Because we live on earth
A collection of writings…
Omo Igbala
Omo Igbala is a yoruba word that means, Child of Salvation. It’s a very interesting word that made me re-examine the exclusivity of salvation, the calling of the saints, the seperation of the ecclesia church, and the preciousness of salvation. Jesus has claimed that no one comes to his father except by him, Jesus has claimed that God is his father and only he has direct access to him and we have all belived. And to all those who believe, God bunches us together.
As Eugene Peterson says, The congregation is not about us. It is about God. God calls a people. Jesus named 12 disciples to be with him. The spirit descends upon 120 praying men and women filling them with himself. The people we gather with for worship each Sunday and work with as salt and light are not of our own choosing. God calls and forms this people, whom the Hebrew prophets are bold to designate “the people of God,” and St. Paul was unembarrased to call “saints”
For the long time Christians all called each other “saints.” They were all saints regardless of how well or badly they lived, of how experienced or inexperienced they were. The word saint did not refer to the quality or virtue of their acts, but to the kind of life to which they had been chosen, life on a battlefield. It was not a title given after a spectacular performance, but a mark of whose side they were on.
Omo Igbala feels like an encapuslation of this, a reminder to the children that have been chosen by God, all those united by the salvation in Jesus.
Following someone
In life there has to be unity, or balance, and I discovered a very interesting leader and follower relationship. Everyone has a potential to be both, and these attributes must always be in use, meaning even the biggest leaders must be a follower of someone or something and it means even leaders have leaders.
If everybody must have a leader, who is everyone following. For the christian, it’s obvious the answer is christ. But for the some its ego, some its pride, some people it’s the crowd, others its culture, others its popular people, the past, the familiar. For others, the final decision maker is whatever keeps up with apperances etc. so many things.
Even for christians, it requires the daily work and hand of Christ for us to course correct, and come under his leadership. When Jesus offers us his leadership in every area of our lives. It’s the freest we can get, don’t go running off with a stranger now little kid. Stay by your father.
God of Emotions
“Therefore, I will mourn and lament.
I will walk around barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
For my people’s wound
is too deep to heal.
It has reached into Judah,
even to the gates of Jerusalem.”
Micah 1: 8-9
Often times, we have very strong emotions, yet we often forget to look to the person we got the emotions from-Yaweh. In Micah 1:8-9, we see very strong emotions that God shows for Jerusalem- if God is a God of justice, the events in the book of Micah had to take place and it was painful for God to watch. In hindsight, we realize it is silly of us to imagine that God does not understand us, he made us afterall. In truth, often these whirlwind of emotions are not pure which stand in stark contrast to our knowledge on the purity of God. They contradict to our knowledge that God is light, God is pure, singular. Yet when bouts of emotions come upon us they are anything but defined, sometimes it’s the mixture of love and something else, sadness and something else and in recognizing the singularity of God, we run, we say God hold on; let me detangle my emotions before I come to you.
But God made those emotions, because you and your people do not have a name for it- does not mean God does not have a name for it. For example, an emotion like nostalgia, what I would call a secondary emotion; which is a complex combination of primary emotions such as Joy and happiness. In the book of Jeremiah and Micah, we see several emotions of God revealed; God’s heart is breaking over what is eventually going to happen, Israel is too far gone. Everyone will have to be removed, the place fixed and then they can be brought back hopefully having repented. The methods of removal are brutal. There is no emotion you feel reading that book, that God did not feel either giving the prophesy of fufilling the prophesy.
For God that dwells in eternity, how could we understand the emotion of an eternal love, or eternal wrath, eternal kindness or eternal grief. The weight of a feeling that is not constrained by time, that is forever felt. Whether it is love towards you or anger towards humanity.
And here we say thank God for Jesus, by whose sacrifice the eternal weight of wrath was turned away by an eternal sacrifice of purity, whose blood was sprinkled over each and everything that would have caused God to turn away his face from us forever. Instead, because of this blood - an eternal currency, always accepted, valid in all cultures, covers us now and always; all we feel is an eternal love, whom Apostle Paul describes as deep, wide and higher than we could ever know. A love with origins outside of time, with origins from of old. Sounds pretty emotional to me.
The one place God dwells
It is vey obvious that God dwells in the miraculous, in the supernatural. And many lyrics wax strong on telling us to observe God in the ordinary, in the everyday moments, in the stillness. However, there is another place God dwells, in a place where there are no gaps. I will explain.
This world feels like the world of gaps, betweeen what is and what could be, reality and promises, plans and expectations, frustrations and acceptance.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
What does it mean for there to be no deciet in a man?
It doesn’t mean the man is perfect, it just means the man is not lying to himself. He is also not hiding anything. His promises are his reality, there is no gap between his frustration and acceptance, it happens right after the other. What is, is what could be. There is oneness - and this oneness is where God dwells. This man does not lie to himself most importantly and he certainly does not lie to others.
The Back Door in Christianity
Apparently there is a way to not obey the laws of God in the Bible. It’s going to need a lot of scripture to justify, so let’s dive in.
But now the righteousness of God, apart from the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Romans 3:21
What is the law in this case? The law is a specific moral standard on how to live, what to eat, etc. If you had issues making decisions, the law provided the best practices for aligning with God and placating that gnawing feeling of being far from God.
And yes, there is a way in the Bible where God doesn’t count the sins anymore.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. Psalm 32:1-2
First, why was the law given if a back door is going to exist?
Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.Galatians 3:24
But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:22
Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Galatians 3:19
“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Romans3:5
So now that there is no law, how do we know what to do? What is right and wrong?
The good news is that you are dealing directly with God now, as modeled by David.
“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” 2 Sam 24:14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14
So what is the backdoor to not having to obey this law?
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. Romans3:22
Now when we read the Bible, instead of taking away rules and regulations, we try to understand the heart of God. Why did God do this? Why that? We cry out in sonship towards understanding our Abba! Father. So that we too can be like him. We all study successful people and try to copy their habits, routines, etc. It’s the same thing with God; by studying the word of God, we can learn about the character of God, his son Jesus, as he was modeled in flesh and empowered by the spirit of God, we begin to embody the behavior of our father.
Okay??? Are you sure?
YES!! Even the priesthood was changed, so the law that that priesthood was based on has to be changed. And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. Hebrew 7:12
How does this sounds harder than obeying a bunch of rules?
The law always told you what you did wrong. The law doesn’t offer tips and tricks to not do it again; you have to be the one running around thinking of how not to sin again. You have to muster self-will; the law offers nothing but harsh conditions.
For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)Romans 4:15(NLT)
Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. Mathew 5:17-18
Yet Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death. So when we walk according to the spirit of God, it’s like an optimized system that already accounts for fulfilling the requirements of the law. Amazing! Jesus was the only one with moral superiority that was able to condemn sin in the flesh. Hallelujah!!
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:2-4
Yes, by simply believing in Jesus, we don’t have to obey any more laws, because the best laws do not produce better behavior of human righteousness; they are simply golden prisons. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 1 John 3:27
Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. 1 John 3:29
But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. 1 John 3:20
So simply all we do is allow God to work in us and through us to do right things for others to observe in us. Whew!
The apostles wrote heavily against false doctrine, for love as the first sign of rightness being produced and the importance of community. That’s it, no laws!!
It puts into perspective when Apostle Paul says to follow him as he follows Christ. Jesus being the way is clear now. If there is no law, the only thing we know to say and speak is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Should we fall back on the safe laws, like the ten commandments, etc. I believe the laws are great as guardians/training wheels, i.e., to be taught to children, etc. They are great guardrails. But a time must come when a Christian must not be in a crib anymore but learn in safety and gradually to follow the shepherd’s voice so they do not walk out the balcony but safely arrive at their destination; all of this in being like their father.
Ye are gods and children of the most high
But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.
Previous Posts:
All POSTS
- The one place God dwells
- The Back Door in Christianity
- Strength to live
- Fighting Styles
- Elyon
- Lunatic
- Infidel
- Renegade
- Chosen
- Sons of Zeruiah
- We are made incomplete
Strength to live
- There is a certain autopilot; life can be on that might seem good; where even going on vacation is on autopilot or having a great work/school/life routine.
- Yet we need strength to live life on God’s terms, not blown by the winds of our flesh, the winds of society, and the winds of culture.
- Autopilot is good; planes fly on autopilot. But there needs to be a pilot—the pilot should be alive and able to respond when needed. If truly the spirit of God lives in us, we have signs of life and should respond to the God-life around us.
- Even when we respond, we still need grace. A different wind of mechanism, sometimes I wonder what we humans do—stop wrestling, start responding to the spirit of God.
Fighting Styles
I once read about a Chinese fighting style where, when fighting, you move with the opponent (i.e., whatever direction the opponent was moving). I laughed—how is that fighting? Shouldn’t you be contrary to your opponent?
But in hindsight, if you ever sight opposition, sometimes hitting back is not ideal—flow in the same direction until you find a gap, a ladder, a gradient. Often times, as a leader, abrupt change is too abrupt.
Especially in Kingdom context, when you don’t want to hurt your opponents. You should be fighting principalities and powers, not your brother and sister. Flow in their direction for now.
Elyon
So God’s people - imagine this earth hangs on God instead of nothing or gravity (whichever you currently think it is).
Yet that is the reality - everything flows from God. If that’s true, our life perspective shouldn’t flow from ourselves too but from God. And only then do we find what we are looking for, whatever it is. You can’t eat desert before dinner and expect to be satisfied. Let’s come to dinner hungry, and let God fill us, hoping to be full.
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the [j]general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Heb 12:22-24
Lunatic
We live life on earth from a different perspective. We break social norms if need be; if not, then as is. We despise the shame and look to the joy set before Christ.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:2
Chaos
But we still have to live in this world. We’re God’s people on earth, not in heaven. What ensues is chaos.
Light shines in darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend it.
What happens when the darkness is so great and individual lights are simply shining around, or some simply get light for their family or society, etc.? Chaos is what happens.
Some people are simply content to grip onto the hands of others, never knowing the darkness or minding it.
Choose my dear friend.
But above all this, how does the gospel apply to our daily lives?
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light
Infidel
Sometimes we look over to our family and friends and the heartwarming traditions we grew up in. How can all of this be wrong?
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
To not be like the world
Each of us live in bubbles, and sometimes we can’t really see all that God sees.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Col 2:14
Renegade
To become defined by Godness
Yet we divert our new realizations to pursuing other things
To be defined by God is to be in the:
Godness - trapping a part of God apart from God
God - alive and living
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. Psalm 82:6
Chosen
From our perspective, we are grown
Christians
We have chosen to serve God, dedicate our lives to him.
From God’s perspective, He created us and chose to include us in something he was planning.
What is this?
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
God called us into his family
We are chosen by God, and we accept it
We accept something that was given
God gave it first
We become God’s people
People chosen to multiply God
To show forth the works of him who called us
It is not enough to have God behind us, and then we are pursuing worthless things (at least compared to God). Like the children of Israel using the abundance God gave them in hopes of certainty from a calf
We have to be like God
Like Jesus
To become defined by God
God is my description
We then, as the body of Christ, in groups become a holy nation.
To be chosen….
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. John 15:16
Sons of Zeruiah
And even though I am the anointed king, these two sons of Zeruiah—Joab and Abishai—are too strong for me to control. So may the LORD repay these evil men for their evil deeds.”. 2 Samuel 3:39 NLT
The Bible states clearly that Zeruiah was David’s sister, and her sons, though of the same fighting age as David, were technically David’s nephews and his closest men in the army. I like to think his army was a family business - David was the youngest of eight sons, not counting daughters, so this is quite reasonable.
I often wonder what went through Zeruiah’s mind during all these events. Three of her sons—Abishai(Gift of God), Joab(Praise Jehovah), and Asahel(God hath made)—fought for David. From the names she gave them, it’s evident that she set her heart to raise three strong and godly men. Zeruiah is the unsung hero in this story.
The impact of mothers on the children they raise cannot be underestimated. I have looked at the stories of the kings of Israel, observing if there was a correlation between the mothers and the ways of their children.
Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.
Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin[a] from Jerusalem.
Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.</p>
While it is not all the kings who their mothers are listed, there is a high correlation between the kings whose mothers are listed and their walk with God for the kingdom of Israel.
A lioness “What is your mother? A lioness among lions! She lay down among the young lions and reared her cubs. 3 She raised one of her cubs to become a strong young lion. He learned to hunt and devour prey, and he became a man-eater. she took another of her cubs and taught him to be a strong young lion. 6 He prowled among the other lions and stood out among them in his strength. He learned to hunt and devour prey, and he, too, became a man-eater. 7 He demolished fortresses[a] and destroyed their towns and cities. Their farms were desolated, and their crops were destroyed. The land and its people trembled in fear when they heard him roar.
We are made incomplete
The Bible says we were made in the image of God, so we relate to God on so many levels. God can talk, we can talk, God laughs, God feels, God has joy, patience - all things we can do or have the capacity to produce. Even when we see ourselves from a different perspective – God’s perspective “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” Psalm 82:6. It echoes, it reverberates. But gradually we notice that the similarities stop - we don’t know all things, we are not omniscient, we are not omnipresent. To the fridge, we must seem like a god, able to change fates or wills or at least location at a whim.
But one day, we find ourselves in complete tears hands outstretched there’s something missing. If God has created us like him, there will be Gods everywhere, but in our adamic form we are gods, almost like he took something out of himself and called it us. So we can be whole in him, so we can be satisfied in him, so we can be our true form only by abiding in him. Yet still to be a god is no small feat. A lot can be done with just that and sometimes we can forget. A great feat is what Jesus modeled -to be fully God yet submitted under authority.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
ARCHIVES:
The minimum work to get started
Not sure how this got started but I was thing about when God made earth, he starte with the minimum, the earth, the man , the animals and systems to guie the man and God said, okay run on autopilot till you fully create the earth. The bible says no one knows what God is doing. But the world has vastly changed and has been changed by man since God left it all thoe many years ago and man has continued to develop it, maninting it for themselves to live and creating all sorts of thing with all sorts of things, orchestras, music, machines, complex knowledge. God created the minimum to get man going and man is creating like God would have created, sometimes individually, othertimes not. The first time I use amplified because it is just so beautiful, <p style="text-align: center;">He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.</p>
So I think o what it takes to get a project off the ground, to run on autopilot, obviously God checked in on Adam often and so is ever present. But like the original creator, we can learn a thing or two about what it takes to get a project started
In the beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8 God called the space “sky.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings[b] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
The three Daniels
So I know three daniels, really this story should end here but because the story starts of great let’s continue. These three daniels are their own persons and I am trying not to tie them to what they are to me, because I have a LOT I can say about that but they are their own persons. Are there any similarities between the three daniels, they are all chritians, they are all humans, they are all men.
I have nothing else to say. I know three daniels.
Employers
For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos.Isiah 45:18 NLT
Today I observe that everyone has a role to play in this world and eventually while some people end up as employers and others as employees. The bible implores us to take this positions as roles and not lord the over people, oppressing them or taking advantage of them. If you are responsible for if your employee is constantly worried about if they have food on their table then you are oppressive. If there is enough money in the system but some people are hoarding it and everyone is walking about stressed and they call on God then an evil thing has happened.
In summary, God wants everyone on earth to live good lives regardless of what they do and my prayer is that we all recognize our roles in our community and rather than lord it over others, see it as a service to God, a responsibility from God, a palace administrator of some sorts on earth temporarily in charge and let God use us to fufill his vision on earth.
1Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you. James 5:4
What is inside a man
The world around us is usually, what is inside a man. The environment reflects the imaginations of a man. The outside reflects the inside. Everything yousee was in th heart of a man before it came out. The cups, the charts, it was all the thoughts of someones heart. Who can stir a man’s heart towards good things, who can stir a mans heart except the Lord. Yet there are captains, men of God who can stir the hearts of men to its natural direction.
Now I am looking at all the things in my room and how far they must have traveed to get to me. How much time was taken from idea to inception, 1 year, two days, twenty years. As we thank the farmer fr food by God, we should thank the printers for the books and everyone else as they released the gifts given to them by God.
Though good advice lies deep within the heart, a person with understanding will draw it out. Prov. 20:5 NLT
And David trusted in God
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.Psalm 16:10 NLT
I imagine King David on his bed, imagining things beynd him. Did King David know what he was saying, that there will be a messiah, that Jesus will come. Was it a faint knowing. But today as I go through some uncertainties I remember that David trusted in God and many years later after david was long gone and buried God sent Jesus who came and won ressurection power for all who were held captive by death.
We didn’t invent this world and we don’t get to dictate the rules of this world, and while we might understand some things in the world, they seem all so strange to us as pilgrims. But the only person that is outside all of this is God and why we need t hear the voice of God as like the coach outisde the game who we can trust with a 360 perspective.
Sometimes all you need is that if God answered David's prayer long after David was gone, if David trusted God I should trust God.
For the glory of God/God at work
So I have decide to observe sabbath, at least on this website and skip one day of the week. So on this Monday, we will talk aout giving God the glory. Really it means giving God the credit. Many times things happen on earth and we don’t know how it happened or who to thank. You meeting that person, you applying to that school. All the invisible workings of God, giving God the glory is simply signing the work with God’s name and singing his praises concerning it. What about doing things for the glory of God. For some reason best known to God, the bible states that God has chosen us to participate in his glory. Although we cannot contain the weight of his glory, we can redirect it to God. Hence doing things for the glory of God implies a discovery of the glory of God. It means a revelation of God in that situation. Also in denying ourselves glory in that situation and giving the coming glory to God we simply walk in the correct order things are meant to be in.
The awe of God
14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.” Hosea 13:14
Peace is alignment
To live in peace is to live in alignment with God. God loves peace. In the presence of God it’s peaceful, inside and out. The meaning of solomon is peace and God gave him peace during his time - only peacemakers appparently can build the house for God.
Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.Psalm 34:14 NLT
Apparently peace is made, you can make peace. Your peace is not dependent on the other person, you can engender peace. You can seek peace as well. Peace can be sought, made and maintained through you.
My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace. 7 I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war. Psalm 120:6-7
Be careful though sometimes, a lack of peace for a long time can affect your soul, and even when you want peace you have no motivations to it. You become simply content with letting sleeping dogs lie rather than addressing it.
So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time. Amos5:13
But I say, do not resist an evil person! Matt 5:39
Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.Luke 11:35
How do we make sure we are walking this path with fear and trembling - not subjecting our souls to war but yet making sure we are factories of peace, making it happily. As the popular hymn says take it to God in prayer, Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear. (What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear, 1885)
Alignment
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’ 1 Kings 5:4-5
The state to be found in which has rewards
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Cream Cheese and working for it
As i reached for the very fancy cream cheese, organic and all(It was actually cottage cheese), I thought of how expensive it was. As I got home I recieved an email, assigning me work. My mind immediately got a correlation between fancy cream cheese and work, as though if you want fancy cream cheese be willing to workk for it. So thoughts, on woking for a particular lifestyle?
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. Prov 30:8-9 NLT
I like to think whether rich or poor, God gives each person just enough to satisfy their needs or expects them to take just enough to satisfy their needs. So the key is to be sober, learn not to live for the thrill of life, but also learn not to live below life. Why want to live forever if you don’t enjoy life. The christian life is about living the same type of life in all circumstances. In abundance and abasement, which Apostle Paul learnt. So concerning this cream cheese (cottage cheese) situation, I actually want to return it, its pretty obvious that I would rather not work than have cream cheese. But my life has become God’s life and if God wants to grade almost 100 scripts through me. I will make a great cup of coffee, put my leg up and give God a go at it. So my philosophy of work and the reward of it is currently similar to the five solas - soli Deo gloria (to the glory of God). sola gratia (by grace alone),sola fide (faith alone), solus Christus (through Christ alone) and sola scriptura (because it is ordained in the scripts for me).
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Phil 4:12
Alignment
I’m just a man, a rescued heart
Pull me in the future, set me apart
My destiny is at the door
Lord, I wanna follow Your will for more
My lust for life, get rid of it
My heart is rest-assured
I’d never live for the thrill of it
On and on and on I’d search
My God, His plan, He’s running it
My fear has found its cure
Your love, now my deliverance, ooh
Now it’s 1:11
A beginning, it’s the start of accepting the call
It’s a new endeavor
He breathed into my life, now everything aligns
Give me an anthem I can sing
I want a message that I can bring
Not fear of man, it’s fear of God
Take me into battle, I want my sword
That’s right
My lust for life, get rid of it
My heart is rest-assured
I’d never live for the thrill of it
On and on and on I’d search
My God, His plan, He’s running it
My fear has found its cure
Your love, now my deliverance, ooh
Now it’s 1:11
A beginning, it’s the start of accepting the call
It’s a new endeavor
He breathed into my life, now everything aligns
Now it’s 1:11
Jesus didn’t die for me to wonder why
Why I am living
Everything aligns, everything aligns
Breathe into my lungs, open up my eyes
Give me what I need to live out this life
I’m asking for more, I’m ending this war
Complacency kills; I’ll follow You, Lord
Breathe into my lungs, open up my eyes
Give me what I need to live out this life
I’m asking for more, I’m ending this war
Complacency kills; I’ll follow You, Lord
Breathe into my lungs, open up my eyes
Give me what I need to live out this life
I’m asking for more, I’m ending this war
Complacency kills; I’ll follow You, Lord
Breathe into my lungs, open up my eyes
Give me what I need to live out this life
I’m asking for more, I’m ending this war
Complacency kills; I’ll follow You, Lord
Everything aligns, aligns, aligns
Everything aligns, aligns, aligns
Everything aligns, aligns, aligns
Everything aligns, aligns, aligns
Everything
Everything aligns
Life’s not mine
Jesus paid it all
The one who leaves vs The one who stays
Recently I got into some popular celebrity lives and as the peacemaker that I am. I can say I get both sides. One side believes in accepting how you were born and living out the live ordained for you. The other believes the greater cause is to lead the people to new land, to greener pastures. I have admit, I relate more to the idea of leaving than staying but God has been teaching me recently the importance of accepting your divine destiny.
”When it was Esther’s turn to go to the king, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her.“ Esther 2:15 NLT
He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. Psalm 47:4
Even in the patriarchs you have all three scenarios illustrated. Abraham who left his father’s house and traditions to form a new people who will be bound under the convent to his family. A nation as vast as the stars. Isaac who God told not to live where he was born and Jacob. In all these scenarios, as long as it was done in faith it pleased God. Whether to accept the traditions you have been given to carry, to diverge from what you have always known or to return to the traditions after running away. Accepting destiny can reveal itself in any number of ways. And so to this present day family - I feel very strongly about the side that believes in a place in life, a given station in life, it’s probably less stressful to believe that. Yet I have always remembered Jacob who kept trying to hack his way to what he wanted - even though it was always apportioned to him, but that is another story. The other side believes in making a new way, a new path by faith. Yet even Jacob after wrestling with God had to come to the place of acceptance. Faith determines the correct path. The side God is on determines the correct path. The centrist in me, both sides are correct. After a long period of having a hard stance on everything, peace seems inconclusive, yet it gives space for God. Also “Feelings of compassion befit a pilgrim” (Pilgrim’s progress, page 238). In any fight, both sides are hurting hard, this is the time to sympathize.
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
”The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.“ Genesis 12:1 NLT
”The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham’s death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them.“ Genesis 26:2-3, 18 NLT
God to Jacob”What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”“ Genesis 28:15 NLT
”I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.”“ Genesis 46:4 NLT
Mercy vs Judgement
There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. James 2:13.
Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Mathew 9:13.
On today’s episode of lifing, I am learning not to take things too seriously, imagine you are in a video game and you as a character gets angry over who spilled water on the floor or something trivial. From the players perspective, its all trivial and so today I realized all quarrels must seem trivial to God on some level.
On another level, the key to showing mercy is in how you judge yourself. You should judge yourself as someone who is living just by the mercies of God, having recieved mercy.
Sometimes it can be hard in areas where you excel and easier in areas where you are weak. Yet we have to believe the bible when God says we are all sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The Parable of the unforgiving servant.
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[i] who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven![j]
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.[k] 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.[l] He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[m] from your heart.”.
Writer oh Writer
Writer oh writer
You saw this heart from the beginning
But still you put this story in your heart
Even though it was ugly and disjointed
You called it the best kind
You called me the best kind
So i’ll sing
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
Thank you
So put me on your books now
And write me out write me out
Place me in your editor now
Until you see the story through me
And I’m ready to come out
And all that was wrong
It won’t be wrong after this no
Not after this
And all those cliffhangers
Is finding life again
And a true friend that so happens to be a writer
Ohhhhh
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
Thank you
Cause you take broken stories
And make them beautiful
Oh you take broken stories
And make them beautiful again
Oh broken tales
And make them beautiful
Oh you take wrong tales and put the truth back in them again
Cause you take broken tales
And make them beautiful
Oh you take the wrong fables
And make them tell the truth again
Oh broken tapes
And make them whole in your eternal story again
And somehow they fit in your eternal story again
Oh you take wrong tales and put the truth back in them again
Cause you take missing characters
And put them back in the story again
Oh you take silent characters
And make the storyline theirs again
Oh scrawny lines, hiding characters
And make them truthfully beautiful again
Oh you take tales going nowhere and put them back together again
So i’ll say
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
Hallelujah to the writer who came and made me new
I look just like you
So come and go with me
To the writers house, in his own story, where we as characters will actually come alive for the first time
And you best believe
Oh he’ll something good
Oh he’ll make something good
Yeah he’ll make something good
Oh he’ll make something good off some words
on paper
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- Writer oh Writer tags: life
- Mercy vs Judgement tags: life
- The one who leaves vs The one who stays
- Cream Cheese and working for it
- Peace is alignment
- For the glory of God/God at work
- And David trusted in God
- What is inside a man
- Employers
- The three Daniels
- The minimum work to get started
- Sons of Zeruiah
- We are made incomplete