If you would have told me at the start of the year that everyone would be told to stay in their houses, and a nationwide "social distancing" would be in effect in the streets of the city... I would have laughed!  "The United States shutting down businesses, and telling people to stay inside?  Really?"

        And then... it hit!  Carona.  COVID-19.  Something so earth-shattering and cataclysmic that it would effect the welfare of the entire world and each person on the planet.

          Without a doubt: Right now, all around the world, every person's physical, emotional and spiritual foundation is being shaken.  Each person is evaluating: What do you find comfort in?  What do you find peace in?  What do you calm yourself with?  What gives you worth and value as a person (your job?  your income?  your home?).  What IS really important to exist in this life?  (Anyone have toilet paper?)   The foundations of our personal world is being shaken and tested.

           It reminds me of when Jesus said: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

           Now that the storm has hit the world in 2020... what is your house built upon?  The rock … Jesus and the Word of God?  Or of your own striving - and trying to work out peace and comfort in your own effort … the sand?  What is really important?

           It reminds me of when the Children of Israel were slaves in the land of Egypt.  Moses comes on the scene and 9 plagues had come from God upon the Pharaoh and the people of Egypt - but the Children of Israel were spared.  But the 10th and final plague (in Exodus, Chapter 12) was different than the 9 before it... for with the 10th and final plague, the death and destruction would hit EVERY HOUSE of EVERY FAMILY, regardless of nationality, sex or origin.  No matter what your political beliefs … and no matter how much money you did or didn't make... you were going to be effected.  It was a plague that would bring death upon the first born of every household - whether from Israel, or from Egypt.  Now, in light of Carona, can you imagine the fear?  Can you imagine the desire to keep you and all your family safe?

             So... God instructed that the key for being delivered from death - the only way so NO PLAGUE would come upon your household - was if you applied the blood of a lamb to cover the door posts and lintel of the house.  If you did this - if you applied the blood - then, when the Angel of Death was to descend … when it saw the blood … it would PASSOVER and all the lives would be spared inside that house.

              Likewise, Scripture tells us: "Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).  And, Jesus is called the Lamb of God, and He was sent to take away the sin of the world (from John 1:29).  So, if you "apply the blood of Jesus to your life" - for He died on the Cross to take your place and that His very life would be given in your place.  And... if you take His blood and apply it to your life … asking Him to forgive you of your sins and to spare your life, for you now give your life to Him to be a covering over you... then... YOU WILL LIVE.  Then... you can enter your promised land in Heaven... and live as a triumphant child of God forever.

                 As we go through Passover in 2020 … in light of the Carona virus coming against every household of the world … may I ask you: "Have you applied the blood to the doorposts of your life?"

         This 2019, I have decided to Spring Forward into all the Lord has planned for my life.

         But this involves me dying to myself ... and how I see the world... and choosing instead to live each moment by springing forward (and stepping forward) into the new man that God has made me to be. 

         How do we do this?  By focusing in the spirit realm - in the realm of my new identity in Christ (as a Son of God, as a Child of God, as His Ambassador and Priest of the Kingdom of God) versus how I see myself in this current world... I shed my old man and move forward into the new identity of who I am in Christ.

        This is an important truth that we all need to embrace, because if we are to move forward into the God-given dream of our lives: The Lord does not see you according to the "old man" or the ways of your flesh... but instead, through the Cross of Jesus Christ, your Heavenly Father sees  you as already risen and redeemed in the finished man of who you are in Him.  By focusing on this, a heavenly transformation begins to happen in your heart and your mind ... and then, begins to spring forward into the reality of your daily life as well.

        I get this from the teaching of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5.  Let's read some of this together:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: (2 Corinthians 5:14)

        Notice that it is the love of Christ that directed the Apostle Paul's life... and that should be true for you and me as well.  This is found in the new commandment that Jesus gave us, where He told us, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35)  

        As we receive the love of God that He has for us ... His amazing grace poured out for us through the Cross of Christ ... and see ourselves (and the person in front of us) through that amazing love and heavenly grace, we actually release the power to come out of our "earthly boundaries" to feeling and being accepted for "who we are through the love of Christ."  This love sees us as treasures ... as precious children of God ... that God, Himself, would give His very life for, to know and love and be in relationship with - WOW!

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (2 Corinthians 5:15, 16)

        We find new life when we choose to not live our lives for ourselves, but for God ... and to actually die to ourselves, and let God live and love through us to touch the person who is in front of us.  DOUBLE WOW!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

        Scripture tells us that you are a new creature in Christ.  Old things are passed away...  and personally, God has been challenging me to see myself more and more through that new creature identity.  That much of what we have been taught has been to fight our inner struggles by focusing on our flesh and beating it into submission... but I am discovering that the more I focus on how God sees me, and my God-given dream inside of me as a Kingdom of God citizen... the things of this world become unimportant to me, and fall away.  My tastes for life change - and what brings me joy changes - and I actually become more "like a child of God" than a "fallen sinner" who is trying to get by.

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

        To be reconciled to God means that you are brought back into right relationship with God, not because of anything you have done... but rather, because of what God did through the Cross to release His great love into your life.  You did not earn salvation ... He bought salvation for you and offers it to you as a free gift (that you have to choose to receive and walk in - laying aside your way of living life, to come alive with His way of living life and loving others ... which leads us back to the love of Christ compelling us to how we live our lives).
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

        Of course, once you have tasted of the goodness of salvation and God's great gift... and it begins to transform your life and how you see things in the world ... it can't help but make you want to share God's goodness and love with the person in front of you (and the cycle begins again!)

         The way to enter this transformed life?  By choosing to step into it ... and this Spring of 2019... I have chosen to spring into it... fresh, new and alive with the love of Jesus!  Won't you join me?

        Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35-36)

          When Jesus said this, it was hours before He was to give His life on the Cross for our sins.  He knew His life was going to be coming to an end ... that was why He washed His disciples feet to show His love for them (and then commanded them to wash one another's feet - to love on another!) ... that was why Jesus changed the very elements of Passover and their meaning, to give us the Lord's Supper and the sacraments that lead us to a place of now receiving Jesus' love, life and healing through His work on the Cross in a tangible act of worship...

          Jesus wanted to leave His disciples with symbols and teaching that would forever mark their lives and ministry - making it even more effective and accessible for others to touch the Kingdom of God both in, around and through their very lives.

          When I hear of people sharing the "love of Jesus" ... a lot of what people are actually doing is "loving someone else for Jesus" ... but that is not the degree of love that Jesus was pointing His disciples to live.

            He actually wants you and I to be His love and presence to others ... to let Jesus' love and presence flow into us, and be released through us for the person in front of us... to bring healing and life from Heaven and the Heavenly Father's heart for that person, in that moment.

            We are actually called to be Jesus' disciples on the earth today.  To actually let Jesus live and love in and around and through us, to the world around us, in this moment ... even as Jesus was one with the Heavenly Father and let His love flow through and bring healing and life to the world.  (This is precisely what Jesus was praying would happen in you and me, in John 17!)

             This is how the Resurrection life of Jesus can become real through us to others on a daily basis.

             This Easter Season, celebrate how Jesus made it possible through the Cross - and through His Resurrected presence - for you to let God love through you, in power, to bring healing to the world around you ... and then, go and be that!  "Christ the Lord is risen ... He is risen indeed!"

         Summer ... what does it mean to you?

         Here in Phoenix, the common phrase in 100-degree-plus heat is, "It's so hot!"

        Personally, I have grown to take the negative of that phrase and turn it into a positive... "Wow!  What a big and powerful Heavenly Father I have... just look at what He did!  He made that incredible light in the sky that is so strong - so amazingly wonderful- it can both light up the night sky and heat us up like an oven all these cajillion of miles a way at the same time ... Wow, now that is power!"

         As I get older, I have come to realize: How I face and overcome in the trials of my life will be based upon my perspective and point of view.  And, moment by moment - day by day - I am choosing which perspective and point of view I will live my life from.

         The Children of Israel had this very same opportunity as they wandered in the wilderness, before entering their Promised Land from God...

         They could either choose to focus on the negative surroundings of the desert they were walking through - and give in to the whining, murmuring and complaining about the heat ... the need for water and food ... and wondering, "How are we ever going to make it through this?" ... OR ...

          They could choose to say to themselves, "What an amazing God we serve!  He just delivered us from Pharaoh and the most powerful government on the face of the earth ... bringing plagues and darkness and delivering us by His mighty hand ... I am going to trust Him for what's next... Wow!  I can't wait to see how He's going to get us through this!"

         It's all a matter of perspective.  You can either choose to live this life according to your own eyes and ears ...  your own mental judgment and trying to figure things out ... with your own whining and complaining and "replaying the tapes" in your mind of "how hard things are" and "how will I ever get out of this one?" ...

        OR...

         You can choose a heavenly perspective ... thank Him for the great things He has done in your life and all the times God has proven Himself as faithful to you ... and choose instead to trust that your delivering, healing, all-powerful Heavenly Father has a way of leading, guiding, protecting and delivering you from this current situation as well, and ... "Gee!  I can't wait to see what He is going to do next!"

         It's all in perspective ... an earthly one ... or a heavenly one.  Which will you choose?

         There is an old saying, "If you can't stand the heat ... get out of the kitchen!"

          I am choosing to change that phrase to, "If you can't stand the heat ... find the good of what is going on in that kitchen and enjoy that!"

          For there is a lot of discomfort that comes from living in an oven ... but a lot of great things that can come out of one, if you get yourself out of the fire - separate yourself from the discomfort of the heat - and use it properly.

          As you yield your difficult circumstances to God - to a Heavenly Father who loves you so very much and has your best intentions in mind - I am confident that while you may not see the answer right now ... and things may be feeling uncomfortable ... our God is able to work all things together for good on your behalf.

           Keep it all in perspective ... in His heavenly perspective... and...

           I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!