Wednesday, July 16, 2008

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11 - The Message)

37 comments:

Lisa said...

Thank you I needed to hear that!!!!

Anonymous said...

Seems the more I die, the farther up the road He gets with me, and His plan, and I get the most out of life. I hate it when I fight the dieing. And what's really crazy, is that when I try to work my plan, I know at the beginning it is't going to work, yet I push myself to prove me right, and I never win. Never!

Lord, today YOU drive, and I'm not going to be the co-pilot, I'm getting in the back.

Nothing to lose.

PattiL007 said...

So glad to hear it, Lis...I was just thinking the same thing when I read it. I know it seems so fundamental...so elemental...as if we should be above this by now...above it meaning it should be so intertwined in our spirits and souls that we need not hear it to spark its understanding...I suppose I'm slipping a bit in the "poles" of my own self-perception and I really need it. I know others who have no issues with the self-perception and cannot understand why others would have issue with their own...well, beyond the silly superficial issues there are the deeper things that I ponder...am I where I should be? doing what and all that I should be? Where has my vision gone and does it mean that even more change than I could compute is coming? A step into another type of world/existance? I have all these questions but ask them of no one but the Lord...so far, I'm not hearing the answers, but I will eventually. I will pray for all my blog fam and within that, I will hear at least some of my answers...my own prophecy will come forth in the midst of it all. I'm tying the proverbial knot in my life's rope and hanging on till I hear from Him. I know I'm not the only one to feel this way...so if we tie all our ropes together then we'll have the combined strength of all and can hold on forever by sticking together, right? Plans not working out like you thought? Are the thoughts in your head not the kind you need to have turned into actions? Let's bring it all together and help each other...that's what we're here for. God is good all the time and He wants us to succeed and be substantial, self-supporting members of this body who can help everyone. I still have questions about that...I just want to see in the glass a little more clearly for a vision for which I can fight and on which I can focus and in which I can hope and believe. I'm not being dejected or down, I'm just tired of not being able to help others like I want to...I know God wants it too...so I have to understand what I'm doing that's keeping me on this side of a successful life. Since I have spoken to others who have felt this, I just want us all to gather and share ideas/strategies and love each other into that success...does this make sense to anyone but me? Oh well...I hope it does...

Therefore, Anyone who wants to tie in here...I'm reaching out...I'll find ya...it's all going to be ok...I want us all to be ok...no matter what. Let's search for our answers together amongst ourselves...perhaps in email or thru private blog so as not to intrude here...but then when we receive the answers, we can share them with the whole body so as to increase them as well as ourselves, yes?

Goodnite and Blessings Blog Fam...

Anonymous said...

Thank you God. I needed to hear that on this particular morn. I will yiled my self to the spirit. Please use me and guide me to do your work today. Open the eyes of my heart lord. Not my will but your will. Give me wisdom. Amen

Anonymous said...

God morning,

Mystic, it seems to me the most important part of God's plan for me/you/us/we is that we do just as you suggested and tie our ropes together. I, and probably we all, feel the same frustration you seem to have expressed that we get tired of not being able to help others as much as we want to. The truth is that when we work together, there is by far more accomplished than any one of us can do by ourselves.

You and other bloggers for instance have helped me more than you will know. That in turn starts my day on an excellent note for the harmony of the song God is singing to be heard and joined into so that others I contact throughout the day also have a chance to hear that song.

ONE

Anonymous said...

It's a new day.
Enjoy Life Today.
See the glass half full.
Smell the flowers.
Touch (call) someone today.
Taste His new mana.
Listen to the sounds of the earth.
They are calling you to intercede.
Pray for this land.
Pray for your brother.
This is a new day.
All is forgiven.
All is New.

Donald said...

I don't think any of us have got it so together that at some point in time we don't have to wring our hands a little bit because we don't think the pieces are going to come together properly. If we did it seems that life might get a bit boring after awhile. Can you imagine how hum-drum life would be if everything just worked out perfectly all the time? We would never even have to think, or develop any type of problem-solving skills or anything. There's times I like it that way, but if it happened that way all the time we would all become mental couch potatoes.
I believe that God set it up so that we would not always see the answer immediately or plainly because he understands that becoming a good soldier entails more than being able to aim a gun properly and firing it. You have to go through the entire boot camp experience if you're going to be of any real value.
Since He knows that we will sometimes get desperate or hopeless or wonder what the heck is going on in our lives due to the training, He had to toss us that verse to get us through the tough times and reassure us that He has it under control and the end result will be cool for everybody.
Sort of like IronKids bread. Mama likes it and so do the kids.

tracy said...

My most favorite scripture of them all! Thank you for the reminder. Mystic I am in agreement with you and----tying in. It has been a strange season for us to say the least. One thing I have definately learned is we do need each other. I was so used to doing everything myself, as a matter of fact my mom says when I was little my famous words were "I do it by me self" noble as a child but not so much as an adult. If it were not for the encouragement here, the unconditional love of my friends I am in covenant with, the sacrificial gifts and the unwavering faithfulness of God I have no idea where we would be. We have always been givers and have found ourselves on the other side of the street- still givers but with a different spin on it, having to be very creative. So I will say this to you Mystic if you can't do as much as you want to do-atleast keep doing something, that is how you will get through your season. Whether it be a word of encouragement or a tank of gas for someone else- even if it is the widow's mite God honors whatever you can do with His favor and protection. He DOES know the plans He has for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you!

Anonymous said...

Good Morning Holy Spirit!
Good Morning Bishop!
Good Morning Bloggers!

This I have learned:
My life is God's novel...I have decided to let Him write it.

Love you, Bishop...

Travel safely,
Do your Now thing,
Return soon, and
Rest easy,

mayam

dgm2007 said...

well said tracy...

lhollow27 said...

Amen! Thank you as always for being in the flow. It's been a while since i blogged, been a heethan blurker.....as a result my spirit is disarrayed.MUST COME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY!!!!!!
Love to all,
Lhollow

Anonymous said...

I have no doubt or double-mindedness in God's plan/plans for me....if I being evil desire great plans for my kids, how much more God, being good, desires for His kids! A thought however, I AM what I "see" or "perceive"....God is helping me, through His Spirit to correct my vision to "see" or "perceive" myself (my whole life, my person, my body, my mind, my success, my future, my marriage, my home, my church, my relationships, you get the point)

I truly believe, when my vision lines up with HIS....OH MY! Get ready, get ready, get ready! And you know what? It is happening right now! No matter what my natural state is.....that will "be changed" as I "see" it changed....

Have a most excellent favor filled day! Expectation and Anticipation!!!! Much love to all!
P. Debye

Anonymous said...

Thank you Lord for being there, not abandoning me, for having a plan for me that is beyond my imagination. I am looking forward to when I have hinds feet.

PH

Anonymous said...

An application of

an implication to

a population with

a solution that will rock our world.

It's a good thing.

.

Anonymous said...

nrGOOD ....that is all I need to know!
Mystic,....know where you're coming from! You are not alone...I think He has us in those places for a reason. Not easy to be there...but He is our strength thru the Holy Spirit and thru one another. I am there with you! He's got a plan and will show you in due season...this is just a season for a reason.

Ever notice the little ways He lets you know that He's with you and loves you thru the day? I am sure you have. Those things I write in a journal....they are amazing as well as the biggies and the prayers answered, and then I go back on days that I need that little extra something and read the things that I have forgotten. It refreshes and reminds me of His faithfulness and love! That His plans are good and His goodness is woven thru each day because He has not forgotten me (or you)!

Thanks Donald....we would all be spoiled brats otherwise prob! ")

choosing LIFE.....blurry right now somewhat.....TRUSTING....in and thru.......expecting the BEST...cuz HE's in control!

May each one here feel HIS kiss upon your face and your heart being hugged today! PEACE~LOVE

Crownjewel
(you each are HIS Jewel...part of THE Royal Priesthood)

Lisa said...

I am with you Mystic. I am so with you. Tieing the knot and hanging on with ya, Email me

Anonymous said...

Speaking of God’s plan for each of us, I just read an interesting article about a man who was attempting to climb K2 in the Himalayas in 1993 alone, not a wise decision. He suffered altitude sickness and stumbled into a village where he was nursed back to health by the residents. The man promised to come back and build a school for their village. After not having much success raising money for the effort he sold precious belongings and followed up on his promise.

Today he has built numerous schools in Afghanistan and the surrounding areas. His focus has been on educating the children, mostly girls because the boys are taken up in tribal customs of provision or military at a very early age.

His work has received attention from the pentagon mainly because his success is evident. One Lt. Colonel working in the front lines of Afghanistan said in an email that he was accomplishing more with books than they were doing with bombs.

The thirst for education is real everywhere but no more than in an area that has been deprived of it. To fill that thirst with the living water of Love will cause a lying down of the sword much quicker than anything else.

While it is clear that military force is essential to overcome the Taliban forces that we once nurtured it is even more clear that education and improvement of economic balance in the area will be what finally wins the day.

The man’s name is Greg Mortenson and he has written a book about his experience called Three Cups of Tea that has just been added to my reading list.

This country is an essential part of God’s plan for the world mainly because it is full of obedient people like Mr. Mortenson.

The work done by all who contribute at what ever level they can here at CITN to support the ministry of reconciliation for all mankind is the same as giving a refreshing drink of living water to the world.

My heart is one with all who love God’s world the same as God without conditions or limits and the place of intertwining my strand with others to create a rope strong enough to rescue a world in trouble is right here at CITN.

ONE

G8TRGRL said...

Mystic... tying my knot...going back to Girl Scout camp to make sure it is good-n-tight... the rock I am climbing is as challenging as El Capitan (vertical and slippery straight!)

Donald-- how ironic-- I received this in an email this morning... "What the vast majority of U.S. children needs is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings."
— Ann Landers, U.S. advice columnist (1918-2002)

I faced this particular challenge last night, as I asked for what I thought was a simple task to be completed by my children... realizing that it would be so much easier to do it myself...but how will they learn and grow if they don't tackle it themselves? Then I became caught up in my own critical perception of myself as a parent, doubting our efforts in teaching them, and so on, yada, yada.

I guess our Big Daddy views us the same way!

... and the other thing that has been on my mind this morning.

We planted sunflower seeds this spring. We nurtured them, watered, kept the furry freeloader away from them--had so much fun watching them grow. We now have 4, nearly 7 ft. tall, beautiful sunflowers that have produced GINORMOUS flowers. I have since cut them, and placed them on the shepherd hook thingy that holds the feeders and on the fence, so the birds and squirrels can feed themselves, and perhaps their families as well.

ALL I DID WAS PUT A LITTLE SEED IN THE GROUND, AND LOOK AT WHAT IT HAS PRODUCED.

What have you planted lately?

TTFN

G8TRGRL said...

... and the video clip from "Brother Where Art Thou"... such a stinkin' funny movie... and that clip is so poignant...

Iris said...

Sometimes I think that we have a small view of what it means to be human…We the created… Formed to perfection…Born to fly… We and all of creation are indescribable whether we understand all it or not… We are wonderful beyond what we can imagination… the pinnacle of God’s creation and the center of His affection… Just because we make what we perceive to be undesirable choices…doesn’t mean that we deserve less respect for what we inherently are…

We miss out on nothing…Because His purpose is always and only an expression of love…He purposes to work life out of death… bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light… Jesus death accomplished the substance of everything that love purposed from before the foundation of Creation … All love and relationship is possible for us only because it already exists within Him…And we the created are in the creator and the creator is in the created… intertwined as one with no seams…

Sometimes we try to grasp some sense of who He is by taking the best version of ourselves, projecting that to the ninth degree, factoring in all the goodness they can perceive which often isn’t much and then call that God…. And while it may seem like a noble effort… the truth is that it falls pitifully short of who He really is… He’s not merely the best version of us that we can think of… He is far more than that… Praise God… Above and beyond all that we can ask or think…

Sometimes I think we forget that in the midst of pain and heartache we are surrounded by beauty… The wonder of creation…the music and culture… the sounds of laughter and love… whispered hopes and celebrations of new life…the transformation of reconciliation and forgiveness. It is all there… all the time…we have to choose to see it…

I loved what Pastor Debye said…”I am what I see and perceive.” That is so powerful…If we are not getting the desired results than maybe we are seeing and perceiving it wrong… IS WHAT WE SEE DETERMINING WHO WE ARE?... OR IS WHO WE ARE DETERMINING WHAT WE SEE?... Sometimes we get so tied down in the stuff, we forget that we have wings in which to fly…When we begin to soar with the wings of who we really are, the stuff takes on a whole new perspective…we see the plans that He has for us are good…and we soar through…

Iris

Anonymous said...

Remember the story of Ishmael. A bastard son of an Egyptian princess and a religious patriarch, he finds God far from home. Abraham, at Sarah’s behest, reluctantly banishes Ishmael for tormenting his brother. Ishmael wanders the desert with his mother Hagar, becoming a skilled hunter. One day, lost and dying of thirst, he appeals to God to have mercy on his sad state. Guided by an angel to a natural desert spring, he and Hagar settle there. Ishmael later returns home to aid in the burial of his father, making peace with his estranged brother.

Religious texts differ on the details, but this is the essence of the tale. Ishmael becomes penitent because he realizes that he is subject to forces beyond his control. He is a pre-classical Odysseus of sorts. After hardship, he discovers an essential truth that governs all life: there is a will greater than his own. In describing this truth in such terms, I must eschew any immediate tendency to interpret this as a purely religious statement. It is not a refiguring of dogma, though any dogmatically religious person might easily accept it. Rather, this truth is one that has been known long before our increasingly divergent interpretations of history’s recorded prophets. To think that it simply repeats religious dogma is to put the cart before the donkey.

Living in Cairo, where the ass has been domesticated for over 6000 years, I regularly see brave donkeys pulling carts in the streets alongside speeding Peugeots and Mercedes. Waiting at an intersection, the typically young masters can whip the donkey unceasingly, but cannot force him to walk out into oncoming traffic. I recall one incident just last year that involved a rather tough and patient young donkey with an ass of a driver. On the often deadlocked street near my flat, I observed a donkey pulling a cart full of bright green cucumbers. These cucumbers were stacked higher than the head of the driver reclining against them. On this particular Saturday morning, the car traffic was heavy and swift. The donkey seemed to be waiting good-naturedly for his opening to cross the two-way speedway, but his adolescent master was apparently running late to his father’s vegetable stand. He began with a light smack to the back. When this didn’t work, by degrees, he resorted to flailing the beast on the nape of the neck. This small and resilient donkey simply put his head down, flexed his neck, closed his eyes, and let the child tire. The poor boy wasn’t going to get his way. Finally, after three to five minutes of the boy’s waiting patiently with the donkey, there was a lull in the flow of speeding metal beasts and without the slightest prompting, the donkey dug in and slowly crossed the intersection to the sound of horns honking in the closing distance.

Like the donkeys of Cairo and the world over, truth is stubborn. Truth is persistent, insistent even. You can strap your cart to it, load it up with whatever accoutrements you like, whip the hell out of it trying to make it work for you, but you cannot alter its nature. What Ishmael, Odysseus, and the young donkey driver learned is that there is a will other than their own, a greater will. This Law of Greater Will seems to have escaped the majority of humans in the twenty-first century, however. After centuries of thirst, famine, and hardship, we are still whipping the natural world to suit our desires. We are continually defiant. We tear down forests for ‘community development’; we buttress thousands of tons of equipment to drill holes in the ocean floor; we fuse and split atoms! Yet, we lack the foresight to interpret the significance of such degradation of resources. And when we find we have consumed all available resources, we depose sovereign kings to gain control of theirs.

Why do we pursue this Sisyphean task? Why do we continue the struggle against natural law? Perchance it is simply because our individual wills drive us. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer suggested our will is a power to which we are ever and always slaves. Freud, whose interpretation of this force offers more hope than Schopenhauer, would call it our Ego. Yet another interpretation could be Darwinian in spirit. It is as if Nature has programmed us for stubbornness. Perhaps she has. We have proven to be innately persevering, consuming to not only allow for the survival of the species, but to create the circumstances under which a way of life can be preserved. This way of life is a gratification of our desire for control, what Nietzsche called the Will to Power. We must have our internal combustion engines; we must have our plastic, fantastic, electric cities; we must have climate control. This philosophy is endemic, to the extent that it even appears in our language. I can purchase a car with power windows, power locks, even extra horsepower. When our homes are deprived of electricity, we experience a power outage. Squirrelly young professionals seek to enjoy a power lunch with the powers that be. A sixth grade teacher of mine, Mrs. Barnett, often remarked that her son, who was a med school student, would take power naps to get him through his studies. The ambitious young Barnett could control his natural tendency toward sleep by waking before entering REM sleep. Similarly, our collective consumption is motivated by an innate desire for control. The human mind is relentless in its undertakings.

Yet, I don’t perceive this as a product of our biological evolution. Our minds and bodies are capable of far more than we demand of them on a daily basis. Defiance then rests on the will. It is your choice to live the way you do. You have accepted this way of life, a life of brash consumption, as the only one. In the dominant culture, this way of life is taught as the only one. It need not be taught explicitly. We teach the next generation far more by our actions than we do by our words. We teach it as it was taught to us and our fathers before us. There is no way but my way. There is no will but my will. Of course, there are others, but that would be the second and third person. I am first. This philosophy is the main product of the social evolution of the dominant culture. Our writers, philosophers, poets, and scientists have progressively focused on the self. Though we have our cities, though we work with others, we live in isolation. As Joseph Conrad’s narrator Christopher Marlowe says, “We live as we dream – alone.”

We are alone. We are isolated. When one hears only the demands of his own will, he is deaf and dumb to others. Each of us lives out a lifetime of quiet struggle against forces we cannot control – beating, pulling, and pleading with a patient Will that we refuse to trust.

Peace,

Abraham

peacemaker said...

Mystic...
I, along with many others here, hear your heart. Knowing that, also know...God does to. Not only does God hear it, God is in it. Present in every beat. His totality is in every atom of your being. I really believe that.
I perceive you are evolving. A metamorphosis of sorts. The in between stages from one incarnation to the next sometimes isn't pretty. You are, though, becoming all that you are desiring.
I totally understand your frustration in regards to helping your neighbor. I think all of are feeling that on some level. If you can, try and see things from our( the blog community)side. Many times; more than perhaps you know, you have helped me and others get through something seemingly impossible by the love and wisdom of your posts. You have, at least in my case, helped complete a thought or expand a revelation that has helped me make some very important decisions. My point is...you are helping more than you can imagine.
Be patient. Flow with the evolutionary process happening now. It's happening to all who are true seekers and you certainly are a seeker and a seer.
Heres something we all can do though, the next time you walk past someone, make eye contact and smile. A smile is worth more than silver or gold to someone who is hurting. Acts of common courtesy speak volumes.(this is not a lesson in manners. please hear my heart). You may never know the life changed but believe me, one will be.
Remember this: receiving is just as important as giving. You can't be one and not the other. The seeds you are wanting to plant have to come from somewhere, so if and when someone wants to bless you, don't feel "bad" about it because of your desire to give to someone else, know receiving is part of the cycle that is necessary for you to be able to pay it forward.
As crazy and new age as this may sound to some, try this...next time you look into a mirror, really look at yourself. Look into your own eyes. I believe you will identify the Christ in you. Speak a prophetic word to yourself, say "I love you" and go on about the process of living. Everything you need to Love God, Your Neighbor, and Yourself will come.
Where you are right now is right where you are supposed to be. Trust the process.
You are awesome!

PM

Teezy313 said...

That's God(good) stuff Bishop!


That's really something I needed to hear...especially since I've been hearing more and mmore negative things concerning our economy from people whom I thought had complete trust in God..but everyone doesn't have the paradigm that I have when I know that I'm not affected by the economy of America or of this world...but all you can do for people like that is to pray for them!

Teezy

Christy said...

The hilarity of religion:

Each Friday night after working for the Wakulla County Road Department, Bubba would fire up his outdoor grill and cook a venison steak. But, some of Bubba's neighbors were Catholic and since it was Lent, they were forbidden from eating meat on Friday.

But, the delicious aroma from the grilled venison steaks was causing such a problem for the Catholic faithful that they finally talked to their priest.

The Priest came to visit Bubba, and suggested that he become a Catholic. After several classes and much study, Bubba attended Mass...and as the priest sprinkled holy water over him, he said,

'You were born a Baptist, and raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic.'

Bubba's neighbors were greatly relieved, until Friday night arrived, and the wonderful aroma of grilled venison filled the neighborhood. The Priest was called immediately by the neighbors, and, as he rushed into Bubba's yard, clutching a
rosary and preparing to scold him, he stopped and watched in amazement.

There stood Bubba, clutching a small bottle of holy water which he carefully sprinkled over the grilling meat and chanted:

'You wuz born a deer, you wuz raised a deer, but now you a catfish. '

Has nothing to do with today - but I thought someone needed a good laugh.

Love to you all!

Lise said...

Blurking today...

Great insights from everyone!

Abraham, glad to see you back. Powerful post!

Hungry dogs to feed & much to do... will check back later.

Enjoy your day!

PattiL007 said...

Thank you all so very much for your responses...you heard my heart and I have heard yours. This community never ceases to amaze me in its depth, its compassion, its insight, but mostly, in its love. God speaks here...through each post and each person and I thank you all from my soul. It's wonderful that when I began I felt that I was tying a single knot in a lonely rope off the side of a mountain then I reached out and found that the whole mountainside is full of ropes of different lengths and knots in different places and friends...they're intertwining and becoming unbreakable 3-fold cords combined in a huge net...if you're at the end of it, it might seem as if you could even fall...but when your eyes are opened and you see that you're truly connected to everyone else...that's a really great revelation right thar I don't care who ya are. ;)

Seriously...thank you all so much...for sharing your hearts and your love and your friendship and your laugther. Your posts, calls, and emails have been a balm and seeing things through the eyes of friends helps change perceptions. Dean was right...Everybody needs somebody sometime. I love y'all.

Abundant Boom De Ya Dah Blessings Blog Fam!

Anonymous said...

I've been lately thinking, about the thoughts that I've been thinking, and I never thought, that I could think the thoughts that I've been lately thinking.

And to think that I thought, that you thought, that I thought that you would be the one that would reveal to me that you knew what I've been thinking is one of the most awesomest thoughts I've ever thought.

Lise said...

Christy :)
Got a GOOD laugh out of that one!
Kinda reminds me of the movie 'Chocolat'... one of my faves! Not only do I love chocolate, but Johnny Depp?!?... so pretty!
Will never forget that scene where Vienne finds her Catholic antagonist asleep in her display window with chocolate all over himself... prize-winning!
Thanks for the smile!

DoubleBack Alley said...

Sahib,

How many hypocrites does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

One, but he's really unscrewing it.

Don't be too hard on yourself. IF you sinned (not sure that you did) there is a multitude of love to cover it.

Ain't God Good?

Christy said...

Elle,
Also one of my favorite movies and FOOD for that matter. The hypocrisy of religion is a subject of much laughter when it is not so painful.

Pastor Debye,
Got to eat the first of our tomatoes this week. I will get you some over there this week. I will try to leave them by the back door when going to work. I am usually passing there about 6:30 - 6:45. They are not real big but they sure are good!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Pastor Debye,

Powerful word! I have been meditating on 'I am what I percieve and correcting my vision for everything in my life (fine tunig in some and major tuning in other areas)on and off all day today. Thank you!

Love you lots and hugs~

Crownjejwel

Anonymous said...

Good word Donald

Anonymous said...

Bishop,
the more I hear, the more I here.

Nothing to lose.

Anonymous said...

I believe this old post on my blog relates somewhat to what Bishop was saying tonight.


http://not1lost.blogspot.com/2008/05/upside-down-inside-out.html


UPSIDE-DOWN & INSIDE-OUT

For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
John 3:16-17 WEB

Actually when you think of God giving his son for the redemption of all mankind; subsequently God gave much more for the most sinful people because they sinned much more and needed a larger redemption payment. When Jesus took on Himself the sin of the world; he had to take on much more suffering for the most wicked of all. This is ironic in that it gives greater worth and significance to their redemption than the redemption of a lesser sinner. Jesus may have been alluding to this idea when he said “anyone who is forgiven much loves much”. Now this would be hard to wrap a dead fleshly mind around; because it would give greater value to the redemption of the most atrocious sinners. But the mind renewed by the Spirit can hear Jesus as he speaks to the Pharisee as he was having a meal at his house.
Luke 7:36-47 AMPLIFIED BIBLE
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the town who was an especially wicked sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment (perfume). And standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with [her] tears; and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet [affectionately] and anointed them with the ointment (perfume). Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him--for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin). And Jesus, replying, said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Teacher, say it. A certain lender of money [at interest] had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon answered, The one, I take it, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly. Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss, but she from the moment I came in has not ceased [intermittently] to kiss My feet tenderly and caressingly. You did not anoint My head with [cheap, ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly, rare] perfume. Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her--because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.

Many times, even in the universal salvation camp, we will look at some “notorious” sinner and think; “well they should be happy that God is going to at least let them in” but we really don’t think that they will be worth much to God. At least not like us who “have it all together”. According to this little episode God is going to receive much value (love) from them. We really need to be careful how we judge. Just about time we think we have it all figured out the Holy Spirit will throw us a curve that will strike us out when we were so sure that the others had struck out. God is just like that He seems to turn things upside down and all around so that it all comes out even in the end. You know the first will be last and the last first. Give and you will get more, keep what you have and lose it. Love those that hate you. You have to die to live – “keep your life and you will lose it, lose your life for Jesus and you will find it”.
Speaking of this inside-out way of looking at things, Paul said it like this:
2Co 5:16 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

Jesus Christ put it like this:
John 8:15 ESV You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.

It was obvious by Jesus’ manner that He did not try to assert a judgment regarding right and wrong in His contact with the world as is seen in the above story of the visit from the prostitute. But it is also obvious that He did voice a judgment with reference to right and wrong in His communication with the religious leaders as is also seen in the above story and His conversation with the Pharisees.

What are we to gather from this apparent dissimilarity in His approach and communication with these two groups?

I believe on the one hand He was saying to the religious leaders; you are not going to make it with this SELF-RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDE in all your LAW KEEPING (you think your keeping). You are not what you appear to be on the outside.
And on the other hand He was saying to this evidently sinful immoral woman; you are going to make it because of your LOVE and FAITH. You are not what you appear to be on the outside!
So here we have another one of those INSIDE-OUT God things. God seems to be keeping things just one step ahead of us so that we cannot ever fully figure Him out So that we will just have to trust him and have faith that He is working it all out for us all because He LOVES US. Which is what the immoral woman was doing and the self-righteous Pharisees were not doing.

You might think as I did at first when this thought first came to me. Jesus did not suffer any more for one than He did for another, which would not be fair. So I guess He needs to go back and suffer some more for the ones that He didn’t suffer as much for? That would make it fair wouldn’t it? No in reality some have committed a lot more sins than others, and therefore would deserve more punishment and need more forgiveness. Jesus clearly agreed with this in this story when he related forgiving large or small debts with large or small amounts of forgiveness of sins.
Others would object saying that Jesus suffered the same for us all because he died for sin – singular instead of sins – plural…….BULL-CHIPS!!! Do a search through the New Testament on the words sin and sins and you will see they are used interchangeably. I realize the difference in the SIN problem and SINS problem but it has nothing to do with what I am discussing here which is FORGIVENESS of SINS not the sin nature that causes us to sin. I am dealing with after the fact not the cause of the fact. Jesus died for our SINS for our FORGIVENESS. We had nothing to do with the SIN NATURE that we inherited from Adam it came with the package like it or not. So we do not have to be forgiven for something we did not cause! Jesus took care of that too and we will be released from the bondage of that curse as well in due time.
You might say no no no, one sin is as breaking them all according to James 2:10. GNB Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. So whether we sin little or much it would be the same penalty. So Jesus would have suffered the same for all. Do you really think God does business like that? That doesn’t seem like an exactly fair system to me – put all the murderers in with the jay-walkers with the same sentence. James and those that had lived under that “old covenant” of “the law” as a means of relationship with God – saw it as a whole unit like a chain, break one link and you break the chain, it’s all linked together as one. Look at the next verse
Jas 2:11 GNB For the same one who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker (chain-breaker) if you commit murder. It is like a circle if you break it at any point it is no longer a circle and therefore you have broken the whole thing. James certainly did not mean that if you told a lie you had just as well killed someone. In the old covenant of law there were always greater and lesser punishments and restitutions for differing sins. I think God would be as fair minded as us. The sacrificial and redemptive system of the old covenant (testament) which foreshadowed and typified Jesus Christ Who was the real fulfillment of those types had many variations of this.
This being the case then the punishment that Jesus bore in our stead would have been greater for some than others. This would paradoxically place more significance or worth on the redemption and salvation of the most horrendous of sinners.
Now enter the believer’s good works, there will be rewards and positions granted for these in the Kingdom of God which rules over all these redeemed saved folks. Its not as if the trials and testing the believers went through were for naught, there will be great rewards for these.
What’s my point? We that are believers and have the privilege of walking in the Kingdom should not underemphasize the worth and salvation of all people, no matter how things may look to us now. We should show the all inclusive, undivided, unbiased, universal LOVE & GRACE of God with all MEEKNESS, KINDNESS, and HUMILITY without SUPERIORITY to ALL we come in contact.

Mat 23:11-12 GNB
The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

Mar 9:35 MKJV And He sat down and called the Twelve and said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.

Mar 10:31 MKJV But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

Dennis Caldwell

Anonymous said...

Also if your interested here are some youtube videos I did on a similar idea as Donald was writing about.

NOT SAVED FROM CORRECTION

Hey Cyber Siblings,
The matter of sanctification and the “process” of our salvation have been laid heavily on my heart for several days. As a matter of fact the Lord gave me a revelation the other day that started out with one sentence then expanded into …..Well it would take a book to write it all down. It blew me away and would not let me go. I knew this was one of those things that were of great significance because it hit me so hard and just stayed for days. Then last Saturday I was very busy but the Lord impressed upon me very strongly that I was to do something with this word He had given me or lose it; as has happened to me in the past (parable of the talents Mat. 25:15-30) I said but Lord I am very busy today and I don’t have the time to set down and write as much as would be necessary to even began to touch the surface of this subject. Anyway the Lord stopped me at about 3 PM and said “do something NOW” or lose it. I said, " all I have time to do is a video and I am not prepared to do this subject justice now". I felt the Lord impelling me to go ahead anyway. I said well I guess this will have to be one of those times when God uses the weak things of the world. So I turned on the web cam and started what I thought would be a ten minuet video but I had to end up making three (ten minuet) videos to even get the basics out with all my fumbling for words. I know and see this very clearly in my heart but the idea is so big to me that it is hard to articulate. Especially in 10 min. intervals which is all that youtube will allow. So I made the videos and up loaded them at the Lords prompting and admonition. I will be able to do the subject much more justice writing about it and this I will do….no I have to do; as the subject just will not leave my mind and the Spirit will not let me go on this one.


Here is the first sentence that the Lord spoke in my heart that started it all that morning in my quiet time; “YOU ARE NOT SAVED FROM CORRECTION ” This of course is “sanctification” ; to say that we are saved from correction would be the same as saying we are saved from sanctification. This would be a total contradiction of biblical teaching on the subject. I believe this is big, real BIG, I even think it is the missing link that when fully realized and understood will bring the traditional church (and their rejection of universal salvation) and the universal salvation, camps together. By giving each camp the most cherished teaching of their churches without contradiction or mutilation of either’s theology. Although there will be the die hard frozen chosen of each camp that will not like this melding of theologies and philosophies. Even though this view teaches the eventual salvation of all there will be many even in the “universal salvation” camp that will not like this because it does not allow “the freedom” which many would like to believe is their prerogative though I would not label it as such. Nevertheless I have seen what I have seen and it is as clear as a “crystal sea”

Thank you all for giving me a place to pour out my heart. I would love to hear from you – positive or negative. I do not claim to know everything; I only know what I believe.

I say this because I don’t think I have ever heard this idea put exactly like this ever before. And as in all prophecies it should be open to be judged by the body of believers and I do accept and appreciate that.

If the Lord allows, I am going to do much more work on this Word in writing, audio and video.

If you would be interested here are the links to the videos on youtube. Don’t expect a star performance; but I do make an effort to share what God has given me and try to make that as clear as I can in the weakness of the flesh but I also have faith in the power of the Spirit.

The Youtube videos are 10 min. each.

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpngXIZ1d9w

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3uCchvPyNY

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szmcf-hyAAI


Bridging the Gap,
Peace,
Dennis

Son of Zadok said...

Hey Everyone,

Bishop. Great word tonight. "The dead in Christ will rise first." Wow, never saw it from that perspective before, but I'm all over it. I've always thought concerning the whole first will be last and the last will be first thing that God saves the best for last. Like the wine at the party. Not that anyone is better than anyone else, but those that are His friends have a special place in His kingdom and His heart. A special understanding; those who have related with Him in his suffering.
You know the whole flow for me this week. From my own life (the success and failure) to the message Sunday (nakedness & shame). Theirs something about being weak and not strong. Were always built up to be such conquerors, but maybe it's in our weakness that we can truly find ourselves in Him. Broken and useful.
Mystic I feel your spirit to the core. And God is preparing us for such great things. We have this wonderful truth in our "doctrine" but the true passion of the Lord behind it is what needs to come forth. And the spirit of the evangelist is a good thing. I'd rather be consumed with the Holy Ghost and have people say I'm a little crazy than be lukewarm and "normal". We just need to be lead by the Spirit.

Oh and I want to put this link up here for all of you. Here are the videos from the Father’s Day conference in Oklahoma. Mystic watch the one by Dick King, it spoke to me and I think it will to you as well.

http://www.restoration-nation.tv/

I Love this Church !!!
I Love this Body !!!!
I Love our Lord !!!

Big Heavenly Hugs & Kisses to You All

Erik said...

Excellent Blessings for All.

The Prodigal son was hot and cold at different times, like David. The servant who invested the 5 Talents and made 5 more was hot, like Paul. The servant who buried the 1 was lukewarm and afraid to trust, like the Pharisees.

When any of us arrive at a door first, and there are others coming behind us, all of us open the door and step back, holding it open for all the others behind us. We say ‘After you’ often entering last, even though we were first at the door. At times, one who may be near the end who stops, and says to us ‘Thank you, please, go ahead’ , as they grab the door.

In our lives, as we walk and press in daily in The Spirit, opening our hands wider and wider, unable to contain all of the peace, joy, love and righteousness we experience every day in The Kingdom, that has always been at hand and within us, we have more than we can really measure. We spend all day in This Kingdom, experiencing, some may call it working. Then, here may be some that have not spent so many days of their lives enjoying the benefit of experiencing The Kingdom every day, maybe some would say working in The Kingdom, every day. Then, as they transition out of this physical realm, maybe in their last few days, they open their eyes to The Kingdom that has always been really here. We may transition out on the same day. We have such compassion for anyone who had so few days in the peace, joy, love and righteousness in this physical realm , we praise God over and over that they share the same beauty and love we do in this new place we are all in after we transition out of here and into the next.

Or, another view – day workers who get hired in the morning know all day long they will have pay at the end of the day to feed themselves, family, have shelter, good sleep that night, peace. Those workers that weren’t hired until later in the day, or possibly not till the last hour, went all day not knowing this, and had anxiety . Even after they were hired, lived thinking they would have less than a day’s pay. The workers who were there all day lose nothing from their pay, nor the peace they had all day, when those hired later receive the same pay. Even though they all have the same cash, those who worked all day still benefited more because of the peace they had all day those hired later did not.

We know only abundance in The Kingdom. Abundance in time, peace, joy, .. everything. First and last experience no difference, first = last, last = first. There is no loss either way. If A (alive in Christ) = Loved by Christ , and D (Dead in Christ) = Loved by Christ, then in Christ, A is the same as D, to Christ. Fully perceiving The Kingdom, The Christ removes any difference of Dead and Alive , since death has been overcome, any Dead in Christ in this realm, are equally alive in the reality that surrounds and is within us – The Kingdom. Alive in this realm is a whole lot more fun than dead, however, neither makes a difference in the reality of The Kingdom.

We are all connected, a well knotted net ; well woven tapestry; All cells in the same body. Jesus The Christ, is The Touchstone that is both fully human and fully divine, which manifests the experience of God in this realm for all of us, retroactive to The Foundation. That manifestation is the conduit.

This Kingdom is at hand.