longing for heaven, when Grace is an uphill climb

"Ultimately, we long for heaven. And there's the problem: to experience heaven, we have to die to temporal living and to ourselves. The drive to be happy–to cope with all the affairs, situations and circumstances of life, to have the ability to perform adequately–cannot be satisfied by any power source other than God. However, man's quest for happiness seldom begins by seeking fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He thinks happiness and freedom from pain and guilt can be obtained through temporal means. He looks for a power source capable of satisfying his soul's thirst for happiness. It is this search for happiness that makes our children (and ourselves) so vulnerable to the destructive spiritual forces in the world. " Norm Wakefield

I like Norm... I often find that God speaks through Norm to me, though his writings and teachings. I find that there is a whole lot of truth here...

That we do long for heaven, we long for creature comforts, for things to go easy, for things to go smoothly.

We don't want things to be hard... Somehow, we need them to go well, because how would that make God look? "my life needs to look good, so that my god looks good" but is that really how the God of heaven operates?

That is idolatry.

Our God is not here to serve us, to give us our every wish and want. True He will give us the desires of our hearts...

But will He give us NEW desires?

or give us OUR desires?

Or give us the desires of our hearts in HIS time in His way?

We are here to serve Him. Not I would have to put forth, to serve ourselves. Nor is it our place to determine what "serving Him" will look like. As each of us are different parts of the body of Christ, each of us will serve the Lord in a different capacity. It is not for me to covet another gifting.

The lesson this week at church was from Acts 20:17-38

It is considered Pauls great "goodbye" to the Church at Ephesus, a church he had been with longer than any other.

17From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.
18And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,
19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;
20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22"And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
24"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
25"And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.
26"Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
28"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31"Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
32"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33"I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes.
34"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.
35"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,
38grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again And they were accompanying him to the ship.

Here lies what Pastor Carlson (International Christian Community of Lyon) so aptly pointed out, as something other than what we in the WEST call commitment... We like to consider ourselves committed to Christ....

But we are to surrender ourselves to Christ. Surrender vs Commit hmmm makes ya think.

Hebrews 12:1

1Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

What is entangling me... what desire of my heart, what comforts do I so want that encompass me? What encumbrance and what sin is entangling me, preventing me from running the race with endurance...

and not just "a race"

but the race set before me, the race set before us....

My husband and I have a different race than you do. Different sins, different issues all together, different, yet probably all identifiable and relatable... in some ways the same, yet distinctly different from yours. yet as Paul points out, the issue is the same.. there is a race, and something is entangling us..

Verse 31 and 32 talk about being ALERT.... and being commended to God & to His word of GRACE....
which will build you up

& give you the inheritance of all those who are sanctified.....

wow

lets look at that... so we need to be commended to GOD and

to HIS WORD

OF

GRACE

grace

grace

grace.......

hmmmm

which will build you UP (not tear down, not burden, not overwhelm, nor exhaust, but rather build you up)

and & and.....

give you the inheritance ( that is nice but whose???????)

of those who were sanctified........ (those who have been there / done that/ who have walked the walk, not talked that talk, the ones GOD worked on, who have BEEN transformed by the renewing of their minds.... hmmm the sanctified have an inheritance.... to leave for .... maybe me? maybe YOU?)

but are we commending one another to GOD first

to His Word first?

to Prayer FIRST or as a last resort?

afterthought?

just before bed, if we remember?

Are we even remembering HIS word is the Word of GRACE??

there really doesn't seem to be an understanding of grace in the church today...

people hear grace they hear...

licence.......

so not so....

grace....

needs further reflection if this is what you think of it...

are we as a church,

are we as families

friends

neighbors

communities

building UP in Christ?

or tearing down?

are we so full of criticism that we no longer seek to build up...

and by the way... kissing up, sugar coating, brown nosing, sweet talking, is NOT building up...

building UP

might be showing someone where they are in sin

where they are wrong.

or knowing when to be quiet and let God do what God is going to do, because we are toooooo

emotional about it... too overwhelming, too lacking in grace....

grace can look different

because it is HIS

and it is part of that PERSONAL walk thing....

now as far as the saying goodbye goes.... well we have had to do this..

lots and lots of times...

and I can not expound on it better than it was done here....

we can not know if we shall meet again....

and there is NOTHING wrong with weeping at our own sorrow

it is ok to miss someone

it is fine to grieve you own loss

it is healthy, and normal, and yes biblical.

God is not frowning because you are sad when you have so say goodbye

God is not angry that you are not happy every minute of everyday

God does NOT expect you to be rich to make Him look successful

God does not NEED you to be on time for the world to know that HE is NEVER late

God does not need YOU to have success at anything to look good to anyone...

God is the Great I AM

He is who He is

He does what HE does

You an I have done NOTHING to earn His favor

It was by grace we are saved, not by works, it is a gift of God

it does not matter what any one's standards are

we don't need to live up to their standards

and we had Better NOT expect God to even try.

that would be idolatry...

that would be setting up a false God

and demanding in a way that He do what we want that we could make Him look good...

and that

is not keeping alert

running the race with endurance

that would be looking for a "power source capable of satisfying" one's soul's thirst for happiness, just like Norm said...

Learning is hard, holding fast to the Truth is harder

discerning is a challenge

and loving in Grace well

as easy as walking the steepest incline hill.

I once was part of a body of believers where it was said to us often by the leadership... that "healthy things multiply"

yet where, friends where is the grace and truth in that?

The truth is unhealthy bacteria does too.

Cancer spreads and ugly things multiply also..

The implication was that if YOU are healthy YOU will multiply...

it is full of legality...

suddenly multiplication is a standard

yet the simple fact is

we are broken...

it is

HE who is making us healthy

for HE is the Great Physician

It is

HE who decides what multiplies and by what number and when.

for HE is CREATOR God, sustainer of all the Universe

It is NOT;

not us... never us

or it isn't HIM anymore

and we have missed the point.

Grace is that steep hill

It is simple,

it is hard to do

we all want to make it easier

so we add to it

we try to change it

alter it,

make it convenient

wrap it up in a fancy 5 point package

yet it's Principle IS simple,

It's action is the challenge....

there is no easy and honest way to walk up the hill

but to put one foot in front of the other and walk by faith

knowing that by GRACE you will get to the top of the hill

because HE will NEVER leave you nor will HE forsake you.

We all have our temporal issues that need dying to... We all do..

The issues can range from minute to grand

They can even change from day to day; moment to moment.

The point is this... We all do this, this thing;

and we humans have done so, since the new testament was first penned..

before even...

Let us try to encourage one another now

to LOVE

and good works

that GRACE may abound....

p.s. i have written this over the period of a few days, and editing perhaps while too tired.... if it is simply scatty, or ill edited, please forgive... I will adjust in a short time if needed

Isaiah 55 : 1-12

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;

hear me, that your soul may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,

and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,

because of the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor."
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way

and the evil man his thoughts.

Let him turn to the LORD,

and he will have mercy on him,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

I am not a fan of taking things out of context. Neither is my husband. Tonight's family devotion called for us to read verse 6.

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near

But if I just take that passage, then I don't know WHY I should seek the Lord.

What is so special about Him?

It does not tell me that He is living water, the holder of a feast, of foods and wine, and milk, all of which I can buy, yet with NO money... no money?

If I only read and learn verse 6, I learn nothing of the fact that His food is good, it is of the richest fare, and He is inviting me to some banquet...

He is calling me to come to HIM. To hear Him speak. He has words for me..

This seems... well important...

Who is HE to call for me, and who am I worthy of such a calling?

He talks of having the power to give my very soul eternal life, of the LOVE of David, and it being a very faithful love, a love also he has for me?

Also this God, He speaks of a covenant and of it being an everlasting covenant....

When does THAT ever happen?...

people get married nowadays and "say" till death, but can't even stay married past 3 or 5 years....

This God is talking to ME about and EVER lasting covenant?

This is getting to be interesting....

I learn David was a witness, a leader...

I learn that this God is Lord

that He is HOLY

the Holy one over Israel

able to endow with splendor...

wow

THIS is where I am told to

6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near

And then all these promises are made, and I am told to let the wicked be, to let them have their ways, and Let the wicked turn to the Lord.... and the Lord will show mercy...

Mercy upon the wicked...

and when they turn to the Lord,

these wicked.... He will freely, or abundantly pardon...

wow..

I stand in awe of that...

He tells me that His ways are NOT my ways...

YEAH!

I can agree with that...

I like the wicked to be punished...

don't I....?

Well,

till I look in the mirror..

and see my sin,

my filth;

it is than that I think, I want to KNOW this God BETTER...

His ways Higher

deeper

wider

wiser

His ways INFINITE

while mine,

mine finite, ever and always finite....

But as the snow, and rain, the sunshine all work to bring for the fruit in the field, so His word does not return to Him Void... that is amazing... what a promise, that what He wants for it to accomplish shall be accomplished, and nothing anyone can do shall thwart the will of this GOD. He isn't depending on any of us.... He isn't leaning on me or you to hold him up like we were His crutch....

He stands on His own, holding the world in the palm of His hand...

and He promises

I will go in Joy

led in peace

and

the mountains and hills

will "burst in song" before me

the trees will clap their hands...

rather than being foreboding mountains, exhausting hills? Rather than being a looming forest dark and frightening?

I wonder if JRR Tolkien thought of this passage as he wrote Return of the King....

I find this passage exciting... illuminating the verse 6.... it tells me Why, the WHO the all of it...

I feel such compassion for Lyon..

for the people of this magnificent city I am growing to love...

for the believers here

for the unbelievers here...

and such hope!

There in the word of God it was so clear, so hopeful, in verse 7, where it said, Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him and freely pardon!!!!!!!! (There is a song Chris Tomlin sings that was written by the band Blue Tree out of Dublin I believe, and it is called "God of this City"... this song is very much on my heart.. that and the song "Give me eyes" by Brandon Heath)

I know that there is so much mercy for this city, so much pardon, so much hope for this beautiful city... These lovely souls...it simply fills me with that joy, and with that peace. I know I will pray for Lyon all my days, for the people here.... for our friend at the Baker, for our butcher, for guy at the little grocery, for each person who has come into our lives here, we have their names written down and we pray for them.
No, I haven't met that "rude Frenchman" yet... They have all been lovely... Warm friendly people, kind, patient with my poor use of their language... Their country is steeped in the history of the faith of the Saints.... yet they seem blind to it... I feel such joy for them, for what is just before them, so excited, to pray for them, to know them, to know about them....

no contempt here, only love for this people, this city, this land.... and hope! such hope!

is this what it means to be growing in grace?

praying....

for the saints

for those called to be saints...

yep, just praying..

because I believe Him... and frankly I trust HIM

you will be clean...............

"For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God."

Ezekiel 36:24-28 I love the word of God. This was the opening passage of the church service we went to. Yet like ANY

Good worship leader.....

Alex Sarran followed up the opening passage read by Pastor Mike with

"but there is more..."

"Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations."

We need that don't we...

We need to see the mercy, the love, the grace, and somehow the awe of our own wretchedness can well up in us..

and it is then, that we go to Him,

and we repent

become restored

become a part of reconciliation and restoration...

it is then that we are renewed

restored

rejuvenated

but there is always a famine

a dry place

and then

the mercy, the washing

and it is NEVER us that institutes it....

always HIM..

I do not know what the Lord is doing in the lives of my family, or how God is using our family here in Lyon... or how He is using our absence.... but three things are in fact occurring at the same time ... it can not be denied :)

There are few Christians here in Lyon... few, and my faith is not well received... but standing in it is all I can do... Jesus is my Rock and my Salvation...

Pastor Mike preached from 2 Kings 6 this Sunday, What caught my attention was this...

Verse 16-17

" So he answered, " Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servants eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fir all around Elisha."

Elisha prayed...

prayed someones eyes would be opened...

Lord... OPEN EYES

Verse 18

"When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Strike this people with blindness, I pray." So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha"

Elisha prayed...

prayed that they... would have their eyes shut

and the Lord shut their eyes

Verse 19-23

"Then Elisha said to them, " This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." and he brought them to Samaria. When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see," So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in Samaria. Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"

He answered, " You shall not kill them. Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master."

So he prepared a great fest for them, and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel."

Elisha prayed

prayed that those eyes that were blinded

because he PRAYED they would be blinded for a time...

would NOW be opened...

in the end...

rather that war

there was peace

reconciliation

and a feast.....

As a Christian, I need to be praying MORE, praying for eyes to be opened, and for God to close eyes at HIS will, and open them at HIS will, and to give me patience and wisdom in this walk....

Still I pray for unsaved loved ones

unsaved strangers...

the nice African man we chatted with on the streets Sunday on our way to church...Mufasta

The nice Algerian ...Montaug

The beautiful Russian gal who serves us our bread Elana....

the Lyonnese man who helps us with our Villa... Pierrick

for our Muslim maid who barely speaks to us.. we still do not know her name....

Lord help us to be your prayerful servants,

repentant

restored to you

filled with your grace

your kindness

your loving compassion

your words

your Spirit

thank you

for

everything

the cross

the resurrection

everything

!

come thou fount

come thou fount of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

Praising His name -I'm fixed upon it-

name of God's redeeming love

Hither to Thy love has best me;

Thou hast bro't me to this place;

and I know Thy hand will bring me,

Safely home by Thy good grace.

Jesus sought me when a stranger

wandering from the fold of God;

He to rescue me from danger

Bought me with His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor,

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here's my heart, O take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above

Lyon France

A long long way from home.... we are, that is... a distance that spans more than that of this bridge. The distance seems 1/2 of two continents and an ocean that separates us from our home. The longing at times is so intense, it comes in pangs, so overwhelming, so painful, so desperate... A longing, with a physicality nearly like the beginning of childbirth...

yet at other times, all goes smoothly, and we enjoy our adventure, our sojourn here in this strange land, this strange city, where no one really knows us, few speak our language, eat our foods, understand OUR customs... so we learn to adapt.. we have to... we have to NOT become like them... but we have to because, well, simply because we live with them, love them, we need to be gracious, and perhaps become friends with them.

It occurred to me walking about yesterday, over the Saone River, pictured above... how like the Christian's walk, this experience is in real time....

As Christians we are a long way from home. We are ambassadors in a strange land. Sojourners... This is NOT our world, but the next to come IS, our citizenship, our primary citizenship IS in Heaven. There are times, when we cry out with great passion "COME LORD JESUS, come quickly!" There are times, our souls ache, with such desperation for the coming of our Savior, for the return to our homeland.

There are other times when we just "go with the drift of things and yield with a grace to reason" as Robert Frost said.... we become quite content, and accustomed, and settled here in this place, in this time... We learn to love, and walk with those that belong to this place...

There is nothing wrong with that feeling of comfort, that seance of settling... it is a bit of peace that the good Lord gives to us here and now, but we must ever keep our eyes fixed upon HIM.... upon the prize at the end, if we lost our focus and just focused on HERE, we might miss the prize at the end and become lost here.....

What would happen to me, if I lost my focus on family and friends back home... stopped blogging, stopped skyping, writing, calling, and completely became absorbed in this experience.... ? What would happen when my beloved said to me, that certain day,

why are you not ready?

are your bags not packed?

do you not realize the plane leaves today?

it would be crazy, it would be so rushed, so insane... yet God is a God of order... with Him their is Peace....

What would happen when I arrived....

would I be eagerly greeted, or would my loved ones feel snubbed?

Would I have proved myself a fool, or have shown myself to be loving, wise, and mature in the Lord... tending to all He has given to me to steward....

there would in fact need to be much repentance on my part, much restoration....

So it is with the Christian body..... We must not forsake the gathering of the Saints, the fellowship, the unity of the bride, we must put forth a bit of effort, thought and consideration into our relationships, because in the end, the only bit of anything you might get to bring with you to the Kingdom is that person........ a person, another human, an actual living breathing, SOUL.... We must love one another, as HE has loved us...

let us remember one another, writing often, even quick notes in this day of Internet can bring ones heart in time to beat with another....

It also causes me to consider what would happen on that fate filled day and my BELOVED said to me

do you not have oil for you lamp?

Are you not ready?

get away from me, I knew you not......................

O Lord, help me fill my Oil up! Help for me to be ready! I want to know you better today than yesterday! Here I am Lord.... in a strange Land far from both my homes... overlooking a land that was once a Bastian for your people.... why you have me here, I do not know, but I thank you for each lesson you are teaching me... I pray that you might use me, .... here I am Lord... yours ... a citizen of YOUR Kingdom....

passport stamped by the Holy Spirit Himself!

Sealed by the blood of the Lamb...