Excerpts from Notebook 1983
Excerpts from 1983
Proverbs {1:22} How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs {1:29} For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD
Job {21:7} Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
Job {21:14} Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Ps. {50:16} But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy
mouth?
{50:17} Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
***
What do we cry out for in our lives? When we have troubles what to we ache and long for to solve those troubles? More money, understanding? Do we wish the problems and those causing them away from our lives taking their problems with them? How often do you cry out for understanding? For knowledge? And how often during this heartfelt longing to you cry out and all the while believe that there is no understanding? That there is nothing that can help? Do we often give up before we even utter the first cry? We want simple answers, instant answers and if for one moment someone told you that the only answer is to wait the first response to that is- I don't want to wait, I want my answer now! I'm hurting, I'm troubled, I'm upset now! All I see is despair and more pain during that waiting, nothing more.
With our defeatist attitudes, with the belief that there is no real answer and that suffering is our lot in life, are we really searching for understanding and knowledge as if we were seeking a treasure? Seriously, are we? If someone told you that you could find a treasure and here is a map and instructions, you'd most likely (assuming you trust the person) do all you could do to find that treasure. Treasure hunters go to great length to get their treasures, they don't just pop up on their own waving their arms saying here I am come and get me. Those digging for treasure, those seraching for treasures often find themselves in situations that are unthinkable and yet they delve into them because they're hoping for that great reward.
God may not fix your problems if all you're doing is crying out for an instant fix, but if your heart is sincere and you are seeking Him as you would a treasure you will find a reward. Knowing God is the greatest treasure of all.
Prov. {2:1} My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; {2:2} So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, [and] apply thine heart to understanding; {2:3} Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, [and] liftest up thy voice for understanding; {2:4} If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as [for] hid treasures; {2:5} Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
How do we seek God, to know Him? We have a book from God and this book contains many answers to our problems yet do we open it with awe at what we may find within? Do we read each word as God speaking to us, instructing us? God's word should mean so much to us and yet how often do you find yourself delving into it seeking knowledge and understanding? Most believe it a book of antiquity, meant to be read but not believed. Meant to be known but not made a real force in our lives.
Reading the Bible will not save you. Jesus alone can save. Reading the Bible is a privlege, an honor we have received from God.
We must really study for knowledge and understanding as we cry out for *things* to solve our problems. If we knew the answers were there to be found wouldn't we put our all into finding them? If someone told you they had the answers you'd pester them until they gave them to you. If there were an envelope before you containing answers you'd rip it open to read them. The truth is we live in this world and the answer is- we are not of this world. The answers we seek might not be for our lives right now. We might not be shown how to get rich quick, or how to comprehend a partner we're having trouble understanding, or find help with a child who is seeming to go astray. We will find answers, we will find knowledge and understanding of the fear of God and that is knowledge of the eternal, everlasting knowledge.
Matt. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.
True you might go hungry, homeless, feel helpless while seeking the kingdom of God first, but the kingdom of God is everlasting, our problems here and now are not.
**
May the Lord Bless and keep us, guide us into all knowledge and give us all the understanding we need to be closer and closer to Him so that we may know Him and He know us. By the righteousness of Christ our Lord and Savior, by His mercy and His grace we pray.
Amen.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Lord is Faithful
2 Thess. {3:1} Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the
Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is]
with you: {3:2} And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.
{3:3} But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and
keep [you] from evil. {3:4} And we have confidence in the
Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things
which we command you. {3:5} And the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
Christ.
*******
Pray for us- that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.
Pray- that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith.
The Lord is faithful.
The Lord- will stablish you and keep you from evil.
We have confidence in the Lord touching you. That ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.
And into the patient waiting for Christ.
*******
Such a prayer, such a entreaty. We need to believe that the word of the Lord will have free course and be glorified. We need to believe that we will be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, knowing that not all have faith in Jesus. The Lord will keep us from evil, we just need to follow His ways, we need to do and continue to do the things the Lord has commanded we do. The Lord will direct our hearts into the love of God. We have to be patient.
People call out and say they've had a miracle conversion, they've been born again and it's miraculous and yet the same people a year from then will have returned to their old ways, the conversion forgotten. How do we keep our conversion real? How do we determine to live for Christ? The world with all its evil presses down upon us telling us we can't follow God, we are evil, too evil. Our own thoughts condemn us and we yield to them rather than to God. Self.
It all comes down to self.
We have the power of choice and that choice is us or God. I should probably say Satan or God, and yet when we follow ourselves we are under the delusions of Satan and most of us don't even realize it and guess what? That's how he likes it.
Self or God.
We have to determine to follow God, we have to choose to follow God, we have to relinquish the part of us that wants to be in control, the part that says we know best, or that God doesn't understand our particular situation, that if God knew what He was asking, He would take pity on us and spare us having to ever commit to anything that would bring us undue hardship.
I don't know about you, but I think of having to give up any of my family and I just can't imagine doing so. I can only hope and pray that if and when the time comes that I have to choose between God and any of those I love that it's such a clear cut choice that there is no room for doubting what is being asked of me.
God's path isn't the worldly path of self-indulgence. Time and again we are given example after example of how difficult a road it is to follow Christ and yet for some reason we believe that it shouldn't have to be that hard for us. We should be able to just live our lives to the best of our ability with our creature comforts met and follow God as well. I'm not saying that's impossible, but I'm truly thinking that when we are given the Word of God which makes it clear the path truly is very narrow and few are going to find it we can't delude ourselves into believing that for some reason we are allowed to traverse the broad path and still be headed in the right direction.
Self-denial. How many of us know what that is? How many of us shun self-denial? How many of us believe self-denial is punishment?
Matthew {10:37} He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. {10:38} And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. {10:39} He that findeth his life shall lose it:
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Apart from God we are mere shells of what we can be. If only we'd realize this and make it reality to ourselves. We aren't to seek self-awareness, self-understanding, self-contentment, we are to take our eyes off ourselves and that is the hardest thing we will ever learn to do in our entire lives and it is only possible through the love of Jesus Christ. Loving Jesus and following Him to the exclusion of all else is our calling. God's will be done.
While we live in this world we are not to be of this world.
We are to be God's children.
May God help us to choose Him over ourselves and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior, all power and glory to Him now and forever!
Amen.
Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is]
with you: {3:2} And that we may be delivered from
unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.
{3:3} But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and
keep [you] from evil. {3:4} And we have confidence in the
Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things
which we command you. {3:5} And the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for
Christ.
*******
Pray for us- that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.
Pray- that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men. For all men have not faith.
The Lord is faithful.
The Lord- will stablish you and keep you from evil.
We have confidence in the Lord touching you. That ye both do and will do the things which we command you.
And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God.
And into the patient waiting for Christ.
*******
Such a prayer, such a entreaty. We need to believe that the word of the Lord will have free course and be glorified. We need to believe that we will be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men, knowing that not all have faith in Jesus. The Lord will keep us from evil, we just need to follow His ways, we need to do and continue to do the things the Lord has commanded we do. The Lord will direct our hearts into the love of God. We have to be patient.
People call out and say they've had a miracle conversion, they've been born again and it's miraculous and yet the same people a year from then will have returned to their old ways, the conversion forgotten. How do we keep our conversion real? How do we determine to live for Christ? The world with all its evil presses down upon us telling us we can't follow God, we are evil, too evil. Our own thoughts condemn us and we yield to them rather than to God. Self.
It all comes down to self.
We have the power of choice and that choice is us or God. I should probably say Satan or God, and yet when we follow ourselves we are under the delusions of Satan and most of us don't even realize it and guess what? That's how he likes it.
Self or God.
We have to determine to follow God, we have to choose to follow God, we have to relinquish the part of us that wants to be in control, the part that says we know best, or that God doesn't understand our particular situation, that if God knew what He was asking, He would take pity on us and spare us having to ever commit to anything that would bring us undue hardship.
I don't know about you, but I think of having to give up any of my family and I just can't imagine doing so. I can only hope and pray that if and when the time comes that I have to choose between God and any of those I love that it's such a clear cut choice that there is no room for doubting what is being asked of me.
God's path isn't the worldly path of self-indulgence. Time and again we are given example after example of how difficult a road it is to follow Christ and yet for some reason we believe that it shouldn't have to be that hard for us. We should be able to just live our lives to the best of our ability with our creature comforts met and follow God as well. I'm not saying that's impossible, but I'm truly thinking that when we are given the Word of God which makes it clear the path truly is very narrow and few are going to find it we can't delude ourselves into believing that for some reason we are allowed to traverse the broad path and still be headed in the right direction.
Self-denial. How many of us know what that is? How many of us shun self-denial? How many of us believe self-denial is punishment?
Matthew {10:37} He that loveth father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me. {10:38} And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. {10:39} He that findeth his life shall lose it:
and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Apart from God we are mere shells of what we can be. If only we'd realize this and make it reality to ourselves. We aren't to seek self-awareness, self-understanding, self-contentment, we are to take our eyes off ourselves and that is the hardest thing we will ever learn to do in our entire lives and it is only possible through the love of Jesus Christ. Loving Jesus and following Him to the exclusion of all else is our calling. God's will be done.
While we live in this world we are not to be of this world.
We are to be God's children.
May God help us to choose Him over ourselves and all that entails.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior, all power and glory to Him now and forever!
Amen.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Through A Glass Darkly
1 Cor. {13:1} Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. {13:2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. {13:3} And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. {13:4} Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, {13:5} Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; {13:6} Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {13:7} Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. {13:8} Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. {13:9} For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 13:10} But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. {13:11} When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. {13:13} And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
For now we see through a glass darkly.
Have you ever gone up to a dirty window and tried to peer through it? It's not easy is it? You search for a clean spot, things through the dirt are murky and you're not even sure what you're seeing in there a lot of things are like shadows at best.
Right now this is how life is for us.
We try to understand, we try to make the best of what this life has to offer us. Life is seldom what we think it should be and moments of it that do live up to that ideal are short lived and very few and far between. While we're trying to make the best of our lives living in some sort of contented state we are often thrown for a loop. There are ups and downs and inbetweens and none of them come with a guarantee that they'll last very long. We love when the downs are short-lived and the up long-lived, and it's nice when the inbetweens are set at a comfortable pace as well. Life however doesn't always give us what we want. Sometimes those downs last for a long, long time and sometimes those ups are very short and the span inbetween very short. Some people seem to live with that as a way of life. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter really because no matter how we live this life is just temporary. But that grand scheme of things can seem incredibly long until it become all that matters.
We need to remember that we see through a glass darkly.
When the glass is finally cleared we'll see that there are things that remain from the life we lived as we only saw darkly. Those things that will be more fully realized are - faith, hope, charity.
We are allowed glimpses of the life to come and they are all found through love and no other way.
Trying to understand is something natural to us, but knowing that right now we only see part of what life will really be like is a must. We can only understand so far, so much and then we need to live by pure faith, with hope, and love as the key to it all.
One day we'll be known and we'll know.
May God help us all to know and be known in love.
By the pure grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior we need to grasp hold of hope and love and understand that we can't understand it all no matter how we crave to do so. There is a leap of faith we must possess. By His Mercy!
Amen.
thinketh no evil; {13:6} Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; {13:7} Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. {13:8} Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. {13:9} For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 13:10} But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. {13:11} When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. {13:12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. {13:13} And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
For now we see through a glass darkly.
Have you ever gone up to a dirty window and tried to peer through it? It's not easy is it? You search for a clean spot, things through the dirt are murky and you're not even sure what you're seeing in there a lot of things are like shadows at best.
Right now this is how life is for us.
We try to understand, we try to make the best of what this life has to offer us. Life is seldom what we think it should be and moments of it that do live up to that ideal are short lived and very few and far between. While we're trying to make the best of our lives living in some sort of contented state we are often thrown for a loop. There are ups and downs and inbetweens and none of them come with a guarantee that they'll last very long. We love when the downs are short-lived and the up long-lived, and it's nice when the inbetweens are set at a comfortable pace as well. Life however doesn't always give us what we want. Sometimes those downs last for a long, long time and sometimes those ups are very short and the span inbetween very short. Some people seem to live with that as a way of life. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter really because no matter how we live this life is just temporary. But that grand scheme of things can seem incredibly long until it become all that matters.
We need to remember that we see through a glass darkly.
When the glass is finally cleared we'll see that there are things that remain from the life we lived as we only saw darkly. Those things that will be more fully realized are - faith, hope, charity.
We are allowed glimpses of the life to come and they are all found through love and no other way.
Trying to understand is something natural to us, but knowing that right now we only see part of what life will really be like is a must. We can only understand so far, so much and then we need to live by pure faith, with hope, and love as the key to it all.
One day we'll be known and we'll know.
May God help us all to know and be known in love.
By the pure grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior we need to grasp hold of hope and love and understand that we can't understand it all no matter how we crave to do so. There is a leap of faith we must possess. By His Mercy!
Amen.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Nov. 10, 1983 Cont.
11/10/83
Luke 5:39
'No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better.'
MTM:
The carnal nature, the old wine is often considered better, for no one immediately likes to be told his life could be better than what it is.
First we must consider the new whether it be wine or life and then taste it and see for ourselves. Once we've tasted it with an open mind, emphasizing that point then we can make a decision. If in our mind we say over and over again we won't like something even before we've tried it chance are we won't like it once we've tried it. An open mind is essential to trying new things. We must realize there is 50-50 chance of liking or not liking something new. Not a 90-10 percentage the 90 being not liking it.
With that open mind once we take the steps to trying the new we will honestly be able to decide for the old or new. Though we're reluctant to break away from the old which we are used to maybe not satisfied with but used to. We can discover the more satisfying and be happy in changing and once again having a new thing becomes comfortingly old.
(4/15/09 - Update
I suppose this might old true if you're living a life you enjoy. You'd rather not change if things are going well. However if you've an unsatisfactory life you mostly welcome a change for the better.
This verse holds true in many ways.
If you're enjoying the wine you're drinking there is no reason to change.
There are things in all our lives we enjoy to the point we don't want to try other things. We have our favorite brands of things. And yes we might try other brands when situations become difficult such as they raise the price of a favorite brand, and if we're lucky we find a new brand that can satisfy us. Once in awhile we might even find a new brand we like even more than the old but having never tried the new one until circumstances urged us that way we hadn't a clue we'd like it more.
The old adage of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, meaning being happy with what you have and not with what you might possibly have holds true here as well. People might not want to try new because they have the old.
There is a danger in getting comfortable with much of anything you know. We get comfortable and then we risk losing that comfort. Not that we must go about living unhappily because life at best offers us temporary comfort, but living here in our sin-filled earth we have a perfect opportunity to realize that there is only one source of true, real comfort.
We are told to look to heaven as our hope, to put our treasures in heaven, not here. There's a reason for that.
At best the joys we have here are temporary and EVERY single one of them is subject to changing, to disappearing. There isn't a single earthly contentment we have that can't change to be otherwise, not one. If we have money we can lose it, if we have the love of our life it can find another or die on us, if we have good health we can die suddenly. We cannot count on even tomorrow being available to us. You have a home, well nowadays it's very apparent that not even that is secure. You own a home then taxes rise up horribly, the house burns down. You have possession you cherish and then a robber comes and steals or destroys them. There isn't any earthly joy you can know you'll have forever- not one. We can't even count on our own mental health- with various diseases and such that can alter that in a heartbeat.
No, we don't want to look at these things. We want to believe we can hold onto enough contentment in life that in the end of it no matter how we meet our death we can say we lived a good life.
We are to look to the new, which is Christ. We are to place our hope on things eternal. We live now but this life isn't the end for us. Death isn't our end. Our hope is in life everlasting. The new life in Christ is much better than our old life will ever be. We don't think it because we can't grasp hold of it but must believe it by faith. We are satisfied with the old wine when the new will be much, much more satisfying if we only believe and taste of it.
May God help us all to believe in the new life to come and find out comfort in the hope of that new life and not life here and now.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Luke 5:39
'No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better.'
MTM:
The carnal nature, the old wine is often considered better, for no one immediately likes to be told his life could be better than what it is.
First we must consider the new whether it be wine or life and then taste it and see for ourselves. Once we've tasted it with an open mind, emphasizing that point then we can make a decision. If in our mind we say over and over again we won't like something even before we've tried it chance are we won't like it once we've tried it. An open mind is essential to trying new things. We must realize there is 50-50 chance of liking or not liking something new. Not a 90-10 percentage the 90 being not liking it.
With that open mind once we take the steps to trying the new we will honestly be able to decide for the old or new. Though we're reluctant to break away from the old which we are used to maybe not satisfied with but used to. We can discover the more satisfying and be happy in changing and once again having a new thing becomes comfortingly old.
(4/15/09 - Update
I suppose this might old true if you're living a life you enjoy. You'd rather not change if things are going well. However if you've an unsatisfactory life you mostly welcome a change for the better.
This verse holds true in many ways.
If you're enjoying the wine you're drinking there is no reason to change.
There are things in all our lives we enjoy to the point we don't want to try other things. We have our favorite brands of things. And yes we might try other brands when situations become difficult such as they raise the price of a favorite brand, and if we're lucky we find a new brand that can satisfy us. Once in awhile we might even find a new brand we like even more than the old but having never tried the new one until circumstances urged us that way we hadn't a clue we'd like it more.
The old adage of a bird in the hand being worth two in the bush, meaning being happy with what you have and not with what you might possibly have holds true here as well. People might not want to try new because they have the old.
There is a danger in getting comfortable with much of anything you know. We get comfortable and then we risk losing that comfort. Not that we must go about living unhappily because life at best offers us temporary comfort, but living here in our sin-filled earth we have a perfect opportunity to realize that there is only one source of true, real comfort.
We are told to look to heaven as our hope, to put our treasures in heaven, not here. There's a reason for that.
At best the joys we have here are temporary and EVERY single one of them is subject to changing, to disappearing. There isn't a single earthly contentment we have that can't change to be otherwise, not one. If we have money we can lose it, if we have the love of our life it can find another or die on us, if we have good health we can die suddenly. We cannot count on even tomorrow being available to us. You have a home, well nowadays it's very apparent that not even that is secure. You own a home then taxes rise up horribly, the house burns down. You have possession you cherish and then a robber comes and steals or destroys them. There isn't any earthly joy you can know you'll have forever- not one. We can't even count on our own mental health- with various diseases and such that can alter that in a heartbeat.
No, we don't want to look at these things. We want to believe we can hold onto enough contentment in life that in the end of it no matter how we meet our death we can say we lived a good life.
We are to look to the new, which is Christ. We are to place our hope on things eternal. We live now but this life isn't the end for us. Death isn't our end. Our hope is in life everlasting. The new life in Christ is much better than our old life will ever be. We don't think it because we can't grasp hold of it but must believe it by faith. We are satisfied with the old wine when the new will be much, much more satisfying if we only believe and taste of it.
May God help us all to believe in the new life to come and find out comfort in the hope of that new life and not life here and now.
By the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now and forever.
Amen.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - Nov. 10, 1983
11/10/83
Luke {5:8} 'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'
MTM (Means to Me):
How often we hear the cries- get away from me, leave me alone, just go away. In my own life I often experienced saying those thing. When I was hurt, confused, depressed I wished the whole world would disappear. Looking back I see I really was the one who wanted to disappear, or be noticed. In not being paid attention I longed for it, but my words were otherwise. When I was hurt and cried out 'Go away!' I really wanted someone to come to me. Today I hear other children and adults cry our 'Leave me be!' and I wonder are they being like Simon Peter telling Jesus to leave, yet really wanting Him more than ever?
Simon felt his unworthiness of Jesus' love, but the words- 'Depart from me' are really saying, 'I'm not worthy but please stay.' Jesus I'm sure saw through that and knew Simon really wanted Him. Luke {5:10} reads- 'And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men' Fear not, I know you really don't want me to go from you so I won't, come with me. Oh, sometimes more often I wish to see through the cries of 'Depart from me' and recognize them as pleas to stay.
(4/14/09 - Update
Feeling the weight of our own unworthiness can be crushing. We know that against the purity of Christ we are nothing but sinful dirty creatures. Satan would have us fall down into despair over our own unrighteousness, fall down and never get up again. Jesus know in the light of His presence we must fall down and He wants us to reach up and grab hold of Him, relying solely on Him for any hope and worthiness. While we may cry out for Jesus to depart, that we're too sinful to be around Him, we really want Him closer than ever just as Simon Peter did and Jesus will pull us closer to Him, He won't leave us, He won't depart from us. He'll cover us with His righteousness.
All praise and glory to God, to our Lord and Savior now and forever! Amen.)
Luke {5:8} 'When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'
MTM (Means to Me):
How often we hear the cries- get away from me, leave me alone, just go away. In my own life I often experienced saying those thing. When I was hurt, confused, depressed I wished the whole world would disappear. Looking back I see I really was the one who wanted to disappear, or be noticed. In not being paid attention I longed for it, but my words were otherwise. When I was hurt and cried out 'Go away!' I really wanted someone to come to me. Today I hear other children and adults cry our 'Leave me be!' and I wonder are they being like Simon Peter telling Jesus to leave, yet really wanting Him more than ever?
Simon felt his unworthiness of Jesus' love, but the words- 'Depart from me' are really saying, 'I'm not worthy but please stay.' Jesus I'm sure saw through that and knew Simon really wanted Him. Luke {5:10} reads- 'And so [was] also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men' Fear not, I know you really don't want me to go from you so I won't, come with me. Oh, sometimes more often I wish to see through the cries of 'Depart from me' and recognize them as pleas to stay.
(4/14/09 - Update
Feeling the weight of our own unworthiness can be crushing. We know that against the purity of Christ we are nothing but sinful dirty creatures. Satan would have us fall down into despair over our own unrighteousness, fall down and never get up again. Jesus know in the light of His presence we must fall down and He wants us to reach up and grab hold of Him, relying solely on Him for any hope and worthiness. While we may cry out for Jesus to depart, that we're too sinful to be around Him, we really want Him closer than ever just as Simon Peter did and Jesus will pull us closer to Him, He won't leave us, He won't depart from us. He'll cover us with His righteousness.
All praise and glory to God, to our Lord and Savior now and forever! Amen.)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 1983
Mark 1:25 'And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of Him.'
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {16:14}' For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {24:23} 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. {24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Jesus knew that evil spirit possession is real. He told the evil spirit to come out of the man. If spirit possession was real enough then it is more than likely real now. Jesus, not man, has the necessary power to remove unclean spirits. We can use Jesus' power, if we are connected right to Him.
Mark 1:31 'And, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up by the hand and immediately the fever left her and she ministered unto them.'
Jesus could easily have said 'fever be gone', or some such thing yet He knew the contact of love is important. Jesus took her by the hand. Picture it, His hand in hers, the strength, the gentleness, the power, and the love in that hand merging into the sick woman's giving her the healing she needed. The lifting her up so tenderly with compassion, can you imagine the awe, the wonderment and sense of gratitude the woman must have felt!
She ministered unto them and probably so happily that her face radiated a glow of love, and all Jesus needed to do was take her hand and lift her, He didn't say a word, it was His touch that healed her.
(Casting out evil spirits, healings, Jesus came into His own and the healings were many. He came and did what no other had ever done. There may have been magicians of sorts, those good at tending the sick, but none were ever like Jesus, none. When He performed the miracles one after the other, healing countless number of people it was for a reason. It was proof undeniably so of His divinity. The Pharisees and all others could say whatever they wanted to say but truthfully they could not explain away the healings could they? Not really. Their hands were tied, they were limited because the word of Jesus spread and spread, people were coming from all around wanting to be healed, wanting to hear Jesus speak. They knew He was special, they knew He was different.
While the apostles, the disciples, the followers of Jesus continued on after Jesus died and was raised to life again, none were ever like Him, they were shadows of what He was and that too was as it should be. Gradually over time the healings, the casting out of devils, all of that seemed to fade away and become mostly mythical.
Today we have healings and what are called exorcisms but they exist on the realm of the skeptical. Were people skeptical in Jesus' day? Yes, very much so. But there isn't a whole village of people being healed now. There isn't anyone going about casting out devils with a word- in fact today if there is casting out it's a dramatic process much like those depicted in various movies without the sensationalized gore.
We want to believe in miracles, but we can't expect them, true Godly miracles, now in the end days. Why? Because we know in the last days devils will be working miracles.
Rev. {16:14}' For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.'
Rev. {19:20} 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast'
Matt. {24:23} 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. {24:24} For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.'
There is a big danger in counting on miracles today. With Jesus coming again soon, very soon, the greatest miracle we should be looking for is the miracle of His arrival and the changing of our bodies from corruptible to incorruptible. Not the miracles of healing, not the casting out of devils. We need only look for Christ. Satan is ready to deceive all. He has his plans set, his agenda made. He will work in such away that only the very elect of God will not be deceived. Such knowledge we can all have and we must all use. We must not trust our own eyes or ears, but rely on the knowledge God has given us in His Holy Word. The whole world will marvel at the miracle Satan will perform and it will be those who refuse to be deceived who will be saved.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ now and forever! May we have our eyes ever upon Him! Amen.)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Excerpts from Notebooks - July 10, 1983
7/10/83
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
(Excerpts from--)
Practice the Presence of God - By Brother Lawrence Fleming
'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
(Thinking about that- the Presence of God, I believe we rely way too much on feelings. I don't feel it- I don't feel right - I feel this way, I feel that way. It's all about our feelings isn't it?
Sometimes being around someone that doesn't seem to rely on feelings but exists more in the neutral manner of acceptance that life is just this way and so be it, makes it hard to understand. The tendency to want to pick at the whys and wherefores, to distrust that there can be an acceptance of things that really there is unhappiness, non-contentment there. We are so hyped up about our feelings that to live in such a way makes us *boring or *odd.
We are promoting being in touch with our feelings more and more. On the popular websites Myspace and Facebook they both have places for people to express their current feelings. This is supposed to promote interaction with others. If you see a friend is sad it encourages others to uplift them. If you are happy it encourages the sharing of that happiness.
The other day I was at my mother's house helping her out with a few computer things and she wanted me to set up her Myspace so it was book-marked for easy access. While I was doing that she saw where others were writing about their various feelings and happenings - and asked where she could put hers in. I showed her and asked her what she wanted me to put in for her right then and she said 'I don't know.' So that's what I put in there. She obviously wasn't exceptionally caught up in recognizing an emotion she might be feeling at the moment. And you know what, that's not so bad. Some might think it is, they might instantly be concerned that she's not in touch with herself. But rather than that, I'm choosing to believe it's her not being caught up in how she feels.
When we do Practice the Presence of God in our lives we have to separate it from how we might be feeling or it'll become dependent upon that feeling. When we depend on our feelings to Practice the Presence of God then we can be sure that there are going to be headed our way a lot of negative feelings that will make us not believe we can Practice the Presence of God.
This from that book- 'We should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him.'
Is true. And it's a conversing that needs to go beyond feeling 'right' with God. It has to be a knowledge of God's presence as being with us no matter what. We don't have to wait to feel a thing, we can believe and have faith beyond the feelings we'd like to have.
And this-
'When he had failed in his duty he only confessed his fault saying to God, I shall never do otherwise if You leave me to myself it is You who must hinder my failing and mend what is amiss…After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.'
Is this acceptable? It has to be doesn't it? We get so caught up in our faults, our failures, and it does seem overwhelming, as if we'll never cease to fail. If we count on ourselves for success it's just as well we fail in order that we know we can't find success on our own, of our own accord. We HAVE to have God with us, we have to rely on God to mend whatever is amiss inside us. We have to surrender ourselves to God for that mending. If we get caught up in worrying over our inability to succeed we will never let God work in us, we'll constantly be waiting for the power on our own to succeed. We'll take pride in that success and attribute it to ourselves. Much better to remember always that it is God working in us to fix our failings.
The part about, 'After this he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.' Is that trust? It must be. To worry over something after confessing it and entrusting our need to God is pointless. It only shows a lack of faith in God truly hearing and helping us.
It seems to be in our nature to worry over things, to feel uneasiness about things, but we truly have to give to God and trust beyond our understanding. We might not understand one whit how things might be healed, helped, or changed but we aren't called to understand, we are called to trust, to believe. To realize our place as creatures and God's place as Creator.)
(Please note- information taken from my old notebooks may be altered by me to take what I think is pertinent from among all that is written. All additional writing which will be my current thoughts on past writings will be in parentheses. Thank you.)
By the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus now and forever! Amen.
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