Take up and Read! Take up and Read!

 I just completed the first days' reading in a book I recently received for a birthday gift. It related the scene of the resurrected Christ appearing on the shore, while some of his devastated disciples, who had scattered and abandoned him during his trial and crucifixion, were out on the Sea of Tiberias, fishing.

Reckoning they had 'nowhere else to go' after their hopes were dead and gone (upon the death of their close friend and teacher, Jesus) these men decided to go fishing; something they had done vocationally before they left everything to follow Him.

They fished for hours in dark of night, catching absolutely nothing. Early in the morning, someone called out to them from the shore suggesting they throw their nets on the right side of the boat . . . DUDE! Hello! We KNOW how to catch fish. Maybe we're a bit rusty here, after a three year hiatus . . . oh well, whoever you are, Mr. Know-it-All-Fishing-Expert . . . WHATEVER! Nets in and over the opposite side of the boat it is! No, the text doesn't say all that, but this is probably what my attitude might have been:)

Miraculously, having listened to and heeded the stranger's advice, the nets teem with fish. A 153 of them! (The text DOES say that, which I find intriguing.) At once, John (context) identified the man as being the Lord - the very One who had hung on the cross and died three days earlier! Peter couldn't get to Him fast enough, and with all the awkward and feisty force of devotion we would expect from Peter - he flung himself into the water which by faith he had walked upon once, in imitation of his Lord. Peter can't WAIT to see Jesus, and does everything humanly possible to quickly close the watery distance between them.

A few days prior to this, he was put to death and laid in a tomb. Now, three days later, there he was, triumphant over the grave, and quite alive. He had a new body, but of a different substance this time. He was the same exact person with the same personality. No longer was His body composed of human flesh - but redeemed flesh that will never decompose. That's the kind of body, one that will last forever, which I look forward to having in the future, after I die.

Does that sound arrogant? Maybe to you it does. But let me explain my certainty of obtaining a new imperishable body in the future by way of analogy.

Say your father promised you a graduation gift of a trip to Hawaii and he was the sort of guy who kept his word. Would you be arrogant for expecting him to fulfill the very thing he promised? No. You had never seen him pull a cruel joke like that in your entire experience of knowing him.

So, your dad told you for the past four years that upon your graduation, he would take you on a trip to Hawaii. As graduation day got closer, you saw evidence that this trip really was becoming the reality you had hoped it would be. You overheard him on the phone making airline and hotel reservations, coming home with matching Hawaiian shirts for both of you, and you happened to see a receipt from ebay in your dad's e-mail inbox for a new camera. Finally, there was the new set of luggage you saw him take out of the trunk of the car.

What if, amid all this evidence, you told your dad that you did NOT believe that after your final papers, exams and graduation ceremonies were over, he would take you to Hawaii? How would that make your honest and generous father feel? Like you didn't trust him; maybe implying that he was not a caring father, or worse, a liar. Would you have been "arrogant" to assume that he WOULD fulfill a promise he made to you? Or would your expectation that the trip would definitely come to pass be reasonable and logical? Arrogant or reasonable to expect your dad to whisk you off on a Hawaiian vacation, which had been promised and planned, and for which the new suitcases were presently being packed? On what basis would you doubt his word?

The evidence of life beyond the grave is demonstrated in numerous ways throughout the Bible (God's word.) There's Job's exclamation amid the pain of great loss:

Job 19:25-27 (approx. 4,000 B.C.)

New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives,
 and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
²⁷ I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Elisha is another prophet of God who raised a dead boy to life:

2 Kings 4:32-35 (9th Century B.C.)

New International Version (NIV)
³² When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. ³³ He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. ³⁵ Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.


In the book of Isaiah, in chapter 53, is this prophecy about the coming Messiah: 

Isaiah 53:11-12

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ 
After he has suffered,he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

In addition to Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus and his disciples raised people from the dead.

John 11:38-45

New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said,“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

I have heard that had Jesus not specifically called the name "Lazarus" before the command "come out!" or "come forth!" all the dead would have arisen upon his command! 

In his discourse on Mars Hill, the Apostle Paul tells the crowd "he (God) commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus) he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." 

The evidence of the resurrection was so compelling, a plan had to be devised by those who put him to death, to cover up the truth, and of course, the scheme involved a bribe for "hush money." Matthew 28:11-15. 

There is also another amazing resurrection after Christ gave up his spirit and was later resurrected:

Matthew 27:52 - 53 NIV

At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (the subject of another blog.) The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 

That blew my mind the first time I read it! Can you imagine bumping into people you know have passed away at the mall or at the pizza parlor? Whoa:)

Like Job, I KNOW that my Redeemer lives. He is present with me today as surely as He was with those disciples. He lives in me, (a temple of His Holy Spirit) and I can also trust every other promise he has made in the Bible, and there are many. 

So what are you waiting for? The promises are there for you too. Once, while in the garden, the brilliant Augustine (4th-5th Century A.D.) heard a voice say "take up and read, take up and read." He did indeed and the rest, as they say, is history. Here is what happened:

One day, torn by violent struggles, he fled to a garden to attempt to find calm. While in the garden he heard a voice say, "Take up and read. Take up and read." Augustine tells us that he picked up "the volume of the Apostle."I seized it and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell. "Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness . . . . But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof." I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of faith flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.

After many years of studying the Bible as a committed Christian believer (disciple, follower of Christ) I have come to know and understand that He is the ultimate promise keeper. Such divine insight and knowledge are the result of a relationship with God that is by faith. That's why it does not surprise me when many people don't understand the things of God. 

1 Corinthians 2:14

New International Version (NIV) ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Psalm 25 (a Psalm of David) says "The Lord confides in those who fear him." Also, when Jesus walked the earth, he preached to the crowds, but then afterward, he would give further, detailed explanations to those who were actually hanging out with Him, not just for the goodies (the "show and the chow.") He died for the whole world and wants everyone to be saved. But the fact is, many will not either through doubt or by getting caught up in the terminal distractions that this world offers.

Maybe you've heard it before, or maybe it's new to you. It's "good news" AKA "The Gospel" :


John 3:16-21
New International Version (NIV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Like Augustine, may you "take up and read." It's my prayer that you will ponder these things. 

Serious Twittering

I am surrounded by sounds this morning in my usual perch on a deck chair. In fact, every time I am here, I am surrounded by sound. This morning, however, I pay particular attention to it, eschewing my usual reading and studying. This morning's devotion is not only to hear, but to listen with focused attention and take note.

There are too many bird song variations to count. Roosters crowing, owls hooting (or is it doves cooing, or both?) There are chirps, tweets, caws, and cackles. It's a bird symphony extraordinaire with all the nuance and dynamic of the finest orchestra.

When I first arrived at this outdoor performance with coffee, books and journal, I heard numerous canine notes, ranging from little dog yaps to the bellowing, lonely laments of my neighbor-brother's oversized Chocolate lab (aptly named "Tank.") The conductor had brought the canine and bird cacophony to a massive crescendo as I took my seat in the surround-sound poolside theater. Amid the riot of noises, the humor and joy of it all caught me by surprise as my soul took to flight.

It's quieted down dramatically for the moment and there are numerous tweets (aviary, not human one's via computer) with a countless variety of tones.

Over my left shoulder, a patient and silent robin traverses the grass, hunting up goodies. Overhead, a silent bird gently soars over the neighbor's yard. Now a rather ugly 'caw' comes from a well-fed bird atop the basketball backboard in the driveway. As I crane (no pun intended) my neck to the right, to get a better view of Mr. Chubby, I am richly rewarded with a stunning view beyond our cars, one silver, one dark gray . . . I have to stop writing and stare as the first light of morning sun breaks through between the distant edge of the dark gray cloud cover and the misty foothill mountains that it shrouds. Beams of light burst through the range of velvet hills.

In the foreground, a different pudgy youthful-looking bird is atop the fence now, ruffling every feather imaginable (and unimaginable!) with his pointy beak. It's absurdly skinny legs defy logic in their ability to support both the size of the bird's body as well as the vigorous motions of feather-ruffling.

As I marvel at the morning's sights and symphony, and delight in the privelege of witnessing all the beauty and drama, I have to chuckle upon noticing the decorative verdigree crane statues four feet away. One is poised to eat off the cement, the other one's neck is extended, with its beak pointing skyward.

The 'real' birds, roosters and doves, are the most prominent sounds now, with a variety of chirping in the background. I wonder what the various songs are about. I mean, each bird species has its basic set of sounds, but as with humans, I am sure that individual birds have their own distinctive voices and stories to tell.

Usually, I hear the birds in the morning. Though I admit not with this kind of focused attention. Are they just as busy throughout the day and I don't hear them due to other noises competing with thoughts for attention? Probably, sadly so. Aren't we humans amazing creatures? We can block out so much when certain functions require more of our thought and awareness? I need to remember that, and make more of an effort to not only hear, but to listen, whether I am in the backyard or next to a roaring ocean. I bet I could even block that out!

My actual knowledge of 'things bird' is quite embarrasingly limited. This admission brings to mind a memory of a classic TV show's character whose name escapes me now. She always wore a tan safari outfit, always had binoculars strapped around her neck, and was always making studious observations about bird behavior. Was her name "Miss Jane?" Was is "Gilligans Island?"

Anyway, in our hi-tech world of constant communication, this gift of listening and witnessing the glories of morning has been a welcome moment.  At this particular moment, the cars and 'commercial birds' (planes) are now competing with nature's sounds . . . Nah! There's no competition.

"I Will Be With You"

      Here's a brand new song that I began writing on Friday, May 4th and completed today (Sunday.) The first verse grew out of a line in Psalm 88 that was underlined in my Bible. In the next two verses, I stayed with the soul-crushing feeling in the Psalm, of being down in the pit, under God's wrath and conviction; engulfed in terror and despair and stripped of friends. Sometimes God has to remove everything we count on in order to get our attention. C.S. Lewis wrote:

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ("The Problem of Pain.")

   

    God is the vigilant, divine gardener; snipping, clipping and lopping off the wayward and dead branches that are not connected to Jesus, the source of creation and life. This "pruning process" is definitely NOT a pleasant experience, but a choice is presented to us during the hardship of discipline between being disabled or healed in the process. (Check out Hebrews Chapter 12.) Under his divine supervision, we will be healthy and bear much fruit. 

     The Chorus / Refrain section offers the balm of relief; knowledge of divine truth, based on God's unchanging and unimpeachable character and his promises to his people. I know that I was formed by the loving God in my mother's womb (Psalm 139) and that I will immediately go into his presence when I die. The invisible God in whom I put my faith on earth, will become visible. Knowing these glorious truths helps put this short time of life on earth (which at times seems so fleeting, and at other times, painful and hard) into perspective.

I Will Be With You

Verse 1:

My soul is full of trouble

Got one foot in the grave

I cry to you for mercy

    I'm calling on you Lord to save me    

But I 

know 

that 

you 

Knit me upTogether in my mother's womb 

and I 

know 

when 

I die 

that 

won't 

be me 

inside 

the tomb

I'll be with You

I'll be with You

I will be with You

Verse 2:

Your wrath weighs heavy on me

Down in the pit I lay

Left for dead and forgotten

And all my friends have gone away

Chorus/Refrain:

Verse 3:

This valley of dark shadows

Seems like an endless place

But I know one day I will

Find rest and see You face to face

Chorus/Refrain:

Oh I 

know 

that 

you 

Knit me upTogether in my mother's womb 

and I 

know 

when 

I die 

that 

won't 

be me 

inside 

the tomb

I'll be with You

I'll be with You

I will be with You

Tag: You'll see me through,

Make me brand new,

I will be with You

©2012 Linda Geleris

How God Might Feel; An Illustration

This morning, I called my son on the phone. He was inside the house and I was outside, sitting by the pool with my Bible, study matierials, and prayer journal. I was immobilized in a cuddly cocoon under two blankets pinned down by three little dogs.

My son and I had a brief phone conversation, in which I played the "next week is my birthday AND Mothers Day" card, hoping to woo him into bringing me the "present" of a much desired second cup of coffee. He toyed with me, speaking in a funny accent, and I asked him to also bring out a book that I wanted to share with him.

He brought me the cup of coffee and the book (what a wonderful boy!) 

A conversation ensued, where mostly I listened to him explain some things he wanted to share with me. I offered a comment or suggestion here or there, and really enjoyed sitting there spending time listening to my maturing teenager explain 'how he works' and various Bible verses which have been shaping his thinking and actions lately.

I took a sip of my coffee, and nearly spat it out. No sweetener. He brought me a gift, but fixed it his way, which is 'black.' I asked him to please make it right for me. He refused, saying I should drink it the way it is. 

Finally, he was finished with the conversation and headed back for the house. He left me there with coffee I could not drink, and no opportunity to share a few tidbits of wisdom that I had 'hand-picked' for him, according to his interests. 

About a half hour later, I was picking up around the house, and I couldn't help but think that God must have similar hopes, delights and disappointments when it comes to spending time interacting with his children. How often do I bring him 'drink offerings' and sacrifices that I pick out, which are not quite what he was asking for? How bitter and distasteful in His mouth such offerings must be! 

When I give Him what I want to give instead of what his Word commands, may my unsweetened coffee which I could not consume nor enjoy due to its bitterness be a reminder not to serve my heavenly Father as I see fit, but according to his Word, even if . . . especially if it is inconvenient. The whole idea of sacrificing, giving God our very best (from the abundance of blessings he has bestowed on us) may indeed involve that which costs us something valuable. We might have to make another trip, spend some precious time, money or energy on someone besides ourselves, offer forgiveness to someone who wronged us, offer an apology to someone we slew with our tongue. 

Israel's King David built an altar on land belonging to Arauna the Jebusite. Araunah wanted to give the land to David, but David insisted on paying him for it, saying "I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. Sacrifice by definition "costs" us something. 

In Psalm 51, a Psalm of King David, he writes "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." 

Oh, Lord, teach me to offer you sacrifices that are pleasing in your sight, according to your Word. May your spirit convict me so that I repent of my sins instead of justifying myself. Teach me, also, to spend less time telling you about me and the amazing things I am learning, and more time listening to all the wisdom and insights that you have "hand picked" to share with me, according to the unique way you created me with specific gifts, talents and desires.

John 3:16 in Swahili and Daasanach