Saturday, June 7, 2014
You Are Summoned! Zephaniah 43:1, 4 - Wk: 1, Thursday
Oh, my soul...........
Rejoice in the Lord and forsake Him not!
Rejoice in the Lord....
Rejoice in Adonai who has created you!
Who created you while you were yet in darkness!
Adonai created you and called you by name!
You who were born a grasping ya'akov.
He has pursued you!
He has found you!
He has waged mighty battle for you!
He has won the battle for you!
He has blessed you when you sought to wrestle against even Him!
He has drawn you to Himself.....while you were.....
.....like Ya'akov...
..............flesh grasping after ........ what?.......
He has redeemed you!
He has drawn you to Himself.......while you were.......
.......like Isra'el........
.... struggling with God and with men along the way......
What could you have done to merit His favor? ......... Nothing!
Yet.........
He has taken on your struggles.
He took them on Himself!
- - - the Mighty Warrior alone overcame them!
He overcame them and established Complete Victory over them!
He Himself, Jeshua haMashiach cast them aside...... And now......
He has renewed you!
He has grafted you in, by the power of life in Jeshua haMashiach!
He has grafted you in!
He has formed you, Isra'el.........
........so that now, it can be ever so true...........
........................you are summoned to His rest.....!
The fire and the river may cross your path.
The fire and the river may be at your feet!
But the fire will not burn you!
And the river will not overflow you!
The fire and the river may seem to be a struggle.
But you are summoned!
Step onward!
He has taken on your struggles!
So now you may call upon the name of the Lord!
Forget Him not as you face the fire and the river!
Be not weary of the Lord, for He has summoned you - in love!
He has summoned you to enter His rest!
Be not weary of the Lord!
Be not weary of His love!
But now, you are called to the nations!
You are called to share His love with the nations!
You are called to share His love with the nations who.....
Are grasping, who........
Struggle with God and with men.........
Whom He is pursuing yet...........
Who have eyes, but who do not see........
Who have ears, but who do not hear...........
Be His witness unto the nations!
He whose hand is ready to save you in His hand!
He is ready to do something new!
Be not weary of the Lord!
Be not weary of His love!
Close not your eyes or your ears to His love!
Close not your eyes or your ears to His rest!
Close not your eyes or your ears......
And witness the wonders of His redemption......
.........of the nations - - - for His name's sake!
Rise up in praise of the Mighty Warrior!
Rise up in praise of His Complete Victory!
Rise up in praise of His love!
Rise up in praise of........ the Lamb...........
S. - But now this is what Adonai says;
He who created you, Ya'akov,
He who formed you, Isra'el:
"Don't be afraid! for I have redeemed you;
I am calling you by your name;
you are mine.
(Zephaniah 43:1, 4 - CJB)
Wk: 1; Friday can be found here.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
The Mighty Warrior is With You! Zephaniah 3:17: Wk: 1, Wednesday GMG
The Mighty Warrior is with you!
"The Lord your God is in your midst / a mighty warrior.....!" (Zephaniah 3:15b, and 17a - NAS/NIV....)
Hear it again and receive it!
The Mighty Warrior is with you!
What's more, the Mighty Warrior is more than just an ally!
The Mighty Warrior saves you! (NIV)
Why does He save you?!?!!!
The Mighty Warrior loves you!
O my soul! You must be safe indeed! The Mighty Warrior who has won the battle to establish an eternal foundation for Complete Victory is with you forever and loves you eternally!
..........
This third meditation on scripture from Good Morning Girls in the series You Are Loved builds powerfully on the previous two. The first study: celebrates His loving pursuit of us, and the second: celebrates complete victory through love.
And here, the study moves on, building on God's love and His victory...... we now focus on the Mighty Warrior who is the source of all of this transcendant love and eternal victory.
What more does Zephaniah say about this Mighty Warrior?
That he not only loves you, He delights in you!
O, my soul! You heard it yesterday! He doesn't just love your incorruptible spirit, He loves you, O my soul - to the point that He delights in you! Do you believe it yet? How many ways does He need to tell you?
O, my soul, You are so loved!
But what is this that is said of the Mighty Warrior next?
Ode to reading the Hebrew (maybe someday ...... *sigh*)!!!! What an amazing array of renderings of this next little phrase telling so much about the Mighty Warrior. Is this next little phrase so rich that no one can get it all into words...not in our flexible language repleat with the most varied vocabulary in the world...?
....in His love He will no longer rebuke you..... (NIV)
....with His love, He will calm all your fears...... (NLT)
....He will quiet you with His love..... (ESV, KJ200Bible)
....He will be quiet in His love..... (NAS)
....He will rest in His love...... (KJV, Jubilee Bible 2000, AKJV, ASV, DBT, ERS, WBT)
....In His love He will renew you with His love..... (ISV)
....He renews you by His love..... (Net Bible)
....renews you with His love....(God's Word Translation)
....He will be silent in His love.... (Douay-Rheims)
....He will calm you in His love.... (WEB)
....He doth work in His love.... (YLT)
Foreseen here:
The conflict - - - now over!
The Complete Victory - - - obtained!
And still, the Mighty Warrior is moving, - working -
His love enveloping all He is doing;
His efforts, effectual, by, in, and with His love...... for us.........
for ........ you!
for ........ ......... me!
All rebukes past, yes......... but there's more!
His movements........ accomplishing what 'He will' do.......
But what is it that He is doing?
What is the Mighty Warrior bent upon doing with His masterful use of His love?
Why does any warrior with love in his heart go to war?
To safeguard those whom He loves and end all threats to their peace......!
So it is with the Mighty Warrior!
And when the clanging chaos of the battle is over, the quiet that comes........
The quiet that comes *with the love that finally proves to be the end of all wars*.........
Is a quiet of the celebration of peace..
And that is what we see here - 'quiet', 'calm', 'rest', 'renew', 'silent' ......
So what is it that He is doing?
He is resting in His love......
He is drawing us into His rest with His love.
He is and has been creating calm for you and is drawing you into it with Him.
He is renewing us in the silence of that calm.
He is joining us......... in that peace.......
...........
Still, that is only in the days foreseen...... Days not yet come......
Oh! But those days are promised!
And for those who are loved! Yes! For those who are loved; for those who know His promise!
We hear as they did in the days of of the prophets:
Be still (or cease striving) and know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10)
O, my soul! Listen and hear!
He is!
He is love!
He is pursuing you with His love!
His is Complete Victory through His love!
He is the Mighty Warrior who brings you peace through His love!
He is the Mighty Warrior who relishes in the calm of peace, together,...... with you........
......
..............and there's more!
O, Yes! My soul! There's so much more!
The Mighty Warrior cannot contain His joy in His Complete Victory which He obtained for you!
When the Mighty Warrior has obtained His Complete Victory for you, and you have relished in His peace together......... tasting the beauty of the silence....... tasting it together with you ......
Then the Mighty Warrior will not contain His joy any longer..........
............................Then the Mighty Warrior will rejoice over you with a great cry!
............................Then the Mighty Warrior will rejoice over you with singing!...................
But for now....... O, my soul. Be still......... cease from striving..........
The promise of the Mighty Warrior will not fail, because there truly is something to the 'old fairy tale's telling, that:
True Love Conquers All!
What the old tales and fables have missed is this:
That True Love ........ is only from God.
His truest messenger........... who bears True Love to us.........
Is the Mighty Warrior!
The Mighty Warrior...... who loves us!
......... who loves.............. (me)!
...................sh................ it's time to be
still........
quiet.........
hush................
....................
S. - The Lord your God is with you,
The Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.
(but so many other renderings of this portion of the verse make its meaning so much richer........ - especially when combined with this one.......http://biblehub.com/zephaniah/3-17.htm):
....in His love He will no longer rebuke you..... (NIV)
....with His love, He will calm all your fears...... (NLT)
....He will quiet you with His love..... (ESV, KJ200Bible)
....He will be quiet in His love..... (NAS)
....He will rest in His love...... (KJV, Jubilee Bible 2000, AKJV, ASV, DBT, ERS, WBT)
....In His love He will renew you with His love..... (ISV)
....He renews you by His love..... (Net Bible)
....renews you with His love....(God's Word Translation)
....He will be silent in His love.... (Douay-Rheims)
....He will calm you in His love.... (WEB)
....He doth work in His love.... (YLT)
O. - The Holy Spirit has been so faithful to guide the women who put together this study for us.
This meditation upon scripture is built upon those previous studies: God pursues us with His love. With that love, He obtains Complete Victory......
Today, we move on to celebrate the one who obtained that victory established in, by, and with His love for us......., and what do we find as we celebrate the one who obtained the victory.......?
O, my soul! Rejoice!
The Mighty Warrior is with you.
The Mighty Warrior loves you.
The Mighty Warrior delights in you.
The Mighty Warrior, with the power of His love, has obtained peace for you, for your healing, calming, and renewing.
The Mighty Warrior, with the power of His love, has obtained peace for you, in order to enjoy and delight in peace with you!
The Mighty Warrior, after relishing in peace with us, will rejoice over you with a loud ringing cry...... - O, He will rejoice.......... with singing......
A. - Now we are to be like Him!
We need to face conflict with love - with Him!
We need to love Him - as He loved us!
We need to delight in Him!
We need to praise Him for His peace and receive His healing and renewing and calming from His love!
We need to relish and delight with Him in His peace!
We need to rejoice in Him!
We need to face conflict with His love - for others!
We need to love others - as He loved us!
We need to delight in others - delighting in those He has sent us to, to share His love!
We need to extend the peace of His kingdom - extending His healing - through the power of His love!
We need to delight in His peace with others - with Him!
We need to rejoice in the called - in His beloved - in His kingdom!
P. - Our Father! You sent your Mighty Warrior to love us, save us, delight in us, heal us, bring us peace, and prepare us here on earth to be with you in heaven! What a mighty, yet loving Father-God you are!
May your name be holy in my (our) life/lives: Faithful and True, and the name written on your crown which no one has yet known, and your name Word of God, and your name King of King and Lord of Lords (Rev 19:11-16).
Hurry and come again! No other warrior can bring an end to chaos and put The Kingdom of peace on the map with mankind so that no one can again say, "There is no god," even while God graciously, again and again proclaims "Adonai" (I am......). Mankind cries for peace, peace. But without you, there is no peace. Thank you for peace in your Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, and for bringing me into that peace with you. Help me to further that kingdom here today! Show me who in my path you mean for me to share the gospel with. Show me who you wish to use to refine me - bringing me into greater obedience (both disciplers, and those who are enemies, who laugh at my being in the fire, while you are using the fire to refine and purify me!). Show me who are my brothers and sisters in you - that I might fellowship with them! Manifest your kingdom Lord - King of King and Lord of Lords!
Thank you for the glass through which we see, darkly, in joy, the glorious love of you as warrior (Zephaniah 3), and, in humility, the fearsome holiness of you as warrior (Revelation 19). Help us to be moved both by your love and the fight that is ahead to preach peace through the cross.
Forgive us for not rejoicing with you when you rejoice, and for not seeking peace for others in response to your warning of the judgment to come. Help us to grow in both your grace, and in your *truth* - empowered unto good works by your truth.
And lead us not unto temptation - - - - but lead us into the world as a light - - - - leading us in the path of righteousness.......... for your name's sake.
For thine is the kingdom of the power of love - the kingdom of the warrior revealed - the kingdom of the holy one - so glorious!
Amen.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Complete Victory! Romans 8:35-39, esp. 37-39; Wk 1: Tuesday
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.
.
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.
.
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.
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