Friday, June 28, 2013

TRUST



A.      Not on man
Jeremiah 17:5
“Thus says the LORD, The man is cursed who trust in man and makes flesh his arm and whose heart departs from the LORD”
B.      Not on yourself but in God
Psalm 31:1
“In You Lord do I put my trust …”
C.      Not on your own knowledge and riches
Jeremiah 9:22 -23
“This says the Lord, Do not let the wise man boast in his wisdom! Do not let the mighty man boast in his might! Do not let the rich man boast in his riches! But the one who boasts will boast in this that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, judgment and acts of loving kindness in the earth for in these things I delight says the Lord”
D.      Not our natural abilities and beauty
For they are God’s gift. Beauty and Stature quickly fade and may be marred by a little illness.
E.       Not of your good acts
Job 9:20
“Though I am just my own mouth will condemn me; if I were to be perfect, it will also prove me devious“

The humble enjoy continual peace, but in the heart of the proud is envy and frequent indignation. If there be any good in you, believe there is more in others.

The Return of Prodigal Son

On Gratitude, from the pages of The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M.Nouwen








Monday, June 17, 2013

True Humility


Begins with self-knowledge


 
How does one gather self knowledge?


By endeavoring to know God first. Then we shall see that it is He that gave us life, preserves us and gave us grace to seek Him, know Him and pursue humility. Then we shall see that He is great and we need Him in all. Then we will know that we are low and He is high. Then we will know that we are sinners and He is perfection. Then we will know that we are (and we will!) to accept His gifts of forgiveness and all His enablement to do anything. Then we will not dwell in our sins and be wrought in our thoughts of how guilty we are – this is focusing on self. It is false humility. If we see ourselves low and He is great – then yes we will take his enablement (help). We know we cannot do it on our own. Start with knowing Him then we will know what we are and where we stand. Then when we take His help, we know we can do great things because it is He who does it.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Followers not Admirers



Let us be followers of Yeshua not just admirers. Many are admirers that think they are followers. The true test will be: Will I stay the course if disappointed? Will I dare confess Christ when others laugh at my claiming that I am Christian?


The follower has to follow the Way. What is the Way? The life of Jesus. Following it from start to finish- it is a state of being and not just knowledge. It is different from knowing eg. “X” did 20 years of research and discovered a medicine that lowers cholesterol levels if taken for 3 months. He writes down the formula. “Y” improves that formula and makes a more effective medicine which lowers cholesterol levels immediately. “Y” built from the formula that “X” discovered “Y” did not have to go through the 20 years of research. He built from “X’s” formula. With Christ His life is the Way. He is the Way. We do not “build” from it. We follow it from day one – His state of being man, in His humiliation right to His crucifixion and to His exaltation. He is the Way.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Some Thoughts




For we are saved by faith.

So Christ in His love for us comes as man but is God-man. He comes as a contradiction (making us decide by faith. He comes as God incognito (How painful perhaps to be something (God) but having to be incognito (as man) ) He came offending. He lowly carpenter man saying He is God. He came with miracles evidencing He is God. Both Offence and miracles drawing attention to Himself and saying “you decide by faith”. Would He have been able to bring forth faith had He been like other pagan gods, directly communicating to us, creating no offence (making nice), directly being recognizable? In our quest for evidence after evidence, doctrine after doctrine to neatly explain Christianity, in our quest to ‘make nice’ Christianity (universally acceptable to all- not creating offence) – we make our Yeshua a pagan idol. No mystery, no offence no in cognition (as He intended) – no need for faith. Can we be saved then? 

He demands faith, He demands that He be the object of faith. This means a relationship with Him. This means staying the course in spite of mystery. Let Him continue to offend and Let there be unexplainables that there may be faith. It remains the same for troubles. Having stayed faithful and yet trouble comes and it is all silent from Him. Mystery of mystery , faith must exist and He must become that object of faith for us to be called just. (For the just shall live by faith). There must arise situations for faith to be exercised, for the just to live by. To live daily, hourly, in every minute and second by faith.