This Thursday night is our Men’s Fellowship Night with Colony grad, Pastor Stephen Keith sharing God’s Word. Check out the link for details. Come bring a friend and enjoy a great night of great food, fellowship, worship, Bible teaching and fun.

By Eye Construction

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7a

In all my years of construction I have never come across a builder who doesn’t use a tape measure and a level. I have seen guys who are too lazy at times to use them, but when it comes down to seeing if everything lines up, they must be used.

I have a jab I use when I see someone trying to “do it by eye” I’ll say “hey, what’s the name of your company, By Eye Construction?”

In the same way it seems to me that a lot of Christians are trying to live their lives out by “feeling” their way thru life.

The Bible is the measuring rod or plumb line we need to use in order to see if what we are thinking and applying to life lines up with God’s plan for us. Sometimes I can try to get away with building a wall without a tape measure or a level and although to me it might look straight usually because of the proximity to the work. But it doesn’t take long before someone who is passing by that can view my work from a distance will say “I’d put a level on that if I were you”.

How foolish it would be for me to ignore such a wise suggestion. Yet when a brother comes along and suggests that I line my actions up with scripture I can get all defensive and prideful.

I know we are no longer under the law but if we live our lives as if there were no law that would be like building a house without a tape measure or level. The Psalmist tells us that the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, other translations say reviving or refreshing.

For me to ignore the law of the Lord would be like someone testing my work with the right tools of the trade and showing me that it’s not level or plumb or the size is wrong and just ignoring the facts.

The Psalmist goes on to ask of the Lord to “Cleanse me from secret faults” and to “Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins, Let them not have dominion over me.” Ending with a desire,

So before we journey to far, let us make sure we have the right tools in the box and may it never be said of us “That guy must work for By Eye Construction”. Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Job 11-13; 1 Corinthians 5

Think About This: Because of Jesus the sin we cannot forget God does not remember. —Tullian Tchividjian

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me. Psalm 26:11

This Thursday night is our Men’s Fellowship Night with Colony grad, Pastor Stephen Keith sharing God’s Word. Check out the link for details. Come bring a friend and enjoy a great night of great food, fellowship, worship, Bible teaching and fun.

Dealing with Failure

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23-24

We as men typically don’t deal well with failure, do we?

There are all types of failure:

Job related failure.

Relational failure.

Financial failure.

I didn’t score well with my golf game.

Failure in our spiritual lives.

If we deal with at all, we deal with it in many different ways if we are honest with ourselves and each other.

Some of us withdraw.

We pout.

We get angry.

We run from it.

We certainly don’t want to talk about it – after all, we can’t look bad in front of our spouses, kids, co-workers, and especially not to anyone at church.

But the reality is that we all fail. We all make mistakes. We have seasons in our lives when we are doing everything right. And there are the seasons when we just plain blow it.

How do we deal with failure?

Here’s how Dr. Paul David Tripp addresses failure in our spiritual journey in his book New Morning Mercies:

It’s what we all are. We’re all failures. Own it; it will be good for you. There is not a day in any of our lives when we don’t lay down empirical evidence that we are failures. Maybe it’s in an unkind word, an ugly thought, or an ungodly desire. Maybe it’s in a moment of selfish envy or unbridled greed. Maybe it’s in a moment of pride, when we have to be the center of attention or steal some of God’s glory. Perhaps it’s in acts of gluttony or in the desires of lust. Maybe it’s in an instance when our hearts are cold and lack sympathy for the poor or the suffering. Maybe it shows itself when we are jealous of the beauty or power of another. Perhaps it’s revealed when we surrender our hearts once again to some earthbound idol. Perhaps it shows itself when we take what is not ours to take or fail to give what we have been called to give. Somehow , some way, we all do it every day— we fall short of God’s righteous standard. We all fail to be what he has created and called us to be.

Now, when confronted with your failure— and you will be if you’re at all humble and honest—you have only three choices. You can commit to be an evidence denier, working to convince yourself that you’re okay when you’re really not okay. You can comfort yourself with plausible arguments for your righteousness, giving ease to your conscience. Or, in the face of your failure, you can wallow in guilt and shame, beating yourself up because you did not do better and working hard to hide your failure from God and others. Or, in the brokenness and grief of conviction, you can run not away from God but to him. You can run into the light of his holy presence utterly unafraid, filled with the confidence that although he is righteous and you are not, he will not turn you away. You can do this because your standing with him has never been based on your righteous performance, but on the perfect obedience of your Savior. Because you are in him, you are counted by God as righteous and therefore accepted into his holy presence forever and ever and ever.

Yes, you are called to live a holy life, but your way of living has not been and never will be the basis of your standing with God. You can bow at his feet and confess your sins, knowing that you will receive grace and not punishment, because righteous Jesus took the full brunt of your penalty so that you would never, ever bear it. Ephesians 3: 12 reminds us that in Christ we can have boldness and confidence through our faith in him. So when you fail again today, where will you run?

Tripp, Paul David (2014-10-31). New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional (Kindle Locations 1703-1721). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

Wow. I know I needed to hear this today. How about you? We can run from our failure or we can run to Christ! Let’s choose to run to Him. – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Job 8-10; 1 Corinthians 4

Think About This: Since your standing with God is based not on your righteousness but on Christ’s, in moments of failure, you can run to him and not from him. Dr. Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: But as for me, I will walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me. Psalm 26:11

The light our Darkness

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1 ESV)

David’s life was full of disappointing moments. He had a lowly position as a shepherd and even his own father didn’t even consider him as an option when the prophet Samuel was looking for the son Jesse to be king. In addition, Saul initially befriended David, and was ok with all his tangible gifts as a soldier, politician, and musician, but even his king Saul vowed to kill him. Again, David was under pressure and had to flee for his life.

As results of his own sinful actions, he loses a child and broken fellowship with God. The God he loved and trusted. Those actions echoed in the lives of his children. With Absalom, David saw a bitter replay and intensification of many of his own past sins. God had predicted that David’s family would suffer because of his sin. God forgave David, but He did not cancel the consequences of his sin.

Alike, there are many others going tough consequences. While looking through some of the magazines from the Voices of Martyrs, there were quotes like; God has called us here, if we die, we die, deny or die, “There is no persecution in the Holy Land… Unless you share your faith” Pastor Steven Khoury

Western Christianity has grown weary of the values of allowing trials to mold us. We have lost the ability to find God in the uncomfortable challenges that life brings. We have made diligent efforts to stay clear of the unknown valley experiences even though we know that God is there. We have abandoned the positions of life totally yielded towards the obedience towards God’s will. Is our relationship with Him still the goal?

When have you last declared and meant it, “not my will, your will be done.” Our joy should not impinge on the situations of life. David has discovered a deeper light grounded in his inner self. We strive for the path of least resistance and we miss the lessons that draw us to a greater dependence on our Lord and, where we can develop trust and hope in God. This gives Him the Glory and for our well-being. Chaplain Juan Mendez is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves there full-time. You can write him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Job 1-2; 1 Corinthians 1

Think About This: Real faith is not the stuff dreams are made of; rather it is tough, practical and altogether realistic. Faith sees the invisible but it does not see the nonexistent. A. W. Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Psalm 25:11

Pervasive Obedience

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord… Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a Voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” …Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus… Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” … the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ~ from Acts 9

Oh beloved, it is true. There is a word that we (at least the old man within us) do not like to hear. Oh, yes. We bandy the term about. But when we come up against it – there always comes something that seems like a better idea.

Obedience.

We love the Great Love with which He Loves us. We bask in the Grace He has lavished upon us. And then though, comes a moment when we see the works He has prepared for us to walk in.

They are enormous.
They are impossible.
They are risky.
They are mundane.
They will lead to our seeming ruin.

And we flinch…. We wonder if we couldn’t just go back to our plans for being a good Christian and doing some charity work. Maybe we could just join the worship team or the choir… Wouldn’t that be good enough?

In a word, no.

The One who made us and saved us and has set us on a path towards The Kingdom is not satisfied by the possible. He made things that are possible for those who could already do them. And as wonderful as the possible is, it is not the stuff He has in mind for us.

We, beloved, are being prepared for a life that will never end. We are being made into the very likeness of this same Jesus who has given us this Life in Himself. And for this life to actually work, something else has to stop working. Actually, it has to die.

You (and i).

Can we see it? Paul was stopped dead in his tracks, and put onto a new path by His Master. And yes, Paul did go through quite a bit of circumstantial difficulties in walking along the Way. But, the suffering that Paul (and you, and me) go through was/is not really the difficulties of life. No, the suffering was/is the intense pain of us letting go of everything and being conformed to the likeness of Christ – and into a person who is completely obedient to Him alone.

So, yes, obedience is painful – but it is not dangerous to us. It is, rather, a perfect path to us to knowing the heart of the One who is doing the guiding now in our lives. For when we let go of our own expectations of what we think we should be doing, and now look expectantly into His eyes, we no longer see what we thought would be some cruel taskmaster.

No, instead we see the adventurous and ruddy countenance of a Friend who is simply beaming with Love and a willingness (and eagerness) to show us the fields of forever in which we are going to play. He is calling us into impossible adventures because that is going to be the standard operating procedure of the Kingdom. We will do things, and accomplish things there – under His authority – that we cannot even now begin to dream possible.

So, are you struggling to obey? Maybe it is not about behavior. Maybe it is about your own thoughts on the issue. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to suffer the death all freemen in the Kingdom endure. But once you do, you will find a life you never dreamed possible. Let Him have you. Simply obey. Makala Doulous is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves as a Pastor/Teacher in Jahkarta, Indonesia. You can email him at Makala@ps1611.org

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 39-40; James 5

Think About This: Consecration is the narrow, lonely way to overflowing love. We are not called upon to live long on this planet, but we are called upon to be holy at any and every cost. If obedience costs you your life, then pay it. ~Oswald Chambers (1874-1917)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Psalm 25:11

Jesus Loves Me this I know!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I was reminded last night of one of the most important things in all of life, JESUS loves me.  No, really.  Jesus loves me.  My family and I watched a movie last night titled, “Ragamuffin, the Rich Mullins story”.  I do not know whether or not you know who Rich is, but he was a Christian artist and was really talented.  Rich, like many of us (really all of us) had this battle going on in his life. To do what God wanted him to do (which looked like rebellion to certain kinds of Christians) and what the Church or others wanted him to do.

Rich also had a horrible relationship with his father, which skewed the struggle that he had with God.  He was the son of a farmer and his father was training him to be a farmer which did not work out in Rich’s favor (neither did it work out for his father).  Rich was not built for the farm, he wasn’t too sure what he was built for, but he knew it wasn’t farm work.

In his early college days, he was playing music and met the girl of his dreams.  She too had a certain plan but to it was not the same plan that Rich had in mind.  He was all for marrying her, but not to stay in a Cincinnati Ohio. So, off to Nashville he went to write music for Amy Grant, but deep down inside, Rich did not want to just write music, he wanted to write and sing his own songs.  Man oh man, the man could write, talk and sing his music.  Nashville, did not give him a look because of his appearance.  It wasn’t until Amy Grant hear him sing one of his songs and then a conversation took place with the Record label people, and Amy saying, “sounds like he show be singing his own songs”, that he got a contract.  Still, Rich was not settled in his spirit.  Rich struggled with alcohol abuse in his life.  Alcohol was a horrible friend to him.

Rich was doing music in a church one night and the preacher was preaching on Holiness.  After the message, Rich shared about how he could not live what was preached, that he did not want to be disrespectful to the message, the church, or the pastor, and he sang, “Jesus loves me this I know”.  Oftentimes, we who have once embraced that song for all of its meaning because that is all we could grasp of the Christian life, we forget that that is the most important thing to remember in all of life.

I want to encourage you today, because I know that there are some of you reading this today who are struggling with other people’s plans, desires, or thoughts about who you are, what you’re suppose to be doing or not doing, etc.  Remember, this most important fact and think on it, JESUS LOVES YOU THIS YOU KNOW, why?  BeCAUSE THE BIBLE tells us so.  I love it.  Jesus loves me just as I am.  Yes, he is transforming me, but he is doing that because he loves me.  He knows my sin, is hurting me.  He loves me, and he is really cool with who I am.  I can tell you this, He LOVES YOU too, and He is really cool with who you are too!  Don’t let anyone ever tell you differently.  Have a great week! – Doug Barger is the Director of Men’s Ministries at Bethesda Mission. You can write to him at dbarger2030@comcast.net

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 36-38; James 4

Think About This: A good man is ashamed to speak that which many people are not ashamed to act. —Matthew Henry

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Psalm 25:11

Staying Inbounds

“Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set.”   Proverbs 22:28 (NKJV)

Lately I have noticed so much being said about “The Emerging Church” that I wonder if anybody even remembers the actual concept behind church. Thanks to social media there has been much put out there by friends just sharing what they read about how the church is straying and buying into another Gospel that it boggles the mind. Even I belong to a few “social media” groups that claim good sound Biblical doctrine but that doesn’t stop the “knuckleheads” from creeping in…”For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4) There wasn’t social media when this was written in Jude (back when it was called Face to Face) but it is still true centuries later.

So that doesn’t mean we should cast a wary eye on everyone who come into our churches when they are looking to become a part of a church and then hopefully part of the body of Christ. I even think we have gone as far as to having our language amongst ourselves so complicated that when someone who needs the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ on a beginners level comes in and hears us talk they can’t relate and then wind up going to a place that can tickle their ears without them knowing about it. We can chase people away simply because they can’t relate to our five points of Calvinism’s and the eight; no wait nine, dispensations that we discuss right out in the lobby. Or maybe we’re just too churchy with our Sunday morning faces that the new believer can see past the plastic and thinks they can’t fit in.

Well that’s not how the Apostle Paul saw it, oh no…so much so that I dare share it like this, “Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-

saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!”—1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (The Message)

And yes I have just used “The Message”.  Not to be sarcastic, however, but to pull something out, the phrase “I kept my bearings in Christ.” That tells me that I need to keep my moral compass set on the things of Christ; because that is the main thing to me. King Solomon said, “Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers set up by previous generations” and it really speaks to the ownership of land, to me the boundary marker has been set up by Christ and the “religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever” needs to see that in me. And the only way to do that is to meet them at their level and introduce them to The Cross and let Jesus Christ raise them up to His level.

I like this phrase also, “I didn’t want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” Being part of a church is an important thing to me but being a member of the Body of Christ is something totally different. My fellow Freedom Fighter writer, Rob Russomano, has said at times that he “gets the privilege” to do for the body of Christ. I think that’s where we all need to be. Not so much that this puts us in some club with a silly handshake but part of “The Club” that puts us out there bringing the lost to a saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ. It will be to this effect that we won’t need to put special “MEME’s” on our social media pages to warn people of an EMERGING doom. The Message will be simple and they will know we are Christians by our love. Amen? Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and blogs weekly for Freedom Fighter. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 34-35; James 3

Think About This: “You and I are going to be one in the Name of the Lord and stand our ground against the enemy! There we have something altogether different from the attempt to get on with one another on a natural basis; we have a dynamic for fellowship. We have to get on with one another in the Name of the Lord, or else the Lord’s testimony is not established.”—T. Austin-Sparks

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Psalm 25:11

Characteristics of a Servant According to God’s Heart

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28

If we are honest, we are all servants at one point or another. If you serve in the work environment, as an employee we serve our boss, or if an employer, we are called to serve our staff. In marriage, we are to serve each other. As a parent, we need to have a servant heart with our kids.

Author Don Lessin in his book Abba Cry, (Dayspring) shares 31 characteristics of a servant according to God’s heart:

1. The presence of the Lord rests upon his life.
   2. He speaks with power and authority.
   3. He loves what God loves.
   4. He seeks God’s purposes.
   5. He is fearful of displeasing God.
   6. He inspires trust.
   7. His word is true.
   8. He is deeply identified with God’s heart.
   9. He is the same with everyone.
   10. He does not minister legalism or licentiousness.
   11. He is wise in his walk.
   12. He takes people beyond themselves.
   13. He despises anything that hurts others.
   14. He proclaims his dependence on God.
   15. He is well balanced.
   16. He is efficient, but not at the cost to others.
   17. His life is in order.
   18. Jesus is His audience.
   19. He knows how to bear injustice.
   20. He loves the truth.
   21. His goal is to know God, and make Him known to others.
   22. He is not satisfied if he doesn’t give his best.
   23. He is an optimist, not a pessimist.
   24. His greatest passion is Jesus.
   25. He delights in giving.
   26. Others say of him, “That is how my God is.”
   27. He doesn’t exploit others.
   28. He respects other servants.
   29. He is always learning.
   30. His convictions are firm, although he can be flexible.
   31. He loves being nothing.

Was there something from this list that jumped off the page that you can say, I need to work on that? What were two or three that you will commit to work on? Bill Welte is President/CEO America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 31-33; James 2

Think About This: Let temporal things serve thy use, but the eternal be the object of thy desire. Thomas a Kempis

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. Psalm 25:11

Serving God in the Midst of Godlessness

Bind up the testimony, Seal the law among my disciples. (Isaiah 8: 16)

Isaiah served God at a most difficult time . The Lord revealed that, as a prophet, he would see his audience, outside of a small remnant, reject the word from God (6: 10-13). Even so, Isaiah remained faithful, preaching the message of His God over several decades under different earthly kings.

How does one remain so faithful to such a God-rejecting culture? The key to remaining strong spiritually is found in verse 11 of our chapter, For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people… To walk God’s narrow way in opposition to the broad way of the surrounding culture demands the resolve to love and obey our God. In his obedience Isaiah was mentoring others to walk the same path as he states, …among my disciples.

As the Word from God had gone forth and been rejected by the majority, God’s man determined that his mind would be stayed on the revelation of God and he declared further that he would go, To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word; it is because there is no light in them (v. 20).

To walk godly in a godless culture requires unwavering faith in the revelation of God as the Truth to be accepted and acted upon each and every day. Isaiah was able to remain faithful in the face of great opposition because he had been allowed a glimpse of God which revealed his own sinful and needy condition (chapter 6). Such an ongoing revelation is necessary for the disciple to understand the need of total reliance upon God. Jesus would state it this way, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9: 23).

Our revelation is God speaking to us through His Word. Our daily time in the Word and in prayer is our “conversation” with a God Who reveals His love to us in such a way that we grow in love toward Him. The outworking of this is a life of loving obedience lived out as light in the midst of the cultural darkness around us. Dr. Joe Olachea serves on the Board of Trustees at America’s Keswick and is the Senior Pastor of Lakes Community Chapel in Medford, NJ

Keswick, America’s  (2012-12-13). Real Victory for Real Life Volume 2 (Kindle Locations 2974-2987).  . Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 23-24; 2 Thessalonians 3

Think About This: Evil is always suggesting some compromise. To listen to it is to remain enslaved. The only way into liberty is to leave the land of evil. G Campbell Morgan

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. Psalm 7:8

What does the Lord require?

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

There are always questions about the way we should apply to our life. There many discussions that believers have concluded to agree to disagree. And as I grow in the Lord the conversation varies determine to whom you talk to. However, universally there are some certainties in our found in the Word that are unavoidable and must be absolute.

Does the prophet ask the children of Israel a rhetorical question, because he answers quickly thereafter? The question is to prick the hearts of Israelites and any listener. The question is to those who really want to do well in the sight of God, and understand that there are some requirements.

1. To do right: There is notion that we have no part in the work, and that is if individuals decide to work hard in kingdom business that we are taking a Catholic Church mentality, or a work based theology. God elected us through his mercy to do the good work in sharing and carrying the gospel to a lost world, as well as love each other toward the heavenly calling; this our reasonable service. We understand that our righteousness is through Christ, but are we upright in our attitudes, morality, and service to our Lord. Therefore doing good is not evil, but being good is not enough. Our heart must motivate us.
2. Love Kindness: Some versions translate to love mercy. We love when we receive mercy and I personally love when someone is kind to me. But am I known for showing kindness and being a lover of mercy for other individuals. These are just a few of the fruit of the spirit that are mention in Galatians 5. The love God is encouragement that fuels our love towards one another.
3. Walk humbly: God resist the proud, and gives graces to humble is warning as well as a promise. It all depends on where which position you’re in. Pride rears its evil head in many areas of our life, it shapes itself in various forms and is not always obvious to detect. I learn that I need outside accountability to give me honest assessment, and not be my own measuring stick. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the great I Am. He entered in time, in the form of a baby, lived as man, amongst humanity. Beating, and humiliated without uttering a Word. This is the ultimate example of humility, and until we reach anything close to this, we have work to do.

Micah provides a nice blueprint toward a goal to do what pleases the Lord, but before any attempt, the reality is that we can do nothing without the personal relationship and faith that God can do it through you. Juan Mendez is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves there as a Chaplain. You can email Juan @ jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2

Think About This: Slaves find freedom when released from their duties; children find freedom in doing their duty. John Owens

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. Psalm 7:8

Life Breaks Through: Joy Will Find a Way

Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all My delight.The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is My chosen portion and My cup; You hold My lot. The lines have fallen for Me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives Me counsel; in the night also My heart instructs Me. I have set the Lord always before Me; because He is at My right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore My heart is glad, and My whole being rejoices; My flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon My soul to Sheol, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You make known to Me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ~ David, an oracle of Jesus, in Psalm 16

Oh beloved, it is true. The life of this world will hammer you and strike you down. There is, within this sphere, a near-lethal dose of pain for each of us. And just as we get up, it tries to strike us down again.

Pain upon pain
Failure upon failure
Loss upon loss
Ache upon ache
Wish upon wish

We lay there, awash in the detritus of the fallen world, made worse by our adding to its waste. Nothing seems to work. We thrash and moan and try to get up out of the muck, but we gain no traction in our attempts. Nothing works.

The pain of life hammers in upon us. And nothing we do makes it any better. The only motivation we now have it seems is to make the pain go away. There seems no hope in any other approach. Yet, as we now work to numb the pain through whatever, a dull cynicism overtakes us, and any hope we had just bleeds away into the mire.

Something in us just finally breaks, and we fall over fully into the pit. We give up, and simply wish we could die. “Please G_d,” we say. “Please let me die. I can’t take this anymore. Are you even there?” And, while we don’t know it yet, this is the very best moment of our life to this point.

For, in coming to this place of despair, we are finally able to accept what G_d has intended for us all along. He does not want to soothe us while we lay in despair. No, rather He intends to slay us outright with Him and take us down through His same death He partook of – on our behalf.

In this moment, we do indeed die. But the most unexpected thing happens. The seed shell-husk of our old man cracks open and begins to pull away from the new center. One moment we were dying, and then we were dead. However, in some infinitesimal moment we have become more alive than we ever thought possible.

At first, we still sense all the hammer blows of the world around us (and in fact the blows never really end). Except now, the blows do not strike us down into some sort of dirty muck of our own making. Now, the blows drive us further into the Loving Hands of the One who has just set us free from the muck and our willingness to live in it.

Can we see it? In being driven towards G_d, we do not lose hope as before. No, now, the closer we are driven to Him, the more joyful strength He imparts onto us, and into us, to stand against the blows. He even fits us with an integrated full-armour protection system that is so effective we begin to nearly laugh at the attempts of the world to beat us down.

So, are you feeling the hope draining away? Perhaps your wish to die really does need to come true. Don’t take this into your own hands though, let Him do it. Don’t be surprised, though, if you do not fade out of existence. Instead, be assured that in allowing G_d to take you down through the death He has for you – you will indeed find a joyful and powerful life beyond measure. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to die. – Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is currently serving as pastor/teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 21-22; 2 Thessalonians 1

Think About This: One proof of the inspiration of the Bible is that it has withstood so much poor preaching. —A.T. Robertson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. Psalm 7:8