Effective Prayer

One practice that I have had trouble being consistent with is prayer. 

At times, I have been very regular, and consistent. At times, prayer has been practically non-existent. Sometimes, God has seemed close. Sometimes, God has seemed far away. Sometimes, he has acted quickly, enthusiastically, and powerfully. Sometimes, it seems like God is saying "Are you kidding?"

And at times, when I have been consistent, it seems like the prayer gets mechanical, formal, and repetitious.

Some people look at prayer, as if it is a check-box to mark off. Or it is a magic spell to get God to give you some sort of advantage.

What if prayer is an expression of a person's relationship with God, and one of the means of partnering with God in affecting the spiritual climate of the places that person touches.

Seeking God to intervene becomes part of relationship. It becomes more like asking your dad for help with homework, or to play with you, or to get your kite out of a tree.

Sometimes, it seems like there are rules for effective prayer. And by rules, I don't mean there is formal structure and routine to follow. I mean a rule more like: "Look both ways before you cross the street." It is just something you do, you make it a rule, so you don't get hit.

But even rules require a little flexibility. I know of a Japanese college student who got hit by a car crossing the street. It wasn't that she didn't look. She followed her habitual pattern. But that pattern does not work in the US, because Japan, like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, drive on the other side of the street. Look left, then right, doesn't work in Japan.

I am reading a book called "Moving Mountains" by John Eldredge. He is trying to describe (what I am calling) rules of effective prayer. There are two rules, that are introduced in this book, that I am hoping to implement to grow in relationship, and effectiveness.

The first rule is: get aligned. When we give our allegiance to Jesus, we can be said to be choosing to be getting our lives aligned with God. Please understand, I am not referring to this initial, fundamental alignment.

Every day, we get battered by the world: war, crime, discrimination, bad attitudes at work, and driving on a freeway. Life seems intent to blow us off course. Each blows distracts us, twists us away from a properly tuned relationship with God. We forget who he is. We forget who we are.

Getting aligned is simply getting God, our lives, the world, and everything that is going on, back into the correct focus, and perspective.

We can do this by spending time in worship. Worship is simply bringing to our attention the greatness of God. We remind ourselves of his character, and attributes. We remind ourselves of his works for us. We remind ourselves of how he views, and treats us.

We can also declare our alignment. This could sound a lot like giving him allegiance again. We confirm our desire to know him, to be transformed, and to live as he designed. We could confirm our desire, and intention, to think, speak, feel, and act in agreement with his intentions for our lives. We could confirm our desire to live as we were designed, as fully as possible.

The mis-aligning forces pull us away from agreement with God, with his word, and with his plans, and purposes. They put a strain on our relationship with our Father. It is agreement with God that powers prayer's effectiveness. So, alignment ought to be step one in gaining prayer effectiveness.

The second rules is: ask God what he wants me to pray for.

People discuss why God is not working in an area. There is sin. There is a timing issue. There are blocking issues. There are a number of layers, interlocking together.

Sometimes, situations are simple. Sometimes, they are very complicated, and confusing. They are like a gigantic log jam. blocking a river. Who do you suppose would know which log to push? Which way? How hard?

I know situations where I don't know what to do, what to say, or even how to pray. I would probably make things worse, if I did something. So, I ask the one who does know.

Get aligned. Ask the Expert.

Incarnatation

In the beginning of one of the biographies of Jesus, the writer uses the word "Word" to describe Jesus. "Word" in the original language means an expression of the inner being. It is an expression of thought, or reasoning. The Greek philosophers used this word to describe the order ingrained in the universe.

God is the force behind creation. He gave it form, order, and purpose. He designed it like an engineer, and an artist. And God's inner being became reality.

The "Word" shows us the nature, and essence, of the God-head. He shows us the likes, and dislikes of God. He shows us God's passions, motivations, values, loves, and hates.

And the Word is also God. The Word is eternal. The Word created all that exists.

The Word gave life. The Word shows us how to live in fellowship with the Father, and how to live as a human being was designed to live. The Word shows how people can return to fellowship with the Father, and how to return to living as God intended.

The Word lived with the Father in the spiritual realm, throughout eternity. There were witnesses, who said he would move into the physical realm. And when that happened, the world reject him. Even his people group, who expected him, and watched for his arrival, rejected him.

But anyone who saw, and listened to him, if the decided what he said was true, and accepted him, those people were granted pardon, justification, and restoration into God's kingdom, and family. They were given authority to renew fellowship with the Father. They were claimed as his child. They were appointed as ambassador, and priest. And each one is beloved, and welcome to the Father's presence at any time, any place, and in any situation.

Invoking the Kingdom (b)

God's family — who is also his army, his kingdom, his ambassadors, and his body — is charged with rooting out the presence of the enemy, and establishing God's kingdom in the world. The question becomes: what does this form of "combat" look like? How do we carry out our assignments?

Like a modern army, God's family has different people carrying out different assignments, and different functions. (Hence, the body analogy.) So, what one person's assignment looks like does not necessarily mean that another person's assignment looks the same. But there are areas where functions overlap.

One common area is proclaiming the gospel. Simply, God's army drives out the enemy's army by capturing the captives. One person — an enemy of God, a rebel, and a slave of sin — hears the gospel, and becomes convinced of its truth. He gives his allegiance to the Father. He is forgiven, and redeemed. He becomes a part of God's family. God begins the restoration process. One person begins to live as he was designed. And the world moves a little closer to following its design. God's kingdom has claimed a little more turf.

The actual communication of God's message is essential. It is like the rifle in an army. It is the most foundational weapon in the God's armory.

But it is not the only weapon. God has others. And these need to be used for the Gospel message to be effective.

Jesus prayed for the unity of those who believed in him. He prayed that his family would have the same unity that he and the Father had. Jesus said that the unity of God's people is a demonstration that God sent Jesus.

Unity is an expression of love; and love is a larger expression of God's nature. Jesus said that love demonstrates who are his true disciples.

Love moves in a direction that is contrary to the world. Love proclaims who God is. Yes, God will judge the world for its sin. But Scripture describes judgment as God's unusual, and extraordinary, work. Gould wold rather give love.

And since, God is love, and love is contrary to the ways of the world, love is a strong witness for God, and God's life. God's family does need to stand for what is righteous, and just. We often see Christians standing for what is just, or standing for what is loving. God is not one, or the other. God is both. And God calls his children to be both.

And, just as God designed, and created, the physical realm, he designed, and created, the spiritual realm. There are laws that govern how the physical operates. There are laws that govern how the spiritual operates. And there are ways the spiritual can invade the physical.

Prayer is probably the most common, perhaps the most important, way to connect the spiritual to the physical, enabling the spiritual to impact the physical. Which means that some of the spiritual laws affect how prayer functions. If you will, there are rules of prayer.

That makes prayer seem to operate mechanically, by formulas. Which is not true, because prayer is an expression of relationship. But, there are "rules" about how people people relate to each other. In Korea and Japan, there are specific ways of addressing older people. I "tease-insult" my brothers. (And they "tease-insult" me in return. Or initiate it.) So, I relate to my brothers in ways that would never be proper with strangers, or, even, certain friends. Husbands and wives have ways to address each other that build the relationship, and prevent fights. Sometimes, my wife will make a statement, and I will have information that makes her statement not quite accurate. If I value this relationship, I will need to introduce this information in a way that does not seem to insult her, or seem to inflate my own self-importance. Just as there are correct, and effective, ways to approach people, there are correct, and effective, ways to approach God. And there are ways that effectively connect to God, and allow him to impact the physical on our behalf.

Two of the simpler to understand "rules" are: repetition, and agreement. I have written recently about insistent prayer. Jesus encourages us to keep asking. God has perfect love, and perfect patience. His heart is for us, so he urges us to consistently bring issues to him, again and again.

And God works with issues, where a number of people agree about it, and pray together about it.

Another "rule" is abiding. Jesus urged his disciple to abide in him, as a requisite to bearing fruit.

Abiding is, in part, a yielding to Jesus. There is a one-time yielding, where we choose to follow Jesus, when we give him our allegiance. There is also a daily yielding. The one-time yielding affects our salvation, our inclusion into God's family, and our eternal destiny. Our daily yielding affects our ongoing fellowship with the Father … and, therefore, our prayer.

Because we are human, we are inconsistent. We drift. We are forgiven, but we are still affected by sin. So, we introduce "pollution" into our fellowship with the Father. The daily yielding clears out any pollution, re-aligns, and re-focuses, our connection, and creates a proper atmosphere for effective prayer. Worship, and confession of known sin, can be proper yielding activities.

Prayer is a vital part of establishing God's kingdom in the world. Prayer is as much a part of completing God's mission as proclaiming the gospel, and serving in love.

Invoking the Kingdom

We read in Scripture that God designed, and created, the world and people. And people were designed to live a life of completeness, fullness, and wholeness.

We have discussed the spiritual fuels that man needs to live in wholeness. A relationship with the Father being the main one. Love, community, beauty, and purpose are others.

Because God designed man to need purpose, he embedded the means for man to achieve purpose within creation. Scripture says, whe God created man, he told man to exercise dominion over the earth. The words in the original language indicate that God was giving man authority to form the world for good.

First, the world was designed so men would make significant, meaningful choices, that would produce real effects in the world.

Second, God intended that man would produce, not only, farms, cities, and, even, factories to provide for man's material needs, but also parks, museums, and natural preserves, to provide for man's spiritual needs. (Not to mention, that the farms, cities, and factories should enhance, not detract from, man's physical, spiritual, health, and wholeness.)

Of course, man chose to walk away from God; and while living in separation, man chose greed, pride, and selfishness. He chose to bring destruction, and death to the world.

Moreover, it resulted in man losing his authority over creation. The world became part of the kingdom of the enemy. And he acted to maximize death, destruction, and human misery.

So, man chose separation. And God began a plan of restoration. God made a plan to restore:

• fellowship between God and man;
• fellowship between people;
• man's authority over the earth … practiced in the right way.

And God defeated the enemy, on the cross, and restored the world back to his kingdom.

I have heard the present situation compared to Iwo Jima, during World War II. The Allies had two objectives concerning Iwo Jima. One, to successfully invade, land soldiers on the island, and capture the beach to use as an easy way to supply future operations. Two, to capture the airfield, preventing its use by the enemy, and facilitating its us by the Allies.

The Allies successfully invaded, capturing both the beach, and the airfield. The objectives were complete, and the battle won. And if the enemy had ceased hostilities, that would have been the end of it. But they didn't. They continued to fight, resulting in some of the fiercest action of the war.

Our enemy has been defeated, but he hasn't surrendered. He continues to work to produce as much death, destruction, and misery as he can.

And God's family, like the marines on Iwo Jima, are charged with rooting out the enemy, and installing God's kingdom.

Insistent Prayer

Scripture says that each person, who gives his allegiance to Jesus, God has granted that person the authority to live as his children. Authority is delegated power. We are not born with it. We cannot earn it. It is granted. Jesus earned it for us on the cross. And it is given to us based on our faith response to him.

There are several places where being God's child overflows into our daily living.

How often have you been in a store, and saw a mother and child, and the child is going:

            "Mommy, can I … ?"

            "Mommy, can I … ?"

            "Mommy, can I … ?"

I suppose a lot of us wonder why that mother doesn't keep the child quiet? Or why isn't that child better behaved?

Often, the parents will have a talk with the child, and say something like: "I heard you the first time. You don't need to keep asking. You only need to ask once."

The child keeps asking, because:

            (1) he hasn't received answer;

            (2) he is secure in his relationship with the parent.

He is confident of his parent's love, and in his parent's desire to bless. What does the above parental lecture say to the child? Maybe it says the child is not as secure in the parent's love as he thought.

Jesus assures us that our Father is different. He says to keep asking, to keep seeking, and to keep knocking. He says, be like that child.

It is the good, and loving, nature of the Father that assures he will listen, and that he will answer. Human parents do love their children. (Although, their love is not perfect. Hence, the impatience with being asked, and asked, and asked.) Even with imperfect love, they will not give their children something that is bad for them. God's love is perfect. He has perfect patience. He will only give what is good.

And not only is he willing, he is more than able. Too see the Father, one needs only to look at Jesus:

• Who raised the dead; (Even someone dead for four days.)
• Who fed 15,000 people with one person's lunch;
• Who reconstructed human bodies beyond what human science can do. 

To see the Father, one needs only to look at his works:

• The human eye — which can detect over 7,000,000 colors;
• The sun — although, it is approximately 93,000,000 miles away, it has enough power to keep all things functioning, and all things growing.
• The earth — which is situated perfectly, the correct distance from the sun, the correct composition, the correct processes and functions, to be the perfect home for mankind;
• DNA — which not only contains all the "recipes" for creating all the structures and processes in the human body, but also each process to complete the recipe, and instructions for getting the building blocks, and instructions for what to do and where to send the completed product, when it is finished.

Our Father is motivated to respond to our prayer. He encourages us to "bother" him. And he is fully, and completely, able, and ready, to respond. He invites us to approach, to seek him, and to open our hearts.

God's Favor (6)

God favors those who are persecuted. But he does not just favor the persecuted, he favors those who give him their allegiance, who become a part of his family, and are persecuted for that.

There are places in the world, where giving allegiance to Jesus, means a life of trouble. Because God's children choose to follow him, they usually begin to move in a direction that is different from the flow of the surrounding culture. And those in that culture will either view them as weird, or as traitors.

The world has always been hard on those who seek to know God. And the enemy pushes hard to promote this attitude. He considers it to be in his best interest, if no one seeks for God, or lives for God.

And if he cannot keep people away form God, he will try to keep them quiet.

And by quiet, I do not mean he is trying to stop God's children from yelling "The world is bad! The world is bad!" The world will just pay no attention to that. He is trying to stop people from yelling "God is good! God is good!"

He is trying to stop faith. He is trying to stop love. He is trying to disrupt God's relationship with his people, and their relationship with one another. He is trying to prevent God's children from accurately demonstrating God's character.

What if, in the midst of being treated badly, God's children persist in:

• Walking with the Father;
• Engaging in practices that expand the Father's influence in their lives, and through them to the world;
• Loving each other;
• Loving those who do not have a relationship with the Father … especially those actively engaging in persecution;
• Seeking God's best for society, and the world. 

In a world, where such practices run counter to every instinct that humanity has, but copies Jesus' lifestyle, and follows God's way of love, is it any wonder that God favors, and delights in his children.

God's Favor (5)

God favors those who make peace. The English term "peacemaker" gives a connotation of someone, who is an intermediary between people, who have some sort of dispute. The word in the original language could be stated more like "to produce peace."

In all these declarations of who God favors, Jesus is drawing a contrast between the Pharisaic understanding of keeping rules, and marking boxes on check lists, with having a relationship with the Father.

God does not favor rules keepers, or check box markers. The relationship between God and man is broken. No amount of rule keeping will fix it.

Even if rule keeping could fix it, no human being keeps the rules sufficiently well enough. The rule breaking far outdoes the rule keeping.

Let's bear in mind here, God is not against rule keeping per se. If sin had not come into the world, and people's lives, people would have lived like Jesus. They would have "kept" the rules as an expression of their nature. God inspired the Biblical writers to write down the rules, so people would realize that they do not keep the rules. Or they could see what a person, who pleases God, looks like. We would know how we were designed to live.

God sent Jesus to build the bridge, so people could return to him, create a relationship with him, and be restored in their core, so they would begin to live as they were designed.

So, God favors those who choose to cross the bridge, and begin that relationship with the Father. They have made peace with him. They are no longer rebels, or enemies. And they are living a life of peace, because they are living in agreement with how they are designed.

And God favors those who show others, where the bridge is … helping someone else begin to have a relationship with the Father, to cease living as rebels, and enemies, and to begin living as they are designed.

God's Favor (4)

God favors the merciful. Recently, I compared mercy and grace. Mercy is like:

Imagine, you are driving 80 mph in a 25 mph zone. A policemen pulls you over. You deserve a ticket of many hundreds of dollars , and suspension of your driver's license.

Instead, the policeman says: "Good morning, sir. I noticed that you were driving in excess of the posted speed limit. This is a residential area. The posted speed limit was chosen to make sure that pedestrians in this area are safe. So, the next time you drive this area, please, reduce your speed to the posted speed limit. And have a good rest of the day."

Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

This is God's intention, and plan. In Christ, we receive mercy. We do not receive the punishment we deserve. And God favors those who have his heart.

The news is full of people, who deserve punishment. And, often, we are with the rest of the world, hoping these people get what they deserve. Yet, even they are designed to live in relationship with the Father. And it is the Father's desire to redeem, and restore, even these. Murderers. Thieves. Dictators. Mass murderers. Human traffickers.

The scribes and the Pharisees worked hard to please God, according to their system. And they condemned, and rejected, those who fell short, those who did not work like they did.

God's heart was for restoration. The Pharisee's heart was for rejection, and condemnation. This was why Jesus was hard on the Pharisees. They thought they were pleasing God. They thought they were God's favorites. First, all of God's kids are his favorites. But, he is especially pleased, and favors, those who heart follows his.

God wants a relationship with all … even Pharisees.

Those who understand mercy, are the most likely to give it, and the most likely to seek. They will turn to their Father, the giver of mercy.

God's Favor (3)

The next quality that Jesus used to describe people, whom God favors, is often rendered into English using the word "meek". But "meek" gives the wrong connotation in modern usage.

The English word "meek" has a connotation of weakness, with spirit, or courage. The word in the original language is associated with humility, which is the positioning of one's self below, to push up, and honor. But there is a feeling of calm strength, receiving what God says in quiet confidence.

With the first, and second, traits, we have a person, who realizes his need for God, who yearns for completeness, and who also realizes his total inability to attain, and maintain, that completeness.

With the third trait, the person hears God's words of judgment, and accepts them as just. But he does not despair, because he also hears God's hear for, and his promises for, redemption, and restoration.

"You have been thrown into the pit. And it is totally fair, and just, for you to be trapped there. But I did not create you to end up in a pit. I created you to be with me, to receive my love, and my blessing. So, I will rescue you from the pit."

The person hears, and trusts, God's words. And he responds in faith. To walk through the battlefield, with bullets buzzing past, and bombs exploding all around, without fear, and in calm and peace, is a response of faith. The person gives more credence to God's words, than he dos to the circumstances.

I don't think this necessarily means that we ignore the circumstances. But we need to actively take into account another powerful reality at work. The words, and the spirit, of God are active, and profoundly influential in our lives, and the world. The world ignores God's words to its detriment. And God's family does not take  them into account enough.

Fear, worry, and a lack of prayer demonstrate taking the circumstances, and principles, of the world more seriously, than the entire reality that God has created. Whereas prayer, obedience, love, and the fruit of the Spirit demonstrate a healthy grasp, and practice of God being eternally present, active, in our lives, and the world.

God's Favor (2)

Jesus continues to describe those who God favors.

God favors those who grieve a loss of personal hope, or a relationship. given the context of our inability to gain right standing with God, perhaps the grief Jesus  is referring to is a person's response to his\her lack of relationship, or lack of right standing, with the Father.

A person, who recognizes that life's ultimate bases for worth, meaning, and value, is a relationship with the Father, and recognizes that, because of his choices in life, that he is God's enemy, there is not hope. Life has ceased to have worth, or meaning.

Human beings are designed to live relationship with the Father. Value, and significance, in life is directly proportional to how close, how strong the connection is. Sin breaks the connection. It is sin that causes all the brokenness in the world. It is sin that causes all the problems, and misery.

So, it is in that prevents someone from establishing the most significant, and important, relationship in existence.

Without this relationship, we cannot live out, or come close, to connecting to the Father, and fulfilling what we were designed for. If we realize, and understand this, we could mourn our separation, loss and inability to get right, and connect.

But Jesus' purpose is to re-establish this connection, and to enable people to begin a process of living as he designed.

Jesus came to extend invitation to return to god, and a life of worth, meaning, value, and significance. Such an invitation could bring incredible comfort to those who hear it, and accept it. That was Jesus' purpose. To give people a way back to God, and hope to the hopeless. To reveal how much God loves, and cares for people.

God's Favor

Jesus began his ministry by announcing what type of people receive God's favor. People, generally, thought it was people — like the Pharisees — who were serious, and worked hard, at obeying the Law.

So, Jesus turns the world upside down. Those, like the Pharisees, thought they were earning right standing with God. But, Jesus knew that no one can earn right standing with God. Those, who God favors, recognize, and accepted, this truth.

All people stand as beggars before God. Ones, who have learned that wisdom, accept their poverty stricken status. They accept that, before God, they have nothing to give. They can only receive.

It is pretty dumb to strut around, like one has it all together, like one is self-sufficient, with need, and one is dressed in rages, without sufficient means to feed one's self. Yet, that was precisely the position of many Pharisees and priests.

"We are accepted, and blessed, by what we do. God thinks we are better than the tax collectors, sinners, and gentiles."

And that is precisely why God did not give them his favor.

There were tax collectors, sinners, and gentiles, who saw the worth of the God of Israel, and sought to know him. And God favored them above the self-righteous ones.

God values those who realize that the do not have the power to stand before on their own merit. They are closer to him, than those involved in lots of religious activity. They are more ready to turn to Jesus, and walk across the bridge he built for them. They are more ready for a relation with the Father of creation, because they have a true view of reality, and a true understanding of their standing before God.

Jesus as Model in Temptation

Jesus' mission in the world had two parts. First, he came as the bridge for people to gain access to God. He built the bridge, when he died on the cross.

Second, he came as the model for what life was intended to be like for a person to truly walk with God.

There is a story about Jesus, which began with the Spirit leading him out into the wilderness.

God's children live their lives hearing his voice, and going, or doing, what it says. The Father is always speaking to his children. He will not speak to lead any of his children astray. We can trust him, when he speaks.

So, it seemed a little strange to me, that the Sirit was leading Jesus into the wilderness, to be tempted by the devil.

Each child of God will be led by God's voice. And each child of God will be confronted by temptation. And God felt it was important for Jesus to give us all a demonstration of how to deal with temptation.

Jesus had just completed a forty day fast. He was physically, and probably mentally, fatigued.

The devil came to him, and attacked Jesus' physically, mental, and spiritual needs. And Jesus responded each time: "It is written."

So, not only was Jesus familiar with the voice of his Father, but he was also familiar with the written message from his Father. So, in dealing with temptation, he reminded the devil of his Father's standards.

But it is not enough to know the Father's words. One has to obey the Father's words. Knowing is important. Saying, and reviewing, is important. But it is doing that makes what is known, and said, a part of life. It is doing that brings the power of the Spirit into you actions. It is doing that trains your thinking, speaking and acting back into alignment with God's design.

But there is not one correct way of doing what God requires. For Jesus, it was sufficient to review with the devil what God's standards were. So, perhaps to stand against temptation it is sufficient to recite God's word. Recitation may position God's heart to walk rightly. But perhaps one needs to position the whole person. If one is tempted to indulge an addictive behavior, perhaps one should move away from the places of addiction. (Like an alcoholic should not stand in a bar. Maybe he should move several miles away.)

I do not believe that there is a formula for everyone to walk with God. We do need to know his standards. We need to hear his voice, and practice what he says. But as God has given each one a unique place, we also have a unique way to walk in it.

Get What You Deserve?

I woke up several days ago, with an incident on my mind, that happened several years ago, and my response to that incident. To this day, I don't know what I should have done, but I don't think it is what I did do.

As a result, I was feeling kind of guilty, and inadequate. And the thought popped into my head: "You get what you deserve."

And I began to consider how God gives us, just what we deserve. Just like that guy in the Bible, who was responsible for a persecution of the church, and the death and imprisonment of, possibly, thousands of God's children.

God treated him as he deserved:

• God appeared to him, and spoke to him audibly.
• God blinded him, forcing him to slow down, and really who Jesus was.
• God miraculously healed the blindness.
• God forgave, redeemed, and saved him.
• God used him as a catalyst of a huge expansion of his kingdom.
• God used him to write half of the New Testament. 

No, God does not deal with us, as we deserve. First, God deals with us in mercy.

Imagine, you are driving 80 mph in a 25 mph zone. A policemen pulls you over. You deserve a ticket of many hundreds of dollars , and suspension of your driver's license.

Instead, the policeman says: "Good morning, sir. I noticed that you were driving in excess of the posted speed limit. This is a residential area. The posted speed limit was chosen to make sure that pedestrians in this area are safe. So, the next time you drive this area, please, reduce your speed to the posted speed limit. And have a good rest of the day."

That's mercy. Not getting what we deserve. But God does not just give mercy. God gives grace.

Grace is not only mercy, but the policeman also says: "And here's a gift card to one of my favorite restaurants. Please, enjoy a meal on me with a friend. And here's another gift card. Please, give it to another friend, so they can enjoy a meal on me. And have a good rest of the day."

God gives grace. We don't get what we do deserve; we do get what we don't deserve.

Jesus Begins

John is preaching, and baptizing, by the Jordan. Jesus presents himself to John for baptism.

John says Jesus should baptize him. He recognizes Jesus as Messiah. He is humbled by his stance with God, and recognizes Jesus' superiority.

Jesus assures John that everyone needs to complete what God desires.

Jesus did not need to repent from sin, because he had none. Jesus did not need to turn to God, because he never turned away.

When Jesus comes out of the water, a dove settles on him, and a voice proclaims, "This is my beloved Son."

There has been speculation as to what is going on here. The Old Testament prophets woulds anoint the new king. Is John "anointing" Jesus?

Or are Jesus and the Father coming into full agreement about the mission? In baptism, Jesus fully agrees with the mission he is about to begin, and the "baptism" that will end it. And the Spirit, and the Father, reach out to Jesus, and communjicate their love, and commitment to him, and the mission.

Jesus could not complete his part of God's mission without the active support of the Spirit, and the Father.

And we must come into agreement with completing our part of God's mission. We need the active support of the Spirit, and the Father.

To Repent or Not Repent

John the Baptist had a message of repentance. The word in the original language literally means "to know after." The idea is a comparison between what I used to know (or knew before) and what I know now (or knew after.) It is trying to describe a change of mind.

John called for a change of mind about sin, about God, and about a way of life. Most people associate repentance primarily with sin. Repentance comes to mean: don't do that.

John called the Jewish leaders to repent. In the Jews' minds, those needing to repent the least were the leaders, because they kept the law the most. The leaders had developed a religious system. He, who checks the most boxes, wins. The religious leaders felt quite righteous in their system. They felt they were more accepted by God, than the rest of the people.

But what if repentance is not so much what we are turning from, but what we are turning to?

First, if our focus is primarily on stopping certain behaviors, we wind up creating a vacuum. Some other behavior will fill it. Perhaps, one that is worse than the original.

Second, life is not about what we don't do. Life about what we do do. We are designed to live by faith, hope, and love. We are designed for fellowship with the Father. And behavior modification is just another expression of religion.

Please, do not misunderstand. I am not wanting to minimize sin, or God's stand against it. It just seems to me that choosing to give allegiance to Jesus is more important than choosing not to sin.

We do not have the power to stop sinning no matter how much we hate it. It is when we give allegiance to Jesus, that we receive forgiveness, a new identity, and God's presence, which provides the power for transformation.

Identity

"Identity" is a word that is used to describe a person's self-perception. Do I have value, or worth? Am I ugly, stupid, clumsy? Is the world better off with me in it?

I have heard it said that mothers rovide nuture, but fathers define one's identity. The Father made men and women. He defined their identity. He designed them. He created them.

Before creation, he could have spent 2000 years focused on the design of one person. And then, moved on to the next person. Or, because, he is right now, giving each and every person 100%, focused attention, he could have given that same attention to each one … and spent 2000 years designing us all simultaneously!

He designed our identity. He designed the place we would fill. He designed us to grow, to bless the world, to improve the world, to touch it as no one else can.

When sin entered the world, our identities were crushed, and broken. No one matches what God sees in us. But when we give our allegiance to Jesus, the Father still sees the child he designed, and created.

When Jesus rose from the water, at his baptism, a voice called out: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."

God saw the one he loved, whose heart was totally entwined with his. The one who had fully accepted God's mission of building a bridge between people and God, of restoring God's family.

Jesus was beginning a new phase of the mission. He, the Father, and the Spirit knew the cost they would be making. And they knew they were accepting the cost out of love for the race of men.

God designed each one of us to fill a place. None of us are doing that. Some are in the place, but not walking in it fully. Some are lost, and have no idea in what direction the place even is. Some of us kinda know where the place is, but aren't too sure how to get there.

God designed each one of us to fill a place. And he hasn't changed his mind, because of sin. He gives 100% focused attention to restoring us to our original design. He gives 100% focused attention to guiding us to our place.

If we give him our allegiance, if we surrender to his purposes for us, if we walk with him in fellowship, we are in a position for his work in us, and through us, to occur.

Whether we find our place or not, whether we walk in it or not, if we return, and cross the bridge, if we give him our allegiance, if we walk in the relationship he has set us in, he views us in the identity he gave us before creation. We are also a beloved son, and he is pleased with us.

Our identity is who God designed us to be. Our identity is who God proclaims that we are.

God's Control

When times get difficult, or troubling, people remind themselves that God is in control. What they mean by that is: God knows what is going on; he doesn't like it anymore than we do; and he is going to correct it to how he designed it to be.

All true. But it seems to me, that he does not always exercise his control like we expect him to. At least, he is not exercising his control now like we expect him to. If you read Revelations about how this world will end, and how he will bring a new world into existence, it seems that, at that time, he will act overtly, and openly, to correct what is broken in the world. But, now, he seems to act in a more hidden, and subtle, way.

In the East, a group of men, who study the stars, see an especially prominent, especially bright, star in the night sky. They study, and discuss it. They decide that it is a sign that a very important king has been born.

If you know that something gigantic, something historic, something that will totally revolutionize the world, was about to happen, would you go to witness it? Evidently, these wise men thought something really big was happening, and they should go and see it.

They planned, prepared, and set out on a long trip. Some estimate it was a two year trip, because of what happens later. But, the star stays in the sky, guiding them the whole way.

They see that the star guides them to Israel, and near the capital, Jerusalem. So, they assume that's where the new king is. They gain audience with Herod, and tell him about the star, and the new king.

Now, Herod is very jealous. He has executed his wives, and his children, because he thought they were plotting to overthrow him. So, he was worried about this new king.

He got as much information from the wise men as he could. And got them to agree to come and tell him about the new king, when they found him.

Now, Jesus, Joseph and Mary are in danger. If Herod kills his own children to "protect" himself, he would have no problem killing someone else's child.

But God is in control. He could put on a size 500 boot, and stomp Herod. He could send an army of angels. He could teleport Jesus, and family, to Egypt. Instead, he warns both Joseph, and the wise men, about Herod, and urges both to escape. And, through the wise men, he provides gifts to Joseph, so he can support his family, while they escape.

Why does God work this way? Maybe, because Jesus, and we have a certain mission, and a particular role, which requires we have particular mind-set, attitude, and life-style? And this mind-set, attitude, and lifestyle fulfills that mission and role, better than a size 500 boot?

God Sometimes Sends Surprises

In Scripture, Isaiah prophecies that God will send his Promised One into the world. And the birth of this Promised One will be a miracle.

Biblical prophecy draws a map concerning the Messiah. We have a map, so when he comes, people will be able to recognize him. One of the more unusual prophecies, the Messiah's mother will be a virgin. In other words, in a world where babies are born all the time, and, in order for a baby to be conceived, there must be a mother and a father … in the case of the Messiah, there will only be a mother.

Or, if you take a step back, the father will be God.

Muslims have a hard time with this. They say that God would never have had physical relations with Mary. I highly doubt that there has been any Christian ever, who believed that was the way it worked. God, who made elephants, whales, and robins, as well as men and woman, is perfectly capable of creating one seed, and one egg, putting them together, and then teleporting the resulting zygote into Mary's body.

What amazes me more than the biological miracle is the sociological, and psychological interactions of the people involved.

First Mary.

Here is a normal teenager, hanging out in her room — maybe listening to her favorite tunes on Spotify, while looking at pictures her friends posted on Instagram — when an angel appears in the room. Imagine the range of emotions racing through Mary: amazement, curiosity, fear, confusion. Or maybe none of those. Maybe peace, calm, and wonder.

The angel tells Mary that God has a job for her. She will be the mother of the Promised One. And the angel gives a summary of what this baby will accomplish. Mary points out that with every other baby in the world, a father is involved. The angel says God has that covered. And Mary believes the angel. There is no confusion, denial, grief, or anger. There is acceptance.

This is an unusual woman. God has just turned her world upside down, and inside out, and she does not flinch, she does not blink.

Then Joseph.

Mary is pregnant with Jesus by the Holy Spirit. And she is beginning to show signs of being pregnant. And, like Mary, like everyone else in the world, Joseph knows that baby making involves one man, and one woman. In that culture, a betrothed couple were considered to be married, just not living together yet. So, logically, Mary had been unfaithful.

That culture took being unfaithful very seriously. Women found to be unfaithful were often stoned. That is, everyone in the village threw rocks at the woman, until she was dead.

So, Joseph, facing what looks like his wife being unfaithful, and all the emotions that involves (sorrow, embarrassment, inadequacy, anger, confusion) and knowing what the rules and penalties of his culture were, has an amazing response. He should be calling for Mary's stoning. Instead, he is seeking a way to end the marriage, but in a way where Mary avoids the anger of the community. He gets sucker-punched by his wife, but seeks a way to give mercy.

Of course, the angel comes back, and appears to Joseph. "Hey, Joseph! You know that crazy story Mary told about the Holy Spirit, and the baby being the Messiah? We, guess what, it's true!"

And Joseph believes. God has just turned his world upside down, and inside out, and he does not flinch, he does not blink. He marries Mary.

We have two people, who, in terms the world understands, were not much. But, in terms God understands, they were two amazing, rare, and unusual people.

The Bottom Line

A scribe asked Jesus how to get eternal life. Jesus turned the question around, and asked the scribe what he thought. The scribe responded: "Love God with all you've got. Love people like you love yourself." And Jesus told him that he was correct.

When gets to the bottom line of Christianity, it is all about love.

Paul writes that a person could be the most accurate prophet in history, speak/pray/sing in tongues, have the Bible memorized, and believe that Mt. Rushmore would be transported to Disney World — and it was, but if all that is not motivated by love, it would be worthless.

And if these things need to be motivated by love, what does that say about any practice that people who follow Jesus do? All spiritual practices should be motivated by love: prayer, reading the Bible, evangelism, going  to church, and giving to support any work.

Spiritual practices should only be an expression of love, but they should also be an arena for growing in love.

We should connect with our Father, who is love, who washes us in love, who will tweak our spiritual DNA, so we will think, speak, and act more with love.

We should read the Bible, so our Father's mind-set, attitudes and values become our mind-set, attitudes and values.

We should be involved in Christian community, because God did not design us to be alone. God did not design us to be transformed by interaction with him alone. We are also transformed by travelling with others on the same, but also different, journey.

He gave us the metaphor of his people being a body to illustrate how people are different, but how each one contributes to the health, well-being, and growth of the whole body. Together, we all benefit form the other parts. God joins people together to further increase love — among his people, and from his people to the world.