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Deployed to the Land of the Living Dead

DEPLOYED TO THE LAND OF THE LIVING DEAD

Mike Cunningham

March 23, 2014, edited 7/18/2014

Picking up where we left off last week, we learn that, upon arriving at St. Patrick’s Place, Matt and Jen were pleasantly surprised when they saw Jesus outside on the patio. He was seated at a triangular table amongst the other joyous diners. Grinning from ear to ear, Jesus waved to the couple indicating that He would like them to join Him.

“Good evening, folks. What brings you here, as if I didn’t already know? Ha Ha!”

“You already know?”

“Of course I do, Matt. You’ve forgotten that I know everything. I know every thought that you will ever have, and every word that you will ever hear, and everything that you will ever do, and every word that you will ever say. Although you realize that I already know everything, you have been able to factor-in that knowledge whenever you and I are having a conversation. With that kind of an adjustment, we’re able to engage in a normal conversation.”

“You know that I’m always thinking about you and looking for ways that I can please you, Jesus. I want to know everything that I possibly can about your divine attributes; attributes such as the fact that you know everything.”

“I’m pleased to hear you say that, Matt. Most of my followers would simply accept the fact that I know everything and let it go at that… but not you! You’re steadfast in your pursuit of digging deeper and deeper into the depths of the Sacred Scriptures in order to obtain biblical knowledge and share it with others whenever I give you an opportunity.”

“I want to be able to have an intelligent conversation with someone who is a sincere seeker of biblical truth. I have an intense burden for the poor lost sinners who are living in the Land of the Living Dead, especially the members of my family and certain folks that you brought into my life. I took your command for Christians to add knowledge to their God given faith seriously, Jesus.”

“I know that you did, Matt, and you still do.”

“I would go so far as to say that Matt’s obsessed by it, Jesus,” Jen said.

“I agree with you, Jen.”

“Matt, you were also quick to acknowledge the fact that I created you with that particular propensity. You continually gave all of the credit to me. You have a teachable spirit, Matt. Of course, you didn’t start your Christian walk having that kind of an attitude. I had to discipline you repeatedly in order to stop things such as know-it-all boasting, arrogance, pride and self-centeredness; I had to continue until I knocked all the wind out of your spiritual sails. That’s when you finally turned around and sincerely tried to follow me.”

“It was very painful at times but I’m glad that you did, Jesus. I needed those wake up calls. Every single one of them! I’m reminded of King David who said, “It was good for me to be afflicted. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your statues. It’s in the 119th Psalm; I used the Living Bible translation whenever I tried to share with folks these wonderful facts about you, and how you dealt with wayward people such as I used to be. In fact, you know how many times I made it my prayer.”

Psalm 119:64-72 (TLB)

64 O Lord, the earth is full of your loving-kindness! Teach me your good paths.

65 Lord, I am overflowing with your blessings, just as you promised.

66 Now teach me good judgment as well as knowledge. For your laws are my guide.

67 I used to wander off until you punished me; now I closely follow all you say.

68 You are good and do only good; make me follow your lead.

69 Proud men have made up lies about me, but the truth is that I obey your laws with all my heart.

70 Their minds are dull and stupid, but I have sense enough to follow you.

71 The punishment you gave me was the best thing that could have happened to me,

72 for it taught me to pay attention to your laws. They are more valuable to me than millions in silver and gold!

“I loved hearing you pray like that, Matt. Incidentally, I was delighted by how you and Jen and your pet friends enthusiastically sang Stand up, Stand up For Jesus on your way to this restaurant. It’s one of my favorite hymns. May I assume that you’re eager to accept my assignment and be deployed to the Land of The Living Dead?”

“Yes I am.”

“The last time we spoke about the possibility of you returning, you, Jen and I agreed that you should start by attempting to persuade the presently unsaved members of your family and other folks who are near and dear to you, to accept my free gift of forgiveness for their sins.”

“That’s correct, Jesus.”

“In order to fully equip you for that mission I want to remind you of some important facts. I not only know all things, but I am present everywhere. For example, I’m present in Heaven right now with you and everyone else that lives here, and I’m present with all of the folks who live in the world. The bottom line is that I’m present everywhere on the Earth as well as in the infinite universe. Do you remember how the Prophet Jeremiah asked me a question and the answer that I gave him?”

“I sure do, Jesus. This is what you said.

Jeremiah 23:24 (NIV)

24 Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

“I can’t tell you how many times I read that mind-boggling fact. I would loved to have been present when the Apostle Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and told the men of Athens that,

Acts 17:28 (MSG)

28 We live and move in him, can’t get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We’re the God-created.’

“We human beings tend to forget that you’re actually an invisible Spirit. Christians have sung and acknowledged this wonderful awesome fact countless times throughout the years,

“…You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart.”

“That’s another one of my favorite hymns, Matt. I love hearing my followers sing it.”

“Not only are human beings sustained by you, Jesus but so is every creature throughout the entire universe. Of course, virtually every one of them is clueless of this fact. I know that I certainly was until you revealed this fact to me through the Bible. The Psalmist expressed it perfectly.

Psalm 36:6-9 (TLB)

6 Your justice is as solid as God’s mountains. Your decisions are as full of wisdom as the oceans are with water. You are concerned for men and animals alike.

7 How precious is your constant love, O God! All humanity takes refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 You feed them with blessings from your own table and let them drink from your rivers of delight.

9 For you are the Fountain of life; our light is from your light.

“Don’t forget what I told the writer to the Hebrew Christians to say, Matt.”

“I’ll never forget it, Jesus. Whenever I was alone reading my Bible and meditating on it, the following words caused me to literally shed tears of joy:”

Hebrews 1:1-3 (TLB)

1 Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets [in visions, dreams, and even face to face], telling them little by little about his plans.

2 But now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything and through whom he made the world and everything there is.

3 God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor beside the great God of heaven.

“I know that those words brought tears to your eyes, Matt. And your tears also brought them to mine.”

“Jesus, I’m looking forward to telling King David how you used him to bless me and countless other people throughout the century’s when he wrote,

Psalm 139:2-18 (MSG)

2 I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

3 You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.

4 You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.

5 I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going.

6 This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!

7 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?

8 If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there!

9 If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon,

10 You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting!

11 Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!”

12 It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

13 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.

14 I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!

15 You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

16 Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

17 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful! God, I’ll never comprehend them!

18 I couldn’t even begin to count them— any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

“I’m glad that you taught me the following awesome facts, Jesus.

Psalm 10:1 (TLB)

1 Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?

Proverbs 15:29 (TLB)

29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.

1 Samuel 16:14 (TLB)

14 But the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and instead, the Lord had sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

“You sure are everywhere, Jesus, and I’ll always be grateful. I love meditating on these scriptures.

Exodus 24:15-16 (NIV)

15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,

16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.

“I can still recall looking for and finding a quiet place,somewhere where I could read and meditate on what Moses wrote concerning one of the several times that you left Heaven and came down to Planet Earth.”

Genesis 11:5 (NIV)

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

“I learned that your spirit is present with every human being, but in various ways. For example, you’re here with me in Heaven in all of your glory and at the same time you’re also present in Hell executing justice.”

“Matt, you’re almost ready to be deployed to The Land Of The Living Dead. Whenever I give you an opportunity, please remind folks and help them to understand that I’m an invisible Spirit who is everywhere and that I love them very much. Please share the good news that:

1 John 4:15 (NIV)

15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

Lord willing, next week….

 

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March 23, 2014 Posted by Categories: Stories 4 comments

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