The greatest teacher of all time taught that the whole of the Law and Prophets could stem from one principle, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Oh, and to love your neighbor as yourself. I want to look at what this means, not with an eye to correction or definition, but with the open freedom that comes by the life giving Spirit, the breath inside that sustains us.
First, when I read this passage recently, light dawned on me what the whole of the Law and Prophets could mean. These writings, and the associated oral embodiment before being written, are the record of God with a people. They are the interaction of eternal life with fallen man. Throughout the texts, as we read them today, there is one consistent theme, and that is God, as a living being who transcends time and place, choosing to interact with man. He has reached into this world, where a curse has fallen upon us, to bring hope, redemption, and eternal life to man.
The natural man perceives his own destiny, even the end of himself in death, and sees perhaps the judgment of God throughout the scriptures. The destruction of all those who have not turned their heart towards the living one. We, as those who have partaken of new life inside, understand that all the natural man can see is the eventual decay of all things. There is no other guaranteed future! Even among the bright hope of social humanism, the advancement of man towards a peaceful new world of prosperity, there is only death for the individual.
Granted, an extraordinary man may impact his generation and the generations to come with the works of his hands, be they for good or evil. But he still goes down to the grave. The judgment of God has taken place, this world is to perish. We can perceive that from all ends, from the driving out of Adam from the garden to the realm of science which predicts even the death of our own sun at some far off day. It matters not where we look in this world, nothing lasts forever.
I do not stray from the greatest commandment in that observation! It just emphasizes the contrast between the natural man and one with a regenerated spirit. Why? How can the natural man turn his heart? Turn his soul? Exercise all his might? Especially towards a God who, in the natural man's perception, has condemned him to death? Yes, some could for a season love God, for giving even this natural life to us. But His command is impossible to obey without seeing the new life beyond this realm.
It is not simply a contrast in the value of the natural life vs. eternal life. No, this comparison is far more fundamental. Think of it this way: if you could live out your days in this realm, loving God and putting everything into that love naturally, all your time, money, effort, but not have the renewed life in the Spirit that comes by Jesus ministry, you would still fail! Yes, death itself will prevent you from fulfilling the commandment, as the commandment never ends, but our life in the natural does.
I may not have the perfect words to bring out this contrast, but the core is pure spiritual reality. It is a stumbling block, and none can pass. I can not obey God with my natural life, but only through what He has caused to be formed in me, created of Christ and part of Him. That life, that spiritual reality, will fulfill the commandment, nothing else.
My center, my core, my source of love must be born of Jesus' ministry, created by His speaking into me. All other life has already been judged, condemned to destruction. It is pretty stark, and confusing at times. But He is faithful to present us with a path in the midst of confusion. A path of life leading to good works here which serve His purposes. So if you question what you are doing right now, or sense confusion in what I have written, ask the Lord of us all for renewal in your inner man, for the ability to turn towards Him and receive new life.
Now, lets return to the commandment. I want to look at this in three parts. It used to be my understanding that the commandment was towards the whole of a person, all that they are summed up in the three aspects (Deut 6:5): the heart (lebab - innermost organ), soul (nephesh - breathing creature, vitality), and might (m`od - vehemently, speedily). For my own thinking it used to translate to: feeling, thinking, and will. I still find life in looking at the commandment that way. However, as stated in the first part of my palaver, the greatest teacher quoted this verse and put it in context for us. Lets see if there is anything new.
The teaching in question occurs in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and since I lightly fall in the camp of Markian sourcing, lets go there. The first part of us, commanded to love, is the heart. In fact it is "holos ho kardia sou", or 'whole the heart (of) you' which is quite interesting. Obviously not speaking about the organ itself, and it would be silly to think of 'one ventricle loving the Lord' and not the other. So this whole heart thing is a metaphor for the inner parts of a man, more than just the emotion. Sometimes interpreted as the thinking and feeling.
After the heart comes the "holos ho psuche sou", of which psuche is often translated as soul or life. But soul and life may not convey to us the same meaning as if we said "Love the Lord your God with all your vitality!" Or even 'with all the breathing within you' or some such metaphor. It conveys a sense of existence, of individuality, of the unique life that we are, both as a body of believers and as individual creations. With your whole life! That covers so much. And it wrenches my thinking away from the standard representation of the soul, i.e. the centers of thinking, feeling, and will.
Last we find the "holos ho dianoia sou" where dianoia is often translated mind. But mind is a deviation from the Hebrew perspective! This is not a contradiction of interpretation, simply the necessity for us to seek revelation of what the teachers perspective is. The term dianoia is pretty specific in the realm of philosophy, being one of Plato's levels of knowledge. Remember that Plato is four centuries before this statement. The idea that it represents the general understanding of man, of the world around him, of the descriptions of that world is pretty clear.
However, it is awkward 'to love the Lord your God with all your understanding', not wrong, just hard to equate that active love with understanding. So what do we see? How about incorporating the concept of imagination, creativity, technology, educational ability, mathematics, literature, medicine... In fact when we incorporate all that Plato's dianoia encompasses, the accessible knowledge man has access to, that repository of what we are socially, a new meaning comes forward. Could it be that the greatest teacher was directly presenting the commandment to more than just the individual? A corporate command, that as members we are to fulfill with our portion, but that can only be called 'holos' when expressed corporately?
I believe there is a spiritual reality to this. I can not fulfill the commandment alone, but only as a part of the whole. With His heart, one that is made complete in the saints. With His life and vitality, which resides in the people of God. With the mind of Christ, where the whole repository of man's knowledge is accessed through the saints. By this whole man, the one man who was complete, we are able to love the Lord our God. There is no other way to answer that commandment. I (and you) are not 'whole' while apart from the body.
You want to love the Lord your God? I do! And in that, do it completely! Apparently that means becoming one with the whole. Lord, make us one with You! Make us whole so we can love You completely!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Gathered to Him
Sometimes transliterating the scriptures brings me to a greater understanding of this amazing life. So try out this bit:
David was finally fleeing from Saul in a direct way. Not simply avoiding the spears and attempts upon his life as before, but willfully leaving the authority of the king, leaving the assembly of God's people to go it alone in faith.
He headed out to the 'cave of Adullam', which perhaps was a fortified bandits hideout. This is a likely case but there is no particular archaeological evidence supporting the exact cave, or the disposition of this hideout. Irregardless, this location is outside of the authority established for God's people, in defiance of the king and the established rule.
Even before this, at the very beginning of the flight, David deceives the priests and eats of the bread, the holy bread of presence set apart for God and sacred. Yet it was of God, and David was filled with the Spirit of God. Outwardly ostracized, a rebel and defiant commander in the army. AWOL and traitorous in the eyes of the king.
Yet to this man, in a bandits cave, with little apparent hope of survival, men were drawn. Anguished men, men of great debt who were unable to pay, even men of a bitter life, disturbed and restless. The gather to him, the head, the chief, a captain and sheppard to them.
Where did they get this hope? This desire and drive to serve David? From the natural perspective it seems that rebels will band together, defiant ones, joined to oppose forces that they perceive as oppression. But this is David, a hero, a humble man who considered not his own position, but fought without fear against Israels enemies. A military man, disciplined and organized. A common man, tending to the flocks of his father.
This is not the type of man rebels would be drawn to. Perhaps it was just opportunity that led them to David. Fed up with life's circumstance, with no apparent hope, the saw something in the opportunity to serve David. That may be, but I think it goes deeper, to the heart of man, where the Spirit of the Lord lays bare the purposes of life. It seems that they could see redemption, purpose, even the call of God in serving David. And perhaps they were drawn to him, not just as a band of warriors, but as a family of the living God.
For it is this sheppard, a common man who was cast away, who had the indwelling Spirit, a heart after the Father's own purpose. This man became a sheppard of men, leading them, guiding them, ministering to their needs in love. These men came not to run away from life, but to find life. Not to avoid pain and suffering, but to find redemption and healing. They became something new, no longer a band of disgruntled, anguished, irresponsible failures, but a victorious company.
Amazing love, what more can I say...
the anguished manI take great license in expressing the verse this way, but not to confuse translations or the meaning of words, but to emphasize something the Spirit of the living God stirred up in me when I read this yesterday.
man of great debt
the bitter creature
gathered to the head
four hundred men
David was finally fleeing from Saul in a direct way. Not simply avoiding the spears and attempts upon his life as before, but willfully leaving the authority of the king, leaving the assembly of God's people to go it alone in faith.
He headed out to the 'cave of Adullam', which perhaps was a fortified bandits hideout. This is a likely case but there is no particular archaeological evidence supporting the exact cave, or the disposition of this hideout. Irregardless, this location is outside of the authority established for God's people, in defiance of the king and the established rule.
Even before this, at the very beginning of the flight, David deceives the priests and eats of the bread, the holy bread of presence set apart for God and sacred. Yet it was of God, and David was filled with the Spirit of God. Outwardly ostracized, a rebel and defiant commander in the army. AWOL and traitorous in the eyes of the king.
Yet to this man, in a bandits cave, with little apparent hope of survival, men were drawn. Anguished men, men of great debt who were unable to pay, even men of a bitter life, disturbed and restless. The gather to him, the head, the chief, a captain and sheppard to them.
Where did they get this hope? This desire and drive to serve David? From the natural perspective it seems that rebels will band together, defiant ones, joined to oppose forces that they perceive as oppression. But this is David, a hero, a humble man who considered not his own position, but fought without fear against Israels enemies. A military man, disciplined and organized. A common man, tending to the flocks of his father.
This is not the type of man rebels would be drawn to. Perhaps it was just opportunity that led them to David. Fed up with life's circumstance, with no apparent hope, the saw something in the opportunity to serve David. That may be, but I think it goes deeper, to the heart of man, where the Spirit of the Lord lays bare the purposes of life. It seems that they could see redemption, purpose, even the call of God in serving David. And perhaps they were drawn to him, not just as a band of warriors, but as a family of the living God.
For it is this sheppard, a common man who was cast away, who had the indwelling Spirit, a heart after the Father's own purpose. This man became a sheppard of men, leading them, guiding them, ministering to their needs in love. These men came not to run away from life, but to find life. Not to avoid pain and suffering, but to find redemption and healing. They became something new, no longer a band of disgruntled, anguished, irresponsible failures, but a victorious company.
Amazing love, what more can I say...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
On Failure
“A thousand times I've failed, yet your mercy remains...” I sing this in my head all the time. Every day it seems, I do something that is obvious, odious, and incorrect. Oh, I know, we are just human, and yeah, “Nobody is perfect...” Except that isn't true.
The life in me is more than human, and the God of all creation, who is perfect, put that life in me. I live by that reality, exist in it, strive to release that life into the world. I am not just human, and Jesus has commanded me to be perfect, even as my Father is perfect.
But what about today? Right here, right now, as my mind struggles with my stupid actions, as my heart wrestles with guilt and self loathing? Yes, I launch out with the natural man at times. My own complaints, judgments, and opinions. And when the subject of my comments is close to my heart, like my wife, or the people who I fellowship with, I get that immediate sense of death.
I hate it, loath that place more than anything. It is like stepping out of a nice, fresh air conditioned building into the searing, dusty heat. It is like coming upon road kill as you walk down a country lane. The sent of putrescine initiating a gagging reflex.
That is how I feel spiritually, like trying to expunge a bad meal. My inner man revolts against the natural, reviles the stench of that dead flesh. Yet it happens, all too often. So what to do?
We have been taught that one can even have the appearance of wisdom by keeping silent. Yes, very true. But the natural man is tricky, he can learn to hold his tongue. He can learn to appear wise, but the inner workings of his heart remain. The opinions are the same, the judgment, the criticism.
That is how I am. I must contain my speech in order to limit offense. Also I tend to confuse people by random wanderings, not so conducive for developing friendship. I fall into traps of “motivation by guilt”, trying o do the right thing, or the wrong thing. Trying to say the right things, and not let the dead man speak.
But that is a trap itself! The -I- that tries to be spiritual, that attempts to hold my tongue, that justifies how I speak, is fallen! He is a incomplete creature, unable to save himself from error, and ultimately from death itself. In the shame of making a mistake, I try to defend myself. It hurts to fail, and especially if our failure results in other people's lives being disrupted.
When my failure results in pain and loss for me, and for others, it is especially disruptive to my life. I am exposed, revealed as a fallen, broken creature. A unfit father, husband, friend, minister, confidant, worker, soldier, and anything else that I am, broken.
My identity is tied to success at a very deep level. If I can hunt, build a big fire, and move rocks in my cave I can get a good mate. I can raise up a family, a tribe, even a nation. My name will be stamped on it, that is the natural tie that binds my soul, my identity, to my success. But nations fail, kingdoms fall, and all men return to the dust from which they arose.
We are destined for failure because of the curse of death. So today I confess that I messed up. The dead man tried to exert himself and the result is a mess. I tried to clean up myself, to justify myself, tried to analyze what went wrong. But it was a root of criticism, judgment, an opinion that sprouted into that weed.
My Lord is kind, and just. His correction is a blessing, and in that word comes great life. Like no other teacher, He wields the rod, yet provides for us a life that is free from death. In Him I find nothing to criticize. Who can judge the one who knows even the deep recesses of a man's heart? Will I decide, standing before the Father, what is of God and what is not? And what is beautiful? Have we seen beauty incomparable? Can I have an opinion that is justified after that sight?
It is Christ alone...
The life in me is more than human, and the God of all creation, who is perfect, put that life in me. I live by that reality, exist in it, strive to release that life into the world. I am not just human, and Jesus has commanded me to be perfect, even as my Father is perfect.
But what about today? Right here, right now, as my mind struggles with my stupid actions, as my heart wrestles with guilt and self loathing? Yes, I launch out with the natural man at times. My own complaints, judgments, and opinions. And when the subject of my comments is close to my heart, like my wife, or the people who I fellowship with, I get that immediate sense of death.
I hate it, loath that place more than anything. It is like stepping out of a nice, fresh air conditioned building into the searing, dusty heat. It is like coming upon road kill as you walk down a country lane. The sent of putrescine initiating a gagging reflex.
That is how I feel spiritually, like trying to expunge a bad meal. My inner man revolts against the natural, reviles the stench of that dead flesh. Yet it happens, all too often. So what to do?
We have been taught that one can even have the appearance of wisdom by keeping silent. Yes, very true. But the natural man is tricky, he can learn to hold his tongue. He can learn to appear wise, but the inner workings of his heart remain. The opinions are the same, the judgment, the criticism.
That is how I am. I must contain my speech in order to limit offense. Also I tend to confuse people by random wanderings, not so conducive for developing friendship. I fall into traps of “motivation by guilt”, trying o do the right thing, or the wrong thing. Trying to say the right things, and not let the dead man speak.
But that is a trap itself! The -I- that tries to be spiritual, that attempts to hold my tongue, that justifies how I speak, is fallen! He is a incomplete creature, unable to save himself from error, and ultimately from death itself. In the shame of making a mistake, I try to defend myself. It hurts to fail, and especially if our failure results in other people's lives being disrupted.
When my failure results in pain and loss for me, and for others, it is especially disruptive to my life. I am exposed, revealed as a fallen, broken creature. A unfit father, husband, friend, minister, confidant, worker, soldier, and anything else that I am, broken.
My identity is tied to success at a very deep level. If I can hunt, build a big fire, and move rocks in my cave I can get a good mate. I can raise up a family, a tribe, even a nation. My name will be stamped on it, that is the natural tie that binds my soul, my identity, to my success. But nations fail, kingdoms fall, and all men return to the dust from which they arose.
We are destined for failure because of the curse of death. So today I confess that I messed up. The dead man tried to exert himself and the result is a mess. I tried to clean up myself, to justify myself, tried to analyze what went wrong. But it was a root of criticism, judgment, an opinion that sprouted into that weed.
My Lord is kind, and just. His correction is a blessing, and in that word comes great life. Like no other teacher, He wields the rod, yet provides for us a life that is free from death. In Him I find nothing to criticize. Who can judge the one who knows even the deep recesses of a man's heart? Will I decide, standing before the Father, what is of God and what is not? And what is beautiful? Have we seen beauty incomparable? Can I have an opinion that is justified after that sight?
It is Christ alone...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
God of the Living
I wondered about this for a long time, that our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he is the God of the living, not the dead. The Lord spoke this to the some Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection and came to test Him. What does it mean, God of the living, and why use the three fathers as the example?
In the past, when I thought about this, it seemed that Jesus was referring to the promise, that they all saw by faith the fruit and growth that God would bring, and that it would be an everlasting family He established. But I was never quite satisfied with that, for the most part because it is in reference to a question about the resurrection.
Lets think about it again, all three passed away. They died naturally, and were buried in the grave. So is God their God now? It seems on the surface to be a conundrum. But we know that they saw by faith the promise. More specifically Paul reveals to us that Abraham looked forward to the Messiah, even tithing to Melchizedek who was not 'in the family' so to speak.
How do we now leap into the realm of faith for a nugget of wisdom? Well, I believe that each of the three fathers has a beautiful principal for us, bringing this spiritual picture into focus, the Living God who is the God of the living.
Abraham was not always Abraham. He was born a natural man, a sinner, a fallen creation. But by faith he believed in God and the promise of God. And by the speaking of the eternal, in Gen 17:5, he was no longer called Abram (his given name), but Abraham. Abraham, name of the new creation, of the father of many who God caused to come about. God of the living, God of Abraham, not Abram.
Then we have Isaac, who was a picture of the promised son from the beginning. He was born of the promise, by miraculous birth. Chosen by God. And he served God, even believing the promise of God to his father. Digging wells in the land to find the supply, and worshipping God, thanking God who made a place for him. God of the living, God of Isaac, not Ishmael. The son of faith vs. the son of the flesh.
Finally is Jacob, who was born second after his twin Esau. Yet the blessing did not fall on the first man, the natural man, but on the man after God's own heart, the second man. Jacob believed in the God of his fathers, and passed on the blessing to his sons. Jacob even proclaimed that the blessing God had blessed him with exceeded that of his fathers in Gen 49:26, an incredible testimony of his faith in God. God of the living, God of Jacob, not Esau. The one who God named Israel, the name of His people.
I am sure there is much more that can be expounded upon here, but the key principle is apparent. The resurrection is about those who believe by faith in the promise of God and are drawn into that promise by a walk of faith. It is about those who have a heart after God's own, who see the Lord, the right hand of the Creator. The God of the living is the God of Jesus, the God of life, and life through Him. The fathers saw ahead to a eternity with God, and believed in that promise. We see Christ as the true Priest before God, with the benefit of history, and can enter into the Kingdom through that reality.
Our Father is the God of the living, of all those who become alive in Christ. The living exist in Christ, by the life He has. Our Father sums up all things in Christ, the fullness of all life. That is the resurrection, the eternal realization of the life we walk in now by faith. Abraham is there, along with Isaac and Jacob. What a loving God we have!
In the past, when I thought about this, it seemed that Jesus was referring to the promise, that they all saw by faith the fruit and growth that God would bring, and that it would be an everlasting family He established. But I was never quite satisfied with that, for the most part because it is in reference to a question about the resurrection.
Lets think about it again, all three passed away. They died naturally, and were buried in the grave. So is God their God now? It seems on the surface to be a conundrum. But we know that they saw by faith the promise. More specifically Paul reveals to us that Abraham looked forward to the Messiah, even tithing to Melchizedek who was not 'in the family' so to speak.
How do we now leap into the realm of faith for a nugget of wisdom? Well, I believe that each of the three fathers has a beautiful principal for us, bringing this spiritual picture into focus, the Living God who is the God of the living.
Abraham was not always Abraham. He was born a natural man, a sinner, a fallen creation. But by faith he believed in God and the promise of God. And by the speaking of the eternal, in Gen 17:5, he was no longer called Abram (his given name), but Abraham. Abraham, name of the new creation, of the father of many who God caused to come about. God of the living, God of Abraham, not Abram.
Then we have Isaac, who was a picture of the promised son from the beginning. He was born of the promise, by miraculous birth. Chosen by God. And he served God, even believing the promise of God to his father. Digging wells in the land to find the supply, and worshipping God, thanking God who made a place for him. God of the living, God of Isaac, not Ishmael. The son of faith vs. the son of the flesh.
Finally is Jacob, who was born second after his twin Esau. Yet the blessing did not fall on the first man, the natural man, but on the man after God's own heart, the second man. Jacob believed in the God of his fathers, and passed on the blessing to his sons. Jacob even proclaimed that the blessing God had blessed him with exceeded that of his fathers in Gen 49:26, an incredible testimony of his faith in God. God of the living, God of Jacob, not Esau. The one who God named Israel, the name of His people.
I am sure there is much more that can be expounded upon here, but the key principle is apparent. The resurrection is about those who believe by faith in the promise of God and are drawn into that promise by a walk of faith. It is about those who have a heart after God's own, who see the Lord, the right hand of the Creator. The God of the living is the God of Jesus, the God of life, and life through Him. The fathers saw ahead to a eternity with God, and believed in that promise. We see Christ as the true Priest before God, with the benefit of history, and can enter into the Kingdom through that reality.
Our Father is the God of the living, of all those who become alive in Christ. The living exist in Christ, by the life He has. Our Father sums up all things in Christ, the fullness of all life. That is the resurrection, the eternal realization of the life we walk in now by faith. Abraham is there, along with Isaac and Jacob. What a loving God we have!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
You Are to be Perfect
There is this verse, often overlooked. At least I have ready past it scores of times without noticing the impact. It occurs in Mathew 5:48, and is a command for us to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect. Likewise in Leviticus 19:2, God commands Moses to speak to the congregation, that they shall be holy, as God is holy.
In myself, by myself, and of myself, I am anything but perfect! Yet Christ in me is. Today, as I pondered this, it struck me that when we see our condition, when we observe the reality of imperfection, it is His beconning call to turn, just as we turn to first behold Him and receive salvation. Turn to the Perfect King and see how glorious that perfection is.
By this we are saved! And by this turning we are transformed. What we see as imperfect is drawn down to the altar and reckoned dead in Him. And on the other side, in the experience of faith, something new is created in us of perfection. We are made perfect by His ministry! It is His command, and the path that we walk.
So in every situation, where we see our broken condition, it is an exciting opportunity for transformation, a step onto the road of Glory for Him! How great is our God, to take the broken nature of man and craft the life of His son in us.
In myself, by myself, and of myself, I am anything but perfect! Yet Christ in me is. Today, as I pondered this, it struck me that when we see our condition, when we observe the reality of imperfection, it is His beconning call to turn, just as we turn to first behold Him and receive salvation. Turn to the Perfect King and see how glorious that perfection is.
By this we are saved! And by this turning we are transformed. What we see as imperfect is drawn down to the altar and reckoned dead in Him. And on the other side, in the experience of faith, something new is created in us of perfection. We are made perfect by His ministry! It is His command, and the path that we walk.
So in every situation, where we see our broken condition, it is an exciting opportunity for transformation, a step onto the road of Glory for Him! How great is our God, to take the broken nature of man and craft the life of His son in us.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Your Local Church
Sometimes it takes me a while before what the Lord speaks to me sinks in. And in some areas, a very long time. I will be brief, but revelation has come in the area of the body in your locality (mine too...). You are part of the body of Christ in the city that you live in. The only thing separating you from the supply of life from every other member is how much importance you place on walls, culture, and doctrine. If I choose to love the body, and lay down my life for Christ, I must love each member, giving them the life I have.
I have no church besides the church in my city. For certain I meet with those I am close to, and I meet with others as well. All are members of my church, which is the Body of Christ in this city. It is my requirement to love them, feed them, meet with them, worship God together, and be built together. To work towards any other goal is to build something temporal, something that can not translate into the heavenlies. There is no denomination before the throne, no "non-denomination" either! There is no special choir or band before the throne, no chosen music, just the pure worship in the spirit by those who love Him. There is no section for this doctrine on the right, and for that doctrine of the left before His throne. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, that is doctrine enough.
My revelation is in the power and freedom of this ground. When I stand in prayer, agreeing with the church in this city, embracing all who love Him and serve Him, I get connected to something beyond what I can see with my eyes. I receive transcendent faith, waves of Grace, and the sense that His Power is pushing forward into this realm.
My trap at times was to look at the division, to see the ineffective practices of the walled up assemblies in my community and loose faith. But Christ inside of the believers behind those walls is connected to the heavens, where those walls do not exist! That unity of faith is in the life inside each member. We can speak that unity, pray it, worship in it. And all of the of the nonsense is invisible, when we enter into His love.
Thank you Lord for your vision, you are more than I could ever dream of!
I have no church besides the church in my city. For certain I meet with those I am close to, and I meet with others as well. All are members of my church, which is the Body of Christ in this city. It is my requirement to love them, feed them, meet with them, worship God together, and be built together. To work towards any other goal is to build something temporal, something that can not translate into the heavenlies. There is no denomination before the throne, no "non-denomination" either! There is no special choir or band before the throne, no chosen music, just the pure worship in the spirit by those who love Him. There is no section for this doctrine on the right, and for that doctrine of the left before His throne. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, that is doctrine enough.
My revelation is in the power and freedom of this ground. When I stand in prayer, agreeing with the church in this city, embracing all who love Him and serve Him, I get connected to something beyond what I can see with my eyes. I receive transcendent faith, waves of Grace, and the sense that His Power is pushing forward into this realm.
My trap at times was to look at the division, to see the ineffective practices of the walled up assemblies in my community and loose faith. But Christ inside of the believers behind those walls is connected to the heavens, where those walls do not exist! That unity of faith is in the life inside each member. We can speak that unity, pray it, worship in it. And all of the of the nonsense is invisible, when we enter into His love.
Thank you Lord for your vision, you are more than I could ever dream of!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What Purpose?
Do you ever find yourself questioning what your purpose is? To live for Him wholly and without any distraction, yet everyday life seems empty? What do I know? This is a sea of vanity, a empty shell of a world, where people continue on in their pursuit of everything that satisfies the self. It holds no satisfaction for me. I loath the self that consumes the fruit of this world.
At the same time, we are all in a time and place where things must be done, jobs, responsibilities, caring for one another, cleaning out the dust from our homes and hearts, a huge list of activity. And some of those things bring stress, even life changing pressure. How I want more faith now. That the fervent fire would attract my heart like nothing else. Even in this world of performance, where man judges based upon the scales of man. The faulty ruler that measures this world.
I want more of the life inside that is perfect. That life no man can measure up to. Be it intellectually, or in personality. By commitment or love. No human scale can be applied to that life. I need more, more now. I am not smart enough. I can not sing, play, converse, or communicate well enough in myself. Even to fall into that place where we judge ourselves, our broken flesh, our imperfect soul.
I want to be free of all measures, of all restraint. More of that life! More of that fire. It consumes every construction of man. All of our gauges and concepts are destroyed by that life. He is good. He is perfectly brilliant. Am I as smart as Einstein? The life inside of me infinitely surpasses that human concept. Can I climb the highest mountain? The life inside of me is connected to the Heavens, far above this Earth. Can I make music which soothes the weary and pleases all who hear? The life inside of me worships with perfection!
More life today Lord, I need to be free of man's measure. I need to see past my own illusions, my own self judgement. Forgive me for entertaining these measures, lead me on to more life.
At the same time, we are all in a time and place where things must be done, jobs, responsibilities, caring for one another, cleaning out the dust from our homes and hearts, a huge list of activity. And some of those things bring stress, even life changing pressure. How I want more faith now. That the fervent fire would attract my heart like nothing else. Even in this world of performance, where man judges based upon the scales of man. The faulty ruler that measures this world.
I want more of the life inside that is perfect. That life no man can measure up to. Be it intellectually, or in personality. By commitment or love. No human scale can be applied to that life. I need more, more now. I am not smart enough. I can not sing, play, converse, or communicate well enough in myself. Even to fall into that place where we judge ourselves, our broken flesh, our imperfect soul.
I want to be free of all measures, of all restraint. More of that life! More of that fire. It consumes every construction of man. All of our gauges and concepts are destroyed by that life. He is good. He is perfectly brilliant. Am I as smart as Einstein? The life inside of me infinitely surpasses that human concept. Can I climb the highest mountain? The life inside of me is connected to the Heavens, far above this Earth. Can I make music which soothes the weary and pleases all who hear? The life inside of me worships with perfection!
More life today Lord, I need to be free of man's measure. I need to see past my own illusions, my own self judgement. Forgive me for entertaining these measures, lead me on to more life.
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