Graves' This and That

I ran upon 3 John 1:9"I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, LIKES TO PUT HIMSELF FIRST, does not acknowledge our authority." In the church or outside the church the sp i rit of Diotrephes is screaming in evidence.  It is no wonder that relationships are awry in the home and family,there are divisions in the body of Christ, and everyone is seeking to argue and dispute somebody, anybody. In the name of frustration and disappointment or anger, vile language and emotions are out of control.  Check out the media.  Check out the family.  Check out the body of Christ. Check out government.  Check out the business world.  Granted this spirit of Diotrephes or MEism should not be prevalent among Christ followers but it is as common among us as among those who do not profess Jesus as Savior and Lord.   Rather than look "out there", it is time for us, me, as the body of Christ to take an inward and individual accounting to check out spirits....

Just finished reading 2 Timothy and love Paul's testimony as he is nearing death by losing his head, more than likely. "The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"  What a testimony!  I love his statement of what the years of investing in the body of Christ  and the Gentiles had been like: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." This was his joy. Paul understood who his 'real" enemy was and the adversary he HAD to fight to keep the faith.  I admit that sometimes the adversary looks very familiar and may be in my household or family.  The real truth is that the enemy is my faulty mindset to which I keep defaulting, SELF, or the work of the evil one who is full of joy that I have blamed someone else other than him. Peter was ever so kind after reminding me to supplement my faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, ste...

At times, I can identify with this facial expression, emotion of anger, frustration, or disappointment.  As I am mulling these expressions before the LORD and HIS WORD, I come to this statement of HIM in Psalm 147:3, "HE heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."  In this passage, the Psalmist is speaking of the exiles of Israel who are in a foreign land. When I choose to hunker down into my unhealed hurts, unmet needs, and expectations, I am in a foreign land. I find that other emotions want to gather around my victim status to give support: shame, blame, accusation, criticism, anger, skepticism, discontent, perfectionism...to name a few!  There is no peace of heart, no rest of mind and body, and NO JOY!  I am too busy being a victim and blaming someone for my circumstance.  What really blows my little "pity party" is how do I align my circumstances with the spiritual blessings of Calvary on the Christian life?  Calvary defeated every enemy to my ...

Guess who just screamed, "Gotcha"?  I bet you thought it was your mate, your family member, or maybe the aggravating circumstance that just grabbed your attention?  You blew your top, you expressed verbal disapproval, and the collateral damage was ugly.  The mop-up was time consumming nor was it fun!   I am quickly mindful on this go round that "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."  Will it be me?  The distractions are real: finances, family member may not be returning to college, and frail and needy family member. Oh yes, the aggravation of a fraud order in my name of an iPhone 7 and the time to go to the authorities to get this corrected.  All of these are real for sure, but my attitude CAN squeeze my joy or I can be willing to move to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and begin to "Give thanks for all circumstances, for this is GOD'S will for you in CHRIST JESUS."  I am not a victim and I do HAVE A...

Scripture records in Colossians 4:12, the praying strategy of Epaphras. Paul said of him,"He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."  As usual the curiosity of what the word, wrestling, means in the Greek, so I had to know. Agonizomai, intense energy, endeavor with strenuous zeal to accomplish something.  I do get it! This wrestling in prayer was focused on interceding for others in prayer.  I long ago figured out that I had NO resources of my own flesh and power to fix myself and others or to change circumstances or to cry out for grace and strength to withstand the circumstance. There had to be a Greater Source and that is the LORD GOD, and HIS divine tool/weapon is PRAYER.  Because of the blood of Jesus and the fact that I am HIS child, I can appeal to HIM as El ELYON, the Most High and He as the residing JUDGE for the highest court, the SUPREME COURT OF THE LORD GOD, I am pleading for ot...

I was working through my many thoughts about the manger, but I saw this picture and this is really my stronger image of the LORD JESUS.  I see HIM as the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH from Revelation and the from Genesis as Jacob is describing his son, Judah, and speaking prophetically of the LORD JESUS coming as MESSIAH.   I wondered about a lion and I wondered even more why CHRIST would be compared to a lion.  Some descriptors of a lion: courageous, bold, fearless, powerful, fierce, conquering, protector, authoritative, majestic, and these are but a few of them.  As lion, He appears to my heart and mind so much as the ONE who has fearlessly defeated my "enemies": frustrations, challenges, difficulties, disappointments, fear, and a boatload more.  I so need that image of truth.  HE is the conquering ONE who has already won every battle at Calvary, that I will ever encounter.  Ole 1600's Jonathan Edwards said of the lion, "Unless your enemies can conque...

Reading the Bible through chronologically each year is one of my favorite ways to study Scripture.  When I get to Romans, it is a time to ingest slowly because Paul is so thorough. I came up on Romans 4 and was able to settle in, and enjoy the reading on Father Abraham.  I love God's estimate of him, "Abraham believed GOD, and it was credited to him as righteousness." He was given a promise by God that he would be a father of many nations. Twenty-five years passed. The question for Abraham, would GOD? must have come to his finite mind!  I have hunkered down in the promises of GOD, but have often felt that because I was not 100% in trusting GOD that my prayer request may not be answered.  As I read the data/the circumstances/ the actions of "against hope" of Abraham, I could identify with him.  The promise was twenty-five years in coming. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 plus their bodies were dead as a hammer to reproduce at their ages.  Then to consider ...

I have been a Facebook user since the beginning of the new genre of social media.  It does have tremendous power and is quite effectual in getting the message "out", also a reminder of the strength of words.  I am surprised that it has become the platform for emotional expressions of negative angers, petty grievances, complaints, and whines.  What is more surprising is that those of us who use it s eek to stay positive, light- hearted, and use it to build up others, are accused of trying to put on being perfect and giving false appearances.  I am not sure that pouring out the feelings of being a victim and being all about getting the affirming words of others are true expressions of being transparent.  Am I willing to be transparent in sharing GOD'S mercies, grace, and compassion in my life? Or is it all about me and my "true" feelings?  My question, how does negativity build up others or glorify the LORD ? 73 years of GOD'S mercy and grace poured out on m...