Saturday, August 25, 2007
Guardians of Truth
I wonder what the difference would be if we as Gods kids started seeing ourselves as guardians of Gods word? While guarding it finding out what it says for our lives, instead of trying to find out from a selfish stance what Gods word says for me? I think we should begin to look at Gods word as the true gift it is and begin to accept the fact that God has called His people to be guardians of truth, which is His word, instead of always asking what’s in it for me. We can guard the word by allowing the Spirit of God to write it on the tablets of our hearts as He explains it to us. And then repeating it as the Holy Spirit shows us not as our lmited minds can comprehend.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Too Many Minds
In the movie “The Last Samurai” Tom Cruise is being taught how to fight with a sword and he is told he has too many minds. He is thinking of the sword and the people watching him and of the enemy. He is instructed to only have one mind.
I wonder how many Christians need to heed this same advice when it comes to Christ. We tend to try to pray and worry over money. We attend church thinking of what’s for lunch. We read our bibles and think about work or our spouse and any other number of things. God wants us to have but one mind. The mind of Christ that is stayed upon Him in all things Spiritual as well as material and emotional. Be one minded in your pursuit of God and find the peace and the tranquility that your heart desires.
1Co 2:16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
I wonder how many Christians need to heed this same advice when it comes to Christ. We tend to try to pray and worry over money. We attend church thinking of what’s for lunch. We read our bibles and think about work or our spouse and any other number of things. God wants us to have but one mind. The mind of Christ that is stayed upon Him in all things Spiritual as well as material and emotional. Be one minded in your pursuit of God and find the peace and the tranquility that your heart desires.
1Co 2:16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Jesus The Lion
Jesus The Lion
In this writing I am going to attempt to show the many faces of Jesus but mostly focus on the lion part as described above. To many people today try to portray Christ as a feminine man in many aspects but I am here to show how Jesus was very much a mans man and we need to quit trying to feminize Him.
Many times I hear Jesus portrayed as a meek and humble man, which He was. We know He was loving and caring to the sick and spoke profoundly about taking care of the widows and orphans. But, what about the rest of what scripture says about Jesus? Does it not call Him a lion? Does scripture tell us that he ran people our of the temple
Mat 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
I would dare say this is not the actions of a man who is purely meek and mild but is more like a lion with the fierceness it would take to run that many people out of the temple. Webster’s says this about lions,
Lion
LI'ON, n. [L. leo, leonis, Gr.]
1. A quadruped of the genus Felis, very strong, fierce and rapacious. The largest lions are eight or nine feet in length. The male has a thick head, beset with long bushy hair of a yellowish color. The lion is a native of Africa and the warm climates of Asia. His aspect is noble, his gait stately, and his roar tremendous.
Rev 5:5 and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
Hos 5:14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away, I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver.
I really like the last line of the description of a lion as, to me, it perfectly describes Christ in all He did here, “His aspect is noble, his gait stately, and his roar tremendous.” Jesus was not a man that just walked around and worried over hurting peoples feelings, he was a man that spoke truth at all times and let the Holy Spirit’s conviction deal with each person. This is shown very clearly in Matthew 19:16 – 22. This is the story of the man that came to Christ and ask how he could earn his way to eternal life and Jesus told him to sell everything he owned give it to the poor and come follow me, but the man could not do that because of his love of his possessions. I dare to say this man got his feelings hurt and was very disappointed in the fact he could not earn his way to heaven.
Or maybe a better example of someone getting their feelings hurt would be Peter in Mat 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Now I dare to say that Peter did not enjoy this statement at all and was probably embarrassed as all the disciples where present and most probably heard Jesus tell him this. And it would be a safe bet that Peter’s feelings where hurt in a big way over this.
Now having shown where Jesus was very much a lion in His walk on earth I want to make it clear that Jesus did everything in love and was not out to make people stumble with the harsh words He did use time to time. His goal, as always, is to get people to open their eyes to the truth of what is and to follow Him in truth instead of in their own perceptions and knowledge. He came that all may know the “Father” and have eternal life as stated in John 3:16 – 17.
I pray through this writing we can return to the knowledge that Jesus was very much a man in all He did and said and was not in anyway feminized as many try to make him out to be today.
In this writing I am going to attempt to show the many faces of Jesus but mostly focus on the lion part as described above. To many people today try to portray Christ as a feminine man in many aspects but I am here to show how Jesus was very much a mans man and we need to quit trying to feminize Him.
Many times I hear Jesus portrayed as a meek and humble man, which He was. We know He was loving and caring to the sick and spoke profoundly about taking care of the widows and orphans. But, what about the rest of what scripture says about Jesus? Does it not call Him a lion? Does scripture tell us that he ran people our of the temple
Mat 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
I would dare say this is not the actions of a man who is purely meek and mild but is more like a lion with the fierceness it would take to run that many people out of the temple. Webster’s says this about lions,
Lion
LI'ON, n. [L. leo, leonis, Gr.]
1. A quadruped of the genus Felis, very strong, fierce and rapacious. The largest lions are eight or nine feet in length. The male has a thick head, beset with long bushy hair of a yellowish color. The lion is a native of Africa and the warm climates of Asia. His aspect is noble, his gait stately, and his roar tremendous.
Rev 5:5 and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
Hos 5:14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away, I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver.
I really like the last line of the description of a lion as, to me, it perfectly describes Christ in all He did here, “His aspect is noble, his gait stately, and his roar tremendous.” Jesus was not a man that just walked around and worried over hurting peoples feelings, he was a man that spoke truth at all times and let the Holy Spirit’s conviction deal with each person. This is shown very clearly in Matthew 19:16 – 22. This is the story of the man that came to Christ and ask how he could earn his way to eternal life and Jesus told him to sell everything he owned give it to the poor and come follow me, but the man could not do that because of his love of his possessions. I dare to say this man got his feelings hurt and was very disappointed in the fact he could not earn his way to heaven.
Or maybe a better example of someone getting their feelings hurt would be Peter in Mat 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's." Now I dare to say that Peter did not enjoy this statement at all and was probably embarrassed as all the disciples where present and most probably heard Jesus tell him this. And it would be a safe bet that Peter’s feelings where hurt in a big way over this.
Now having shown where Jesus was very much a lion in His walk on earth I want to make it clear that Jesus did everything in love and was not out to make people stumble with the harsh words He did use time to time. His goal, as always, is to get people to open their eyes to the truth of what is and to follow Him in truth instead of in their own perceptions and knowledge. He came that all may know the “Father” and have eternal life as stated in John 3:16 – 17.
I pray through this writing we can return to the knowledge that Jesus was very much a man in all He did and said and was not in anyway feminized as many try to make him out to be today.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Happiness or Joy
Happiness is based on circumstance and is very fleeting as it comes and goes with the tide. Most people seek happiness through trying to make their circumstances better instead of seeking God to obtain the Joy that He wants to give us all.
Happiness is the selfish pursuit of what I want.....
Joy is the selfless pursuit of what God wants!
In today's society people look to things to make them happy. Some look to a spouse or bf/gf. Some look to work, houses, cars, money and the list goes on. In doing this they are seeking what the world says will make them happy and in so doing are being very selfish in this pursuit. Scripture tells us to seek God first in all things.
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Seeking Gods joy allows us to obtain that which our hearts seek which is the true joy of the King not the fleeting happiness of a circumstance.
Happiness is the selfish pursuit of what I want.....
Joy is the selfless pursuit of what God wants!
In today's society people look to things to make them happy. Some look to a spouse or bf/gf. Some look to work, houses, cars, money and the list goes on. In doing this they are seeking what the world says will make them happy and in so doing are being very selfish in this pursuit. Scripture tells us to seek God first in all things.
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Seeking Gods joy allows us to obtain that which our hearts seek which is the true joy of the King not the fleeting happiness of a circumstance.
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