Here’s Elijah, his heart is for setting Israel on the right track. That’s his prayer.

Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again. (1 Kings 18:37)

“…and If I included that in my prayer, I thought for sure God was saying, ‘Yes, I agree’”

Boom, no rain in Israel for 3 1/2 years, that is big. God is whisking him here and there all over the place protecting him, he eats food from ravens, awsome stuff.

Elijah thinkings, “God is doing something big!”

Then, he gets the “call”:
“Go, confront Ahab!“
“woohoo, here we go!!!”

And man, that showdown on the mountain, insane, just incredible.

Elijah freaking outruns a chariot in a rainstorm off the power of God, his heart is at its peak of praise and wonder and finds, to his utter dismay, that the kings heart has not turned.

“i have failed, i have failed!”

But what is God’s plan?  I think Elijah did exactly what was required of him.

He eats one meal and goes to Mt. Horeb (I think Sinai) and waits there. The word of the Lord says, “Elijah, what are you doing here?’ “Well, everybody is dead. I’ve failed. I’m am all that is left”

The word of the Lord tells him to go outside and stand on the mountain in the presence of the lord
and Elijah is in a cave, and the next thing he knows wind is ripping the mountain to pieces, and then an awful earthquake (probably terrifying being in a cave during that), and then a fire sweeps over the mountain, all mighty things going before the Lord. Elijah hasn’t left the cave until he hears a small voice, and then he goes out before the Lord, and the Lord asks Him the same question, and Elijah gives the same answer.

I couldn’t sleep thinking about it!

God practically turns Elijah’s world upside down with the drought and the sacrifice and the super human speed and the typhoon and the meal that lasted 40 days and 40 nights and the God who’s presence rips a mountain to pieces with fierce wind, shakes it in a mighty earthquake, and burns it in fire, yet speaks in a small voice.

I sometimes don’t expect that. Only when God whispered–came down to us–did Elijah emerge from the cave.

In the midst of failure and flight, God gives Him a new mission: Go, anoint kings. They will kill the prophets of Baal, and if they escape then the other king will kill them, and if that king, then the prophet in your place, and look, not all have bowed to Baal. I have reserved 7,000, you are not alone.

So God here is really doing what he seems to often do: Going the extra mile to show, to everyone and to us, that he is right and just in his action.

The story maybe is about who He is.

I agree. He is longsuffering

I’ve never met God like i met Him today in that chapter. “He knows we are but flesh.”

There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel — that will stand.¹

I can only say AMEN! to that, as it brings much comfort to my soul.  Almost anything is fascinating to me, and thus I can quickly get wrapped up into planning a project–but usually only a few of these actually stick.

1. Proverbs 19:21

Lew and I read some Psalms together on Tuesday (I worked Swing Shift that day: 3 PM to 11 PM, nice for quiet time from 7ish to 2:30!).

Came across: “Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3

Cultivate… Like farmers.

Cultivate… I love the word; it brings into our vocab and thus actions that of fostering, preparing, tending, and maybe just a bit of coaxing. Remember that children’s book, “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever”? Two mice (unbeknownst to each other) feed this one pumpkin sugar water each night… turning it into the largest ever.

Each farmer has at least a couple good tricks up their sleeves. I keep exclaiming, “How did he figure out that?!” while reading Holzer’s different methods.

Faithfulness: The Scriptures mention this most in relation to the Lord, so it only makes sense that when I see this in MYSELF it has come through the Holy Spirit¹.

We see Father Love and come to the rescue in accordance to His Faithfulness, and also exact Justice and condemnation based on His Faithfulness.

He is Faithful to Who He Is, and What He Says He Is Going To Do. We are Faithful to Jesus. (one definition states: True and constant in affection or allegiance to a person to whom one is bound by a vow.) Praise God that “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself…“² because “He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us…“³ “as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.“⁴

Cultivate Faithfulness… in whom?

Myself, to Others and In Others.

Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the LORD
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.⁵

Also read John 15:1–17. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, the kind of fruit that endures…”

1. Galatians 5:22
2. 2 Timothy 2:13
3. 1 John 3:24
4. Ephesians 1:14
5. Hosea 10:12

Currently I’m reading books about Agriculture. One is “Sepp Holzer: The Rebel Farmer”, another is “Edible Forest Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture.” As you can probably tell from the titles, the first is completely down-to-earth, while the latter has alot of “vision” and 50-cent words; but still is fundamentally changing how I look at growing food. That said: I have very little knowledge about growing food in general, so this isn’t surprising!

I’m seeing the complete truth in the above mentioned proverb. This earth is teeming with life! Watch videos such as Greening the Desert & Farming With Nature — Permaculture with Sepp Holzer and one can literally see the potential. As I read Holzer’s book the injustice highlighted are civil servants who won’t Listen and Observe nature, but rather impose regulations as they were written. Add all the rest of mankind’s rebellion against God to the mix and you see what we have today.

I see plenty of “let’s create the perfect world/humans through gardens” but seriously, I’m ok with putting up with (ignoring) that to learn a bit about neato agriculture. This earth is coming to an end, and when it my time to GO (Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus) I’ll be more than glad to drop my plow and go to that country that I’ve been waiting for.

In the middle of all this I started to feel that frantic feeling, you know, the kind that comes from self-entitlement. Self-entitlement has absolutely no place in the life of a Christian! The life I live is not mine!

As this feeling arises I sit down, waiting for the computer to finish backing-up… :: oh, I might as well stop being rushed and read Chambers while I wait::

Here’s what he has to say (which put the nail in the coffin on THAT feeling of entitlement):

“I have been crucified with Christ.” Galatians 2:20

The imperative need spiritually is to sign the death warrant of the disposition of sin, to turn all emotional impressions and intellectual beliefs into a moral verdict against the disposition of sin, viz., my claim to my right to myself. Paul says — “I have been crucified with Christ”; he does not say — “I have determined to imitate Jesus Christ,” or, “I will endeavour to follow Him” — but — “I have been identified with Him in His death.” When I come to such a moral decision and act upon it, then all that Christ wrought for me on the Cross is wrought in me. The free committal of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the chance to impart to me the holiness of Jesus Christ.

“… nevertheless I live.…” The individuality remains, but the mainspring, the ruling disposition, is radically altered. The same human body remains, but the old satanic right to myself is destroyed.

“And the life which I now live in the flesh … ‚” not the life which I long to live and pray to live, but the life I now live in my mortal flesh, the life which men can see, “I live by the faith of the Son of God.” This faith is not Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ, but the faith that the Son of God has imparted to him — “the faith of the Son of God.” It is no longer faith in faith, but faith which has overleapt all conscious bounds, the identical faith of the Son of God.

Quite fitting for Good Friday Emily also pointed out that the Gyros Sandwich that we ate today is also quite fitting.

I like it when God speaks. One idea and my mind changes. It is renewed. He ACTUALLY renovates it. As one comes into a room and starts arranging, cleaning, dusting, fixing broken drywall, replacing burnt-out lights, and throwing junk out, so God reaches into my mind and tweaks it. Sometimes alot.

Today God spoke. With one idea he corrected my entire line of thinking on a subject.  Previously I could turn it over and over, considering the options: now shut.

Let’s see if I can be even more vague next time

Peter quotes the above at Pentecost, confirming what the Jews see happening: Men speaking in other tongues, as God gave speech.

It is prophesied of Jesus in several Gospels that he was the one that would baptism (immerse) in the Holy Spirit and Fire. It happens in Acts 2 (read it!). Power From-On-High comes down and indwells these ragamuffin group of disciples. We see them working miracles and great signs, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead… speaking in tongues, interpreting, prophesying, revealing the secret of men’s hearts… the Holy Spirit giving this one a word of wisdom, this one a word of knowledge, to another faith, to another the ability to distinguish spirits!

We see God filling positions in his body: First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.We see God’s children coming around and worshiping Jesus: each one bringing something to the table that builds up the Church: each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, as a tongue, has an interpretation. As one is gifted, let him wisely and zealously make use of that gift in the body.

“The stuff” doesn’t just happen in Acts or overseas… it happens HERE as well.

John preached a immersion of repentance/reformation/change-your-life/stop-sinning-and-live-right/ for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus said that “… repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

It takes both. Better is open rebuke than hidden love…

1. Visit the helpless (orphans, widows, etc) in their affliction,
2. and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Go ahead and put away all filthiness and what remains of wickedness, and in humility receive the word (Jesus) that is able to save your soul, and lets prove ourselves to be doers, real, those who obey.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

That is the Christmas story. JP and I read through the first several chapters of Matthew and Luke Sunday. Some amazing prophecies Joseph and Mary heard of their little baby boy.

From God’s heaven to a manger, From great riches to the poor, Came the Holy Son of God, a little Child; From the azure halls of heaven to a lowly manger stall Jesus came, and He gave His life for all.

Redeeming love, a love that knows no limit; Redeeming love, a love that never dies; My soul shall sing through-out the endless ages The adoration of this great love on high.

From a loving heavenly Father, To a world that knew him not, Came a Man of sorrows Jesus Christ, the Lord; In my wandering Jesus found me, Touched my life with His great love, And this Babe has grown to be my Sovereign Lord !!

Redeeming love, a love that knows no limit; Redeeming love, a love that never dies; My soul shall sing through-out the endless ages The adoration of this great love on high.

Redeeming love: This is the kind we need. The kind that radiates from a cross, which flows in Jesus’ blood. Not the kind that one finds at feel-good “Christmas services” (where organizations rake in the dough). I was listening to NPR the other day, and they advertised a upcoming news item about pastors adjusting their message for the holiday visitors. Tickling their ears? Have to, in order to pay the bills…

Come Lord Jesus! Have mercy on us!

 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:36–38

We need some workers. Call this my prayer request, ok? For myself to be dedicated/passionate (but patient as well) to do the things Jesus did. For others to be brothers and sisters in this. Pray for it. For those missionaries out in the boonies, and also for us in our neighborhoods.