IQ #240 "Embracing the Scars"

This is a special edition InnerQuest that I could not wait a week to share with you, because there may be someone who needs to hear them now.

 These are not my own words, but as the years add up with my own experiences packed inside them I can relate.

So many young people are dealing with issues right now that are crippling their zest for life. Being able to bring them the answers they seek can show or own limitations as well. We go to God in prayer. We read scripture to reveal God's Love and compassion for those who come to him. We empathize with those that are hurting and show them that we love them and care for them. But, if there were words that are biblical in nature yet said in a way that encompasses our hope, our need for understanding and encouragement, this older gentleman's expression on the experiences in life are the words worth hearing.

With the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the love of God in my heart. Amen

Papa John 8:29:15

IQ #239 "One God. One Body"

Greetings and blessing to all followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Blessed be to God who gives us breath and life to embrace this day.

It is that time of year when marching bands across the nation begin the ritual of entertaining a gathered group of people in the middle of a dollar’s worth of football plays. These halftime shows remind me of the fictional Atlanta A&T University marching band’s motto in the movie, ‘Drumline’; “One band. One sound.”

The band prepares itself to perform, not as a bunch of musicians doing their own thing, but as a complete united unit with a purpose to look and sound as one body. If the band’s motto is accomplished, then those who witness the band will be inspired by their focused conformity and musical tribute.

As a follower of Jesus Christ and a disciple to His ministry, it has come upon me in the past week that if we as Christians were to have a ‘motto’ it should be, “One God. One Body.”

John 13:34-35

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This new commandment was put into a hymn that I have always enjoyed singing:

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord. And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

I love this commandment and it is great how we can sing about it, but it saddens me because we don’t get it. We haven’t grasped the real meaning of this love Jesus is referring to. Love your brothers and sisters that are followers of Jesus Christ, not as the world views love, but as God loves us as one body of Christ.

As Jesus prepared his disciples for the time when he would no longer be in their physical presence He prayed for them, not the world, as the world is the battle ground where the forces under Satan’s power and God’s authority are at war. Hear in (John 17:13-19) where Jesus asks in prayer for the immeasurable joy of living in intimate contact with Him be found in each disciple, and for the protection and sanctification of his disciples, for the benefit of future believers. (John 17:20-23)

John 17:13-19

¹³ “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Cleansed of the impurities of this world and made holy by God’s sanctification these disciples were filled with the truth of God’s Word, God’s love, God’s power to arm them with all they needed to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world, just as Jesus was sent into this world. They were one with God.

John 17:20-23

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prayed for all believers, then, now and all those to come, so that we may all be as one, Just As Jesus and God are one in each other. How fantabulously awesome is that! ”that all of them (You and I) may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

God created man in his own image, a reflection of who God is. But man, tarnished by the evils in this world, lost sight of that image. God’s love for us, his created image, is so strong that he sent Jesus to forgive us and free us from the curse and evils of this world, sanctifying all who believe in Jesus, purifying each believer, so that God could be seen in his created image again, and given the promise of eternal life with God.

Think how incredible that would be if all believers truly Loved the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds, and love each other as God loves us, then whenever non-believers come up to us they see the presence of God in ALL believers faces. “Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love. One God. One Body.

Papa John  8:27:15 

IQ #238 "Sing Like Never Before"

To God’s redeemed people and all who seek His truth: Joyful peace, grace, knowledge and wisdom to all from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, who freed us from our curse and sin, and the Holy Spirit who lives inside all who call His name.

As I was looking for inspiration for this week’s IQ and remembering our recent discussions on distractions, I started looking over some key verses I keep on hand and Psalm 103:2 stood out as did the entire chapter. Then I started singing 10,000 reasons in my head.

“Bless the Lord oh my soul Oh my soul. Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before Oh my soul. I'll worship Your Holy name”

After composing my thoughts for about an hour I decided to check my ‘sometimes’ smartphone for the scripture of the day. Lo and behold Psalm 103:17-18 were the verses. When God speaks it is best to listen, then act.

Psalm 103:2

^“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—“

Because of God’s grace and the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, worship the Lord’s Holy name; give praise and blessings to the Lord every day. It is all too easy to let the distractions in our daily lives push out our time with God. Remember to keep your focus on God and to not forget his benefits. By doing so, you will have meaningful and successful lives.

Read all of Psalm 103 and bask in the knowledge of our God who; forgives all your iniquities, heals your diseases, redeems your lives from the pits this world puts you in, crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, and satisfies you with good so that you are renewed like eagles.

You may have many excuses why you lose focus on God, but the Lord gives you 10,000 reasons and then forever more for keeping your heart on God.

Worship His Holy name and sing! Sing like never before!       

Papa John 8:14:15

10,000 Reasons  Matt Redman Youtube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM

IQ #237 "Who is Your Paul?"

To God’s redeemed people and all who seek His truth: Joyful peace, grace, knowledge and wisdom to all from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, who freed us from our curse and sin, and the Holy Spirit who lives inside all who call His name.

I am well aware of the challenges we face in our search for God’s truth and living a Christ centered life, when we hear about and witness the hypocrisy that is shown outside and inside the Christian church walls. This flawed type of behavior hiding behind the Christian moniker has been in the church since it began nearly 2,000 years ago, but it should not deter anyone from seeking out the truth on how and who God wants us to be.

Broken from birth, it is with hope in God’s loving grace and faith in Jesus Christ we can be made whole. Life can make sense and have meaningful purpose.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

After Saul’s conversion the apostle Paul spent the remainder of his life witnessing and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone he saw and by way of his letters. Paul, now seen as a threat to the old Jewish laws and customs, was arrested and imprisoned, persecuted, beaten, stoned and shipwrecked during his evangelism and teachings of God’s Word by way of God’s risen son, Jesus Christ. Yet, through all this torment Paul kept his unshaken faith in Christ in order to seek out and witness to those who did not know Jesus. He also needed to remind those who earlier committed to Christ, but failed to keep their vows, that following Christ’s ways leads to life, any other way leads to certain death.

Paul knew that people are easily distracted and have trouble believing in something or someone without seeing any physical proof, so he told them to imitate him, to follow his example, because he followed the example of Christ, who gives him strength and God’s power.

1 Corinthians 4:14-17

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.¹⁵ Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

There are many people, social networks, and multitudes of media outlets in your life that cause conflict in you knowing the true God and building a strong lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

Who is your Paul?   Who is the person or people in your life where the presence of Jesus can be seen in them?

Even with a ‘Paul’ in your life, you need alone time with God, just you and God. Jesus created open access to God through his crucifixion and rising from the grave, to give you a direct line to the almighty Father. Connecting personally with God will bring clarity to his purpose and plans for you. He gives you his Word. 

Let your heart be filled with joy of knowing and having Christ in your life.

Papa John 8:7:15