Time.......time..eternity

I think I will make this my reading page. So much of the world is changing and so fast.......

My title is from a Thoreau quote: “You cannot waste time without injuring eternity.”

Im trying to figure out just what is happening. Like the new Mary Poppins movie, everything is upside down and it’s ok. Well, it’s not okay. Not with me. Looking for Truth is increasingly difficult, old paths are being assaulted and kicked over, we are being told to not trust them. The problem is, people that look for the old path, don’t go down far enough. They start lots of time with faulty “ church fathers” who used religion for control of the populace or finance of their lifestyle,  been burned and agree with the technocrat. 

Been reading Yuval Noah Harati, listened to his talks from Ted, Davos and You Tube. Interesting person, but only is aware of a bloodless God. No wonder it is all nonsense to him. IF you have a bloodless God, well then, you are justified in his premises.  God warned about such faithless people. It made me realize the importance of Ambassadors. However,  at this point it might take a Road to Damascus appointment for  Yuval. 

It’s a sad indictment of those who are supposed to know their God and do exploits. I can only pray that God hasn’t given up looking to and fro throughout the earth to see if there is anyone who is faithful, who He can still use to shout the truth about God. Bonhoeffer said Hope is the last temptation. We are almost there. 

When I see and hear Klaus Schwab and his elite followings, I am afraid the stage is well set for the anti-Christ’s appearance. After all, let’s get rid of all carbon-including humans. Let’s start with the useless, and the deplorable. We are not with souls, Yuval declares, that is made up by some human to justify our desires for food, sex and power. So having the soul is the carrot of our life to motivate us to desire rule. 

They say the Technocrat is interested in Eternal Life. Yuval declared we don’t need a god in the cloud, we have our own cloud. He goes on to say, God is dead, we just don’t know how to get rid of the body. 

Well, let’s not let them get rid of the Body. Revive us again, oh,  Lord. And then, come quickly! We can’t wait until You return for the martyrs under the altar cry, How long, oh, Lord?

Maranatha.

Joshua's Grasshoppers

     People wish that God would let them alone and not frighten them with threats of judgement. The same goes for the believer in God; Jesus Christ, the Son of God; although, weak in heart, be left to oenjoy this symbolic Egypt we are in and not be disturbed by solemn warnings. But God loves the one and the other too well to indulge tthem in this. 

     Privilege must be balanced by responsibility and responsibility not take must involve penalty. 

     Grace can be abused to the dishonor of God and the injury of people; and therefore grace itself imposes penalties upon the abuse itself. Thus, everything is of grace, including wrath. Because God is love, He warns and chastises very severely when necessary, if only so can the ends of love be served. 

                                       GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE, AMERICA. 

 

     Now, the call is for National Repentance, mercy to maintain a voice, courage to speak Truth. Truth over comfort. Truth until there is silence. Then, the rocks will cry out. 

     Courage my friend, courage to not think of the fact that we are grasshoppers in the eyes of evil, but God will have His way. God will have His day. The Day of the Lord is at hand. Get behind the bulwark of Truth. 

     "When the spirit of the ruler rises against you, leave not thy place, for yielding pacifies great offenses." Ecclesiates 10:4, Eph. 6:12, John 16:11  There is a spirit behind all the confusion, lies, deceptions, gaslighting, ungodliness, lawlessness, etc......... 

     .....and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.'''' Numbers 13:33 

     So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in the wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. But, Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land, If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. " 

     And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?"  I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.  Numbers 14:1-12

     Being a grasshopper means nothing because God is our Defense, which army will you join.? What do you choose to believe? 

Maranatha!!

The Patmos Visions by Philip Mauro

The Study of the Apocalypse. WOW. Actually, its a commentary of the Book of Revelations. The Book of Revelations, otherwise known as The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

I never used to worry myself too much about this book, as its symbolism and somewhat sci-fi appearance baffled me. I figured whatever it said, it was going to happen whether I read it or not, and that what it contained, really didn't change how I lived here and now, as it was mostly about things that would happen long after I was gone and accountibility was set in stone.

The only thing that ever really bothered me was that it said there was a special blessing to those who read it. Revelations Chapter One verse 3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Well, there it is, already the third verse in.

Recently I had an hour or two with a really special friend and I began my discourse about what I was reading. She said to me, "I will be just happy making it through the gate."" Well, if friend, you are reading this, you know who you are, and I mean no harm in not quoting you verbatim. This has been the reaction to most of my colleagues and family when I try to discuss anything beyond the ABC's of what it means to be a christian. And, actually, for a very long time, I was quite content that I had all my ducks in a row, and I would be ready for whatever prophecy decided to fulfill itself on my watch.

Recently, however, I feel I need more. I need feet on my statue of what I believe, because it is walking about, and sometimes stands in the way of other's paths. I have this visual, because somewhere in scripture it says, "after you have done all, STAND." Actually, its Ephesians 6:13, ..."take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to Stand..." and actually, you should look this up and read until verse 18.

Well, its the " having done all" that I consider the feet part. Lately, I have been learning that I have been standing with a fist, and not necessarily have done all. The done all is in the verses 14-18. I want to discuss some things in this wonderful commentary (now out of print).

My recent defenses of Eugene Peterson, Rob Bell and Glenn Beck have made me dig deeper into what I believe. This de-bunking without personal investigation just makes me crazy. How do YOU know that what you have been taught all your life, is really TRUTH?

I see people, myself included, who will knock themselves out in time and money and energy and brain power for things that will not matter in the long run, but are "happy just to get into the gate". REALLY? But we have ourselves convinced that we are sold out. REALLY? Go ahead, ask God what He thinks about your "sold out" assumption of yourself. It's not very good, I'd be willing to bet.

I had a friend tell me that I hate God. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That was proposterous. I had a pretty high opinion of where I stood with the God-thing. Smugly, as I was discussing it with Him, something like: "Can you believe she said that? I don't hate You, do I......" (not even a question)......but listening.......yes, I do that from time to time......listening......I heard in my spirit, "I am not gonna baby you."

Well, that reeled me about. "Seriously? Seriously. " He drew out the two-edged sword, rightly dividing .....the Truth. I cannot tell you how shocked I was at my deceitful heart, "who can know it?"

Thus, my new understanding of my clenched fist. I know it all already. I got Truth. As soon as someone challenges what I say/believe/act, I put my fingers in my ears. NOOOOOOO. Don't do it. That's what the Pharisees did. They told Jesus how it was, and they didn't even recognize Him when He stood in front of them.......

Seriously? Seriously. You do not know yourself. I clothed myself in righteousness. It happens when you grow up "knowing the Truth". I say, I get Rob Bell. I get him saying, "I knew/know it all", and I am finding out, I need to make it my own. I cannot play "dress up Church", you might be the one who shows up at the Wedding dressed wrong....

I will end this post with this quote from The Patmos Visions:

Christ stands ready to supply these things of priceless worth to all who are willing to "buy". He is saying, as in Isaiah 55:1, "Come ye, and he that hath no money; come ye,....buy without money, and without price".  Yet the word "buy" is used advisedly, for we are to "buy the truth;...also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding" (Proverbs 23:23).

Every bit of God's truth that is really ours, every bit of heavenly wisdom, instruction, and understanding that is ours, has cost us something; and if we are not willing to make some sacrifice of time, inclination, effort, to forego some indulgence, or some opportunity for earthyly gain or enjoyment, in order to enrich ourselves with heavenly treasure, then we have not yet learned the difference in value between tinsel and gold, between colored beads of glass and gems of the deepest mine.

I hope I just made your thirsty.

 

Are You the One?

 

or should I look for another?.......thus, John the Baptist in prison.

Eugene Peterson has done it again. I found his book, "Tell it Slant". WOW. The first half of the book is commentary on the book of Luke. The second half is on Jesus' Prayers.

I so love the way this guy thinks and writes. He can't write enough for me, and I would so love to have coffee with him and chat. I could start quoting, but I would have to quote the whole book, don't you see? I don't think he is difficult to read, you really should explore this for your studying God's word. He is a master at story telling and getting the Word in today's language without robbing it of it's meaning. I will say that one sentence in the BIble can mean many things to many people. God seems to write in facets. There are several angles that sparkle at one time. 

So many times when God doesn't look like God to me, I find myself in John's shoes saying, "Are you the One?", which really means, maybe I need to go find myself a different God, one that thinks like I do, or will carry out my wishes unabated, or will at the very least, explain Himself, so I can accept what's happening.......

John found himself in a predicament where he felt very "unprotected" (and with good reason), and it didn't coincide with a Messiah who he ushered in that was supposed to change the way the world was as John knew it.......Remember, John leaped in his mother's womb when he heard the name of Jesus..........why am I surprised that I still question if I am serving the right God?

Elijah was found lamenting that he was the only one left serving God....and God had to rebuke him and tell him he had lots of "hidden" followers. How many times have you felt alone in your wrestle with God? How many times have you looked for someone to have these talks with? 

The only time I find myself saying, "Are you the One?" is when He doesn't look like who I think He is....this is the time to question whether I am believing the right things about Him, not whether He is the One....I am the one who needs changing, not Him...... I need changing because of my sinful nature, my prejudices, my corrupt concepts of love, my relationships with other people whom I compare with my relationship to God. 

I continue to pursue. I continue to think and watch and question. And mostly, I continue to listen. Listen for Him in all the contradictory ways He breaks in. I must not sail along assuming I got it right. After all of that, John even questioned, "Should we look for another.......?"

I leave you with one rich quote:

Page 202

"Hidden kingdom energies surge just beneath the surface all around us. Huge subterranean rivers of prayer----faith and obedience and praise, intercession and forgiveness and deliverance, holiness and grace----flow freely underground. And in virtually every nook and cranny on earth, obscure in the shadows, overlooked in the crowds, are the "infants". These are the "babes and infants" that God has always used as a bulwark to "still the enemy and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2) (You have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them to infants)

I loved the subterranean rivers of prayer. I think about how we haven't a clue about the importance of prayer. The muslims do. I wonder how much power is behind their heathen prayers. I suspect there still is. Oh, not for our side. But I see a struggle going on in the spiritual plane----just as the angel told Daniel, that he was bringing the answer to his prayer, but had to fight his way through, and was delayed several days because of the conflict.........

I don't do it enough myself, but I surely believe in its power to overcome and change evil to good. It wouldn't have mattered so much in the Garden of Gethsamane if it didn't matter at all. We would think that was a done deal, evidently, Jesus could have been talked out of it if He hadn't prayed it through........

don't know. just thinking..........

Putting One's Eye Out

 

I've been reading a novel written about the life of Elijah. I love Elijah because of the showdown with Jezebel. There are parts of the story totally perplexing to me, but since I have never had the power God gave Elijah, I will never understand his struggles, either. However, there are some things I would like to discuss.

The time of Elijah was not a pretty picture in the life of the Israelites. The tribe of Jabesh-Gilead (Benjamin) had defected and were approached by an enemy tribe and out of fear, asked if they could make a covenant with Nahash, the Ammonites. Nahash agreed, but just one small thing was required of Jabesh........that all the men have their right eye poked out..........oh, is that all? "Give us seven days to think about it", the elders of Jabesh-Gilead said.......1 Samuel 11.

The thing about reading the Old Testament is the absurdity of a lot of lives and their choices. It's easy, I suppose, to judge them for three reasons----we know the WHOLE picture and.........the outcome.........and, we will never face the same issue they did......or......will......we?

First of all, we might argue, since we know the Truth, and have established a relationship with God, that we would never "defect"........second of all, who would give up their right eye to join forces that were against GOD? The real, true, only GOD....it's absurd, see?

The thing is, what good is the Old Testament stories, if they don't apply to us? They MUST have something in common with us....so, I looked for what it was.......

If, obedience begets revelation, then disobedience begets blindness......think of Sampson......

My Cruden's concordance describes "eye" with two meanings in the Bible. One is the literal meaning, the other, is figuratively, meaning: discernment, judgement, that by which the mind apprehends. 

Ephesians 1:18 refers to it as the "eye of your understanding". Matt. 6:22-23 refers to the eye as the "lamp of the body". 2 Peter 1:9 "he that lacketh these things is blind".

"Except you are born again, you cannot SEE the Kingdom of God." Oh. That is another whole subject. Mostly people think this refers to the next life. I think we should be seeing the Kingdom of God here and now. I think it takes special "sight"---eyes of understanding......

There is a Kingdom of God happening now, here. It's the Director behind the curtain as you are living the play.....all is not how it seems. If you chose to live for Him, you gain your sight. Paul said he was sent by God to "open men's eyes". Acts 26:18. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. That's watching the Kingdom of God happening. 

When our focus is off God's direction, our right eye loses its sight. It is the enemy's triumph to pluck out our eye. Jesus came to give "sight" to the blind. It is all over in the Old Testament, it is all over in the New Testament. "Their eyes were opened and they knew Him"---a perfect example of one minute you see Him "actual"--they saw a man, they just didn't know it was Jesus. When He opened their eyes, the saw "reality" "real" that He was Jesus, the Son of God. Isaiah 35:5, "the eyes of the blind shall be opened". Were they literally blind before hand? Oh, some were, but they got double sight when He healed them. But our healing is truly learning "actual" from "real".

We remain with some blindness. It is of necessity. "It is the glory of the Lord to conceal......" Not because we don't want to know-----we are just not there, yet. There are things in our life that need to be done first, to get the understanding. We know that we have had to discard things we got from poor eyesight. Jesus even refers to "not judging" because we cannot discern good from evil. We don't yet have the sight. How many of us are Job's friends? Got all the answers. Use caution when God is dealing with your friend. Make sure you have had permission from God to interfere with what He is doing. But make sure you interfere when He says, "GO".

Peter tried to interfere with what God was doing with Jesus. "NO, never." He said to Jesus. "I will not let it happen", Jesus said, "Get behind me......" John the Baptist did not want to baptise Jesus, Jesus had to insist.

We cannot help the blindness we got from birth. The question remains, was this blindness from birth or is it from sin of your own, or your parents? They asked it then, we ask it now. We can give up our gained eyesight. We can even learn to "see" blind. Blind people really do it. They really can't see. But they can manage a good life. They can train themselves and use helps, to "see". Beware of doing this spiritually. Do not believe you can see without God's intervention. His is the Kingdom, His is the revealing of what is "real". The actual will remain in this body until our new life, but we can know the "real" because He said, "I will guide thee with My eye. " Go and see what that means.

Parasites and God.........

 

"No wonder God lifts His servants up at times and shakes them and flings the parasites off".........Oswald Chambers from the book Christian Disciplines Volume One.

I read this this morning and got multiple visuals from it........Oswald was talking about servants of God not taking credit for God's work....."How sick we are over and over again with the vain sentimentalism about the servants of God.", he says. This, referring to our idolizing/idealizing those who stand to represent God's word and heart.........

Jesus knew what was in man, and we should, too. Not be so quick to judge, or be surprised, when we see them picked up by God and shaken......until, that which "we" were clinging to, leaves our hands.....

I do have my favorite "voices for God". It is hard not to give them accolades (sp?).....they have helped me to understand and pointed out truth.....interpreters, as it were.....If someone were to say, who are your favorites? I could name them easily, Jessie Penn-Lewis, Watchmann Nee, Oswald Chambers.........

Like we do with Bible characters, we skim over their faults and magnify their strengths----and not necessarily evil, but, if we only emphasize their greatness, we do a disservice to ourselves and to others.....for, they become "not real", and we wonder what is wrong with us?

I like a comrade who admits they struggle with God from time to time....who admits they have days of doubt and fear and that sometimes the world just seems to overwhelming for them.......

I cannot take a diet of Joel Olsteen.......it doesn't prepare me for real life.....the incomplete, the dirty, the messy, the fleeting, the silence, the parts of my faith that don't look like faith at all.......

Oswald goes on to ask: "What kind of bosom companion would Abraham have made? or Moses, or Jeremiah? When men write studies of the servants of God, they are apt to drop out the uncouth and the unlovely, and out of their devotion state only the elements that idealize the servant. But the Bible reveals the blunderings and the sins and the uncouthness of the servants of God, and leaves only one idea dominant---that these were for the glory of God---"wherefore, let no one glory in men".....

there you have it.

After you have turned, strengthen your brethren........ we all need someone to pick us up from time to time, not step on us.......especially those of the household of faith.......

thinking.......

But God Himself Can't Kill Them......

 

Reading this morning.........John 1:1-18 from Barclay........Speaking about, "In the beginning was the Word....." and the significance of calling God "the Word"......

"The spoken word to the Hebrew was fearfully alive....It was a unit of energy charged with power. " For that very reason the Hebrew was sparing of words. Hebrew speech has fewer than 10,000 words. Greek speech has 200, 000.

Will Carleton, the poet, :

"Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds;

You can't do that way when you're flying words:

'Careful with fire,' is good advice we know,

'Careful with words,' is ten times doubly so.

Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead,

But God himself can't kill them when they're said."

********

Oh, this is a lot to ponder today. I will ..........all day........maybe a few days.......

I am a lover of words. Wish I would have gone into some translation type career, working with Wycliff or something like that......More to write about words.....another day.......take care.........be careful little tongue what you say.......

The Blesseds......

 

I have been listening to Rob Bell's podcasts on the Beatitudes. WOW. I truly wish I was close enough to attend their church. As telling the truth, he is a voice much like Oswald Chambers, only in our language today. So many cannot read Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest, or others of his writings because they are "old school" writing. They have re-written "Utmost" for today's language, but I wonder how much is lost.

So far, the only re-writ's I recommend is Eugene Peterson,  The Message Bible. 

I want to write more about this, but I need to listen and take notes. So, I will return with more soon. I just wanted you to know that I plan on writing more often now that my traveling will be over for the winter.

Think about this, what do the Beatitudes have to do with being a soldier and fighting for Truth? See if you can come up with answers, and I will return with my thoughts about it.  Sermon on the Mount Series

Keep fighting and keep telling the Truth. Dodge as many rocks as you can, but always return the serve with healing love........think, Stephen........

No guile......but hampered by prejudice.....

I was reading a book by Barclay titled: The Masters Men and I found this neat quotation concerning Nathaniel......

"a good man, hampered by prejudice, but quite willing to be enlightened."

Jesus said of him: "In whom there is no guile."  That's pretty big stuff. No matter how nice I try to be, there is always some dark thought lingering somewhere in me......I wonder how one escapes to having "no guile." 

Guile is explained in Merriam-Webster pocket dictionary as: deceitful cunning.

Scripture says that our hearts are wicked, full of deceit, who can know it? Maybe that's before our conversion? I still find things in my heart that I did not know were there, that I would not want anyone else to know was there.......

Cunning: wrought with skill. Crafty. Sly, Skill.

So, I am thinking, that I feel that my heart has guile against me, in that, it fools me a lot into thinking things are other than they are-----motive, for instance. I think I may be doing something for one reason, but, it's really a much more selfish reason, disguised in good deeds.

I can agree with the analogy of Nathaniel: "good person,  hampered by prejudice, but quite willing to be enlightened. " All the time, I know that I see through my prejudices. Many of my closest relationships are affected by my poor sight. I get upset by slight intones in voices even when the words are charming. I hear things through my pre-conceived notions, or, prejudices. I am currently trying to overcome that---the problem with it is, that you become too focused on yourself, rather than just simply loving people. You are constantly analyzing conversations, or moods, or eye contact, or failure of eye contact........is it the writer in me? *sigh*

Anyway, this reading this morning moved me to print. Hope you get something from it. Thanks for listening.

How will you compete with horses?

Vista Verde Ranch, Steamboat Springs, Colorado -- Horses running winter snow, originally uploaded by vistaverderanch.

weary today. noticed I looked for food for comfort. maybe its God talk.

"If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? Jeremiah 12:5