawing near...........

Ezekiels Call - Set your mind like Flint - that some might know....

God has come to rebuke his people Israel.. God has sent Babylon to destroy any who would not listen to God.  he has told the Israelites to lay down their weapons and go off into slavery into a foreign land...a few thousand listen and are carted off to Babylon.....in this context, God speaks to Ezekiel....

I feel much like ezekiel as well, for our nation is rebellious towards the God who has created them....they follow and trust in Idols made by man.....

 ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to^(E)nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. ^(F)They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.  Ezek 2:3


To a rebellious people our job is simply to be a witness of God's great goodness, kindness and love...


⁵ And ^(H)whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are ^(I)a rebellious house) ^(J)they will know that a prophet has been among them. Ezek 2:5


As we hold out the words of Life, the way to walk with the God who created us, it will seem like walking on glass at times, as we try to help those whom often do not seem to want help.  Like trying to release from prison, those who enjoy their captivity...


⁶ And you, son of man, ^(K)be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words,^(L)though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ^(M)scorpions.


But we should not be afraid of their looks, or their words...


Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.


God is calling us to our bases, our cities, and our country....to reach out to our brothers that they might know God's Goodness in the land of the shadow of the valley of death....Not to foreign peoples with hard languages.....


 Ezek 3:⁴ And he said to me, ^(E)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. 


If he sent us to foreigners, they would listen.....because they are stubborn...


^(F)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ^7 (G)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^(H)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.


But God will give us resolve like flint - to set our hearts like flint, to be think Skinned when people attack us, but that would be Tendere Hearted, in regards to how we see and deal with them...


^8 (I)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹Like ^(J)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(K)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”




May God be glorified this year as we reach out to those on base, in Fort Walton Beach, 7th Group, Eglin, and may God allow us to share boldly the Words of Eternal life, and of close relationship with our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.....

Thought I would blog my Devotions this year to help me think through some of what God is teaching me.  Just came back from a great Conference/cruise to Cozumel and the Grand Camens....Samuel and I went Scuba diving along the coral wall, through coral tubes and floating along the  wall looking at all the sea life...

Skip & buzzy grey came and spoke at three sessions.  It was a great time with the other 54 people who came with us....

May this be a great start this year in Christ....