In the village next to the Niger River I had noticed a cage holding one lone, odd-looking eagle. All the basic features were there; the body, neck, and two-thirds of the wings were white. Yet the end of the wings and the head were black. I was told, “That is a white eagle.” You could understand my confusion, since it had black on its wings, and the head was completely black. Upon questioning I was told, “It is a young white eagle; as the bird grows, the white will push its way to the tip of the wings and beak. The mature bird will be completely white in the end.” Again, all things created are preaching Jesus. The DNA of the bird dictates that it will be a white bird. As the bird grows, it expands into what it really is in fact: a white eagle. It doesn’t become a white eagle; it is a white eagle even when the black is on it. Growth and maturity will force out what does not belong to the very nature of the bird. The head is where the thoughts of the flesh hide in hopes of manifesting themselves. The black on the wings, our unbelief, is the only thing associating us with earthly living. Would it in any way be possible to stop the growth of this bird? No, but if it remained caged, the expression and exercise of its growth and maturity will never be seen. This white eagle gives me hope. First, it will grow, and what it is will be revealed; it has no choice. Second, God will not keep it captive. There will be a mounting up in the fullness of time. Imagine giving birth to a child if it were up to you to make it grow. Wouldn’t you be a nervous wreck? You can’t make a child grow, for that is God’s work. Likewise, you don’t make yourself grow spiritually! That is God’s work, a work that He has ordained by writing into your very DNA that you are a child of God. In the end, you cannot make one hair [one feather] black or white. Your “color” is the outgrowth of the new nature that He has given you. Christ’s life is written into your very nature. By the way, eagles devour the serpent and are feared by all the other little creatures that sneak about.

“The Lord gives and Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I actually believe that the Lord, on occasion, has allowed me to be cheated, stolen from, have money misplaced, and even to have it fly out a window or drop down a sewer. Why? We can say that our security is in Him, that we believe in His provision, and that we are living under His control. However, our reaction to money lost is an indication of where we really stand in relation to those things. When I give and give liberally, I am in faith. I have control over the giving. However, theft is uncontrolled giving without the consent of my will. It is giving what I had not planned to give. It is giving what I had laid aside for use I predetermined. If I react negatively when it disappears, what does that reveal about my heart? I am living under His provision, and as the Scripture says, “The Lord gives and Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

God works slowly.

John 14:27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Of course, bipolar manic-depressive is a label that is misdiagnosed more than it is correctly diagnosed. The problem with labels is that they receive the treatment, not the individual. Well, amen. At any rate, as the world sees it, a bipolar person is one whose emotions swing abnormally from a depressive low to a giddy high in a matter of moments. Normal emotions are to roll slowly according to events within and without a person. For example, in the presence of the death of a loved one, the emotions of loss, loneliness, and even anger can take many months to level out at a place called normal. Here is my point: I wouldn’t look at a woman who had just lost her husband of 50 years and ask, “Why don’t you laugh?” It would be abnormal; if she did laugh, she would be bipolar. However, many Christians are praying that God would, in essence, make them bipolar. They have experienced a negative event, a failure in their lives, a disappointment with another, or an offense; then they forgive and want their emotions immediately to go from the bottom to the top. That, to me, is completely unrealistic. I can forgive in a moment, but the emotions must take their time in coming back to a place of normalcy. I can acknowledge God in a death, move in faith, put my eyes on Him, and rejoice for the departed loved one, but the deep feeling of loss will take time to subside and give way to the feeling of hope. God works slowly. We are not to be praying to be bipolar. In forgiveness, we must let our emotions calm down after the fact, not try to be a bipolar up and down in an instant. Our spirit will soar, but emotions will take awhile.

As the topic of alcohol is examined, the first thing to establish is the fact that God did create it.

Solomon, with all his wisdom, took a long hard look at the topic of alcohol and experimented with its use. Eccl. 2:3, I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. He drank wine in an attempt to discover its benefits. As the topic of alcohol is examined, the first thing to establish is the fact that God did create it. Often the argument is made that fallen man, attempting to feed the flesh, created alcohol, and indeed, there is specific testimony throughout the Bible as to the misuse of wine. Proverbs 23:20 sums it up, Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine. Proverbs 20:1, Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise. The New Testament gives injunctions concerning those that are addicted to wine. Within the context of this argument against God’s involvement in the creation of alcohol, the point is made that God created grape juice, or new wine, but never created alcohol. However, Scriptures do not bear out such a distinction. Judges 9:13, But the vine said to them, “Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?” I can’t see how grape juice cheers the heart. Also, Isaiah 20:6, The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow. The Lord is preparing a feast that includes aged wine! Then in Acts 2:13, But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” Sweet wine, new wine, aged wine–all wine contains some alcohol content. The fact that something is misused does not discount either its creator or its original purpose. If this were true, what could be said of the sex drive, medications, and computers? God has created wine. In fact, God required the sacrifice of wine, a libation, along with the other things that He created.
Ex. 29:40 and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. There are other interesting or perplexing passages. Remember, Scripture must be used to interpret and limit the meaning of other Scripture, so a validation of wine is not an endorsement of drunkenness any more than the rightful institution of sex in marriage is an endorsement of wanton promiscuity.
Psalms 104:15And wine which makes man’s heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man’s heart.
Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to him whose life is bitter. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.
Eccl 9:7, Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works!
Finally, we have Jesus turning water into wine. John 2:7 Jesus said* to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8And He said* to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the _headwaiter.” So they took it to him.

We have a history with God that proves to us that His is a better way.

I Cor. 2:12, Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.
I was talking to a group of the brothers and asked them to do a simple exercise. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left-hand side write down all that you thought you would receive in life, and on the right-hand side list what you have actually received. In the end, everyone agreed that the list on the right was much bigger; all had received more than they had ever imagined. That being the case, I asked if their objectives in life were as good as the Lord’s plan. We have ideas of what we want that are often based outside of the love of God. That is, we don’t fully trust that what He gives will be better than what we can obtain in the power of the flesh. I remember a friend, years ago, saying to me with conviction, “I don’t want my own will! I have had it, and it isn’t as good as God’s.” Well, amen. We have a history with God that proves to us that His is a better way. I am getting through with plans and simply saying each and every day, “Thy will, not mine.” Why not relax? He has done a great job up to this point. “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The lesser gives way to the greater.

Philippians 3:8, More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him. Wow, what a statement: “I count them but rubbish.” I wonder if we believe that. What has brought you to Christ? What has been the event that took you deeper? Was it a rebellious child, an unbelieving mate, a handicap, financial difficulties, a failed marriage, or an unfulfilled dream? What was it? Did it take you to Jesus or are you stuck on self? Have you been able to count it as rubbish? Sometimes when someone is telling me his problem, I just look at him and say very sternly, “Rubbish, it is all rubbish!” It really is. The event that brought us to a deeper walk with Him is not as important as the walk. The lesser gives way to the greater. Some are just stuck at their disappointment because they have not admitted that the whole thing is rubbish. Yes, divorce is a tragedy. It is a failure on someone’s part, but we do not let a failure define us. The Lord defines us, and if He is for us then who can be against us? Simply let Him define you. Paul’s comment comes out of deep losses, and yet when he could see Jesus, those were rubbish.

Grace is the last resort for the flesh, for grace fixes hope squarely on Jesus.

Grace gives what the Law promises. Gen. 29:25, “So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?’ 26But Laban said, ‘It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you shall serve with me for another seven years.’” Hebrews 7 makes it clear that the law is set aside because of its “weakness and uselessness.” However, the Law does serve a purpose in preparing us for grace. On occasion I am confronted by those who are in opposition to the grace of the Lord Jesus for fear that it will lead to passivity. (Of course, this is never the real fear of grace. The real fear is generally rooted in control, insecurity, competition, and kingdom building.) However, I am not as opposed to them as they are to me. Why? I need the teachers of the Law. The flesh of man seems to have the need to be exhausted under the Law before it will listen to grace. Grace is the last resort for the flesh, for grace fixes hope squarely on Jesus. The Law will never give what it promises. Jacob worked for the bride of love (grace). However, he didn’t get her and instead got the bride of Law. Work will not give you love and grace, for it can only give you law. Next, the bride of love is given. Jacob must work, but now the work will flow from love. He is not working for but from. He has the bride of love and the work doesn’t really seem like work. This is a type of what God does. Once Law exhausts us, God will give what Law could not obtain. We will then work, but the work will be from a place of love and grace. Again, grace gives what the Law Promises. Beautiful!

Can’t we all just look to Jesus and let the Spirit initiate what He wants?

Acts 2:1-2, When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Pentecost is worth enjoying. There was a time in the Church when Whitsunday (the coming of the Spirit) was celebrated more than Christmas (Christ among us). He is just as much in us as He is among us. In fact, what makes a person Pentecostal is the belief that He is residing within. Believing in gifts and miracles does not make one Pentecostal. Pentecost gives a deathblow to religion and takes Christianity completely out of the realm of religion. The move of the Spirit was not generated from within but from without. In the same way today if there were a move of the Spirit, it would be initiated by the Spirit. The proof that an expression is not initiated by the flesh is that those who have the experience will not point others back to the experience, but will point them to the One who gives the experience. To say a particular expression is of the Spirit and then to point people to the expression is proof that it is not of God. In religion, the experience becomes the focal point and the experience is fought for. In Pentecost, Jesus is the issue; people are pointed to Him, where they will get what they need. Personally, I never understood how there could be a move of the Spirit, and yet for me to have it, I had to work and move my flesh. If He came to the original recipients without the initiation of man, then why can’t He come to me without my initiation? Why must I be convinced, be in the right place, and believe a certain thing? Can’t we all just look to Jesus and let the Spirit initiate what He wants?

In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ.

To me this question actually has two answers. First, our responsibility is to judge the message, for it always takes precedence over the messenger. Paul makes this point repeatedly, such as in Galatians 1:8, saying no matter how beautiful the messenger is, the message is what counts. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Again, Paul sees the message as being much more important than himself, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” Even when it came to having a messenger who had wrong motives, Paul remained interested primarily in the message. Philippians 1:17, 18, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” Therefore, if the message was correct when the writer or performer was walking with Jesus, the message is still valid today, and I won’t throw it out. David had a moral failure; I will not throw out what God had clearly given him before his failure. It would be my loss. When one takes the position to discredit everything that has been said by a fallen believer, he is walking on thin ice, for God may define for him anew what fallen means. In, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul gives a description of the flesh. Who can boast that at some time in their life they have not fallen into some of these things? Who can rightly judge the messenger? Now to the second answer:
some have not promoted the message, but rather they promote themselves. It is their plan that whenever we hear their music or read a particular paragraph, their picture, not Christ’s, flashes into our minds. Paul talks about such people. II Cor. 4:5, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” There are those in the business of riding on the back of Christ to create an image for themselves. They don’t make a distinction between the message and themselves. They are the proof of their message. They, in fact, believe they are propping up Jesus. The focus is constantly on them and their faith, their talent, and their cleverness. Their formula, writing, or music and how it makes them stand out is one with their image. “17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” When such a believer falls, it is impossible to separate him from his message, for in reality he was the true message, with such a high standard set for himself and others that he will have trouble finding grace. Such a one is left having to clean up the mess on his own. In interview after interview he will try to separate himself from the message, so that the message can retain its integrity, but it is too late to separate himself from it. It becomes impossible to defend his message when it is revealed that it wasn’t THE message of Christ. People quickly abandon him. The books and the music will find their way to the trash bin, but though his reputation is also in the trash bin, the person is not! The blessing in all this is that God will use it to move him into clinging to the proper message. In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ. Well, amen!

“Though He scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted.”
Prov 3:34

There is much written about grace today. Not that my two cents amounts to much, but I wanted to give my definition of grace. It need not be preached, but it has been proven through the experience of many believers.

Grace: At my point of need, God is everything to me that I thought He was not!

Moses had spent forty years being trained to be everything–a god, a Pharaoh. He spent another forty years in the wilderness discovering what he was not. Finally, he was prepared to lead, having realized that he was a “not.” God told him what to go do, and Moses accurately responded, “I am not able.” God’s response was, “What is that to Me? I AM!” God is to me all that I am not. First, I must acknowledge that I am not. Next, He tells me what He is. He is everything to me of which I might have need that I am not!

I am not a good father, a good husband, a good Christian, or a good witness! This is my point of need. Grace comes and meets me at my point of need! I didn’t think He could be those things to me. However, as I recognize abiding, He is to me all that I thought He was not. There is a life in me that is a good father, husband, and witness. It is His life, and He is everything to me that I am not. Look at what you are not. Don’t determine to work harder. Call on the grace of God. At your point of need, He is everything to you that you thought He was not.