This morning, my husband and I dropped off our son for his first day of kindergarten and our daughter for her first day of second grade. They were both so, so ready! Loren, of course did not want us to walk her in, she preferred the drop-off car line at her brand-new school. She has been wearing her backpack around the house for weeks! She loves school and is Ms. Independent!
There was no pushing little Luke out of the nest either, he just jumped right out this morning, on his own. I was amazed at the absolute peace that we all had - definitely beyond my understanding. There was no separation anxiety, no stressful rushing around this morning - just the calm sense of peace and love as we left our children in the care of their precious teachers whom God hand-picked for them.
Instead of anxiety, I was simply filled with the excitement and anticipation of looking toward what is ahead for us in this new chapter of our lives. It's not only brand new for my kids, it's a brand new season for me. It's bitter sweet as I realize my almost 8-year season of being a stay-home-mommy of little ones has now come to an end. At first I felt a little lost, in my strangely quiet house. Once I got settled though, I experienced some wonderful time with God. He is reassuring me how much He adores me and is speaking His great love over me and my children. He loves them more than I do and He has great plans for them - individually. He then lead me to...
Isaiah 44:3-4....
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
How befitting, considering the overwhelming heat and long-term drought we have experienced here in Texas this summer. It has been a long, HOT one! I now have a new sense of hope for rain to come pouring down on us (literally) and for the Holy Spirit to rain down on my children, my husband and me. How beautifully and perfectly He speaks to me, filling me up completely and satisfying my thirst. Jesus is really all I need. Oh how I love Him!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Remembering To Forget
Remembering to Forget
by Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).
Friend To Friend:
As humans, we tend to remember what we need to forget and forget what we need to remember. God, on the other hand, forgets what He promises to forget and remembers what He promises to remember. God said, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17).
Paul tells us one of the secrets to his success as a Christian and in life. "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13,14).
In the Bible, God tells us that He "forgets" our sins and remembers them no more. But how does an omniscient, all-knowing God forget? Let's look at the antonym to get a better understanding.
There are many events in the Bible that begin with the words "God remembered": "God remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1), "He (God) remembered Abraham" (Genesis 19:29), "God remembered Rachel" (Genesis 30:22), "God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exodus 2:24). In each incident, God's remembering meant that He was about to do something - God was about to act.
Therefore, if God's remembering means He is about to act, then God forgetting means that He is not going to act. "For I will forgive their wickedness," He says, "and will remember their sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). He forgets our sins - He is not going to act upon them. Likewise, while we cannot physically forget the details of the wounds of our past, we can choose not to act on them. We can choose to forgive the person who has hurt us and not allow the memory of the offense to control our lives. In that sense, we can forgive and forget.
When Paul talks about forgetting he does not mean that he will or even can wipe an incident from his memory. "Forgetting did not mean obliterating the memory of his past, but was a conscious refusal to let it absorb his attention and impede his progress."(Zondervan NIV Commentary: Volume 2: New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1994), pg. 806.) Paul refused to allow anything from his past control his present. He could tell about it, but without pain, malice, or a hint of revenge.
But it's too hard, you might say. Friend, God will never tell us to do something that He will not give us the power to do. He has instructed us to forgive...so He will give us the power to do so. He has instructed us to leave the past behind ... so He will give us the power to do so. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). "All things" means all things that God has called us to do.
Isaiah wrote, "When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?" (Isaiah 28:24).
I think for many of us, we have been plowing and re-plowing the ground far too long. We've been telling and re-telling what was done and how it was done going over the same ground and stirring up the dirt into a giant dustbowl. But there comes a point when it is time to stop plowing up the ground and start planting seeds - until then, we will never see a harvest.
Today, ask God if there is someone you need to forgive, if there is something you need to "forget," or if there is some ground you need to cease plowing. Then give the memory to God and ask Him to plant good seeds for an incredible harvest!
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord, I've been plowing up the soil of past memories for far too long. Today, I'm going to put away the plow and start planting seeds. When You see me reaching for the plow and going back to rehash old grievances and hurts, I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me quickly. Today, the past is the past and I'm not looking back.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
by Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13, 14 NIV).
Friend To Friend:
As humans, we tend to remember what we need to forget and forget what we need to remember. God, on the other hand, forgets what He promises to forget and remembers what He promises to remember. God said, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more" (Hebrews 10:17).
Paul tells us one of the secrets to his success as a Christian and in life. "But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13,14).
In the Bible, God tells us that He "forgets" our sins and remembers them no more. But how does an omniscient, all-knowing God forget? Let's look at the antonym to get a better understanding.
There are many events in the Bible that begin with the words "God remembered": "God remembered Noah" (Genesis 8:1), "He (God) remembered Abraham" (Genesis 19:29), "God remembered Rachel" (Genesis 30:22), "God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exodus 2:24). In each incident, God's remembering meant that He was about to do something - God was about to act.
Therefore, if God's remembering means He is about to act, then God forgetting means that He is not going to act. "For I will forgive their wickedness," He says, "and will remember their sins no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). He forgets our sins - He is not going to act upon them. Likewise, while we cannot physically forget the details of the wounds of our past, we can choose not to act on them. We can choose to forgive the person who has hurt us and not allow the memory of the offense to control our lives. In that sense, we can forgive and forget.
When Paul talks about forgetting he does not mean that he will or even can wipe an incident from his memory. "Forgetting did not mean obliterating the memory of his past, but was a conscious refusal to let it absorb his attention and impede his progress."(Zondervan NIV Commentary: Volume 2: New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation, 1994), pg. 806.) Paul refused to allow anything from his past control his present. He could tell about it, but without pain, malice, or a hint of revenge.
But it's too hard, you might say. Friend, God will never tell us to do something that He will not give us the power to do. He has instructed us to forgive...so He will give us the power to do so. He has instructed us to leave the past behind ... so He will give us the power to do so. Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). "All things" means all things that God has called us to do.
Isaiah wrote, "When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?" (Isaiah 28:24).
I think for many of us, we have been plowing and re-plowing the ground far too long. We've been telling and re-telling what was done and how it was done going over the same ground and stirring up the dirt into a giant dustbowl. But there comes a point when it is time to stop plowing up the ground and start planting seeds - until then, we will never see a harvest.
Today, ask God if there is someone you need to forgive, if there is something you need to "forget," or if there is some ground you need to cease plowing. Then give the memory to God and ask Him to plant good seeds for an incredible harvest!
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord, I've been plowing up the soil of past memories for far too long. Today, I'm going to put away the plow and start planting seeds. When You see me reaching for the plow and going back to rehash old grievances and hurts, I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me quickly. Today, the past is the past and I'm not looking back.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
You Are Secure As The Beloved
You Are Secure As The Beloved
Deuteronomy 33:12
Hear God's Word for you in Deuteronomy 33:12. "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
Beloved one, get quiet, listen to this blessing, and hear the voice of love saying good things to you. You can rest in the full truth that you are your Father's beloved. The voice of your loving Father resonates in you in a deep place. He called you his beloved from eternity. Taste deeply of love, of God, and of truth. Know the treasure you are to God. You are a chosen one, a special person, noticed in your uniqueness, eternally valued. You are priceless and irreplaceable, safe in his everlasting embrace, at rest in his non-comparing love.
Increasingly be aware of your belovedness. You are precious in your Father's heart. Hear this so that you live with a stable, settled sense of true belonging. The good things you DO reveal what a beautiful person you ARE. Your real gift is not so much what you can DO as who you ARE.
Be blessed with your heavenly Father providing a safe, secure environment, without having to test him continually, fearfully asking the questions, such as "Are you still with me? Will you still be with me if...? Prove it by..." Be blessed to choose against the accuser's lies about your adequacy, identity, legitimacy, your past, present, and future. Be blessed to know that you can never be rejected or abandoned by your Father. Your loving God never leaves you alone. His love is your companion every step of the way. Be blessed with knowing his heart nurturing belonging, inclusion, and worth. Be blessed with healing of your soul's rejection wounds and the spirit abandonment wound that is deeper.
Your Father calls you to become who you are in totality: spirit, soul, and body. All your life is an opportunity to become who you are, to affirm your own true spiritual nature, to claim your unique truth, and to say "Yes" to the one who calls you the beloved. God's love is the core of your being. Discover more fully who God is and whose child you are. Your legitimacy is settled in him. Trust what he wants you to see and hear.
God has given you great gifts of inner peace, joy of living, sense of well-being, solidness and strength inside, and healing. Share your life in encouragement, hope, and trust. When you are secure, your presence is a joy to those who know you.
Receive and drive a stake in this blessing as the truth that shapes your daily life. Trust the voice of affirmation; it is persistent, strong, and deep. It will never let you go. Synchronize with the voice calling you chosen, and continually align yourself with your belovedness. Don't be pulled out of your center in your belovedness. Be blessed to be attentively present to him to see his fingerprints and feel his closeness.
Be blessed in the life and in the name of the Chosen One (Luke 23:35).
- From "The Father's Business", by Sylvia Gunter
Deuteronomy 33:12
Hear God's Word for you in Deuteronomy 33:12. "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."
Beloved one, get quiet, listen to this blessing, and hear the voice of love saying good things to you. You can rest in the full truth that you are your Father's beloved. The voice of your loving Father resonates in you in a deep place. He called you his beloved from eternity. Taste deeply of love, of God, and of truth. Know the treasure you are to God. You are a chosen one, a special person, noticed in your uniqueness, eternally valued. You are priceless and irreplaceable, safe in his everlasting embrace, at rest in his non-comparing love.
Increasingly be aware of your belovedness. You are precious in your Father's heart. Hear this so that you live with a stable, settled sense of true belonging. The good things you DO reveal what a beautiful person you ARE. Your real gift is not so much what you can DO as who you ARE.
Be blessed with your heavenly Father providing a safe, secure environment, without having to test him continually, fearfully asking the questions, such as "Are you still with me? Will you still be with me if...? Prove it by..." Be blessed to choose against the accuser's lies about your adequacy, identity, legitimacy, your past, present, and future. Be blessed to know that you can never be rejected or abandoned by your Father. Your loving God never leaves you alone. His love is your companion every step of the way. Be blessed with knowing his heart nurturing belonging, inclusion, and worth. Be blessed with healing of your soul's rejection wounds and the spirit abandonment wound that is deeper.
Your Father calls you to become who you are in totality: spirit, soul, and body. All your life is an opportunity to become who you are, to affirm your own true spiritual nature, to claim your unique truth, and to say "Yes" to the one who calls you the beloved. God's love is the core of your being. Discover more fully who God is and whose child you are. Your legitimacy is settled in him. Trust what he wants you to see and hear.
God has given you great gifts of inner peace, joy of living, sense of well-being, solidness and strength inside, and healing. Share your life in encouragement, hope, and trust. When you are secure, your presence is a joy to those who know you.
Receive and drive a stake in this blessing as the truth that shapes your daily life. Trust the voice of affirmation; it is persistent, strong, and deep. It will never let you go. Synchronize with the voice calling you chosen, and continually align yourself with your belovedness. Don't be pulled out of your center in your belovedness. Be blessed to be attentively present to him to see his fingerprints and feel his closeness.
Be blessed in the life and in the name of the Chosen One (Luke 23:35).
- From "The Father's Business", by Sylvia Gunter
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Purpose Of The Power
"Many believe His power exists only to help us overcome sin. This understanding stops very short of the Father's intent for us to become witnesses of another world. Doesn't it seem strange that our whole Christian life should be focused on overcoming something that has already been defeated? Sin and its nature have been yanked out by the roots. Many constantly call out to God for more power to live in victory. What more can He do for us? If His death wasn't enough, what else is there? That battle has already been fought and won! Is it possible that the process of constantly bringing up issues dealt with by the blood is what has actually given life to those issues?
Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need power to overcome something if I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness for the miraculous and for the impossible.
Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed. There must be an aspect of the Christian life that is impossible without divine intervention. That keeps us on the edge and puts us in contact with our true calling.
Make no mistake, character is a supreme issue with God. But His approach is much different than ours. His righteousness/character is not built into us by our own efforts. It is developed when we quit striving and learn to abandon ourselves completely to do His will."
- Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth - Bill Johnson,
Many in the Church are camped on the wrong side of the Cross. The apostle Paul spoke to this issue when he said, "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The word reckon points to our need to change our minds. I don't need power to overcome something if I'm dead to it. But I do need power for boldness for the miraculous and for the impossible.
Part of our problem is this: we are accustomed only to doing things for God that are not impossible. If God doesn't show up and help us, we can still succeed. There must be an aspect of the Christian life that is impossible without divine intervention. That keeps us on the edge and puts us in contact with our true calling.
Make no mistake, character is a supreme issue with God. But His approach is much different than ours. His righteousness/character is not built into us by our own efforts. It is developed when we quit striving and learn to abandon ourselves completely to do His will."
- Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth - Bill Johnson,
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Face-to-Face With God
Face-to-Face With God
What happens when God shows up and He is totally other than we expected? What happens when we encounter God? Face-to-face with God, we are always aware of His total "other-ness." He is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine, and he is especially beyond being manageable. How does life change when it runs head-on into an extraordinary God? We get some clues when we study what happened when biblical characters encountered God, worshiped Him, and responded to His strong presence.
When we encounter God, He will disclose a heart not right with Him. When God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, we may try to hide behind the fig leaves of our own righteousness if our hearts are harboring sin or unbelief (Gen 3:7-10). Remember that before our sin, Jesus already went to the cross to enable us to receive the mercy and grace of God.
When we encounter God in worship, we will surrender completely to God to put our "Isaacs" on the altar. Worship precedes surrender. Abraham told his servants, "[The boy and I] will worship and then we will come back to you" (Gen 22:5,9-10). When they reached the place where God directed, Abraham built an altar and prepared the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him on the wood as the sacrifice, and he took the knife to slay his own son. At that moment, Abraham revealed his fear of the Lord. Then God revealed Himself in a new dimension, Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides the Lamb.
When we encounter God in worship, we will have his courage to go against overwhelming odds and see Him do what only He can do in delivering those in rebellion. God said to Gideon, "Have I not sent you? Surely I will be with you" (Judges 6:14,16). In the strength of that promise and at God's instruction, Gideon pared down his initial muster of 32,000 men to 300. Fresh from worshiping God, he confidently told the men, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands" (Judges 7:15). With the unconventional weapons of pitchers, torches, and trumpets, God provided His deliverance which only He could give.
When we encounter Him in our sorrow and broken dreams, He will come to us to open the Scriptures to our hearts. Walking away from their disappointment, two dejected disciples met Jesus unawares (Luke 24:13-32). As they talked with Him, He explained Scriptures they had never understood. Likewise, God will come to us with comfort and understanding in His Word when we think all hope is lost. There are truths in His Word that we will understand only when we bring our great hopelessness to Him.
When we encounter Him in worship, we will be assured of His presence, go in His authority, and make disciples who in turn will repeat the process.
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I am with you always" (Matt 28:17-20).
Did you notice how many of these real people encountered God face-to-face in their desperation? Think of Abraham at the altar with Isaac, Moses at the burning bush and at the Red Sea, Jacob before meeting Esau, Joshua before a walled city, Gideon before a hostile army, Jehoshaphat before three hostile armies, and David in great trials of every kind. Listen to God tell you how He wants to meet you and show you more of Himself, His will, and His ways in your present circumstances. In all your life, look for Him. He is there.
Excerpted from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 35-38. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.
What happens when God shows up and He is totally other than we expected? What happens when we encounter God? Face-to-face with God, we are always aware of His total "other-ness." He is infinitely beyond anything we can imagine, and he is especially beyond being manageable. How does life change when it runs head-on into an extraordinary God? We get some clues when we study what happened when biblical characters encountered God, worshiped Him, and responded to His strong presence.
When we encounter God, He will disclose a heart not right with Him. When God comes walking in the garden of our hearts, we may try to hide behind the fig leaves of our own righteousness if our hearts are harboring sin or unbelief (Gen 3:7-10). Remember that before our sin, Jesus already went to the cross to enable us to receive the mercy and grace of God.
When we encounter God in worship, we will surrender completely to God to put our "Isaacs" on the altar. Worship precedes surrender. Abraham told his servants, "[The boy and I] will worship and then we will come back to you" (Gen 22:5,9-10). When they reached the place where God directed, Abraham built an altar and prepared the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him on the wood as the sacrifice, and he took the knife to slay his own son. At that moment, Abraham revealed his fear of the Lord. Then God revealed Himself in a new dimension, Jehovah-Jireh, the One who provides the Lamb.
When we encounter God in worship, we will have his courage to go against overwhelming odds and see Him do what only He can do in delivering those in rebellion. God said to Gideon, "Have I not sent you? Surely I will be with you" (Judges 6:14,16). In the strength of that promise and at God's instruction, Gideon pared down his initial muster of 32,000 men to 300. Fresh from worshiping God, he confidently told the men, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands" (Judges 7:15). With the unconventional weapons of pitchers, torches, and trumpets, God provided His deliverance which only He could give.
When we encounter Him in our sorrow and broken dreams, He will come to us to open the Scriptures to our hearts. Walking away from their disappointment, two dejected disciples met Jesus unawares (Luke 24:13-32). As they talked with Him, He explained Scriptures they had never understood. Likewise, God will come to us with comfort and understanding in His Word when we think all hope is lost. There are truths in His Word that we will understand only when we bring our great hopelessness to Him.
When we encounter Him in worship, we will be assured of His presence, go in His authority, and make disciples who in turn will repeat the process.
When the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection, they worshiped Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... And surely I am with you always" (Matt 28:17-20).
Did you notice how many of these real people encountered God face-to-face in their desperation? Think of Abraham at the altar with Isaac, Moses at the burning bush and at the Red Sea, Jacob before meeting Esau, Joshua before a walled city, Gideon before a hostile army, Jehoshaphat before three hostile armies, and David in great trials of every kind. Listen to God tell you how He wants to meet you and show you more of Himself, His will, and His ways in your present circumstances. In all your life, look for Him. He is there.
Excerpted from Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 35-38. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Our part - to rest! His part - to sustain!
Do you recollect the delicious sense of rest with which you have sometimes gone to bed at night, after a day of great exertion and weariness? How delightful was the sensation of relaxing every muscle and letting your body go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort! The strain of the day had ceased, for a few hours at least, and the work of the day had been laid off. You no longer had to hold up an aching head or a weary back. You trusted yourself to the bed in an absolute confidence, and it held you up, without effort, or strain, or even thought, on your part. You rested!
But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you and landing you on the floor; could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?
Let this analogy teach you what it means to rest in the Lord. Let your souls lie down upon the couch of His sweet will, as your bodies lie down in their beds at night. Relax every strain, and lay off every burden. Let yourself go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe. Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustain you; and He cannot fail.
- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life
But suppose you had doubted the strength or the stability of your bed and had dreaded each moment to find it giving way beneath you and landing you on the floor; could you have rested then? Would not every muscle have been strained in a fruitless effort to hold yourself up, and would not the weariness have been greater than if you had not gone to bed at all?
Let this analogy teach you what it means to rest in the Lord. Let your souls lie down upon the couch of His sweet will, as your bodies lie down in their beds at night. Relax every strain, and lay off every burden. Let yourself go in a perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that, since He holds you up, you are perfectly safe. Your part is simply to rest. His part is to sustain you; and He cannot fail.
- Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911)
The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Joy Of His Face
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted." - Psalm 89:14-16
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father's delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth - the atmosphere of joy.
- Bill Johnson, Face to Face with God
Our joy is a direct result of being before the face of God. A countenance filled with joy is the reflection of the Father's delight in us. Those who live before the face of God know the sound of joy, for the sound of joy is the actual sound of heaven. There is no darkness in heaven, not even a shadow, because the light of His face is everywhere. In the same way, there is no discouragement or depression in heaven, because the sound of joy radiates from the face of God. Praying for the kingdom of God to come now "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) is in essence a prayer for the atmosphere of heaven to permeate Earth - the atmosphere of joy.
- Bill Johnson, Face to Face with God
Monday, January 31, 2011
WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE
WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE
"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26
If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.
Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).
Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
"They laid hold upon one Simon . . . and on him they laid the cross." Luke 23:26
If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people's plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it - "You call this Christianity?" We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.
Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say - I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).
Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say - I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.
Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
O Holy Night
The Amazing Story of 'O Holy Night'
By Ace Collins
Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by U.S. abolitionists, the song continues to inspire.
The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.
In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.
In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.
Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.
The son of a well-known classical musician, Adam had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.
As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve
Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adam was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.
Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.
Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."
After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.
In 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.
Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle--hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work--requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as much as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery as tell the story of the birth of a Savior--has become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created.
Reprinted from "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas" for educational purposes only, from Zondervan.
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
By Ace Collins
Declared 'unfit for church services' in France and later embraced by U.S. abolitionists, the song continues to inspire.
The strange and fascinating story of "O Holy Night" began in France, yet eventually made its way around the world. This seemingly simple song, inspired by a request from a clergyman, would not only become one of the most beloved anthems of all time, it would mark a technological revolution that would forever change the way people were introduced to music.
In 1847, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure was the commissionaire of wines in a small French town. Known more for his poetry than his church attendance, it probably shocked Placide when his parish priest asked the commissionaire to pen a poem for Christmas mass. Nevertheless, the poet was honored to share his talents with the church.
In a dusty coach traveling down a bumpy road to France's capital city, Placide Cappeau considered the priest's request. Using the gospel of Luke as his guide, Cappeau imagined witnessing the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thoughts of being present on the blessed night inspired him. By the time he arrived in Paris, "Cantique de Noel" had been completed.
Moved by his own work, Cappeau decided that his "Cantique de Noel" was not just a poem, but a song in need of a master musician's hand. Not musically inclined himself, the poet turned to one of his friends, Adolphe-Charles Adam, for help.
The son of a well-known classical musician, Adam had studied in the Paris conservatoire. His talent and fame brought requests to write works for orchestras and ballets all over the world. Yet the lyrics that his friend Cappeau gave him must have challenged the composer in a fashion unlike anything he received from London, Berlin, or St. Petersburg.
As a man of Jewish ancestry, for Adam the words of "Cantique de Noel" represented a day he didn't celebrate and a man he did not view as the son of God. Nevertheless, Adam quickly went to work, attempting to marry an original score to Cappeau's beautiful words. The finished work of Adam pleased both poet and priest. The song was performed just three weeks later at a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve
Initially, "Cantique de Noel" was wholeheartedly accepted by the church in France and the song quickly found its way into various Catholic Christmas services. But when Placide Cappeau walked away from the church and became a part of the socialist movement, and church leaders discovered that Adam was a Jew, the song--which had quickly grown to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs in France--was suddenly and uniformly denounced by the church. The heads of the French Catholic church of the time deemed "Cantique de Noel" as unfit for church services because of its lack of musical taste and "total absence of the spirit of religion." Yet even as the church tried to bury the Christmas song, the French people continued to sing it, and a decade later a reclusive American writer brought it to a whole new audience halfway around the world.
Not only did this American writer--John Sullivan Dwight--feel that this wonderful Christmas song needed to be introduced to America, he saw something else in the song that moved him beyond the story of the birth of Christ. An ardent abolitionist, Dwight strongly identified with the lines of the third verse: "Truly he taught us to love one another; his law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease." The text supported Dwight's own view of slavery in the South. Published in his magazine, Dwight's English translation of "O Holy Night" quickly found favor in America, especially in the North during the Civil War.
Back in France, even though the song had been banned from the church for almost two decades, many commoners still sang "Cantique de Noel" at home. Legend has it that on Christmas Eve 1871, in the midst of fierce fighting between the armies of Germany and France, during the Franco-Prussian War, a French soldier suddenly jumped out of his muddy trench. Both sides stared at the seemingly crazed man. Boldly standing with no weapon in his hand or at his side, he lifted his eyes to the heavens and sang, "Minuit, Chretiens, c'est l'heure solennelle ou L'Homme Dieu descendit jusqu'a nous," the beginning of "Cantique de Noel."
After completing all three verses, a German infantryman climbed out his hiding place and answered with, "Vom Himmel noch, da komm' ich her. Ich bring' euch gute neue Mar, Der guten Mar bring' ich so viel, Davon ich sing'n und sagen will," the beginning of Martin Luther's robust "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come."
The story goes that the fighting stopped for the next twenty-four hours while the men on both sides observed a temporary peace in honor of Christmas day. Perhaps this story had a part in the French church once again embracing "Cantique de Noel" in holiday services.
In 1906, Reginald Fessenden--a 33-year-old university professor and former chief chemist for Thomas Edison--did something long thought impossible. Using a new type of generator, Fessenden spoke into a microphone and, for the first time in history, a man's voice was broadcast over the airwaves: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," he began in a clear, strong voice, hoping he was reaching across the distances he supposed he would.
Shocked radio operators on ships and astonished wireless owners at newspapers sat slack-jawed as their normal, coded impulses, heard over tiny speakers, were interrupted by a professor reading from the gospel of Luke. To the few who caught this broadcast, it must have seemed like a miracle--hearing a voice somehow transmitted to those far away. Some might have believed they were hearing the voice of an angel.
Fessenden was probably unaware of the sensation he was causing on ships and in offices; he couldn't have known that men and women were rushing to their wireless units to catch this Christmas Eve miracle. After finishing his recitation of the birth of Christ, Fessenden picked up his violin and played "O Holy Night," the first song ever sent through the air via radio waves. When the carol ended, so did the broadcast--but not before music had found a new medium that would take it around the world.
Since that first rendition at a small Christmas mass in 1847, "O Holy Night" has been sung millions of times in churches in every corner of the world. And since the moment a handful of people first heard it played over the radio, the carol has gone on to become one of the entertainment industry's most recorded and played spiritual songs. This incredible work--requested by a forgotten parish priest, written by a poet who would later split from the church, given soaring music by a Jewish composer, and brought to Americans to serve as much as a tool to spotlight the sinful nature of slavery as tell the story of the birth of a Savior--has become one of the most beautiful, inspired pieces of music ever created.
Reprinted from "Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas" for educational purposes only, from Zondervan.
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
Peace on earth
The reality is that there will never be peace in the world until there's peace within nations. And there will never be peace in our nation until there's peace in our communities. There won't be peace in our communities until there's peace in our families. And there won't be peace in our families until there's peace in our individual lives. That won't happen until the Prince of Peace reigns in our hearts. Jesus came at Christmas to bring to us three kinds of peace:
Peace with God
The peace of God
Peace with others
"A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!" - Luke 2:11
- Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
Peace with God
The peace of God
Peace with others
"A savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!" - Luke 2:11
- Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I was hungry and you fed me
Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)
34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
I interpret this to mean that when we do this, we are literally serving Jesus! Amazing how He is seen in those in need, and in us, serving them! He is just all over this kind of thing!
The awesome Heartgroup that we are so privileged to be a part of recently prepared and served the evening meal at our local homeless shelter. What an amazing experience - to be serving alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing our time, our food and our hearts. God was there, in the midst.
We are so blessed when we recognize just how much He loves, not only us, but EVERY single human being that He created, on this planet. That includes EVERYONE!! Oh the value He places on His creation. Of course He wants us to love and serve the very people He created! When we value the homeless as human beings and not just outcasts, they feel God valuing them! When they understand how special they are to God, this gives them hope for a new future.
Wow, the healing power of His love is AMAZING!!
34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
I interpret this to mean that when we do this, we are literally serving Jesus! Amazing how He is seen in those in need, and in us, serving them! He is just all over this kind of thing!
The awesome Heartgroup that we are so privileged to be a part of recently prepared and served the evening meal at our local homeless shelter. What an amazing experience - to be serving alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing our time, our food and our hearts. God was there, in the midst.
We are so blessed when we recognize just how much He loves, not only us, but EVERY single human being that He created, on this planet. That includes EVERYONE!! Oh the value He places on His creation. Of course He wants us to love and serve the very people He created! When we value the homeless as human beings and not just outcasts, they feel God valuing them! When they understand how special they are to God, this gives them hope for a new future.
Wow, the healing power of His love is AMAZING!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Connecting With People
Connecting with People
by Pastor Rob Campbell
Human groupings can be divided three ways: common kinship, common community, and common interest. In the New Testament, the word for these groupings is oikos (see Acts 5:42; 20:20). An oikos is a social system composed of those connected to each other through common ties and tasks.
Reaching people for Christ and enriching the lives of others are best accomplished through one's oikos. How do you connect with these people? Let me give you four principles that you should find helpful.
First, value people. "You cannot make another person feel worthwhile if you secretly feel that the person is a nobody." My friends, anytime you devalue someone, you question God's creation. Each creation of God is highly valued by God--- let us mirror this value to others.
Second, look for common ground. God gave you and me two ears and one mouth for a reason. Simply put, stop jabbering and listen. Consider the following 101% Principle: Find the 1% you agree with and give it 100% of your effort. You cannot find the 1% if you do not employ the power of listening.
Next, seek first to understand and then to be understood. As believers, we are quick to give "answers" without first understanding the heart of the question. Nobody likes a know it all--- so stop trying to impress! Relax, take a deep breath and rid yourself of the expectation to answer all the questions. Begin with understanding and discovering the gifts and abilities of people. Applaud and affirm them--- who doesn't need a lifelong cheerleader?
Finally, to handle yourself...use your head...to handle others...use your heart. Consider the following:
Whose Point of View?
When the other fellow takes a long time, he's slow.
When I take a long time, I'm thorough. When the other fellow doesn't do it, he's lazy.
But when I don't do it, I'm busy.
When the other fellow does something without being told, he's overstepping his bounds.
But when I do it, that's initiative.
When the other fellow overlooks a rule of etiquette, he's rude.
But when I skip a few rules, I'm original. When the other fellow pleases the boss, he's an apple polisher.
But when I please the boss, that's cooperation.
When the other fellow gets ahead, he's getting the breaks.
But when I manage to get ahead, that's just the reward of hard work.
Relational Christianity is all about connecting with people. Pray to God for the wisdom and ability to build His kingdom by employing these principles in reaching your oikos.
by Pastor Rob Campbell
Human groupings can be divided three ways: common kinship, common community, and common interest. In the New Testament, the word for these groupings is oikos (see Acts 5:42; 20:20). An oikos is a social system composed of those connected to each other through common ties and tasks.
Reaching people for Christ and enriching the lives of others are best accomplished through one's oikos. How do you connect with these people? Let me give you four principles that you should find helpful.
First, value people. "You cannot make another person feel worthwhile if you secretly feel that the person is a nobody." My friends, anytime you devalue someone, you question God's creation. Each creation of God is highly valued by God--- let us mirror this value to others.
Second, look for common ground. God gave you and me two ears and one mouth for a reason. Simply put, stop jabbering and listen. Consider the following 101% Principle: Find the 1% you agree with and give it 100% of your effort. You cannot find the 1% if you do not employ the power of listening.
Next, seek first to understand and then to be understood. As believers, we are quick to give "answers" without first understanding the heart of the question. Nobody likes a know it all--- so stop trying to impress! Relax, take a deep breath and rid yourself of the expectation to answer all the questions. Begin with understanding and discovering the gifts and abilities of people. Applaud and affirm them--- who doesn't need a lifelong cheerleader?
Finally, to handle yourself...use your head...to handle others...use your heart. Consider the following:
Whose Point of View?
When the other fellow takes a long time, he's slow.
When I take a long time, I'm thorough. When the other fellow doesn't do it, he's lazy.
But when I don't do it, I'm busy.
When the other fellow does something without being told, he's overstepping his bounds.
But when I do it, that's initiative.
When the other fellow overlooks a rule of etiquette, he's rude.
But when I skip a few rules, I'm original. When the other fellow pleases the boss, he's an apple polisher.
But when I please the boss, that's cooperation.
When the other fellow gets ahead, he's getting the breaks.
But when I manage to get ahead, that's just the reward of hard work.
Relational Christianity is all about connecting with people. Pray to God for the wisdom and ability to build His kingdom by employing these principles in reaching your oikos.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Repentance is a gift!
" This process of perceiving and coming into agreement with God's perspective is called repentance. Most of us usually associate this word with being sorry for our sin, and this is appropriate. Scripture tells us that godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). But being sorry is not repenting. We repent when our sorrow over sin leads us to the place where we receive power from God to change the way we think. We may all be able to change what we think about, but only God can give us a new perspective on reality. In particular, only God can build a paradigm in our thinking in which we live for and from a relationship with Him instead of going through religious motions and being content simply to know about Him.
This is why Jesus began His ministry with the declaration, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2). Christ came to Earth as the culmination and explicit revelation of God's pursuit of mankind. But without receiving the gift of repentance, the very people He preached to, healed, and died for remained blind to this revelation. Through His very declaration He made the gift of repentance available to all who would listen. This is the nature of all of God's commands. He spoke the universe into existence, and when He speaks to us, grace is released in the same way to enable us to accomplish what He has said. Our job is to appropriate that grace through trusting what He has said and stepping out in radical obedience to it."
Bill Johnson - "Face To Face With God"
This is why Jesus began His ministry with the declaration, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2). Christ came to Earth as the culmination and explicit revelation of God's pursuit of mankind. But without receiving the gift of repentance, the very people He preached to, healed, and died for remained blind to this revelation. Through His very declaration He made the gift of repentance available to all who would listen. This is the nature of all of God's commands. He spoke the universe into existence, and when He speaks to us, grace is released in the same way to enable us to accomplish what He has said. Our job is to appropriate that grace through trusting what He has said and stepping out in radical obedience to it."
Bill Johnson - "Face To Face With God"
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Before they call, I will answer
This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa.
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..
'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles.
They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be?
I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'
'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.
Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..
'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles.
They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'
While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'
As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.
Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.
Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be?
I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried.
I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.
Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'
Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'
'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.
And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'
'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Jesus' prayer for us!
John 17 (The Message)
Jesus' Prayer for His Followers
1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it's time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.
6-12I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world;
They'll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
13-19Now I'm returning to you.
I'm saying these things in the world's hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn't join the world's ways,
Just as I didn't join the world's ways.
I'm not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I'm consecrating myself for their sakes
So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
20-23I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me.
24-26Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
Jesus' Prayer for His Followers
1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it's time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.
6-12I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I'm not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I'm no longer going to be visible in the world;
They'll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a night watch.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
13-19Now I'm returning to you.
I'm saying these things in the world's hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn't join the world's ways,
Just as I didn't join the world's ways.
I'm not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I'm consecrating myself for their sakes
So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
20-23I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me.
24-26Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Humble yourself before God
Humble yourself before your God.
We often talk about whether we can trust God, but our concluding question is, Can God trust us? Can He trust us with power, insight, and influence as He did Daniel? Or will our pride get in the way?
C.S. Lewis wrote, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty of themselves ...it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."
We can't ignore it; we have to deal with it. Our minds are pre-set on pride.
Daniel 10:12
"Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."
Daniel "set his mind...to humble himself before his God." Every day, Beloved, we've got to wake up, drop to our knees, and push the reset button on our pride-prone minds and program them for humility. God wants to trust us. Can He?
- Beth Moore, Daniel
We often talk about whether we can trust God, but our concluding question is, Can God trust us? Can He trust us with power, insight, and influence as He did Daniel? Or will our pride get in the way?
C.S. Lewis wrote, "There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine they are guilty of themselves ...it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."
We can't ignore it; we have to deal with it. Our minds are pre-set on pride.
Daniel 10:12
"Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."
Daniel "set his mind...to humble himself before his God." Every day, Beloved, we've got to wake up, drop to our knees, and push the reset button on our pride-prone minds and program them for humility. God wants to trust us. Can He?
- Beth Moore, Daniel
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Life by the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-26
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
We all have evil desires, and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life. The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ's control - we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to his.
John 15
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."
We must know him, love him, remember him, and imitate him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law - to love God and our neighbors. In order to accept Christ as Savior, we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God's control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them.
Galations 6:14
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
- commentary from NIV Life Application Study Bible
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
We all have evil desires, and we can't ignore them. In order for us to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance, we must deal with them decisively (crucify them). These desires include obvious sins such as sexual immorality and witchcraft. They also include less obvious sins such as selfish ambition, hatred and jealousy. Those who ignore such sins or refuse to deal with them reveal that they have not received the gift of the Spirit that leads to a transformed life. The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ's control - we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to his.
John 15
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."
We must know him, love him, remember him, and imitate him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law - to love God and our neighbors. In order to accept Christ as Savior, we need to turn from our sins and willingly nail our sinful nature to the cross. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never see traces of its evil desires again. As Christians we still have the capacity to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us and no longer have to give in to it. We must daily commit our sinful tendencies to God's control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the Spirit's power to overcome them.
Galations 6:14
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
- commentary from NIV Life Application Study Bible
Friday, July 30, 2010
We're getting in on the best!
Here is a good shot of hope for us, who are in the world but not of the world.......
2 Corinthians 4:7 (The Message)
"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!"
2 Corinthians 4:7 (The Message)
"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!"
Friday, July 23, 2010
Who are you delighted to see?
Wise words from a wise man......Bobby Arnold:
I'd challenge anyone to spend time star gazing and not come away with a greater awe of and trust in God. He simply lays a bit of Himself out before you.
It is like living the below scripture:
Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
ponder this... who are you delighted to see? who makes you smile, or enjoy the moment a bit more. Likely someone with whom you're very familiar. therefore, the more we know about God, stands to reason the more we'll delight in Him.
and therein lies the call to Christians. the more we delight in Him, the more others will see Him in us. suddenly, every victory or defeat becomes an opportunity for His glory to shine in our daily lives.
makes sense, then, that we constantly and consistently immerse ourselves in opportunities to become more familiar with God. some combination of things: star gazing, reading bible, service, prayer, gathering together, etc...
without a doubt such Delight will change us from the inside out, influencing the very desires of our heart.
I'd challenge anyone to spend time star gazing and not come away with a greater awe of and trust in God. He simply lays a bit of Himself out before you.
It is like living the below scripture:
Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
ponder this... who are you delighted to see? who makes you smile, or enjoy the moment a bit more. Likely someone with whom you're very familiar. therefore, the more we know about God, stands to reason the more we'll delight in Him.
and therein lies the call to Christians. the more we delight in Him, the more others will see Him in us. suddenly, every victory or defeat becomes an opportunity for His glory to shine in our daily lives.
makes sense, then, that we constantly and consistently immerse ourselves in opportunities to become more familiar with God. some combination of things: star gazing, reading bible, service, prayer, gathering together, etc...
without a doubt such Delight will change us from the inside out, influencing the very desires of our heart.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb has come.............WOW!!
Revelation 19
The Sound of Hallelujahs
1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.
4The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!
5From the Throne came a shout, a command:
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!
6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.
9The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"
10I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11-16Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
17-18I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"
19-21I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
The Sound of Hallelujahs
1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.
4The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!
5From the Throne came a shout, a command:
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!
6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.
9The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"
10I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11-16Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
17-18I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"
19-21I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
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