The Perfect Ones

A terrible danger today is for Christians—the ones made new, holy, blameless and radiant, and who are right now the happy homes of God Almighty—to listen to a speaker who does not see them the way God has made them in Christ, but who sees them only in the disguised and lowly appearances of this world.  What they hear from the speaker will be worldly, flesh-to-flesh. And confusion, although cloaked in bright lights and smiling faces, will produce frustration and disillusionment.

If, on the other hand, that speaker recognizes them and is at all impressed by the perfect royalty they are, he is going to talk about it.  They can be confident and expectant that what they hear will invigorate who they are—Spirit-born majesty.  That’s the point of getting together!  And when we meet in faith like that—about God and about each other—that’s how the world is helped.

“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28

UK Perfect!

Here’s a happy man telling us that my book has arrived in England!

Did you know that ‘Life According to Perfect’ is now available throughout the United Kingdom (Amazon.co.uk), all across Europe (Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, Amazon.es) and Canada (Amazon.ca), and today it’s available in Mexico (Amazon.com.mx), Australia (Amazon.com.au), Brazil (Amazon.com.br), India (Amazon.in) and Japan (Amazon.co.jp)? It is! If you’ve got people who would love the story of how Perfect God is with them, share this or give ‘em a shout-out. And yes, it continues to be a #1 best-selling New Release! Thank you.

For those in the US, click: https://tinyurl.com/yamoj77a

Perfect is How God is with You

God is Perfect with you, and His love for you will never be “if” and “then.” In other words, “If you do right, Ralph Harris, then I will love you.” It won’t ever be like that. God’s love is always “because” and “therefore.” It’s like this: “Because I love, therefore I sent my Son, therefore I gave, and therefore I keep giving.” God keeps you in love and offers perfect grace to you every day, at all times, like it or not, embrace it or turn away, fail or succeed. It will not deter Him, and it will not change Him. Perfect is how God is, and it is how He is with you.
(For more about Perfect, get my new book, ‘Life According to Perfect’ on Amazon! Click: https://tinyurl.com/yamoj77a)

#1 Best-Seller!

Okay, this is wonderful. My new book is a #1 New Release Best-Seller! I am deeply thankful to so many people who are making that happen! My goodness.

Click the link to get your copy: https://tinyurl.com/yamoj77a

Life According to Perfect

While alone in a mountain cabin 10 years ago, God brought to me the story idea of Jesus coming to live in a boy, who then discovers how good real life is—a story that would speak without theological jargon to people of all ages—an allegory, so each reader could get what God wants for each. That vision and work is today fulfilled.

My new book, Life According to Perfect, is now available on Amazon. I feel a little like the apostle Paul, in that I’m “being poured out” on this, and that I have “fought the good fight, I have finished the race” for this part of my ministry (2 Timothy 4:6-8). You must know that I am all-kinds of emotional as I offer it to you.

https://tinyurl.com/yamoj77a

If you share in the joy of this story, would you write a brief recommendation for it on Amazon? That will help spread its message a lot, and that’s important. Would you share about the book in any way you can? I’ll do the best I can to get the word out, but you can really help.

New Book!

My new book, "Life According to Perfect," goes on sale next week!

Work Again

When we seem to be without works, our first response is not to works but to get some gospel. God knows how the gospel works, and increasingly we do too.

I have been through seasons where my Bible reading was waaay less than I wanted—which was a good want. I don’t read my Bible because I have to, but because I love it. I love what happens to me in the process. However, I found that there are other ways of getting the gospel I love, like talking out loud to God; thinking thoughts toward Him and offering clear pauses in which I listen for Him to respond; playing meaningful music loudly that captures my attention; saying something truly sarcastic and “anti-gospel”—for example, “God is not going to forgive me for that, because He’s mad at me!” That gets me going! That gets me re-thinking.

Any way by which to “sow to the Spirit” and reap His life in me—the life of Christ that He happily produces—is a good thing and a happy work of expectant faith. I’m revived, and I work again.

Obedience

Google Me?

Have you ever Googled yourself? Using only my name for a search parameter, a few years ago I combed through twenty five pages of Ralph-the-comedian, Ralph-the-barrister, and Ralph-the-recently-deceased before giving up on myself. But this year, there I am—top of page three, #20 out of a possible 12,800,000. Could #1 be far off? Ooooh. Like a rocket, I'm on my way to the top of the Ralph Harris heap.

This morning I felt like God drew me out of all the chaos and confusion of this world—like He personally Googled me. It felt like Google Earth, where the view on your monitor can take you from England to Colorado in about a second. Whoosh! Out of the teeming masses I was drawn to be alone with God, and immediately I felt my fit with Him. I knew I belonged.

I don’t know how He does that, but I’m delightfully glad He does.

I was newly reminded that in the midst of a ruined world filled with tragedy and turmoil, God is making for Himself a perfect bride—you and me. And I suppose that from His perspective (and that would be the right one), the church of the redeemed must look astonishing against the backdrop of madness and imperfection.

But I often get lost and caught up in the smallness of my view. That seems particularly easy right now when the usual noisy stuff of this world has been joined by all the political noisiness and nonsense. There is so much clamoring for my attention! So my need of God, who carries on with the sovereign plan for His glory, increases. When He Googles me, I can see what He sees, and I am stunned all over again.

When one day God Googles us for real, we will exchange perishable for imperishable, mortal for immortal, and we will be like Him. Raised in glory, when we cross over we will be like Him—and not a single angel will be surprised, having been looking at us for a long, long time already. (1 Corinthians 15:42-56; Ephesians 1:3-10)

My prayer: “Father, way to go! Glory to you! Google me again tomorrow?”

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24-25 NIV).

His Three Days Were Our Three Days

Today we're celebrating that we are well because of the will of the Father and the successful giving and rescuing acts of Jesus Christ. It is finished! And we live in grace and peace with God.

As we were brought into Him at the cross (Romans 6:1-11), so we were in Him in His resurrection. His three days were our three days. When He was crucified, we were crucified. When He was buried, we were buried. When He was raised, we were raised. We're new. We’re secure. We’re in Him and He is in us.

“Made like Him, like Him we rise! Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies! Alleluia!”

He is Risen! And in Him, so are we!

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6-7

For always and forever, we will be the evidence of His stunning love and ability. Isn’t that fantastic?

If that's what we'll be throughout the ages, we might as well start getting used to it now—don't you think?

Happy Easter!