Hand to the Plow - December 31, 2017

Luke 9:62 - But Jesus said to him, “ No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Some people might say that a new year is inconsequential. Many folks make and break resolutions with impunity. Like many, I haven't always considered a new year as significant. However, the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I see the importance for new beginnings. I like to think of a new year as an opportunity to turn over the soil of my heart and to prepare the ground for new seed. Often, this is a new area of my heart where God wants to do an expansive work. In other cases, this is possibly where He has produced a crop but now He wants to plant something different. And, sometimes there are areas that may have once yielded fruit, but have gone fallow due to indifference or disobedience. I have found the best thing to do is not argue with God, thinking I know what's best. Without fail, when He plants what He desires, it always bears forth the fruit He has ordained. That is, as long as I'm obedient and continue to till the land of my heart as He desires.

The use of the plow and fallow ground are simply metaphors for allowing God to use His word to instruct us. While some smaller plows may be pushed by manpower, God's plow can not be pushed by human strength. It is an impossibility to push a plow creating deep furrows in order to sow God's seed. For the sake of this analogy, God provides a mule or a team of oxen---servants to mankind in order to pull the plow through the unbroken earth. The strength of these animals are illustrated by the strength of God and how He empowers his word to accomplish what He sends it forth to accomplish (Isaiah 55:11). However, without man's hand on the plow, God's word will often NOT be sent forth due to lack of faith to lead and guide it. By putting our hand to God's plow and obeying Him, we allow His word to go forth.

Once we put our hand to the plow, Jesus tells us we should never look back. We should understand that while our past has often shaped our present, we cannot allow it to dictate our future. Obedience that cuts a straight furrow through life would be terribly impeded if we were constantly looking back and worried about where he have been rather than where we are going. Paul, a confessed murderer and persecutor of the church tells us in Philippians 3:13 to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. We can do NOTHING about the past, but only make corrections for the future by the experiences acquired in our brief histories. While Jesus' admonition in Luke 17:22-37 refers to His second coming, it is still an important lesson for us to understand in regard to obedience. If we refuse to allow the anxieties of this life to pull us off course, then we will remain stalwart to keep looking ahead. In verse 32, Jesus says, "Remember Lot's wife," a sobering lesson on looking back once we have our put our hands to the proverbial plow (Genesis 19;26).

Time is significant, or God would not have created it. Therefore, it is important to regard new beginnings in time as God-ordained opportunities to start afresh. While man-made resolutions are to the most part useless, we can be assured that God patiently awaits for us to recommit to Him on our spiritual journey. Some of us have taken our hands off the plow and have allowed acres of "heartland" to become fallow. It is time to once again take hold of God's plow, the word of God, and walk steadily and determinably after Him. If we will follow the plow He has given us to guide, He will provide the strength to pull it along. Will we do this perfectly? None of us have, nor will any succeed except One. Jesus Christ will walk along side and coach us the entire length of God's field if we will but allow Him to do so. Before long, the soil of our hearts will be fertile once again to take the seed of God and bear fruit the way He desires. May we all put our hands to God's plow this year, never wavering as the Holy Spirit strengthens us and the Son of God guides our hands. May we all know the blessing of obeying Him in all things this coming year as we put our hands in His hands each and every day.

Heavenly Father, thank you for enabling us to obey You in all things. However, when we fail or take our hands off the plow You have ordained for each of us, may you patiently guide us once again to continue our journey, pressing on toward the goal of the upward call. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Christ Child - December 24, 2017

Matthew 2:18 - A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.

When we read the story of Christ's birth, it is full of wonder and hope. Shepherds and wise men rejoice over the birth of the Savior. Yet, in the midst of this glorious event, tragedy taints the most important advent the world has ever known. Other families in Bethlehem and its environs had similarly celebrated the joyous coming of their babies in those days. However, they soon would see their children's lives ruthlessly taken from them. No one really knows for certain how many. The Martyrdom of Matthew states 3,000 babies were slaughtered by the command of Herod. The Byzantine liturgy claims more than 14,000 male children under the age of two were massacred, while Syrian tradition places the number at 64,000! Not to diminish the horror of this event, but the number was probably quite smaller. Biblical archaeologists believe from their findings that Bethlehem's population on May 14, 6 AD (the date claimed by Clement for Christ's birth) to be around 300 persons. If that is the case, then children under two years old would probably equal less than a dozen. However, no one really knows for sure. How far around Bethlehem did Herod's murderous edict extend? While it is doubtful 64,000 children lost their lives, it is equally as doubtful in my mind that just a handful of children were killed. Nevertheless, no matter the number, a life is precious and the heartache of those whose children were taken in such a cruel manner was no doubt heartbreaking beyond words.

As the Christ child escaped to Egypt with His parents, we read in Matthew's gospel how the innocents were slaughtered by a madman. Herod was one of a long line of megalomaniacal kings in Jewish history who sought to maintain his rule at any  cost. Since he was crowned ruler of Judea by the Roman government more than 40 years earlier, he had killed scores of persons he considered a threat to his throne. The slaughter of the innocents was merely the crowning achievement of his murderous ways in the twilight of his reign. This man schemed and connived his entire life to ensure his rule and that of his posterity. When he gave the command to destroy the male babies in Bethlehem, this was nothing horrendous in his eyes whatsoever. This was merely the last of a long series of murders to ensure his kingdom rule.

We often look at this event as appalling, but it was the most natural reaction of evil for this malevolent king to perpetrate. While this unspeakable evil was done, the Son of God was safe far to the south. Some might say, "Why did not God intervene on behalf of the innocents while He protected the Son of God? Isn't this hypocritical on God's part to show favoritism to His own Son, yet allow the innocent to perish?" The same questions have been asked of God throughout the millennia. While many believe He sits safely in the heavenlies while continual injustice occurs here on earth, some would suggest this proves He is an unjust God. However, those who would question God in this way do not understand He is not only a God of mercy but one of justice. His character demands that He allow mankind to go the way we have chosen since that fateful day in the Garden. God told Adam and Eve that death would be the result of disobedience, yet they chose to go their own way. Even so, we have chosen to go our own way and the result is carnage and death on a worldwide scale. Why does God allow children to die? Why does He allow babies in Uganda to suffer and die by the hands of cruel men and evil regimes? Why does God allow entire communities with thousands of children to starve to death in the Sudan? Why does He allow terrorists in Belarus to destroy an entire orphanage of children? Because evil exists in the world and we as a species have embraced it! The result of this prevalent evil will result in the death and exploitation of the innocent. It always will. The problem is compounded when we as the human race believe we are not all capable of this type of evil.

Whether we are saved by the Prince of Peace, or are joint-murderers with the prince of darkness is our choice today as it was on that infamous day in Eden. We will either join ourselves with God and look toward the day when He will once again make everything whole. Or, we will continue to join ourselves with the devil and blame God for all the woes of our world. The innocents will continually be the tragic victims of our foolish decision as a race. What we need to do is put the blame where it belongs -- on ourselves, and submit to the Christ Child who can make it all right once again. Instead of saying, "Why" to God over the calamity of this world, we should be praying "When will you come and set things right?" When we look to Him for the solutions, we will understand so much more than those without God. The evil will still be unacceptable. But we will understand its origin and its final demise as we trust in God to one day rid the earth of those who would prey on the innocent, much as Satan preyed on the innocent in Eden's garden. Then, the blameless will be righteous before Him, never to be exploited by evil again.

Holy Father, may we understand that the innocents will always be subjected to the worst kinds of evil. The hearts of men are given to do evil because they are children of their father the devil. They have chosen their parentage by their choice to follow him. There is a day, Father, when You will wipe the earth of this plague. Then, the innocents will be continually in Your presence, never to suffer again. May You come quickly, Lord Jesus. In Christ's Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Possessing Our Souls - December 17, 2017

Luke 21:19 (NKJV) - By your patience possess your souls.

I heard a pastor once preach on "Love is patient" out of I Corinthians 13. His premise was how the two are interchangeable. Love is the very essence of patience and conversely it is impossible to be patient without being loving. I agree with this. I believe our Savior's patience was extraordinary as He dealt in a spirit of love with everyone He met. (However, the Pharisees might have seen things differently.) Just as God is love, so also He embodies patience (I John 4:8).

When we look at Luke 21:19, we should look at Jesus' admonition as exhorting us to "self-care." In context, it is of course speaking of the last days and the hostility others will show against those who stand up for the gospel. To bring my mention of I Corinthians 13 into this context, I believe both Paul and our Lord would tell us that the best self-care comes from first loving God who dwells within us and then allowing that to overflow to others. In other words, if we are loving and patient with ourselves, we will be patient and loving with others. To go back to the context of Luke 21 once again, this will mean the difference of possessing our souls or betraying them out of fear. When we are perfected in love, it casts out all fear, allowing us to live with God’s integrity through love (I John 4:8).

Jesus asked the question, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). To possess one's soul means that we have surrendered to our Savior all impatience to do otherwise. We have come into that perfect place of sanctification where we no longer wonder if we are set apart and holy for the Master's use. The thought does not even occur to us. We just know we are imbued with a marvelous sense of His love and patience in how He is living and moving and having His Being through us. This, my friends, is self-care that will become demonstrable soul-care to all with whom are hungry for an encounter with God.

One might well ask how this paradigm shift occurs? Where we no longer concern ourselves with possessing anything let alone our souls? (Of course the paradox is that when we no longer seek to possess anything we possess all things.)  Furthermore, how do we perfect this place of patience which is imbued with God's presence and love? It is wonderful to speak in theory of being loving and patient, but how does this happen? The reminders are constant throughout the word of God and especially in Paul's letters. Paul's desire for the churches to whom he wrote his letters to "put on" Jesus Christ was a constant theme and probably a frequent prayer of his. (Romans 13:12, Ephesians 6:11, and Colossians 3:1are just three instances of more than a dozen given by Paul.) The paradigm shift is as simple as doing the "do's" and turning away from the "don'ts." When we turn toward Jesus, and allow Him to renew us according to His image, then we are allowing the possession of our souls to become a reality through Christ's love. May we patiently turn toward Him as we give more and more to Him daily.

Heavenly Father, may you show us how we really do not possess anything. Yet, You allow us stewardship over these vessels you have created for us to live in. May we possess them in Your love and patience, wholly sanctified for Your use. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Anguish to Joy - December 10, 2017

Isaiah 53:11 - As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.

The birth of children is something truly remarkable to behold. I was privileged to watch the birth of all three of my natural children. Of course, childbirth for the father is much different than the suffering of the mother. I often reflect on this when I think how Jesus brought back the human race from spiritual death. Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection acted much like the womb of new birth as the Holy Spirit came along side as the mid-wife, ensuring success. The Father looked on, as many sons and daughters were restored to Him on that day. What a glorious moment it had to be! If only we could have heard the rejoicing in heaven when Jesus said, "It is finished" and later when the stone was rolled away. The joy of the Father was certainly inexpressible in our human capacity to understand it.

In his great wisdom given by God, Solomon states in Ecclesiastes 7:8 how "The end of a matter is better than its beginning." How Jesus must have known and believed this as He prepared for His death. We know from the word of God that Jesus was certainly concerned about His upcoming demise. Some have speculated a variety of reasons for his angst regarding His crucifixion. Regardless the reason, we know He did not sin, but kept entrusting Himself to the One who would deliver Him (I Peter 2:23). As John relates the words of Jesus: “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour" (John 12:27). The hope of mankind's deliverance was the great motivator that revealed Christ's perfect love for humanity.

Isaiah tells us in our lead verse that "He will see it." I believe this is speaking about the Father when He witnessed His Son dying on the cross. He looked at the spilt blood of His Son and surely wept as sin's penalty was satisfied! However, with his weeping there was a joy breaking forth that no sadness could overwhelm. Isaiah 53:10 tells us Christ will see His offspring by offering Himself as a "guilt offering." Likewise, He would find satisfaction knowing He had brought many sons and daughters back to His Father through the "anguish of His soul." The pain the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit incurred to save us was incalculable. Conversely, as already mentioned, the joy likewise was indescribable regarding our deliverance.  Jesus prophetically tells His disciples in John 16:21 that  "Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world."

Joy is often the direct outcome of pain. Our great gains in Christ are often recognized through His extraordinary loss. When we begin to really understand what it cost the Godhead to bring about our salvation, it should first pain us remarkably. However, if it is truly a God-given revelation, it should then give us joy inexpressible regarding what He has done. Are we walking in great joy today, beloved? If not, possibly we do not truly understand His great anguish which lead to His great joy. Ask God for this understanding. Cry out to Him that He would reveal the cost of Calvary. When we truly understand it, we will likewise know His anguish but also His great joy in bringing many sons and daughters to salvation.

Heavenly Father, may you grant us all wisdom to know what the cross of Christ cost. May we enter into the fellowship of Your sufferings that we might attain to the resurrection of the dead according to Your servant, Paul (Philippians 3:10-11). Show us Your heart, Lord, and Your great love for us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Your Barefoot Servant,
Rick






The Bare Soul Archives

Power Through Wisdom - December 3, 2017

Luke 10:19 - Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

 

How exciting it must have been for the disciples to receive their commission directly from the Lord! Having traveled around with Jesus for months or years and witnessing the wonderful miracles He wrought, the thought of going out in that type of power undoubtedly gave them great excitement and expectation. After their great evangelistic outreach, "The seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'” (Luke 10:17) Shortly following their exclamation, the Lord uttered the words of our lead verse, declaring what they had just experienced. The gospel was real and they were an active part in bringing heaven to earth---helping to heal, deliver, and give great hope where there was previously hopelessness.

 

One might ask why Jesus did not give them this revelation of their authority in the Name of Jesus before they set off. He did give them some fundamental instructions about how to conduct themselves. However, He waited to confirm what He spoke in Luke 10:19 after they returned and in regard to what they had experienced. Possibly this was to keep them in a place of humility with the ability to receive from the Lord on an as needed basis. Rather than going out with a sense of dramatic intensity that everyone they laid hands on would be healed or delivered, possibly Jesus wanted them to go out and experience power through wisdom. Rather than having carte blanche and a belief they were able to heal every illness and cast out every demon, Jesus instead wanted them to rely upon God's wisdom and move according to God's will and purpose. Remember, there were many in Jesus' time that were not healed or delivered. Case and point, the lame beggar in the Gate Beautiful which Jesus undoubtedly saw day after day during His ministry. (The Lord had a divine appointment for this man with His servants Peter and John [(Acts 3:1-2].) Possibly some days the power of God was not present for Jesus to heal, as stated in Luke 5:17. Therefore, as in the case of the seventy, He wanted them to go forth in God's wisdom first. Then, He could demonstrate His healing through them as He willed.

 

The disciples knew they were being sent out under Jesus' authority. However, by their exclamation of joy and surprise on their return, it is clear they did not understand the full implication. Authority is administered best when it is done so with both wisdom and power. Just because someone has the authority and the power to exercise it, does not mean they have wisdom to make sure it is passed along with grace. Merely look at any number of authority figures in law enforcement, government, or even religion to understand this dynamic. Once the disciples understood the necessity of using God's authority first with His wisdom, then it created great joy in them. Misused power will often create more problems than the solutions it seeks to remedy.

 

Luke 10:19  is intended to show us the strength of God over this world while giving us imagery that is powerfully descriptive. Yet, we must be careful not to allow romantic sentimentality to rocket us away from its intent and to discourage us. As the disciples learned wisdom from daily learning with Jesus, so we must slog through commonplace days to get to the days where we are demonstrably treading on the enemy. Many days, we live out the miracle of the mundane where we allow God's character to grow within a little at a time. We live as fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, doing the next right thing that God desires of us. These days are usually without spiritual drama and can look very much like what our worldly counterparts are accomplishing. However, the exceptional is made exceptionally grand when we have been living right every day. Then, when we come upon someone who truly needs a touch from God, we can be the one to offer them God's peace while we grind the enemy under our feet. This, my friends, is the real Christian life.

 

Lord God Almighty, lead us not into the temptation of possessing Your power without Your wisdom. May we spend time in Your presence, understanding how Your authority is perfected in humility. Grant us the joy of Your presence as we minister to others for You and Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

Your Barefoot Servant,

 

Rick