clothes...they really do tell a lot sometimes. In my study last night, I read again the story of Lazarus. His were graveclothes. I remembered the times I've chosen the clothes for a burial garment. I remember going to purchase a new one for my father-in-law. And I remember the years I walked around with my graveclothes on.…(continued in comment)
Yikes !! Yes, I wore them for years, dressed up in the finery of my good behavior. Graveclothes are what dead people wear, and I was dead… a breathing, heart-beating, walking, talking, dead person. They are everywhere. People who just think they are alive.
Jesus provided a new garment, a garment more fine than any of mine, perfect in fact. Perfect. …. I never accomplished that myself. He did. He offered it to me time and time again. I said I accepted it, but I never put it on….I couldn’t figure out how it fit.
Then, in frustration and utter defeat, I quit trying and accepted the clothes I had on. I continued to wear them, tried to make them look as good as possible…(even washed them in the baptistry a couple times)….and went on with my existence. I even tried to put my clothes on other people. Mine looked a little bit better than theirs, I thought. But they usually rejected them, choosing to wear their own grave clothes.
Then one day, in the middle of a stormy time of my existence, when all I could say was ‘Help me.”…He called me out. Oh relax…I didn’t hear a Charlton Heston voice say my name…..but since that day everything changed. Just as Jesus said ‘Loose him and let him go’ after He had called Lazarus out of the grave, He has loosed me. I’m not wearing the grave clothes anymore.
“…she will be dressed in white and I will never blot out her name from the book of life, but will acknowledge her name before My Father and His angels.” Rev. 3:5
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wear...
Wear…I have a bit of spring fever I guess. I’m ready to change out some boots for sandals and ready my wardrobe for warmer weather. What will I wear this spring? Add a new color when I replace some of last years stained t-shirts? Will I go with a trendy look? Worn-out ragged jeans and tattoo-inspired t-shirts? Or maybe a classic look with dark jeans and polo shirts? What will I wear….
Shallow huh? But be honest, you think about it too. Every time you are preparing to go somewhere the question looms. What to wear….
Planning ahead and being responsible are good qualities to cultivate. Being organized and prepared in every facet of life is a benefit. But in spite of all my organization, all the preparations and thinking ahead, if I am not wearing His righteousness, and His spiritual armor, I might as well be naked on a desert. In fact…until He rescued me, I was. ‘In a desert land He found her, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded her and cared for her and He guarded Her as the apple of His Eye.”(Deu.32:10 gender changed by me)
Now I am clothed in clothing I could not purchase. ‘…He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness..’(Isa.61:10) …’God made Him who had no sin to be sin for me…so that in Him I might become the righteousness of God.’ (2Cor.5:21 pronouns personalized by me)
Jesus said ‘..do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.’ (Luke 12:22,23) My priority must be His purposes, His Kingdom (‘seek His kingdom and all these things will be given to you’ v.31) I must be dressed and ready for HIS service.( ‘be dressed and ready, keep your lamps burning’ v.35)
So today…I ‘stand firm, with this belt of truth buckled around my waist..’(Eph. 6:14)… that He is sovereign, and that He chooses to value and love me. How can I not return His love and live every moment basking in it? How can I not clothe myself daily in Him, ’not by works of my righteousness, but according to His mercy…’ (Titus 3:5)
‘Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’(Rev.16:15)
Thank You Lord Jesus, for paying my debt and not only covering my shame, but removing both the shame and guilt. Thank You that I am blessed in keeping watch, that ‘having been baptized into Christ, I have put on Christ.’ (Gal.3:27) and am no longer naked and ashamed, but clothed in Your garment of righteousness.
Shallow huh? But be honest, you think about it too. Every time you are preparing to go somewhere the question looms. What to wear….
Planning ahead and being responsible are good qualities to cultivate. Being organized and prepared in every facet of life is a benefit. But in spite of all my organization, all the preparations and thinking ahead, if I am not wearing His righteousness, and His spiritual armor, I might as well be naked on a desert. In fact…until He rescued me, I was. ‘In a desert land He found her, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded her and cared for her and He guarded Her as the apple of His Eye.”(Deu.32:10 gender changed by me)
Now I am clothed in clothing I could not purchase. ‘…He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness..’(Isa.61:10) …’God made Him who had no sin to be sin for me…so that in Him I might become the righteousness of God.’ (2Cor.5:21 pronouns personalized by me)
Jesus said ‘..do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.’ (Luke 12:22,23) My priority must be His purposes, His Kingdom (‘seek His kingdom and all these things will be given to you’ v.31) I must be dressed and ready for HIS service.( ‘be dressed and ready, keep your lamps burning’ v.35)
So today…I ‘stand firm, with this belt of truth buckled around my waist..’(Eph. 6:14)… that He is sovereign, and that He chooses to value and love me. How can I not return His love and live every moment basking in it? How can I not clothe myself daily in Him, ’not by works of my righteousness, but according to His mercy…’ (Titus 3:5)
‘Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.’(Rev.16:15)
Thank You Lord Jesus, for paying my debt and not only covering my shame, but removing both the shame and guilt. Thank You that I am blessed in keeping watch, that ‘having been baptized into Christ, I have put on Christ.’ (Gal.3:27) and am no longer naked and ashamed, but clothed in Your garment of righteousness.
Shake...
shaken...I can't fathom the terror of the earth shaking beneath me. My mind knows the truth about this world, it does not offer security. He has told me in scripture that all created things are temporary and unsure. (Heb.12:27)Yet I realize that I place much confidence in them. The ‘real’ things are not the things I see and touch, the ‘real’ things are the things of God, the spiritual realities. He is unshakable.
I haven’t experienced an earthquake. Neither have I experienced the sudden loss of a spouse, or a child…or a fire destroying the place I call ‘home’… shaking the foundation of life here on this ball of dirt we call Earth. ….nor am I in physical battle against a cancer that threatens to shorten my stay. I hope those things are not in my future, but if they are, I want to walk thru them in unshakable trust that He holds my eternal future in His loving Hands. I would want others to see His love evidenced in me as I have seen it in all it’s glory displayed in the lives of those who DO walk thru these shakings hand in Hand with Him.
When shaking comes, only what can NOT be shaken remains. When the future is so unsure and loss is so great, a future built on Him remains steady and sure, even in the suffering and loss. “..since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…” Hebrews 12:28
He is so good.
I haven’t experienced an earthquake. Neither have I experienced the sudden loss of a spouse, or a child…or a fire destroying the place I call ‘home’… shaking the foundation of life here on this ball of dirt we call Earth. ….nor am I in physical battle against a cancer that threatens to shorten my stay. I hope those things are not in my future, but if they are, I want to walk thru them in unshakable trust that He holds my eternal future in His loving Hands. I would want others to see His love evidenced in me as I have seen it in all it’s glory displayed in the lives of those who DO walk thru these shakings hand in Hand with Him.
When shaking comes, only what can NOT be shaken remains. When the future is so unsure and loss is so great, a future built on Him remains steady and sure, even in the suffering and loss. “..since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe…” Hebrews 12:28
He is so good.
War...
war...the conflicts go on and on. Jesus said 'do not be alarmed..'(Mark13:7) War does not surprise Him. Neither does famine and earthquake.(vs.8) The conflicts and the devastations are global, common to all humanity… and we feel so powerless. But we are not. (continued in comment)
We can donate time, donate money to provide physical help, those things are important. “..if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt.10.42)
But the most pressing battles are spiritual. ‘What profit is it if you gain the whole world, and lose your own soul?’ (Mark 8:36)
'..though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.'(2Cor. 10:3) We have His power available to us. 'The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”(2Cor.10:4) We have a weapon that has no earthly match. ‘..take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’(Eph 6:17)
His Word as recorded in our Bible is not just a bunch of ink and paper. It is our only weapon. Have you picked it up? Do you know what it is capable of doing? (Heb.4:12)
We can donate time, donate money to provide physical help, those things are important. “..if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matt.10.42)
But the most pressing battles are spiritual. ‘What profit is it if you gain the whole world, and lose your own soul?’ (Mark 8:36)
'..though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.'(2Cor. 10:3) We have His power available to us. 'The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”(2Cor.10:4) We have a weapon that has no earthly match. ‘..take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’(Eph 6:17)
His Word as recorded in our Bible is not just a bunch of ink and paper. It is our only weapon. Have you picked it up? Do you know what it is capable of doing? (Heb.4:12)
Blessed...
blessed...what do you think of? Got a mental list yet? House? Job? Cars? Stuff of all sorts.. or maybe health? Family? Friends? How about this...'Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, BECAUSE of the Son of Man.'(emphasis mine Luke 6:22) I've been there...i...t didn't seem like much of a blessing. Maybe we should examine our definition
Makarios=‘blessed’ in the original language of this passage. It's definition includes the concept of being approved by God and marked by a fullness from God, and it indicates the state of the believer in Christ. You see, the most valueable thing we can have, is His approval. Yet we are not capable of earning it, even when we make all sorts of resolutions about our conduct. If that were possible, the simple Ten Commandments would have done the trick.
So….where does that leave us? Lost…without His approval, that’s where. UNLE SS we get help. And we certainly need help….(especially when ‘men hate you and exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil…’ Amen ??)
Luke wasn’t saying that we are blessed BECAUSE we are hated and insulted….he says we are blessed by God in spite of it!! Blessed because we choose His way over our own or that of the culture around us. Who cares what anybody says when God gives His approval !!!??? Oh His standards are indeed high, but He helps us! ... See More
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him …… He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2Peter 1:4
You notice that this hinges on our knowledge of Him? And SO often, we have little or no knowledge, and even more often we have the WRONG knowledge. (my opinion…)
Who is He to you?
He has give promises. Do you know them?
Makarios=‘blessed’ in the original language of this passage. It's definition includes the concept of being approved by God and marked by a fullness from God, and it indicates the state of the believer in Christ. You see, the most valueable thing we can have, is His approval. Yet we are not capable of earning it, even when we make all sorts of resolutions about our conduct. If that were possible, the simple Ten Commandments would have done the trick.
So….where does that leave us? Lost…without His approval, that’s where. UNLE SS we get help. And we certainly need help….(especially when ‘men hate you and exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil…’ Amen ??)
Luke wasn’t saying that we are blessed BECAUSE we are hated and insulted….he says we are blessed by God in spite of it!! Blessed because we choose His way over our own or that of the culture around us. Who cares what anybody says when God gives His approval !!!??? Oh His standards are indeed high, but He helps us! ... See More
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him …… He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2Peter 1:4
You notice that this hinges on our knowledge of Him? And SO often, we have little or no knowledge, and even more often we have the WRONG knowledge. (my opinion…)
Who is He to you?
He has give promises. Do you know them?
Harmony...
harmony....I'm teaching my grand-daughter piano and voice. Yesterday's lesson included just a touch of the concept of harmony. God created harmony. He created the instrument we call 'voice'. In singing, we use our voices in different ways, creating harmonies that can stir every emotion God made in us.
Some voices sing the melody...the saprano, or lead. Some voices add other tones that harmonize, we call them alto, tenor, baritone, or bass.The lead may carry the melody, but it is not fully complete without the other parts.
The voice is an instrument, and we must learn our own particular voice, discover the function of it, identify it, explore its use...and train it. The voice that is regularly used becomes more capable and sure...able to produce sounds that were not possible before. It is more dependable, less likely to squeak out off key or crack and make you want to hide, never to sing again!!!
There is other harmony as well...the harmony of His Body, the church."the body is not made up of one part but of many'.(1Cor.12:14 ) Here to, we must learn and train....learn who we are in Him...learn what part of the melody is ours to sing..."they form one body...So it is with Christ." (1Cor.12:12)... See More
We must learn He has created in each of us, a part of the harmony...a place and purpose..'God arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be' (1Cor.12:18) He did not leave you out.
'There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord' (1Cor.12:5)
'Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (1Cor.12:22)
You may not sing the lead...but the song is not complete without your voice
Some voices sing the melody...the saprano, or lead. Some voices add other tones that harmonize, we call them alto, tenor, baritone, or bass.The lead may carry the melody, but it is not fully complete without the other parts.
The voice is an instrument, and we must learn our own particular voice, discover the function of it, identify it, explore its use...and train it. The voice that is regularly used becomes more capable and sure...able to produce sounds that were not possible before. It is more dependable, less likely to squeak out off key or crack and make you want to hide, never to sing again!!!
There is other harmony as well...the harmony of His Body, the church."the body is not made up of one part but of many'.(1Cor.12:14 ) Here to, we must learn and train....learn who we are in Him...learn what part of the melody is ours to sing..."they form one body...So it is with Christ." (1Cor.12:12)... See More
We must learn He has created in each of us, a part of the harmony...a place and purpose..'God arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be' (1Cor.12:18) He did not leave you out.
'There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord' (1Cor.12:5)
'Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (1Cor.12:22)
You may not sing the lead...but the song is not complete without your voice
Hear...
hear...at times, I get so tired of sounds. My ears are very sensitive, my mind processes every sound...sometimes yards away from me... I find myself hearing, though I am not listening. Sometimes, I'd like a switch to turn it off.
I wish I could hear like that with my spirit and my heart. Jesus often said 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.' (I can give you at least half a dozen verses for that if you want them.) He knows I have hears...but do I have hears 'to hear'...or have I switched that off? (Seems I have no problem switching off THAT hearing!)
Do I only hear what is comfortable and pleasant? Is my spiritual hearing as sensitive as my ears seem to be sometimes? Or does God have to speak really loud before I pay attention?
"And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times....'Samuel...Samuel...' and Samuel answered, Speak:for thy servant heareth."(1Sam.3:10) ... See More
'Connie....Connie...." When He speaks, I want to hear....the first time He calls.
I wish I could hear like that with my spirit and my heart. Jesus often said 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.' (I can give you at least half a dozen verses for that if you want them.) He knows I have hears...but do I have hears 'to hear'...or have I switched that off? (Seems I have no problem switching off THAT hearing!)
Do I only hear what is comfortable and pleasant? Is my spiritual hearing as sensitive as my ears seem to be sometimes? Or does God have to speak really loud before I pay attention?
"And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times....'Samuel...Samuel...' and Samuel answered, Speak:for thy servant heareth."(1Sam.3:10) ... See More
'Connie....Connie...." When He speaks, I want to hear....the first time He calls.
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