In the last 'Heart and Soul' post we spoke a little about God's word opening us up to reveal to us our need to enter into rest. There is much more to be said about joints and marrow.
Joints speak of a person's life up until now (because their condition is affected by life) and marrow speaks of future vitality because blood is made in the marrow of our bones.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips." - Psalm 63:3-5 NKJV
"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." - Proverbs 3:6-8 KJV
Joints also speak of individual relationships...
"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." - Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV
Each joint works a little differently. One limb bends this way and another rotates that way. Every 'relationship' supplies a certain type of movement. Speaking the truth in love is good for every relationship.
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." - Proverbs 17:22 KJV
Meditating on God, looking to Him for direction and discovering His heart of love gives us good bone marrow. We laugh with people and respecting the way the bones meet so that they are not pulled out of joint. Some toes wiggle and some don't. We can respect the boundaries while still exercising movement but our intention for each relationship is growth in grace. We speak the truth to reveal the Saviour and grow upwards into the Saviour's headship.
I thought of a few people this morning that I haven't spoken to in a while and prayed for them. I want to build them up when I see them and let them know they are loved. I want for them to have 'future vitality'. I want the 'bend' or 'turn' of our relationship to be one of honor and respect otherwise things may get pulled out of joint.
God please bless our joints and marrow today. Teach us to live. Fill us with joy and cause us to enter into Your rest. Give us wisdom for our dealings with one another and please organize laughter therapy sessions we can have with people this week. We praise You and worship You in the holiness that You have given by grace. Thank You Lord.
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Showing posts with label Soul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soul. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Heart And Soul - Part 3
The next passage is truly amazing and it is given in the context of Sabbath rest.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
Ceremonial rest. Purposeful rest. Ceasing from labor. Enter in. It isn't the sleep we get because we are exhausted. It is purposeful ceasing from labor. The Bible will give you and I discernment about many things. The joint is the hinge. Muscles pull. They can only pull or rest. The Bible is going to show us how we are using our muscles. God already sees but the Bible cuts it all open for us.
"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God," - Hebrews 4:9 ESV
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts." - Proverbs 20:27 ESV
Divisions must be made. What is God's light and what is our personality? Our soul will strive to survive and eclipse out the light of the spirit. Without the Bible that is sure to happen. We will filter everything through ourselves. We will have an intellectual, social or emotional faith. No. The Bible must cut away soul from Spirit and say, 'This is who you are. Look at those joints. You can't pull now. Your power has been cut. Now look at the spirit and rest.'
"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God..." - 1 Corinthians 2:14a ESV
The word 'natural' there is psychikos (Strong's G5591) in the Greek and it would be better translated 'soulish'. Here is more context for the passage...
"And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 ESV
Yes. Light. Grace. Rest. Jesus' mind given in a book. Not everyone who quotes the book has God's mind. That is for sure. Maybe even most don't. Jesus' mind opens things up and frees us from striving. God's mind says, 'Look. The work is done. Stop striving to please me. Jesus has already pleased me. Rest in my love.'
The soul is who we are. The Spirit shines light into who we are. Truth is that light. The Bible is God's book of light.
We may say. I don't want to be cut open and seen like that. God already sees everything. He lays it open for us to see because He Is gracious and loving.
Your soul is like a perfect beautiful crystal. Let God hang it in the sunlight so it can shine forth God's glory. Enter into the rest of Christ's finished work. He strove to get to the cross and die in our place. Now God wants us to rest in everything we do.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Have a good Sabbath today and every day.
--
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
Ceremonial rest. Purposeful rest. Ceasing from labor. Enter in. It isn't the sleep we get because we are exhausted. It is purposeful ceasing from labor. The Bible will give you and I discernment about many things. The joint is the hinge. Muscles pull. They can only pull or rest. The Bible is going to show us how we are using our muscles. God already sees but the Bible cuts it all open for us.
"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God," - Hebrews 4:9 ESV
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts." - Proverbs 20:27 ESV
Divisions must be made. What is God's light and what is our personality? Our soul will strive to survive and eclipse out the light of the spirit. Without the Bible that is sure to happen. We will filter everything through ourselves. We will have an intellectual, social or emotional faith. No. The Bible must cut away soul from Spirit and say, 'This is who you are. Look at those joints. You can't pull now. Your power has been cut. Now look at the spirit and rest.'
"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God..." - 1 Corinthians 2:14a ESV
The word 'natural' there is psychikos (Strong's G5591) in the Greek and it would be better translated 'soulish'. Here is more context for the passage...
"And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 ESV
Yes. Light. Grace. Rest. Jesus' mind given in a book. Not everyone who quotes the book has God's mind. That is for sure. Maybe even most don't. Jesus' mind opens things up and frees us from striving. God's mind says, 'Look. The work is done. Stop striving to please me. Jesus has already pleased me. Rest in my love.'
The soul is who we are. The Spirit shines light into who we are. Truth is that light. The Bible is God's book of light.
We may say. I don't want to be cut open and seen like that. God already sees everything. He lays it open for us to see because He Is gracious and loving.
Your soul is like a perfect beautiful crystal. Let God hang it in the sunlight so it can shine forth God's glory. Enter into the rest of Christ's finished work. He strove to get to the cross and die in our place. Now God wants us to rest in everything we do.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Have a good Sabbath today and every day.
--
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Heart And Soul - Part 2
I have said a few times before that 'first mention' is an important tool. We learn a great deal from the first mention of a word or concept in the scriptures.
Here is the first mention for the word 'heart.'
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." - Genesis 6:5-9 ESV
The Hebrew word here is leb (Strong's H3820). It is a noun referring to our central blood-pumping organ. Like in English, it also means 'central'. In Genisis 6 we see man's heart and God's heart. All of mankind has a heart problem but Noah finds grace and we get clues to why much later.
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." - Hebrews 11:7 ESV
Noah believed.
The heart is an organ pumping blood in one direction. It is an organ installed in a body but a soul is different. It touchs a body and a body gives it form but it is not an organ. The first mention of this word is here.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7 KJV
Our soul is 'God breathed'. God holiest name is YAHWEH. It is translated in all uppercase in most places in the KJV of the Bible. It is so holy that the vowel markers were all but lost over time. Men who kept the scriptures would not say it out loud. Some translate it JEHOVAH substituting the vowels from another word. Either way this name is unique because in order to say YAHWEH you must exhale in a unique way. The word is a full exhale. The infinite God only exhales, gives, He never inhales, needs anything from anyone. He spoke words to create the universe but He exhaled His life in us.
Nephesh (Strong's H5315) is the word translated soul here and it is the substance of the mind. It is flowing air. It is God's continual outward flow flowing into us. Our body is like a glove. Our DNA gives our soul form. Decisions are like a mold for what we will be forever. This air has form that will exist when our body returns to dust.
You have a heart. You and I are a soul.
Without going too long I just want to give one last passage.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:25-26 ESV
The wicked heart God saw that grieved Him so much was this stony heart. (You may find it helpful to go back and look at the definition given in Part 1). Noah believed and his center shifted. When we believe once in Christ we get, at that moment, a heart transplant. Love is circulating. We come alive.
--
Here is the first mention for the word 'heart.'
"The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God." - Genesis 6:5-9 ESV
The Hebrew word here is leb (Strong's H3820). It is a noun referring to our central blood-pumping organ. Like in English, it also means 'central'. In Genisis 6 we see man's heart and God's heart. All of mankind has a heart problem but Noah finds grace and we get clues to why much later.
"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." - Hebrews 11:7 ESV
Noah believed.
The heart is an organ pumping blood in one direction. It is an organ installed in a body but a soul is different. It touchs a body and a body gives it form but it is not an organ. The first mention of this word is here.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7 KJV
Our soul is 'God breathed'. God holiest name is YAHWEH. It is translated in all uppercase in most places in the KJV of the Bible. It is so holy that the vowel markers were all but lost over time. Men who kept the scriptures would not say it out loud. Some translate it JEHOVAH substituting the vowels from another word. Either way this name is unique because in order to say YAHWEH you must exhale in a unique way. The word is a full exhale. The infinite God only exhales, gives, He never inhales, needs anything from anyone. He spoke words to create the universe but He exhaled His life in us.
Nephesh (Strong's H5315) is the word translated soul here and it is the substance of the mind. It is flowing air. It is God's continual outward flow flowing into us. Our body is like a glove. Our DNA gives our soul form. Decisions are like a mold for what we will be forever. This air has form that will exist when our body returns to dust.
You have a heart. You and I are a soul.
Without going too long I just want to give one last passage.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:25-26 ESV
The wicked heart God saw that grieved Him so much was this stony heart. (You may find it helpful to go back and look at the definition given in Part 1). Noah believed and his center shifted. When we believe once in Christ we get, at that moment, a heart transplant. Love is circulating. We come alive.
--
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Heart And Soul - Part 1
Heart and soul. The Bible uses both of these terms extensively. We really don't want to draw our understanding from popular culture for these terms. The Bible gives definition and if we look carefully we can put the 'puzzle pieces' together and get some deep understanding about ourselves and others.
My Pastor of many years gave this definition for the heart and it is still the best I have found...
'The heart is the premise of all motivation. It is the basis for all my operational behavior. It is the communication center of all my thoughts, feeling and decisions.' -P Carl H Stevens
Our soul is all we are. Our mind, emotions, feelings, sense of self identity. Our value system and even our memory, to a certain extent, fall into the category of the soul. It is who we are if we had no body. It isn't a mystical jelly fish of light that can be sold to the devil. It is us. We are not bodies with souls. We are souls with bodies.
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" - Matthew 16:25-26 ESV
Wow. Great questions.
This post is an introduction to a series of posts where we will search out the heart and soul. I have an expectation that what we discover will be transforming.
You are very welcome to join me on this journey. Only the scriptures can reveal what is invisible to the naked eye. Our souls are eternal and our heart determines the quality of our life. Let's look at them and see what God has done.
--
My Pastor of many years gave this definition for the heart and it is still the best I have found...
'The heart is the premise of all motivation. It is the basis for all my operational behavior. It is the communication center of all my thoughts, feeling and decisions.' -P Carl H Stevens
Our soul is all we are. Our mind, emotions, feelings, sense of self identity. Our value system and even our memory, to a certain extent, fall into the category of the soul. It is who we are if we had no body. It isn't a mystical jelly fish of light that can be sold to the devil. It is us. We are not bodies with souls. We are souls with bodies.
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" - Matthew 16:25-26 ESV
Wow. Great questions.
This post is an introduction to a series of posts where we will search out the heart and soul. I have an expectation that what we discover will be transforming.
You are very welcome to join me on this journey. Only the scriptures can reveal what is invisible to the naked eye. Our souls are eternal and our heart determines the quality of our life. Let's look at them and see what God has done.
--
Monday, May 1, 2017
Regard No One According To The Flesh
How do we look at people? In what light do we see their potential? How we see them will influence how we treat them.
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV
We are not to use the body as our emphasis. The soul is the focus. The spirit is the identity. The content of each soul is unique. We are not bodies with souls. We are souls with bodies.
Lust has a fleshly dimension. This change of focus hinders that avenue of expression.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life -- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:15-17 ESV
Sensuality, materialism, and egotism are the whole ball of wax. How far does just this small principle go to weaken the whole structure what would take us down?
What does a soul have? What does it need? If we have a living spirit it has been made alive by the Holy Spirit. What is that like? What nourishes the connections of body, soul and spirit?
Will 'getting more' help our soul or is it only for our flesh?
Will attaining recognition add to our soul or is it an egotistic high that eventually sends us spiralling to the ground?
Souls need love. Souls need light. Souls need care. Souls need to be filled with good things. Souls need memories. Souls need to know their creator. Souls need healing. Souls need companionship.
This is on my mind lately. I can't know the people I know well after the flesh. It will hurt the relationship. I can't know new people that way either or things will start in an off-kilter way that will need to be fixed later.
God Help us. You are our way of escape. We need your eyes to see people. We need light about what You have done to get the light to see this way. Illuminate our perception. Change our minds. Turn us and we will be turned to see what You see by faith. Thank You God. Give us the gift of repentance in this area. We may need to humble ourselves before the people we have known after the flesh. It might take a conversation or more than one to get this to stick. Give us humility. Direct our steps. Thank You, God.
Praise You Lord Jesus. You walked in perfection as a man and yet we don't know You that way anymore. You are the God-man who sits on a throne in Heaven. You fully identified with us so that we could fully identify with You beyond our bodies. Lift us in our thinking. We know You will. Thank You.
--
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV
We are not to use the body as our emphasis. The soul is the focus. The spirit is the identity. The content of each soul is unique. We are not bodies with souls. We are souls with bodies.
Lust has a fleshly dimension. This change of focus hinders that avenue of expression.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world -- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life -- is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." - 1 John 2:15-17 ESV
Sensuality, materialism, and egotism are the whole ball of wax. How far does just this small principle go to weaken the whole structure what would take us down?
What does a soul have? What does it need? If we have a living spirit it has been made alive by the Holy Spirit. What is that like? What nourishes the connections of body, soul and spirit?
Will 'getting more' help our soul or is it only for our flesh?
Will attaining recognition add to our soul or is it an egotistic high that eventually sends us spiralling to the ground?
Souls need love. Souls need light. Souls need care. Souls need to be filled with good things. Souls need memories. Souls need to know their creator. Souls need healing. Souls need companionship.
This is on my mind lately. I can't know the people I know well after the flesh. It will hurt the relationship. I can't know new people that way either or things will start in an off-kilter way that will need to be fixed later.
God Help us. You are our way of escape. We need your eyes to see people. We need light about what You have done to get the light to see this way. Illuminate our perception. Change our minds. Turn us and we will be turned to see what You see by faith. Thank You God. Give us the gift of repentance in this area. We may need to humble ourselves before the people we have known after the flesh. It might take a conversation or more than one to get this to stick. Give us humility. Direct our steps. Thank You, God.
Praise You Lord Jesus. You walked in perfection as a man and yet we don't know You that way anymore. You are the God-man who sits on a throne in Heaven. You fully identified with us so that we could fully identify with You beyond our bodies. Lift us in our thinking. We know You will. Thank You.
--
Monday, January 2, 2017
Soul Power
Soul Power. It is the influence that a human soul can have but that influence has no divine essence. This influence might be in the name of God but God isn't in it. Influence and leverage because of an energized genetics. People who have soul power influence the emotions and minds of others. They make others want to have power they can't have because of differences. People admire the soulish person but the admiration isn't of God.
Genetic qualities get magnified because they meet a certain type or formula. The person who has this power may not even be aware that they have it. They could be good moral people or they might be immoral malicious people. People have an unconscious desire to copy them so that their formula will have elements of this design that appears to be successful.
Soul power magnifies lust. God's power never does that. Never. Never.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." - Proverbs 17:17 ESV
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms," - Isaiah 14:12-16 ESV
The source of soul power will be brought low. Don't fall for the scam that an angel of light perpetrates.
You don't need the power that man seeks. You need the love that God gives. That is enduring power that has no envy. That is the power that transforms. Soul power only conforms while it consumes and destroys. It's glory is fleeting.
Love will endure beyond time's boundary. Mercy endures forever.
--
Genetic qualities get magnified because they meet a certain type or formula. The person who has this power may not even be aware that they have it. They could be good moral people or they might be immoral malicious people. People have an unconscious desire to copy them so that their formula will have elements of this design that appears to be successful.
Soul power magnifies lust. God's power never does that. Never. Never.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." - Proverbs 17:17 ESV
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms," - Isaiah 14:12-16 ESV
The source of soul power will be brought low. Don't fall for the scam that an angel of light perpetrates.
You don't need the power that man seeks. You need the love that God gives. That is enduring power that has no envy. That is the power that transforms. Soul power only conforms while it consumes and destroys. It's glory is fleeting.
Love will endure beyond time's boundary. Mercy endures forever.
--
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Soul Ownership
"Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine..." - Ezekiel 18:4a ESV
Perhaps we all make the mistake of believing that our soul (mind, emotions, will, conscience and self-consciousness) belong to our self or even to someone else. Children don't belong to their parents... it is a stewardship. Women don't belong to men or vice versa. Slavery is a lie.
All souls belong to God. He owns everything.
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:14 ESV
Shocking really. God adopts men and women to set them free.
--
Perhaps we all make the mistake of believing that our soul (mind, emotions, will, conscience and self-consciousness) belong to our self or even to someone else. Children don't belong to their parents... it is a stewardship. Women don't belong to men or vice versa. Slavery is a lie.
All souls belong to God. He owns everything.
"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." - Romans 8:14 ESV
Shocking really. God adopts men and women to set them free.
--
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Shame And The Soul
"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?" - Mark 8:36-37 ESV
A good question.
Guilt is when we can't face what we have done. Shame is when we don't want to live with who we are. It is self hate.
Our soul is who we are. We are souls with bodies.
Jesus valued souls highly. What about us? Jesus continued doing what He was doing until they hung Him on a cross. Then He gave his life so our guilt and shame would be covered and blotted out.
He loves us. Our soul is precious to Him.
Today I'm going to let God love me. I don't have time for shame. I won't sell out to guilt. It is finished. The cross has paid for my soul issues.
It has also paid for your soul issues. Jesus has a way out of our love/hate relationship with ourselves. It is called the cross.
"And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that I am?' And they told him, 'John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.' And he asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are the Christ.' And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.' And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.' " - Mark 8:27-38 ESV
Peter eventually stopped selling his soul to preserve his life. He had better things to do.
--
A good question.
Guilt is when we can't face what we have done. Shame is when we don't want to live with who we are. It is self hate.
Our soul is who we are. We are souls with bodies.
Jesus valued souls highly. What about us? Jesus continued doing what He was doing until they hung Him on a cross. Then He gave his life so our guilt and shame would be covered and blotted out.
He loves us. Our soul is precious to Him.
Today I'm going to let God love me. I don't have time for shame. I won't sell out to guilt. It is finished. The cross has paid for my soul issues.
It has also paid for your soul issues. Jesus has a way out of our love/hate relationship with ourselves. It is called the cross.
"And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that I am?' And they told him, 'John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.' And he asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are the Christ.' And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.' And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.' " - Mark 8:27-38 ESV
Peter eventually stopped selling his soul to preserve his life. He had better things to do.
--
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Grace In Psalm 103
I'm reading Psalm 103 over and over again this morning.
"Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." - Psalm 103:1-5 ESV
This part really made me think of my youth. I could run all day. If I hurt myself it was just a matter of time and I healed up and was virtually new again. This is what God does. This is who He Is. He isn't ever old and frozen. He Is full of power. He Is eternal.
"The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." - Psalm 103:6-14 ESV
Not only is He full of life. He Is full of high holy thinking and Moses got to see His ways. The people of Israel saw His acts but Moses got to know God's ways of love and compassion.
"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all." - Psalm 103:15-19 ESV
Because of the fall we live but for a moment and generation follows generation. The flower we saw last spring is gone. The store we shopped at as a child might be gone when we get older but God's throne isn't like that. It is forever.
"Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!" - Psalm 103:20-22 ESV
I like this ending. The Psalmist is made bold by his vision of God. He starts telling the angels to worship God like some old man who attends the symphony commanding the orchestra to play. They are playing at the conductors command but he feels emboldened by the music. Worship emboldens us to take dominion and command our own souls to bless God.
As I read this Psalm vigor returns to me and possibilities start churning. I become a young man who know things that only an old man like Moses knows. The Moses spoken of here is the Moses we see at the Mount of transfiguration. He is the Moses that has passed through death and is alive forevermore because he has a Saviour.
Bless the LORD all you people reading this. Bless the LORD O my soul. Knowing God is full of benefits. Let the knowledge of who He Is and what He has done restore youth to our thinking.
--
"Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." - Psalm 103:1-5 ESV
This part really made me think of my youth. I could run all day. If I hurt myself it was just a matter of time and I healed up and was virtually new again. This is what God does. This is who He Is. He isn't ever old and frozen. He Is full of power. He Is eternal.
"The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." - Psalm 103:6-14 ESV
Not only is He full of life. He Is full of high holy thinking and Moses got to see His ways. The people of Israel saw His acts but Moses got to know God's ways of love and compassion.
"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all." - Psalm 103:15-19 ESV
Because of the fall we live but for a moment and generation follows generation. The flower we saw last spring is gone. The store we shopped at as a child might be gone when we get older but God's throne isn't like that. It is forever.
"Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!" - Psalm 103:20-22 ESV
I like this ending. The Psalmist is made bold by his vision of God. He starts telling the angels to worship God like some old man who attends the symphony commanding the orchestra to play. They are playing at the conductors command but he feels emboldened by the music. Worship emboldens us to take dominion and command our own souls to bless God.
As I read this Psalm vigor returns to me and possibilities start churning. I become a young man who know things that only an old man like Moses knows. The Moses spoken of here is the Moses we see at the Mount of transfiguration. He is the Moses that has passed through death and is alive forevermore because he has a Saviour.
Bless the LORD all you people reading this. Bless the LORD O my soul. Knowing God is full of benefits. Let the knowledge of who He Is and what He has done restore youth to our thinking.
--
Friday, November 13, 2015
The Soul
We had a great conversation last night and the memory of the discussion got me thinking about and looking up verses about the soul.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7 KJV
"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV
The word translated 'soul' in Genesis 2 and the word translated 'earnest' in Proverbs 27 are both the Hebrew word nephesh (Strong's H5315). Our soul has a form or structure but unlike our body which is made and matter our soul is inter-dimensional. It is more like wind. It has substance and that substance is felt more like an odor or like a breeze is felt on your body or when you look out the wind at the trees and see the leaves move.
We are a soul that has a body. The body ages. The soul does not but the soul does have capacities and incapacitates. It has inter-dimensional form and structure.
"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV
The word translated 'fainthearted' is the Greek word oligopsychos (G3642) and it can be translated 'small souled'. People can have small souls. There can be damage in the structure of the soul or perhaps it is damage to the connection of the soul to the rest of the person that cuts off the flow. What we see is faintheartedness or as the KJV translates it... feeblemindedness.
A person with no (or little) soul can't cope. Processing reality is diminished or at a low level.
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." - Acts 20:32 KJV
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily," - Colossians 2:6-9 ESV
Words of grace are able to build up. Like nutrition is able to build up our body because it is solid. Grace is able to build up our soul which is timeless.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 ESV
Yes. In Jesus our soul finds rest.
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." - Psalm 1:1-6 ESV
I want to be concerned about a person's soul. I want to have a holistic approach to people and to myself. The body is important but so is the soul.
God please teach us to be mindful of invisible things.
"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV
Thank You for being our sweet friend.
--
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." - Genesis 2:7 KJV
"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV
The word translated 'soul' in Genesis 2 and the word translated 'earnest' in Proverbs 27 are both the Hebrew word nephesh (Strong's H5315). Our soul has a form or structure but unlike our body which is made and matter our soul is inter-dimensional. It is more like wind. It has substance and that substance is felt more like an odor or like a breeze is felt on your body or when you look out the wind at the trees and see the leaves move.
We are a soul that has a body. The body ages. The soul does not but the soul does have capacities and incapacitates. It has inter-dimensional form and structure.
"And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." - 1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV
The word translated 'fainthearted' is the Greek word oligopsychos (G3642) and it can be translated 'small souled'. People can have small souls. There can be damage in the structure of the soul or perhaps it is damage to the connection of the soul to the rest of the person that cuts off the flow. What we see is faintheartedness or as the KJV translates it... feeblemindedness.
A person with no (or little) soul can't cope. Processing reality is diminished or at a low level.
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." - Acts 20:32 KJV
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily," - Colossians 2:6-9 ESV
Words of grace are able to build up. Like nutrition is able to build up our body because it is solid. Grace is able to build up our soul which is timeless.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 ESV
Yes. In Jesus our soul finds rest.
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." - Psalm 1:1-6 ESV
I want to be concerned about a person's soul. I want to have a holistic approach to people and to myself. The body is important but so is the soul.
God please teach us to be mindful of invisible things.
"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." - Proverbs 27:9 ESV
Thank You for being our sweet friend.
--
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Seeing A Soul
Souls.
Do we see a person when we look at someone or a person with an eternal soul? It's a good question.
We can love or hate a person. We can value or discount a person. If they are just dust rearranged and they will be gone one day never to be seen again (and so will I) what happens has no truly lasting meaning. A person is just a slowly disappearing ripple in a vast cosmic pond.
But a soul? A soul feels and remembers always. A soul transcends time. A soul lives forever facing God and seeing Him or forever separated from Him. A soul is the whole iceberg of who we are. A person is just the visible representation of something so much larger.
Caring for people is good. Caring for souls is caring done from divine perspective. God sees a soul. He sees all of who we are... past, present and future. Born of His breath we are not children of time and space. We are forever.
"He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage. He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:28-30 NKJV
You may not believe in Hell. I do. The bible teaches that Hell is as real as Heaven.
If I am just a person then what help can I be? If I am just dust then why not value what pleases me? But, If I am a soul who lives forever surrounded by souls that live forever I want to turn people away from Hell.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' " - John 14:6 NKJV
I want to lift Jesus up and make His love visible. I want to explain grace. He is the One who was sent to save souls. He saves. He has the power and authority to function on levels far deeper than any of us can presently comprehend.
"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." - Deuteronomy 33:27a ESV
It may make us seem odd because we don't always emphasize 'people' things. Instead we speak of invisible and (by natural standards) impractical issues.
"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:24-28 ESV
The temptation is to live as a person among people. The privileged is to live as sometimes misunderstood redeemed one who reaps a harvest of souls.
"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." - Daniel 12:3 ESV
--
Do we see a person when we look at someone or a person with an eternal soul? It's a good question.
We can love or hate a person. We can value or discount a person. If they are just dust rearranged and they will be gone one day never to be seen again (and so will I) what happens has no truly lasting meaning. A person is just a slowly disappearing ripple in a vast cosmic pond.
But a soul? A soul feels and remembers always. A soul transcends time. A soul lives forever facing God and seeing Him or forever separated from Him. A soul is the whole iceberg of who we are. A person is just the visible representation of something so much larger.
Caring for people is good. Caring for souls is caring done from divine perspective. God sees a soul. He sees all of who we are... past, present and future. Born of His breath we are not children of time and space. We are forever.
"He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage. He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:28-30 NKJV
You may not believe in Hell. I do. The bible teaches that Hell is as real as Heaven.
If I am just a person then what help can I be? If I am just dust then why not value what pleases me? But, If I am a soul who lives forever surrounded by souls that live forever I want to turn people away from Hell.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' " - John 14:6 NKJV
I want to lift Jesus up and make His love visible. I want to explain grace. He is the One who was sent to save souls. He saves. He has the power and authority to function on levels far deeper than any of us can presently comprehend.
"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms." - Deuteronomy 33:27a ESV
It may make us seem odd because we don't always emphasize 'people' things. Instead we speak of invisible and (by natural standards) impractical issues.
"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:24-28 ESV
The temptation is to live as a person among people. The privileged is to live as sometimes misunderstood redeemed one who reaps a harvest of souls.
"And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." - Daniel 12:3 ESV
--
Thursday, March 19, 2015
The Idea Of Substitution
In the original perfect environment substitution seemed unknown.
Adam did not even seem to think of giving himself for Eve. We don't see anything given in exchange for anything else yet. It seems the human race had no need for trade, exchange or substitution until this instance.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:6 KJV
Adam just joined Eve.
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21 KJV
God showed the human race substitution. An animal's blood was shed for them so they could be warm and survive their new environment. God didn't sell them anything. The serpent was selling something to Eve apart from Adam and God. God gave them both something.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 KJV
"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The living soul joins and dies but the quickening spirit dies to self through identification without compromise and lives.
Jesus became the ultimate substitute. He walked the Earth as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Soulish life looks prosperous until the road block comes. Spiritual life looks to the One who gave all. It dies, gets buried and is raised three short days later. Spiritual life sits in Heavenly places because the right substitute is already sitting there.
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:6-11 KJV
Grace is intertwined with this idea. God gave great grace when He gave His Son to us. Jesus had an attitude of grace that went hand in hand with the idea of giving His life.
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10 ESV
A once and for all sacrifice has been made by the once and for all substitute.
Have we as individuals learned the lesson or will we just bite the apple that is handed to us?
---
Adam did not even seem to think of giving himself for Eve. We don't see anything given in exchange for anything else yet. It seems the human race had no need for trade, exchange or substitution until this instance.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." - Genesis 3:6 KJV
Adam just joined Eve.
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21 KJV
God showed the human race substitution. An animal's blood was shed for them so they could be warm and survive their new environment. God didn't sell them anything. The serpent was selling something to Eve apart from Adam and God. God gave them both something.
"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." - 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 KJV
"But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
The living soul joins and dies but the quickening spirit dies to self through identification without compromise and lives.
Jesus became the ultimate substitute. He walked the Earth as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Soulish life looks prosperous until the road block comes. Spiritual life looks to the One who gave all. It dies, gets buried and is raised three short days later. Spiritual life sits in Heavenly places because the right substitute is already sitting there.
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - Philippians 2:6-11 KJV
Grace is intertwined with this idea. God gave great grace when He gave His Son to us. Jesus had an attitude of grace that went hand in hand with the idea of giving His life.
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 ESV
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10 ESV
A once and for all sacrifice has been made by the once and for all substitute.
Have we as individuals learned the lesson or will we just bite the apple that is handed to us?
---
Thursday, November 20, 2014
The Conspiracies of Iniquity and The Parlor of Grace
I am sticking to the theme of 'What is outside and what is inside?' and reading about internal conspiracy. Not my favorite subject but a vital thing to understand. It amazes me that mankind has such a capacity to use information, even Biblical information, apart from intimacy to divide and create disunity.
Here is a great quote from Dr Carl Stevens, "Conspiracies are progressive and begin in the soul. First, the emotions rebel against the mind. Then the mind struggles to use knowledge from God's Word, which stirs the emotions to rebel against people on the outside. The conscience (the place where the norms and standards for right and wrong are established) rebels against the mind. Self-consciousness rebels against oneness with God. The volition goes negative, then the old sin nature connects with the volition and self-consciousness to direct the individual's behavior as he chooses to live in one of the six lust patterns. That's how an internal conspiracy works."
Amazing.
Wounded emotions become a 'trojan horse' that lets something from the outside get on the inside. Battle ensues but our defenses are directed outwards. Wounds created in time find an ally with the forever wounded old nature and eventually move against our decision making and our self-image.
What a dynamic that is. It explains everything from why we can talk ourselves into eating the candy bar we know we shouldn't have to why, 'You deserve better!' is such a popular philosophy among people who are unsatisfied with aspects of their life.
Wounded emotions can become iniquity and iniquity brings the outside in. But the outside can never be inside. The inside just gets divided up into parts.
Grace thinking stops this kind of invasion at the walls of our soul. Our emotions lash out at our mind at times but grace heals them or at least satiates them so that the other parts of our soul are not affected and connections are never made with our old wounded nature. Our will remains free and isn't being flanked from multiple sides. Our will is simple after all. It is an on or off switch that has been trained and regulated by our conscience.
A graced out soul can defend against any invasion and still be inclusive. It is looking for ways to include. It's heart is continually being enlarged.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." - John 3:16-17 ESV
The loving soul sends out emissaries to make peace. The graced out soul is a garden enclosed that has a parlor to receive visitors. A place to come and meet and enjoy others. The windows and doors inside the city are not boarded up to keep people out because the walls are strong and the old nature is locked away and limited because of the death sentence of the cross.
This healthy soul is a hospitable soul and makes provisions to clean up after itself and it's visitors. The water of the Word comes in and washes away the dirt and grime.
The healthy soul expands because it is alive and growing. It is not divided and diminishing. A least that isn't the primary dynamic. People are fallen and we have our trials, wounds and difficult seasons.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." - Galatians 5:16-17 ESV
But even if it is divided grace and mercy can turn the tide. Grace is willing to suffer and even die to itself for the great cause of inclusion and unification.
That is one reason we want a soul that is saturated with grace and it is such a high priority to have one. The walls must be solid and the old nature must stay locked in his theological cell.
Let's live in grace and turn away the Trojan horse. Why should we spend all of our precious time fighting wars on the inside?
--
Here is a great quote from Dr Carl Stevens, "Conspiracies are progressive and begin in the soul. First, the emotions rebel against the mind. Then the mind struggles to use knowledge from God's Word, which stirs the emotions to rebel against people on the outside. The conscience (the place where the norms and standards for right and wrong are established) rebels against the mind. Self-consciousness rebels against oneness with God. The volition goes negative, then the old sin nature connects with the volition and self-consciousness to direct the individual's behavior as he chooses to live in one of the six lust patterns. That's how an internal conspiracy works."
Amazing.
Wounded emotions become a 'trojan horse' that lets something from the outside get on the inside. Battle ensues but our defenses are directed outwards. Wounds created in time find an ally with the forever wounded old nature and eventually move against our decision making and our self-image.
What a dynamic that is. It explains everything from why we can talk ourselves into eating the candy bar we know we shouldn't have to why, 'You deserve better!' is such a popular philosophy among people who are unsatisfied with aspects of their life.
Wounded emotions can become iniquity and iniquity brings the outside in. But the outside can never be inside. The inside just gets divided up into parts.
Grace thinking stops this kind of invasion at the walls of our soul. Our emotions lash out at our mind at times but grace heals them or at least satiates them so that the other parts of our soul are not affected and connections are never made with our old wounded nature. Our will remains free and isn't being flanked from multiple sides. Our will is simple after all. It is an on or off switch that has been trained and regulated by our conscience.
A graced out soul can defend against any invasion and still be inclusive. It is looking for ways to include. It's heart is continually being enlarged.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." - John 3:16-17 ESV
The loving soul sends out emissaries to make peace. The graced out soul is a garden enclosed that has a parlor to receive visitors. A place to come and meet and enjoy others. The windows and doors inside the city are not boarded up to keep people out because the walls are strong and the old nature is locked away and limited because of the death sentence of the cross.
This healthy soul is a hospitable soul and makes provisions to clean up after itself and it's visitors. The water of the Word comes in and washes away the dirt and grime.
The healthy soul expands because it is alive and growing. It is not divided and diminishing. A least that isn't the primary dynamic. People are fallen and we have our trials, wounds and difficult seasons.
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." - Galatians 5:16-17 ESV
But even if it is divided grace and mercy can turn the tide. Grace is willing to suffer and even die to itself for the great cause of inclusion and unification.
That is one reason we want a soul that is saturated with grace and it is such a high priority to have one. The walls must be solid and the old nature must stay locked in his theological cell.
Let's live in grace and turn away the Trojan horse. Why should we spend all of our precious time fighting wars on the inside?
--
Monday, November 10, 2014
The Flow Of Our Soul In Newness
"And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.' And he said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.' " - Revelation 21:5-6 ESV
All things new... Really? Yes, All things.
God knows we are used to paying for what we want or need but in this new economy the water of life is free.
Newness. Not tired oldness. Not what we are used to. Our old methods won't work when all things are new.
Our soul is an intermingling of mind, emotions, will, conscience and consciousness of self. We could say that as our personality becomes fixed the arrangement of our soul becomes fixed as well. Fixed like the path of a river becomes fixed... fluid but moving in certain lines or ruts. Some people make primarily emotional decisions or intellectual ones or conscience based decisions. But, In freedom our soul's configuration changes. Our living spirit receives from God and we become healthy people. The water of the Word washes our soul. The Word is built up as line upon structures providing a new framework for our soul to operate in. Our will once ironclad or willy nilly now changes from a yes-no response to a yes-amen response when presented with decisions that are made in God's eternal value system.
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
Paul's soul had become flexible within a new framework. The framework of grace made him rich even when he was poor and poor when he was rich. The water of life was free and Paul's attention was captured by Christ as situations came and went. His will rose to the top and he made decisions in spite of how he felt or what he thought. Paul had a supply from above and a purpose to function in that made him a thankful man who prayed through situations and saw God answer in redemptive ways. God didn't free him from jail but people in the house of Rome were saved one by one and books of the Bible were written there.
God did free Peter from jail (see Acts 12:5f) answering the prayers of believers praying in faith but He didn't free Paul that way. Both men were free inside. Both men had souls that functioned differently than they did before because of a growing awareness of newness.
As believers we are new creatures that inhale and exhale newness. The old things no longer work.
God, Renew our minds. Reconfigure our souls by showing us Christ today in a fresh way. Make us ambassadors of newness in the situations we face with creative methods that come from a perspective of freedom. We trust you for this. It is not by our power but by Your power. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven in our lives today.
--
All things new... Really? Yes, All things.
God knows we are used to paying for what we want or need but in this new economy the water of life is free.
Newness. Not tired oldness. Not what we are used to. Our old methods won't work when all things are new.
Our soul is an intermingling of mind, emotions, will, conscience and consciousness of self. We could say that as our personality becomes fixed the arrangement of our soul becomes fixed as well. Fixed like the path of a river becomes fixed... fluid but moving in certain lines or ruts. Some people make primarily emotional decisions or intellectual ones or conscience based decisions. But, In freedom our soul's configuration changes. Our living spirit receives from God and we become healthy people. The water of the Word washes our soul. The Word is built up as line upon structures providing a new framework for our soul to operate in. Our will once ironclad or willy nilly now changes from a yes-no response to a yes-amen response when presented with decisions that are made in God's eternal value system.
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
Paul's soul had become flexible within a new framework. The framework of grace made him rich even when he was poor and poor when he was rich. The water of life was free and Paul's attention was captured by Christ as situations came and went. His will rose to the top and he made decisions in spite of how he felt or what he thought. Paul had a supply from above and a purpose to function in that made him a thankful man who prayed through situations and saw God answer in redemptive ways. God didn't free him from jail but people in the house of Rome were saved one by one and books of the Bible were written there.
God did free Peter from jail (see Acts 12:5f) answering the prayers of believers praying in faith but He didn't free Paul that way. Both men were free inside. Both men had souls that functioned differently than they did before because of a growing awareness of newness.
As believers we are new creatures that inhale and exhale newness. The old things no longer work.
God, Renew our minds. Reconfigure our souls by showing us Christ today in a fresh way. Make us ambassadors of newness in the situations we face with creative methods that come from a perspective of freedom. We trust you for this. It is not by our power but by Your power. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven in our lives today.
--
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Shake Off The Dust And Live
"My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!" - Psalm 119:25 ESV
Maybe we think the dust just sticks to us like mud sometimes sticks to our shoes. Our soul gets dusty also and it hangs on to that dust. Our soul has a great capacity to wallow there.
"And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper." - Isaiah 29:4 ESV
Then our speech becomes a past tense spirituality. Someone once alive with hope but now dead in oppression. A person who speaks muffled words that do not have life in the moment and have an old frame of reference.
"Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion." - Isaiah 52:1-2 ESV
It is the Word that gives us life and with our will we shake ourselves. We don't linger long in the bed of dusty thinking. We rise get a shower of grace from God and put on the beautiful white garments of salvation. The dust does not cling to those garments. They are new, clean and white and have an eternal quality to them that is stain resistant.
"Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him... When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.' " - John 13:5, 12-14 ESV
That was such an act of service. Grace in action. People get dirty feet. We get dirty feet. Grace and mercy remove the grime. They don't assign blame... they just clean up the mess and wash the dirty puddle away so there is no trace there ever was any there to clean up. In the midst of all of this is God's Word that revives... it describes a life that is present tense, living and relevant to our moment to moment living.
God has given all who believe a robe of Christ's righteousness. It is a special garment that will be worn at a future wedding feast but it is also meant to be worn on a daily basis.
Today... We shake off the dust, get revived in grace, put on Jesus Christ and live in the freshness of a present tense life.
--
Maybe we think the dust just sticks to us like mud sometimes sticks to our shoes. Our soul gets dusty also and it hangs on to that dust. Our soul has a great capacity to wallow there.
"And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper." - Isaiah 29:4 ESV
Then our speech becomes a past tense spirituality. Someone once alive with hope but now dead in oppression. A person who speaks muffled words that do not have life in the moment and have an old frame of reference.
"Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion." - Isaiah 52:1-2 ESV
It is the Word that gives us life and with our will we shake ourselves. We don't linger long in the bed of dusty thinking. We rise get a shower of grace from God and put on the beautiful white garments of salvation. The dust does not cling to those garments. They are new, clean and white and have an eternal quality to them that is stain resistant.
"Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him... When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.' " - John 13:5, 12-14 ESV
That was such an act of service. Grace in action. People get dirty feet. We get dirty feet. Grace and mercy remove the grime. They don't assign blame... they just clean up the mess and wash the dirty puddle away so there is no trace there ever was any there to clean up. In the midst of all of this is God's Word that revives... it describes a life that is present tense, living and relevant to our moment to moment living.
God has given all who believe a robe of Christ's righteousness. It is a special garment that will be worn at a future wedding feast but it is also meant to be worn on a daily basis.
Today... We shake off the dust, get revived in grace, put on Jesus Christ and live in the freshness of a present tense life.
--
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
When The Soul Eclipses The Human Spirit
"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God'? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:27-31 ESV
Israel is Jacob's new name. Jacob was a crooked damaged man who was loved by God not because He was lovable. God loved Jacob's father and his father's father and He loved crooked old Jacob and gave him a new name.
Isaiah is given a message to God's people of the time who also had two identities. They had an old one and a new one. They had a name given by observant people and one given by a gracious God.
Believers now have that also.
Jacob says, 'My way is hidden from the Lord.'
Israel says, 'My right is disregarded by my God.' Israel takes ownership and calls God 'my' God.
But, God says, 'The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.'
Jacobs way is not hidden and when Israel's spirit is eclipsed by his soul he has it wrong also. Grace does not regard the new man's right. That part is true. But, There is quickening. There is strength given that leans totally on God's knowledge and a quickening for those who wait on the Lord.
A young man's strength will fail but a new identity with doctrinal wisdom will wait and have a soul like a weaned child. They will know the the food is coming. They don't have to scream their heads off and talk about 'rights' they are hip to the schedule and know the food will come at the correct time.
"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." - Romans 8:10-11 ESV
Listen up Jacob and have ears to hear Israel. The Lord knows and has power to impart.
God quicken our spirit and remind our inner man so that we don't have a darkened perspective. Let the grace of God arrange us so that your Spirit that entwines our human spirit and gives us light would illuminate our soul with truth.
--
Israel is Jacob's new name. Jacob was a crooked damaged man who was loved by God not because He was lovable. God loved Jacob's father and his father's father and He loved crooked old Jacob and gave him a new name.
Isaiah is given a message to God's people of the time who also had two identities. They had an old one and a new one. They had a name given by observant people and one given by a gracious God.
Believers now have that also.
Jacob says, 'My way is hidden from the Lord.'
Israel says, 'My right is disregarded by my God.' Israel takes ownership and calls God 'my' God.
But, God says, 'The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.'
Jacobs way is not hidden and when Israel's spirit is eclipsed by his soul he has it wrong also. Grace does not regard the new man's right. That part is true. But, There is quickening. There is strength given that leans totally on God's knowledge and a quickening for those who wait on the Lord.
A young man's strength will fail but a new identity with doctrinal wisdom will wait and have a soul like a weaned child. They will know the the food is coming. They don't have to scream their heads off and talk about 'rights' they are hip to the schedule and know the food will come at the correct time.
"But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." - Romans 8:10-11 ESV
Listen up Jacob and have ears to hear Israel. The Lord knows and has power to impart.
God quicken our spirit and remind our inner man so that we don't have a darkened perspective. Let the grace of God arrange us so that your Spirit that entwines our human spirit and gives us light would illuminate our soul with truth.
--
Monday, March 3, 2014
Redemption Or Soulish Substitutes
Truth is the antidote for error and love is the antidote for fear... but there are counterfeits out there.
"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." - Ephesians 5:17-21 NKJV
Dissipation is Asotia (Strong's G810). A negation of the word for being saved Sozo (G4982). In other words non-redemptive... there is no redemption in drinking wine. It is a counterfeit because is produces a feeling that saves no one and buys nothing back. Yes, There can be joy and relaxation... it is used in the Hebrew scriptures as a symbol for joy. But, Now that the Spirit of God has come to indwell individuals we are to be wise and not drunken.
The filling of the Spirit has an impact on each area of our soul. The mind, emotions, will, consciousness and conscience. He restores balance. God creates a clean heart in us with a new identity.
"My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!" - Psalms 119:25 ESV
The counterfeits energize the old identity stimulating or depressing our natural man... counterfeit ideas, counterfeit emotions, counterfeit decision making, a counterfeit self image and a counterfeit value system... drunkenness that is non-redemptive... some translations use the word debauchery for Asotia.
Our pleasure is now rooted in a poetic interaction, in a musical ministry, in a thanksgiving that submits one to another in awe of God. All those things have redemptive value. Fun is redemptive fun. Pleasure is redemptive pleasure. Decisions are made in wisdom... not as a means of escape but as a means of investment... a strengthening... a buying back of time.
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:16 KJV
Yes.
There are times when our soul will gravitate towards the dust and the counterfeit will look attractive... Those are the moments where by grace we find our way of redemptive escape. Jesus Himself is that doorway. We can walk by faith in those moments knowing that the integrity of faith in the finished work of Christ is the antidote for hopelessness and death. Faith in the resurrected ever living one is why we were created.
--
"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." - Ephesians 5:17-21 NKJV
Dissipation is Asotia (Strong's G810). A negation of the word for being saved Sozo (G4982). In other words non-redemptive... there is no redemption in drinking wine. It is a counterfeit because is produces a feeling that saves no one and buys nothing back. Yes, There can be joy and relaxation... it is used in the Hebrew scriptures as a symbol for joy. But, Now that the Spirit of God has come to indwell individuals we are to be wise and not drunken.
The filling of the Spirit has an impact on each area of our soul. The mind, emotions, will, consciousness and conscience. He restores balance. God creates a clean heart in us with a new identity.
"My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!" - Psalms 119:25 ESV
The counterfeits energize the old identity stimulating or depressing our natural man... counterfeit ideas, counterfeit emotions, counterfeit decision making, a counterfeit self image and a counterfeit value system... drunkenness that is non-redemptive... some translations use the word debauchery for Asotia.
Our pleasure is now rooted in a poetic interaction, in a musical ministry, in a thanksgiving that submits one to another in awe of God. All those things have redemptive value. Fun is redemptive fun. Pleasure is redemptive pleasure. Decisions are made in wisdom... not as a means of escape but as a means of investment... a strengthening... a buying back of time.
"Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:16 KJV
Yes.
There are times when our soul will gravitate towards the dust and the counterfeit will look attractive... Those are the moments where by grace we find our way of redemptive escape. Jesus Himself is that doorway. We can walk by faith in those moments knowing that the integrity of faith in the finished work of Christ is the antidote for hopelessness and death. Faith in the resurrected ever living one is why we were created.
--
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Will May Be the Last To Fall
God wins the will by winning the whole soul with a gift of grace. His persuasion is the persuasion of love not force.
At the same time His love is like an fierce army with banners.
"He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." Song of Songs 2:4 KJV
The strength of God's love is a covering of comfort and defense. Like chariots of fire lining the hillside around us (2 Kings 6:17) He guards us.
His love is overwhelming to look at. A glimpse of Him either overcomes us and or else we flee into the night away from a force no one can escape from.
His persuasion is not sentimental or deceptive. It is like the sunrise that progressively illuminates a dark landscape.
Jesus is our scarlet thread that marks us as friends and not foes.
He wins us all at once and then bit by bit. He wins our mind. He sways our emotions. He changes our name and convinces us we are His and He is ours. He gives our guilty conscience rest and remolds it so it recognizes relationships and not rules. He wins our souls with a purchase but then from every side. Our will may be the last domino to fall or it may surrender early in the battle.
"By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land." Exodus 23:30 KJV
"Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous." Psalms 112:3-4 ESV
If we fall He picks us up and wins us again. If we stray He finds us. When we are hurt He heals us. Again and again and again He will win us.
Let the enemies of love fear Him. He is gentle with His allies but an irresistible force for those that would oppose Him. There is no inch of territory He will not recover.
"The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness." Nahum 1:7-8 ESV
Monday, March 25, 2013
Carved Work Overlaid with Gold
"So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold" 1 Kings 6:21
The floors of the most Holy place also had gold overlay, the doors, the walls were carved with cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and all were 'overlaid with gold' both within and without.
Carved wood overlaid with gold. How much gold was used? It must have been incredible amounts. Obviously no expense was spared. It is hard to imagine the sight.
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" 1 Cor 6:19
What does God see when He looks into the Holy place of a believer? A temple not built by human hands or effort. Paul had to remind them of this unseen reality. Unseen by us anyways... The wood of our humanity covered and intertwined with the gold of Christ's character and nature.
People have great worth. Maybe it's easy to miss that fact. Every human soul has such worth to to God.
God has carved 'palm trees and open flowers' in the inner courts of my humanity. Happy scenes of prosperous times overlaid with God Himself.
Filled with that meditation I want to see the worth people have to God and the hope for the future I have in God. His plans are good plans and His thoughts are good thoughts.
The floors of the most Holy place also had gold overlay, the doors, the walls were carved with cherubims and palm trees and open flowers and all were 'overlaid with gold' both within and without.
Carved wood overlaid with gold. How much gold was used? It must have been incredible amounts. Obviously no expense was spared. It is hard to imagine the sight.
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" 1 Cor 6:19
What does God see when He looks into the Holy place of a believer? A temple not built by human hands or effort. Paul had to remind them of this unseen reality. Unseen by us anyways... The wood of our humanity covered and intertwined with the gold of Christ's character and nature.
People have great worth. Maybe it's easy to miss that fact. Every human soul has such worth to to God.
God has carved 'palm trees and open flowers' in the inner courts of my humanity. Happy scenes of prosperous times overlaid with God Himself.
Filled with that meditation I want to see the worth people have to God and the hope for the future I have in God. His plans are good plans and His thoughts are good thoughts.
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