In the valley of dry bones, Ezekiel speaks; to the bones and to the wind. His speaking-truth-in-love results in ligaments, muscle, skin and breath. Yes, bone-connecting sinews regather the strewn appendages into a unified whole where muscle mass enables action; skin tightens up hanging pieces for smooth movement. Finally, the Breath of Lives resuscitates the life-force. A living being has returned to us. Paul told the Christians at Ephesus to, “speak the truth in love,” and “grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ,” In Ephesians 4. The whole body, organized compactly, is united by every joint’s contribution, energy from every part, then, in poetic sequence, grows architecturally. Love does this; it’s all done in love. Not mental futility, obscured thought processing, alienated from God through agnostic tendencies, callousness, apathy, and surrender to boundless excesses; we put these off and find renewal in the spirit…
Category: <span>Healing Cross</span>
“And when this life is through; even then, your hand will lead me, your right hand will hold me.” “No more night, no more pain, no more tears, never crying again.” “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” “Wonderful, merciful Savior; Precious Redeemer and Friend … you give the healing and grace, our hearts always hunger for. You rescue the souls of men.” We hunger for it. “Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea, a great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives to plead for me. My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart, I know that while in heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart.” “Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiplied for me, there my burdened soul found liberty, at…
Was Jesus ever sad? Isaiah 42:4 prophetically shows Him unfailing and in-discouraged. In chapter 53, He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He wept more than once prior to His agony — at the grave of his friend and on the overlook of Jerusalem. Perhaps it was vexation which He experienced. I sense a frustration for man’s unbelief. Jesus came unto His own, but His own received Him not. Could we say that the experience of becoming man taught the Savior some hard lessons? He was despised and rejected of men. To what sense, to what rationale do men reject goodness? Is it fear, is it deception, is it a dumb spirit? To what degree do men not comprehend their disease, and so seek healing? To what quirk of psyche do men love darkness rather than light? This last one gives an explanation; “because their deeds were evil.”…
A fervent prayer rose up to heaven, a fragile soul was losing groundSorting through the earthly babble, heaven heard The sound.This was a life of no distinction, no successes, only trysBut gazing down on this unlovely one, there was love… in heaven’s eyes. The orphan child, the wayward father, the homeless traveler in the rain,when life goes by and no one bothers, heaven feels the pain.But looking down, God sees each heartache; He knows each sorrow, and hears each cry,And gazing up, we see compassion’s’ fire, ablaze… In heaven’s eyes In heavens eyes there are no losers, in heavens eyes, there can be no hopeless causeOnly people like you with feelings like me, amazed by the grace we can find,In heaven’s eyes Compassion’s fire is ablaze…in heaven’s eyes. Wow! “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the…
Taiwan Restaurant, Budapest Hungary But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. Job 23:13-14. When God performs His Word, something happens. “He performs the thing appointed for me,” Job exclaimed. He perfects or finishes what concerns me, also; says the writer in Psalm 138:8. “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it;” 1 Thessalonians 5:24. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which He has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. God works His work in man. “It is God which works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure.” What does it mean in Philippians 2:13? The word “energy” is underlying this verse. God produces the…
Can we become someone else? Yes and no. We can change names, thoughts, even chemical identities, yet;Can we discard old DNA, and then find new? The writer of a Psalm says, “My substance (DNA?) was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:15-16. Perhaps a key lies with the words, “Thine eyes.” When God sees, it is in omniscience. His “seeing us” is what makes us somebody. If I exist in the mind of God, I truly exist. I’m in a book written. If I do not exist in His mind, can I still exist? No, or–only in hell-likeness. Would we agree? Maybe an…
Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. These days are full of peril, but peril has run before. To what degree, of course, we know not yet what our day will bring. Evil men and seducers will wax worse and worse; Matthew 24. Men will be lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. It trickles throughout history and it scurries today. It rushed in Europe in the 40’s, in Asia later. It gushed 13th century and streamed during Christ’s time. This threat personified itself in the early centuries A.D. It was even sport. It seems that man could always count…
on the Danube at night In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. Psalm 77:2 “Regret describes a slight disappointment over loss.” “Sadness is a taste of the truth that the world is not all right, creation is not what it was meant to be.” “Depression is a continual state of mind; effort appears futile because it seems that nothing can really help or provide meaning.” “Despair is the utter absence of any sense of hope, accompanied by a sense of powerlessness.” Quotes are from “The Cry of the Soul,” Allender and Longman. When a soul refuses to be comforted what is happening? The place of “dis-ease” appears to be safer? “Powerlessness” has displaced “power” as the more “real” value priority, through testing over time? Despair is insulating a person from the disappointment…
1 Corinthians 6:7 Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? Living Bible Luke 6:29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Why not let yourself be cheated? When slammed up-side the head, offer also the other cheek; chase down the cloak thief and give him your coat also. What religion is this? Ours. Friends, “be gentle with all men, apt to teach; in meekness instruct those who oppose themselves.” Perhaps God will grant them repentance. Really? Those who oppose you, actually, oppose themselves. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. And Proverbs 25:15 says; By long forbearing is a prince persuaded,…
“Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Exodus 19:19-20 The place of austerity carried sacred implications; no man could look at God and live. Old Israel learned early to fear the voice of God as it resembled thunder. God’s people were forbidden approach to God’s mountain, and begged Moses that God not speak to them directly. Only through Moses did they dare receive communication from Yahweh. In the midst of fire and brimstone came the ten commandments through Moses. In…