We learn that we must not pre-Judge any man. We must be sensitive to their every neediness. A simple expression could be a cry for help — an affirmation could be a struggle to self-justify; a shout for acceptance, a groping for hope. A “sophisticated” person dares not ask for help, grace, our mercy; we must plead with them to not fear, to know they are safe in asking. Unmerited-acceptance is our sensitivity to them, enabling their humble, uninhibited beseeching to be loved — a free response. Similarly, we cannot run roughshod over God’s initiations to us. Like with men, sensitivity is required. God cannot penetrate through a mini-obstinate attitude. A mere quirk of resistance sends The Spirit awry. Our tiny peevings dismiss His healing, our entitlements quench the Spirit — betimes. God will not over-ride my emotion-driven free volition. But, we ask, do not our wounds cause instantaneous…
Category: <span>Healing Cross</span>
Today I need Him, again, I can’t do it myself. Some folks are intellectually brilliant, they depend on this. Some are physically endowed, this helps them. A third group have wealth, they turn to it. Others cope well. I have also had the traits of mental skill, some muscle, too — some savvy; a good income. — great wife. Problem: The famous verse — “God helps those who help themselves,” Cannot be found in the Bible, even with a diligent search. The roots of such sayings can be strange. From “The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals” comes some thoughts by Donny Friederichsen. About our above phrase, he says, “…the form in which it usually appears today most likely originated with the Reformed and Puritan Bible commentator, Matthew Henry–yep, that Matthew Henry.” Henry’s commentary on Joshua 5:13-15 reads, “God will help those who help themselves.” Duncan speculates that one reason people think this phrase is…
“Purge me with hyssop” –speaks the Psalmist in 51:7 “…and I shall be white as snow.” In Exodus 12:22 the hyssop is used at the first Passover to spread the blood around the door frames. In Leviticus 14:4-7 the hyssop and the blood are used in the ceremonial cleansing of the leper. In Numbers 19:1 hyssop is used for cleansing someone who has touched a dead body. Basically the hyssop branch is a means by which the blood of the sacrifice was transferred to the sinner.” applygodsword “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. …renew a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness …and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm 51 David asked for true applications in…
“…Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Romans 4:7 ” … even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 1 John 2:12 These verses and others place God’s forgiveness of us as a finalized deal which needs no asking or beckoning. But, forgiveness could rest beyond our conscious awareness, outside of our hope; Nevertheless, never beyond faith’s perceptive enablement. Romans 8:24 speaks,” For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Proverbs teaches, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” But Abraham, “against hope believed in hope” because, “faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Delitzsch reminds us, “Better is he who begins to help than he who remains in…
“There is a ‘simplicity’ which is merely a fault, and there is a ‘simplicity’ which is a wonderful virtue.” On the one side: “a lack of discernment. “an ignorance of what is due others.” “…foolishness, ignorance, credulousness.” On the positive side: “…an uprightness of soul which prevents self-consciousness.” “…a happy medium …not overwhelmed by external things …not given up to endless introspection…” “…looks where it is going, without losing time arguing over every step…” all quotes from Fenelon, ‘The Royal Way of the Cross.” Says Trench in his book on synonyms, “A mind alien to cunning, fraud, pretense, deceit, evil and the desire to harm others”– equals simplicity. So, what’s the deal? O. Chambers educates us, “Beware of believing that the human soul is simple; look at yourself or read Psalm 139, and you will soon find the human soul is much too complex to touch.” “When an intellectualist…
The believer walks (in dependence), on the Spirit, so does not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. We can grieve the Spirit through unconfessed sin. We can quench the Spirit by operating outside of His will. The power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the power of sin and death. If we be carried by the Spirit, we are not under the Law. The power of sin shall not dominate us; we are not under the Law, but under grace. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no Law. The strength of sin is in the Law, but we have victory through Jesus Christ. We live by the faith of the Son of God. Faith is the under-establishment of things expected, the convincing of things not seen. So, where does Bible language…
Many things we do and don’t do because of unwritten rules. Brian Dozier wrote in an article on “unwritten rules” at espn.com: he lists a few used in Baseball: “Don’t yell ‘Ha!’ right when we’re about to catch a popup because that would startle us and we might drop it.” I’m sure it would! “Don’t bunt 10 times at our pitcher who has the yips, (can’t pitch accurate) because he’ll probably mess up and you’ll get on base.” “Don’t quick pitch — I’m not ready!”(pitching before the batters ready). Also, don’t steal bases in a blowout, (game is out of reach) , because then we have to keep trying to make sure you don’t. And no hustle-doubles (running very fast to extend a one-base-hit to a two) in blowouts. Take it eaaaasy.” For those who don’t grasp the game of baseball, lets just say, these unwritten rules are about fair play,…
Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove, Stay right here with us, Filling us with your love. What’s up when you go numb? Is it an enforced numb or “I don’t care anymore.” “Dazed and confused? — or “I’m outta here!!” Believe it or not, “I don’t care anymore” might be better and “I’m outta here” at least moves us. Numbing is a passive state overcome by the volition, we drag our uncooperative side with us till it indeed cooperates again in activity. Paul notes that confidence comes from a determination to continue speaking truth, even if discouraged — Hebrews 10:35. Elijah got a heavenly visit in his numb state after running from the evil Queen. “And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights…” 1 Kings 19. God sent him on a new assignment. With a new outlook, He got up!…
“Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love.” “and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness.” “I made my vow to you.” “I entered into a covenant with you.” “you became mine. “ Ezekiel 16 Love comes without many things: a set of rules, conditions, or inhibitions. “I read the story of a young bugle boy and a soldier. They both served in the army during the Boer war. The bugle-boy, Willie Holt, was 12 years old when he was assigned to a tent with seven godless soldiers.. One of these men was Bill. However, unlike Bill, Willie was a devoted believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each night he knelt by his bed to silently pray and read his Bible. “…a thief had been traced to the tent where Willie and Bill had been…
“When we express ourselves, our bodies release a higher level of reward hormones, and we feel great. The more we talk, the better we feel.” “Our bodies start to crave that high, and we become blind to the conversational dynamics. While we’re being rewarded, the people we’re talking to might feel cut off, invisible, unimportant, minimized, or rejected…” psychologytoday blind-spots “The above exemplifies the eyeless example. The writer continues: “Stop assuming that others see what you see, feel what you feel, and think what you think (that is rarely the case). Your blind spots cause you to fail to recognize that emotions, such as fear and distrust, change how you and others interpret and talk about reality.” Pretty clear? The author offers a remedy: Don’t underestimate your propensity to have conversational blind spots. Start paying attention to and minimizing the time you “own” the conversational space. Share that space by asking open-ended discovery questions to…