God is Genuine

While researching truth and what it means to be genuine I discovered several tests to test if gold is fake or genuine. It was fascinating. You can bite it, scratch it and weigh it to test it. You cannot dent real gold. Man, that would preach!  I read an article from Fox news about an anonymous man in New England who found a fake coin. No one believed him. There were “flaws” and anomalies in the coin surely making it not real. But it was those very flaws that made the coin recognized to be the real deal. After taking it to an expert he found out that it was worth over a million dollars. It was only fake to the untrained, uneducated eye. The ones certified in authenticating it recognized it immediately as real, mainly due to a raised number on the coin. It reminds me that God knows what He has placed in us and if we are resonating with Him in our lives and hearts. Being true to God and ourselves is what determines if we are fake or the real deal. Only those who take time to search out a matter or a heart can make those determinations.  In a culture where the only real thing is Coca-Cola, maybe our standards of testing need to change.

Nearby this article that I read was one that appealed to me more – a scientific breakthrough on body fat. I have to admit they reeled me in and I watched this ad for over 20 minutes. That was 20 minutes I did not have and will never get back. However it did lead me to a different article that talked about Taurine, an amino acid that helps grow brain cells. That was huge. The fake news lead me to a real article about a possible breakthrough for Parkinson’s. The possibility that we can not only renew our minds but increase the cells in our brains would be monumental. In a world swirling with sound bytes and information it is often hard to discern what is true and what is false. It requires discernment and wisdom and both those things don’t come in a microwave format.

Concerning God, we know that He is true because He tells the truth; He represents the truth and is the same yesterday, today and forever. Truly that is remarkable. Real means it is not plastic or pretend. Preacher Steve Furtick recently said that if something is taken away it is said to be diluted, if something is added it is polluted. Sometimes people’s faith gets that way. Faith in its purest form is just about Jesus. Religion tries to weaken faith but calling Him “buddy” instead of Lord sounds good but may diminish the fullness of who He is. When we dilute, we soon get deluded. Jesus is full strength power. Others add stuff like standards or measures no one can meet, they add worship, communion, study (all awesome things) but if we use them as rods of perfection instead of practices of grace then we pollute the stream of blood that freely flowed for all and we polarize the saints. Martin Luther worked towards freedom and reformed some of our thinking but when he  came up with, or we come up with a new system built on anything but the cross, it may look very similar to the  previous system – just with new robes.  Religion often confuses  the saints from the basic pure message of Jesus and the release of His priesthood (forgiven, not perfect men and women). It is  a tough time as churches navigate these areas.

Genuine truth faith relied on the cross, just that or Sola as Martin would wisely say. But we added catechism, confirmation, new songs and instead of steps of penance we went with steps of a new church Charleston perhaps. Genuine faith demands the cross, only the cross. All other gyrations and adulterations will leave our hearts weary.

In my heart I am singing “Just give me Jesus”. My heart is rather tender today. A precious couple we know recently shared some pain in their lives. It was vulnerable and raw. I do not know why they ventured out so as it seems scary for leaders to be so real. I think it is because they are not building their own kingdom but God’s. They are so busy fighting the gates of hell that they do not have time for plastic faces – the fire would melt them off. Real pain can only be healed by a real balm. It is in those crucible moments that we discover who we really are and who are true friends really are. Maybe that is why God allows the storms to come?  I am so impressed by people who live for Jesus and are not swayed by others opinions. We live in a sea of “critics” and American idol judge wannabes. Those wanting the Masters nod live by a different standard and that is not always understood by those waiting for human applause.

My husband regularly tells the boys “opinions are like bellybuttons – everybody has one”. That does not mean we are to listen to everyone that has an opinion. If we live our lives for the accolades of people or their assessment of what is real or fake, we will not have time to live for God’s call and voice.  It is tempting to live “proving” to others that we are just like them or just like they want us to be but we are only called to live for the truth in God. 1 Thessalonians tells us, “⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

Jesus tells us that HE is the way, the truth and the life. He is the epitome of vulnerable, fresh and real.  I want all my truth to be in God. I want to live His truth through this vessel in His way, in His time, for His glory. I’m praying that God would strip the veneer in me away so people could only see Him shining through. I’m asking that He will bring up the dross and scoop it away so only the gold granted by Him would shine. After all this study, it is still up to God when He does those things. We can’t even be “real” without His divine time and help! So “be real” is not something that comes from our will, our hand but by submitting ourselves to the master potter and letting Him work His hands through the clay we yield to Him until all that is left is His design.

One thing that gets better with age is the ability to look back and see trends. The “real” trend earlier in the 80s looked like people letting all their baggage hang out and be so real that they no longer needed all the trappings of religion. It translated to carnal people who only cared about their world. Judgement for others reigned high and the “freedom” was short lived as people gazed more at their lives than the cross. Other times when it was defined as being vulnerable or transparent it produced life but it was only popular to share weakness and sin and not praises. It can easily become lopsided or therapy driven. Clinging to the cross and being real according to the life of Christ means we can suffer or rejoice. Being truthful about ourselves in relation with Christ and others can produce tremendous fruit but will be short lived if it does not extend beyond our neighborhoods. Lord, lead us to walk in Your truth, to feel Your grace and to lead others in Your way.

God designs us. God authenticates our worth and value. God can keep us pure and focused on Jesus. We will have to yield to all of these processes. If Jesus is truth, true, genuine and pure, and I believe He is, then following after Him will look like those characteristics and will slowly be formed in us. If we try to “put them on” so others feel, think or find us to be real, then that plastic formation will be a barrier to us and the Christ. Real Jesus, Real Jesus People – unadulterated, pure and ever so genuine. Just give me Jesus.

RenaeRoche2018

We’ve been looking here at Millard Ericksons’ descriptions of God and His attributes. This week is God’s justice. Erickson points out that God acts righteous towards others in His individual capacity but as a corporate judge He not only acts morally but with justice. He not only demands that we do right by others but that we adhere to His laws. I think this is where the breakdown in society occurs – we talk about God’s characteristics of love and grace but often omit righteousness or justice because it requires something of us. Romans 6:23 points out that the wages of sin is death and throughout scripture we see passages that tell us there are consequences when we do our own thing or forsake God’s laws or precepts. This topic is less popular but probably the most necessary to discuss.

Through the years many have questioned God’s justice. The Psalmist David in Psalm 73 says he could not figure out why the wicked prospered – until he went into the sanctuary of the Lord. His perspective changed when he looked on God instead of his circumstances or others sin. We’ve seen much chaos in our nation over the last year as people ask where God is and why  He has allowed some people to prosper in their folly. Our court system is jammed up with people seeking justice for perceived and actual wrongs committed against them.

Our city is no exception. There have been multiple unsolved crimes and murders in the Metro area. A disproportionate number of African American men have lost their lives. One of the stories that has troubled me has not yet leaked into the news but is common on the street. The drugs infiltrating our city are supposedly being  “tested” on poor people in the inner city. If they live then the supply can be passed on to rich white collar customers. Those overdosing or being poisoned by the bad supply are seen as the users but the people in suits and dresses in the corporate world rarely make it in the news. Their demand creates the chain of supply but often they go unnoticed and unpunished.  Truth and reality get twisted as the story is spun to punish the guinea pigs being used to promote and test the product. Often this ends up being about race and the injustice continues on in new avenues such as discrimination, brutality and wealth segregation. Common misconceptions go unchallenged and the cycle continues. Jesus looked on all men’s heart without bias or favoritism. Amos decried unjust treatment by judges. Other prophets have addressed areas of moral corruption in the government and church systems. American can’t be great again until the moral fiber of our society is considered and the cry for justice on all levels is heard. What we ignore today we will serve tomorrow.

Maybe injustice in your house is not so serious. Maybe your husband gets the remote every night or your kids get the last Twinkie every day. (We have Oreo’s wars at our house so we are not guiltless). Maybe your spouse does all the dishes or you do all the cleaning and it just isn’t fair. Maybe sister Sally gets to sing solos every Sunday or brother Harry has football game parties every time you want to clean the church or do evangelism. Life just isn’t fair and it is not fair in varying degrees. Whether it is perceived injustices or major infractions like someone cutting you off in traffic, we all get the short end of the stick at some time.

We are easily deceived when we believe that God does not see or care. That is why we need the Lord and one another to remind ourselves that God hears, sees, cares and ANSWERS.

Culture, experience and time have jaded us into believing that that is just how things work. Maybe that is why we need to study God’s word deeper – to remind others and especially ourselves that in God’s economy it doesn’t work that way and NEVER will. The following text is about prayer and its importance but as we hear Jesus teach we can also learn about the justice of His father:

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”  And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 

⁷ And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Some of you reading this blog have cried out for justice for a long time. Some have given up waiting for it. Others believe it might be true but no longer want to risk hoping for something that seems to never come to pass. We can remind ourselves today – God is JUST and He promises to “bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night.”

Two gun shops were robbed here recently. The news downplayed it but it is concerning that  “bad guys” are now armed. We pray daily that justice will be served and for God’s protection. We can feel helpless or battle in prayer. Before the battle MUST be the belief that there is a just judge who will hear. God is JUST. God acts in JUSTICE. There is a REAL Judgement day.

As I was returning home from work last week I saw a bunch of moms with picket signs on the street corner. They were mad about the crime in our city. I guess I had gotten fed up too. Their sign said to “honk if you agree things needed to change”. I’m not much of an activist but I just put my car in park, laid on my horn and refused to let up. The women started cheering, cars started slowing down to see what the commotion was about. Others started honking and for one brief moment in time it felt like God and the city was hearing the cries of these precious women. It is not much, but it was a start and drew attention to their cause, God’s cause.

We can’t see what God sees if we don’t know His heart. We can’t defend what God defends if we don’t understand His justice or mercy. The news and culture are surely not going to lead us in the right direction. Whether you are a drug user testing out the wares or a man in a suit lavishly snorting up the quality stuff without a care where it came from – there will come a day when God says

 “ENOUGH” !!!

He won’t change His judgments based on favoritism, skill, talent or pride. His ways are pure and perfect. He is all knowing and loving but He remains the Just Judge, full of grace but also full of jealousy and wrath.

Rev.6:10 says, “They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Judgement day will come whether CNN reports on it or Hillary Clinton agrees. It will come for Trump supporters and those in high places of leadership and those in the street. God is Just.

I want to know God for who He really is – not just what the churches or movies promote. I want my heart to break with the things that break His. I want my life to reflect the values and attributes of the Creator, not just what Hollywood says is real. I want to stand for the things that matter to the Just Judge who hears our prayers. I also want to walk in just ways in my family, church and work life and that is not always easy in a dog eat dog world.

Praying with you today to be who God wants us to be and do what God would want us to do. As always you are welcome to comment on this blog or email me your viewpoint.

Thankful for His justice, in need of His grace,

RenaeRoche2018

One of the favorite things we like to do is watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on television. Guy Fieri is the coolest chef and watching his show leaves you with hunger for some good cooking. We’ve been to some of the restaurants he has featured and eaten some mouthwatering, good grub. When it comes to ribs however, he describes every spice, brown sugar and flavor so you are crazy with anticipation for that next meal. His one word description for his special ribs – they are “righteous”. Odd choice of words. Righteous ribs.

I think that is what Adam had – that is until the fall, then everything got kind of messed up. The early couple were called many things but “full” probably wasn’t one of them as they traded out their hunger for temporary fulfilment. Chili’s restaurant jingle comes to mind, “I want my baby back babyback babyback ribs”.

God takes his time slow cooking up salvation because those things that are sweetest and best take preparation and time.

Holiness is the attribute most know about God. God can make people holy but righteousness; well that’s a whole new twist. Holiness means we are pure before God, righteousness means we act purely towards others. Righteousness is “holiness” in relation to others. We act towards people in a certain way but if it is fair, just and equitable we can say righteousness is having her perfect work in someone. The only hope we have of being righteous with others is by looking at God’s example – He is righteous towards everyone, though our modern culture would accuse Him otherwise.

Last month I raced to write the blog and wrote about the topic at hand (holiness). Some asked if I was referring to something specific (I wasn’t, just addressing the topic). Soon after I got emails about a mega church falling into moral decline. Because I wrote about things in advance someone asked if I knew the “inside” scoop. No, just writing what I felt led to write.  I was shocked to hear some of the stories. While I allude to leadership issues or mention me-too out of a desire to address the “contemporary issues”, I was not directing any comments to those events. Some want things swept under the rug and some want the removal of leaders when there are issues. When the storm hits people like to cook up their own theology which makes things messier. This week our topic is being “righteous” and that we must act towards one another as God acts towards us – in a morally righteous and pure way. Some like to pile on shame, blame and punishment which are contrary to God’s character and inadvertently pull themselves into the unholy mess. Evil also likes to spread out and multiply.

Vertical relationship with God is essential and only possible through the work of the cross. Horizontal relationships – meaning with other people, are only possible when done through the work of the cross. If we have died to our “rights” and ego’s that means we do everything possible to make amends. That does not mean one person wins and the other loses, it means Christ wins and all come before Him to work it out with humility and vulnerability. This is not easy and as I write this I realize my “want to” is a lot stronger than my muscles to accomplish such things. Maybe that is why grace and patience are required to walk things out. Above all, the power of the Holy Spirit is needed – but must be invited into the equation. Romans 3:10 tells us, “none is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Serious words. Notice that the only thing they do together is – become worthless!

So what do we do then? Romans 3:22 tells us, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” We need the example and life of Jesus to be righteous. Many religions point to ways to be a good human being. Christianity points out that there is only one and it is not me (or you) but the Christ. While religion points to abstaining from drinking, wearing makeup, some even follow rituals or habits but the Hebrew understanding of righteousness (tzdiq) is that of nomadic people following a pathway. The idea is not to “appear” holy but to follow in the path of the Holy One. Image is less important then in God’s way. The Ancient Hebrew Research Center states that “A righteous person is not one who lives a religiously pious life, the common interpretation of this word, he is one who follows the correct path, the path (way) of God.” It looks less like sister Margaret wearing a dress on a Sunday and more like sister Mary going to church in spite of dealing with a drunk husband all night. It looks less like brother Carl doing avoiding drugs and more like brother Mike praying at the altar for direction when his kids have gone to jail.

Following the narrow way can be painful. Choosing the narrow way and carefully following where Jesus leads takes guts, faith and patience. Not wearing teal colored eyeshadow – not so much. Seeking Christ when your world has dropped out means you single heartedly look up. It means you press in to find and follow God’s will- regardless of what the crowd says. Wearing white after labor day or abstaining from hoop earrings is just really not the point – but religion has made it that way. We have traded out vibrant, passionate lives following after the will of God for a new dress code. Righteousness must mean more.

Mt.5:6 – Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, will be filled. That’s quite the promise. When we fast is it to make God do our will or is it asking Him to place His will and ways in our lives? I want His ways but often my flesh wants what is easy. Perhaps that is why fasting is a necessary spiritual discipline – to redirect what we hunger and thirst for?

Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him (and her) from them all;    Psalm 34:14-19

My prayer for us this week is two-fold, one that we would understand and believe that God is righteous towards us – always. We can trust His character and heart. Secondly, that we can never be righteous on our own but a need a Savior and empowering Holy Spirit to help us. Wrap that in grace, mercy and patience and there is potential for wonderful relationships. In a culture and nation that is set on dishonoring, distorting and tearing down people, it would be a breath of fresh air.

Help us Jesus to look to you for our actions and relationship cues. Lead and guide us in Your Truth and in the Way we should go. Thank you for being a compassionate, righteous guide. We hunger and thirst for YOU and Your ways. Amen.

RenaeRoche2018

“I stayed up all night trying to follow the sun… Then it dawned on me” Lord help us to follow YOU in all our relationships and dealings this week.

Florida, the perfect vacation spot once known for alligators, the Keys and snorkeling is now being featured in news spots as the state with “red tide”, an algae infested water that kills manatees, fish and even dolphins. You would not want to put your family in waters where fish are popping out slimy and dead. Purity is important for cleanliness.

South America is sending batches of cocaine to the states laced with cow de-wormer and people are overdosing in record numbers. That is different than the cocaine from other countries filled with fentanyl. In our country they are seeing rising numbers of people die from Heroine mixed with a powder. Powder that is actually pancake mix when tested. By the time the unsuspecting victim figures it out their veins are swelling with ingredients that belong in breakfast, not your blood stream. Purity is necessary for life.

A secondary risk to the drug trade is when young, vibrant singers overdose and their once crystal clear voices now drag with guilt and insecurity. Purity is imperative for living with purpose. Managers, actors, leaders once entrusted with young impressionable students go astray and give the me too movement fodder for tabloids and the industry known to be affecting the culture increases in its corruption. Purity is foundational for trust.

Purity, prudes, pilgrims….  We hear purity and think of rule followers, followers of tradition and maybe someone who needs to not be so “straight-laced.” We want our hotel beds to be pristine clean with white sheets and squared off corners but our entertainment to be “edgy” and thought provoking meaning content will come with nudity, violence or language. We want our children to be pure, isolated from the evils of the world but our options to be adult, free and absent of any moral judgement.

The Bible talks about being moderate in drinking, chaste in relationships and to let no corrupt communication come out of our mouths. Is this all to get a job, secure a career, win and influence friends? God is good and He is moral. We know from all the billboards, picketers and signs that He is love but the flipside of that same coin is that God is also Holy – pure without additives or adulteration.

In the midst of his very wicked generation Isaiah sees the Lord and tells us Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord. (Isaiah 61:4) So, if we and our generation are corrupt, what hope is there? This super Holy God would have no interest in the likes of you and me. Unless, He saw this in advance and planned for it.

One of the reasons God is beautiful and good is because He is also Holy. When we pause on the weekends to consider that we encounter Him as He is. He is wholly unlike us – He is Holy. We could try all day every day for the rest of our days and never be “clean” enough to come before this amazing pure, Holy God. Unless… there was a way to be clean before Him. That way is Jesus, the Christ. Unlike the red tide in Florida, the tide of washing that Jesus does purifies. When we come before Him and ask Him to cleanse us, He does through the payment of the cross. Wave after wave makes us white as snow and for the dirty, the filthy, the accused, the corrupt; we are justified by His work on the cross.

Encounter that holiness today – not in rooms of white or thoughts of Heaven but by receiving the only thing that could ever make you pure or whole. When we step aside from the junk and stench of our sin and our culture and bathe in the payment for our sin we become pure. I want to live in the light of His love and purity but often I trade out being accepted or contemporary which is a lesser joy.

Ask God to show you His holiness and what that means for your life, your family, our nation. The pathway to Hollywood, popularity and good intentions is not working. The Lord is holy and those who follow Him can encounter that holiness if they remember the way. Please remember the way – please celebrate God’s holiness and share it with others.

RenaeRoche2018

Greetings to all attending the national Church of God conference this week. May you be refreshed and inspired!

One day when I was at work I sensed beauty everywhere I went. Not just a little but a lot. I thought  it was because of others praying or maybe because of sharing the Lord with people (beautiful feet) but after pondering this for a while I now believe when the Holy Spirit goes with a believer there is a sense of beauty that signifies God’s presence. Out of curiosity I decided to research this further.  I learned that Esther, Vashti, David, Bathsheba, Abigail, Absalom and others were described as beautiful. (Pastor Garrett preached on Sunday about Rachel’s beauty in contrast to Leah’s. Leah’s disabilities and rejection scarred her but her relationship to/from the Lord healed her rejection when she praised. Her focus changed when she stopped looking at herself and realized God was seeing her. Talk about a timely word! It was so fitting with this topic and no one knew what I was studying except for the Lord.) I discovered that the Bible says that beauty is fleeting, vain, outward and that things can be beautiful such as flocks, rods, temples, gates, garments, crowns and even a city – Zion.  The Bible warns against fleeting beauty and lusting after it.

As we drove away from the church, I tapped Left Brain on the arm and said, you must feel really blessed since you get the best of both worlds. You even get to be buried by me. We were laughing and he said, “yes, but let’s wait on that for awhile.” I’m glad we will one day see the beauty of Heaven and the King and not have to look forever on our dry old dusty bones or six feet of mud on top of us. Truly our futures are beautiful. Glory to glory not ashes to dust.

There is also the opposite – Satan was beautiful, but only for a season.   Men can lust after beauty and women can use it to seduce. The Old Testament warns against going after outward beauty. The New Testament describes the Pharisees and scribes that were beautiful on the outside but had dead bones within!

In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we are told that God has made everything beautiful in His time – so beauty does have a timeline. Oil of Olay has said that for years. Unlike Oil of Olay however, Gods work seems to make things MORE beautiful as time goes by.  He is the author of beauty and making things beautiful. Not some things or some ones but God has made EVERYTHING beautiful in His time. That sounds pretty fool proof doesn’t it?  God creates beauty on the inside, He forms and fashions it and develops it along the way.

We recently watched “I Feel Pretty” and boy did that movie bring back memories.  Self-esteem in women is often attached to our external appearance. It was during college when I was selling beauty products that I had my “most beautiful moment”.  One day I was walking through the St. Paul mall area in my new Estee Lauder uniform, high heels, long blond hair flowing in the wind and heads were turning everywhere. I felt like a million bucks. When I got to the cosmetic counter where I worked I put away my purse and one of the other girls who worked there (who looked like a Brazilian Princess)  smiled and flippantly said, “nice nylons” and walked off.  Her compliment seemed a bit odd. I heard giggles in the next bay and then much to my horror, as I looked in the mirror saw a pair of full length navy blue pantyhose velcroed to the back of my outfit. I had laid my outfit out on the bed that morning and they must have stuck to the starch or something.  There they dangled, like a silly cape. Then I realized I had not only walked- but glided through several stores as if on a runway with navy nylons flying behind me. No wonder heads were turning! Oh well, before the deflated ego had come, there were a few moments of incredible joy. For a few brief moments I had felt totally confident, ready and well put together. My security was increasing as I read Joyce Meyer books and studied women’s studies about self- worth. I guess that day I got a little carried away! I have felt beautiful since that time but now it is generally when I’ve felt God’s presence or enjoyed time in His word. Time, family and gravity have a way of changing a woman’s measurement of being “all that”.  I have friends, freckled from the sun with dark brown aging spots that say they look on their arms, wrinkles and journey and feel beautiful after having weathered much of life. They now see their spots as “trophies of grace” while loving their family and feel incredibly beautiful-now more than ever. I wonder if there are seasons of internal beauty for women that never get talked about while younger generations wrestle with shape, plastic surgeries and Botox? When the most talked about woman changed from mother Theresa to Kim Kardashian did we lose something of real beauty?

In Isaiah 8:2 it says that the Branch would be beautiful in that day.  Not just slap on some jewels or foundation or beautiful garments. Not just do this or that but the Branch would be beautiful. Not just on days He got rest or beauty sleep. Not just on days that everything went well but the Branch would be beautiful.  As a being. It reminded me of the verses in Exodus 35:

^35 “He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.” When God moved among His people, He filled them and the result of that filling was that they created space that was beautiful – something that reflected and glorified the God that filled the space within them.

Beauty that comes from God resides in His Son and the Spirit poured out in His people. It doesn’t stop there, it grows, creates, spins and pours out skills, designs, engravings and coverings that are beautiful. IF God so clothes the fields, if He so beautifully designs His temple then would He also not lavishly design, in a beautiful way, His people– together?

Art, dance, music, drama, silk and satin, flowers and fragrance are mere representations of a loving, creating God making all things beautiful. His beauty lasts, inward, extending and multiplying. It draws attention and glory to the Holy One, not the recipients of momentary splashes of color.

Psalm 96 says, ‘⁹ O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before Him, all the earth.”

That beauty comes from following solely, completely and blamelessly the King of Kings. It comes from seeking Him as our source, denying all others. If true beauty is connecting with God with a pure heart why do we seek beauty in a jar of cream? If beauty of holiness arises from single devotion to Yahweh, why do we look for it in the gym or perhaps in a bar? Maybe because we can’t direct it, we can only posture ourselves before the Master Artist and allow Him to paint over the canvas we have set before Him?

Beauty that lasts, beauty that increases over time, beauty that glorifies the Creator comes from one place only – Jesus. The kind of beauty that flows out like the ocean tide, washing away our vileness, happens only as the Lord washes over our souls. That’s beauty you can drink in, freely given. Golden girls – can’t touch that. Runway models can’t wear that. Photo-shopped playmates – can’t buy that. It doesn’t come from a serum or vendor but an ugly, twisted, blood stained cross where the ugliness of the entire world sat on the shoulders of the pierced one. Yes, beauty rests on Him, in Him and through Him.

That’s where all that was wrong became all that was right.

That reposition, restructure and redemption gained the title once and for all – beautiful One, the blessed and blessing One of the Lord and we became His beautiful Bride, with beautiful songs and beautiful feet.

Husband (Joe) adds in that there were biblical men that got a makeover – the disciples with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They weren’t radiant from anything they had done but looking on the One God delighted in – “listen to Him”. That encounter left them all glowing.

Self-esteem is kind of a popular buzz word. Jesus is an eternal Savior, confidence (temple) builder and beautifier. Focus on HIM. Learn from HIM. Drink in HIM… the One who makes all things beautiful… in His time. As we worship Him in the beauty of HIS holiness, we will reflect Him and day after day walk and talk and look like Him.

RenaeandJoeRoche2018

I hope you have a semi o.k. day tomorrow. What? No, I hope you have a really, really average day. That doesn’t sound much better does it? What if someone told you to have a GREAT day or on your birthday told you to have a GREAT year? Wouldn’t that feel better, more exceptional or affirming? What is the difference between an average, good or great day? I think it is the presence of God in our lives. The Psalmist thought so too:

“For THOU art great and doest wonderous things; thou art God alone.” Psalm 86:10

“Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:5

So if God makes the difference why do so many ignore Him? If His touch, blessing or favor increases our joy and lives why do we put Him last on our list? What if He was First?

Reflecting on Billy Graham’s life, David’s life and Daniels life – they all sought God multiple times per day. Their lives were flourishing and refreshing others. We can’t get their results without their disciplines. Or was it their desire? Or possibly nothing to do with anything they did other than surrender to a great BIG God? We can’t pour out unless we have first let God pour in. Was it that they were great men or that they yielded to a great God? We heard a sermon this weekend (David Christian) that talked about how not to be (Gen.11) and how to be great for God (Genesis 12). It pointed us to allowing God to be great in our lives rather than building great monuments to ourselves. It was powerful.

After studying greatness  recently the sermon ministered to my heart because it talked about how to download that greatness and the purpose of doing so. (Greatest commandment, Great commission) I think of Joseph who said, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a posterity in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance (Gen.47:5). His life was a mere vessel, tool in God’s hands and His yielding to God allowed the entire nation to be blessed and become great. The great God was displayed in his life rather than a great name for merely him or his family. The cost was great but the benefit for his family and nation was HUGE. God plays big or goes home. He does not do things just so we can get chill bumps on our arms but so people, families and nations can be DELIVERED.

What or who are you contending for today? Do you see yourself, your family, your church 100 years down the road? Are you asking for God to be great in your and their lives or merely praying for a parking spot at Walmart? Are you saturating the nation in prayers with your tears or perhaps just hoping you can get a great tan before the next church meeting? I wonder if we really believed God was great, would that affect how we live, how we pray? If we really and truly believed that God was, is and will be great…. How does that play out in our daily lives? Would it calm our fears, impassion our praise?

I think part of God’s greatness is to affect those who worship Him. He redirects our gaze to higher things and quenches our lust for having our name in lights. If God puts eternity in our hearts and excellence in our work, can He make our families, churches and nations great again? It reminds me of the prophet Habakkuk in 3:2 where he tells God that he has heard of His fame and he stands in awe but then the prophet cries out DO IT AGAIN IN OUR DAY. God is still great so it is logical and possible for Him to repeat those great works. Does God stand and wait for our petition?

Our kids returned from camp Friday. They stated they had a good time but it wasn’t until I saw their sprawled out bodies on the front room floor that I realized they were physically spent from that great time. When the older kissed the younger on the head the next day, he yelled out, “dude, you smell like lake water.” He had not just heard about the experience but completely saturated himself in it. Camp was not just around them but on them, in them and they talked about it for days after. God’s greatness should be like that in our lives. Did you hear how life giving He is? Do you know how constant He is? Did you realize He was infinite? Did you soak yourself so much in Him that others around could smell it for days?

God’s greatness isn’t a theme posted in some art gallery – He has the heavens for that. His greatness isn’t for Broadway – He has given us the Old Testament so we could remember His acts. God’s greatness isn’t just a note suspended in time – it’s larger than Handels’ Messiah. When we embody, embrace and acknowledge His greatness, yielding to his plans, obeying His direction, we bring that greatness near, not for our glory, but His.

God, we stand in awe of You, remembering Your works of old, longing to see them in our day. Renew them we pray. You are great and you do great things. Move in us so the world will see Your greatness in all Your glory.

RenaeRoche 2018

Some days are just better than others. For those who like variety, it is refreshing when new trends come out . For others even seeing the leaves start to turn yellow in the fall evokes panic and fear. I love causing change but detest experiencing it. Like this past week when I brushed my teeth with antibiotic cream. I’m guessing the boys took my toothpaste to kids camp and in the dark morning as I was getting ready for work, I reached for what was left in the drawer. Change is sometimes good for us whether we appreciate it or not. I read part of a poem this morning by Kathleen J.Raine that said this:

Change 
Says the fields to the grass, 
Seed-time and harvest, 
Chaff and grain. 
You must change, 
Said the worm to the bud, 
Though not to a rose, 
Petals fade that wings may rise 
Borne on the wind. …

We cannot stop the seasons or nature from changing yet it distresses us when it enters our world. Parking spaces are filled, appointments are booked up, events get cancelled and the world becomes a little bit more unraveled than we would like it to be. Things ought to happen in concise order, pattern and form, right?  Consider the apostle Pauls hectic schedule for a moment as he writes in 2 Corinthians 6:

³ We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Just when we think our days are perhaps the hardest, the most complex, the least understood, the more intricate or difficult… we are proven wrong by the recording of the apostles life. Change. We like it if it is for the better but curse it if it is for the worse. James 1:16 -17 tells us, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” God does not change like shifting shadows. What does that mean? The sun makes shadows that move throughout the day and then disappear. It is how sundials tell us what time it is. God is not like that, He does not change that fast or fade away. He is constant through ups and downs. He is stable and that is important to know and remember when your world is falling apart. God is stable and does not have mood swings or PMS – thank God! One song says, “Each day He’s just the same, I’m gonna praise Him, look what the Lord has done.” Because God is constant and consistent we know that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We can trust Him because He is constant.

Every day we feed our fish and new little hamster. We don’t get up and intentionally decide to throw caution to the wind and let them go hungry! Left brain is so constant when feeding our fish that they come to the side of the tank whenever he comes near them. It’s really quite cute as they come near the tank, knowing full well that he will feed them. Jesus tells us in Matthew that we are not to worry because God will feed and clothe us – every day, not just on days with sunshine or rainbows.

God being constant is why we trust Him. He does not blow hot one day and cold the next. He does not cater to one group and then go wishy washy on another. He is constant, stable, secure. That is comforting when you find yourself wondering how you can go on another day or when you wonder if God remembers how to really watch over you. There’s a saying “God has written His plans for you in blood, not in pencil.”

As I watched the sun set last night I was grateful for God’s ability to produce and endure repetition and routine. While He is creative, He keeps things on an even keel. He is steady and in a changing world that steadiness brings comfort, security and peace. When we walk with this “steady one” we become steady, comforted and at peace. Unraveling is an option but it is not necessary or recommended.

Remember those pictures of dogs who started looking like their owners that were all over social media? They crack me up. They have a constant friend when things get “rough”. Groan. Maybe the more we walk with God the more we will look like the owner of the universe, stable, thorough, constant, bringing calm and stability where our feet tread this earth?

God, continue to show us who you are and help us to be like you- today, tomorrow and every day after that. Thank you for the attribute of being constant. As we walk with you, work that in and through our lives. Amen.

Renae Roche2018

*Millard Ericksons list of God’s Greatness was used for the lists in this website.

Back in the day I was struggling to find God’s will for my life. I had previous experience in waiting tables so thought I would go back to that for a while. It was a bit nerve wracking to say the least. Several of the waitresses (now called servers) that I worked with would grumble over tips, tables and even customers. Well, one day I got a little promotion and my manager showed me the stainless steel pie divider. I had moved up to desserts and I got to slice the pie – eight even pieces. He trusted me so I was allowed to use this little device to make even slices so each customer got an equitable slice rather than a big piece for farmer Freddy and a meager piece for Matilda. I loved the customers but grew weary of all the feuds over tips, tables and who got the biggest slice of pie. Beyond that front showcase was a freezer in back that contained hundreds of frozen pies that no one knew about until they got the special pie promotion. I laugh now but back then it was a big deal. Customers would never rush thru supper if they knew there was an unlimited supply of dessert out back just waiting to be ordered. If you have convinced yourself that there is only enough pie for someone else and none for you, then you live with great limitation.

Remember the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness? They could eat as much as they wanted but one day was to be set apart to remember the One who provided their vittles. God did more than stretch their budget; He was stretching their faith as well. My little boys get into squabbles sometimes over food portion size. When they were really small they would get something and then the second in line would ask, “Mama, can I have one too?” to which I would reply “no”. Downward would go the chin and quickly a scowl would emerge. I would then softly say, “you don’t get one, you get two, or four or eight”. Now that they are older they love that and we talk about limits and training our minds to think beyond what our fears tell us is real. Why do we imagine God’s heart or hand is so very small?

So those Israelites, they complained and I believe that God grew weary of their grumbling and gave them so much they barfed it up. Maybe it was more like saturating them? Maybe He was trying to show them the abundance He had to bless them with, but they were still stingy, miserly and small minded in spite of watching the Egyptians and their horses trying to dog paddle through the Red Sea?  Whoosh! Gee Whiz – thousands of gnats, frogs and you really can’t see that God’s supply is bigger and better than Pharaoh’s? It seems that we limit God and give much room for our belief in the enemy’s resource supply. We fear all the things that might happen rather than trusting in the limitless power, protection ad presence of the One who has promised to be with us. We fear other people, curses, foreign ideas or people, maybe weather or spooky rhymes people say. The more we give credit to other gods, the more we detract from the One who made the universe. What we fear, we worship. What we pay attention to we eventually obey. You have heard many talk about end times and the evil released but I’ve read the end of the book and spiritually (and mathematically) God has more angels, more power, and more resources. Why do people then fear the end, instead of anticipate the revealing? If Heaven is endless and Hell is contained wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on the Greater instead of the lesser?

When phone companies went to unlimited data on their phones people switched loyalties and phone companies! Unlimited was unheard of! It did not take great orator skills and smooth sales talking to switch people over because the difference was well… unlimited. God is limitless. Animal control is not going to lasso or contain Him. Extraverts will not wear Him down with their prayers. There are not enough votes in the nations to impeach Him because those who are for Him are more numerous than the grains of the sand, the stars of the sky. Remember, God still is bigger than Walmart, McDonalds or Coke. God never runs out of mojo, power or energy but remains faithful, refreshing the weary and giving strength to the weak.

 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
 His mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
 great is Your faithfulness.   Lamentations 3:22-23

Sure, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but that’s Old Testament? Well, …there is a Well that never runs dry and the Samaritan woman surely can tell us about that story (John 4). Water that’s turned into wine is how the people of Cana would describe it. Then there’s the boat that was shiny clean until the limitless One’s Son came aboard and redirected their supply chain – “Not here but over there”. What about that little kid who had just a little lunch that fed thousands? You Northern cookin mamas know how to stretch a good meal, but THAT meal –was off the charts awesome. Slice the ham thick and call the relatives over kind of meal. Then there’s that woman that had a limited edition jar of Nard but a limitless edition of love … then lavishly poured it all over Jesus. You tee-totallers can celebrate one day in Heaven when the tap is open and wine flows throughout Heaven celebrating the victory of the Risen King. There – there is no last call, because the last call was already made! There – all drinks are on the House. There the celebration will be filled with the Spirit and Joy, not substances or sorrows.  Unlimited, inexhaustible, unstoppable, limitless…  So very different than bound, contained, small, restricted stingy love. God is limitless, His Son is limitless, and His children are limitless (or can be).

What if we saw how God sees, felt how God feels, loved like God loves? Just for a minute, an hour, a day?

Heavenly Father, remove the blockages that stop up our service. Remove the blinders that let us only see things from this earthly, small opinion living and view. Open our hearts, our minds, and our lives and then open our finances, homes and churches. Amen.

RenaeRoche2018

*Praying for the children of Uganda and their need for unlimited provisions and food today.

If I asked when does life begin, people would rush to their area of political belief. I read recently that in the olden days people believed that life was only valid after a mother felt her baby kick within her. That explains society quite a bit if you ask me – only the kickers survived? Life means many different things in our modern world. Joy has been replaced by debates and votes, making life something humans determine rather than what God breathes life  into. God still holds the keys to life and death and only He determines our start or final day.

NASA is exploring life in space and the latest discovery is that there just might be “life” on Mars. I’m not ready to go there yet and my mind cracks up whenever I think about that. They found hydrogen peroxide there which makes one think there is a mama and a few boo-boos up there somewhere, right? When I questioned some friends about what “life” meant to them one suggested that it is a prison term and how long someone has been sentenced. A “lifer” is one that goes to jail and does not ever come out.  It’s great to have friends from all walks of life to give depth to our perspectives.

I asked my favorite theologians (child 1 and child 2) and they both said God was alive because He created them and lives inside them. They were both proof positive that God was alive. I agree. When I pressed for less Sunday school-like answers this is what they told me. Child 1 stated that he has breath in his lungs and since God put that there He must still be alive to generate such breath. I was so stunned I could barely talk. Then child 2 stated that he sins a lot and when he asks God to forgive him he feels less guilty and gets a peace in his heart and it gets all clean inside. Grace has “got” him. That proves God is alive because only God could fix his heart. Their answers made me happy that they are aware of who God is and the difference that God’s life makes in their lives. I did not realize peace could be so easily explained. “I felt guilty and now I feel free”. Fair enough.

Movies like God’s Not Dead help remind us what God is up to, but have you ever wondered if God ever ran out of energy and just ceased? Did God’s life source run out last month and we are all running on fumes? What keeps God moving, doing miracles and loving? He’s the God that is un-caused and sustainable in all seasons. Eddie James sings all about the various aspects of His life and existence in, “I Am” ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHz2_HLw7fg ). 

Could we fathom a world without His presence? He is pre-existent and was there in the beginning, wholly unlike us and eternal. But is He living, still? Job tells us in Job 19, one of the earliest books of the Bible, “I KNOW that my redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth.” If anyone deserved to think for a second that God was MIA it was Job. It looked like God was off the job or had gone out for a break when terrible things happened to him. A few verses later however he equates God’s existence with the yearning in his heart.  How does one long for a God one has never seen unless that being is wholly alive within us? It is personal to him – MY redeemer lives and ultimately in the end will triumph- He will stand on the earth. He could have appealed to the mighty mountain or the bubbling of a small brook but instead states that his heart knows that God will stand – that is faith! Do our hearts resonate and beat to the meter of God’s living power?

GOD IS LIFE

The God of life is seen walking with Adam and Eve. He intervenes all the way through the Bible and then Jesus makes many statements telling us that He is the bread of life, the way the truth and the life and gives eternal life. But how do we know God is life and alive today to impact us? Here are a couple things to consider:

1. He provided life through creation
2. He provided Jesus to give us life everlasting (salvation)
3. He provided the continuation of life, breath and sustains us
4. He provided eternity and Heavenly life with Him
5. He provided reconciliation – a lifeline to continued relationship
6. He provided the Holy Spirit for communication and wisdom so life is fresh and directed on a daily basis.

That sounds theological but let’s slow down….

This morning we found snails in our garden. A true gardener would have been disappointed but we were thrilled to investigate and understand the little creatures. They looked like rocks. They appeared dead. Our youngest told us they were “alive”. How do you know, we asked? Because we can see them move once in a while and they leave a trail where they have been – oily slime. “Sometimes this little snail moves, then we know mama that he’s alive.” He moved. If they feel safe and welcome, they venture out of their shell. We make room for them and then they slowly come out.

Sometimes we don’t feel or see God, but He still exists, still lives. My dad used to have a magnet inside his pick-up that said, I believe in the sun when it is behind the clouds, I believe in God when He is silent. Maybe we have to slow down, get quiet and make room for God. Maybe He reveals Himself on His schedule instead of ours.

One day I was trying to remember a scripture that a friend had shared but could not find it. The next day I got ready for work and tried to look it up again, but could not find it in my Bible or on my phone. Doubts and struggles clouded my belief that a mighty God could help with a certain problem I was facing. Later that day, I went into a random room that just “happened” to have a Bible, I flipped it open and it “accidentally” fell open to that scripture I had been searching to find. If coincidences only happened now and again one would dismiss that as random but when these things happen often it is pretty clear that there is divine orchestration that is grander than our human minds can imagine. God is very ordered, anything but random. The same God that sets the tides by the moon also designed our DNA. That same miraculous, detailed God longs to give us life – not just in the land of glory but in the here and now.

We see God’s life when we look at the Northern lights. We see God’s life when we look into a babies face. We see God when the altar is full on a Sunday morning. We hear life when a bird sings, when a sinner repents, when a saint passes. We experience life whenever a sovereign God moves, when the loud saints pray or when the quiet whispering ones stay silent. There are millions of expressions of the life of God around us.

When life ceases to exist, God still remains. Until then, we need His breath, His heart, His life. When He is given invitation, room, time … life increases. This life is meant to bond us together, to create a loving, living intimacy with the Lord of the universe. Dead faith does not have life giving daily talks. Dead religion comes from dead hearts, those whose relationships with God have no living fountain flowing. Fresh faith comes from vibrant, living interactions with a vibrant, living King. Dear Lord, show us Your life, give us Your Life, and use us to show forth Your life to others. Amen.

RenaeRoche2018

One night as our little boy lay sleeping, his younger brother woke up him with a “burning” question, “do worms have ears?” The reply “dude, go back to sleep, it’s 3 in the morning.” We laughed for a long time when we heard it and then every time we read letters that remind us of this event. Can a worm hear us? Is there a God who hears us? Is there a heavenly entity that understands what we are feeling?

This webpage was created to start dialogue about rest and peace in our lives. I was reminded recently of a time in grad school when I was struggling to understand God and a good friend recommended reading the list of God’s attributes in a book by Millard Erickson. That list that I am going over on this webpage is originally created by him, although I have changed the content under the headings of that list. Over the years I have reflected back on that time and the ways God has revealed himself regarding each of these attributes. This week’s character attribute of the Greatness of God is that He has personality.

God is not a deaf and dumb idol that merely hears our prayers and never replies back. God replies, responds, communicates. God is unique among all other gods in that He tells us His name and identity when He speaks with Moses, “tell them I am that I am has sent you.” We read throughout the Old Testament the many names of God that describe His nature. Our God not only desires our friendship but gives us names so we can identify with and understand Him. That’s pretty amazing.

Matthew 11:35 tells us that Jesus wept or shed tears. I don’t really care if He cried for Lazarus or their unbelief or Mary’s faith. The point to me is that He had emotions which robots and other gods are incapable of having. The fact that He is moved by emotions at all is remarkable. Match that with His incredible mercy and that makes Him unique among all other gods, anywhere in history. I ran into someone recently that was not touched by another’s pain, was insulated against their feelings and closed off to the slightest thought of another’s suffering and it struck me that no matter how much this person said they knew about God, they clearly did not know the living Jesus of the Bible because He was moved by others insecurities, pains and griefs. Desperation does not give us intimacy with Jesus, because then it would be about our quest and not His greatness. It is His mercy and character that brings us into His realm and allows us to be touched with what touches His heart. Those who cannot empathize with others pain need to understand that He is deeply moved by what affects those who know and serve Him. In the end times the Bible states that the love of many will wax cold, in other words they will have dull and unsympathetic emotions. The word wax there means to grow or blow cold. They will say they love God but then show their hearts to be insulated, frozen and cold.

We see Jesus having another emotion, in the temple as He drove out the sellers and materialistic hawkers and charlatans. I do not believe He was hostile towards bird sellers or what was happening in the temple as much as He was angry at what was being prevented from happening – people praying and connecting with His Father. He was angry at what was NOT taking place. He was angry that they separated the children from their father with all their nonsense. Jesus is moved by emotion when He sees His children being used, manipulated, marginalized or pushed aside while the hawkers and sellers or religion take center stage. This real God is really concerned about who is prevented from coming near to His father and His anger displays to us that He was fully man, in all ways tempted like we are and true to His human form. It caused Him to take a stand against the injustice. We can personally trust this God because the foundation of His throne is Justice and He cannot remain silent – no matter the cost.

There are other theological handles that preachers have mentioned thru the ages but as I pondered on this God with personality I was reminded of a Christ that would search for a crazy little man up a tree even though everyone around Him was begging for His time We see His personality when He hangs out with the leper, the beggar, the bride and never tries to look like a leader or sound like a leader or even make a huge declaration from God. If anyone could gain applause from a big, “thus says the Lord” it would be this guy… but He doesn’t. Instead He says things like blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. He intentionally keeps His entourage small and just goes about loving the insignificant.

I encountered some things this week that made me very thankful for the leaders who teach and encourage me. I also encountered some people that made it very clear that they were more spiritual than the next guy and used shame and love as weapons. Their actions bruised my soul. I was tempted to let my heart grow cold but the more I pondered on the personality of this great God, I was reminded that Jesus weeps when we weep and it angers Him when the love of the saints grows cold or becomes a commercial. He is not distant from our tears, or our anger. That may be a good litmus test for fellowship as well. Do the people we hang around with see our tears, hear our hearts, and feel our anger? Are we aware of how God feels about the emotions of ours and others lives? If God has personality, i.e. emotions, feelings and character how does that touch us? Can we hold on to rigid theological belief systems while living out the feelings or lack of feelings that we see in the world?

If you can find time, watch the movie Inside Out. It’s a fascinating story that helps people understand emotions and the importance of all of the various ways we feel things. Being real means really feeling and those who know and love Jesus will know and feel mercy, compassion and loads of grace.

I’m thankful we don’t have to feed Jesus like a ceramic idol. I’m glad we don’t have to sacrifice our children to stay His anger. I’m glad God is not just a cosmic candy machine that dispenses blessings when all around us give us a thumbs up. If we really know this God, we will come to appreciate Him. If we appreciate Him we will understand who He is and how that relates to our relationships with others. We can choose phony slick salesmen relationships with our loved ones, awaiting their admiration and applause or we can cast that aside and feel pain, feel mercy, feel anger and feel grace. If God condescends to us with His character and personality don’t we at least owe Him to be or become real worshippers, real friends and have real relationships? I really think so.

What part of your personality has been hijacked by a lack of understanding of Gods? I pray for all of us that we can see God fully in His attributes and then model that understanding of personhood and identity not only for us to see in the mirror but for the world to see that mercy and real tears and real anger are not things to be avoided but embraced by a God who is more than enough. If our lives revolve around God and His personality, the rest will take their rightful place and emotions will blossom into character traits rather than human personality differences. Psalm 62: 10 says, “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” Trust and pour in this verse are both imperatives.  If we trust that God has emotions and personality, we can also trust that He is not shaken by our feelings and emotions. Fake emotions will not produce real healing. Fantasy lives will not produce God results. Go to this living God today and pour out your heart. Trust in Him – at ALL times and when we pour out our real hearts to Him, He will be our refuge. A real God, a real refuge –with real results.