A Shepherd And His Sheep

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I have no experience with sheep. None. In fact, my interaction with all things ewe related can be summed up by saying that I’ve owned a few scratchy sweaters, tasted their milk, and eaten mutton for dinner (once). That’s it!

But there’s something about the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep that captures both my attention and my affection. I’m drawn to it in Scripture, and in the way an artist paints the pastoral scenery.

I’m not alone.

While this affection continues to be resident among modern day believers, it can also be traced back to the ancient Christians who found refuge in the catacombs of Rome. These caves were not only places for believers to bury their dead, but safe havens for them to gather and worship. The walls served as a blank canvas for these new believers to express their newfound understanding and love for the One who called Himself their Good Shepherd.

What is it about the image of a shepherd caring for his sheep that draws our hearts?

I’m pretty sure it’s connected to the nature of God, the nature of man, and the relationship between the two.

In the Old Testament, God likens Himself to something the nomadic herdsmen would have understood - a Shepherd. And throughout this book we see multiple prophets use the imagery to point to the promised Messiah. Then in the New Testament Jesus describes Himself as our Shepherd. He uses the metaphor in His parables, and also when commissioning His disciples to become like Him and care for His flock.

Sheep are drawn to a good Shepherd, not only for guidance, provision, and protection, but because the shepherd promises to never leave them. It’s His love put on display by His continual, faithful presence that enables the sheep to love, trust, and follow Him.

The more I learn about the characteristics of a good shepherd, the more I understand and love mine.

At the end of the day, ancient shepherds would corral their sheep inside folds made of stone walls. They would stand at the opening, where they touched and counted each animal as it entered the fold. When each one was accounted for he would lay his own body across the opening. There was no door to close so the shepherd became the door. Nothing could get to the sheep without going through him. (Do you have chills yet?)

“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (Jn.10:7-9)

The more I learn about the characteristics of sheep, the more I understand myself.

We’ve often heard that sheep are stupid animals, but that’s not true. Sheep have a strong flocking instinct that not only allows them to band together against predators, but research shows that they can remember a familiar human face and they know the look of their fellow woolies. One study suggests that they are as good as humans at distinguishing faces in a crowd. This tells me that they have the ability to identify an imposter - a “wolf in sheep's clothing.” The foolish sheep are the ones who make themselves vulnerable by going against their instincts, thinking they can find greener pastures on their own.

Voice recognition is a key to survival for sheep. The shepherd calls each one by name and they know his voice. They will not follow any other.

“…the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (Jn.10:3-5)

The more I study Scripture the more I learn about what my relationship to the Shepherd looks like.

I think most of us can recite portions, if not all, of the 23rd Psalm. Throughout the ages, believers and non-believers, alike, have found comfort in this universal Psalm. What some may not realize, however, is that King David wrote this passage as he was looking back over his life. He’s reflecting on the relationship He has had with His Great Shepherd, from the time he was a boy herding his father’s sheep to the time he was a wealthy king.

David not only acknowledges his need as a sheep, but He points out the immutable characteristics of a good Shepherd. His care, guidance, provision, and protection are predominant throughout the passage.

There’s so much I could share about the treasures buried within these verses, but the relational aspect I want to highlight is found in one word: “path.”.

“He leads me in paths of righteousness” (vs.3b).

In the original text David is saying that God leads him in literal round paths. (From our western perspective and English translations, we can miss key points in the text.)

When you visit the wilderness where David was a shepherd boy you can still see the ancient paths carved into the steep hillsides, where the shepherds led their flocks to green pastures. And what you see is not a straight path from bottom to top, but paths that went around the hills. The path was long and tiresome, but any other way would have led to tragedy.

Shepherding hasn’t changed much in that area of the world, and the way God shepherds us hasn’t changed either. He is still leading us the long way around.

Why?

Because a relationship isn’t nurtured in the short cuts that we try to take.

We learn who God is - a loving Shepherd who loves, guides, provides, and protects His sheep, all while never leaving them to navigate life and fend for themselves.

And we learn who we are - sheep whose strength comes from recognizing the Shepherd, knowing His voice, and banding together to follow Him.

The Good Shepherd will sheer us of our heavy, dirty, old garments, and cloth us in His righteousness. It's how He leads us on this path of life. And after the long and arduous journey, when we finally reach our destination, we will have procured an intimate relationship with the One who fulfilled His promise to never leave us.

Won’t you join the fold? Let’s follow Him into eternity together.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

About Death

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Did you know that daisies have an average lifespan of seven to ten days? For those of us who enjoy them the only consolation is that these perennials will rise again next year.

The Bible compares our earthly existence to the fleeting lifespan of a flower (Psa.103:15, 1Pet.1:24). It’s “here today and gone tomorrow,” as the song goes. Compared to the vapor that James likens it to (Jms.4:14), I’d say a flower is pretty generous. (A nod to the octogenarians among us.)

This life is short and death is a reality that no one can argue and everyone wants to to escape. It’s the great equalizer that levels the ground in every graveyard and stamps an end date on each headstone.

What do you think about death?

Everyone has a theory on what will save them from the inevitable, but do any of their suggestions really offer a plausible solution to the problem of death? Whether you are a Christian, agnostic, atheist, pagan, or something else, you adhere to some kind of belief about death.

According to one poll, 54% of Americans said they didn’t spend much time thinking about death. But, when you consider that the stakes are eternal, maybe it would be wise to spend some time considering the location of your forever home.

Humans are eternal beings living in a temporary body.

That means that where you live now is going to change, and the last piece of real estate you will inhabit on this earth is your coffin. Think about it, because the way you live between locations is a direct reflection of what you believe.

The writer of Psalm 49 must have pondered the subject deeply. He found it interesting enough to begin his discourse with a riddle about life and death.

He interjects wisdom as he makes plain the not so easily understood enigma of death. His realistically grim picture is painted this way: “Like sheep, they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them…” (vs.14). He’s saying that no matter who we are - wise, foolish, rich, poor - we all die. It’s the inevitable truth that looms over every human being, and none of our material wealth can be used to either ransom another’s life or buy ourselves more time.

There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves!

The mystery of death is dark and scary, but the psalmist points out the only thing that has the ability to save us when he says, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me.” Christians know that death is merely a portal to the afterlife. The grave is not our final destination. The incarnate Christ paid the ransom to redeem us. Through the work of the cross, He and He alone seized death’s power over us, securing the authority to control our eternal destiny.

How should we then live?

If you are a Christian then you know that we die twice. The first death awakens us to the brevity of this life and reshapes our thinking on how to live out the remainder of our days, and the closer we get to the second death the more focused we become on what really matters.

Theologian and philosopher, Francis Schaeffer, was an agnostic who was radically transformed after reading the Bible. Schaeffer’s first death changed the trajectory of his life and he spent the rest of it communicating that the way we interpret reality will determine how we live.

“I’ll be there in a minute!”

It’s the excuse we’ve all used when we’re not ready to stop doing one thing in order to comply with another.

Nobody likes to think about death, but what if your clock is wrong and all you have is a minute? With only seconds before death comes knocking at your door with an eviction notice, will you use the same excuse the rich man did in Luke twelve? Confident in all that he had amassed, he thought he had plenty of time to “eat, drink, & be merry.” God responded by calling the man a fool because he had no idea that he was going to die that very night.

I guarantee that if you had a terminal illness, thoughts of your mortality would move from the back of your mind to the forefront.

One palliative care nurse reports that all of their patients fall into one of two categories: those who focus all their energy into beating the odds of their illness, and those who opt to reflect on their lives and pour themselves into their loved ones. The thing they have in common is the sobering reminder that their clock is about to stop and their life is about to end. What they do with the time left becomes their focus.

Did you know that daisies have a mind of their own - that no matter where they are planted they bloom facing the sun?

Be that flower!

The one whose clock tells her that every second of this short life matters. The one who determines to fix her eyes on the Son, knowing that the day is coming when she will be uprooted and death will no longer be a part of life. Be the flower who is confident that the clocks in heaven measure time by the Son who promises that His flowers are neither perennial nor annual, but eternal.

Be the soul who pushes up the daisies when your grave uproots death and puts it to sleep forever.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

The Joy Of Decluttering

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ve never liked clutter. Why? Because it feels claustrophobic and it looks messy.

The visual side of me cringes when I see someone having to remove things from their desk or counter top in order to free up space to work. This distain, however, doesn’t pair well with the pack-rat, creative, repurposing, sentimental side of me who has a hard time getting rid of things I determine have some kind of value. The challenge has always been to find a functional balance between the two.

Now, I’ve seen some pretty nasty human spaces in my day (offices, cars, homes, yards, etc.), but I’m not talking about roach infested, filth ridden environments. Clutter can exist among the most ardent of clean freaks - people whose magazines might be stacked to the ceiling, but they’re all perfectly aligned, organized by date, and void of all dust mites. This is called organized clutter, and I’m somewhat familiar with the propensity.

I know this is a completely subjective issue. What you call a collection I may classify as clutter, and vice versa. But, I think we can all agree that it doesn’t take much for an unnecessary accumulation of things to find their way into the spaces we inhabit, and overwhelm us.

According to one expert, the way to differentiate between a collection and clutter is by evaluating the emotions we experience when we view them. If you follow her steps for decluttering, you will get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy. She says, “Life truly begins only after you have put your house in order.” (Marie Kondo)

There's value in her statement, as it speaks to the concept of material management. Everyone knows that a well managed environment is not only more productive, but it also frees up the mental capacity to enjoy that environment. However, this idea didn’t originate with Ms. Kondo. She’s merely piggy-backing on a long established biblical principal that not only works for the things we can see and feel, but it can be applied to our spiritual house. Furthermore, applying God’s method of decluttering not only brings order, by enabling us to rid ourselves of the unnecessary clutter we’ve accumulated, but it frees up space for the habitation of genuine Joy.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 says there is “a time to keep, and a time to cast away.”

(The whole book of Ecclesiastes is about man's futile attempt to gain happiness apart from God. The writer of the book (Solomon) writes from the unique vantage point of having accumulated more material, mental, and political resources of any human being up to that point in history. Yet he concludes that none of the things he has amassed has lead to joy. None of it satisfies and all of it leaves him feeling empty. In the end, he concludes that the ultimate meaning in life is found only in knowing God.)

With every new season of life comes change, and change always requires something of us if we hope to transition well.

I recently taught on the life of Leah (Jacob’s first wife). Her story is heartbreaking for several reasons, but one of them is that neither Leah or her sister (Rachel) was willing to “cast away” the emotional clutter they had amassed over the years, and it all but destroyed their relationship.

When Peter talks to believers about loving each other with a pure heart, he says that one way we do that is by “laying aside” the clutter that hinders relationships (1Pet.2:1). Rather than casting away their heart’s clutter, Leah and Rachel chose to accumulate and keep it stored in their sinful hearts. This left no room for genuine Joy. I can’t help but wonder how different things would have been had they been willing to let go of the things that kept their hearts locked in turmoil.

What does spiritual clutter look like for us today, and how do we get rid of it?

It looks like anything that comes between you and your relationship with God. That tells me that my clutter may look different than yours, but that any collection of things the Bible tells us to “cast off” qualifies as things we don’t need - no matter how sentimentally attached we’ve become.

I like what Carla Gasser writes in her article, 5 Simple Ways To Declutter Your Soul (https://carlagasser.com/5-simple-ways-to-declutter-your.../), “While we may acknowledge the need and sincerely have the desire to declutter our souls, we lack the focus, determination, and willpower to begin this painstaking process.”

This tells me that I need something (Someone) outside myself in order to succeed in my attempt to declutter my heart.

King David recognized his need for help and asked God to “search” and “point out” the things that created a wedge between him and God (Psa.139). He knew that the only way for God to “renew a right spirit” within him (Psa.51:10) was to surrender the accumulation of destructive ways to God. We too can trust God to show us areas of our heart that need decluttering when we ask for His help.

We get rid of spiritual clutter the same way David did - by asking God to show us and to help us. While the process of decluttering may be grueling at times, maintaining a clean heart is worth every effort we spend in prayer and action.

Life truly does begin when we declutter our souls and put our spiritual houses in order. Because wherever the Spirit of the Lord resides, there is the freedom to embrace and celebrate the Joy that He brings with Him.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Tilly

(by Lorie Codispoti)

I’ll never forget the day Tilly died.

I’m not sure how my toddler brain processed the big issues of life, but Tilly was always available to hear them. She was so patient and seemed to understand me perfectly, whether I had the words to express my feelings or not. I was drawn to her because she had freckles (like me), ponytails, and a smile that always made me feel loved and accepted. She was almost as tall as me, but I managed to carry her around with little effort. We walked together every day and she slept with me every night.

Tilly was my first doll baby and my very best friend.

One day I noticed that Tilly was injured. Her large, rubber head had started separating from her fabric body. Over time her insides started making their way to the outside. There were no doll hospitals back then so my mother placed her on the top shelf in my closet. I was very sad because I couldn’t hold her or put her in my little toy stroller for a walk. But I knew where she was and would frequent my closet to talk to her. I knew she didn’t feel good, but even though she was laying down she never stopped smiling. Somehow I felt like she would be okay.

After dinner one evening I went to tell Tilly goodnight, but when I opened my closet door she was not there. I ran to ask my mom if she knew where Tilly was and she told me the devastating news - that Tilly was gone and would not be coming back. She tried to console me by giving me a new doll (every year), but it didn’t work. I never played with baby dolls again.

My mother had no way of knowing how devastated I would be to lose this special doll. After all, I'm sure she surmised that Tilly was a toy and toys could be replaced. It makes perfect sense, but not to a toddler. To me this was a death, and my first encounter with what it feels like to lose something you love.

It's important for children to understand what death is, why it is, and where they can take their grief.

WHAT DEATH IS

Bottom line: death happens when our bodies stop working. But there’s way more to it than that. When we explain the difference between the temporary human body we live in and the eternal part of the human spirit that never dies, children begin to grasp the fact that death is merely a portal.

Be real with them though; God did not create plants, animals, or inanimate objects with a spirit that will live forever. Though Tilly was very real to my little girl heart, she was neither alive nor eternal - as evidenced by the fact that she bled stuffing and maintained that sweet smile throughout the entire time her head was falling off.

Reality can invoke sad emotions, but that’s part of the grieving process. Give your child the time and space to express their pain. It will open the door to many conversations that will enable you to instill the hope and vision of eternity.

WHY DEATH EXISTS

Everything in our world has a beginning and an end, but it was not created to be that way. Death exists because sin came into the world (Rms.5:12), and sin always leads to death (Jms.1:15).

The “Why?” questions our children ask will provide the opportunity for us to remind them of the gospel and the reason Christ came - to rescue us from sin and death (Jn.3:16, 11:25-26). The reason death is temporary is because Christ swallowed it and emerged victorious (1Cor.15:21).

WHERE WE TAKE OUR SORROW

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

Parents play a crucial role in leading their children to the only One who can reach into the darkest places of their soul to provide the exact measure of comfort they need for each and every moment they need it.

It’s okay to tell children that their sorrow will never go completely away. There are some wounds, like those left by the death of a loved one, that leave a permanent scar that will remind us of what caused it every time it rains. One day God will clear all the storms of grief, but until then He provides an umbrella, along with His extended arms to hold us while we cry.

I like what J.R.Tolkien said when he noted that, “The birth, death & resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.”

I will never see Tilly again, but the joy I’ve had loving and playing with my real doll babies - the kind that I can take with me - is a delight that will last for all eternity.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

He Sings Over Us

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Rocking a baby is something that comes natural to almost every human being - whether they have children or not. Most parents-to-be include a rocking chair on their nursery wish list. I recall putting many miles on mine, as I had a fussy infant whose health issues kept her from being comforted any other way.

Singing (or humming) almost always accompanies rocking a baby. The two actions go together like babies and crying. My guess is that this practice has been around since the first baby was born.

If I were to ask you what song most people default to, what would be your guess?

Rock A Bye Baby? Yep! It’s the universal hummer.

Some of the lyrics are quite disturbing though … “when the bow breaks the baby will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all.”

The origin of the song varies from it being a political allegory to the observations of a pilgrim boy as he observed Native American mothers placing infants in cradles made of birch bark attached to low hanging branches. The goal was for the soothing motion of a breeze to gently rock the baby to sleep. Others credit the song to a real life family of tree dwellers in England. Davy Crockett’s cousin publicly claimed she was the author of the song, saying she was inspired after babysitting a fussy child. Whatever its origin, you’d have to agree, it’s a strange nursery rhyme (as most are).

I never liked it, so along with tunes like Jesus Loves Me I made up my own songs as I rocked my baby to sleep.

One of my favorites borrows its lyrics from a verse in the book of Zephaniah. “The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (3:17)

Read that again, slowly!

First of all, there’s no doubt about who the Author is. It’s an absolute, objective proclamation given to the prophet Zephaniah by the God of Scripture. The warning is given and the “day of the Lord” - a day where the sovereign God will deal with the malignant sin problem that plagues humanity - is imminent.

The second thing is that it’s worth singing about. Not because of the doom and gloom predicted, but in that while we read that God will “utterly consume all things from the face of the land” (1:2), He simultaneously extends His mercy to those who humble themselves and repent. God's universal judgement includes cleansing, redemption, and restoration. It always has!

The part I love to ponder is the comfort that comes from knowing that the Creator and Almighty King of the universe, cares enough about us to quiet us with His love, “in the midst” of all the chaos and calamity that can fill our hearts with fear. And, as if that weren’t enough, He rejoices over us with gladness and singing. It’s like He cradles us in His arms and shields us from the surrounding devastation, and then drowns out the noise of all the confusion with His gentle, reassuring voice.

Can you hear Him singing over you?

There’s nothing more soothing than to be held and comforted by someone who loves you. Trusting the outcome of our circumstances to the One who is truly in control not only brings peace to the heart, but it fills the mind with the assurance we need to fully rest in His care.

When the bow of this world breaks, and the cradle of chaos falls, make sure you are tethered to the One whose arms remain steadfast and secure.

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Begin With The End

(by Lorie Codispoti)

If we put all the things we start in one of the pan holders of an imaginary scale, and then compared them to the pan on the other side - the side that holds all the things we finish - would the scale be balanced?

I can’t speak for you, but my scale is rarely symmetrical these days. Too many times my starts rest comfortably on the floor while my finishes dangle in midair.

Anyone else feel this way?

In Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, the second habit is to “begin with the end in mind.” He explains it this way: “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.”

Wait! I did that once.

When we started homeschooling in 1984, there wasn’t much out there by way of teacher resources or curriculum. My son was starting kindergarten and I had no idea what a scope and sequence was, much less what kindergartners were supposed to learn. So, I did what seemed reasonable - after crying out to God for HELP! I asked myself what I wanted to accomplish by the end of the year, and determined that I wanted him to know how to read, to add & subtract, and to tell time. Those skills doable for me to teach and my son to learn. And, guess what? It was highly effective. I spent the next 15 years of homeschooling developing and following this habit (without even knowing about Covey’s book), until both my children graduated.

So, what tipped the scale, taking me from a focused, organized planner to someone who has a hard time focusing on one thing long enough to complete it? Sometimes I feel like I’ve morphed into a squirrel who woke up one morning and realized there was more than one oak tree in the forrest.

It’s hard to say, as I think there are several contributing factors, but my finishes have had a hard time keeping up with my starts. I've always had an active imagination, but something has fed my curiosity with steroid laced acorns and I find myself wanting to capture every one that falls and rolls across the ground. Some call this chasing rabbit trails, but that’s only because they’ve never watched a squirrel dart around like it doesn't know where it's going, or how to get there if it did.

The biggest problem is that the proverbal acorns never stop falling so I’m never finished collecting them. Then there’s the pressure of trying to remember where you buried the boatload you did manage to collect as you scurried about. But that’s a whole other forrest to traverse so I’ll save that ground for another article.

The solution seems to be in going back to what worked before. If I start by loading the “finish” side of my scale first, then I’ll take the time necessary to think through and formulate a doable plan for the “start” side of the scale, without being overwhelmed by all the options and possibilities.

Perhaps that will be of some help to you other squirrels out there. Just don’t let anyone try to convince you that acorns are not the only nut squirrels like to eat. You certainly won’t hear that from me.

Two Camps

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Even those who claim no religious affiliation believe in something, because faith is universal. The fact that there are over 10,000 distinct world religions supports this idea.

If you are an Omnist it means you possess a belief in many gods.

Famous actress Ellen Burstyne says, ”I am a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all of these religions…” and notes that she prays to many gods, including Jesus, depending on her need. An Omnist recognizes that Jesus is God, but that He is one among many to chose from.

Ms. Burstyne’s cover-all-the-bases approach is nothing new. It’s simply a repackaging of “enlightened” beliefs that have been around for centuries. I call it the alphabet soup approach - mixing all the gods together and spooning up whatever one feels palatable.

POSSESSION

History records a fascinating story in the book of First Samuel.

The Israelites had just lost 4,000 men in a battle with the Philistines. As they were evaluating what went wrong, they concluded that the reason they lost the battle was because they didn’t have the Ark of The Covenant in their possession. So they determined to retrieve it for the next battle.

As they witnessed the Ark coming into their camp they began to shout. The noise was loud enough that the Philistines could hear it from their camp. The Bible notes that the noise was so powerful that it literally caused the earth to shake.

Throughout the Philistine camp, terror spread quickly, and out of fear they began to proclaim, “God is come into the camp…” (1Sam.4:7)

Question: Does this mean that the Philistines were shaking in their sandals from a newfound fear of Israel’s God? One might get that impression, but the next verse confirms that this was just another god to them.

“Woe to us… who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?” (1Sam.4:8) The word used for “gods” here is “Elohim,” which is a generic term used to describe any disembodied spiritual being.

The Philistines were afraid because they sensed a company of Elohim. (Author and scholar, Michael Heiser, in his book, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About The Powers of Darkness, says this about the Elohim: “Yahweh is an Elohim, but no other Elohim is Yahweh.”) This insight is helpful to understand the next puzzling thing that happens in the story.

SOMETHING WENT WRONG

Not only was Israel’s army pummeled in the next battle - losing 30,000 foot soldiers - but the Philistines captured the very thing Israel thought would secure their win (The Ark of The Covenant).

If the Ark represented God’s presence, and the Israelites possessed it, what happened? Surely, securing it meant victory over their enemy, like it always had, right?

Not this time! Something significant made this battle different.

Israel lost to the Philistines because they had embraced the worship of many gods. Yahweh and His Ark had become an iconic symbol they had added to their collection of good luck charms.

MAKE IT RIGHT

Thankfully, God did not leave them to self-destruct. He sent the prophet Samuel to call them out and he rebuked their omnistic behavior (1Sam.7:3). The Israelites paid a hefty price for their sin, but they also heeded Samuel’s word and repented of their idolatry.

When we assume that God’s presence is with us, simply because we possess a religious icon, we’ve deluded ourselves. I’ve known people who believe that if they wear a cross necklace or hang a St. Christopher from their rear view mirror, nothing bad will happen to them; as if these icons have some kind of mystical powers.

The Ark of the Covenant was a representation of God’s presence in the Old Testament; it gave the Israelites access to Him. It was a type of what was to come - Jesus Christ. God’s presence now dwells inside every believer, giving us access to a holy God, who maintains the same desire He’s always had - to be with us and have a relationship with us. (That fact alone should blow your mind.) No other god, from any other religion, can say that.

No one knows what happened to the Ark, and from the time it was lost people have been searching for it (and making movies about it). But, did you know that we will see it again? At the end of the age, when all the nations are judged. Revelation 11:19 says, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the Ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”

What do you know - another ground shaking!

There may be over 10,000 world religions, but there is only One God who can hear you. And He responds to everyone who cries out and puts their faith in Him.

Which camp do you reside in?

If you possess a belief in many gods (Omnism), and think you’ve secured your fate by incorporating a little of this religion and a little of that religion; if you’ve bought into the idea that an “anointed” handkerchief is going to secure your victory over whatever ails you; if you think kissing the feet of a statue, twirling a drum, or offering sacrifices to Mother Earth is going to secure your position on the winning side, I implore you to heed the words of the prophet Samuel, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (7:3)

Don’t wait any longer. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2Cor.6:2)

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Two Trees

(by Lorie Codispoti)

Pride is the largest tree in the forrest, dwarfing every other resident within miles. 

The giant crown is supported by a massive trunk. The expanse of its canopy is quite impressive and would not be possible without the numerous and sturdy limbs that help to showcase its wonder among the neighboring trees. Thousands of tiny leaves decorate the branches, each one sporting a different shape, with the collective modeling a dazzling display of bright colors. When the wind blows it’s as if you can see the tree dancing. A cacophony of voices blend harmoniously as each leaf sings its own song. From a distance Pride is perceived to be the most beautiful tree in the forrest. It’s distinct features arouse the curious and invite the viewer to come a little closer.

However, there’s something deep within the heart of each person drawn to the mesmerizing beauty of Pride. One might describe it as an eerie sense that something isn’t quite right. Might this be a warning?   

In the Garden, the serpent enticed Eve to question the Truth God had given her. He offered her a beautifully crafted pair of lenses that would bring clarity to her vision as she approached the tree that was blurred by distance. Promising that if Eve partook of its fruit, the tree would enable her to  see things like her Creator. Even better - she’d be a god, like Him.

Every good lie contains an element of truth; otherwise it wouldn’t have the ability to deceive those it entices. The serpent was correct when he said “your eyes will be opened…” (Gen.3:5,7), but that opening was something very different than what was expected. Eve took the bait that pride offered and Adam joined her. Sin entered their perfect world and produced its sentence of death to all mankind.

C.S. Lewis said, “Pride is the complete anti-God state of mind. It is the sin that leads to all others.. “ 

THE LIE

LGBTQIA+? 

What happens when you keep adding letters to your self-imposed identity? You get alphabet soup. The letters have no ability to form and reflect words of truth. All they do is float around in a sea of chaos. And in the end, they’re gobbled up by the ravenous one who captures them in his spoon. 

I’m ashamed to confess that in my early Christian walk I could have cared less who you chose to have sex with. I knew it was wrong, but I excused it thinking that it was a private choice that had no effect on me. I worked closely with a homosexual, and when he introduced me to his live-in partner I thought their sexual preference was gross, but I kept that opinion to myself because I cared for him and didn’t want to appear unloving. 

Was I wrong? Yes. I bought the lie that mixed a counterfeit love with my “own understanding” (something we’re warned not to lean on). I surmised that all was well, but all was, in reality, far from well. Our enemy was quietly collecting the fruits of his tree for a big pot of pride soup.

In her article, “Are We Living Out Romans 1?” Rosaria Butterfield points out the three exchanges homosexual people make in order to embrace a lie. They chose to suppress truth, and as a result: exchanged glory for corruption (1:23), exchanged knowledge of God for falsehood (1:25); and exchanged the creation ordinance for a dysfunctional sexuality that is “contrary to nature” (1:26-28). She points out that no sin is private, and that these exchanges are a progression that will deaden the conscience and sear the soul.

We needn't be surprised by Pride. From the onset, Satan has been on a mission to re-image humanity and deceive people into identifying themselves based on themselves. If he can convince you that you can have a different identity than the one you were created with, you’ve just landed in his spoon.

THE TRUTH

If I truly care for people who have exchanged their God-given identity for this lie, then I will do what I can to expose it (Eph.5:11). To love someone with the same love Christ has for us (Jn.15:12) means that, for the sake of their eternal soul, I need to be willing, ready, and able to share truth with them and pray they will embrace it. If the Bible tells me that pride is not a virtue, and that it precedes a great fall, wouldn’t I want to see those trapped in a lie set free?

In John 8 Jesus tells His followers that He is the Light of the world, and that they need not walk in darkness (8:12). If they abide in His word they will “know the truth, and the truth will set you free (8:31-32).

It’s past time to throw away the artificial lenses that give us a distorted view of reality. The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2Cor.4:4), but our Creator (Truth) commands light to shine out of darkness (4:6). His unfathomable love for us desires for us to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1Jn.1:7).

Taking the blinders off can be a very difficult choice, but it’s a necessary one if you want to see the Pride tree for what it really is - a death trap. While it continues to claim to be the largest tree in the forrest by those who boast and promote their godless ideology, a very different view is observed when you look through the lens of Truth. 

Truth reveals Pride’s massive trunk to be one that emits an intense heat from the fire that burns within its core. As you approach it you notice an inverted crown, which indicates a loss of prestige, power, and authority. The limbs that showcase the canopy are a disturbing sight, as they reveal the dismembered human appendages that were torn off by the traps that ensnared them when they touched the tree. And what first appeared to be a variety of multi-colored shaped leaves is actually the disfigured faces of all those who painted themselves to look like something other than what their Creator designed. As you focus your lens of truth, a visible chain reveals all those who are bound to the tree. And when the wind blows, what originally appeared to be dancing and singing is, in reality, each prisoner writhing in pain as their cries of despair echo through the empty darkness that surrounds and engulfs Pride.

When seen through the lens of truth, this loathsome object of disgust is exposed for what it really is. However, the most vile thing you will find when Truth exposes Pride is the serpent who sits under its dark canopy. He meticulously milks all the “leaves” of their tears and collects the “fruits” in his evil caldron. He then bottles his poison and markets it the same way he did in the garden by convincing his targets to question God’s goodness. He plants the idea that they are missing out, and an ungodly desire takes root and secures another prisoner to his tree of death. 

HOPE FOR THE LOST

“I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life…” (Jn.14:6).

Jesus Christ is the only one who can rescue us from Satan’s snare. He said that He came to “seek and save” those who are lost“ (Lk.19:10). He regularly visits the forrest where the Pride tree resides. To all its residents He proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Lk.4:18)

How can He do this? Because the tree that He willingly sacrificed Himself on exposed the lie and bought back what the serpent stole. 

The chains of the bound fall away for every prisoner who responds to His voice. The freedom restores them to live as the men and women God created them to be.  

It’s the tree of Truth whose crown is upright, revealing genuine prestige, power and authority. Early every morning, the Son rises and the rays of His glory reflect off of the dew-like living water on each leaf. The bounty of color is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And when the Wind of His Spirit blows through the canopy, each leaf detaches for one purpose - to encircle the tree, filling the air with dancing and singing praises to the One who created them for this very purpose.

Reject Pride! It may rise up for 30 days every year, spouting a fountain of lies in hopes of capturing more victims, but it is marked for destruction. Don’t be caught in Pride’s snare on the day it implodes. 

Truth has no expiration date. It offers every weary soul renewal and joy forevermore. 

Choose Truth and live!