The Bare Soul - The Fruit of the Spirit - Joy - April 26, 2009

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

True joy is unmistakable. I'm not talking about the emotion created from a joyous experience or a feeling of happiness created by any given situation. I am speaking of the source from which this state of well-being derives. When the source of a supposed joyous or happy state is convoluted or temporal, then the natural result will be a temporal emotion that will quickly disappear. Often, folks will buy something such as a new car and feel a sense of elation and happiness for a season. However, in a short time, this elation dissipates -- usually about as long as it takes the new car smell to disappear. Then, all folks are left with are the monthly payments. Conversely, when joy springs from the Eternal Source, then it is never ending and permanent. Just as love does not originate through expression but through identification with the God of Love, in the same way we find the remaining fruits of the Spirit are first to be received and drawn upon through His person, and then expressed through our own characters as He wills.

Psalm 16:11 in the New American Standard Bible describes the perfect plan to live in the totality of God's joy at all times. David spoke through the Holy Spirit in this passage stating: ... In Your presence, there is fullness of joy ... . One might rightly say, "How does one continue ALWAYS in the presence of God where this fullness dwells? In reality, few find that place. It is important to note, however, that David speaks regarding "fullness" with the implication that the joy of the Lord is to be enjoyed on a daily basis in one degree or another. Those who truly know the Lord should never languish long in their own doubts and despair, but should return to their Maker who gives an endless supply of joy. Many godly saints throughout the ages having found this place of pure joy in His presence refer to it as the secret place of the Most High. Consistently, these humble men and women of God state that their lives were caught up for years and years in the art of practicing putting themselves back into God's presence whenever they felt His absence. It is an act of will that is demonstrated by a loving desire to always be with Him. The Song of Solomon 3:1-4 is an exquisite example of how the bridegroom has departed and the bride’s frantic search for her beloved. By her continual searching, she finally finds him again and will not let him out of her grasp. This is the type of joy expressed once we find the true Lover of our souls. By practicing holy behavior before our holy Lord and refusing to be denied access into His presence, we can and will live in that place that is complete with ... joy inexpressible and full of glory (I Peter 1:8).

An extraordinary example of someone who lived in this fully surrendered state of joy was a French monk of the17th century, Brother Lawrence. A collection of his letters and conversations were published after his death which quickly became a testimony of one who continually dwelt in the presence of the Lord and experienced unfathomable joy. (This small booklet, entitled The Practice of the Presence of God is available as a free download.) There are few books that have touched my inner man as this one. Lawrence was an unassuming man that found the secret place of intimate prayer; whether it was during devotionals or during his menial duties in the monastery kitchen. However, there was a time in his early pilgrimage toward God when he struggled to even understand that he was truly saved. Brother Lawrence writes about his conversion below and his consequential joyous existence:

Finally he reasoned: I did not engage in a religious life but for the love of God. I have endeavored to act only for Him. Whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of God. I shall have this good at least that until death I shall have done all that is in me to love Him. From that time on Brother Lawrence lived his life in perfect liberty and continual joy. He placed his sins between himself and God and told Him that he did not deserve His favors, yet God still continued to bestow them in abundance.

In Lawrence's fourth letter, we find a matured, loving, joyful monk. His joy, he states, would become so rapturous at times that he would have to conceal it unless others might not understand.

He is now so accustomed to that divine presence that he receives from God continual comfort and peace. For about thirty years his soul has been filled with joy and delight so continual, and sometimes so great, that he is forced to find ways to hide their appearing outwardly to others who may not understand.

Brother Lawrence had learned the secret of dwelling in the shadow of the Most High and drawing upon the safety, security, and awesome strength of living always in the Lord's presence. Like Lawrence, the word of God gives us examples such as Nehemiah who understood that joy was not a place of weakness but it was empowering. It allows all those who choose to dwell in His shelter an unlimited source of power and strength to overcome any and all obstacles. The displaced cupbearer to the king, now wall-builder of Jerusalem, proclaimed to those Israelites returning from captivity in Babylon that they should not be grieved or stricken with any sadness or fear because ... the joy of the Lord is their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Understanding the source of this strength did not give them a sense of arrogance or invulnerability, but it allowed them to understand Who was truly watching over and protecting them from their enemies. Paul was another who tells us in Ephesians 5:18 not to be drunk with wine (which gives a false sense of bravado and invulnerability), but to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled up and overflowing with His presence in our lives, then His strength and power are truly perfected. With this new found strength, the direct bi-product created by the joy of His presence, one is brought to a new place of humility. One only has to look at the life of Moses, the most humble man who ever lived yet one who lived in the light of His presence for forty years in the wilderness [Numbers 12:3]). Biblical history, as well as more contemporary times are filled with examples of those who gave up all to live in His presence -- to be empowered with His strength to live a holy, exhilarating life continually in the presence of the Most High God. God is not a respecter of persons and desires for us all to come into His presence and to be bathed with his joyous strength. Only as we continue to practice His presence in our lives, will we then be joyous participants of His rapturous delights that He daily sets before us.

Lord, that we may live in your presence, not only one day in glory, but even now -- here upon this earth. For in your presence is fullness of joy and life inexpressible. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - The Fruit of the Spirit - Love - April 19, 2009

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

What is love? In our present world, there is not a lack of discussion regarding this topic. All around us, there seems to be a dogged pursuit of love but its actualization in people's lives appears to be subjective at best. Many talk about "being" in love, yet their faltering commitment to the relationship says otherwise. Youth often equates it to biological attraction, but those of us who have grown and matured know that the fleshly magnetism soon grows tepid if that is the entire basis of the relationship. Many of us have found that true love is born out of a commitment of faithfulness that can only be realized over time. (While some might have believed that "All you need is love", the Beatles' actions proved otherwise as their band dissolved just a short time after Lennon and McCartney penned these verses.) Acting in love with another, or even acts of love toward an ideal will never legitimize themselves over time if there is not firm bedrock of character that is driving the act or emotion. The source of love must be love itself; otherwise it is powered only by idealistic notion which will languish in time due to circumstance.

I John 4:8 tells us that "God is love". More specifically, John states in this passage that if there is an absence of an ongoing and increasing love toward humankind, then we do not know God because God's nature is eternal, ongoing, continual love. He cannot act in any other way otherwise He would betray His own nature. One might say, "Well, the judgments of God don't seem loving." Or, "Why does God send people to hell if He is a loving God?" The scriptures tell us in Isaiah 26:9 that ... when the earth experiences Your [God's] judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Through various calamities, whether they are so-called "acts of God" or man-made circumstances such as wars or terrorism, God is able to draw people together. Many in these circumstances will seek strength from one another and ultimately humble themselves before their Maker. (One only has to study the awakenings and revivals in the United States and Britain in the last 400 years to correlate major societal upheavals with God's outpourings of grace and renewal.) Oftentimes, people need a "wake up" call before they will ever consider that they are not the center of the universe. This truly is the kindness of God that leads humankind to repentance, as stated in Romans 2:4. Regarding questioning a loving God sending people to hell for eternity, one must only look to scripture to see that God sends no one to hell. God has done everything to prevent the loss of even one soul to the fiery abyss. Jesus Christ was the perfect expression of love from the heart of a perfectly loving God, sent to this earth to live, die, and to live again for each and every soul. The price has been paid for us all, yet many will not validate their ticket for eternal life. They have sent themselves to hell by their own denial of His perfect gift of love.

Of that perfect gift, Jesus spoke most emphatically to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. While it is certainly true that Jesus spoke of love throughout the gospels, the Lord reveals the triune relationship between Himself, His Father, and His disciples in John chapters 13 through 17. The Lord Jesus stated in John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. He goes on to state that those who keep His commandments are His friends. The Lord's brother James states in chapter four, verse four of his letter ... that friendship with the world is hostility toward God ... Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Clearly, God is not a respecter of persons and welcomes all to become His friends. Yet, with that friendship there is the responsibility to love and to obey Him in all things. Only as we totally give ourselves to Him can we know the depths of His love for us. Only then can we share what He has given us for a dying world. Mother Teresa was an exceptional example of someone who had learned at an early age that to truly live as Christ lived, in abject poverty, was to live so others might be satisfied with the meager basics of life. Although this was her life's work, she encountered doubts and disillusion early on. In her first year of ministering on the streets of Calcutta she was forced to beg for her own sustenance along with those she was trying to help. One of her diary entries acknowledges her early struggles between staying the course and committing to the work, or returning to the comfort of the convent.

... Today I learned a good lesson. The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food and health. Then the comfort of Loreto [her former order] came to tempt me. "You have only to say the word and all that will be yours again," the Tempter kept on saying ... Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single tear come.

God's nature is to form His nature within humankind -- nothing less than that will ultimately satisfy Him or us. We were made in the likeness of God to love, to be loved, and to further His love to others simply because of who we are and not necessarily what we do. If we truly know Him, we will become more and more like Him every day. If we are not, then there may be a problem with our "nature". What we will find in this series, The Fruit of the Spirit, is that Satan will seek to offer us deceptive fruits just as he tempted and deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden. With every genuine facet of God, the enemy has devised a counterfeit that might appear commendable, yet it does not have its roots in God's nature. That is one reason why the devil is so successful at masquerading lust for love. It is merely an emotional, fleshly sensation that only seeks a selfish end. Love is diametrically opposite. It will never seek its own reward, but will always commit to serving another's need. Beloved, this is God's attitude toward all humankind. He is not the vengeful, unloving God as so many misunderstand Him. He is the God of love that could not deny His own loving nature by giving His Son to die for us on Calvary -- by giving humankind the greatest romantic, redemptive love story possible. And this Jesus, the exact representation of His Father and His awesome love, modeled for us during His short three year ministry the way to serve others by giving up one's life for the sake of another. To the degree that we live and move and have our being in this most wonderful fruit of God's nature, is to the degree that we will truly live eternally, not only in heaven but here on this earth as we live and die daily for those around us.

Lord God Almighty, thank you that you gave your Son so that we might live in love. Help us to live in Your nature and let the fruit of love abound in our lives. For if it is truly abounding, then we are certainly living for others and not ourselves. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - A Divine Home - April 12, 2009

Luke 9:58 - And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus never quibbled about his cutting of family ties and his seemingly "hobo" lifestyle. He was the first to admit His divine vagabond status to all who wished to follow him. The Lord had given up everything to become everything for those who desperately needed the salvation that only He could afford. He was on a timeline with destiny and knew He only had a short time to complete His mission on earth. Hence, the disciples found themselves with this "Jesus", who owned all yet possessed nothing, living like tramps as they followed Him for three years and ultimately to His crucifixion. Even after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem at His last Passover, we might expect that some of the well-to-do disciples that met Jesus would offer the Lord and His twelve accommodations within the city walls. After all, He was like the HUGE guest speaker coming into town. Surely, they could put Him and the "boys" up in one of the finer inns of Jerusalem? Along with His lodging, shouldn't they take care of a "love offering" to provide for His needs while in town? The reality is diametrically opposed to what many today would expect a holy man of God to be offered.

The scripture tells us that Jesus and His disciples retreated nightly to Mount Olivet (or the Mount of Olives) which was close to the city (Luke 21:37). This limestone ridge runs about a mile in length, and in Jesus' day was probably well-forested with olive trees (hence its name). The Garden of Gethsemane was one area on the mount where Jesus and his disciples would regularly "lodge". (Compare it to spending a full day in New York City and then sleeping in Central Park, yet with not as much grassy undergrowth!) This area was a familiar "campground", if you will, for the poor, the hapless, and for many who had generally lost their way in life. Those who could not afford accommodations in the city would retreat to this area to bivouac under the stars. In this open-air hotel, there were no restrooms, no places to tidy up before lying down on the most comfortable place one could find in this uncomfortable setting. Places of this sort commonly experienced crime such as robbery and murder. On the night of Jesus' betrayal, it was just another night like so many others to the disciples. They knew that once again they would be huddled together for warmth under the boughs of an olive tree that would help keep the morning dew from covering them and chilling them to the bone. Yet, this night was different. There was a sadness that they had not known. Jesus said that He was going away, yet they did not understand. He told them not to let their hearts be troubled ... that he was going away to prepare a place for them and in this place were many mansions (John 14:1-2). Possibly, the disciples dreamed that night of sumptuous pillows and silken sheets rather than the sandy soil they were so accustomed as their nightly resting places. Even as they nodded off to sleep between their times of grief, their Lord was being betrayed into the hands of the ungodly. They would not sleep restfully for some time as they witnessed the One whom they had followed for three years being lead away bound by those with swords and torches to be crucified as a common criminal later that morning. Ironic to the crime of that area, they were the ones that were robbed of their friend and master that night in the garden and were at a loss when He was murdered by means of a mock trial.

Many in Jesus day could not understand the importance of Jesus giving up all to become everything for all humankind. They just didn't "get" that if someone was truly the Messiah and if they possessed all things, why it was necessary to become destitute in this life. Many today don't understand that about our Lord. They say it with their lips but it is far from their hearts. It is evident in the way a large majority of the religious class of our day shuns those who have nothing, and yet buddies up to the rich and affluent. The scripture is very clear that Jesus would not have spent much time or effort with these sort of folks. It's quite certain that Jesus' disciples would have enjoyed the home of a rich person versus sleeping on the hard Palestinian ground with a rock for a pillow! But Jesus knew that the things of this earth can never serve us the way we believe they inevitably will. They are an illusion and a vain piece of trickery set up by the evil one to cause us to waste our lives in these vain pursuits. Until one truly believes John 14 when Jesus said that he would go to prepare a place for us -- a place of exquisite beauty and richness like the world has not seen -- then we will all secretly crave the "good life" on this earth which is destined to burn with all the elements at his return (II Peter 3:10). We will pass up the most amazing "home makeover" ever to be devised as Jesus Christ promised He would accomplish on our behave in His Father's house.

St. Francis of Assisi was one of these that understood the importance of releasing and relinquishing all ties to his earthly home to gain an eternal one in the heavenlies. A final denunciation of his father's wealth as a cloth merchant led to a vow of poverty that the young man would never regret. Francis lived a life of abject humiliation toward all things temporal, taking great joy in ministering to the poorest of the poor which included society's castaways such as lepers, the blind, and the disabled. He understood that in order to attain to a true lodging that would never be swept away by fire, flood, or calamity that he must empty himself of all desire to become anything in this world and become everything to those around him. Hebrews 11:37-38 states that many others had likewise lived an example of homelessness upon this earth and were looking to an eternal abode: They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. Just as the world was not worthy of these, neither was it worthy of the One who gave up everything to live as the scum of the earth.

As in Christ's time and before, God is raising up many today that have no desire regarding how they might appear to their contemporaries. They have given up all things in order to look forward to that heavenly home that will out-dazzle anything here on earth. Does God want us to leave behind family and friends and live a life of abject poverty as our Lord? I truly believe that is the call for some. We see it every day as someone will commit their lives to serving as a missionary somewhere in the world. So what about the rest of us? Jesus Christ has called ALL of us to disenfranchise ourselves from the things of this earth, for in the end they hold no value. It matters not whether we have the nicest home on the block with the prettiest yard. What matters is what we have done for those around us by opening not only our homes to those less fortunate, but to open up our entire lives and to give unreservedly. God gives to us not to spend and consume on our own selfish ambitions, but to empty ourselves for the sake of others. Only as we truly understand that we are aliens and strangers on this earth as Jesus did, then and only then will we behave in compassion and humility to those all around us. It will truly give us a new perspective on those we might have looked down on, sleeping out in the open in a contemporary "hobo jungle" or under an overpass as those did, comparatively, in ancient Palestine. Our better judgment, born of true humility and understanding, would tell us that some of these might be like a band of twelve nearly two-thousand years ago who were looking for a more lasting home -- a divine home that their Savior has gone to prepare.

Father, thank you that your Son has gone to prepare a place for us. That by His death, burial, and resurrection on that glorious Resurrection Day so long ago He has been awaiting the day to welcome us to our heavenly home. Lord, we anxiously look forward to that day and are reminded that You have MANY mansions. Lord, help us to bring others to an understanding that this wonderful place of divine habitation awaits all who would believe in You. In Jesus' precious name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Kings and Priests - April 5, 2009

II Samuel 6:14-16 - And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

King David was a complex character. It might be argued that there is no other person in the scriptures that we know so much about and yet his life is still enigmatic. Notably, 38 chapters in I and II Samuel are devoted to the life of David. Of greater importance is how these 38 chapters reveal the multi-dimensional character of this man who would bring together Israel and unite it as a kingdom state. We are first introduced to David in I Samuel 16 when the prophet Samuel is directed by God to go to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel in the place of disobedient Saul. In the following chapters, we see a young man that is obviously graced by God. David becomes an important part of King Saul's retinue (I Samuel 16:17-23) as he becomes the king's armor bearer and also his personal psalmist that would invariably drive away the spirits that vexed Saul. The scripture states that after David had skillfully played on the harp that the king would be "refreshed and be well".

In subsequent chapters in I Samuel and the beginning of II Samuel, we see a young warrior that establishes himself firmly in the hearts and minds of the Israelite nation. From his first victory of killing the giant Goliath (I Samuel 17:49-50), to the uniting of all the tribes under his commander Joab (II Samuel 5:1-5), David grew with a warrior mentality that would serve him well as he ruled the nation with a strong hand. David was both feared and respected by both his nation and those nations round about. Those who knew him both intimately and from afar had grown comfortable with his warrior-king motif. So, when David paraded himself through the streets of Jerusalem in a linen ephod (basically a thin robe-type garment worn by the priests), some may have been taken aback. In II Samuel 6 the scripture tells us nothing whether those who lined the streets were shocked regarding their king's behavior as the ark of the covenant was carried to its resting place. We only hear of his wife Michal's contempt and how she despised him in her heart. Some bible commentators say that she hated David because he had left her when Saul was pursuing David, and that she had therefore married another. David later reclaimed Michal as his wife with much misgivings by her counterfeit husband (II Samuel 3:16). However, this was the first reference in all of scripture that Michal had expressed anything other than love for her husband and king. No, I believe the reason she felt disdain and loathing toward David was that she had never seen the type of behavior he was displaying to all Jerusalem. In II Samuel 6:20 she states: But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!" Clearly, she speaks through her embarrassment as she never believed that a king would consider behaving as she saw David behave that day. Surely, she had never seen her father, King Saul, act in such a manner. And that, beloved, is where the great delineation between Saul and David is clearly revealed.

Saul was a king who ruled by proxy, sometimes by his own weak mind and sometimes by the prophet Samuel (when he would listen and obey). Saul did not have the connection with God that King David learned. David knew how to step from one character, a warrior-king, into the ephod of a priest and minister with love and joy to the Lord. Those who lined the streets dared not say anything regarding their king's behavior, but Michal who was close and intimate with her husband and king undoubtedly believed she had license to speak her mind. In conclusion of this royal tirade, Michal was spurned by the king and she remained barren the rest of her life.

There's a reason why King David's life is so vividly recorded for us in scripture. It goes far beyond just thinking what a great guy David was and how he united the nation of Israel. In truth, God desires His people to discover what it means to be both a warrior-king and a priest unto the Lord. To be able to war in the spirit with a vengeance -- to learn how to get a hold of the mind of Christ in intercessory prayer and pull down strongholds that He is wanting us to war against. There are evil forces that seek to destroy and splinter our families, our churches, and ultimately our nation. They are like a corrosive rust that seeks to eat away all that is good and upright from the inside out. By the time the damage is done, the damage is so demonstrative that it crumbles all around us. We see sensuality and perversion on a rise that is unparalleled. We need to pull down this wicked spiritual stronghold in the name of Jesus Christ. We see homosexuality becoming an accepted "alternative" lifestyle. We need to pull down this wicked spiritual stronghold in the name of Jesus Christ. We continue to see thousands of babies aborted in the U.S. every year, many in their last trimester. We need to pull down this wicked spiritual stronghold in the name of Jesus Christ. We see greed, hate, murder, and every sin against mankind on the rise. All of the humanistic, selfish, sinful acts of mankind need to be warred against, much like David did in his day against the pagan, idolatrous nations that surrounded Israel.

As with David, even in the midst of our warring in the spirit, we need to take up the linen ephod and minister to the Lord "with all our might". This means taking time to refresh ourselves in His presence, to sing and dance before Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. For truly the "joy of the Lord is our strength" and "in His presence is fullness of joy" (see Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 16:11). No matter if some might think that this kind of behavior is wasteful. No matter if some might despise us because it seems "undignified" to be giving ourselves in abandon to our Lord. For those of us who are redeemed, we need to learn this behavior here in this lifetime, for the age to come has us reigning in this manner as "kings and priests". Revelation 5:10 states: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth (King James Version). Beloved, this is our destiny -- this is our calling as true believers in the Lord. Not to be merely warrior-king intercessors, embodying the spirit of King David to pull down the forces of wickedness that would seek to dismantle our nation. This alone is a high, holy calling but it is only one piece of this dichotomy. As there will always be warfare for to be waged for our wicked world, we still need to know our way back to our respective "Jerusalem", having the wisdom to know how and when to minister to Him. Only as we know how to make war with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and at the same time minister as a priest to our Lord, will we experience the depth of character as a king and priest that so dynamically typified King David.

Psalm 149:6-9

Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

To execute vengeance on the nations

And punishment on the peoples,

To bind their kings with chains

And their nobles with fetters of iron,

To execute on them the judgment written;

This is an honor for all His godly ones.Praise the LORD!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Gravity - March 29, 2009

Genesis 5:24 - Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Infants are a joy to entertain. They often enjoy the simplest pleasures with glee while they give joy to those whom participate and observe. When my children were small, they loved for me to throw them skyward and catch them in my arms. They trusted me that I would always catch them, and then they would immediately say, "Do it again, Daddy!" They always wanted to go higher and stay up longer as they seemed to enjoy going up more than coming down. We spent hot summer afternoons in swimming pools as I would launch them into the air and they would try to make the biggest splash possible as they hit the water. I never had to teach them the concept that whatever goes up will come down. They instinctively knew it and anticipated the freefall. In pre-teen and teen years, a couple of my children still loved the sensation of freefall as they would always seek out those type rides at amusement parks. Their stomachs would drop as the sensation of gravity taking over would once again thrill their senses.

Gravity is something we all take for granted. But to someone from another planet who had never experienced it, gravity and its affects might seem "magical" or intoxicating as it did to my children in their innocence. This invisible law of physics is something that no one with any intellect would dispute, but it is indeed a scientific fact. A simple definition for gravity (or gravitation, if you like) is a naturally occurring phenomenon by which objects with mass attract one another. As we understand our earth's gravity, it is merely the downward force of gravitational energy against the earth itself, creating a constant pressure on all mass. Everything in the physical realm is bound to the constant force of the law of gravity. But what about the spiritual realm? What, if anything, is dominated by this physical law or how does the spiritual trump this law of perpetual downward force that none can seem to escape?

It is such a delight to read in scriptures when those in the past as well as those in the future defy the law of gravity by an even greater force. In our physical world, the only force that is stronger than gravity is magnetism. Just as the north and south poles are continually attracting magnetically, there is a constant magnetic charge coming from the poles seeking to capture and to pull toward their axis any and all iron-based particles. Theoretically, if one could build a large enough magnet and hang it in orbit to capture a large iron-oxide asteroid that was hurtling to earth to destroy our planet, one could offset gravity by preventing it from its downward gravitational pull. Consider for a moment that God is that "Almighty Magnet" that has the power and the force to not only to save us from destruction but to also sweep us away into His heavenly realm, both in the metaphoric and the literal sense. The bible is very clear about Enoch in Genesis 5:24, that God raptured him in his physical body to heaven to be with the Lord. The reason why is even clearer in Hebrews 11:5: By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; And he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. This man of God found out the "secret" of overcoming gravity on this earth, the kind of "spiritual gravity" that holds one to this world and the things of this world. Like the patriarch Enoch, we should all seek how NOT to be bound to this world in both a spiritual and physical sense. John tells us in I John 2:15 "... to love not the world nor the things of the world". This is played out daily in the mind of our spiritual being (what we think about and desire) and also in our bodies (what we choose to see, touch, taste, feel, etc.). Enoch found a way to walk before God that was so extremely pleasing and gratifying to the Most High that the magnetic force of attraction was much more powerful than Enoch's pull toward this earth. Elijah the Tishbite, God's fiery prophet was taken to heaven likewise in bodily form (II Kings 2:11). We aren't told why, however, it is easy to assume the template of Enoch's pleasing God as reason enough. Like Enoch, Elijah had cast off the things of this earth that would hold him down and that would try to keep him under its spiritual law. As his earlier counterpart, he was ready and willing when God called him to His Celestial City through the power of His Almighty attraction.

So what of us? Today, we all have the decision to either live our lives by the law of "spiritual gravity" that would seek to tie us to this carnal world and the lusts thereof. Or, we can use Enoch and Elijah as our models to aspire to -- models that show that one does not have to be bound to this earth but that we can truly fly away as our Father attracts us to Himself. No longer do we need to live our lives bound to this earth and its carnal laws, but if we know Jesus Christ we are truly seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:16) and we have all the rights and privileges to walk as citizens of heaven on this earth today. We should always know that He is pulling us toward our True Center, not as the earth would pull a stone when dropped toward its core, but toward Himself. For He is our center and the place of most attraction for a believer that truly knows Him. Just as children love the sensation of flying upward from the arms of their father, so we too yearn to be drawn upward into our Heavenly Father's waiting embrace. We should anticipate this as our hearts soar toward Him, daily giving our lives anew to His love and walking with Him another day in newness of life. For one day, it will more than a spiritual soaring of our hearts and minds toward our Savior, but we will see Him in the sky and we will be changed, in the twinkling of an eye (I Corinthians 15:52), and we will fulfill the mighty attraction that He began in us when we were first saved by His blood. On that day, no power on earth, in the earth, or under the earth will be able to keep us from His awesome magnetic pull. There will be no disappointment of ever being drawn back to earth. We will all defy both physical and spiritual gravity for the last and final time, and soar to be with our Lord forever and ever.

Holy Father, we desire to defy the "spiritual gravity" of this world and the lusts thereof. We soar to you in our thoughts and prayers in an attitude of separation from this life that would seek to encumber us. For in your presence, that is where our true home lies. Continue to draw us by your loving attraction until we finally rest in your Eternal Arms. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick


(photo courtesy of www.thegravityposter.com)

The Bare Soul - A Seat at God's Banquet - March 22, 2009

Luke 14:13-14 - "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The context of Jesus' admonition in this passage is in direct response to how he observed the dinner guests choosing their seat at the meal they had all been invited to share in the house of a Pharisee. Just as they selfishly chose their seats in context of their own self-importance (Luke 14:7-11), Jesus also reprimanded them on who they would potentially invite others to break bread in the verses following. While sharing a meal is an important aspect of our societal life today, of even greater importance was it in first century Palestine. Not only WHAT you ate defined who you were (deemed "clean" foods according to the Torah), but of truly greater importance was WHO you ate with, as Jesus alluded. Proverbs 17:1 states: Better is a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. As Solomon points out, it is far better to have very little to eat with a small gathering in quietness rather than indulging oneself in the midst of contention. In this passage in Luke, Jesus emphatically points out that the Pharisees likewise have things backwards in their understanding. Not only should they humbly accept a lower station when invited as a guest into someone else's home, but when giving a banquet of their own, to not reciprocate by inviting those who had already done so in like manner. Instead, Jesus makes the distinction to invite those who cannot repay for in so doing the benevolent host would be rewarded in the life to come.

Probably one of the most beautiful descriptions of a banquet in all of scripture is one short verse in the Song of Solomon. In chapter two, verse four the bride of Solomon states: "He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love." What a glorious description of the bridegroom's love for his bride as he seals their marriage bonds by this magnificent love feast! While the sustenance of the feast is not discussed in this verse, the emphasis on Solomon's banner or tribute of love is heralded over his bride. Just as Jesus implied in Luke, the main importance was not in the food but in how one treated the guests they had invited. While Solomon's banquet is an extreme example of the type of love and camaraderie to be shown to those invited to a banquet, in God's eyes it should not be an understatement of intention to invite those whom you truly love and want to bless to share in a meal. Jude the brother of the Lord Jesus stated in Jude 12 that certainly feasting should be done with great care and affection for one another as he used the term "love feasts" to describe how the church came together to fellowship and to share a meal. (And how, in addition, others had used these opportunities to work mischief in the midst of the church.)

For most of us in today's world, the best that we can hope for regarding "love feasts" are an occasional "pot bless" (or "pot luck" if you prefer) at our respective churches or social gatherings. While many of us don't set banquets before the poor and unfortunate in our respective communities, there are other ways to give of our time, our money, and ultimately ourselves by providing "banquets of love" to those who cannot repay. In so doing, as Jesus stated, we are storing up dividends for ourselves on that glorious day of resurrection for the righteous. In Luke14:13, Jesus mentions those who are immobile twice -- the crippled and the lame. Jesus made numerous mentions regarding those who could not walk in the four Gospels. Many believe that the Lord has a special place in His heart for those who are immobile, because it is such a powerful metaphor for all of us before we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We were all crippled by sin and immobile to do anything to save ourselves from the impending destruction that we all deserve. Yet, by the saving Grace of His Love, we are all made to walk again in newness of life by the life He gave to us. While much of the Body of Christ in today's world lacks the power to say "Rise up and walk", we still have the wonderful opportunity to help organizations that are representing the love of God upon this earth. While the Free Wheelchair Mission is a Christ-centered organization, countless recipients of wheelchairs are not Christian. Containers full of wheelchairs arrive regularly in areas of China or Tibet or the Middle East where the name of Jesus Christ is forbidden to be spoken. Yet, the caring hearts of those who work and/or volunteer for FWCM are fulfilling Christ's admonition by giving these a seat at this "banquet of love" of God's grace -- all for those who have no way to repay. I have talked to some who regularly give to FWCM. They give for this very reason -- that there is no way that those who receive a wheelchair will ever know the person who made their mobility possible. Those that give just know that Jesus commanded us all to provide seats of honor at God's "love feasts" for those who will never know anything other than someone far away loved them with the love of God.

Please consider donating to the Free Wheelchair Mission and fulfilling Jesus' commission to love those who are the weak and despised, those who are dirty and unlovable, yet those that He loves and desires to bring close to Him through the love and generosity of someone like yourself. May the Lord Jesus bless you as you extend life and dignity to another in a far away place!

Click Here to Help!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

The Bare Soul - Leaving It All Behind - March 15, 2009

The following is the message text and audio recording of a sermon titled "Leaving It All Behind" delivered to the homeless at the Kansas City Rescue Mission Chapel on March 12, 2009.

Leaving It All Behind - March 12, 2009

Luke 5:11, 28 - When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him. ... And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

Luke gives us a glimpse into the compelling nature of Jesus Christ and His ability to influence others to give up everything on His behalf. First, we see Simon, his brother Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee (James and John) casting aside their previous lives to follow this man from Galilee. Within the space of 17 verses we see the calling of Matthew with identical deliberateness. With the same verbiage, Luke describes the disciple-elect throwing off his former way of life in order to adopt a new way of living that was at the best, unclear. In both instances, the disciples are remarked upon leaving "everything behind". These are quite extraordinary statements regarding these first-century Israelites. Undoubtedly, Peter and Andrew as well as the Zebedee brothers caused great consternation and probably outright anger within their own families. Sons were raised to carry on the family business. If the family did not work, then it did not eat. Can you imagine the shame these families faced from the community? "What is this," the towns people might say, "that your sons are traipsing after this shiftless character that has left his own home and carpenter profession to pursue lunatic presumptions that he is a preacher and healer of sorts?" Surely, there was much head-wagging over the disciples' decision to leave everything behind and follow this Jesus of Nazareth.

Then there was Matthew. This tax-gatherer already had an unsavory reputation, so any move he would make regarding a vocation change would be viewed as an improvement. However, unlike the severing of familial and social ties that the fisherman encountered, Matthew must make the decision to break with his great love -- wealth. Tax-gatherers in ancient Palestine were notorious for not only exacting exorbitant taxes for the occupying Romans, but they would inevitably tack on additional "taxes" that were nothing less than extortion to be pocketed by themselves. In Luke 5:27-28, Luke tells us in the space of two verses how Jesus saw Matthew, called Matthew, and how he inevitably followed the Lord. As in the previous case with his fisherman brethren, the scripture states that he "left everything" and followed Christ.

Today, one might say that it was "easier" for them to leave behind their lives to follow the Lord. After all, He WAS and IS Jesus! In reality, however, it was still a huge risk for the disciples to leave everything behind and to follow this man they really knew little about. Their hindsight (as well as us as historical readers) confirmed to them that in time they made the right decision. However, in that initial instant and in the beginning when they had to decide whether or not to follow -- that was a huge leap of faith. In our present day, Jesus Christ is still looking for the same sort of abandon to Him as the early disciples showed by dropping everything and following Him. We might think we are much different today than those of early Christendom. We might think that our lives are much too enmeshed with our daily lives, families, businesses, activities, etc. to be able to dedicate such an abandoned commitment to the Lord Jesus. However, God's eyes are searching throughout the earth to find those whose hearts can be totally given to follow His Son in the way of these early disciples. In most cases, I believe that God is NOT calling us to become a St. Francis and give away all that we possess and to go follow Him. However, the Lord Jesus is desirous that we "leave everything" of the world behind in comparison to the devotion that we have for Him. To the degree that we can do this without covetous misgivings and follow Him, is the degree that He will share His life with us as he disciples us daily.

Few will know the calling of truly leaving behind everything and following the Lord in this lifetime. However, I will challenge us all with this statement: To the degree that we leave everything behind that is not of Him, is the degree that we won't be left behind in how God desires to use each and every one of us! As with God's universal law of giving and receiving, in just such a way will we receive back from the Lord blessings that we would never encounter unless we had "left behind" the life that was not in agreement with His divine will. Many concern themselves these days with the Rapture of the saints, or the great taking away of believers in the end-time (I Corinthians 15:52; I Thessalonians 4:16-17) . While this is certainly something to prepare for, it is nothing to be overly concerned. For as deliberately as we leave behind the things of this life, giving our hearts and lives to Christ, in the same measure we should have assurance that we will not be left behind. If one is frightened or is dreading the day of the Lord Jesus' return, then they probably have good reason since they have obviously not left behind everything to follow Him. However, for those of us who desire and yearn for His coming with unashamed, uplifted faces this will be a day of glorious deliverance. Those who have forsaken their old lives, leaving behind the encumbrances and the godless living of the past, these can be assured a lifetime of peace and happiness upon this earth and the promise of eternal glory in the life ahead.

Almighty Father, help us to leave everything behind all that is not of Your desire and to follow your Son, even as these early disciples. Sanctify our unsanctified lives that we often hold so dear, that ultimately keep us from full devotion to You. As we leave behind the things of this world, we glorify and rejoice in You that we will not be left behind in Your glorious plans for our life in this age and in the age to come. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Barefoot Servant,

Rick

Leaving It All Behind - March 12, 2009