"HEAD KNOWLEDGE"

    "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship

            of sharing in His suffering, becoming like him in his death, and so 

                    somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

                                             Philippians 3: 10-11

     Greek scholars tell us that when the apostle Paul wrote about knowledge of Christ, he often describe a head knowledge or an intellectual comprehension. But in Philippians 3:10 when Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ, he used a different word for "know." He meant a knowledge of the heart, an experiential fellowship of intimacy.

     When Paul wrote Philippians 3:10, he used the word "know" in the old Testament sense of the word, such as when Adam "knew" Eve or Abraham "knew" Sarah. As intimately as a couple would know one another physically, Paul wanted to know his Lord spiritually. This was a desire to fellowship with the Lord throught direct experience, not throught mere head knowledge.

     The apostle Peter echoes this desire in 2 Peter 1:4 where believers are told that we "participate in the divine nature." In other words, believer have a share within and portion of the Lord Jesus.

      This is how up-close and personal your spiritual fellowship with the Lord is meant to be. Not a head knowledge. . . But a heart knowledge.

        

         Take time to participate in Jesus. Taste the Bread of heaven.

          Drink deeply of the Living water. Be the branch that relaxes

          In Him, the Vine. Get to know Him through direct ecperience,

          Not merely through intellectual comprehension.

          Lord of my life, You have shed Your blood for me, dying on the 

          Cross so that we might have intimate fellowship. Forgive me 

          When I only demonstrate a desire to know about You, rather

          Than truly know You. I echo the apostle Paul when I say today

          That desire to enjoy a close and personal union with You.

           

"Invited to breakfast"

                            "You, O Lord. . . . Know the heart of all."

                                               Act 1:24 NKJV

          Most people wake up to an alarm clock ringing at an appointed hour rather than to a rooster crowing in the barnyard. But for the apostle Peter, the crowing rooster on the early morning of Jesus' crucifixion was a "wake-up call" it woke him up to who he really was. In Peter's worst moment he had denied knowing his friend and teacher, Jesus. He wept bitterly over his betrayal, and must have felt terrrible and shame afterward.

         Then one morning after His resurrection, Jesus appeard to the disciple, who were fishing at the sea of Tiberias. He called out from the shore and asked if they had caught any fish. The disciple didn't recognize Him and called back, "No." Jesus told them to throw the net on the other side of the boat, and the catch was so great they were unable to haul it in. Now they knew the man directing them was Jesus and headed ti shore.

         When the disciple got there, Jesus invited them to eat with Him "Come and have breakfast," He said. In the dawning hours of the day, the resurrected Jesus cooked breakfast for them.

         How do you think Peter felt when, after the greatest failure of his life, Jesus wanted to spend time with him, eat with him, and even help him fish? Jesus sought out the disciple who had let Him down when he needed him most. Moreover, He called Peter to lead His followers.

         Like Peter, there are experiences in our days that serve as "wake-up calls" to who we claim to be. Those "wake-up calls"  come in the form of opportunity to compromise who we are and what we believe. How do we act when others aren't around? How do we handle situations that can violate our integrity? To live a compromised life is to deny Jesus the same as Peter did ( see Titus 1:16 ).

        It is always important for us to spend time with the Lord, but when we need to come clean in our heart, it is especially important. Jesus always invites us to fellowship with Him, He always forgives. 

        Whatever mistakes or compromises we made yesterday, Jesus still loves us today and says, "come and have breakfast with Me."

          

"A GOOD SOLDIER"

"Endure hardship like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."                                                                      2 Timothy 2:3 (KJV) 

If the Bible were filmed as an action-adventure movie, the script would read like this: The King most trusted officer turns renegade and gathers a powerful army around him to lead a rebellion. Through treachery and deceit, the rebel leader usurps the authority of the King and sets up his own rival government, enslaving the citizen of the kingdom. In order to free the captives, the King sends His own son into the heart of enemy territory with a battle plan shocking than anyone could imagine.

  Sound exciting? You bet. because you, as a Christian, are written into the script, you almost feel real bullets zinging past your head. The ceaseless warfare is being waged not only for your heart and mind but for the lives of millions of others. The stakes are high. The consequences are eternal. The story, thanks to the Author, has a great ending: the Son has won the victory. Your adversary may try to intimidate you because you live behind enemy lines while here on earth, but the whole universe knows the truth. One day the Son will be crowned the rightful King of Kings, and the entire kingdom will come back under His domain. God has given you a battle plan to invade the Davil's territory and retake earth under the banner of your Lord and Captain. You can't fail; God battle plan is perfect. That's why you must endure hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Good soldier neither question their commanding officer nor desert the conflict. You've been groomed for Active duty, so be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

The end of the war is in sight!

"Getting to Know ALL of God"

       "And I pray that you bring rooted and establidhed in love may have

           power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long

              and high and deep is th love if Christ, and to know this love 

                that surpasses knowledge thst you may be filled to the 

                               measure of all the fullness of God."

                                        Ephesians 3 : 17-19

       When I think of God the Father's special gift to us, I think of His plan of salvation. The Father was the one who came up with the idea. That's why I often spend time worshiping in reverence and respect 

       Other times in my prayer, I think about God the Son and His special gift to us of grace. Jesus is the one who followed through on the Fsther's plan of salvation. And my response? Gratitude that He's my Savior and and obedience to Him as Lord.

       When I dwell on the Holy Spirit and His gift of strength and encourage of heart, I remember that He's the one who gives us assurance and joy. That's why I take care not to grieve, quench, or oppose Him.

       Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I am filled to the measure of all the fullness of God as I commune with each member of the Trinity. It's a glorious way to experience a full communion with the Lord and thereby discover hox wide, long, and deep is the love of Christ.

       

       God desires to fill you to the brim with the fullness of His love. Although

       Ephesians 3 : 17-19 says that such love surpasses knowledge, we can 

       still enjoy His love's fullness as we still enjoy His love's fullness as we 

        enter into a complete and well-rounded communion with the Father, Son

        And Holy Spirit. 

"IT AINT OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"

 "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carring seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
Psalm 126 : 5-6

Do you know the story of "The Little Red Hen"? She kept breaking her back to bake this cake. None of her friends would help, but she didn't let that stop her. Finally, the cake was finished, but all her friends wanted a bite. But she said "No way I work on this cake; now it's my time to enjoy it."

    My son, Noah, was the same way. I warmed him of a coming flood and told him to build a huge boat. So he got busy. Only one problem up until that time, it had rained once on earth. Also,  Noah was landlocked. There was no water in sight. His friends thought he was an idiot; but when the flood came, they all drowned

    What a promise! Think of it. When you sow in tears, what a marvelous and abundant return you will enjoy on your investment. "But," you may be thinking, "when have I ever gone pot weeping, carrying seed to sow?"

    If you ever reached through an invisible wall of pain to embrace God with willful thanks, you have sown in tears. If you've ever been rejected by a dear one and yet turned the other cheek  in love. You have sown in tears if you have patiently endured physical affliction, or responded in love through a difficuly marriage, Psalm 126:5-6 could be your life verse.

   Think of the pain young Elisabelt Elliot must have felt as she continued to serve as a missionary to the very South American indians who had murdered her husband! Truly, she sowed the seed of God's Word in tear, but oh, the song of joy that ring from the millions who have been touched by her testimony.

  When you hurt physically or emotionally, it's hard to muster a patient or godly response. Pain has a way of screaming for  our undivided attention. But when you either offer a Of praise God in the midst of your hurt, or respond n faith to a heartbreak or hardship, you are sowing in tears. Take Heart, for one day God will reward you with sheaves of joy All because you  were faithful through tear

So if I tell you to do something, just hang in there and do it believe Me. You'll be glad you did!""""

          

"God Starts what he finished"

      "I cry to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me."

                                               Psalm 57:2

       You ought to see how many half-finished drawings and paintings I have in my art studio. They are piled everywhere. I get an idea, render a few quick sketches, and then my attention gets diverted perhaps a different art project was overdue or I was up against some other deadline. Occasionally, I get back to those stetches but, more than likely, they get thrown onto a pile in the corner.

        Half-finishes pastels. Almost-complete painting. Not-quite done watercolors. I have an idea I'll never place any of them back up on my art easel.

        I am so reliever my Creator doesn't approach things as I do, God always finishes what He begins. He completes every purpose. He fulfills every intention. God has a long way to go in my life, and I'm grateful that He hasn't finished with me yet.

         That's why I cry out, asking God to fulfill His purpose for me. Yes, He is still on me to become a better decision-maker. He's chiseling away at my thought life, hammering at my tendency to daydream. He's honing and shaping me, giving grace in tough times to praise Him rather than to pout. That's why I pray, "I don't want to be a hakf-finished, not -quit-complete disciple, Lord; I want you to fulfil your best intentions for me."

        Don't ever think God gets distracted from you in order to attend 

        to some other child of His who might be more obedient or worthy

        Of His attention. His attention never diverts from you for a single

         Moment. His touch in your life is constant, unchanging, sure.

" The Spirit of truth"

       "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you Into all truth. 

         He will not speak on his own; he will speak. Only what he hears, and 

         he will tell you what is the yet to come he will bring glory to me  by 

                     taking from what is Mine and making it known to you"

,                                            John 16 : 13-14

        Have you ever crammed for a "now or never" exam? On the Bible? Unless you're a seminary student probably not. But suppose you were thrust into such a situation? You'd probably panic

        That's no doubt how the disciples felt the evening they enjoyed the Last Supper with the Lord Jesus. Up until the end, the evening had been warm and personal there was even that touching moment when Jesus washed their feet. But the mood shifted when Jesus spoke strange words to Judas, "what you are about to do, do quickly." Judas left and from that point on,  the tone of the evening changed. It was as if the Lord realized He had pressing things to say and only a short time in which to say them.

        He spoken about vines and branches, peace and persecution. So much packed into the few hours! How would the disciples remember it all? Jesus knew their dismay. But the Lord also knew that everything would become clear. That's why He promised the' the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would be a teacher and guide.

        Are you any different the disciple? Not really. Sometimes you feel that 

        God is pouring million-gallon truth into your one ounce brain! But the 

        Spirit will help you to understand. He will bring God's Word to your 

        mind and memory, making all things clear.

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