Following Jesus Son of God …

(Psalms 90:10 NKJV)  The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Speaking with a friend of mine today on the phone.  One thing led to another and we discovered why people don’t live for hundreds of years anymore.  We have been all wrong with our theories.  It wasn’t the changing of conditions on Earth after the flood.

Let me explain.  I had asked Mike if he ever wondered aloud: “Why has it taken me fifty years to learn ____________?”  Just fill in the blank.  Why does it take me so long to pick up on some things?  And then I joked:  That must be why Methusaleh and all the boys must have lived so long.  It took that long to “get it.”

But Mike had a better theory:  They never did “get it” so God made the cut-off at seventy years.

We had quite a chuckle.  We could just hear God:  “That’s it.  You could live another four-hundred years and still not get it, so I am setting the general limit to seventy years.  Seventy years and ready or not, you’re out of here.”

So to those of you who have other theories:  Sorry about it, but I think Mike and I pretty much have this one figured out.

Yes, I heard a lady say it: She believes in talking donkeys.

(Numbers 22:28-30 KJV)  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?  (29)  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.  (30)  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

Now I know that this person  was making an allusion to her faith in God to do the miraculous.  But do we  really need to hype our faith to make it compelling?

No.

But many Christians have to muster up some excitement for their walk with God to be worthwhile, whether it is a Revelation study, have a Sunday School contest, worshiping worship instead of God, whatever we do to whip ourselves into a frenzy.

Some people  become infatuated with all things Jewish, learning Hebrew expressions, marching around their church or the property blowing a shofar (ram’s horn), looking for mystic keys in the OT that will awaken or invigorate our faith.

But if we are looking for a gadget or a hook to keep ourselves interested or to get someone else interested, then we show that we don’t know what we have in God, his words and a relationship with God.

If you have to hype it, whip it to a frenzy or make it more exciting, then you might not have it.

And you may end up like Balaam — talking to your ass.

Wow!  I was getting ready to say how I had written those words several years ago.  Yeah, right, several years ago.  How about around thirty years ago?

One of the first songs I wrote:  “I’ll Run Back to My King”

When I see my fellow man, on a journey through this life,
When I see the sin, the misery, the strife,
When I see a brother’s outstretched hand, crushed in flight,
My heart can’t stand the pain, and my eyes can’t see the right,
I’ll run back to my Lord, I’ll run back to my King, I’ll run back to my Savior,
And my heart and soul I’ll bring.

And for all of my inconsistencies, and my sinfulness, I still can’t stand to see the pain of life in another person’s eyes.

This drives me on, but can you imagine the pain of heart the Perfect One experienced.  If I, being a converted rebel and enemy of God, one who ran to sin and not away from it, if I can feel the pain of this world to a degree that I am compelled to bow before God and offer my self to help. . .

Can you imagine the deep pain the Perfect One, the ultimate Person of compassion felt?

(Matthew 23:37 MSG)  “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me.

Do you ever see through people?

I don’t mean the “I saw right through him,” going to put someone in his place, show her to be the hypocrite she is, etc.

I mean God lets you see the person the way he sees them.

You aren’t trying to do this, not trying to be spiritual, or invasive, or condescending. Yuk! None of that stuff. It is just a realization that breaks over you. God gives you a moment as you are going along, trying to follow him, living by faith, caring about the world you live in, and God gives you “x-ray” vision.

A few years ago I wrote concerning “Seeing the good person behind the mask.” You can read the entry at the following link. http://www.archive.iag.itsaboutgod.com/home2.html

Jesus saw through people with a heart of compassion.

(Mark 10:21 NKJV) Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

The man had all the right answers, but Jesus saw into the window of his soul. “One thing you lack.”

Loving God and loving our neighbor will bring us to this place where God lets us see through the force fields, the impression shields and see the fragile nature of the people around us.

Not to damage or destroy, but to try to bring life, to try to build.  To warn them about the lion that wants to devour maybe.

Sometimes the person God brings into our lives intends to wound, break or destroy us. But when we are operating in the same world as God is, living his words, owing nothing but love, then the teeth are removed from the attacker.

I don’t know how many occasions God has transformed the human adversary into an object of my compassion. I went from being ready to fight, rising to the conflict, to seeing the person, in God’s light, seeing me in my world as God sees me and seeing this person as God does.

And I can’t harm or bring hurt. Even the pain that is successfully inflicted by the other person becomes strength and peace in my life. God doesn’t wave a magic wand. He just transforms our lives my renewing our minds with his perspective.

Joseph said: “You meant it for harm but God meant it for good.”

Sometimes it seems we know everything, and then sometimes it seems we know nothing.

(1 Corinthians 8:3 MSG)  We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.

The people around us.  They are vulnerable and fragile.  Look at the following definitions:  easily broken, open to attack.

vulnerable

• capable of being physically or emotionally wounded
• susceptible to attack
• open to attack or damage
• capable of being wounded or hurt

fragile

• delicate: easily broken or damaged or destroyed
• easily broken or destroyed

Sometimes I see it in their eyes.  Don’t make too much of this, but sometimes through the eyes if God’s Spirit is close, sometimes we see deep inside the other person’s “impression shield.”  You know, the walls we raise, the facades we construct to give a certain impression of ourselves.  We all do it.  It’s how we survive.

But sometimes if we aren’t paying so much attention to ourselves, their impenetrable shield becomes nothing, invisible, and, poof, oh my, we see right inside them.

It happened to me today.  A young man at work, strong and impenetrable on the outside, maybe even obnoxious, but there I was it seemed, looking into his soul.

And I was able to be a helper.

But it made me think:  How vulnerable we all are and what a dangerous place to live. . .this Earth.

(1 Peter 5:8 GW)  Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.

This is pretty cool.  Think will do with the kids in church in a few weeks.

Check it out.

YouTube – Cartoons By Chris Rice

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