Grace VI

Free Grace

Psalm 84: 9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee

Look upon and examine the Lord and honor the face of your Messiah.  Exodus 33:20 says we cannot see the face of Yahweh God and live.  On the other hand, we can look upon the face of our Savior Jesus and live.  He is God, but He has released His glory that we might live.  That’s grace.

1 Peter 3:8 says that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day.  When we serve God we are outside of time.  An instant in Christ is worth a thousand years anywhere else.  A doorkeeper was one of the lowest in the social stratus, often a slave.  We are ear bored slaves in the house of God and yet the writer would rather live in the house of God as a doorkeeper than to live in the luxurious tents of wickedness.  It can often seem difficult to serve God when the entire fallen world hates you, but it is absolutely worth it.

Psalm 119:105 says, “God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.”  God is our sun and there is no darkness in heaven.  His truth is our shield and buckler (Psalm 91:4).  It watches over us to protect us.  When we have been captured by sin, His truth fights to set us free.  As long as you walk uprightly God will give you grace and glory.  There is nothing good that He will withhold from you.  The man or woman that abides and trusts in God will be constantly and continually blessed. 

Wise Grace

Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

Proverbs is full of these ‘wisdom’ verses.  It’s a shame that Solomon was one of those, “Do as I say, not as I do,” types.  He taught the wisdom of the ages and then multiplied foreign wives until they led him into sin.  From the beginning of humanity women have generally been the more spiritually minded.  You should never marry a woman…or a man…that is not firmly grounded in YOUR faith.  Notice it says in verse 8 that we are to obey our ‘godly’ parents and follow their direction.  They are to be united in faith together to raise us to be God serving members of society. 

Grace is unmerited and undeserved favor from God.  Grace is to be displayed for others to see so they will know.  It crowns our heads like a royal diadem and hangs from our necks like a medal of honor.  People ought to be able to look at our lives and our person and see the power and anointing of God upon us.  Can they see the grace of God displayed on your life?

Preserving Grace

Proverbs 3:19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

Yahweh by wisdom and skill has founded and ORDAINED the earth which includes the world, its land and all nations; by reason, wisdom and understanding has established, appointed and fixed the heavens above.  By His knowledge, perception and skill the deep is broken up by evaporation which leads to the clouds which then drop rain and dew as He sees fit.

Our scientists today believe this vast universe is simply a giant machine that began by chance and works simply because it must work.  They give no credit to God and fight with every fiber of their being to mock even the concept of intelligent design.  They can accept no God and so must create the universe in their minds with flawed theorems and ideas.  This inane concept is completely against their own scientific method which says that all possibilities must be considered and proved incorrect before casting them aside.  These scientific geniuses would rather struggle down dark alleyways of man’s reason than merely take a statement from the Bible and seek to disprove…or prove…IT. 

Every knowledgeable scientist admits that the entire universe ‘appears to be tuned and operates in a manner that makes it appear to have been created for the sake of mankind.’  They offer no explanation for the fact that every creature has cells and organs that operate perfectly and are made in a manner that precludes intermediate steps.  In other words, your body does not appear to allow evolution.  It seems to have been created as a system that requires every part to function properly. When changes come we call it a disease or a disorder and the body DIES; it does not evolve.  Scientists however are still trying to discover the evolutionary steps.  They will fail.

In most body systems if you take away one single part the body or the cell dies.  Every cell in your body needs oxygen molecules to operate but if oxygen gets into the cell it dies.  Its use of oxygen is managed in such a way that free oxygen does not get through the cell wall unchecked.  It uses oxygen but does not allow it in.  They do not know what the cell wall is made of or how it works.  Even a single celled creature is incredibly complex.  They are still trying to prove their theories.  David’s statement that we are “Fearfully and wonderfully MADE,” does not get much notice in the scientific community.

In every case where a scientist has taken scripture and applied scientific principle to it, that scripture has been proven.  It is only the fear of being forced to accept something that they’ve told themselves does not exist, which keeps the majority of scientists from at least examining the scriptural truths with the same zeal and fervor they would apply to more accepted theorems.  Being cast out of the scientific community is also a very real fear. 

Just as religious leaders (and followers) in past centuries were put to death for heresy for stepping away from established beliefs, scientists will kill any fellow scientist’s career if they step away from established beliefs.  In the past scientists were not allowed to apply scientific principles to scripture because religious leaders foolishly feared the answers.  Today scientists are too full of their self absorbed opinions to admit religion could be correct.  It just can’t be true…right? (1 Corinthians 3:18-20).  Believing themselves to be wise they became fools (Romans 1:16-22).

Proverbs 3:21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

Bishop’s version:  My son, you are at an age where you are making more and more decisions for your own life.  If you hang around with fools, you will learn their wicked ways and earn God’s wrath.  If you hang around with wise men, you will be seen as wise and filled with understanding.  Do not let God’s wisdom depart from before your eyes.  Stand in His understanding and knowledge and remember that He was the builder and Lord of this creation we call the universe.  He promises that if you do He will bring life to your soul and grace to your neck.  People will see that difference in your life and God will open doors for you.”

 Proverbs 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

What are the benefits of obedience to God? 

1.    You will walk through life with confidence, hope and assurance (Romans 5:3-5).

2.    Your foot will not stumble nor will you trip and fall (Psalm 119:105).

3.    When you lie down you shall not be afraid (Isaiah 14:3).

4.     When you lie down your sleep will be sweet.  One thing you must consider is that when you sleep you cannot guard yourself.  God promises that while you sleep…He does not…and will watch you and keep you safe (Psalm 91:1-5, 121:1-4).

5.    Do not allow yourself to panic or hide in fear when evil seasons arise (Psalm 91:7).

6.    Times are coming when God will punish those who have ignored his grace and mercy for so long (Psalm 91:5-8).  They will be chastened and destroyed in spite of all the lying preachers who say God will not send anyone to Hell.  They may even blame YOU for their suffering.  Do not blame yourself for someone else’s decisions.  God has given them opportunity after opportunity to repent and they have refused Him.  If you have warned them and prayed for them you are not to blame for their pain.  Remember beloved, if you have witnessed to them and warned them, God has touched their hearts.  He would not ignore your prayers.  They chose to silence the quiet voice in their heart (Zechariah 7:8-13).

7.    For the Lord shall be your confidence and keep your foot from being taken (Joshua 1:3-9).

Humble Grace

Proverbs 3:33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.

Sometimes we forget how far God has brought us.  If we have spent our time drawing closer to God over the years then we no longer appear as we did before he came into my life.  It says in 1 John 3:1 AMP - 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. 2 Beloved, 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. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (Matthew 5:3-11).

All these scriptures are essentially proclaiming the same thing.  We are supposed to press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus until we have been made conformable to His will and His image.  Jesus is the image of the Father and we are to become the image of the Son.  Yes the wicked are cursed.  Yes the scorners are scorned, but those facts are of little interest to the Christian who loves God.  We are passionate about the day by day changes that God is working in our own life.  Our concern for the lost should compel us to witness to the lost, but our love for God should compel us to become more like Him and less like the world.

There is no arrogance in this.  Matthew 5 and other scriptures are pretty clear when they say that we ought to be meek and if we are meek we will inherit the grace of God and the world.  We are more than conquerors, we have already won.  We do not have to fight to receive what God has freely given us; we merely have to believe we have received it and we HAVE received it. 

Do you believe?

Crown of Grace

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

Get (procure, buy, purchase) wisdom (purpose, skill, knowledge).  Get (procure, buy, purchase) understanding (comprehension, reason, meaning).  Do not let wisdom slip from your mind or escape from your meditations.  Do not in any manner back away or fail to observe all the words that proceed and emanate from God’s mouth.  Embrace them, love them, be impregnated by them until they bring forth.  If you do not forsake her, this lady…wisdom…will preserve, hedge about, guard and save you.  If you love her with 1 Corinthians 13 love, this lady; this wisdom will keep you safe behind an impregnable fortress of God. 

Beloved, I have to say that most Christians barely know how to ask Jesus into their hearts.  Fewer know how to pray or understand exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Even fewer know or understand the deep things of God, things that would turn the scientific community on its ear.  Which group do you dwell in?  Is it enough for your?  If God placed a meter over your forehead that showed your understanding level and it said 17%, would you do whatever it took to raise your understanding and increase your wisdom? 

I guarantee that most Christians have not attained 17%.  Apostle Paul was probably only about a 40%.  Why?  Because we have barely scratched the surface of what God has for us.  We live in the beggarly flesh while we should live in the spirit.  I pray you will seek His wisdom.

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to Honour, when thou dost embrace her.

Is this not perfectly clear?  Wisdom is the premiere thing, the numero uno, the most important.  Get wisdom and whatever it takes to get that wisdom be sure to get an understanding.  Lift wisdom up and that wisdom will exalt you.  She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.  Mark 13:9 and others say we will be brought before kings and rulers the more we know of His Word.  God will not send us before these people unless we are ready to answer their questions wisely and with assurance.  His goal is that we might change their minds to serve the Lord.

Proverbs 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee

Wisdom graces your head and your neck as I have stated earlier.  It is a medal of honor around your neck and an ornament, a wreath, about your head.  The purpose is obvious…to make sure everyone knows God has honored and exalted you.  When you step out of your house…or His house…you are known by the grace that abides upon you.  The elders at the gate of the city will know your name and approach you for advice. 

This level of grace is a maturity that comes through much prayer and pressing into the life, will, word and power of God the Almighty One.  It does not come by slipping and dipping into sin.  It does not come by half measures.  This level of grace comes because you have received honor after honor by the Holy Spirit and you are no longer the bedraggled and mud splattered sinner who first came to Him.  You have become more than your weak flesh and it shows.  

Bishop J.

Grace V

Restoring Grace

2 Samuel 14:19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: 20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. 21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. 22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.

Unless you are a better person than Jesus is you have done foolish and hurtful things in your life; maybe even this week.  Because of his ‘mistakes’ David suffered all his life because of the disobedience of his children.  This came from sleeping with married women and committing murder.  In spite of this God found something of great value in David; a heart to submit to God and surrender to His will.  Before you judge him too harshly you should know that David was raised by a father who wasn’t even sure David was his and brothers who despised him.  His entire youth was spent alone with the sheep; the only love he received was from his mother. 

I don’t explain these things so you will totally ignore the evil things David did in his life, but to make you understand that in today’s value relativism America people are abandoning the truths of God as fast as they can.  Children are no longer led in prayer in school and we wonder why they bring a gun to class when they have been bullied and try to murder their tormenters.  If you believe there is no life after death and no hell to be suffered then you might just feel that it is a gracious thing to kill bad kids and then take your own life.  After all, in your wounded mind you have served the rest of humanity with a useful service. 

Now, before you say, “That’s insane,” consider that you can’t judge what someone else believes.  Remember, there is no right or wrong.  Who is to say that the young man who killed all those children in a school was not serving a higher purpose?  Okay, calm down.  I know they weren’t, but did THEY know?  I have heard couples say that they didn’t want to FORCE their religion on their children.  In one case a Catholic woman from a religious family married a Jewish man from a religious family.  They chose to let their little hellions grow up religion free. 

Sorry, perhaps they aren’t hellions.  Perhaps they’re just non-believers who will go to hell with no knowledge of a God in Heaven.  Perhaps their parents have simply failed them utterly, first by denying their own faiths, second by marrying outside of their faiths for LUV (can you hear the heavenly music and see the choirs of angels singing hallelujah at the word LUV?)  No?  Me either.  They failed their God, failed their faith, failed their children and their future in the spirit.  They decided to marry because it felt good and they liked each other a lot.  It is no better than two men marrying one another and saying that God would not send them to hell because they LUV each other.  I can’t say LOVE because LOVE is something much more noble and requires an understanding of God to receive.  Apart from His love, God is HOLY and holiness requires a life free from sin.  Raising your children to ignore God is not teaching them to be free from sin.

Getting back to David we find that he was just such a parent.  He didn’t learn how to parent a child while growing up because his father, the example every young man needs, wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  David learned from his mother alone and it prevented him from fully maturing.  If you ladies who are raising your sons without a father are screaming at me that you’re doing a great job…uh…no.  Just because you find yourself in this situation does not make it a good one.  Children need BOTH parents to grow up strong and noble.  One parent, no matter how loving and saved, cannot raise their children as good as two saved parents.  It just can’t happen.

Scripture says that David…like his father…never even corrected his children for bad behavior.  His son Amnon thought he LUV’d his step sister Tamar and forced himself on her because daddy didn’t raise him any better, and then when the deed was done hated HER as if it was her fault.  Leviticus 18:9 says it is evil to uncover the nakedness of your sister.  When you consider her other brothers, it is criminally stupid as well.  Apostle Sims used to say that sin makes you stupid.  You will do things that in the light of cold reason you would never consider.  In this case David was extremely angry but other than bluster and yell he didn’t punish Amnon.

Absalom watched to see what would happen and when no punishment was levied for the sin against his beloved little sister he decided to take matters into his own hands.  He was a subtle young man and waited until things had died down before he invited Amnon to a party, in fact he even sought his father's unwitting help in his plan.  Once he got his brother good and drunk (against scripture), he killed him and fled to get away from his father’s wrath.  You might say it was all Amnon’s fault it happened or blame Absalom or David for being a lousy father.  Whatever you believe, the truth is that none of them were biblically founded and because they were not strong in their scripture they did as they wanted. 

Getting back to our original scripture, Absalom was tired hiding out in the town he had fled to.  He wanted to come back to Jerusalem and the night life there.  He kept seeking permission through Joab who refused to pass the request on.  Absalom eventually took the drastic measure of setting Joab’s fields on fire to get his attention which precipitated this conversation between a subtle Joab, an unknown woman and the king.  It can be difficult to obtain grace from a king who has his own weaknesses and failures so you might get help for someone who does not deserve it.  Ultimately, grace won out and Absalom was allowed back home. 

Sadly, since nothing had changed in the way David treated his sons or dealt with family problems so bringing Absalom home eventually caused more harm than good.  The brother who was incensed with his father’s handling of his sister’s rape eventually raped his father’s concubines.  There is an old saying that hurt people hurt people.  This is quite true.  Punishment is not pleasant, but once it is completed the person is free to live their life with a greater understanding of what is allowed and what is not.  Never doubt that it is far better to be chastened for wrongdoing than to ‘get away with it.’  We never truly get away with anything…not now or in the time to come.

Undeserved Grace

Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah the weeping prophet told Israel they would be in bondage for 70 years for their sins.  After the time was up God sent word it was time and arranged for their release from slavery.  This was one of those occasions where God had turned the heart of the captors to His service and released the Jews…all the Jews.  The majority of those who returned from Babylon were of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin though all the tribes were represented.  Sadly, much fewer braved the hardships of travel to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the Temple.  Ezra was ashamed to ask for a military guard because he had told the Persian king that God would protect them. 

He left with only the barest representation of the Jews in captivity and without any protection but Gods.  Because he went with so few and without help, the work never progressed fully due to the attacks from outsiders and those who longed to see the Jews dead and forgotten.  Until the time of Nehemiah they were stopped and persecuted and because they failed to leave Babylon as a whole people they were too few to succeed.  The book of Esther is partly an allegorical account of their failure to obey the call of their King and be presented to the world as His bride.  It contained a response that God would choose a new bride, a faithful bride if the royal bride would not stand in that place of honor. 

Like Israel today, a bare few chose to endure the hardship of total obedience to God and press in.  Those few were preserved until God arranged a more organized and believing group to come and rebuild the holy city.  Israel today is largely a secular society and yet there is greatness there if they would but acknowledge the God of their fathers.  One day, when the church is removed they will acknowledge God and stand in faith and power.  A very few, like the Rabbi who God revealed His savior to, will know the truth.  This is because we are told that if we seek the truth it will be given to us.  The truth made Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri…one of the most revered sages in Israel who died at 108…free from his sins.  He not only declared that Jesus is the Messiah but Prophesied that He (Jesus) would return after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died. 

Ariel Sharon is still in a vegetative coma since a stroke in 2006.  Lately he has been showing some signs of consciousness.

Promoting Grace

Esther 2:15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. 16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

In Esther, we have a book with more hidden meaning than most other books in the Bible.  I love in verse 15 where it says, “…she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain…appointed (to her).”  Esther wasn’t a blab it and grab it saint.  She was satisfied with whatever she received.  Because of her gentle and submissive spirit she was looked upon with favor by everyone who knew her.  When king Ahasuerus got to know all the young women brought for his examination, she not only caught his eye, but his heart as well.  Vashti had proven herself unworthy.  She would not come when the king called.

The lesson of Esther is not that a woman should ignore her husband and his leadership, but that a gracious and godly individual will submit to the authority that has been placed over their life.  We are the bride of Christ and are supposed to submit to God in all things.  Why do so many Christian churches wrestle with scriptural concepts simply because they are not well received by the world at large.  The world has no place in the kingdom of God.  This is clearly explained in scripture.  How do we get the idea that God will lower His expectations simply because we feel guilty preaching about those expectations.  He is God and does not answer to our mistaken belief that everyone should be saved because Hell is not a good place and God loves us.  God’s love for mankind does not change the fact that God is holy and a holy God cannot accept sin, not in us and not in anyone else.

Scripture goes on to say that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).  If He says sin will not live in His sight then God will not allow sin in His sight.  When we refuse to come to Him through Jesus and strive to submit ourselves to Him, He has no plan of redemption through any other.  There is no plan of salvation apart from the sacrifice of Christ and there is no plan of salvation in any other name.  The truth is, we cannot understand the Word of God unless we are born again.  His Word is spiritually discerned and cannot be understood fully without a born again spirit.  Even Satan misquoted and probably misunderstood scripture when talking to Jesus.  His own sin has blinded him to the truth.

Redeeming Grace

Psalm 45:1 My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

In Luke 24:44, Psalm 40:7 and Hebrews 10:7 it explains that Jesus is spoken of in the volume of the book.  There are several messianic psalms and Psalms 45 is just one of them.  Can you picture God sitting at a desk with the Torah before Him?  He is saying in effect, “My heart is pronouncing a good thing.  I BOAST of what I have made…your King!  My tongue is the pen of a skilled writer.  With it I have established the worlds and with it I have established your King!”

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

More beautiful are you than the children of men:  MY grace is poured like living water into your lips (Jesus):  because of it I have blessed you and made you (Jesus) a blessing for ever.

Jesus is more beautiful than we are and the Grace of God has been poured without measure into his lips.  He is forever blessed and because of the eternal grace, we are forever blessed.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

Jesus came to be the suffering servant, but once He fulfilled that task He is returning to be the conquering Messiah and King.  Jesus carries a sword on His thigh.  That sword is the Word of God.  No one is mightier than He and He is full of glory and majesty.  This is not the suffering servant.  This is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, The beginning and ending, the first and the last. 

4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

We are the body of Christ.  As the body of Christ we obtain our Lord’s attributes as our natural bodies obtain our physical body’s attributes for its own.  We ride in prosperity because of truth, meekness and righteousness.  You might say, “I’ll never let someone walk on me; step on me.  I’m nobody’s fool!”  Let me ask you; how’s that working for you?  Defending yourself and deciding what you’ll take and what you won’t; has it added wealth to your life…real wealth?  God says that our Savior’s…truth…meekness…and righteousness bring us prosperity.  It says that Jesus’ right hand shall teach us wondrous and terrible things.  What is in His right hand?  His Sword is in His right hand.  The Word of God shall teach you wondrous and terrible things.  Scripture says God’s glory conceals truths but it is the honor of kings to search out a matter (Proverbs 25:2).  We are kings and priests and our wisdom comes directly from God through His Word and the Spirit of God.

5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

We strive so much to say God will never allow us to spend an eternity in torment because He loves us.  That idea ignores the truth that God is…as I have said before…HOLY.  Aaron sinned terribly against God on numerous occasions but as long as he wore the linen ephod with HOLY UNTO THE LORD on it he was not himself but belonged to the office of the High Priest and could not be touched.  Once he retired and passed the ephod to his son God required his life and he died.  Eli the judge and High Priest failed to reign in his sons and so God killed them in battle and allowed Eli to fall off a fence and break his neck.  If God expects holiness from His own people, then how much more will He demand it from sinners who refuse Him.

6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

The throne of Jesus is an eternal throne.  It will have no end.  If you believe there are many different ways to come to God then why would He give Jesus and Jesus only an eternal throne.  He also gives him a scepter, a badge of office and that scepter is a scepter of righteousness. 

7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

I love this verse.  If we walk in the grace of God we will love righteousness and hate wickedness. The more we walk in His grace the more we will hate sin and love righteousness.  It is this attitude that will ultimately see us anointed with the oil of gladness.  That oil brings healing and sets us free.  The more we love that holy life the more oil of gladness and the more healing we will obtain from God.

Bishop J

Grace IV

Joyous Grace

1 Samuel 1:14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

Preachers, like all Christians, don’t always get it right.  This is one reason that 1 Corinthians 13 is such an important scripture and why you ought to dwell on it day and night until you have renewed your mind through that meditation.  Would Eli the high priest have said what he said in verse 14 had he been in the spirit?  No.  Would he have said it had he known 1 Corinthians 13:7 would one day say, “Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening.”  Does it sound like Eli had that attitude toward her? 

In his defense it appears that drunkenness was a real problem in Israel and even women were taken in it.  In case you think that is a sexist statement on my part, times were different then and women were much less likely to fall prey to the same vices as men.  Notice in verse 7 above that love is ever ready to believe the best of every person.  God has gone out of His way in my life to make sure I learn to believe the best of those around me.  Why?  Because as we learned in lesson Grace 3, God is not through with any of us yet and as long as we’re alive and breathing, He is promoting us and helping us grow.  A better comment from Eli would have been, “Why do you appear drunken?” 

You might say, “What’s the difference?  He’s still being judgmental.  He’s still judging.”  The difference is that he’s trying to find out what her motivation is and though it looks like one thing, it shows he’s not certain; and he wants to help her.  The truth is, we usually think badly of those around us rather than the best and that attitude goes against scripture.  In Christ we are supposed to believe the best of someone unless they have proved their guilt.  1 Corinthians 13 is the basis of our legal system…innocent until proven guilty.  If you ever read the comments after an Internet news article you KNOW people rarely believe the best of someone.  From politicians to police, from private citizens to public servants we tend to accept guilty until proven innocent.  This attitude does not please God.

Even though we in Christ have the authority to pronounce blessings and cursings, we rarely develop our faith in those areas.  I have developed my faith to where I know if I speak a matter on your behalf – or against you – God will not allow my words to fall to the ground.  This ability causes no end of concern to the youth in RFT who know this gift is in operation in my life.  I have jested with some couples in the church and they have declared, “You take that back Bishop!”  Apparently they didn’t want triplets.  I am less prone to that sort of jesting these days but they are correct in their concerns.  If you speak evil of me and I am wounded and speak against you, the words I speak WILL come to pass.  I am not a safe target to malign and speak evil against.  On the other hand, if I speak on your behalf before God, the words that I speak will come to pass.  My faith in this area is strong.

All saints ought to have this gift as it is both our protection and our honor.  Sadly, we fail 1 Corinthians 13 so badly that God does not dare activate it in all our lives; we would leave a trail of burning wreckage behind us.  Christians are to live our lives in Christ who had this blessing in full.  Who and what He cursed was cursed and who and what He blessed was blessed.  He still managed to have a powerful ministry on earth that drew men and women by the thousands.  Even in his flaws, Eli blessed the woman once he understood the truth.  In verse 17 he blessed her and in verse 18 she declared she had found the grace she sought. 

Now pay close attention to the end of verse 18.  Her countenance was no longer sad and she went away happy and ate.  Was her prayer visibly answered?  No.  Did she see the completed answer?  No.  She received it by faith and by faith chose to walk in the very real grace of God.  Her joy came by grace THROUGH faith.  She chose to be full of joy by faith and God honored her faith.  In verse 20 she became pregnant and in 1 Samuel 2:1 after giving her son to the Lord she rejoices eloquently before the Lord.  Let’s read it in the Amplified version:

1 Samuel 2:1 HANNAH PRAYED, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.

3 Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

4 The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes and is forlorn.

6 The Lord slays and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.

8 He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge [all peoples] to the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king (King) and exalt the power of His anointed (Anointed His Christ).

Now that’s grace!  Notice that once she knew it was hers she ceased being sad and trusted in God.  Once the blessing was realized she gave full credit where it was due…to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Once she stopped stressing out over it she received the promise and the child.

Friendship Grace

1 Samuel 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. 4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. 5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. 6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

David had found grace in Jonathan’s eyes.  Scripture says that the love between Jonathan and David was greater than the love between a man and a woman (2 Samuel 1:26).  They respected each other and supported each other even against king and father.  There was no sexual component to get in the way, just a pure and righteous understanding.  Let the whole world live dishonorably and they still honored one another.  Jonathan knew God had anointed David king in the place of his disobedient father and he didn’t care; he just wanted what God wanted.  That fact infuriated his father (1 Samuel 19:2, 1 Samuel 20:27-33) and forced Jonathan to chose sides; in this case his beloved friend David.

Grace will cause you to put someone ahead of yourself.  It will encourage you to follow a plan of God no matter what it might cost you.  When you walk in grace you realize it doesn’t matter what cost you might pay as long as you are in God’s grace.  His grace is sufficient for suffering, for promotion, for strength and for faith.  His grace will let you stand beside Apostle Paul and declare that, “I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content in the Lord.”  We in Christ should never be grasping, greedy, demanding, soulish men and women.  Our motives should always be gracious and pure and our goal to help others at all times.  The grace of God in Christ Jesus will keep you on top when the whole world seeks to hold you down.  Having done all to stand (by grace through faith), stand therefore in the whole armor of God.

Psalm 23:5 Grace

1 Samuel 27:5 And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? 6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

There are times when you might have to run from your so-called friends and find succor in the bosom of your enemy.  David was forced to flee Saul and found himself in Gath before the Philistine king Achish.  David had fled with 600 of his followers and the king could not believe his good fortune.  God will blind your enemies and make them your friends if that is His will.  He not only honored David by receiving the great warrior of Israel but he gave him the town of Ziklag. 

While hiding in Ziklag, David took his men out and attacked the nations that Joshua had failed to destroy.  He told Achish that he had attacked cities in Judah and was believed.  It may not be the most comfortable place to eat at a table surrounded by your enemies, but God will make you as safe as in a fortress if we keep Him as our fortress.  How about you?  Is God YOUR fortress (Psalm 91:2)? 

Bishop J.

Grace III

Fulfilling Grace

Exodus 34:5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance. 10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

Who is the God you serve?  Have you ever heard a message that you have heard before but it was said in a different way and let you see God in a new light?  That happened to me last night.  I love prophecy, unknown tongues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit but I’m thankful for my sojourn into the Southern Baptist environs of Suffolk, Virginia.  We full gospel ministers and churches can get just a bit arrogant about our spiritual gifts or perhaps we’ve been to some dead non-Pentecostal churches before and that has tainted our outlook and given us a jaded look at our Baptist brethren.  Whatever your take on this peculiar point let’s not forget that they might look at you just as strangely. 

Last night I heard a pastor from Jacksonville, Florida preach a message about the God who sees our end from the beginning.  It was all about a God who watched you completely miss the mark (can you say sin) and yet He didn’t toss you off the team.  I’ve been pigeon holed for years by leaders great and small and saints who figured I was too flighty, too full of jokes, too busy doing secular work or too full of myself.  The general statement if someone hears me (or thinks they hear me) is, “That’s just Jay.”  I suppose we should ask, “Who is Jay?” 

The preacher last night said he was a stutterer and eighteen years ago when he accepted his call to the ministry and his father asked him to read scripture – the Twenty Third Psalm – he took five minutes to get through it and mangled it.  He was so ashamed for destroying a verse he knew by heart that he complained to God on the way home and said, “If you want me to be your preacher then why would you make the one part of my body that you need for ministry, broken?”  In one of those moments of clarity and grace God told him that He would either heal the flaw or leave it intact and make him prosper in ministry in spite of it.  I watched that man rattle off scriptures and Bible truths last night with a clarity and speed that would have made a rapper envious.  Certainly God (as He once informed Moses) is the creator of the tongue.

I could say that I know who and what I am but that would be incorrect.  I see who I was and I see who I am but I only imperfectly see who I am becoming.  God sees all His children at all seasons of their lives at the same time.  He’s not surprised you missed His mark so badly but He also knows you won’t tomorrow.  While you are looking at the man I was and maybe even the man I am, God is pursuing the man I will be.  I’ve seen pastors, bishops, apostles and prophets fail to give opportunities to others to shine because they do not see that person as God does.  It may not be your responsibility to make my journey to excellence your number one concern, but is it really your job to hold me back and deny my opportunities to grow…simply because I might miss the mark?

I’m not writing this out of bitterness or a sense of betrayal because I feel none of those things.  I am at a place in Christ where I know that I know that I know that there is nothing anyone can do to hold me back or prevent my God promised future.  That wasn’t always the case and there were some long dry years that could have been made easier by a nudge in the right direction or a regular opportunity to bloom, but those seasons have made me who I am and even if I could I’m not sure I would change any of them.  I am grateful for the words of encouragement that I received from a few insightful people who kept me from walking off in despair but all in all I am full of joy for my life and future in our God.

You might ask, “What does any of this have to do with the verses above?”  It has to do with the fact that Israel like us is often disrespected or cast aside while they await God’s clock to move back around to a renewed relationship.  It has to do with the fact that God is eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent.  It has to do with the fact that God is not going to put up with a superior attitude on our part when we have no reason to feel superior and rather have every reason to feel insignificant, grateful and humble.  In the scripture above Moses has spent whole chapters telling God how much He wants to see Him in all of His glory.  The experience would kill Moses but he wanted to experience it nonetheless.  In God’s grace He allowed Moses to have a taste of his desire but it leaves him permanently changed and transfigured.

This is what we must keep in mind.  The more time you spent with God the more you will become changed and more like Him.  In verse six above God Himself proclaimed, “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”  He declared Himself and made no bones about it.  Yahweh!  Yahweh El!  Merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth! 

Do you know that about your God?  Do others know that about YOU?  The god that the Muslims worship is said to be unknowable and capricious.  Capricious is just another word that means, “Not to be trusted.”  Our God can be trusted; our God will press into our lives to bring us an expected end.  Glory to our God in the Highest!!!  Because God is gracious and loving He accepted Moses’ intercession for the stiff necked Israelites and began to personally lead them again.  I get so frustrated by SO CALLED Christians who bash other Christians for failing to live up to scripture.  Thank God Christ came to save me apart from my scriptural obedience and thank God He continues to work in me daily until I attain that obedience in my life. 

I don’t know what your God means to you but I believe verse 10 above, “10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.”

More than thirty years ago Apostle Joseph Sims told us to write a letter to God and tell God your heart’s desire.  We had been studying the works and ministry of Moses and it inspired me to write a letter to God and say I wanted to be like Moses and have a relationship with God where He and I would be friends and He would talk to me ‘face to face.’  The years have come and gone but I never forgot the letter or the fact that 15 years later God told me to make myself a staff patterned after the one Moses carried.  Verse 10 says to me, “Behold my son, I make a covenant before all your people and will do marvels.  They will see my works like it has never been seen before and the nations will recognize that I am with you for it is a fearful and awesome thing that I will do with you.” 

What does all this mean to me?  It means that no matter who you think you see in me, you do not see the me that I see.  God once told me to duck when I entered a building so I would not hit my head on the 10 foot door jamb.  When I questioned Him on it He said, “Do not think that you are only as tall as the body you live in.  I have made you much more.”  I do not say these things in arrogance or a feeling of self accomplishment because as Jesus said in John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”  I say them because they are true and sure and because God sees the me that will be and not the me that you see. 

What does He see in you?

Negotiating Grace

Numbers 32:1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; 2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, 3 Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4 Even the country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: 5 Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.

God promised great blessings to the children of Israel if they would continue to walk before Him faithfully.  Regardless of how strong or weak they were, they promised to be His faithful servants in all things.  We all tend to promise God anything in an attempt to obtain the promises we desire from Him.  Sometimes we are even aware of our own character traits that will conspire against us and prevent us from fully obeying His Word.  There have been a lot of attacks against Israel over the centuries and for the most part the body of Christ has behaved abominably toward the Jews.  They are God’s chosen people and if I wanted to I could produce scripture after scripture that will show their time is not over nor has God forsaken them.

I can also even more easily show scriptures that reveal us to be the mongrel dogs of the life of God, the WILD olive branch that was grafted, adopted in.  God never cut off the tame olive branch, He simply loved us enough to build us a room off to the side so we might experience His love.  We are the adopted son who took advantage of the fact that the natural son became angry and ran off to make his way in the world.  In his absence we have taken over his room and instead of respecting his belongings we have thrown most of them out as if they didn’t matter at all. 

We have become adults, lived our lives and grown old in our adopted Father’s home and it will soon be time to return to where all men must eventually go.  Some of us still treat our big brother with contempt and arrogance while others are beginning to discover that all those books and letters in his room were valuable and worthwhile after all.  It’s almost time for us to move into the homes built specifically for us.  Will we leave anything behind for our wayward brother so he might use it and know that we loved him when he stops his wandering and returns home as he has begun to do? 

Every one of us makes poor decisions from time to time.  That is the nature of our imperfect lives and thought processes.  The miracle of grace is that God can use those mistakes and build on them or use them to correct our mistakes.  Moses was leading the children of Israel into the promised land when Reuben and Gad realized that they were happy with the piece of property they were currently traveling through.  God had His reasons for wanting Israel all on one side of the Jordan river.  There were no bridges in those days and fording the river was a difficult and dangerous task.  Rivers isolate and Reuben and Gad were beginning to draw back from the national unity of Israel. 

If I had been Reuben I think I would have taken my father's prophecy to heart and sought to change it.  I would not have done those things that were guaranteed to draw me away from a closer walk with God.  As for Gad, Jacob’s prophecy to him was one of strength that failed leading to conquest, “A troop that shall be overcome by a troop.”  Ruben and Gad’s problem was the same as Israel’s problem when Jesus came into Jerusalem.  They wanted what they had but God wanted so much more for them.  Without spiritual eyes to see they could only judge the natural and by natural judgment the land on this side of the river is better for us.  When God says the other side is better, don’t argue and when times get hard, don’t murmur.  Things ARE better on the other side.  Instead of holding on to old things, suck it up and make the move.  Is it frightening?  It can be.  Is it difficult?  Probably, and yet the you who will become is worth all the trouble.

Proverbs 3:8 says, “"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

Numbers 32:6 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? 7 And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath given them? 8 Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land. 9 For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them. 10 And the Lord 's anger was kindled the same time, and he sware, saying, 11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: 12 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the Lord. 13 And the Lord' s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. 14 And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers 'stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel. 15 For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all this people.

Moses had the same problem as Joshua and others.  He was so used to leading the Children of Israel that he didn’t always take major decisions directly to God.  To be sure he warned Gad and Reuben of what might happen if they failed to fully support and assist their brethren; but scripture does not show him approaching God for wisdom in this area.  How much more difficult would the campaigns become because Reuben and Gad left their wives and children behind while they followed their brethren over the river.  They would now be outside the camp and away from Israel’s protection if raiders should come and the hearts of the men who would go over to fight would never feel like they were fighting for THEIR land…they had that already.  Wouldn’t it have been better to have all stayed together while they were on the move? 

Even Christians quote Romans 12:2 which says, “And 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.”  Reuben and Gad’s decision might have been acceptable or good in the eyes of Moses but was it perfect, lacking nothing?  I don’t believe so.  They had to build cities to protect themselves and places for the cattle.  It would have been better and stronger to have traveled together in unity (Psalm 133:1).

Grace For Provision

Ruth 2:1 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz. 2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. 3 And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

I was born in Seattle, Washington.  I remember when we bought a ‘color’ TV.  It was a huge 19 inch.  Our phones all were rotary dial and it was a big thing when my dad ordered a push button phone even though it looked just like the rotary phone except for the dial.  My sister Barbara lived with us then and taught me how to tie my shoes.  She got married when I was 5 and left to move to Michigan.  I’ve since forgiven her husband.  I loved Halloween and one year filled an entire pillowcase full of candy.  My mom made me give half of it to my cousin who didn’t get as much.  I’ve since forgiven my mom. 

I live in Suffolk, Virginia.  There is a 44” flat screen TV on the wall in my bedroom.  It’s not very big today.  My phone is 4” x 2.5” x 3/8” and I can talk to anyone in the world with it.  I talked to Africa just this week.  It doesn’t have any buttons or dials and has more memory in a card smaller than my fingernail than my first full sized computer had in a hard drive as big as my Bible.  My sister Barbara lives in Seattle now and sometimes I give her advice.  Sometimes she gives me advice too.  I still know how to tie my shoes.  I absolutely detest Halloween because it makes Satan look cute and he is not cute; he’s deadly.

Somewhere between those two paragraphs I found the Lord (well, He found me and had mercy on me), got married and raised a family.  I have had several jobs and focused on just one…ministry.  I have died to self, revived and died again many times over the years.  Somewhere in the midst of it all I have learned to trust in Him all the more and have begun to learn exactly who and what I am in Him.  That thought might make others think I have delusions of grandeur but we in Christ should know just who and what we really are.  I have failed so many times that I thought I had a doctorate in it.  My title should have been, “Bishop JR Staab, PhD, DD, OMG, LOL.  Okay, I made most of those up.

My point is that from the guy in the first paragraph to the guy in the second and third I have become a completely different guy and none of it would have happened without God’s help.  We expect those around us to ‘get it.’ We offer no grace and wonder why this world and especially this country is so messed up.  I’ll tell you why; we have failed them in the grace department.  In the book of Ruth we have a woman who had everything the world could have offered.  She was nobility and wealthy in her own country and chose to hold on to an invisible God and a wounded elderly mother-in-law rather than all the wealth of a pagan kingdom.  Most of us wouldn’t have given her the time of day.

In verse 2 she makes a statement that betrays her faith in God and assurance of her position in His love, “…let me go and find grace in the field of the one in whose eyes I will find grace.”  Her statement is not one of boldness and taking charge but one of petition to her mother-in-law.  She is seeking Naomi’s permission for the opportunity to beg and glean on her mother-in-law’s behalf.  Would any of us do such a thing?  I wonder if our comment would be, “Look old woman, you ought to be happy that I’m even going out to get something to eat.”  The average Israelite would have spit on the road in front of her but she had humbled herself before all their sight.

She and Naomi must have had some great Bible Studies.  Her understanding of grace was not only toward the owner of the field but toward the God she had chosen to obey.  She knew that her only hope as a detested Moabite was God’s grace.  Before I continue let me ask you a couple questions.  Would you have humbled yourself to the point that if someone cursed and spit on you your trust would still be in God?  No?  You failed.  Would you have left the comfort of your home to follow after this bitter and angry old woman and a brand new God?  No?  You failed.  For me today, probably yes.  For me yesterday…uh … no..

Ruth 2:8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

Boaz was a saint of God.  Today he would have been one of those Christians who not only talk a good game but live it and are willing to die by it.  He was an honest business man, a gracious leader and a redeemer of lost souls.  Ruth couldn’t even imagine why he would look at her.  She knew full well what Israel thought of her people.  They were the offspring of Lot who refused to come to their Israeli brethren’s assistance and even chose to combat them and use trickery to defeat them.  God had cursed Moab and ordered that they not be allowed into the tabernacle of the Lord through the tenth generation.  Ruth’s submission, surrender and service brought a tikkun, a miraculous mending to the people of Moab. 

You have a choice before God.  You can be wicked and say, “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine.  You can be lawful and say, “What’s yours is yours and what’s mine is mine; or you can be righteous and say, “What’s yours is yours and what’s mine is yours.”  Ruth stood before Naomi and chose righteousness.  Because of her cHessed (lovingkindness) God brought her before Boaz and he in his righteousness obeyed his heart.  The Jewish world at that time was offended by the marriage but could not prevent it.  Ruth’s grandson Jesse was ashamed by it but David, the greatest king of Israel reaped the reward of that cHessed. 

The lineage of Jesus contains Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheeba.  One slept with her father-in-law.  One was a prostitute.  One was cursed by God and one cheated on her husband.  When you speak of grace and assault God’s people…you have failed Him.  When you speak of grace and curse sinners…you have failed Him.  When you speak of grace and fail to lead sinners to redemption…you have failed Him.  We are in the dispensation of Grace and God Himself will hold you to blame if you fail to love and minister grace to those in need.  Never forget.  Righteous indignation is as dirty as the deepest sin.

Ruth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 12 The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

Only when you bless and do not curse will God trust you to accomplish the greatest works of faith and mercy in His name.  We have the honor of blessing others and the shame of cursing.  Will you choose honor or shame?  This world is coming to a close as we know it.  Our politicians and leaders no longer trust God for wisdom and guidance.  They are filled with wrath and shame.  Will you pray until revival comes to Washington or will you hide yourself from their pain and wait until judgment comes.  The choice is yours.  Learn well how to trust God beloved.  More than anything else these days the world needs faith and grace.  I pray you do not let them down.  

Be strong beloved.  

Bishop J