The Good Of The Father (Those Damn Christians) # 2001

 

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he doesn't want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money 

~George Carlin~ 

Somehow, I've become associated with one of "Them."  Despite the fact that what I believe in my heart speaks to a God seldom preached of in the mainstream church, I've become known as one of those damn Christians.  I see it as being guilty by association.  So, how is it that we've arrived at this point?  How is it that we who believe in God have become so reviled?  Well, I'd say that we as believers shoulder much of the blame for this.  We're the ones who have demeaned others in the name of the Lord.  We're the ones who have demanded a certain standard of behavior from others while seldom adhering to it ourselves.  All, of course, in the name of God.  Granted, not all believers fit this stereotype, just enough to leave a majority of the world with a bad opinion not only of the followers of the Lord, but of God Himself.  When I frequented the mainstream church, I was witness to many people who were shunned or turned away for one reason or another.  From the way you were dressed to the way you expressed your heart felt worship to the Lord, it seems as if someone was always critiquing you.  Like I said, I've been there.  This is not to say that every congregation is this judgmental, and I've been witness to a few that weren't.  Yet, somehow believers got it in their heads that we are not simply the voice of the Father speaking through us, but his mighty Christian soldiers ready to fight for His all-perfect plan for the world.  So it is that the almighty God, the creator of all which we see, has suddenly recruited the assistance of those who believe.  Does anyone but me see an issue with this?  Whatever happened to trusting in the Lord?  Whatever happened to trusting in God instead of fighting for what we perceive is His desire?  Somewhere along the way, the believers in the Lord got derailed.  

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tests the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world

First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Like I said, I have found a belief in the Lord which is spoken by the apostle Paul in his evangel.  I can honestly say that this evangel is far different from that which I have heard spoken from any church pulpit.  It is Paul who speaks of our true image in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3:18}.  It is the apostle John who speaks to the one true identity of our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Do not be misled that if you follow the truth of the evangel of Christ instead of the separation theology of the church that you are somehow going against the scriptures.  Nothing is further from the truth.  I believe in the truth of the spoken evangel that sin is no longer an issue for me {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I believe that we have been created in the Fathers likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I also believe that the mainstream church has been in error for speaking to our separation from God.  And it is this theology which we speak to the world.  A theology not of the true love of God, but of His judgement upon the world.  Folks, that ship has sailed!  We have been found guilty without a doubt.  Yet through the love and grace of the Father, He has provided our redemption through the sacrifice of the innocent on the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, God did not send Jesus into the world to judge it, but that ALL the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Jesus has also spoken that we are not to judge {Mathews Account 7:1-5}.  This means those who we feel are going against the Lord as well.  For God does not call on us to enforce His rules, but to exhibit His love through us {Johns Account 13:33-35}.  Do this, and we might not be seen as those damn Christians.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What about Jesus?) # 2000

 

Now He said, also, to some that have confidence in themselves that they are just, and are scorning the rest, this parable:  "Two men went up into the sanctuary to pray, the one a pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing, prayed this to himself, 'God, I am thanking you that I am not even as the rest of these men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tribute collector.  I am fasting twice of a sabbath.  I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring.'  Now the tribute collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, 'God, make a propitiatory shelter for me, the sinner!'  I am saying to you, this man descended to his home justified, rather than that one, for everyone who is exalting himself shall be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself shall be exalted." 

Lukes Account 18: 9-14, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend of mine sent an article to me the other day written by a man speaking to the "One thing separating most people from God."  Now, before even reading the article, I knew what his spin would be.  As I have written before, the mainstream church has made a business out of preaching the separation theology which claims that we have been separated from God somehow.  To back up their absurd claim, they often turn to the prophet Isaiah who speaks to the sins of God have caused the Lord to "Hide My face from you" {Isaiah 59:2}.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Notice that one of the scriptures that those within the church use to illustrate the false theology is taken from the Old Testament.  When I see this I often ask, well, what about Jesus?  For we know that it is Jesus Whom the Father dispatched to deal with that sin issue through His own death on the cross {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  So, how is it that you can continue to claim the judgements of the Old Testament while ignoring the saving sacrifice of Christ?  Can anyone besides me see the absurdity in this?  I am constantly talking with so called believers who adhere to the practice of stressing themselves in prayers for the forgiveness of their sins.  Well, what about Jesus?  Have you ever heard of Him?  Better yet, have you ever known Him?  For if you had known the truth spoken by the apostle Paul in his evangel, you would more than likely think twice about your own views of sin.  It is Paul who proclaims that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  I have had the unique perspective in my own life to have seen both sides of that fence.  I have sat through countless Sunday sermons which spoke to my separation from God.  I have even feared for the loss of my own salvation as a result of these false teachings.  When I read articles like the one in question, I can see that the author is steeped in the separation theology of the mainstream church because I've been there myself.  But here's the kicker, I found the truth.  Through the help of that same good friend who sent me the article, I have been able to separate the truth from the false theology spoken from the church.  

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

While the mainstream church speaks to sin separating us from God, the evangel of Christ Jesus proclaims that it is He who has given Himself willingly out of His love for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, Jesus IS that sin offering.  Jesus IS our propitiatory shelter {Lukes Account 9:13}.  I find it interesting that the same organization which claims to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross will so boldly deny that sacrifice through their own teachings.  Think I'm off base?  Has not Jesus come to perish on the cross for the forgiveness of sin, yes or no?  If you believe that Jesus indeed has given Himself for the forgiveness of sin, then you may just be on your way to knowing the truth of the evangel.  I say might because there are plenty of followers in the church who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus yet continue to adhere to the separation theology.  You might be saying to yourself, "But what about my past?"  Well, Paul speaks to this in Colossians.  Paul speaks to the Father 'vivifying us together with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses' {Paul to the Colossians 2:13}.  If Jesus has given Himself to sin "Once for all time" as Paul proclaims, we can trust that He has defeated our sin past, present and future.  How many times will you send Jesus to that cross over some sin which has already been forgiven?  We should be in prayer graciously thanking God for His deliverance from our former state.  Yes, all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But Paul also speaks to our being justified through the deliverance that we find in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Therefore, I hold to the truth of the evangel that I have never been separated from my creator.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Never Good Enough For God) # 1999

 

Who rouses Him from among the dead, you also being dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He vivifies us together jointly with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses, erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross

Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-14, Concordant New Testament 

How good do you need to be in order to be accepted by God?  Those in the church are fond of telling us that if we behave badly that we can and will lose our salvation.  The other day I had a conversation with a gym rat friend who mentioned to me that he didn't believe in God at all.  Before I tossed this man onto the growing pile of non-believers, I asked him why he felt that way.  His response surprised even me.  It seems that someone close to him had died a few years ago, and that his prayers had gone unanswered for their healing.  I can empathize with him, as I felt the same way when my mother passed away.  But my friend also didn't believe that God could ever love a man like him who had done so many wrong things.  Again, the church has done us zero favors in this arena.  We've been raised in a religious system where the good are rewarded and the guilty are judged and punished.  I see my friend as a victim of that system even if he has never known God before.  All around him are the so-called believers who preach verses of hell and punishment if he doesn't behave in a Godly way.  I used to be among that crowd when I was in the church.  But who could blame me?  This is how I was taught.  The church is filled with those whose idea of gathering souls for God is to shame people into submission.  But what is it that the Father thinks?  The apostle Paul speaks to the salvation of the lowly and downtrodden among us, that He has raised Christ from the dead and gathers us unto Him {Paul to the Colossians 2:14-14}.  He has also wiped the slate clean of our offenses and the judgement which those in the church continue to hold over our heads.  Many people who continue to congregate the church will bristle at the mere suggestion that they will judge people.  That's Gods job! they shout for all to hear.  But what should I think of someone who vehemently speaks to my losing my salvation if I don't behave in a Godly fashion?  Isn't that placing ourselves in Gods judgement seat?  Yet this is a story for another day.  What I reminded my friend of when he revealed that he was a bad person unworthy of Gods love was who he was in the eyes of the Father.  For in Gods sight, he isn't who unloved, but loved {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  

Religion has actually convinced people that there is a invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he doesn't want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time!  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money 

~George Carlin~ 

The sad fact remains that far too many people have been convinced of the false separation theology spoken by the church than those who have known the truth of the evangel of Christ Jesus spoken by the apostle Paul.  So it is that I am never surprised when I hear of someone who lives in despair, ashamed of how they think God sees them.  There is a reason that I spoke the truth to my friend of how it is that the Father looks at him.  This could be the first crack in the wall of deception that those in the church have built around him.  The wall which separates him from God.  That wall which has been built up by those in the mainstream church.  I know of what I speak, for I was a victim of this theology for years.  I've been in my friends shoes.  It wasn't until Jesus was revealed in my life that I began to see the truth.  With the help from a good friend, the evangel of Christ was revealed to me.  This is not something you'd hear from a pastor some Sunday morning.  No, this is the truth revealed to us of how the Father looks upon His children with love and grace.  No matter how far you think you've fallen in your life, the truth we find in the Father reveals to us that we are not sinners, but His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  We also do well to know that there is nothing which will ever take away that which the Father has freely given unto us through His Son Jesus.  It is Jesus who has that judgement upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Paul speaks to Jesus having died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  It is Jesus Who has taken the shame and punishment upon Himself for our sake.  What remains is our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Love Freely Given) # 1998

 

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love 

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

The conversation this past week centered around marriage and the love between two people involved.  I have been blessed in my life to have come to know a few Godly men who have been married for many years.  It is these brothers to whom I often turn to when seeking advice not only on the possibility of marriage but on relationships as well.  When I talk with those who have not been married very long there is a unique difference in how they often describe their relationship with their spouse.  A gym rat friend recently spoke to his need to earn the love and affection of his wife of only a few years.  Granted, I am not privy to the inner circles of their relationship, but this sounded strange to me.  How would someone who has promised to love another person until death do them part ever feel as if they needed to earn the love of the other?  Well, in the context of what we've come to know as church and religion, this is exactly what we've been taught about our own relationship with God.  The fact that we have to earn His love.  I've spent many a Sunday morning listening to one pulpit pounder after another threaten me with losing my salvation if I didn't behave in a way pleasing to God.  Sadly, there are many well-meaning Christians out there who have resorted to finding love and acceptance from another person instead of realizing the love which has been freely given to us from the Father.  The apostle John goes so far as to speak to the one nature of God, which is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Indeed, I would offer that it is His live for us which drives all which the Father does.  It is through His love for us that we were created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is also through His love for us that He dispatched His Son to be that propitiation for our sin {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  God does not seek payment for that which He freely gives to us.  It is the knowing of the Fathers love for me that has brought me through many a tough time.  It is that realization of His love that has revealed to me that my value and worth are not determined by how others around me perceive me.  I am His child, and He loves me as His own {First Epistle of John 3:1}. 

Yet God, being rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!) 

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 4-5, Concordant New Testament 

I cannot imagine a life lived where my own self-worth was dictated by someone else.  Yet this is the point where I was before my life in Him was revealed to me.  I would look to those around me for the acceptance I desired.  It was their opinions of me which often drove my own feelings of self-worth.  If they didn't like me, I all too often didn't like myself too much.  I look back on my conversation with my friend this week and I see those same struggles in him.  Each day fighting for the right to earn the love of someone who has vowed to love him forever.  I will note that my friend is one of those who knows about God, but has never known Him in that personal way in which I have come to know Him.  Therefore, I can see his own struggles in those which I once faced.  I have taken it upon myself to remind him of the Fathers love for him at each and every opportunity.  My prayer is that God will open his heart to that revelation of His love for us.  Although it seems sad and tragic to be involved in a relationship where we feel the need to validate the love of another, this is where we find ourselves.  Social media is thick with people who struggle with the acceptance of others each and every day.  Clicking that "Like" button has become more important to most people than actually liking someone for who they are.  For their part, the mainstream church speaks to God having His own like button.  He will click His like button in our favor if we behave in a way which pleases Him.  However, if we don't, His approval of us will wane to the point that our own freely given salvation could be in doubt.  This is what religion has taught us!  I am grateful that I have the truth of His love in my heart.  The truth not of the acceptance of others, but of a love freely given. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (All Things) # 1997

 

Trillions and trillions of prayers every day asking and begging and pleading for favors.  'Do this' 'Gimme that' 'I want a new car' 'I want a better job'.  And most of this praying takes place on Sunday.  And I say fine, pray for anything you want.  Pray for anything.  But...what about the divine plan?  Remember that?  The divine plan.  Long time ago God made a divine plan.  Gave it a lot of thought.  Decided it was a good plan.  Put it into practice.  And for billions and billions of years the divine plan has been doing just fine.  Now you come along and pray for something.  Well, suppose the thing you want isn't in Gods divine plan.  What do you want Him to do?  Change His plan?  Just for you?  Doesn't it seem a little arrogant?  It's a divine plan.  What's the use of being God if every run-down schmuck with a two-dollar prayer book can come along and fuck up your plan? 

~George Carlin~ 

It's one of the most commonly asked questions in Christianity.  How is it that God can allow bad things to happen to good people?  How is it that God can allow such suffering in the world?  Indeed, I've often had difficulty in explaining to others the answer to these questions.  Mainly because I myself was unsure of that answer.  For I have often prayed for the Fathers provision in certain areas of my life.  Before my mother passed away, I did exactly what those in the church instructed me to do, I prayed that God would heal her from her pain.  I was not seeking something for myself, only that my mother would be free of her suffering.  The night she passed away, I was not only filled with sadness, but an anger at God which I had never felt before.  How could God simply ignore my prayer and take my mother from me?  Had I not prayed for her healing?  Had God abandoned me in my time of need despite proclaiming that He would never leave me nor forsake me?  In my time of mourning, it certainly seemed that way to me.  Then, a good friend from the church spoke something to me.  What had happened had been according to His will for her.  What?  Killing someone is according to Gods will?  It wasn't until some time later that God revealed to me that He had indeed answered my prayer, just not in the way I had been expecting.  My mother was now free of her sickness and pain, which was what I had been praying for all along.  I have no doubt that God knew even before time began everything that would transpire through the passing of my mother.  As believers, we know that God knows all things.  Nothing will ever escape His notice.  The author J Preston Eby describes Gods plan for the ages.  The apostle Paul writes of this divine plan in Ephesians {Paul to the Ephesians 3:8-11}.  So, how is it that God can allow such suffering into His creation?  That's been His plan all along.  I know that this sounds like a somewhat trite answer to the question, but it is nonetheless accurate.  Throughout history we have been witness to the unfolding of the plans of the Lord.  The failed plans of Satan to overcome God.  The disobedience of His creation in the garden and the reconciliation through Christ Jesus which He ordained from the beginning.  When we have this revelation, we can be assured of the words of Paul that God is working all together for the good {Paul to the Romans 8:28}.  

To me, less than the least of all saints, was granted this grace: to bring the evangel of the untraceable riches of Christ to the nations, and to enlighten all as to what is the administration of the secret, which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all, that now may be made know to the sovereignties and the authorities among the celestials, through the ecclesia, the multifarious wisdom of God, in accord with the purpose of the eons, which He makes in Christ Jesus, our Lord 

Paul to the Ephesians 3: 8-11, Concordant New Testament 

One of the most difficult scriptures I've ever had to unpack are the words of Paul we find in Romans 8:28.  That God will work all together for good for those who are loving Him.  Really?  How is death, pain and violence considered working all for our good?  Again, this is a question often asked by well-meaning Christians looking for that simple answer to the troubles of life.  Of course, the answer to this question may just be too complex for them to handle.  That God created all from the beginning.  That He indeed had a purpose for His creation.  We might live in a black and white reality, but God doesn't work in that way.  All too often, that which we feel is best for us is not what the Father has in mind for our life in Him.  Our decisions are often based upon physical possessions and emotions.  If we were to strip away these filters, then perhaps we could see through the eyes of the Father just what He desires for us.  Instead of praying for that new car, how about praying for the Lord to open our eyes to that good which he has for us?  Why?  Because to do this provides no immediate physical reward for us.  Indeed, knowing of a gift is not as good as receiving one.  Yet we can be assured that the God who created all according to His desire for our good will also make known unto us What His desire for us is in His timing.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Devils Choice) # 1996

 

Be observing accurately, then, brethren, how you are walking, not as unwise, but as wise, reclaiming the era, for the days are wicked.  Therefore do not become imprudent, but understand what the will of the Lord is

Paul to the Ephesians 5: 15-17, Concordant New Testament 

I have many well intended Christians speak to how we should be seeking the Lords help for delivering us from whatever addiction we might be facing.  In the church I used to attend, there was a small group whose intention it was to assist those who found themselves in recovery from addiction.  While I agree that we should pray for Gods help in delivering us from whatever addictions that we may face, I believe also that we are speaking about addiction that we're missing the point.  When we come to the realization that we are making choices that are destructive to us, we often seek the help of the Lord.  We do well for doing that.  I have a brother who I have been in prayer over for some time.  It's no secret among his brothers and friends that he has a history of making terrible choices when it comes to his own addiction to alchohol.  In my case, I can and have emphasized with my brother because there was a time when I too made life choices that led to my own addiction.  When it came to my own addiction to pornography, I often struggled as to why the Lord would allow me to suffer through that hell.  I can only imagine the struggles and questions which my friend is asking of the Father these days.  But what many in the Christian community have been missing is that the addictions we suffer are all too often a result of our own choices we make.  Yes, God is all in all, but He has also created us in His very likeness, with the ability to make choices for ourselves {Genesis 1:27}.  This is why it is a good thing when we come to that realization of our own self-destructive behavior that we seek the help of the Lord through prayer.  In my own addiction, I knew that I what I was doing went against what the Lord had planned for me.  I chose the flesh and not the Lord.  This is the devils choice.  Does this mean that our choices led to our own separation from God?  Not at all.  Those within the mainstream church will tell us that it is our sin which leads us into separation from the Lord.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Yet through our own choices, we choose to accept this lie of the church as truth.  

For all am I strong in Him Who is invigorating me -- Christ! 

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 13, Concordant New Testament 

Those who know me have asked me more than a few times how it is that I overcame my own addiction.  I have one simple answer them...Jesus.  I recall standing outside that strip club that night, about to feed my addiction once again, when I suddenly had the thought that this was not the man that I really was.  At the time I wasn't aware of just who I was, but I had the feeling that my choices of the flesh were not a part of it.  Something changed in me that night.  I often feel that this must have been how the apostle Paul felt when he looked back on his trip down that road to Damascus.  That man Saul wasn't who he truly was.  Paul speaks to this in Galatians, that "When it delights God," that He would reveal His son in him {Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-16}.  I believe that my own life followed the similar path as Paul's life did.  So, what can Paul's experience teach us about our own addictions?  Well, first, that there is always room for God to reveal unto us how He looks upon us and not how the world sees us.  Whenever I come across someone in the struggle of addiction, my first question is always, "Who do you see when you look in the mirror?"  More often than not, others will tell me that they see a failure rejected by God because of their sin.  They've chosen to accept the lie of the deceiver.  When I stood outside that building that night, I knew in that moment that something had changed.  I wasn't that guy I thought I had been.  In that moment, the Father opened the door to an entire new reality for me.  My life is not in the world, but in the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Those in the church will tell me that my sin has separated me from God.  The evangel of Christ Jesus assures me that Jesus has given Himself once for the sin of all {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Eyes On You) # 1995

 

Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He Himself shall straighten your paths

Proverbs 3: 5-6, Concordant Old Testament 

They're known as some of the best pilots in the world.  I have seen many performances of the United States Navy Blue Angels in my lifetime.  Each time more exciting than the last.  Who wouldn't be amazed by the sight of six supersonic fighter jets flying sometimes within inches of each other.  In a recent interview, Blue Angels commander Adam "Gilligan" Bryan was asked the question which so many people, including myself, have often wondered.  How is it that six of the Navys fastest and most agile jet fighters can continuously fly in such close proximity to each other without a major incident?  Bryan summed it up with a quote from a recent airshow.  As the Blues taxied out to takeoff for another show, Bryan's slot pilot, Lt Cmdr Wes Perkins, spoke the words which every Blue Angels pilot lives by, "Eyes on you, Boss."  This is how they train, eyes focused on the lead aircraft.  Whatever the flight lead does in the moment is often mimicked by those in close formation.  Nowhere else is this strict attention to detail illustrated than in the 1982 crash involving four T-38 Talon aircraft of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds over Indian Springs, Nevada.  While practicing a diamond loop formation, the four aircraft literally followed their flight lead straight into a crash without wavering.  Their attention obviously focused closely on each and every movement of the leader.  I was thinking the other day on how it is that we, as believers, all too often are called upon to focus our eyes not upon what we see, but to focus our faith on Christ.  The author of Hebrews speaks to our looking to Jesus, "The founder and perfector of our faith" {To the Hebrews 12:2}.  Indeed, what good is our faith in Jesus if our eyes are not focused upon Him?  But how is it that we see Jesus?  Do we look upon Him simply as someone who has punched out ticket to heaven?  Or, as I have learned, do we look upon Jesus as our source of life and all we are?  The apostle has spoken to the truth that all has come into being through Christ {Johns Account 1:1-5}.  As believers, we realize that we have been created in the image of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  The obvious conclusion is that Jesus has always been an intimate part of who we are.  

And He is the head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first, for in Him the entire compliment delights to dwell 

Paul to the Colossians 1: 18-19, Concordant New Testament 

The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that Jesus is the head of His church, the ecclesia {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}.  As such, our focus should be upon Him as the head of the church of Christ Jesus.  Like those pilots focused on those around them, our own eyes should be centered upon the source of our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Focused on our knowing that without Him, we are left with nothing.  Focused upon the truth that without Jesus, we would have endured that punishment which He, being innocent, took upon Himself because of His love for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Indeed, our eyes should not be focused on this world, but on He who has overcome the world {Johns Account 16:33}.  Yet too many times our eyes become blinded by what we see rather than what it is we know in our hearts.  During their flight demonstrations, a loss of concentration can lead to disaster for the pilots of the Blue Angels.  It is that laser focus that enables them to perform in the way which they do.  It is also our focus upon Christ Jesus that enables us to overcome what the world sets before us.  We do well to remember that this life has never been ours to live, but the extension of Christ in Whom we live.  That is our focus. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A God Thing) # 1994

 

We may be coming, then, to the throne of grace, that we may be obtaining mercy and finding grace for opportune help 

To the Hebrews 4: 16, Concordant New Testament 

I have a friend who will tell the story of when he made that decision to give his heart to Jesus.  After a few serious health challenges, how he one day realized that it was the Father who had restored him to health.  How, after being shot at while out driving one day, the responding officer told him in all seriousness that the Lord had been looking out for him that day.  Many people have taken to referring to situations such as this as a "God thing."  They stop short of giving the glory to the Father for His provision.  Not so for my friend.  For he knows fully well why his own life has been spared more than a few times.  It has more to do with the love and grace of the Father than being simply a God thing.  A God thing is a way for those on the fence about Jesus to explain the Lords intervention in our lives.  I've known people who have prayed for the Lords help in their lives, only to be amazed when He actually shows up.  Well, what were you expecting?  It's funny, but you'll never see the phrase "God thing" written in the scriptures.  You will, however, find references to Gods help in our time of need {To the Hebrews 4:16}.  The apostle Paul goes so far as to proclaim that the Father will "Supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Philippians 4:19}.  Notice that the apostle is careful to note that the Father will supply every NEED.  Indeed, there is a difference between what we desire and what it is which we need.  That does not mean that we cannot pray to the Father for the desires of our heart, and many believers often do just that.  But there is a blurred line between what we see as a need and that of a desire.  Bu that is a topic for another day.  I would say that it takes a strong ounce of trust and faith to know that God will do for us as He has promised.  Is it truly a God thing, or simply the Father delivering upon His promise?  I would say that the latter is true.  But we cannot delve into this without first knowing the truth of our life in Christ Jesus.  It is Jesus Himself Who has proclaimed that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The truth is, that the Father will indeed speak His desires for us upon our hearts.  To live in union with God is to understand that our life is in Him, not separate from Him.  

And he has protested to me, "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected."  With greatest relish, then, will I rather be glorying in my infirmities, that the power of Christ shall be tabernacling over me.  Wherefore I delight in infirmities, in outrages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christs sake, for, whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12: 9-10, Concordant New Testament 

Paul was no stranger to adversity.  For he endured much for following and speaking of the evangel of Christ.  I find it interesting that when Paul prayed three times for God to remove that splinter in his flesh which Satan used to buffet him, he received an interesting response in return.  I firmly believe that Paul was expecting to be delivered from that which ailed him.  After all, he had made his request known to God for just that {Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7}.  The Lords response to Paul?  "Sufficient for you is My grace, for My power in infirmity is being perfected" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:9}.  Not surprisingly, I believe that far too many Christians these days would view such a response from God to their requests as unanswered prayer.  How can it be a God thing if we didn't get what we want?  Again, I believe that many of those who refer to the Lord working in the lives of His creation as a God thing do not share that relationship with Him.  Legendary wrestler Terry "Hulk" Hogan once described his life as "Knowing of Jesus but not truly knowing who He was."  Sadly, that's the situation many believers find themselves in.  They react to the Fathers love and grace for His children not with praise and glory, but brush it off as being simply a God thing.  Don't get me wrong, I give them credit for realizing that God is involved in their situation.  But our life in Him is not so much a God thing, but a relationship with Him. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Boots on The Ground) # 1993

 

For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us 

Paul to the Romans 8: 18, Concordant New Testament 

While preparing for his role as gunnery sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubricks film Full Metal Jacket, former Marine Corps drill sergeant R. Lee. Ermey was advised to use his experiences in the Marines in order to provide realism for the role in which he had been cast.  However, one of the difficulties which Ermy ran into was when the producers insisted that the Marine recruits in the film wear running shoes during scenes which involved physical training.  Over the objections of the staff, Ermy insisted that he had never allowed his recruits to train in athletic shoes.  His reasoning was simple, when these men hit the battlefield, they would be wearing standard issue combat boots and gear.  As a drill instructor, it was his job to prepare his men for that battlefield.  This got me thinking this week.  What is it which God has provided in order that we would be prepared for that which we face in this life?  Yes, we have the scriptures to fall back on, but is there something more?  The apostle Paul has spoken the sufferings of this life cannot compare to the glory to be revealed for us {Paul to the Romans 8:18}.  Indeed, how much easier will our life be when we have knowledge of the truth of the evangel of Christ?  One of the scriptures that many people have trouble with is that Jesus Himself has promised that our lives will have trials {Johns Account 16:33}.  Yet Jesus gives this warning not as a harbinger of bad times, but that "You may have peace."  For as Christ has proclaimed, in this world we will have affliction, but Jesus has overcome this world!  When we trust in our life in the Father, through Christ Jesus we have conquered this world as well.  Of course, it's easy to look at all of the chaos going on around the world and assume that we have no hope.  I have a fellow gym rat friend who is a self described "Empath" who feels greatly for the sufferings of others.  He is constantly bombarding me with the question of why God would allow His children to suffer.  Believe me, I have struggled with this question as well.  This is where the scriptures come in.  I believe that the scriptures to be our "Boots on the ground" which help us to navigate the trials of life.  Just as R. Lee. Ermy prepared his Marine recruits for the rigors of combat, so has the Father prepared us for the trials we will have in life.  

Yet not only so, but we may be glorying also in afflictions, having perceived that affliction is producing endurance, yet endurance testedness, yet testedness expectation.  Now expectation is not mortifying, seeing that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the holy spirit which is being given to us 

Paul to the Romans 5: 3-5, Concordant New Testament 

Despite being a strong voice for the evangel of the truth of Christ, Paul also faced his own share of afflictions in his life.  From the temptations of the accuser {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 12:7-10} to his time spent in Roman prisons for speaking the word of Christ.  One could say that if anyone had cause to complain about the unfairness of his life, it would have been Paul.  But what does Paul proclaim of the afflictions of his life?  When speaking of the afflictions of his life, Paul proclaims that we may "Be glorifying in afflictions" {Paul to the Romans 5:3}.  Glorying in our difficulties?  Is that even possible?  It is when we see the forest through the trees.  When we know and realize that despite our own afflictions, that God has brought us into our union life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  That despite the troubles of our own lives, that this life we live is not outside of God, but in Him.  Therefore, it is the Father Who brings us through our various tribulations through His love for us.  Just as R. Lee. Ermy prepared his recruits for the rigors of combat, the Father has also prepared the way for us to endure the trials of life.  Paul speaks to these afflictions as producing endurance within us {Paul to the Romans 5:4}.  As he trained his recruits, Ermy knew that they would have the endurance which they would need to handle any situation they faced.  The difference between a Marine drill instructor and God is that when the rubber meets the road, we endure our tribulations in Him.  This is why Paul could be confident in glorying in his afflictions. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Great Physician) # 1992

 

"Therefore I am saying to you,  not worry about your soul, what you may be eating, or what you may be drinking, nor yet about your body, what you should be putting on.  Is not the soul more than nourishment, and the body more than apparel?  Look at the flying creatures of heaven, that they are not sewing, neither are they reaping, nor are they gathering into barns, and your heavenly Father is nourishing them.  Are not you of more consequence than they?  Now who of you by worrying is able to add on to his stature one cubit?" 

Matthews Account 6: 25-27, Concordant New Testament 

As someone who has dealt with stress on many levels, I can honestly say that stress and worry do absolutely nothing as far as our individual health goes.  In fact, quite the opposite is true.  It is well known that worry and stress often lead to adverse effects in our bodies.  From lack of sleep and changes in weight to a much higher propensity of getting sick, stress very often leads to a negative reaction within us.  And what is usually the main cause of our stress?  Worry, that's what.  We worry and we fret over situations which have not come to pass.  We worry over that which we feel we need in order to survive.  We also often worry too much about how others see us?  For much of my life, I often spent a lot of time worrying over how it was that people saw me.  Did they like me?  If not, why?  That got me to thinking, is worry and stress a normal part of our life?  Some might think so.  But how is it that Jesus sees the subject of our worries?  I truly believe that the same worries that we have today were often shared by those of Jesus' day in one way or another.  Worries over food, acceptance and what tomorrow might bring.  What does Jesus have to say about this?  Simple, DO NOT worry.  In His sermon on the mount we find in the book of Matthew, Jesus lays out just how we should look upon our own worries.  That we should not be worrying about our soul, what we eat or drink or our body {Matthews Account 6:25}.  How much better will our lives be if we were not constantly worrying over such things?  Even though I have come to know the truth of my life in Jesus, I still have my moments where I worry over that which I cannot yet see.  Jesus provides for us the example of the birds of the air, how they do not sew nor reap, yet the Father provides for them {Matthews Account 6:26}.  Then, He pops the question we should all be asking ourselves, "Who of you by worrying is able to add on to his stature on cubit" {Matthews Account 6:27}?  In other words, what benefit is worry and stress to you personally?  If we trust in the words of Jesus, we already know that answer.  

Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, that is superior to every frame of mind, shall be garrisoning your hearts and apprehensions in Christ Jesus 

Paul to the Philippians 4: 6-7, Concordant New Testament 

I believe that the apostle Paul speaks well to our worry in Philippians.  For Paul proclaims that we do not worry, but that we make our requests made known to God, who will guard our hearts and apprehensions in Christ {Paul to the Philippians 4:6-7}.  Amen!  For I believe that there is no anxiety medication nor expensive therapy session which can be more beneficial to us than placing our trust in God.  Part of the false belief in the lie of the accuser is that we have been separated from God.  This is simply not true.  It is the Father Who has always been with us.  We have been created in His very image {Genesis 1:27}.  Jesus has spoken to the truth that we live our lives in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  If we trust in the truth that our life is in Him, then we will also trust in Him to accept whatever worries we might have.  After all, our life is not lived alone, but in Him.  I believe that this is why Paul calls upon us to make our requests known to God, because by doing so removes that burden of stress from us.  And once that burden of stress is removed, our physical bodies will no longer suffer the adverse effects which stress puts upon us.  Yet to do this is to trust in God completely.  To know that whatever happens, that our life is lived securely in Him.  Whatever trials and stresses we might encounter, we can rest assured that God has encouraged us to leave it all with Him.  He is the great physician.  

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A False Illusion) # 1991

 But the serpent said to the woman: Not to die shall you be dying; For Elohim knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be unclosed, and you will become like Elohim, knowing good and evil.  Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it brought a yearning to the eyes and that the tree was desirable for gaining insight.  So she took of its fruit and ate.  She also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were unclosed, and they realized that they were naked, So they sewed fig leaves together and made girdle skirts for themselves. 

Genesis 3: 4-7, Concordant Old Testament 

For some time, far too many so called Christians have been living a false illusion.  This illusion is born of the lie which the deceiver spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden.  For it is Satan who convinced the Lords creation that were they to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they would not perish as God had promised them when He commanded them not to partake of the tree.  Instead, Satan claimed that once they took of that which had been forbidden them, that they would "Become like Elohim, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  Of course, immediately after taking of the fruit of the tree, both Adam and Eve suddenly realized that they were naked and made coverings for themselves {Genesis 3:7}.  What changed in that moment?  Was it sin that changed us, or is sin simply the result of the false illusion spoken by the deceiver?  The illusion that we could somehow be separated from God.  Ask any believer and they will insist that there is but one God in the universe.  They do well for proclaiming that truth.  For the Lord Himself has declared His sole existence {Isaiah 45:5}.  Yet few believers will realize that they are indeed living the illusion that they are independent of God.  That our lives are our own and that God is simply there to listen and to assist us when needed.  We falsely claim that it is our own sin which has separated us from God, never considering that our own belief in the false illusion of our independence is at the heart of the issue.  For its part, the mainstream church has established an entire theology through that false illusion.  Those in the church system will preach that our sin has indeed prevented us from a relationship with God.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus Himself has spoken not to our separation, but to our union life in He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The apostle Paul speaks to our "Mirroring the Lords glory" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 3:18}.  Even Paul, one of the greatest voices for the evangel of Christ Jesus, never mentions our independence apart from God.  For him to do so would be to speak of the false illusion spoken by the deceiver. 

For you died, and your life is hid together with Christ in God 

Paul to the Colossians 3: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Paul has spoken to the truth that our lives are now "Hid together with Christ in God" {Paul to the Colossians 3:3}.  His words echo the truth spoken by Jesus that "I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" {Johns Account 14:20}.  As Jesus is in the Father, so it is that our life is in Him.  If this were not so, Jesus would have spoken to that.  Therefore, I consider the separation theology of the mainstream church to be one of the biggest lies ever spoken.  Now, before you brand me a heretic, consider the very words of Jesus and Paul the apostle.  Paul has spoken to Timothy that it is the Lords desire that all be saved {Paul to Timothy (1) 2:4}.  This idea of universal salvation has never been accepted by those in the church.  They preach from the pulpits that the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  The way I see it, they've already judged many as being unworthy of the Lords love and grace.  The false illusion spoken by the deceiver is a tough nut to crack for any believer.  It has been for me.  Think about it, in our minds we're surrounded by that which is in this world.  God is in heaven watching over us while we live separately here on earth.  Yet as Paul has spoken, we have died, and our life is hidden together with Christ in God.  Paul also speaks to this death of our old nature in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  To live in the false illusion is to believe that sin continues to have a place in our lives.  That because of sin, we cannot have a relationship with the Father.  For those who hold firm to this belief I have one suggestion, what about Jesus?  For it is Jesus who shed innocent blood as the sacrifice for our disobedience {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Make no mistake, we deserved to die, not Him.  Paul has spoken to the truth that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  As being created in the likeness of God, we have never been separated from Him {Genesis 1:27}.  The false illusion is simply that, a lie meant hide the truth which we have in Christ. 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Hand Of God) #1990

 Behold, the hand of Yahweh is not too short to save, and His ear is not too heavy to hear 

Isaiah 59: 1, Concordant Old Testament 

Every now and then there comes the news of the passing of someone who many would be so certain that they would be deemed to hell for the life that they lived here on earth.  In my own time in the Christian religion and faith, I've been faced with those threats as well.  People who have deemed the life which I live to be so sinful that God Himself would never safe me.  So it was recently with the passing of legendary pro wrestler Terry "Hulk" Hogan.  Growing up watching the antics of the World Wrestling Federation, I came to believe that Hulk Hogan had to live a life apart from God.  I was wrong.  For it was in his later years that Hogan became more vocal about his own religious and conservative political views.  Who knew?  Perhaps the millions of Hulka maniacs all over the world rejoiced in the knowing that Terry Hogan had chosen God over fame.  I know for a fact that there has indeed been rejoicing in heaven over his choice to follow the Lord {Lukes Account 15:7}.  Indeed, Gods hands are not so short that He cannot save {Isaiah 59:1}.  I found encouragement over these words this week as I thought of a brother who, being native American, has never learned of the love and grace of the Father.  All too often, we ourselves get into the business of condemning someone to hell based on what we see them think and do.  I've seen far too many pastors condemn others to hell for what they perceive as unpardonable behavior in the sight of God.  To that I would caution, we ARE NOT God.  The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that our own salvation is not based on our own merits, but on the love and grace of the Father {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  There is nothing that we will ever do, save from knowing and accepting the truth of the evangel of Christ, that will guarantee or own salvation.  In His own time, God will reveal to those He chooses the truth of His Son and our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  This is indeed what occurred in my own life.  Despite having been raised in the separation theology of the mainstream church, it wasn't until later in life that my life in the Father was revealed unto me.  How many others had written me off as going to hell without Gods forgiveness?  That I'll never know.  What this has taught me is that not only is God able to save, but that He WILL save in His own time.  

For this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Saviour, God, Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth

Paul to Timothy (1) 2: 3-4, Concordant New Testament 

It's called universal salvation, and it fly's in the face of the spoken separation theology coming out of the mainstream church.  Separation Theology is the belief that is our own sin which has separated us from a relationship with God.  This is indeed one of the lies spoken by those in the church.  It is Paul who has written to young Timothy that it is the will of God that all be saved {Paul to Timothy (1) 2:3-4}.  Yet whenever I speak to others of this truth of the forgiveness found in the Father, I usually meet my share of resistance.  Even those who proclaim that they follow Jesus have had difficulty understanding a God who desires to save all of His children.  What about the murderers?  What about the punishment of the wicked?  Folks, that is not our bone to chew.  When it comes to decisions regarding who will be saved and who will not, it is God who takes center stage, not us.  What right has God given unto us that we should sit in judgement of others?  In fact, it is Jesus Himself who has spoken to the truth that we should not judge others {Matthews Account 7:1-2}.  It is Jesus Who has been dispatched into this world not to judge, but that all may be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Too many people, Christians included, fall into the belief spoken by the church that the good will be rewarded and the wicked punished.  That our salvation is based upon our own merits.  But as Paul has spoken, it is the grace of the Father that decides these things.  I wonder just how many people have looked at my friend and instantly decided that he will definitely be headed for hell based upon how they perceive his life.  When given that chance, I will remind him that the hands of the Lord are never so short that He cannot save one of His own.  

~Scott~