Beginnings :The Mind Of Christ

 

The Mind of Christ

1 Cor 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Cor 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are the beginning of a new creation; the old is passing away; behold, the new begins…

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know…

Dear friends,

If we are not careful, the world will distract us big time! Things that disturb and upset us, that stay in our minds and that threaten us with post-traumatic stress disorder even! I know too many folk who are suffering from the present set of circumstances in the context that the new US admin is creating, abroad, yes, but even worse, at home. The division is so bad. On one side, you have the oligarchs, the filthy rich guys, who seem in today’s world to be able to buy everything. How come? Well, new money is very different from old money, which actually had some civil concerns for the good of society! How so? Well, where’d the sense of 'values and progress for everyone’ come from? Maybe from some of the old-fashioned Christian values. Like John Wesley’s notion of spreading scriptural holiness across the nation!

We must remain focused. That is what Lent this year should be about – not in traditional repentant preparation for Easter, an ‘annual’ celebration, but in preparation for the rest of this year! Old saying - gird up your loins! Time for tough love. Real grace. For the longest time, there have been ‘people’ who have talked about the stuff that will happen in The Book of Revelation that will signify ‘the end’. They never realized that long before that, things would slowly start to go to hell in a handbasket…..as dystopian madness kicks in.

But in response, for starters, to enter that strange, different, grace filled realm (think weird and mystical, maybe?) of the mind of Christ, we must have a clear sense of the limits that the world sets upon such endeavors.

The way life is organized for the ordinary person, there is little free time. Most of our time is spent ‘working for the man’. If you work for yourself, your fighting chances of spiritual growth might be that much better. It depends on the choices you make.

When I was a young Minister, I noted that most colleagues spent Saturday evening working on what to say Sunday morning. Not a lot of preparation. Why? Well, there was too much admin and meeting and community work. Nice social life. So we were never different from the organization of world and society in general. How then to be different? We must each make time. Incrementally. Daily. Then we must work on how that time is spent.

Again, how? Consider how to train your spirit beyond body and mind. The mind is supposedly ‘trained’ when it takes on ‘academic’ work, but all that really happens is a ‘specialized vocabulary’ in most areas that can only go so far. The total rehabilitation of the person, freeing us to move from body consciousness/ego consciousness into spirit consciousness, requires a different sort of work. Which is -

A matter of choice and will. There is no method to attaining to the mind of Christ – it is a test of will, i.e. to synchronize our will with that of the Lord God. Every day, everything we do involves choice. Learn how to choose well. Continually and consistently evaluate your choices, as you make them. It is very easy to say  ‘I’ll review it at the end of the day.’ That almost never works. Engage and work with your spirit as you go. Engage your God given conscience. It is there for everyone!  Every chance encounter is an opportunity to share a little positive energy in their lives that will help them. Amazing thing is, God walks with all of us, and when you do this for no gain, you recoup the spiritual energy almost instantly. God is watching. And God gives. In other words, when folk claim ‘tiredness’ etc. after doing purportedly ‘spiritual’ work, it is not of the Spirit at all, but of human effort. Whether God is a part of that is actually something that you all can see for yourself. So,

1.      Work on your consciousness. For most of us, it is all a physically based body consciousness. We are pleased with youth and all of its physical aspirations when we are young; and so disappointed as we age. It’s fading. It’s this or that happening. It’s getting worse! I’m so sad to look at myself! Those of us who expect these things can work to prevent them to a great extent. So at 75 I function like I’m 55. Not impossible. Sure, there are limits. Know them. No more carrying full buckets of earth in gardening. Had sciatic nerve issues twice on both sides! Took 2 years to slowly get the better of them. Not going back there. ½ bucket of earth only, max. But we are not defined by that which is the body! 

2.      Work to identify the Spirit that is you. To shift from body through mind to Spirit consciousness. That IS you. Psychology and psychiatry have always talked about identity and persona and ID et al. That works with the understanding of mind and personality. The old teaching served its time well. Just as faith and belief, in and of themselves can only get us so far. But choice, our will, faith and belief, can do what Jesus calls us to. Ownership? Yes, of the spiritual beings that we are. Getting beyond the printed words of Jesus and into the real Word takes time and practice. Why do you think so many Christians are so scared of dying? Because, over all of the talk of faith and belief, this is the only life they know, and the only form of life – bodily, that is- that they have. The Kingdom is not yet real to them! More to come about all of this as we get ready for Lent. But

3.      those 3 verses up at the top are key. We must embrace them.

4.      and they will kick in. Or we will discover nothing. We must learn to move from mind to Spirit. That is the key transition. Cognitive ability is great but understand its limits. Beyond analytical and descriptive skills, it does not have the power to transform! This is why the academic mind has its limits. It is not moral discussion that we need. It is moral ability. This is why for all of the journalist articles going out now, how many are able to call a spade a spade, and call out evil for what it is?

Mostly, they say what they are paid to say. As Jesus said, you cannot serve God & mammon. We are in the world, but we may choose to be not of it. Start slowly, build your Spirit. Grow. God will help. Little bits can help, like worship, like music, like prayer. Sure. Comfortable emotional stuff. But they will not carry you very far.  You’ll still be part of the peripheral religious structure that holds the wealth and the earthly power. Like Satan. Be careful. I end with a song to share, on vocals, guitars and keyboards, a little rearranged.  Love in Jesus, G.

 

Insight: Beginnings....

 The challenge of Insight!

It’s already Jan 18^th in 2026! Time does not fly, but it passes steadily! Move with it!

Scripture says a lot about insight, but sometimes I think it requires insight in the first place to get into the sayings on insight! Like confidence, too many sayings are wrapped up in what scripture calls ‘the mystery of Christ’ which does not help us much. Let’s try and break it down a little.

insight has several sources. It is often referred to as intuitive sense, and that seems to be difficult to pin down. Why? Because you have to develop it; it cannot be acquired. Each one of us must be dedicated to truth in our lives, for in truth there is goodness. And God will lead and encourage all of us. Hence the ‘seek, and ye shall find’. Consider the daily amount of information we have before us and ask, how do we figure out what we should read? And in what we choose to read, how to figure out what is true and what’s an embellishment, an exaggeration, an overstatement/understatement, and an outright lie? This year has been bad for the truth and good for lies. This is where interactive and intuitive insight already begins to function!  We have to evaluate our findings as we go and figure out the right from the wrong in a self-teaching process because there is no other way to develop insight as a skill. It cannot be learned from a book. Easy when you only have 2 sources to deal with. Difficult and time consuming when you get bombarded with a whole bunch of them!

We have been brought up to believe that unless the mind is trained in an academic fashion it cannot think clearly for itself, but this is not so. There is some truth in it, but it refers to a specialized aspect of knowledge that only becomes relevant when it can be shown to be applicable and improve human well-being! Every person grows, and everyone who seeks to think about everything will grow.  This is why the folk Jesus called were not Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, or others of the same brand; they were ordinary folk, like you and me. Fishermen. They learned by following Jesus that the Spirit of God would teach them, and this is what happened. The results showed that they were on the right track. They did not know about the terms, ideas and concepts that the religious teachers spoke about, but they knew how to make a real difference in the lives of those in need, here and now. Like Peter in Acts 3:6 saying to one in need, gold and silver have I none, but in the name of Jesus, walk! What has happened to the church since? Mostly, all talk and a lot of sociology! We will pursue this as we go, for it is the one true constant that the Bible says to all who follow Jesus. How to make a difference in life! Without money.

Keeping that in mind, where are we now? Is academic insight just an intellectual thing? Just of the mind, and while it might sound great it does not make much difference in the end?  No, it is an important aspect in our world because of the way things have developed, so that the academic tradition has had a lot of say in what is right or correct and should be pursued. We just need to be clear that we do not have to accept what it says. New words, new terms, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Our question must be simply what has made a real difference to the human condition?

Walter Brueggeman - pastor, writer, theologian par excellence, worked hard to make a difference for years. His ‘In Man We Trust’¹ text should have been a best seller forever - it was subtitled ‘the neglected side of biblical faith’; and never was a truer phrase uttered. But it did not make much of a dent, because neither church nor world was listening. In other words, insight is not always appreciated. Seems unbelievable, but it does pose a good case for keeping observations to yourself and sharing them only with like-minded folk!

Bruggemann noticed some time back that traditional interpretive styles had shifted as the years passed, and they had become not so much what the Bible says but more of what the interpreters of the Bible said. So his response was to say, you know, we don’t need your interpretation as much as we need to listen and hear the words of those who witnessed to the words that are in the canon of scripture. All of the stories were shared, remembered, and finally accepted and recorded. You cannot come along now and say, well, we’ll use this one, it sounds good; don’t like that one, we’ll leave it aside, and so on. I am summarizing here, but there is an entire text on Canon and testimony and witness on which Walter snd Brevard Childs shared the work.²

And what about all that was left out, so that after seeming to get lost, Jesus is found in the temple talking with Scribes and Pharisees. He is 12. Then he ‘disappears’ for umpteen years and suddenly resurfaces when John starts baptizing and talking about him. Where was he, and what had he been doing? Did he go to seek the wise men from the East, and did the West decide that they had the right of interpretation of what is relevant data and what is not? Palestine is not a very large place and everyone knew for the most part where their relatives and friends were. Questions, before us.

Then, think of Jim Wallis’s latest work, entitled The False White Gospel.³ Written after years of experience, struggling with being a witness to the socio-political order in the US, he speaks of a battle between a growing false religion and the true faith of the Gospels. The sub-title? ‘rejecting Christian nationalism, reclaiming true faith, refounding democracy.’ He says that false religion has privatized faith, so it is never public. It stays personal and does not interact with anyone for any reason. It is a statement that a person makes i.e. I am a Christian. What does that mean? Not known. It’s private. And because of that, we have encountered gross contradictions between what people say and what they do! It reminds me of folk who go to church when they baptize, marry or bury and not otherwise. Why bother? The result of Christian identity, whatever may be said or not said, lies in our everyday behavior and interactions with others! We could go to church every week and it might make no real difference in our life whatsoever.

Further, as Jim points out, it has worked to continue the wickedness of cultural and ethnic supremacy. It’s like the old stories told in James Michener’s Hawaii, where missionaries brought the faith to newbies, but always ensured that they had the interpretive upper hand, or leg, whichever! It was never the reality that all persons are created equal and will be treated as equal.  There were always firsts among equals. And there was always a racial and social hierarchy. Right down to stuff like the 'Slaves Bible' where all of the words on freedom were first taken out.

Jim says he has spent his life developing a theology of public discipleship. Why, for example, would Reagan’s one time Chaplain Falwell call African Bishop Tutu a fraud? Any real facts to back that? Nope. But thus the religious right began and thus lies are stated and spread. And when they are perpetrated and then perpetuated by the rich and the powerful, they are often believed by the poor and the less fortunate. As I have pointed out, even in the scriptures, male domination is very clear, from the very beginning. Men decide. But it was Palestinian then. Over the years, as the gospel spread, it became so that the chief spreaders, the white folk, presented themselves as the ‘white men decide’ folk. 

I once caused a walk out on a ‘Homiletics’ (preaching) Divinity School class because the guy ‘teaching’, nice missionary from Texas, made no sense. That was hard for him. Never expected to be called out by a 3^rd world student. It got really interesting when I ended up, in my first Methodist pastoral appointment, after Div. Sch, as his Asst Pastor, for a bit. When he left he said to me ’now you can have it all’. But it wasn’t mine, and in a year the church’s numbers had doubled. I left when I got invited to Duke by its then Provost. Gave me some firsthand experience in the contradictions of faith and reality.

A long time ago it was said that the ideas of the dominant clan become the dominant ideas. If they control institutions, they get to influence the behavior of those who are taught there. Let me keep chipping away at this – for the longest time, in books, movies etc, Jesus has almost always been portrayed as a fair skinned (white? beige?) man. Why? Because the guy telling the story often uses his story telling opportunity to tell it the way he likes it, so that it favors him and where he comes from. We all know how stories change every time they are told. I have too many instances of listening to a tale told where the loser even becomes a winner in the end. Sometimes, it is true. It just takes time to self-correct. But Jesus the historical figure, was Palestinian. A Jew. Not necessarily fair skinned at all. Like God would care? God is Spirit. As I’ve said also, ‘the image of God’ does not refer to a physical image but a spiritual one.  

A lot of theology has been shaped by German academic work. German academics kept good research standards, and so greatly influenced biblical interpretation. But it was often a professional exercise, and the dimension of the Spirit of God was often left out. You pick up professionals who do not believe. And they will lead you. And where does that get you? You have to work on that one.

When I was working on John Wesley’s 'Social Holiness' notion at Duke Univ, they wanted me to take the work of one particular German scholar seriously, but he was an academic non-believer and so I just skirted around his work and used my own Singaporean context and an awful lot of Wesley’s works, all made possible through the immense effort of Al Outler, who was in residence at Duke at the time even! It helped.  Brueggemann thought it was a good approach. And John Wesley was much much more than a professional academic when it came down to living his Christian life. He created both the itinerant ministry and the rule of pastoral visiting from house to house, which few have kept. I might have been one of the few exceptions.

When we accept that this is how it has been for a long time, we realize that it is high time to change the scales. With the exception of the new Pope, most Christian leadership is lost, and is pretty much a blur case, controlled by power and money i.e. by the ‘wealth of the world’. There are exceptions, here and there. Good pastors, wonderful people I have been fortunate to meet and work with in my lifetime. From a brother pastor now in Australia, to 1 more in Malaysia,  to 2 Methodist pastors now retired in Singapore and some sweet ones in North Carolina and in Mass state. Few and far between.

What are we talking about? It’s about managing and responding to the monopoly of interpretation. Western hegemonic or controlling, interpretive modes. Where what is said to be true and correct is in the hands of the interpreters i.e. church leaders, politicians, et al. No, It has to be more than that. This is why in the Gospels Jesus takes such a stand against Pharisees and their folk who laughed and mocked at his disciples as uneducated men. The power of the Holy Spirit is not academic. It results in real time change for the better. Such power is of God’s Spirit, and it will bless those who are humble and seek to learn and grow. God bless us all. We will continue with more on insight in personal and social holiness next week.

May The Lord God comfort you, guide you, protect you and strengthen you, in all things; through Christ Jesus our Lord, G.

¹ Brueggemann, Walter; In Man We Trust; Eugene, Wipf, 2009; originally published by John Knox Press, 1972.

² Brueggemann, Walter & Childs, Brevard; Canon & Testimony; Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1979,

³ Wallis, Jim; The False White Gospel; NY, St M

Confidence...

 

CONFIDENCE = 

Hi folks,

I hope all is well with you as the year begins! The world teaches confidence in varying measures; the most popular notion is that wealth and power = confidence = the ability to do the things you want to do, whether it be to trave all you want, work less, and have considerable comfort. But life is not just about these things, and there are many areas like health and happiness in which wealth is unable to bring confidence.   

Christian confidence is not based on such assumptions; here, confidence = trust, first of all. 

1.It is based on the precious blood of Jesus Christ who died for us, whose blood was shed for us, out of nothing less than God’s immense love for His creation. The intention being that having been delivered from the clutches of sinfuln tendencies, human beings can rise above their present state of being and action to reach good godly levels. Spirits in a material world.

2.We are confident in our self-value because we are worth the precious blood of Christ, True, this is a matter of belief and trust and depends on the individual. But the one who takes it with utter seriousness finds it to be incredibly true in that no matter what may happen to you, or what is said to you, or how you might be treated by some folk, or ‘this world’ or life in general, your self-worth is never diminished in any way. God’s love is now the ground of your being. If the ground of your being is weak, everythign will shake you and make a nervous wreck out of you.

3.Confidence grows as we align ourselves with God’s will for us. As the line in the 23^rd Psalm says, ‘He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ That leading is not controlling, but always protective, just as we watch where our children tread! You might even call this God’s ambition, intention or will for us. Very different from earthly ambitions, but broad enough to wrap them all in, under one divine umbrella! God has nothing against businessmen. But when they become exploitive, and switch sides then the parameters shift. It does not matter what we do as long as we do it well and for the benefit of others. It is all service, whether it be gratis or paid for. It just needs to be worth its cost. It goes wrong in God’s eyes when greed gets in the way.

4. Confidence, done right, also brings a patience of a twofold nature. There is the patience of personal holiness, as we deal with family squabbles or work disputes (like family, these are ongoing with folk we see everyday!)  - the people we live with, the people we work with, and our ability to deal gently with them - is our witness of godliness. Then there is the impatience of social holiness, and we will have much to work with on that one when Lent begins next month! Social holiness carries an imperative of impatience, so that the suffering of the less fortunate is not prolonged but is ended as quickly as possible. This is why we have or should have ‘safety’ nets that catch those who are falling and allow them the opportunity to restore their well-being, whatever the cause of such a shortcoming.  And in doing so, they are able to retain their dignity as human beings.

4. Confidence, despite the common understanding of the usefulness of fear and /or anxiety, allows us to give fear a back seat. Why? God says enough times in the Bible, fear not, for I am with you. It is the confidence that God’s presence brings into our lives. We need not overact to anything but need to deal with it in our time and on our own terms. I have done this often enough to realize just how effective the response of not responding is, especially when others offend, know they are being offensive, and then get into a defensive mode, ready to react.  By the time you get to it, having taken your time and thought it out carefully, they have lost that mode and are not quite prepared anymore. Then you come back with a ‘Why?’ and go from there!

4. What biblical examples do we have? A great many. But do not look at the prophets. Rather, seek out the little people, like Gideon in Judges Ch 6, caught off guard when the angel calls him a mighty man of valor!  The ones who are surprised that they can actually do something they thought they couldn’t. David is perhaps the best example of this, showing clearly that confidence comes from knowing that God will grant victory in all things that God approves of. It is a lifestyle conditioning.

In our traditions, salvation has become a concept, a status of being, a frame of mind, among other notions. In the Bible it is very simple and down to earth. It is God intervening in your life in the here and now and making the essential needed difference. Why? So that your witness is not compromised in any way. This is what Jesus is about. This is a crucial key to all the talk we have around us about answered or unanswered prayer. We will get to that in due course.

True, there is forgiveness of sin, and a new beginning. But this is not a cyclical up and down thing. In Jesus, it is linear and incremental according to how much you put into it and it will take you from strength to strength as your relationship with Jesus grows!

So, in the end, do not be afraid. Of anything. Nor of anyone. Have confidence in yourself, because you are worth the precious blood of Christ. Jesus did this i.e. he gave himself for us. Why? So we could have confidence in ourselves, not in him! Use it! Practice confidence and build your courage. Know what the issue is and where you are clearly and always seek the Lord’s clarity. When you know you are right, you do not give in, ever. You stand your ground. Then you move forward, slowly, steadily, incrementally. Turn the other cheek if it is timely and will help the situation but only if so. You need to keep going. The world cannot stop you. The lord’s protection will go before you. Do not see others as enemies, but rather for what they really are – needy and weak people. Be kind to them. If at all possible, help them to grow. But you are not responsible for them. They have to struggle with their own growth. And they must be accountable for their own actions and the resulting consequences. Not your burden. Your prerogative is to enjoy being a child of the Kingdom, unafraid of the sinful weirdness of this world here and there, and knowing always that the presence with you is that of the one God, for there is no other. Read Psalm 103:1. It will take you through all things. Love in Jesus, and a blessing to share for the new year….

And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Inner Strength

 

The availability of God given inner Strength

2 Cor 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Rom 12:2ff

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind;

Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

 

My dear friends,

A blessed New Year to you all in the name of Jesus Christ!

 As we begin a new year, let me reiterate that Jacob’s Ladder provides for a fellowship of a spiritual nature. It does not intend to be any kind of social fellowship ever, with a meet and greet, and food and fellowship and devotional activities of sorts. As such, it neither needs nor supports buildings, rituals, worship, mission, or donations. It is the other side of social holiness. It is an invitation into personal holiness. The godly ability of the follower of Jesus. That is our exploration, and that is our reality.

As for these posts, all are at dreliatjacobsladder.blogspot.com and at some point will move into visual presentation, probably both via Podcast and Youtube. The readership has steadily increased, because the need is clear, and is not being effectively addressed. So, out of a peaceable ‘retirement’ of sorts from the church, dedicated to using my time serving the community through Elder Services, running the State’s Home Care program, and the State’s Elder Abuse program, and then working with local Affordable Housing needs on the Vineyard, I am pulled into a duty that involves being both ‘pointer’ and witness. In that sense, I am a guide. Nothing more.

If a thing is not doable I will not speak of it, nor will I deal with belief or hope. God is far more concrete and real than these. Mustard seed faith is all we need for starters, and from there it is a jump into a new reality, one which we all can make. If you would walk this path, follow carefully, and waste neither time (which is life) nor energy, on the negativity we all encounter in life. And there is a lot around.

Last week we looked at 3 aspects of the light of God. We begin the year by looking at them individually, as aspects of the mind of Christ. And we begin with inner strength. And what is that? Certainly not some herculean story about Samson and Delilah; or a Nazarite vow to God that also involves not cutting one’s hair. So then? In a word, inner strength is resilience.

How do we describe this? How is it attained? What is its result? Resilience = being quietly strong, unswayable and capable of demonstrating both tough love and strong grace. Never a matter of faith or of belief, but always one of will and practice. And then, it comes in incremental change that is seen and experienced and takes us from one measure to a greater measure.

 A song break…It Is Well With My Soul…

 If anyone decides to be connected to Jesus i.e. to be linked to him, to be a branch connected to the vine, then the power to use will and practice godliness starts becoming a reality.

1.    It is a decision. Not a ‘for Christ’ or a ‘to be saved’ decision. Or ‘to escape hell and damnation!’ But simply to be linked to Jesus and to always stay linked to Jesus. To respond and follow an invitation. Once that begins, the next steps and the ends take care of themselves. We learn and grow in different situations, different localities, different challenges.

2.     And once that decision is made, the relationship must be seen to and nurtured. Once we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we are expected, as with a relationship with someone with whom we want to have a relationship, to make the effort to grow the relationship. How? By the things we do! And here, in relation to others! We know this. It means to walk with. As opposed to ‘pray to’; or ‘worship’. These acts are mildly relational. That which is truly relational pertains to thought, word, deed. All are actions. ‘Walk with’ is behavior specific and is the only results-oriented method to walk the way of Christ. The rest too easily becomes emotional experience that feels good but does not move us forward! Singing a song like ‘On Eagles wings’ might feel wonderful and uplifting, but it will not lift you up, even though you might feel that way. The real uplifting is when you move resolutely through darkness into light, realizing that there is light that is leading you through!

3.       The Christian headed for God given ability and spiritual power i.e. the power of the human spirit that is enabled by God, cannot afford to allow emotional states to dictate behavior. Only godly thinking must do this. And when we fail at this? Then we reverse course. We try again, we fix it, and get it right. The just man falls down 7 times and gets up! Who knows what the 7 times refers to for each of us? It is to persevere. Then the results take us forward. Spirituality is not emotionalism. It begins with it, certainly, But it does not stay there.

4.      Holiness is not a feeling. It is more than a feeling. It may start as a feeling, but it does not stay there. It grows and becomes an ability, an action -  in thought, word, and deed.

 What I am getting at is that the interpretive tradition has confused the critical issues. It has unwittingly grounded us in emotion, accepting that if worship feels good it must be godly. But that is not so and we all know this. Why? Because if this were to be true, then godly worship would have a direct connection to godly behavior. And anyone who has served in any church for years knows that this is not so. In reality, the church is filled with the ongoing nuancing of human preferentialism. The rich have more say. The wealthy decide what any one church should do or not do. And so on. No need to get preachy about it. If you take the $ out of a church, most churches will soon fail. Why? Know the difference between that which is sustained by the power of the spirit and that which depends on the economy of the world to move forward. God is not of such. Bottom line – there is most of the time no real spiritual change. Just a lot of emotionalism and social relationships; and there are occasional adventures into the real social holiness that works to make the world a better place.The challenge for church work is to build spiritual fellowship out of social structure and move it beyond.

Beware then of the ‘persuasion’ of evil disguised as many other things, in all places, versus the ‘strength’ of godliness. One will make you comfortable but will use you; the other will not give you anything but the ability to will what is needed and make it so. God is calling us continually into a higher state than that which we are presently in. The closer we get, the stronger we become, and the more capable we are of doing what needs doing. It is Jesus saying ‘come up with me’. See from my perspective. Act with my strength of will. Say to a thing  ‘Be gone!’ and it will go, be it of mind, body, spirit or of the context in which you live. Hence the fig tree. And the storm at sea with the disciples in a boat. And all of the healing.But it takes work, hard determined consistent grace filled effort on our part. Grace filled? Always patient, always cool. It is our will to be close to God that brings success and triumphs in the end.  This is an effort that each one of us can only ask ourselves about and answer.

The journey of discovery that we are on is described a little in that short reference in Romans 12:1-2 that speaks of not being conformed to this world, but of being transformed by the renewal of our minds so that we may discern what is the will of God – what is good, acceptable, and perfect. And then align ourselves with such a godly reality. In doing so, divine grace breaks in upon the sinful reality of this world. You see, to be a follower is to be an agent of God. You trust no one, you depend on no one. You might have a small circle of dependable friends, neighbors, Christians, non-Christians; it matters little who they are. What matters is their consistent actions, for these will identify them.And finally, as for the waiting, it is not a leaning into the future by faith; it is an active listening. Carefully, closely. They that wait are those who are not impatient to do their own will but hear the will of the Lord and synchronize their own wills accordingly. Then when you are sure, you run. Or you walk. Maybe you even fly! And it is all possible because you are not alone! It all depends on where you are and what exactly is happening. Practice that little bit about ‘be still and know.’ And the Lord our God be with you in all things, through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Every blessing, G.