He is Preeminent!

Have you ever felt much of your life is spent repairing or patching holes of every circumstance; a constant act of repairing the breach of life? It seems there is always something to repair in life. As I brought this question before the Lord the other day, He clearly said no; you are not patching holes in the hull of life, you are building a new boat to travel the waters I’ve created. What feels like a patch is just one puzzle piece you have in your hand today. This piece does not define the entire puzzle or storyline of the big picture.

My cry is and has always been for heaven to come to earth. I know this will only be fully known when our Lord returns but for now we can live a life that invites the Fathers will into our experience. In the meantime we cannot allow ourselves to be sidetracked or derailed by the mere parts of the greater storyline. There is a rhythm within the balance that is being brought about by God’s intention. We step back and look at the storyline from the beginning to the end and we take assured confidence because we know why it was created as well as how the story ends. To be captivated by a piece of the puzzle and give more focus or energy to that piece than it deserves or requires can cause disruption in our journey into the Greater Hope and vision we are destined for. We are becoming the spotless Church that trusts in the God Who created the whole that the pieces make up. Our trust is not in the kings of this world but in the God of our salvation. Ps 37:3; 115:11; 118:8-9. We focus on three of the hundred (made up number) aspects of Jesus’ character that is being emphasized in these days preceding His return. He is clearly being highlighted as the Bridegroom, King and Judge. Taking one of these glorious aspects of our Lord is enough to captivate our full attention but I feel to see any one of these positions of our Lord without the balance of His other glorious attributes, we can miss the fuller meaning and reality of the one. In the rhythm of life we are presented with the beauty of our Lord to grow in and worship, yet that rhythm is a shifting cadence. Think of the chaos in the midst of the perfect order of the universe. To limit the will of our God to be seen from one angle of His character could at best cause us to misinterpret His greater purpose and will. In fact it could cause us to miss altogether His complete intention if we focus only on one piece of the big picture of Who our God is.

How do we respond to the God Who Is from our little corner of life? He is a Bridegroom God, full of passion and love that is coming to rule with unrivaled authority and power and judge according to His matchless perspective that life was created from. In all this we have been invited! No part of His Body is insignificant! Every part carries its load.

So how we navigate our piece of the big picture in truth and righteousness is found in what I see as the rhythm of the Holy Spirit’s leading. Seeing life from His perspective, the big picture, and not limiting the value of His Kingdom in this hour we live, is a challenging but glorious way to live. Is our paradigm of life connected to the eternal view of the God Who created it all or could we be missing the larger storyline that holds our eternal destiny by confining our attentions and focus only to the moment of today. We must see how the piece of the puzzle fits into the storyline while keeping our vision alive to the whole picture being created!

I want to be found living the life I have been given in the rhythm of the Holy Spirit while deeply connected to the balance found in the beauty of God that defines the complete picture and intentions of His desire and will. This means we are bound to a Father who desires a family. We can not do this alone. We are part of a body that is vitally connected to the “Family” that is the ultimate intention of the heavenly Father.

We must in this hour that the Church is being prepared for the return of the Messiah, carry our piece we have been assigned with soberness and excellence, not looking at our part as more valuable or important than the piece that sits across the table from us. We are invited into the greater design of our Father in heaven. We are preparing and seeing life’s intentions through HIs Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How is this accomplished? …Love! Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:33; Luke 10:27

We are growing in this hour a generation of young men and women who are raising the cultural standard of righteousness and holding the line for the Kingdom of Heaven being realized on earth. This is a sign and a wonder to me. Holy Spirit is establishing a culture in our University and ministry that is grounded with the expectation that lives will be founded and lived in the high standard of righteousness regardless of the choice society is making. This is what I am seeing birthed in the students God is producing at IHOPU. What a glorious hour to be leaning into the purpose of our God! He is preeminent and worthy! Colossians 1:13-18.