Oregon Christmas 2017: Photos and First Thoughts

What a wonderful time I had in Oregon.

I enjoyed connecting with my Dad and his wife Patty. I looked back over the year, and I noticed that this was my second flight up here! I am glad that I have not been shy about flying up to see my parents.

If I factor in last year's Thanksgiving celebration, I have been to Oregon three times, and I am getting a slightly better feel for the city and the region. It's hard to take in sometimes, but my Dad lives at least an hour and a half south of Portland. That is pretty far away.

I got a taste of how bad the traffic can be along on the I-5 corridor, too!

Of course, that was the drive up to Portland International Airport on December 26, the day after Christmas, which is going to a hectic day no matter what.

I loved the country and fields along the state highway, though, and took some videos and photos during the drive to my Dad's home:

Here's the video of the golden trees along the I-5 South:

I saw a Trump supporter driving down the street in Albany, too:

Here were Christmas Decorations in the city of Albany:

I was so tired Christmas Day though. I could not believe how quickly I conked out. We visited Patty's brother and family on another part of the city. It was ice.

What can I say about Oregon?

It's pretty cold up there! It's not freezing most of the time, and Christmas Day was particularly special because the sun came out!

Even the sunset was nice, even though the sun came down around 4:40pm that Christmas Day:

But it was cold up there! Coming back home, I really appreciate the warm weather I get to enjoy down here in the South Bay.

I don't want to every live, no matter how bad or how crazy it gets politically, legally, or culturally.

Look To Him Who Has Been From the Beginning

My father's wife asked her grandchildren a great question about Jesus and Christmas:

"Christmas Day is Jesus' birthday. How old is he?"

One of her granddaughters, and my neice, Avery said "600 million million!"

How about 200?

Then I said: "He is ageless and timeless!"

Indeed.

No matter how tough times may be before us, we need to remember that He holds our times in His hands.

"I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father." (1 John 2:13)

How we have fatherhood, how we have maturity before God, we have it be seeing His Son Jesus.

It's all about seeing Him who has been from the beginning!

He declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).

He has everything taken care of everything in our lives.

It's time that we see Him as the one who holds everything together for us!

Christmas 2017? A Time of Intense Rest

I love being with my Dad and his wife, my step-mom Patty.

Oregon is a unique place, indeed. It's so green, so lush. They live in Albany, where they have a such a small-town feel, yet there is a lively spirit in so many others, too.

My Dad encouraged me to see the visit up north as a chance to rest. Boy was it a rest for me! I could not believe I tired I had gotten at different times during my stay up here.

Christmas Day was particularly interesting for me. I was up and ready to celebrate with the rest of the family.

Then I found myself just absolutely fatigued by about 2pm. I visited a friend of the family in another part of the city. Within an hour, I just tumbled into a deep sleep. I ended up napping for about an hour. Mom, Dad, and I returned home, and there I just could not keep my eyes open.

I ended up falling into a deep slumber again, then woke up around 2am, then went back to sleep. I just do not like being tired, since I don't get to write or anything else.

For the past two months, there have been some sleepless nights and some early mornings, earlier than expected. I guess all that fatigue caught up with me. 

Resting is indeed one of the hardest things for me:

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."(Hebrews 4:11)

I am glad that I could rest, though. I am also glad that everyone in the family is doing well, too. Oregon is growing fast, as more people from other states are coming here for the lower cost of living and doing business.

With all of this written down and recorded, I am glad that this Christmas turned out to be a time of intense rest!

The Darkest Hour and Christmas Time, 2017

In some ways, this is a dark hour for me.

A dark hour of sorts, since I am currently celebrating Christmas in Albany, Oregon, where the sun doesn't shine. It has been gray or dark since I landed at the airport Friday morning. I wish that the sun was shining. I want to see the sun again.

It's also dark because for the first time in my life, I really have no idea where I am going. I had meditated on this situation in my life earlier this year. My Dad and I talked about it, and he reminded me of Abram, later Abraham, who just took God at His Word and went where he did not know where he was going. Even know, I think of the most overlooked miracle in the Gospel of John (6:21), in which the disciples willingly received Jesus into their boat, and they immediately got to where they were trying to go in their own efforts.

Yet I have no heart nor head for where I am supposed to be going at this point. I want to have a family now, too, but I don't have a decent, substantive career right now! I had worked in a grocery store for nearly three years. I liked it, but it did not provide enough in terms of income every month When I got a new job at the marketing firm, I was set ... really set. I paid off my student loan debt. I had the time to go to major events in other cities. I could still participate in activism, write, and make a difference as a club leader and movement director.

Here I am now, Christmas 2017, and I have no idea where I am going. The whole set-up is like a bad case of Romantic Irony. This author is making fun and having fun at the expense of his own characters, and the characters know it very well. "Where are you going, Arthur?" as I, Arthur, write these words. It's like confronting the last chapter of The French Lieutenant's Woman. What are we going to do with you now?

I am hitting a real brick wall on working, too, since I have not had to wake up and go to a steady job since early March! I had saved up enough money, and at one point I had drawn from unemployment. Now, I cannot even draw from that for some reason, I do not know why.

This is the lowest place one can be for someone on the outside looking in. I no longer have a working car, but I have had to rent a car for the last three months. I do not have a steady, stable income at this time. I don't know what kind of job to seek, and especially a job which will cover every need and expense as the previous job I had was able to.

I don't have a penchant for pursuing journalism as a career anymore, either, since more people are entering the Independent media field on their own, and the professional media class is losing work as fewer papers get sold, fewer advertisers seek print media, and more journalists get laid off as a result. Where is the money in this industry? It's gone at this point. More people are going to get into the business of reporting on everything around them, and they will do it as a matter of fact and fancy. It will come naturally to everyone to report, just like breathing.

It scares me a little not having a clear pathway forward. I want to have a clear sense of hope about the next step. Maybe it's time for me to place more of my hope in Jesus alone. I need to depend on Him as the Person who cares for me and holds the world together for me. Hope has to be invested in a Person:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1:27)

That sense of hope, that sense of expectation right now is not every strong in me. It's strange, but it's true nonetheless. I want to have more, so much more to look forward to, and right now, it's pretty darn bleak to my natural eyes.

I mean, I am facing a criminal trial because of my decision not to give up my right to attend a public meeting in the city of Huntington Park! On top of that, there's the the small claims action I am pursuing against the city for arresting me without cause.

It has been a light and busy year, but with dark moments in it.

Recall when Jesus sent the disciples before Him after one of His Sermons:

22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary." (Matthew 14:22-24)

Because of the contrary winds striking at me at this time, this next verse carries significant weight for me today:

"And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." (Matthew 14:25)

The number 25 is significant, since it speaks of grace (5) multiplied by grace. 14 is signification because it speaks of double perfection (7 + 7).

The rest of this account continues as follows:

26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." (Matthew 14:26-27)

They saw Jesus as Spirit this time, and they were at peace that He was there for them!

Jesus was born into a dark world, and at the darkest time for the nation of Israel. Yet Jesus was the light of the world while ministering on earth, and He remains the light of the world to this day!

Albany, Oregon: Christmas 2017

Oregon has a darkness about it that does not exist in California, even though the Golden State has become decayed with abject progressivism.

California may have its cold moments in the winter, but it never gets below freezing. Ever.

Oregon is cold. It rains a lot. It's very humid in the air during winter, too.

It gets so dark at night, too. I have not seen the sun out since I landed here in Portland this past Friday morning. That's something that I cannot get too comfortable with, I must say.

I wanted to come to see my Dad and his wife, and it's good to be able to celebrate with family on the holidays. I have spent time alone on the holidays before, and it's not always fun. A sense of unhappiness can take over when one is alone on the holidays. Now that I am here, I wonder if I did the right thing. My Dad didn't pull punches with me. He intended to take it very easy this Christmas season, since he is going through intensive cancer care. I am a little sad about it, in that I haven't been able to do a whole lot with him, Patty, or the rest of the family. My niece Avery and nephew Ethan

This area is not a very welcome place in itself. The city of Albany has seen rapid population growth, no doubt about it. Californians are fleeing their high-tax, high-cost state.

I see a lot of working-class Americans here in Albany. They remind me of rural areas, especially in the high desert and the Central Valley in California.

There are a whole lot more white people in Oregon, too, than in California. I did see in one part of Albany, though, a church with signs in Spanish. Most of the young people working in fastfood restaurants and the managers for the same are white!

It's pretty surprising, not that I have a problem with men and women of different ethnic backgrounds helping out or working in service jobs or other industries. It's just that in California, there is so much illegal immigration overwhelming the state, and most of the illegal aliens are of Hispanic origin. One gets concerns when entering certain cities, where the vast majority of the people living and working in the area are Latino.

It's so cold here. It's so dreary here. Oregon is not a bright place. Gray, black, and green are the three colors which best describe this place.

I am so glad that I live in California. It's vibrant, it's alive. There is green, brown, red, blue, lots of colors, and the beaches are great, too. The weather is never too hot or too cold where I live, either. Right now in Albany, OR it is 33°! It's barely above freezing, while in Torrance, CA, it's 71°. Imagine that! The coldest point in the evening in Torrance is still warmer than the warmest point of the day in Albany!

Despite the weather, the city is growing!  Albany is very special, in that people have a nice mix of rural and suburban all at once. This city is going through that kind of a transition as we speak. The city's population has grown steadily over the last seven years. In 2010, there were 50,158 people. As of now, there are around over 53,000. That is a significant uptick in the number of people entering the city.  Four major freeways and highways pass through the city. First, there's the I-5, the same I-5 which travels right down California, specifically through Los Angeles County. There's the 99E, Interstate 20, and the 226 State Highway. There's a lot of manufacturing and farming in this area.

From what I can tell, the manufacturing boom has gotten big again. Thank God for Trump!

People in Oregon are quite unique, too. I have found that most of the young people are into the goth or the alternative look. The grunge Northwestern scene is still kind of strong, if not lingering here in the Northwest. Men and women walk around without jackets! They wear plain shirts, and some people wear shorts and flip-flops outside in this cold weather! Or course, there are plenty of people wearing skullcaps, snowcaps, and many men where flannel shirts, too.  I can't believe it. This kind of weather takes some getting used to, doesn't it? For people who are born here, it's not that hard, I guess.

Indeed, I know that there are lots of Californians up here. At the Carls Jr. here in Albany, the manager running the evening shift told another customer that she was from California. She was even planning on going back to Southern California next year to go to Disneyland. That's a perspective I don't take into account that often. I have Hollywood and Disney practically in my own backyards, and yet I never think about going to them that often. I suppose most people end up missing something close by only because they can't get to it right away. Even though the amusement park is within one hour of my home, I still don't want to go there. It's too expensive, and I don't like the cultural contours of Disneyland now. Besides, who wants to wait in line for hours only to go on a handful of rides after an entire day? Everything is way too expensive, too, not just the ticket to get in.

I do notice that Oregon doesn't have a sales tax. The cost of some goods is higher, though, and not paying a sales tax does not make much of a difference. The same meal that I get at the Carl's Jr. in El Segundo, CA cost me a dollar more in Albany!

I think what has bothered me the most about Oregon now is that it's just too cold to go outside. The weather, the rain, the sleet that falls onto the curbs and the grass is just too cold to make going out and about comfortable. I had come to Oregon last year on Thanksgiving Day. It was about 50° in the morning. It was still cool, but more gentle, and I had a great time celebrating since I had gotten a great job and was celebrating the election of Donald Trump to the White House.

It was a lot of fun to be able to purchase a ticket with my own money and fly up to Oregon to be with my Dad and his wife Patty. I even visited the state capitol in Salem.

This time, one month and a year later, it's so much colder and wetter. I am just not ready for it, and I am glad to live in California, Southern California specifically!

I am glad that my Dad is well, though, and that he is happy and at peace in Oregon. He has gotten away from so much of the noise and the setbacks which he had faced in Torrance and then Lomita. He had his life there, but then after my mother died, he met another woman, they got married, and he is living happier ever after. That is good to know. His family has expanded incredibly up here in Oregon, too. He has grand-children that he can celebrate, too!

One of the reasons why I wanted to come up to Oregon? I wanted to spend time with my Dad, to know that he would be OK. I had had some dark times that I had faced because of the many challenges which have suddenly hit me. The thought of losing my Dad proved to be another layer of serious burdens on me that I was not ready to take on. A morbid set of thinking, that's for sure. My father may have a few days, a few years, or decades ahead of him. There is no reason for me to get sad or jilted or out of place.

My heavenly father is already watching out for me, so why should I get upset or fearful?

For now, these are my reflections about what is happening for me this Christmas season. Stay tuned for more comments soon!

Keep Hearing and Hearing God's Word

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

None of us have a full grasp of God's Word, and there is something new which God's living Word can show us.

For the longest time, I found that I was not listening diligently to God's Word. I had gotten so busy with doing other things, writing, blogging, activism, looking for work, etc.

I need to keep hearing, too.

"And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee." (Exodus 15:26)

and then

"Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day." (Deuteronomy 15:5)

and also

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:" (Deuteronomy 28:1)

Then we find Romans 10:17: Faith comes by hearing and hearing.

"Hearken diligently" in the Hebrew is literally "hear hear", the verb printed twice to form an intensive.

We need to keep hearing God's Word.

We need to see Jesus in the Word, keep receiving the strong and growing testimony of His grace and peace in our lives.

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:22)

"All These Things Are Against Me!" -- No, They Are Not

"And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me." (Genesis 42:36)

It's really easy to chuckle when reading this passage. Of course Joseph wasn't dead. Not only was he alive and well, he was reigning as second in command in Egypt.

Simeon was not dead, either. In fact, he was held as a promissory captive, if you will, so that the sons of Jacob would return to Egypt with Benjamin. No one suggested that Jacob was going to lose his son.

He had indeed lost Joseph, at least for an extended period of time, since all of his sons (except Benjamin) had deceived their father Jacob about his death.

Jacob and his sons were the only men on earth who possessed a covenant with the Living God. He assuredly promised to care for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to deliver to their progeny the entire Promised Land. Nothing could hold back this essential promise. Nothing.

And yet ... Jacob looked at the all the hardships he was facing, and he concluded very succinctly: "All these things are against me."

Yet they were not.

This is the hardest lesson for me to learn. I guess I have not quite gotten there yet. Funny, but true. At this time, I face significant challenges on many fronts, and frankly I don't need to delve into details about it. Pastor Joseph Prince invited me and others to consider how Jacob must have felt in the midst of these incredible hardships. We know the story, so we can sit back and laugh.

But what if we are the ones who don't know what's going on? What if we are the ones who seem to think that everything is going against us? Can we rest in the promise that God our Loving Father is taking care of everything? Do we really believe that He holds us with both hands, and that He hangs the world on nothing? (Job 26:7)

I must admit that I find this calculation very difficult to accept. I want to have some idea of where I am going. Abraham wandered in the Promised Land, not having any idea where He was going (Hebrews 11:8), but He trusted that God was indeed guiding him.

The same Abraham who had not one child born of his lawful wife Sarah is today a father of many nations, and I am one of his children!

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

There is something in me that wants to rush God, to get Him to hurry up, too. I fear that there is a passage of time that I cannot recover from, too. That kind of thinking, of course, merely implies that He doesn't have everything figured out behind the scenes. We rest in Him, and we can take knowledge of the truth that He is working--actively, continuously, right now--in us, both to will and to do for His good will and pleasure (Philippians 2: 12-13)

As I write this post, I recognize how arrogant the assumptions become when we think that we--that I--have to hustle because God the Father, my loving Daddy God is not on the job. That kind of thinking belies the truth of who He is, for God is love, and He desires that I prosper and be in health (3 John 2).

God is at work behind the scenes. It is not my job to figure out what is going on or why. There is no benefit in my trying to get any idea as to where I am headed.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is He not?

Jesus Offers Us Life, Not Just Liberty

This is an interesting concept I was meditating on today.

Jesus came to mankind, taking on human form. He wanted us to receive everlasting life (John 3:16).

He was clear about his intentions and desire for us:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

What is the number one priority here that Jesus declares?

He wants us to have LIFE!

He wants us to have an abundant life, too!

Notice that He does not say "I have come to give you liberty."

That's not to say that liberty is not important. He came to offer us liberty, certainly:

"18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)

Jesus came to set those at liberty who had been imprisoned, who had lost their way, who were in bondage to sin and death. If we are honest, all of us fall into the category. All of us are dead in Adam when born into this world. In Christ Jesus, He takes us from death to life, and we reign in His life (Romans 5:15-17)

Jesus Himself announced His role in our liberty:

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

and

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36)

Paul writes about the Holy Spirit, and how through Him we have liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Freedom matters, but the most important thing is LIFE!

What's the value of liberty if you are sick? What's the use of having choice when there is no capacity to choose, bound to sin and shame?

Righteousness sets us from the destruction and death of sin, both in our flesh and in the world.

With God's gift of righteousness, we receive life, and with it the incredible liberty to submit ourselves joyfully to God's goodness and grace--and reign in life!

It's all about life, His life, and not just liberty, not license:

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

Liberty is a means, not an end. I think this necessary concept escapes many in our culture. Liberty is not important with God's love for us. Liberty means nothing if we have nothing to do or have. There is no reason to move on or to act independently if we do not know who made us or what we were made for.

Jesus is Our Life, and He offers us His Life, Himself!

There is still so much I am learning in this regard, and there is more to come. It's about Himself, it's about His Life, not just liberty.

Year Review, Social Media, Leaving Facebook

                  

Before the year's end, I wanted to share with the greater public about what's been happening over the last year.

It's been a roller-coaster of opportunities victories, set-ups, settings, and set-backs.

I got arrested, but I also got honored.

I went to DC and connected with staffers, but also challenged elected officials. I saw the demise of the Democratic supermajority (again) in California.

President Trump has continued his MAGA Agenda despite setbacks from Republicans and Democrats in Congress and around the country. Republicans picked up one special election win after another. Virginia, New Jersey, and the special election in Alabama were a disappointment, but the fight is not over.

When Republicans pass tax reform next year, we will have more winning opportunities to get the base out there and win, win, win in Election 2018.

On a final major note, yes indeed I am leaving Facebook for good this time, since the platform is content to shut me out without explanation. These egregious affronts to my First Amendment Rights and against Freedom of Speech are all wrong.

They need to be countered, and it's time for us to just boycott Facebook and find other ways to get the word out and fight for what is right!

My Life is Back to a Peaceful Place

In December 2015, I was hired for a great job in a marketing firm.

At the same time, I was working as a writer and active in attending city council meetings and confronting elected officials.

Then came Election 2016, of course, and I also served as the President of a local partisan club. I was a really busy person, to say the least. I didn't have a lot of time to do the things that I wanted to do, but most importantly, I was not reading and meditating on God's Word!

Wow, I look back on the year and a half since I was hired in 2015 then laid off in 2017.

I didn't read God's Word, and I didn't see Jesus, who transforms us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Add to the activism demands the fact that I had grown an incredible, overwhelming profile on Facebook--and my left was just swamped. At one point, I weighted 255 lbs! I was not healthy, I was overworked, tired a lot, doing so much, and facing many heavy demands on my time.

I still remember staying up to 12 midnight in one city council meeting, then having to get home to sleep and prepare for the day! I was not used to having to wake up at 6:30am, since I had worked night shifts and late afternoons at my other job!

It's good to take a look back the way things had been. I loved my job, and I was sad that I had been laid off. It opened up a lot of time for me to go full freelance as a writer, blogger, and activist. People were willing and ready to donate to me to help me be their voice in the fight against corrupt city councils and lawless elected officials. It has been a great ride.

I am definitely ready for something more stable, though, and I see now that many of the most competing and ever-present demands in my life have gone.

For about a year, I served as the California Director for MassResistance. I wanted to fight against the destructive LGBT hate machine and stand up for Biblical truth, which sets all of us free! We witnessed measured success throughout the state, even though some really bad legislation managed to pass. The worst bill yet, SB 1146, would have essentially shut down every Christian college in the state. The bill faced immense opposition, then ended up being watered down to a massive notification requirement.

Earlier this year, I ended up quitting as CA Director for MassResistance, since I found it difficult and time-consuming to line up enough people to go to key events. Once, I wanted to demonstate in solidarity with the Mexican People against homosexual marriage. I stood outside of the Los Angeles area Mexican Consulate, but no one had showed up despite plenty of advertising and outreach to get other pro-family advocates to come. Even the Spanish media arrived, but one hour late!

UGH!

I could see that this movement was not as strong as I had hoped--at least with me in charge. Moms and Dads throughout the state of California are engaging like never before to take care of their children and take back their education. One couple in South Orange County contacted me because of something I had written on my blog about MassResistance. They didn't even know that I was the CA Director! It's pretty clear that there is a growing movement in the state of California to stop the LGBT abuse machine, and that someone else can lead the fight better than me.

I was glad to release that responsibility. MassResistance is kicking LGBT butt all over the country, especially Texas. The pro-family movement is revving up like never before in the Lone State State, so much so that the RINO Speaker of the Texas State Assembly announced his retirement earlier this year. More winning!

After leaving MassResistance, I had to weigh the options of staying on as President of the Beach Cities Republicans. I found that other activist groups were working out well for me, and that more people were joining the fight from that angle. There was no further need for me to stay on with the Beach Cities Republicans, especially since the time demands were growing. I found it more difficult to find speakers, as other clubs are facing similar challenges. I wanted to use me to time and focus for other engagements. After two years, I saw a growing number of people joining the club, paying dues, and getting involved in their local communities.

My work was done, and Peter Michel, the previous Second-VP, was ready to take over. Now people call me Chairman or President Emeritus. Funny!

Then another "setback" occurred two weeks ago. I was working on my back-up Facebook account, and then suddenly I was shut out! The program informed me that I had violated the community standards, but refused to inform me how! I was blocked from my back-up account. I tried to open up a third account, and that one was shut down within two hours.

Before all of this, I had been blocked from my original account, one which I had opened five years ago! A week after being shut out of my back-up, I discovered that my original account had been disabled entirely. Unbelievable. No more Facebook, no more live videos, nothing.

And yet it's all worked out very well for me. I'm glad it's over, and I am glad that the door has been closed for good. Facebook was turning into an overwhelming time-suck. The high volume of calls, direct messages, contacts had overtaken so many other pursuits and interests in my life. I can't believe I had spent so much time on that one social media platform. Even Facebook has admitted that it can harm users' health.

It could not have happened at a better time. Glad to be gone, and glad to have my life in a peaceful place. I am reading God's Word again. I find more time to meditate and remind myself of His promises.

I can see him clearly in the boat with me, just as Jesus was asleep in the boat during the storm and watching out for and caring for all of us during the hardest as well as easiest times in my life. Things are looking better, and I am trusting Him to put me in the right place at the right time!

Seeing and Expecting Great Things from Jesus

Over the last few months, I had a sense of loss and bewilderment.

Where was I going? What is going on? I had this sickening sense of being lost without any real direction. I had been here, before, that sense of going nowhere and having nothing to look forward to.

I even lamented my current status, without the regular 40-hour a week job which so many people fight for.

Then I talked with someone, and he reminded me of Abraham:

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." (Hebrews 11:8)

Abraham, didn't know where he was going, but He knew the One directing him to the Promised Land, and He trusted Him.

Faith is not about believing something to make it true. Faith is about placing our trust in Someone because He is true:

"Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised." (Hebrews 11:11)

I had also learned that even when we know where we are going, it's still not enough to quell our fears. In Mark 4, the disciples cried out to Jesus: "Don't you care that we are perishing?!"

Of course Jesus cared! He quieted the storm with one word, and then reproached His disciples for their lack of faith.

Their reaction is beyond telling:

"40And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:40-41)

Notice that Jesus asks the disciples why they are fearful--and they get more afraid!

They still saw Jesus as some man, a great man and wise teacher, but just a man nonetheless.

We need to see Jesus as our Savior in all our situations. We need to see Him as someone who is not only with us in every storm, but ready to calm the storms in our lives, ready to care for us, not just watch over us.

That's what it means for us--that we need to expect more things from Him, to see Jesus as our loving, caring, wonderful Savior!

Magnifying the LORD

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." (Psalm 34:3)

I have heard many times that "magnify" does not mean that we have to make God bigger.

He is already omnipotent and all-encompassing.

It means that we place our focus and attention on him.

I further realized that it means that we stop making problems in our midst the focus, the attention on our minds.

I was looking at my status in life, and I had found myself comparing myself to others.

I asked questions about the future, the past, and I wondered if I was on the wrong track or if I needed to find a different path.

Once again, now that I look at the last two weeks, I realize that I was making my future bigger than God. I was making my concerns about tomorrow and the next day more important than God Himself. He who has been from the beginning Jesus Christ.

It's time for us to recognize that there is nothing, absolutely nothing to big for Him.

We need to spend less time worrying and wondering about tomorrow--as though he can't handle it.

We need to stop thinking that our future is just an amorphous mess over which He has no power. None of this is true.

We need to stop making our problems seem larger than they are. They simple are not.

"My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me." (Psalm 31:15)

My Heart is Changing--He is Renewing My Mind

For the last week, I realize more and more how much God loves me.

I learned the importance of taking God's Word at His Word and not running away from it.

Paul prayed earnestly that we would understand how much God our Father -- our Daddy! -- loves us.

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)

Paul wants God our Father to strengthen us on the inside, that our inner man can handle how much He loves us.

That Christ would be at home within us.

That we would be

Rooted

and

Grounded in love - His love. Not our love for others, but God's love for us!

His love for us!

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3)

and

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

and

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)

How about this?

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

How about that? So much love for us to learn about!

The sheer extension of it is beyond  our grasp:

"20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

God's love for us exceeds anything that we can ask or think.

There is so much to know, and so much to learn about God's lavish love for us.

For this reason, we have to have our minds renewed to the truth of how much God loves us:

"2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12: 2)

and then

"18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18)

We are renewed, we are changed as we keep seeing more of Jesus, and we see how much our Daddy God loves us in heaven!

So much has indeed begun changing within me. There were so many lies which I used to hold onto, a sense that the burning sense of love that He has for me would come or go, and that I was constantly punished for how I felt or what I was thinking. God our Daddy has been on call since the beginning.

The one problem? I didn't know it!

NOW I now!

His Lavish Love for Me!

For the longest time, I feared losing something, missing out.

I feared that the sense of warmth and love I had felt from others would disappear or last only for a moment. The fuel for every human being is love. We live on love, and we were created in the image of Love, i.e. in the image of God:

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26)

Notice that it was God's plan for us to rest in His image, in his standing.

When man sinned, every descendant of Adam was born in Adam's image:

"3And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth" (Genesis 5:3)

Now, in spite of the fall of Adam, we receive life, redemption, and a new identity through Jesus Christ, and we reign in life (Romans 5:17).

God is love:

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

Then

"And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

We were created out of Love and to be loved!

What is so hard about receiving this?

Sin, and the lie which led man into sin, that somehow God man's loving Creator was holding out on him.

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5)

God was not holding anything back, but had granted everything to Adam and Eve, including dominion over all the animals. Freedom cannot mean anything, however, unless there is a choice made, and for that reason in part God permitted on tree in the garden which was not for them. It was a good tree, just like everything else which God had created, but the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not for man.

Yet God so loved us, that He had prepared in advance to send His Only Begotten Son Jesus to save us and grant us everlasting life (John 3:16).

This is a love which ensures that we are cared for in unprecedented ways, just as God shared through His prophets the love that He had for Israel, even when they were in outright sinful rebellion:

"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Genesis 31:3)

That's a love which belongs to me!

Jesus loves ME!

God loves me just like His own SON!

"15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:15-17)

Joint-heirs with Christ, beloved! How about that?!

And there's more:

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)

We live in Him, and we live because of Him!

But the clearest statement of God's love for us, that He loves us just as much as He loves Jesus:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

As Jesus is, so am I in this world!

What lavish love!

In fact, John writes that right to the point!

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

That unconditional love is essential to every one of us. We absolutely need it.

Solomon the King wrote:

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned." (Song of Songs 8:7)

We cannot give one thing for love. The more that we try to give God something, the more condemned we find ourselves. There is nothing that we can do to earn God's love.

It's a gift!

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:9-10)

God gave His Son, God gives His love.

It's time that we started receiving this love.

Now, the revelation which has grown more widely for me. Like many, I had struggled from within and without on key concerns. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life (1 John 2:14) will well up in every one of us if we do not know the love of the Father.

There are addictions, bad habits, bad behaviors which weigh on us--and I knew that there was something about God's love that I still did not understand, or there was something that I was believing that was all wrong.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)

Then it occurred to me looking back over many years ago. I feared losing the connections of certain people in my life. A sense of panic had set in, that I was going to lose something, lose my chance to make key connections with key individuals. This sense of panic that set in would linger within my mind, and I wasn't sure that I could function with it swimming and churning within me.

I thought that I was alone, and I needed to have that sense of love, that sense of warmth through my efforts. I had to be connected to the right people, the right person, and if I missed my chance, then I would lack something.

How wrong I was. I was caught up in so many storms during that time, overwhelmed with a sense of loss. I never realized how active God's love was working in my life and for me. I didn't understand this love. I didn't understand how all-encompassing it is.

That sense of fear, that sense of loss, that sense of longing was so strong. I had this desperate need to get rid of the feeling.

This sense of longing can play out as a lack of sexual fulfillment in our lives. We think that we are going to lose out on on peace and rest within ourselves.

This sense of condemnation was so strong in my life, that I was going to "miss out", that I was not going to know the kind of love and caring which I had received from certain people in my life. That sense of panic was great on so many levels, too. I had no idea how much God was loving me as His child, as His child for years, for decades! I simply did not know!

It's amazing how much those lies, and the damaging, crippling emotions which follow them, can keep us in such bondage. When we unpack the lies, when we understand that any sense of condemnation is false, since there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), we find ourselves with greater freedom and love to be loved--and in turn love others.

We never fear that we are going to miss out on intimacy, love, or fulfillment in our lives, because God is on the job loving us!

"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Romans 5:5) His love is shed for me, even when I am not obedient, even when I am failing.

I am not responsible for thinking one way or another in order to feel at peace, or to feel loved.

Sometimes, I thought that I had to "settle" for God's love than the goodness of certain people. Isn't that crazy?! God's love is way better, of course! Far surpasses anything that man could do for me, or what I can ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20).

The one thing that had lingered in me with a sense of loss, though, was that I was missing out on something. That sense of "If I let this or that go, if I fail to connect with this or that person, I will miss out" never made sense. God was interested in my emotional and intimacy fulfillment all the time! He does not want to deprive me at all:

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."(3 John 2)

He was intimately interested in me in every way, and I never had to worry that my right feeling or wrong feeling would cause me to fail or do wrong in some way. I think that was the part which had brought me the greatest bondage. I would get so caught, so emotionally distraught about certain people, and then I feared that I was missing out on even more.

The truth is, it is not job to seek love, but to RECEIVE LOVE!

His Lavish love for me! And this love is a great gift shed abroad in my heart, which I in turn can then release to others!

It's no wonder that Paul prays:

Thank you Jesus, for your love!

Place the Cross in the Midst of Your Bitter Moments, and Jesus Makes Them Sweet

I have learned so much about God's love for me. I am starting to realize more and more that His love for me was always strong and available.

We can take our Daddy God's Finished work and place it within the most bitter moments in our lives.

I remember before graduating from high school, how I had endured intense pain and hurt in my life. I was lonely and lost. I also struggled with intense shame because of what my mother had done to me when I was younger.

An intense of fear and shame had overwhelmed me. I could not understand why, and what was going on in my life at the time. The sense of hurt, the impending sense of fear and loss, that I was doing something wrong, and that I would miss out on a strong friendship or an opportunity had so engulfed me.

I look at who Jesus is today, and I see that He is a magnificent Savior NOW, but He had loved me since the beginning!

So, where do we find the type that speaks of Jesus' Finished work, and how we can derive peace and hope and draw peace and sweetness from the hurts in our lives?

Check out the waters of Marah:

22So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.

Notice that the LORD showed Moses a tree. Moses did not have to find the tree on his own, and he did not have to grow the tree himself. God our loving Father provided what was needed.

This tree is a picture of the Cross, our beloved Savior Jesus dying on the tree, taking away the curse of the law against us (Galatians 3:13), becoming sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We can take the Cross, the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, and place what He accomplished in the midst of our worst days, our hardest moments, the most painful times in our lives.

I realize now that God my Daddy was not abandoning me during those rough times. He had always been there, and He was ready to assist, if I would have only allowed him to. Yet even today, I know that God can reach into our past and bring forth blessings and wonders for our present and the future!

Consider the account of Tamar, who deceived her father-in-law Judah in order to have a child (Genesis 38). In spite of the great wickedness of deception, prostitution, and incest which ensued, God blessed Tamar and the two boys born to her (Genesis 38: 27-30).

The blessings are manifold which ensued:

1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 

Judah and Tamar were ancestors of the Great Kings David and Solomon, but most importantly the King of Kings, Jesus!

What else have I learned from placing Jesus into the midst of terrifying times and bad memories?

I realized that there was nothing stopping God's blessings in my life. He was actively loving me, and His life flowing through me had nothing to do with how I was feeling or what I was thinking. I never had to fear or feel condemnation for what I was thinking or feeling.

I would fear losing friendships or losing relationships with individuals. I worried about the loss or the lack that might ensue. Then I realized that because My Daddy loves me, and His Son died for me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20-21), that I had nothing to lose, even if I lost something or someone.

I realize now that He is in the business of blessing me with everything I need and what I want, that I prosper within and without (3 John 2).

This other lie persisted in my mind, too, that I had a limited time to have or not have something. That I needed to rush and ensure time and energy with certain people, or it would be "too late." What I see now is that I did not feel loved, I did not realize how loved I was.

All of that is changing, now, and because I realize how much He loves me (that's right--ME!)

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Notice that Paul repeats "me" twice. There is nothing with appreciating, magnifying God's love for you!

That was Paul's chief prayer for fellow believers:

14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ ... (Ephesians 3: 14, 17-19)

This was a major issue for Paul, that we would understand how much Christ Jesus loves us.

When we understand how vast, how expansive God's love is for us, we can then see His love at work, even in our darkest moments, during those times when we thought we were alone or lost, or that God did not care.

So Much to Be Thankful For (Why Do So Many Still Suffer, Though?)

Thanksgiving Day, 2017.

Not one, but two gatherings I was privileged to attend.

First, with a wonderful, conservative family out in the Moreno Valley area. Then I connected with another couple in the Culver City, West Los Angeles area.

Before this, I had reached out to my father, who now lives in Oregon. He is still holding back stage 4 cancer in his body, but he is not in any pain. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I called my Dad to see if we could arrange for me to fly up there. He was not going to celebrate with a large family gathering at the house this year.

We decided it would be OK for me not to come up to Oregon for Thanksgiving.

I am glad, though, that in spite of that setback, I could celebrate Thanksgiving with other friends of mine, men and women who love this country, who love President Trump, who are glad to live in this free, wonderful country.

One thing that I have noticed, too, is that many people I know have struggled with untold health, financial, familial, and moral issues. It is astounding to me the number of depressing, humiliating stories I have heard from men and women in their upbringings.

Sometimes, I wonder how I have gotten through life without having so much harm and abused inflicted on me. It gives me more reasons to be thankful to live in this great country and to have the life that I have.

Now, I refuse to believe that my life has been easy because of some kind of limited privilege.

Our lives can be better or worse depending on our beliefs and our choices.

I decided to take God at His Word--not AA, a negative cult which teaches people to see themselves constantly behind the 8-ball of alcoholism:

"28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

God our Daddy never intended for life to be one long, miserable dirge of troubles.

Behold what His Son declared to the Israelites of His day, and to us today:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

and

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

I refuse to accept the notion that I have had a smaller share of troubles compared to other people. No one is immune from the hardships of this fallen world.

But what has been the difference for me?

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19)

Indeed, I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I followed the command which Jesus has given to all of us--Believe on Him! (John 6:28-29)

This took a long time for me to rest in, however, since I had been taught to DO so much rather than BELIEVE on Him.

Such was the result of following a cult, AA.

For this reason, the hardships, the pain, and the intense hurt which many people have endured--I have not endured. 

Indeed, if people would just take God at His Word and trust him to care for them, they would find themselves enjoy the promises, pleasures, and provisions of the New Covenant!

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:10-12)

There are many Christians to this day struggling to live, and seeking to thrive. They face nothing but troubles, it seems. Why is this?

They are not receiving the gift of righteousness and abundance of grace. I choose to. It also amazes me that there are so many people who have witnessed so much hurt and hate in their lives. They talk about the massive privations which they have endured, and seem excessively content to talk about all the problems in their lives.

Some people don't want to be happy, I suppose. I think that lots of people would prefer to suffer, like a form of self-righteous penance. None of us have to suffer through this life. We can reign in His Life!

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

Let's be thankful for all the things which Christ Jesus has done for us, and let us continue in gratitude even in times of hardship, when the storms of life threaten our ship of state.

Receiving Righteousness, and the Rest is Added Unto Us

I was meditating on this verse in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew:

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:31-33)

I found this passage difficult to understand, because wasn't I supposed to take care of myself, wash myself, etc?

It's only in the last five years that I have learned what we are men are without Jesus: Dead.

He is our life (Colossians 3:4), and He has called us to receive His Life (John 10:10; 14:6)

Righteousness produces life in us!

"In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." (Proverbs 12:28)

and

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

We do not just receive life, but we reign in life!

How about that?!

Furthermore, Jesus relies on key examples to show how our Loving Father takes care of the birds and the flowers:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26)

The birds of the air are fed by our Daddy God. He cares for us far more than He cares for the birds. WHY? Because He gave His Son for us!

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9)

Notice that God our Father not only set His Son for us, but wanted us to live through Him!

Paul affirms this wonderful revelation, which is still so missing, so lacking in churches today:?

"20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:20-21)

Notice how Paul compares righteousness by faith versus righteousness by the law--which cannot be, since Jesus had to die on the Cross for us to receive righteousness.

Now, at one point in my life, I noticed that I was receiving manifold blessings.

Yet when I came across this passage in Matthew 6:33, I was worried: "How do I seek His righteousness?"

The answer would come to be about three years after that, when I learned what righteousness is all about.

First, Paul explains how we become justified:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-39)

We cannot be justified through ourselves, but rather we are justified because of Jesus.

Then there's Romans 5:17, which talks about how we receive--keep receiving the gift of righteousness. OK, then why does it say in the Gospels "seek" and in the Letter to the Romans "receive."

In fact, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21) We are not seeking righteousness, but we have been made the righteousness of God.

We are as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself!

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement, because as He is, so are we in this world!" (1 John 4:17)

There has been a change, church!

Jesus died on the Cross, fulfilling the Old Covenant and enacting a New Covenant, which He accomplished through His blood:

"Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." (Luke 22:20)

and

"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24)

What was the one thing that had kept me in bondage, then, in those earlier years?

I kept thinking that God's presence in my life would come and go depending on how I felt, or what I was thinking. I was not thinking the right thoughts or feeling the right way, if I did not ensure that my mind was on him at all times, then He would go away and I would have to struggle to bring Him back.

That is outrageous! I cannot be condemned for anything. His peace will never depart from me!

"9For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

"10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee."

God will never be angry with me again!

Why? Because He has granted me His righteousness!

"14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

…

"17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."

"Their righteousness is of me!"

So, I no longer fear for the future, because I know that He is already there, having declared the end from the beginning. I also recognize that my righteousness is not dependent on me. No matter how I feel, no matter what I am thinking, no matter how I may fail or do wrong, He has me in His hand:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10)

Notice that fear is dispelled because of His righteousness!

This was so new to me.

He is my life. He lives in me and around me. I never have to worry about Him being there for me, because He has promised to never leave me or forsake me.

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

"12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."

I never have to worry about failing, because righteousness is a gift from HIM--and He invites me to keep receiving it!

So, now we can come back to Jesus' promise to us from the Sermon on the Mount:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

Every day, I learn more about this gift of righteousness. So much wrong thing which I used to subscribe to, and now it's all being washed away! 

Thank you, Jesus!