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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

"Thank You, Father, for the eternal hope, which gives our lives purpose. We are made complete in You alone. The breathe of Your Spirit is real life, and it is only by Him that we become Your image bearers. Amen, in Jesus."


Dear Loved Ones,

We are approaching the end of Jesus' life, which will leave those who have encountered Him with memories, some bitter, some sweet. My life - each of ours - is the same. When we are gone we will have left bitter/sweet memories with those whom we have encountered in life. Our relationships will have been both bitter and sweet. Let all bitterness be long past in memory, and may sweetness live on through eternity.


During this Memorial Day, may you enjoy times with family and friends as you build sweet memories. We are leaving for Nashville, where all of our family is gathering to watch Ryan, our grandson, graduate on Saturday morning.

I will be back on line with you next Tuesday.

Lowell Martin

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

"Lord, I am awed by the work of Your hands, and the love of Your heart. You are the point of all of life; You take majestic pity on us; You are the Divine Care-giver of all that has been made, and we are honored that You would put on flesh for a little while, in order that we might bear Your image forever. We are immeasurably blessed! Amen"



Dear Reflectors with Questions:

How unnatural could it have felt for the Eternal God to wear the "clothing" of a man's skin, and to bear the full force of the curse, which He himself had decreed on men? Jesus knew exactly what was coming, because He had planned it before time, and He knew the end from the beginning.

The councils of men determine destinies; and all of them are self-serving. Only the Council of God has emptied itself in service to others, and it is the preeminently greater council. Men ask questions of status ("Who are you, Jesus?"), whereas the Son of God simply asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered it rightly, but then withdrew, when his faith became fear.

Jesus told the council the truth of who He is, and they, in a sense, "flipped Him the bird." It's shocking isn't it to think of it in that way? It should strike fear in us to realize what our rejection of Jesus means. Peter went out and wept bitterly. Our culture is less emotional about it--even casual; and we are more likely to keep filling our lives with distractions. We have become experts at watching our own feet.

Meanwhile, Jesus moved closer to being seated at the right hand of God. We now visualize Him getting there by way of the cross - a direction, and an event, of surprising mystery - where He revoked the curse for all who receive Him, by taking it upon himself. There is no love equal to His.

Lowell Martin
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Monday, May 18, 2009

Dear Seekers of Survival:

The singular focus of an earthworm out of its natural environment becomes survival. Mornings after a night rain I find them on the walkway to my shop building, having escaped the danger of drowning only to find themselves facing the new dangers of being stepped on, or eaten by birds or ants, or ultimately to simply dry up and die. Couldn't Earthworms find a permanent environment to be rid of the dangers to their survival?

"Lord, I do not want my imagination to twist Holy Scripture in order to match my conclusions, but I want Your Words to shape my various reflections and encouragements so that I may become like You. Amen in Christ Jesus."

Imagine a "revolt of worms," where they rise up and attack the "Lord of Sidewalks," doing so blindly, but swinging in every direction trying to slime their enemies to death. Such are we! The men guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, "Prophesy! Who hit you?" And they said many other insulting things to him."
Luke 22:63-65

Men are the pinnacle of God's creation, and we are greater than worms, but no less challenged by various dangers to our survival. When I encounter a worm's plight, I see them writhing to get back into the moisture of their natural environment. Failure to do so means certain death, and often, as the day gets later, the sun dries them up, while others are quickly drying out. I am emotionally moved when I see their struggle, and I reach down and move them into the grass. Immediately they begin poking deeply for a passage to safety and survival.

Their desire to live, is very close to my own heart, and so I have compassion on worms. It's not a big thing in the scheme of things, but then again, maybe it is. Jesus has moved me back into an environment full of life, where I am privileged to "poke" around for grace, for myself, and others. I am a worm who has been gifted with eyes, ears, heart and hands, and with a creative imagination, desiring to be shaped into the image which God has in mind. He is the Rescuer of my drying out soul, and He is making rescuers of us all with hearts which want to save.

What a funny way for us "worms" to think and act - it is simply the audacity of faith. What a grand lesson those little creatures can teach us! Indeed, every living thing, in one way or another, points to, and illustrates, our Creator. Further, inanimate living things do as well!

And now we are getting very close to seeing Jesus audaciously transform our "wormhood" into "children of the Living God." It is an environment for the living, and it is good to talk His talk, but better still when we "walk His walk," looking for "drying out" souls. There is much to be done!

Lowell Martin
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Friday, May 15, 2009

"Lord, as I read further into this event with Peter, give me a vision into his head and heart, so that I can see into, and learn from his experience, and to be caught up into the 'net' of salvation. Amen"




Dear followers of Christ Jesus:

What shaped Peter, a man of fishes, to be a "fisher of men?" Who destined him to become whom he became - who but God himself? There can be no doubt that the Deceiver too was deeply involved in his shaping, but Light shapes and limits darkness, to the glory of God.

I am learning to live with two sets of eyes - night eyes, which see into darkness with a truer vision of what it is and how it operates; and eyes of light, which are overcoming the darkness. It is a vital part of the process of our shaping.

Much of our life is lived in shadow, but, as in Nature, the order of events causes light to chase it away. Jesus was Light all of His life, but by Divine planning, the nature of things was reversed, and for a while darkness was allowed to rule. When darkness comes to Light it can only be temporary; it is a part of the nature of God, who is both Life and Light, to allow it to be so.

"If God is for us, who then can be against us?" Darkness, even though it must come for a time, will not prevail. It didn't with Jesus, nor Peter, nor will it with us! The morning of the resurrection of Jesus would see an enlightened Peter, and we are children of the same Light, and we are destined to see, and to be shaped by it, to the glory of God!

Lowell Martin
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Thursday, May 14, 2009

"Lord, above all else I want to follow You, but I confess that it is sometimes very hard to go where my human nature resists going. It is here that I need an extra measure of faith in Your watchcare, and I am believing that You will not fail me. Amen"



Dear friends and followers of Christ Jesus:

How can God be "seized" by mere men? How can mere men resist being seized by evil? In this triad, we mortals are the underdogs, and it is to this hour that Jesus surrendered His human body. Where we resist going, Jesus went willingly to be ravaged by mere men who gave no mercy, but some of whom would later seek His. Peter, the man, resisted going to where his human nature feared to go. Later, Peter, the Apostle, lead believers to the cross of Jesus, and to the manner of his own death, seized by the Lover of men's souls.

Salvation could be seen as a matter of seizure and surrender. There are only two possibilities! Only a God who vicariously experienced human failure can break the grip of the flesh, and Jesus was the One. When we surrender to Him, the sounds of the rooster crowing start to fade in our life and loves. It happened with Peter, and it will for us, because we are loved. Meanwhile, Satan stays busy, attempting to wrap us into immobility with very little wiggle room. I remind each of us that "the principal work of Satan is to convince saved people that they are lost, and lost people that they are saved."

This is a call to rejoice in freedom and hope, wrapped in the trustworthy love of God!

Lowell Martin
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

"Lord, what is there in this event that I need to focus on? Guide my thoughts, Lover of my soul. Amen"





Dear followers of Christ Jesus:

I grew up with mixed feelings of love for my parents. They both were generous and helpful at times, but bad things from others happened to me while I was under their watch. I was shaped by things beyond my control, and my love for them became a mixture of emotions - it was an inconvenient love filled with an unconscious resentment. It took many years for me to consider forgiveness as a "rooster" took up early residence in my young head. Too often good intentions become a matter of convenience. I did it with my parents and I have done it with God.

In the above-quoted passage we read of Jesus' arrest, while Peter "followed from a distance." In this imperfect world, God allows His own arrest and imprisonment; and it is preposterous! How topsy-turvy is that? And what happened to Peter's bravado, when he said, "Lord I am ready to go with you to prison and death." Peter's was an inconvenient love. When the woman accused Peter of being with Jesus, what if Peter had said, "Yes, I am one of His followers, and I love Him more than my own life. Take me as well so that I may suffer with Him."

But life and love in this imperfect world has its inconveniences, with parents and friends, but more importantly with God. We are quick to jump to self-preservation, or so we think, and the rooster hidden in our heads doesn't have much time to sleep. Such is the shaping of our lives and loves. Roosters don't belong in men's heads, but The Lamb is to be much sought after in our heads, hearts, and hands.

Peter suffered greatly as his shaping continued toward the feeding of God's lambs, and who could have imagined the process?

Lowell Martin

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Lord, You are the Ground under my feet; You are my Place of Refuge; You are my Light in the darkness; You are the Source of my joy. You alone are Original, and it is from Your flowing out that men are raised up to eternal life. I applaud You with the 'Wow' of awe. Amen"



Dear watchers of clocks:

At the end of Luke 22:53, when men came to arrest Jesus, He said, ". . .this is your hour. . . - this is your hour Satan; this is your hour Judas; this is your hour chief priests, temple guards, and elders. This is your hour Peter and John, and the others." And today is our hour, our "Fifteen minutes of fame." What am I doing with mine? What are you doing with yours?

I am sitting here this morning, and I see shiny green leaves shimmering in a light breeze; and cloud tops are being struck by the early morning sun - the same sun which was setting in Jesus life. This same old sun has seen it all, but Creation was unprepared for the manner in which God's eternal fame and glory was about to be seen as He was nailed to a cross.

In this our hour, I pray that we trust in the right things, and focus on our God and our love of others in right ways. God owns the clock, and He offers us endless time, because He is our gracious Friend.

Lowell Martin

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Monday, May 11, 2009

"Lord, I have flawed understanding and limited experience, and therefore I trust in You alone to guide my thoughts and my emotions as I study Your Words. Guide me to the core of Your Message. I seek to find myself, and to know Jesus, pointing always to Him as my Rabbi, my Savior, and my Lord. Amen"



Dear rescued ones:

I have never seen a darker sky than when the storm arrived in Springfield this past Friday morning. I was at breakfast with men friends, and we decided to hurry home before it fully hit. When I arrived, I walked from the house to my shop building, and as I reached for the storm door handle, the wind came with a sudden blast, slamming the door back against the iron railing.

I couldn't resist its force, and started to fall, trying to grab something to hold on to, when a friend already inside the shop, reached out and pulled me inside to safety. I then looked out the window and half my big Bradford Pear tree was down, leaving the rest of the trunk split to the ground. There was considerable damage across the city, and one man lost his life, being "blown out of his house." Winds were estimated at 85 mph. Later, my friend helped me to cut up the tree and clean up the mess, and together we hauled it off.

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders, who had come for him, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour--when darkness reigns." Luke 22:52-53

Jesus was about to experience a greater darkness, and lives would be lost! Such moments are not uncommon in our life experiences, and from them we see the essential need for light and refuge from various kinds of storms. Each of us wrestles with the dual natures of light and darkness. Vicariously, Jesus won the battle, and became our refuge from storm; and He reaches out and pulls us to safety. It is then that we begin a gifted journey, and a new duality of flesh and Spirit is formed as we become "children of Spirit God. It begins to be seen in persons as they become the kingdom which Jesus prayed for. It is in the relationships of the "two great commandments," that we see the Divine Duality take shape, and our storms are put into proper perspective under the oversight of God Himself.

Lowell Martin

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Friday, May 8, 2009

"Father, as I read Your Word this morning, open up to me new paths of understanding, and punch through the debris of ignorance and misconception, which crowd out truth. I confess to foregone conclusions, which I am now discovering do not fit into Your divine plan. But Your untiring Spirit continues to fill me with hope. Lord, You are gracious, and Your love is unceasing, to my great benefit. I am trying to love You back with enthusiasm, but I know from the patterns of my past that I'll stumble now and then. Thanks for sending Your divine help. Amen"





Dear fellow seekers of Light:

When we have no clear vision of what lays ahead, we are shaped by fear, which destroys enthusiasm and hope, and energy. We all know this to be true. The Greek word for enthusiasm is interpreted as "God within." Our perceptions control our emotions, and the disciples worried with a clouded picture of Jesus' future, and theirs. They were exhausted with anxiety and worry. Such is life without the hope and the hands of God being invited to share in our affairs.

It is here that Jesus shines light into our dark and uncertain perceptions. When invited, He brings light, and energy into all of our relationships. He is "God within," and it is to Him that we are drawn with great gratitude. He says to us, "Wake up sleeper, arise," and we answer, "Give me a minute Lord, while I rub the sleep out of my eyes, and the doubts out of my perceptions. Give me a hand and help me up," and He answers, "You got it, son."

Lowell Martin
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Thursday, May 7, 2009

"Father, Your wonder-filled presence fills my soul. No one offers comfort like You. Amen in Jesus"





Dear followers of Christ Jesus:

Jesus was determined to finish His work as Son of Man, but he carried with Him the anxieties of the flesh of men. I cannot recall a clearer picture of His humanity than here at this moment on the Mount of Olives. Jesus, Creator of everything that is, had the power sidestep the trauma of trial and the Cross. But He did not do as ordinary men would have expected, He opened up a new wineskin filled with the vintage of eternal life - a new path now to be offered through Himself. The God/Man, Jesus, prepared to die.

Seeing the panoramic purpose of His coming into the world, He sought the comfort of angels, and with the anxieties of the flesh, walked toward His destiny on a Cross. His dread was real, but His faith was real too, and it connected Him to the Divine Arms, which are filled with life. In Him, flesh and Spirit were in perfect harmony, and that is the union to which we are each called. Jesus is the divine example of flesh bringing its anxieties to heaven for healing. We seek His comfort, and the strengthening of angels, as we too walk with our anxieties toward a divine promise.

In stark contrast, Judas, in his tragic anxieties, received no such comfort, dangling at the end of a rope with air between his feet and the Rock of Ages. He could have had divine comfort too, but unbelief and greed failed to connect him to the divine promise. Thus he died alone, and without the strengthening of angels, or friends.

What a great benefit we have as followers of Christ Jesus, who connects our spirit to the Divine Spirit as we live in faith on our own "Mount of Olives." It is the place to which we "go out as usual," and seek to have our ways match the expectations of heaven. We can do it only with Divine help as we stand on the Rock of Ages.

"Jesus, may we each benefit from the comfort of angels, and the promise of heaven. Amen"

Lowell Martin
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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

"Father, help us not to waste our failures; we see in them redemptive value in ministry to others. It is only by Your strength, mixed with our faith, which helps us to proclaim Jesus as Lord in an authentic way. You are the Source of our strength and joy, and worthy to receive glory and honor. We come to You with empty hands. Will You make necessary provisions for us through Your Spirit as only You can? Amen"





Dear followers of Christ Jesus:

Jesus stripped himself of every human comfort and encumbrance in the greatest of all acts of grace and faith as He faced the Cross - He went to it without defense. Through His trial and crucifixion He was stripped of human dignity, and of His clothes, and even of His flesh. He voluntarily "went out" with nothing, and the glory of God is seen in His awful, and yet magnificent surrender to death on an "Old Rugged Cross."

This is not the way of men who arm themselves "to the teeth" to do religious battle. Actions like this are not the way of the Cross, and Jesus said, "No more of this." Innocent lambs suffered death at the Passover, and Jesus, as the Lamb of God, said, "I will give my life that each of you may be spared. I am your Passover." In His gracious act, there is celebration, and by faith, we are "sent out" in the same way in which Jesus went. The power of God comes with a cross, and it is the most holy of alliances.

In my lifetime I have seen attempts to blend sword and cross, but their resultant "victories" weaken spiritual effectiveness. Are such actions underwritten by God? Is redemption brought about through alliances of sword and cross? Heaven rejected it! Why then do we so quickly tend to combine the two? A proudly divided Christianity is one of the more prominent expressions of it, and I wonder if "shame on us" isn't appropriate?

Lowell Martin

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

"Ancient of Days, open my heart this morning that I may see You clearly through the mists of my life, and give me the faith to move beyond the obstructions that would 'sift me as wheat,' Amen"




Dear fellow travelers on our Jesus' Journey:

The Word says: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me." Luke 22:31-34 Reflect with me for a few moments.

Jesus announced Peter's betrayal, but then Jesus gave Peter a divine commission, which planted the seed of hope in Peter's heart. Our sins are heaviest in the darkness, but there is a hope which morning brings. As with Peter, sometimes we despair through many days of darkness before faith returns.

Peter's reaction is so typical of our own. Can't you recall those great "commitment" moments in your own life when you swelled up with determination to do better, thinking, "I'm going to get it right this time." Then we repent and seek restoration only to fail once more, and our "rooster" conscience despairs; and each time it seems to be a deeper darkness.

This has been the pattern of much of my life, and only in these last few years has it occurred less often. Sin is not an organizational condition, it is individual and personal, and Satan is the Evil Architect who designs flaws to fit each of our personalities perfectly. But Jesus says to Peter, and to each of us, "I am praying for you, and when you turn back, strengthen those around you - feed my sheep."

The power of God is greater, however, and He has arranged for our rescue from patterned hopelessness through Jesus Christ. So when you hear the rooster crow, and it happens often, praise the God who brings morning to the darkest places of our failures.


May each of us receive the healing of Christ Jesus this wonderful morning!

Lowell Martin
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Monday, May 4, 2009

"Lord, I search the Scriptures for Your heart, and for a deeper understanding of our human struggle to be like You. As You have ministered to me, I want to minister to all who suffer the despair of failure and hopelessness as I point to Jesus. Father, that is my request as I sit at Your table this morning. Amen"




Dear fellow strugglers:

Every life is lived in the wilderness, where we are challenged with every temptation which Satan can throw at us. His purpose is to rob us of Royal Blood, and so the stakes are high! In this setting believers are born into the Royal Family of God, and by His acclamation, we are marked as such; we are washed in the Royal Blood of God's Son, Jesus. But we have no experience in living like Divine Royalty, and so Jesus illustrates how we are to do that.

Our focus on His life, His death, His resurrection, His actions, and His relationships with His Father, and with people, give us the perfect image of the Divine Heart. His life is the pattern for God's kingdom this side of heaven, and it is our kingdom purpose to be like Him, and to always point to Him as the bearer of the Divine Image of the Father.

. . . I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22:27b-30

With whom will you have opportunity to share the Diving Image today as you live the kingdom life in the way it was always meant to be lived? You may suffer scarred hands and hearts, but such is the way of Divine Royalty, and of those who sit at table with Him!

Here, I think of the words of an old hymn: "O to be like thee Blessed Redeemer. . ."

Lowell Martin

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Friday, May 1, 2009

"Father God, continue to shape me where I lack. Amen"





Dear followers of Christ Jesus:

All manner of hands were on the Passover table along with Jesus' hands, but some hearts were not. For many years mine wasn't. But hearts can surrender, and break, and ache, and yearn. Jesus retrains misplaced hands and hearts, where even repentant betrayers receive an invitation to come and eat.

Followers of Jesus are always in transition, and what is natural behavior to us as humans becomes mystery to us in transition. God is Spirit and seeks newborn ones to learn to be like Him. Transformation is God's work and He has the power to shape betrayer's hands and hearts. We sit at table with the Resurrected One, and learn about suffering and crucifixion and resurrection - we move through mystery in the direction of the way things were always meant to be. It is the kingdom come to earth, where those whose hands are on the table with Jesus are reshaped, bearing scars.

Jesus sits at the table with us bearing scarred hands. We keep our eyes on Him, and learn to rejoice with blue-collar hands, scarred with suffering and service. Would you please pass me that crust of bread, and give me a little more wine to wash it down?

Lowell Martin
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