This is How He Does It (Poem)

I have a very clear and distinct impression

There’s a refrain to the familiar expression:

Let angels prostate fall.

‘I am in the earth’, to Jeremiah said He,

‘Exercising Grace, judgment and doing what’s right.

Know Me, of this be proud, for in these I delight.’ *

Then and now, He has one modus operandi,

So after He was raised and returned to Heaven,

His orchestrating Spirit to us was given.

You see, hidden to eyes, but behind the scene,

Here I affirm is what’s really happening:

'Let angels orchestrate all.' **

—————

* Jeremiah 9:23-24 succinctly summarizes The Lord’s strategic objectives for all human across all ages of time: (1) Grace, (2) Judgment and (3) Righteousness.  In Isaiah 57:11, in context of describing wicked people of that time, He identifies this result He receives from His long-term Grace to us: the loss of our holy fear of, and respect for Him. Any alert reader will quickly realize the only things that have changed since then are the sheer numbers of ungodly people in the world today, and the efficiency of our wickedness.

** See: Angels on the Run (Poem)

My Grace ABCs

A ~ All

B ~ because

C ~ Christ [came, cared and]

D ~ died

E ~ enthusiastically,

F ~ freely

G ~ giving

H ~ Himself [as sacrifice],

I ~  I

J ~ joined

K ~ ‘Kingdom

L ~ Life’.

M ~ My

N ~ new,

O ~ overwhelmingly

P ~ pleasing,

Q ~ quintessentially

R ~ remarkable

S ~ Savior

T ~ thankfully

U ~ understands [and]

V ~ values [us]

W ~ who were

X ~ xenophobic [God-haters],

Y ~ yea [even]

Z ~ zzzz [asleep as dead to God]

All because Christ came, cared, carried a cross to Calvary [and] died enthusiastically, freely giving Himself [as sacrifice], I joined ‘Kingdom life’. My new, overwhelmingly pleasing, quintessentially remarkable Savior thankfully understands [and] values [us] who were xenophobic [haters, estranged from God], yea [even] zzzz... [asleep as dead to God].

Ahhh, the Power of Two Letters

Is grieving Godly?  How do we best transition from mourning to morning?  These are very pertinent questions since we are guaranteed to experience increasingly all kinds loss and death as our world transitions to the coming new age – The Millennium of Christ’s rule on Earth.

Since they are used interchangeably, I used to believe grieving and mourning refer to each other.

Grief/ Grieving: keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret; to feel grief, great sorrow; to distress mentally

Mourn/Mourning: to feel or express sorrow of grief

Current reflections of experts suggest these may be different, and may manifest in an unpredictable sequence.  One article suggests grief is the initial shock and other factors related to a loss, while mourning is the longer-term process that follows as we attempt to come to terms with our loss, rearrange our lives, and extract from the loss, those aspects that are helpful to our healing.  (See: Grief and Mourning Distinguished)   

While recognizing everything that may be popular is not necessarily accurate or true, here are some popular scriptural perspectives on grieving and mourning:

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4: “There is a time for everything under the sun”, so why not grief?  This verse (and possibly the entire book of Ecclesiastes) may well be misinterpreted on many fronts, as Solomon likely wrote it on the heels of his extended, fleshly departure from his faith.  Following the logic of his model, must there also be a time to dishonor God, since there is ‘a time for everything'?!  Heck no! The Bible is filled with good, wholesome lessons, even from fools, from which we are to extract and learn from the truth hidden therein, not to repeat what the fool did simply because 'it's in the Bible.'  I'm sure you agree.

Romans 12:15:  "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, or mourn with those who mourn. Jesus wept, and so should we.” Again, any verse can be taken out of its context. Did Jesus and His disciples go mourn with the fellow who had to bury his dead father and therefore, could not follow Him?  Heck no!  We are to weep and mourn over sin within, and the fallen-ness of our world, as Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Using this verse as a blanket policy (doctrine) to weep and mourn over the cares of this world is erroneous.  We too quickly take statements from Paul out of their contexts (the chapter, book, and culture in which they were written), and try to make a broad blanket policy (doctrine) out of them, then judge others based on our error, even when it clearly conflicts with the broad, integrated interpretation of the 'whole counsel of God', including His broadly expressed will and revealed nature.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13:  These verses link grief to hopelessness, which is an interesting link worth pondering. Since we live in a fallen world, and the rot of sin is all around us, we really should not be shocked (in grief) to encounter the fruits of sinful living in the world, in general, or in our personal world. We are not to revert to a misinterpretation of Romans 12:15, and grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. Rather, we are admonished to focus on and to keep alive our hope in Christ, hope for a better world to come -- the greatest hope that has ever touched this planet. Managed properly, our grief is to become a source of strength for others who grieve and mourn, not by groveling with them in their hopelessness, but by sharing with them the solid rock of our personal hope. They will be comforted as they witness God’s comforting work in the grief they/we personally encounter.

Philippians 4:8 tells us on what to think and meditate in order to keep alive our hope in Christ. Protracted grief and deep-seated mourning, however, could possibly be the fruit of not obeying this instruction, but rather thinking and meditating on the center letter of the word: grief.  A focus on what I have lost, how I am impacted, and what am I to do now -- may well be the fertilizer of grief and mourning that distracts our focus away from our hope in Christ, to the deceptive cares of this temporal world.

Isaiah 53:3 is another verse that is often taken out of its context. The thinking is, since Christ, our savior, grieved and was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief/suffering", therefore we Christians should grieve also. The fallacy of this logic is reflective of Thomas’ response when Jesus advised His disciples, “Lazarus is dead.” Thomas said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  (John 11:14-16).  This logic also misses the whole counsel of God, as affirmed in the verse that is right next-door. Isaiah 53:4 reveals the reason Christ was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief/suffering, is that He did it on our behalf, to take on Himself the sin and its punishment, as God’s sacrifice, so we can be FREE to walk in faith and faithfulness towards God. There are countless examples in which Scripture is misinterpreted, simply by our failure to read the neighboring verses.

We are admonished to ‘live by faith’ four times in The Bible, which is replete with good and bad examples that demonstrate the results of those who have done this, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Interpreted in the vernacular, God’s iterative message to us is:

Please Me.

LIVE BY FAITH!!!!

Here’s how to, and here’s how not to do it.

Signed: God

So when it comes to applying this message to the topic of grief and mourning, the operative question must be, “How can I glorify and please God as I transit this very temporary dark cloud of grief and mourning?”  I believe the root answer must be learning to recognize, respect, reverence and respond to what Jesus did for us in this area:

Jesus, You bore my all my grief.

Anything You bore for me is no longer mine to bear,

otherwise it was useless for You to bear it.

By faith, I roll this unbearable grief onto You

In You, I have victory over the spirit of grief.

By faith, my mourning has now become…
my new MORNING!

Now what do you think would be God’s reaction to such a prayer?!  As you reflect on your answer, consider this:

Removing ‘U’ (you) from MOURNING,

and your focus from the center of GRIEF,

opens the door to a new MORNING.

Yea, Even in This 'n This 'n That

David wrote:

I will bless The Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth

(Psalm 34:1)

Satan's game from the beginning of man's time on earth has been, and remains, to choke-off any praise to God, and leave us praising our selves and each other as our 'God-replacements'.  So in response to this Scripture, I imagine in every practicing Christian's life, the overarching test from God, and trial of satan (two sides of the same coin), their challenging questions may well be:

"Really?? How about in this? And what about in that?!"

As satan seeks to choke-off our praises and blessings to God, The Lord's objective, through us, is to ensure such continuous praise and blessing.  He well knows these are the most powerful and assured source of His supply of overcoming power, resource provision, joy and strength we need to succeed in life. Moreover, through the varied circumstances of life on earth, He is busy purifying for Himself a unique race and creed, a special people who, in response to tests and trials, will unequivocally and continually answer resoundingly:

Yea, even in this, ‘n that, too,

 will I praise and bless The Lord!

As noted in many other posts, many of these special people, whom God iteratively calls 'priests and kings’ (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6 and 5:10), will serve at His pleasure for 1,000 years as im-mortals in His diplomatic corps around the post-tribulation world.  We will be overseeing and directing the affairs of mortal humans who will have either survived the Great Tribulation, or will be born after it is over.  We will also be exercising authority over/judging holy angels at some point.* Some of us will also serve as priests and administrators around the world, and in the headquarters of His Kingdom -- The New Jerusalem.

wOw!  Just imagine the full rank of priestly, diplomatic, and administrative positions indicated in such a worldwide administration.  We will likely have them all during the thousand-year reign of Jesus on planet earth! Get this: there will be no congresses or parliaments to vote or delay votes on God’s diplomatic and administrative appointees.

No diplomatic, priestly or administrative position is all peaches and cream.  Ours won't be either, especially because, though ‘Heaven will literally be on earth’, and the earth will be ‘filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah 11:9 and Habakkuk 2:14), there will still be the opportunity of mortals to sin, and we immortals will have delegated authority to respond and enforce righteousness...through it all, thick and thin. 

So here's the question to ponder: If you were in charge of developing, testing and screening people for a broad strata of positions in this new worldwide administration, what criteria would you use?  Yours or mine would look significantly different from the ones God is apparently using.  In sum, His criteria seem to be:

·      The 9 varieties of The Fruit of His Spirit (do you know what they are? Galatians 5:22-23)

·      Pleasing God in living by faith

·      An immutable commitment to the practice of praising and blessing The Lord at all times, in and through all circumstances, no matter what!

So go ahead, allow Him to grow His fruit in you; aggressively live by faith, faithfully; and when you find yourself in a stew of questionable or challenging circumstances, in your mind and spirit, look up, Bless and Praise God, knowing full well that you and His Grace work inside you are being tested for your pivotal position in the age to come!  Also know well, these tests will only become a trial (the other side of the test coin) if you succumb to the temptation 'to not pass the test.'

The best way I am learning to ensure passing the test and avoiding the temptation is to have my ready answer to trying circumstances that knock and kick on life's front and back doors, demanding,

"Really?? Bless and praise The Lord, eh?

What about in this? And in that?"

If we 'end-tend' to be qualified for whatever role(s) are prepared for you and me, not requiring any remedial course work or training when we come into the fullness of God's Kingdom!", our answer must be a resounding,

"Yea, ramp it up! 

Even in this, even in that, even in this 'n this 'n that!

Then get busy.  Your praises and blessings will get you:

1.    Around the temptation

2.    Through the tests

3.    Out of the circumstances

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*See: http://www.gotquestions.org/judge-angels.html

Grieving a Wrecked Marriage (Poem)

Still grieving the death of your marriage?

Grieving any loss takes time and courage.

Take your time if that’s what you need more of.

God will strengthen you with His Grace and Love.

Acquainted with loss, grief and human abuse,

He makes rainbows out of abandonment’s blues.

He sends help and hope to the brokenhearted,

And healing to get over him who departed.

While grieving with you in spirit for your loss,

I’ll also help you embrace victory of the cross.

With Grace you’ll look more ahead than backwards,

Seeing bridges to your best destinations forward.

God’s bridges aren’t seen with a head looking back,

Counting days ‘n ways your marriage became a wreck.

Friend, get a dream that can’t be aborted --

God’s dream for you that’s real, not purported.

Perceive life’s chapters that are yet unfolded.

By faith, see and live them -- ‘life re-molded.’

Don't allow grieving to slip into depression,

Adding more pains that such would threaten!

As you ponder this, my note in rhyme,

Recall, Jesus paid the price for life sublime.

Here’s a word from The Lord, your hurt to touch,

If only in your heart you'll receive it as such:

"Claim the blessings and honored position

as a widow in My sight."

This message came as for you, I was praying,

Drawing me to ponder what He was saying.

Your husband is now 'dead' to you as wife,

No longer performing ‘husband’ in your life.

No, your children are not 'orphaned', per se,

But you have been 'widowed', is what I say.

Thus, you’re qualified and have the right,

To claim 'widowhood' status in God's sight.

About widows and orphans, His Word reveals

Just how strongly and passionately God feels.

So go ahead, request His accorded blessings,

And cease from so much cyclical stressing,

Pray and meditate deeply on this message,

Then dump on Him all unnecessary baggage.

In your mind, please don't shoot this messenger,

Who’s gives mere voice to a Word of The Master.

As this is an unconventional concept,

Keep it from ‘Thomasine, Dixie and Harriet’.

It would attract their negative faith, you see.

Re-read and ponder it deeply, is my only plea.

Ponder this from The Lord, His Friend to touch.

Deeply in your, heart receive it as such.

Tuck it deeply inside your prayer pocket,

And pull it out when in your prayer closet.

Greatest Internship Ever

Internships may well be one of the best creations in the world of work. I benefited from two internships that introduced me to what would become a 46 year career in international economic development. Exciting, well-timed, well-managed, well-resourced, and well-assessed internships can trigger a world of difference, not only in a person’s life, but also in the life of an organization, its partners and its beneficiaries! Go internships!

Here is what Wikipedia reports about internships:

An internship is a job training for white-collar and professional careers. These positions may be paid or unpaid and are usually temporary. Generally, an internship consists of an exchange of services for experience between the student and an organization. Students can also use an internship to determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts or gain school credit. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the organizations for which they worked. This can be a significant benefit to the employer as experienced interns often need little or no training when they begin regular employment. Unlike a trainee program, employment at the completion of an internship is not guaranteed.

The greatest and wisest Teacher ever succeeded in structuring, resourcing, managing and assessing an internship program for a well-selected group of 12 followers, and get this…He had a 92% success rate! Only one (Judas) failed to complete the full, 3-year course. I challenge any internship program on Earth to beat this record! Go Jesus!

News flash: Not only did Jesus establish, manage and assess a 3-year internship for His disciples; through Him, God (Love, Himself) established the greatest internship program ever conceived! Moreover, He ensured this program would be well structured, resourced, managed and especially, assessed. Here's my idea of a unique, relevant name and acronym for His program: 

L.I.F.E. -- Love’s Internship ForEver

Seen through the lenses of eternity, your life and mine are but an extended audition -- a multi-decade internship, if you will, for us to become acquainted with God’s organization, called The Kingdom of Heaven. Wikipedia got it right on this point: Our lives are an exchange of services-for-experience between the student and the organization. As students, we use our internships to determine if we have an interest in God’s offer of an eternal career, a network of contacts, and credits. Some of us interns will indeed find permanent, paid employment with this organizations for which we began our work prior to departing this earthly life. This will indeed be a significant benefit to Heaven since we experienced interns often need little or no training when we begin regular, full-time, eternal employment upon arrival in our new work environment. Employment upon successful completion of our earthly internships is guaranteed!  

The guide and manual for this internship program is the:

B.I.B.L.E. – Basic Instructions [for] Beginning Love’s Employment

Unlike Wikipedia’s explanation, however, this internship is not job training for white collar or professional careers, but ‘role training for the white-robed’ who will play a wide range of governance roles across the world in Christ’s millennium government on this current Earth, and later, in nations strewn across His promised new Earth in a new universe! Imagine that...

At anytime during our internship experience, we may opt out – out of the eternal employment offer or out of the program altogether. It’s our choice, and sadly, many people have opted out. You see, God intends to avoid having any potentially disgruntled employees/servants in His Heaven, and any potential for a repeat of the attempted coup d’état satan launched with a third of The Lord's angels, who became devils on Earth. So ponder the offer; then make your choice well. No choice is still a choice – your choice to decline His offer. We who accept His offer, and who progress intentionally in our internship experience, will first learn well and then begin now, in this life, to apply the organizational culture and principles of our new work environment. I'm guessing the better we apply ourselves now, during our internships, the less 'remedial training' we may require upon arrival on Heaven’s shores, and the more useful we will be in our new assignments, first when we return to this Earth with The Lord for His Millennial Reign as global King; and afterward, when we return to Heaven (His promised new Earth) for our GLORIFIED eternity! 

Hmmm, I wonder what my assignment or governance role may be…

Happy Internship!

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See: Human History Ages (Series), Millennial Reign Series, and Earth's Next Versions (Series). Search for other key words of interest. If you might know other folks who might be interested in this internship program, kindly share this post with them. Thanks~