Intimacy with God - Knowledge of the Holy

Yahweh wants us to know Him.  He has wanted closeness with humans since he created us in the beginning.  He created Adam and Eve for relationship and intimate fellowship.  He created us with a spirit that is compatible with His Spirit.

I am impressed with the multiple layers of intimacy in John 14.  It is a hyper-dimensional relationship with Yahweh because of our relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit and also because we are in each, and each is in us.  Below, I emphasized relational words/phrases in bold, and I underlined references to or pronouns of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

John 14 NIV
15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Practically, what it comes down to is spending time together. Especially, unstructured time.  

So, how do I convince myself to spend time with the most valuable person in the universe?  The one who created me and everything else and wants to spend time with me so much that He sacrificed is own Son. 

Father, I want to value time with you.  My heart and mind are distracted by many things.  I want to dedicate time daily to spend with you, like Jesus did.  Holy Spirit, how do I do that?  Please guide me.  I want to grow in closeness with you.  Not just knowledge about you.  I want to really know you.  I love you.

Increasing the knowledge of His glory

Rev 4 (NIV)
6b In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
"'Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,'
who was, and is, and is to come."
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being."

Presumably, the living creatures covered in eyes would have an acute awareness of God's presence on the throne, and it amazes me that they so are overwhelmed by the holiness, sovereignty, deity, omnipotence, and eternality that they repeat it over and over.  (Like an optical signal so bright that it saturates the detector of a spectrophotometer.)  In so doing, they are giving glory to God.  (In Heaven, I hope I get to learn how glory is measured.)  The 24 elders give glory to God, as well.

The creatures' recitation echoes from the scene in Isaiah 6:

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is [Yahweh] Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory."

The whole earth is already full of His glory.  It is everywhere.  But what needs to increase is the knowledge of His glory:

Hab. 2:14
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of [Yahweh]
    as the waters cover the sea.

I want my life to be constantly increasing the knowledge of the glory of God.

Father, too much of my life is interfering and distracting from the knowledge of your glory.  Holy Spirit, please purify me so that I can be more effective in showing your glory to people around me.  Jesus, I want to live like you.  I love you.

signs of progress

Last week, I received positive feedback about my application for tenure; there are still several steps in the approval process.  Also, we were able to register our environmental engineering program for a global academic ranking, so that was very encouraging, as well.

Father, thank you for the kindness and favor that you have shown me in this professional transition.  I love you.

father-brother-friend

When our kids were little, I felt a sobering responsibility to accurately represent the Father to them.  I wish I had started working on knowing the Father earlier in my life so that I could have been a better father to my kids.  The Father is so good, and I have misrepresented Him so many times.

When our two oldest boys were baptized, I realized that our children are not actually our own.  As a father, I am actually a big brother in the faith, a steward to lead them to know the Father and the Son (the only Begotten Brother).  I feel a responsibility to disciple them to know Jesus, love Him, and pursue Him.

Now that our two oldest boys are both in middle school, I'm realizing that I don't have as much time as I thought I did.  They want to spend time with their friends.  I want to develop a friendship with each of them.

My relationship with Yahweh is mysteriously multifaceted: I'm a son-brother-friend. I am a son of the Father.  I am a brother of Christ.  I am a friend of Holy Spirit. Three-in-one. In my relationship with each of our children, I am a father-brother-friend.

Father, please help me be a good father to our children.  I want to represent you well.  Jesus, please help me be a good big brother to these younger ones in the faith.  I want to be a good example for them to follow.  Holy Spirit, please help me be a good friend to these friends of God.  I want it to be a good friendship for eternity, overflowing with your eternal  love. I love you.

Stewardship

It was a whirlwind of a summer.  I went to interview at Tech in early May, we worked a lot preparing the house to show, I had a couple of work trips in June, we moved to Lubbock in mid July, and then we took a quick vacation. Father provided a buyer at the end of July, we started school mid August, and we closed on the sale of our house last week.  I am so thankful for Him providing a buyer.  He was so faithful to care for us through this transition into our new chapter.

Luke 16 NIV

10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?

Stewardship in the physical domain is practice for stewardship in the spiritual domain.

Father, thank you providing for us and leading us into this next chapter of our lives in Lubbock.  I want to be faithful to leverage physical resources to advance your Kingdom.  I want to live a king/priest example in my family and in my new leadership role at work; I want to take care of my wife and kids and the people in our research team.  Holy Spirit, I need you every moment.  I love you.

(in)complete grace

I've always thought it would be a great privilege to be a professor at Texas Tech, my alma mater.

During the winter break, Danny asked me if I would consider it.  Then in February, he said that he had confirmed that the department chair and dean were supportive and asked me if I would consider being the Director of the Water Resources Center - another amazing opportunity!  In April, around Easter, he informed me that he had secured approval from the Provost and the VP of Research for a direct hire, and I went to interview in early May.

Brandi applied for a first grade teacher position on a Saturday evening, got an invitation on Sunday morning for a virtual interview the following day, and they offered her the job at the end of the interview!

I believe that Father is calling us back to Lubbock.  I am taking a step of faith through this open door.  I am also choosing to sow seeds of generosity by leaving significant funding for my team at UTEP instead of taking it all with me like most professors do when they move.

We found a rental house in Lubbock for a year, and we moved last week.  

All we need now is for our house in El Paso to sell.  I trust that Father's goodness towards us will be fulfilled because we are in His hands, and He loves us abundantly.  Yet, my heart feels the tension of wanting the house to sell quickly.

Father, I know that you are kind and full of grace towards your children.  Thank you for your provision and timing.  I trust you, and I love you.

Mocked versus approved

Matthew 15

In his "trials", the night before his death, Jesus was rejected and mocked so that I can be accepted and approved.  Jesus was scorned and ridiculed, but my Father takes delight in me and sings over me.

Jesus was hung on a cross so that all of the sins of the world could be placed on him and cursed because he was hung on a pole.  

2 Cor 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What a privilege Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had to care for the body of our Lord Jesus Christ after he died!  They honored His body by not leaving it exposed overnight and by providing a basic burial with dignity and honor. 

Jesus, thank you for being willing to suffer rejection, mocking, and the curse of sin so that I can be accepted, approved, and blessed.  I want to experience the full measure of what you paid for.  You bought me an all-access pass, and I feel like I have only been watching from the nosebleeds.  You want even more for me than to move from the nosebleeds to the sidelines; you want me to trade places with you in the game.  Holy Spirit, please take me there.  I want to experience what Jesus bought for me.  Everything that I do today, I want to do in love - Christ living in me and through me, revealing the Father.  I love you.

Man's best friend

Boone is such a loyal dog; he will follow you into whatever room you go and sit down near you.

This morning, I told him that I really appreciate his loyalty and friendship.

Then the thought occurred to me that the greatest level of friendship is enabled with bidirectional conversation, especially sharing personal thoughts.

I was reminded of what Jesus said in John 15 about us being his friends:

John 15:14‭-‬15 NIV

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

I want to be a good friend of God.  I don't want to only know about Him; I want to have a dep personal and conversational relationship with Him.

Father, please guide me to a deeper fellowship with you.  I want to know your thoughts, and I want my thoughts to be confirmed to match your thoughts.  I want my heart to perfectly match your feelings.  I love you.

Jesus was falsely accused AND falsely condemned for our benefit

Mk 14:53-65

I tend to be overly focused on justice and fairness, perhaps an artifact of being firstborn and/or perfectionist.

Jesus was focused on the joy set before Him, so he was willing to endure the injustices and (Rom 12:1-2).  Jesus did not exercise His authority to escape the trial based on false accusations of false teaching or threatening the destruction of the temple.  Nor did Jesus object, appeal, or attempt to escape from the false condemnation of blasphemy after He admitted that He is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed.  Jesus was ultimately vindicated in the resurrection, and He was willing to endure suffering and wait for the Father's timing.  He did it for us.

I want to be like Jesus - willing to deny the desire for immediate vindication without suffering.  He was patient because of His love for the Father and for us.

Father, thank you for your plans, which are better than my plans.  Thank you for your ways, which are better than my ways.  Jesus, thank you for your example of choosing love and patience over justice for yourself in the moment.  Holy Spirit, I need you.  Please fill me and overflow through me today.  I love you.

Disengaging perfectionism

I am beginning to be more self-aware of my perfectionist tendencies.  One of them is a hesitancy to attempt anything that I don't think I can initially do very well, even recreational activities like golf or playing the guitar.  

But I am slowly learning to play the guitar.  I am trying to recognize those opportunities to push through the discomfort of me being disappointed with myself for not doing something very well initially for the sake of being able to enjoy them and appreciating God's grace that covers over all of my mistakes.

Father, thank you for your limitless mercy and grace.  You cover me.  I want to have your perspective of me.  I love you.

What a privilege to be a child of God!

Mike and I started Romans 1 on Sunday morning at Dunkin, and Mike pointed out that it is such a blessing to be included in the family of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news!  God is not holding poeple's sins against them!  Jesus has paid the debt in full so that we can come home to the Father with no guilt or shame.  And Holy Spirit will cleanse us to the core of who we are!  

This morning, as I read these verses in Psalm 51, I am so thankful for the Father's goodness and that goodness is a fruit of the Spirit.  I want to be good like the Father.

Psalm 51:6‭-‬7‭, ‬9‭-‬12 ESV

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ... Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Father, thank you for forgiving my sins and inviting me to come home. Please purify my heart! Make me completely good like you are.  Holy Spirit, thank you for your patience with me.  I love you!

God, our Father, is the Creator

Romans 1, Proverbs 8, Psalm 100

The world assaults, undermines, and obscures this fundamental truth.

So much of our faith begins with the humble acknowledgement that God is the Creator, and we are part of His creation.

We are the most prized aspect of His creation.  We are forever worthy of His love because we are created in His image.

The enemy does not want us to remember this truth because it is our fundamental identity, the basis of our relationship with our Father who continually demonstrates his immeasurable compassion and affection for us.

Father, thank you for your love.  Thank you for Jesus (the Messiah, a perfect human) making a way for our brokenness to be healed and the glory of our sonship and righteousness to be restored through faith and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.  I love you, and I want to walk in the fullness of the abundance that you have for me.

Don't believe everything you think

Randy Limbird had a bumper sticker on his Toyota Tacoma that said, "Don't believe everything you think".

I got to know Randy through Paseo church, and I appreciated his curiosity and sincere desire to understand. Brandi and I had the privilege of serving on the elder team with Randy and Cindy.  Later, Randy and I had the privilege of serving on the teaching team together, and I learned so much from his teaching, as well as discussing with him what I was preparing to teach.

Randy was a good friend.  He actually cared about my well being.  We didn't get to hang out that often, but it was a genuine friendship.

When Randy fell ill in early February, they soon discovered a brain tumor, which was quite a shock because he had just a few weeks before cycled over 100 miles in a single ride.  I visited him in the hospital, and Randy did not slip into worry or complaining. He manifested the peace that passes understanding.  

I visited Randy at his home a week and a half ago (Wed eve), and at his request, we prayed through Philippians 2-3.  Again, no whining or complaining.

After my Grandma, Aunt Jean, and Uncle George passed from cancer, I regretted that I had not prayed more for them to be healed.  When Jill Hunt was diagnosed, I resolved to not miss opportunities to pray for people for miraculous healing.  And in the last handful of years, I've tried to follow Jesus's example of commanding healing.

They took Randy to the ER on Thursday because he was unresponsive after his first dose of chemo.  I went to visit that afternoon and had a chance to pray for him and Cindy.  Even though his body died the next day, and I don't understand why my prayer appeared was ineffective, I am still thankful that I took the opportunity to try. 

Father, thank you for Randy and his friendship.  Please comfort Cindy and all of us who miss him here on this side.  I love you. 

A life of sacrificial service

MATTHEW 16

Jesus told the disciples that he was going to be killed, but Peter pulled Jesus aside and rebuked him.

23 But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."  (ESV)

The worldly perspective prioritizes self-benefit (e.g., comfort, profit, safety), but the Father's perspective loves and serves others sacrificially.

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?  (ESV)

Father, I want to be like you.  Thank you for demonstrating your sacrificial love through sending your Son for us.  Jesus, thank you for your humility and selfless sacrifice.  Holy Spirit, I want to live like Jesus.  I love you.

I want time to be still and reflect

On the drive to the airport this morning, I remembered when I was a kid, riding home from the farm late one night after harvesting cotton, and the passenger side window of the pickup wouldn't role up.  Dad turned on the heater full blast.  It was a mixture of feelings, the cold wind on my face and the warm air from the floorboard.  

So, as I was driving this morning, I rolled down the windows and cranked up the heater.  I am thankful for my dad and times we had together.

I want to make more time to be still and focus on the Father and his love for me.  I want a regular rhythm of reflection in my life.  (My significantly lower frequency of blog posting is an artifact of limited time made for reflection.)

Father, thank you for your patience with me.  I want the peace and joy that come from spending unstructured time with you.  I love you.

Time to watch the sun rise

I woke up early his morning. Made a cup of coffee. When I saw the first gleam of dawn, I pulled up a chair in the living room at my parents front door which faces east and watched the dawn and sunrise.  It was spectacular!  So many phases.  Father is such an amazing artist!

Matthew 5:44‭-‬45 NIV

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Father is good.  Goodness comes from Him.  I want to be like Him.

Father, deliver me from religion.  I've been straight-jacketed for so long.  It is for freedom that Christ has set me free. I want to be like a sunrise.  I love you.

Proverbs 4:18 NIV

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Word of the year: goodness

My word for 2023 year is: GOODNESS.

Galatians 5:22‭-‬25 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

I am continuing my meditation on the fruit of the Spirit.  I don't think I did that well with "kindness" this past year, but I think it is important for me to recognize that sanctification is incremental and multi dimensional.

Father, I praise you because you are good and the origin of all goodness.  Thank you for making me a new creation of the same goodness as your self.  May your goodness be revealed in greater measure through me.  I love you.