The Scandal of Grace: The Lost Coin

 
This is the second part of the study of some awesome parallels found in the fifteenth chapter of Luke's gospel. The thing that I love the most about this chapter is that three separate events form one incredibly beautiful picture!

Last week we looked at the parable of the lost sheep in The Scandal of Grace: The Lost Sheep (Click here),  and brought out a point that can make some people uncomfortable. People can get lost by neglect and the laziness of someone who holds a religious title and honestly, it happens every single day. I have been privileged to correspond with people all over the world because of this blog and one of the common threads of conversation is found in helping people understand that God desires them even if their church does not.

Not every church is harming people through a performance based acceptance mindset, but there are some that do. So the beauty of the story last week is that if you find yourself wounded understand that Father allows hirelings to have a fold in order to bring people to Him! Hirelings wound because they do not care for the sheep, but the Father heals and His desire has always been relationship with nothing, and no one in between. He will use whatever platform is necessary to bring and individual into a relationship with Him.

There is second part of the story that I want to look at today and it parallels with a second group of people. The sheep parallel those people who are lost by NEGLECT and the coin parallels those people who are lost by IGNORANCE.

"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.  And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.  Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." ~Luke 15:1-10

The Coin: Lost by Ignorance.

The story of the coin is very interesting because not only does it deal with money, because we all have an understanding of the value of a coin, but because the coin would be an object that had no understanding of its own loss or value.

A coin is completely ignorant of the fact of it's own worth and it is unaware that it is really even lost. It lies in the dust or under a couch cushion or on the pavement outside of the grocery store absolutely oblivious to any ones desire to find it.

I see in this little coin a picture of a person, who holds value to God, completely unaware of their lost state. They lay in a dust pile somewhere and really have no understanding of their condition. Is it possible that some people have no idea that they are lost?

If you go back to the book of Genesis sometime and read what God had to say about man after He was created it requires us to drop the glasses of indifference that we wear when we look at man and his value.

God created everything, and with every act of creation there was the phrase, "...and it was good." When Man was created the statement changed to, "...and it was very good." We tend to look at nature sometimes and say, "This is very good!!!" and we look at man and say, depending on appearance or behaviour, "That is not very good."

The truth of the matter is, God never changed His mind about His creation being "Very good" and where we may be quick to slap a label on someone, God made them  in His image and His image is "Very Good".

Did mankind anger and frustrate God? Absolutely they did and when you read the old testament you see that anger displayed. Then you have the cross where God's wrath was POURED OUT on Jesus Christ. Jesus took God's wrath for us and the only way that we will ever experience that wrath is if we choose to face a Holy God apart from Jesus being our savior.

John three sixteen is emphatically true!!!

^"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." ~John 3:15-20

It was for this reason that Jesus died on the cross. To restore us into everlasting fellowship with the Father. The people that go out of their way to ridicule God and defy Him are people that have tremendous value to Him.

 

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." ~ 2 Peter 3:8-10

Romans tells us that man will naturally not seek after a relationship with God, they are the coins that have no idea of their own value or their lost state.

I have a lot of diverse pictures up here but I also have one of religious people as well. People with the title of Christian can also be completely bind to their value and state just as much someone who does not know Christ.

You see the actions of people who claim to have a relationship with Christ and while it may be frustrating, you have to understand that people present the God that they know. One of the most sobering passages in the Bible is found in Matthew 7.

"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." ~ Matthew 7:22-23

The name of God is powerful and you can do a lot of good and bad in that name, and God made mention of that in the ten commandments where He said, "Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Be careful what you do in God's name. He takes His name seriously.

Look at an example of two parties claiming the same name and see if you can spot the "lost coin".

"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." ~ Matthew 12:22-30

Jesus' teaching was not popular with the religious people because it challenged everything that they held their identity in. They operated their life FOR God and not FROM Him. There is a difference between those who know about God and those that know God. I read this story and I have to wonder, What would a Pharisees comments look like if they had social media back then?

 

 

If you notice as you read any of the accounts between the Pharisees that Jesus was firm, but He never called them out by individual name. Why? Because the name is not the enemy. The mindset is the enemy. It is the mindset that Christ opposed, not the individual.

 

Look at even the crucifixion at the response Christ gave to the individuals as they waited for Him to die.

 

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God." ~ Luke 23:33-35

The lost coin had no idea that it was lost. Why get mad at the coin? It has no idea of its own value so don't be surprised if lost coin people act like a lost coin. They honestly do not know. I believe that some of the pharisees had a love for God and wanted to please Him so much that they could not break away from what was familiar for what was true. They were right in their statement of His condition on the cross. He came to save others and not Himself. That is a beautiful statement because of who is making it. They could not stand the fact that He did not agree with them and time after time He guided people on a different agenda than what they were presenting.

 

It was the ignorance of man that sent God to the cross.

 

Think about that statement for just a minute. Both the need for and the method of the crucifixion were provided due to man's ignorance. His "Lost Coin" mindset.

 

Lost people will act like lost people.

 

The awesome part of the story of the lost coin is that the person who recognized the value of that coin never stopped searching for it. She swept the floor and looked under the tables and other furniture. Relentless to move every speck of dust and dirt until that coin was found.

 

The scandal of grace is that God never stops looking through any dust or dirt that we may hide ourselves beneath in His mission to introduce Himself to us. The "broom" he uses to disrupt our world may be a financial upset. It may be a medical arrangement or a loss of something that we were hiding within. His broom may even come in the form of another person who is "stirring up" our environment. Rest assured that God is searching for the lost coin inside and outside of His church.

 

The scandal of grace reaches out when we find ourselves chewed up and neglected. It reaches deep into a mess of ignorance and next week I cannot wait to show you the biggest scandal of all in the post: "The Scandal of Grace: The Lost Kid"

 

If God has sifted you out of some stuff, praise Him because you do have value to Him!

 

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

                                                                                                        ~ 2 Corinthians 8:9

You have value and so does everyone around you. Never forget that everyone was counted worthy of Him and His redemption!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

 

The Scandal of Grace : The Lost Sheep

I was reading the 15th chapter of Luke the other day and I noticed something that was truly scandalous. I saw God's grace demonstrated through three simple stories.

I want to take the next three blog posts to look at each story and then tie them together in a truly unique way. I have always heard the first example of God's concern and desire for the lost presented in a way that seemed to make it more about me than about Him and that was a mistake. Anytime we take the attention from God and place in on ourselves there will be a problem. The fact is, God's grace is scandalous and what we are going to look at over the next few posts will direct our attention there.

The Sheep: Lost through carelessness.

I have heard this story for as long as I can remember, and it was always told the same way. 
There was a shepherd and one of his sheep decided to run away. I guess the clover he saw off in the distance was more captivating than his shepherd so he runs off happy to find such good and delicious grazing. Night soon comes and he is lost and begins to cry and the shepherd goes off in search of the lost lamb and carries it back to the fold where the lamb promises never to run away again. In this version I have always been taught associates with this passage, the lamb is always at fault. He ran off from a loving and tender shepherd. God is the shepherd and we are the lambs because the Bible says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." ~ Is 53:6

While I certainly agree with the words of the prophet that the nation of Israel had gone astray, this is NOT what the parable in Luke 15 is referring to. Let's read it again and see.

"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost." ~Luke 15:1-6

The passage makes mention of the word "LOSE". This is an action that comes as a result of the shepherd.

God loses people???? That is not what i said. The shepherd in this passage lost a sheep. While the CHIEF SHEPHERD (God) does not lose sheep, shepherds (Men) do.

In fact, 1 Peter gives instruction to the earthly shepherds as they care for the sheep.

"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." ~ 1 Peter 5:4 God is the chief shepherd, and He uses men as His under shepherds and while the chief shepherd never loses His sheep, those that claim the title of under shepherd sometimes do.
This is where the dinner conversation gets awkward.

It is possible and it is a reality that many of His sheep are lost because of careless under shepherds. Hirelings.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." ~John 10:10-18

Not everyone that carries the title of shepherd is a shepherd. Some are just a hireling and it shows glaringly in the way that they handle Father's sheep. It is possible to hold the office, business card, and college degree or doctorate even of a shepherd and in fact be nothing more than a hireling.

Slick printable presentations and flashy graphic designs may camouflage a careless Hireling for a time, but it never fixes the issue. The longer a careless hireling stays within a fold the easier it becomes to see that piles of corpses that float in the wake of the poorly captained flagship. When you ask the careless hireling, "What ever happened to so-and-so?" and you keep getting the same answers. "Oh they just felt led to move on", what is really being said is, "They knew something that would threaten my position so i just let them go" or "they fell overboard but we did not care enough to throw out a lifeline." 

The congregation changes repeatedly and the sheep that came to the fold looking for help now wander while the hireling shepherd placates his conscious and lazy mindset with a standard, "They were not happy here in this fold, if they really wanted to be a part of things then they would be here."
They can tell the ninety nine about fictitious attempts made to restore wounded sheep and that they reached out to try to repair things left damaged, but the sheep know the truth. Eventually each one of the ninety nine will have an experience where the hireling shepherd carelessly left them to fend off wild beasts and in treacherous places in the vain aspirations of building a bigger and more impressive looking sheep fold.

Going out and looking for lost sheep is messy. It can be uncomfortable because when you find a lost sheep, there are going to be wounds that need cared for and that requires being able to be personal in your dealings with the sheep. The title of shepherd is not just something you get because you responded to an invitation to surrender to be a shepherd. It is a life's passion and its success has nothing to do with the size of the fold, but rather in the health of the sheep. If you have to chase your sheep down to be at the fold each week and guilt them into acting like a sheep, then you have failed.

Well what about the lost sheep? Will every sheep that gets lost want to return to the fold?

A half devoured sheep wants to do nothing but lay there and bleed out. They would rather lay there and die because they have been torn up and wounded and the last thing that they want to do is get up and walk. This is where the life's passion part comes in. The shepherd cares for the sheep regardless if he or she gets up at the first beckon. Sometimes you have to care for someone until they are strong enough to care for themselves. That can take years and may not contribute to the fold.

Instead, the hireling looks at the wounded sheep who seems unresponsive and tells himself something like this, "If they really wanted to be in the fold then they would be here!!!". The hireling hands the dismembered sheep a business card with his face on it and says, "Here, just call me if you need anything." and then quickly scoots out the door with his lazy conscience satisfied that the "attempt" was made. Lazy and careless hirelings lose sheep every time they take them to pasture because the sheep were never a priority.

Shepherds are humans and they have bad days and times when they would redo the way handled a situation certainly. I am speaking of an overall track record and the "Above reproach" way that is asked of them. When you were you last personally visited and cared for by the one who carries the title shepherd in your fold? Sheep are the priority of the shepherd.

So the parable is awesome because Jesus was speaking of something different here.

God's people were His sheep and they had been taken care of by hirelings. They had been mistreated and abused and left to fend for themselves.

God takes His sheep very seriously and I want to show you a passage that will really open your eyes as you read it.

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,  Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment." ~ Ezekial 34:1-16

 God said in Ezekiel's day, "My sheep have been scattered because of shepherds that were hirelings".
They were scattered back then much like they are  scattered now and it takes more than a Love Works t-shirt to genuinely love and care for the flock. This is why Jesus made the statement after the parable of the lost sheep.
 
^"And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." ~ Luke 19:9-10

Jesus said in Luke 4:17-20

 ^"And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him." ~Luke 4:17-20

Not all shepherds are hirelings and not all people with the title of shepherds are shepherds. I read the statement from the Chief Shepherd and the other passages above and to be honest with you it is very clear how to tell the difference. If Luke 4:18 is not evident in your personal experience with those who hold the title shepherd in your fold, then the truth hurts, but it is still the truth.

This sheep in Luke 15 was lost by carelessness and the Chief Shepherd came to earth in the form of Jesus and went looking for him until the sheep was found.

Sheep get lost and regardless of the situation, to ignore the Chief Shepherd because you had a bad experience with a bad hireling in a bad excuse. One of the biggest reasons I truly met the Father was because of a bad hireling! I remember asking God why He moved me into a situation where Ezekiel 34 was on full display. He answered with this, "Because I am not what you have seen demonstrated. You were ready to see and accept the difference."

That was the platform God used in my life to introduce me to Him. I will forever be grateful for every time I was wounded because had it not been for a hireling doing what hirelings do, I would never have truly met The Chief Shepherd! You may have a similar circumstance and to develop a hatred for the fold is understandable, but it is not the destination that you want to arrive at. Folds take on the characteristics of the shepherd who tends it. Read Luke 4:18 and understand that what you see there, according to 1 Peter as well, are what separates a true shepherd from a hireling.

Over the next three blogs I want to look at each circumstance mentioned in Luke 15 and point out something truly FANTASTIC!

The Sheep:Lost from carelessness
The Coin: Lost in Ignorance
The Child: Lost by Intention

Each of us will be found in one of these categories, and when you see how it ties together it will increase your love for Father so much more!

Knowing who you are to Him and who He is to you is truth, and where you find truth you will find life, and where you find life you will find freedom!
 
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." ~ John 10:10-11  
If you have been lost through carelessness and are wounded, feeling alone and in despair, I want you to know that the Chief Shepherd came for you. He administers grace to your wounds and He lifts you up on His shoulders. You are loved and you are in the perfect place to feel His embrace! Ask Him today to open your eyes and your awareness to His presence. I cannot wait for you to read next week!!!

Climbing with you,
~Dan

 

How You Will Know the Day that You Die

 

I love being a dad.

 

Out of all of the "hats" that I wear, the one that I am the most proud of is the hat called "Dad". I am not the best at that role, nor am I the most patient and I do covet my alone time just like anyone else, but when I do have the chance to interact with my kiddos, I do love it.

 

One of the things that you cannot help but notice when you are around your own kids, grand kids or someone else's is that a child always needs to ask the question "WHY?".

 

 I try to take time to answer this question when I can but honestly, it is a question that I dread a lot of times. I guess I dread it the most because there are so many instances when I just do not know the answer to that question. Have you ever been there?

My wife and I made a decision when our first son was born that we would always answer his questions honestly no matter how long it would take for him to understand the answer.

It was challenging, but it was worth it when one day I overheard my (at the time) five year old son correct another child on the playground after they both spotted an airplane flying overhead. The other boy called out, "Look! Its and jumbo jet airplane!". Clark quickly countered, "No, that's actually a C-130 Hercules. If it was an A-130 it would be a gun ship, but it is a C-130 and it only carries cargo."

I was sitting there mentally saying, "Yeah!!! You didn't know that kid?"


I was thinking about how exhausting a child's endless torrent of questions can drive even the most patient parent to the brink of insanity, when I was faced with a question that stopped me cold that my son asked me.

"Dad, how old do you get before you can stop asking why?"

When was the last time that you asked your parent "Why?" during the course of your day?

I began to think about that and I realized that we don't ask that question as we grow older. We just go look for the answer ourselves. We go to the Internet and ask the question and search how to videos or forums until we figure out what we were looking to figure out.


The truth of the matter is, the older we get, the less we feel the need to really ask the "Why?" question.

I believe that dying is truly a process and not an event. Death is an event, but dying, no, dying is a process that each of us embarks on at our own pace and in our own way. Granted, physically we are all dying the day that we take our first breath, but I am speaking about a different type of dying here. Dying in our potential, our ability, and our dreams of what could be accomplished with the life that each of us has been given.

Jesus had a conversation that I found to be very interesting in the 6th chapter of the book of John. He has just been teaching about His purpose in coming to earth and it was difficult for those around Him to understand what He was saying.

^"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?"  ~ John 6:60-61

 The Disciples asked him, after he was done speaking, "Why?"

"What are you trying to tell us?"  

 It was a child asking their parent, "Why?".


I truly believe that the day that you die is the day that you stop asking your Father the question "Why?".

King Saul died long before Gilboah. He died on the day he decided to not ask God why Samuel would be sent with the message that he was sent to deliver.

I love the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah because God takes man, and teaches Him how to listen to His voice and it was given through what the prophet saw with his eyes just as much as what he heard with his Spirit.

Think for a moment about your favorite radio station. You get in the car or at work and you "tune in" to that station right? Now let me ask you, did that station begin broadcasting when you tuned in, or was it broadcasting long before you tuned in? The answer is simple. It was broadcasting regardless if you chose to tune in or not.

God is speaking every single day and it is mind blowing how loud He does this! It is like that radio station. His voice is all around you regardless if you "tune in" or not. He never stops calling out to you.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." ~Proverbs 3:5-6


Two key words are used here. 1) All thy ways & 2) Acknowledge Him.

"All thy ways" would be everything that I do, everywhere that I go, and everyone I meet.

"Acknowledge" means to search for or discover intently.

So you could read the passage this way.

"In everything you do, in everyone that you meet and everywhere that you go, intently search for God and He WILL direct your path."

When is the last time that you asked your Father, "Why?" when it came to the things that you have seen, or have done, or in who you have met?

I always do this. "Out of everything that I could have seen why was I allowed to see the things that I saw today?"

"Out of everything that I could have done today, why was I allowed to do what I have done?"

"Out of everyone that I have spoken to, why was I allowed to speak to the people that I have spoken to today at the times when I did?"

I was having a rough day at work awhile back and was lost in thought and a co-worker called out my name as I walked by. I was oblivious to anyone at that moment and when i looked up, they smiled and said, "Daniel, I just wanted to make sure that you saw me today."
Their name means "God is gracious". Father was using that person, by their presence, to remind me that in my rough day that His grace was there in plain sight and ever in front of me and that He was not going to stop telling me that until I noticed!

"Daniel, I just wanted to make sure that you saw me today."

You will not hear that until you stop to ask the question of your Father, "Why?".

It is understanding the need to have "God Awareness".

^"And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable." ~Mark 4:8-10

Don't be afraid to ask your Father anything! He wants to answer you! He wants to speak to you! He desires relationship with Him! Don't confine His voice to just the Bible, or just the assembly of the church. Open your ears and ask the right questions throughout your day. It is AMAZING because you "tune" into this beyond audible broadcast that is going on all around you!

Father LOVES you and He longs to have you hear Him express His love to you and when you "tune" Him in, it solidifies just who you are to Him. You see how expansive His Kingdom is and you are emboldened from Him!

Someone asked me once, "Do you really think you are good enough for God to speak to you every day?" and I had to correct them. The right question is, "Is my Father big enough to get past all of my distractions to speak to me today?"

Seven times alone the book of Revelation speaks the words, "He that hath an ear, let Him hear" to the churches.

You will know the day that you truly die when you get "too big" to ask your Father "Why?", "What do you want me to see in this?", and "What are you trying to tell me through what I have seen, heard, or done?".

There is no accidents, or coincidences ever.

 

When my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer nearly five years ago, my four year old son would pray every night for God to heal his "Guh-Guh" (That is four year old speak for Grandma).

 

What was God trying to teach us through that whole ordeal? I asked Him "Why?" He would allow this Wall in our life. He answered by giving me the idea for this little book entitled, "The Man and The Wall".

 

The book became a very simple but awesome tool to help people from child to adult grasp the answer to why God allows the things in our life that He does. The book became a little movie and it turned into a blog that has taken this understanding of God's hand in our circumstances, and literally sent it around the world to be viewed in over 77 countries to date.

 

God Awareness.



 

"Most of the world is asleep and the few that are awake live each and every day in constant and total amazement."

Out of all of the things that your eyes will see today, why were you allowed to read this blog about a father and his kids asking "Why?"?

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." ~Proverbs 3:5-6
 
 He is your Father and He delights in you asking Him why He does the things that He does. Ask Him today and then just be quiet and listen with your Spirit. It is beyond audible and there is complete rest in that! God loves being your Dad!!!

Climbing with you,
~Dan