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When you find your self drawn into the Firestorm of His heart for you, you awaken into a realm on tenderness that changes the way you feel and relate to everything, and everyone around you. The wood, hay, and stubble of resentment, and anger, and bitterness just melts away. You don’t have to grasp for principles, your heart is just melted by His intense compassion, and nothing looks or feels like it used to. The vortex of his intense delight in you causes you to realize that no one has cost you anything of real value, and that His overwhelming joy over you isn’t unique to you, but is true toward all the other souls, who like you are full of imperfection, and imperfect love. Drawn into to His ravished heart, things become so clear, and so simple. Finding yourself fully alive in His gaze, the view becomes remarkably different. A satisfied heart sees reality through different lenses. It’s not that the facts have changed, it’s just that the view is so different. A heart torn into by the love of Jesus has been emptied of all the foul stuff that once kept it too distracted to soar. You find your heart tenderized to love and forgive; actually not to just forgive, but to delight with Him in all those like you, He love loves so intensely. Be so lost in Him that you can’t find all the rotting stuff that once consumed you.

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The Lord is the portion of my inheritance

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance,
And He is my cup.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance,
And He is my cup.
Thou wilt show me the path of life;
Thy presence is fullness of joy.
At Thy right hand there are pleasures
Forevermore.
For I have set Jesus forever before me:
He’s at my right hand.
For I have set Jesus forever before me:
He’s at my right hand.
Therefore is my heart glad, My spirit rejoiceth,
My flesh rests in hope.
Therefore is my heart glad, My spirit rejoiceth,
My flesh rests in hope.

This is an old Hymn that is taken from Psalm 16. Quite a remarkable Psalm. The context of this Psalm is that David is surrounded by Saul and his army, and Saul is about to rush in to kill him. Being trapped and waiting for Saul to act, David writes this Psalm. I want to just look at one thing David says. He says, “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup.” Cup is often used in scripture to speak of reality, or situation. At Gethsemane Jesus prayed for the CUP (what He was facing; His reality; His situation) to pass before Him, then of course He embraced the Cup. So again, Cup refers to the situational realities that you are facing. David’s situational reality was not a good one. He was surrounded by it, yet he declares that his reality was the presence of the Lord. His Cup was the beauty of the presence of God. He says that his inheritance (that which had been passed down to him) was God’s presence, thus the lines (the scope of his inheritance) had fallen to him in pleasant places. In other words, “Life is good, because I have His Real Presence.” The beauty of the Lord, His tangible presence, was his cup, and his situation, not the stuff going on around him out there. His realty was that he hadn’t inherited a a mess, he had inherited the Glory of the Lord. No matter what’s surrounding you, remember that your real CUP that you get to drink from is the presence of Jesus, and in His presence is fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore.

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110 The Lord says to my Lord:
“ Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying,
“ Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”

In this Psalm it is prophesied that Christ will rule from a resting position; seated on His throne. The ascension of Christ placed Him in that position of authority where He sits. As I mentioned yesterday, we have been raised up with Him, and seated in the heavenly places with Him. You see in the areas of stewardship we have been given, we must too learn to rule from a resting position, or we will try to rest from a ruling position. Huh? Only as we appropriate our elevated resting place in Christ will we be able exercise our stewardship in life from a place of peace. If we don’t rule from rest, we will try to find rest(peace)through ruling. In others words we will try to rule(control) everything, and everybody around us to find peace. If you live like that, you will live in constant anxiety, anger, and frustration trying to control everything. It’s much better to live from a place of peace than trying to live for a place of peace. Rest is our starting place, not our goal. Life is a lot easier that way.

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Thursday the 17th is Ascension Day. Because it happens on a Thursday every year many people don’t pay that much attention to this major feast, and yet there are so many powerful things this day reminds us of. Ephesians tell us that not only has Christ ascended and is seated on His throne in the heavenly places, but we have been raised up with Him, and seated by God with Him, in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That means so many powerful things for us, but let’s look at a few, one at a time.
To me, first it means REST. To be seated is to be in a resting position. To be seated in the heavenly places means not only a resting position but an elevated one, and to be seated in the heavenly places with Him, means a resting, elevated position, on His throne. Resting spiritually is something we experience, not just something spiritually, but mentally, and emotionally. It’s something you know on the inside as opposed to fear, tension, worry, and anxiety. It’s a wonderful grace from the Holy Spirit. Because we have ascended with Him we are able to see everything from an elevated place. Nothing looks the same from an elevated position. You can see the big picture. Geography looks a lot different from a Hot Air Balloon a 1000 feet up than it does standing on the the ground. It changes your perspective of reality. It’s seeing a thing as God sees it. Also, you are seeing it from the throne from which He rules. This is our resting place; being reminded that there is a bigger picture than what we can see from ground level, and that the One who is love, is exercising His rule and authority at all times. That’s a great RESTING place.

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Who does God fill? I’m always interested in watching the talented, the gifted, and the intelligent, but I’m always impacted by the God-Filled. We often think that the most important people around us are the super talented, but the reality is, a God-Fiiled man or woman are the most indispensable of all. It’s the Anointed that blaze eternal trails in this fallen world, not the Smart. There is nothing wrong with being smart, or talented, but without being God-Filled they are just interesting. So, again, who does God fill? God fills the hungry and the thirsty. That’s the qualification. Don’t let the devil tell you that God can’t use you because you aren’t smart enough, or talented enough. If you are desperate for Him, then you are the qualified because you are the ones God will fill. That levels the playing field. Actually it puts the smart, and talented at a disadvantage because they have a tendacy to rely on there natural gifts and not be as hungry and thirsty as others. Many of the most powerful men and women of God throughout Church history were the last in their class, but they were the first in the School of Hunger and Thirst for God. How much do you need Him? How much do you long for Him? That’s the measuring line in God’s hand. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the Kingdom of God. In the words of the commercial, if you want to be God-Filled then, STAY THIRST MY FRIEND.

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15 As for me, I will continue beholding Your face in righteousness (rightness, justice, and right standing with You); I shall be fully satisfied, when I awake [to find myself] beholding Your form [and having sweet communion with You].

Being satisfied with His face is the most captivating way a human being can possibly live. It’s a way of living that transcends all disappointments in this life. It’s like an ever flowing fountain, that we drink from that is forever satisfying. When Jesus lovingly confronted the woman at the well with her true thirst, He promised her a well of water leaping up from within her that would so satisfy, she would never thirst again. Imagine that, here was a woman who had spent her whole life trying to satisfy her thirst through outward things, and human relations, yet always ended up thirsty. Jesus promised to be so satisfying to her that she would never thirst. The language there is actually, “never, no never thirst again.” God is love, and we were created to receive and reciprocate His affections. Only in that relationship will any person ever be fully satisfied. It’s His face, (His intimate presence and glory, which is His beauty) that is our great gift for being human, and it’s in delighting in the face of the One Who so delights in us that makes us so fully alive; so fully human. Being loved by Him, and loving Him back truly is life and life more abundant.
Have a great day enjoying sweet communion with Him who SO satisfies.

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Thank God for faith. Sometimes we get frustrated with the idea of walking by faith because it seems so kind of other worldly and hard to grasp. I for one am glad it’s otherworldly because there are times when everything in this world falls apart. Just when we think things have settled down and have become predictable, the whole shifting sand thing kicks in. If the shifting sand of circumstances aren’t hard enough to deal with, sometimes our emotions decide to take a vacation into the wilderness. Again, all this makes me so thankful for faith, because the truth is, faith is the most real and concrete thing we have in our lives. Nothing in this fallen world is true substance, because everything including our emotions are so changeable, but faith is true substance because faith is all about resting in the only One is who always faithful. He is the solid immovable Rock that faith stands on. There are those times that the revelation of who He is to you, and how faithful He is, is all you got. Faith isn’t grasping, it’s solidly resting on the most reliable and concrete reality of all; God and His promises. Maybe your in a time where everything around you is shifting and uncertain, and even your emotions have checked out into the land of fear, anxiety, confusion, and despair. If that’s you, then it’s time to simply take your seat on the Rock and declare, ” All I know is that He is faithful, and that everything He has said is true, and everything He has done in me is real, and everything I have been believing is substance, not what I see, feel, hear, or think.” In time, all the stuff, including how you feel will shift back around, and you’ll be once again reminded that in this Shadowland only faith is SUBSTANCE. Thank God for faith.

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One of the things about getting older is that you find yourself more and more often looking over the hedgerow into the Far Country, daydreaming, and longing. Even though your feet are squarely on this side, “Over There”is so alluring. It’s not because over here is not good, as a matter of fact “Over Here” gets better, and better as you grow in union with the One who you are constantly falling in love with as if for the first time. You see, that’s the reason for the glimpses and the longing. The more you become one with Him, and the more fascinated you become with His beauty the more you long for “Over There” where you can know Him and behold Him without any filters. When I was young man I wanted to cling to life in this world, because I had so many dreams, but as I’ve gotten older and I look back at life in this world I realize it could only offer so much, and that the thing that has made life in this fallen world full of joy has been Him. The reason so many people experience midlife crises and get depressed as they get older is because they had false expectations concerning what this world had to offer. Only those who are growing in Him find life here getting better as they grow older, because there hope is in Him, and hope in Him does not disappoint. Of course, there have been other sources of great joy in this world that have come from His hand, but He turned out to be all the dreams rolled into one. To experience His delight, and to live delighting in Him has increasingly caused me to be captivated with, and to fantasize at what His beauty must be like “Over There” where I won’t behold Him through a glass darkly anymore. Don’t misunderstand, these aren’t the thoughts of someone who finds himself despairing in this life, instead these are the thoughts of a sanguine who is so overwhelmed by how awesome life is in Him now, that I am becoming consumed with the cry of S.S.8:14, “Hurry my Beloved,” because I know it will be unspeakably staggering Over There.
Have a great day In Christ, knowing that he best is yet to come.

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Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.”
The scripture, and our experience makes it very clear that God always honors a seeking heart. His burning heart glows brighter when one of His redeemed pursue His presence. As a matter of fact, Song of Solomon tells us that just a single glance from our eyes ravish His heart. That just stuns me. The God who is self contained, self sufficient, needing nothing, has chosen to love me, and pursues a response from me that He so delights in. I’m so overwhelmed by such love and affection. I’ve never known before what it’s like to be so delighted in. I find myself so fondly, and intensely adoring Him. Well, having said that He is always longing for a response from us, that would cause us to seek Him. He doesn’t just welcome us, He is pursuing us to pursue Him. The Isaiah passage clearly indicates that there are times when it is even easier to find Him. Song of Solomon 5:4 says, “My beloved extended His hand through the opening, and my feelings were aroused for Him.” He was wanted to draw a response from her. There are those times when Jesus comes to us, and stirs us up, to make it even easier for us to seek Him with all our hearts. Ezekiel 16:8 says that there is a “There is a time for love.” The result of that time in Ez.16:8 is that we will be more fully His. I believe that we are in that time. Jesus is arousing deep feelings in His Bride to seek Him. He is leaving loves huge breadcrumbs so that it is even easier to find Him. We are in a “Much More” season, and there is this mutual cry between us and Jesus crying for MUCH MORE. Don’t you find yourself wanting to love Him much more than you ever have. That’s because He has aroused our feeling to long for more, but it all starts with His deep feelings for much more from us. Take advantage of this time, and launch out into the depths of His heart where beauty unspeakable is to be found.
Have a great day In Christ.

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Searching the heart of Christ is the most captivating quest I have ever engaged in. There are a lot of fascinating things out there to be investigated, but nothing is so captivating and fascinating as the beauty of Jesus. I think I understand better than I ever have before when Paul tried to explain his madness in 2Corinthians 5. Paul explanation was that he was controlled by the love of Christ. Doesn’t that sound like an awesome way to live. To live being delighted in, and delighting in one who can love as big as Jesus loves. This is my desire, and has become my quest in life. I find myself being very intentional in the quest, and ordering my life so that this desire of my heart can be realized. I am convinced this is the greatest quest a human being can commit himself, or herself to. No adventure, no matter how exhilarating, can compare to the life altering vistas experienced in the pursuit of beholding and loving Him in His splendor and glory. A life lived exploring the beauty of the Lord is an unimaginable joy, that keeps our heads lifted up above the enemy who is constantly waring around us. You and I were created for love; not just any love, but God size love. We were first and foremost created to love Him and be loved by Him; to be controlled by the love of Christ. Imagine that, instead of being controlled by circumstances, people, or moods, to lived controlled every minute by real love; not just love, but by God Size love. Wow!!! What a life that would be.

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“May the Lamb receive the reward of His suffering.” This is the mantra of the Moravians; a group of people who offered to God 24hr prayer for 100 years. The Lord says in Ephesians chapter one that we are His inheritance. Can you imagine that; WE ARE His inheritance. WE ARE His reward. May we live that out, by radically living our lives loving, and delighting in Him, who so remarkably delights in us. It’s our delight in Him, expressed by loves extravagance He longs for. May we each live our lives exclusively for His pleasure, loving Him more everyday than we ever, ever, loved Him before.

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“Rejoicing in hope.” That’s from Romans 12, and it reminds us that we are called to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and why we can do that. To rejoice is to celebrate something, and as a believer I always have something to celebrate and that is Hope. The word Hope doesn’t mean crossing your fingers and wishing for something, instead, it’s a word that means “confident expectation.” Peter says that we are Born Again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. This is a living hope, not just a hope for the dying, and it’s because of the resurrection. The resurrection says so many things to us, but one of the simple things it says to me is, if He can conquer death, anything is possible. Also, the Philippians scripture says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice, for the Lord is near.” Let’s put this all together; I can live celebrating because I have hope, and my hope is really in Him who conquered death, and the One who conquered death is always hanging around close by. My confidence is that God is never dormant. The one who overcame death is always close by, and is never dormant, so anything is possible. We get to live with the attitude that says, “Lord, I cant wait to see what you are going to do next. I don’t always know what your going to do in this thing, but you do. I don’t really know how you are going to handle this, but you do. All I know is that you love me, and that you are near, and that you are never dormant.”
Have a great day, celebrating the great adventure that is Him.