Last night at coffee we spoke about Jesus' amazing responses to people and the uniqueness of His, 'Come follow me' leadership.
We touched on a few of the subjects that we have discussed here in this early morning blog. I am always amazed at what God does. Nothing is wasted. Not only that... God has multiple uses for things he puts in our life.
"Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow." - Isaiah 30:26 ESV
I love this passage. It is a 'finished work' passage... seven always speaks of completion... creation and the rest that took place afterwards took seven days... so many sevens in the scripture.
The moon has the night time reflection of the sun. We could say the sun is just brighter but God makes it seem like all seven days worth of light are shining at once.
"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." - John 19:30 ESV
Jesus' whole full life was shining in this moment and it is our healing. It makes even our nights brighter.
Thank You God!
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Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Find Mercy
Many thoughts this morning.
One was, 'giving people assignments'...
Jesus did it here:
"And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' But when he heard it, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.' " - Matthew 9:11-13 ESV
Only a disciple has a desire to, 'Go learn.'
Learning about mercy is what separates the men from the boys.
The Pharisees sought to delegitimize Jesus as a teacher but Jesus gave them the essence of what a teacher Is.
Oh God... teach me mercy... it seems I need to relearn it again and again. Each time it becomes fresh I turn away from critiquing and focus on healing. Healing Is Your focus.
I want to be very careful who I give assignments to. It can really turn people off. At the same time I want to very available to God's assignments... finding mercy is always going to be one of His top priorities.
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One was, 'giving people assignments'...
Jesus did it here:
"And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' But when he heard it, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.' " - Matthew 9:11-13 ESV
Only a disciple has a desire to, 'Go learn.'
Learning about mercy is what separates the men from the boys.
The Pharisees sought to delegitimize Jesus as a teacher but Jesus gave them the essence of what a teacher Is.
Oh God... teach me mercy... it seems I need to relearn it again and again. Each time it becomes fresh I turn away from critiquing and focus on healing. Healing Is Your focus.
I want to be very careful who I give assignments to. It can really turn people off. At the same time I want to very available to God's assignments... finding mercy is always going to be one of His top priorities.
--
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Truth In Equilibrium
'When the objective truth maintains equilibrium with the subjective truth (and vice versa), there comes forth much fruit.' - Watchman Nee
"Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." - 1 John 2:7-11 ESV
Jesus is the light that dispels darkness.
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17 KJV
Objective truth must be brought into our experience. Jesus does that for us. A friend who walks in the light does that for us. Fellowship is when 'objective truth maintains equilibrium with the subjective truth' and multiple people are involved.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:20 ESV
Yes. The name of God is objective understanding of who God Is and what He has done. He is not just the reason for the gathering. He is the subject discussed or expressed. Objective truth is balanced with subjective experience. People are told they are loved and they also feel they are loved because the actions are compatible with the objective truth.
Perhaps the feelings come later when they remember the actions and the context of the actions. Later they might say, 'Wow. I was loved and accepted.'
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
When the lamp is on the stand then 'objective truth maintains equilibrium with the subjective truth'. One isn't out of balance with the other.
Grace is a perfect balance of the objective and the subjective. It is the channel used to express all of God's other attributes. If we receive grace then truth becomes sweet to us. When we give grace it can create a capacity in others to receive truth.
--
"Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." - 1 John 2:7-11 ESV
Jesus is the light that dispels darkness.
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17 KJV
Objective truth must be brought into our experience. Jesus does that for us. A friend who walks in the light does that for us. Fellowship is when 'objective truth maintains equilibrium with the subjective truth' and multiple people are involved.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:20 ESV
Yes. The name of God is objective understanding of who God Is and what He has done. He is not just the reason for the gathering. He is the subject discussed or expressed. Objective truth is balanced with subjective experience. People are told they are loved and they also feel they are loved because the actions are compatible with the objective truth.
Perhaps the feelings come later when they remember the actions and the context of the actions. Later they might say, 'Wow. I was loved and accepted.'
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16 ESV
When the lamp is on the stand then 'objective truth maintains equilibrium with the subjective truth'. One isn't out of balance with the other.
Grace is a perfect balance of the objective and the subjective. It is the channel used to express all of God's other attributes. If we receive grace then truth becomes sweet to us. When we give grace it can create a capacity in others to receive truth.
--
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world.' 2,000 years ago. It is believed that He said this on Hanukkah. That is recorded in John 8:12 but then in Matthew 5:14 He said to His disciples, 'You are the light of the world.' On Hanukkah candles are lit in a progression. One candle the first day... two candles the next... and so it goes. If we take His statement about His disciples in the context of Hanukkah then we are those candles.
God is filling the world and His home with light... more light each day.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone. Jesus is the candle that lights every other candle. You are the light of the world. {smile}
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I won't be online much for the next few days I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!
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God is filling the world and His home with light... more light each day.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone. Jesus is the candle that lights every other candle. You are the light of the world. {smile}
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I won't be online much for the next few days I hope everyone has a joyous holiday!
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Friday, December 23, 2016
Two River Gateways
Thinking today about the Egypt, red sea, wilderness and Jordan river progression in relation to the gate versus pathway principle, that was outlined briefly on Tuesday.
"On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands." - Ezekiel 20:6 ESV
God speaks of it almost in a summary but there were two rivers (gateways) and a fair amount of wandering that was sandwiched in-between. Most of those who left Israel did not pass over chilly Jordan.
I want to respect the process God has in a person's life. I don't want to hang on to an assessment that was made that falls short of God's promised end result for a person.
God has gateways for us to pass through... all of us. Impossible barriers that get rolled back or parted by His power. Transformation and renewal are happening during the wanderings. The old generation is dying off and the new generation is coming of age.
Those who pass over Jordan are not the ones who made the golden calf at Sinai.
I was thinking of a man recently who I love but He really got under my skin at one point. He is a charismatic person who misused the scripture in his preaching and hurt people I love. I haven't seen him for a while. His wife recently died and he is preaching again after a time of being utterly devastated and humbled.
God convicted me heavily that I shouldn't know this man after his flesh or his past. God only sees Eygpt and the promised land in our lives. We shouldn't know people after their wanderings. It isn't God's mind. Moses was an angry man in Eygpt but by the end of his wanderings God made him into the meekest man on the face of the Earth.
God has gateways for us. On the other side we will find ourselves in a new place. I want to respect that process and pray if someone is wandering and in a conversion process. I want to have mercy for myself if that person is me.
--
"On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands." - Ezekiel 20:6 ESV
God speaks of it almost in a summary but there were two rivers (gateways) and a fair amount of wandering that was sandwiched in-between. Most of those who left Israel did not pass over chilly Jordan.
I want to respect the process God has in a person's life. I don't want to hang on to an assessment that was made that falls short of God's promised end result for a person.
God has gateways for us to pass through... all of us. Impossible barriers that get rolled back or parted by His power. Transformation and renewal are happening during the wanderings. The old generation is dying off and the new generation is coming of age.
Those who pass over Jordan are not the ones who made the golden calf at Sinai.
I was thinking of a man recently who I love but He really got under my skin at one point. He is a charismatic person who misused the scripture in his preaching and hurt people I love. I haven't seen him for a while. His wife recently died and he is preaching again after a time of being utterly devastated and humbled.
God convicted me heavily that I shouldn't know this man after his flesh or his past. God only sees Eygpt and the promised land in our lives. We shouldn't know people after their wanderings. It isn't God's mind. Moses was an angry man in Eygpt but by the end of his wanderings God made him into the meekest man on the face of the Earth.
God has gateways for us. On the other side we will find ourselves in a new place. I want to respect that process and pray if someone is wandering and in a conversion process. I want to have mercy for myself if that person is me.
--
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Watered
Just a bright thought about a well watered promised land.
"For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you." - Deuteronomy 8:7-10 ESV
Water flows in the promised land. It flows in the hills and in the valleys.
In the scriptures, water speaks of truth that promotes life.
"I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." - Isaiah 41:18-20 ESV
God can water us and make a barren life into a promised land. Water is the key then everything else will follow.
The Bible is my irrigation system. I open it and God reveals His Son to me and then the water flow happens. Green things stay green and barren places become ready for seeds to grow.
Thank You God for giving us water. We don't know where we would be without it.
--
"For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you." - Deuteronomy 8:7-10 ESV
Water flows in the promised land. It flows in the hills and in the valleys.
In the scriptures, water speaks of truth that promotes life.
"I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will put in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane and the pine together, that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." - Isaiah 41:18-20 ESV
God can water us and make a barren life into a promised land. Water is the key then everything else will follow.
The Bible is my irrigation system. I open it and God reveals His Son to me and then the water flow happens. Green things stay green and barren places become ready for seeds to grow.
Thank You God for giving us water. We don't know where we would be without it.
--
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
The Knocking Savior
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20 ESV
This is a continuation of the gate versus pathway thought from yesterday.
The knock on the door is a gate that gets our attention. The knock comes and the dog goes crazy and barks. Someone is right there outside... just on the other side of the door and they are calling to you but nothing has changed inside. Your location and environment stay the same (except for the dog that is).
When we go through the gate we change location but this is a challenge to let God in to our home life.
Some folks have a big problem with the phrase, 'Ask Jesus into your heart.' and I understand the conflict. A relationship starts with trust and belief. We 'only believe' and that births a relationship with God. We believe in Jesus... who He Is and what He did on the cross. Telling people they must 'ask' implies they must do something.
But Jesus is a knocking Savior. We don't ask Him to knock. That is who He Is. He isn't just out there somewhere as some theoretical theology. If that is all He Is then there is no active relationship. Conversion accompanies communion. God wants to eat with us in our home just as we will one day live with Him in His home after this life is over. We must participate in communion by opening this gate.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20 ESV
Do we hear His voice? Are we going to ignore Him or are we going to answer the door?
--
This is a continuation of the gate versus pathway thought from yesterday.
The knock on the door is a gate that gets our attention. The knock comes and the dog goes crazy and barks. Someone is right there outside... just on the other side of the door and they are calling to you but nothing has changed inside. Your location and environment stay the same (except for the dog that is).
When we go through the gate we change location but this is a challenge to let God in to our home life.
Some folks have a big problem with the phrase, 'Ask Jesus into your heart.' and I understand the conflict. A relationship starts with trust and belief. We 'only believe' and that births a relationship with God. We believe in Jesus... who He Is and what He did on the cross. Telling people they must 'ask' implies they must do something.
But Jesus is a knocking Savior. We don't ask Him to knock. That is who He Is. He isn't just out there somewhere as some theoretical theology. If that is all He Is then there is no active relationship. Conversion accompanies communion. God wants to eat with us in our home just as we will one day live with Him in His home after this life is over. We must participate in communion by opening this gate.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20 ESV
Do we hear His voice? Are we going to ignore Him or are we going to answer the door?
--
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