Covering is God’s way of creating capacity, of stirring compassion, of conforming people to His nature by giving them space to grow, space to fail, space to rebound, space to fall again, space to grow out of that, and space to rebound again. This is what God’s covering does for us. It gives us room to breathe. Dr. Carl Stevens Can you explore? Do you have freedom to do that? Can you run, or do you always walk? Can you dance; sing? Most watch, few participate, and this illustrates life in general. Granted, a person learns a job, performs, sometimes creates, and athletes run and performers dance. Not what I mean— well, what then? Capacity varies from person to person—yes aptitude for life. Psalm 34:18 says “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” The broken in…
Tag: <span>unchanging God</span>
Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, Allenport PA (first heard the gospel here) Now to quote a Christian thinker Dr. Ed Smith, a Baptist Minister, referring to wounds and healing, “To facilitate emotional renewal, we need to identify the three basic elements in the renewal process: (1) the present emotional pain, (2) the original memory container and (3) the original lie(s) implanted in the memory container.” What is he saying? Apparently a wound sticks in a memory container and in that container are lies? What kind of lies? Can I conjecture? On the one hand, raw barbaric self lies, or contrarily, socially acceptable fig-leaf cover-up lies, take your pick. These two, emerging out of a man’s heart, both poise to interpret a devastating slam, when it occurs. (The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.) Psalm 58:3 So, on one side, emotions of…
Some aspects of Christmas disclose themselves covertly: The Christ-child, tiny babe, was also Mankind’s Savior and continues our Personal Defender. You see, justice precedes love in God’s saving scheme, and we must see this. Justice and judgment must factor in, or we lose realness. Without grounds for judicial release in the objects of love, love has not much meaning. Moses, in Exodus 15, led Israel three days without water toward Mara. The waters there were bitter and the people shrieked. Who could blame them, but was there a meaning? Moses begged an answer from God, crying with body prostrated. God showed him a tree and Moses threw the tree into the water, and the waters were made sweet. First thought is: God, using God’s man, leads them, but they hate the bluntness of circumstance. Number two, God wants to demonstrate justice and truth, so he judges the bitter…
So, let’s reflect on what is about to happen with Jacob in Genesis 46. If you had a favorite child die around 17 or 18 and had mourned and after a long time put it out of your mind; could you imagine the feelings as he suddenly shows up alive? I can’t think of a more unbelievable, surprising, exuberant, joy unspeakable, no words can describe its blessing. I am on the verge of tears thinking about it. Jacob was so messed up he said; “I will not be comforted.” But now, out of the years of disenchantment, out of the phobic solitary, out of the entangled web of biting sour, out of the aridity of barren desert gloom and out of the abysmal depths of tortured heart and daunting spirit, the unthinkable happens. Joseph is alive! Joseph is alive! My son is alive! Awe, the thrill! And then the embrace!…