Surprise! Prepared In and Out of Season 5-13-13

For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 
1 Chr. 1:19

Less than 14 hours after touching down from a week-long honeymoon in Puerto Rico celebrating Shaun’s 50 b-day, God afforded Betsy the opportunity of a “5 min. 1 on 1” with the renowned David Gergen.

“Be prepared in season and out of season; preach the word, correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Tim. 4:2

Gergen was a guest speaker at a Hospital CEO event in So Cal, addressing a myriad of “hot D.C. topics”, The Affordable Healthcare Act being a primary subject matter. (FYI: He was visibly taken-back by this well informed audience’s “reality check”).

With commanding authority and knowledge obtained through a half century of Beltway politics, Gergen, although remarkably informed, shocked us. -- It was as if he’d chosen to look at world events through the circumference of a straw instead of viewing events through a much larger, readily available, lens.

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

Ps. 119:130

Minutes after his talk, in a brief encounter, God allowed Betsy and Mr. Gergen to quickly established common ground, where from Betsy was then able to share current “classified intelligence”. Gergen inquired where she got her information and Betsy gently responded, “the Bible”.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have… do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Pet. 3:15

Then, responding to his look of confusion, she humbly answered,

“Sir, (pointing upward) He is batting a thousand. ~Start with Is. 17 and Ps. 83…the Middle Eastern countries you spoke of this morning are all mentioned.”

“I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you.” Lk. 21:15

~With this, their time together was up.

Jesus is coming for us soon. When given divine opportunity, oh, may we be diligent in and out of season.  Much love this week, ~Shaun and Betsy

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” Is. 64:4

Promise with the King 4-29-13

"Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD.” Hos. 5:4

God, out of LOVE, calls us to live a holy life. (1 Thess. 4:7) As we better understand this divine love affair, we are much less likely to be seduced by “the show”.  

“The show”: Society’s theater, where in the masses blaspheme in matters they don’t understand. Like unreasoning animals their idea of pleasure is to carouse with eyes full of adultery, mouths full of empty and boastful words, appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, and enticing the vulnerable with promises of freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity.  (2 Pet. 2:12-14; 18-19)

Yet Gal. 5:1 encourages us: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!”

People frequently comment on the banner of blessing (vs. a yoke of slavery) that our family lives under. All we can say is thank you, Lord Jesus. The primary “secret”? ~Amidst inevitable difficulties of this life, we Cleary’s pray that we each will continually make personal choices that honor our Lord’s binding covenant with us.

This is a profound concept to understand, but likened to Jonathan and David’s example of covenant (1 Sam. 18:3-4), we too have exchanged our identity, our defense, our strength and our very life with Christ.

We exchanged our identity with Christ by choosing to take off our sin nature and put on His robes of righteousness … His character. (Jesus clothed Himself in our humanity and took upon Himself the sins of mankind, past, present and future. Out of LOVE, He paid the ultimate penalty for our sin --the cross--, and now sits at the right hand of the Father making continual intercession on our behalf.)

And we’ve exchanged our defense and strength with Christ by taking off our independent “me-me” life, putting on His armor (Eph. 6:10-18), then taking on our covenant partner’s (Christ) enemies, with His strength (His Holy Spirit within us), whilst trusting Him to take on our enemies, both tangible and intangible.  

~Praying this is making sense to you.

The cool thing is that this kind of faith and power is not limited. Through developing an intimate and trusting relationship with God by means of studying His Word, prayer, and obediently living out our days in the joy of His presence (no matter how difficult the circumstances), the flow of His blessings is limitless.

Living through the power of His love and strength this week,   ~Shaun and Betsy

Pseudo Love vs The Real Deal 4-15-13

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Jn. 15:12

Believers in America today too often believe “to love as Christ loves”, means we must accept, then embrace all of society's lifestyle choices and cravings.

Not long ago, we Cleary’s had a note placed on our minivan in the high school parking lot telling us that if we’re truly Believers, we would “love as Christ loves” and embrace a particular progressive movement at the school.

Question: What does Christ mean when He says, “love as I love”? Does Jesus mean embrace all lifestyle choices and cravings of sinful man? Or does He mean something quite different? 

Let’s explore what He says in His love letter to us:

First, Jesus tells us and shows us how much He loves us:

His unfailing love is as high as the heavens. His faithfulness reaches to the clouds. He is so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for His help. ...God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son (God had His Son beaten, scourged, forsaken and crucified), so that everyone who believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life. (Ps. 57:10; Ps. 86:5 Jn. 3:16)

Next, Jesus describes what love looks like:
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and 
endures through every circumstance. 1Cor. 13:4-7

Then Jesus cautions us:

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 Jn. 2:15-17

The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world. Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.” Jn. 15:19; Jms. 4:4

What love He’s lavished on us who believe.  Oh that we may love others in the manner He intends, and not via our own intentions in His name.

His is coming so soon.

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Eagerly Awaiting 4-11-13

These days, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven.

And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 3:18-21

What are some of the qualities produced when we genuinely “live with the expectancy of Christ imminent return”?

Development of a sense of self-examination and a commitment to “training”, where then the indwelling Spirit refines our character and transforms us into His image

Development and refinement of our unique “calling”, so we more effectively serve Him, plus realize a higher level of personal fulfillment

Development of a yearning for intimacy with Christ, where He then keeps our hopes vibrant and our spirits lifted

Development of dependence on the Spirit in us (versus dependence our own strength, intellect or feelings), generating freedom, joy and rich blessing

Development of inward groaning concerning sin and a yearning for our eternal home

Development of a sense of urgency to “get our house in order” and share Jesus’ love and truth with others

Development of genuine love to aide a loved-starved world (LOVE bred from the Spirit within and not our limited nature)

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1Tim. 4:10

May we in everything set an example by doing what is good. In our teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose us may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:7-8

He is coming for us soon.

Shaun and Betsy

Clinging...to What? 4-1-13

“I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses”

2 Cor. 12:5

God makes us a powerful promise when He says, in 2 Cor. 2:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

~But what does this promise connote and how does it play out in our daily lives?

Looking up the meaning of this verse, we discover that His kids are actually possessed by His unfailing strength, unmerited favor, goodwill and kindness.  … ~We are actually possessed by His personal attributes when we make the choice to revere and adore God in our moment-to-moment life choices.

Further, this unfailing strength (His resources and ability, power for performing miracles, moral power, influencing power, and excellence of soul) is performed and accomplished when we are weak in ourselves, and strong in the Lord.    …

~“Weakness” resulting not only from infirmities/illnesses, but also, weakness in bearing trials/troubles, weakness in restraining corrupt desires, weakness in gaining understanding, and weakness for doing great and glorious things in this life.

This Easter week has challenged each of us Cleary’s in differing areas of weakness as we ventured in different corners of the USA. Choosing to cling to Him and not our own notions, we praise our Lord’s faithfulness in bringing forth unexplainable joy, peace and understanding into our diverse situations.

This is motivating. As we begin to truly understand the nature of God’s grace and power in our lives, and recognize what necessitates their ignition, we too join Paul and say, “I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses”.

But it’s a difficult battle. Our world system places her confidence in powers other than God Almighty, and demands we do likewise.

So the question for us this week is this:

Is my source of strength today GOD in me or ME in me?

(MY feelings, MY intellect, MY courage, MY might)

In this together,

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

True Satisfaction 3-18-13

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” Phil. 2:13

The avenue to abundant life is a matter of will: We have God’s will, we have Satan’s will, but at the end of the day, we do as we will…       

     

Oh, may it be aligned with the heartbeat of God.

May we ask God to help us accept His Word, to turn our ear to His wisdom and to apply our heart to understanding what is important to Him...and not this world.

May we understand the Lord’s will, be very careful how we live, and make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

And may our love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and understand what really matters, enabling us to live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return.

(Eph. 5:15-17; Prv. 2:1-11; Phil. 1:9-10)

Our prayer this week is to find satisfaction in Christ alone, the true Source of LIFE.

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Astrology Sealed Fate? 3-11-13

“For their sake he remembered His covenant, and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.” Ps. 106:45

Since ancient times, keen observers of the sky have endeavored to make sense of the heavens. Today, psychic readings, horoscopes, tarot cards, and other forms of astrology play an increasingly significant role in people’s belief structures.

Is there any truth in such things? God says yes…

The heavens declare the glory of God and His righteousness. The skies proclaim the work of His hands. He has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. God sits enthroned above the circle of the earth and stretches out the heavens like a canopy. He made two great lights (sun and moon)—He also made the stars.

(Ps. 19:1; Ps. 97:6; Is. 40:21-22; Ps. 103:19; Gen. 1:16)

(**But the Lord cautions us not “to dabble”. ~Deut.18: 9-13; 1 Sam. 28:6-7; 17-18)

Recently, we’ve become friends with a special Jewish couple, a couple which embraces astrology as vital truth to their daily living. (~Yes, tricky waters for us!) As we lean on God to navigate our interaction with these beautiful people, it has been astounding how God continues to reveal His glory in ways they can see.

One of the areas of “break through” is God relenting from a planned calamity.

Jonah prayed and God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways,

He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.” Jon. 3:10

Moses prayed and the Lord relented and did not bring on His people the disaster He had threatened. Ex. 32:14

Amos prayed and the Lord relented. Amos 7:3

This couple firmly believed that a one could not alter ones destiny. Yet as they have grown to trust us, have been shown what the Bible says about the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit, have observed our prayers ‘in action’, and have witnessed particular ‘destiny’s altered’, they’re now personally praying to Yahweh!

(~Please join us in prayer for their understanding of His Son, Jesus. xo)

Each of us does has a destiny designed by God’s hand. (Eph. 2:10) But our fate is not sealed in astrological forecasts. ~The Holy Spirit seals our fate and our destiny is realized as we wholeheartedly turn to the LORD and obediently follow His promptings…for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (Eph. 4:30; Joel 2:13; Ps. 128:1; Zech. 3:7)

He’s coming very soon.

Much love this week as we “live out loud” for His glory,  ~Shaun and Betsy