Meme Commentary: A Man's Success

Today I saw a meme on the internet and it was this:

A random internet meme I found online today.

While I would tend to agree with it, it is not the whole picture either.

It inspired me to write the following:

Sometimes, the right woman for a man to marry is no woman at all. It is sometimes best to remain single for the Lord. Especially when you are a pastor and part of what you do is to lead a Christian singles ministry. Especially when you desire no natural children. And if your past relationship was not so good, then taking a break from the opposite sex is always wise.

So the Lord has kept me for Himself, apart from women. To serve Him. As He pleases. At His call and at His pleasure. It is all for His Name's Sake.

Seasons do change eventually. But for now the Lord has kept me on this path for six years as a single-again Christian (legally divorced). I've been living alone for 7 years and very busy at church, the store, and elsewhere. And through me the Lord has successfully enriched the ministry I am involved with. And He has blessed me with new songs to create in that time. Since becoming single again, I got promoted at my job at the store in 2012 (I overcame lots of challenges). Thank you Jesus for SUCCESS in the natural and in the Spirit! Following Jesus is success! Fear God, keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of mankind. 

So to add a final thought to this above meme:

A person's success has everything to do with the kind of God one chooses to have in ones life!

If your god is money... you will ultimately fail.

If your god is marriage... you can't take it with you. At your death, you enter eternity as a single. So making your marriage a god is not going to lead to success either. As special as this institution is, between one man and one woman, we must be careful not to idolize it either.

If your God is JESUS CHRIST, then you will truly succeed, according to God's view of Success!

If you recognize Jesus as the one true God, then all else will fall into Biblical alignment, over time, with obedience to Him. You will gladly serve Him. Your finances, your relationships, your work, your pleasure. You will gladly entrust it all to Him to make you a SUCCESS in HIS BOOK! 

Blessings!

May 10 2015 3:18 PM EST 

Baby in the Womb

 Jesus told the works-oriented pharisee Nicodemus "you must be born again" (John 3:3). In other words, a baby cannot do anything without the parents first bringing the child into existence. If the child is not born, it cannot obey. Same with God bringing us into a place where we can be born again. If He didn't will our salvation, we could not even choose it. He alone initiated salvation and that is what makes it possible for us to respond. That is the meaning of grace. Completely unearned favour. 

John 1:12-13 ESV

12But to all who DID receive him, who believed in his name, he GAVE the right to become children of God,
13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of GOD. 

So according to John, we are born of the will of God in the Spirit, not of our own will. So we receive Him, Jesus, which gives us the right to become children of God. But that was all planned by the will of God. God willed our rebirth. Pure grace.

It is salvation by grace, unearned favour, through faith.

Eph 2:7-10

7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

So in essence, our initial conversion and salvation is really because CHRIST obeyed the Father, not because we did. We are His workmanship. We are saved and born again by His will and grace. Why? So that we can walk in good works that He has prepared for us beforehand! Works as a result of salvation. Learning obedience! 

We in our unregenerate state cannot perfectly obey or keep the law of God. Some have tried and yet we ALL fall short (Rom 3:23). That is why Jesus came, to fulfill the law and the prophets perfectly. Once a baby is born, he or she learns the basics of crawling, and making a vocal connection to "mama" or "dada". The child must learn obedience through a process. It doesn't come automatically. The natural reflects the spiritual. Even Jesus went through the natural process as a human, by "learning obedience". He was perfect in that process, but He was not exempt from going through it. We must also undergo the process. He was perfect in learning obedience. We, however, are going to make mistakes along the way. That is what forgiveness is for. But we are still to grow up in God spiritually speaking, by the Spirit of God. We do eventually learn obedience. We learn it by hearing His voice, then following it as a "learner" (disciple). 

Hebrews 5:7-9 ESV

7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
8Although he was a son, he LEARNED obedience through what he suffered.
9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Being a disciple of Jesus, according to the Greek language, means being a "learner" of Jesus. Jesus chose the disciples, called them, and they obeyed by following Him. That obedience was the fruit of faith. Then they learned obedience by dwelling with Him and serving Him. 

So saving faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, according to Paul.

Romans 10:16-17 ESV 

16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 

So obedience to the gospel comes from faith, and faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the preaching of the Word of Christ. 

That Greek word for faith is "pistis" and specifically refers to "reliance upon Christ for salvation" as well as "conviction". 

A fuller reading of Romans 10 shows that whosoever calls on the Lord may be saved. But they must hear first before they can believe (have faith). And they must have faith first before they can "call". 

Romans 10:13-17 ESV

13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 

So we DO obey the call to salvation, but it is birthed in our heart first, as a born again child who is born of the will of God.

There is faith conceived in our heart at hearing the "seed" the Word of God. The conception of that seed happens before we can be born, or obey. And we must be born again and made new before we can learn to obey. Then we grow or learn that obedience, just as the pattern Son did. Just as a baby in the womb is alive and well, but cannot actually serve or obey the parents yet, so we must be born again in the SPIRIT before we can truly begin to learn obedience. And obey we must, if we are to truly love the Son. Jesus was speaking to those who ALREADY followed Him when He said if you love Me you will obey my commands. But to the man who was NOT yet following Jesus, he said "you must be born again". You cannot even see the kingdom until you are born again. Just as a baby in the womb cannot see what is outside the womb. But a baby in the womb CAN hear the voice of the parent. Faith comes by hearing. And hearing by the Word.

Blessings! 

Pastor Curtis

Wed. Apr 15/15 7:04am EST

Jesus Confirmed The Covenant

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Daniel 9:26a 1599 Geneva Bible 
"26 And after threescore and two weeks, shall Messiah be slain, and shall have nothing..."

Daniel 9:27a 1599 Geneva Bible 

"27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease..."

Here is my song from 2011 based upon this powerful prophecy in Daniel ch 9. 

Seventy weeks is  prophetic code language for 490 years. Jesus confirmed the New covenant with His death and resurrection! He brought an end to the need for sacrifices, since His own sacrifice was perfect! And He did so EXACTLY when Daniel prophecied He would. Will you believe Jesus and be saved from your sin? It is fully paid for in His blood. He did the work no one else could do! 

Are you going up? Are you registered? Jesus is the Way up! 

http://youtu.be/UpqXBzx0uvk

Blessings,

Pastor Curtis

Good Friday April 3, 2015 2:48pm EST

My Flunked Eye Exam - A Life Lesson

I am about to get new, updated eyeglasses. The prescription is almost ready. I really really need new glasses. I thought my current pair was doing the job. I thought I was seeing distant objects just fine. And boy was I wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. I went a couple weeks ago to get my eyes examined since it had been long overdue. Now, I am very glad I did go.

As I sat in the doctor's exam room, and he had me hold up a little plastic device to block the vision in my left eye. I was asked to read the little letters on the screen across the room wearing my current glasses and using just my right eye. (This was part of a full examination.)

Well, I suddenly realized.... I couldn't read the letters. I admitted it to the doctor and so he asked me to guess at it. I was way off. Wow! My eyes certainly lost a lot of vision in 5 years. It became very clear I was up for a new pair of glasses. Other than that, the optometrist said my eyes were very healthy. Praise God!
So my eyes are healthy, free of disease... but I still can't see clearly out of them!

The very same kind of revelation happened to me when I put on my very first pair of glasses, well over 23 years ago. It was a much bigger shock back then. I was amazed at the world I was missing. Before that, I was seeing things as a blur but thought that was "normal". I didn't, and couldn't, comprehend what normal even was until I was willing to let my eyesight be corrected.  My interpretation of the objects and people around me were changed by the fact that I could see them sharply for the very first time in my life. I was 12 or 13 at the time.

So that visit to the optometrist a couple weeks ago helped me. I flunked my eye exam, therefore I needed new lenses. And that got me thinking... things are the same in life, metaphorically speaking.

Spiritually, we think we see clearly on our own, without help from our maker. And then we get examined. Suddenly a tragedy hits. Or a problem arises. Or we make an error. We ask the questions like; What went wrong? Why me? Why can't I see a solution here? Why didn't I see that coming?? Why is the "eye chart" blurry?? Surely it is not MY eyes that need to be corrected? Is it?

Yes. It's time to get our vision examined, and possibly corrected. We as people think we have a clear vision of life but many times, we do not. I am the first to admit it. I have been blindsided so many times by life's problems. And many times I was part of the problem. But my human vision was not clear or honest enough to see it, or to even want to see it. I needed to trust and lean on God and not my own understanding.

 I could not see what was wrong until I examined my thought process and compared it to the Doctor's notes. What did the Doctor say about my eyes? He said I need correction. Fine. I don't want correction, but if I must, I will accept it.

I put the Doctor's prescription on, and .... WOW! I can SEE! Suddenly, life's issues make more sense. Not everything is revealed to me in this life, of course, but I sure can see better than I did before. I am still not perfect, but at least I am able to interpret the things around me with more clarity, using His prescription (not my own). God gets all the credit for it. It's not me. I relied on the Expert to help me in my need. I am so glad I humbled myself to get corrective lenses both naturally and spiritually. We all need to see things the way the Doctor does. The Doctor spiritually speaking, is God. He is the Great Physician and He can give us HIS own perspective on life. Just ask in Jesus' Name! If we rely on our own human perspective, we will never have much clarity. But with God, there is much sharper vision. And the best thing is... Jesus PAID for your prescription in His blood! Yes, I DO have to pay for my natural eye care. But... my spiritual vision is paid for in FULL! Awesome.

God's Word, the Holy Bible, acts like a corrective lens. IF we humble ourselves and ask God to help us see, we can use the Bible as a corrective lens through which to see God, people, and life. Without the Word, we have blurry vision, and we are unable to see things from God's perspective at all. But we often have trouble admitting we need help. The Bible makes it clear that vision is very important.

"Where there is no vision, the people decay: but he that keepeth the law is blessed."

Proverbs 29:18 [1599 Geneva Bible]

"And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it."
Habakkuk 2:2 (1599 Geneva Bible)

Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are blind to their own sin. They claim to have sight but are blind to their shortcomings:
"Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin: but now ye say, We see: therefore your sin remaineth."
John 9:41 (1599 Geneva Bible)
 So we are in need of God's Spirit and God's Word if we are ever going to be able to understand God!
Are you brave enough to get your eyes examined? Do you want to read the letters on the wall for what they truly are, or will you just guess at it, like I did and hope you are right? There are consequences to guessing at things in life. I'd rather not risk that.
Just because you can't read the eye chart of life, that doesn't mean the eye chart is wrong. It means you need help and clarity from the One who is an expert on vision. If you submit to His prescription, you will be in awe and amazement with your newfound sight. You will have better sight with which to gaze at God and see and appreciate what He has done and Who He is. You will have vision and the ability to see and have love for others, the way God does.

God bless!
Pastor Curtis

Sat. March 28, 2015, 10:11pm EST.

God Delivers The Oppressed

Did you know?
God fights for the oppressed.

Psalm 103:6 GENEVA  VERSION
The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment to all that are oppressed.

Also, did you know that God can and does use governmental systems to deliver the oppressed? He does not have to, but He often chooses to do so. Sometimes, He takes governments down, sometimes He works around them. He is the sovereign One and that is His prerogative. But it is OUR responsibility to live at peace, as much as is possible.

Paul told us, to do what is right and be good citizens abiding by the law, for there is no authority except from God. This goes along with how Jesus operated on earth. He supported the notion of paying taxes, living peaceably in the land, and doing the right thing as a citizen. Those who thought Jesus was going to destroy the Roman government were disappointed as that was not His purpose. He came to deliver the oppressed from sin, from Satan, and from death!

So now we too should walk as good and peaceful people.

Romans 13:1-3 GOD'S WORD translation

"1 Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn’t been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God. 2 Therefore, whoever resists the government opposes what God has established. Those who resist will bring punishment on themselves.

3 People who do what is right don’t have to be afraid of the government. But people who do what is wrong should be afraid of it. Would you like to live without being afraid of the government? Do what is right, and it will praise you."


God delivers the oppressed in many ways, often using human government institutions.


Exodus 3:9-10 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

9 And now lo, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

That Egyptian government in Exodus 3 refused to obey God, even after 10 chances. So God superseded the government to deliver His own people who were oppressed in Egypt.

But He never called the children of Israel to fight against Pharaoh or lie about taxes or cheat. God did not bypass Pharaoh right away. God wanted to work with Pharaoh and knew in advance that He would harden Pharaoh's heart. See, God established that government. And He controlled the outcome on both ends, with Moses and with Pharaoh. Why? So that His name would be glorified and His power would be known. Also, to deliver the oppressed!

He established and allowed every government on earth. Whether they be right or wrong, God will sometimes use these institutions as a Holy God and for a Holy purpose. It is a mystery. To say that a government in the world today was not established and allowed by God is to say that there is authority outside of God. But Jesus said ALL authority was given unto Him!

We must be careful not to despise government, even when they do take a poor stance on something. We should pray for them, live honestly, and by the law. You can even contact them respectfully and ask for the changes you desire to see in the land. Prayer is by far the most important thing however. The key thought here is that our job as citizens is to "do what is right" (Rom 13:3).

God has used many human governments throughout history for His own Holy purpose.

He used the Chaldeans (Babylon) to punish unrepentant Judah for her idolatry.

Habakkuk 1:6 GENEVA VERSION

"For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and furious nation, which shall go upon the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs."



But notice Babylon did not last in the long run. God removed them for their own wickedness. (See Habakkuk 2)



He used Artexerxes the king of the Medes/Persians to reestablish the Wall of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:5-6 GENEVA VERSION

5 And said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, I desire that thou wouldest send me to Judah unto the city of the sepulchers of my fathers, that I may build it.

6 And the King said unto me, (the Queen also sitting by him:) How long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou come again? So it pleased the king, and he sent me, and I set him a time.



He used Cyrus to restore the temple of Jerusalem.



2 Chron 36:22-23 GENEVA VERSION

22 ¶ But in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia (when the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah, was finished) the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he made a proclamation through all his kingdom, and also by writing, saying,

23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me, and hath commanded me to build him an house in Jerusalem, that is in Judah. Who is among you of all his people, with whom the Lord his God is? let him go up.

God is at work amongst our leaders. Pray for them. We can't see all that He is accomplishing in and through these people.

God is a just God and is always on the side of the oppressed. Never will He defend the wicked or the oppressor. In the case of Hitler and his Nazis, God used the Allied forces to take that oppressive system down, and set the captives free. God contends for the oppressed on every level, both individuals and groups of people.

Psalm 146:5-7 GNV
5 Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; which keepeth his fidelity forever,
7 Which executeth justice for the oppressed, which giveth bread to the hungry; the Lord looseth the prisoners.

God will deliver those who are oppressed through many means. If the oppressed cry to God, God hears them. God hears you, when you pray in Jesus' Name. God has many ways to deliver you from oppression  (depending on the kind of oppression you face).

- Miracles and wonders
- Healings/ deliverance ministry
- The local Churches
- Job/vocational opportunities
- the legal system/courts
- the fire department
- the local hospital
- the police department

If you are under any kind of oppression, understand that God is fighting for you. Don't try to do it alone, but let God deliver you. Ask Jesus for help! He has tender mercy for the oppressed! He will judge righteously on your behalf in ANY matter! Focus on being a good citizen that does what is right, and God will take care of those who do wrong, using His sovereign will and power. Being a good Christian means that you are also striving to live peaceably in the land.

Doing what is right as a citizen and as a Christian includes many things, including the following:

- following the government's rules for taxes/marriage licenses/registrations etc.
-  treating your neighbour the way you would want to be treated.
- reporting illegal activity/threatenings/harassment/abuse (as opposed to enabling such behaviour, which is bad)
- removing yourself out of physically or mentally or emotionally harmful situations, calling authorities when you are in honest need or danger.

But remember to always talk to God first, and keep in constant fellowship at your local church. Christ and His body should be your focal point! God alone is your Source, your Rock, your Everything!

God bless you!

Pastor Curtis

Thu Feb 19, 2015 3:42pm EST

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: Read my more recent study here: http://view-finder-blog.blogspot.ca/2016/02/god-delivers-oppressed-spouse.html

Are you Stumped?

Ever felt cut down? Ever felt hopeless about certain aspects of your life? I have. The Lord says it is time to regrow. I sense it is time for that which suffered loss to sprout forth afresh! It may have been a stump in your life for a long time. But water is coming and God is going to awaken that stump. It will spring forth from within you! Be encouraged!
I just came across the following passage:
Job 14:7-9 Geneva Version
7For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will yet sprout, and the branches thereof will not cease.

8Though the root of it wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof be dead in the ground,

9Yet by the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughes like a plant.

Job spoke this during a very dark and depressing time in his life. Little did he know, God had plans to make him sprout again and bring forth with abundance!
I wrote a vision called "Hands" a while back about a burning forest and giant hands that protected me on all sides in the midst of that forest fire. At the end of that vision, God showed me a grey dead forest patch. But in the soil, at the base of the stump was a single green sapling. As a result, the Lord sparked hope in me. But there is more hope now as I come across the above passage from Job. It reminds me of my 2014 song "Little Green Tree" which I wrote and recorded in response to the vision of the sapling. God really wants to restore what was destroyed with new growth. Are you ready to do the work of tending a new plant? I believe I am. How amazing it is to see life come back to something that was dead. If you want to see God bring a sprout of hope to you, ask! Then be prepared to work with Him. Plants need care and attention. Get ready for that breakthrough: financial, relational, ministerial, health-wise, etc. I believe there is new life coming to each believer in Christ... to a specific area where they are lacking. God sees when we trust Him and obey Him through thick and  thin. And He wants to reward our diligence.
And the biggest fulfilment and example of this passage regarding the Hope of a Tree, is that Jesus gave us hope by DYING on a tree! He rose the third day! Life came back where there was only death! Not even Satan or death could stop Jesus!

So for me, it is amazing that God would speak a new passage to me this year, and remind me of that vision which I saw last year. I was not aware of Job 14's reference to the hope of a tree when I saw my vision or wrote my song. But now, a year later, here is this passage, bringing confirmation. For reasons I don't fully understand, the time to see this passage was right now.

So... Are you ready? There is hope of a tree, and there is hope for you and me! Start expecting a sprout to spring from that stump in your life. You will be "stumped" no longer! God has water for it today! Be prepared to tend that sapling, the little green tree, when it arrives! Be sure to give it good ground in your heart!

God bless!
Pastor Curtis
Fri Feb 6, 2015 10:17pm EST

PS- Below is the new and updated version of my song "Little Green Tree" with a new third verse I added this year, 2015. Be encouraged! 

Wounds of a lover are faithful

Here are some interesting thoughts to consider. There are two different angles from two different Bible translations to help us to understand love and faithfulness a bit more deeply, from God's Word.

Proverbs 27:6 GNV (1599 Geneva Version)

6The wounds of a lover are faithful, and the kisses of an enemy are pleasant.

Proverbs 27:6 KJV (King James Version)

6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The word "faithful" in the original Hebrew is 

Strongs #539
"aw-man"
"A primitive root; properly to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or {faithful} to trust or {believe} to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain; once (in ; by interchange for 541) to go to the right hand: - hence {assurance} {believe} bring {up} {establish} + {fail} be faithful (of long {continuance} {stedfast} {sure} {surely} {trusty} {verified}) {nurse} (-ing {father}) ({put}) {trust} turn to the right."

Those who love us will say or do things that build us up and support us. But on occasion, those very same actions can sometimes hurt. 

Just remember that Godly love is not all about the roses and kisses. It is about permanence according to this word above. It is about being morally true and certain. It is about being established. It is about being firm. When someone loves you, you will know because they will not always agree with you. Sometimes they will take you to task from the Word of God. Immature people will say this kind of confrontation is "unloving" and "unkind". They run away from truth and accuse their lover of being unloving. But in reality, when truth is spoken in love, it is the purest form of love. When someone is in love with you, you will know because they will not hide the truth from you. They will present it to you as gently and kindly as they can, but it will be undiluted and uninhibited truth. Love and truth cannot be apart. They must both exist within the framework of any Godly relationship. This applies to romantic relationships, and also to friendships. It all starts and ends with Christ. 

~CJA

===Thurs. January 22/15 4:18pm EST===