How does Joy fit into the scheme of Christian living? “.. on March 18 Mr. Chollet locked the garage door of his New Hampshire house, climbed into his BMW, and turned on the engine. He left behind a note that read, “Please forgive me, but the thought of going through the torture of living is just too much to bear.” “Some successful entrepreneurs have a fear that they won’t be able to reproduce or sustain earlier achievements. Gerald Kraines, a psychiatrist who treated Chollet, said, “They’re on a treadmill where they can never savor their success, because they have to keep working harder. Many Christians feel the same way. They think that they must keep working harder for the Lord and forget to spend time with Him.” ministry127 Nehemiah 8:10 tells us: “neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” They were rebuilding, and saw favor…
Healing at the Cross Posts
Self-Esteem, a much overused designation, finds its roots in cultural thinking. Earnest Becker, in his book, “The Birth and Death of Meaning,” addresses the subject: He says, “…when people do not have self-esteem, they cannot act, they break down.” “When the inner-newsreel begins to run consistently negative images of one’s worth, the person gives up.” “When the child poses the question, ‘who am I,’ he is really asking…that he be recognized as an object of primary value in the universe. Or, “where do I rank as a hero?” Becker says that sibling rivalry is common and also ‘competitiveness’ due to the drive for self-esteem. But, here comes an exposing, glaring, fact based on all said so far, “Cultural-heros have to have available to them some kind of heroic action system in which to realize their ambitions, and this symbolic system is what we call ‘culture.’” “Culture is a structure of…
John was beckoned to “come up hither” as he saw a door. The voice was like a trumpet. Immediately, in the spirit, John saw the throne. He saw a person, Jasper and Sardius stone emanated from the person, red, justice and pure white, holiness. A rainbow of emerald encompassed all, mercy. Green surrounded the throne, a lifting to new beginnings. All things are made new! Justice, our understanding and ability to differentiate; Purity, our foundation for wisdom, both rest in a brand new existence, to which we are birthed as mercy upholds it all. John discovered the above life. Free from Law’s judgement, one of condemnation, we find our discernment of fleshly deeds, leads now to “no condemnation,” through mercy. Yes the Law brought a sting, but sin died, so went the sting. Justice now guards the soul from all inhibitors preventing practical mercy’s life giving. Holiness, freedom from the…
Peter fished: “Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. Matthew 4:18 He walked on the water: “Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Matthew14:28-29 He spoke well: “Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 He rebuked the Lord: “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Matthew 16:22 He queried Jesus: “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Matthew 18:21 “Behold, we have forsaken all,…
We can know that God loves us. How? The Bible tells us so. “Knowing” proceeds on several levels, so “knowing God loves us” is perceived in several abilities. First the mind can grasp a truth from the Bible translated into our language. Our language learning has given us an ability to take hold of meanings. If the Bible has meaning to me, it happens because something in me can relate to something outside of me. The relating brings the Word in. In me are the tools of creation, the faculties of humankind, created in His image and likeness. Outside of me, the Word initiates a friendship. This friendship occurs as we give authority to this Word by lending a worshiping ear to it; this implies that we comprehend it, believe it, reckon on it, position our focus on it, become a willful servant to it. (see Roman’s 6) God Himself…
Any man, redeemed or other, can recognize the following possibilities: Knowing that I am different — I can isolate myself from others. Recognizing that others are different — I am suspicious of others, I can deceive others. I can meet my own needs, Free will — I can resist the devil, but, I can resist God. I can choose what will influence me — spirit or sense. Oswald Chambers expounds in his book, “Biblical Psychology,” these soul powers. Expansion, contraction, and rotation are three. From these headings we have seven subtitles, “self-comprehending, (discerning where I leave off and the other person begins). stretching beyond self, (imagination). self-living (will),” spirit penetrated, (a soul has this capability). stirred sensually (soulishly) or spiritually, speaking spirit thoughts, sum total of unity.” Fundamental abilities, these, of course, require further explanation; they function one way in the unredeemed person, as above describes, but differently in the redeemed.…
When disappointments would come my mother would say, “its not the end of the world.” Since those days I have had many “end of the worlds.” Perhaps some of us are having a doomsday even as we write — a grand parent, mother or father, even a son or daughter have gone away. Friends, Jesus is the glory and the lifter of our heads. Psalm 3:3 Robert Nathan wrote his poetic cry: God of pity and love, return to this earth, Go not so far away, leaving us to evil, Darkness is loose upon the world, the Devil Walks in the land, and there is nothing worth. Death like a dog, runs howling from his lair; His bite has made men mad, they follow after All howling too, and their demoniac laughter Drowns like a sea our solitary prayer. Return, O Lord, return. Come with the day, Come with the…
There’s a new world coming, with a new world order. Are we excited yet? “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Isaiah 11:6 On the earth, yet “not of this world,” the righteous shall enter the kingdom; Matt 25:37 teaches, “then shall the righteous answer.” and Isaiah 60:21, “Thy people also shall be righteous, they shall inherit the land forever.” In that day, “Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10 “With righteousness shall He judge the poor; righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins.” Isaiah 11:4-5 Other characteristics: Israel shall…
J.B. operated as a spy of the K.G.B. in America during the cold war. A brilliant intellect, J.B. was especially chosen, trained and then sent. In America his skill developed in his ability to merge unsuspected into society; he worked, attended university, married and parented a child. At a time when J.B. would be recalled to his homeland, he discovered a problem: he had fallen head over heals for his newborn daughter. The love for her grew so great during her early years that he refused to go back; he made up a brilliant excuse, and stayed. This man, whose testimony is heard in churches, was later introduced to Jesus Christ, whom he received gladly. Love did it. Can we underestimate the dynamite called love? Bursting forth on the stoic intellects of men and women, love, in all of its purity, excitement, joy and exchange, overpowers the heart and soul,…
Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” Proverbs 20:28, “Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.” Romans 14:4, “…to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” A person stands, is upheld, and his rational service is founded, in something he does not deserve. Paul the Apostle beseeches men, by the mercies of God… William Newell comments, “We must believe that these divine mercies have persuasive powers over our wills.” “It is not that we can move our own wills; but that faith in God’s…