THREE DOCTORS!

His name is Carlos (not real name). He received his doctorate of medical practice over in Cuba. He is very articulate. He finished the top of his class. He has a sub-specialty as well. This same man is working as certified nursing assistant (CNA) in the United States.

Is there a digression of profession?

Fundamentally no, no one is over-qualified to work. He understands that he needs to feed his family when they came to Florida. His understanding brought about a great deal of humility. It is hard to realize the complexity of that decision without further knowledge of the closed door.

I bring up Carlos because I confess I was rude and uncaring. I was playing "gatekeeper". Also, I asked him who sent him and when did our ADON call. He answered both questions wrong, which I proceeded to tell him of that fact. For some even with the wrong information I still made the walk-in arrangement. After the meeting, I received his resume and saw all of the above listed facts. I can only think of humility and/or humiliation.

And being found
in human form, he humbled himself
by
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8

I understand Carlos is not Jesus. It takes humility in form to go from a physician to nurse aide.

His name is Paul. He received his M.D. in South India. He is a missionary, specifically medical missions. He explained to me all the missionary journeys he has been on and how to evangelize to Hindus. He explained the differences between north and south Indian food. He even showed me how to start a church overseas. In the way he explained it, it take years of serving the community before you build a building. Serve the community until they ask why.

9 Therefore God has highly
exalted him and bestowed
on him the name
that is above every
name, 10 so that at
the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore, Jesus in his obedience was exalted. Exalted above every name. He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus echoes this in John 17.

1 When Jesus had spoken
these words, he lifted
up his eyes to
heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come;
glorify your Son that
the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given
him authority over all flesh,
to give eternal life
to all whom
you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life,
that they know you
the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent. 4 I glorified you on
earth, having accomplished the work
that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me
in your own presence
with the glory that I had
with you before the world existed.
John 17:1-5

Paul continues his admonition to the church of Philippi after talking about Jesus in his humility was given full authority. He speaks to the church in regard to their obedience. In the open statement to the beloved he speaks to their integrity of heart then to their integrity of behavior in the world.

12 Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed,
so now, not only as in my presence
but much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God
who works in you,
both to will and to work
for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without
grumbling or questioning, 15 that you
may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights
in the world,
16 holding fast to the word of life,
so that in the day of Christ
I may be proud that
I did not run in vain or
labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be
poured out as a drink offering
upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 Likewise you also should be
glad and rejoice with me.
Philippians 2:12-18

Dr. Babu Paul was helpful in having me see that we are to be lights in the world. There are times when may want to complain like an Israelite but remember you want to do all things for the glory of God. You want to help the sick. You want to help the poor. You want to, not have to.

Luke as Colossians 4:14 says, "Luke the beloved physician..." wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit Luke and the book of Acts. We have an observation by the physician in Luke 5.

27 After this he went out
and saw a tax collector named
Levi, sitting at the tax booth.
And he said to him, "Follow me."
28 And leaving everything,
he rose and followed him.


29 And Levi made him a great feast
in his house, and there was a
large company of tax collectors
and others reclining at table with them.
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes
grumbled at his disciples,
saying, "Why do you eat and drink
with tax collectors and sinners?"
31 And Jesus answered them, "Those who are
well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
32 I have not come
to call the righteous
but sinners to repentance."
Luke 5:27-32

Don't play gatekeeper for the True Physician.

Send the sick and faint of heart to the True Physician.

Don't let the religious company distract you from the Beauty of Jesus Christ.

ANTICIPATION!

It was great. I found out that Jason Upton was coming to Fort Lauderdale. I have been listening to his music exclusive for 9 months straight. I bought my tickets online in June and was anticipating the tickets would be sold out.

The concert was held at the church called, "Church of the Healing Rain." The church is fairly small looking on the outside and looking from the perspective of going to a church that has over twenty thousand people. The people were friendly but that is not why I went there. I was ready. I purchased my ticket in advance. Finally, the time came as I walk into the sanctuary that Jason Upton walk out on the stage toward his Korg piano. There were a total of 4 on the stage. A drummer, electric guitarist, bass and Jason Upton on the keyboard.

I couldn't help it. I couldn't help but to cry through the first song. I was trying to understand such great emotion that came over me. Was it the anticipation has finally settled? Was it that my favorite song was played first? Or was it the feeling of expectancy in the room that brought me to tears?

"Jesus wept."
John 11:35

Jesus is expressing a feeling. Not only did Jesus weep, but he was hungry and thirsty and tired. Yes, Jesus is the one mediator between God and man. Jesus.

"When Mary came to
the place where Jesus
was and saw Him,
she dropped down at His feet,
saying to Him, Lord,
if You had been here,
my brother would not have died."
- John 11:32

Martha in verse 21 said the very same thing. Martha heard directly from Jesus that he is the Resurrection and the Life. That your brother will rise and not when you anticipate. Martha is the one that tells Mary the Teacher is close and is asking for you. Mary proceeds "...if you had been here, my brother would not have died." It is important to get into the scriptures and feel how Mary and Martha are feeling. It is a sober setting. Sober due to death of a brother. Sober due to expectations of Jesus not being there. Just a thought, there is probably disbelief that he actually died considering the nature of the relationship with Jesus.

"Jesus wept."
John 11:35

Then.

"The Jews said,
See how [tenderly] He loved him!
But some of them
said, Could not He Who
opened a blind man's eyes
have prevented this man from dying?"
John 11:36,37 AMP

I was always told that Jesus wept because of the unbelief of the people present. The Scriptures need to take complete and utter precedence over what scholars, theologians or anyone thinks. In verse 37, we have a peculiar question.

Could not He Who opened a blind man's eyes have prevented this man from dying?
In KJV, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man would not have died?

When some of them said, could not this man, the greek word is houtos. Literally, meaning this. Houtos is used in both instances of this verse. Meaning some of them, are questioning Jesus's authority to heal the blind man. Furthermore, if Jesus really did open the blind man's eyes then Lazarus would not have died. How audacious? If I understand that question correctly, some of the Jews are question Jesus Christ, their coming Messiah, who is right in front of them and yet did not believe.

The occurrence of the man who was born blind is in John 9. The Jews did not see again what was right in front of them. I have always pondered their unbelief. Did they anticipate a different coming?

Jesus wept.

I wept because people in the room at the Jason Upton concert anticipated not a man playing guitar but another opportunity to worship God, this time in song and dance.


Believe God to do great things because He is God, not houtos.

TEMPLATE!

The image above is a piece of a whole template. The template I had ready access to is now in full display at cccfau.org. I find this template compelling due to the simplicity of color and of design. The attraction is the piece displayed above. I love that image. Slightly cloudy, emphasis on slight, and white light beaming through. In all of creation, I look for the evidences of grace. I seek out those things that bring glory to God or speak of His nature.

The image above is a piece of a whole template. There are times when we see the surface of an image but miss the texture. The characteristic appearance of the surface are Campus Crusade for Christ At Florida Atlantic University. Campus Crusade for Christ at FAU is a piece of a whole university.

The beauty of a piece or being apart of a whole template is that you have access to the whole. As a disciple of Christ and fellow member of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12), we have full access because of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our whole template. His birth, sinless life, humble death, glorious return on the third day and ascension to the right hand of the Father.

14For he himself is our peace,
who has made the two one
and has destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall of hostility,
15by abolishing in his flesh
the law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create
in himself one new man
out of the two,
thus making peace,
16and in this one body
to reconcile both
of them
to God through the cross,
by which he put to death their hostility.
17He came and preached peace
to you who were far away
and peace to those
who were near. 18For through him
we both have access to the
Father by one Spirit.
Ephesians 2:14-18

One of my favorite New Testament books to read again and again is the book of Ephesians. Chapter 2 is probably my favorite chapter in that book. Paul continues in the first three chapters reminding them of the mystery of the gospel which is revealed in chapter 3. But in chapter 2, he reminds them of their position. That they were dead as dead dead.

"4But because of his great love for us,
God,
who is rich in mercy,"
Ephesians 2:4

Then continues an exposition on God is the one who raised Christ, God is the one who gives the gift of faith; and God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus which God again did in advance. Verse eleven has a "therefore" taking into consideration the previous context and bringing it together with division that current Jews and Gentiles have. Now Jesus's blood is what brings us near. Which leads to our passage, Christ brought us together. Christ reconciled a relationship that can only be repaired with perfection.

The beauty of template is that a foundation is already laid.

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household,
20built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself
as the chief cornerstone.
21In him the whole building is
joined together and rises to
become a holy temple in the Lord.
22And in him you too are
being built together to
become a dwelling in which God
lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22

Let us remember, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is beautiful. It is where we receive joy and joy only comes from the Lord. Praise God for laying the foundation. Praise God for knowing ALL the details.

UNKNOWN

In the past week, I have been doing research on a health complications my dad is having at the moment. One thing that still remains from my research is that because the cause is unknown so also is the prevention unknown.

Even though there is active research, there are still no known causes. I have been reading through Ephesians and Colossians. In Ephesians 6 starting at verse 19 through 24.

19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
21Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
23Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Ephesians 6:19-24

Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus. In the last chapter, he talks about obedience then the full armor of God. That is where we start.

Paul says whenever he opens his mouth he wants to boldly make known the mystery of the gospel. In Ephesians 3, Paul expounds upon the mystery in verse 6.

6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

For this gospel, the gospel that breaks that dividing wall of hostility, the gospel that has a chief cornerstone, the gospel that has Gentiles as heirs together with Israel and the gospel for which Paul is willing to die for not on the testimony of others but himself.

To be known by Christ.

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Because the cause is known, so also is the prevention.

This photo is called old and new. This photo reminds me of Paul's second letter to the church of Corinth.

Therefore if anyone
is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things
passed away;
behold,
new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul is encouraging the church by literally saying as a matter of fact that the old has passed away factually (parerchomai) and now is new or recently made or fresh or recent or unused or unworn.

Now all these
things are from God,
who reconciled us
to Himself through Christ
and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation,
2 Corinthians 5:18

It is all about Christ and that he gave us the ministry or service opportunity of exchange. Ministry is service. It is one who executes the commands of others. That is the ministry Christ gave us. Other centered focus on bringing people to Jesus.

namely,
that God was
in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself,
not counting their trespasses
against them, and He has committed
to us the word of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19

Twenty-Five!

Finally, I can rent of car and not pay the 25 and under fee. I will have lower car insurance, unless I get in an accident to raise my monthly rate. If I did not get any of those benefits, it does not matter. I am breathing. I thank God for breathing.

I started the day of my birthday with a Destiny(niece) on my chest then blessed me with vomit to the shirt. A wonderful big breakfast. I went to the park with my family. Relaxed until it was time to go to Hannah's graduation. After the graduation, it was a great time of food, fellowship and exhortation.

Leading up to May 22, I was reflecting on this verse.

A good name
is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death
better than the day of birth.
Ecclesiates 7:1

This verse as well:

A good name
is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is
better than silver or gold.
Proverbs 22:1

TICKET!

Raffles always are popular at work because the ideal of a chance to win motivates the staff to participate. Raffles remind me of Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. I was humming the song I've got a golden ticket. I was skipping around going to drink out of an endless fountain of milk chocolate or at least in my head. It is funny how simple things like a raffle could bring such joy.

In reflection about joy, The church of the Thessalonians comes to mind.

16Be joyful always;
17pray continually;
18give thanks
in all circumstances, for this
is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Paul gives the church final instructions. In verse 16, it is a command for them to rejoice exceedingly. Even in the midst of suffering.
6You became imitators of us
and of the Lord;
in spite of severe suffering,
you welcomed the message with
the joy given by the
Holy Spirit. 7And so you
became a model to all the
believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
8The Lord's message rang out
from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—
your faith in God has
become known everywhere. Therefore we
do not need to say
anything about it,
9for they themselves report what kind of reception
you gave us. They tell
how you turned to God
from idols to serve the
living and true God,
10and to wait for
his Son from heaven,
whom he raised from
the dead—Jesus, who rescues
us from the coming wrath.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

In verse 17 and 18, again, Paul is commanding them to pray (in all circumstances which includes suffering) and to give thanks, for thelema - the purpose of God or of what God wishes. So we give thanks for God sent his one and only Son to pay the penalty of sin. Because of sin the wrath of God is on you, which is why Jesus is our Propitiator.

I am reminded of this church because I was frustrated this morning at work but God used this ticket for me to give thanks. I was given a monotonous task was writing each staff member on a ticket. About halfway through, my boss says not to waste a ticket so write the names on both the top and bottom. She had no idea where I stopped to go to write on the bottom but God did. So, I wrote start at the beginning with a new set of names and literally when I finished the list every employee was counted for without waste. The tickets evened out without my counting them or anything. They evened out and I just laughed because certain tedious task frustrate me. Opening up envelopes and writing down someone's else name, do not ask why.