Perhaps we see forgetfulness as some kind of flaw in our ability to remember But I think it has it's uses and God built in this ability at creation. It has just gone a bit haywire because of the fall.
"The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. 'I have loved you,' says the LORD. But you say, 'How have you loved us?' 'Is not Esau Jacob's brother?' declares the LORD. 'Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.' " - Malachi 1:1-3 ESV
"Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" - Psalm 88:10-12 ESV
Esau dwells in the 'land of forgetfulness' but God thinks about Jacob all the time.
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:48 ESV
I often ask God to quicken and heal my memory. I want to love (remember) and hate (forget) perfectly.
We are limited beings and we aren't going to remember everyone. Forgetting can be a defense mechanism triggered as a reaction to pain. In a way forgetting is a form of 'hatred' but there is a perfect hatred... a perfect love and a perfect hatred.
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." - John 14:26 ESV
There is no condemnation for our limitations. If we rely on God we will remember who and what we really need to remember.
--
Showing posts with label Memory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Memory. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2018
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Remembering Today
Histories are written and edited. I often think that way about our personal histories also.
"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 7:17; 21:4 ESV
What if our memories will only consist of what we did by faith and everything else just falls away on the cutting room floor to be swept away.
What will be remembered from today? Will it be remembered at all? Perhaps some days will be very short or even missing from our memories. We get up go to the bathroom and realize that there is no toothpaste and 'poof' everything else is gone from that day. We are just waking up again the next day.
The Gospel is such good news. We are forgiven.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV
Most of all can't recall large portions of our lives. There will come a day when everything will come back into focus like we can only dream of it now. Our mind will be fully reclaimed. Our soul already is. God has purchased us and will one day restore us to a glory we can only imagine. We will see things that are invisible to us now.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV
If we redeem the time we will have the clarity of participation. We can stake a 'grace claim' on time and space. This day can either blow away like chaff in the wind or it can be a day of gold, silver and precious stones. Will adversity steal our memory? Will disappointment? No. We can live by faith in what Jesus has done and get all of today into the final cut of the redemption story.
Thank You God.
--
"For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 7:17; 21:4 ESV
What if our memories will only consist of what we did by faith and everything else just falls away on the cutting room floor to be swept away.
What will be remembered from today? Will it be remembered at all? Perhaps some days will be very short or even missing from our memories. We get up go to the bathroom and realize that there is no toothpaste and 'poof' everything else is gone from that day. We are just waking up again the next day.
The Gospel is such good news. We are forgiven.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." - Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." - Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV
Most of all can't recall large portions of our lives. There will come a day when everything will come back into focus like we can only dream of it now. Our mind will be fully reclaimed. Our soul already is. God has purchased us and will one day restore us to a glory we can only imagine. We will see things that are invisible to us now.
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV
If we redeem the time we will have the clarity of participation. We can stake a 'grace claim' on time and space. This day can either blow away like chaff in the wind or it can be a day of gold, silver and precious stones. Will adversity steal our memory? Will disappointment? No. We can live by faith in what Jesus has done and get all of today into the final cut of the redemption story.
Thank You God.
--
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Light-Hearted Quickening
Romans 8:11... eight... eleven...
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." - Romans 8:11 KJV
We can look to God and say it like a secret code word... 'God, Do you know which passage in your book I like best right now... It's in Romans... the eighth chapter...' {smile}
You can make a little song, '
- Romans, Romans, Romans... Romans 8:11...
- That same power, power, power that raised Jesus from the DEAD...
- That power, power, power will quicken me like you SAID.
'
{Ha. God loves our bad scriptural rhymes... He might just quicken you to get you to stop singing}
'What was that verse again? It's in Romans. I think it's the 8th chapter. It is somewhere between 10 and 12... Oh Yeah... Can we have some of that right now? I want some 11.' {smile}
Starbucks doesn't have any 11 but God does... ask for it by name. {smile}
--
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." - Romans 8:11 KJV
We can look to God and say it like a secret code word... 'God, Do you know which passage in your book I like best right now... It's in Romans... the eighth chapter...' {smile}
You can make a little song, '
- Romans, Romans, Romans... Romans 8:11...
- That same power, power, power that raised Jesus from the DEAD...
- That power, power, power will quicken me like you SAID.
'
{Ha. God loves our bad scriptural rhymes... He might just quicken you to get you to stop singing}
'What was that verse again? It's in Romans. I think it's the 8th chapter. It is somewhere between 10 and 12... Oh Yeah... Can we have some of that right now? I want some 11.' {smile}
Starbucks doesn't have any 11 but God does... ask for it by name. {smile}
--
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Rising In The Ranks
"Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king's place. There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind." - Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 ESV
Hidden in the book of Ecclesiastes is a passage where Solomon honors the memory of his father David. David was the wise Shepard boy who rose from humble beginnings to be king. Solomon could see the memory of his Father's reign fading from public consciousness and it troubled him.
Ecclesiastes is written from a backslidden man's perspective. Solomon was wise and he saw his father as wise. But we know David didn't get to be king because of his wisdom. Samuel anointed David to be king.
"Then Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.' And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward." - 1 Samuel 16:11-13a ESV
Solomon is a man who has lost something. He is wise but not discerning. He has a redemptive history but he misses the redeemer that is in his history. He is right about the fickle public and their short memory but he is wrong also.
David's time isn't over.
"I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken." - Ezekiel 34:22-24 ESV
Ezekiel is written long after the reigns of David and Solomon. David has a future that is still in humanities future. The word prince there is the Hebrew word Nasiy (Strong's H5387) and it means a leader who is rising in the ranks.
If we look at ministry through tired eyes we see the short memory of people but if God gives us eagle eyes we see the rising in the ranks of grace. Burial always comes before resurrection.
When I think of those who have come before me I honor their memory knowing that not many others will but their ministry isn't over nor was it executed by some natural power or quality that they possessed themselves alone. They did what they did because of God's grace. Let's do what we do by God's grace also.
"The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." - 2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV
I don't want to be wise like Solomon was in the book of Ecclesiastes. I see that book as one that points out the traps of intellect divorced momentarily from divine perspective. I want to have the mind of Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega. He sees every moment based of the beginning and the end of time.
God give us your mind today. Let us not judge by what we see and hear only. Give us righteous gracious judgement that sees redemption as finished on the cross and sees our fellows based on what You have done and not what they have accomplished or where they have failed. Thank You God. Thank You for not leaving us stranded in time. Thank You for saving us from the trap of natural thinking. Thank You God.
--
Hidden in the book of Ecclesiastes is a passage where Solomon honors the memory of his father David. David was the wise Shepard boy who rose from humble beginnings to be king. Solomon could see the memory of his Father's reign fading from public consciousness and it troubled him.
Ecclesiastes is written from a backslidden man's perspective. Solomon was wise and he saw his father as wise. But we know David didn't get to be king because of his wisdom. Samuel anointed David to be king.
"Then Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.' And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward." - 1 Samuel 16:11-13a ESV
Solomon is a man who has lost something. He is wise but not discerning. He has a redemptive history but he misses the redeemer that is in his history. He is right about the fickle public and their short memory but he is wrong also.
David's time isn't over.
"I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken." - Ezekiel 34:22-24 ESV
Ezekiel is written long after the reigns of David and Solomon. David has a future that is still in humanities future. The word prince there is the Hebrew word Nasiy (Strong's H5387) and it means a leader who is rising in the ranks.
If we look at ministry through tired eyes we see the short memory of people but if God gives us eagle eyes we see the rising in the ranks of grace. Burial always comes before resurrection.
When I think of those who have come before me I honor their memory knowing that not many others will but their ministry isn't over nor was it executed by some natural power or quality that they possessed themselves alone. They did what they did because of God's grace. Let's do what we do by God's grace also.
"The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself." - 2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV
I don't want to be wise like Solomon was in the book of Ecclesiastes. I see that book as one that points out the traps of intellect divorced momentarily from divine perspective. I want to have the mind of Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega. He sees every moment based of the beginning and the end of time.
God give us your mind today. Let us not judge by what we see and hear only. Give us righteous gracious judgement that sees redemption as finished on the cross and sees our fellows based on what You have done and not what they have accomplished or where they have failed. Thank You God. Thank You for not leaving us stranded in time. Thank You for saving us from the trap of natural thinking. Thank You God.
--
Thursday, March 17, 2016
When The Veils Are Lifted
It seems that human beings have perfect memories. Recall is faulty but memory is perfect. Imagine with me if all that is invisible to us now is still being recorded but is as yet undeveloped like film in a camera. Angels are seen by us and God is speaking to us now. Darkness is seducing and angels preserving and protecting. It is invisible to us like ultraviolet is invisible. Recorded by our eyes, ears and other senses but not registering in our conscious mind.
The believer's life ends and angels carry him or her to God. Unbelievers die and their heavy unwashed soul descends into the depths. Thick darkness covers the mind of one and light begins to develops the film of the other. Angels become present in our memory because they were there all along. We see God's work and hear what He was whispering to us pre-salvation and post-salvation. Our memory will be redeemed. Amazing.
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
When we are finally face to face He will suddenly become an old friend. To the person in Hell He will be an ancient enemy who chased them their whole life but to those who believed He will be a precious friend who loved them even when they themselves were an enemy of God.
Angels will not be strange. They will be wonderfully familiar beings we remember from childhood who lingered with us faithfully for decades.
One day every veil will either be lifted or our eyes will be permanently darkened.
I choose light. I opted to let the blood of Christ wash me in 1992. I accepted Jesus and my eternal destiny was changed. Jesus is redemption personified. Anyone can choose to believe. Anyone who does believe is guaranteed future clarity beyond what we can imagine now... clarity beyond what any of us can ask for or think of. Hope for the future and illumination of the past.
Wow.
--
The believer's life ends and angels carry him or her to God. Unbelievers die and their heavy unwashed soul descends into the depths. Thick darkness covers the mind of one and light begins to develops the film of the other. Angels become present in our memory because they were there all along. We see God's work and hear what He was whispering to us pre-salvation and post-salvation. Our memory will be redeemed. Amazing.
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV
When we are finally face to face He will suddenly become an old friend. To the person in Hell He will be an ancient enemy who chased them their whole life but to those who believed He will be a precious friend who loved them even when they themselves were an enemy of God.
Angels will not be strange. They will be wonderfully familiar beings we remember from childhood who lingered with us faithfully for decades.
One day every veil will either be lifted or our eyes will be permanently darkened.
I choose light. I opted to let the blood of Christ wash me in 1992. I accepted Jesus and my eternal destiny was changed. Jesus is redemption personified. Anyone can choose to believe. Anyone who does believe is guaranteed future clarity beyond what we can imagine now... clarity beyond what any of us can ask for or think of. Hope for the future and illumination of the past.
Wow.
--
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Three Ways God Takes Notice In Psalm 56
"You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me." - Psalm 56:8-9 NKJV
Wow...
God keeps a memento, a tally and writes something perceptive down about us all the time. What care that is!
We take photos, buy postcards and take rocks off the beach. We want a touchstone of some kind to remember our trips or special occasions. God does this even during our wanderings (Nowd - Strong's H5112). Even if we feel we are a fugitive or someone no one is noticing as they are wandering directionless God is taking note.
This isn't the tally of a time keeper saying, 'Late again... that's the third time this week.' This is the tally of a mother or father making marks in the doorway that say, 'In 2012 you were this tall.' It is the tally of someone who loves us.
We may not remember how many times we prayed for something but God has an exact count.
Our heartaches may be repressed in our memory but God knows and puts those tears in a bottle. God loves us like a mother who goes in their college bound child's room and sits on their bed and hugs their pillow.
"In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" - Psalm 56:10-11 NKJV
Two words for God are here in this passage... Elohiym (H430), the triune judge, and the great unpronounceable essential intimate name Yahweh (H3068) that can only be said as an exhale. It is His word that reveals His mind. We only know of this scrapbook through His word.
"Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?" - Psalm 56:12-13 NKJV
These vows are the vows of a worshiper. We can get bound up in love when we realize His attention and care. We are not alone. We are not forgotten. Someone understands our heart and our situation very well.
God is with us.
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." - Isaiah 61:10 ESV
--
Wow...
God keeps a memento, a tally and writes something perceptive down about us all the time. What care that is!
We take photos, buy postcards and take rocks off the beach. We want a touchstone of some kind to remember our trips or special occasions. God does this even during our wanderings (Nowd - Strong's H5112). Even if we feel we are a fugitive or someone no one is noticing as they are wandering directionless God is taking note.
This isn't the tally of a time keeper saying, 'Late again... that's the third time this week.' This is the tally of a mother or father making marks in the doorway that say, 'In 2012 you were this tall.' It is the tally of someone who loves us.
We may not remember how many times we prayed for something but God has an exact count.
Our heartaches may be repressed in our memory but God knows and puts those tears in a bottle. God loves us like a mother who goes in their college bound child's room and sits on their bed and hugs their pillow.
"In God (I will praise His word), In the LORD (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" - Psalm 56:10-11 NKJV
Two words for God are here in this passage... Elohiym (H430), the triune judge, and the great unpronounceable essential intimate name Yahweh (H3068) that can only be said as an exhale. It is His word that reveals His mind. We only know of this scrapbook through His word.
"Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?" - Psalm 56:12-13 NKJV
These vows are the vows of a worshiper. We can get bound up in love when we realize His attention and care. We are not alone. We are not forgotten. Someone understands our heart and our situation very well.
God is with us.
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." - Isaiah 61:10 ESV
--
Monday, May 25, 2015
A Day To Remember
Today is day of memory. Today is a day to honor.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." - Exodus 20:8 KJV
One of the ten commandments is a mandate to remember something. God didn't just set aside a day for man to rest. We are to remember rest on the other six days as well.
Today we remember the fallen soldiers that served the military of the United States of America. Soldiers who left their homes to serve and paid the ultimate price.
Memory is funny. The last few years quickly becomes our frame of reference. If they have been hard then life seems hard. If they have been happy then life seems happy. If you have lost someone recently than perhaps the wound is painful. Life is more then what has happened recently. We have more then is visible to the naked eye.
Today is a day to look back and remember those who we have no way of seeing in person and honor them and it stretches us beyond what has happened recently into the courage and grit of what has gone before. We do not honor just one person. We honor many people. The wound turns to admiration. Our loss has a purpose and we remember that.
God, Make us a courageous generation that mirrors the valor of those who have paid the price for our current freedom.
God bless America.
--
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." - Exodus 20:8 KJV
One of the ten commandments is a mandate to remember something. God didn't just set aside a day for man to rest. We are to remember rest on the other six days as well.
Today we remember the fallen soldiers that served the military of the United States of America. Soldiers who left their homes to serve and paid the ultimate price.
Memory is funny. The last few years quickly becomes our frame of reference. If they have been hard then life seems hard. If they have been happy then life seems happy. If you have lost someone recently than perhaps the wound is painful. Life is more then what has happened recently. We have more then is visible to the naked eye.
Today is a day to look back and remember those who we have no way of seeing in person and honor them and it stretches us beyond what has happened recently into the courage and grit of what has gone before. We do not honor just one person. We honor many people. The wound turns to admiration. Our loss has a purpose and we remember that.
God, Make us a courageous generation that mirrors the valor of those who have paid the price for our current freedom.
God bless America.
--
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Thoughts From 2 Timothy Chapter Four
This morning I'm reading 2 Timothy chapter 4 again and again. It appears this is the Apostle Paul's last book and chapter 4 is the last chapter of the book. Paul is wrapping things up. For a man who 'forgets those things that are behind' he recounts a great deal of pain and love.
"For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message." - 2 Timothy 4:10-15 ESV
Even in this last chapter of his life Paul is suffering because of mistreatment and separation.
The last few days my mind has been flooded with faces and names of people. I have struggled with giving myself grace for not being able to put a name to a face I am praying for.
At times like this I am very aware of secret pain. People have it. I have had it and I'm sure there is more coming. I was crippled emotionally by pain before I believed in God. Then after God converted me and began the healing process I was hurt again and many times since. I have been hurt in His house and out if it. Patches of my hair has temporarily turned white with grief to the point where even though I believed in God there have been times when I could not imagine ever being truly whole and happy again.
I am happy now and I have no bitterness. Memory... Yes. Blame... No. That in itself is miraculous. At the same time I understand why people are bitter and marvel at the depth of what different people go through.
Over time God has given me ways to process pain. I never hurt alone nor do I desire to push away other people's pain the way I used to. God has become my burden bearer. My arms tire from handing Him things but I am learning not to carry them myself for very long. I identify very strongly with Paul. He is not claiming mastery over these very human issues. He is expressing a believable hope as a little person with real needs.
Paul says...
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
Anyone who has ever 'loved His appearing' will one day be satisfied. There will be a grand reunion.
I think of Timothy learning of Paul's death and then at some point pulling this letter out of a drawer and realizing that it was the last one. No more new guidance was coming to him from that man he loved so dearly. Pain mingled with love. Memory. How many times did Timothy read this letter? How many times have believers reread it?
Paul walked with God and finished his course well. He didn't spend his life safely insulating himself from potentially painful situations. He walked with God and knew he had a crown waiting. Timothy remembered Paul and continued in his call having had an example of endurance in his life.
God, Help us to be mindful of each other. We can't wait to see you. Until then we want to live our lives fully casting down anything that would cause us to be bitter. There are many chapters left to be written. We want them to be filled with faith and freshness. Today we are not as naive as we have been before. Today we ask you fill us with hope and childlike faith for what can be if as believers we will only believe.
--
"For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message." - 2 Timothy 4:10-15 ESV
Even in this last chapter of his life Paul is suffering because of mistreatment and separation.
The last few days my mind has been flooded with faces and names of people. I have struggled with giving myself grace for not being able to put a name to a face I am praying for.
At times like this I am very aware of secret pain. People have it. I have had it and I'm sure there is more coming. I was crippled emotionally by pain before I believed in God. Then after God converted me and began the healing process I was hurt again and many times since. I have been hurt in His house and out if it. Patches of my hair has temporarily turned white with grief to the point where even though I believed in God there have been times when I could not imagine ever being truly whole and happy again.
I am happy now and I have no bitterness. Memory... Yes. Blame... No. That in itself is miraculous. At the same time I understand why people are bitter and marvel at the depth of what different people go through.
Over time God has given me ways to process pain. I never hurt alone nor do I desire to push away other people's pain the way I used to. God has become my burden bearer. My arms tire from handing Him things but I am learning not to carry them myself for very long. I identify very strongly with Paul. He is not claiming mastery over these very human issues. He is expressing a believable hope as a little person with real needs.
Paul says...
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
Anyone who has ever 'loved His appearing' will one day be satisfied. There will be a grand reunion.
I think of Timothy learning of Paul's death and then at some point pulling this letter out of a drawer and realizing that it was the last one. No more new guidance was coming to him from that man he loved so dearly. Pain mingled with love. Memory. How many times did Timothy read this letter? How many times have believers reread it?
Paul walked with God and finished his course well. He didn't spend his life safely insulating himself from potentially painful situations. He walked with God and knew he had a crown waiting. Timothy remembered Paul and continued in his call having had an example of endurance in his life.
God, Help us to be mindful of each other. We can't wait to see you. Until then we want to live our lives fully casting down anything that would cause us to be bitter. There are many chapters left to be written. We want them to be filled with faith and freshness. Today we are not as naive as we have been before. Today we ask you fill us with hope and childlike faith for what can be if as believers we will only believe.
--
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Will We Wipe Them Away?
I awoke this morning and the word that was on my mind was 'offscouring'. I read a bit and looked at a few things but this word kept coming back. The Greek word translated 'offscouring' is only used once in the new testament. It is Peripsema (Strong's G4067) and it is used here.
"Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." - 1 Corinthians 4:13 KJV
Some things are kept but other things are wiped away. This speaks of the stuff that is wiped away.
This is that verse in context using a more modern, but reliable, translation...
"For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children... I urge you, then, be imitators of me." - 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16 ESV
Paul identifies strongly with the other Apostles. He had his disagreements with them but that didn't stop him from identifying with them. He even made collections for the Saints in Jerusalem (see 1 Corinthians 16:1).
Grace elevates and promotes people. It does not wipe them away. Yet, It happens all the time. People wipe others away to put a shine on their new life.
In America we live in a society where people wipe away the older generation to make room for the newer one.
I am so thankful God does not consider me as someone to wipe away like a grimy smear. Really I am.
Who does God remember that I have forgotten? Prayer will reveal the answer. I want to love them like the Apostle Paul loved people. I want to write them, or the modern equivalent of it, like Paul did at great expense to himself.
It is easier to compartmentalize our lives at times so we can go forward... to lighten our load. But who is it that carries our burdens? Is it us or is it God?
The Apostles are people most believers will want to meet when they are Heaven but when they walked the Earth it seems that they had few real friends. Perhaps we can befriend some people who are well known in Heaven but forgotten on the Earth.
Help us God. It can't happen without You. We need You. Fill us with love. Open our eyes. Cause us to move on the narrow pathway loving and serving others because You love and serve us.
--
"Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." - 1 Corinthians 4:13 KJV
Some things are kept but other things are wiped away. This speaks of the stuff that is wiped away.
This is that verse in context using a more modern, but reliable, translation...
"For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children... I urge you, then, be imitators of me." - 1 Corinthians 4:9-14, 16 ESV
Paul identifies strongly with the other Apostles. He had his disagreements with them but that didn't stop him from identifying with them. He even made collections for the Saints in Jerusalem (see 1 Corinthians 16:1).
Grace elevates and promotes people. It does not wipe them away. Yet, It happens all the time. People wipe others away to put a shine on their new life.
In America we live in a society where people wipe away the older generation to make room for the newer one.
I am so thankful God does not consider me as someone to wipe away like a grimy smear. Really I am.
Who does God remember that I have forgotten? Prayer will reveal the answer. I want to love them like the Apostle Paul loved people. I want to write them, or the modern equivalent of it, like Paul did at great expense to himself.
It is easier to compartmentalize our lives at times so we can go forward... to lighten our load. But who is it that carries our burdens? Is it us or is it God?
The Apostles are people most believers will want to meet when they are Heaven but when they walked the Earth it seems that they had few real friends. Perhaps we can befriend some people who are well known in Heaven but forgotten on the Earth.
Help us God. It can't happen without You. We need You. Fill us with love. Open our eyes. Cause us to move on the narrow pathway loving and serving others because You love and serve us.
--
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Uses for Old Roman Lead
Thinking this morning about old and new things and the value of memory and discovery.
I read an article yesterday while waiting to have coffee with someone who was running late. It was essentially about the overlap of Physics and Archaeology. It was discussing 'old lead' and it's value and uses. Lead is very useful in shielding from radiation. That makes it a vital material for many types of equipment... especially for sensitive measurement equipment. Newly smelted lead however has a degree of radioactivity that fades over time but it takes a long time. The Romans used lead for a variety of things. Lead smelted 2,000 ago has approximately 100,000 times lower radioactive level than lead smelted last week if it was in a place shielded from other radiation like being deep under water. A sunken Roman vessel loaded with lead would be a great scientific find for an archaeologist and for the physics community.
The question then arises, 'Do you preserve history at the expense of scientific advancement?'. This is a rare man made material. It will always have archaeological significance but will have to be changed, modified or moved in some way to have it's other shielding properties utilized. The scientific communities have their own ways of dealing with these issues and they have not always handled them well but in the article I read it seemed like a good compromise was made. The physics community funded the recovery of a Roman vessel and removed the lead for scientific use while scrupulously documenting as much as they could using proper archaeological methods. An expensive undertaking was funded but part of the find was destroyed.
It made me think of the importance of finding a balance between preservation and discovery.
"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves." - Job 24:1-4 ESV
"You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess." - Deuteronomy 19:14 ESV
"Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless" - Proverbs 23:10 ESV
There are old landmarks in life. Some take up expensive real estate but there are landmarks of the soul also... things we want to keep as they are so they can be remembered. Once the property line has been removed it becomes a free for all and in the end something is lost.
The question is what do you keep and how much. Some folks make everything a landmark and there is no room for anything new. Not everything old is an antique.
"He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree." - Job 15:33 ESV
"Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion." - Isaiah 52:2 ESV
"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe," - Hebrews 12:25-28 ESV
God has a plan to shake what He is able to shake. Eternal things are durable things. I don't want to discard those things.
The shaking away of the natural leaves room for the eternal.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 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 5:17-19 ESV
A soul is an eternal thing. It is durable and it is also a fertile place of discovery.
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" - Matthew 16:26 KJV
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:30 NKJV
Old lead has value to the archaeologist and the physicist. Eternal relationships preserve what should be preserved and propel us into the future.
"Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Luke 12:33-34 ESV
--
I read an article yesterday while waiting to have coffee with someone who was running late. It was essentially about the overlap of Physics and Archaeology. It was discussing 'old lead' and it's value and uses. Lead is very useful in shielding from radiation. That makes it a vital material for many types of equipment... especially for sensitive measurement equipment. Newly smelted lead however has a degree of radioactivity that fades over time but it takes a long time. The Romans used lead for a variety of things. Lead smelted 2,000 ago has approximately 100,000 times lower radioactive level than lead smelted last week if it was in a place shielded from other radiation like being deep under water. A sunken Roman vessel loaded with lead would be a great scientific find for an archaeologist and for the physics community.
The question then arises, 'Do you preserve history at the expense of scientific advancement?'. This is a rare man made material. It will always have archaeological significance but will have to be changed, modified or moved in some way to have it's other shielding properties utilized. The scientific communities have their own ways of dealing with these issues and they have not always handled them well but in the article I read it seemed like a good compromise was made. The physics community funded the recovery of a Roman vessel and removed the lead for scientific use while scrupulously documenting as much as they could using proper archaeological methods. An expensive undertaking was funded but part of the find was destroyed.
It made me think of the importance of finding a balance between preservation and discovery.
"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; they take the widow's ox for a pledge. They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves." - Job 24:1-4 ESV
"You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess." - Deuteronomy 19:14 ESV
"Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless" - Proverbs 23:10 ESV
There are old landmarks in life. Some take up expensive real estate but there are landmarks of the soul also... things we want to keep as they are so they can be remembered. Once the property line has been removed it becomes a free for all and in the end something is lost.
The question is what do you keep and how much. Some folks make everything a landmark and there is no room for anything new. Not everything old is an antique.
"He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree." - Job 15:33 ESV
"Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion." - Isaiah 52:2 ESV
"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken - that is, things that have been made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe," - Hebrews 12:25-28 ESV
God has a plan to shake what He is able to shake. Eternal things are durable things. I don't want to discard those things.
The shaking away of the natural leaves room for the eternal.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 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 5:17-19 ESV
A soul is an eternal thing. It is durable and it is also a fertile place of discovery.
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" - Matthew 16:26 KJV
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:30 NKJV
Old lead has value to the archaeologist and the physicist. Eternal relationships preserve what should be preserved and propel us into the future.
"Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Luke 12:33-34 ESV
--
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Write a Reminder For Your Soul
The first few verses of Psalm 103 show the nature of a man's soul in a fallen world. A soul can forget. Even filled with joy and filled with recognition of the eternal it knows it's limits.
"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. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed." - Psalms 103:1-6 ESV
This Psalm is like a lucid moment of memory. The Psalmist writes a note for Himself in God's presence. Like we would write a note in the evening to remember something in the morning. We could forget to mail the letter or put gas in the car so in the moment of memory we leave ourselves a reminder.
God needs no reminders to be who He Is and do all that He does. My soul is a soul that 'blesses' when I remember that. All healing... all satisfaction... all justice... all redemption is in Him.
"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." - Psalms 103:7-12 ESV
Remember His patience... think again of how personal He Is. How does He deal with us... Is it according to sin or our bad emotions... No... never that... His love is larger... Because of the cross His love is in sight but is so large that are human perception can not grasp the full scope of it... sin is removed far away and love fills our vision...
"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. 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," - Psalms 103:13-17 ESV
Remember that God knows you. Like an attentive perceptive Father who knows each child our Father in Heaven knows us. He has compassion for our quirks and limitations. He sees what we are made of. Our frame has limits but His love does not. We are fixed in His love. His love makes our soul permanent because nothing limits His memory or His power.
It is morning and we can remember. Let the moments of recognition we have had of divine glory wash over us again in fresh ways...
Who Is God?
What Is He like?
What has He done?
What are His commitments?
In remembrance faith can be mixed in to our thoughts and love can fill us again. If we remember we will worship.
"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. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed." - Psalms 103:1-6 ESV
This Psalm is like a lucid moment of memory. The Psalmist writes a note for Himself in God's presence. Like we would write a note in the evening to remember something in the morning. We could forget to mail the letter or put gas in the car so in the moment of memory we leave ourselves a reminder.
God needs no reminders to be who He Is and do all that He does. My soul is a soul that 'blesses' when I remember that. All healing... all satisfaction... all justice... all redemption is in Him.
"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." - Psalms 103:7-12 ESV
Remember His patience... think again of how personal He Is. How does He deal with us... Is it according to sin or our bad emotions... No... never that... His love is larger... Because of the cross His love is in sight but is so large that are human perception can not grasp the full scope of it... sin is removed far away and love fills our vision...
"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. 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," - Psalms 103:13-17 ESV
Remember that God knows you. Like an attentive perceptive Father who knows each child our Father in Heaven knows us. He has compassion for our quirks and limitations. He sees what we are made of. Our frame has limits but His love does not. We are fixed in His love. His love makes our soul permanent because nothing limits His memory or His power.
It is morning and we can remember. Let the moments of recognition we have had of divine glory wash over us again in fresh ways...
Who Is God?
What Is He like?
What has He done?
What are His commitments?
In remembrance faith can be mixed in to our thoughts and love can fill us again. If we remember we will worship.
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