Practicing Oneness

Colossians 1:16-17, "...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Today...I rest. I rest in the knowledge of the Father's goodness. I rest in knowing that all of life is wrapped up in Him. I rest in the security of His unconditional & unending love. I rest in His grace. I drink in the beauty of all that He has accomplished. I meditate. I find myself completely at peace.

Our Father is not like the child who made a paper airplane. He did not form us out of the dust, send us into flight, and watch how we land. He's not timing us to see how long it takes until we descend (or crash). He has always been, and will always be, tied to His creation. Adam & Eve were the beginning of a species that would walk in unique relationship with their Creator. His image & likeness would always be represented in them. Their offspring were destined to fill the Earth with His glory. However, much like the paper airplane, they fell from the heights they were created to soar in. They neglected one of the basic rules of life: Relationship with their Father held everything they would ever need.

The Father did not cease relating to them. He continued as Provider, Protector, and continued Sustaining life. He would eventually find His way into their darkness - their fall. It would take some time. He would overcome some great obstacles. But He was committed. He never relented. He never scrapped the work to start all over. He would always have, in essence, what He had created. And this creation was meant to thrive.

When I read through verses like the one from Colossians, I'm reminded that the whole of life is not separate from the Creator. All things were created through Jesus & for Jesus. In His life, in the work of atonement & in His resurrection from the dead, He was given preeminence. He has become the firstborn of all creation. While the first Adam was a living soul, the Last Adam became a life giving spirit. He would sustain. He would preserve. He would hold all things together. We are His crowning achievement. We are the inheritance of the Lord.

It seems as though we recognize the glory of God in birth. There is something about watching a child emerge from the womb that causes us to be in awe of the Creator. We are reminded of our partnership with Him. He created life & gave us a part in it. However, somewhere in the middle, we seem to lose touch with this sense of awe. Somehow, our minds shift to the idea that we are doing it all on our own. We lose the wonder of connection. Much like Adam & Eve, we forget how intimately tied our Heavenly Father is to us. Somewhere in the end we tend to find peace. We often find God so intimately close in death. We feel His peace. We see our loved ones no longer struggling. He's there. But the question remains: Where was He in the middle?

Jesus declares that He is the Alpha & Omega - the Beginning & the End.
Scripture states that He is the Pioneer & Perfecter of Faith - He initiated it & is unequaled in its accomplishment.
What we often miss in those statement is that we cannot go from A to Z without hitting everything in between. He has lived our life. He has carried our burdens. He has experienced the darkness & was able to shine throughout. This is why the Apostle Paul could declare, "In Him we live & move & have our being." He was reminded that the "I am with you always" of Jesus is the connector to the whole of life. He was there in the beginning, He will be there in the end, but it's in the middle that we truly experience the uniqueness of this relationship. The discovery is only a part of the journey. Then the revealing can begin.

The writer of Ecclesiastes remind us to "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth..." It was a call back to this connection we have with the One who has made us in His image. He knew the pitfalls of life. He knew how easy it was to neglect this understanding. He wanted those who read His words to never get to place where life was darkened & without pleasure. We were created to live in Him. To live with the awareness of His closeness. To see within ourselves & others the image & likeness. We were never meant to go at it alone.

One of the greatest secrets of life is practicing oneness. Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you..." I love the definition of the word "abide." It means (among other things) "to continue to be present" & "to remain as one, not to become another or different." This is the Lord's way of saying "don't disappear on Me." Practicing oneness has so much to do with our mindset. It's all about awareness. It's reminding yourself who you are & whose you are. It means to dwell in this understanding. I am in Him & He is in me. This is where we see the fruit of relationship. This is where we encounter the connection. This is the life we were meant to live - what we were created to enjoy. This is Him right in the messy middle of our lives. This is Him reminding us to stay connected to the source of life.

So...today I rest. I rest in the awareness that He is with me. I rest in the security that comes from His love. I feel His presence. I'm in awe of all that He has accomplished. I hear His voice. I experience His life. This is not a form of emotionalism. This is more than just an experience that will soon be fleeting. This is life wrapped up in Him. And...today...I am AWARE!!!

Peace With God

Ephesians 2:17, "And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near."

There are times in life when we don't need to learn anything new. We need to immerse ourselves in the truth that we already know. Jesus declared that the truth will set us free. Over the last few days I have chosen to meditate upon and abide in the truth of His finished work. The more we allow ourselves this kind of time, the truth we possess flows even more freely through our lives.

I want you to think about the phrase "Peace With God." It's not a new phrase. Most of us have heard about it, prayed for it, and even been told how to get it. What is amazing to me is that when I read the New Testament, I see that we already have it.

Paul said that Jesus came & preached peace to those who were far off & peace to those who were near. In other words, it didn't matter where they were in their journey. Jesus proclaimed peace. It didn't matter what they believed, how they perceived God, or whether or not they were actively pursing Him. Jesus declared peace with God for all of humanity.

The fact that Jesus IS OUR RECONCILIATION with God should be enough to get our attention.
The fact that Scripture declares that HE IS OUR PEACE - has broken down the wall of separation - should be enough for us to rest.
The fact that Angels sang "Glory to God in the Highest. On Earth, PEACE & GOODWILL TOWARD MEN" should have signaled it for us.
God has declared peace over our lives. He has done everything in His power to ensure that we would be at peace with Him.

Jesus was/is the Prince of Peace. He came to establish an everlasting peace ONCE & FOR ALL.

When you view this verse above in context, you will discover that Paul is referring to the Jew/Gentile relationship with God. The Gentiles were considered far off. Jesus proclaimed peace over them. The Jews were considered near. Jesus proclaimed peace over them. In one stroke of absolute genius, the Father accomplished what He had always been after. The Jews were to be a light to the Gentiles. However, they chose to live in separation. This was not the Father's heart. He ensured that what Jesus did, He did for all. There would not longer be Jew or Gentile, Male or Female, Slave or Free. All were brought in through the death, burial, resurrection, & ascension of Christ.

What if you knew that God was at peace with you?
What if you knew that anything that is keeping you from being at peace with God is on your end of the equation?
What if you knew that trusting in all that Jesus has accomplished would allow your heart to be established in peace?
What would you do with that kind of knowledge?
This is the GOOD NEWS. This was the message that the Apostles carried to the ends of the Earth. This is the reality that each & every one of us should live in daily. The Father has declared peace. He has accomplished it through the Son. It is an abiding gift in our lives.

I pray to the Father that you will be able to comprehend this peace. That you may know it fully. That your heart would be established. I pray that your eyes would be open to see, and your ears be open to hear the Lord's declaration over your life: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Under Lock & Key...NO MORE

There are times in my faith where I find myself genuinely frustrated. Not the small, petty, frustrations that each of us experience from time to time. But major, gut-wrenching, almost infuriating frustration. You know...the kind where you would like to just grab someone & shake them (not that I would actually do it)!?! This sense of frustration generally shows up when I hear people talking about the New Covenant using Old Covenant language. When I hear legalism wrapped up in so-called "grace preaching." When I hear people teach on the finished work of Christ and trying to get us to add something to it. I find this frustrating because we have kept the truth under lock & key. I'm going to share with you a secret: the door is UNLOCKED!!!

If you own a Bible, I want you to go ahead & get it out. There are some things you need to read for yourself. There is so much truth in plain sight that we often overlook it. The beauty of the New Covenant often becomes shrouded in our religious thinking. Today, I want you to throw away any misconceptions you may have about the nature of God, misunderstandings about the finished work of Christ, & see the glory that you were created to live in from the day you were born. Are you ready?

The letter to the Hebrews is one of the greatest writings we possess regarding the sacrificial nature of Jesus' ministry. The writer takes great pains to help those who came out of Old Covenant Judaism to enter into New Covenant Relationship. He places enormous emphasis upon the centrality of Christ. He talks about the types & shadows of the Old Covenant. We read about the priesthood, the role of mediators, and the significance of Jesus' blood as it relates to sacrifices. While we may not always understand many of these references since most of us did not come out from under this type of religion, the truths within these pages are remarkable. While many people have misused many of the verses to try and convey a different understanding of God, the reality of the New Covenant is there for the taking.

I want you to take some time to look at Hebrews 8. I will not post the verses here for the sake of time & space. However, I do want to draw attention to a couple of quotes found in this chapter & the writers summation.

VERSE 10: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

VERSE 12: "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Now...VERSE 13: "In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."

Verses 8-12 are quotes from the prophet Jeremiah in particular. You can also find other aspects of these verses in Isaiah & Ezekiel. What's my point? My point is that the writer of Hebrews is trying to help these Jews understand the fulfillment of these prophecies concerning the New Covenant. Verse 13 is a cap stone to all that he is saying. He is saying that the first covenant (Moses) is obsolete. It's growing old. It's ready to vanish away. This is important. What the writer is trying to tell his readers is that what they used to experience has changed & is changing. What I am trying to tell my readers is that what was ready to vanish away THEN has completely vanished NOW.

We were not born into a dying covenant. We were born into an already established & fully functioning covenant. A covenant that was not based upon our performance. A covenant that was firmly established between the Father & the Son. Jesus prophesied the end of the age to his followers & the writer of Hebrews is declaring that the end of that age is coming to a close. In 70 AD, when the Romans invaded Jerusalem & destroyed the Temple, they did away with the last remaining ties to the Old Covenant. You were born after that time. You were born into the New Covenant. How can I say that? I can say that because many of the Old Testament prophets envisioned a time when the Gentiles would be included in the God's Covenant with Israel. They envisioned a time when there would be an inclusion of all nations, tribes, & tongues into the blessings of God. What you & I read about in the book of Acts is just that. The WONDERFUL GOOD NEWS that the Gentiles had received the same blessings of the Jewish believers. You were included!!!

The Father, before the creation of the world, looked down through times & space. He saw the failings of His children. He saw the darkness that would come upon them. He saw all that He would have to go through to win back the heart of His creation. An agreement was made. The Son chose to come into our darkness. He chose to take on our flesh. Once, and FOR ALL, the Father had a Son of Man who would walk in covenant relationship. Jesus would establish what Adam could not. Jesus would be obedient were Adam failed. As a High Priest, Jesus would be the Once & FOR ALL mediator. As the Lamb of God, Jesus would take away the sin of the world. He is our atonement. He is the Author & Finisher of faith. He is the one who took upon Himself "the handwriting of ordinances against us" and nailed them to the Cross. He would establish a covenant that could not fail. How? If you look back at the verses in Hebrews 8, you discover the issues of the Old Covenant. The issue was humanity. This is why Jesus took on flesh. The New Covenant cannot fail because the Man who established this Covenant with God is none other than Jesus. Did anyone see that coming?

Do you now understand my frustrations? Can you see how old covenant thinking & language has hidden the beauty of the New Covenant? Can you see how our vain attempts at keeping the Law has kept us from enjoying the reality of the Law that was already placed within our minds & hearts? Is it any wonder why Paul said, "If our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled from those who are perishing..."? What are they perishing under? The Jews would be perishing under a system of religion that was fading away. The Gentiles would be perishing under false misconceptions about God. The light of the Gospel was to be shed abroad among all people groups. No one should be left out of its hearing because none have been left out of its reach. It is a Gospel of inclusion. The Good News that we have been included in the Son's relationship with the Father. The Good News that we have been redeemed, reconciled, and restored to our original design. This is what you were born into. This is the reality that you get to live in. Your belief about the finished work of Christ simply gives you access to what Jesus paid for. The door is unlocked. In fact, it is standing wide open.

I hope you will take the time to read through chapter 8 of Hebrews. I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be open to reality of all that Jesus has accomplished for us. May you be amazed at the goodness of the Father on your behalf. May you live in the freedom of Christ.

***********
I just wanted to mention that I will only be writing two more entries this week. I will be attending a conference beginning Thursday & do not have plans to write during this time. Have a great week!!!

Sons not Slaves

Identity is crucial in it's ability to cultivate security. The longer we go through life trying to figure out who we are, the more difficult it becomes to rise up & take our place in any circumstance. This is a call to the sons of God. The whole of creation waits for you to be revealed.

One of the reasons I quote the Apostle Paul so much in this blog (other than the fact that he wrote the majority of the letters in the New Testament) is because he speaks so much to our identity. He doesn't want there to be any confusion about who we really are. In his letter to the church of Galatia, he says "you are no longer a slave, but a son..." (Galatians 4:7)


I want those words to sink in for a moment. I want you to consider to whom he is speaking. I want you to realize the freedom that comes from this understanding.
Slaves are not free
Slaves do nothing of their own free will
Slaves are forced labor
Slaves are lower class people in regards to their social standings
WE ARE NOT SLAVES!!!

Sons...quite different.
Sons are free
Sons have the ability to exercise their will
Sons work in partnership with the Father
Sons are heirs - their social standing is the same as the Father
WE ARE SONS!!!

It's an area that desperately needs to be addressed within the church. We have all heard preaching/teaching that has designated us as undeserving, wretched, worthless, and not really worth God's consideration. But this could not be further from the truth. The Father has created us. He has placed within us image & likeness. In the sending of Jesus, God has demonstrated the infinite worth of each and every human being. He did not see us as something worth losing. He did not glory in our fallen humanity. There was something in us worth saving. There was something about us that they believed was worth going after. The Father saw children who were estranged from Him. Children who had given themselves to all sorts of bondage. Children who had embraced darkness rather than the light. The Abba of Jesus, being a good Father, was not content to watch us slip away into nothingness.

Paul's letter to the Galatians, reminds us of the standing of sons.
It reminds us that there is nothing we need to do to get His approval.
It reminds us that there was nothing that we did to have this place of favor.
It reminds us that there is overwhelming security in our identity in Christ.

Think about it. Slaves do not have a sense of security. Slaves don't even have a sense of belonging. All they know is that they are trapped. They have to work out their time with a particular owner. They have to do his bidding. Sons, on the other hand, know they belong. They know who their father is. They know about the inheritance that is coming so they partner with the father. They are loved. They are secure. They are provided for.

Paul has made a profound statement in this verse. These men & women are not slaves to a legal contract. They are not slaves to ritual & tradition. They are sons - joint heirs with Christ. All that the Father has promised the SON is available to all sons. And I believe one of the greatest acts of humility in our lives is to realize that we are not self made. We celebrate who we are because of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We don't have to talk about our unworthiness but celebrate the worth He has placed upon us. The Spirit of God within us - the Spirit of adoption - cries out "Abba, Father!" It's time for our dialogue to come into alignment.

We are SONS, not slaves. May our Father continue to reveal this amazing truth in our lives.

Saying "Yes!" to Life

Have you ever noticed that after a child picks up the words "Da-Da" & "Ma-Ma" that the next word is "NO!"? Unfortunately, it seems as though we carry the "NO!" with us for the majority of our lives. We tend to live in the "Thou Shalt Not(s)" rather than in what is "Yes" & "Amen" in Christ. The question still remains for many people, "Does God really want me to enjoy life?"

Galatians 5:1, in my opinion, is one of the most understated truths in Scripture. It is here that the Apostle Paul tells the church that "It was for freedom that Christ set us free..." What he warned them against is picking up things that hindered their freedom. He did not want them to be "entangled AGAIN in a yoke of bondage." I know a lot of people in churches that struggle to believe that God wants them free so that they will be free.

The reason our children pick up the word "NO!" so quickly is because that is what we tend to live in. They are immediately introduced to a life of rules rather than boundaries. They are given the letter of the law rather than the lessons of love. I've often wondered what the lives of my children would have looked like if I would have had this understanding in my 20's rather than now in my 40's. What if I would have taken the time to explain the differences between boundaries & rules? What if I would have sat them down and said "This is what love looks like..." and lived out that reality? What if they would have learned that life is full of "YES!"?

Scripture declares, "For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." (2 Corinthians 1:20). So much more of our life is wrapped up in "YES!" than we realize. There is much more freedom than we have lived in. There is so much more fullness than we have experienced. For too many people, God is nothing more than the BIG RULE MAKER rather than the TRUE LIFE GIVER. We have sat under so many teachings that have taught us what we cannot, or should not, do. And my question remains: What if we taught people that value of love? The power of Grace? And what if we taught them what other centered life looks like?

The reality is that we have become way too sin conscious in the church. We missed out on the understanding that when we teach the Law that it actually creates opportunity for sin to come alive in us (read Paul's letter to the church in Rome). He is not advocating the necessity of the Law in our lives. He is advocating the grace of God in our lives. The one thing that can empower us to become everything that we were created to become. Paul saw the Law as something that hindered us, drug us down, and kept us from becoming. He saw us entrapped in a system of "do's" & "dont's". This is why he was such a grace advocate. He did not want the Gentiles to become entangled in the very thing that Christ had set them free from. He wanted them to say "YES!" to the life of Christ within them. Oh, how I wish more and more people would get this understanding. I have seen far too many good people struggle under legalism. They have a pure heart for God but they never enter into the freedom of Christ. They are like children living in a house full of fear rather than a family full of love & acceptance.

Imagine life without fear. Consider life full of love. This is what you have been invited to participate in. Our lives are not about sin management. Our lives are about discovering the freedom we have in Him. Seeing that freedom come into full expression. It's about love, laughter, & fullness. It's about living in unbroken communion & fellowship. It's about understanding that His mercies are new every morning. When you & I discover this reality of freedom, then we will learn to say "YES!" to life.

Does God really want me to enjoy life?
Jesus said, "I have come that [you] may have life & that life more abundantly." (John 10:10)
I believe the death, burial, resurrection, & ascension of Jesus is the greatest "YES!" ever spoken to humanity.
YES!!! I want you to be free.
YES!!! I want you to come out of hiding.
YES!!! I want you to become everything I designed you to be.
YES!!! I want you to know you are loved, you are accepted, and you are invited to participate fully in this relationship.

What a glorious journey.