Much about Muchness

Alice's Wonderland Box, originally uploaded by Cher's Passion.

In the 2009 film, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter complains to Alice:

“You used to be much more . . . muchier. You’ve lost your muchness.”

This is easily the most written-about line from the film, not surprisingly. In this dark world, the “here and now,” it seems that everyone is looking for more – much more. Where is the muchness? Where is the more? There doesn’t always seem to be much love, much peace, much joy, much power for life and for living it. We want more. And we want to be much more. It seems that we’re looking for something supernatural, since the natural is so much less than what could be so much more.

But Ah! Frabjous Discovery: I’ve found the Muchness; I’ve found the More! –

 

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how MUCH MORE shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how MUCH MORE, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man [Adam], how MUCH MORE did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how MUCH MORE will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. [Ah, the Muchness!]

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, GRACE INCREASED ALL THE MORE, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through (HIS) righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 5:6-11; 15-21 [NIV]

All the Muchness, all the More we need, is in the Person of Grace,

Jesus Christ the Righteous! Are you in?

Who Am I?

Calvinist – No!


Arminian – No!


Baptist? Methodist? Wesleyan? Presbyterian? American Baptist? Southern Baptist? Lutheran? Anabaptist? Congregationalist? Episcopalian? Quaker? Moravian? Salvation Army? Dutch Reformed? Christian Reformed? Church of Christ? United Methodist? Evangelical? Pentecostal? Pentecostal Holiness? Church of God in Christ? Church of Christ in God? Church of the Holy Spirit? Church of the Holy Spirit in Christ in God? Apostolic Church? Four Square?  Trinity Triangle?  Free Evangelical? Free Methodist? Free Evangelical Pentecostal Church of God in Christ in the Holy Spirit? ? ? Menonite? Assembly of God? Congregation of God? Church of God?


No.  (I mean no disrespect, but God is bigger than all of it -- than all of us.) 

Jesus Christ, the Word of God, the Righteous Son of God, the Living One, Messiah, Savior, Healer, Deliverer, Redeemer, and Eternal, Sovereign Lord of all; Perfect Sacrifice and my Righteousness in God; Author and Finisher of my faith, Lover of my soul, Who is able to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Counselor, Comforter and Friend; King of kings and Lord of lords, the Faithful God of peace who calls me, sanctifies me wholly, preserving my whole spirit and soul and body blameless unto His coming – YES, YES, YES, a thousand times YES!

My identity is not in an affiliation with any organization or belief system or packaged list of doctrines; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. My identity is in Jesus Christ alone, the One Who saves me by His Grace.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot fit Him into my doctrinal statements.  HIS WORD is Truth. 


Oh, Lord, unify Your church. Protect us by the power of your Name–the Name you gave Jesus–so that we may be one as you are one. Move us to listen to the words of Jesus so that we may have his full measure of joy within us. Protect us from the evil one. Sanctify us by your truth. Your Word is truth. May we be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent Jesus and have loved us even as you have loved your own Son. Continue to make Yourself known to us, Jesus, so that the love the Father has for You may be in us and that You Yourself may be in us fully – Christ in us, the hope of glory! 

I am a child of God.  And the greatest truth of all is this:  God is Love.

Sweet Spring

Did you know? Your voice is sweet and soothing to the Lord.

Song of Solomon 2:14-15 – So I went with Him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me, “O my dove, while you are here in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”

My heart was touched and I fervently sang to Him my desire, “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” [AMP/NASB]

Let your prayer time be a sweet communion with the Spirit of God, a time of soothing, of savoring, of breathing Him in and breathing out your praise. Let him carry you away into His Presence – hidden, sweet, refreshing, jubilant with life and power for great living. His Kingdom is upon you. Rise up into it and live as the prince or the princess He has designed you to be.

“My Lover-King has arrived and he's speaking to me! Get up, my dear friend, fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Look around you: Winter is over; the winter rains are over, gone! Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world's a choir—and singing! Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet arpeggios. Lilacs are exuberantly purple and perfumed, and cherry trees fragrant with blossoms. Oh, get up, dear friend, my fair and beautiful lover—come to me! Come, my shy and modest dove— leave your seclusion, come out in the open. Let me see your face, let me hear your voice. For your voice is soothing and your face is ravishing.”


“Then you must protect me from the foxes, foxes on the prowl, Foxes who would like nothing better than to get into our flowering garden. My lover is mine, and I am his. Nightly he strolls in our garden, delighting in the flowers.” – SOS 2:10-16 [The Message]

He’s the Bringer of the Spring. Rest in Him – and be surprised by His love!

Kingdom Core Values

Just Us Princesses!

Love and mercy are the core values of the Kingdom. 

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 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. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  -- 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19, 21 

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. -- Hebrews 8:12

Under the New Covenant, we now look at God’s judgment through rose-colored glasses – colored by the blood of Jesus. “Since the Cross dealt with the issue of punishment, the judgment we experience in the Kingdom is judgment in our favor. It is accomplished as the enemy and his works are destroyed, and our Father, the Judge, restores to us that which he has stolen, killed, and destroyed in our lives. This is what judgment looks like in the New Covenant.” -- Kris Vallotton, Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle

If anyone is in Christ Jesus, that person is a new creation -- a child of the King -- a royal person!

In View of All This, How Then Should We Live?

What are your core values? They are what you live by. We behave according to what we believe. So what exactly do you believe? I probably have a good idea of what my core values should be, but what are they, really? Take this challenge, if you haven’t already, and spend some time getting your core values down on paper. See how they line up with Scripture. As a matter of fact, they should come from Scripture! =P If you have them down on paper and get them rolling around in your mind, it will help you to focus your thoughts, words and actions. I came up with a list a while ago, and every so often I revisit it and see if it needs honing. I’ve read some lists of core values that other people have. Here are a few examples from some of these lists:

We are a special, holy, and royal people. This core value trains us to value others and ourselves as the precious possessions of God, for whom He sacrificed His only Son. It fosters a culture of honor in which we treat others as royalty because we are royalty. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

I will never act out of fear, fear any man or demon, or make decisions strictly to save my life. I will fear God only.

We have inherited the divine nature and grow in the fruit of the Spirit as we hang out with God. This core value trains us to embrace the journey of maturity as a process of yielding to the work of God within us and keeps us from a striving mentality. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

I will continue to choose to be saturated with, and ruled by, God’s Word. In this way, God will be glorified in everything I think, say and do. (Matt. 4:4; Romans 10:8-10, 17; Colossians 3:16-17)

I will rejoice always, be constant in prayer, and be thankful in everything. (1 Thes. 5:16-18)

Core values are life-governing principles. I think it’s important to know, in detail, what value system is governing my life. One of the best words of wisdom I’ve heard about how to discover your core values is to keep pressing in to know the Prince of the principles. Jesus will teach you what your core values are, personally ordered for you according to the place He has for you in His Kingdom, His church. Ask Him more about it sometime.

I’ll Take You Through

The way is dusty, twisty, slippery, narrow.
You cling to the mountain’s edge,
And ruts, gouges, treacherous holes
Threaten to catch your feet and wrench your ankles.
The way is sidelined and ceilinged with poking, choking,
grabbing, thorny branches.
The way is steep, your motion heavy, dragging.
Your head is down – you cannot see.
But I know the way.
Hold on tight.
I’ll take you through.

I’ll strengthen your legs; I’ll measure your gait.
I’ll synchronize your steps with mine, sure-footed.
I am your hovering, surrounding, impenetrable armor,
The force-field that shields you
From every probing, piercing thing encroaching.
When you think you cannot walk, I'll give you strength.
Keep pressing on.
Hold on tight.
I’ll take you through.

When you cannot walk, I’ll carry you,
Papa holding his little one close to his heart,
Your head on my shoulder,
In complete relaxation and peaceful rest.
I know the way. I am the Way.

When you grow faint and claustrophobic,
Now stumbling, oppressed to the point of losing heart,
I'll lift you to My shoulders, to rest and ride.
You can see now, adventures and challenges,
Trial-ways ahead, each one leading to another place of triumph.
You can see a little better, but only I can see all.
I know the way. I am the Way.
Hold on tight.
I’ll take you through

A Greater Glimpse

Seeing You
This is a time for seeing and singing
This is a time for breathing You in
And breathing out Your praise
Our hearts respond to Your revelation
All you are showing, all we have seen
Commands a life of praise

No one can sing of things they have not seen
God, open our eyes towards a greater glimpse
The glory of You, the glory of You
God, open our eyes towards a greater glimpse

Worship starts with seeing You
Worship starts with seeing You
Our hearts respond to Your revelation
Worship starts with seeing You
Worship starts with seeing You
Our hearts respond to Your revelation
– Matt Redman, Facedown CD

Whatever issue(s) you are facing in your life, the answer will always be found in a greater glimpse of Jesus. For in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (He IS the mystery of God – Colossians 2:2-3). Every answer to every difficulty is found in Him. How to get a “greater glimpse?” Look and listen. Read and pray. Ask and meditate. See and hear. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Listen to the Beloved Son; with Him the Father is well pleased! (Mark 9:7)