Following Jesus Son of God …

First my decision to “go Mac” …

“I’m a Mac” as the commercial goes; have been for the last maybe four years.  Very pleased with the decision after years of grumbling about the snotty “fanboys” on the Apple side.  I always thought their products were overpriced and overstated.  But not so  over the long haul.

Several things contributed but possibly the first was the way iTunes worked.  As they in Apple-land say, “It just works.”  First my wife’s iPod and then mine.  “Hey, this might not be so bad after all.”

Another contributor – I had had it with buying a new computer with so much junkware already on it.  I am not speaking of spam and viruses, although that was also a big factor in my choice.  I am speaking of the junk that comes on a new computer.

And possibly the biggest was ease, reliability and power for my music and video.

ALSO I was eased into my decision with the development of virtualization software.  I was able to take my entire Windows XP setup and transform it into a virtual machine with vmWare Fusion.  In simple terms, I could run my Windows machine on my Mac.  I seldom use it now but still have the access if I need to run or test something on Windows.

And now to iCloud …

And this is basically to any iOS 5 users out there.

I have used an iPhone 4 for the last year and love it.  I mean this thing is great.  When they say “there’s an app for that,” it is so true.  Amazing computer that fits in my pocket.

As with 25 million others thus far, I upgraded to iOS 5 last week.  I am still just scratching the surface but am very pleased after working out a couple kinks.

And … so far iCloud is great.  I make a change in my contacts on my phone or on my Mac and go to the web and voila … there it is.

Seem to also have a performance boost.

On to OS X Lion …

I love Lion.  Have been some quirky issues but this is one powerful OS.  Launchpad is great.  Has gotten some bad publicity but it is quick, powerful and looks great.   I have several separate desktops set up in Mission Control and this is very powerful.

I love technology.  Saying it out loud so go ahead and put me on your prayer list.

Anyway, that’s all for now folks.

It just leaps off the page when my “Dad” reads to me …

We all know how special it is to read a book to our children.  I can remember as a young boy my dad reading the “Sunday funnies” to me.  So great.  The “funnies” as we called them came to life.

Sometimes our Abba Father does that.  As we read his holy book, his Spirit who lives in his children, “reads” to us.  Personal.  Intimate.  Father and son.  Daddy and daughter.

God talking …
I am speaking of the words of God coming from God.  He speaks to us if we allow him to do so, if we quiet ourselves long enough to hear what he actually says.

This is different than mere Bible reading or Bible study.  This is setting ourselves down before the presence of God and listening with the intent to honor him with our response.

This is when the words of our Bible will be delivered to our hearts by the Spirit of God his own self.  That’s what I’m talking about.

And I stand amazed that God does this for me, his former enemy.  And I worship.

This is a read-your-Bible-promo post …

Some things that grabbed me as I read this week, leaped off the page and sunk into my heart.  Things that made me smile deep inside and thank and praise God.

God’s word does that if we let it.  And, yes, I’m talking to you.  Do you give God the opportunity to leap off the pages of Scripture and grab your attention and usher you before his presence in eternity?

Plain language – Are you reading your Bible?  And if so, are you listening and bowing as you read?

When God speaks …
These are the times when the things we already know become new, when words written with ink on a page live and breathe in our minds and hearts, new insights wash over us as we are in process – reading faithfully, responding reverently.

In other words, God speaks.
That is what is supposed to happen when we read his holy words.  You think he might have had a plan?  Hello.  God speaks to us.  He has been doing this since the creation, since he walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Had volumes written down so we could know what was on his mind and hear his voice.

It isn’t always flash and excitement …
Sometimes, maybe often, we plow through the holy text, doing our duty, following the discipline we have established over the years.  It is not all leaping and grabbing, so don’t pretend it is.  No.  Do not pretend God is speaking to you if he is not.

If it is not sincere, then it is not divine …
Drawing near to God with our lips is one for the “really bad idea” category.  Our hopes and dreams stay within the confines of our humanity.  We can come up with some really good ideas, just not God’s ideas.  So we don’t see our lives in the context of the divine.

• Isaiah 29:13 (NCV)
  The Lord says: “These people worship me with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship is based on nothing but human rules.”

So here are a few things God brought to my attention this past week as he visited me on my lunch break and broke through the mundane with his words of power and truth.

The promise of life …

• 2 Timothy 1:1
  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus.

It just kind of hit me as I read – “the promise of life.”  All the promises that are made concerning life, happiness and fulfillment, but only God speaks the truth.  Jesus – way, truth, life.  Wow!  Right there it was, old and new at the same time.  So fresh.

A holy calling …

• 2 Timothy 1:9
  Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.

Saved me, called me with a holy calling.  Not just a special calling, but a holy calling, a calling that I believe I can accurately say originated in the throne room of the One Most Holy.  God’s calling on my life that he will complete according to his purpose and grace through Jesus Christ.  Jesus really did “pay it all.”

Brought to light through the gospel …

• 2 Timothy 1:10
  But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Death has been brought low by Jesus.  The greatest bogeyman, the great fear, the impending dread and doom abolished by the Son of God if we only believe his gospel. Good news indeed.  And our questions and pursuit of immortality?  Again the gospel sheds light on the age old mystery of life and forever.

Be strong in the grace …

• 2 Timothy 2:1
  You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Not just be gracious or be nice and courteous.  But no matter how dark the corridor or how bright the sunlight, be strong in THE grace, that would be the grace of Jesus.  What an asset we have as we seek to honor our Lord and what a privilege that we can drink his grace again and again.

Don’t wrangle about words …

•  2 Timothy 2:14
  Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

(Wrangle:  A dispute or argument, typically one that is long and complicated.)

• Paul is not saying – Don’t study, don’t define terms and meanings of words.
• Paul is saying – Don’t play with the words.  Don’t quibble.  Bow down and tremble.  Don’t entertain ourselves with the power of the word of God and not submit to it.

Instead of wrangling, stand in the presence of God.  But too often our Bible study merely reflects our rebellion.  Our convoluted answers form a smoke screen for our disobedience.  To our ruin we make complicated the simple.  We rationalize our disobedience through self-willed interpretations that find their roots in the dark hearts of humans not bowed before God.

Humans come up with human answers and solutions.  Humanity, even the best of humanity, apart from divinity only leads to ruin.

There is a way that seems right …

To him be glory forever …

• 2 Timothy 4:18
  The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Maybe I don’t wow you but God should.  What a package delivered to us in the salvation that Jesus  bought and paid for.

• Rescue from evil
• Brought safely to his heavenly kingdom
• Glory to God forever and ever

Words of a song I wrote a long time ago:  “Heaven is a real place, eternal life, you’ll see.”

And it is real.  More real than we can know or imagine.  In Jesus Christ we will be brought safely into this amazing kingdom that God calls heaven.

Amen!

 SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF POST FOR VIDEO

• Acts 16:30–31
  He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

This isn’t quite finished but pretty close.  The contrast I will try to demonstrate with the  video and song is this:  Millions of voices through religion, philosophy, psychology, etc. over the thousands of years of Earth history have been telling us what is most important.

For over two millennia since Jesus Christ came and went the “noise” and confusion have continued as most people probe the meaning of life apart from God and his Holy Book the Bible.

But God speaks with amazing clarity and power in answering the “one question” we all need to ask and answer.

• What must I do to be saved?

Here is the sequence I want you to hear:  Noise, noise, noise and then two words, one  of them a name.

• Jesus saves!

So who do we listen to?  The occupants of the planet or the God who created the planet.

We are flooded with information through a technological explosion, but are we hearing the voice of God, the only voice that ultimately matters.  Even as Christians, we sometimes listen more to each other (and ourselves) than we listen to God.

I love technology.  I am somewhat of a geeky person.

But nothing compares to hearing the voice of God.  Nothing brings perspective and peace like hearing from the Creator.

Where you hear the piano come in is where I come in and play and sing my arrangement of an old, gospel song – Jesus Saves!  Hopefully over the next few weeks I will post the entire song.

Two words our world needs to hear:  Jesus saves!

• Put video together with Logic Studio, iMovie, my Mac Pro and my iPhone for anyone interested.  Clips are recorded TV from iPhone with various effects filters.

In our study, our research, do we allow the information we find to change our direction?

OR

Do we only pursue and receive information that fits the direction we have chosen?

It doesn’t really matter whether we are speaking of research in a secular field or Bible study.  We have a decision to make in our study.

Will we honor the process?

For the Christian, the question really becomes – Will I honor God and his Word?

Not lip-service recognition extolling the authority and inspiration of Scripture, but allowing these proclaimed truths to live and actually submitting ourselves to the authority of Scripture.

Just ask yourself – How can I ever know God’s thoughts if I never allow his words to change the course of my life?  How can we promote the life-changing word of God if we never allow the words to change us?

Dramatically change us …

If our theology is on target, that is what we are talking about.  The dramatic rethinking of our lives daily; transformation via the word of God and the Spirit of God.

• Romans 12:2 (NIV84) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Want to follow God?  Then follow.