New Beginnings - January 2, 2011

Psalm 118:24 - This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Many make new year's resolutions, while most hold little hope they will keep them. The problem with resolutions of this kind is they are inflicted with self-will which horribly handicap a favorable outcome. Oftentimes, they are things folks believe they SHOULD do ... like eating less, exercising, quitting smoking, and so on. However, these desires are more likely born out of a sense of guilt rather than from a genuine epiphany to change for the better. Change that is born out of perceived necessity often results in resentment. For instance, our doctor may tell us to lose a few pounds in order to live a better quality of life. While we may agree with our physician on this point, it is easier said than done. That late evening snack or that piece of pie after a meal seem to entice us as never before once we know what we SHOULD do. We may begin to resent those who don't need restraint in this area of their life and we might look with envy on their ability to take in calories indiscriminately. Unless we are stalwart in our resolve, it is easy to cave in to compromise and to justify why we are not as deserving as the next person to indulge in a "little" excess.

Dictionary.com defines resolve as "coming to a definite or earnest decision about a particular outcome". While this sounds good regarding a desired effect, the catalyst or the power behind this decision is critical concerning its conclusion. While one may set their mind in resolution to complete a task, the heart is what will more often carry it out (or not). For believers in Christ, this inner resolve comes most effectively through the working of the Holy Spirit. For it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). As our mind, emotion, and our will (e.g. our soul) gets in line with God, then our new found resolutions collide with our old habits. Our sin nature cannot tolerate these new resolves so it must either surrender to God or usurp God's authority. (This struggle is depicted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:14-25.) No matter how "definite" or "earnest" we might be regarding our desire to rule over our old habits, they simply will not die easily. However, if we will take the high ground and defend our position with the word of truth and a song of praise, then we will indeed win the day.

Our lead verse clearly establishes a premise for creating a new beginning daily that will enable us to stay strong in HIS resolve. First of all, the psalmist declares the sovereignty of God over time. He states that "this is the day which the Lord has made". If He made this day, He has surely made all previous days and any yet to come. This simple declaration of God's ownership of time means that God is in control of whatever happens in our lives today, if we will but allow Him that right. By acknowledging the Holy Spirit within, we are declaring the Almighty as the Lord of our lives and therefore the Lord over all my "old ways" as well as my present and future resolves. All must be placed in His care. We must simply surrender the outcome to Him. If we fail or win in our day to day battle with sin then we humbly place both our failures and our successes in His hands and rejoice in Him. If we have experienced the victory today, then we should rejoice! If we have struggled and fallen short, then we must still rejoice in the victory yet to come for He will not forsake us. If we continue to give ourselves to Him in humility, He will bring us to that "large place" where there is freedom and fellowship with our Lord (Psalm 118:5).

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand (Psalm 149:6). Once we recognize that the day is the Lord's, our only obligation is to praise Him while we weld the sword of the Spirit (or the word of truth [Ephesians 6:17]). If we praise the Lord in the resolve that is born in His heart, and humbly use His word to contradict the guilt and lies of the evil one, then we will know the victory no matter how long it may seem to take. While some will give up after a few short weeks regarding their new year resolutions, God's people should never faint regarding the timeline of deliverance from the old life. If we are in Christ, we are new creatures ... period! (II Corinthians 5:17) It is our heritage as believers to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us in His manner. We are being changed into His likeness if we are humbly submitting ourselves daily to His loving hand. As we give ourselves to His resolve, then we needn't worry about the outcome. He is the One who owns the day, the year, and our lifetime ahead. We must simply trust Him to complete the work He has so illustriously begun in all who call Him Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You own the day! Thank You that You are our Lord and that You live in us to will and to work for Your good pleasure. Allow us to live, and move, and have our being in Your resolve in this coming year. Give us the grace to experience Your love in both our failings and our victories. For with You, there will only be success if we faint not. Give us Your strength as we rejoice in You this day. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

The Christmas Star - December 26, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "The Christmas Star" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on December 23, 2010.

The Christmas Star - December 23, 2010

Matthew 2:2 - Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.

The heavens have long held a fascination for humankind. For millennia, man has looked to the skies for both direction and hope. King David wisely stated in Psalm 19:1-2: The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. Arguably, the greatest manifestation the world has ever seen of the manifestation of the glory of God in the heavenlies is the Christmas star that appeared over the eastern skies at the time of Jesus' birth. By this glorious light, the Magi from modern day Iraq traveled to a non-descript city south of Jerusalem named Bethlehem. Through this beacon shining in the night, the wise men were able to ascertain the birth of a mighty king in Israel. Very possibly these holy men from the once mighty Persian Empire understood through the writings of Daniel more than 500 years earlier, that a future ruler who would ultimately save His people would be born at this very time in Judea (see Daniel 9:24-27). They understood the signs of the times and they took heed, traveling hundreds of miles to confirm that truly a ruler had been born in Israel that would be the Eternal King.

Throughout scripture, God uses stars as metaphors for his heavenly beings. Job refers to the morning stars singing together, and all the sons of God shouting for joy (Job 38:7). The psalmist tells us that God numbers and gives name to all the stars, implying that His angelic host is finite yet even so an assembly of myriads (Psalm 147:4). And Isaiah states that not all the "stars" in the heavenlies are good (Isaiah 14:13). As the prophet speaks about Satan's prideful rise and self-assertion toward God, John the Revelator tells us how a third of the wicked "stars" or rather the devil's mutinous collaborators fell to earth at the fateful time when the angels rebelled (Revelation 12:4). The greatest Star of them all is first prophesied (centuries before Daniel) to appear by a Mesopotamian prophet named Balaam. (This fellow is a good example of someone that started out right and ended up seriously wrong!) In the book of Numbers, Balaam is hired by the king of Moab to curse the nation of Israel, but instead he pronounces a blessing over the Hebrews. During his prophetic utterance, Balaam speaks about a Star that will arise in Israel and will reign forever: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth (Numbers 24:17). The prophet was declaring a dichotomous fulfillment to his prophecy. First of all, he stated that this part of his prophetic word was not for the present but was for a later date. Undoubtedly, this was the revealing of the star that would herald the Morning Star (II Peter 1:19; Revelation 22:16) to be born in Bethlehem several millennia from his utterance. Secondly, it was a prophecy speaking of the return of Christ to be revealed at His second coming as He takes captive the nations of Moab (present day Jordan) and others that have raised their hand against His beloved Israel (see Jeremiah 25). Balaam's prophecy, as well as others, only confirm the inevitable in God's plan of redemption for both Israel and the Gentile nations.

Jesus tells us that in the same way as he departed the earth in the same way He will return (Acts 1:11). Even so, in the same way as he came the first time, so also will the heavens herald His return. Jesus both foretold and warned us of the great and terrible day of the Lord in the book of Matthew:

But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. - Matthew 24:29-30

This will truly be a day of great rejoicing for those who have believed, but a day of terrible reckoning for those who have despised His appearing. Just as the Son of Man appeared under the twinkling herald of a great light in the sky, so His coming will be in the twinkling of the eye and it will be a great light that will consume the darkness. The Morning Star will have arisen to create a new day where only He shall reign and no wickedness will stand before Him. For even as His coming was heralded two millennia past, so the sky will once again proclaim His glory as He sweeps the stars from the sky and He alone will remain to shine bright.

Throughout time, the heavens have been the place for man to turn his gaze to learn of God's glory. David knew this, Daniel also, and most assuredly the Magi. Now, it is our turn. Will we allow the Christmas Star to captivate our hearts until the Morning Star rises first within our spirits, and ultimately on a new earth in the age to come? It has always been and will continue to be our choice. Like the wise men, we must seek Him, traversing whatever distance is necessary to find Him. For only as we allow the Christmas Star to abide within, will we then know the Morning Star who desires to reveal His life to us all. Come, Lord Jesus, and reveal the very Star of David as we celebrate the birth of Christ in us all!

O Holy God, thank you for the Christmas Star that lives within all who call You Lord. Allow the bright and Morning Star to increase His brilliance in all of our lives until He returns in splendor. We thank You and praise You for Your wonderful gift to the world! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Waiting Upon the Lord, Part II - December 19, 2010

Isaiah 40:31 - Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? For many this might imply inactivity or even a pious solemnity typified by a cloistered monk. These assumptions are far from what Isaiah meant when he penned the words of our lead verse through the leading of the Holy Spirit. While this passage is one of the most quoted Old Testament scriptures, one must read it in context with the previous verses that lead up to this climactic end of the chapter. In so doing, one will understand the writer's intent. In the preceding verses, Isaiah attempts to reason with wayward Israel regarding the strength of Yahweh compared to that of feeble man. The prophet knows that God's people have lost their understanding regarding God's omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. Throughout chapter 40, Isaiah attempts to teach Israel, once again, the great God who has called their nation His own.

In Isaiah 40:12, the prophet first declares: Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales? The seer has seen with God's eyes and knows that the Lord is everywhere and and that He is omnipresent in all of His creation. Isaiah, like his predecessor David, knew that there was no place one can flee from God's presence (Psalm 139:7-8). As in ancient Israel, many today believe that God is not concerned with the minutia of a solitary life -- that God has more important things to do than to concern Himself with an individual's thoughts, attitudes, or actions. Isaiah might tell us, as he might have told his congregation, that to think in this regard is to limit God and his omnipresence within His own creation. The limitlessness of God allows Him to be in earnest concerning every molecule of the universe. His eternality commends His ability to master everything in our time-bound space.

In the next two verses, Isaiah lays out in God's defense His eternal knowledge. In Isaiah 40:13-14 he states: Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding? The Lord as speaking through the prophet tells us that there were none before Yahweh and there will be none after. His knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is inscrutable and without human definition. God has put within the heart of man to know that there is an eternity, yet man's feeble attempts to explain it with a finite mind creates an enigmatic dilemma of trying to discern something he has never experienced (Ecclesiastes 3:11). And, that is the wisdom of God. For as time-bound creatures we should be in awe of a Creator that holds everything together by His word (Colossians 1:17). As David wrote: Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it (Psalm 139:6).

Finally, Isaiah speaks about God's awesome power or His omnipotence. In verse 14 he states: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. The prophet might very well have said to his people as well as us today: "If God can lift the islands like fine dust, then why would he not lift the burdens that we carry day to day needlessly?" The Lord wants to shoulder our anxieties and trials because He is not only all-powerful but he is also all-seeing and all-knowing regarding every circumstance we are going through. Through these and subsequent verses leading up to verse 31, Isaiah has laid the groundwork to say that it is foolish to attempt to save oneself from life's calamities. The sin that would so easily beset us is something that Christ carried to the cross in His body to crucify forever. Through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection we have become partakers of the divine nature and the power thereof. Isaiah has set us up for the glorious revelation, proclaiming: Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Beloved, God has laid out His defense in Isaiah the 40th chapter, proclaiming to us His rest if we will but wait for Him and His strength. He has proved to us by His words that he is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent in all His ways. Does it not seem ridiculous to trust in our own self and our own powers to deliver when He is ever-present to intercede on our behalf? He has promised us that if we would but wait on His deliverance, that He would imbue us with strength and power to soar above our problems on eagle wings. He has vowed that if we trust in Him, that He will give us legs to run the race before us without faltering. And, he has covenanted with His people to always walk with them with a promise of reaching our eternal destination. This is the God whom we serve -- The Almighty who will give us His divine strength if we will but only wait on Him.

Lord God Almighty, we thank you that You are the One who holds the universe in Your hand. So why should we not allow You to hold our lives in Your hand also? We yield to You and wait for You to work in our hearts the way that You will. We thank You and bless You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Waiting Upon the Lord, Part I - December 12, 2010

Psalm 27:14 - Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Waiting is not easy for most folks. As time-bound creatures, human beings understand that our waking (and sleeping) hours are not limitless. There is only so much that we can pack into any particular 24-hour period. So when someone or some thing "intrudes" into our already hectic schedule, it becomes easy to get impatient with the interruption. Many of us grit our teeth and more or less tolerate the inconvenience rather than accepting it as possibly a lesson in patience. The very act of impatience often testifies that we are fearful of losing something that we can never hang on to in the first place. In the case of lost time, it is more likely the crux of the problem referring to it as such. It is only lost if we believe it is. If, however, we have entrusted our time to the Lord, then nothing is ever lost or misplaced. As Paul states, we have made the most of our time by surrendering it all to the Lord (Ephesians 5:16).

Once we possess the attitude that all our time belongs to Him, then waiting for traffic or in the check-out line becomes a moot point. It doesn't matter what we are doing if we are centered in Christ. However, this attitude that spills over into our everyday life has its origin in the inner man. It starts by cultivating a view of eternity that swallows up time, because time no longer is a guiding factor. When one learns the "secret" of waiting upon the Lord, then all that we do takes on a peaceful, confident dynamic. Many scriptures allow us a glimpse into the life that tarries after God. Some teach us actually how to become an eternal watchman, waiting upon God as a servant with His Master. King David reveals both instruction and encouragement in our lead verse. This is what I like to call a "sandwich scripture" because the bread or the long-term sustenance is on the top and the bottom and the meat or the substance is in the middle. Whenever God says something, we are of course to pay attention. When the Lord reveals His word to us TWICE in the space of a single verse, then the matter is of utmost importance and should be heeded with diligent obedience. In Psalm 27:14, David through the unction of the Holy Spirit tells us to "wait for the Lord" at the beginning of this verse, but then he repeats Himself stating, "Yes, wait for the Lord". Why does He repeat Himself? The importance of waiting upon God is revealed in two commands that are sandwiched between His double admonition to tarry.

Without a mindset to wait upon God, it is impossible to "Be strong" and to "let your heart take courage". Surrendering rights to react in a defensive way or to vindicate ourselves in any matter is the only way to gain this point of power. Imagine for a moment a man who was falsely accused of something he said that others regarded as malicious and slanderous. For this man to react and to defend himself would send a direct message to God that he did not need the Sovereign's deliverance, but that he instead trusted in his own justification. In a very real way, this man had tied God's hands from supporting him, thereby making God impotent rather than omnipotent in his regard. Instead, this man must learn that in order to live with power from on high he must die to the power down below -- namely of the flesh and more precisely, self-assertion. However, once a man, woman, or child learns to die to the impulse to control the situation but rather to turn it over into God's hands, then a new and powerful dynamic unfolds. By the act of waiting on the Lord, he finds the lust to deliver oneself has abated. Rather, the heart is strengthened to look not toward the problem but toward the Solution for this and subsequent testings which it will certainly encounter. Through this strength, the heart is then allowed to take courage. The fortitude of the heart through its initial strengthening and then through victory after victory allows the heart to grasp onto or to "take" courage, building upon a foundation of strength.

Waiting upon the Lord is profoundly simple to those with childlike trust, but is equally difficult for those practiced in their own salvation. For those who have surrendered to Him, these know that there is salvation in no other except for the Lord (Psalm 37:39). Waiting is a form of death -- it is succumbing to another force that we have allowed to control our lives until some sort of deliverance is achieved on our behalf. Whether it be in traffic, or at the grocery store, or wherever or for whatever we wait, we are still surrendering ourselves to someone or something that we believe will inevitably change our circumstances on our behalf. If we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ would practice waiting for Him and Him ONLY to deliver us, then we would experience a new freedom from anxiety and strife. Imagine if we waited on God with an expectancy that our time, our reputation, or any and everything about us belonged to Him? Beloved, we would be caught up in eternity with Him and the things of this earth would pale in view of His management of our surrendered state. Oh, for lives that would wait only upon the Lord! Yielded lives such as these, my friends, would be lives full of His presence and absent of the impatience that this world so generously throws our way each day. May we all learn the secret of waiting only for God. For as we wait upon Him, only then will we find both strength for today and courage for tomorrow.

Father, help us to wait upon You and You only. For only as we surrender do we find true victory. Only as we wait for Your salvation can we experience true freedom. We ask for Your grace and Your mercy to bow our hearts in humility to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Our Rights in Jesus - December 5, 2010

Job 34:5-6 - For Job has said, ' I am righteous, but God has taken away my right ...'

Have we allowed God to take away our rights? This has nothing to do with being righteous through justification. To lose ones rights as a Christian is to lose the luxury of vindicating ourselves in any manner or fashion. It means that we have surrendered our lives to God in such a way that removes any doubt that we are totally Christ's when the world assails us. The Lord never yielded in any way to the opinions of man regarding His life or His ministry. Jesus lived overtly in all of life's expressions to do only the will of His Father. Therefore, He was continually offending those who put their faith in what they believed to be "right", according to the law. Right living to Jesus meant fulfilling the law but also going beyond those rules and regulations handed down through Moses. Throughout the Gospels, the Lord was quick to show us how the law was incomplete without the key ingredient -- LOVE. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). Not only would he fulfill the letter of the law perfectly, but of higher importance the intent of the same.

Five times in Matthew the fifth chapter, Jesus reminds the crowd of what they had heard many times through the reading of the Talmud in their synagogues. Five times he uses the expression "you have heard". Christ was not denying that his audience had heard and understood the law as it was read. However, He now was interjecting a whole new dynamic into the commandments which they had likely never considered. In Matthew 5:21-22, the Lord states:

You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Jesus had moved beyond the written commandment and added a new dimension to the ancient law. Not only were they now not to murder, but the very act of anger was a premeditated act of aggression equal to that of killing someone. The Lord had removed any rights the individual thought he might have to be angry and yet to sin not. Jesus Christ made it very clear that if the heart was allowed to function on anything less than love then it had become merely a heartless act of murder disguised as an outward act of obedience. The Lord was exposing hearts and motives which strip away any right to ourselves, no matter how much others might try to hide the intent. Jesus continues throughout the remaining chapter likewise dealing with adultery or lust (Matthew 5:27-32), fidelity toward God (Matthew 5:33-37), vengeance or retribution (Matthew 5:38-42), and finally love for one's fellow man (Matthew 5:42-48). With each of these commandments, Jesus declared that the external fulfillment of these laws fell far short of what God required. In fundamentally simple terms, Jesus was proclaiming that from now on, all individual rights had been abolished. No longer did someone have the "right" to look at a woman with lust, as long as he didn't touch her. No longer was a man to plot his own revenge against his enemy, but he was to love him with the same love that he loved his neighbor. The Lord was stating simply that in order to "be perfect as His Father in Heaven is perfect", that one must give themselves up totally and fulfill every commandment, both externally AND with the intent of the heart. (The startling realization of the impossibility of Christ's injunction must have staggered the crowds as they listened with bewilderment regarding what to do next!)

Of course, Christ knew that it was impossible to fulfill the law as only He could. No one could live perfectly as God, save only the Perfect Man, Christ Jesus. Through the revelation of Himself as the spotless Lamb that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:36), Jesus was able to first allow others to become the righteousness of God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). Through His righteousness, THEN we are allowed the privilege of laying down all rights to ourselves. At this juncture, we are allowed to grow up into His likeness as we lay down all bitterness toward others, all vindication, or the "right" to view inappropriate images whether in the flesh or on the internet or TV. Not only have we come to a point as David where he would put no worthless things in front of his eyes (Psalm 101:3), but we have made a covenant with our heart not to indulge in even its desire. We have come to a place of surrender where we lay everything at the feet of Jesus and say only He has the "right" to do with us as He wishes. We desire no other way of life but that of fulfilling the commandments of God, guided by the spirit of that Lovely Man, Jesus Christ, from within.

Giving up our rights has nothing to do with our standing before God in righteousness. However, Godly denial of self is impossible without His righteousness that empowers us from within. It is beyond human ability to forgive someone for despitefully using us if we don't have the love of the Father living within us. Imagine if someone slugs you in the face and dislodges two of your teeth! If your reaction is that you want to throw your arms around them and love them unconditionally (rather than strike back in any way), then know that God has taken away the right of retaliation and has done a work of love in you. In the same way, Christ was maligned and mistreated by those who wickedly beat and crucified Him. How much more should we react if the Son of God is living within? We should settle for nothing less, but insist that no longer is it we who live, but Christ who lives within (Galatians 2:20). Beloved, may we lay our lives down daily if we call ourselves Christians. We no longer have any right to ourselves. Our only remaining "right" is to completely surrender to Jesus Christ and to allow Him to fulfill His perfect law through us. Let it be so even today!

Heavenly Father, we can never fulfill your will left to ourselves. We thank You for the Man, Christ Jesus, who lives within to empower us to deny ourselves and to live "right" with You. Show us if we have any "rights" that we continue to hang on to stubbornly. Give us a spirit of surrender to Your will. We thank You, In Jesus Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Depth of Gratitude - November 28, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Depth of Gratitude" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on Thanksgiving evening, November 25 2010.

Depth of Gratitude - November 25, 2010

Luke 7:47 - For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.

During the holidays and especially Thanksgiving, Americans generally talk about all the things they are thankful for. They will often thank God for their family, their health, and their prosperity. However, I'm not so sure that these are the things that bring us the greatest gratitude. Oftentimes, we take our seemingly greatest treasures for granted. The longer I am a Christ-follower, the more I believe that true thankfulness is more often born out of lack or a sense of loss rather than an abundance of prosperity. The Pilgrims (or more accurately the Puritans) who settled in Plymouth knew this all too well. William Bradford, one of the two main leaders of the newly formed Mayflower Compact government, referred to the first four months after landing at Plymouth in November of 1620 as "The Starving Time". Many were lost to disease brought on by malnourishment and exposure during this harsh winter. Only when the local Indians helped the Pilgrims several months after their landing did they begin to prosper. Without their help (through God), many more if not all would have surely perished.

There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus shows us how desperate people sought Him out to meet their most desperate needs. in so doing, their expressions of gratitude were striking. Two such examples are in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus was invited to the house of Simon the Pharisee to dine with him in Luke the seventh chapter. A local harlot heard that the Lord would be there so she mustered up courage and brought undoubtedly her most prized possession to lavish on Jesus -- an alabaster vial of costly perfume. The scripture tells us that she humbly positioned herself behind the Lord, anointing His feet and wiping them with her hair (Luke 7:37-38). Because of Simon judging Jesus' knowledge of who was touching Him, the Lord spoke a short but profound parable lesson regarding depth of gratitude (Luke 7:40-43). By using, for example, the two amounts forgiven by the moneylender, one large and one small, Jesus was able to help Simon understand that the size of the burden of sin will often translate to the degree of thankfulness (Luke 7:47). However, burdens of sin are more consequential in the eyes of man than in the eyes of a just God. Man judges by appearance so therefore the more glaring sins strike disdain and disgust in the hyper-religious. In God's eyes, sin is sin regardless the length of someone's resume' of disobedience to the commands of God. Clearly, Jesus was stating that because of the woman's glaring sin, this gave her the perspective that Simon was not afforded. And with revelation of who she was, the wayward woman was able to experience remorse, and then repentance, and ultimately restoration as she rejoiced in her salvation. Her eyes were opened by the wisdom of God and the spirit of understanding that allowed her to first see spiritually and then respond with a heart of thanksgiving.

Probably a more demonstrative example of the depth of gratitude in those whom the Lord ministered to is shown to us through the story of the ten lepers that sought out Jesus for healing. We are told in Luke 17:12 that the ten stood at a distance, crying out for mercy from the Lord. The distance they put between themselves and Jesus was the result of two different laws. According to the Jewish Talmud, lepers were not allowed to be less than 30 feet away from healthy folk, and as Samaritans they were not permitted to speak or to interact with Judeans (Christ, of course, was from the lineage of David of Bethlehem, a prominent Judean city). Jesus told them to "go" and show themselves to the priest, and as they were en route to do so they were all miraculously healed (Luke 17:14). We are told that one of them was so overwhelmed that he came back and threw himself at Jesus' feet with deep gratitude (Luke 17:16). Were the other nine ungrateful by not returning? That was the Lord's question in verses 17 and 18: Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine--where are they? "Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" In the case of the grateful leper who was cleansed, he was obviously guided by the revelation of what had transpired and was likewise overwhelmed with a heart of thanksgiving. We can easily surmise that this man had been an outcast for years, very much like the living dead. He understood the depth of his separation and also understood the significance of his healing. His lack or loss of health lead to his near death. His restoration overflowed with extreme thanksgiving for that which he thought was gone forever. Similarly today, we can only imagine those who are miraculously healed of HIV/AIDS as they cry out to God. Too often, we only think about our American or western cultures when we think of these suffering. However, God is moving in a mighty way in Africa and healing many as He healed these lepers. We can only imagine the rejoicing and the gratitude as families are restored once again. Where there was no hope, now hope springs to new heights for the afflicted.

The depth of gratitude and thanksgiving will always be born out of a depth of revelation of what is lacking in our lives, or more poignantly what we have lost. The Pilgrims learned the meaning of thanksgiving once they were delivered from the harsh winter of 1620-21. Their trust in God, and later that of the Indians, allowed them to survive a harrowing time of colonization of present day New England. When the Mayflower returned to England in April 1621, not one of the surviving colonists returned. Through the trials of that painful winter they had become grateful for their new home, embracing their new lives with hope and thanksgiving. Biblically, we are shown in Luke that the "letting go" of how others might view us is paramount as shown in Jesus' examples. We must not let our past lives exclude us from God's grace. For some of us, our painful histories can be mighty catalysts that can open our eyes to His love and ultimately fill our hearts with deep gratitude. Some, like Simon, may face the liability of being blinded by their so-called "goodness". However, God will reveal Himself to all who would but call upon His name. Are you going through a "starving time" in your life? Rejoice, for the miracle is in sight. For as we recognize our need, He will fill it and make us overflow with gratitude for His abounding grace!

Lord Jesus, we are so grateful for Your grace upon our lives. We ask You for more revelation of the depth of Your deliverance from our sin and more understanding of Your deep love for us to make us white as snow. Thank You Lord for Your great sacrifice on our behalf. We give You all the praise and all the glory. In Your Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

The Excellency of Love - November 21, 2010

I Corinthians 13:13 - But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Throughout the millennia, mankind has written about love and all its redeeming attributes. Philosophers, poets, and songwriters have either lamented our collective lack of love, or they've extolled the great possibilities if we would but only "love one another". My question to those who say "all we need is love" ... what is the origin of this panacea that can make the world right? If love is the answer, then why haven't we harnessed its power to create a veritable utopia here on earth? What most fail to understand is that man is a fallen creature, excluded from the love of the Father by his treasonous act of sin. The love of God which many think should bind us together in some type of "brotherhood" is in reality just theoretical nonsense in light of the rebellion of the human race. The only way to achieve a loving world is by embracing a loving God. However, to know God means that we must first confess our sin along with our lack of love and then to cling to His life. This is the only way to know true love. Everything else is merely a shadow of the reality. Only when we share the life of Christ Jesus will we know the true substance of love. Any so-called "affection" that does not come from the Lord is a mere counterfeit that is destined to perish along with everything else of this earth.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians contains arguably the greatest chapter on love in the entire New Testament. Furthermore, it is not a coincidence that this chapter is situated between two chapters dealing specifically with spiritual gifts. Chapters 12 and 14 of Paul's letter instruct believers regarding the attaining of the fullness of Christ through the proper use of the gifts. However, Paul is quick to point out that these gifts are not the "end all". They are merely the catalysts that propel us into that spiritual dimension of love that he writes about in chapter 13. The church at Corinth found themselves in the same dilemma that many Christians as well as unbelievers do today. For instance, the world runs after pleasures and comforts of this earth, thinking that is the "end-all" to their existence. They believe this is the expression of God's love when in actuality it is merely the kindness of God pointing them to repentance (Romans 2:4). Many Christians also have this worldly mindset that has its origin in their unregenerate past. While pursuing the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the power of their manifestations, they forget what is the goal of their spiritual equipping, which is love from a pure heart (I Timothy 1:5). Everything else is merely a shadow of the reality -- which is the perfection of love. That's why Paul instructs both the church at Corinth and all believers in what is the apex of our pursuit in I Corinthians chapter 13. In Ephesians 3:19, Paul tells us ... to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Beloved, to understand the fullness of God is to understand His love. The knowledge of God and of spiritual things pale in the light of knowing God's love. This, my friends, is the wisdom of God which supersedes any knowledge that is meant for this earth, but ascends to the very eternal wisdom of God.

When we arrive on eternity's shore, faith and hope will give way to total love. As our lead verse states, we need to cling to or to abide in faith, hope, and love while on this earth. However, there will come a day when faith and hope will melt away in the presence of pure love. No longer will we look for that which is unseen (Hebrews 11:1) nor hope for His appearing (Romans 8:24-25), but we will see Christ in eternity and will be perfected in His love. Many believers reason that by perfecting their gifts and moving in some dramatic ministry that this will perfect them in the heart of the Father and they will know His love in a new way. We will never earn God's love or affection by performing for Him or by fulfilling what we believe is our "spiritual destiny". Our greatest goal in this lifetime is not self-discovery and finding out "who we are" but it is discovering "who God is". By abiding in faith and hope while earthbound, the Apostle John states that we purify ourselves for His great appearing (I John 3:3). Our supreme goal in life will never cease to be less than what Jesus stated as the greatest commandment: And He said to him, " YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND". (Matthew 22:37) This, beloved, is our destiny and our eternal heritage. Our aim should be to become so enraptured with the love of God on this earth that it will be a small change as we cross through the veil. After all, we will be drinking from His fountain of love for eternity. Why not learn to love the refreshing of His springs of eternal love while here on the earth?

The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. (Jeremiah 31:3) Can we begin to fathom coming face to face with Everlasting Love someday, beloved? How about a waterfall of liquid love washing over and through us until we drown in His Presence? While we cannot know exactly how it will be we can only imagine. Through our imagination, we can perfect love through faith and hope, knowing that our Loving Father is desiring the perfection of His child-bride for His Son. The world will continue to bemoan our lack of collective love as a species, yet it is still our responsibility as believers to perfect the Body of Christ through love's maturation. May we all forsake the desire to become "somebody" in Christ through the gifts He so abundantly gives and may we seek to be known only to Him as a lover of God in all that we do. In so doing, we will not fail to fulfill His desire for our lives. We will overflow with His presence to others as we submit to His perfect love, both now and forevermore!

Lord Jesus, I pray the prayer of Paul for us all: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:14-19

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Seeing is Believing - November 14, 2010

II Corinthians 4:17-18 - For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

What do we choose to see and believe? Interview ten individuals who witness an automobile crash and you might get ten different accounts. While some might give a detailed report of what happened from their point of view, others who were on the opposite side of the street might have a totally different story. They might notice something that the others had not, merely because of their proximity and perspective. It would behoove those making an accident report to draw from all the information at hand rather than merely accepting just a couple witness testimonies. Similarly, as we grow in God we gain the benefit of perspective that allows us to assess a situation, or to appraise it with spiritual understanding as Paul states in I Corinthians 2:14-15. This is a multi-dimensional outlook regarding the world that is seen, and of equal or more importance, that one which is not.

When we were new born babes in Christ, our lives were relatively simple. We sensed the presence of Christ in our lives, joy was the hallmark of our day to day existence, and life was full of the peace of God. We believed that nothing could ever disrupt us from the sweet fellowship that we enjoyed with our Savior. However, as we matured in the Lord, we found Him strangely distant at times and we groped and searched for Him during times of desperate darkness. We may have thought that His hand would never hold us in that dear place we once enjoyed. In a very real sense, that is true. However, what became of that was instead a deeper and more lasting friendship then what could have ever been the case in our spiritual infancy. By searching for Him in the darkness, something had happened to our spiritual vision -- we had grown sensitive to the absence of His light and had learned to know that He was in the midst of the seeming darkness. Not only had we learned the joy of His light but now we were beginning to understand the joy of His seeming absence. The bride speaks about this lesson of maturity in the "night of the soul". In Song of Solomon 3:1-2 we read how the bride searches desperately for her bridegroom and quickly finds him. However, in Song of Solomon 5:6-7 we read about a similar separation but this time there is no quick reunion. In addition, we are told in verse 7 that the watchmen (metaphor for the Holy Spirit) wounded the bride in her distress. Now, why would God harm is beloved in this way? Simply as a reminder that the Lord chastens those whom He loves. He disciplines us as sons and daughters to cause us to see always from His perspective (Hebrews 12:6). He wants us to see Him with eyes of faith even when He does not seem to be present. From this relationship of trust, a river of love begins to grow wider and deeper in the believer's heart towards their Lord.

Once we begin to mature and to see as Jesus desires us to see, then we are allowed the privilege of leading and training others in like manner. Jesus told us to not to save souls or to win the heathen for the Lord, but to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). It is ALWAYS the job of the Holy Spirit to save souls through His conviction. He has been doing this most effectively for the past 2000 years. However, God will use us to preach the Gospel and souls will be saved, and then what? We are told to "disciple" which plainly means to bring the same "discipline" into these new babes in Christ which God has been working in and through us. We must afford them their time to walk joyously with God and then also to learn in maturity that God withdraws His presence to teach them to trust in Him. This "discipline" does not end with merely discerning God's presence in our lives and those whom we disciple. It is of upmost importance when we learn that we must be holy in all our behavior, to keep ourselves unstained from the filth of this world. (I Peter 1:15-16; James 1:27) This , beloved, is what will keep our spiritual eyesight clear and penetrating, able to discern between all good and evil. Just as Jesus told the church in Laodicea to purchase for themselves eye salve in order for them to see (Revelation 3:18), so must we also continually apply this godly balm to the eyes of our hearts through the discipline of holy living. For without holiness and the sanctification that comes through lives given to Him, we will be short-sighted and without God's perspective to live a life totally surrendered to Him. (Hebrews 12:14)

Without spiritual sight, how can we ever hope to believe that our perspective on anything is true and honest? If we cannot discern with our spiritual eyes, how can we believe that what we judge with our physical eyes is furthering God's kingdom here on earth? Paul stated in our lead verse that the things "... not seen are eternal". These are the things that we should all be earnestly desiring to see, beloved. And, we can see them in this lifetime. Jesus teaches us to see Him even when He is not easily seen. How much more does He want us to see by faith everything that He has given us in the spiritual realm? (Ephesians 1:3) As we train the eyes of our hearts to see Him who is not seen, and the eternal as though it was present, then we will be overwhelmingly conquerors in the temporal world which we do see with our physical eyes. Jesus poignantly stated in Matthew 6:22: The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. The eye will not betray what is within and what more importantly shines through the eyes of our heart. We must seek Him, believe He has given us everything unreservedly, and then walk His life out in faith. This will give us the truest perspective on life and wisdom to lead others to find the same.

Heavenly Father, we pray to see those things unseen, those things which are eternal. Most of all, we desire to see Jesus because in so doing we know that our sight will be perfectly adapted for not only this life but the one to come. We pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Worthy is the Lamb - November 7, 2010

Revelation 5:11-12 - Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

To understand the worth of something is often to comprehend who is deserving of its value. My parents instructed me as a child to appreciate what I received from both their hand and that of others. They taught me the value of working for something that I wanted, and saving until the time I could afford to pay for it with cash. This was an invaluable lesson that I believe is lacking with many today. The endemic idea in our present society to "buy now and pay later" has trained generations in how not to understand the value of costly investments. Rather than purchase a vehicle that is within their budget, many would rather sign a contract for the "easy payment plan". This sort of instant gratification has dumbed-down any idea of the value of their so-called possession. Truly, they own nothing in this regard but have become the lender's slave (Proverbs 22:7).

In the redemptive sense, Jesus Christ paid every installment for our salvation. We can all experience His forgiveness if we will but accept His finished work on Calvary. However, not everyone sees the gift of salvation in the same way. This is easy to understand as we see how people treat their salvation. If it is something they only pull out on Sundays to make a good showing to their fellow parishioners, then it is probably something they don't value much. Many believe a certain way because their parents believed a certain creed. Some might only believe because they hope for a "get out of hell free" card that they can show to the Savior on that last day. (Many who are counting on this "fire insurance" may be disappointed when that final day comes.) As the hymn states, Jesus paid it all ... but how many of us really believe ... all to Him we owe? Do we really understand the worth of His sacrifice? Scripture tells us that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11). "Every" implies both saved and unsaved will bow the knee in abject adoration to Jesus Christ's Lordship. However, there will also be a group as our lead verse states where a multitude will be around the throne extolling Christ as King. The scripture in Revelation 5:12 tells us that their proclamation is not one done in a whisper, but that it is full of a "loud voice". Praise be to God that heaven will be full of loud rejoicing concerning the Lamb and His Father! Paul tells us in II Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of timidity but of power. However, this confidence and power comes at a price that only we can pay. True, Christ paid for our eternal security through His blood, but there is still something He requires from us.

We will only truly understand the worth of Christ's sacrifice through revelation. First of all, to the depth of understanding of what He saved us from will equal our degree of appreciation regarding His priceless gift. Jesus told a simple parable to Simon the Pharisee regarding to what degree redemption will be embraced in Luke 7:30-40. The harlot who understood the depth of Jesus' love for her and others was overcome with expressive sorrow as she bathed His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair. Jesus very poignantly told Simon that those who are forgiven much will love much. Of course, the reality is that we have all been forgiven much. However, some of our sins are more blatant and glaring than others. The woman understood through a point of revelation that there was no way she could redeem herself -- that only the Lord through His mercy could touch her and eliminate her guilt and sin. The key to her transformation most simply stated was revelation of herself and equally that of Jesus the Redeemer. She had come to a point of realization and unfortunately Simon had not regarding his own sin. Though unstated, Jesus' message to Simon was to gain revelation of his own sinfulness so that he could also receive forgiveness. This is what we all must possess to approach Jesus and His salvation -- a heart of wisdom and understanding that only comes through a revelation of who we are and who He is. Solomon states: For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)

We will never have perfect vision on this side of eternity regarding what Christ has done for us by shedding His blood. As those loudly proclaim Jesus' worthiness around the throne of God, someday we too will have "heavenly vision" regarding what He did for humankind. However, we must still continue to pray and to seek His understanding on this side of Glory to begin to comprehend His indescribable gift. Some will not care, and will continue to live lives that are self-gratifying throughout the week hoping that their presence in church on Sunday gets them a free pass to heaven. However, heaven may be somewhat boring and "loud" for these that have avoided Jesus here on earth. For those that choose instead to seek His face in this lifetime, these will continue to be amazed at what He reveals. Jesus surely paid all the installments on our salvation, but He also wants us to continue to seek Him and worship Him for the price He paid. Instant gratification is something the Lord never promised us. What He did say is that if we continue to long after and pursue Him in our temporal home that He would reveal Himself in all His glory in that eternal home to come. All He desires is that we would accept Him for who He is and to look to ourselves for what He desires to do within us. He WILL reveal Himself to us if we will but ask. Only then will we start to see that He truly is worthy to be praised both now and forevermore.

Lord Jesus, we long for the day to stand with myriads of the faithful and to sing Your praises with a loud voice proclaiming, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing". But allow us to join that heavenly throng even now. Give us revelation of who we are and what You have done. Help us to see Your glorious gift in all its splendor. For we pray this in Your name and for Your glory, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Living Dangerously for God - October 31, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Living Dangerously" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on October 28 2010.

Living Dangerously - October 28, 2010

I Corinthians 15:30 (Amplified Bible) - [For that matter], why do I live [dangerously as I do, running such risks that I am] in peril every hour?

Most of us have heard the saying: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We would probably concede to the notion that life is full of risks. Some of us are better than others when it comes to weighing out our particular options, for instance, whether it is better to make a wager or not. Many of us probably know someone who seems to have a knack for judging a business opportunity whether it is a good risk or not. Often, we look on with amusement as they more than likely make the right decision and come out smelling like the proverbial rose. For most of us, this "high-wheeling" lifestyle is a foreign concept. However, some have learned the secret of trusting in their own instincts to carry them through to success. We often regard these as "risk takers" but if you asked them they would say that the real risk is not in action but rather inaction. They have learned that through their mistakes they've made a way to success. For them, winning comes through failures and how they're reacted to and mitigated over time.

Paul was certainly one who knew how to take risks for God, and some might say that he encountered more failure than he did success. Festus the governor of ancient Palestine made such assertions, calling the prisoner Paul a lunatic who had wasted his life propagating a false religion about a dead Man crucified by the Roman government whom Paul claimed was now alive (Acts 26:24). However, Paul was so certain whom he had believed that it didn't matter one iota what others thought or said regarding his faith. The apostle understood that to risk his life for the Gospel meant that he would appear carelessly reckless and dangerous to many. The truth, however, is that he was carefully abandoned to the Keeper of his eternal fate, so there was little that man or devil could do to shake him from his divine mission. As an apostle who had been commissioned by the Lord Himself on that fateful day while nearing Damascus (Acts 9:3-6), Paul understood that he must abandon himself to the Lord and His calling. In so doing, he allowed himself to become the "scum of the world" in order to fulfill Christ's Great Commission. He deliberately hurled himself in harm's way to walk the path the Lord Jesus Christ had ordained on his behalf. This missionary who "turned the world upside down" in Asia Minor tells us specifically what it takes to do so as he maps out his personal "risk analysis" for the Corinthian church. Risk and danger, to Paul's understanding, were his greatest credentials as an apostle. In his first letter to the church at Corinth he writes:

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. (I Corinthians 4:9-13)

Paul must have felt that the Corinthians needed some more convincing regarding his apostleship. Apparently, they didn't equate his hardships on their behalf to be proof of his love toward them, and equally important, his clout as the apostle who fathered them in the faith. Defending himself against "imposters" that were trying to raise themselves up in the Corinthian's esteem, Paul reveals his apostolic resume' with proof of his love for the church. In the 11th chapter of II Corinthians Paul states:

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?--I speak as if insane--I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. (II Corinthians 11:22-28)

In the space of a few short verses, Paul not only tells us about the beatings, the imprisonments, the shipwrecks and such, but he also mentions eight times the various dangers that were continually plaguing his journeys. In short, he was telling the Corinthian church that persecutions, danger, and risk were the true credentials of anyone calling themselves an apostle. No other apostle in scripture gives us such a look at what it really means to live so dangerously for God. Paul set the benchmark high, but not out of reach. He was merely confirming his own words to Timothy his beloved son in the faith: Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (II Timothy 3:12)

So is Paul's faith anything like any of us can ever hope to attain? From what is shown in scripture, I believe that a life that is sold out for Jesus -- one lived dangerously for God -- can only start through a revelation of Jesus Christ. As Isaiah saw the Lord, high and lifted up (Isaiah 6), and Paul saw the Lord on the road to Damascus, so also others can find that starting point to begin living a life of fraught with danger through revelation. We may not have that "burning bush" moment that many of the patriarchs and prophets experienced. However, God has given us another way. Paul understood the paramount importance of the revelation of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, he gave us instance after instance throughout his letters teaching us to keep asking for revelation and the knowledge of God (Ephesians 1:17-19; Ephesians 3:19; Philippians 1:9; Colossians 1:9). To the depth of revelation will come the careful, calculated risk of giving ourselves to Him who gave everything on our behalf. When we surrender all through the knowledge of His surrender on the cross and His risen life within us, then we too can begin to live in a way that seems dangerous and full of unnecessary risk to the unbelieving. Ironically, what appears dangerous to the world is in actuality the safest place to dwell. The risk and the danger has all been mitigated by His divine plan for our lives. All we have to do is hear and obey: Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

Heavenly Father, give us eyes to see You, hearts to believe in You. Then, allow us to live recklessly abandoned to you, ready for every danger that might come our way as we submit to Your perfect will. Give us courage and strength to seek You in a new way with new passion. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Mining God's Secrets - October 24, 2010

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Mining God's Secrets" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on October 21 2010.

Mining God's Secrets - October 21, 2010

Deuteronomy 29:29 - The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

The world watched with elation as 33 Chilean copper miners were pulled to freedom through a half mile mine shaft. The remarkable culmination of rescue and recovery was broadcast to millions throughout the world as they emerged from the dark hole which had been their unwilling home for the past two months. The joy of family members was evident as they emerged one by one. What a treasured day of restoration in mid-October 2010 as these men were reunited with those whom they doubted would ever see them again. While it is unclear at the time of this writing what exactly was the cause of the accident, it is probably safe to assume that a full understanding of what went wrong would be forever hidden if the miners had lost their lives. What might have been a secret, buried a half mile below the earth, will undoubtedly be revealed with the help of these men's testimonies.

Humans have been mining the earth for millennia, searching for valuable metals that lay on or beneath the surface of the earth. As early as Genesis 2:11 we read that gold was a prized metal that was abundant in the land of Havilah, which was in close proximity to the Garden of Eden. If man could not easily obtain these precious ores in streams or canyon walls, he soon learned that mining would often yield rich veins of these precious metals. However, with excavation came the danger that precludes digging large holes and caverns in the landscape. Often the risk was worth it if the pay out was sizable. At other times, men most certainly paid with their lives. In the spiritual sense, mining for precious "payloads" require a steep price of those who would seek out these secret treasures of God. The cost is a focused passion and a surrendered life to mine God's secrets. As stated, sometimes gems and precious metals are easily found on the surface, in creek or stream beds for instance. Both the California Gold Rush and the one in Alaska's Klondike 40 years later began because of rich finds of gold ore scattered throughout rivers and tributaries. Often, God will likewise allow us to find spiritual treasure right below our proverbial feet. Our spiritual eyes discern these treasures and we most gladly scoop them up and cherish them for what they are. However, it takes a man or woman of vision to discern where God's deeper secrets lie. That is the difference of being a mere son or daughter of God and allowing God to manifest our royalty as sons of the Majesty on high. Proverbs 25:2 tells us: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

As mentioned, a child of God must have the desire to go beyond scooping up an occasional spiritual "nugget" in plain sight if they are truly to know the deep things of God. And what are the deep things of God? King David and his son Solomon help us to understand the things we should desire to mine from the depths of God. In Psalm 25:14 David says: The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant. Simply put, what we should desire above all is the fear of the Lord because that is the very thing that will perfect us into God's image, sanctified for His glory (II Corinthians 7:1). Holiness, beloved, is God's aim for us both in this life and the one to come. (Hebrews 12:14) However, to learn the fear of the Lord we must first obtain the knowledge of who God is and what He has done for us. Solomon understood that vision and discernment come at a price. They are part of a strategy to continually beseech God for His "spiritual excavation" plans. He states: For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5) This king of Israel understood that in order to understand God, one must first see God with true "heart revelation". Another who saw God, both with his eyes and more importantly with his heart was Isaiah the son of Amoz. To see God, in all of His glory, as Isaiah the prophet did at his calling created a life totally surrendered to God. Even as the angel touched the prophet's lips with the burning coal from the alter, so God desires to touch all of our lives -- first with the revelation of who He is and secondly to purge us from our selfish ways (see Isaiah 6:1-8). The culmination of an encounter such as this is a fear of the Lord that will keep us forever focused on God and His desire for our lives.

God promises us through his prophet the gift of revelation if we will but seek Him. In Isaiah 45:3, the Lord says: I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Just as those in Chile and millions around the world waited for the revealing of those trapped miners, so the Lord longs that we too would wait with the same expectancy for His treasures to be revealed in our lives. However, we must act with deliberateness and patience as we seek God's perfect plan. To extract God's treasures means we must be willing to sell out to God only, to compromise not, and to act with passion and vision (Matthew 13:44). When we seek God and value Him with all our heart, then we are sure to find His most precious revelation -- a vision of Himself. How those miners must have felt when they once again walked upon this earth, filling their senses once again with life! That, beloved, is what the Almighty desires for each of us, that we have spiritual eyes to see all the wealth He has given to us in His Son. However, we must, seek it, mine it, and then treasure it for us to truly experience the depths of His riches. May we all seek Him as the treasure He is!

Heavenly Father, help us to be miners for Your hidden treasures. Help us to cry for understanding, wisdom and discernment until we too are perfected in holiness by the fear of the Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Everlasting Love - October 17, 2010

Jeremiah 31:3 - The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness."

To find that someone special to share your life with is a magnificent thing. When we fall in love with our respective soul mates, we no doubt promise to love them forever and ever. While love between a man and a woman may sometimes falter, God's love and fidelity is never in question. He embodies eternal love that has always existed for His beloved. While our love will certainly deepen for our spouses as the years go by through a nurturing relationship, so also those who know Christ and His affection will continue to grow in love. Love is a creative power that will not be diminished over time but will continue to flourish through mutual relationship. So therefore, why shouldn't love grow throughout eternity? We are told in Psalms 89:2 that "lovingkindness will be built up forever". What a marvelous thought, that God's love will continue to deepen throughout the borderless realm of timelessness! As love on earth is dynamic and always growing, we have the opportunity to continue to grow in the very nature of God throughout everlasting. Just as God is love (I John 4:8), so we too have become heirs of His nature and will partake in His heritage of continually growing in the love that flows from His Divine Nature through time and eternity.

Unlike humans who find the love of their lives in a variety of ways, God Almighty never "fell in love" with us. The Lord has always loved us from all eternity. There was never a time when He did not think about us or yearn for our love. God has always held us with the greatest affection in His heart, loving us with an everlasting love. The Triune God has looked forward to this moment throughout eternity, when we are now alive and being turned into the likeness of His Son. There was never a time when God did not know that we would be brought forth as a son or a daughter. One might conjecture, "Why did God wait so long to bring forth a people that love Him? He has been in eternity waiting for this time to manifest, so why now?". One thing we know about God, is that He is patient. We are told in I Corinthians 13:4 that God's nature is patient as well as possessing the nature of love. The Lord knew the perfect time to bring forth sons and daughters and He waited patiently to do so. His nature would not allow Him to behave otherwise.

Not only did God know those who would accept His Son's redemption, but He also knew the struggle many of us would have in getting to that place of surrender. He has forever known which of us would rebel most doggedly against His lovingkindness. Throughout eternity, He has always known how we would live lives in self-absorbed sin, constantly rejecting His merciful hand as He stretched it out to us in love. (He saw me in my alcoholism and my drug addiction, through those years of overt hedonism that resulted in my complete moral, spiritual, and physical bankruptcy.) He hand-picked people like you and me, no matter what our past lives resembled, and gave us His love in an unremitting manner. Beloved, his love for us had neither beginning nor will it have an end. I believe from the testimony of God in scripture that He is delighted beyond words that those of us who call Jesus as Lord are participators in His love. Isaiah tells us that He is continually looking down from heaven and longing to engage the sons of men with His loving nature (Isaiah 30:18). Truly, God is a lover, looking for a lover. He patiently waits for us to be found by Him.

What is our destiny beloved? What is our calling in this life and the one to come? Clearly, from scripture we can see that we are to grow in love and to share it with all those we might come into contact with. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing the everlasting love of God that He has patiently been waiting to bestow on you and me. The marvelous reality of experiencing His love is that it will first of all never end, and secondly that it will continue to grow. Oh, that we would continue to pray that God would reveal His love to our souls! That we would experience the Spirit of Revelation as He reveals the very nature of love within the Father's heart toward His beloved. God has patiently done all the waiting for this very day -- the day when we can experience His everlasting love that has been stored up for all eternity. May we all rejoice in our high ranking regarding His eternal plan!

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your everlasting love. Thank you that You patiently waited for this very day when we might seize Your hand and Your heart through the love You've bestowed on us all through Your Son's redemption. Thank You Lord! In Jesus Name, Amen!

For God is a Lover
Looking for a lover so He fashioned me
God is a Lover
Looking for a lover so
He formed my heart
(From lyrics "See the Way" by Misty Edwards)

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Negotiating with God - October 10, 2010

I Corinthians 6:19 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Many people try to make so-called "deals" with God. Invariably, these are self-centered attempts to improve one's life by a supernatural intervention. When I drank alcoholically and would create frequent messes in my life and in others', I would often try to bargain with God. "If you just get me out of this scrape", I would plead, "then I'll sober up and do this or that and so on and so forth!" Well, seldom did these promises ever reach fruition. They were simply ego-driven efforts to improve a seemingly hopeless situation that I had engineered out of my own self-indulgent lifestyle. Generally speaking, God does not bargain with selfish individuals. However, it is scripturally sound that He does negotiate with selfless believers. If the negotiation touches self-interest, I believe that God is not interested in it unless it will affect His larger purpose. If, however, it is about others and their eternal welfare then God is profoundly interested in listening to an argument that will enlarge His kingdom for those He loves. Two such biblical examples that epitomize those who negotiated with God are Moses and Abraham.

Moses became a self-imposed fugitive after murdering an Egyptian and going on the lam somewhere in the land of Midian (Exodus 2:15). We know little about this man for the next 40 years as he shepherds his father-in-law Jethro's flocks in the barren desert of the Sinai. But then something happens. Moses encounters the Living God in the burning bush and becomes a changed man (Exodus 3). As an exile returning to the scene of his crime, Moses goes boldly before Pharaoh and secures the release of his people through many signs and wonders. However, once on the move and away from the relative security of Egypt, Moses finds that he has inherited an obstinate, sinful people. When he descends from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets, the Lord tells Moses that the people have quickly turned away from their devotion to the Most High. In Exodus 32:9-10 we read: The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation." However, Moses would not take this as God's last word. He had grown in such a relationship with God that his heart became consumed with love for both his Creator and His created. What follows is probably one of the greatest examples of turning God's heart and intention due to the selfless intercession of Moses:

Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:11-14)

Often critics focus on the fact that God changed His mind and ascribe this to weakness of character. I believe it demonstrates just the opposite. The Almighty is desirous to do good for His children. Isaiah tells us that "He longs to have compassion on us" (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord God is bound by two great forces of His character that are both driven in love. The first is justice and the other is mercy. God will always function from either of these two dynamics as they are fueled by love. He looks for those that would stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30), much like Moses did, so that He would be moved to mercy. That, beloved, is what he desires to do, but He needs men and women with passionate hearts for others to move Him in that direction.

Abraham's intercession on behalf of Sodom is not unlike that of Moses. However, with Abraham we get the privilege of witnessing this remarkable dialogue between Abraham and God regarding the fate of this doomed city. In Genesis 18:17 we read that God had decided to reveal the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to his friend Abraham. In the following verses, we see a spiritual, heavenly negotiation being played out in the natural as Abraham bargains with God for those in the valley below. The patriarch beseeches God, saying that if there are 50 righteous in Sodom then He surely wouldn't sweep away the just with the wicked? The Lord agrees and does so again and again until Abraham reduces the number of the righteous to ten (Genesis 18:24-32). We know from the following chapter that the Lord does bring down His judgment upon Sodom, for there was only righteous Lot (II Peter 2:7) and his family which accounted for less than the agreed upon number of ten. What if Abraham would have asked God to spare Sodom for five souls? Would it still be standing today? We are not to know. However, Abraham does show us how a life surrendered to God can move the heart of God to mercy. Unfortunately for Sodom and Gomorrah, their sin fell to God's justice. One can speculate that by this act of justice, it led to the salvation of many who recognized God's mercy for not destroying them likewise.

We have all been bought with a price -- the very blood of Jesus Christ who died for us all. We can either choose to live selfish lives that seek to bargain with God for our own ends, or we can die to self and negotiate for others. As Paul said, if we are believers and we call Jesus our Lord, then we are not our own. We have become temples of the Holy Spirit to allow God to intercede through us on behalf of others. There are no loop holes in God's word and no room for making a deal with our Creator. The only "deals" He wants are the ones we engineer for others in prayer and deeds. If we are living for ourselves, we too will die in our respective wilderness of Sinai or be consumed by proverbial fire and brimstone. If, however, we are living for Him and others, we will be consumed in the brightness of His fiery love that will never be quenched, either in this life or the one to come.

Holy Father, thank you for the Spirit who dwells with us and in us. Help us to see that any bargaining with You must be a pact for others -- to bring them to You. Give us hearts that spurn any deals with the flesh or the world but souls on fire to plead with You for the lives of others. We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives

Intercessory Praise - Part III - October 3, 2010

Psalm 51:12-13 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You.

David's life was one steeped in prayer and praise. Jewish history ascribes 73 of the 150 psalms to this King of Israel. These are a rich library of his many conversations with the Lord Jehovah including melodic prayers of petition, supplication, and intercession. David's tender soul resonates in the poetic verses of one psalm as he rejoices in God's victory, and then in another he is in the depths of despair. Although David arguably ruled the most powerful Middle Eastern nation in 1000 B.C., the humanity he displayed in his writings becomes something very real to most of us who can relate with the everyday struggles that beset mankind. His brutal honesty is probably not equaled elsewhere in his writings as it is in Psalm 51 where he pleads for God's forgiveness after his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. The prophet Nathan exposes his king to the injustice he has created by first sinning with this married woman and then having her husband put to death by proxy (II Samuel 11). In this psalm, David seeks forgiveness for himself, but also for what he has done to the trust between God, himself, and those of his kingdom.

In the first nine verses of Psalm 51, David outlines his defense to the Lord which is a case for mercy. He knows that he has sinned and asks the Lord to forgive him for his iniquity. Psalm 51:10-13 becomes David's request to God for complete emancipation from sin's effect which will ultimately lead to God's glorification. In verse 10 he first implores his Maker for a clean heart, to disown any remnants of the sin that he once harbored. Also, the penitent king asks that God renew a steadfast spirit within, to enable him to remain focused on his fidelity toward God. In verse 11, he does not assume that just because his spirit is right that God will desire fellowship with him. He specifically states: Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Finally, in verse 12 we see that David understands that forgiveness without restoration is moot if he is to rule effectively as king. He knew better than anyone that in God's presence there was fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) which would give him the strength and the ability to stay focused to turn from future sin. At the beginning of verse 13, we see the remarkable conjunction "then". At this juncture, David knows that if the Lord grants his request he would once again be in that position to intercede for others through the testimony of his life as an intercessory worshipper. He would be restored in the eyes of his nation to lead them as one who had failed but was now a living example of God's redemption. The King of Israel would no longer be a hypocrite in their eyes but someone who praised God for delivering him from the pit of sin and despair. His praise to God would once again resonate between earth and heaven for his kingdom.

Chronological to Psalm 51, King David's next psalm was probably written shortly after the Bathsheba affair. The overall theme of Psalm 32 is one of reflection concerning the mercy of God for his sin and forgiveness. This is particularly evidenced in the first seven verses. David opens the psalm with a declaration of God's love and redeeming grace, stating: How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psalm 32:1-2) In the next five verses, he tells how hard it was to conceal his sin. However, once he confessed it he was filled once again with the presence of the Lord. Once again, God had become David's hiding place (Psalm 32:7) as he had been so many times in the past. One might assume that the king had forgotten how close the Lord was to him as he hid him from Saul's wrath when he pursued young David. Now, he could once again find God in that secret place of "hiding" that kept him safe from the onslaught of the enemy's lies. For surely, the devil came to him and told David that his sin really wasn't forgiven and that he didn't deserve to be king. The restored king could turn from Satan's accusations and look in the face of his Redeemer with great joy of redemption and say: You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7) What follows in verses eight through eleven is a vivid example of David's restored position as an intercessory praise and worshipper. He instructs the wicked to not be as he was but to be set free by obeying God in all things. To continue in wickedness, he states, is to continue in sorrow; but the righteous, David says, are "surrounded" by lovingkindness. His intercessory worship for others comes to a crescendo as he ends this psalm with the high praises of God: Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11)

Beloved, if we call Jesus Christ our Lord then we should recognize that we are made of the same stuff as David. The only thing that sets us apart from this ancient king is our ability to arrest our sin through humility and ask forgiveness as he did. If we walk in the light as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with God and man and the Lord is faithful to forgive and cleanse us (I John 1:7). The devil would desire that we hide our sin as David, because then we will not be effective as intercessory worshippers. If we can't praise God for his deliverance in our lives and others, then the devil has won the victory. If, however, we can lift up the Name of Jesus in thanksgiving and praise for not only our salvation but for others, then we put the enemy to flight. Everyone of us who call ourselves Christians have this responsibility, to praise God for the finished work of Calvary with hearts that are free from sin. Through that applied revelation, we will see the power of the evil one crushed and the high praises of God accomplishing great things all around us. May the Lord do so in all of us this day as we submit to Him!

Lord Jesus, thank you for the redemptive power of Your blood that makes us mighty to do intercessory battle. May the high praises of God be on our lips as we set the captive free through the intercessory praise You have ordained for all of us who call You Lord. In Your Name Most Holy Jesus Christ, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul Archives