Keep What You Got By Giving It All Away

Keep What You Got By Giving It All Away.

That's the title of a song by ex-Stone Roses singer, Ian Brown.

It's also a really good song.

But I particularly like the title.

I'm not sure if Ian Brown knows it or not, but Jesus said the same thing.

People didn't get it when Jesus said it.

They still don't get it today.

Our minds don't seem to naturally bend in that direction.

When Ian Brown sings it we hear it. But hey, it's just a rock song. Who cares what it means.

When the Church says it, it riles folks up and makes them secure all their stuff and complain that all the Church wants is their money.

There's a whole neat story in three of the gospels, where Jesus encounters a very, very rich young man, who has a bunch of money, servants, possessions, etc. 

The young man initiates the conversation and wants to know how to receive eternal life.

(What do you get the man who has everything?) lol!

Jesus makes the statement: "You know the commandments", and he replied that he had kept them faithfully since he was a boy. (It really wasn't a question, but we rarely listen that intently to God).

The next thing Jesus told him, as recorded in Luke 18, is curious:

"(22) And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me]."

In the flesh it's a losing proposition. In the Spirit it's a win.

The young man's response?

"(23) But when he heard this, he became distressed and very sorrowful, for he was rich--exceedingly so."

He saw it totally in the flesh.

Now, there's a lot of speculation about this passage. 

It causes some to get their shorts all bunched up. 

I don't get caught up in all of that stuff. 

I see this confrontation at a point in history as biblically and spiritually significant, and not dumbed down into dollars and cents.

Jesus was really saying that the young fellow needed to put to good use the fortune he had and that he would gain by that. Not lose.

He was sort of saying, "Keep what you got by giving it all away."

You'll never lose or become less for following Jesus. Things may change. But you won't lose.

If you understand that like I do this morning, then you are in a very select minority. 

We should establish a society or something.

Remedially it can be explained as "paradoxical".

Jesus is a paradox, so it stands to reason that He will teach paradoxically.

Jesus is not interested in subtraction and division, but addition and multiplication.

He wants us to add and multiply as well. 

We see giving away as subtraction because we don't understand the principles of Jesus.

He sees giving away as a means of us becoming more. Addition. Multiplication.

We are so afraid to trust Jesus. We are afraid to give it away because we think we will be left as beggars.

Never be afraid to give it all away. Your wealth is not contained in your material. 

Your wealth is in Jesus, and He will increase your life and make you rich in areas that you never dreamed.

My prayer today is that there would be unparalleled trust in Jesus Christ with all that you have and all that you are. There is freedom in release. It takes an incredible leap of faith to get to where you can trust Jesus with everything. And I mean everything. Yourself, your family, your finances, your job, your possessions, your home. Could you place it in His hands today? Or will you walk away dejected like the Rich Young Man did?

These are the watershed moments of our lives. These are the moments that shape not only who we are, but who we will be.

Be blessed in all you do today!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

Do Not Forsake Me

One of the great classic westerns of all time has to be "High Noon", starring Gary Cooper as a beleaguered town sheriff who has to face a gang of outlaws out to kill him.

The entire town has deserted him. Even his wife.

Maybe that's why the movie theme song, "The Ballad of High Noon" contained the words, "Do not forsake me oh my darling."

Well, in the end she didn't. She came back to actually save her husbands life. 

It's the stuff a good Hollywood oater is made of.

It's also the stuff real life is made up of.

In real life we need someone who is not going to desert us in times of need and peril. We need someone who will save our life. We need someone who will love us unconditionally.

If we are fortunate we will find a partner in life who will provide all of that and more.

If we are more than fortunate we will recognize the ultimate Provider that we have in God.

David saw it. Even in the midst of all his difficulty.

In fact, he had written a song about it a few thousand years ago that contained the same basic element of the High Noon ballad.

David wrote the words "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Lord."

Psalm (or song) 38:21 - "Do not forsake me, Oh Lord! O my God, be not far from me!"

Marshal Will Kane's wife Amy got on the train out of town with the intention of deserting her husband. Will Kane never felt more alone. He never felt more loved either when she returned to help him.

How often have you felt alone?

I mean really alone.

More alone than when a spouse or parent or friend deserts you.

Desolate. Abandoned. Marooned.

That's the feeling we get when we can't feel the presence of God.

David felt it and cried out. Again and again and again.

David was resigned to one thing however.

In verse 15 he says, "But for You, O Lord, do I wait; it is You, O Lord my God, Who will answer."

David, even with all his problems and shortcomings, knew what side of his bread the butter was on.

He was willing to wait.

I have had to wait. You have had to wait. All God's children must wait.

When we learn to do that. When we learn that waiting on God does not mean abandonment by God. When we can get to the place of hope not hopelessness. We grow.

I have found that waiting on God is well worth it.

Even when the circumstances seemed dire, I waited. And waited. And waited.

Suddenly there comes the breakthrough as vivid and majestic as a sunrise after not having seen the sun for weeks.

You just know it's God.

The wait is over.

The reward is sweet.

Waiting for a sweet reward today?

It's coming.

It is you O Lord my God who will answer!

Do you know that today?

If you do the reward will be sweeter when it comes.

My prayer today is for you in the midst of the struggle. If you are feeling alone. Deserted. Abandoned. High Noon has come and gone and there is no relief in sight. It's a dry and lonely place, but God has not deserted you. He is here. The right time is now and the reward is sweet! Hold on. He will never leave you nor forsake you! He is in the fire with you today and will lead you into a glorious place. Believe. Trust. Most of all, expect!

Be blessed in your day today!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

Life In The Snow Globe

One of the most vivid childhood memories I have is that of receiving a snow globe while I was sick with the measles.

I was sick, really sick. They say I almost went blind. I remember the pain, the itching, the scratching, the fever.

I was only about eight years old. My dad came home from work one day and brought me a snow globe. I was intrigued by it.

It was a scene with a little house, a fence, and a small child sledding in the yard. Every time I would shake it, it would snow.

I wanted to crawl inside and live there.

Life in the snow globe.

Peace. Serenity. Comfort. Protection.

Nothing goes wrong in the snow globe.

No matter how good we have it, the snow globe is better.

No sickness. No poverty. No crime.

There's only one thing wrong. It's not real. 

Well the non-realistic element is exactly what attracts us. Especially when things get hectic.

It's also the place we can be where we are in charge.

It's what we really want, you know. To be in charge. To control.

C'mon, be honest. Some are saying right now, "That's simply not true! I am not a control freak, I do not want to run the show!"

Being in control doesn't mean you have the characteristics of a control freak. You could be a closet controller. That's the category most probably fall into. 

I think it's perfectly normal. If you want to live a sensory oriented life.

We are not intended by God to live according to the flesh. We are called to live according to the Spirit.

We are not called to live normally. We are called to live supernaturally.

Supernatural should be the norm for the Body of Christ.

Romans 8:1 (Amplified Bible) - "THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit."

There it is. It's not exactly a snow globe, but it offers one really great quality that removes a lot of the anxiety of life.

We are not condemned in our sins when we are in Jesus Christ. We move from one spiritual realm to another.

We move from spiritual death to spiritual life. 

Even for the Christian sometimes, it's not good enough. They still feel the need to have control over that as well.

To those I say, take your snow globe and smash it to the ground. Break it open. Destroy it.

It is death to you.

In the spiritual realm the snow globe is the flesh.

Crucify it as all ways of the flesh needs to be.

Here's the passage I live by more than any other. 

Galatians 2:20 (Amplified Bible) - "I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

I gave up control over to Christ long ago. For me I could care less who meets and remembers me. I want them to meet me and remember Jesus. I no longer exist, but Christ exists in me.

My snow globe had a crack in it. It wasn't doing the trick anymore. When I couldn't control my addictions any longer I knew I had to do something.

Jesus was and remains the answer.

Run it all past Him first.

Be blessed today!

My prayer is that I hear the sound of snow globes breaking everywhere today. Start with yours. It's not real. It's a facade.

If you think you are really in control of your life you are living a lie. You deserve to live the Truth. You deserve all the supernatural benefits that come along with the Truth.

Jesus loves you today, and so do I!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

The Great Exchange

Let's start off by referring to what Jesus has told us. In my opinion, there is no information in this life that is more important than what Jesus tells us. Period.

So, in John 8:32, He says, "And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."

He precedes that by vs. 31 where He says that we are truly His disciples if we live by His Word and according to His teachings.

It's all right there. Follow Jesus, become familiar with His teachings through the Word, and we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free.

TRUTH is also REALITY.

Yeah, but what exactly are we being freed from?

Good question.

A good part of the time that we study the Word we can read a passage and look at it conversely. In other words, if we are being set free by the truth, then we must not have had the truth before, and therefore we were in bondage to the lie.

The opposite (conversely) of the truth is a lie. The opposite of being set free is to be held in bondage.

So, we are set free by Jesus from the lie we have been entrapped in which is opposite to His truth.

I don't see that as too confusing.

Yeah but, what EXACTLY is it we're being set from?

*Sigh*

OK, here it is. Paul says in Romans that the human race has exchanged the truth for a lie. That happened waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back in the Garden when the serpent convinced Eve to sample forbidden fruit and then she in turn convinced Adam to do the same.

That's not any old exchange, that's the Big Daddy of 'em all.

But it set the tone for all future exchanges of the Truth for the Lie.

The Lie takes on many shapes and forms. Simply put, a lie is anything that is untruthful.

I have found that many people cannot be moved away from the lie.

See, in my life, the Truth (which IS Jesus Christ) has allowed me not to obsess or even become slightly infatuated with non-truths of any degree.

Where I cannot determine what is actually the truth, I don't swing to the opposite and believe the lie, I just leave it alone and trust what I know is THE Truth. Jesus has delivered me from a suspicious nature. However, it has not made me naive either.

I live my live by the reality of The Truth.

All the other stuff just makes "white noise" in my brain and interferes with the real Truth getting through. lol!

See, here's what I'm saying. I have been set free. I sleep soundly and peacefully every night without the aid of external assistance because I have agreed to believe and follow Jesus, and His Truth has set me free from any possibility of falling prey to lies. I will not be moved from that by anyone or any circumstance.

It's the Lie that keeps people pacing the halls at night (with the exception of overdoing the pepperoni pizza or other forces and physical problems beyond the quietness or comfort conducive to a good rest). It's the Lie that makes people lose hope in desperate situations. It's the Lie that confounds the solidarity of a good relationship. 

When we exchange the Truth for the Lie we: sleep less soundly, throw up our hands and give up, estrange ourselves from people who mean something to us.

The Truth is Jesus Christ. The Lie is anything that renounces or confounds that Truth.

I pray you are making wise and Holy Spirit informed choices today. I pray that if you have made a poor exchange of the Truth for the Lie, that you will rectify that even as soon as right now! Jesus IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life! When you accept that you become set free! I desperately want to see people set free! 

Be blessed today!

Run it all past Jesus first!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

Despicable You

Luke 6:22-23 (AMP) - "Blessed (happy—with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, apart from your outward condition—and to be envied) are you when people despise (hate) you, and when they exclude and excommunicate you [as disreputable] and revile and denounce you and defame and cast out and spurn your name as evil (wicked) on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice and be glad at such a time and exult and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is rich and great and strong and intense and abundant in heaven; for even so their forefathers treated the prophets."

I figured I'd put the Scripture up front this morning.

If your normal (or slightly abnormal like me *chuckle*) then the Word has just spoken to you.

And that's a good thing.

I hope you're not actually hated this morning, and in fact I would submit that probably few of you are.

A lot more of us would fit into the category of suffering "reproach".

Somebody is probably dissatisfied with you. Or blaming you. Or discrediting you. Or dissapproving of you. Or rebuking you. Or excluding you (the separation from their company).

That's tough enough to deal with. You could actually suffer with it.

Did you know however, that when this occurs for the believer Jesus says it is a means of blessing?

A means of blessing is a means of grace. A means of grace is a means of peace, rejoicing, and joy.

I know, I know, it seems a bit far fetched, but that's what makes the Word supernatural.

In the natural you want to break down and cry. Or lash out. Or get revenge.

In the supernatural you recognize that the grace is there to deal with it all, and that translates out as blessing and rejoicing.

Picture yourself leaping through the house shouting praises to God because so and so hates your guts! 

Well, not usually, even for the most spiritually mature.

However, it could be a more subdued, less strenuous form of that.

How about a quietness in your spirit that all is well. That your joy and peace of mind and heart is not contingent upon what others think?

That works well for me, and most people I know.

Speaking personally, if I was to take to heart every person that ever disagreed with me, or rebuked me, or disproved me, and even disapproved of me, I'd have been run out of the ministry many years ago. Not to mention the loneliness at times. The "separation from the company" of friends, family, and yes, sometimes even the sheep of the flock. Pastors and their families have to learn to deal with that. We are often viewed by some (and often erroneously) as the "wet blanket" at the party. It comes with the territory of the gospel. Jesus said, "They hated Me, they will also hate you."

I learned long ago to identify this "blessing" Jesus speaks of, and receive it to myself as truth.

I can deal with everything as long as I know that Jesus loves me and blesses me.

Paul says in Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to all this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?"

There you have it. In these stressful times of disagreement with others, perhaps even being hated or despised, you are faced with the challenge of reacting in your own flesh, or believing Jesus.

Make no mistake. It is every bit a challenge of the highest degree.

But God is on our side. 

This is why I say...

Before they can get to you, they have to go through Jesus first!

My prayer for you today is that you listen first to Jesus before you listen to others. That you allow everything to be filtered through Him, so that by the time it gets to your eyes or ears it will have been soaked with love and anointed blessing!

Be blessed and rejoice this morning because your reward is great!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

What's Your Story, Morning Glory?

What's your story this morning?

Are you a morning glory?

How'd you wake up today?

Alive (hopefully)? Happy? Sad? Depressed? Tired? Angry? Apprehensive? Concerned? Disappointed?

Generally for me, anything less than happy is unacceptable.

Listen to this:

2 Peter 1:19 (Amplified Bible) - "And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts."

Maybe your life today is not a squalid dark place. Maybe it's just gloomy. 

I think far too many people in the world wake up this way and spend the majority of their day in that funk. More disturbing is the fact that many of those are followers of Christ.

Unacceptable.

This is why Peter says that we would do well to spend time in the Word of God. It is the light that breaks through the gloom! Don't forget that Jesus IS the Word (John 1:1).

It allows the Morning Star (Christ) to rise in our hearts.

Trust me, you WANT the Morning Star to rise in your heart. It's the difference between you being a "Morning Glory" or being a morning grouch. Or worse.

Go to bed with the Word and rise with the Word.

Grab the Bible instead of a bottle.

Take a Gos-pill, instead of a (insert drug of choice here).

Are you SUPERCALLOUSEDFRAZZLEDVICIOUSEXPERTONADOSAGE today?

A spoonful of Jesus becomes the medicine for your life! Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine." 

Conversely, a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Yikes.

Prophetic advice if you will receive it.

My prayer for YOU today is that you will have a joyful and obnoxiously happy day! And you will have it IN SPITE of peripheral and external circumstances! I hope the story you write today is a happy one!

REMEMBER! It all has to get past Jesus first!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~

PGA (Praise God Anyway)

So you may not own a fig tree.

It isn't just about fig trees.

It's about your life.

The prophet Habakkuk in his OT chapter 3:17-19 nails it.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (AMP) - "Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! 19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! 

He's basically saying when life doesn't blossom and bloom like we might expect sometimes, what should we do?

This is not a "right" or "wrong" thing.

Sometimes there just ain't no fruit on the vines, or oil from the olive, or sheeples in church, or mules kickin' in the stalls. Translation: small paycheck, no paycheck, empty fridge, low church attendance, etc.

Sometimes. Stuff happens. Sometimes.

I know what the bible says to do in such situations, but often it's not what I see happening in reality.

What I see is whining, panic, anxiety, depression, malaise, turning from God, blaming God, cursing God, loss of faith, and sheesh, I have to stop here before I get depressed!

Ya know what? I hate to barge in with a very large burst of reality, but here's the deal.

Sometimes your fig tree just isn't going to bear fruit. Or... your business is going to hit a speed bump. Or... your church is going to take a financial dive. Or... you may have a choice of keeping the car running, getting a prescription filled, or putting food in the fridge.

Tough spot. Habakkuk was living it. 

So, what I am about to offer as a solution may sound incredibly inadequate for you particularly if you're living it right now. If you're on a good streak, and maybe even feeling a bit proud of how God is blessing you, remember first what comes before a fall. Either way, here is the pearl of wisdom from the ages, filtered through me, and down to you.

Ready?

Here it is:

Praise God Anyway. Call it "PGA".

Hmm... got quiet in here all of a sudden. LOL!

It usually does when the simplicity of God confounds the confusion and noise of our troubles.

Really, really simple. Praise God anyway. 

In the actual words of the prophet, when faced with catastrophe, he said, "Yet (which means "in spite of" ) I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God the Lord is my strength."

If I preached three point sermons (which I don't), there's a good one in there.

However, the Word from God today, is that when faced with adversity, catastrophe, dire circumstances, minor annoyances... Praise God anyway! Be joyful in Him! Rely on His strength, not yours!

Easier said than done, right? Wrong! It's actually very easy to do it, when you believe that it will work. That's what we call "having faith". If you choose not to... well... I'll still pray for you.

My best advice is to try it. Try it in the worst of circumstances. Take it out for a test drive today and see how it rolls.

I can only tell you that it works for me. And a whole bunch of other people I know who believe it.

If it works for us, it WILL work for you.

My prayer for you all is that everything goes well for you in Christ Jesus today!

So...whatever (and I do mean WHATEVER) comes rollin' at you (or OVER you), remember...

PGA! PGA! PGA!

... it all has to get past Jesus BEFORE it can screw your life up!

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

~SoZo~