Ode to the Complete Victory!
Didn't you know? It's in the news - the Good News, that is!
Check out the NET Bible's telling of it in Romans 8:37:
"In all these things we have complete victory through Him who loved us!"
But we don't always act like it, do we?
Do we not believe it?
Yesterday, Good Morning Girls led a study on Psalm 139, focusing on vs. 7-10 (my blog for that amazing study is here).
During that study, God really brought my attention (again) to the fact that we are terribly inclined to have it all backwards in our thinking (We need that 'renewing of the mind' thing happening way more than we think, huh?). So often, we try to run and hide from God when He is seeking our good. We forget at such times that God is love..... That we are loved! What a thing to forget! But we do....., well, I do anyway.....
Now, here today, the next Good Morning Girls in this series, "You Are Loved," is pointing out another thing we often lose track of: We have complete victory....... through Him who loved us!
Now, have we forgotten just the victory, or have we also forgotten that:
We are loved!?
From my own experience, I'd have to admit that when I've forgotten that We Have Complete Victory, it is because I don't feel one bit loved.
At such times, MacLaren's commentary on Romans 8:19 seems to explain and/or describe my life so well:
"There is always a difference between appearance and reality, between the ideal and its embodiments. For all men it is true that the full expression of oneself is impossible. Each man's deeds fall short of disclosing the essential self in the man. Every will is hampered by the fleshly screen of the body. "I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts that arise in me,' is the yearning of every heart that is deeply moved. Contending principles successively sway every personality and thwart each other's expression. For these, and many other reasons, the sum-total of every life is but a shrouded representation of the man who lives it; and we, all of us, after all efforts at self-revelation, remain mysteries to our fellows and to ourselves. All this is eminently true of the sons of God. They have a life-germ hidden in their souls, which in its very nature is destined to fill and expand their whole being, and to permeate with its triumphant energy every corner of their nature. But it is weak and often overborne by its opposite. The seed sown is to grow in spite of bad weather and a poor soil and many weeds, and though it is destined to overcome all these, it may to-day only be able to show on the surface a little patch of pale and struggling growth. When we think of the cost at which the life of Christ was imparted to men, and of the divine source from which it comes, and of the sedulous and protracted discipline through which it is being trained, we cannot but conclude that nothing short of its universal dominion over all the faculties of its imperfect possessors can be the goal of its working. Hercules in his cradle is still Hercules, and strangles snakes. Frost and sun may struggle in midwinter, and the cold may seem to predominate, but the sun is steadily enlarging its course in the sky, and increasing the fervour of its beams, and midsummer day is as sure to dawn as the shortest day was."
On the coldest of nights, the sun doesn't convince me that it will be warm soon, if at all. Really, I'm rather inclined to overcome most of my natural fears, but I am inordinantly fearful of the cold. When I am warm, I shake my head at the thought, but when I have occasionally found myself so cold that I couldn't warm myself up, and I had no immediate hope of help in becoming warm, I trembled from more than the cold.
Where is my faith at such moments?
Where is my faith when the chaos of life threatens the peace of not only my life, but the peace of those whom I love dearly? At such times, I do find my *confidence* anchored on the rock - *sometimes*, but not always.
Ode to the next question:
When not - - - - why not?
Does the rock change between times of faith and times of doubt! No!
Does His love change? Never!
Does the fact of His victory change? Absolutely not!
But sometimes I do forget that He Is Love, and that I Am Loved - simply because I am His......., and all because I am not busy *seeing the unseen victory*.
......... *sigh*.............
So what is lacking?
Well, let's read on: Romans 8:38 says... what?
"For I am convinced!"........
Ah....... there it is then....... I am not as convinced as I ought to be.
Convinced of what?
Convinced of His invincible love!
May I rest in His love. May I rest in the convincing testimony of His love. May I rest in the victory which His love affords.
And then will I perhaps better remember that we have:
Complete Victory - ........ because of that deep, deep, eternal, boundless love of God!
.........
Sure enough, in his commentary on Romans 8:37, MacLaren calls all of the challenges which we face not only the 'heterogenous mass (which) the Apostle brigades here together,' but more importantly, he also calls them 'the impotent enemies of love.'
It is important to note that it is not our love that makes our enemies' efforts 'impotent'. Our love is not steady enough for any such victory.
It is only the unchangeable, immutable, eternal, infinite love of God in Christ Jesus that can vanquish all of our foes. But vanquish them all it will, and Paul's confidence should be our goal.
Such is the calling of the love of God. And yes....... beloved:
You are so loved!
.........
So, if we have complete victory, might we merely scoff at our enemies and foes?
Certainly not! We must oppose them with soberness of spirit, filled with God's love.
With that kind of love, we can hold out hope for the lost and dying, for the suffering and afflicted, for those who do not yet realize that there is any such thing as real hope in the midst of even the most horrid suffering.
Can we find such love in our hearts?
Absolutely!
Because that love comes from an eternal well of love.
That love comes from an eternal God of love.
And that love of His surrounds us, and fills us more than we know.
We must simply remember it and stand upon it - the love of the living rock which was broken - the love of the living rock which poured forth water for all those called by Him into the wilderness - the love of the living rock which provided more than enough life for everyone when death seemed to be the only result of a wilderness calling.
Wilderness calling or no.......
You are so loved!
Convinced you ought to be! But convinced or not.........
You are so very, very, very, very, very, very much ......... loved!
Now may we share the light & life - yes, the love that He calls on us to share - so that others can become convinced that they are also loved........
So that together with them, we will have Complete Victory......
In Him!
...............
S. - Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principlaities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
O. - O my soul! Look closely! It might only be seen through a glass darkly, but it is there!
Complete Victory! through Him who loved us! There might well be tears in times of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, attacks, concerns about tomorrow, the hate of others....... and whatever else there might be which this does not readily sum up, but which can bring turmoil into life in this world.
But neither smiles, nor dry eyes, nor even tears are the measure of my faith.
So there it is: Tears or no tears, I am loved! And I am *the beloved* of the Victor who will win Complete Victory for His glory, for His Father's glory, ........ and to share ....... yes, to share ...... with us.....
His beloved.
Oh my soul!
You are so loved!
When the distresses of life come, even when the worst of wilderness walking comes, and death is looming for lack of necessities, we only need to look to the Rock of our Salvation! Yes, look! Look to the lover of my soul! He has more than the necessities of life for us! He is the Rock split in the wilderness, pouring forth living water! He is the one who *died* to share glory with *you* - oh my soul!
Oh my soul! Don't you see it yet? Don't you feel it yet?
Oh my soul! Say it over and over again!
You, oh my soul, are so loved!
It's not just the incorruptible spirit He provided for you, oh my soul, that is sooooo loved......
You, - yes, ..... you ...... oh my soul, are so loved!
A. - It's time to grow in soul keeping. It's time to focus less on self, and more on being a keeper of my soul.
And the power to do that well? It's the unstoppable power of the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Do more of that soul talking, o my soul, and remind yourself, o my soul,
That you are so loved!
P. - Our Father, You are so great and so powerful that the fallen angels shudder with fear. Who am I to call you Father? Yet You have said that I have no need to fear, because You have called me daughter. You have said I am Yours, and You love .... me.....
When it comes to the bully down the street, or even the bully in the heart of Satan himself, I have no need to fear, because you have promised to take care of me, and you can do all of that, because you, my Father, - my papa, - are bigger, better, stronger, wiser, and what's more, as if that isn't wonderful enough all by itself - - - you won't get too old for any and/or all of the bullies in the whole universe and beyond! Your love, power, and wisdom are eternal. They all last forever, so my confidence in your protection and love will last forever too. Hallelujah! Thank you for the peace that such confidence provides. Please, dear God, help me to stand in that confidence so that your name, El Shaddai, Almighty God, might be glorified in my life.
Though I don't deserve your love, you have called me to stand confidently in faith, letting your love and light shine through me. Let that life and light shine clearly for others (believers and unbelievers) so they can rejoice with me and stand confidently in the power of your love and grace too - establishing the kingdom of heaven more boldly here on earth. If there is anyone here today who does not know you, Father God, help them to know that as you have been pursuing them, you are seeking Complete Victory for them. Help them hear you say, "You are so loved!"
Thank you for this joyous banquet! Help me to rejoice in each portion of each course which you have prepared for me, and help me to draw all of the nourishment from it that you mean for me to receive - that I may grow more in your wisdom and love and be prepared for every good work.
Lord, you know that in my life, there have been times when I did not put faith in your complete victory, and that without faith, I walked in sin. Thank you for Jesus' forgiveness for those sins. I trust His forgiveness and am grateful for it. But Lord, I just have to say to you that I am so sorry that I grieved your spirit. It breaks my heart to have grieved you. I know I need to press on, forgetting the past, and I need you to help me do that - but on the way by, I just have to say I'm sorry. Nothing I could ever say or do could ever be enough, which is why I so desperately need Jesus, but I just have to say it sometimes anyway...... Help me to both walk in your forgiveness and walk in your truth - in faith. Help me also to forgive others whose lack of faith has brought sin into their lives which brought hard consequences into my/their lives - and help me to have compassion for their slipping, as I need compassion for my own.
And Lord, help me (us) to walk in the paths of righteousness *today* - protecting us in your glorious kingdom through the whole day, for yours is the glory of the Complete Victory of Infinite and Eternal Love. May it establish your kingdom soon....... oh, so very soon........
Amen.
Wk 1: Day 3's study can be found here.
.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
He Calls Us Beloved: Psalm 139, esp. vs. 7-10, Wk 1: Monday
How can it be?
How is it that the great creator, the God of redemption, the God of love...... knows me and loves me - and lifts me up from a vile, fallen creature -- to a redeemed and beloved daughter. Wonder of wonders. Miracle of miracles.
He created us, beloved. We walked away from Him, then ran further, ran, and then hid..... hiding for shame.
Yet He seeks to restore us!
We are so beloved that He seeks to restore even us....... No matter how hard we run, no matter where we hide....... His love still seeks our hearts with His own. His love still seeks your heart every day, every moment, everywhere you find yourself......
You are so loved.
......
Bereshit bara Elohim! In the beginning God created........ The great designer created inestimable detail throughout His creation. His glorious, created design bespeaks His praise.
Yet that is not all! His glorious, created design is something He naturally desires to bless. He blessed it time and time again as He was designing and creating it all (Genesis 1). And though we ran from Him, and though we still try to hide from Him, He still desires to bless us...... starting with forgiving, healing, nurturing, and then rejoicing in and with us.
You are so loved!
The great designer knows every detail of everything He created - He would never forget a single detail, because He loves us.
You are so loved!
He even knows what is broken and how to fix it.... But knowing how was not enough for Him because of HIs love for us. Yes, beloved, He has done all to heal us so that He can bring us into a new path which He has prepared for us, a new path in which we can again seek to walk with Him moment by moment, just as He has been seeking us, knowing where we are, moment by moment; just as He is still seeking us, knowing where we are moment by moment......
You are so loved!
All we need to do to receive His healing, and return to His love, and walk with Him as He designed us to, is to accept His healing and His love and follow Him.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And do not forget: You are so loved!
Each design from the beginning was an expression of His glory - but why??? Was that some vanity tour He took? May it never be!..... Rather: He took His glory and expressed it in such thoughtful and loving ways that He could share everything He has with all of His creation - especially with mankind.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And do not forget: You are so loved!
Certainly, God designed the perfect world even for sparrows. Though the fall of man brought trouble into the sparrow's paradise, even still, the sparrow rejoices in the glorious wonders which God designed for him to enjoy - these special blessings which God designed into the heavens, the sunshine, the rivers and lakes, the valleys and mountains all bedecked with waving flora. Certainly the sparrow rejoices in the breeze while in flight, with the fluttering limbs as he rests in the trees, and with his own trills, calls, and songs throughout the day. Most certainly, then, the sparrow is often filled with so much wonder that he cannot hold in his joy, but sings his melodies. And when he sings his joyous songs, is he not also sharing the wondrously designed voice which God bestowed upon him....., sharing it with a whole world around him...., bringing delight to all who hear.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And praise His name, for: You are so loved!
All this brings God's glory into a realm which we can enjoy, share, and yes, witness in wonder.
Praise His name, for: You are so loved!
Our sparrow friend cannot sing alone often, though. The trees and rivers join in, clapping their hands, while the mountains join in song (Is. 55:12, Psalm 98:8).
We ought also to join in with each other and with all creation to sing His praise!
Praise His name, for: You are so loved!
.......
The design He used when He created mankind included not only this ability to revel in the glory of God and witness His wonder through it, but He also included a special capacity for fellowship with Him and with others.
Even though I am a fallen creature, He still sees that in me which is made in His image (Genesis 9:6).
Even though, as a fallen creature, like my sister Eve with her husband Adam, I am inclined to run and hide from Him because of the grief and pain of my shame (Genesis 3:10)..... yet He seeks out my heart - calling to my heart along the way, knowing each step, each thought, each breath that I take..... And all the while, He is busy providing a way to come back to Him - to stop running, to stop hiding, to rest in Him, to rejoice in the glory He has designed into all things He desires for us to share with Him and with each other..... (I John 1:3).
Yes, God expressed His glory in ways to share with us...... And when we brought pain to His heart......
God expressed His forgiveness in an amazing way then too - - - to share even His forgiveness with us as well..... - - - to share even His love and forgiveness with you....
Praise Him for His loving kindness! For: You are so loved.......
May we never forget it!
May we receive it!
May we rejoice, joining our voices together, clapping our hands together, rejoicing together, rejoicing before Him......... rejoicing that He said to each and every one of us....
You are so loved.........
...............
S - Psalm 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
O - Like my sister Eve and her husband Adam, I have been inclined to run and hide from God because He is the God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13)...., and........ do I really want the God Who Sees Me to see my sin? But God has been seeking me - - - for my good. God in His love understood my fear (Genesis 4:10), so He provided Jesus' sacrifice (Genesis 22:8, 14), so my (our) sin can be forgotten forever, never to be remembered again - - - so we can walk with Him in peace again. We are so loved! I am so loved! You are so loved!
In my ignorance and/or pride, I sometimes still run and *try* to hide from God even after having received His forgiveness. At those times, I run and hide, feeling very foolish for not walking in faith. But God's *heart* keeps searching for even my heart (as He does for all of us), *Because* He loves me, because He loves us, and wants to heal me (us) from the pain that occurs when standing in faith turns out to be an *after* thought. Yes, He *seeks* to nurture us and to bring us back into such a close relationship with Him again, that we will walk in faith with Him (and each other) again - instead of playing a sad and heavy version of hide and seek.
After I finally found peace with God through salvation, sometimes, I have still found myself slipping, and sometimes I haven't even known what I *should-have-done*. I still wanted to run and hide, but He always sought me out in love - helping me to grow along the path. In time, I have grown in hindsight (still growing), then mid-sight, then I began to learn to avoid more and more slippery spots. But only because He never let me remain hidden away, hiding from Him for the shame He already died for.
Now, sometimes the challenges are harder..... (or they seem like it to me?.....). The process continues - and He is *always* faithful to find me.
Now when I slip, and sometimes even fall, I might struggle with a desire to hide, but more and more, I trust His voice, reminding me to watch for a time *soon* when I can seek healing with those I might have hurt (or who have hurt me, and I, not wanting to stand in faith, want to run away), but in the meantime, and even through that process, He seeks me out and helps me move on ***forgetting the past and pressing on to the high calling**** - - - so that I may follow Him: ----
I am loved beyond measure.......
Now may I be more and more about following Him rather than playing hide and seek, being His hands and feet and heart for the lost, effective as a 'fisher of men' in order to extend His peace, helping others to come to Him and find out how true it is that 'You are loved' applies to them, then rejoicing with each other as we glorify Him because 'We are loved'; And may I be found following Him more and more, being His hands and feet and heart for His church, effective in the calling of the saints as a peacemaker. Seeking to extend the kingdom of peace: Helping others labor to enter into His rest.... so we can walk with Him in peace. http://biblehug.com/hebrews/4-11.htm
P - :
Our Father, Yes, mine! and ours!
A perfect Father, seeking us out for adoption all the while making a place for us in a perfect heaven to bring me (us) there with you one day! What love! Help me not to run from your love again! That is so much my desire!
Your name is so rich and pure, The God Who Sees Me. You have proven that you pursue me in so many kind and wonderful ways. You have proven even more that you pursue me to share grace and blessings for me! for my living! with a heart of a Father for His beloved child - providing everything I need for life and living and growing-for-tomorrow today! May your name, the God Who Sees Me, be made holy in my life..... in our lives together as your body......
May I (we), follow you more, rather than need to be sought by you over and over - - - Help us to follow you closely, as it is time to walk with you and not to run from you, as you seek to reach others through your love in us - seeking to love and bless them; that * (we) may extend your love, and thereby extend your kingdom on earth. Help us, Our Father, to be knit together *today* - knit in love for each other and for those whom you are pursuing, that others may know we are one with You, and Your glorious love for them is in us, that they may be drawn to you - preparing us for your kingdom in heaven even as you are preparing your kingdom in heaven for us.
Thankyou for this banquet, for leading this lesson, feeding and growing your beloved. Our Father, your table is always a bountiful feast of love even in the midst of conflict and attack - help us not to run from it! Lord if anyone here does not know you yet, help them to understand that your holy love is seeking her out to share peace and love with them. Help them to turn to you and accept your forgiveness, your love, your peace, and everything you have for them today and always.
Lord for those of us who know you, heal us from the ravages of the conflicts of this world and grant us boldness about them - knowing in faith that you will work all things for the good of those who love you. Thank you for the forgiveness of your Son! Father God, wash our hands and feet, renew our mind back yet again to the mind of Christ, help to restore our hearts away from the heart of stone that we create when we are hurt by the evils of this world before we walked in faith, and when we, still yet, walk in fear and/or selfishness, trusting in others and/or ourselves or in some 'hiding place' rather than trusting in you to get us past the pain that comes with the groanings of this world.
When the ravages of sin-in-the-world come against me (us) again today, help me (us) to remember your love for us, and that your love includes forgiveness, and extend all of that love to others, living at peace with everyone in as much as it is possible with me (us) - all with a heart of compassion. Help me remember that you seek not only my slavation, and not only to know my heart, but to heal my heart that it may fellowship with you fully. Heal my heart Lord! Heal our hearts Lord! Help me (us) to have a heart of flesh, the heart you intendede me (us) to have, the heart that you have for all that is good, the heart that you have for the lost, and for love and unity in your body. Help our spirits which we receive with your forgiveness to unite with Your spirit, with Your heart within us, with the Mind of Christ in us: following your leading in faith (for anything not of faith is sin) - that we may love, love each-other-and-others, as we accept your love for ourselves, in the way you intended: that beautiful fellowship grows and endures.
Our Father, please allow the seeds of peace and love you planted in our hearts to grow and not whither and die. Rather, tend these young plants or ours, and help them to bring forth fruit........ rebuke our enemies and let us not run and hide with them....., don't allow us to mistake them for those who love you.
For thine is a kingdom of the power and glory of love, and of peace, and of hope, and of joy - forever.
Thank you again Jesus in your pursuit of a peace and healing for us, that, through Him, we may come to you and receive your love and forgiveness and have fellowship with you and with your church in these things and everything.
Amen.
How is it that the great creator, the God of redemption, the God of love...... knows me and loves me - and lifts me up from a vile, fallen creature -- to a redeemed and beloved daughter. Wonder of wonders. Miracle of miracles.
He created us, beloved. We walked away from Him, then ran further, ran, and then hid..... hiding for shame.
Yet He seeks to restore us!
We are so beloved that He seeks to restore even us....... No matter how hard we run, no matter where we hide....... His love still seeks our hearts with His own. His love still seeks your heart every day, every moment, everywhere you find yourself......
You are so loved.
......
Bereshit bara Elohim! In the beginning God created........ The great designer created inestimable detail throughout His creation. His glorious, created design bespeaks His praise.
Yet that is not all! His glorious, created design is something He naturally desires to bless. He blessed it time and time again as He was designing and creating it all (Genesis 1). And though we ran from Him, and though we still try to hide from Him, He still desires to bless us...... starting with forgiving, healing, nurturing, and then rejoicing in and with us.
You are so loved!
The great designer knows every detail of everything He created - He would never forget a single detail, because He loves us.
You are so loved!
He even knows what is broken and how to fix it.... But knowing how was not enough for Him because of HIs love for us. Yes, beloved, He has done all to heal us so that He can bring us into a new path which He has prepared for us, a new path in which we can again seek to walk with Him moment by moment, just as He has been seeking us, knowing where we are, moment by moment; just as He is still seeking us, knowing where we are moment by moment......
You are so loved!
All we need to do to receive His healing, and return to His love, and walk with Him as He designed us to, is to accept His healing and His love and follow Him.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And do not forget: You are so loved!
Each design from the beginning was an expression of His glory - but why??? Was that some vanity tour He took? May it never be!..... Rather: He took His glory and expressed it in such thoughtful and loving ways that He could share everything He has with all of His creation - especially with mankind.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And do not forget: You are so loved!
Certainly, God designed the perfect world even for sparrows. Though the fall of man brought trouble into the sparrow's paradise, even still, the sparrow rejoices in the glorious wonders which God designed for him to enjoy - these special blessings which God designed into the heavens, the sunshine, the rivers and lakes, the valleys and mountains all bedecked with waving flora. Certainly the sparrow rejoices in the breeze while in flight, with the fluttering limbs as he rests in the trees, and with his own trills, calls, and songs throughout the day. Most certainly, then, the sparrow is often filled with so much wonder that he cannot hold in his joy, but sings his melodies. And when he sings his joyous songs, is he not also sharing the wondrously designed voice which God bestowed upon him....., sharing it with a whole world around him...., bringing delight to all who hear.
Receive His wonderful gifts! And praise His name, for: You are so loved!
All this brings God's glory into a realm which we can enjoy, share, and yes, witness in wonder.
Praise His name, for: You are so loved!
Our sparrow friend cannot sing alone often, though. The trees and rivers join in, clapping their hands, while the mountains join in song (Is. 55:12, Psalm 98:8).
We ought also to join in with each other and with all creation to sing His praise!
Praise His name, for: You are so loved!
.......
The design He used when He created mankind included not only this ability to revel in the glory of God and witness His wonder through it, but He also included a special capacity for fellowship with Him and with others.
Even though I am a fallen creature, He still sees that in me which is made in His image (Genesis 9:6).
Even though, as a fallen creature, like my sister Eve with her husband Adam, I am inclined to run and hide from Him because of the grief and pain of my shame (Genesis 3:10)..... yet He seeks out my heart - calling to my heart along the way, knowing each step, each thought, each breath that I take..... And all the while, He is busy providing a way to come back to Him - to stop running, to stop hiding, to rest in Him, to rejoice in the glory He has designed into all things He desires for us to share with Him and with each other..... (I John 1:3).
Yes, God expressed His glory in ways to share with us...... And when we brought pain to His heart......
God expressed His forgiveness in an amazing way then too - - - to share even His forgiveness with us as well..... - - - to share even His love and forgiveness with you....
Praise Him for His loving kindness! For: You are so loved.......
May we never forget it!
May we receive it!
May we rejoice, joining our voices together, clapping our hands together, rejoicing together, rejoicing before Him......... rejoicing that He said to each and every one of us....
You are so loved.........
...............
S - Psalm 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
O - Like my sister Eve and her husband Adam, I have been inclined to run and hide from God because He is the God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13)...., and........ do I really want the God Who Sees Me to see my sin? But God has been seeking me - - - for my good. God in His love understood my fear (Genesis 4:10), so He provided Jesus' sacrifice (Genesis 22:8, 14), so my (our) sin can be forgotten forever, never to be remembered again - - - so we can walk with Him in peace again. We are so loved! I am so loved! You are so loved!
In my ignorance and/or pride, I sometimes still run and *try* to hide from God even after having received His forgiveness. At those times, I run and hide, feeling very foolish for not walking in faith. But God's *heart* keeps searching for even my heart (as He does for all of us), *Because* He loves me, because He loves us, and wants to heal me (us) from the pain that occurs when standing in faith turns out to be an *after* thought. Yes, He *seeks* to nurture us and to bring us back into such a close relationship with Him again, that we will walk in faith with Him (and each other) again - instead of playing a sad and heavy version of hide and seek.
After I finally found peace with God through salvation, sometimes, I have still found myself slipping, and sometimes I haven't even known what I *should-have-done*. I still wanted to run and hide, but He always sought me out in love - helping me to grow along the path. In time, I have grown in hindsight (still growing), then mid-sight, then I began to learn to avoid more and more slippery spots. But only because He never let me remain hidden away, hiding from Him for the shame He already died for.
Now, sometimes the challenges are harder..... (or they seem like it to me?.....). The process continues - and He is *always* faithful to find me.
Now when I slip, and sometimes even fall, I might struggle with a desire to hide, but more and more, I trust His voice, reminding me to watch for a time *soon* when I can seek healing with those I might have hurt (or who have hurt me, and I, not wanting to stand in faith, want to run away), but in the meantime, and even through that process, He seeks me out and helps me move on ***forgetting the past and pressing on to the high calling**** - - - so that I may follow Him: ----
I am loved beyond measure.......
Now may I be more and more about following Him rather than playing hide and seek, being His hands and feet and heart for the lost, effective as a 'fisher of men' in order to extend His peace, helping others to come to Him and find out how true it is that 'You are loved' applies to them, then rejoicing with each other as we glorify Him because 'We are loved'; And may I be found following Him more and more, being His hands and feet and heart for His church, effective in the calling of the saints as a peacemaker. Seeking to extend the kingdom of peace: Helping others labor to enter into His rest.... so we can walk with Him in peace. http://biblehug.com/hebrews/4-11.htm
P - :
Our Father, Yes, mine! and ours!
A perfect Father, seeking us out for adoption all the while making a place for us in a perfect heaven to bring me (us) there with you one day! What love! Help me not to run from your love again! That is so much my desire!
Your name is so rich and pure, The God Who Sees Me. You have proven that you pursue me in so many kind and wonderful ways. You have proven even more that you pursue me to share grace and blessings for me! for my living! with a heart of a Father for His beloved child - providing everything I need for life and living and growing-for-tomorrow today! May your name, the God Who Sees Me, be made holy in my life..... in our lives together as your body......
May I (we), follow you more, rather than need to be sought by you over and over - - - Help us to follow you closely, as it is time to walk with you and not to run from you, as you seek to reach others through your love in us - seeking to love and bless them; that * (we) may extend your love, and thereby extend your kingdom on earth. Help us, Our Father, to be knit together *today* - knit in love for each other and for those whom you are pursuing, that others may know we are one with You, and Your glorious love for them is in us, that they may be drawn to you - preparing us for your kingdom in heaven even as you are preparing your kingdom in heaven for us.
Thankyou for this banquet, for leading this lesson, feeding and growing your beloved. Our Father, your table is always a bountiful feast of love even in the midst of conflict and attack - help us not to run from it! Lord if anyone here does not know you yet, help them to understand that your holy love is seeking her out to share peace and love with them. Help them to turn to you and accept your forgiveness, your love, your peace, and everything you have for them today and always.
Lord for those of us who know you, heal us from the ravages of the conflicts of this world and grant us boldness about them - knowing in faith that you will work all things for the good of those who love you. Thank you for the forgiveness of your Son! Father God, wash our hands and feet, renew our mind back yet again to the mind of Christ, help to restore our hearts away from the heart of stone that we create when we are hurt by the evils of this world before we walked in faith, and when we, still yet, walk in fear and/or selfishness, trusting in others and/or ourselves or in some 'hiding place' rather than trusting in you to get us past the pain that comes with the groanings of this world.
When the ravages of sin-in-the-world come against me (us) again today, help me (us) to remember your love for us, and that your love includes forgiveness, and extend all of that love to others, living at peace with everyone in as much as it is possible with me (us) - all with a heart of compassion. Help me remember that you seek not only my slavation, and not only to know my heart, but to heal my heart that it may fellowship with you fully. Heal my heart Lord! Heal our hearts Lord! Help me (us) to have a heart of flesh, the heart you intendede me (us) to have, the heart that you have for all that is good, the heart that you have for the lost, and for love and unity in your body. Help our spirits which we receive with your forgiveness to unite with Your spirit, with Your heart within us, with the Mind of Christ in us: following your leading in faith (for anything not of faith is sin) - that we may love, love each-other-and-others, as we accept your love for ourselves, in the way you intended: that beautiful fellowship grows and endures.
Our Father, please allow the seeds of peace and love you planted in our hearts to grow and not whither and die. Rather, tend these young plants or ours, and help them to bring forth fruit........ rebuke our enemies and let us not run and hide with them....., don't allow us to mistake them for those who love you.
For thine is a kingdom of the power and glory of love, and of peace, and of hope, and of joy - forever.
Thank you again Jesus in your pursuit of a peace and healing for us, that, through Him, we may come to you and receive your love and forgiveness and have fellowship with you and with your church in these things and everything.
Amen.
Friday, May 30, 2014
If you love me, you will keep my ...... connections John 14:15....
What is a mitzvah? What are the many mitzvot? What was the purpose of the mitzvot in regards to the process of redemption in the Old Testament? What is the purpose of the mitzvot in regards to New Testament living?
Christians scholars regularly identify 'mitzvot' as Old Testament commandments, with most Christians in my world distancing themselves from those mitzvot as much as possible.
As for the mitzvot and today, II Timothy 3:16 relates directly, though I'm not sure exactly how directly and/or indirectly; when directly, and when indirectly.....: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."
So you see, I still have some questions about those mitzvot...... And no, please don't throw those tomatoes this way (would that fulfill the Jesus version of the shama anyway?)....... And yes, please remember that I said, "I have some questions...." Okay?
For one thing, I'm trying to make sense of what Jesus meant by the word 'commandments' in John 14:15 when He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments......."
Now, I know we have been freed from the law of sin and of death.... (Romans 8:2, at least, we have been if we hold fast the word which has been preached to us, rather than having the seed sprout up and then die off..... I Cor 15:1-2, not that the work of sanctification is a work of the flesh, Galatians 3:2-5).
But is there any relationship between the commandments Jesus spoke of in John 14:15 and any of the mitzvot? Are the only 'commandments' the Jesus version of the shama (Mark 12:30-31): the command to love, God, others, and ourselves with everything we have with which to love - which sums up all the other commandments? Is the commandment just 'eternal life'? John 12:50 says that His commandment is eternal life....... I admit to feeling a bit silly thinking of God on His throne saying, "Live! Live! Live!"...... but it does seem that there is something at least vaguely akin to that in the essence of His commandment.....
As for the "scripture's original text's term for 'commandments'", at least in John 14:15, it is in the Greek language. [Or so it has been thought for some time. However, today, there are growing, well studied arguments that Jesus would have lived in a polyglot world in Israel, much like the polyglot world in the Israel of today. In such a world, one would likely have spoken at least broken Latin in official settings, Aramaic in some trading situations, but still speak Hebrew in familial & social circles. But most notably, they would likely have spoken Hebrew most particularly in religious circles (which is very similar to the practices of polyglot-lifestyles in Israel today). Frankly, I've kind of suspected that for quite a while, after all, the precious Torah scrolls would have been pulled out in the synagogues and read in Hebrew often - even in Jesus day....., would they not? And the subsequent Jewish styled discussions of all the particulars that might be drawn from the Torah would have to be held in the Hebrew language for the most part, wouldn't they? Just sayin'....]
Those who argue for such a view of polyglotal linguistic inclinations in Jesus' day also argue that the 'original Greek' renderings of the New Testament will best be understood by considering what those texts would say in Hebrew, because Jesus probably spoke them in Hebrew. If that is all true, then the gospels were probably first written in Hebrew, and there is even evidence of such an 'original text in Hebrew' if one looks at the Greek renderings and considers that, given the words used in the Koine Greek, they are highly likely literal translations from Hebrew....... (or so say the scholars at the last link above)...
All that said, this debate is not going to be settled on this blog. However, having read about these ponderings about a polyglot Israel in Jesus' day, the idea that the gospels were first written in Hebrew is a strong consideration in my heart and mind.
All of which might seem like meaningless dithering.... after all, while there are solid arguments that Jesus likely used the term 'mitzvot' in John 14:15, it is admitted that, for now, the only relatively early texts of John are in Greek. So in what is often deemed to be 'the original texts', the term for 'commandments' is not, of course, the term 'mitzvot'.
So, knowing that *I* do not know yet what 'commandment' in the New Testament always means, and knowing from Romans 8:2 that we are free from the law of sin and of death, and knowing that all things are lawful for us but not all things are expedient......., it is time, at least for a moment, to move on from this unconfirmable series of questions.
The next pair of questions the arises then are:
Is there such a thing as 'sin' for an unbeliever?
If so, what does that mean about the New Testament use of the words 'commandment'/'commandments'?
In Romans 14:23 Paul says that 'and whatever is not from faith is sin' when he is talking about believers with strong and/or weak faith.
So we know something about 'sin' from that, but what of 'commandment'?
NT: What is the New Testament era's understanding of 'commandment' and/or 'sin' to be? It is interesting to note that even Wikipedia pointed out that, in the book of Mark as it comes down to us in the Koine Greek, there are no references to Greek or Roman literature, but only to Jewish scriptures, (though it seems that they were mostly referenced in their historically well known Greek form). Therefore, one might conclude that the term 'commandment', while rendered in the Greek language, likely ought to be thought of in the context of the Old Testament, thus in the mindset of the Jewish meanings of the various scriptures.... Yes? ..... No? ...... Hmmmm......
OT: As I make inquiries as to the meaning of the Old Testament term for commandment, it turns out that throughout the ages, the Jewish people also knew the mitzvot to have been an integral part of man's connection with God - a way of having a relationship with God. But why did they think that?
From my limited glimpses into Jewish literature, Jewish scholars do seem to consistently teach that there is a very close relationship between the Jewish terms 'mitzvot' and 'tzavot': with the first term relating more to command, and the second, relating to the ideas of "relationship or of a joining." Furthermore, they claim that 'tzavot' is the root word for 'mitzvot' (as evidenced on pg. 19, paragraph 4 in this text, _Truth for Today_ by Daniel Rendelman). Since I am not a Hebrew scholar, and I don't even have a Hebrew etymological dictionary, I cannot draw any connection between these two Hebrew words except to surmise that if one takes the 'a' out of 'tzavot', it could realistically and quite easily be a root word for 'mitzvot' - just in a contracted form (but then, when the vowel points are not used, how 'contracted' is it?). But that is merely surmising on my part to date. All I am confident about is that there seems to be a consistent claim that these words are related, as per both Messianic friends and from online sources. So, to date, I believe the claim to be valid.
Thus it seems to be that the Hebrew term for 'command' has its root in the word for 'relationship' or even 'to join' - with an understood inference in the Jewish-believing-community that the purpose of man is to be joined into a relationship with God........, and that the commandments help to clarify a great deal about how that 'joining into a relationship' can be accomplished (at least, in the Old Testament covenant).
There is even strong evidence that this 'joining into a relationship through the law' was quite intentional on the part of God if one considers the following quote: "Together, the 613 commandments forge the ideal relationship where the two parties become one. Interestingly the numerical value of the phrase "kesher echad" (one unit, or one bond) between God and man, is 613 -- the total number of Torah commandments."
With that in mind, I have a new, changing paradigm from which to ask what Jesus meant when He said:
"If you love me, keep my commandments/means-of-connections/relationship-together...." (John 14:15)
Jesus could not have meant 'Keep the law of sin and of death' referred to in Romans 8:2. However, Romans 8:2 also tells us that it is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (that) has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
So, what is this 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' which did the work of setting us free from the 'law of sin and of death'?
When I asked my now 18 year old son about this 'new' law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, he was quick on the trigger to ask, "Why do you think you can know that it is a 'new' law?" ...... Good observation! If it is not a new law, was 'the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' in any way applied to Abraham as a result of Abraham's faith? (e.g. - Genesis 15:6)
*If* so, then it would be reasonable to ask from yet another angle: Is this 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' related in any way to the 'commandments' which Jesus told us we are to keep if we love Him?
To date, it is clear that there are conflicting opinions on the subject. It is certain that we are not to 'continue in sin so that grace may increase' (Romans 6:1)
It is certain that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that anything without faith is sin.
But what does the term 'commandment' mean in the New Testament for NT believers?
While searching the scripture, looking for scriptural insight, it is very interesting to note the difference in the NAS and the CJB in the punctuation that follows this verse and leads on to the section that says....
"......and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you forever......"
There is certainly a different view of scripture seen between the Christian community and the Jewish community in many ways.
...........
But the thing that most amazes me about what I have found to date about 'commandments' in the Old Testament and Jesus' version of the Shama in Mark 12:30-31, is summed up simply by this Jewish question and answer:
"Man is the paradoxical synthesis of two parts. He has a physical body, within which pulsates a Heavenly soul. How can these opposite forces unite? The physical and spiritual connect in the performance of a mitzvah. A mitzvah can be described as the action and force that expresses the spiritual world of God in the physical world of man....."
Does this 'connection' of the parts of us into an integral whole somehow relate to how 'The law might be fulfilled in us' through faith in Christ (Romans 8:4)?
And while I might take issue with the term 'perform' in the quote above....., and while I might well state this somewhat differently myself, this tying together of that which is broken because of the sin of man? This power to unite that which was most likely united prior to the fall of man anyway? It seems to be an integral part of understanding the shama of Jesus:
"And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
After all, we cannot do that without the power of the spirit living in us..... without faith in 'The Way, The Truth, and The Life' empowering our new-living-spirit to work together with 'the mind of Christ' in us, and with His Spirit working in us 'to will and to do' according to His good pleasure, as well as working with (and healing when/how He deems fit) our new heart of flesh....
One God...... Triune.........
Mankind....... made in His image...... made whole through the cross...... through His love........
Through the connecting/relational-power of His commands perhaps as well???
Just askin'................
Christians scholars regularly identify 'mitzvot' as Old Testament commandments, with most Christians in my world distancing themselves from those mitzvot as much as possible.
As for the mitzvot and today, II Timothy 3:16 relates directly, though I'm not sure exactly how directly and/or indirectly; when directly, and when indirectly.....: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."
So you see, I still have some questions about those mitzvot...... And no, please don't throw those tomatoes this way (would that fulfill the Jesus version of the shama anyway?)....... And yes, please remember that I said, "I have some questions...." Okay?
For one thing, I'm trying to make sense of what Jesus meant by the word 'commandments' in John 14:15 when He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments......."
Now, I know we have been freed from the law of sin and of death.... (Romans 8:2, at least, we have been if we hold fast the word which has been preached to us, rather than having the seed sprout up and then die off..... I Cor 15:1-2, not that the work of sanctification is a work of the flesh, Galatians 3:2-5).
But is there any relationship between the commandments Jesus spoke of in John 14:15 and any of the mitzvot? Are the only 'commandments' the Jesus version of the shama (Mark 12:30-31): the command to love, God, others, and ourselves with everything we have with which to love - which sums up all the other commandments? Is the commandment just 'eternal life'? John 12:50 says that His commandment is eternal life....... I admit to feeling a bit silly thinking of God on His throne saying, "Live! Live! Live!"...... but it does seem that there is something at least vaguely akin to that in the essence of His commandment.....
As for the "scripture's original text's term for 'commandments'", at least in John 14:15, it is in the Greek language. [Or so it has been thought for some time. However, today, there are growing, well studied arguments that Jesus would have lived in a polyglot world in Israel, much like the polyglot world in the Israel of today. In such a world, one would likely have spoken at least broken Latin in official settings, Aramaic in some trading situations, but still speak Hebrew in familial & social circles. But most notably, they would likely have spoken Hebrew most particularly in religious circles (which is very similar to the practices of polyglot-lifestyles in Israel today). Frankly, I've kind of suspected that for quite a while, after all, the precious Torah scrolls would have been pulled out in the synagogues and read in Hebrew often - even in Jesus day....., would they not? And the subsequent Jewish styled discussions of all the particulars that might be drawn from the Torah would have to be held in the Hebrew language for the most part, wouldn't they? Just sayin'....]
Those who argue for such a view of polyglotal linguistic inclinations in Jesus' day also argue that the 'original Greek' renderings of the New Testament will best be understood by considering what those texts would say in Hebrew, because Jesus probably spoke them in Hebrew. If that is all true, then the gospels were probably first written in Hebrew, and there is even evidence of such an 'original text in Hebrew' if one looks at the Greek renderings and considers that, given the words used in the Koine Greek, they are highly likely literal translations from Hebrew....... (or so say the scholars at the last link above)...
All that said, this debate is not going to be settled on this blog. However, having read about these ponderings about a polyglot Israel in Jesus' day, the idea that the gospels were first written in Hebrew is a strong consideration in my heart and mind.
All of which might seem like meaningless dithering.... after all, while there are solid arguments that Jesus likely used the term 'mitzvot' in John 14:15, it is admitted that, for now, the only relatively early texts of John are in Greek. So in what is often deemed to be 'the original texts', the term for 'commandments' is not, of course, the term 'mitzvot'.
So, knowing that *I* do not know yet what 'commandment' in the New Testament always means, and knowing from Romans 8:2 that we are free from the law of sin and of death, and knowing that all things are lawful for us but not all things are expedient......., it is time, at least for a moment, to move on from this unconfirmable series of questions.
The next pair of questions the arises then are:
Is there such a thing as 'sin' for an unbeliever?
If so, what does that mean about the New Testament use of the words 'commandment'/'commandments'?
In Romans 14:23 Paul says that 'and whatever is not from faith is sin' when he is talking about believers with strong and/or weak faith.
So we know something about 'sin' from that, but what of 'commandment'?
NT: What is the New Testament era's understanding of 'commandment' and/or 'sin' to be? It is interesting to note that even Wikipedia pointed out that, in the book of Mark as it comes down to us in the Koine Greek, there are no references to Greek or Roman literature, but only to Jewish scriptures, (though it seems that they were mostly referenced in their historically well known Greek form). Therefore, one might conclude that the term 'commandment', while rendered in the Greek language, likely ought to be thought of in the context of the Old Testament, thus in the mindset of the Jewish meanings of the various scriptures.... Yes? ..... No? ...... Hmmmm......
OT: As I make inquiries as to the meaning of the Old Testament term for commandment, it turns out that throughout the ages, the Jewish people also knew the mitzvot to have been an integral part of man's connection with God - a way of having a relationship with God. But why did they think that?
From my limited glimpses into Jewish literature, Jewish scholars do seem to consistently teach that there is a very close relationship between the Jewish terms 'mitzvot' and 'tzavot': with the first term relating more to command, and the second, relating to the ideas of "relationship or of a joining." Furthermore, they claim that 'tzavot' is the root word for 'mitzvot' (as evidenced on pg. 19, paragraph 4 in this text, _Truth for Today_ by Daniel Rendelman). Since I am not a Hebrew scholar, and I don't even have a Hebrew etymological dictionary, I cannot draw any connection between these two Hebrew words except to surmise that if one takes the 'a' out of 'tzavot', it could realistically and quite easily be a root word for 'mitzvot' - just in a contracted form (but then, when the vowel points are not used, how 'contracted' is it?). But that is merely surmising on my part to date. All I am confident about is that there seems to be a consistent claim that these words are related, as per both Messianic friends and from online sources. So, to date, I believe the claim to be valid.
Thus it seems to be that the Hebrew term for 'command' has its root in the word for 'relationship' or even 'to join' - with an understood inference in the Jewish-believing-community that the purpose of man is to be joined into a relationship with God........, and that the commandments help to clarify a great deal about how that 'joining into a relationship' can be accomplished (at least, in the Old Testament covenant).
There is even strong evidence that this 'joining into a relationship through the law' was quite intentional on the part of God if one considers the following quote: "Together, the 613 commandments forge the ideal relationship where the two parties become one. Interestingly the numerical value of the phrase "kesher echad" (one unit, or one bond) between God and man, is 613 -- the total number of Torah commandments."
With that in mind, I have a new, changing paradigm from which to ask what Jesus meant when He said:
"If you love me, keep my commandments/means-of-connections/relationship-together...." (John 14:15)
Jesus could not have meant 'Keep the law of sin and of death' referred to in Romans 8:2. However, Romans 8:2 also tells us that it is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus (that) has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
So, what is this 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' which did the work of setting us free from the 'law of sin and of death'?
When I asked my now 18 year old son about this 'new' law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, he was quick on the trigger to ask, "Why do you think you can know that it is a 'new' law?" ...... Good observation! If it is not a new law, was 'the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' in any way applied to Abraham as a result of Abraham's faith? (e.g. - Genesis 15:6)
*If* so, then it would be reasonable to ask from yet another angle: Is this 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' related in any way to the 'commandments' which Jesus told us we are to keep if we love Him?
To date, it is clear that there are conflicting opinions on the subject. It is certain that we are not to 'continue in sin so that grace may increase' (Romans 6:1)
It is certain that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that anything without faith is sin.
But what does the term 'commandment' mean in the New Testament for NT believers?
While searching the scripture, looking for scriptural insight, it is very interesting to note the difference in the NAS and the CJB in the punctuation that follows this verse and leads on to the section that says....
"......and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you forever......"
There is certainly a different view of scripture seen between the Christian community and the Jewish community in many ways.
...........
But the thing that most amazes me about what I have found to date about 'commandments' in the Old Testament and Jesus' version of the Shama in Mark 12:30-31, is summed up simply by this Jewish question and answer:
"Man is the paradoxical synthesis of two parts. He has a physical body, within which pulsates a Heavenly soul. How can these opposite forces unite? The physical and spiritual connect in the performance of a mitzvah. A mitzvah can be described as the action and force that expresses the spiritual world of God in the physical world of man....."
Does this 'connection' of the parts of us into an integral whole somehow relate to how 'The law might be fulfilled in us' through faith in Christ (Romans 8:4)?
And while I might take issue with the term 'perform' in the quote above....., and while I might well state this somewhat differently myself, this tying together of that which is broken because of the sin of man? This power to unite that which was most likely united prior to the fall of man anyway? It seems to be an integral part of understanding the shama of Jesus:
"And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
After all, we cannot do that without the power of the spirit living in us..... without faith in 'The Way, The Truth, and The Life' empowering our new-living-spirit to work together with 'the mind of Christ' in us, and with His Spirit working in us 'to will and to do' according to His good pleasure, as well as working with (and healing when/how He deems fit) our new heart of flesh....
One God...... Triune.........
Mankind....... made in His image...... made whole through the cross...... through His love........
Through the connecting/relational-power of His commands perhaps as well???
Just askin'................
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Isn't this man a burning stick snatched from the fire? - - - Genesis 22:8 - God Will Provide Himself a Lamb for a Burnt Offering
God Himself Provided the Lamb......... the Lamb of God who came to die for our sins.
God Himself provided a lamb *for a burnt offering*? Was this 'burnt offering' only the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22?
And what of Zechariah 3:1-3, which says, when speaking of Y'hoshua, "Isn't this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"
Why am I even asking such a question? Well....
Of late, I've been thrilled to use ScriptureTyper online to help me with re-establishing old memory work which I had done in the past.
In my own life, one of the most foundational books in the Bible has been Genesis. Way back when my oldest son was in 2nd-3rd grade and we were homeschooling, I had planned on using Greenleaf's Guide to the Old Testament - running through the O.T. quickly with my son. As it turned out, our oldest son learned deep ideas (very deep for his young years), but not many names of characters, - or even specifics of scripture, if we went too quickly.
So we set aside the Greenleaf Guide to the O.T. and simply started to work through Genesis very slowly. We went so slowly that we began memorizing quite a few verses from Genesis (in great part to help more of the depth of the ideas he was reading about have a better opportunity to settle deeply into his heart..).
Along the way, we read about Abraham's faith when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Upon reading verse 22:8, an old sermon from my past came to mind. Dr. David Cotton was the main pastor from my youth, and he was quite specific in exegetical teaching, going through the Bible verse by verse. He delighted in lingering on this verse for quite a while. His delight caught my attention even then. I have delighted in memorizing and meditating on that verse for a number of years now.
I treasure that delight more every year:
God Himself became the lamb.........
But now that I'm reviewing this verse on my own on a regular basis, the eyes of my heart have been lighting more and more upon this idea that the lamb provided by God was a *burnt* offering........
How might that be?
Was it just the ram in the thicket?
Well, Genesis 22:14 takes the idea of the provision into the future: "And to this day it is said, On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."......, not that it *was* provided, but it *will be* provided.
What will be provided? Was it not that the burnt offering was to be provided by the will of God?
I visited with a friend about it briefly this week, and she responsed simply that she understood that such ideas were only in Catholic literature...... It turns out that one version of the apostles creed (allegedly not the original version?) includes the phrase "he descended into hell". All I have done thus far in seeking an answer to my various questions on the subject is to have googled for some input from others who have thought about these things online.
What I have found to date is that scripture does seem to indicate some interesting things. I think that an indepth study of the original text might illuminate things more fully. In the meantime, at least according to the English renditions referenced below, it appears to be that:
1) Sometime during the Passion of Christ, our sins were placed on Him. He became sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. (II Cor 5:21)
2) Luke testifies that at the end of His time on the cross, Jesus commended His Spirit into God's hands and then he breathed His last. (Luke 23:46) According to the testimony of John, at about the same time, that is, just before He died, Jesus said, 'It is paid in full', then gave up His spirit. (esp. John 19:30) .... So, where did His spirit go? Did His spirit necessarily go straight into God's hands? Perhaps so. Did His spirit go through more trial before God loosed Him from the pains of death (see below)? That is part of the question at hand. We might not know for certain in this life - - - - but when I consider Genesis 28:8 and 28:12 - in which it says that God, 'Will provide Himself a lamb for a *burnt* offering......' and that 'On the mountain of God, it will be provided,' it seems that perhaps Jesus did carry those sins beyond the cross before God loosed Him from the pains of death.
3) We do know that the sin which was placed upon Jesus, separated Him, for a short while, from full fellowship with God, His Father. (Matthew 27:46)
4) After His death and before His resurrection, Jesus descended into the deep (so did His spirit not descend while he was dead?) (Romans 10:7) This 'into the deep' has almost unanimously been understood to mean the netherworld, the abode of the dead..... That makes sense to me, but I do want to see more in scripture on the matter. (of course, there is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man...in Luke 16...wherein Lazarus is, or at least seems to be, as much as I understand to date, in sheol; and the rich man is in torment in hades....see vs. 23... and there is a great gulf between those in Hades, and those in sheol, but not in hades..... see vs. 26; there is also the passage in Revelation 20:11-15, particularly vs. 14 that differentiates 'hades' from 'the lake of fire'....)
5) Jesus spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.... (esp. Matthew 12:40-41); which must be reconciled with Jesus having told the thief on the cross that 'today you will be with me in paradise'! (Luke 23:43); which has been explained various ways; e.g. - it has been explained by saying that only His body was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights....., which is not as much my inclination; it has also been explained by saying that the thief was on the non-hades side of sheol.....; I'm personally inclined to wonder about the definition of 'this day'....., though I seem to be alone on that point....... *blush*; I also wonder about how long it takes for a 'burnt offering' to be directly affected by the fire - that is, how long is a 'burnt offering' on the fire.....)
6) Jesus likely suffered, or so many argue.... - - - if He did, was it in brief while the thief was in a safer place? (the idea that Jesus suffered when He descended into the deep is debated in some circles, but there's strong inclination to argue that He did suffer - e.g., as in Matthew 12:40-41, Jonah, it is argued, must have suffered in the belly of the whale....). /// If, on the contrary, one reads the arguments that Jesus did not suffer, they seem to be based on the idea that the work on the cross was all that the Lamb of God had to do......, that it is the blood, afterall, that is needed for cleansing. They are inclined to reference verses such as I John 1:7-9, and II Cor. 5:21. That was my whole understanding throughout my life, and my faith is in Christ's loving sacrifice, not in specific details of what all God did or did not have to do in order to fulfill His plan precisely as He planned..... However, I wonder at the parallel between the Lamb of Atonement and the Passover Lamb - and Christ. I do not have those answers, but I do wonder about them.
7) Whatever one believes about Jesus suffering or not suffering when he descended....., He was specifically not 'abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption' (Acts 2:27-31)
8) He was 'loosed (from) the pains of death', and when God 'loosed the pains of death', there was no way that the pains of death could hold Him.... but note, that the pains of death tried to hold Him, otherwise He would not have had to have been 'loosed'...... was He not impacted by the pains of death? What might the 'pains of death' have been (merely the throws of physical death on the cross, or also the throws of spiritual death)? (Acts 2:24)
9) He preached to those held captive (I Peter 3:18-20). The assumptions are that Jesus either preached redemption, and/or that Jesus declared His triumph over death and the pending judgment, or that Jesus did not physically preach to those held captive (with a reference to Eph 2:17). Many people reference I Peter 4:6 which states (in the past tense), "For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the Spirit the way God does." to advocate for the interpretation that Jesus, at least on one occasion, gave a second opportunity for redemption to those who were in hades, Jesus having preached to those held captive at that time. Those who hold to the finality of death, with no further opportunity for redemption, reference Hebrews 9:27 most emphatically. They also reference Psalm 49, though this psalm is addressing a much broader topic....., that of the conflict which the poor and oppressed experience at the hands of selfish, fleshly minded people who 'succeed' in this world - with that theme's main thrust being found in vs. 15. Others reference the passage in Revelation dealing with the Great White Throne Judgment, in which those whose name is not found in the Book of Life is thrown into the lake of fire...., though that will occur in the future, which is certainly after the time when He preached to those held captive per I Peter 3:18-20.]
10) He ascended (and is now at the right hand of God the Father - many believe this to be the reincarnated Christ after He showed Himself to the women and the disciples.....in great part because that is what He Himself said to the women at the tomb John 20:17) - (I Peter 3:22); He even ascended high above the heavens (Eph. 4:8-10 - ESV)...... and while doing so:
11) He both led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (esp. Eph. 4:8-10) - that is, in the ESV, He led a host of captives with Him when He ascended! (Eph. 4:8-10 in the ESV)
12) He ended up with the keys of death and hades (not hell, but hades; death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire Rev 20:13-14). (Revelation 1:18)
God Himself provided a lamb *for a burnt offering*? Was this 'burnt offering' only the ram caught in the thicket in Genesis 22?
And what of Zechariah 3:1-3, which says, when speaking of Y'hoshua, "Isn't this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?"
Why am I even asking such a question? Well....
Of late, I've been thrilled to use ScriptureTyper online to help me with re-establishing old memory work which I had done in the past.
In my own life, one of the most foundational books in the Bible has been Genesis. Way back when my oldest son was in 2nd-3rd grade and we were homeschooling, I had planned on using Greenleaf's Guide to the Old Testament - running through the O.T. quickly with my son. As it turned out, our oldest son learned deep ideas (very deep for his young years), but not many names of characters, - or even specifics of scripture, if we went too quickly.
So we set aside the Greenleaf Guide to the O.T. and simply started to work through Genesis very slowly. We went so slowly that we began memorizing quite a few verses from Genesis (in great part to help more of the depth of the ideas he was reading about have a better opportunity to settle deeply into his heart..).
Along the way, we read about Abraham's faith when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Upon reading verse 22:8, an old sermon from my past came to mind. Dr. David Cotton was the main pastor from my youth, and he was quite specific in exegetical teaching, going through the Bible verse by verse. He delighted in lingering on this verse for quite a while. His delight caught my attention even then. I have delighted in memorizing and meditating on that verse for a number of years now.
I treasure that delight more every year:
God Himself became the lamb.........
But now that I'm reviewing this verse on my own on a regular basis, the eyes of my heart have been lighting more and more upon this idea that the lamb provided by God was a *burnt* offering........
How might that be?
Was it just the ram in the thicket?
Well, Genesis 22:14 takes the idea of the provision into the future: "And to this day it is said, On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."......, not that it *was* provided, but it *will be* provided.
What will be provided? Was it not that the burnt offering was to be provided by the will of God?
I visited with a friend about it briefly this week, and she responsed simply that she understood that such ideas were only in Catholic literature...... It turns out that one version of the apostles creed (allegedly not the original version?) includes the phrase "he descended into hell". All I have done thus far in seeking an answer to my various questions on the subject is to have googled for some input from others who have thought about these things online.
What I have found to date is that scripture does seem to indicate some interesting things. I think that an indepth study of the original text might illuminate things more fully. In the meantime, at least according to the English renditions referenced below, it appears to be that:
1) Sometime during the Passion of Christ, our sins were placed on Him. He became sin, who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God. (II Cor 5:21)
2) Luke testifies that at the end of His time on the cross, Jesus commended His Spirit into God's hands and then he breathed His last. (Luke 23:46) According to the testimony of John, at about the same time, that is, just before He died, Jesus said, 'It is paid in full', then gave up His spirit. (esp. John 19:30) .... So, where did His spirit go? Did His spirit necessarily go straight into God's hands? Perhaps so. Did His spirit go through more trial before God loosed Him from the pains of death (see below)? That is part of the question at hand. We might not know for certain in this life - - - - but when I consider Genesis 28:8 and 28:12 - in which it says that God, 'Will provide Himself a lamb for a *burnt* offering......' and that 'On the mountain of God, it will be provided,' it seems that perhaps Jesus did carry those sins beyond the cross before God loosed Him from the pains of death.
3) We do know that the sin which was placed upon Jesus, separated Him, for a short while, from full fellowship with God, His Father. (Matthew 27:46)
4) After His death and before His resurrection, Jesus descended into the deep (so did His spirit not descend while he was dead?) (Romans 10:7) This 'into the deep' has almost unanimously been understood to mean the netherworld, the abode of the dead..... That makes sense to me, but I do want to see more in scripture on the matter. (of course, there is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man...in Luke 16...wherein Lazarus is, or at least seems to be, as much as I understand to date, in sheol; and the rich man is in torment in hades....see vs. 23... and there is a great gulf between those in Hades, and those in sheol, but not in hades..... see vs. 26; there is also the passage in Revelation 20:11-15, particularly vs. 14 that differentiates 'hades' from 'the lake of fire'....)
5) Jesus spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.... (esp. Matthew 12:40-41); which must be reconciled with Jesus having told the thief on the cross that 'today you will be with me in paradise'! (Luke 23:43); which has been explained various ways; e.g. - it has been explained by saying that only His body was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights....., which is not as much my inclination; it has also been explained by saying that the thief was on the non-hades side of sheol.....; I'm personally inclined to wonder about the definition of 'this day'....., though I seem to be alone on that point....... *blush*; I also wonder about how long it takes for a 'burnt offering' to be directly affected by the fire - that is, how long is a 'burnt offering' on the fire.....)
6) Jesus likely suffered, or so many argue.... - - - if He did, was it in brief while the thief was in a safer place? (the idea that Jesus suffered when He descended into the deep is debated in some circles, but there's strong inclination to argue that He did suffer - e.g., as in Matthew 12:40-41, Jonah, it is argued, must have suffered in the belly of the whale....). /// If, on the contrary, one reads the arguments that Jesus did not suffer, they seem to be based on the idea that the work on the cross was all that the Lamb of God had to do......, that it is the blood, afterall, that is needed for cleansing. They are inclined to reference verses such as I John 1:7-9, and II Cor. 5:21. That was my whole understanding throughout my life, and my faith is in Christ's loving sacrifice, not in specific details of what all God did or did not have to do in order to fulfill His plan precisely as He planned..... However, I wonder at the parallel between the Lamb of Atonement and the Passover Lamb - and Christ. I do not have those answers, but I do wonder about them.
7) Whatever one believes about Jesus suffering or not suffering when he descended....., He was specifically not 'abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption' (Acts 2:27-31)
8) He was 'loosed (from) the pains of death', and when God 'loosed the pains of death', there was no way that the pains of death could hold Him.... but note, that the pains of death tried to hold Him, otherwise He would not have had to have been 'loosed'...... was He not impacted by the pains of death? What might the 'pains of death' have been (merely the throws of physical death on the cross, or also the throws of spiritual death)? (Acts 2:24)
9) He preached to those held captive (I Peter 3:18-20). The assumptions are that Jesus either preached redemption, and/or that Jesus declared His triumph over death and the pending judgment, or that Jesus did not physically preach to those held captive (with a reference to Eph 2:17). Many people reference I Peter 4:6 which states (in the past tense), "For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the Spirit the way God does." to advocate for the interpretation that Jesus, at least on one occasion, gave a second opportunity for redemption to those who were in hades, Jesus having preached to those held captive at that time. Those who hold to the finality of death, with no further opportunity for redemption, reference Hebrews 9:27 most emphatically. They also reference Psalm 49, though this psalm is addressing a much broader topic....., that of the conflict which the poor and oppressed experience at the hands of selfish, fleshly minded people who 'succeed' in this world - with that theme's main thrust being found in vs. 15. Others reference the passage in Revelation dealing with the Great White Throne Judgment, in which those whose name is not found in the Book of Life is thrown into the lake of fire...., though that will occur in the future, which is certainly after the time when He preached to those held captive per I Peter 3:18-20.]
10) He ascended (and is now at the right hand of God the Father - many believe this to be the reincarnated Christ after He showed Himself to the women and the disciples.....in great part because that is what He Himself said to the women at the tomb John 20:17) - (I Peter 3:22); He even ascended high above the heavens (Eph. 4:8-10 - ESV)...... and while doing so:
11) He both led captivity captive and gave gifts to men (esp. Eph. 4:8-10) - that is, in the ESV, He led a host of captives with Him when He ascended! (Eph. 4:8-10 in the ESV)
12) He ended up with the keys of death and hades (not hell, but hades; death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire Rev 20:13-14). (Revelation 1:18)
Monday, March 3, 2014
Good Morning Girls - Intentionally Focused - Wk 7
Constant Mutual Love..., For Charity Covereth a Multitude of Sins........ & Hospitality without Murmuring....
Consider the sad ode. Yes, consider the sometimes silly ode. And yet more, take a moment to consider the sometimes heart wrenching ode of those who long to be a hermit awaiting the second coming of our Lord.
If one were to read I Peter 4:7, and to stop at that one snippet of scripture, one might believe that hermits are meeting the highest of all callings:
"The end is at hand. Be prudent therefore, and watch in prayers."
Oh, yes! I can relate to those who desire to be just such a hermit! Being an introvert and therefore being recharged *more* by being alone than by being with others, such a life seems, at times, to promise heavenly bliss.......
However, the scripture does not stop with 'watch in prayers'. Perhaps some people have truly been called to the life of a hermit.... However, according to scripture, that is not supposed to be the norm, whether it is appropriate for a few or not. How do we know that?
In the very next verse(s), I Peter 4:8-11 God calls us to a very active life involved with the body of Christ":
8) But above all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves: for charity covereth a multitude of sins. 9) Using hospitality one towards another, without murmuring, 10) As every man hath received grace, ministering the same one to another: as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11) If any man speak, let him speak, as the words of God. If any man minister, let him do it, as of the power, which God administereth: that in all things God may be honoured through Jesus Christ: to whom is glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen. (Douay-Rheims 1899 Am.Ed.)
Let's ponder that again - using a bit of formatting to help with the pondering:
"Above ALL have....:
"CONSTANT
MUTUAL
CHARITY
AMONG
YOURSELVES
"FOR CHARITY COVERETH A MULTITUDE OF SINS......
"USING
HOSPITALITY...
WITHOUT
MURMURING ................
"AS EVERY MAN HATH RECEIVED GRACE,
"MINISTERING
THE SAME (grace)
ONE TO ANOTHER
"AS......STEWARDS OF THE MANIFOLD GRACE OF GOD.
"If any man speak, let him speak,
. . . . . ........ as the words of God........"
......
Wait a moment here...... did you catch that?
"If any man speak, let him speak,
. . . . . ........ as the words of God........"
Astonishing! What other god ever conceived of wants those he lords over to speak 'as the words of God'?
Furthermore, when we are called to speak 'as the words of God', what is it that we had to be reminded to do?: show hospitality without murmuring!
Oh! Compare the gracious words of God with murmuring and weep with me....
....
In spite of our inclinations to murmur, God, filled with His manifold grace, has a plan to help us overcome our fleshly inclination to murmur.... and better, to:
"....speak.........as the words of God.....!"
Furthermore, when we are called to speak 'as the words of God', what is it that we had to be reminded to do?: show hospitality without murmuring!
Oh! Compare the gracious words of God with murmuring and weep with me....
....
In spite of our inclinations to murmur, God, filled with His manifold grace, has a plan to help us overcome our fleshly inclination to murmur.... and better, to:
"....speak.........as the words of God.....!"
Oh! God is at work in our lives, calling on us to join in as He goes about changing the stony hearts of men into loving and kind hearts of living flesh!
But how does one dare to even try to speak 'as the words of God'? What does that look like? And what if others who profess Christ seem to resist our sharing 'constant, mutual love' with them?
Certainly, the phrase 'let him speak *as* the word of God' must be understood in the context of being 'stewards of the manifold grace of God!'
What must this ability to speak 'like,' or 'as' "The words of God" look like?
Some men have claimed that their legalistic speakings were the very words of God. However, it is most certainly clear that legalism is not the call upon 'stewards of the manifold grace of God.'
Rather, as stewards of His ****manifold***** grace, we are called upon to minister the manifold grace of God to the brethren and to extend Christ's offer of the manifold grace of God to the unsaved.
When that grace is shared among the brethren with 'constant mutual love' among *****all**** of them, then 'love covers a multitude of sins' in entirety.
On the other hand, when that grace is hoarded and shared only among a select few (be they leadership of the church, or be they against the leadership of the church, and/or etc.), the lack of love actually creates a new multitude of sins........
Is there anything to cover this new multitude of sins?
Yes! Thanks to the glorious plan of the God of manifold grace!
The manifold grace of God can still come into the midst of the church through those who were left out in the cold, even through those who, being rejected by men, still place their steadfast faith in the Christ. All such believers know that they are held close to the heart of the Father, the heart of the Heavenly Father whose heart cherishes their every tear......
Yes, those who are left out in the cold by those professing Christ still have the calling on their lives to be 'stewards of the manifold grace of God' - - - - sharing constant love with all who are willing to share love with them, and extending it towards those who will not share it with them - - - - - living at peace with others as much as it is possible with them.....
When the love they extend is not fleshly and self-righteous, when the love they extend is from the God of manifold grace, then the love which they extend does in actuality have the power to cover a multitude of sins...
.......but not by their effort - rather, as with all sin, the covering of sins can only be accomplished by the manifold grace of God........
While it is not natural for those who are hurt by the church to love the church best, that is exactly what Christ did for His people..... for the called......... for His bride - a bride who rejected Him, even rejecting Him at her own peril, taking a deadly poison into herself, a poison for which she had no antidote. But Christ had that antidote - and willingly died on the cross in order to share that antidote with her(us) because those who had hated Him still needed Him - - - but more than that, He still loved them! Yes, He loves us, and calls on us to share that love with others, even with an imperfect church, even when that imperfect church wounds us.
Which brings us round full circle for those who have that desire to be a hermit, and 'watch in prayers'. Whether a longing to be a hermit arises out of one's natural nature to be introspective and introverted, and/or out of pain caused by the not-yet-perfect nature of the church, one must be active while one is at 'watch and prayers', sharing a 'constant mutual love' with each other in as much as it is possible with us..... in order for us to do the greater work:
..." that in all things God may be honoured through Jesus Christ: to whom is glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
......
Lord Jesus, help me, help us, oh, yes, help me!
Help me to forget the past you died to wash away!
Help me to focus on the fellowship of the saints in heaven, where your perfect love will flow through us perfectly - when we will no longer fall short of expressing your perfect love in this fleshly form.
Help me to press on towards the high calling to love perfectly, to bridle my tongue, to see the lost through your eyes.
Help me to see your church *only* through your eyes as well: your beloved who has thankfully taken the antidote to the poison of spiritual death which she had taken into herself, but your beloved who still needs nursing because of the poison of the sting of death which is still affecting her life through her *mortal flesh*.......
Your beloved who needs to take seriously the admonitions to live a holy life even while here on earth (Romans 8:13, James 1:22-27, etc.) - not that works save, but that those who have new life in them will respond to your voice, your word, your call to love others as you yourself are love.
Help me(us) to remember that we have *the mind of Christ* - that if our mind is distracted by the cares of this world, that our mind can be renewed again to 'the mind of Christ' (Romans 12:1-3).
Help me(us) to turn my(our) heart(s) towards heaven (Matthew 6:21).
Help me(us) to love God with my(our) whole heart (Luke 10:27).
Help me(us) to set my(our) heart(s) and mind(s) in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7), yea, even to have (a) purified heart(s) through faith (Acts 15:9) and have the word of faith in my(our) heart(s) (Romans 10:8), even have the word of God written on my(our) heart(s) (2 Cor 3:2), that such word written on my(our) heart(s) makes me(us-each) an epistle of Christ (2 Cor 3:3).
Help me(us) to overcome the flesh - to actually be recharged more by seeing your love proclaimed, than by anything else this world has to offer.
All that God may be honored through Jesus Christ........ in us....... by the incredible work of your manifold grace.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Hot Cocoa Chats @ Christmas Time (good for adults too!)........
1) What does
it look like for us as Innkeepers to make room for Jesus today?
Answers: (might include……..)
Let the
Word of God dwell in you richly, hide the Word of God in your heart, study to
show yourselves approved – e.g. carm.org,
be still
and know that I am God; (know Him better)
whatever
you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me…..; love one
another, consider others before yourself; love others as you love yourself,
which is second to loving God with all your heart, strength and mind; - - - - -
etc.
2) Christmas is a time of giving. Why? What needs do you have? Who can meet them? Read Phil 4:9
And my God will meet all your
needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (NLT)
When
God promised a savior, He set a plan of action into place to provide for our every need. It
seems like it took a long time to us humans. Still – King Jesus obeyed each &
every thing God asked Him to do *for us* – even when that meant being born, a
king, in a stable in a conquered nation, even when it meant being crucified on
a cross.
What can
we learn about ‘doing well’ when we look at the birth of Jesus? How can we be more like Him, willing to do
whatever God wants us to do for others? Which
*other* Jesus-stories might help us know how to obey regarding problems you or
I have had this week, or might have next week?
3) Read Isaiah 6:1-8 (when Isaiah said, “Here am I, send me!”
was He a type of Christ?). Then consider
this question: When mankind needed help,
did Jesus come willingly?
John
10:18b “I have authority to lay (my
life) down and authority to take it up again.
This command I received from my Father.” (he said this about facing
death on the cross, but by inference, he also said it about coming as a king to
be laid in a manger in a conquered land…….) But humble in His coming or not, He
came in fullness. Yes:
He came in fullness as the light and life of men. He came as the Word of God in all its
fullness.
We need
both the Light & the Word to know where to be on the path, and what to do
on that path. (Read John 8:12 – Why do we need to follow Him? Why do we need to share that Light &
Word?)
4) Why did Jesus come?
On a cold, snowy night, there was bird seeking for a shelter.
The bird flew over a mile. As he passed thru a flat terrain, he saw a house
which the light of fire furnace can be seen through its’ front windows. It was
a comforting light that attracts the bird to direct his route to the house, so
that his frigid body will be warmed. Suddenly the bird slamed the window and
hurt itself. The man inside the cozy house saw the hopeless bird. He ran
outside to see that the bird had flown away. The man ran after the bird but the
bird flew as fast as it can. The man felt sorry for this bird and he said “if
only I could be a bird, so that I can talk to him and tell him that I want to
help”. —that was the perfect illustration of what Jesus did for us. Jesus came
to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus came so that he can communicate
to us, and to have a fellowship with us. But it does not end with that, Jesus
came so that we could experience life and live it to the fullest (John 10:10b).
http://jhnfhlport.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/why-he-was-laid-in-the-manger/
John 17:3 Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent. (NIV)
He came so we can know Him more, because:
……… This is eternal life!
5) Why did God allow Herod to try to destroy Jesus
even when Jesus was a mere wee thing?
Answers might include:
Well, there is the fact that Satan wants to destroy
as many men as possible, and thus wants to see God’s plan of salvation
destroyed. There is the fact that too
many men are willing to help Satan in his plan to fight God.
But more than that, consider this:
Consider him who endured such
opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3 NIV)
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ... Intentionally Focused Study: Week 5 - Study Notes using SOAP Bible Study Method
(S)-SCRIPTURE:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)
9 Two are better than one,
. because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
. one can help the other up.
. But pity anyone who falls
. and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
. But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
. two can defend themselves.
. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (CJB)
9 Two are better than one,
. in that their cooperative efforts yield this advantage:
10 If one of them falls,
. the other will help his partner up -
. Woe to him who is alone when he falls
. and has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two people sleep together, they keep each other warm;
. but how can one person be warm by himself?
12 Moreover, an attacker may defeat - someone who is alone,
. but two can resist him;
. and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.
(O) - OBSERVATIONS - 'COOPERATIVE EFFORT': WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS IT NOT?
"Two are better than one.... and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken": These are main themes throughout scripture - sometimes overtly stated, other times inferred, and still other times exemplified.
Union, being united together, united together with both another (or others) - and God: that is one of the highest ideals.
In verse 9 of the Complete Jewish Bible for Ecclesiastes 4 above, 'their cooperative effort yields....advantage' comes across quite differently than the western translation, 'they have a good return for their labor'.
According to a quick viewing of the Hebrew definitions for the text in 4:9 via Strong's Concordance, the Western translation seems to be a rather literal translation. That is all well and good. However, Hebrew scholars often cite the fact that various words take on added meaning depending on how they are combined. Thus, I'm inclined to give extra credence to the CJB translation.
Certainly each of the two translations can point in the same direction, but they can also point in quite opposite directions, depending on the paradigm from which one or the other is read.
'They have a good return for their labor' does not echo the 'two are better than one theme' quite as clearly as 'their cooperative effort yields...advantage.'
My attention is utterly drawn to this idea of God's honoring 'cooperative effort' in light of 'two are better than one.... and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.'
Might understanding the Jewish meaning behind this term 'cooperative effort' help us understand God's view of 'kingdom living' in which we glorify Him and love others more and more fully and effectively?
...........
In these modern times, one might honestly ask if this 'cooperative effort' is communal/socialistic in nature. Historically speaking, however, Israelites were called upon in the writings and the prophets to live out God's ideals of 'cooperative effort' in a patriarchal, land owning society. Such efforts were hardly socialistic.
Old Testament text doesn't seem to say, "Here is an example of 'cooperative effort' in action." [We might prefer for God to be so direct, however, as Solomon put it, we are to work at discerning hidden lessons.]
Were the hidden lessons so well disguised that no one ever found them? In Old Testament days, some Israelites did indeed live holy lives through the grace revealed to them in the writings and the prophets (as evidenced by scripture saying that this man or that woman lived righteously before God). Those Israelites have exemplified the best of what 'cooperative effort' must mean in rich ways through the grace of our Lord. It would be beneficial to study out their lives in light of this phrase 'cooperative effort yields...advantage.' However, overall, Old Testament Israelites were too distracted by the cares of this world to take the time to understand, let alone fulfill the ideals of 'cooperative effort.'
PRAYER: Father God, help us to take time to listen to the Holy Spirit with open hearts and minds so that we may discern what 'cooperative effort' means in its fulness in order that we may fulfill all that You are asking of us today - that we may walk together with each other before You - gaining every advantage for Your name and Your kingdom as possible.
........
Certainly the kings of the various kingdoms surrounding Israel called upon their people to rise up together in 'cooperative effort' at times. Such efforts, being directed by dictators, were hardly socialistic. Furthermore, and more importantly, even the best of kings rarely cared about their part in 'cooperative effort', thereby throwing off any honest efforts of the people in general to live according to this ideal of 'cooperative effort' throughout their lands.
In more recent ages, the kings of various kingdoms in 'Christendom' also struggled with their own part of living in line with this call to 'cooperative effort'. The only king I know of who sought earnestly to serve his people in every way possible in order to fulfill his part in the Messiah's view of 'cooperative effort' in all aspects of life was Alfred the Great of England, which led to his being such a wise king that his people lived as a self-ruling land in which crime was hardly known...... - which is precisely why Alfred was the only king called 'the great' in all 'Christendom.' (A brief introduction into the life of Alfred the Great can be read online in chapters 15-17 here.)
Clearly 'cooperative effort' does yield great advantages. All of England was blessed because one man, the King of England, sought to fulfill 'cooperative effort' with his people.
.............
Going back to Biblical ages, the notable exceptions to rule by kings were Israel, who was ruled by judges for some 400 years before begging for kings; and Greece, who threw off her kings after realizing the inherent problems with rule by kings, precisely because kings rarely understand this 'cooperative effort'.
After throwing off her kings, Greece held to various philosophies regarding 'cooperative effort' throughout her glory days. If one studies Greece's earliest views of 'cooperative effort,' in which each man was called upon to meet the needs of the nation in times of crisis - even to the point of laying his life down for his Greek city-state if need be, though he was not forced to do so; and compares them with the ideals furthered by the Messiah himself, one will find that they are strikingly similar. It has been argued that the earliest Greek commitments to this view of 'cooperative effort' which they held to dearly for some time after throwing off her kings was one of the reasons why Greece rose in power and influence. However, over time, Greek ideals of 'cooperative effort' devolved significantly, first in one problematic way, then in another.
What caused this spiral downward? Philosophical changes regarding 'cooperative effort' spiraled downward because Greece's highest ideals called upon all Greek men to strive to live like the ideal, perfect man (that's why their statues glorified men and women who exemplified the perfect human form - nature bore witness to them the fact that a 'perfect man' is identifiable in nature, and we are all to strive to be like that perfect nature); however, no one could fully manage to live up to such a perfect ideal. Just as many today reject the Pollyanna quality of television shows like Leave it to Beaver, some Greeks began to challenge the veracity of the call to 'cooperative effort', when no one could achieve it! Each subsequent change in philosophy was an effort to compensate for and expect men's falling short. Of course, no code but strict adherence to the code of perfection or an understanding of the gift of grace could settle all issues in Greece.
In short, the Greeks gave up on trying to be like God's perfect Son.
At the same time, each alteration to their initial understanding of 'cooperative effort' drove their ideals further and further away from the truth.
Their efforts to find a way to aspire once again towards becoming that perfect man, and therefore their becoming that perfect state, all became more and more corrupt. Their greatest of philosophers, struggled to try to solve these issues. Socrates came closest. Right after him? Plato, plunged off the deep end. Plato actually published arguments that all men ought to give up the identity of their own children so they would not hoard for their own prodigy when the nation was in want. Admittedly, Plato's friends later managed to get him to rescind that portion of his writings; however, cooperative effort had at least considered that extreme relatively early on.
ANOTHER WORK IN PROGRESS....... I'LL TRY TO FINISH THIS ONE THIS WEEK.....
Why had Plato embraced this extreme? By this approach to procreation, he reasoned that each man would more freely apply all his strength, and abilities, and wealth, whenever needed, freely and liberally in a cooperative, communal effort for the well being of the nation - for the good of all. This type of 'cooperative effort', this type of communal living were to be guided by the alleged wisdom/need of the people. In Plato's case, greater natural endowment would produce various levels of influence over decisions related to such communal efforts - thus 'pure equality' was not the goal, but all men were to be seen as vital parts of the nation who should each be encouraged to contribute to the good of the cooperative effort.
In Israel, the 'cooperative effort' was seen quite differently. Cooperative effort was needed for survival, but also valued within the kingdom - with neighbors being 'brothers', and thereby obligated to care for each other. Consider the lesson to the Israelites during their Exodus when God condemned the Edomites who would not allow Israel to pass through their lands (Numbers 18). At other times, one tribe was called upon by God to help other tribes. The 'cooperative effort' was to be based upon the brotherhood of the nation at all times - and thus growing out of patriarchy rather than communal ideals.
The church was intended to be established upon these highest of ideals, this brotherly design, which was indeed re-emphasized by the Messiah - with God being the heavenly patriarch, or heavenly Father of all who called upon the name of the one who saves: Jeshua.
Israel's socio-economic system did indeed entail a national charity system. However, it was governed and directed by the government of the priests - thus it was more patriarchal in nature. Still, in addition to the government's call to help lift up the downtrodden through national charity, more was demanded of the common Israelite. As seen in the teachings of the Messiah as He walked and talked among His people, God had intended brother to help brother through brotherly love throughout the centuries.
This 'cooperative effort' thus was to be brother helping brother whenever a brother had fallen down and needed help getting back up.
Israel never fully realized this beautiful brotherhood as a nation - though many Israelite people did embody these principles.
Does the church have a chance of being the church triumphant on this earth if we do not embrace this greater view of the Cooperative Effort of the Brotherhood (aka: the Holy Spirit living and loving through us)?
A - "It is not good for man to be alone." (We need God to be there, seeing to various details....)
David had Jonathan. Their union, their 'male bonding' in today's terms, was sealed by the fact that both of them brought God with them, into everything.
B - God & His Son are active together - are not alone. Together they direct creation (Genesis 1:1...): God spoke His plan via the Word (John 1:1...). The Word worked into being the plan God spoke. (The Holy Spirit was also there, seeing to the details put forward by God through the Word.)
C - Jesus and the Holy Spirit minister to the saints this side of heaven. Jesus provided the means by which the needs of His people will be met. Then He directed the Holy Spirit to comfort us, teach us, and guide us, help us where we are weak (Romans 8:26), pray for us when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26).
Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us, with gr(oanings to deep for words.
D - It is good for believers to share in each other's troubles, "
E - The third strand in the cord.
In marriage the third strand is God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the ruach hakodesh.
While it is good for us as people to be joined together with others in one way or another - always, it is that third strand in the cord which most stabilizes us and makes it difficult to break us.
In New Testament thinking, we are to "Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17
Understanding what it would mean to desecrate God's Holy Name, and understanding what it would mean to avoid desecrating God's Holy Name is very differently expressed in the Jewish language than in the English language.
(A) APPLY
.
(P) PRAYERS
http://www.inner.org/Nav_time/month.php?article=t0005
http://theresurgence.com/2013/06/25/the-work-of-the-holy-spirit-in-the-life-of-a-believer
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)
9 Two are better than one,
. because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
. one can help the other up.
. But pity anyone who falls
. and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
. But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
. two can defend themselves.
. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (CJB)
9 Two are better than one,
. in that their cooperative efforts yield this advantage:
10 If one of them falls,
. the other will help his partner up -
. Woe to him who is alone when he falls
. and has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two people sleep together, they keep each other warm;
. but how can one person be warm by himself?
12 Moreover, an attacker may defeat - someone who is alone,
. but two can resist him;
. and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.
(O) - OBSERVATIONS - 'COOPERATIVE EFFORT': WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS IT NOT?
"Two are better than one.... and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken": These are main themes throughout scripture - sometimes overtly stated, other times inferred, and still other times exemplified.
Union, being united together, united together with both another (or others) - and God: that is one of the highest ideals.
In verse 9 of the Complete Jewish Bible for Ecclesiastes 4 above, 'their cooperative effort yields....advantage' comes across quite differently than the western translation, 'they have a good return for their labor'.
According to a quick viewing of the Hebrew definitions for the text in 4:9 via Strong's Concordance, the Western translation seems to be a rather literal translation. That is all well and good. However, Hebrew scholars often cite the fact that various words take on added meaning depending on how they are combined. Thus, I'm inclined to give extra credence to the CJB translation.
Certainly each of the two translations can point in the same direction, but they can also point in quite opposite directions, depending on the paradigm from which one or the other is read.
'They have a good return for their labor' does not echo the 'two are better than one theme' quite as clearly as 'their cooperative effort yields...advantage.'
My attention is utterly drawn to this idea of God's honoring 'cooperative effort' in light of 'two are better than one.... and a three-stranded cord is not easily broken.'
Might understanding the Jewish meaning behind this term 'cooperative effort' help us understand God's view of 'kingdom living' in which we glorify Him and love others more and more fully and effectively?
...........
In these modern times, one might honestly ask if this 'cooperative effort' is communal/socialistic in nature. Historically speaking, however, Israelites were called upon in the writings and the prophets to live out God's ideals of 'cooperative effort' in a patriarchal, land owning society. Such efforts were hardly socialistic.
Old Testament text doesn't seem to say, "Here is an example of 'cooperative effort' in action." [We might prefer for God to be so direct, however, as Solomon put it, we are to work at discerning hidden lessons.]
Were the hidden lessons so well disguised that no one ever found them? In Old Testament days, some Israelites did indeed live holy lives through the grace revealed to them in the writings and the prophets (as evidenced by scripture saying that this man or that woman lived righteously before God). Those Israelites have exemplified the best of what 'cooperative effort' must mean in rich ways through the grace of our Lord. It would be beneficial to study out their lives in light of this phrase 'cooperative effort yields...advantage.' However, overall, Old Testament Israelites were too distracted by the cares of this world to take the time to understand, let alone fulfill the ideals of 'cooperative effort.'
PRAYER: Father God, help us to take time to listen to the Holy Spirit with open hearts and minds so that we may discern what 'cooperative effort' means in its fulness in order that we may fulfill all that You are asking of us today - that we may walk together with each other before You - gaining every advantage for Your name and Your kingdom as possible.
........
Certainly the kings of the various kingdoms surrounding Israel called upon their people to rise up together in 'cooperative effort' at times. Such efforts, being directed by dictators, were hardly socialistic. Furthermore, and more importantly, even the best of kings rarely cared about their part in 'cooperative effort', thereby throwing off any honest efforts of the people in general to live according to this ideal of 'cooperative effort' throughout their lands.
In more recent ages, the kings of various kingdoms in 'Christendom' also struggled with their own part of living in line with this call to 'cooperative effort'. The only king I know of who sought earnestly to serve his people in every way possible in order to fulfill his part in the Messiah's view of 'cooperative effort' in all aspects of life was Alfred the Great of England, which led to his being such a wise king that his people lived as a self-ruling land in which crime was hardly known...... - which is precisely why Alfred was the only king called 'the great' in all 'Christendom.' (A brief introduction into the life of Alfred the Great can be read online in chapters 15-17 here.)
Clearly 'cooperative effort' does yield great advantages. All of England was blessed because one man, the King of England, sought to fulfill 'cooperative effort' with his people.
.............
Going back to Biblical ages, the notable exceptions to rule by kings were Israel, who was ruled by judges for some 400 years before begging for kings; and Greece, who threw off her kings after realizing the inherent problems with rule by kings, precisely because kings rarely understand this 'cooperative effort'.
After throwing off her kings, Greece held to various philosophies regarding 'cooperative effort' throughout her glory days. If one studies Greece's earliest views of 'cooperative effort,' in which each man was called upon to meet the needs of the nation in times of crisis - even to the point of laying his life down for his Greek city-state if need be, though he was not forced to do so; and compares them with the ideals furthered by the Messiah himself, one will find that they are strikingly similar. It has been argued that the earliest Greek commitments to this view of 'cooperative effort' which they held to dearly for some time after throwing off her kings was one of the reasons why Greece rose in power and influence. However, over time, Greek ideals of 'cooperative effort' devolved significantly, first in one problematic way, then in another.
What caused this spiral downward? Philosophical changes regarding 'cooperative effort' spiraled downward because Greece's highest ideals called upon all Greek men to strive to live like the ideal, perfect man (that's why their statues glorified men and women who exemplified the perfect human form - nature bore witness to them the fact that a 'perfect man' is identifiable in nature, and we are all to strive to be like that perfect nature); however, no one could fully manage to live up to such a perfect ideal. Just as many today reject the Pollyanna quality of television shows like Leave it to Beaver, some Greeks began to challenge the veracity of the call to 'cooperative effort', when no one could achieve it! Each subsequent change in philosophy was an effort to compensate for and expect men's falling short. Of course, no code but strict adherence to the code of perfection or an understanding of the gift of grace could settle all issues in Greece.
In short, the Greeks gave up on trying to be like God's perfect Son.
At the same time, each alteration to their initial understanding of 'cooperative effort' drove their ideals further and further away from the truth.
Their efforts to find a way to aspire once again towards becoming that perfect man, and therefore their becoming that perfect state, all became more and more corrupt. Their greatest of philosophers, struggled to try to solve these issues. Socrates came closest. Right after him? Plato, plunged off the deep end. Plato actually published arguments that all men ought to give up the identity of their own children so they would not hoard for their own prodigy when the nation was in want. Admittedly, Plato's friends later managed to get him to rescind that portion of his writings; however, cooperative effort had at least considered that extreme relatively early on.
ANOTHER WORK IN PROGRESS....... I'LL TRY TO FINISH THIS ONE THIS WEEK.....
Why had Plato embraced this extreme? By this approach to procreation, he reasoned that each man would more freely apply all his strength, and abilities, and wealth, whenever needed, freely and liberally in a cooperative, communal effort for the well being of the nation - for the good of all. This type of 'cooperative effort', this type of communal living were to be guided by the alleged wisdom/need of the people. In Plato's case, greater natural endowment would produce various levels of influence over decisions related to such communal efforts - thus 'pure equality' was not the goal, but all men were to be seen as vital parts of the nation who should each be encouraged to contribute to the good of the cooperative effort.
In Israel, the 'cooperative effort' was seen quite differently. Cooperative effort was needed for survival, but also valued within the kingdom - with neighbors being 'brothers', and thereby obligated to care for each other. Consider the lesson to the Israelites during their Exodus when God condemned the Edomites who would not allow Israel to pass through their lands (Numbers 18). At other times, one tribe was called upon by God to help other tribes. The 'cooperative effort' was to be based upon the brotherhood of the nation at all times - and thus growing out of patriarchy rather than communal ideals.
The church was intended to be established upon these highest of ideals, this brotherly design, which was indeed re-emphasized by the Messiah - with God being the heavenly patriarch, or heavenly Father of all who called upon the name of the one who saves: Jeshua.
Israel's socio-economic system did indeed entail a national charity system. However, it was governed and directed by the government of the priests - thus it was more patriarchal in nature. Still, in addition to the government's call to help lift up the downtrodden through national charity, more was demanded of the common Israelite. As seen in the teachings of the Messiah as He walked and talked among His people, God had intended brother to help brother through brotherly love throughout the centuries.
This 'cooperative effort' thus was to be brother helping brother whenever a brother had fallen down and needed help getting back up.
Israel never fully realized this beautiful brotherhood as a nation - though many Israelite people did embody these principles.
Does the church have a chance of being the church triumphant on this earth if we do not embrace this greater view of the Cooperative Effort of the Brotherhood (aka: the Holy Spirit living and loving through us)?
A - "It is not good for man to be alone." (We need God to be there, seeing to various details....)
David had Jonathan. Their union, their 'male bonding' in today's terms, was sealed by the fact that both of them brought God with them, into everything.
B - God & His Son are active together - are not alone. Together they direct creation (Genesis 1:1...): God spoke His plan via the Word (John 1:1...). The Word worked into being the plan God spoke. (The Holy Spirit was also there, seeing to the details put forward by God through the Word.)
C - Jesus and the Holy Spirit minister to the saints this side of heaven. Jesus provided the means by which the needs of His people will be met. Then He directed the Holy Spirit to comfort us, teach us, and guide us, help us where we are weak (Romans 8:26), pray for us when we do not know how to pray (Romans 8:26).
Romans 8:26 "In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us, with gr(oanings to deep for words.
D - It is good for believers to share in each other's troubles, "
E - The third strand in the cord.
In marriage the third strand is God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the ruach hakodesh.
While it is good for us as people to be joined together with others in one way or another - always, it is that third strand in the cord which most stabilizes us and makes it difficult to break us.
In New Testament thinking, we are to "Pray without ceasing." I Thessalonians 5:17
Understanding what it would mean to desecrate God's Holy Name, and understanding what it would mean to avoid desecrating God's Holy Name is very differently expressed in the Jewish language than in the English language.
(A) APPLY
.
(P) PRAYERS
http://www.inner.org/Nav_time/month.php?article=t0005
http://theresurgence.com/2013/06/25/the-work-of-the-holy-spirit-in-the-life-of-a-believer
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