Finding Glory: Evening Morning and Noon

By John Michael Ogle

This book is intended to enlighten and encourage those who need the balance in their daily lives to figure out why they have not been able to move forward and deeper with their Christian life. This book will point the way to having joy each day and how to maintain it. A companion for those who are serious about their commitment to Jesus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490824376

John Michael Ogle

John has now walked with Jesus for forty years and has been writing mostly poetry since 1967. He was raised Roman Catholic, attending Catholic grade school and public high school in New Jersey. He played baseball, basketball, and has continued to be a runner since he was fifteen.

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Copyright © 2014 John Michael Ogle.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. The Living Bible, TLB, and the The Living Bible logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-2436-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2435-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-2437-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014901613

WestBow Press rev. date: 1/24/2014

Contents

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Day 30

Day 31

Day 32

Day 33

Day 34

Day 35

Day 36

Day 37

Day 38

Day 39

Day 40

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Day 48

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Day 50

Day 51

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Day 53

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Day 365

Though all of us come from different backgrounds, we share a human nature, that has some differences outwardly, but we are all same at our roots, our core. Those roots of our human nature, is our soul. This book will consistently point to that end. This book will be helpful, for anyone and everyone, if they are sincere in ending the deception, the frustration, and shame, that we all have, and face. We have been created for a purpose, and finding that purpose is the intent of this book. I have connected all the dots for you, but you need to see them, and desire to complete your own personal mission. I hope you do. Being overweight and completely out of shape seems an appropriate view, of who we are without knowing Jesus fully. Hence, we cannot imagine how wonderful it could be, to fully dwell in God’s Presence! This book will help you get there. It will help you connect the dots, to eliminate that shameful predisposition that has been a didactic thorn in our flesh. We have all lived with the collateral residual affects of sin, which Jesus Christ came to abolish and give us a freedom that, it seems, many are still lacking. With more and more dependency of medications of all kinds, there is an urgent need for God’s Holy Spirit, and truth in our lives. Having God’s glory within us, evening and morning and noon, is paramount to our survival. I hope you find it, embrace it, and live it constantly. If you do, it will become, not only the life you’ve always wanted, but the entrance to the eternity we all seek. Praise Him forever! Read and look up the scripture. Converse with Jesus all the time. Be consumed with him! That’s what being In Christ really means. Start living your life by God’s power instead of your own. Seek out, not only his purpose in your life here, but his anointing as well. If you stay in him, you should have depression and those dull and uninspired days defeated. Learn to choose every good path!

All scripture used is from the New International Version (NIV) accept where noted.

Day 1

Who am I? What is my life, and living here on planet earth, all about?

Why is figuring it all out so difficult? Perhaps it’s like fully understanding the Tax Code or Health Care. Somewhere buried on page 5,286, there’s an answer for us. Or, perhaps, it’s found in Genesis 1:27 and 31.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He created them.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.

I once wore a tee-shirt that said– Very natural- Very Italian and Very Good –

I suppose the very good means just that, Very Good!!! God made us very good and he made everything very good. All of us were, and still are, supposed to be very good. But we haven’t been for a very long time and consequently we are suffering for that. When Eve bought into that first deception nothing has been the same.

That was indeed a long time ago, as was Genesis 2:7– The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and BREATHED into his nostrils the BREATH of LIFE.

That sounds up close and personal and it is, and it’s also the basis for the meaning behind why adultery is wrong and why having a marriage stay together is right, but all of that is for later. We can’t see ourselves as looking like God’s image. So how can we believe that? Are we deluding ourselves or are we being deluded? Will Quantum physics find the particle to help us know what is already in our souls?

John 14:6– Jesus answered, I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, is it really that simple? That Jesus is the answer to finding our connection to God, and finding God, and having the real and good life? I can understand why that might be a hard pill to swallow. Nothing in this life of ours, here on planet earth, is that simple. In a world of micro-organisms and splitting atoms and weather and moods, how can some man show up and make these claims? Let alone that it was over two thousand years ago that He was here. Did Babe Ruth really hit all those home runs back in the 1920’s and 1930’s? There are still some people around who lived in those days, yet I wasn’t there. We do have a written record of many events over the last 100 or so years. Is 2,000 years a stretch? One fact that cannot be disputed is that His name is still around and it causes either much joy or distress in people. There’s something to be said about that. Why do you think even His name brings a reaction?

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Only in and through God can this happen).

Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (Being in his Presence is key).

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12. (real and true joy is something we could all use everyday and God is offering that. Do you want it?)

Day 2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

In Him was LIFE, and that LIFE was the LIGHT of men.

The LIGHT shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5.

He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over ALL creation. For by Him ALL things were created: Colossians 1:15-16.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17.

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. KJV

He was before all else began and it is his power that holds everything together. N LB

The Word is Jesus! The Light is Jesus! The Way is Jesus! The life is Jesus! He was with God in the beginning as God spoke Jesus, His Son, into us and made us a living being. That’s interesting to say the least, because the name of Jesus is hated worldwide. Yet, He is in the DNA of our soul and he holds us together physically.

It is all about relationship!

If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31-32.

What do we need to be set free from? Start to think about that? What do you need to be set free from? It would be helpful to start listing those things. Remember, only about you and what’s inside of you, is what Jesus came for. You may begin to notice that there are many ifs that Jesus has given to us. That means we have a choice. We can choose to follow and obey him or not to. Many people do not go soul searching. If they would, they would find out who they really are, and that might help them find the only answers that they really need.

O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for Thee. Be Thou their strength every morning, our salvation also in in the time of distress. Isaiah 33:2 NAS

Day 3

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. John 6:63.

The Holy Spirit gives us the life we have and the life we really need to live and we actually can do nothing that inherits eternal life without the Holy Spirit. You see, the sun rises each day as a sign of God’s glory and faithfulness and we have nothing to do with that. Without the breath of life that God has given to each of us, we are completely depending on him for every aspect of our living. You might think that you independently got dressed today, put it was only through the breath of life that gave you the strength to do so. Don’t get hung up with the different levels of gifts that God has given to each individual, the bottom line is that we have had no input or strength in the sunrise today. Think long and hard about that because you just might start to see the rest of the picture.

As a unit of people, worldwide, we have advanced tremendously in so many areas of living. We, as a human race, are quick to take credit for these advancements. That points to us making it on our own. God, if he is real, is not involved to a majority of these people. Humankind as advanced us. Do you have a need, we have a solution. The problem with these advancements is that, it has caused a larger gap towards our needing and depending on God for anything. Though ultimately, that is the furthest thing from the real truth, it has added to the mirage. God has been great at staying out of sight. You’ve heard of out of sight, out of mind. That certainly seems to be God’s plan here, in part. In our purely physical nature, we could not handle the sight of God. So, on the one hand, he’s doing us a favor. On the other hand, he’s looking to see who will search for him. He has planted his Holy Spirit in the DNA of our soul. Very few people, even many who have hit rock bottom, refuse to go searching there. God is always around, being very patient with all of us.

Day 4

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. Colossians 2:2-4.

It really is available. It doesn’t have to be a mystery any more. Don’t you want that? Do you realize that we live in a world that is completely engulfed in a Ponzi scheme of fine sounding arguments? We do not want to remember our faults but we do have our complaints. We want to insulate ourselves from God’s reality, so that we do not have to be brutally honest. Diversions and ADHD fit nicely into our world of multitasking. That’s what God is dealing with. We have been working hard at keeping him away. We have found unexpected and instant benefits with unethical behavior. The more people suppress God and his truth, the deeper the delusion. That’s why so many Christians today do not believe that we can have all the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge. God’s design was faultless. The perfect prototype. Yet, today, we of this world, have elevated our excellence of knowledge beyond all the generations of history. Instead of striving for a more greater purity, we’ve gone chasing to dissect the spatial curricula, to understand dialectic cognitive behaviors, while all along mood disorders, co-addictions, and side effects to all medications, have us in a desultory cruise to nowhere. Why? Sin has been replaced like God has been replaced. We have become independent of God. We wish to succeed on our own, both individually and corporately. If we were to remove In God We Trust from our currency, it would be the last straw. The answers lie within the context of relationship. Without relationship, we have a continually growing of symptoms branching out from the root cause. We’ve elected to deal with the symptoms. We’ve come up with plenty of excuses to cloud and mask the Ponzi scheme. None of it is working. People continue to try all the new ideas, from plastic surgery to more of this and that. Yes! The answer is simply, more of Jesus! We’ve gone to the moon, have made many medical advancements, but none of them within themselves are enough. When Jesus said, the water I give you, you will never thirst… Wow! Was he kidding? Or have you yet to explore that for your self? So, today, as you watch everything that is going on around you in this world, the wacky behaviors of individuals and groups wanting acceptance. The wars for political and corporate gain. Think about how absent Jesus is in the middle of any one of those scenes. Then remember the verse that started this day. Be encouraged in heart and united in love. In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Day 5

Each day seems to come automatically, as if it always has and always will. So, what’s the difference if we concentrate on everything else to get by. It seems that my dysfunction, my shame, is worse than what most people have going on, yet through the media, I see so many involved in just crazy behavior making millions of dollars. Why and how have people positioned themselves for that fame and glory? I’ve heard people ask the question, Is this all there is? We all just seem to come and go and trying to make it, whatever make it means, and end up with all kinds of physical /mental challenges. More and more people are losing their way, succumbing to psychiatric delusion. It is becoming increasingly clear. More and more people are assisted by being on medications and it’s become standard practice. It reminds me of the Psychiatric Hotline joke– If you are obsessive – compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly. If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2. If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5 and 6. If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press. If you are manic-depressive, it doesn’t matter which number you press. If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10.

(Perhaps you do not feel you have the fullness of God because you are not fully in Christ?). Be honest with yourself. If you know that you do not have God’s fullness, his power and anointing in your life, are you willing to get serious about going towards all of that? Today would be a great time to start. Sometimes we all just need to kick ourselves to get serious. Deep inside we know that everything about this world just isn’t cutting it.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and MAY PLEASE Him in EVERY WAY: Bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with ALL POWER according to His glorious might so that you might have great ENDURANCE and PATIENCE, and JOYFULLY giving THANKS to the Father, who has QUALIFIED you to share in the INHERITANCE of the saints in the kingdom of LIGHT. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14. (Do you go about your day thinking about pleasing God with everything you do?)

Day 6

We all have challenges living in this world as Christians. Some young ladies get married and then can’t conceive. They internalize, thinking that maybe it’s them or their mate, and they feel like their prayers are hitting a ceiling. God has done us all a wonderful favor staying invisible. We need to prove ourselves to Him. He has in so many ways already proven Himself to us. He is not an absentee God. He remains constantly involved in our lives individually and within the universe corporately. God continues to expand the universe and deepen the atom particle. So, when we hit a wall, or speak to a low ceiling, what is our next decision? Remember, the Word of God is no longer a mystery. It is in fact, Jesus, alive and real for anyone wishing to seek Him. Yet, for us who claim to know and love Him, the question comes within each dilemma we face, how well do we know Him? It is exactly what God the Father is waiting for. Our decisions based on where our hearts are at, and how we will implement all of that. God does not operate within blue light specials, those buy now in the next 30 seconds sales. He lives in eternity and has all the time in the world. It is we who feel like we don’t have enough time. That kind of pressure tells us something about how well we know Him or don’t know Him. The other measure that we have are the fruits of the Spirit. So, whether your desire is having a baby or you’ve become recently divorced, both fit being measured against the fruits of the Spirit. God is involved whether we feel Him or not. If we understand His Word, we would be humbled and thankful all the time. He knows what we need and certainly what is best for us. We should only be in a state of wonder and praise constantly. But do you want it? Until we fully immerse ourselves in him, he cannot use us. God has something to prove to the rest of the people of this world and He’d like to use you to prove it. Are you keeping yourself in position, in your growing, to be ready for God to use you one day. You need patience to grow. It’s a lot like being on the Taxi Squad of a football team. These players want to be on the main roster but they are not considered good enough. They are waiting for their chance to be called up. In the mean time, they keep practicing. They are hopeful that they will get their chance. Most everything we’re involved in will require patience.

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

Day 7

There seems to be much confusion within the minds of many Christians both initially, and even with some who are far along, as to why they are not growing. Far too many Christians have become strictly intellectual in their relationship with Jesus. Consequently, as the years go forward, they develop a rut that ruins their growth process. Reading the Bible is great and needed, but you need to hear also.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but