Let them smell the coffee

2 Cor 2:15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish

Trials and troubles is something we all have to encounter. It is a part of our life down here. Even if we are born again Christians, it doesn’t mean we are saved from hardships, or troubles. We also encounter sickness like cancer and other serious deceases. We also struggle with finances. We too have our share of difficult neighbors, colleges and family members. It can happen that we loose our job, or even worse, loose our loved ones. I myself remember the total unexpected shock from the phone call I received as a 24 year old. Your dad just passed away. But he was here yesterday??? He laughed and it seemed he was all fine? How can that be? He was the most God loving and God fearing person I knew! Why would God take him?

No, we don’t understand it all, and we are not excused from trouble. But it is the way we react to storms in our lives that defines us. And even though Jesus never promised only good days, he promised he would be there with us. And if we allow him, he can help us come out on the other side better and not bitter.

Not everything react to boiled water the same. Eggs for example becomes hard when in boiled water. But a vegetable on the other hand becomes soft. Some people harden and become bitter in trouble. If they had soft spots before, they are now hard. Others are more like a vegetable. They soften though the storms in life. Trouble has even softened harder spots in them. They become more patient, and more loving.
But there is a third variation, and that is coffee. When coffee comes in contact with boiled water it fills the house with a good smell. So will we if we allow Jesus to go through the hardships WITH us, and if we let him lead us, and instruct us. If we let him encourage us and strengthen us, we are more like coffee. We will fill our surroundings with a wonderful smell. It is a smell that witnesses a life of experience. It is a smell of experiences of both good and bad. Experiences that says, I came out of it, still loving, still smiling and still believing. The Lord gave. The Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Let us take Jesus with us through the valley and the storm, and we will come out and smell like coffee. 

Be there when it happens

John 5:5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

The text doesn’t say how many of his 38 sick years he had been by the pool, but it seems he had been there many many years. He had experienced many times the angel coming there, and he had tried to come first to the water. This very sick man most probably had family, and I can only assume they had been by him, and tried to get him to come home for family parties, or important occasions. But the answer from the man was always, I am sorry, I can’t come. Even though I really want to attend, I don’t know when the angel will appear, and I cant afford to miss my chance of a healing. I need to be here when he comes, and I don’t know when that will be. His persistence paid off in the end, and the healer came by and helped him.

For many years ago, SAS (The Scandinavian Airlines) had a slogan that said: “Be there when it happens!” In other words, if you choose us, we will bring you there in time, because we are very reliable. We don’t know when God will give us a great Sunday service. We don’t know when revival will come. And we don’t know when Jesus will come back to bring us home. But we can make up our minds like this lame man. I will be there when it happens.

A lot of people were busy in their everyday life, doing everyday things like cooking, cleaning, working etc, while the very creator of the universe walked by their house in Israel some two thousands years ago. They missed it, because they were too busy doing less important things.

Don’t miss your miracle. Don’t miss what God is doing in our time. We live in one of the most exciting times ever. In the very end time. But to be part of this end time events, and end time promises, we have to be there when it happens

What country do you belong to?

Jon 1:8Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

May 17th is the Norwegian independence day. IT is the biggest holyday in Norway. Everyone dresses up, and march in parades, and in Oslo the parade of hundreds of thousands goes by the palace where the King and his family greets the people from his balcony. Everyone waves the Norwegian flag, sings the national anthem and almost everyone were Norwegian costumes. The day of Pentecost is our 17^thof May. That’s when our new country was born. That is our independence day.

In the text of today, Jonah finds himself running away from God, hiding in a boat. And the question comes: Where do you come from, and what is your country? What people do you belong to? Maybe the language revealed him, or his actions. Maybe it was his clothes? I don’t know what it was, but something about him revealed he was a stranger. 

The question today from the text is this? What is YOUR home country?

1)  All countries have their own leader or King.

a.  Who is your King? Is Jesus Lord and King in your life?

2)  All Countries have their own laws

a.  What law do you follow? Be not confirmed to the image of this world, but be renewed…. We are renewed by the Holy Ghost who writes his law on our hearts

3)  All countries have their own language

a.  Do you speak in the heavenly language? Have you received the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tounges?

4)  All countries have national costumes

a.  Can people see by your outward appearance that you belong to a heavenly country? Do you dress like the world, or do you dress holy?

5)  All countries have their own flag

a.  Jehovah Nissi, The Lord our Banner. Just one of many names of God in the Old Testament. Have you been baptized in his name? Then you have his banner/flag. 

6)  All countries have their own culture. 

a.  Is your action and behavior reflecting that you don’t belong here, but you belong to that heavenly country?

One day we will march our heavenly parade up the streets of Gold and we will wave to the King of Kings sitting on his throne. 

YOU are WITH me

Psalm 23 

1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is one of my absolute favorite psalms. IT has so many wonderful blessings, and portraits a life cycles in many ways. From the times where we seem to have no problems, and everything is just wonderful. No storms in our lives, only still waters. Walking in the path of righteousness and having a feeling of wanting nothing. Then, suddenly we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death. We find that we are in the presence of the enemy. We find that the still waters have turned into a storm. Everyone that have lived long enough have experiences it.

What I find interesting here is the shift in the psalmist approach to God. The way he addresses God. When God is in front leading him, he says HE. HE makes me lie down in green pastures. HE leads me besides the still waters. HE leads me in the path of righteousness. But suddenly, when he is in the valley of the shadow of death, he say YOU! YOU are with me. Maybe it’s the fact that God is now closer. Before he was leading him. And later in life he is following him, when he says surely goodness and mercy shall FOLLOW me. But here, when he faces difficulties, God is not leading in front, of following from behind. He is WITH me. Right here when I need him.

Many people have a tendency to have a “distance relationship” to God when things are going fine. God is only a HE. But God wants to get closer to us. When the enemy feels close, turn around and look. He is preparing a table for you, right there in the PRESENCE of your enemies. He is wayting for you to say: YOU are with me. YOU are for me. YOU love and protect me. He is not just GOD, but he is MY God.

The two most important questions in life

Acts 19:2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

There are many important questions in life we can ask ourselves. But in my opinion the very first two questions Paul asks these believers in Ephesus, meeting them for the first time, is for me the two most important. Before he asks them where they come from, who they are or what profession they have. Before he asks them what “church” they belong to, or who is their Pastor. He goes straight to the point and asks: Do you have the Holy Ghost. Since this is the very first question Paul asks them, it must mean this was of the greatest value and concern for Paul. Question nr 1 you need to ask yourself: Have I received the Holy Ghost the way the first church did? When they answered negative to the first question, he then asks question nr 2; what baptism were you baptized with? Or, in what way have you been baptized? This question is more important today than ever before. It’s not enough to ask IF you are baptized. We must ask, HOW were you baptized? Paul explains how we should be baptized: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Mercy seat

Ex 25:17And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof

Inside of the Ark of the Covenant were three things: the manna (representing Gods word), the tablets of stone (Representing the law) and the rod of Aaron (representing leadership). Over all of this was a lid covered with two Cherubim’s called the mercy seat. Whenever God saw his word, the law or his leadership, he saw it through mercy. That is something we must always remember. We need the word, and we need doctrine. We need the law, and we need holiness. We need leadership and we need Pastors. But above it all, we need Mercy.
Jesus showed us when he met the woman taken in adultery. The law said; stone her. The leaders all around her screamed; stone her. It was written in the word what to do. But then, here comes the Mercy seat and trumps it all. Neither do I condemn you. Go away and sin no more. Before Jesus all they had was the Law and the truth. But when Jesus came, he added another dimension. He added the Mercy seat. That’s why it says that he came with the truth and with grace. Truth without grace, is hard and judgmental, but covered with the Mercy seat, truth is beautiful.
We must preach righteousness, and we must preach holiness. We must have doctrine, and strong leadership. But above it all, we need Grace :-) 

God is in control

Rom 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 Today I received a troubled sms from a saint in the church. She was so frustrated over all that happened to her. Her two kids were sick and needed attention, and on the top of that her husband got something we were afraid was a heart attack. While rushing to the hospital causing her to loose another day at work, these questions troubled her. Seemed like God was so far away and she couldn’t understand why he allowed all this to happen to her. It turned out that her husband only were dealing with stress symptoms, and was ok after all. Still she had lost her day at work. 

Tonight, I received another sms from her. They had called from work, and told her that she was replaced to another house, since a schizophrenic patient had plans to hurt her, thinking she was a CIA spy. If she had come to work that day, she might have been hurt. Knowing this, God worked it out so she would be protected. 
Many times we don’t understand why we go through what go through, but God always has a plan. But sometimes he allows us to know like today. It lets us know that the times he don’t show us, we still trust he is control anyway.