Chapter 8

Tap the Greatest Power

God's measure of man is entirely different from man's measure of man. Man is result-oriented. What have we produced? How much have we made? How much have we accumulated? We all tend to look back at our lives. If the results aren't there or theyÕre insufficient in our judgment, we're disappointed or dissatisfied. We use our peers, people with similar backgrounds and circumstances, as our gauge. If they outperform us, if they

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have bigger homes, more expensive cars or more money in the bank, we see ourselves as inferior. This is the stuff of which a mid-life crisis, an all-too-common malady in our society, is made. Ridiculous, isn't it?

Sons and daughters of God, do not spend your time in worry, but choose to spend your time in the joy of the practice of Jesus' commandments. He gave us three: love God, love our neighbors and love ourselves. These three He ultimately summarized and combined into one: love each other. For when we love each other, we are expressing the ultimate act of love for God because we are doing His work on earth. And when we love each other, we are expressing the ultimate act of love for ourselves in the gift of eternal life with God. This gift is ours to give to ourselves. How? By following, by living Jesus' command. This gift cannot be given; it is a free choice for each one of us; and the only way to obtain the gift is through living Jesus' command, a life of giving love to all we touch, to all we see, to all we experience, unselfishly, not to attain the gift but simply because it is the will of God who is our true Father.

The only way to the Father is through Jesus, through following His command. We know this is so not only because of His teachings but also because of His resurrection. If His resurrection is a lie, then Jesus' teachings and commandments are lies. Since we know in our hearts after we're exposed to His teachings that His teachings are the ultimate truth,

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then it follows that His resurrection also must be true as part of His teachings. One is incomplete without the other. To say His resurrection is not true is to say that God is incomplete or imperfect. Again, we know in our heart of hearts, which is our God-given power of discernment, that God is the one perfect being.

But there are those who demand physical proof. Probably for them no amount of proof would be enough because ultimately God requires faith and trust from us. As a token of love for us, God gave us physical proof of His Son's existence, His life, His death and His resurrection. This physical proof is a photograph taken at the exact instant of Jesus' resurrection. The photograph is known as the Shroud of Turin. Many tests have been conducted on this holy cloth, most conclusive, some inconclusive. For the "doubting Thomases," try to explain how this image of the scarred, battered body of Jesus could have been manufactured by mortals, even with today's technology, two thousand years ago. Also consider the timing of the creation of the image, since it was created by the burst of energy and light from the resurrection of Jesus at the most important moment in the history of mankind. Thereby, the Shroud of Turin is physical evidence not only of Jesus' regaining life but also of the truth of His teachings (New Testament) and the teachings of those who foretold His coming.

There are several books on the Shroud if you should care to study this fascinating subject. To say the reality of the Shroud is impossible is to limit God whose limitless power is beyond all human understanding or contemplation.

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Frontal Body Image of Jesus Christ as revealed by

photography from the Shroud of Turin

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After study, I have accepted on faith that the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus because I accepted, also on faith, Jesus as the Son of God. Logic simply confirms my belief, first in Jesus, since through study of His word I find Him to be both love and truth incarnate. Second, with my faith in Jesus, I find a visual recording of His resurrection totally logical as a simple remembrance of the occasion for the "doubting Thomases," as Jesus did express concern for my namesake in His gospel.

Our life on this earth is like a single tick on the clock in the continuum of time, and we get all caught up in the gluttony of materialism, which can't last beyond this moment. Americans have become famous for their short-term perspective. Does this way of life make us happy? What is happy? We ask, "Where will I be five years from now?" If at the end of the five years we haven't achieved or accumulated enough, we're failures. What if we did achieve our goal? Are we happy? Or empty? And we really don't understand why. What is really important? What is the treasure we can take with us for all eternity? How does God measure us? How should we measure ourselves?

If all our material accomplishments are meaningless to God, which we know to be true, what is important to Him? How does He measure us? Actually, He's quite easy on us. All He cares about is how we treat one another. Not how much we get but how much we give,

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of ourselves, of His gifts to us, to others, to His children. We are all His children, and just as any proud parent, He wants the best for us. But the best is not in this fleeting lifetime. The best is in eternity with Him. Similarly, for those who are parents, we need to realize for each child there exists three parents; for without God as a parent there is no spark of life and humanity, which is His presence at conception. We also need to realize that wanting the best for our children is wanting them to be loving, caring, generous people so they will one day be reunited with us, all three parents, in eternal bliss.

There is a great mystery here that most people don't take the time to see. The long-term perspective and the short-term perspective are one. The action we take now is what is important to God, and that is how He measures our entire lives. Every day we have contact with other people face-to-face, perhaps by telephone, certainly in our thoughts. Every day is loaded with opportunities to serve Him by serving others. These others are all our brothers and sisters, as we all have the same heavenly Father. He sees no class distinctions, no differences in quality among His children. How can we profess to love God if we don't love all of His children and all of His creation? Every time we abuse in thought or action any of His creation, we abuse Him. This is not an expression of love. What good is accomplished by attending church services where we are expressing love for God if we are not living that love in every moment of our lives? How do we start?

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Start by treating everybody just a little bit better than we ordinarily would, making sure we're genuine and unselfish. Though we're doing this to please God, we will experience newness, and others will see us as a new person. We'll like the results.

A second great mystery lies in the fact that it is never too late to change, but change we must; the sooner we change, the greater our rewards in this life before joining God in heaven. Through this change or conversion to His way rather than our way, we choose to be with Him for all eternity. If we are stubborn children and choose the way of man, the way of the world, the way of materialism, the way of get, not give, then we choose against God's way. We choose not to be with Him. We reject Him, and we choose the hell of being without Him.

It has been said, "Knowledge is power." Certainly this is true, for the better informed we are before we attempt any endeavor, the greater our chance for success. But is knowledge the ultimate power, or politics, or brute strength, or wealth? All of these have been possessed and applied down through the ages, and all have ultimately been defeated. No power has proved invincible save one - love! All other sources of power have been defeated by love. Love alone reigns invincible, undefeated, even in contest with the power of death. Understand, however, it reaches perfection, not through having but through giving. In the act of giving love, we break down all barriers, we conquer and consume all opposition for God, for good, for freedom, for happiness.

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I am involved in a movement to bring Christ into the prisons throughout our land. It has been one of the most spiritually rewarding things I have ever done. "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matt. 25:40). Through this dynamic ministry, Satan is being defeated in places that he once dominated. For information, contact Kairos Inc., 140 N. Orlando Ave., Suite 180, Winter Park, FL, 32789-3680; phone (407) 629-4948; www.kairosprisonministry.org.

The action that interests God is love. If we always act out of love - love for God, love for His other children and love for ourselves - then we are acting in accordance with His way. The results of our loving others in thought and action will reward us richly in how we feel about ourselves. We'll be filled with a wonderful sense of peace and contentment. We'll feel the presence of God working in and through us, and we'll experience a sense of harmony with the universe. All fear of the unknown future will vanish, for we know our future is with Him, and we are confident of His love for us as we feel it growing every day. We'll also see those we are loving change for the better. We are tapping into, living and applying the greatest power in existence, the power of love. Nothing can withstand it. It must create good, and though we will see much good come from our love, seeing what we achieve really doesn't matter. The achievements we can leave to God. His yardstick or measure of success is easy. It is simply that we love.

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He doesn't demand that we accept His way in blind faith. He'll allow us to test the water. All we have to do is try His way, His method of living, to realize this is the only way of achieving true happiness. And in the trying, in the testing, in the proving, He also proves His existence to us in the truth of His way and in the very real experience of His presence in our lives.

A final note of caution: Be aware that people who are close to you may talk more against your devotion to God than they did against your past sins. They may relate more to your sins because they too are sinners whether they admit it or not. Those of us who are trying to live according to God's law are rare. We will be condemned as fanatics by those who are lost, even those who are close to us, even our own flesh and blood. This doesnÕt mean our loved ones are bad people, but they are misguided if their thoughts and actions are ruled by society instead of by God. Our devotion may threaten them if they think they would have to sacrifice too much to be like us. In reality, all they would sacrifice is their bondage to sin, thereby attaining true freedom, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Those close to us also will have trouble accepting our transformation as genuine. They knew us as we were. Even Jesus had problems with this in His hometown.

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We suffer when our loved ones ridicule us. We try to influence them to change their ways because we want for them the same happiness and freedom we have found, but they often condemn us more. If we truly love them as God loves us, we'll realize we may be their only chance for eternal bliss. Take heart, stand strong in your faith, for you will not go back no matter what the cost. Remember your bondage. Satan would like to have you back, but stand firm in your resolve. Once you have tasted this freedom, you can never go back to your old ways.

Pray for your loved ones who are now alienated from you. Don't preach to them; don't argue with them; instead, set an example. Continue to use Jesus as your role model. Perhaps with time, they will see your conversion as genuine. Perhaps with time, they will see something desirable in you which they lack. Perhaps with time, you will become their role model.

You will grow from this experience. Every time you do battle with Satan and win, you become stronger and more committed to God's way. Be aware of your continuing transformation and be happy with it. You'll feel as if you're being molded by God for some special purpose, and you are! He does have a special purpose for you, one that is unique to you in His service. Rejoice, hold firm to your course and have faith that He will reveal your calling. Never underestimate Satan, for he will try to derail you. Your best defense is to stay close to God by doing His works, by associating with people who are walking your path, by praying, by being an active and enthusiastic member of your

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church, and by never forgetting the awesome gifts God has showered on you, especially your forty days to freedom.

End of Chapter Eight Prayer

My Lord, my God, thank You for loving me and for setting me free from the slavery of my sins. Help me to remain strong in You by being ever-present with me in my thoughts and actions. Never let me forget that You are the way, the truth, the life and the power over all the universe; for You, my Lord, are Love.

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