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SECRETS REVEALED

Mark 4:21-23

21And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22“For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 

I've been thinking a lot about verse 22.  In all my years in the church, I have never heard a positive twist on this verse. The connotation to this verse seemed to always be as a warning that we better behave ourselves or everyone will know about it..."all hidden things of darkness will be revealed". Another thing that always went with this typical sermon was, "Be sure your sins will find you out".  

As I've been meditating on this passage the last few days, I've been thinking about the goodness of the Lord.  I now look at this verse as His REWARD for us.  It no longer threatens me or has a negative connotation for me. It tells me now that God will reward us for our secret worship to Him.   His glory will be revealed through us as we put Him first in our "secret place".  Openly, our love for Him will flow from us.  The GOOD things will come to light, not just the bad things. Our "hidden" times with Him will come to light. You won't have to work at letting His love flow from you, because it will be revealed.  It will come to light.  It will flow from you "super" naturally. 

We've all heard the phrase, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching"(CS Lewis).   That's what this verse says to us.  Everything comes to light.  Everything is revealed.  All those GOOD things we do when we are all alone in secret come to light.  All those times we spend with God.  All those times we secretly do something for someone without them knowing.  All those times we pray for others in secret for their hard life situations.  God is revealed because of our secret times with Him.  But more than that. When He says nothing will be hidden or secret in our lives that will not come to light, that means He will reveal US and who WE are in Him.  He won't just reveal Himself through us. He will reveal the good in US, so He will be glorified and magnified.
We are His workmanship.  We are His handiwork. This is not to show us off.  People are people.   They are judgmental, fearful, distrusting, etc.  They see US, then God in us.  I must decrease, and He must increase.  God uses us, His vessels to accomplish His work. People have a need to respect someone, and in these verses, He is working that out.  He will ultimately be glorified and people will be drawn to Him.

Mark 4:24-25

24And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.25“For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

He says it will be measured back to us...and more. That excites me! His reward for us on this earth, in this time, for such a time as this is to reveal Himself through us to others for His Kingdom purposes.  The good things of our hearts, the good things of our time with Him will be revealed to the world to change, not only us, but those we come in contact with. They too will be changed from glory to glory, from faith to faith because of our secret times with God. When we grow in our times with Him and His Word, we will cause others to grow. It's His Word.  It's His Truth.  We are His vessels of honor.  It ALL comes to light..all that good stuff. Be encouraged.  You are maybe now a best kept secret.  But, your hard work...study, prayer, gifts, talents, love, grace, mercy.....will all be revealed. All your GOOD secret stuff will bring glory and honor to our Father and build His Kingdom.

FERTILIZER

Did you ever notice that when things are going good and seem to be progressing in different areas of our lives, something happens to mess things up?  There seems to be a monkey wrench thrown into the mix to screw things up from progressing the way you anticipated. Your mind is going one direction. Your heart is going one direction.  Your anticipation is going one direction.  All of a sudden there's a halt. All of a sudden there's a roadblock.  All of a sudden you are blind-sided.  I sure hate that!  But, none of it takes God by surprise.

There are many well-meaning people in this world that get involved in ways that seem right to them. They think they are helping.  Their motives are pure.  Their love for us is deep.  They just want to help us out in our situations.  That's part of being a human being, I guess. They just don't know all the facts.  They may not know how delicate of a situation you may be dealing with.  They just may think they can fix things and help things work out because they have experience.  But every situation is different.  Every person is different.  So hearing the Holy Spirit when wanting to help is of utmost importance when we involve ourselves in other's lives.

You believe you've heard from God and are trying so carefully to take each step only under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  You want your flesh dead.  You want to hear clearly.  You want your spirit-man to reign, not your emotions.  Then something happens to muddy the water.  You've surrender things to God.  You've asked for His direction. You've laid your dreams and plans at His feet.  Somehow things get changed through pure motives and the best laid plans of mice and men.

Sometimes it's just CRAP!  Yes, CRAP!  A pile of stinky mess is laid in the middle of it all.  You wonder what in the world is going on!  You wonder why did God allow this to happen!  You wonder how is God going to fix this!  Here, again, it's all about listening to the Holy Spirit at every turn.  He will mend it all.  He will fix it all.  But we have to ask for wisdom, discernment, and sometimes courage to deal with every aspect of the situation.

What the devil meant for evil, God will turn it for our good!  That's why I titled this "FERTILIZER".  No matter what "CRAP" the devil tries to pile on anything, it's "FERTILIZER".  It will cause maybe a sudden stop of progress, or cause a delay, but SUDDENLY, new roots and sprouts will spring forth. There will be more powerful and quicker growth...just the opposite of what the devil wanted.  That's the good news!  Bring on the FERTILIZER!  God will work all things out for my good and His glory!  He tells me that ALL things work together for my good.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Don't Play Dead. Be Dead.

Spurgeon is quoted as saying, "Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you".   I think that because of circumstances in our lives, there are many times we forget that He is always looking out for us and working on our behalf.  He is always drawing us closer to Him and wanting to give us good gifts as His children.  

Sometimes they don't look like "good gifts". Sometimes it brings us pain we don't like.  Sometimes it goes against our wills.  Sometimes it gives us frustration.  Sometimes we feel alone.  Sometimes we are even angry. AND, sometimes we just want to give up, because we feel that God has forsaken us.

We have to remember a few things.  God is always working to conform us to the image of His Son.  A real project for most of us.  And, that God has a plan for each and every one of us.

Romans 8:29 - For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Bible tells us that "we are crucified with Christ".  

Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So we are dead!  Dead men don't complain.  Dead men don't have an opinion.  Dead men can't get their feelings hurt.  Dead men don't stir up trouble or strife.  Dead men don't have to have their own way.  That means we are DEAD!  We are to crucify the flesh. 

Galatians 5:24 - And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

That goes against our human nature big time!  Christ says we are crucified with Him when we accept Him as our Saviour.  Christ also gives us opportunity everyday and every moment to "crucify the flesh".  That means our passions and desires for this world and our human trappings need to die. We need "passion and desire" for Him to fulfill our destiny in the Kingdom of God, to fulfill those plans He has for us.

There are a few things we need to do, that go against human nature, but are in step with the Godly nature.

Ephesians 4:32  - Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 5:18, 20-21 - And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Not playing dead when it's convenient, but being dead.  Not playing dead when we want to, but being dead by being obedient to the Word and crucifying the fleshly desires, like having our own way.  We need to be "deader" sometimes with certain people in our lives.  Some people bring out our "undeadness".  God is working it out of us. Doesn't sound like a good gift, but it really is a good gift.  He hasn't forgotten you.  God keeps on giving gifts that are not disguised as gifts.  He's working out all things for your good and His glory.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

As we learn and grow up in Christ, we will get "deader and deader" by walking in the Spirit and in obedience to the Word. We will mature and it will get easier.

Galatians 5:25 - If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

God will lead us to new heights and new adventures with great fulfillment in Him as we walk in His Spirit and listen for His guidance in every situation.

Practice being dead in every situation, and pretty soon, you will be dead.  Practice makes perfect at almost everything.  So no more playing dead.  Be dead.

The 12 Minute Commute

My 12 minute commute to my sister and brother-in-law's house was very interesting tonight. During this short time, I encountered a woman walking rapidly down the street clutching something to her chest and crying.  Over two blocks down, going the other direction, I encountered a very angry man walking briskly with anger and hatred and the devil in his eyes.  A block later I was at a 4-way stop with a woman to the right cussing because the man to her right took off first and it was her turn.  And she was drunk.  She drove slowly across the street and almost hit the curb.

At each encounter I prayed.  I asked God if I should stop to console the crying woman, but felt I was just supposed to pray.  When I encountered the angry man, who was probably the cause of that woman crying, I felt I was to pray.  When I then encountered the drunk woman, I prayed again.
Three opportunities for prayer for wounded souls in my 12 minute commute.  It's all around us.  The wounded hearts are everywhere.  We encounter them all the time, but maybe we don't even notice.

By the time I got to my destination, my heart was overwhelmed with compassion for these people. Maybe there is no one else in their lives praying for them. Maybe I am the one to see them, because God was entrusting me to pray for them.  Maybe I was the one to see them because I needed more compassion awakened in my soul.  Maybe I was to see them so I would not get lazy and complacent in my prayer life. We need to be ready for the encounter to be something that alerts us to our shortcomings.  Only God can change us.  Only God can change our circumstances.  Only God can heal our hearts.  Only God can set us free.  Prayer is where we always start no matter what the encounter may be.

I believe there are no accidental meetings in this life.  God orchestrates all our encounters for our good and His glory. We need to pay attention to them all.  God has a purpose for our encounters no matter how insignificant they appear at the time.  He wants to use us, change us, and bless us.  God wants to take every opportunity to change us into the image of His Son and help us grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ to build His Kingdom. He wants to bless others through us.  We are His instruments of choice to bring love, healing and deliverance to a hurting world.

Serving God is an adventure.  He will open doors of ministry at every turn, but we have to be paying attention. We have to be willing to be used.  You don't need a Reverend or Deacon or PhD in front of your name to take these opportunities.  God uses us all.  We are His Body and all have our part in the Body to function as He sees fit. There is never a dull moment when we open our hearts to God's love and our ears to the Holy Spirit's direction.

Peace Be With You

John 20:19
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

As I read this verse and pondered all the implications, my heart was overwhelmed with gratitude for my Savior's love for me.  I was especially thinking about the phrase, "the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of....".

There are a few good lessons to pay attention to here.

Lesson number one:  "the disciples were together". We need to be together in fellowship, doing life together, supporting one another in good times and bad. We need each other for strength and comfort. Even though they had fear together, God was watching and ready and willing to help. He had to work a miracle to get through to this bunch in this circumstance.  We are the same.

Lesson number two:  "with the doors locked for fear".  The same doors that lock out the world because of our fear, lock us into thought patterns and patterns of living that result in ungodly beliefs about ourselves and our circumstances.  These fears also diminish our impact in the Kingdom of God . The same doors lock out help from others. They have to go through great lengths and labor to get our doors down that we've locked out of fear.  The Good News is nothing locks out Jesus.  No matter how much fear, no matter how many walls, doors and locks, Jesus can get through and better yet, He WILLS to get through to us.  He may not come in a form or shape that seems normal.  He will send the most unsuspecting circumstances and people. Even Thomas didn't quite believe it was Him after being with Him three years.  Those he sends us don't always exactly look like Jesus at first. The circumstances don't always seem believable, but in spite of them, Jesus works.

Lesson number three: "Peace be with you!".  Once Jesus appeared THROUGH the door, the disciples were then focused on HIM, not on the circumstance.  Isaiah 26:3, "I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Me".  Once they were focused on Him, they could accept His ministry of His powerful Words and His love.

Let's look at the definition of "keep".  As a noun it means essentials for living, charge or control or custody like a shepherd "keeps" the sheep.  As a verb it means to have or retain possession of, continue or cause to continue in a specified condition, position or course, preserve, maintain, support detain, restrain, save, reserve, to not return, to not give away, to not throw away (Webster).

There is "keep" on both sides of this Scripture.  We are to "keep"our mind on Him.  Don't keep our mind on the fear. Don't keep our mind on the locked door. Our "keep" here is our essential for living. Without His peace we don't have the essential thing we need for living, His Peace. We have charge and control of what we "keep".  If we "keep" something, we don't throw it away.  We reserve it and save it.  We continue in that condition.  We continue in peace. We do what we need to do to maintain that peace and preserve that peace.

2 Corinthians 10:5 
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Philippians 4:8  
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

These two Scriptures tell us how we can "keep" His peace, how we can preserve His peace in our lives and continue in that state of peace.  We are to take possession of our thoughts, tear down those ungodly beliefs about ourselves and our circumstances by thinking on what He tells us to think on in His Word.  He tells us to think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable.

Most importantly He says He would KEEP us.  That tells me if I do my part in "keeping my mind" stayed on Him, His peace will retain possession of me and my life. He will give me His peace, an essential for living a productive, victorious life as a child of God. He will be in control as a Shepherd is of His Sheep.

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.