What If the Mayor Calls?

 

I had a dream in which I was attending a professional convention held at an elegant hotel, accompanied by my son, who in the dream was still a small child. We had checked in to a luxurious suite on the penthouse level, provided gratis by the organizer. I had started to unpack the bags that the bellman had delivered, full of beautiful garments and jewelry I didn’t recognize.

I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the urge to explore our surroundings, and in my haste I left piles of clothing on the sofa rather than placing them in drawers, and even left jewelry out on the tables in the sitting area. I grabbed my son’s hand and led him into the hall, not even minding that the door was unlocked and open. Even worse, our suite was by a busy elevator where many people were coming and going, laughing, chattering and dressed for an evening of partying.

“But what if the mayor calls?” my son asked.

I looked at him quizzically, then giggled. “Well, if he does, I’m sure he’ll leave a message.”

We got on the elevator, surrounded by the intoxicating aromas of perfume, cologne, and alcohol swirling through wispy clouds of cigarette smoke. I sighed, starting to regret bringing my son into this tainted atmosphere. Soon we reached the basement and exited near the pool, where the air was heavy with chlorine and the muffled sounds of pump filters and whirlpool jets.

I had thought we might go for a swim, but the pool was packed with seniors doing a water aerobics class. So we boarded the elevator again and exited on the third floor, where a formal ball was in progress. My son had learned to dance when he was five, so I suggested we go back to our room and change for the party.

Thankfully, someone had closed and locked the door of our room after we had left, and it appeared that nothing had been disturbed. My son pointed out that there was a blinking silver light near the ornately carved, ivory telephone with gold filigree trim.

“Maybe the mayor called,” he said.

I shrugged, not really wanting to check messages. “Oh, we’ll worry about that later.”

I awoke with a sense of remorse over not listening to my son’s repeated warning, for out of the mouths of babes comes praise and strength (Matthew 21:15-16; Psalm 8:2). To be saved by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior Who died to pay for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) to give His followers eternal life (John 3:16), we must have a childlike faith (Matthew 18:3-4; 19:14).

One day Jesus Christ will return again to defeat the enemies of Israel and the devil himself, and He will then reign over the new Jerusalem for one thousand years as the Mayor of that holy city and as Lord over all (Revelation 21:1-5). We must wait for, heed and follow the Mayor’s call!

As born-again believers (John 3:3-8), we are so blessed to have the privilege of constant communication with Him even now, should we so desire (Hebrews 4:16). Yet He will not force His will or His guidance on us (Revelation 3:20), and so often we are guilty of ignoring His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12) and not even caring to listen to what He has to say (1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 4:30).

In the dream, I dismissed my son’s reminders to wait for the Mayor’s call, because I was too distracted by worldly lures, represented by the hints of drinking and flirtation on the elevator. But Scripture tells us to be sanctified, or set apart (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11). We should flee temptation (2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Corinthians 10:13) or risk being dragged down to the basement level. The world offers “solutions” to the consequences of succumbing to these temptations, symbolized in the dream by the chlorine in the pool and rituals to improve physical fitness.

But nothing but the blood of Christ can wash away our sins (Revelation 1:5), and for a daily cleansing we need to be washed in the pure, living water (John 4:10-14) of His Word (Ephesians 5:26) that forever quenches our thirst! What a contrast to harsh chlorine that could burn us and yet not protect us from all bacteria and parasites, representing the filthy contaminants in today’s world. The consequences of sin are disease and death, and only Jesus is the cure (Romans 6:21-23). Physical exercise is of little benefit if we are spiritually unfit (1 Timothy 4:8).

Evangelicals often frown upon all dancing, yet there is a distinction between worldly dancing, used as a sexual provocation (Matthew 14:6-9), and dancing as an expression of joy and worship. Approximately two thirds of references to dancing in Scripture are in the context of offering praise to the Lord (Psalm 150:4), as in David dancing before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14), Miriam rejoicing over God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 15:20-21), and even John the Baptist leaping for joy in the presence of His Savior while he was still in his mother’s womb! (Luke 1:41-44)

Dancing to me is a unique form of human expression because it involves our whole triune being: body, soul and spirit, reflecting the image of God as the Trinity (Genesis 1:26-27), symbolized in the dream by the third floor where the dance was taking place. Once my husband and I were saved, we realized that God had uniquely equipped us through our dancing experience and training to use this art form as a ministry to reach the lost with the Gospel message.

Upon awakening from the dream, I also experienced regret that I was not saved until my son was 10 years old, and that I had therefore missed the potential opportunity of raising him in a Christian environment before then. But praise the Lord, His timing is always perfect (Ephesians 1:10). Thanks be to God that He did give me the opportunity to share the Gospel and Scripture with my son once I was saved, and our son came to know the Lord soon after we did.

Once we are saved, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6), represented in the dream by the lovely penthouse suite He had so graciously provided as a freely given gift. The abundant blessings of clothing and jewelry are reminiscent of our garments of salvation, for the Lord has covered us with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns himself with ornaments, and as a bride with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10).

 
These freely given gifts also reminded me of how the prodigal son was treated when he returned home to his Father (Luke 15:22). Yet, like the prodigal, we often fail to be good stewards (1 Peter 4:10), indicated in the dream by my carelessly leaving these blessings strewn about and unsecured. Praise the Lord, He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:13) even when we are not, and in the dream someone else had locked the door, protecting us from the consequences of my being irresponsible.

The dream reminded me to listen and follow when our Lord calls, to remain in the world and yet not of it by being set apart, and to flee temptation. May we be Godly examples to those He entrusts to our care and good stewards of all the many blessings He has provided, until He comes again!

© 2019 Laurie Collett

Edited and reposted from the archives

Are You Too BUSY?

In spiritual warfare, the Commander in Chief of the Christian army is the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We can march forth victorious knowing that the battle is the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:47), and that we are on the winning side (1 Corinthians 15:57; Romans 16:20).

Still, to be effective, we must know our enemy and his strategies. Satan is not God’s equal or even His opposite; as a fallen angel, he is a being who was created by God to have supernatural powers that are limited by God Himself. When he was Lucifer, an angel of light, God endowed him with great beauty, wisdom and talent. But when his sin of pride caused him to rebel against God’s authority and to exalt himself above his Creator, God exiled him from heaven, along with those angels who joined in the rebellion (Luke 10:18; Isaiah 14:12-15).

God allowed Satan temporary control of the world, its institutions and its governments (Ephesians 6:12). God allows Satan to tempt and attack even His own children, but always for our own ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Satan can do nothing to us that God Himself does not allow (Job 2:6). God turns Satan’s evil weapons into instruments designed for our good, to conform us more to the image of His Son through suffering (Philippians 3:10), to strengthen our faith in Him, to give us compassion and experience to help those going through similar trials (1 Corinthians 10:13), and even to give us greater joy in our mountain top experiences.

We should not be afraid of Satan or his demons, for God’s perfect love for us casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). Even so, we should respect the devil’s power and understand his strategies. Satan may try to intimidate us, but we can prayerfully use the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6: 11-15) to fight him off, just as Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

As a former angel of light (2 Corinthians 11: 14), Satan may appeal to our sense of beauty, working through the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16), just as he did with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:6). He surely will appeal to our pride, trying to convince us that we are self-sufficient and don’t need God. And as the father of all liars (John 8:44), he will distort the truth, which is why we need the discernment to realize that anything added to, taken away from, or changed in God’s Word makes it a lie.

All Satan wants is one little piece of our heart where he can set up shop (Ephesians 4:27). We must resist the devil, and flee from temptations that can harm us (James 4:7; Proverbs 6:27; 1 Corinithians 10:13). If we give in to that bad seed of doubt or fear that undermines our faith, or to that one sin that so easily tempts us (Hebrews 12:1), or to that false teaching that perverts the Gospel ever so slightly (2 Peter 2:1), Satan has established a stronghold. A single virus-infected email can crash your computer. A tiny drop of cyanide in a glass of pure water turns it to poison. Breathing in an anthrax spore can destroy our whole body. It is even more vital that we use the whole armor of God t0 repel Satan’s seemingly innocent intrusions.

When all else fails to neutralize effective, fruitful Christians, Satan tries to keep us BUSY. According to an Irish web designer in Galway, BUSY stands for Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Mature believers who are in God’s will may keep from sinning, at least in their actions. Yet they may all too easily get distracted by things that are not bad, but that keep us from God’s best. God wants us to be productive, but not so busy that we lose our focus on Him and fail to hear His voice. Unlike Satan, Jesus promises us a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light because He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30).

Do we want to be like Martha, who loved Jesus but became too burdened with serving to sit at His feet, or do we want the joy and peace her sister Mary experienced by keeping her quiet time with Him her first priority? (Luke 10:38-42)

Time is the one resource that constantly gets depleted and can’t be bought back. When an opportunity passes by to witness to an unsaved soul, to encourage a fellow believer, to minister to someone in need, or to share love and joy with your family, it may never come again. Satan loves to keep us BUSY.

Do we serve on so many committees that we never have time to read God’s Word? Do we spend so much time tracking worldwide news that we don’t pray for missionaries risking their lives around the globe? At church functions, are we so preoccupied with preparing food, or passing handouts, or managing the sign-in, that we ignore those who need a kind word or a loving touch? Do we spend so much time at home cooking, cleaning or paying bills that we don’t notice when our loved ones just want us to spend quality time with them? Satan loves to keep us BUSY.

For those who have turned from their sins and trusted in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only Way, our eternal destiny in Heaven is secure. But how sad it would be to learn of His perfect plan for our lives that we missed because Satan kept us too BUSY.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Copyright 2011 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Christ’s Earthly Ministry: Triplets of Love

 

As the world prepares to celebrate Valentine's Day and its homage to earthly "love," Christians can experience, appreciate, and give thanks for the perfect love of Jesus Christ. The holiday on February 14 exalts eros, or romantic, sensual, and physical love, but born-again believers (John 3:8) can honor Christ's agape, or self-sacrificing, boundless, and transformative love every day of the year.

The third Greek word for love, in addition to eros and agape, is philia, or brotherly love. Eros, often translated as lust, diminishes its subject to the status of an object for the lover's gratification or pleasure, often without consideration for that person's well-being. Philia is based on common interests and beliefs, and the relationship typically benefits both parties, as in the colloquialism "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." But agape, exemplified by Christ's love for us, gives all to the loved one with no expectation of receiving anything in return.

After all, what could the Lord Jesus Christ, Creator of all (Genesis 1; John 1:3), King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16), need from us? Yet He suffered, bled on Calvary's cross, and died to pay our sin debt in full, while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:10). The agony He experienced to save us was not only physical torture, but the emotional pain of betrayal, rejection, and abandonment, and, as He became our sin, the spiritual ordeal of momentary separation from God the Father, with Whom He had been since eternity past (John 1:1).  

The Lord Jesus Christ proved His divinity when He rose again on the third day so that all who trust Him would be justified in God the Father's sight (Romans 3:24,28), reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-20), and adopted into His family (Romans 8:15).

As joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), our love gifts from Him include eternal life with Him and our loved ones in Him (John 3:16), an eternal home of unimaginable splendor in Heaven (1 Corinthians 2:9), and glorified bodies that will never age, die, or experience sin, pain, or sorrow (1 Corinthians 15:35-58). Even in this world, He gives us abundant life (John 10:10), joy in His salvation (Isaiah 61:10), and peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). We are blessed that He calls us His friend (John 15:13-15), bride (Isaiah 61:10), and ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) – throughout all time He was, is and will be Almighty God. He represents and is the fullness of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- as cited in three verses (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13; Colossians 2:9). Even in His earthly ministry, which lasted three and a half years, we see the signature of the Trinity reflected in triplets of love.

The apostle John described the Trinity in Heaven reflected in the life and work of Jesus Christ through the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: for these three “agree in one” (1 John 5:6-8). 

John further explained that Jesus came in the flesh (i.e. with human blood and born out of the water in Mary’s womb), empowered by the Holy Spirit. We see the water and the blood again when a spear pierces His side (John 19:34) and Jesus lays down His life to suffer and dies on the cross, which was possible only through the power of the Spirit.

At His baptism marking the beginning of His earthly ministry (Matthew 3:16-17), we see all of the Trinity in one picture: Jesus the Son being baptized, the Holy Spirit descending on Him in the form of a dove, and God the Father announcing that Jesus is indeed His beloved Son.

This was the first of three proclamations from God the Father Himself that Jesus is His Son, worthy of God’s love and glory and our praise and obedience (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 12:28). The second of these Divine revelations was the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8). His inner circle of Peter, James and John witnessed three glorified beings: Jesus, Moses, and Elias, prompting Peter to want to build three tabernacles.

After Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tested by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Three times the devil tempted Him, appealing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) and each time Jesus rebuked the devil by quoting Scripture – three times He replied, “It is written…”

Jesus’ closest friends, apart from His disciples, were Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 12:1-3). The precious ointment Mary used to anoint Jesus’ feet was worth three hundred pence (John 12:5). Lazarus was one of three people Jesus raised from the dead (John 12:9), the other two being Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15).

Jesus summarized His work on earth in terms of three types of miracles: spiritual healing, physical healing, and His own perfection, or resurrection from the dead (Luke 13:32). That perfection occurred on the third day, when He had paid all of our sin debt by suffering and dying on the cross, was buried, and rose again, so that all who believe this may also have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15). 

May we all trust in His completed work and become joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17), His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20, and rulers in the Millennial Kingdom! (Revelation 20:4)

© 2012 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives, edited and expanded

Chutes, But No Ladders

 

I dreamed that I was staying in a large city where many themed resort hotels were close together. I thought it would be an interesting outing to travel from one to the next and to explore the sights in each hotel’s lobby and common areas.

There was a tram departing from outside the hotel where I was staying, so I hopped aboard and got off at the next stop, which appeared to be a flight-themed hotel. I entered what seemed to be an airline cabin, with typical passenger seats. As the “plane” took off, I realized that there was no lift-off, only a side-to-side lurching as the cabin sped along a serpentine track.

Once we had stopped, I got out and was surprised to find myself on the platform of what appeared to be an amusement park ride, with open-sided kiddie cars strung together. There was no way back to the plane and no other way off the platform, so I scrunched into one of the cars and grabbed onto the rail just in time as it launched into motion.

After a very short horizontal distance, the ride plunged downward at breakneck speed, so fast that the pit of my stomach jammed into my throat. Finally it stopped, slamming me forward, and I doubled over for a moment before I could stagger to my feet and out of the car.

Breathless and shaking, I realized I had been gone from the hotel way too long and needed to return as soon as possible. But there seemed to be no options other than to get back in another kiddie car, which also appeared to be on a steep track even further downward and away from the hotel. There were no escalators, elevators, or even stairways to return to the higher level where I had left my hotel.

I was relieved to see a uniformed man whom I assumed to be the transit police.

“Is this the subway?” I asked, pointing to the kiddie car, then realized how ridiculous that sounded.

He rolled his eyes, then feigned concern that only came across as patronizing condescension.

“Ma’am, where is it that you want to go?”

“Back to my hotel.”

“Which one?”

I realized in horror that I had no clue about the name of the hotel where I had been staying. He rattled off a list of names, none of which sounded familiar, until he finally suggested “Blue Hotel.”

“That’s it!” I exclaimed. “How do I get there?”

But he only shrugged his shoulders and bustled away, leaving me to awaken in a panic.

As I considered the meaning of the dream, I remembered a trip to Las Vegas during which my husband and I enjoyed taking the monorail from one hotel to the next and walking around each hotel, admiring the unique décor, architecture, attractions and shopping of each one. We had joked that it was like walking around the world, traveling from New York, to Paris, to Venice (Bellagio), and ancient Rome (Caesar’s Palace), all in a single day.

But we knew that we were still in Las Vegas and hadn’t really gone anywhere, for each hotel was a cleverly staged illusion to lure the visitor (and potential gambler) to spend more time there. For the same reason, there are no clocks or even windows within these hotels, so that the gambler loses contact with time and even with reality as he keeps trying to beat the house.

As born-again Christians (John 3:3-8) who have been saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we must be careful not to be distracted by earthly, temporal things and thereby lose sight of our eternal destiny (Colossians 3:1-2).

My husband and I don’t gamble, and there was nothing wrong in enjoying the beautiful, lavish and picturesque interiors of the hotels we visited, but if we had lingered too long, it might have become a distraction from our real purpose for going to Las Vegas, which was to share our dance ministry at a hotel where we had been invited to perform.

Leaving the hotel in the dream proved to be disastrous, as each segment of the bone-rattling journey brought me further away from where I needed to be, to the point that I felt I could not return. Each conveyance was merely an imitation of true forms of transportation. These reminded me of the train in that famous episode of “Twilight Zone” that always circled back to where it began, preventing the protagonists from escaping, for it was merely a toy in a dollhouse village owned by a giant child.

In the board game, “Chutes and Ladders,” players advance up the ladders based on the roll of the dice, but then without warning may slide far down a chute. In the dream I was actually trying to return to my starting point, but each ride carried me not only further away, but also further down. The ride was deceptively level at the beginning, then suddenly vanished down a dangerous precipice, reminding me that we are most likely to slip and fall when we are prideful of our good standing (Proverbs 16:18; 1 Corinthians 10:12).

Ultimately I was so far away that I no longer even remembered the name of the place where I was staying. The world and its power structure are of no help in returning us to God’s plan for us (Matthew 6:24), as was evident in the dream by the lack of any way to travel upward, and the indifference of the transit policeman.

On our Christian journey to the mountaintop of heavenly rewards, we sometimes fall backward and slide down, but the climb is always still there, waiting for us to resume it.  Thankfully, our brothers and sisters in Christ can help us struggle to our feet, and God Himself is there with outstretched arms, just waiting for us to take the first step (Ecclesiastes 4:9; Proverbs 24:16; Psalm 136:12; Galatians 6:1).

The hotel where I started my dream journey was called the Blue Hotel, the color perhaps signifying royal garments of the priesthood and furnishings of God’s temple (Exodus 26-28; 35-39; Numbers 4,15; etc.). These may symbolize the heavenly places where we are seated in Christ even while walking this earth (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6).

In common parlance, the phrase “blue skies” refers to smooth sailing and good times without interference from storms. As Christians, our sure hope (Hebrews 6:19) in eternal life in Heaven gives us spiritual blue skies, namely the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and joy in His salvation (Psalm 21:1; Isaiah 61:10).

Yet the word “blue” can also mean sad or depressed, for even as Christians we are not immune from sorrow. Even Christ Himself was a man of sorrows, well acquainted by grief, yet by His stripes, or suffering, we are healed (Isaiah 53:3-5). The only other Scripture reference to “blue” is in Proverbs 3:20:

The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

This verse is a sober reminder that when we stray, our loving Father God will chastise us, sometimes through His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12), but with scourging or physical pain if the spoken Word is ineffective (Hebrews 12:6).

May we set our affection and sights on heavenly things above and not be brought down by the things of this world! May we be vigilant to hear and do the will of our Father, ever climbing upward until He takes us home, and seeking His strength and guidance when our errors bring us to the pit of the valley!      

© 2019 Laurie Collett 

Reposted from the archives