God Looks for the Good in Our Hearts

“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” — 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NASB)

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God is so misunderstood. Many of God’s dearly loved children think that He is always looking for things that they are doing wrong so that he has more material to punish them for. They seem somehow convinced that their hearts are inherently evil, despite the Bible telling us that by turning to Jesus we have been given new hearts and new spirits (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26). In the verse above, there is an unexpected twist. The Apostle Paul tells us that there will be a time when God brings to light the things hidden in darkness in our hearts. This is where those who do not have a clear concept of God as a genuinely loving father start sensing the wrath that is about to be revealed.

But instead of talk of wrath, Paul talks of praise. And this not praise of God, but praise from God of what is hidden in our hearts. The secret motives of good that are there. Praise for the compassion we have for people. Praise for our desire to do good. Praise for our hopes of seeing God presented to others in a way that leads them to relationship with Him. What good father doesn’t look for praiseworthy things in their kids? If earthly fathers know what good fathers should do, certainly the ultimate good father does so even more.
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One of the Apostle Paul’s points here is that we need to be very careful what we judge other people to be. We see what appears to be wrong motives — or perhaps we see someone who still has very far to grow in Christ-likeness — or someone who is very rough around the edges. Yet, we don’t easily see the good that is residing in their hearts. We are not to be premature in writing off anyone. Furthermore, even though we can never see inside another’s heart very clearly, we are given the hint that we are to look for the gold there — look for the good there — look for the praiseworthy there. That is, if we are actually trying to be more like Jesus.

I have grown more in my life through people calling forth the good they see in me than people yelling about the bad they see in me. By calling out the good, people help me see what I in many cases had not been able to see. And in helping me see, they help me become what God always intended me to be.

Let us be life-giving people, and let us understand our Father in heaven as really being a good and loving Father in reality, and not just in words.

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord

Just read an excellent devotion by Bill Johnson in Spiritual Java. It was on strengthening yourself in the Lord, and was based on David’s response to a serious situation at Ziklag when the wives and children of he and his men were kidnapped while they were off fighting a battle elsewhere. His men were going to stone him, but he strengthened himself in the Lord and then led his men to take back their wives and children. The article was about being able to press into the Lord and then taking a courageous step that requires faith. Bill Johnson says that doing so helps us grow in favor with God.
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I wonder what pressing into the Lord looks like practically? I think it must be more than simply being courageous, or at least acting like we are courageous. I think it must involve coming to the Lord, and in our time with him grappling with and agreeing with what he wants us to do to step forward in the situation.

I experienced this about 6 years ago when my consulting business wasn’t bringing in enough money, and I failed in my attempts to drum up more business or find an alternative job. I was scared and thought for sure I needed to sell my house before it got foreclosed on. But God spoke to me in his quiet voice and directed me to look at Isaiah 7, in which Isaiah challenges the king to take a stand against the foreign army. In verse 9, Isaiah basically tells the king (and this is paraphrased into how I interpreted it for my situation), if you don’t stand firm in faith now, you’ll always be running in tough situations. So, as a result, I redoubled my efforts to pray and trust God, and I got a phone call from someone offering me a position I neither knew about or applied for. And I am there to this day.
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Truthfully, over the course of my life, I have had more failures than successes in this area, but as I grow older, I hope to see many more successes than failures. For us to do this, I think this requires us to both recognize that God is mighty, but also recognize ourselves as people valuable enough to God that he will act on our behalf. Consider the second part of Hebrews 11:6, that faith requires us to believe that God rewards those of us who seek him.

May God give us strength to stand firm in faith, to go up against giants, and not shrink in fear, but go forth using the weapons that we have!

What if Jesus Wasn’t a Big, Fat Liar, Nor Just Plain Crazy?

Jesus is too important to be fuzzy-headed about. Around a billion people claim to follow him (Christians) and for that matter, another billion people claim that he was at the very least a great prophet (Muslims). There’s probably an additional billion or more people who claim to at least have heard about him and show some kind of respect for him.

jesus-and-child-featured-589x295But perhaps the earliest sources known to record the life of Jesus, the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John found in the New Testament of the Bible, report that Jesus made some incredible claims. He said he was

  • God’s only begotten son (John 3:16)
  • One who was also God (John 5:18, John 8:58, John 10:30-33, John 12:44-46, John 14:6-9, Mark 14:61-62, John 20:28)
  • The only way to God (John 14:6)
  • One who could forgive sins
  • That he would save anyone who believed in him — and that everyone else was condemned (john 3:16-18)

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We all have heard of people who claimed to be God. And we treat those people as not being mentally competent. But if someone ever seemed to be mentally competent and made that claim, then we would probably ask ourselves, “What’s the gimmick? Why are they staging such a scam?”

So, was Jesus a scam artist — a big, fat liar? He seemed to be selfless, not getting anything out of proclaiming his message. I mean, he was killed at a young age because of his message. And his followers, instead of shutting up, proclaimed Jesus as God and Savior — and all but one lost their lives for proclaiming this! Certainly if it was all a scam, at least one of them would have told the truth to save his own life.

Continue reading “What if Jesus Wasn’t a Big, Fat Liar, Nor Just Plain Crazy?”

The World is Watching

Guest post by Ron Lease

“Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; before you tell me how much you love your God, show me in how much you love all His children; before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as in how you choose to live and give.” Cory Booker
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We as Christians are regularly scrutinized, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Scrutiny forces accountability, and we need to be accountable. Accountability keeps us grounded, keeps us humble, keeps us focused. The world is watching us, and it’s up to us to be good role models, integrious in all of our actions. While this does put pressure on us, we signed up for this pressure when we chose to follow Christ. In Luke 9:23, Jesus told all those in audience that they have to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him.

To understand, look at an example from John The Baptist. Starting in John 3:22 we read that John and Jesus were both baptizing believers. Some of John The Baptist’s followers started to question whether Jesus, who was baptized by John, could baptize others. In verse 27 John responded, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (John 3:27 ESV). John The Baptist says a few more things reinforcing his statement before closing with, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30 NIV).

Let us review some facts on it. levitra 40 mg According to cialis viagra australia Ayurveda depression is caused when Vata dosha and Pitta dosha are greatly disturbed. But after getting the online ordering option, they started to take note of the market gap and are trying to fill the void by bringing forward their own anti ED medicines. levitra professional online Nature cialis canada prescription has never been impartial to its offsprings. Several years later, in his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul wrote, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…” (Philippians 1:27 ESV). Now for Paul to hear how the early Christians in Philippi were doing, Paul would have to hear of the church’s activities. And the only way for Paul to hear would be for other people to talk. And the only way for people to talk would be to observe.

Now I don’t write to say that the world is watching so that we live in a state of fear. Never! Instead, we should accept this HUGE responsibility. Americans do not lack in access to the Bible. They do not lack in access to a church. They lack in access to healthy Christians who carry out Christ’s will. In a world where we regularly hear people bloviate superfluous platitudes, a good moral word every now and again is ignored. Instead, our society responds to action. Christians in action send a very clear message that the love of Christ is real. Christians willing to roll up their sleeves and serve those in need demonstrate that the love of Christ is real. Christians offering a sympathetic, caring response instead of a vapid, snarky remark condemning the suffering show that the love of Christ is real.

We Christians should never be afraid or ashamed of our identity in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV). Now this doesn’t mean that we have to respond to every (or any) manipulative Facebook posting begging for shares or likes to profess our love for Christ. No! Instead, we need to share our new identity lovingly with the rest of the world. In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus told the parable of a tree and its fruit. Essentially, we can recognize people by the fruit of their labor. Anybody can say they’re good, but only those who demonstrate they’re good should be trusted.

Hearing a message of Christ is one thing, but seeing Christian action is something entirely different! We’re surrounded by talkers and lacking in doers. Be a doer! Love your neighbor; help your friends; be nice to people. Because remember, the world is watching.

For Parents – Fear Not!

Guest post by Ron Lease

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thinks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Th 5:11, 16-18 ESV)

School is now back in full swing. Some of us have kids who are still in elementary, middle, or high school. We get to deal with spelling bees, science fair projects, mandatory readings, and other joys / tribulations. Some parents and students view these assignments with dread, while others look forward to what a new year of learning will bring.
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Some of us have kids (adults!) who left for college, whether for the first time or the fourth. While we used to dread the cornucopia of math worksheets and other campfire fodder, we now yearn for those days. Instead of hugs and kisses every night, we get text messages and FaceTime, Skype, and text messages.

Yet others of us have watched our kids complete their education. Perhaps they have families of their own. Perhaps our kids have kids of their own! We get to relive the high points of primary and secondary education without having to deal with the negative aspects. Grandparents don’t want to hear when the little dear skipped an assignment.

Regardless, all God-fearing parents share one thing: they pray without ceasing! First day of kindergarten? Pray for the parents and the students. First day of middle school? You bet there’s some praying! First day of driving? Ooooooooh boy. Parents will pray more during this time than many others. First day in college and not at home? Prayer, prayer, prayer, prayer!
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Now, whether dealing with fear and anxiety of offspring being away from home, or excitement about what our children are learning, we must stay connected with God through all of this. When Moses was speaking to Joshua, he gave these encouraging words. “‘It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed [emphasis added]'” (Deut 31:8 ESV). Couple this with God’s message to Israel in Isaiah 41:10 (NIV), “‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'” God wants us to trust Him, not live in fear.
Continue reading “For Parents – Fear Not!”

El Shaddai

This is a guest post by my friend Ron Lease, aka Ron Stoppable

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Starting in Exodus chapter 3, God engaged in dialog with Moses. God begins telling Moses of His plan to free the Israelites from bondage. Moses keeps asking “w” questions: “who” (Ex 3:11) and “what” (Ex 3:13, 4:1). God responded by saying “I will be with you.” (Ex 3:12 NIV)
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Exodus 4 and 5 show Moses and his brother, Aaron, returning to Pharaoh asking him to let the Israelites go and hold a festival to the God of Israel. Pharaoh refuses and punishes the Israelites. Then God promises deliverance.

One of the names that God uses to reveal himself is El Shaddai, or God Almighty. Imagine Moses’ reaction when he not only heard the voice of God, but heard God introduce himself as almighty, all-powerful, omnipotent. In Exodus 6:3, Moses heard God say that though he appeared to Abraham (Gen 17:1), Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 35:11), he did not make himself fully known to them. Even without this complete revelation, God and Abraham (and his descendants) entered into a covenant. This covenant, as one would expect, turned out to be a pretty big deal! While we don’t necessarily know of God revealing himself as El Shaddai between Jacob and Moses, we do know that God was not silent or inactive during this time, especially when considering the life of Joseph (starting in Gen 37). Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He calms His child. However, after hearing the cries of the persecuted Israelites, God reached out to Moses.
Continue reading “El Shaddai”

Transitioning from Law to Spirit is Like that of Child to Husband or Wife

I have been speaking to young people — mostly high school and college age — about how to live free from sin. The best verse on which to base this idea is Galatians 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (NIV). I had been thinking about how so much of our ministry to this group is focused on sin — and how, by doing so, we may be unwittingly perpetuating the cycle of temptation and sin. Certainly it is important to minister to those struggling with sin and temptation, and especially for this particular age group, because I know that young people experience high levels of temptation, particularly from sexual temptation which is possibly at its highest level at that age. But I also think the verse points to a much better way.
child-830725_1280In addition to talking about sin, we also have been talking some about principles of dating and marriage. As I was thinking about the two areas of teaching — sin and preparing for marriage — the strange mashup of ideas brought a very important and perhaps helpful analogy to the issue of following the Law vs. being led by the Spirit. Just as we don’t expect children to marry until they reach adulthood — since they need to mature emotionally, socially, physically, and even spiritually before they are ready — it is also true that there is a certain natural progression we should experience spiritually as we grow.

A child is raised by parents to follow certain rules that are designed to protect the child or to help the child connect better socially or to ultimately understand right from wrong in either a religious or social sense. A child is taught to obey his parents. But when a child becomes an adult, and if that child should marry, staying a child in the new primary relationship of their life would be a terrible thing! Instead of obedience in marriage, marriage partners learn to do things that are meant to strengthen the marriage and bless their partner. The motivation of these actions is love. I’m not saying that parents don’t make and enforce rules out of love, nor that children don’t obey out of love (at least some of the time). What I am saying is that the nature of the relationship has changed from one of simply learning to control one’s self to be better able to follow rules, to one of controlling one’s self for the sake of loving one’s partner.

It is probably necessary to learn rules — to have experience with trying to obey the Law — in order to recognize a number of important lessons. These include the fact that it is impossible to keep all of the rules all of the time even when we try the hardest we can; and that the rules seem to be in place to either protect us, protect others from us, or protect our relationship with God. Yet as we move from childhood to maturity — think of us as the Bride of Christ — we recognize that in order to attain maturity in faith, we have to transition from our rules-based childhood to a higher level of relating. That is, we transition from our focus on trying not to sin to a new focus on loving God and doing what builds, protects, and enhances that intimate relationship with God. The nature of our relationship shifts from being a child learning to obey to being a wife (even guys) to God.
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What the verse from Galatians tells us is that transitioning from child to wife, from obedience to the Law to following the lead of the Holy Spirit, is the only way we will ever walk free from sin. Sin loses its power when we don’t take it on directly, but rather bypass it entirely because we are so focused on the One who loves us more than any other. We focus on what we are living for, not what we are running from. Jesus is the joy set before us! As we focus on him, all other things fade. Focusing on Jesus gives us power to be more than conquerors.

Fly with Christ!

Paul Horichs, A Mighty Man of God

My friend and mentor of many years passed away on Friday, July 17, 2015. Paul had experienced a series of health issues recently, but I certainly hadn’t expected them to lead to his death. I was certainly praying and pressing in for some renewed strength and mobility for him. So his loss was a bit of a shock to me. What made matters worse was that I had a trip for work to Kazakhstan that I couldn’t change, and so I ended up flying out on Sunday morning, missing the visitation at the funeral home on Monday and the funeral on Tuesday.
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So I’m up at midnight in Almaty, Kazakhstan, sharing my memory of him in writing, because I didn’t want to let a man like Paul Horichs pass without doing anything to recognize him for being a very important person in my life.

My first meaningful meeting with Paul came in January 1997, on a road trip with the two of us, Bruce Mock, and Will McFalls as we drove in a snowstorm from Westminster to Toronto for the 3rd annual anniversary of the Toronto blessing. We were there for around 4 glorious days, worshipping God and soaking up everything we could. I learned on that trip that Paul was after all that the Lord had for him. He taught me persistence and not giving up or giving in. I remember him going and standing in line for prayer, and then after getting prayer, he would go and get in line again, not wanting to miss anything that the Lord would want to impart to him through different vessels.

It was there that I had one of my most live-changing experiences standing next to Paul Horichs as Randy Clark prayed over every person who stepped out into the aisle for a healing touch from God. I’ll always be grateful for that, and honestly, perhaps I would not have even stepped out into the aisle, except for the fact that Paul had already stepped into the aisle.

It was during those 4 or so days, driving up, being together in Toronto, and driving back, we began to dream together of building up a church so that God would be honored and so that God would be free to move among the people, not hindered by the way church leaders had a tendency to limit God.

It was also during that trip, or perhaps soon after, that I labeled Paul, together with a handful of others, “MMOG”, or “Mighty Man of God”. And to me, this is exactly what Paul Horichs always was.
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Paul and I served on the church council together either at that time or soon after, and we saw the church heading for very difficult times. He and I agreed together and labored together to try to save it. In the end, we failed, but we stuck together, and went into exile together.

At this time, Paul was very active running his own business — a pool construction business. But what really impressed me was that despite being as busy as he was, he made time to meet with me once a month over breakfast so that he could invest in me and speak into my life. I needed a lot of fatherly or brotherly advice from someone who was further down the road than I was, especially at that point when I was pastoring a church, working a job, studying at grad school, and together with my wife, raising our young kids… I will always appreciate all the time he devoted to me.

Surprisingly, Paul and I were not in church together after 1997 until 2005, when my family and I joined Harvest Church where Paul and Lana were serving as two of the four pastors. It was such a joy to be reconnected on a weekly basis with him.

One of the things he did for me at Harvest, but I’m sure didn’t realize it, is that he gave me the courage to start worshipping the Lord with flag waving — because I saw my mentor Paul doing it. So around 2010 I tried it just as an experiment to see if I could worship the Lord in some kind of alternative way that allowed greater expression of passion and love. And I have stuck with it ever since — it has blessed me, and I feel very confident that it has blessed the Lord, as well.

I will miss Paul, but I will always be grateful for Paul. I hope in some small way this little tribute to him will help stir up memories in others of things that Paul meant to them — or perhaps will just help some people who didn’t know Paul know what a Mighty Man of God he was. And writing has been good for me… it has allowed me to shed a few tears in honor of a man I love.

Jesus Says When People Choose Not to Turn to God, It Reveals that They have Embraced Evil

The most famous Bible verse is probably John 3:16, words spoken by Jesus about God’s love for each of us — the whole world. As we read that verse and the verses that follow, we learn many things that are critically important, and yet are not so well know. This passage, John 3:16-21, is most poignantly translated in The Message Bible, which says:

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“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.”

“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”

Main points from the passage

1. God loves people very much, and does not want anyone to be condemned. Jesus came into the world and ultimately died on a cross because God loves us so much, and he hated that we were trapped in a state of being condemned.

2. A person who does not believe is condemned. Jesus, God’s son, tells us in verse 17 that he did not come into the world to condemn people, but to save people. However, in verse 18, he tells us that without faith, people are already in a state of condemnation.

These herbal ED medications don’t only emphasize safety and few, if any, cialis generico online side effects; they’re also known for their effectiveness. Failure to be able control your steed is more common today than inthe past, for any number of reasons, but first and foremost is not taking care of your overall health, you will not want to miss the startling interview with sculptor Alonzo Clemons that highlights his astonishing talent to replicate animals that he has seen for barely a few moments. tadalafil pharmacy online It is cheap levitra excellent to chat to see if you could decrease the dosage, or look for an all-natural choice to medicine. Consult your doctor if you have some chronic conditions such as heart, liver, kidney tadalafil 20mg generic or lung problems. 3. People who truly desire to do good choose to follow Jesus. Verse 21 shows that belief in Jesus — our running toward light — reveals something about our hearts. That if we have in our hearts to do things that honor God, then we will put our faith in Jesus.

4. Those who reject Jesus expose their hearts as loving evil. Jesus says in verses 19 and 20 that the real issue that keeps people from coming to God is that they love doing things their own way — they love doing evil.

While most Christians have always seen putting faith in Jesus as the key to salvation, it is not as well known that responding to the invitation also reveals things about a person’s heart: a desire deep down to serve and love God — to live dependent on God and in relationship with him. In a similar vein, those who do not seek after God also reveal things about their heart, and that it that they desire to do evil — to live independent from God.

We often think about people being evil if they do really horrible things. Jesus sees that at the heart of the matter, people are evil-doers when they reject God so that they can do their own thing. We also often think that a life of faith is about a life of trying not to sin. Jesus seems to say that it is more about depending on him and living in relationship with him, and out of that, we live lives pleasing to him.

Responding to God

For those reading this who perhaps have not responded to God, or responded only partially, but now are feeling a strange sense of being drawn: Jesus loves you and died for you so that you could be forgiven of your sins (which have included all sorts of things that come from living independent of God) and so that you could be reconciled to God (restored to an intimate friendship). If you want that kind of relationship, talk to Jesus in plain language (i.e., pray in your heart or out loud), telling him that you are putting your trust in him and that you will do your best to follow him, living in dependence on him. Jesus promises to respond and come and live in your heart (he says this in John chapter 14).

In order to grow in your faith, please tell someone who is already following Jesus about your decision (you can email me if you want). Then spend time each day talking and listening to God, so you can get to know his heart for you (it’s so thrilling when you hear him say he loves you — I never get tired of hearing that). And try reading the Bible. Don’t start at the beginning, but try something that is written about Jesus’ life on the earth, like the book (Gospel) of John (or Matthew, Mark, or Luke).

God is Not an Angry God (Clue 2: The Father of the Prodigal)

Rembrandt_Harmensz_van_Rijn_-_Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_-_Google_Art_Project_300pxThe more I think about the story of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32), the more impressed I am with the father in the story, who represents God. First of all, the prodigal son shows total disrespect for the father by asking the father to give him even before the father dies the inheritance that will be his after the father dies. Instead of getting angry and kicking the son out (as many of us might have been tempted to do), the father gives the son his inheritance, and the son goes far away, and wastes all of the money on sex and booze.

The father knew this is what the prodigal son would do with the inheritance, but he gave it to him anyway. Doesn’t that blow your mind about God and sin?! God facilitated his son’s sin, not because sin is good, or because God doesn’t care about sin, but because he cares about something more than sin, and that is relationship. He knew that this son would never be able to find true relationship with him until the son saw where what he thought he desired led to — which is a life of emptiness.

Hitting rock bottom caused the prodigal son to wake up and realize that his father was a good man — one who was even kind to servants — a much better way than he was being treated herding pigs in a foreign land, penniless and hungry for even pig food. So he decided to go home and beg his father to let him at least be a servant. But as he was nearing home, the father saw him, and rejoiced. He ran to his son and hugged him and welcomed him home, giving him a ring and honor and a feast. Instead of rejecting his son or allowing him to be his servant, the father received him as a son — as if he had been lost and dead and then was found and alive.

The father’s strategy had worked with his son. The money lost — wasted on the son’s sin — was money well-spent, because it allowed the son to see differently, and return as a son who was grateful to have such a father.

Surgeries and medications can prove beneficial as well levitra cost of as additional surgical procedures. You will cheap viagra feel its effect in just 10 minutes. Others can actually go for broke with fifty milligrams depending on their doctor’s recommendation. sale of viagra http://www.devensec.com/development/Filming_Permit_App_w_Guidelines.pdf So if you are out of reach of the doctor to avoid the possible occurrence of the adverse reactions in the form of diarrhea, upset stomach, memory loss, seizure, cold symptoms, irregular heartbeats or shortness in breath.Impotency or erectile dysfunction no longer exists as the major health ailment for the man as this drug has generic cialis like it made the treatment quite easier. The story of the elder brother of the prodigal reflects a different sort of relationship problem. The elder brother is the story of a good kid in terms of outward performance, but one who was in bondage to his false perception of what his father was like and what being a son was supposed to mean. The elder brother thought that being a proper son was about performance and self-sufficiency. He was working for the father to earn approval and perhaps love, rather than doing the things he did from a sense of loving and being loved.

He must have either perceived his father as stingy and hard-hearted, or as the relationship being one-way, in which the son gave but wasn’t allowed to receive. He wouldn’t even think of asking his father for a goat for a small party with his friends. But this was not the father’s heart at all! The father thought about his sons as being one with him — that anything he had was theirs! He loved both sons, regardless of their performance. He wanted them to feel free with him — to feel free to enjoy life as a result of being in relationship with him.

The father — representing God — had plenty of opportunity to get angry with his sons. One, for insulting him and running away to a life of sin. The other for being hard-hearted and overly self-sufficient. But instead of anger, he did his utmost to meet each son in a way that each personality would understand, and lovingly lead them to a place of relationship and freedom as sons.

Note: The picture is titled “The Return of the Prodigal Son” painted sometime around 1661-1669 by Rembrandt van Rijk.

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